Faltered: Chapter 7

When John woke up the next morning he wished he could forget about the night before night that Sammy was almost killed by a striga, he wanted to forget the whole incident. He didn't want to think about it ever again.

He had been hunting it in the town just north of Lawrence, he'd realized there was a pattern but was unable to catch it before it ran out of siblings to feed on.

He realized quickly that if the monster was going to feed again his children were likely targets. He rode without stopping for himself or for his horse.

He gotten to the house just in time.

John shuttered to think what would have happened if he'd not picked up on the striga's pattern.

He had been so scared when he saw Sammy being attacked. So disappointed in himself for being so close to too late.

He'd taken it out on Dean.

The next morning John had found that there was no food in the house. That the storage shed was untouched. He found the empty traps set at the edge of his property and he realized what must have happened.

He found Dean asleep on the floor of the small bedroom under the windowsill. His apology scrawled in black and white for the world to see.

John lifted his son up off the floor and laid him in the bed next to his brother.

As he tucked Dean in Sammy started to stir.

The smaller boy opened his eyes. "Poppa!" he excitedly exclaimed. John put his finger to his lips and hushed his youngest son.

Sammy slipped out of the bed and followed his father into the next room.

"Shouldn't we wake up Dean for breakfast?" Sammy knew his father's routine as well as Dean did. You got up when the sun came up, eat breakfast and went to work.

"No Sammy not today." Sam looked a bit confused as he took a seat at the table while John brought some food from the storage Shed into the house.

Then it dawned on Sam what was happening. "Poppa I ate the peaches, don't be mad at Dean. We saved them as long as we could. I'm sorry I'm sorry."

John's heart broke. "It's alright Sam I'm not mad." How could he be it was his fault they'd run out of food. He was the one who'd gone off hunting and didn't come home.

The little boy's eyes got bright. "Oohh then can we have oatmeal or ooohhh pancakes?"

Dean woke up. At first he was confounded. It was late, later then he usually got up in the morning, he knew because the room was bright with sunlight.

Then he was scared because Sammy was nowhere to be seen. Surely Sam would have woken him up to make breakfast.

Then he was confused again. When he threw back the blanket he found he was fully dressed.

Getting up from the bed he nearly fell, his bad knee didn't want to support him and his whole body was sore.

As he got his feet under him once more last night came rushing back to him and he felt it on his cheek.

Pop was home and just in time to save Sammy from the biggest mistake in Dean's young life. Dean rubbed the side of his face as his heart fell to the floor.

Pop had hit him because he had almost gotten Sammy killed.

Dean shuffled sorely to the door and peered into the next room. He breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Sammy seated at the table with a large bowl of oatmeal.

He shyed back from the door a little when he looked at his father seated across from Sammy. Pop was writing in his book and looking very serious.

John heard something in the other room and immediately his hunting instincts kicked in. He turned his head towards the noise and tensed for a fight.

There was no fight. John saw a very small Dean trying to make himself smaller as he peered out from behind the bedroom door. John berated himself he'd probably just scared the kid. How was he going to undo the new damage he'd caused?

"Dean r u up? Come and have some breakfast." John said as casually as he could. When the boy shrunk back further John tried again. "It's gonna get cold son, come join your brother and me."

Sammy stopped his spoon mid shovel to chime in. "Yeah come on Dean! Pop made lots of oatmeal and he even opened one of the jars of strawberry preserves Pastor Jim gave us to put on top!" Sam happily ate.

Dean still did not move. John was getting frustrated. "Dean, out here now that's an order."

Dean came on command and sat timidly down at the table as far from John and close to Sammy as he could get. He didn't look at John or Sam he just sat.

John placed a bowl in front of him. Dean looked at his bowl and then looked at Sammy's bowl once he was sure that Sammy had enough eat Dean dug into his devouring it unforgivingly.

John decided that he needed to train both boys now. Sammy needed to learn to be on his guard as well. He started Sam the same way he had started Dean, omitting the supernatural reason he was working the boys and focusing on the natural practical reason they needed to learn to track and shoot.

Sam was not as much of a natural when it came to shooting or track as his brother was but he was in his element it seemed when studying Latin or the new skill John was teaching the boys; how to pick locks.

John became less of a father and more a drill sergeant to his boys. He heard less and less of Sam calling him Poppa and more calling him Sir.

He was proud.

Then he heard about the war.

"John are you sure about this you have the boys to think about." Jim pointed out as John Winchester paced in his sitting room.

"I have thought about it Jim. You'll watch them for me won't you just till I get back."

"That's not the question the question is when will you get back and in what condition? John there isn't a draft on there's nothing that says you have to fight."

John glared at Jim. "That's a cowards approach, I've fought for my country before and I'll fight again. Now I know there's more danger then just shrapnel and guns. Jim there's a captain who's a hunter and he's putting together a regiment to well fight against the supernatural."

"what?"

"You know all those soldiers killed, buried in mass graves, there's gonna be a lot of angry spirits out east, some ones going to have to salt and burn them."

Jim thought for a second. "That's all well and good but what about the boys?"

John thought about it he'd be with a group of hunters he could learn a lot from. "This is for the boys."

John brought the boys to Jim's house after dark. Jim was shocked by how soldier like the boys had become. Both stood up straight and still. John spoke to them like an officer not a father. "You will behave yourselves, is that clear?"

"Yes sir." Came clearly out of Sam's mouth.

"Good." John then hugged both boys hugging Sam a little harder as Sam hugged him back.

"Good by sir, good luck." Sam said strongly.

Dean watched as John rode off under the light of the full moon. He didn't know when he'd see their Pop again.

This time he wouldn't fail, he would protect Sammy if it was the last thing he did.

TBC…

Thank you for reading.