Skirmish
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A/N: This hasn't been my best week, and the story might not have ended the way I originally planned… actually it didn't end the second or third way I planned, either and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I haven't been able to respond to reviews in quite a while, but I promise to get back to everyone this weekend. I appreciate each and everyone who reads my dabblings.
oooOOOooo
Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more - Louis L'Amour
oooOOOooo
When Sam and John got to the hospital, they found Dean sitting in one of the chairs with a tray of food on the table within reach. He was reading an article in one of the car magazines Sam had brought to him before and had traded the hospital gown for sweats and a t-shirt.
"Dean! You're out of bed!" Sam said excitedly as he rushed to his side.
"Hey, Sammy," Dean grinned, seeming a little embarrassed as Sam hugged him.
"Good to see you up, son. Has the doctor been in this morning?" John noticed the monitor was disconnected.
"Yes, sir. He said I can probably leave tomorrow. The fever is completely gone."
"That's great!" Sam smiled.
"Have you eaten anything?"
"A little bit. I'm still not really hungry."
Sam sat on the edge of the bed, facing his brother. "You look a lot better."
"Thanks, Sammy. I feel a lot better." He looked toward his father. "So what you said last night – the old woman?"
"What about her?"
"What did she have to do with me getting sick?"
John took a deep breath and sat next to Sam. He explained about the old woman being engaged by and later possessed by a demon who was holding a grudge against him. He was undecided about telling him how Sam fit into it, but even if he wanted to, it would obviously have to be when the younger boy wasn't around.
"I'm sorry, Dean."
"What for?" he sounded confused.
"It was my fault that you got sick," John said. "The demon wanted to hurt me and it did that by hurting you –"
"It's okay, Dad," Dean assured him. "It's a dangerous job."
John glanced at his younger son.
"Yeah, it is. But until it's your job, it shouldn't hurt you," he said and put a hand on Sam's leg. "So are you allowed out of this room yet?"
"Uh, yeah, the doctor said I could go for short walks as long as I stay in the ICU. I just have to drag my trusty IV along."
"How about we see what's down the hall?"
Dean's doctor came into his room later to discuss the results of the most recent blood test and found him playing cards with his family. They were glad to hear there was no sign of the infection and that he could be released as early as that afternoon. The doctor didn't hesitate to express his shock at the rapid recovery, but none of the Winchesters found it that miraculous considering the circumstances of the illness, but they were thankful nonetheless.
They listened to the doctor's discharge orders and John knew Sam would give Dean no choice but to obey them. When they got home, Sam set his brother up on the living room couch making sure everything he might need was within easy reach. John knew better than to get in the middle of them and stayed in the background, watching. He was proud of the way Sam was taking care of Dean; he'd seen the opposite for so many years and it was nice to see Dean would accept help from his brother.
Caleb and Aidan were planning to stick around for a few more days, but decided to give the family some time to themselves and left the house to pick up provisions. Grocery shopping was never high on John's list of things to do, but it hadn't happened at all in several days. When they got back to the house later, they were surprised to find Pastor Jim had arrived.
"Did we know you were coming?" Aidan smiled after a warm greeting. Having grown up in Jim's church orphanage, under his personal supervision, the man felt like family.
"No, I just decided to get in the car. I didn't want to be the only one not fussing over Dean."
"None of us can get close to him with Sammy around," Caleb laughed. He glanced into the living room. "Where are they, anyway?"
John nodded toward the back yard as he started to unpack the grocery bags. "Outside. It looks like you plan to barbeque tonight."
"It's warm enough and you have that grill right outside," Aidan said. "I was going to try my hand at Jim's secret sauce recipe, but with the man himself here –"
Jim smiled. "I'd be happy to oblige, though I'm not sure how you were going to make my secret recipe since it's a secret."
"I have my ways," Aidan joked. "But I get the feeling you're here for something other than Dean."
"I also came because we have some things to discuss," Jim said.
"No, we don't," John countered. "This is my decision."
Caleb and Aidan exchanged a look. A disagreement between John and Jim was rarely a good thing. Despite Jim's status as unofficial leader and having taken John under his wing to make sure he got the training necessary to do the job he felt compelled to do after Mary's death, John tended to go his own way. He was grateful to Jim, not only for the training, but for providing a safe place for him and his sons to live intermittently throughout the years, but didn't feel that gave the man a right to make decisions for him.
"Don't be stubborn, John," the minister warned.
"Jim, you're family, but they're my children. The demon is after my son and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone else decide what I should do about it."
"What are you two fighting about exactly?" Caleb asked.
"Nothing," John grumbled.
Jim glanced at him. "What to tell the boys about the demon."
John slammed a hand on the counter. "There's nothing to discuss! They know all they need to know."
"You can't let them go through life not knowing that a demon has claimed Sam for its own," Jim said patiently.
"And just what are they supposed to do with that knowledge if I do tell them?" John challenged.
"Protect themselves?"
John shook his head. "I don't know how to protect them from this, so how can they protect themselves? I don't want Sammy to look over his shoulder all the time wondering when the demon is going to come for him or what will compel him to go on his own. No! There's no reason to scare them until I know what will help them."
"Jim, I agree with John. What would be the point of telling Sammy there's a demon after him if we can't tell him what to do about it?" Caleb pulled a beer from the refrigerator. "And you know how Dean is with Sammy; he's a mother hen most of the time. This will send him into a tailspin."
Sighing, Jim took a bowl from a cabinet and began mixing the ingredients for his special barbeque sauce. He had no more information than the rest of the men in the room, but he always preferred full disclosure to secrecy. Even if they couldn't give the boys direct instruction on how to protect themselves from a particular danger, Jim felt that just knowing the peril existed was beneficial.
After making the sauce, Jim put Aidan in charge of the remaining preparations and he went to find John. He was in his bedroom, going through some books Jim had brought for him.
"John? Can we talk?"
"If you want to talk about the demon, there's not a whole lot left to say." John didn't look up from the book on his lap, but his tone was friendly.
Jim sat next to him on the bed. "You're scared."
John sighed and rubbed his face. "Do you blame me?"
"No, of course not."
"I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I think about the boys all the time. I want them safe – I've always felt there was something different about Sammy and that's why I needed Dean's help to take care of him. It wasn't just because I was gone so often; I had to make sure Sammy trusted his brother and felt safe with him."
"That would have happened no matter what because they're brothers."
"Maybe," John mused. "But I don't like to leave things to chance."
"Interesting. John, I don't know what power Sammy might have. I don't know what the demon really wants. But what I do know is that this is a war. What the demon did with Dean? That was just a skirmish; one battle. And that's exactly why you should tell the boys it's out there. Don't leave it to chance."
"Jim –"
The minister held up his hands. "At least think some more about it."
"I will. But you have to agree to respect my decision, whatever it is."
oooOOOooo
"I still don't understand," Gretchen said. The room she was in looked empty of other people, but she knew she was not alone. She also knew she wasn't really in a room. She didn't quite understand where she was, but she was pretty sure she was dead. "There was no point."
"Of course there was a point."
Gretchen turned away from what looked like a mirror; she'd been watching the Winchesters through it and suspected she could watch just about anyone she wanted to if she knew how to make it work.
"But he's out of the hospital. He's home. Why did I do all that work just for him to get well and go home?"
"I explained it before you got started. I wanted John distracted, but I also wanted him to get a taste of what I can do."
"But you didn't do it. I did."
"Is that what you think? We'll get back to that. Besides, John even thinks about that? No. He was distracted and now all he's thinking about is that I can get to his kids anytime, anywhere."
"It seems cruel hurting his son that way."
"But you said it yourself. Dean is fine and he's at home."
"And John knows you killed his wife and that his younger son has some kind of power."
"Exactly."
"And you couldn't tell him that without hiring me to make Dean sick?"
"Sure I could have, but I wouldn't have had as much fun and it wouldn't have made the same impact."
"So what happens now?"
"I have other things to do, other things to put into place, but I'll keep an eye on John and his boys. When it's the right time, either Sam comes to me or I go to him."
"How do you know he has power?"
"Some children are born with it; I can sense it in them and I'm drawn to them. Other times, I give it to them. The young Winchester was born with it."
"But you don't know what the power is?"
"Not always. Sam's ability is very powerful, but not manifesting yet. At least not very much."
"So what are your plans for me? More distraction of John Winchester?"
"No. I have a lot of things going on; a lot of battles to fight. You'll be put where your abilities will do the most good. And you'll discover you just might have a few new ones."
"And you'll just watch Winchester?"
"I'll poke at him every now and then just so he doesn't forget I'm around."
Gretchen sat down on a chair she didn't realize had been in the room.
"In case you haven't figured it out yet, you can put whatever you want here. Just think about it and it's there."
"Am I dead?"
"Pretty much."
"None of this makes any sense."
"It doesn't have to. Just be glad I got to you before someone else did or you wouldn't be nearly as comfortable right now, nor would you be treated as well as you will be here."
"I never asked; how did you find me?"
"I've known about you for a long time."
"But how?" she asked, a little afraid of the answer.
"I visited you in your crib."
oooOOOooo
Sam watched his brother as he lowered himself into bed that night. It was still early and he suspected Dean's escape to the bedroom was, in part, to get away from everyone's fussing. He knew his brother was probably getting tired of the constant attention, but he couldn't seem to help himself. He'd never seen his brother as vulnerable as he had over the last few days and it bothered him more than he cared to admit.
Having Jim, Aidan and Caleb in the house made Sam think of circling the wagons for protection and he couldn't help but wonder if their vigilance had more to do with that than Dean's illness.
"Do you need anything?" Sam asked.
Dean glanced at him. "No, thanks."
"Getting tired of everyone asking you that question?"
"Yeah, really tired of it. I'm okay and I can do things for myself."
Sam sat on the edge of his own bed. "Hey, Dean?"
"What?" He asked, his eyes closed and he was lying on his back.
"Do you think there's something Dad hasn't told us about all this?"
"Probably. He doesn't tell us everything; you know that."
"I know," Sam fidgeted with the edge of his blanket. "But…."
Dean looked at him. "But what?"
"I don't know. I just have this feeling."
"What feeling?"
"That this is about Mom."
"What do you mean?" Dean asked. He suddenly had a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Sam shrugged. "I can't explain it. I just think that this demon had something to do with Mom dying; maybe it even killed her."
"Even if you're right, so what? I mean, what does it mean?"
"It isn't finished; that whatever happened with Mom was just the beginning. And I think her dying over my crib –"
"Stop it, Sammy. What happened with Mom wasn't your fault, no matter what. You were just a baby. And you knew it wasn't over; not with Dad out there looking for it."
"Dad knows more than he's told us –"
"Sammy, Dad always knows more than he tells us. He tells us what we need to know when we need to know it."
"Why doesn't that bother you?"
"Because I trust him."
"I trust him, too, but I want to know things and understand them. I just think it's important."
"He's in charge, Sammy." Dean closed his eyes again and Sam took that as the end of the conversation.
Dean's condition continued to improve over the next few days and he was even ready to start physical training again by the end of the next week. There were more conversations between the adults about what to tell the boys; Caleb still agreed with John that there was no point in telling them anything if there weren't complete answers. Aidan, like Jim, saw the benefit of being honest with them about what they already knew. In the end, it was John's decision and he refused to tell them anything more. They knew the old woman had been possessed by a demon holding a grudge and he didn't see what good it would do to tell them any more. He began researching and making contact with anyone who might be able to help find a way to permanently kill the yellow-eyed demon that he now knew had killed his wife.
After a week, Aidan and Caleb left to take care of a haunting in the next state and Jim returned to his church a few days after that. Things at the Winchester home went back to normal, and once John was convinced that Dean's recovery was complete, he started to take him out on jobs again. Sam, as usual, spent most of his time on these jaunts in the motel room or waiting for them in the car. It was the rare situation where John allowed him to fully participate.
Sam and John's relationship started to deteriorate over the next few months. The young man began to resent his father's secrecy and no amount of encouragement from Dean would make him change his mind. He started to question John's every move and it was no longer entirely because he wanted to understand him. John was gone for longer periods of time without telling his sons what he was doing and that further exacerbated the situation with Sam. Dean accepted his father's every move without question, but it got to the point where Sam refused to give him any benefit of the doubt.
The young man had his own ideas about how he wanted to live and that life didn't include hunting. He wanted to go to college and he wanted something more than what he'd grown up with. That didn't mean he still didn't love his father, but he wanted what almost every other teenager did – independence and the freedom to decide his own future.
Over the next couple of years, John made very little progress in his search for something to kill the demon, but at least it seemed to be leaving them alone.
"It's bad," John said on the phone to Jim just after Sam's seventeenth birthday. "He's never been like Dean, but the last couple of years – Jim, he questions everything. And it's not in a curious kind of way. It's angry and belligerent."
"And what is your reaction to the questions?"
"He needs to follow orders."
"John –"
"You know why that's important. You know what's out there –"
"But he doesn't, John. If he understood your motivation –"
"I still don't have any answers for him."
"It's not about answers, John, not really. Sammy will find his own way, his own answers. Right now, it's about trust."
"Trust? I'm his father!"
"Listen to me. If you aren't careful, you're going to push that boy away. For good. I know you don't want that."
"Of course I don't. But I can't just let him do whatever he wants – I have to protect him from the demon."
"You can't stop him from doing what he wants forever. For one thing, he'll be eighteen soon and won't need your permission to strike out on his own. For another thing, and probably more important, is that he'll go and he won't know what danger is out there."
"He won't go," John said.
Jim didn't think he sounded very confident.
"I applied to some colleges," Sam said to his brother one night as they got into bed.
"You did what?"
"I worked with my guidance counselor and applied."
"What are you thinking, Sammy? Dad isn't going to let you go to college."
"I don't need his permission."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want to live my own life. I want to go to college and see what else is out there."
"What about family, Sammy? You can't just walk out on your obligation."
"Obligation to do what? Being a slave to the hunt? I want more than that, Dean."
"What about Mom? Besides, what we do is important."
"I know it is," Sam said ignoring the question about their mother. We help people and I get that, and I'm not saying I'll never do it again. I just want to be normal for a while."
Dean shook his head. "You can't go, Sammy. You know that."
Sam looked at his brother, then pulled the blankets up and flipped off the bedside light. They were quiet for several minutes.
"I was accepted to Stanford," Sam said. "In California."
"Stanford?" Dean didn't know a lot about universities, but he knew this one was prestigious.
"I'm even up for a full scholarship."
Dean's eyes filled with tears, but he didn't have to hide them in the dark.
"Sammy –" he whispered.
"Please don't be mad."
Dean couldn't believe how young his brother suddenly sounded.
"I'm not mad," Dean assured him. "I don't want you to go, but I know you have to."
"Will you help me with Dad?"
Dean didn't bother to wipe away the tears that fell. "I'll try."
"You understand, don't you Dean?"
The problem was, Dean did understand. He loved his father and felt loyalty to him, and even though he liked the hunting lifestyle more than Sam did, it wasn't like he had never thought about trying out something else. But he'd spent his entire life putting Sam's needs first and it was more important for him to go than for Dean; someone had to stay with their father and help to avenge their mother's death.
"Yeah, Sammy."
Sam turned his head toward his brother even though the room wasn't enough light to really see him. He and Dean were closer than most brothers, but it always seemed easier to have conversations like this one in the dark.
oooOOOooo
"This is perfect!"
Gretchen had long since gotten used to seemingly being alone even when the demon was with her and she didn't even flinch when she heard its voice.
"You're happy that Sam is leaving home?"
"Extraordinarily! Once he's out from under his daddy's control, things will go much more smoothly. They will progress nicely, I believe."
"Do you really think his father will let him go?"
"He won't have a choice. My Sam has become quite independent. He'll go to school, one way or another."
"Did you put any of this into motion?"
"Sam is smart all on his own. He got himself into school."
"You've been pretty easy on John over the last couple of years. I was really expecting more to happen."
"Don't worry; I haven't forgotten about him. He's been making himself miserable so I didn't have to do it for him. He pushed Sam away with his attitude. He did my work for me."
"I still don't understand any of this."
"You don't need to. Yet."
Gretchen couldn't help but laugh. "Has it ever occurred to you how much you and John are alike?"
"We might be at that," the demon mused.
"So what are you plans for Sam once he's in school?"
"Wait and watch. He won't be as easy to turn as the other children because he's already aware of the supernatural. He'll be cautious because of his father's training; he won't be able to help himself. But over time, he'll become less diligent and once his ability starts to manifest, I can befriend him."
"You're very patient."
"Time means nothing to me. At some point, you will understand that."
oooOOOooo
Dean tried to talk to his father and soften his attitude toward Sam leaving, but John refused to hear him. He was almost always able to convince John to change his mind where Sam was concerned and not being able to this time frustrated him. He thought he understood; he thought it was because John was worried about Sam being away from the family where they wouldn't be able to protect him. He was right about the reason, but not the underlying cause; John had still not shared with him what the demon said in their first meeting and Dean had no idea that his brother had the potential to turn evil.
He came home from a rare night out to find his father and brother yelling at each other. The arguments weren't entirely unusual lately, but this time the fight was about school. Dean was able to surmise that Sam had told his father he'd been accepted to Stanford and that he hadn't taken the news very well. Dean put himself between them when the dispute threatened to become physical, but he wasn't able to stop John from saying what he did.
"If you leave, don't come back!"
Dean felt hatred for his father for the first time and his heart broke when he saw the look in his brother's eyes.
"Dad –"
John glared at him. "Stay out of this, Dean. It's between me and your brother."
"Dad, no –"
"Let it go, Dean," Sam spat. "Dad has made his position known."
Dean watched as his brother stormed to their bedroom and flinched when the door slammed.
"Dad, what are you thinking?" he demanded.
John went off in another direction, banging the door behind him. Dean felt like his world had just exploded when he heard the sound of his father's truck start. He expected to find Sam sulking on his bed when he walked into their bedroom a few minutes later, but instead, he was packing.
'Sam –" Dean was panicked.
"I'm going to school, Dean. I already talked to Jim and he's going to let me stay there for a week until I have to go to California."
"How are you going to get to Jim's?" Dean asked, feeling cold.
"I don't know."
"Sammy, please. Give me time to fix this."
Sam paused and looked at his brother. "Even you can't fix this."
"Please, let me try."
"You've been trying, man. Dad is being stubborn; he's pissed that he can't control me."
"He's just worried about you."
"Whatever," Sam went back to packing.
"You're leaving tonight?"
"I can't stay here."
"I'll take you to Jim's, then."
"You don't have to do that."
"I'm doing it. End of story."
Sam nodded, but refused to look at him. "Thanks."
Dean paced in the living room as Sam finished packing his meager belongings. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He'd gotten used to the idea that Sam would go to school, but not this way. Not leaving with a moment's notice and not with John's decree that he could never come home. He dialed his father's number, frustrated and angry when only got voicemail.
"Dad," he began, barely able to control his anger. "I'm taking Sam to Jim's tonight so I'll be gone for a few days. You have to fix this. You have to tell him that he can come home. Please, Dad."
Hanging up as Sam walked in the room.
"Voicemail?" Sam guessed, his tone sarcastic.
"Stop it, Sammy."
Sam sighed. He recognized how hard this was for Dean, but he was still too angry and hurt by his father's words to care very much.
"Look, you don't have to drive me. I'll take a bus or hitchhike –"
"I said I'd take you."
"Dad's gonna be pissed at you, too."
"Yeah, well." Dean turned away.
"Dean –"
"Don't, okay? There's nothing you can say right now that is going to help the situation."
Sam nodded to himself and walked away.
John didn't change his mind, but he did return Dean's phone call the next day. Neither he nor Sam agreed to speak to the other one and Dean was heartsick. He was sitting on the back porch of Jim's house, a place that felt familiar and like home, when Jim joined him with two bottles of beer.
"It will all work out," Jim said. "I know it doesn't seem that way, but I know it will."
"How could Dad say that to Sammy?"
"He's pigheaded."
Dean looked at him, surprised and Jim only shrugged.
"Everything is out of control."
"It just seems that way. Don't worry about your brother; you'll still keep an eye on him."
Dean nodded, but he didn't see how that was going to happen.
"Where is he?"
"Inside."
"He okay?"
"He's as pigheaded as your father."
Dean couldn't help but smile as he took a sip of beer.
"What the hell are you thinking, John?" Jim exclaimed into the telephone later.
"Stay out of this, Jim. You know damn good and well that Sam should stay with the family; where he can be protected. Just because the demon has been quiet –"
"You need to talk to him. You need to tell him why you're so worried! John, he's going to school. You can't stop that. If you want to have any contact with him, if you want to be able to make sure he's all right, you're going to have to bend."
"Jim –"
"Fine. I know I can't convince you; I've never been able to change your mind about this. You know how I feel."
"When is Dean coming home?"
"I don't know, John. Maybe you should talk to him."
"Yeah, and I'll talk to you some other time."
Dean stayed with Sam until it was time for him to get on the bus to California. He offered to drive him the entire way, but Sam refused. He knew John was already fuming and Dean helping him any more than he already had would only make matters worse.
"Are you sure you have everything?" Dean asked, struggling to maintain control of his emotions.
"Yeah, don't worry."
"I'm always going to worry about you."
Sam looked away.
"If you need anything, you can call."
He nodded.
Dean reached for his brother's duffle bag. "Come on, you don't want to miss your bus."
Outside the station half an hour later, Sam looked at his brother. "I appreciate you staying at Jim's with me, but I want you to go now."
"Sammy –"
"Please, Dean. It's going to be too hard if you're in there with me."
He nodded. "Okay."
"You know this isn't about you, right? It's something I –"
"It's something you have to do. I get that. And since you're doing it, you'd better do your best. I know how smart you are and I expect you to kick some Stanford ass."
Sam nodded, smiling.
"You know I'd do anything for you, right?"
"I know that, Dean. Me too, okay?"
Dean nodded. He watched his brother walk into the bus station, knowing there was more he should have said. Maybe if he'd known that was the last time he'd talk to his brother for over two years, he would have handled things differently.
oooOOOooo
The demon possessed a young college student and befriended Sam during his first week at Stanford. It used Sam's insecurities against him, getting him to talk about his family and convincing him that he was better off without them. Something in Sam didn't believe that, but somehow it made things easier to think he was on his own.
Gretchen also made an appearance on the campus. Though she was only a spirit, the demon gave her the ability to possess human beings and she took over the body of one of Sam's teachers. Between her and the demon, they completely convinced Sam to stay away from his family; even his beloved brother. The demon and Gretchen stayed around, changing bodies every so often and befriending Sam each time.
For Dean's part, he gave Sam the space he thought his brother needed and before the two of them realized it, years were passing. Dean and John went to Stanford every chance they got and checked on Sam from the shadows. His success made them both proud, but neither one would talk about it.
For the time being, it seemed the demon had won. Sam was separate from his family and, though he didn't know it, dependant upon the demon and Gretchen. John got closer to finding a way to kill the demon completely, and was in Jericho, California when he came face to face with it again.
Going after the head of the family would eventually become the demon's greatest regret. With John gone, the brothers reunited and became closer than ever. They reestablished connections with lost friends and made contact with other hunters. The family was reunited after a time and three began to mend their family.
There would be more skirmishes in the war and each one would weaken the demon's hold on the Winchesters a little more. John would eventually be forced to tell Dean the secret, but only because he felt he had no choice but to make a deal with the demon for his oldest boy's life.
Dean never had any doubt they would win the war and, as a child, he thought he knew what that would look like. But his definition of winning began to change after John's death. He and Sam made it; they were victorious in the end. But it wasn't anything like what Dean pictured it would be.
fin