Coming Home Ch. 7

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Previously: Standing up, she leaned down to tuck the blanket around the two boys on the bed and then kissed them lightly on the forehead. "Sweet Dreams," she whispered before leaving the room. She didn't expect the boys to say anything in return since she knew they had been through too much trauma to just believe her at her words. No, she knew it would take lots of love, patience, and understanding before the boys were ready to accept their love, and she would wait until the end of time if that was what it took.

Watching as Mary left the room, David's eyes filled with tears as he wondered if he and Joey could have a life like that, one where they were loved and cherished every day, just the way that Little Nutbrown Hare was. Yes, he wanted that for himself, but he wanted it for Joey more than anything else in the world.

"That was a nice story wasn't it De?" Joey stated as he snuggled up to his brother's side. "Too bad things like that don't really happen."

"What do you mean Sammy?" David asked, surreptitiously wiping his eyes to keep the tears from falling.

"Grownups really don't care about their kids like that. If they did, then Daddy would have been nicer to us," Joey replied, taking comfort in the fact that his big brother was now using the coveted nickname that he treasured so much.

"Norman was just an ass, Sammy, and I told you not to call him Daddy anymore." David reiterated as he pulled his sibling closer to his side and rubbed his arms comfortingly as the little one suddenly shuddered.

"You're thinking about what he said to you the day we left aren't you?"

"Yeah," Joey admitted, his voice cracking slightly on the word. "Maybe he was right, De. Maybe I am evil and don't deserve to be loved. Maybe he was right to beat me with his belt after Mommy left."

"You listen to me Kiddo, and listen good. You don't have an evil bone in your body and you definitely didn't deserve to be beaten black and blue," David proclaimed as he turned his brother around to face him so he could look him squarely in the eye. "Mom left because she was strung out on drugs and she couldn't stand living with that drunken bastard anymore so she found someone better. It isn't your fault that her new boyfriend didn't like kids."

"But Da…, I mean Norman, said It was my fault Mommy took the drugs; cause I was always having those stupid nightmares about monsters and things," Joey refuted with a soft sob.

"Yeah, well Norman only said that because he knew it was his fault that Mom took drugs," David countered, secretly wishing that he could kill Norman with his bare hands for making his brother believe he was at fault for everything bad that had happened to them. "So you can stop blaming yourself for everything right now. You have never been, nor will you ever become evil. And by the way, if there is anyone on this earth that deserves to be loved it's you!"

"You mean it's us," Joey corrected as he nestled into his sibling's embrace and closed his eyes, praying that he could sleep through the night without any night terrors assaulting his dreams. The last thing they needed was to be kicked out of their new home on their first night there.

~~Meanwhile downstairs~~

"So how did it go, babe?" John inquired as his wife sat down on the couch and snuggled up close to him.

"I'm not sure," Mary answered somberly. "I mean, they allowed me to read them the book and even kiss them goodnight, but they never showed any emotion when I told them how much we loved them and wanted them to know that they were safe with us."

"Mary, you have to understand that it's going to take them a while to learn to trust people again. All they've known is heartbreak and pain where adults are concerned over the past few years. It's going to take more than just a story and promises that they are safe and loved before they actually begin to believe it," John informed his wife as he rubbed her back in comfort.

"I know that John, but I was hoping for at least a smile or some kind of small confirmation that they believed me, if only just a little," Mary wept as she folded herself into her husband's embrace. It was killing her to know that her own children were afraid of her, which brought about another thought.

"Honey, did you remember to gather some hair samples from the comb in their bathroom while I was reading to them?" Mary inquired as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, I got them, and a few bristles from their toothbrushes as well and put them in a Ziploc bag," John answered as he patted the pocket of his t-shirt. "I'll take them to the hospital lab tomorrow and have them tested."

"Good, then we'll finally know beyond a shadow of a doubt what I already know in my heart. Those boys are Dean and Sammy," Mary voiced as she laid her head on John's muscular chest once again and relished in the feeling of comfort she got from the small action.

'Yes we will," John agreed as he began to toy with is wife's wavy blonde locks. "But honey, I hope you realize that it might not be smooth sailing even if the boys are proved to be truly our biological sons.

"Wha-What do you mean?" Mary inquired as she sat up and looked up at her husband inquisitively.

"Mar, after everything the boys have been through, I'm just afraid they might blame us for not working harder to find them. They could blame us for having to live a life of abuse," John warned as he lifted his left hand and tugged calloused fingers through his own hair. He didn't want his wife to think that everything would suddenly be all sunshine and roses if they tests confirmed what they both hoped with all of their hearts.

"Oh John, you don't really think…" Mary's voice trailed off as her mind struggled to deal with what her husband had just said.

"I don't know Mar, I just don't want you to be caught unaware if things go bad," John replied with a sigh. He truly hoped that his worries would be for naught, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the news would make the boys even more wary of them than they already were.

"I hope and pray you are wrong sweetheart, but we'll face that bridge together if and when we come to it," Mary stated, as she pushed herself to her feet and then reached a hand out to her husband.

"It's time for bed, Sweetheart."

The words had no sooner left Mary's mouth, when she and John heard the sound of a terrified scream coming from upstairs.

"NOOOOOOOO"

~~Moments earlier~~

Tossing and turning in his bed as memories of his past came back to haunt him, Joey began to whimper as a night terror took full hold of his dreams.

"Where are you hiding you damn brat? Come out and take your medicine like a man," Norman growled as he opened the closet in the boys' bedroom and looked for the sniveling little delinquent who had ran from him just moments earlier as he pulled off his belt. The kid deserved a beating for getting sick at school thereby causing him to have to leave the card game he was winning down at the bar, and he was going to make sure he delivered it.

Hearing the sound of a soft whimper coming from under the bed, Norman kneeled down to find the little troll hiding in total fear under the bed. Reaching in to grab the little urchin's ankle, he started pulling him forcefully from under the bed.

"NOOOOOOOO," Joey screamed in abject horror as he bolted upright in bed, sweat pouring from his small body as tears flowed steadily down his cheeks.

Springing up immediately at the sound of his brother's terrified scream, David immediately wrapped his baby brother in his arms and began to rock him back and forth. "Shhh, it's okay. I've got you. No one is going to hurt you. It was just a dream," he informed his distraught brother just as the door was flung open, banging against the wall and terrifying his younger sibling even more.

"Damn it, you've just managed to make things worse" David growled as he glared at the two adults who had unintentionally frightened his sibling to the point where the kid was about to have a panic attack as they had come into the room. "Just please get out and leave us alone. "

"But, Sa-Joey needs me. Please let me help," Mary begged as she strode towards the bed where the sobbing child lay encompassed in big brother's arms.

"Lady, he doesn't even know you," Dean retorted as he wrapped his arms more firmly around his brother and tried to control his own breathing while rubbing soothing circles on Joey's back at the same time. "What he needs is to be left alone. I've gotten him through every other nightmare and I'll get him through this one too, so please leave."

"Please Son, let us help," John pleaded, his own heart breaking at the sight of his baby, because that's who Joey really had to be, in such distress.

"You can help by leaving" David reiterated as he looked at the two adults with imploring eyes. "Please?"

Realizing that the only way he and his wife could start earning his son's trust was to abide by his wishes; John took a deep breath and said, "Okay Ace, we'll leave the two of you alone. Just yell if you change your mind."

"But John…," Mary began to remonstrate before being cut off by her husband.

"He's right Mary. Joey needs his brother more than he needs us. Let De, I mean David, handle things from here," John articulated as he grabbed his wife by the hand and began to tug her out of the room, stopping for just a moment to witness the way David was now rocking the child in his arms as he whispered soothing words to him.

"John, why did you make me leave when you know damn well that Sammy needed me?" Mary questioned a little angrily once her husband had closed the door behind them and they had started down the hallway towards their own room.

"Because, we had to start getting the boys to trust us sometime and what better time than now?" John vocalized as he led his wife into their room and over towards their bed. He highly doubted that either one of them would be getting any sleep tonight, but at least they could rest secure in the knowledge that the boys were safe and that with a little luck, they had made some headway in gaining the boys trust back again tonight.

His thoughts once again returning to the two young boys down the hallway as he climbed into the bed beside his wife, John could only hope that Dean was right, and that his youngest was being well taken care of since he and Mary couldn't be there for little Sammy in his obvious time of distress.

TBC