Sam had been thankful that John had been on the phone making sure everything was fine at home when he woke up; otherwise it would have been hell trying to convey what he wanted with the stupid tube down his throat. Although he was still having trouble seeing the man by his side as his dad, he wasn't letting that ruin what seemed to be a decent growing relationship of some sort of strange caliber. He wasn't fooling himself, he knew that both John and Mary had taken it in their heads a long time ago that he was their Sammy and it hurt them on some level that he wasn't calling them Mom and Dad yet, but he just couldn't seem to get past it, at least not on any conscious level that he could think of; subconsciously was a different matter all together.
The dreams had actually started shortly after meeting the Winchester's the first time. He hadn't thought too much about it, after all there wasn't anything out of the ordinary about it besides him actually dreaming of them having a family moment here and there. It wasn't until Ellie came to live with them that the dreams had started to take on a different form, a more sinister type that often made him bolt straight up in bed with a scream muffled in his throat. After he, Dean and Ellie moved into their house the dreams started coming every night and always the same; flames everywhere and the smell of burning flesh was so thick he couldn't breathe. He had no idea what they meant, and he didn't dare talk to them about it, at least not yet.
He was relieved when the tube was taken out, and even more so when he saw Dean walk in. He had no idea why he always felt better when his brother was around, but he was determined not to take it for granted; he had done that once before and look where it got Cade. Dean had chased after Josh, making sure everything was alright, he had no doubt, and John had promptly fallen back asleep since the room had quieted so much in the past two minutes. Something though told him that there was more to his male nurse than met the eye, and he was more than a little determined to find out what it was; right after he followed his father's footsteps and took a small nap, damn pain meds.
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Josh wasn't sure exactly what to say and it took him a moment to really register what Dean had asked him, then it dawned on him that the other man had heard his conversation, and wasn't taking it lightly. 'Well hell's bells' he thought sarcastically, 'can my day get any better?' Looking at Dean he smiled and tried to blow it off.
"Sorry man, I'm not sure what you mean."
Dean knew what he heard, and he didn't like it at all. Josh was keeping something from them and it had to do with his Sammy. Funny how he had always thought of his little brother as his everything and disregarded his parent's claim to him. Shaking his head, he continued to watch Josh closely. "Yeah, well we both know that's crap, so how about telling me who you're really working for and how my little brother fits into everything."
Knowing that now wasn't the time or place to hand over the knowledge he had, he instead tried to walk past the other man and instead found himself pushed back against the stairwell. Surprised, he shook his head. "Dean, I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to, so I suggest you move."
Shaking his head, Dean refused to budge. "Josh, my little brother was almost murdered, and now you're having secret conversations with someone about him. What am I supposed to do with that?" he asked, watching the other man closely.
"You don't need to do anything with it Dean, I'm not going to hurt Sam; I swear that's the truth. Now I need to get back to work, and that includes taking care of your brother." Josh said while trying to figure out how to convince Dean that he wasn't a threat.
Watching the other man, Dean had to wonder what was going on. Playing the conversation in his head, he picked up on a few points that he knew he would have to find the answers elsewhere; that place being his mother. 'Who is Brian, and what does he want with Sammy?'
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Mary had spoke John and found out that Sammy would have a regular room by the afternoon and she wanted to be able to surprise him with a visit from Ellie. It had taken some maneuvering, but she managed to convince the little girl that it was time for a bath and to wash her hair. Of course it was mainly the promise of seeing Johnny that helped the process along. Shaking her head, Mary wasn't sure she'd ever really get used to the idea of someone calling her youngest son by one name while everyone else called him by another.
Finishing the last bow in the hair ribbons, she was content to admire her handiwork when she heard the door open and the sounds of Dean and Caleb talking filled the house. Puzzled, she was almost to the stairs when she heard the door open again and she heard Bobby join them.
"Come on Ellie, let's see what type of trouble these guys have gotten themselves into." She said quietly, and then gently guided the little girl down the stairs into the kitchen. She noticed that when she walked in Bobby looked ticked, Caleb seemed anxious and Dean looked at her as if he'd never seen her before. "What's going on?" she asked as Ellie walked up to Dean and waited silently.
Dean knew what was coming and indulged the little girl this time. Normally, they would wait until she actually said what she wanted. It had been hard at first, but his brother had insisted that it be done and after several nerve wracking moments, and a few screaming fits later, Ellie had gotten to the point that she would let them know what she wanted even if it was just a word here or there. He had to hand it to Sammy though, he always knew what the kid wanted or needed, and never pushed an issue with her, always seeming to know when she had enough and had reached her 'wall' so to speak. Picking Ellie up he noticed the pretty ribbons in her hair and smiled. "Hey there little princess, I see you decided to get dressed up today. It must be a special occasion if you have matching ribbons in your hair." He was rewarded with her head on his shoulder as she continued to stare at the wall. Content in knowing that she was comfortable, he turned his attention to the matter at hand. "Mom, who the hell is Brian and what does he want with Sammy?"
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Jason had watched the house for as long as he dared, but it was enough. Now all he had to do was utilize what he had learned. The freak and his brother lived next door to their parents with the little girl, that was good information to know for when the time was right. Now though, he wanted to side step the situation until he knew that he could bring Johnny to him, and with him still in the hospital, it would be awhile.
He had been certain of his kill shot and when he heard that Johnny survived it solidified his knowledge that there was something evil in the boy, after all no one can survive a hit to the heart like that; unless its supernatural of some sort. Pulling into the hotel parking lot, he took the side entrance then the stairs to the eighth floor where he had a nice suite to kick back in. Normally he wouldn't be so extravagant, but with other hunters helping his prey he had decided the best place for him would be in plain sight; hence the hotel instead of his normal shady motel room. Later he'd go downstairs and have a late lunch, maybe catch the waitress from last night who had been a classmate of Dean Winchester. It amazed him how many people are willing to spill their guts to complete strangers if you show just a little bit of interest in them.
The first time he had met Holly Anderson, he hadn't been impressed, but something about her made him start asking about the town, the school, if people stayed or left after graduation. Lawrence might be a college town, but it didn't mean that it in itself had an over abundant population, and it would be nice to know if he had a large or small pool of information to work with. It hadn't taken long to get a feel for the girl who had been working to pay for school while at the same time taking care of an ailing mother. Then it was just a little bit of time before she was sharing stories about some of her classmates and what they were doing now, including the one and only Dean, firefighter extraordinaire. To hear her talk about him, he saved the world on a regular basis, fighting the evils that came to their town. He had almost choked on her hero worship but found that she was quickly becoming an invaluable source of information.
Checking the time he knew that the lunch rush would be over soon and decided to get ready. Taking a quick shower, he then dressed in his casual business attire as if he'd just got done with a sales call or a business meeting on the golf course. Smiling, he knew that even if he ran into the other hunters in the hallway they wouldn't recognize him and that was just the way he wanted it. He had always traveled light, but he had also made a point to carry whatever he might need to actually blend into a variety of different situations, even if it meant socializing with those who had more money than sense of what was really going on around them. Looking at himself once again to make certain he had everything to continue with his ruse, he made sure the 'Do Not Disturb' sign was on the door and quietly made his way out of the room.
Holly had been having the worst day, and she was more than a little happy to see that the lunch crowd was thinning out. Her mother had taken it into her head in the middle of the night to get out of bed by herself, and after two strokes in the past year, that wasn't the best of ideas. It had taken the fire department to help her get her mother back to bed, then another hour to convince her that it wasn't even morning yet and that she needed to go back to sleep. By that time, she remembered that she had the breakfast shift at the hotel which made her hope for another couple of hours sleep a non existent fantasy. Now though, after settling her mother's care giver in for the day, she had already been on her feet all morning, and had been asked to cover the dinner shift later that night. Sighing, she really wished that she could just say 'no' but the money would be good and God knew she needed it.
"Holly, you have a customer." One of the other waitresses whispered as she walked by.
Looking over she saw the man who had been visiting with her quite often lately. She knew nothing could come of it, but it was nice to have someone around who paid attention to her instead of what she could do for them. Smiling, she gathered a glass of ice water, an iced tea and the lunch menu before walking to him.
"Jason, I wasn't sure I'd see you this afternoon. Didn't you say that you had a meeting most of the day?" she asked, setting the items in front of him. He always ordered the same thing, iced tea and a BLT for lunch, water and steak for dinner. The only surprise would be what type of steak and how it would be cooked; the rest was as if he was reading from a script.
Smiling, Jason answered, "I did have meetings, but most were taken care of quicker than anticipated and a few others were rescheduled; it looks like I'll be here a little longer than I thought."
Nodding, Holly wasn't sure why that thought sent a feeling of excitement run through her, but she enjoyed it while it lasted. "Have you thought anymore about locating an office here?" she asked, pretending to help him consider his order; her boss hated it when they had conversations with the customers.
"Actually, I have been thinking about it. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to check the area for office space yet. How about you, have you been able to study like you were hoping?" he asked, putting on an air of actual interest as if speaking more to a friend that someone he needed information from.
Shaking her head she said sadly, "No, it's not that bad though, I just need to make sure I know the information for the tests and a friend of mine has been real good about making study guides for me. It'll all work out."
Looking over Holly's shoulder he saw that her boss was paying attention to how much time they were spending, and it wouldn't do him any good if she got fired. "Is your shift almost over?" he asked, and when he saw her nod he smiled. "I tell you what, after I eat lunch, why don't we get together. You can show me some of the better office sites around town; I'll pay you for your time of course."
Puzzled, she wondered if he was teasing her, but saw that he was genuinely interested in her help. Smiling, she nodded. "I'll meet you in the lobby after you finish."
Watching her go towards the kitchen, he knew that he was risking a lot but he also knew that she had information that she wasn't even aware of, and that would help him get closer to his objective. She had already given him information about the firehouse that Winchester was stationed, and even helped him get in with an acquaintance of the man. Now he needed something else to really pull everything together, the mother of the freak, and Holly was going to help him get to her.