I hope you all like this chapter, I had to work hard on it because this is where everything changes, so, let me know if you like it!
Please forgive all mistakes they're mine alone.
A/N: Thank you as always to everyone who is favouriting, following and reviewing, I am truly honored.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the wonderful characters that I am taking on this journey.
Chapter 9 - Slight of Hand
After making his bed and saying goodnight to Bobby, Dean had changed into his sleeping attire then as he was about to get into his bed, he heard the first signs of a grumbly Hope waking up. He walked into Sam's bedroom and to the crib that held the little girl who had stolen his heart. He picked her up and walked quickly and quietly into the main room. He soothed her by rubbing her warm back and kissing her on the head, breathing in the baby smell that made him remember his little brother as a baby, feeding and changing him, entertaining and comforting him, when their Dad was too sad or when he left them with a friend and Dean wouldn't allow anyone but himself touch baby SammyA.
Hope sighed heavily as she made herself comfortable in her uncles arms, whining stopping now that someone was paying attention to her. He began to conduct the tests to see what the problem was. He felt the weight of her diaper, no that wasn't it, so he rubbed her back as he walked to the kitchen to warm up her bottle in case she was hungry. She snuggled into his chest, feeling his warmth and listening to his heart beat. Still a little sleepy, she sucked on thumb in her mouth, and waited to be fed. Minutes later the bottle was warm enough for her to drink, so he took a seat on his bed and moved Hope so she was on the correct position for feeding and put the bottle in her mouth and straight away she started sucking hungrily. He looked down into her face, watching her, seeing her beautiful blue green eyes up close, her button nose and her soft skin. She was in a word, perfect and she seemed to be more like her mother than Sam, except the eyes, they were all his brother.
A wave if emotion came over him, his brother was a parent, he and his wife had produced this small child, the next generation of Winchesters who was going to have a chance to live any life she dreamed off. And the fact that she was so far the only living female Winchester was even more precious. Dean makes himself comfortable on his bed with Hope laying down beside him. Hopes sucking started to become slower and her eyes started to close as she got sleepier, watching her eyes become heavier, his eyes also started to close, he thought to himself that he would just have a quick nap.
Hours later, the sun had already risen, Bobby was in the kitchen, brewing coffee and frying up some bacon, Sam started to move around as he woke up, he opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling blinking trying get his brain to catch up. He had slept without any interruptions, he moved his head towards the bright digital clock on the side table, past 8am, wow he had slept for 10 hours straight, how did that happen. Then realization hit him and he quickly pushed himself up and looked over to the crib, it was empty, panic quickly rushing within him making his heart pound in his chest and his hands to shake. Sam quickly grabs his wheelchair and practically leaps into it, still in his T-shirt and boxers he yanks the bedroom door open and zoomed into the lounge room only to stop in his tracks. There on the fold out bed was his older brother and his daughter sound asleep, Dean on his side facing Hope and his baby daughter on her back, head turned towards her uncle with her hand clasped onto the amulet around his neck.
His breathing, changing from panic to surprise to calm, seeing his usually fussy daughter sleeping soundly with her uncle. She hadn't slept through the night since Jess had died, so to have her sleep with Dean for most of the night without waking him up was a huge accomplishment, he should probably be jealous but he wasn't, not if his brother was able to comfort his little girl. When her nocturnal habits had first changed, he had thought maybe she was so fussy because she could tell that someone was missing, her mummy was missing and she didn't understand what had happened to her. Maybe Dean was helping her by filling the emptiness left by her mother by being someone who loved her unconditionally and who she could trust.
Again he felt blessed and extremely lucky that he had his brother back in his life, now that all this stuff was happening and with everything that had already happened, he needed someone else to help take some of the load and his brother was willing and able to take it on his strong shoulders and the fact that he had accepted his disability without making him feel weak, instead he was surprised to feel as equal to the task as his big brother.
Hope was of course another matter entirely, Dean had taken to her like a duck to water, and Sam had not wanted him to get too close to her because he didn't trust him with her heart as he had his broken when he had left for a better life at Stanford and after the fire and his accident he supposed family had fallen of the grid and he was fine with that, Bobby more that made up for any family he thought he had lost, he was a father, brother and friend to a young man who had lost so much in such a short space of time and didn't ask for anything in return except his companionship and the permission to be part of this little family. Now it was bigger and he was happy with what he had, sure that Jess was smiling at him, he smiled more than he used to and he laughed at stuff he hadn't found all that funny a few short months ago.
Just as he was about to wake his brother up, he began to stir and his hand came out to touch Hope on the chest, unconsciously making sure she was still there and that she was OK. If Sam had any doubt that Dean cared about his daughter it went out the window with that gesture.
"Mornin Dean" Sam said softly as Hope made a small lip smacking sound and a ridiculously adorable yawn but kept her eyes closed, and resettled with her uncles warm hand still on her chest as he started stroking softly, she was asleep again in seconds.
"Mmmmornin" Dean made a stretching sound when he stretched his legs and rolled onto his back.
Sam chuckled softly and left them both to it as he wheeled himself into the kitchen. "Mornin Pa, did you see those two in there? Hope slept through the night, can you believe it?"
Bobby turned around and smiled at Sam's greeting, "Morning Son, you slept well too I'm sure if that's true" Bobby smirked and tilted his head toward the lounge room "If Dean was on baby duty then only this bacon will will rouse him" chuckling Bobby.
Just then Dean came into the kitchen with Hope in his arms, his hair all over the place and still wearing his boxers and tshirt. "Hey Bobby can I get a coffee and some of that bacon and my little lady here wants some mashed banana please"
"Whoa, where did you come from? What have you done with my brother?" Sam asks with a huge smile on his face, showing his dimples.
"Well, I can honestly say that Hope and I had the best nights sleep that we have had in a looonnng time. I'm a gentleman so I won't give away my secrets but I think she liked my amulet, she would not give it up" Dean smiles at Sam, happy to see his little brother happy.
"Ok, so? Hope and I bonded.. So what? What's wrong with that" Dean says a little insulted and surprised at the shift in the mood.
"Hey calm down, it's fine, I was just saying to Bobby that Hope hasn't been sleeping that well lately, so last night was the most she slept for anyone since... Well since Jess... you know" Sam says, uncomfortable and a little worried that he cants say out loud what happened. He thought he was moving past it all,a or at least able to say that Jess had... been taken from him. Hhmm
"Sorry, I don't know why I got so defensive... Maybe I'm just enjoying this whole uncle thing and when you seem so surprised that I can do something, then I, I don't know, need to defend myself. I mean, I practically raised you when I was four years old so... I have experience. And she is SO much like you, it's not funny"
Sam is taken aback by his brothers defensiveness, ok time to nip this in the bud. "Dean, seriously, it's fine, I'm not questioning your... Uncle skills, but both Bobby and I have had trouble getting her to sleep more that 3 hours at a time... It's really messing with all our sleep patterns. What's your secret?" Sam pats himself on the back for the way he made Dean feel special, hopefully he doesn't take it that he feels threatened, but knowing his big brother he's already there.
Dean suddenly feels like an idiot, Sam must be feeling inadequate or something, quick sooth it over. "Ah Sammy, it's not like that, she's not favouring me over you OK, you're her daddy and you're pretty awesome at it too, you know that right little brother?" Dean is really wishing he could take back the last five minutes and tak this whole conversation in a different direction.
"Yeah, Dean, I know, thank you for saying that. It's nice to hear, sometimes I feel like the worst dad in the world"Sam is looking at Dean with unsure eyes.
Bobby suddenly clears his throat "Alright are we done ladies?, my god it's like watching an episode of Oprah!" Shaking his head and trying to hide a smile then a snigger when Dean quickly stands up passes Hope to her father and goes to have a shower, muttering to himself.
Sam sits there quietly, watching Bobby then when Dean is out of ear shot he says " You watch Oprah? Unable to suppress that laughter that just comes out if his mouth. Hope squeals in laughter too when her daddy laughs because it is so rare that it makes her happy when she hears it.
Bobby, washes up with his back turned to Sam as they laugh and listening to the sound of father and daughter laughing makes him smile and he stays there washing the dishes for as long as possible just listening. Then moving off to get changed himself for Sam's appointment.
Forty five minutes later Sam is with his physical therapist, doing some exercises as Bobby, Dean and Hope in her baby capsule are outside keeping watch on all people coming and going and Bobby with his binoculars is periodically watching Sam with Tracy thought the large glass windows.
Watching as Sam completes another set of arm weights, Bobby notices that there is only one other patient in the gym with Sam, a woman he has seen previously, who had had a car accident and was left a paraplegic, she and Sam had felt a connection as they both had been victims of accidents. They had both felt some depression at one point and had helped each other through it.
As Dean was about to say there wasn't even a sniff of trouble coming, Bobby spotted someone who was acting suspicious over by the door much like the other two goons from two days ago, Bobby leapt out to investigate, and Deaf had to move to he back seat as Hope showed signs that she needed a diaper change, something he never thought he would do in the backseat of the impala.
When Bobby came back, breathless, the possible demon actually being the gardener, and after Dean finished with Hope, he stood outside the car leaning agains a door letting Hope breath in some fresh air instead of the now suffocating air from inside the car. Bobby grabbed the binoculars to check on Sam and noticed that he was no longer in the gym. Squishing down the flare of panic that came over him, he walked around the other side of the building quickly to where the pool was located, they must have already moved on to the aqua therapy. Looking around the pool area and again no Sam. Panic and worry now fully taking hold of him, Bobby rushing through the doors to make sure he wasn't overreacting and Sam was in the change rooms, he was about to god through the doors to the pool area when he noticed someone behind a potted plant, moving closer he noticed that is was the other patient, bound and gagged. He quickly bent down to see if she was alive, sighing out a breath of relief he stood up and ran to the front desk, yelling for help, he then ran into the pool area and quickly scanned the room, he ran into the change rooms and again there was no sign of Sam, except for his gym bag and his beach towel. He grabbed all Sam's gear and ran back out to Dean who was now passing in front of the impala with a worried look on his face.
Bobby charged to Dean and when he saw the bag, he went into full grown panic mode, making Hope start grumbling. "What's happened to Sam Bobby? Where is he?"
Bobby shakes his head "I don't know but the other patient was bound and gagged and Tracy and the other therapist have also disappeared, my guess is, this is retribution, and now they have Sam, who knows what they'll do to him" Bobby says scared out of his mind for the young mango was more his son everyday.
"What are we going to do Bobby? We have to get him back, now, he's so close to waking again, I can feel it." Dean is shaking all over, it's as if he is vibrating. "If they hurt one hair on his head, they are all dead"
"To right they are, I'm not letting anything else happen to my... that boy again, he doesn't deserve it" Bobby is so mad, he can't think straight. There only hope now is if the kidnappers call or if they find a grey convenient lead. Somehow with their luck, the latter wasn't happening but they needed to find Sam quickly.
"Ok, let's be smart, we know what took him and why, but where... Would it be somewhere inconspicuous, meaning they mean to hurt him for a while or would it be somewhere completely obvious meaning they want to make a deal?"
"Either way, these bastards are going to regret they ever crossed a Winchester!" Dean says passionately, hoping that they got his little brother back quickly, they just started to be brothers again and he didn't want to break his promise. His brother was coming home, safe and sound.