Chapter 7. Winchester Tag Team
Now that everyone had settled in and he was no longer under threat of being ventilated Caleb could sit back and observe the two youngest Winchester's. Caleb looked over to Sam who had made himself comfortable on his bed with what looked like a text book and a bag of potato chips. The psychic couldn't help but notice that for all the complaining about unhealthy food, the kid was sure enjoying the chips. As Caleb studied the youngest Winchester he got the sense that the kid was frustrated and even angry. That wasn't anything abnormal with Sam but it seemed different that the usual angst that he sensed from the boy.
"Penny for your thoughts," Dean interrupted his musings. Caleb shook his head and looked across the table at the other Winchester in the room. "Hell no, I'm not cheap dude."
Dean snorted. "So you like to tell us," he joked.
"So where's Johnny?" Caleb asked. "Sammy said he went on a hunt."
"He said that a friend had called and that and old friend of his might be in danger."
"Did he say what it was?"
"Nah," Dean replied before taking a sip of his beer.
Caleb frowned. He was getting an odd feeling from the younger hunter. He seemed anxious or worried about something. Digging deeper Caleb raised his eyebrows. The kid was worried about John? He knew that Dean wasn't always comfortable with John hunting alone. He felt better knowing that someone was watching his fathers back, even better if that someone was Dean himself.
Dean didn't seem to notice Caleb's silence and quiet observation so he pressed on. "So where'd he go?" Dean looked up at his friend. "He went back home to Lawrence."
"Oh …" Caleb realized the significance of the Kansas town. He had only heard the basic story of what had happened that night in 1983 to Mary Winchester. It was a touchy subject for John and even for Dean at times.
"I wanted to go." Sam piped up, climbing off the bed and walking over to the two older hunters.
"You did?" Caleb asked truly surprised.
"Yeah, I've never been there before. Dad ordered us to stay here." Sam sulked as he started looking through the bags of food again. Caleb and Dean gave each other a knowing look. Dean wasn't the only one who could eat a lot.
"Well I'm sure your Dad knows what he's doing Sam."
"That's what I said," Dean added. Caleb wondered whether he was actually trying to convince himself when he said that.
"I can't win Caleb. I don't wanna hunt and he chews me out and when I do finally want to hunt he tells me I can't." Sam complained. "There is no pleasing that man."
"Did you ask Caleb to come here just so you could bitch to him about how dad is such a bad father?" Dean asked obviously irritated. "Because let me tell you its starting to get old." Dean stood up and wavered on his feet. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have beer when his head was still healing.
"Deuce, you okay?" Caleb asked, standing when Dean swayed.
"Yeah I'm fine just got up too fast … I think I'm going to get some fresh air," Dean announced before walking across the room and out the door.
The room was quiet for a moment and Caleb sighed. Nothing was ever simple when dealing with this small family.
"He probably shouldn't have been drinking beer ya know. He has a head injury." Sam stated looking sheepishly at Caleb. He hadn't meant to get his brother upset.
"What? Why the hell didn't you say something?" Caleb asked the boy a little angrily. Dean was underage as it was and now he was supplying the kid with alcohol with a head injury.
"I guess it slipped my mind and Dean didn't mention it either."
"Runt getting your brother to be honest about an injury is like getting Jim to have a one night stand, aint gonna happen."
Sam looked down at his hands on the table in front of him. "You're right I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Caleb asked but continued before Sam could answer. "Did you just say that I was right?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "Don't get used to it."
"Damn … I should have recorded it," Caleb said in mock seriousness.
"I'm going to go check on Dean." Sam stated but was halted when Caleb walked around the table and put a hand on his chest. "No let me."
"I really should …"
"Hey." Caleb interrupted. "This is what you wanted me out here for right? I'm supposed to cheer up the birthday boy."
Caleb walked past the smaller boy and opened the door, not giving Sam a chance to say anything else. Caleb wanted a moment alone with Dean to talk to him about what was going on inside his head. Dean wasn't much for talking, neither was he but he knew he stood a better chance if Sam wasn't around. Dean didn't like to look weak in front of Sam. He was the big brother and in Dean's mind that meant he always had to be in control.
Caleb stepped out into the cold evening air and found that Dean hadn't wandered far. The soon to be eighteen year old was sitting on the hood of the Impala, his hands in his jean pockets because he had forgotten to take his jacket with him when he had left the room.
"So …" Caleb began as he made his way over to his friend. He jumped up on the hood next to Dean earning himself a glare. Apparently it was okay for Dean to sit on his precious car but not anyone else.
"So …" Dean answered back, looking back out into the car park.
"So … what's got you so worried about this hunt?" Caleb asked staring out in the same direction as Dean.
Dean shrugged. "It's nothing."
"Deuce man, you've had this weird feeling ever since I got here."
Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. It was never any good trying to hide things from Caleb. The guy knew Dean too well and his tendency to read people didn't help. "I dunno."
"You don't know?" Caleb turned to look at Dean who was still looking out into the distance.
Dean quickly glanced beside him before leaning forward and looking at his boots that were hanging above the ground. "I … its weird, I've had this weird feeling in the back of my mind ever since tangling with the Rawhead."
"What happened?"
"Let the damn thing get a little too close for comfort and ended up slamming the back of my head into a wall."
Caleb nodded his understanding. "Okay well you've hit your head a number of times … its pretty thick." Caleb's lips quirked up in a smirk at his joke. "What does one have to do with the other?"
"Well I dunno Caleb just a feeling okay in the back of my mind … I didn't really notice it too much until the second time."
Caleb raised his eyebrows. "A second time?"
"I'm surprised Sam didn't tell you. I got knocked down while playing Hockey and I had to get the stitches redone."
"Why would you be playing Hockey?" Caleb asked disgusted.
"I don't think that's the point Damien." Dean remarked, rolling his eyes at how quickly Caleb could be distracted. "And you reckon I have a short attention span."
Caleb shook his head. "Right … go on." He gestured for Dean to continue.
"We got home and Dad told us that he was going and I dunno what it was but I really wanted to go with him."
"Maybe you were just interested in going back to Kansas. After all it has been a while, it's only natural."
"That's what I thought. But all day today I have had this nagging feeling that something isn't right or that something bad is going to happen. I start to get a headache whenever the feeling gets really strong."
"Hmm …"
"Hmm? That's all you have to say?" Dean asked, dumbfounded at his friend.
"I don't know Deuce. Maybe it's a combination of everything. The hits to the head, your dad missing your birthday yet again, him hunting alone …"
"It's got nothing to do with the birthday Caleb. How many times do I have to tell people that it's no big deal?" Dean grumbled. "If you listened to Sam you'd think it was the worse thing in the world."
"Dean there's nothing wrong with being disappointed. The man aint flawless, we both know that."
"You sound more and more like your father all the time."
"Yeah well Mac has some good points." Caleb acknowledged offhandedly
"You seem to find it hard taking the advice yourself." Dean smirked knowingly at his friend.
"That's different."
Dean scoffed. "How is that different?"
"Because I'm older than you, I'm supposed to give brilliant advice, not take it. It's in the rule book."
Dean looked beside him and laughed at the hunter. "You know I think I actually agree with Sammy. I'd like to see you pull that rulebook out of your ass."
"I don't believe those were quite his words."
"I'm not as eloquent."
Caleb realized that they had managed to stray off topic and he couldn't believe that he had fallen for it. Diversionary tactics were Dean's specialty when he didn't want to discuss something and he had fallen right for it. The kid was good he's give him that.
"So back onto this bad feeling … like I was saying it could be a combination of any of those things. That doesn't mean that something bad is going to happen. When did he say he was gonna be back?"
Dean shrugged. "He said he wasn't sure but he wouldn't be back for Saturday. He said he would call though."
"Okay well let's just wait till he calls and we'll go from there."
"That makes sense I guess." Dean nodded and jumped off the Impala shivering in the cold air. It was starting to get darker and he hadn't realized how long he had been sitting outside in just his t-shirt and jeans. He was actually surprised that Sam hadn't come out to see if they were still alive.
"Well I do occasionally." Caleb smiled. Proud of himself and his accomplishment in the helpful conversation department, it seemed all his years with Mac was proving useful in the caring and sharing department.
"Yeah very occasionally," Dean responded, chuckling as he folded his arms across his chest in an attempt to stay warm.
"Watch it kiddo or you won't get your presents." Caleb warned as he slid off the Impala and stood next to Dean.
"Presents?"
"One courtesy of Dr. Mackland Ames and a little something special from yours truly of course," Caleb told him, smiling and pointing to him self as he followed Dean back to the room.
"Your not giving me another one of your presents are you?" Dean asked referring to one of their first Christmas's together when Mac had forced his son to give Dean one of his presents. "Your birthday was only a couple of weeks ago ya know."
"You're lucky you got anything from me ya little shit and the answer is no … I think my present is completely original. You're gonna love it."
"Is it a blonde?" Dean asked with a smirk on his lips when Caleb stopped with his hand on the doorknob.
"Is that all you ever think about?" he asked and then yanked the door open, shaking his head as he re-entered the room.
"A brunette then?" Dean continued to tease, his younger brother's curious look from his perch in front of the TV not going unnoticed.
"I don't know where you get it from." Caleb muttered as he opened the fridge to get another beer.
"Yeah it's a mystery." It hadn't taken long for the thirteen year old to catch on to what the psychic was rambling about.
"What?"
"Nothing Caleb." Sam smiled sweetly at the family friend.
Caleb looked suspiciously a moment longer at Sam before snatching Dean's beer out of his hand. "No beer for you."
"Oh come on man."
"Maybe Saturday," Caleb compromised.
"Yes Mom."
"Mom?" Caleb questioned.
"Well he would have called you Dad except you're a girl." Sam contributed to the joke, smiling up at Dean. Glad to see that his brother seemed in a better mood.
"I'm going to take a leak. You …" The psychic said pointing at Sam. "… Make sure he stays away from the beer."
"Yes Sir." Sam responded sharply, although the effect was lost when he tried smothering a laugh.
Caleb shook his head and wondered how he had ended up on the receiving end of a Winchester tag team as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
Dean and Sam both looked at each other and laughed. They had always enjoyed teasing the older boy when they were younger and as far as Dean thought it was only fair because Caleb had always made it a point to irritate and tease them. It was the way their relationship was and he wouldn't want that ever to change.
"Dean …" Sam began.
Dean looked at his brother waiting to see what he was going to say. "Dean … I wanted to apologize for the way I acted today with Dad and for the way I've been …"
"So bitchy," Dean said finishing off the sentence for him.
"Not what I was going to say … but yeah."
"That's okay Sam." Dean smiled and ruffled his brother's shaggy hair. Sam shrugged away, but laughed. "Besides Sammy, you've always been bitchy."
"Shut up Jerk," Sam replied and playfully punched his brother in the stomach.
Dean smiled and pushed Sam back towards his bed. He hoped that Caleb was right about the feeling he was having because if something happened to his father and he could have done something about it he would never forgive himself.
TBC ...
Well how was that? I love writing the boys :-) lol The part about Mac making Caleb give Dean one of his presents came from the Brotherhood universe in a story that i think Tidia wrote, incase anyone wanted to know. Have another good weekend and i once again apologise for taking so long :-)