"BALLS", Bobby swore under his breath as he plastered on a fake smile. "The idjit had rugrats!"
Slowly strolling up to the muscle car, Bobby took in the sight of the two little ones before him. The toddler couldn't have been more than 18 to 24 months old and the other kid looked to be about six or so. "Damn, I don't need any little hellions running around the place and messing things up anymore than they already are' Bobby thought to himself as he watched the newbie squirm a little under his intense gaze.
"Howdy, I'm Bobby Singer," The mechanic turned hunter, introduced himself as he held out his hand for John to shake. Karen, God rest her soul, would have been pissed at him if he failed to maintain at least some semblance of manners when around other people.
"John Winchester," John informed the gruff hunter as he took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake. "The little one here in my arms is Sam, and that is his brother Dean who is clinging to my jeans.
"I wasn't expecting any little ones, but I guess there ain't much I can do about it now," Bobby declared a little brusquely causing Dean to flinch at the tone of the man's voice.
"I'm sorry, I thought Jim would have...We can leave if you want," John stated as he wrapped a protective arm around his eldest. Sure, he wanted to learn everything he could about the world of hunting, but not at the detriment of his sons. They meant the world to him and their safety and well being came first!
"No sense in doing that when you just got here. Might as well come on inside," Bobby retorted, as he turned to walk towards the house.
Quickly grabbing their duffle bags and following the cantankerous hunter, John whispered words of encouragement to his eldest while rubbing the back of his youngest. Apparently, Sam had picked up on the ill-tempered hunters mood and was becoming a little cranky himself.
Walking through the door of the rustic looking two story house, John drew in a startled breath as he looked about the living room. Books and old tomes were strewn everywhere about the floor, some with layers of dust settled upon them. He couldn't help but wonder how in the world Bobby was able to find anything he was looking for in the mess.
"The place is a little messy, but it'll keep you warm and dry," Bobby declared, not really caring if the greenhorn liked his house cleaning skills or not. He was used to living by himself and not caring what others thought. And damn it, how the hell was he supposed to know the idjit would arrive with children in tow. "You want a beer."
"No, I'm fine, thanks," John answered, though he would have liked to savor the cold brew. He had two boys to take care of and he didn't need his mind numbed. Sure, Jim had recommended Bobby to him and told him he could trust the hunter with his boys and their lives, but he would make his own mind up about that.
"Whatever suits ya," Bobby replied as he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer for himself before seating himself at the table. "So...Jim tells me you want to learn about hunting."
"Yes I do. I want to find the thing that ki..." John started to say before cutting himself off. He didn't want to talk about Mary and what happened in front of his boys. Dean was old enough to understand some of what he would be talking about and Lord knows, he didn't know want his oldest child to know that his mother had burned on the ceiling, not yet anyway. "Dean, take your brother into the living room and keep him occupied while I talk to Mr. Singer?"
"Yes Daddy," Dean replied with a mere whisper, taking Sammy into his arms and giving Bobby a wary look before turning around to leave the room.
"And Dean, make sure you keep him out of Bobby's things." John reinforced, not wanting Sammy to try and climb a stack of books, only to have them tumble on him.
Shaking his head in an affirmative manner that he heard the order, Dean quietly left the room
"Pffft, I'll believe that when I see it," Bobby thought to himself in disbelief as the boys left the room. There was no way in hell a boy Dean's age would be able to keep a toddler of Sammy's age from getting into everything.
~~Supernatural~~
Observing while Dean sat Sammy in front of him and pulled out what little toys they had, John watched his children for just a few moments before turning his full attention to Bobby. "Did Jim tell you anything about what happened to my wife?" John inquired, not sure where to start his explanation as to why he wanted to become a hunter.
"Just that your wife was killed by something supernatural," Bobby answered knowing a little more, but also knowing that from the looks of things, John needed to talk about what he saw.
"Yeah, I'm not sure what it was, but Jim seems to think it was a demon," John answered as he skimmed a shaky hand through his hair, mussing it. "I saw my wife on the ceiling above Sammy's crib with her stomach eviscerated," John stammered, his voice cracking even after all the months that had passed. "And then her body and the ceiling just burst into flames. I mean, how could that be...the fireman, they said it was faulty wiring? But I know what I saw," John stammered, his mind still having trouble accepting what his eyes beheld at the time.
"I could have sworn that just for a second, I saw a man with yellow eyes standing in the middle of the room as it burned, but that isn't possible. Is it?" John asked, needing to know that he wasn't going crazy.
"There are rumors of a yellow eyed demon, but I don't know if the rumors have been confirmed to be true yet," Bobby answered. Sure, he had heard rumors about this demon and the fact that it was trying to build an army, but he wasn't sure how or why. He would just keep that information to himself for now. The greenhorn didn't need to be completely overwhelmed with everything just yet.
"Then how am I supposed to protect my boys if even hunters like you aren't sure it exists?" John queried worriedly as his fingers thrummed nervously on the table.
"I'll teach you the things you know and I'll put out some feelers, see if anyone has ever come up against this yellow eyed demon," Bobby answered as he scrubbed a hand through the beard adorning his lower jaw area. "For now, you and those boys in there probably need to get some food in yer bellies and a good night's sleep" Bobby intoned.
"Yeah, it has been a while since we ate, John replied, just as his stomach grumbled loudly at the mention of food. 'You know of a cheap motel and restaurant around here?"
"Sure do, it's called Singer's Place," Bobby answered, knowing damn well that Jim Murphy would kick his ass if he turned Winchester away and the man and his boys were attacked.
"I don't want to impose. We can.."
"Nonsense," Bobby replied gruffly. You need to learn to accept an offer when it's made ya idjit."
"Okay, then I accept," John replied with a smile, happy to know he wouldn't have to spend what little money he had left on a room.
"I don't have much the boys will eat, but I'll find something for them and then we can buy some more groceries tomorrow," Bobby informed John as he pulled out a skillet. "You up for some steak and eggs yourself?"
'Sounds great," John answered as he went to check on his boys.
Walking into the living room, John smiled to see Dean patiently setting up a tower of small wooden blocks only for Sammy to giggle as he knocked them down.
"Looks like we will be staying here for a while," John informed his boys as he sat on the floor to help Dean restack the blocks for Sammy to knock over once again. It seemed like he had barely sat down, when he heard Bobby's voice call from the kitchen.
"Grubs on. Come get it while it's hot."
Picking up Sammy and carrying him into the kitchen as Dean followed, John sat down with his boys at the table, intent on feeding his eggs to Sammy when he heard the child squeal loudly.
"Charms, Sammy want Charms," Sammy shouted upon noticing the cereal on the counter where Bobby had placed it earlier, having forgotten to put it in the pantry.
"Sammy," John reprimanded lightly as he placed a hand over his child's mouth to quiet him. "You're not supposed to..."
"S'alright," Bobby intoned as he walked over to the counter and grabbed the box of cereal to place it on the table. "Let the little scamp have what he wants."
"Daddy? Can I have Charms too?" Dean asked hopefully as he glanced at Bobby with pleading eyes. It had been a while since they had a cereal other than Cheerios. They were easier to deal with since Sammy couldn't make much of a mess eating them while on the road.
"Sure, I guess that would be alright," John answered as he watched Bobby pull a second bowl from the cupboard. Maybe the grizzled hunter wasn't so bad after all.
~~Later that Night~~
"I don't have anything for the little one to sleep in, but the bed in the guest room should be big enough for you and your other son" Bobby voiced as he led John up the stairs, Sammy having fallen asleep on his father's shoulder as Bobby and John discussed the coming days and what would be expected of John once the training began.
"That's okay, they boys can have the bed and I will sleep on the floor." John replied, as he followed Bobby into the room. "The boys sleep better when they are beside each other anyway."
"I do have an old roll-away bed that I can take out of storage if that is okay for ya?" Bobby stated as he walked over to the closet inside the room to pull out some extra bedding and blankets. "If you'll give me a few minutes to get it out of storage, I'll..." Bobby's voice drifted off as he turned to see John lying on the bed with his boys, all three Winchesters asleep, Sammy tucked firmly in between John and Dean, the toddler fervently sucking on his thumb.
"Well I'll be," Bobby whispered as he took in the sight before him. Not wanting to wake the tuckered out family, he quickly shook out the blanket in his hands and placed it over the slumbering threw and quietly left the room thinking about the day ahead. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having the little rapscallions around for a little while.
TBC Still interested?