Chapter Two
The engine of the black Impala rumbled as it pulled up outside the white terrace house. Sprinklers spitting water in alternate directions onto the front garden. A blue and black football and red and silver push bike with stabilizers lay on its side littered the freshly mown grass.
Sam lead the way up the cobblestone path that run strait through the lawn and up to the porch. He stepped up the mahogany coloured decking and knocked on the white wooden door.
"Josh come down here and eat your lunch!" Sam heard a muffled voice call from inside. Maggie opened the door, her brunet curls blew back as a the cool breeze hit her face as she opened the door.
"Sam." She beamed, draping the tea towel she was holding, over her shoulder to give her brother a hug.
"Hey Maggie." He smiled, wrapping his arms around her, "How are you doing?" He asked with concern pulling out of the hug, but keeping his hands on her arms.
"Okay." She said with a sigh smiling weakly, "Josh hasn't really said anything…out of the ordinary since that day but there's still just something about him." She looked over Sam's shoulder and waved to Lola who was strolling up the path, "Hey!" She smiled, but her smile disappeared as Dean emerged from behind Lola.
"What is he doing here?" She growled, her eyes narrowing at Sam, pulling away from his grip.
"I thought he should be here, Josh is his nephew too." Sam reasoned.
"He lost that privilege when he crashed that car." She spat angrily. Lola took in a breath, stepping up to stand beside Sam
"Maggie…please…" She begged, "Let's not start this. We're family after all." She said firmly, "We're here to help."
"I don't want his help." Maggie replied simply, "And I don't want yours either if you're going to take side again."
"Maggie…" Sam warned,
"I've got to get Josh's lunch." Maggie muttered, turning and walking back through the house. She left the door open and Sam followed, looking back at Lola desperately. The twenty-eight-year-old ran her hands soothingly through her hair before turning to regard her husband who was stood beside his car. She sighed, walking back down the path to him,
"I knew this would happen." He said softly as she placed her arms loosely around his shoulders,
"Sam and I will sort it out." She reassured. Dean shook his head, pulling out of her arms,
"There's nothing you're going to be able to do Lola. We should head home."
"No. No Dean." Lola said firmly, "I'm not giving up on them. This isn't about you and Maggie anyway. It's about Joshua." She snapped, "C'mon. You're coming in with me."
"Lola…I'm not welcome." He whined as she grabbed his hand, leading him up the path and into the kitchen where Joshua was sat at the table, Maggie buzzing around the room, preparing his lunch. Sam was following her around, pleading with her to listen to him. She looked up as Dean and Lola entered, rolling her eyes,
"You can get out…" She muttered, slamming a drawer shut, "Get out of my house."
"Maggie…" Lola and Sam began together as Maggie placed a plate with a sandwich in front of Joshua,
"Please…" Sam begged, "We're here to help you Maggie…we came all this way. You want my help…you've gotta accept Dean's help as well."
"Ditto." Lola agreed, "Don't make us walk away."
"Because you're both good at that. Why break a habit of a lifetime, eh Lola?"
Lola raised her eyebrows, about to rise to the challenge but Dean placed his hand soothingly on her arm,
"I'll go." He said softly, "You guys stay. Maggie's right…I don't have a right to be here…but I care about what happens to Joshua so for him, I'll go." He said sadly, leaning forwards and placing a kiss on Lola's cheek, "Give me a call a little later, yeah? I'll head back to the hotel."
The room fell into silence as Dean trudged out, leaving Lola and Sam behind. As the front door clicked shut, Lola turned angry eyes on Maggie,
"What the hell is your problem?!" She fumed, slamming her hands down firmly on the kitchen table top,
"Hey Josh…why don't we go watch some cartoons?" He asked, picking his nephew up and walking off to the living room with him, shutting the door behind him with his foot. Lola was still staring at Maggie, breathing heavily, waiting for an answer from her old friend,
"Well?!" She exclaimed, "What is your problem Maggie?!"
"He took Joshua's father out of his life, so why should he be a part of it? How dare he take Matt away and then try to replace him."
"Dean's not trying to replace Matt…" Lola soothed, "He really isn't."
"It was Dean's fault!" Maggie sobbed, leaning on the back of a chair for support, "It was Dean's fault. He was driving the car that night!"
"What did you want to happen? Matt to drive after having five beers? Dean did the right thing. It wasn't his fault that other guy was drinking and went into them!" Lola replied, tears welling in her eyes,
"No…he just left Matt in the car to die!" Maggie snapped, "He left him in that car and when it blew it took my Matt with it!"
"He was injured Maggie! He went to get help! He broke his arm in that accident and fractured his ribs!"
"Oh poor Dean! Somehow he always manages to get away with a few injuries! You must feel so special, Lola…blessed even that your husband came home that night!"
Lola shook her head,
"It wasn't Dean's fault."
"You weren't there! You're so blinded by my brother you don't see him for who he really is!"
"We loved Matt!" Lola said firmly, "You know that it was an accident and I can't even imagine what it would feel like to lose my husband…but Dean's your brother. Your brother, Maggie!"
"No Lola…"
"Maggie," Lola began sternly, moving towards Maggie, "we've been through this tragedy as a family."
"How can you say that? The three of you all down in Philadelphia living your happy little perfect lives!"
"You know Dean punished himself for that accident!" Lola growled, "He practically drank himself to death!"
"Good…then you would've known what it feels like!"
Lola quickly drew her hand back and slapped Maggie across the face hard,
"How dare you?!" Lola screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks, red in the face, "How dare you say that?" She asked, Maggie staring at her in stunned silence, "I know it was hard for you Maggie, but you had an obligation to your son to hold it together and you did, but you wonder why I had to leave you alone? I had to support Dean…I didn't want to take sides, Maggie…because I love you to pieces, but you forced me to choose to look after you or save my husband's life…it was a no-brainer. That accident almost cost me my marriage and my husband's life and I know that's nothing compared to what you endured Maggie…but you need to stop being so selfish. I know you want to blame someone but Dean isn't the person to blame for Matt's death."
"You hit me…" Maggie mumbled, holding her cheek in pain,
"I know, I'm sorry!" Lola sobbed, "But you really hurt me with that comment."
"I…" Maggie sighed heavily, "I'm sorry Lola…but…I just miss him so much." She whimpered. Lola smiled sadly, wrapping her arms tightly around Maggie as she buried her face in the crook of her neck. After standing together like that for a few minutes, Maggie finally drew in a long breath, "Go and get him…just…don't expect me to bend over backwards to be nice to him."
Lola leant back, holding her at arms length, smiling,
"Thank you." She said softly, "I appreciate it." She added, backing away and heading out the front door, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she did, though she soon slid it back in when she noticed the Impala still sitting by the mail box. She sauntered up and tapped gently on the window, her heart melting as he looked up at her with bleary and glassy eyes, red from crying.
Maggie walked to the living room, pausing at the door, wiping the tears from her cheeks and fixing the eyeliner that had smudged under her eyes. With a sniff she put on her dealing with it smile, the smile she often put on for Josh when really, deep down she was struggling to keep it together.
"Hey how are my two favourite boys doing?" She smiled, walking over to Sam and Josh who were sitting on the floor in front of the television.
"We're good, we're watching the Lion King." Sam answered looking up at his sister.
"Wow, this is Mommy's favourite isn't it Josh." Maggie replied, sitting herself down next to her son pulling him onto her lap.
"Is Uncle Dean coming in to watch it?" Josh asked, looking round at his mum. Maggie looked down at the hopeful blue eyes and sighed.
"Yeah, he's just getting his things from the car." She answered before looking at Sam. He looked at her and smiled weakly, relieved that things were improving so that Dean could at least come into the house.
"Hey Joshy." Dean called from the doorway of the living room, placing his bag onto the floor before gently rolling up the sleeves of his kaki green shirt.
"Uncle Dean!" Josh beamed, jumping off Maggie's lap and running into the arms of his uncle. He launched Josh above his head before balancing him on his hip. "How you doing buddy." He smiled, "You been a good boy for your mom?"
"Yeah."
"Good man, high five." He said, holding up a hand in the air, Josh slapped his small hand onto his uncles large palm, before Dean set him down back onto the floor. Lola came up behind him carrying a large suitcase, Josh ducked between Dean's legs and threw himself at her. "Whoa hey Josh." She chuckled, as she bent down and was nearly knocked over by the tight hug.
Dean looked at Maggie with an awkward hug as she walked towards him, hands in the pockets of her dark blue jeans. "You can stay in the spare room, if Sam doesn't mind sleeping in Josh's room." She suggested.
"He doesn't." Josh answered, making everyone stop and look at him with concerned faces.
"Its okay, I know you're all scared but there's nothing to be scared of." He added, before skipping back to his spot in front of the TV.
The three grown ups looked on, worried and shocked by what their little Josh had just said.
Later on that evening Lola, Dean and Sam were sat round the large dining table in the kitchen, the orange glow of the sunset shone through the wooden blinds in the window.
"This doesn't make sense, we killed that yellow eyed son of a bitch, why is this happening all over again." Dean asked before taking a sip from the large blue coffee cup he was drinking from.
"Maybe he wasn't the only major player that was looking to start this war." Lola suggested, pulling a leg up to her chest resting her arm on her knee.
"Well what ever he wants he's going to have to get through us first." Sam added with certainty. Just then they heard two sets of footsteps coming down the carpeted stairs.
Josh came into the kitchen, barefoot in his light blue pyjama's with cloud pattern. Maggie followed behind him, a basket full of dirty laundry in her hands.
"Okay baby say good night to everybody." She said setting the basket down in front of the washing machine.
"Okay." Josh agreed, walking up to Lola first, who turned round in her seat and bent down to give him a hug, "Night Aunty Lola."
"Goodnight Joshy." She said sweetly, holding him tightly for a few seconds before he moved on to Dean, "Night night Uncle Dean." He said with a yawn, holding his arms up for another hug.
"Night kiddo". He said, lifting his nephew up, squeezing him tight then setting him down again.
"Mommy can Uncle Sam read me a bed time story?" He asked turning to Maggie.
"If Uncle Sam doesn't mind." She replied softly.
"I'd love to." Sam said with a smile, before hoisting him up into his arms. "Say goodnight to your Mommy." He added, leaning Josh over to give Maggie a kiss.
"Night baby." She said, stroking his hair as Sam turned and headed up the stairs, Josh lulling his head sleepily on his shoulder.
Sam pushed the door open with one hand, the other holding a sleepy Josh to his chest. He slowly moved over to his bed and laid him down on it, pulling the star covered duvet over him.
"Uncle Sam." Josh spoke quietly.
"Yes Josh." He replied with a smile.
"You and me are going to fight in a war someday aren't we?"
"Someday." Sam mused.
"We're going to fight and we're going to win." The boy continued.
"That's right, you, me and your Uncle Dean."
"No not Uncle Dean."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked with a confused frown.
"Uncle Dean isn't going to be around for much longer."
Sam's face fell, deeply disturbed by what he was hearing.
"Why's that Josh?" He asked sternly.
"Because he's going to die."
Sam swallowed hard, "Who's going to kill him Josh?"
"I am." Josh answered plainly. Sam felt his whole body go cold he stared back at the sweet innocent face of his nephew, it couldn't be true, how could it. Josh closed his eyes and nestled himself down into his cover. Sam stood up and backed out of the room, he looked back at Josh, fear and sadness started to stir inside. How were they going to help him? He had had a chance to fight his destiny he was so much stronger. Josh was only six; his mind would be so much easier to change, on either side. He just had made sure that it would be changed by the ones who loved him and not by a relentless evil.