Wow, what a response. I am so glad people are enjoying this, most especially TraSan! So here is the next chapter!! And Merry Christmas!!
The Letter
Chapter 2 –
John mentally kicked himself when he got to the gas station. He'd meant to take that damn letter and post it but had left it with his journal instead. "God-damnit," he hissed as he stalked into the small convenience store and then glared at the clerk. So help him God, he'd shoot the kid if he wished him anything merry.
Unusually perceptive, the clerk dropped his eyes and went back to flipping through the pages of some teen magazine as he cracked his gum annoyingly, though John suspected he'd be watching the monitors pretty closely for a while.
"Stupid. Dumbass…" the hunter continued to berate himself under his breath as he searched the contents of the four aisles for something that might help ease the guilt that was sitting like a bit of undigested potato deep in his gut. Yeah, just carve me up and call me Ebenezer… He hated feeling this way. Snorting in self disgust as he picked up a fuzzy dice car air freshener he wondered what Mary would think if she could see him now –
'Air freshener? For a child? John…'
Instantly he put the dice down.
He glanced towards the front counter. "You got any kids stuff in this place?" he called out.
The clerk practically jumped off his stool and then swallowed once before speaking, "We got some bugs with stickers on 'em up here." He indicated towards the front counter.
Bugs with stickers? John blinked hard – did he miss something? And then the teen held up a small, round topped yellow car, an encouraging smile on his face as he gave it a little shake. The hunter rolled his eyes. A Volkswagen beetle? He could hear it now. 'Yeah… Here boys', have a couple of pussy cars. And while you're at it, why don't you fix each others hair and I'll find you something pink to wear…' "You got anything else?" he voiced aloud and the clerk just shook his head.
"Sorry, sir, just the bugs -"he paused and then smiled widely as if something had just occurred to him, "Oh wait, we do have candy rings!"
Someone, shoot me now…
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Sam trudged alongside the dark unlit dirt roadway, the snow beneath his boots crunching as the cold made him shiver. The darkness scared him. He paused and stared back at the cabin longingly. Dean was there.
A noise nearby made him jump and he almost bolted as adrenaline pounded his heart in his chest. Don't be such a chicken-shit, Sammy, Dean wouldn't be scared!
Maybe if he showed Dean the letter, his brother wouldn't think it was so stupid and then Dean could come with him. He frowned as his teeth worried his bottom lip, 'but then it wouldn't be a surprise…' And maybe there was some sort of secret Santa rule about not letting other people see the letter, that Sam didn't know about.
The little boy shifted the weight between his feet in an effort to keep warm. He didn't know what to do. The cabin called to him, it would be so easy to just go back, crawl into the warm bed and snuggle under his big brother's arm. But then he'd never get his gift.
Shoving a hand into the pocket, Sam pulled out the envelope and stared at it. This was so important to him. He needed to get this letter to Santa.
'There ain't anything a Winchester can't do once he puts his mind to it, and you're a Winchester, Sammy, just like me and Dad!'
He could do this. He was a Winchester. With renewed resolved he clutched the letter tightly in his gloved hand and continued on.
The night was bitterly cold and he used his free hand to try and pull his jacket more tightly around his neck as he wistfully regretted not grabbing his scarf or hat when he'd left. His heart continued to pound as he walked. He didn't like how the darkness twisted the shadows and wished, not for the first time, that they lived on a regular street like everyone else. Then there'd at least be some street lights. As it was, Sam also wished he'd remembered a flashlight. This wasn't very well planned at all. He should be in his bed.
The cabin was kinda cool, he guessed, but it was set back from the main road on the outskirts of town and surrounded by brush. Sure it was a great place for Dean to practice his shooting but that was about all, and it was taking the little boy a lot longer to walk to the road than he'd been expecting. He frowned tiredly. It certainly didn't take this long in the Impala –
Once again he considered going back to the cabin, knowing his spot in the bed would be still warm but then he remembered the special gift he'd asked Santa for and picked up the pace.
The sound of dirt crunching under heavy tires as a vehicle turned off the main road startled the youngster, but it was the familiar growl of the Impala's engine that sent panic coursing through his body. 'Oh no! If Daddy catches me now I'll never get to mail my letter!' Thinking quickly, Sam darted off the road and into the brush; crouching down, he hid and waited.
Please, don't see me… please don't see me…
After a few long moments and trembling with more than the cold, the child held his breath as the dirty black car slowly grumbled past –
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Dean shifted in the bed and then frowned. Too much bed, not enough little brother. Immediately his eyes flew open and he was sitting up. "Sammy?" The house was eerily quiet around him, the only sound being the insistent ticking of the bedside clock and the slight humming from the kitchen fridge.
Oh this was not good…
"Sam?" Dean tried again as he shoved the warm blankets off his legs. "Stop screwing around. It ain't too late for Santa to change his mind 'bout who's on the good list!"
Still no answering little brother.
"SAM!" the eleven year old bellowed as he quickly searched the small cabin for the younger boy. Sam wasn't in the bathroom or living room – there really wasn't any other place for the kid to be. His pulse racing, Dean stood in the middle of the empty cabin and sucked in a shaky breath. His brother was gone. "Oh shit…"
As if on cue, the pre-teen heard the throaty rumble of his father's car.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
John pulled the car up next to the cabin but didn't turn if off right away. He glared almost accusingly at the small plastic shopping bag on the seat next to him and truly felt he had reached an all time low as a father.
Deodorant. Apparently you never were too young to worry about freshness… and they came with festive little bows on them.
Chewing gum. Could make for a quieter car ride…
Fuzzy dice air freshener. C'mon, who doesn't love Fuzzy dice? Okay, John had to admit, he might have bought that one more for himself. Mary would understand…
And, two stupid candy rings. Damn clerk.
Rubbing a hand across his face wearily, he wished that his sons were a bit older. Skin mags would have been much simpler… and probably a lot more appreciated. Deciding he couldn't put this off any longer, John turned off the engine and got out of the car dreading seeing his son's letter tucked into the pages of his journal. He grabbed the plastic bag, slammed the door shut and walked towards the cabin.
Dean met him at the door.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Sam took off at a run. He tried not to think about how much trouble he was going to be in, confident that once he got his present, all would be forgiven; that they'd understand just why he had to do this. They just have too! His nose ran and his breath came out in white puffs as he ran. He couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when they got up in the morning. This was going to be the best Christmas ever!
Slipping and sliding in the snow, the little boy hit the main road and continued his fevered pace for a few more minutes before burning leg muscles and heaving lungs forced him to slow down. Gasping hard now, he continued to clutch the letter and wondered just how much further he had to go. He really wished he knew how to drive –
"HEY!" a loud slurred voice was all the warning Sam got before his arm was grabbed in a vice-like grip and he was wrenched off the road and into the darkness –
…
The precious envelope, tightly grasped only moments before, fluttered for a moment in the cold air and then dropped gracelessly onto the frozen roadside…
TBC
