A Hard Road Ch. 25
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story. Nor am I making a profit from it.
Author's Note: Dean is 8 and Sammy is 4 in this chapter. I'm so sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I will try to do better with getting them out more quickly!
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Previously: "Sleep tight tiger" Bobby whispered as he reached over to muss Sammy's hair with his hand. He couldn't wait to get back to the salvage yard and spend some time with the boys. But their father was a whole other story! When John and Caleb arrived, John was going to catch mortal hell from him for daring to leave those boys to fend for themselves.
Arriving at the Salvage Yard approximately three hours later, Bobby pulled his old truck into the front yard and glanced over at the sleeping boys beside him. Dean had finally given into sleep and had his head laying against Sammy's carseat with his left hand resting on his baby brother's leg. Bobby couldn't help but think how innocent both of the boys looked in sleep. It pained him to know that Dean was already aware of the supernatural dangers out there in the world and that he knew John was a hunter. He dreaded the day that Sammy would finally be introduced to the things that really do go bump in the night.
He quietly climbed out of the truck and walked around the front of it to get to the passenger side. He opened the door gently and shook Dean on the shoulder. He watched as the tousled haired child opened weary eyes to look at him. "Hey sport, we're home" he informed Dean as he watched him knuckle the sleep from his eyes. He saw Dean emit a big yawn as he stretched and arched his back to get the kinks out of it. He helped Dean down from the truck before reaching in and unbuckling Sammy from his carseat. He gently lifted the sleeping child into his arm and rested Sammy's head against his shoulder. Picking up the boys duffle bags with the other hand, he led them into the house.
Bobby dropped the boys duffle bags beside the door and then walked over to place Sammy on the sofa to sleep while Dean climbed up beside him after having turned the television so that he could watch cartoons. He picked up a small throw blanket and placed it over Sammy before walking into the kitchen to prepare dinner for him and the boys. It had been a long trip and he knew the boys would soon be hungry. He quickly peeled some potatoes and cooked a batch of homemade fries and broiled some hotdogs to go with them.
As the fries finished cooking, he could hear the sound of loud laughter coming from the living room indicating that Sammy was now awake too. "Come and get it boys" he called out as he grabbed a couple of glasses and a sippy cup from the cupboard for their drinks. Dean helped Sammy climb up into the chair beside him before climbing into one himself as Bobby placed the food in front of them.
"Yay, I love frent fries" Sammy shouted as he clapped his hands. He waited for Bobby to put some ketchup on his plate to dip his fries in and then began to eat.
Bobby smiled at the eagerness of Sammy as he savored the home cooked meal. He cut up the hotdog that was on his plate into small bites to make sure the youngest Winchester wouldn't choke on them. After he had Sammy all set, he looked over towards his big brother and asked "You need any help Dean?" as he saw him making his own hot dog by adding ketchup. mustard, and a healthy dose of onions to the hot dog bun.
"No Sir, I'm good" Dean smiled as he picked up the hotdog and took a large bite. Uncle Bobby's food sure tasted a lot better than the sandwiches, cereal and Spaghettios they had been eating while their dad was gone.
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John sat quietly in the passenger seat of Caleb's mustang as they drove down the highway towards Bobby Singer's place. He reached down absentmindedly to scratch his leg at the top where the cast was irritating his skin. He couldn't wait to see his boys and make sure they were okay with his own eyes. He hated knowing that he had left his boys for far too long on their own. He knew without a doubt that Bobby would have some choice words for him once he got him alone.
"You're awful quiet there Winchester, is something wrong" Caleb asked looking over at the hunter sitting beside him. He wondered if they needed to stop for a little while or possibly over night to allow John to rest.
"No, I was just thinking about my boys" John said as he scrubbed a calloused hand across his weary face. "It's been too long since I've seen them and I just need to make sure they're okay with my own eyes ya know?"
"Yeah, I can understand that. Tell me about those boys of yours, what are the like?" Caleb questioned to take John's mind off of his worries.
"Well Dean's the oldest, he's eight years old and extremely protective of his baby brother Sammy who is four. Dean took after his mom in looks. He has blonde hair and the cutest freckles you ever saw on a kid. Sammy on the other hand took after me with his looks, but he's got a personality that would melt the coldest heart. Where Dean is relatively on the quiet side, Sammy will question you to death about things or talk your ears off. That kid will probably grow up to be a lawyer someday."
"Sounds like a couple of great kids" Caleb stated as he returned his focus to the road.
"Yeah they are. If it hadn't been for them, I probably would have lost my sanity a long time ago. Those boys are the reason I hunt, to keep them safe from the horrors of the world. My oldest Dean knows about what happened to his mother and what I do, but Sammy--he's still innocent and I want to keep things that way for as long as I can." John stated solemnly
"Don't worry, he won't hear anything from me" Caleb stated as his Mustang roared on down the road. If they kept going at the pace they were now, they should be able to make it to Bobby's place in the wee hours of the morning.
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After finishing dinner and washing the dishes, Bobby allowed the boys to go outside and play on the tire swing for a few hours while he kept a close eye on them from the porch. He relished in seeing the smiles that lit up their faces as they giggled in fun. It saddened him to know that they didn't have many chances like this were they could just be little boys having fun. Some days he would just love to kick John Winchester in the ass for the kind of life he was subjecting them too. The boys didn't deserve to grow up in motels or trashy houses like the one they were staying in now.
As darkness descended, he decided to take the boys in the house and have them get ready for bed. He didn't want to take any chances with something possibly making it through the sigils and wards he had in place. "Okay boys, time to get ready for bed" he shouted as he stood up and walked to the bottom of the steps.
"Aw Bobby, can't we play for just a little while longer?" Dean questioned not ready to give up the fun yet.
"Sorry kiddo, but it's getting dark and you know s well as I do that your daddy wouldn't want you boys out after dark. Not only that, but Sammy isn't completely over that cold of his yet so he doesn't need to be out in the night air."
Knowing that his Uncle Bobby was right, Dean took his baby brother by the hand and led him over to Bobby. "Okay Uncle Bobby, we're ready to go in now" Dean stated as he held onto Sammy's hand while he climbed up the steps. Once they were in the house, Dean helped Sammy to take his shoes off while Uncle Bobby went up the stairs to run some bath water for his baby brother.
Digging into Sammy's duffle, Dean pulled out his cough syrup and put it on the counter in the kitchen so Bobby could give him some before they went to bed. "Okay boys, your bath water is ready" he heard Bobby announce as he came back down the stairs. He watched as Uncle Bobby stripped Sammy down and tossed his dirty clothing into the laundry room before carrying him up the stairs.
Dean was just beginning to take his own shoes off when he heard the sounds of splashing and his Uncle Bobby's voice laughing as he said "Now stop that Sammy, the water is supposed to stay in the tub, not splash out all over me." He could hear Sam giggling just before he heard the sound of another huge splash.
Once Dean finally made it up the stairs in just his boxers after having deposited his own dirty clothing into the laundry room, he laughed as he saw the sight of a completely drenched Bobby lifting Sammy out of the tub. "Hey Uncle Bobby, I thought Sammy was the one taking the bath, not you" Dean giggled as Bobby sat his baby brother on the floor to dry him off.
"Somebody should have told him that" Bobby grumbled as he rubbed the towel through Sammy's wet hair. "I swear this kid could make a mess in just a teaspoon full of water." Bobby had just finished running the towel through Sammy's wet hair when he reached over to get another towel to dry his little body giving Sammy the chance to escape out the door.
"Hey, come back here you little rascal" Bobby shouted as he chased Sammy down the hallway and into the boys room where Sammy tried to hide under the blanket on his bed. Bobby stood in the doorway of the room as he asked "Now where could that little rascal be?" He heard the sound of delighted squeals coming from under the blanket and then walked over to the bed and snatched the blanket away from a laughing Sammy.
"Gotcha ya little stinker" Bobby said as he picked the wiggling child up and dried him off completely before helping Sammy into his Transformer pajamas. He carried Sammy back to the bathroom and combed through his hair as Dean took his bath. He as about to carry Sammy back to the boys room when he heard Dean speak up.
"Uncle Bobby, don't forget to give Sammy his cough medicine. He only gets a half teaspoonful I left it on the kitchen counter downstairs for you."
"I'll go give him some now sport" Bobby said as he carried Sammy out of the bathroom.
By the time Dean had finished his bath and dressed in his pajamas, Sammy was laying in the bed and waiting for him so Bobby could read them a bedtime story.
TBC