Hello my wonderful readers! So I am considering this as a different chapter even though it is the same day.
My journey back to school is going really well too so everything is fitting into place. What a lovely summer this has been So much fun!
Warning: Language (most likely all the chapters from this point on will have more language in them. Not because I want them too, but it is realistic to the characters/situations) Not really sure if it needs to be moved to an M rating for that.. What do you think?
Dean opened the front door with Cass behind him holding his other hand.
'Where have you two been?" asked Dean's mother.
"Um. out," said Dean. He back up slightly, surrpised by his mother's quick reaction to their return.
"Sam came back two hours ago and told me that you two disappeared from the group," she said, hands on her hips.
Cass came up closer behind him and Dean felt his face grow hot as his mother's stare and comments brought the attention of a few guest around them.
"We just went for a walk-"
"Mary," called John, coming over from the kitchen counter and slipping his hand around her waist. "I'm sure they meant no harm. Probably just lost track of time, right, boys?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir," said both Dean and Cass. Dean looked at his dad who gave him a small smile. It was the kind of smile that said 'you owe me one.'
"You guys are back!" came an excited cry. Sam ran past his parents and up to Dean. "Seriously, I didn't know what happened. Everyone is in the backyard. Come on!" he said, grabbing a handful of candy from the bucket by the front door and then running back to the backyard.
Mary glanced at John and then back to the two boys who weren't looking her in the eye before giving a small sigh.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow," she said, moving slightly so that they understood that they were allowed to go.
"Thanks, Mom," said Dean.
Dean lead Cass out to the backyard.
"The deserters have returned," called Charlie, who was sitting in a lawn chair. She had taken off the goggles and had them placed on her lap. People sat around in a circle, some on the ground and some in chairs.
"Enjoy your alone time?" asked Balthazar, who was sitting the closest to the door. He had turned in his chair so that they could see his grin.
"You guys missed out on the old lady down the block who gave out full size candy bars to us," called Gabe, who was sitting on the ground with an array of candy wrappers around him.
"I bet that was Missouri," said Dean.
"Ya, it was her. She's awesome," confirmed Sam who came by them. It was only then that Dean realized that he and Cass were still holding hands. It made him smile a little.
"She did give out a nice amount of candy," agreed Jess.
"I've never eaten so much chocolate in my life," said Anna, holding her stomach and groaning.
"I still have more to go," said Gabe with a smile.
"That's disgusting," commented Meg, who was sitting next to Charlie in a chair. Gabe looked up at her and shrugged. She grimaced and turned back to Charlie.
Dean and Cass came more into the circle, but didn't sit down.
"So you all are staying until?" Dean asked.
"You have us until tomorrow," called Charlie.
Dean looked at her in surprise.
"I made sure with your mom. Don't freak out."
"Dean, where is Jo?" asked Cass. Dean looked around, he hadn't even noticed that she was missing.
"Ya, where is she?" he asked.
"I believe she said something about needing to make a phone call," said Balthazar.
"Gabe, you need to stop eating candy! You're going to give yourself a heart-attack!" cried Anna as Gabe stuffed another handful of candy into his mouth.
"Nothing can stop me," he mumbled.
"He'll be fine, Anna. I've seen him go into a candy store with one hundred dollars, leave with piles of stuff, and then go home and eat it all and live to tell the tale," said Cass.
"You have a Mike and Ike, could I trade with you?" asked Jess.
"What you have to offer kid?" asked Gabe in a fake accent.
"Hershey," she said, holding out the mini candy.
Gabe glanced from her face to the candy to his Mike and Ike before holding it out.
"You make a hard bargain. But deal," he said. She smiled and handed the chocolate to him.
"Dean, should you go and see if Jo is okay," whispered Cass into Dean's ear.
"She's making a phone call," he said back, also quietly. No one noticed their conversation. All of them were talking amongst themselves.
"Look around Dean. Ash never showed up," said Cass.
Dean's eyes widened as he realized what Cass had.
"Oh, that's not good."
"Go find her," said Cass, pushing him slightly towards the backdoor.
Dean nodded and reentered the house while Cass took a seat next to Balthazar and began talking to him. Dean glanced at the vampire, siren, and other assorted creatures his parent's friends had shown up as. He walked silently and quickly around the kitchen towards the family room and the stairs.
"Dean," said a gruff voice.
"Bobby," said a surprised Dean. He noticed the older man sitting alone on the couch.
"Didn't see you for awhile there. Where did you and your friend go off to?" asked Bobby.
"Um," Dean ran his hand through his hair and looked flushed. "Well Cass and I just went to this place near the pond to - um - talk."
"Idgit. I know you're together," said Bobby, shifting on the couch awkwardly.
"What, how-?" stammered Dean.
"Where's your Dad?" asked Bobby suddenly. "D'you know?"
"I, well, I um."
"Quit with the stuttering," said Bobby.
"I don't know."
"Damn," said Bobby quietly.
"What's wrong?"
"No offense to your folks but this ain't my kind of hotspot," said Bobby.
"You could ask my mom. I think I saw her with a demon in the kitchen," said Dean.
"Ya, well I'm a lazy man."
"Better go hunting then," said Dean with a smile.
"You cracking me up," said Bobby.
"I have to go find someone too. I'll see you later Bobby," said Dean, heading back towards the stairs.
"Ya, you go. Idgit."
Dean grinned and returned to his journey up the stairs to his bedroom. He didn't even need to knock on the door to confirm; he heard loud crying from the other side of the door.
"Jo, it's me," he said.
"I'm fine. Really, I'll be down in a bit," she called through the door.
Dean opened the door. Jo looked up at him in shame. Her eyes were puffy and the makeup that had once looked so polished and perfect was now coated in water and mascara. Dean didn't speak, but he entered the room and shut the door and sat down on his bed next to the girl. She had her fist clenched, the red fabric of her dress intertwined within her small hands. He wrapped his hand behind her back and placed it on her shoulder. She slowly sunk into him and just cried. Dean was vaguely reminded of Cass' emotional outpouring over his mother. Jo's mouth was moving but proper words weren't coming out due to her seizing up in fits of breathlessness from the crying.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Ash dumped me."
"He's an ass."
She looked up at him. "He said that I wasn't supportive enough. That I was distant." She threw her hands up in despair. "I don't get it. I did everything right."
Dean nodded.
"And he's the one who wasn't good," she said. "He's the one who broke all our dates. It's not my fault if I make new plans when he cancels and then suddenly when their back on he thinks I'll just drop my plans," her voice elevated; "He just was such-"
"An ass," Dean repeated, filling in the blank.
Jo started to cry again.
"I'm not even sure why this is hurting so much. I was planning on ending it with him," she explained through the tears.
"You were?"
"Ya, I mean, I think I was," she said. "It was going nowhere," she explained. "He has this band and he wanted me to come to every show and - I hated his music. It was horrible. And his breath," she groaned; "it's like he never brushes. The kissing was disgusting."
Dean grimaced - another memory - this one of a girl who he had kissed at a party came into his mind. The girl, whose name escaped him, (he wasn't positive he'd ever really learnt it) had just eaten something, doritos, the spicy ranch doritos. He could still remember the disgusting taste of it in his mouth when they had kissed. And the aftertaste was just the vague leftovers of it, slowly getting more and more bitter in his own mouth.
"Why am I crying? I'm such a mess."
"You look like a million bucks," offered Dean.
This made her smile a little. She wiped her face in an attempt to get her mascara off. "Thanks."
"Jo," started Dean. This was not his area but he thought he'd just wing it. "You can't let that guy ruin your evening. Before he called were you even thinking about him?"
"No."
"Did you notice him missing?" he asked.
Jo thought about it. "Not really."
"You were having a good time," said Dean.
"Gabe was trying to convince me to give him a percentage of my candy because he was the one who came up with the costume idea. We were bickering over that," she said, laughing at the simplicity of their debate.
"Sounds like the normal Jo and Gabe. You were having fun?" he asked again.
"Yes."
"You were happy?"
She paused; she wasn't crying anymore. "Yes."
"Then lets get back to it!" he exclaimed, getting off the bed. "Let him wallow in his own stink and see if we care, right?" he asked her, knocking hand against her shoulder, trying to push her up.
"Right," she said.
"Come on."
He turned to the door and opened it, looking back at her as she got up slowly.
"You know, Dean, for being a complete idiot sometimes," she paused and cleaned up her face a bit; "you have these moments...you just..."
"What?" he asked.
"Just, thanks," she said.
They walked to the edge of the stairs.
"Just being a big brother," he said, his chest puffed out proudly.
"Big brother! Ya right, more like comforting little brother," she said as she walked down the stairs.
"You're younger than me," he said.
"Age matter not when the mind is superior."
"That, that makes no sense!" he exclaimed.
"Dean, sorry to interupt but some people are heading out and I thought I should let you know," said Cass. He was standing by the bottom of the stairs.
"Some people?"
"Balthazar is taking Jess, Anna, and myself home."
"You're leaving?" Dean asked.
"It's late," said Cass.
Dean looked at the clock on the family room wall. "What time is it - holy cow!"
"I'll head down and say goodbye," said Jo, letting Cass pass her so that he was standing a step down from Dean.
"She's wonderful at times," said Cass.
"At all times," said Dean.
"Did her and Ash -"
"He called it off," confirmed Dean.
Cass looked after her sadly. "That can't be easy."
Dean suddenly heard her begin to bicker with Gabe. He and Cass walked down the stairs and he saw her fighting with Gabe over the tie that Gabe had pulled off. She was fixing it.
"You know. If I'm seeing things how I think I am I think she'll be fine," said Dean.
Cass didn't seem to notice, but saw Anna heading towards the door. "Hm. Well I will text you when I get home," he told Dean, turning to him.
"You should have stayed over," said Dean.
"No, I'm on call tonight. Once I get home I'm taking over for my dad who will be heading into work."
"Where?" asked Dean.
"He's a night guard," said Cass.
"I wish you could stay here."
Cass pressed his forehead to Dean's and they breathed in and out slowly.
"I have to go."
"Yes, you do."
Cass gave him a sly smile and then pressed himself against Dean. His lips parted slightly and Dean wrapped his arms around Cass and pulled him so close that he thought that there couldn't be any space between them. It wasn't possible, not even air could part them.
"Gross. Cass, are you coming?"
They parted and Cass rolled his eyes making Dean laugh.
"Coming, Anna." He looked at Dean sadly. "I have to go."
"Let's go," said Balthazar in concurrence.
Both boys headed over to the front door where the other three stood waiting.
"The taxi driver needs to go home so it's time to hit the road," continued Balthazar.
"Thank you, Balthazar," said Cass.
"Bye!" called the goggle hooded red-head.
"Goodbye, Charlie," said Balthazar.
"We're heading out as well," said Jo.
"You too?" asked Dean.
"Gabe is walking home with me since I - I lost my ride," she said.
"And what a splendid walk it will be," said blue tongued Gabe. Dean thought he must have had a lollipop or a jolly rancher.
"I'm pretty sure he thinks he can get more candy on the way," said Jo jokingly.
"Other people are night owls! There might be more sugar in the world yet!" cried Gabe.
"Good luck with that," said Sam.
"I shall. Now my fair lady, shall we begin?" he asked, extending his arm for her.
"We shall," she said, copying his feigned British accent.
"Bye, Jo," said Dean.
I'll text you later, Dean saw Cass mouth before exiting into the darkness of the night, heading towards the car lights by the curb.
"Well, I guess it's just us," said Charlie, motioning to herself, Meg, and Dean.
"And me," said Sam.
"And you need to go to bed," said Dean, taking his brothers shoulders and pushing him towards the stairs.
"It's Halloween," grumbled Sam.
"Dean, leave your brother alone," laughed Charlie.
"How about some serious pwning of both your asses?" asked Meg.
"Your girl has a mouth on her," said Dean.
Charlie shrugged. "What can I say?"
"You can say, of course I'll help clean the house and put things away," came a voice from the kitchen.
Dean laughed at the shock on Meg and Charlies' face when his fathers voice broke between them. He wasn't even two feet away.
"Mr. Winchester, you scared me," said Charlie.
"Occupational hazard. Comes with the cowboy clothes," said John.
"You and Mom need help?" asked Dean.
"Well I'll be in my-" started Sam, heading to his bedroom.
"Oh, no you don't!" said Dean, grabbing his little brother by the back of his costume. "Come on, lets get going," he continued as everyone headed into the kitchen for clean-up.
So I'm not a gamer, but I really want to involve game names in future chapters. What are some video games that you imagine the Winchesters would play?
Also, at some point I'm going to have a shadow chapter..not sure when.. But get ready to see Cass in public school. Which just might mean the return of Lisa (the gears of my brain keep on turning).
THANKS FOR READING! 3
~IAmAPurpleLewie