Beautiful Innocence
By: chocolate rules
A/N: Wow, this was very well forgotten. Sorry!! Here's the next chapter:
Chapter 9: Silence Speaks
John dropped the boys off at their schools and headed over to the library. He was glad that they were in fact doing alright and could focus his mind on finding the next case. He had actually thought that there was something coming his way and that didn't strike him as good.
At School:
Dean walked up to his locker to find Nat and all her friends standing by it. Great, he thought slowing his steps. He hadn't really thought about how he was supposed to respond to her, he knew what he'd do if they had done something and he'd just act normal had they not tried anything, but stopping just before that was new to him.
And this was officially way too much thinking for something that was second nature to him.
Girls.
Dean got into range and Nat saw him. Shifting into automatic, Dean strode over to his locker and waited for her to say her 'laters' and head over to him.
"Hey," she said, sliding in front of him, blocking him from his locker.
"Hey," he smirked.
"You were so so awesome yesterday," she said, perking her lips for emphasis. Dean shrugged. Nat pouted. "You're not mad, are you? Cause I so didn't know about Eddie. I'm like, so totally embarrassed."
"Hey, it would've sucked more to get busted," Dean said truthfully. Fathers and brother scared him, that was just that.
Thank God Sammy's a boy.
"So, not mad?" and she's all perky again.
"Nope," shit-eating grin.
"Great, cause he's gone by Wednesday, and my dad has a conference that weekend and mom always goes with him. Something about him cheating on her when they first got married or whatever…" And now she's talking. Damn, should've said I was mad.
Nat grabs at Dean's arm once she's let him get to his locker and then proceeds to walk him over to his Physics class.
Dean knows he's a catch, but this is just weird.
"Uh, Nat? I think I can handle this myself, alright. I'll catch up with you later," Dean said as he pried his arm out from her hands.
"Dean?" Nat asked unsure as she watched him get free.
"Lunch, right? By the football field? Later!" Dean practically ran, with grace of course, to his Physics class. He was by far not easily manhandled.
Sam sat up listening to his science teacher explain the new lab experiment. They were going to make slime. It was so well slimey and he couldn't wait to get his done. If they finished early, they could make more!
And then he could use some against Dean.
Sam finished up his slime and poured it out his cup into his hand. It felt soo cool and gooey. If he could get this into Dean's hair, Sam smiled evilly. Granted, Dean would retaliate and then the prank wars would be on again.
As promised, Dean met up with Nat by the football field. What she had not expected, however, was to see Jane Stern leading Dean over by the arm. She watched as Dean came up to her group, said hello to everyone, including her, and then just began talking like nothing had happened. To Nat's utter confusion, as they had arrived, Dean and Jane had split up and each had gone towards their own group.
Sam's lunch was oddly uneventful. Josh and his crew hadn't bothered him all day. Sam was sure that the bigger boy would save it all for lunch time. But nothing had happened. Sam felt them staring at him, but they didn't come after him. Maybe Dean's warning had actually served him some good. Sam sat with Richey and a few more of his friends. They didn't seem bothered that Josh's gang hadn't come after them, so why should he?
Josh watched as Sam sat and adamantly talked with his friends. He had figured that the freak would be scared about what he and his friends would do to him to make him pay for the day before. Frankly, he had hoped that the kid would be freaking paranoid enough to skip lunch altogether.
That had been the plan.
Ted saw the intense look on his friend's face. He didn't like it. Knowing Josh as well as he did, he knew what that look meant. Trouble.
"Fucking freak-" muttered Josh.
"J, just let it go," Ted said as he dipped a few fries into his ketchup.
Josh looked up to him. He glared at his friend for a second, not sure how to respond to him.
"Let it go? Teddy are you serious? You saw the fool that that freak's brother made of me!"
Josh gritted his teeth around 'brother', hating that fact more than anything.
Ted repressed the need to roll his eyes.
"Josh, look, you're lucky that no one has asked Sam what happened to his face. He could've rated you out, man, and then what? You know how your father acts around accusations!"
"Rated me out? Forgetting your part in this, Teddy? I go down, I'm taking you and Roge with me."
Ted scoffed.
"Roge? That freaking asshole left us, man!"
"Yeah, that's why that cowards gonna rot with us if we fall! But the freaks not gonna say nothing," stated Josh with confidence.
Confidence that Ted couldn't find means for.
"Dude, how the hell would you know that? If it had been you, you'd have had everyone out in the streets after screaming your ass off!"
"Me, sure, but Freak doesn't know that. He can't get to people like I can."
That was true and Ted knew it. No one really bothered with Josh, or consequently with any of his friends. Being a pastor son had allowed him leniency on everything. Ted couldn't figure why, but he loved reeling in the benefits.
But there was one thing that Josh was over looking. One thing that would surely backfire on them.
"Josh…" started Ted, as Josh started to once again devour his Sloppy-Joe.
"Whaa-"
"J, man, mostly everyone likes Sam better than you."
John Winchester listed through a few newspapers in the library. He hated having to, but he needed to find a new hunt. He couldn't shake the feeling that had over come him during his last hunt. The reason that he had rushed the four hour drive down to barely two.
He had been relieved to see both of his sons fine.
Granted, he hadn't really noticed Sammy's face the previous night, having been to concentrated on his own pain, comforting his youngest and marveling under Dean's careful technique. The boy really had a way with the stitching. John wasn't sure whether it was because of his dedication on the boy or Dean's natural gentleness inherited down from Mary.
He hoped it was the latter.
Into his third article, glancing briefly at his notes, John Winchester froze. Something was not right.
"Shit," he whispered as he gathered up his journal and returned the papers that he didn't need. "Gotta call Jim."
Dean shifted his feet as he watched the cars and buses pull away. He hated waiting like this. Had hated it since the second grade when he had to wait an extra two hours after school to get picked up because Dad got injured and was in the hospital and Jefferson wasn't called until then.
He really hoped that his father would appear soon, or else he was going to start walking.
"Dean?"
Dean flipped around to see Nat coming up behind him. She was, as usual, walking around with two other girls (he didn't know their names, but he called them Blondie and Giggles in his head).
"Hey Nat!" Dean said cheerfully. He had been avoiding Nat most of the day, having kept to lunch with her and just lunch.
He really didn't know whether he was acting like that because of the scare last night of almost getting caught, or the fact that they didn't get to do anything but he really didn't want to hang out with her anymore.
And he was pretty used to this. He went through girls pretty quickly, and it wasn't a "get laid and leave 'em" deal either.
Mainly, Dean easily got bored.
Clingy was not only boring, but majorly annoying as well.
"Hey baby!" Nat said in reply.
Baby?
"I missed you today!" she continued as she threw her arms around him.
Dean gave her a lazy huge back.
"Well, I was around. Had shit to do, you know," Dean shrugged.
Nat grabbed his hand and then turned back to her awaiting duo.
"I'm going to stay with Dean, kay. So, laters!"
"Bye Nat!" said Giggles as she gave Nat a huge goodbye.
" ' Member Nat, turquoise," Blondie said seriously as she too leaned in for a hug.
Dean tried to shake his hand free.
"Of course, Mandy!"
And the duo left.
Mandy Swartz thought Dean. He had a class with her, remembered the name during roll call. Mandy was so dramatic, would only figure that she and Nat would be friends.
Then again, Mandy had looked really good today in her tight dark red sweater.
Maybe Mandy.
"DEAN!"
Dean shook his head. He looked down into Nat's 'glare'.
"What?"
"Weren't you even listening?"
Duh no!
"Sure," Dean nodded nonchalantly. "So, um, how's that going?"
Nat perked up, apparently he had said the right thing? Girls, he really would never understand them.
"Well, Rachel doesn't think so, but like Mandy thinks that it'll look just awesome!"
Awesome!
"Maybe she's right," replied Dean with a nod.
Who was right? What the hell is she talking about?! DAD!! Save your son!
"Well, she better be! Or I'm gonna look like a complete doof!"
Doof? What's a doof! Is that good? Nah, Dean, that sounds bad…
"That would suck."
Nat laughed. Had he been funny?
"So, like what bout you?" she asked him, poking him slightly in the chest.
"Me?"
She started walking them towards the student parking lot. Dean stopped walking.
"Where you going?"
"Um, your baby," giggled Nat, referring to Dean's Impala.
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"She's not here."
"What? You always drive to school. What happened?"
Dean thought for a second that he should tell her that he was grounded because of her and wouldn't be allowed his precious car, but he really didn't want to hear her pity voice or her 'sad' tone.
"Just, left her home."
"So, like how are you gonna go home, baby?"
There it is again!
"My Dad's coming for me. So, you better get going too, if you want to catch a ride from someone or something."
"Your Dad?" she asked excited.
Dean groaned. Knowing Nat, she would want to met Dad and probably invite herself on a ride. Hopefully Dad would be in the truck and Sammy would already be in the backseat.
Dean would never set Sammy with Nat. Poor kid would probably bang his head on the window from how much she talks. Dean sure wanted to.
Dean was saved from further talk as said vehicle peeled around the corner. Proving just where Dean's driving abilities came from; John sped to just feet from where he had spotted him and instantly stopped right next to him.
Dean grinned to the backseat towards Sammy. He turned back to Nat and turned his grin into a smirk.
"Here's my ride! See ya, Nat!" Dean said, untangling his arm from her hold and moving to step off of the curb and into the truck.
"Bye bab-"
Dean flipped around and shot off a warning glance, stilling Nat's words.
"Natalie, I'm not your baby. Nothing changed. Just, let it be, okay? Bye." Dean said in a no nonsense, low tone. He didn't want his father hearing him and asking questions, but he really didn't want anyone girl with the idea that they had claim to him.
That was all kinds of crazy.
"Whaa-" Nat started to ask, but Dean was already turning away into the truck.
"Hey, Dad. Hey, squirt," greeted Dean as he pulled himself up into the passenger seat.
"Hey Dean!" Sam greeted from where he was leaning towards a cardboard box, trying to pear inside it, see what was inside.
"Hey, son," replied John as he peeled out and away from the high school.
Dean eyed the box, then shared a look with Sammy and then back to the box again.
"Sammy, leave it," John warned, clearly having said it a few times before.
John glanced over to see his eldest twisted in the front seat looking back to his brother and the box. He should have left the damn box first.
"Dean, sit right or would you rather sit in the back?"
"No sir," Dean replied, twisting back around.
"Seatbelt."
Sighing, Dean put on the seatbelt. Behind him, Sammy slowly pulled his on as well, having ignored his father when he had told him the same thing. Sam was way too curious.
They drove for a minute, hearing most of Sammy's day. Some things twice for John. Then, having asked Dean how his day had gone and having gotten half decent responses, they pulled into their apartment driveway.
"Boys head inside and get starting on your work."
Twin "yessirs" and both boys hopped out of the truck and towards the door.
John sighed. He wasn't sure about how he wanted to go about doing this. Surely, he couldn't not tell them what was going on. He had to keep them protected.
But could he manage to ignore what was so blatantly obvious? Could he look Dean and Sammy in the eyes and tell them that everything was okay?
John Winchester pushed his door open and then opened the backdoor to pull out the mysterious box. He had hoped he would never need these things.
Entering the house, John was pleased to see that Sammy had his work out on the kitchen table and was already working on it.
"Where's your brother?"
Sam shrugged, not looking up from what appeared to be history homework.
"He grabbed the phone and went into the room."
John sighed. He easily spotted his eldest's book bag carelessly tossed by the couch.
John set the box on the far end of the kitchen table. Sam glanced up at it. John looked back to him. He watched the curiosity dance in his youngest eyes.
"Sammy," John said sternly, causing Sam to turn to look at him guilty. John captured his attention before continuing. "Touch the box, and you're going to get it."
Sam's eyes widened slightly as he opened his mouth to comment. He quickly closed it and jerked his eyes back to his work.
"Sammy?"
"Yes sir," replied Sam quickly, not wanting to dwell on the thought.
John began to walk back to the hall. Passing Sam, he ruffled the long wavy strands.
"Good boy."
Dean was already jumped when there was a sharp knock on the door before it opened.
"Dad, hold on-"
"No, Dean. You were told to start your work. Off the phone, before I take it away completely."
Dean paled. He really needed to take this call.
"Just one minute," he said, but it came out as a whine.
"No. Now."
Dean groaned, but he ended the call and placed the phone on his father's outstretched hand.
"Thank you. Now, go to your bag and get your work to the table. When you boys are done, we need to talk."
Dean stood and walked out to the living room.
"Dad, I can explain last night. You see…"
"Save it," said John following behind him.
Setting the phone back, John grabbed the box, grateful Sam had heeded his warning, and set it aside in the hallway. Dean set his things down in the now empty space.
"Besides, though I do want a full report on your activities and whereabouts last night, I'm afraid there's something I've got to tell you."
tbc...Next Chapter: Not All Fun And Games
Well, that's chappie 9!! Wonder what it is that John has to say :/
Please review:D Have a great Day!!
