A Hard Road Ch. 11
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story.
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As Bobby and John returned to the house with the crib, John was surprised to see Sammy and Dean on the floor playing with Sammy's building blocks, he had been sure that Sammy would sleep through the night after the day the had. While Dean continued to keep an eye on Sammy, he helped Bobby to carry the crib up the stairs and place it in the bedroom and then they both returned to where the boys were playing. He watched as Dean stacked the blocks in a tower only for Sammy to knock them down with a sweep of the hand giggling at his accomplishment.
Bobby smiled at the little tyke before him who seemed to be bursting with energy after having been asleep only moments before. He was amazed at how much patience Dean had with him as he continued to stack the blocks time after time. As he watched the two little boys playing, Bobby noticed the smile that lit up Dean's face. It was obvious the baby had a positive effect on his big brother since Dean no longer seemed shy or scared with him around.
It didn't take long however for Sammy to tire of the game they were playing and he started crawling around on the floor with Dean trailing him. Bobby noticed how Dean showed maturity beyond his years as he kept his baby brother from putting his hands on things he shouldn't have as he redirected the baby each time he neared something that could possibly hurt him. Bobby decided that he would have to move some glass and ceramic objects out of reach after they boys went to bed to baby proof his house as much as possible.
As Dean watched over his baby brother, Bobby and John began to talk about what they would be doing over the next few days. Bobby planned on teaching John the finer aspects of researching amongst his vast array of books. John would have to learn which tomes held valuable information when it came to binding spells, exorcisms, and creating healing remedies to fight the supernatural. He also planned on making sure that John learned how to make his own ammunition since some of the ammo required for killing demons couldn't be bought in any store.
"I think tomorrow morning would be a great time to get started on making your own ammo" Bobby informed John as they laughed at Dean's exasperated look at having to move Sammy away from the television for the fifth time. "We'll be going through some of the old car parts out in the junk yard looking for copper coiling to melt down since copper is used in eradicating some of the lower level demons and spirits out there."
Trying to divert Sammy's attention from the television once again, Dean sat Sammy down in the middle of the floor and tried to get him interesting in playing with the blocks as his dad and Bobby talked. He knew his dad didn't like to be interrupted when he was talking with an adult about important stuff. He sat down beside Sammy and started stacking the blocks once again. He was so intent on what he was doing that he didn't notice as Sammy started crawling off. Crawling was still the fastest way for him to get around since he wasn't totally steady on his feet yet. Sammy quickly made his way over to Bobby before Dean could stop him and pulled himself up using Bobby's pant leg.
Bobby was surprised to feel a tug on his pant leg while he was speaking with John and looked down to see the toddler looking at him with the most expressive hazel eyes he had ever seen in his life. He couldn't help but smile and ruffle the baby's curly brown locks. "Hey there sport" he said with a smile. He was surprised to see Sammy raise his hands in an imploring manner as he said "Up."
Bobby wasn't used to holding babies and felt a little bit nervous about the toddler's request. But when he looked into those eyes and saw the pleading puppy dog look, his heart melted and he reached down to pull the toddling child into his arms. Bobby couldn't help but notice the way that Dean watched him intently as if waiting for him to make a wrong move.
It didn't take long for Sammy to snuggle into his hold and plop a thumb in his mouth while he reached one hand up to play with the beard on Bobby's chin. Within a few moments, Sammy gave a hard pull on some of the hair and Bobby let out a startled yelp causing Dean to laugh out loud. Sammy who had been near tears from the sound turned to look at Dean and began giggling himself. He liked making his big brother laugh.
John quickly apologized for what Sammy had done, but couldn't help but start laughing himself at the devious look on Sammy's face as he reached up and pulled the beard again. Sammy had done it to him a few times himself since he was shaving only intermittently allowing a small beard to grow.
"Sammy No" John stated trying to sound firm while he tried to contain his laughter. It was time for Sammy to start learning that there were rules to be followed and no hair puling was one of them.
Sammy's bottom lip immediately started to tremble as tears sprang to his eyes. He didn't like it when his daddy hollered at him.
Seeing the heartbroken look on the baby's face, Bobby immediately jumped to the toddler's defense. "It's okay John, he didn't hurt me" Bobby said as he bounced the child on his knees trying to cheer him up. John just shook his head knowing that he should scold Sammy further for what he had done, but he just didn't have the heart to do it right now with the pitiful look that Sammy was giving him. He'd have to learn to ignore those puppy dog eyes of Sammy's if he was ever going to teach him some manners.
Approximately thirty minutes later, John noticed that both of his boys had nodded off into slumber while he and Bobby had been talking. Bobby carried Sammy to their room since the child had fallen asleep in his arms so that John could carry Dean. Bobby placed the sleeping toddler in the crib he had made by hand before cradling the sleeping child's head with his palm. "G'night little one" he whispered before pulling the small blue baby blanket over the sleeping child.
John placed Dean on the bed and then pulled off his jeans so that his oldest would be more comfortable while he slept. He bent down to kiss him on the forehead and whispered "sweet dreams kiddo." He then glanced over to check on Sammy before quietly walking out of the room and leaving the door open so that he could hear if his children needed him. He walked back down the stairs to see Bobby laying fresh salt lines. He felt a tremendous amount of relief knowing that he had backup in place if the demon tried to make a move on his children while they were staying at Bobby's place. He knew his boys couldn't be any safer than they were right now with all the protective wards and sigils placed throughout Bobby's house.
After Bobby had completed checking the salt lines, he and John returned to the kitchen where Bobby poured them a cup of coffee before sitting down to talk. "John I just want to make sure one more time that you know what you're getting yourself into" When John started to argue, Bobby held up his hand and said "Just hear me out." When John nodded his head that he was willing to listen, Bobby decided to lay everything on the line.
"I totally understand why you have chosen to become a hunter and I can't blame you. I lost my own wife due to supernatural reasons and that's why I became the hunter you see before you now. But unlike you, I didn't have any kids to worry about. John, there will be times when you'll have to leave those boys behind for their own safety even though it will literally tear your heart to pieces. Even worse than that, a demon could use those boys as a weapon against you. Are you sure you're ready to possibly put their lives at risk to hunt down the demon that killed your wife?" Bobby hated having to voice his fears about the children being hurt, but John needed to know all of the risks where hunting was concerned.
John closed his eyes and thought for a few minutes about the words that Bobby had spoken to him. His biggest fear was that one day the demon would go after his kids because of him, but he had to take that chance. In his mind, the boys had been in danger since the night Mary had been killed and they wouldn't be safe until the yellow eyed demon was taken care of for good. "Bobby, I understand what your saying and believe me, it scares me to death to even think about them being in danger because of something I've done. But they will never truly be safe as long as that demon is alive. That thing had to have been in Sammy's room for a reason and I can't take the chance that it might return for him someday. I have to do whatever it takes to protect my boys, even if…." John let the sentence trail off not wanting to talk about his boys lives being at risk.
"Well then, I'll do everything I can to help you keep them safe. Together, we'll make sure that you as well as the boys are ready to face whatever comes. But for now, I think we all need to get a good night's rest. Let's go check on those boys of your and then hit the sack."
John walked into the room he would be sharing with the boys and found Dean's bed empty but it didn't upset him in the slightest. Knowing where Dean was most likely at, he looked into Sammy's crib to see Dean quietly sleeping beside him. Dean had pulled the baby close to his chest and had a protective arm thrown over him. John decided to leave Dean right where he was in hopes that the connection would help him to sleep through the night without any nightmares.
"Is he doing alright?" Bobby asked in a quiet voice as he saw John bend down to straighten the baby blanket over both of his boys.
"Yeah, it's just that he's been having trouble with nightmares since his mother died. I've tried to get Dean to talk about them but he won't. Some nights he wakes up screaming and some nights he seeks comfort by crawling into the bed with Sammy just the way he did tonight" John said in answer to Bobby's question.
"Don't worry John, when Dean's ready, he'll talk to you about the things haunting his dreams. Until then, I'd leave things alone since he finds comfort in snuggling with his baby brother" Bobby stated as he placed a comforting hand upon John's shoulder.
"I just hope you're right" John admitted as he glanced at his boys once more before bidding Bobby a good night. After Bobby left to go to his own room, John stripped off his own jeans and climbed into bed. He was looking forward to getting a good night's rest in preparation for a busy day tomorrow. As he lay in bed though, he watched the two sleeping boys in the crib beside him. Sammy and Dean were his whole world and he didn't know what he would have done without them. They were his reason for getting out of bed everyday and moving on with his life. He just prayed he would be able to protect them from the forces of evil out there that were determined to destroy his world.
TBC