A Hard Road Ch. 14
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story. Nor am I making a profit from it.
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Bobby was beginning to doubt his agreement to let John go on the hunt as he watched the novice hunter pack up the weapons he would need into his duffle bag. He knew John had come along way in the past few months that they had spent together, but this would be his first time going up against an actual demon. He would just have to depend on Joshua to keep a close eye on the man who had quickly become a good friend to him. "John, I know you are excited about this hunt, but you need to follow what ever Joshua says to the letter. Don't take any stupid chances with your life so you can come back to this boys who need their daddy."
"Wait a minute Bobby, what do you mean 'come back to the boys' I was planning on taking them with me" John said as he looked at Bobby with a bewilder look in his eyes.
"Winchester, you're a damned idjit if you think I am going to allow you to take those boys on such a dangerous hunt when your new to the gig yourself. They'll be fine staying here with me until you get back. It ain't like I haven't watched them before already."
"Damn it Bobby, I know that. It's just that I've never spent the night away from them and this hunt is almost a day's drive away, You can't expect me to leave my boys behind for so long." John stated with a hint of annoyance to his voice.
"I can and I do. You either leave them here with me or I find somebody else to take the hunt with Joshua. The choice is yours Winchester, so what's it going to be?" Bobby said emphatically.
John sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. Bobby had him between a rock and a hard place and he knew it. He knew Bobby was right about this hunt being too dangerous for the boys, he just didn't know if he could handle being away from them for so long, for that matter, would the boys be able to handle being away from him so long.
"I'm waiting Johnny boy, do I need to call somebody else to cover this one with Joshua?" Bobby asked to get John focused on the problem at hand once again.
"N-No, I'll d-do it, I just…It'll be hard ya know…just let me talk to the boys okay" John stuttered out as he forced a tight smile to his face. He would never learn everything he needed to know if he didn't get out there to participate in the hunts. It was a damned demon who took Mary's life and he needed to learn all he could about fighting them and not just restless spirits.
"Joshua will be here around noon so tomorrow so you better get yourself upstairs to bed and talk to those boys first thing in the morning when they wake up so it won't be too hard on them when you leave."
"Okay, night Bobby" John said before he trudged up the stairs. He didn't look forward to Joshua's arrival tomorrow knowing what it would do to him and his boys. This separation was going to play hell with his nerves and he knew it, but it was for his boys that he had to do it, to keep them safe.
As he walked in the door, he could hear Dean softly snoring in the bed and he was thankful that he was sleeping so peacefully. Maybe the nightmares would stay away tonight. He then walked over to the crib and glanced down at Sammy. His baby looked like a little angel sleeping with his thumb tucked securely into his mouth. He felt a pang of guilt knowing that he would be leaving the boys behind when he left tomorrow. Needing to feel close to both of his sons tonight, John picked up the sleeping toddler and carried him over to the bed and lay him beside Dean before stripping off his jeans and climbing into bed himself. He wrapped an arm around both of his boys and pulled them close. "Please forgive me boys" he whispered needing absolution for what he was about to do in the morning.
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The morning dawned bright and early as the sun peaked through the bedroom window. John could feel movement on the bed and knew that his boys were playing before he even opened his eyes. He heard the sound of Dean blowing a "raspberry" onto his baby's brother's tummy and then the sound of Sammy giggling in delight. He opened his eyes and said "Hey, two can play at that game as he playfully wrestled Dean to the bed and blew a longer raspberry onto his oldest son's tummy.
"Daddy st-stop" Dean said through giggles as he tried to squirm away from his father but he was held to tight within John's grip.
"What do you say Sammy, she would bring out the tickle monster?" John asked his baby as Sammy clapped his hand in approval. He watched Dean's eyes grow huge at the prospect of being tickled unmercifully. "No daddy, not the tickle monster" Dean gasped out between laughs as his dad tickled his sides until Dean could hardly breathe for laughing so much. All to soon the morning passed and John knew he would have to get his boys dressed and talk to them about him leaving.
John pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a tee shirt for Dean and tossed them to him while he pulled out another set for Sammy. He pulled off the clothing that Sammy had slept in the night before and changed his soggy diaper before dressing him in jeans and a red Transformer tee shirt that Dean had insisted they buy for his baby brother the last time they had went shopping. As Dean finished dressing himself, John said "Boys, I need to talk to you."
"Why is you sad Daddy?' Dean asked as he saw the sad expression on John's face. He didn't like it when his daddy was sad cause it made him feel sad too.
"Well kiddo, it's because Daddy needs to go away for a little while and help Joshua on a hunt and he can't take you boys with him?" John said to his oldest child.
"But why Daddy, why can't me and Sammy go wif you?" Dean asked with tears springing to his eyes, he didn't want his daddy to go way without him.
"I'm sorry sport, but you or Sammy could get hurt and I can't take that chance. I need you to be a big boy for Daddy okay. I need you to watch out for Sammy and help Bobby take care of him. Can you do that for me Ace?" John asked as he wiped away the tears trailing down Dean's face. He watched as Dean nodded his head before launching himself into his arms. John wrapped his oldest into a tight hug and said "I love you and your brother squirt and I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise"
"We love you too Daddy" Dean cried as he clung to his father for just a minute before letting go. He had to be strong now cause he told his Daddy that he would take care of Sammy and that meant he had to be a big boy and not a cry baby.
John ruffled Dean's hair before picking Sammy up. 'Come on sport, let's go see what Bobby is making for breakfast" John said as he smelled the aroma of food cooking wafting up the stairs.
As they got to the bottom of the stairs, John was surprised to see another man near the sink sipping a cup of coffee. He assumed it was Joshua since Bobby expected him to arrive around noon today. The man looked to be about six foot three or so with dark wavy hair. His face had a rugged appearance, but he could see tenderness in his eyes as the man noticed his boys. "Morning, the name's John Winchester and these are my boys, Dean and Sammy."
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Joshua was standing by the sink sipping on a cup of coffee after having talked to Bobby about this new hunter on the block. He didn't envy having to work with the newbie hunter, but Bobby insisted he take the man along with him. When he questioned Bobby's reasoning, Bobby had explained what happened to the family and that John was determined to become a hunter and he needed to learn from the best. Joshua was about to voice another concern when he heard noise coming from above. He glanced towards the stairs to see a man walking down them holding a baby in his arm with a young blonde headed boy beside him.
He noticed the surprised look on the man's face the moment that the new hunted had spotted him in the room. He could see the wary look in the man's eyes as he introduced himself and his boys. "Morning, the name's John Winchester and these are my boys, Dean and Sammy."
Joshua reached out to shake the man's hand, The name's Joshua, but you can call me Josh" he said as he noticed the older child move behind his daddy's leg. "So Bobby tells me you want to hunt this…uh, thing with me" Joshua stated not wanting to mention a demon in front of the boys.
"Bobby's right, I'm willing to do whatever you tell me as long as I can participate. I've got to learn how to face these things just in case they come for…" John trailed off as he nodded his head towards his boys. Dean was old enough to pick up on the things he was saying and he didn't want to scare him.
"Let's eat some breakfast then we'll leave out in a few hours after I stock up on some more ammo for the hunt" Joshua informed John as he sat down at the table. Bobby had prepared more than enough food for everybody.
John put Sammy down so he could fix a plate for both of his boys and get a sippy cup of juice from the refrigerator for Sammy to go along with his scrambled eggs. He had just started pouring some apple juice into the cup when he heard Sammy say "up." He turned around to see that Sammy was standing by Joshua's legs and holding his arms up in the air ready to picked up. He was about to walk over and pick Sammy up to place in his high chair when Joshua reached down and pulled Sammy up onto his lap.
Joshua had just fixed himself a plate of food for himself when he felt a small tug on his pants. He looked down to see the toddler looking up at him with the most expressive eyes he had ever seen in his life. His heart was immediately captured by the puppy dog look in those hazel eyes as the little one voiced just one word, "up." Joshua felt his hunter's heart melting at the pleading look in the baby's eyes. He reached down to pick the child up and placed him on his lap. "There you go munchkin" he said as he wrapped an arm around him so that he wouldn't fall off.
"Him not munchkin, him Sammy" said Dean as he looked at Joshua with a serious expression wondering how the man could have forgotten Sammy's name so fast.
Joshua gave a hearty laugh at Dean's remark. The kid sure had some spunk even though just minutes before he had hid behind his daddy's leg. He was about to explain what he meant when he heard John give the explanation instead.
"Dean-o, that's just a nickname that Joshua used for Sammy, sort of like when I call him tiger or call you sport." John said as he placed a plate of pancakes and sausage in front of Dean along with a glass of orange juice. John was getting ready to take Sammy from Joshua's lap when he noticed Sammy reach into Joshua's plate and scoop up some scrambled egg with his hand. "Sammy no, that's not nice" John chided feeling embarrassed at Sammy having done such a thing.
"Hey, it's alright, I don't mind" Joshua said as he laughed at John's discomfort. "He can eat right here with me if you don't mind."
John was surprised by the hunter's remark. He had thought for sure that Joshua would be upset with Sammy's antics. "Well if you're sure you don't mind getting food all over you" John stated knowing just how messy Sammy could be.
"It'll come out in the wash" Joshua replied nonchalantly as he took a bite of the sausage on his plate. He wasn't used to having little kids around but he could sure learn to like this feeling that overcame him as he held the child on his lap. It was a feeling unlike anything had ever felt before, and he knew one thing for sure, he would do anything to protect the child in his lap and his brother too. He would be extra aware on the hunt so that this little family wouldn't be shattered anymore than it already was.
They had finished breakfast all too soon in Joshua's opinion as he stood up and placed Sammy on the floor to brush the scrambled eggs from his lap. "Bobby, how about helping me get the copper topped bullets we'll need for this hunt while John here spends a little time with his boys before we have to leave" Joshua said to give the small family some time alone.
As Bobby and Joshua got the ammunition, John sat down with his boys to read them a story called Guess How Much I Love You. He then hugged both of his boys and kissed them. He explained that he loved them as much as the animals in the book loved their own children. He then took them outside to meet up with Joshua and Bobby. John had tears in his eyes as he placed Sammy into Bobby's arms. "Daddy will be back soon boys. Dean remember to help Bobby take care of Sammy for me okay champ" John said just before climbing into Joshua's truck.
"I will Daddy" Dean said as he wiped the tears away that were flowing down his face. He needed to be a big boy now. He stood by Bobby and waved goodbye to his daddy as the big truck roared out of the driveway.
TBC