Chapter Seven

"So when does Matt get back from Florida?" Lola shouted over the loud music of the bar.

"Tuesday, he's getting a early morning flight. I can't wait I miss him." Maggie replied, taking a sip from the large Blue Lagoon cocktail, "Oh god, I've become one of those women haven't I?" She continued.

"Don't worry as soon as I see you reaching for a needle point design, I'll take you down to a hockey game or something." Lola laughed as she played with her straw, stirring the cloudy margarita.

They were sat on large red sofas around a round black table, a curtain of fairy lights hung on the plum coloured wall behind them.

"Hey Lola!" A familiar voiced called from beside the two girls causing Lola to look up from her glass. Standing before her dressed in smart jeans and black shirt was Tristan.

"Hey!" She answered with surprise as she stood up to greet the man, giving him a hug in greeting.

"Wow, its such a small world seeing you here. I thought you were off with your friend tonight."

"Yeah…but she didn't wanna go to far because of her son."

"Uhm SHE is sitting right here!" Maggie interjected, putting her hand up in the air.

"Sorry, Tristan this is Maggie." Lola apologized, putting her arm around her friend in presentation.

"Nice to meet you, congratulations for your baby boy." Tristan beamed, holding his hand out for Maggie to take.

"Thanks." She replied shaking the man's hand with a half hearted smile.

"Is Daddy babysitting tonight then?"

"No he's away on business."

"Ah that's a shame." Tristan replied with a tilt of his head, before taking a swig of his beer.

"Did you want to join us?" Lola offered ushering towards the sofas.

"Uhm I hate to be a wet blanket but I was thinking of heading home." Maggie admitted, Lola looked back with disappointment, "But you're welcome to come back for a coffee if you like." Maggie suggested with a slight smile.

"If you don't mind." Tristan replied finishing his drink.

"No its fine, you guys have probably got lots to catch up on."

"Awesome." Lola beamed and the girls picked up their bags, polished of their cocktails and the three of them wove their way through the crowd to the door.

As the front door opened, Sam jumped up to greet Maggie as she entered wearily,

"Have fun?" He asked, extending a bowl of popcorn to her,

"Yeah…" Maggie sighed as she took a handful, clicking across the hallway to put her bag and keys down, "How's Joshua?"

"Sleeping. He's been so well behaved…except for when Dean went up to check on him. I think he scared him a little."

Maggie rolled her eyes,

"I'd be scared of Dean if he was leaning over my bed…" She admitted jokingly as Lola appeared in the doorway, giggling with Tristan close behind, his floppy hair falling into his eyes,

"Hey there!" Tristan beamed, seeing Sam in the hallway,

"Uh…hi." Sam replied, giving a little wave as Lola and Tristan disappeared into the living room. He looked at Maggie, who widened her eyes,

"He was in the bar." Maggie replied dryly,

"Did she tell him?"
"No…I think it was a coincidence. I didn't tell Lola where we were going until tonight so she couldn't of told him…and I don't think she would. She was really excited about going."

"Okay…" Sam breathed, "Well I'm gonna get a drink, do you want anything?"

"Yeah…pour me a glass of wine…I'm just gonna run up and check on Joshua."

"Okay…cool…Dean's up there again I think."

Maggie nodded, kicking her shoes off before jogging up the steps to Joshua's room. As she walked along the corridor quietly, she could hear Dean's low voice, softly chatting away. Peering around the doorframe, she struggled not to giggle as she saw Dean leaning over the side of Joshua's crib,

"…your Uncle Sam and I…we've seen some scary things but I've gotta tell you…there's nothing scarier than the second you were put in my arms." He breathed, dropping his head and reaching an arm down to pull the tiny blanket up over Joshua's little body, "But it's okay because even though I know what horrible things are out there, it's okay because I'll stop at nothing to keep you safe from everything, that's why we're here. Your uncle and me…oh, and your aunt." He continued with a nod of his head, "We wouldn't let anything happen to you or your mom. You're very important and special to your mom, I've never seen her so happy…which is good because she's been through a lot…I guess I could've made it easier on her…but I'm kinda a jerk…" He admitted, "…when you get older, you'll realize this and think I'm lame until I teach you how to use a shot gun. Then I'll be your cool Uncle Dean!"

"Okay…" Maggie interrupted as she stepped into the room, "No arms training until he's at least sixteen." She laughed, walking up beside Dean and placing a hand on his back,

"How long have you been standing there?" Dean asked,

"A couple of minutes. I came in when you were saying that you've seen some scary things but nothing was scarier than when Sam put him in your arms."
"Most terrifying moment of my life."

"So what else have you been enlightening my son with?"

"Not much…I read him a story…" Dean mused,

"What story?"

"Uncle Sam and the day a girl broke his arm." Dean grinned, "And then I told him about my car…and then about pie…and then I kinda talked a little bit about other stuff…"

"Other stuff?"

"Uh…yeah."

"You didn't frighten him did you?!"

Dean shook his head,

"Nah…just about…y'know…guy stuff. Personal stuff."

"Ah." Maggie sighed knowingly, reaching down to hoist him into her arms to cradle him, "Did you guys feed him?"

"Yes."

"And burp him."

"Yes."

"Okay…great…"

"Maggie…is it weird that I was talking about my personal life with a six-day old baby?"

"No…" Maggie answered carefully, "Though while we're on the subject, Lola's downstairs with Tristan."

"What's he doing here?" Dean sulked,

"We met him in the bar and I felt guilty about dragging Lola home so I invited him for coffee. Sam's downstairs with them now."

Dean rolled his eyes, muttering obscenities under his breath before leaning forwards to place a kiss on Joshua's head,

"I'm gonna go keep an eye on that jackass." He told Maggie who smiled weakly, gently lifting Joshua's hand to wave Dean out of the room,

"Say goodnight to Uncle Dean…" She cooed as Dean sauntered out of the room and down the stairs. He could hear Lola and Tristan's voiced all the ay from the upstairs hallway, and they only grew increasingly more annoying and louder the closer he got. He burst into the room to see Sam looking incredibly bored on the sofa, Lola beside him, thoroughly engrossed in Tristan's conversation,

"…Nate was so mad at us!" Tristan laughed, leaning forwards, "Do you remember? I've never seen him so furious in all my years!" He added, "I honestly thought he was going to shoot me or something!"

"And do you remember, I was like; 'It's okay Tristan! If Nate threatens you…he actually really likes you!' And you believed me!" She laughed, "So you went up to him trying to be cool and he chased you out of the house!"

"Ahem." Dean cleared his throat, "How was your night?"

"Fine." Lola answered with a shrug,

"Drink?"

"Got one." She said, holding up a glass of red wine, "Sam got me one already. How's Joshua doing?"

"He's fine." Dean said as he stepped across the room in his black biker boots and tattered worn jeans, "You could stare at him for hours."

"I'll go and check on him a little later…before I go to bed."

"Actually, Lola…I was going to suggest that we go back out…I mean…now that we've got your friend home safely."

Lola looked at him and bit her lower lips with a cringe,

"I'm sorry Tristan…I can't just be walking in late at night. I have to think about Joshua and Maggie, y'know…I wouldn't want to wake them."

"That's okay. You can crash at mine and I'll drop you home on my way to work in the morning."

"Go for it." Sam said dryly, more to get Tristan out of his presence than for Lola's sake,

"Yeah…" Dean agreed unconvincingly, "Stay out all night…I love it when you've got a hang over…it's really attractive."

"You see!" Tristan exclaimed, "You've got full backing from your friends!"

"I don't know…"

"Please Lola…you'll be gone soon and it'll be another thousand years til I get to see you again!" He whined, "And you look damned hot tonight…it would be a waste if you didn't go back out."

"Okay…" Lola sighed, "Let me just go see Joshua and tell Maggie."

"I'll come with. I need to find the bathroom anyway."

As the pair walked out of the living room, Sam and Dean exchanged looks,

"I don't like him." Sam said to Dean, who shook his head,

"Yeah well…" Dean breathed, "The guys an ass but Lola sees something in him…"

As Lola and Tristan were walking up the stairs, Maggie was heading down them. Maggie's eyes widened,

"What're you two up to…?" She asked slyly,

"Relax…" Lola breathed, "You honestly think the worst of me sometimes!" She added, placing her hands on her hips, "I'm actually showing Tristan to the bathroom and checking on Joshua…"

"Okay Lola…" Maggie laughed softly, gently placing a hand on her shoulder as she walked passed, "Behave yourself…"

Lola rolled her eyes,

"I always behave myself…"

"Yeah…tell that to…well…I won't continue that sentence." She drawled, turning to look over her shoulder, "Just keep it down…he's just got off to sleep."

Lola nodded, continuing up the stairs,

"Your friend…she seems to be a bit motherly towards you." Tristan observed as they reached the top of the stairs, "They all seem to be looking out for little Lola."

"I'm the baby." She told him honestly, "Not by much…but I'm still…" She took a deep breath, "little Lola." She ground out, "And Maggie thinks she's obligated to look out for me after everything we've been through. She's obsessed with me being happy."

"Sounds like a good friend to me."

"Yeah…except for when her thinking what makes me happy in fact just gets in the way of my actual happiness."

"Sounds…complicated…"

"Like so much of me." She breathed, "Bathroom's there." She pointed out, "See you in a second."

Lola continued on to Joshua's bedroom, dark savour for an electronic mobile that projected a colourful rainbow of stars onto the ceiling, swirling in a lazy circle above the crib. She sighed, leaning over the side and looking at his chubby little face, pale in the artificial light, his tiny hands raised up beside his face as he slept.

Lola heard a low, soft footstep behind her and in the darkness she turned and grinned,

"Come meet my God son." She said to Tristan, though as her eyes met with his, the wind was knocked out of her with a mixture of shock and horror. Staring back at her, instead of Tristan's pair of gorgeous blues, were two onyx orbs. She was about to scream for Sam and Dean, but as she took in the breath to do so, Tristan's hand shot out and grabbed her neck, squeezing tightly, his expression one of amusement.

Meanwhile, downstairs Maggie flopped her head on Dean's shoulder drowsily, her two brothers also beginning to doze as the television before them played an old re-run from the seventies. Maggie looked at the clock on the mantle and frowned,

"They've been up there for ages…" She mumbled, sitting up and looking at Dean, "I'm gonna go check everything's alright…they're probably up to something the pair of them…" She huffed, pushing herself up to her feet and heading for the stairs.

It was eerily quiet as she reached the top of the flight of stairs, the entire upstairs pitch black. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she moved towards Joshua's room, only to discover the door closed: it had been open when she'd left. Reaching for the handle, Maggie pushed open the door and stepped in, a whoosh of a breeze outside rattling the trees against rooftops and windows. At first, Maggie noticed nothing out of the ordinary though as she took another step inside the room, the full reality of the situation hit her. Joshua's coloured mobile had stopped and was now a blur of light on the ceiling, below which stood Tristan, standing tall and strait with one arm out-stretched, his hand gripping tightly at Lola's neck, her body dangling below his tight hold. Her legs kicked out at him weakly as her hands clawed at his to try and release herself. Maggie barely made out Lola's eyes darting to see her in the doorway and she strained a choking gasp in desperation, her toes scraping along the carpeted floor as she lost more strength with every second,

"DEAN! SAM!" Maggie cried as the door to Joshua's bedroom slammed shut and she was hurtled against the far wall, pressed against it tightly with an invisible force.