By the time Dean got home, he was tired and more than a little cranky. Nothing got him worked up than being made an example of in front of the whole class, especially when it was about getting their priorities straight. Right, he didn't have his priorities straight just because they didn't match up with the Chief's idea's. Sighing, he rested his head on the steering wheel trying to collect his thoughts.
It wasn't until he heard the tap on the window that he realized he had lost track of time and was sure his family had sent out a search party for him. Turning towards the glass, he saw Billy Jenkins smiling at him. The boy was only about nine, but his dad had died the year before leaving him, his mom and little sister to live in a house mortgaged to the hilt without any insurance at all. Rolling down the window Dean smiled, "Hey Billy, what's going on?"
"I wanted to say bye in case I didn't get to later." Billy said sadly. He liked Dean a lot, he would play catch with him anytime he got the chance and would make his mom smile just by looking at her.
Dean was confused for a moment then ventured, "So what's up, you guys going on vacation or something?"
Billy shook his head, "Uh uh… Mom talked to a realtor today and the guy said that we should be able to sell the house pretty quick. So, I just wanted to say that I'll miss seeing you around."
"Whoa there, wait a minute… you're moving? Where are you moving to?" Dean asked worriedly, he knew that Michelle had been having a hard time, but he thought things were getting better.
Shrugging his shoulders Billy didn't answer, he didn't know the answer. His Mom kept telling him not to worry, but he couldn't help it. In his mind, if they couldn't afford their house, then they couldn't afford a different one.
Seeing the boy upset worried Dean, the kid was usually pretty upbeat. That was something that drew people to him, but now it looked as if the kid was as the end of his rope. "I tell you what, I'll go talk to your mom and we'll figure something out, ok?" he asked, hoping that maybe he could find an answer for their neighbor, she didn't deserve this.
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Dinner was a quiet affair with the exception of Ellie's humming. Dean had apparently made it home, but had gone off somewhere and hadn't made it inside yet. John and Mary exchanged glances and continued to watch Johnny as he made his way through his meal quietly.
Dean knew something had happened as soon as he walked in the door, the house was too quiet. Sure, he heard his family in the dining room eating dinner, but there was no conversation going and that was unnerving in itself, but to see Johnny so shut off from everyone else made him wonder what exactly had happed while he was gone.
"Alright, what's going on?" he asked, looking at each member of his family. Seeing that he wasn't going to get a quick answer he decided to take different approach. Pulling out his cell phone, he called the number that Caleb had given him. Standing in the living room getting the details from the other man, Dean could see how things had gone from decent to tense in such a short time. His parents kept thinking as if Johnny was still Sammy and would fall into a normal life easily. Unfortunately he had seen how Johnny really was, completely self reliant, and if it wasn't for Ellie then he'd be on the road right now instead of trying to conform to their parents way of thinking.
Tapping his cell phone to his forehead, he started thinking about how much freedom Johnny had actually given up, and he had to admit that if he had been his little brother then he would have probably felt the same way. Their parents meant well, but they just didn't get the full extent of how Johnny had been raised. His little brother hadn't had anyone to run to when he had a bad dream, or scraped a knee; he only had himself until he met Cade, and even then it was temporary. He had an idea, and he knew his parents wouldn't like it, but it might be the only way to keep Johnny around; otherwise both he and Ellie would be gone without anyone realizing it until it was too late.
"Hey Johnny! I know that you already took a look at that apartment, but what would you say about a house?"
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Johnny and Ellie had left to speak to the neighbor leaving the other Winchester's in the dining room. Dean saw his chance and he wasn't going to let it go. "Alright you too, give him a break. I know that you want all of us like we were, but we're not and you pushing him towards something he's not ready for isn't helping."
"Son, he needs to know that we're a family and…"
"… and what Dad, we'll always be there for him? That anything he ever needs we'll make sure he gets? Sounds great, so why can't you let him do it somewhere else?" Dean asked and then held up his hand. "Do you two not realize that he hasn't gone out since Ellie's been here? That every waking moment it's been about her, and to top it off trying hard to follow whatever guidelines that you two have silently put down? Jeez, I'd want out of here too."
Shocked, both Mary and John looked at Dean and silently watched their eldest son nod. "Yeah, now you're getting it. He didn't get his GED and emancipation papers just because he was feeling bratty one day, he did it so others would have any control over his actions. He's given up a lot of that for Ellie, and he doesn't regret it. Don't make him regret his feelings towards you Mom; you're the only reason why he agreed to stay here in the first place, he and Ellie could have lived anywhere."
Leaving his parents at the table to think about what he said, Dean decided to go next door to see what his little brother thought about the Jenkins place.
Mary looked at John and whispered, "We've been taking too much for granted haven't we?"
John could only sit there and think about the boy that they met on the road compared to the man who had been trying his best not the let them down. 'Damn, how can we fix this?' he thought to himself, trying hard to think of a solution to show Johnny that he could still be himself and their son too.
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Michelle Jenkins hated being a single mom, but there wasn't anything she could do about it and now she had a bigger hate; she had to sell the house that she and her husband bought before Billy was born. It broke her heart considering how many memories of Jimmy were there. Now though, she watched Dean's brother walk around with his little girl and wondered what they thought of the place.
When Dean had come over to talk to her about what was going on, she had unloaded with both barrels. The medical bills from her husband's accident were still being paid, the taxes had gone up, she had to pay for a plumber to repair the sewer line because it hadn't been put in properly, and now she was two months behind on her mortgage and they were threatening foreclosure even though she had explained the situation and asked if there was any possible way to restructure the payments. Dean had listened sympathetically and asked how much she was wanting for it compared to how much it was worth, then asked if she had already looked for other places to live. At first she had thought he was just doing some weird form of flirting, it wouldn't have been the first time, but then she realized he was serious. He knew a lot of people, and some were actually thinking about buying a new home. She could have kissed him on the spot if she hadn't had two kids fighting over the last of the fresh baked cookies.
"Uh, excuse me, but does the play set in the back stay?" Johnny asked, not wanting to intrude on her thoughts, but Ellie had already taken to the backyard and he needed to know what was included.
Smiling, Michelle nodded, "Oh yeah, that monster is staying; there's no way I'd be able to fit it in the van."
Laughing, Johnny smiled back then turned to watch Ellie play some more. He was so engrossed in her that he didn't know anyone else was around until he felt a slap on the back and heard his brother's voice.
"Hey, looks like our girl has taste. You know Dad and I came over and helped Jimmy put that thing together. The instructions said it could be assembled in a weekend, yeah… try two weeks." Dean laughed at the memory; it was one of the few times that his dad had periodically trusted him out of his sight for a whole day that didn't include school. "So, have you had the grand tour yet?"
Nodding, Johnny stepped out into the yard and turned to look at the house. "Yeah, four bedrooms, three baths, a separate laundry room, large living area a dining room and an island in the kitchen. The roof looks fairly new, so that wouldn't be an issue for awhile, and the windows are in pretty good shape. I just haven't gotten the nerve to ask her how much she wants for it."
Dean knew that this was where he was going to have to tread lightly. When he told Johnny the price he thought his little brother was going to have a stroke, and it took a little while to calm him down and not grab Ellie off the play set to go home.
"Dean, I can't afford that!" he hissed not wanting Michelle to overhear. "Even if I used all of Cade's insurance money, there would be no way!"
"Calm down dude, who said it would be just you?" Dean asked. "Look, I have some money saved up that will help on the down payment. We can get a thirty year mortgage for now and pay it down if we want to later." He said confidently. He wasn't certain that Johnny was going to go for it, but he had to at least try.
"It's too big." Johnny said quietly, not wanting to convey just how much the whole idea scared him. Staying in one place too long didn't usually turn out to be such a good decision for him.
"By the time we get all of Ellie's things in one room, pick out stuff for you in another, and my stuff from my apartment, trust me… you'll be thinking we should have gotten a bigger one."
Johnny looked at Dean and saw how serious his brother was. "Man, I can't ask you to do this."
Sighing, Dean shook his head, "Johnny, you're my little brother, you're not asking me to do anything. If anything, it's the other way around. Something has to prod me to settle down, otherwise I'll end up being one of those store greeters you see because I waiting too long to plan for my retirement." He meant it as a joke, but even he saw the truth in the statement.
Looking between Ellie and Dean, Johnny wasn't certain what to think. In a way it would be nice for Ellie to have a place of her own again, but being in one place made Johnny uncomfortable. Starting to feel as if he was a bug under a microscope, he nodded. "Ok, let's see if we can actually afford it before we start announcing that we're buying it."
Dean couldn't agree more, the last thing he needed was for someone to start making wise cracks about him shaking up with his brother. 'Ewww.' He thought, wondering why he let his mind drift that way.
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Bobby couldn't believe what he just heard. In fact he was about to ask the person to repeat it when it occurred to him that it was too absurd for the other person to lie about it. Cursing under his breath, he made his way towards Caleb to fill in what he found out. By the time he finished Caleb was showing signs of just how nervous he was. It wasn't until he finally finished pacing in front of Bobby that he turned and faced the older man.
"Man, I hate Druids!"