The Way Home
Chapter 8 (revised)
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A/N: I've reworked chapter 8, I had a review that mentioned that my original version seemed a little rushed, so I went back and looked at it again and reworked a few things. I hope this one is better. I won't post again for about a week, I'll be out of town. I'm going to look over the other chapters I have written already to make sure they are up to the standard you guys deserve. Thanks so much for your continued support, you guys are awesome!-Montez
Jim and Dean had managed to get a flight out of Louisville that had then landing in South Dakota around three-thirty in the morning. Neither had been asleep since they had gotten up the morning before, exhaustion pulled at their minds, but each knew they had a job to do. It was the Guardian's responsibility to organize the continued search for the Knight, and it was Dean's job to do what his father taught him to do and find him.
Walking through the airport, each carrying a single duffle, they met Bobby outside the entrance. "Have you found him yet?" Jim asked as Dean took his bag, placing in the back of Bobby's truck with his own.
Bobby adjusted his hat as he opened the drivers side door, watching Jim open the passenger side, allowing Dean to slid into the middle of the seat, "As of a few hours ago when I left Boone and Kevin, we were having a hard time even picking up a trail, with the leaves coming down and the rain we've had, it was making it hard to track him."
Jim ran a tired hand over his face as the truck started moving, "When we get to your place, we will need to call in more help."
"Why can't we just head straight out? We need to find him." Dean spoke, anger and fear heard in his words.
Bobby glanced at Jim, then at Dean before returning his gaze to the road ahead, "Look kid, I want to find your daddy too, but it's gonna be about an hour and a half before we even reach my place, if Boone hasn't found John by then, Kevin and him are meeting us back there so we can do like Jim said and call in reinforcements."
"We're wasting time." The teen mumbled, he never liked sitting around when there was a job to do, but it looked like he was going to be outvoted, even though in the back of his mind everything the two men were saying made sense. Dean had no doubt they needed more help to find his Dad, that didn't mean he had to like it.
Jim silently patted Dean's knee, letting him know he understood and that they would find John as soon as possible, the Pastor sending up a silent prayer that it wouldn't be too late. It was quiet for a few minutes before Bobby asked, "How's Caleb?"
The Mechanic saw Dean stiffen a little as Jim answered, "Honestly we aren't sure. He received minor injuries from wrecking the Jeep, but the doctor can't explain why he's still unconscious. They did a scan and it appears the activity in his brain is like that of a person that is fully awake. When we got to see him, his breathing and heart rate was almost as if he was training, like when Jonathon has the boys out in the woods around my place. Mackland looked over the scans and he's at a loss as well. The only thing the doctor's can do is continue to monitor him and hope that he wakes up before any other problems arise."
Bobby didn't know what to think, he never understood how Caleb's or Mac's psychic mojo worked, he just knew if the kid had a vision there was only a fine amount of time to try and stop it, and that didn't always work out like they wanted. But the fact that Mac didn't have an answer for what was happened with the young hunter worried Bobby; he just hoped the kid came out of it okay.
By the lightening of the sky, sunrise was about a half-hour away when Bobby pulled onto the drive that led to his place. The rest of the trip had been in silence, Dean, despite fighting it, had eventually fallen asleep against Jim's shoulder. "Looks like Boone's here." That didn't set well as the Mechanic; he knew that probably meant they hadn't found John.
Once Bobby pulled the trunk up next to the house, killing the engine, Jim reached over and shook Dean, "Son, we're here." The teen straightened up as he heard Bobby's door slam shut, rubbing his hand over his face, he slide across the seat and out the door Jim had just exited.
All three looked up as the screen door to slammed, Boone coming down Bobby's stairs, walking toward Jim, who extended his hand, "Thank you for coming Boone, were you able to find anything?"
"Jim…Dean…" The red-haired man nodded, "I'm sorry Jim, we weren't able to even pick up a trail, I'm hoping with daylight it will be easier. I took the liberty of making a few phone calls; we'll have a few more hunters here in about two hours."
"Good, that was going to be my first step," Jim responded, then looked over at Bobby as Dean came to stand next to him, "I assume you have maps of the area?"
"All ready laid out, we were looking over them before John headed out." Bobby answered, turning toward the door.
"You can show me the area, that way we'll have a grid laid out before the other's arrive." Dean silently followed the older hunter's inside.
Boone stopped the boy as he entered, "Don't worry, your daddy's a tough old bastard, we'll find him." Dean gave him a silent smile, that didn't reach his eyes. He knew the older hunter was trying to comfort him, but that wouldn't happen until they found John. Squeezing the kids shoulder, Boone turned toward the others, "Coffee should be ready."
Oxoxoxoxoxox
The sky was starting to lighten from the darker blue to a lighter version, the cloudless sky was giving promise of a beautiful sunrise, but John's only focus was of the ground under his feet. With Caleb's help he had made it out of the woods and they were now making they're way down the back country road that led to Bobby's. John wasn't sure how long they had been walking; focusing on the hope he would get to see his boys again. It was only the presence of the man beside him, carrying the majority of his weight that had kept the sick and injured man from giving up. He had never felt like this in his whole life, the shallow breaths he took barely kept the dark spots from overtaking his vision completely; his whole body was numb, except for his head that pounded from the concussion and fever.
"You still with me Johnny?" Caleb hadn't spoken in a while, focusing on keeping John moving, but now the younger man could just make out the rusted out car that sat at the end of Bobby's drive. "We're almost there."
"Said that…hours ago." John whispered his head hanging low, eyes on his feet, afraid to look up for fear of losing concentration and falling.
"This time I mean it, I can see Bobby's, just a little further, then you can rest old man." Relief was filling Caleb, he had gotten to his mentor in time and now help was within reach.
"Fuckin stop…with the…old man…shit…kick your…" John's broken voice came out between ragged breaths.
"Yeah, yeah, you'll kick my ass, I get it. I'll give you an IOU for one ass kickin." Caleb's comments had done what he wanted, they had kept John going, kept him fighting and as they stepped onto Bobby's driveway, he knew that it had helped keep John alive. Caleb inhaled a deep-breath as the mechanic's house finally came in sight; he knew his job was done when he heard one of Bobby's rottweilers start barking.
Oxoxoxoxoxo
They had been at Bobby's for just over an hour, the sun was starting to come up and Dean was pacing a rut in the floorboards of the Mechanics hallway, just outside the den. The older hunters were in the room going over the maps again, Bobby telling them why he now believed it was just a bunch of kids with a made up story and not a real hunt. Jim had efficiently marked out a grid for the hunters that were present and for those due to arrive within the next hour, a few more would be coming in later that morning. Once the first group arrived Dean would be paired up with Bobby and they would start the search in the area closest to where the Impala was still parked, retracing the part of the woods Bobby had started searching the night before, Jim would be staying behind to coordinate with the others that would be arriving later.
Dean was lost in thought when Jim stepped from the room, "We will find him." the Pastor said quietly, watching the teen.
"We should be out there all ready, we don't know how bad he might be hurt." Dean stopped, glaring at the older man. Dean didn't mean to sound harsh, but he was scared and it came out as anger.
Jim stepped forward, closing the distance between the two, placing his hand on the boys shoulder. "Your father is the one always saying don't go into a situation without a plan. You tend to let your heart rule you, which is not a bad thing, but I can not do that. I am responsible for everyone I send out, not just your father." The Guardian saw hurt pass over Dean's face, "Your father is my brother, my heart is telling me to rush out there and search for him too, but my head is telling me we need to prepare for whatever situation we find once we're out there."
"Do you think he's still alive?" Dean's voice cracked, his fears clearly heard in the question he hated to ask. Until the teen saw his father's body he would not give up hope that the man was still alive, but he needed to know if the others felt the same way, everyone knew what Caleb's visions could mean.
The Pastor stepped back, looking at his hands, his fingers twisting the silver band that at times rested so heavily on his soul. "I have faith your father is still alive, I believe I would know if he wasn't."
"A Triad thing?" Dean had read some of the journals, he knew of the mysterious connection that linked the Guardian, the Knight and the Scholar.
The Pastor gave him a sad smile; silently praying he wasn't giving the boy false hope, but deep in his heart he believed he would know if John was gone. "Something like that." Glancing at his watch noticing the time, Jim glanced toward the window as the sun was starting to filter through the shutters. "The others should be arriving soon." Jim and Dean glanced toward the den when Bobby called out to the older man. The teen watched as the Guardian turned and headed back toward the other hunters, he then turned and headed toward the kitchen, needing another cup of coffee.
Dean had been leaning against the counter in Bobby's kitchen working on his second cup of coffee, watching the sun shine off the stack of rusted cars not far from the kitchen window. His thoughts again drifted back to Caleb, he had seen his friend hurt on hunts before, but the feeling of his best friend, his brother, collapsing into his arms the night before brought a fear in him that he had never felt. He always worried about his family, they were his life, his father, little brother and his extended family of Uncles, but his feeling toward Caleb were closest related to those he felt for Sammy. The Psychic was his big brother, he was one of only two people who knew who Dean really was, the teen never had to be guarded around Caleb. The twenty-two year old was the only person who seemed to understand him when he had been the quiet five-year old everyone wanted to talk, but who couldn't because his world had just been shattered. Caleb had sat hours with him without saying a word, allowing the broken boy to find his way back to his family.
Dean's attention was brought to the front of the house when he heard one of Bobby's dogs start barking. His heart jumped at the hope some of the other hunters were arriving early, he needed to be out looking for his Dad. Sitting his mug down the teen headed toward the front door, expecting to see a vehicle pulling up to the house. But as he stepped out on the porch, he got a feeling like he had the night before at Jim's; again he didn't see or hear anything other than the dog barking. Unlike last night, this time Dean had a weapon on him, he pulled it, checking the safety then returning it to the small of his back, before he headed down the stairs. Like Jim's farm, the boy knew Bobby had protections in place against anything supernatural; however he was glad it was daylight this time, making it easier to see if someone or something was approaching. Dean stood there, staring down the drive, debating if he should call for men who were still inside the house as the canine continued to bark, pulling as far as it could against its chain.
Oxoxoxoxox
Clearing the pile of stacked cars, that marked the end of the driveway, opening up to the yard in front of Bobby's house, John felt Caleb shift his weight, bring his arm back down to his side. When the house came into view he heard Caleb whisper, "Deuce is here, you're gonna be fine now Johnny."
At the mention of the nickname Caleb had for his eldest son, John felt hope fill him. They had made it to Bobby's and some how his son was here; he needed to see the boy. He had struggled through the night, allowing Caleb to drag his sick and broken form through the woods, but now with the sun rising behind him, John knew he had made it, knew that he was going to okay, Dean was waiting for him.
With the last bit of strength the hurting man could pull together, John lifted his head, taking his eyes off his stumbling feet, looking toward the house, he saw the unmistakable form of his son standing near the foot of the stairs. For a moment the injured hunter felt a smile cross his face, then the spots that had been hovering around the edges of his vision, slowly started to come together. In that second before he felt himself stumble the Knight heard his son yell, then saw the boy running toward him, before the blackness closed in completely.
Oxoxoxoxox
As with the night before, Dean started to slowly make his way toward the driveway, something inside telling him to go forward. He was about twenty feet from the bottom of the stairs when a figure stumbled past the stake of cars that were piled at the edge of Bobby's yard. A feeling of déjà vu came over the teen again as he watched the form raise their head, the teen felt his heart leap into his throat, as the recognition was instant. His sole focus was reaching the stumbling figure as he took off running, "DAD!"