Chapter 29

Sam ran towards the kids and embraced them both in a fierce hug at the same time. He hugged them for a long moment and didn't let go even when he could hear their muffled voices coming from somewhere near his waist. He let a long sigh of relief and released the kids after one last squeeze. He felt as if a huge weight has been lifted from his chest. A number of bad scenarios were going through his head just a moment ago when they couldn't find Adam and DJ anywhere. He assured himself that they were really fine by giving them a careful once over.

Adam swallowed heavily. He was hoping that no-one would notice their absence but apparently he had been wrong. He kept his gaze down and didn't even try to look at Sam and Dean. Though Sam had hugged them as soon as they entered or more like practically smothered him and DJ but it would be foolish to assume that everything was fine. Dean hadn't spoken a single word yet , hell he hadn't even moved an inch. After gathering whatever little courage he had left , he chanced a look at Dean's face and quickly dropped his gaze. Dean was looking murderous at the moment. Adam wondered why the hell smoke wasn't coming out of Dean's ears because really , it wouldn't be shocking if it did at the moment.

"Where the hell were you two ?!". Dean roared , causing Adam and DJ to practically jump out of their skin. DJ looked ready to cry and Adam couldn't blame him if he did. He was particularly glad too that the kid didn't try to call Dean upon using the swear word at the moment like he did with him earlier. Because , yeah that could have gone real well. DJ tried to hide behind his daddy but one look at Sam's face changed the kid's mind , causing him to backtrack quickly. Sam was looking just as furious as Dean. And Adam internally said goodbye to the little hope he had left that Sam would perhaps save him and DJ from Dean's ire. Adam allowed DJ to hide behind him. The kid was clutching the back of his tshirt in tight little fists. Hell , he wanted to hide behind someone too.

"Both of you in the house. Now." Dean ordered them , pointing towards the house. And the kids made a mad dash towards it. They ran back inside holding to eachother's hand looking like two soldiers of the same unit all alone on an enemy's land.

Dean was practically vibrating with anger. The mind numbing worry he had experienced earlier had quickly morphed itself into intense fury once he saw the kids weren't hurt. But they had simply gone out disobeying a direct order to never go outside without either him or Sam accompanying them. They shouldn't have done that. They don't know what's outside but he knows and so does Sam. He might have left hunting but he would always be a hunter by heart and hence would be wary of the outside world. He had scoped the entire area before bringing his family here ofcourse , and he still does that every six months or so. He scans the newspaper daily for anything strange happening or anything evil lurking in his town to ensure that nothing bad could ever get to his family. But every monster isn't supernatural. What if they had gotten hurt or some sick bastard had kidnapped them or something.

"Dean ?". Sam called to his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder to get his attention when Dean didn't respond. Dean was angry and he was too. Any other time , he might have told Dean to go easy on the kids but not this time. The sickening fear he had experienced when he couldn't find DJ and Adam. He didn't want to experience that ever again as long as he lives. The only thought inside his head when the kids were missing was that he had broken his promise to Jess that he would look after their son. He shook his head to clear all that. Time to face the music.

"Lets go inside , Sam." Dean bit out. His voice tight and his shoulders tensed as he made his way inside.

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"I am scared , Adam." DJ muttered in a teary voice. He had never seen his dad and uncle this angry before. He scooted closer to Adam on the couch and held his hand.

"I know , kid." Adam didn't say anything more. Because really , he was no better. He wanted to blame DJ for getting them both in the mess because if he hadn't gone for his stupid ball then Adam wouldn't have followed him and they wouldn't be here. But then again if he hadn't thrown the kid's ball but hey , DJ didn't have to bother him to play with him. Especially not in front of Dean and Dean shouldn't have taken his phone away in the first place. So if you see it as he saw it , it was actually Dean's fault. 'Yeah , Adam try saying that to Dean'. He snorted at that thought but quickly schooled his features into one of a guilty look when he heard heavy footsteps signalling the arrival of Dean and Sam.

"You two , up and centre." Dean said in a deadly calm voice which was somehow more frightening. Not particularly the one who likes to play with fire , Adam quickly stood up and took DJ's hand and got to the centre of the living room as Dean indicated. Dean and Sam took a seat on the couch. Nobody spoke anything for a moment. And Adam was just about to start bouncing on his feet with all the nervousness he was feeling inside just like DJ was already doing when Sam motioned them forward.

"What the hell were you two doing outside ?". Sam asked , his voice hard with barely controlled anger. And Adam bit his lip. Sam never swears but if he is doing now then they were really in trouble. Not like he didn't already got that. But now they were well and truly screwed.

"Did you two not heard him ?". Dean snapped , pounding his fist on the coffee table to get the kids attention. It got the desired effect as first the kids flinched from the sound but then DJ began talking.

"I w-was l-looking for my b-ball , outside." DJ said , a few tears slipped from his eyes and ran down his chubby cheeks. The four year old was trying not to cry but he did it anyway. Sam clenched his fists so as not to reach his son and wiped those tears away because this was necessary. The kids need to taught a lesson that in no circumstances they were allowed to leave the house unsupervised and certainly not without telling either him or Dean.

Dean could feel his anger melting away. DJ had always been his weakness. But he tried to hold onto it which wasn't at all difficult when he thought about the utter helplessness he had felt earlier when he thought he had lost the kids.

"Were you playing at the edge of the property ?". Dean asked DJ letting his voice soften just a tiny bit.

"N-no sir." The four year old wiped his tears away that were immediately followed by new ones before answering.

"Then how did your ball got outside ?". Adam gulped in fear when Dean asked that. DJ looked over him and he bit his lip.

"If I have to repeat myself again. You two are gonna be in way more trouble than you already are." Dean warned looking at Adam and DJ. Sam noticed the little look that passed between DJ and Adam and he frowned. There was something more going on here.

"I threw away his ball." Adam answered as confidently as he could because there was no use in being silent now. "Sir" , he added at last hoping to be as respectful as he could to lessen the punishment he knew was surely coming.

"Why is that ?". Sam asked looking over at Adam. When Adam didn't reply , he asked instead , "Did you two had a fight ?".

"Adam Milligan Winchester. Do you need a little help in answering the questions asked from you ? Because I can help you but I'm sure you won't like that.". Dean wasn't a patient man. And he had already lost whatever little he had had for the day.

"No sir." Adam replied , shaking his head. Well , now to think of it. It wasn't that big a deal if they left the house for a little while. It wasn't like they were gone for a whole day. It was just freaking half an hour. DJ was a toddler but he wasn't. He was a fucking twelve years old. He can go outside if he likes. He wasn't a prisoner here was he. He used to go out to play with his friends all the time when he lived with his mother. So now what the big deal was if he go out for a little while. He was frustrated by the huge issue Dean and Sam were making out of practically nothing. He couldn't even see what the problem was. They weren't hurt were they.

"I threw his ball because I didn't wanna play with him. But he couldn't shut up about it so I threw away his ball. He went out to find it. And I went out to find him." Adam finished his explaination. Letting frustration sweep into his tone. He was tired of following their every order like a good little soldier. Even his mother didn't have that many rules for him.

"So you saying that the other day when you were bothering me to play on your PlayStation with you. I should have taken the damn thing away and thrown it out because you couldn't shut up about it. Is that what you are saying ?". Dean asked raising his eyebrows at Adam , waiting for his answer.

"I don't mean that." Adam shouted then quickly shut up when Dean raised a finger at him.

"Listen to me , boy and you listen good. You don't dare raise your voice at me ever again. Is that understood ?". Dean stood up and took a step towards Adam.

"Yes sir." Adam said in a petulant manner , rolling his eyes. His fear of Dean momentarily forgotten. Its always 'yes sir' or 'no sir' with Dean. Its like living the life of a soldier here. You can't do anything without getting permission. Adam thought.

Dean gritted his teeth. The kid had the nerve to roll his eyes at him at this moment even when he already was in trouble. He was about to say something when Sam caught his arm.

"Dean James Winchester , you know that you are not allowed to leave the house without me or your uncle no matter whatever the reason is. Right ?". Sam asked his son , sternly. Propping his fingers under his chin to look him in the eyes. They would first deal with DJ because he had a feeling Adam would take long time.

"Yes sir. I am sorry daddy. Please , I am sorry." DJ said tearfully , running towards Sam and hugging him around his knees tightly as the kid didn't reach farther than that. Sam tried to hold onto his anger but he couldn't. He dropped his hand on the kid's head combing his fingers through his soft curls and whispered softly to calm him down.

"DJ , hey look at me. Come on , kiddo."

"Daddy , I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I promise." DJ looked at Sam. And Sam nodded giving him a brief smile.

"Okay. You're forgiven. But if you do it again I'm gonna take you over my knee. Understand ?".

"Yes sir." DJ said and nodded hurriedly. He had asked his daddy about what taking over my knee means when uncle Dean had said that to Adam. His daddy had then explained it to him and he knew that it hurts. He didn't wanna get that punishment ever.

"But you're still gonna be punished. You will go to your room and stand in a corner and you will not move unless I tell you to. You will get no dessert and no tv time for three days. And you will stay inside your room all day today. You will not come down until its time for dinner. Okay ?".

"Yes sir." DJ replied sadly. He loved desserts and tv time but as his uncle always says punishments are always something you hate. He ran towards his uncle and gave him a big hug too.

Dean picked DJ up and gave him a tight hug. He pulled back after a moment and looked the kid in the eye. "If you ever even think about leaving this house alone without telling me or your daddy. Then after your daddy is done with you I am gonna put you over my knee too. Is that clear ?"

"Yes sir." DJ replied hurriedly. And Dean nodded in satisfaction and sat the kid down.

"Alright , son. Go to your room and find a corner. Don't move unless I come for you." Sam said motioning DJ to him and with one firm but not too hard swat to his bottom just to drive the point home , he sent the kid away.

DJ yelped and rubbed his bottom. "Ow , daddy." He whined looking at Sam with an impressive accusing glare. Which would have been effective if the kid wasn't four and didn't have a chubby baby face which was too adorable for anyone to take it seriously.

"In your room. Now." Sam ordered and the kid ran away making sure that this time his bottom was far away from him. He rolled his eyes and yelled back at his son , "Don't you run on the stairs , young man." He heard a quick , "Yes sir." And then he diverted his attention back to Adam.

Adam rolled his eyes and scoffed. Perks of being little kids. No matter what you do but as long as you are little and adorable then all you have to do is cry and you will be let out of whatever trouble you're in without any hard punishments. Standing in a corner and no tv and no dessert , right. Like they could be even called as punishments.

Alright. Dean had had it enough with Adam's attitude. Atleast DJ was looking guilty. Whereas Adam was looking anything but.

"You roll your eyes one more time and my hand and your butt is gonna have some serious talk about proper manners." Dean growled out at him. And Adam paled a little thinking about the spanking he had received from Dean earlier. Dean had a really heavy right hand on him and god did it hurt. He did not want to argue anymore he just wanted to go to his room and lie down. He turned to do just that when his arm was caught by Dean in an iron grip.

"Where are you going ?". Dean asked him. Not loosening his hold on his arm even a tiny bit. And Adam clenched his teeth thinking about how DJ was dismissed to his room so easily while he was being made to stand here.

"In my room." Adam snapped out. And Sam sighed in frustration. The kid was yet to realise his mistake. And Sam hoped that for the sake of all of them that he would soon. Adam was a really stubborn kid which was to be expected as he was a Winchester. John Winchester's stubbornness was firmly inherited by each of his son and Adam was no exception. But the main problem here was that while Adam was stubborn , Dean was ten times more stubborn than him. His older and little brother has the habit of locking horns over every little thing and Sam was getting tired of being the buffer between them.

Now to think of it. He really was sorry for the hell he threw his brother in when he was a kid. Getting into trouble , not following orders and fighting non stop with his dad over every little thing. He could understand how Dean must have felt when he had to come in between their dad and him to break their fights as he had to do with Dean and Adam.

"Excuse me ?. You wanna repeat yourself ?." Dean glowered down at him and increased the pressure on his arm in warning. Adam got the message what Hitler wanted to hear and he said. "May I go in my room , sir ?".

"No." Dean replied shortly but he released him. Adam rubbed his arm and glared at him. Dean glared back. And Sam stepped in before the situation could accelerate.

"You will not go anywhere until you realise your mistake and apologise , Adam." Sam said in the sternest tone he could muster which wasn't so hard as he was getting irritated with Adam's attitude himself.

"But I did no wrong." Adam declared crossing his arms firmly across his chest and glaring at Sam and Dean. When they did nothing except raising their eyebrows at him. Which was a little creepy if you ask him as they did it at the exact same moment. He began , "I am not a prisoner here , am I. So I can do anything I want. And I can go anywhere I want. I don't need your permission every time I step a foot outside. I am freaking twelve years old not some little kid. DJ is four he needs your permission , I don't. I was out for just half an hour. It was no big deal. Stop reacting like we got hurt or kidnapped." His tone raising with every word.

"I don't know what kind of fairy tale world you're living in , boy. But in this world and in this house you need our permission before you even think about going anywhere. I don't give a rat shit whether you are twelve or eighteen but as long as you are staying under my roof , you will follow my every order and will do as I say." Dean yelled at him. His eyes blazing with anger with his fists clenched at his side.

Sam put a hand on Dean's shoulder to calm him down. Because he had a feeling that Dean was like a missile in the moment ready to shoot at Adam at any moment. He subtly took a step forward and placed himself between his two brothers.

"Adam , nobody's saying you are a prisoner here , you know. We make these rules because we are concerned about your safety. If you want to go somewhere you can come to either me or Dean and we would take you there. Being twelve does not mean you can do whatever you want and go wherever you want as you please. You are still a kid. Not as little as DJ but still pretty young that you can't decide what's right for you. Not yet." Sam said. Trying a more gentle approach towards Adam to make the kid understand.

"I did that all the time when I lived with my mom. She had long shifts at the hospital so I was allowed to do whatever I want when she wasn't at home. I used to go outside and play with my friends all the time. What's the matter now ?". Adam yelled at Sam. He was getting tired of explaining the same thing to them.

"Yeah , like I said. You don't live with her anymore. You live with us. And living with us means you have to follow some rules whether you like it or not. Being number one of those was that in no circumstances , you are allowed to leave this property alone and certainly not without telling me or Sam." Dean said through clenched teeth. And Sam was sure that Dean was at the end of his tether with Adam. This time he couldn't blame Dean.

"Now I suggest you take your ass and plant it in a corner. Now." Dean ordered Adam. But the kid didn't move an inch. Sam thought that the kid had no self preservation at all. He was a stubborn teen himself but even then he knew when to let go. But Adam didn't.

"It is your mistake , you know. All of it." Adam pointed an accusing finger at Dean and Sam causing them to frown. But it was Sam that asked , "What do you mean , kid ?".

"Why the hell do I have to look after your son ?. He is not my fucking responsibility. I am not a fucking babysitter of some dumb little kid who doesn't even know how to play catch. And yet he likes to annoy people into playing with him. I was happily playing a game on my phone when Dean came and took it away from me. All of that because you were busy getting your beauty sleep and he had to work in the garage. So , you guys needed someone to look after DJ and that someone is always fucking me. I don't like it." Adam said all of that in one breath , that he had to pause in the end to take a long deep breath.

"That's enough." Dean roared and Adam jumped from the force of his voice. Adam was sure that the windows had rattled too.

"I have had it enough with you. I took away your phone because I don't want you to strain your eyes by staring at the damn thing all the day. As for DJ , he's a four year old who sees you as his big brother and that's why he bothers you to play with him. He doesn't know how to play catch because he's a freaking little kid and he needs someone to teach him." Dean bit out. His eyes hard and a little red with his mouth pressed in a thin line.

"Don't worry , Adam. I will make sure that DJ won't bother you anymore." Sam said , his voice hurt and a little disappointed. Adam would have felt bad if he had been thinking straight but as it was he wasn't.

"Now , you listen to me , son. I will count till three and if you're not in a corner by then. I will make sure you regret it." Dean ordered , breathing sharply through his nose to not lose control and end up doing something he knew he would regret. The kid had pushed all his limits today. He breathed deeply before starting the counting , "One."

Adam gulped and thought about standing his ground but one look at Dean's twitching jaw was enough to change his mind.

"Two."

Just before Dean could utter three , he started moving towards the corner. And stood there facing the wall.

Dean sighed in relief on behalf of the kid. He looked at Sam and could see on his face how hurt he was about what Adam had said about DJ. He was about to say something to him when Sam said ,

"I am gonna go see DJ." With that Sam turned on his heels and left the room. His face tight with anger and his back rigid. It was enough to fuel Dean's anger more than it already was.

"Hold your ears. And start doing sit ups."

Adam looked back at Dean. It was enough to stand in the corner being punished like a little kid. He won't do that too. It would be too embarrassing.

"You need me to write it down for you ?. Adam , don't try to test my patience with you because I ain't have it anymore. Do as I say before I put you over my knee and tan your hide."

"I fucking hate this." Adam declared , now turning fully back and looking at Dean.

"You swear at me one more time and I will wash your mouth with soap." Dean took a seat on the couch and motioned the kid to get in position.

Adam stalled because seriously doing sit ups while holding your ears was embarrassing not to mention stupid.

"Adam Milligan Winchester." Dean threatened and Adam sighed. There was no way out of it. He got in position but not without opening that big mouth of his again. See , common sense has never been one of his greater qualities.

"Fuck you." Adam muttered under his breath but Dean heard him anyway.

"Excuse me ?". Dean asked , his voice deadly calm like the sea before the storm and Adam paled. It was too low for a normal human to hear but somehow Dean heard him because Dean wasn't normal. Nothing can get past him.

"What did you just say to me ?". Dean stood up and made his way to Adam. He was freaking tired and frustrated. Why did the kid had to make everything so damn difficult ?. Why can't he just apologise and move on ?. Ever since Adam had started living with them. He and Adam have fights about nothing and everything on a daily basis. Dean was starting to think that maybe he wasn't the right choice to raise Adam after all.

Adam was frozen on the spot as Dean came to stand beside him.

"You and I are gonna have a little trip to the bathroom." Dean said and took Adam's arm in his and without waiting for another moment , he started walking towards the bathroom dragging Adam along with him.

Adam came to his senses just as they reached the bathroom. He started twisting in Dean's hold as he saw Dean opening the cupboard and taking out the bar of soap.

Dean dropped the bar and turned towards Adam. Without a word , he turned the kid and laid half a dozen stinging swats to his jeans clad behind. Each swat harder than the one before. He had tried to avoid doing this but Adam hadn't listened.

Adam yelped more from surprise than from the sting when Dean's hand fell on his bottom. He tried to get away but Dean was way too strong for him. Dean held him down easily as he laid five more hard swats on his behind. Adam was practically forced to stand on his toes with the force behind each hit. He cursed himself for not remembering how hard Dean's hand could be , particularly when it was raining blow after stinging blow on his ass.

Dean released the kid and looked at him. "You gonna listen to me now ?".

"Y-yes sir." Adam replied with his voice shaking. He rubbed his bottom and looked up at Dean. His backside was stinging and he bit his lip to not say anything to avoid getting into more trouble.

"Good." Dean said and picked up the bar of the soap and held it down under the running faucet. When the soap began foaming , he turned the tap off and looked back at Adam.

"I am really sorry , sir. I really didn't mean it . Please." Adam backed up , looking at the soap in Dean's hand. He so didn't wanna know how it tastes.

"Open your mouth. Now." Dean said holding to the kid's arm in one hand and the soap in the other. He didn't wanna do it himself. But he won't allow Adam mouthing off like that , either. The kid needed to learn to respect and if that's the way it's gonna be then be it.

Adam looked with tear in his eyes up at Dean. But Dean didn't budge. Maybe he would have been better in a foster home instead of living here.

"You swear too." Adam accused Dean in one last attempt to get out of this situation.

If he wasn't so angry Dean might have taken a moment to applaud the kid for his stubbornness and bravado. He still wanted to argue even though he knew he was in great trouble. Sam wasn't like that. Hell , he wasn't like that with his dad , either. Neither he nor Sam had the balls to even dream about saying 'fuck you' to their dad. The kid was lucky that John Winchester wasn't here.

"Do you hear me using the f word ever since Sam had placed his 'no swearing in the house rule' for all ?. Also , I am twenty years older than you , kid. You don't tell me what to do or not. And you certainly don't curse at me. You need to learn to respect and I will make damn sure that you do. I won't allow you mouthing off like that. Now open your mouth before I start beating your ass again."

That was enough to make Adam comply. He opened his mouth reluctantly. And as soon as he opened it , Dean thrust the soap inside. Adam wanted to gag at the bitter taste inside his mouth. Dean had a firm hold on the soap bar and was rubbing it against his tongue. A few tears slipped his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He gagged but Dean didn't let go. He tried to promise that he would never curse in his life. But his voice came out all muffled and whimpering. After a long moment , Dean finally took the bar out.

"Don't you dare spit unless I say so." Dean warned and turned to throw the now ruined soap in the waste basket at the corner.

Adam wiped his tears away. He hated this punishment. He hated how they love DJ more than him. And he hated Dean. He just needed his mom. Maybe if his dad were here then it wouldn't have been so bad. He was sure he won't behave like Dean. He was nice when he used to visit him at his birthdays.

"Come here and rinse your mouth." Dean ordered the kid. Seeing Adam crying wasn't something he likes. His heart was getting pierced at every tear that fell from the kid's eyes. But what could he do. He needed to be firm when needed.

Adam moved to the sink and rinsed his mouth. But it didn't do much. He could still taste the bitter taste on his tongue. He had a feeling it will be there all day.

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