AN: Sorry for the sporadic updates, I'm going a bit nuts waiting on some good news to be delivered by the mailman... nope, not the rights to Supernatural, but something just as good - yeah, now you understand why I'm acting a little odd? So, thanks for your patience and as soon as I get confirmation, I'll let you all in on the secret! :) Hope you like this chapter in the meantime. Take care!!
John hated having to play the heavy, especially over something as trivial as a missed day of school, but the Judge had been clear; both his brothers had to have regular attendance and decent grades. So for him to just let Dean's disregard for that go wasn't possible, but he had no idea what to do about it especially after he found out why his little brother had felt so compelled to rush out of his class to begin with. Sighing, he leaned back in the wooden chair and thought about what his parents would have done, but quickly dismissed that thought considering that his parents were the type to allow any of them out of school if they felt the need… even if it was just to lounge around and do nothing. Not that they didn't want them to have an education, more like they felt that if a person wasn't in the frame of mind to learn, then why waste everyone's time. At the time he had relished in the knowledge that he could decide for himself if he needed a 'mental day' or not, but now with the situation so tentative with the courts, he needed to be more vigilant with his brothers, no matter what the reason might be.
"Dean, I get that you were upset, but you can't do that again. If the Judge hears about this it could look really bad on us and then where will be? Do you think he'll be able to keep you and Sammy together, is that what you think? 'Cause I got news for you kiddo, that's not always the case. What do you think they'll do to our little brother when they find out about his special gifts, huh? Damn it Dean, I really wish that you had thought this through." John said exasperated, hoping to get the point across without seeming too harsh.
"Right, sure… that's exactly what I want… for some stranger to get their hands on Sammy, you found out my devious plan! God Johnny, you are such a prick!" Dean yelled before marching out of the kitchen, completely oblivious to Sammy's shocked presence inside the living room.
Knowing that Dean needed a few minutes to cool off, John was content in staying where he was and attempt to figure out how the hell this happened to his family, but then he noticed something in the living room that made him groan inwardly. "Hey Sammy, sorry we disturbed you." He said as he opened his arms wide hoping his baby brother wouldn't turn down the opportunity at some alone time. Seeing his littlest brother rush to him, he had a feeling that something happened that neither he nor Dean knew about, but wasn't sure how to approach the subject. Instead, he held Sammy close and refused to let go until the smaller boy started to relax once again.
"Hey, you know Sammy I was thinking. That shrink hasn't been able to help you and I'm starting to think that we've been going about this the wrong way. How about we call Missouri and see if she can come back early and…"
Sammy heard his brother and knew exactly what that meant, it meant that they'd find out and then they'd die. He couldn't allow that… he couldn't lose them too. Shaking his head he pulled out of his brother's grasp and backed away as he continued to try to say something… anything… but nothing came out which frustrated him that he couldn't warn his brother of the danger he was in even if he couldn't get specific. It wasn't until he realized that John had followed him into the living room again, trying to talk to him, to calm him down that he suddenly saw everything around him in a new light. So many things on the shelf could be a way to learn more about the man with yellow eyes and it turned his blood cold, making his panic grow until he reached out and cleared a whole shelf with a sweep of his arm not caring that some of the artifacts were now lying broken on the floor. He continued to clear shelf after shelf while evading his brother's arms until finally he couldn't see anymore due to the tears that had built up. Pausing only for a moment, he wasn't ready for the feel of arms around him and he fought as hard as he could until finally he wore himself out and slumped against the chest of his older brother, not able to move anymore.
John had never seen Sammy act this way and it was more than a little scary. While his little brother was ripping the objects on the shelves apart he saw his middle brother rush out of their room and looked as shocked as he felt. It still took them a few minutes to catch Sammy in a slowdown and softly tackle him all the while trying to keep him from hurting himself. Finally though the kid slumped down and both brothers stared at each other.
"What hell was that?" Dean demanded.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNS
Jim knew that he had his work cut out for him, but there was no way he could turn his back on the family, even though he had long ago turned his back on God. Sighing he remembered the day all too well when he walked away from the church and hadn't looked back since. Now though he had to wonder how he was going to help the remaining members of the torn family, when he himself wasn't sure it could be done. He had warned the elder Winchesters years ago that Sammy's gifts would be a magnet to the supernatural world, and now there was evidence to show that the kid had really done it this time and if his suspicions were correct, then he had no idea how any of them would be able to protect the youngest brother.
Feeling the need to get away from his own thoughts, he turned the radio station knowing he should be able to pick up something closer to Lawrence, what he heard though made him wonder if he was already too late.
"…the explosion at Cleveland Elementary that took place earlier today. Although no injuries have been reported, the school has been reported closed until a full investigation can take place and any structural damage repaired. Now for the weather,…"
Ignoring the rest of the report, Jim worried that he was definitely too late to be of any assistance. He'd been told that a mid level demon had been plotting something and could possibly be moving in to strike, and somehow he just couldn't see this latest development at Sammy's school as a coincidence; mainly because he didn't believe in coincidences. Pressing the accelerator harder, he felt satisfaction in knowing that his truck might be old, but it could still do its job. Now all he had to do was find the boys and warn them about what was possibly going on – without freaking any of them out… sure, no problem.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNS
Although night had descended upon the house, neither John nor Dean worried about turning on a light, their concern more for Sammy than others finding their way around the house. As they both sat on opposite ends of the bed, they shared their concern about their baby brother's outburst. Even when Sammy had been in his 'terrible two's' he'd never acted like that, choosing more to be fussy or just uncomfortable with everything instead of violent outbursts or temper. This new development had both brothers worried and stumped as what they needed to do.
Hearing a truck stop in front of the house, John looked at Dean and nodded before rushing out of the room to grab the shotgun. They knew that people normally didn't park in front of their home unless they knew them, but strange things were going on at the moment and none of them were going to take any chances. Knowing that Dean had by now refreshed the salt line on the window and was in the process of laying another one down around the bed, he concentrated on the person approaching the door - readying himself to shoot if need be.
The sound of the doorknob rattling before the knocking began echoed through the quiet home, but it was the voice behind the door that grabbed John's attention. "John, it's me… look I really need to see you boys and…"
John swung the door open quickly while at the same time squirted holy water onto the other man. Seeing no ill effects, he pulled Jim inside and quickly secured the door once more. "Next time… call! Weird things are going on and damnit things are going to have to change around here."
Shocked, Jim watched as the now eldest Winchester started towards the kitchen while mumbling things that he was sure he didn't hear correctly. Reaching over to turn on a light, he quickly understood that things were definitely different in the Winchester household and it didn't have anything to do with the now deceased parents. "What happened John? Were you boys attacked? Is everyone ok?"
"We're fine Jim, its Sammy we're worried about." Dean said softly as he walked into the living room. "See you found the remains of Hurricane Sammy."
Jim watched as Dean joined his older brother and knew that this wasn't some horrendous joke. "What exactly happened?" he asked, knowing that Sammy wasn't one to just have a fit on a whim… in fact he'd never known the youngest boy to have a fit even if it was well deserved.
Shaking his head, John motioned for their friend to sit down while he started a pot of coffee. "We don't know. Sammy slept in today so he was late for school. I made sure that Dean was on time, mainly because of what Judge Anderson ordered, but after taking Sammy I went looking for a job. Amazingly I landed one when I least expected it but then I heard on the radio that Sammy's school had a fire break out and I guess the boiler exploded. He and I get home to see Dean beat us here because he remembered Christmas and that mom and dad won't be here and then it really starts to get weird. I mean, everything was fine… ok, not fine, but Dean and I would have worked it all out anyways. So Dean goes to our room and I see Sammy standing there so I start talking to him about seeing if Missouri could come home from her sister's and maybe help us figure out what happened, and then Sammy freaked out. I swear Jim I've never seen him act like that. In fact if I didn't know better I'd say he was possessed."
Hearing that last phrase come out of John's mouth made Jim wonder just how bad it actually had been, then a horrible thought occurred to him. "John, have you…"
"Had him drink some holy water before he crashed." Dean said wearily. He knew what the other man was thinking, but that was the thing… Sammy couldn't become possessed. Their parents were so worried about it that they had made sure the baby of the family got a small tattoo that was hidden in his hairline at the base of his skull… not too many people knew of it, and it was one of the things they worried about when the subject of foster care came up.
John looked at Dean and had to wonder if the kid was telling the truth or not, it was so hard to tell at times which came in handy during a hunt, but not so much when dealing with family issues. Refraining from blurting out the secret of Sammy's tattoo, although anyone who thought about it would have realized the merit of it… after all with his little brother being a virtual beacon for the supernatural it only made sense to make sure he was protected… he waited for Jim's reaction and wasn't too surprised when the older man nodded thoughtfully before settling into a chair.
"Boys, there's something I think you should know before Sammy wakes up again." Jim said as he hesitated to begin. Knowing that there was no easy way to say it, he jumped in with both feet hoping he wasn't making a horrible mistake. "I found out that there's a demon that's planning something big and I'm worried that you boys are about to get in the middle of it." Seeing their worried expressions he held up his hand in the attempt to stave off their questions for a moment. "Now I'm not saying it's definite, but what I've been able to piece together it's a…"
The sound of the door softly opening made all three hunters turn their attention to the living room where the light from the porch streamed through the opening of the doorway. Panicked, Dean ran to the bedroom yelling his baby brother's name while John ran towards the door praying he was wrong.
"Dean, he's outside!" John yelled as he raced outside in hopes of catching up to their little brother. With it being a new moon, he couldn't see much and he worried he wouldn't be able to pick up Sammy's path. It wasn't long before a flashlight was pressed into his hand and he nodded his appreciation as he started running down the street listening closely as he heard Dean's running gait fade away as he went in the opposite direction.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNS
He knew he wasn't supposed to be out on his own but he knew he had to do this now, without his brothers seeing what he was doing. The door had made enough noise that he knew both John and Dean would be following close, but they didn't know that Josh got a new bike and said he could use it anytime he needed to… and right now he needed to.
It didn't take long to run into the neighbor's yard and sneak the bike through the back gate that connected to the easement that led to the next street, but it did take him a little while to finally decide that he needed to do this… to save his brothers he'd go against everything he'd been taught if he had to, but he wouldn't sit back and watch his family get hurt anymore, not because of him. With his decision made, he started riding as fast as he could down the dark streets knowing where he was going, wishing he didn't have to do this alone; as absurd as it sounded, he had always been afraid of the dark.
Finally arriving at his destination, Sammy got off the bike and climbed the wrought iron fence with his backpack secure on his shoulders and ran quickly until he reached the two stones that symbolized the day his life fell apart. Falling to his knees in between the grave markers, he allowed the tears to fall and started to dig in the space between his mom and dad. Feeling as if he finally got the hole deep enough, he carefully unzipped his pack and ignored his raw hands as he lifted his journal out of it and placed it in the space he had cleared before dousing it both with salt and lighter fluid.
'If I can't have it, there's no way I'm letting him get it.' He thought as he lit the match and tossed it on the evidence of his freakiness, of just how wrong he was… of how it should be him lying there instead of his parents. Hearing something close by, he quickly covered the fire and left quietly in hopes that no one would see him leave.
Across the street from where young Sammy Winchester regained the borrowed bike and started his way back home, a shadow moved along the darkness until it stopped in the middle of the road and gazed intently with its yellow tinted eyes at the spot that the boy had been before dissipating once again as if it was never there.
