Part II of III

John's schedule had him in and out of the boy's lives but they seemed to thriving and so he felt good about his plan of staying in one place. Before he knew it Thanksgiving was quickly approaching. The day never meant much to them but since they had been living somewhat of a typical life for the last few months he thought it would be nice to observe the holiday in some manner. But as John looked at what it would take to prepare a traditional dinner he decided taking the boys out to eat would be the best. So that Thursday the Winchester's headed to Millie's Diner for some good old home cooking.

They all made pigs of themselves the boys eating more than John thought possible; each one seemingly eating his own body weight in turkey, potatoes and pie. John was quite full himself and as they all groaned and moaned he went off to pay the check. The boys were stretching and complaining that they were going to burst from all the food two men had a seat at the table next to them.

"Yeah Bob says that place is getting out of control," one gentleman said.

"You shouldn't fool with Mother Nature; it only leads to trouble I say," his companion agreed.

"Do you think they are talking about that Experiment Station?" Sam whispered.

"Of course they are you idiot," Dean whispered back.

John took a few days off since the boys were home from school. He and the boys cleaned all the weapons and spent some nice quality time together, but John couldn't help but feel that there was something hanging in the air. For the most part the boys had held up their end of the bargain by staying out of trouble; but there was definitely a feeling that had John a bit uneasy. On Sunday night he had a moment alone with Sam.

"How have you been kiddo?"

"Okay, I like my school and the friends I have. This town is okay I guess," Sam said.

"Anything you want to share with me?" John inquired.

"No, not really."

"Has Dean been around and treating you okay?"

"Yeah he's been here and has been fine, just the usual stuff," Sam said as he carefully loaded his backpack for the next morning. "Are you going to leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but I'll wait until after you go to school though," John said.

He really wanted to stay but a good friend of his had called him about a group practicing necromancy one state over and it seemed important that it be checked out sooner than later so John would follow his sons out the door the next morning.

Later that night he managed to catch Dean as he prepared for bed.

"Can I steal a moment from you?" John asked.

"Sure," Dean responded warily.

"Maybe it is just my imagination but I have this feeling that you are possibly calculating something that would not be in your best interest. I certainly hope that you aren't but in case that you are I just want to let you know that you are not too old for some good old fashioned discipline if you catch my drift," John explained.

"Yes sir, drift is caught," Dean said as he averted his eyes.

The next day at lunch John's advice ignored Brady and Dean began scheming about their upcoming adventure.

"My dad will be gone at least a few days what's up with yours?" Dean asked.

"He is on a sales trip this week and will be back Friday afternoon I think. So it would seem that our opportunity is now," Brady said.

"I would really like to get to the animal husbandry area and see what the deal is but Angie said the security is pretty tight over there. Maybe we can start with the bugs and go from there," Dean said.

"One thing though don't tell your brother. I know my sister always wants to come but not this time they will just get in the way and get us caught."

"Absolutely this is just for us." Dean agreed.

A few months before John had bought a phone that he could take with in case the boys needed to get a hold of him. These were fairly new and kind of big so he kept in the car but he liked knowing that there was a way that he could keep in contact while he was away. John tried to call on a nightly basis if he wasn't too tied up and just knowing it was possible seemed to keep the boys a little more honest about their activities. So on Wednesday when he called he was a bit perturbed that nobody was there to answer the phone.

Dean had walked over to Brady's house to meet up and ride bikes over to the Station. He borrowed Brady's dad's bike and they pedaled off to experience man's dominance over the lesser species. When the boys were just out of sight Sam came around the corner shaking his head; he knew what his brother was up to and he knew that nothing good would come from it.

"I am so pumped dude I can't wait to get in there. All your new information from Angie is going to make all the difference in the world. She must really like you because I have known her since second grade and she never volunteered to tell me anything," Brady said.

"Yeah I got the touch," Dean said smiling.

The boys stashed the bikes and found the opening in the fence and entered the forbidden area. They quickly went the long way around the bug barn and found the door that was nearly obscure and would have gone unseen had it not been for their inside information. The boys ever so quietly tiptoed to the door and place their ears to the door listening for any voices or motion on the other side. Finally satisfied that it was worth the risk to open the door Dean cracked it just a bit and bravely took a peek at the room. He couldn't see or hear anybody so he opened the door a bit more revealing a large room with all kinds of glass enclosures and no people to be found.

The room was pretty basic with glass tanks and netted area's all around. The boys stayed hunched over and made their way to the first table they saw. Satisfied they were alone they both stood up and took a long look at what was before them. They both allowed their eyes to take in the oddities for a moment before they each let out a long "whoa."

"What is that?" Brady asked.

"I think it is a lady bug," Dean answered his eyes large.

"But it's the size of…" Brady trailed off.

"A small dog," Dean finished.

"Yeah."

They watched the large lady bug scuttle around a large enclosure for a while before moving on to another table.

"Wow what kind of snake is that?" Dean asked.

"It looks like a giant earthworm…it is a giant earthworm," Brady confirmed.

"Look at how nice that soil is. I guess you would only need one in your garden if it was that big," Dean said.

The boys continued their self-guided tour around the room finding neon colored grasshoppers and preying mantises as well as other oddities. They were nearly at the end when Dean noticed a group of bees that seemed to have two stingers.

"We better get out of here," Brady whispered not wanting to push their luck.

"Yeah let's go," Dean agreed.

The boys headed back the way they had come and appeared to be home free when they heard someone yell out. Dean's heart raced as his head whipped around and saw Sam in the clearing. It became apparent that it was Sam that they were yelling at. Sam's face became twisted in a combination of horror and fear. The guard was closing in on the younger of the two Winchesters quickly and Dean was frozen where he stood.

"We have to go now or we'll get busted too," Brady whispered. "He'll be okay; they'll be much more lenient on him than us."

"I can't leave him, he's my brother; you go," Dean answered.

Brady gave Dean a long look but then turned and took off through the trees. Dean yelled out and distracted the guard long enough for Sam to snap out of his catatonic state. He began to run with security in hot pursuit. Dean was staying ahead of his pursuer fairly easily and hoped that Sam had been alert enough to escape the compound. As Dean headed back to see if Sam had indeed vacated the area he looked up at the fence and realized that it would be no problem for him to scale it, but the barbed wire on top could pose a problem. But with his arms pumping he figured the damage he may receive from that would be less than what he would get from John if he was caught. Dean was nearly ready to leap for the chain link barrier when his ankle buckled and he crashed his body stretched out face down in the dirt. He quickly felt the arms of the security guard clamp down on his back. He was so angry with himself for being caught but at least Sammy got away.

"Leave him alone," came barreling into Dean's ears. No, please no Dean thought. But when he looked up the words had indeed come from his brother who hadn't been smart enough to leave when given the opportunity.

As the two brothers sat in the office they glared back and forth at each other and when finally given a moment alone Dean unloaded.

"The whole point of me distracting the guy was so that you could get out," Dean snarled.

"Yeah but I couldn't go without you," Sam responded. "We're brothers if we go down we go down together."

Dean just shook his head.

"Okay guys since we haven't seen you before we will just call your parents and have them pick you up. I need your names and phone numbers," The guard said.

"Our dad's out of town but he has a car phone you can try," Dean said.

"Your mother?"

"Dead just try the phone number," Dean answered painfully.

"I'm sorry; I'll call your dad then," the guard said as he dialed the number Dean had given him. "No answer, I'll give it a few minutes and try again."

The guard left the office again knowing the boys couldn't get out of the locked office.

"What if he can't get a hold of Dad?" Sam asked.

"I don't know they'll probably take us to the police station," Dean explained.

"Well that's just great," Sam said.

"Yeah well it gets better because before Dad left he told me if there were any problems that he was going to resort to some good old fashioned discipline."

"You mean…?" Sam drifted off his voice full of concern.

"Exactly and if that goes for me you know that you won't be spared," Dean said knowing how much anxiety that would cause Sam.

Sam just sat and shuddered as a tear threatened to fall. Dean felt bad for causing Sam's stress but he was still so mad at him that he didn't feel all that bad. The boys waited for what seemed an eternity before the guard reappeared.

"I'll try your dad again." After a minute of silence it was obvious that John still wasn't answering. "Well we'll try one more time and then I'm afraid I'll have to take you to the police station until your dad can be reached."

The boys fidgeted knowing that even though the crime was the same being picked up at the police station would be so much worse than where they were now. With the shift change approaching the guard tried the number one more time. Dean held his breath that he happily released when the guard spoke into the mouth piece.

"Mr. Winchester? This is Chris Thornton down at the Experiment Station in Rockwell and I have both of your boys here in the office….Yes sir, they were caught on the premises…they are here with me. They are fine…yes, Sam and Dean. Will you be able to pick them up? Sure no problem the other guard can explain everything to you. You're welcome. You're dad will be here within the next hour. I have typed up our little rendezvous and Ted here will keep an eye on you until your dad shows up. And by the way…he didn't sound happy."

The wait seemed interminable, Ted tossed the report on the counter and grinned at the boys and then proceeded to flip through a magazine. At the top of the hour he locked the boys in and made his rounds and when he came back he had John in tow. Chris wasn't lying as John looked very upset. Ted explained what had happened and that they wouldn't press any charges but that had better never see the boys out there again. John promised that they wouldn't and hauled his boys out to the car by their collars.

The boys climbed in the back seat and Sam had managed to inch his way over so that he was right next to his big brother. Dean could swear that the kid was trembling. John was quiet all the way home, but Dean knew that wouldn't last.

John put the car in park and turned back to look at his sons in the back seat. "I want you to go into the house and sit on the couch."

The boys didn't move.

"Go now boys," John said in a slightly elevated whisper.

The boys nearly fell over each other trying to get out of the car.

Dean pulled his key out and unlocked the door. They both tumbled into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"We are so dead," Sam said.

"No kidding moron," Dean countered. "I'm going to the bathroom; I definitely don't want to pee my pants when all this goes down."

Sam's face drained of color chased after his brother wanting to drain his bladder too.

The boys both made it back to the couch before John appeared.

"What is he doing?" Sam asked.

"Calming down," Dean said.

Sam thought he may need the bathroom again.

John collected his thoughts and practiced his deep breathing as he took the important time he needed so that he didn't damage his sons too much. He finally flung open his door and began the short journey to the front door.

"Where's Sam?" John asked gruffly.

"Bathroom," Dean said.

"I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you Dean. I specifically told you to stay away from there and what would happen if you didn't and yet here we are."

"Sorry," Dean whispered.

"Oh you're going to be sorry and so is your brother."

Sam finally came back into the room and John continued his lecture. "I thought you guys liked it here, but then you go and pull a stunt like this. Discipline guys you have to have discipline if you want to be successful in life; whether it is hunting or something else you won't get far without it. I want to remain as anonymous as possible wherever we go and then you go and broadcast our names out there. Do you want to leave?"

Each boy quietly responded that they didn't.

"So what's the deal then?"

The boys remained quiet.

"I asked a question," John stated.

Dean cleared his throat and began sparing his brother. "It was my fault I decided I wanted to check the place out and Sam got worried and came after me."

"Had you been out there before?" John asked.

"No," Dean lied.

"Well I don't know whether to believe you or not," John said. "Bottom line is you both disobeyed and will suffer the consequences. You are both grounded for two weeks and will have extra chores and training and to ensure they are done I have cleared my schedule. And Dean did you explain to your brother what else you can expect?"

"Yes sir."

"Perhaps if you had informed him earlier of the possibility he would have made a better decision," John said knowing how much Sam hated to be physically disciplined.

Dean was taking deep breaths and Sam was already on the verge of tears. John began to free his belt from its loops and asked; "who's first?"

Dean looked at Sam asking the same question with his eyes. Sam was frozen and refused to meet his brother's eyes. So Dean took the initiative and volunteered hoping that John would use more of his wrath and energy on the first causality.

Dean stood up and followed John around to the back of the couch where he placed his hands on the fabric and dug his fingers in tightly as he knew this would probably mirror a punishment he received a few years back. He recalled how severe it was and that he had managed not to have that repeated …that was until now. He knew how upset John was at having his warning be ignored and he knew that they would have to pay for it; he only hoped that he would bear the brunt of it instead of Sam.

Dean finished his thought as he was quickly snapped back to the present. The teen stood still and remained as stoic as he possibly could. He saw nothing but was directly in front of him and was completely exhausted by the time John was finished. He turned to leave when John grabbed his arm. "You are responsible for this; I needed you to take charge and you let me down. I'll be in to talk with you shortly."

Dean gave a pained look but turned and walked to his room.

Sam who was still sitting on the couch completely mortified even having only heard Dean's punishment remained rooted in his spot until John appeared in his line of vision.

"Let's go son – it's your turn."

Sam forced his body to react to John's command but did so with much difficulty. He mirrored his brother's path and took his place. Though he had never received a severe punishment like Dean had before he recalled the aftermath from that time and was not looking forward to it at all. This situation wasn't as familiar to Sam as it was to Dean and it always a difficult one for the youngster. He hated giving over control like this to his father; it just seemed easier for Dean to accept his punishment and move on but Sam was always reluctant. He just seemed to hang on to the shame for an extended period of time and it fed his anger towards his father.

John gave his son a moment to prepare himself as John did the same. He knew at that moment Sam hated him and he regretted that but he couldn't allow it to stop him from doing what he knew was best. He had to have Sam know there were severe penalties when he not only disobeyed but drew attention to himself. Like it or not their life was what it was and he had to assimilate whether he wanted to or not. It was always a battle and John feared that it would always be a battle. He knew he had to win this battle if Sam was ever going to have a chance at survival.

He went easier on his youngest but you wouldn't know it by Sam's reaction; of course Sam had no idea what Dean had gone through. He had tried to keep the punishment appropriate for each boy and knew Dean was a tough kid with a tough exterior that John felt was important that he crack from time to time lest the boy grow up to fear nothing. There had to be that absolute respect if Dean was going to be a successful adult in this world.

With both boys in their respective rooms John finally sat down to catch his breath. He hated what he just did but was out of answers. He never wanted his boys to be afraid of him but was at a loss as to what would get their attention. They just made it so difficult that he didn't know what else to do.

Dean heard Sam shuffle by and he quietly opened his door and tip toed across the hall to check on his younger brother. Sam was quite tearful and turned his head as soon as Dean came into the room.

"I'm sorry," Dean told him.

"It was my fault," Sam answered.

"It will be okay, he just wants us to understand that we have to be more careful," Dean said.

"I know – I don't hate him; I'm not even that mad at him."

"Dean, back to your room," John yelled down the hallway.

Dean did as he was told and headed back to his room to await John. He wasn't terribly upset by the punishment though it did smart, but it was what John had told him about this being his fault that really bothered him.

John finally knocked and entered ready to talk with his son about his recent actions.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I put too much responsibility on you and it isn't fair, but it is what must be done. When I leave you are in charge and that means giving a good example to your brother; not that I don't blame him for his actions but it begins with you Dean. I was pretty clear about what I expected and you let me down," John explained.

"I'm sorry Dad," Dean whispered.

"I know you are son. Look you impress me every day; you are an amazing boy and sometimes I don't give you the credit you deserve. I want you to know that I am proud of how you handle yourself; I'm just not always happy with the decisions that you make."

Dean managed to smile in his father's direction and give a quick nod.

"Get ready for bed and I'll see you in the morning," John told his son.

Dean went to bed feeling better than he thought he would. He saw John walk over to Sam's room and shut the door behind him.