Hello all! I am so sorry for the lateness of this installment, this chapter was a tough one and life kind of got in the way for a while. I hope you all enjoy!
A/N: Thank you again for everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed I truly appreciate each and every one of you!
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the wonderful characters that I am taking on this journey.
Chapter 16 - Double Edged Sword
John had moved away from the main group to speak to someone on the phone while Sam researched the locations for the three medallion pieces while Dean kept Hope company.
Sam and Dean spoke quietly with one another, shocked and worried that their father was dealing with his memories of the loose of his wife alone. As someone who was part of an unfortunate number of men who had lost their wives from a supernatural event, Sam had also lost a part of himself. It had taken a long time to move past his anger and his grief, not just of the loss of his wife but of the use of his legs, his independence and for a while, he believed his manhood. He didn't think Dean would ever understand, no matter how much he told him how he felt at the time and what he had been through, not that Dean couldn't empathise or be a strong and comforting shoulder for him to lean on.
He wanted to talk to his father and share his thoughts and feelings, so he would know, he wasn't alone in his grief. Dean could sense his brothers sadness and anxiety about their father. He moved his arm so it rested against his brothers, so he could feel the warm connection and gain strength from his older brother. Sam took a deep breath and glanced at Dean, who nodded at him in acknowledgement but didn't speak. They looked into each other's eyes momentarily and settled back comfortably.
Their father walked back into the room and the spell of relaxation was broken. The air in the room changed and everyone either sat or stood up straight expecting some revelation or plan of attack. John cleared his throat and spoke "Well, I know where the first piece of the medallion is... but.. to get it, we have to go somewhere I haven't been in a long, long time... somewhere... I vowed never to go again" John was looking anywhere but at his sons, Bobby was watching him, he knew exactly who he had been talking to, the only person who would have had anything that belonged to Mary, who wasn't already in the room. Mary's parents had been angry and upset that after their daughters death, that John had gone into a depressed hibernation with their grandkids, their last connection to the daughter who had died so tragically.
"Where do you mean? Lawrence?" Dean asked, unable to remember anywhere else but the scene of the crime as somewhere that the family had avoided like the plague.
"Yes... but, not where you think... Samuel and Deanna Campbell, are your mothers parents, they still live in Lawrence and after your mother... we didn't see eye to eye about a lot of things, your grandpa and me... he wanted to spend time with you boys, especially Sam... I was pretty weary of leaving you boys alone with anyone but me, let alone family. I didn't know them, I refused... they pushed... we left" John was so matter of fact about it, Sam knew there was more too it than that but decided to leave it for now.
Sam couldn't imagine how his father had felt, Jess's father had been very supportive, even when he decided to move in with Bobby. They still email and skype when they can. His parents-in-law, send him cheques every few months, to help with Hopes upbringing and to contribute to his little family. He thought about everything that happened in the last few days, he knew he would have to email them soon and let them know about Dean and his father returning. There was a number of things he would leave out of his email but they deserved to know what was happening.
"Ah, did I just hear correctly? Deanna? Don't tell me I'm named after my grandmother? Did you guys hate me or something?" Dean asked disgusted that he was named after a woman. He always made fun of his brother because of his girly hair and continuously gave him a feminine name for their fake ID's. Now his younger brother would have ammunition for all future arguments.
"Hey Dean, don't worry, you more that live up to the name" Caleb joked and moved quickly out of the way when Dean threw a book at his head, Bobby and John chuckled and Hope squealed in delight, Sam was amused at the lightening of the mood and his newly discovered blackmail fodder.
Once everyone had stopped laughing, Dean got down to business "Ok so, our grandparents live in Lawrence, ...good to know, but what do they know about this medallion piece?
Sam looked at their father waiting for his answer. If they could find one of these pieces, and if his research on the other two was correct he could have a lead on the next one.
"Well...after Mary passed, they started picking... picking away at her life with me and you boys... They started claiming some of the few things that survived the fire, as mementoes, precious items that held sentimental value to them, or so they said. At first I couldn't say no, they had lost their only child, so I could understand somewhat, how they were feeling, but then, they started asking about certain items, weird things that Mary owned that I had always thought were decorative that I now know were Wiccan, Hoodoo or ancient protective symbols. I didn't think until much later, after we had left all those memories behind, I realised that there was a connection between all the trinkets they had wanted... They all had a connection to the supernatural monsters I had started to hunt. I realised that it wasn't a coincidence... I think your mother, and certainly her father, even her mother, were hunters.."
John paused to let that sink in. Knowing that this revelation would shock his sons and stun the other hunters in the room. He had known a lot about the reasons his wife had died all this years ago, now that it had happened to his son and his wife and had been after his granddaughter he was more certain than ever before, they had to stop this demon who had chosen and targeted his family.
"What?... So... Mum was a hunter? Why have you never mentioned this before?" Dean asked anger boiling at not being told this little jewel of information.
"Yeah... I was shocked too when I first thought of it. I had my suspicions for many years but I didn't want to say anything until I had proof" John said trying to defend himself from the anger he saw on his eldest sons face. "I would have told you when you needed to know, not before"
Dean shook his head, his youngest brother used to complain that their father kept them on a need to know basis, even now when they were grown men, their father still treated them like his they were children. "Yeah, thanks Dad... I would have thought the fact that mum was a HUNTER is pretty important... But what do I know?" Dean asked, he knew he was being snarky but this kind of stunt really got him going. He completely understood why his brother used to get so argumentative.
"Don't take that tone with me Dean, I'm still your father" John asked, surprised and little taken aback that his eldest son was no longer the soldier who obeyed his orders without question.
"Yeah, how about you act like it... I lost mum too, you know..." Dean stood up, ready to take on his father if need be, anger and grief boiling to the top, ready to burst.
"Hey, are you too morons done? I'd like to go and get this piece before I'm in my grave" Bobby asked, cutting off any further arguments. He could see Hope had started to get agitated by the angry in the room and Sam had closed his eyes, more than likely trying to not remember his own sadness and loosing both his mother and his wife, in scarily similar ways.
Both John and Dean nodded their heads, anger washed away with the realisation that perhaps they had allowed their emotions to make them overreact and get carried away, avoiding eye contact both of them stepped forward, John towards Bobby and Dean towards Sam who glanced at him and smiled, Dean placed his hand on his brothers shoulder and used his presents to clam himself. He brought his other hand towards Hope's face, rubbing a fingers over her soft cheek, she sighed and smacked her lips together. All his unexpected anger from only moments ago, disappeared.
"Ok Bobby, sorry, where was I?... Yeah, so Samuel Campbell was a hunter and he must have passed on a lot of protective amulets and trinkets to Mary, when she passed, he took them back. I think one of these items is the medallion piece... However getting it might be a little tricky. Like I said Samuel and I didn't see eye to eye..."
"That's a shocker" Caleb chimed in.
Shooting a glare at Caleb, John continued. "He might not give it to me... Maybe you boys would have more luck"
Dean looked at Sam who was whispering to Hope who was sucking on her fingers tiredly. "What do you think Sammy, do you want to meet the Campbell's?"
Sam looked at his brother and smirked at his cheeky face. Dean was avoiding his fathers eyes after their near punch up earlier and he wanted to make his little brother laugh as a distraction. "Yeah Dean, let's go drop in on the grandparents.." With a smile on his face he turned towards his father and said "Are you coming with us... or are you going to hide out here... I can't believe you were scared of a man, I used to think you were scared of nothing" Sam said amusingly, however once he looked up at his father he realised John was really nervous about seeing the man who had actually made him feel inadequate and one of the reasons it was easy to leave the town with so many memories was because he had felt to blame for his Mary's untimely and tragic death.
Sam watched his father and not for the first time since his father had come back into his life, he sympathised with the older man and completely understood his grief and his drive for revenge.
"I know I've been a bit of a hard ass while you were growing up, son, but I've been scared of a lot of things in my life, mostly of losing you and your brother… and now Hope… but back then, I thought your grandparents were going to take you boys away from me. I may have been paranoid back then but I just had this feeling. They never thought I was good enough for Mary, they blamed me for losing her, and not just when she died" John was shocked at how honest he was being with his youngest son, perhaps it was because he knew that his youngest son would understand. Dean was looking at his father, unsure whether to believe him, his father had never been chatty growing up, his father didn't talk about Mary, her family… anything. It was as if it hurt too much to talk about her.
"Ok, but how does that equate to you avoiding him like the plague?" Dean was still shocked that their father had been scared of anything let alone a normal, human man.
"Well... He ah... Um..." John stood nervously, shuffling his feet from right to left. Dean was getting nervous because of his fathers anxiety. What could possibly have happened to make his father react like this?
"Come on... Spill it, what did he do?" Dean was getting impatient with their fathers stuttering and faltering, it was so uncharacteristic of the man that Dean almost said 'christo' just to check that he hadn't been possessed.
"Look, all I will say is, he and I didn't get along and some of his ideas and his thoughts on what happened, didn't meld with what I had started to believe. I didn't trust him, so we left. I'm not a big fan of the man and I'm not all that happy that you boys want to go see them, but seeing as your young men now, I really don't have a say in any of your decisions" John said, respecting the fact that both the brothers in front of him had in fact grown into respectable, intelligent and strong young men.
Sam and Dean knew there was a lot more to the whole story but they desisted to drop it for now. They just wanted to get underway and find this medallion piec, gun move on to the next. "Ok, fine, you and the old man didn't get on, don't worry, Sam and I will turn up on their doorstep and charm them into giving us the medallion piece"
John and Sam both looked at him like he was crazy. Sam wasn't under any illusions that this meet 'n' greet might not go according to plan. He had his doubts that the Campbell's would be as open armed as Dean thought they would, he could see their fathers worried face. Perhaps this wasn't the best idea Dean had ever had, but if they wanted the medallions protection, they had get it over with.
Pulling up outside a slightly run down, imposing two story house, Sam and Dean looked at each other, then back at the house, unsure what was about to happen in the house in front of them. Hope squealed from the back seat, as if she was excited to be meeting new people who could become part of their small rainbow family. They would have to prove themselves and Sam would get to the bottom of the reasons behind their fathers hasty retreat when they were kids.
Dean got out of the car and ran around to the other side of the car and got Sam's wheelchair out, Sam had his door open and waited patiently for his chair to be situated so he could position himself into it. While he was getting comfortable in his wheelchair, Dean was pulling Hope out of her car seat and talking softly to her. Dean turned to walk toward the house and because of the lack of ramp for wheelchair access he walked to the side of the house where a ground level door was situated, where Sam could easily manoeuvre inside the house. Dean knocked on the door and took a step back to be beside his brother.
Silence was heard inside the house and Sam looked over at Dean to see what he wanted to do now. They hadn't called ahead so it was a fifty, fifty chance that they would be home. Taking a breath to tell Dean they should leave, when the door was suddenly yanked open and the brothers leaned back in shock. "Yeah?" A balding, tall, solid looking man stood at the door, he had that familiar hunter stance and almost military look about him.
Swallowing back his nerves Sam cleared his throat to answer when his brother beat him too it. "Yeah, Hi, my names Dean, this is Sam, we're your grandsons" Straight to the point and without fear, Dean didn't want to beat around the bush. They needed to get this medallion piece and get the heck out of there. Under all the bravado, Dean was worried and a little weary of this side of the family. Their father was a strong person, there had to be a reason why he was so scared of this man and he was going to find out.
"What? Grandsons?" Samuel asked gruffly.
"Yeah... We're Mary's sons" Sam said softly
"Oh my gosh" Deanna said behind her husband when she joined him at the front door.
"Come on in then" Samuel said opening the door and both of them stepping aside to allow the brothers walk in.
Dean walked in first, holding onto Hope, then Sam manoeuvred in after him, his muscles bulging as he pushed the wheels hard over the door frame.
Deanna gestured to the couch for Dean to sit down as Sam moved to park his wheelchair beside it. Samuel took a seat beside his wife as she sat opposite them on the other couch.
They sat there for a few moments in silence looking at each other, then Hope moved her head to look at the Campbell's then said "Hi" softly.
Deanna leant forward and smiled at her and replied "Hi sweetie!, what's your name?"
"Her name is Hope, she's my daughter" Sam said, smiling proudly at her as she helped them all to break the ice.
"Your daughter?" Samuel looked at the young father.
Sam balked at the question momentarily, he realised that perhaps Samuel thought he wasn't able to father children, being in the wheelchair sometimes made people make assumptions of the details behind his injury. It still didn't stop the resentment that the man didn't think he was her father.
"Yes sir, she's my daughter" Sam replied, trying to bury the hurt at the misconceptions.
"Ok, well, how can we help you boys, it's been a while" Samuel asked looking at Dean as he spoke, avoiding looking at Sam, making him scrunch his brows in confusion.
"It has, too long. Our dad showed us some old photos and we were curious about you, so we decided to road trip over here to meet you" Dean answered he wasn't lying necessarily, but obviously it wasn't the whole truth. Even though his father has his suspicions that the Campbell's were hunters as well, they didn't want them catching on to what they wanted.
"We missed you, almost as much as we missed your mother. Twenty something years later and you boys are here... Whatever happened to you boys?" Deanna asked in her sickly sweet voice that grated on Deans nerves a little.
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you ma'am. Let's just say, it's been interesting" Dean answered for both of them, he wasn't sure how much Sam wanted to tell them, obviously something had happened to Sam , but he wasn't going to tell his story for him.
"Well, it certainly looks like it's been interesting for you young Sam, a baby and you're in a wheelchair... You're doing it tough" Deanna said looking at Sam shaking her head. Sam could tell the concern was fake but he couldn't tell if Dean could sense it too.
"I was for a while, I lost my wife and I got injured. Hope, my family and friends have really saved my life" Sam said honestly and wasn't surprised that he realised how true that was.
"Well, it must be hard, being in that wheelchair and all. For you and for your family" Samuel said to a shocked Sam.
Turning to Dean he said "What about you Dean? What have you been up to?" Samuel ignored the look on the youngest Winchesters face. Dean tried to hide the sudden need to protect his brother from this man.
"I've been working with dad on private investigation. Travelling all over the country. It's been great" Dean said with a smile, then dropping that smile, then looked over at Sam and said "Until we discovered Sam was hurt and we were introduced to little Hope"
"Oh... So you had to drop everything and help your little brother?" Samuel asked dismissively. Sam scrunched his brows together again in confusion, it was almost as if his grandfather didn't like him.
"Well... Not really. Sam was at school and we just lost contact so we didn't know..." Dean said defensively. "This isn't why we came here..."
"Well... How about you boys tell us what it is you are here for?" Deanna broke in sensing the tension between the youngest and her husband.
"Ah well, when dad showed us the photos of mum we noticed that she wore a necklace and I wanted to give it to my daughter so she could have something of hers" Sam said, he hoped that his sincerity came across, the hurt at his grandfathers words were sitting close to the surface.
"Oh yeah, I know that piece. Mary wore that everyday. We kept that necklace to remember her by" Deanna said, wiping her eyes of a tear that had gathered. Dean shook his head slightly, not at all convinced at the show of emotions.
"Dad told us you had collected a number of pieces of mums with emotional and sentimental value" Dean said, getting agitated at their attitude.
"Well, yes that's right... We wanted to hold onto all the things that meant something us and Mary" Deanna was getting nervous and put her hand on her husbands arm to calm him down.
"We just ant to pass it on to Hope, she never met our mum, but we thought it might be nice if she had something that belonged to her" Dean looked right at Samuel as he spoke, he could sense something was not right about the man.
"You see, I don't know if I believe you... Why would you want it so badly that you would drive all the way out here, from whatever rock you've been living under, if there wasn't another reason... Is it for some spell to get you out of that wheelchair? Is it going to bring your wife back?... Maybe I'll keep it and bring Mary back... I'm sure she'll be overjoyed at the fact that she has a cripple for a son, who killed is wife... And his mother!" Samuel was on his feet, towering over Sam, making Hope startle and begin to whine and make very unhappy noises.
Dean stood up at the same time as his grandfather, ready for anything "Hey, back off, Sam didn't kill anyone. Not Jess and especially not our mother. My god! Now I know why dad didn't want us to come see you... Just... give us the necklace and we'll leave and then NEVER come back" Dean was not going to let this man undo everything that he had worked hard to accomplish by get under Sam's skin and make him believe the crap he was spewing. His hands clenched and he held Hope just a little tighter.
"We just want to protect Hope, you do know Sam is just going to get you all killed like he has everyone else. You should let us look after her, keep her safe" Deanna had finally shed the sweet nanna vibe and showed her true spots.
"You are not having my daughter... You're crazy if you think I would let you have the last gift my wife gave me... She's my life!" Sam said, breathing heavily, his chest heaving, eyes glistening.
Suddenly Samuel grabbed Sam by the arms and heaved him up out of the wheelchair and slammed him against the wall making him groan. "Listen here you, monster... we will take your daughter...or we will take it out on YOU..." Samuel viciously pulled Sam forward and slammed him against the wall as he spoke emphasising each statement, making Sam cry out as his back and shoulders banged against the picture frames that were hanging on the wall behind him.
Dean had yelled and stepped forward as he watched Samuel man handle his little brother against the wall. Holding onto Hope who squealed and started crying at the negative energy in the room and the shout of pain from her father. "Don't move Dean or you will be an only child" Samuel had tuned his head and looked at him as he pushed Sam harder into the frames behind him moving his arm to lay across his throat.
"Deanna, grab her will you" Samuel spoke calmly to his wife and as she went to grab the now crying baby from her uncles hands, when the front door crashed open and was almost obliterated into splinters, John put his leg down after kicking the door in, then walked slowly into the room with a rifle in his hands moving from pointing it at Deanna who had stopped trying to grab Hope from Deans protective arms, to Samuel who was now choking Sam against the wall with his forearm against his neck pushing down, causing his breaths to become gasps for much needed air.
John stopped and concentrated his rifle on Samuel who looked him in the eye trying to size him up, the eldest Winchester squared his shoulders and straightened up. "Listen to me right now, if you don't leave my son alone right the hell now, I will make you regret it... You don't think I know all about what you do with your catches?" John watched as Samuels face dropped, the smug look that he had on his face since John had walked into the room, vanished.
"No please, don't hurt us" Deanna begged while moving her arms slowly toward Hope to try and pull her from Deans arms again.
John moved quickly and shot his riffle just above her head making a hole in wall, making her squeal and Samuel yell out "ok, ok, okay... I'll leave him alone, please stop" he took a step back and let go of Sam allowing him to cruelly crumble to the floor, crying out in pain as he landed awkwardly.
"You ass! Step back right now, hands on the wall, you too..."John said in a commanding voice to Samuel and Deanna, it was the voice that Sam and Dean could remember all to well from their childhood and the endless drills that he had made them too before and after school.
"You're making a mistake John, surely you know by now that he is the reason Mary's gone, his wife... He's a curse on our family... It's all his fault, they were after him" Samuel tried to reason, get John on their side.
Johns shook his head "You have no idea what that boy has been through. None! He was a baby when his mother passed, for gods sake! How could I blame him for that... He certainly isn't going to blame Hope for what happened to his wife... Now, where is the necklace that my boys asked you for?... Tell me NOW!" John yelled, his patience wearing thin.
Deanna cringed at the loud voice but knew better than to argue. "It's in a wooden jewellery box on my chest of drawers. Second door on the right" she said softly.
Samuel glanced at Deanna knowing it was useless to disagree. They did not have the upper hand.
During their fathers show of force, Dean had moved towards Sam's crumpled form with Hope who was quiet now that she was closer to her father. He knelt down, feeling his pulse and finding it fast and strong. Knowing his brother would have to go to the ER just to be on the safe side, because of the angle and height he had dropped, Sam may have reinsured his back and set his recovery and ability to walk again back a few months. He vowed to make sure his brother knew he was going to be there for him and that he wasn't going to give up.
Dean also knew that everything that Samuel had spewed out would have affected his little brother and taken hold in his self esteem and guilt. He and their father would have a hard time ahead trying to convince him that everything Samuel had said wasn't true.
Once John had made them tell him the location of the necklace, Dean dropped Hope into Sam's lap, where she automatically latched on and would not let go. He moved quickly to the main bedroom, found the box and opened it, finding the large gold ring hanging from a chain and pocketed it, then threw the box on the bed, not caring where it bounced.
He walked quickly back to the main room and cast his eyes on Sam and Hope, then over to John who still had his rifle trained on the grandparents who Dean couldn't wait to see the back of.
John looked up at Dean and looked back to Samuel and his wife and said "Take Sam and Hope out to the car, would you please Dean, I'll follow you..." John didn't take his eyes of the bald man in front of him. Dean knelt to pickup his brother and Hope who was still clutching at her father. and placed them carefully into his wheelchair.
Waiting for Dean to lead them out the side door and as soon as the door closed behind them, John leapt forward, pointing the rifle to Samuels forehead and looked down at him, menacingly and said "If you EVER touch or even LOOK at my sons or granddaughter ever again, I won't hesitate, to end you, monster or not! I know what you've been doing with the monsters you catch... And I know why your doing it... Mary wouldn't want you to do this... She loved you and her boys and she loved me, whether you liked it or not. You have to stop this, or I'll make you!" John moved back as if he was going to walk away, then quickly cracked the butt of the rifle still in his hands into the side of Samuels head making him crumble to the ground, Deanna screamed at her husband being hit, then stopped as John went to point it at her and said "You better convince him to back the hell off or you and your husband will wish you had never met me"
John turned and left, slamming the door behind him, shattering the window beside it. He walked quickly towards the impala and saw Dean strapping Hope into her car seat and Sam sitting slumped in the front passenger seat, eyes closed and pinched in pain. Walking up to his injured son he crouched down in front of him and gently touched his face making him groan. "Easy Sammy, you're alright... we'll take you to get checked out. I'm not taking any chances with your back alright..." looking up at Dean whose worried face was looking at his younger brother, hands fidgeting with his pockets. "Come on Dean lets go to his doctor, get him checked out... I'll go get my truck... I'll follow you" John watched as Dean snapped out of his hesitation and moved to the driver's side of the impala, now that he had something to do, something to take his mind of his brothers injuries, he was able to function.
Running back to his truck which he had parked down the street to watch his sons while they met their grandparents with possible devastating consequences. The older hunter hoped with all his heart that Sam's injuries were just superficial, that there was no lasting side effects and that he would be up and walking soon.
Turning the key in the ignition in his truck and waiting for Dean to do the same, John thought about what had just happened and what the boys had to go through to get the first medallion piece, he truly hoped it was worth it and that if this was the prerequisite to this medallion then he wasn't sure if the brothers would survive it.
Making their way back to Bobby's salvage yard, after visiting Sam's doctor, all three of the Winchester men were lost in their own thoughts, about the past, what brought them all to this point and where it would take them. Sam's doctor had ordered rest and back massages from his big brother, to ease the swelling in his lower back from the harsh treatment of being slammed against the wall. They had picked up some pain killers and a muscle relaxant to help Sam to be more comfortable. His back was speckled with bruises that were a mixture of purples, blues and green. Once the doctor was finished checking him over she was happy to say that he had not reinsured his back but it would take some time to get over this little setback.
After the first couple of hours of silence Dean couldn't stand the moody sighs and the nervous fingers from his brother beside him, he had to say something. "Sammy?... Please tell me your not sitting there, believing everything that bald douchbag said?" Dean was getting the impression he wasn't going to like the answer.
"I'm fine..." Sam practically whispered, he was so sullen, he made droopy dog look cheerful.
"Sure you are Sammy, thats why that's the first thing you've said in three hours... Look just, please tell me you don't believe any of what that melon ball said? Because NONE of it was true!... I don't blame you, dad, doesn't blame you and mum and Jess definitely wouldn't blame you! I swear to you Sam, it is NOT your fault" Dean said desperately. His little brothers head hung low and he took a shuddered breath, emotions getting the better of him, he closed his eyes nodded his head and prayed for this day to end.
Sam was relieved when they pulled up at the yard with Bobby and Caleb standing on the porch watching them drive in, he was relieved that John had called ahead, then walk towards them when they parked. His brother had been giving him the worried big brother face for the last hour and a half, muscles in his back had been cramping up and the feeling of guilt had dominated his every thought which had given him a head ache as he had worked through all the different scenarios and outcomes, leaving him exhausted.
Dean got out of the car and looked over the bonnet of the car to Bobby then to John, silently letting them of the youngest hunter was not in good spirits. Bobby clomped down the stairs, noticing that Sam didn't even flinch at the sound, he opened the door and practically caught him before he fell out. "Easy son... Take it easy... Whatever happened, we'll sort it out, you know that right..."
"I, I know Pa... I just... I'm sick of this... I'm sick of being the victim..." Sam said vehemently tried to hold in his emotions. "I feel like no matter what I do... Evil just... It keeps coming after me..." Sam's breath hitched and tears broke free from his eyes. Bobby moved forward and gave him a fierce hug, trying to give comfort and strength.
The other men stood around the front of the impala while Sam released his built up emotions onto Bobby's shoulder. After few minutes Sam had his emotions under control, he leant back, away from the father figure who had helped him through so much. As he leant back Sam wiped his face, glancing up at the faces watching him, his face going red with embarrassment "We'll get through this Sam, I promise you that... Let's go inside and have a look at the medallion piece you found, then we can figure out how to activate it and then we can go on to the next one... This is going to protect us, ALL of us will be protected from any kind of evil that try's to cross our paths... Alright kiddo?"
Sam nodded to Bobby and took a deep breath, someone had taken his chair out of the back without him realising and brought it toward him, Sam transferred himself to his chair, keeping his head down, still embarrassed. Dean picked up a sleeping Hope up out of car seat and everyone moved inside. John walked behind Sam as he pulled himself up the ramp, putting his hand on his shoulder, offering his youngest son comfort.
As they moved inside, Dean went and placed Hope down in her cot in Sam's bedroom then came back into the main room. All the men took seats on the couch and just sat and looked at each other for a moment, then John took out the ring piece and placed it on the table.
Dean chimed in before anyone else could begin "So, before we get down to the nitty gritty, can I just ask... Did you follow us to the Campbell's? Cause, as thankful as I am that you turned up when you did... I get the feeling you knew something was going to happen" Dean looked right at John who sat back, preparing himself to answer.
"I was worried that something might happen, that man is an ass, always has been and I remember the strangeness of his actions when Mary passed, I just... I didn't want anything to happen to you, I did hope I was wrong, but... turns out a tiger never looses its stripes" John trusted his sons to take care of themselves and each other, but Samuel could be a cruel man when he wanted to be.
"I... I wanted to thank you, I... They wanted to take Hope from me and they almost succeeded. What he said... I've always felt like a freak... Like there was something I was doing to cause all these things to happen to me and everyone I care about... I just want to keep Hope safe and have a rich, full life, with my family... That's all I've ever wanted" Sam felt a little better voicing his concerns, he didn't want to be a burden anymore. "I want to fight this, I want to... I wanna... I want to live my life and stop being a victim"
"Well, I want you to live your life too... I followed you because I knew you would be in danger but you needed to meet your grandparents and I wasn't going to let you go in without backup.
"Thanks" Sam said, ready now to learn about the medallion piece. "Sorry Pa, what do you have on this piece" Sam looked to Bobby and smiled at him.
The hunters leant forward as Bobby started speaking. "I found some interesting information on this piece of the medallion. I also have the spell you need to activate it, but I haven't finished translating it yet" Bobby was a little hesitant to tell them exactly what he had found. "It ahh... It looks like this piece, is called the 'Domestico' or 'Family Circle', which, once you have read the spell... you will have access to your family... alive... And ah, and dead" Bobby waited for the fall out of that statement.
"Wait... Did you say 'alive AND dead'?" Dean asked, his head was spinning with the possibilities.
"Yeah... Dean, alive and dead... Any family members who have passed, will be able to provide guidance, until the next piece is found and that spell is recited" Bobby watched as this information sank in to each of the men in front of him, the possibilities that this spell could bring back certain family members who are missed, mourned and pinned for, could do more harm than good.
"What exactly do you mean by 'provide guidance'?" Sam asked, scared and excited at the prospect.
"I think it means, you will be able to speak to them, to ask for their guidance and knowledge" Bobby replied.
"Whoa, so... We're going to have a bunch of ghosts walking around?" Caleb asked
"I don't know about ghosts necessarily but, apparitions maybe, I don't really know the details but I think it would aid us in the collection of the all the pieces. I'm not sure this is going to be a good thing though, we may get to see them one last time, but having to say goodbye to them again, may be harder the second time around" Bobby, as always the voice of reason, gave Sam something to think about, he longed to see Jess one last time, to ask for her forgiveness, to tell her he was sorry and that he would try to make her proud by bringing Hope up the way they had wanted. His heart ached at the thought of loosing her again. This was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done.
Tbc