Bobby put a full can of gas in the bed of the truck and secured it. He checked his weapons while Cayden packed him food and water. When his omega appeared holding a backpack full of food, Bobby couldn't help but smile. He tucked an errant lock of auburn hair, now streaked with white, behind Cayden's ear and the omega blushed profusely.
"Glad I can still make you blush."
"Glad I can still make you smile. I packed you honey and nut butter sandwiches."
"Oh, is it on that wonder bread you've been baking?"
"Very funny! Why do you call it that anyway?"
"Cause, I wonder what's in it."
"It's healthy, that is what it is. It has my flour blend, berries, nuts, seeds, herbs, and a few secrets."
Bobby wondered if the secrets were pinecones and pebbles then he laughed inwardly at his joke because saying that out loud would earn him a sour look and no lovin'.
"Well, I love it. That bread is a real rib sticker. A person will never go hungry with wonder bread. Thanks sweetheart, love yah."
"Love you too. Bring them home safe and please don't yell at them."
Bobby let out a snort, "Me? If they're at the cabin Dean will be all yelled out by the time I get there."
Cayden was surprised to see their son sitting in the truck, "Oh, you're taking Danny?"
The teen snuck into the truck and sat rigidly in preparation for getting dragged out. Bobby knew the kid was worried about the twins, especially Nick. The teen was surprised when his dad didn't make him get out. His mom packed more food and water and Danny was off on his first real road trip with his dad.
Their first stop was the high school on the off chance Nick and Emma went there. Then they hit the road in earnest.
Bobby worried they would run out of fuel on the way to the cabin. The Impala was a gas guzzler and running across some was harder to find than hens teeth. The thought of them heading to the mansion never crossed his mind. As far as everyone knew, they didn't know where it was and he couldn't recall anyone telling them about it.
…
The twins scavenged the now abandoned town just a few miles from the mansion, then went to sleep. They woke right before sunset and ate because fighting evil took a lot of energy and their Nana's wonder bread, as their grandpa had named it, was the perfect thing to eat before a night of hunting. The two had on tactile vests from home, Nick had on his grandpa's which he filled with various necessities and Emma wore her dad's which hung on her like a dress.
They hiked the few miles through the woods and by the time they reached the tall stone walls, it was dark. Emma jumped hard and high enough to easily land on top the thick wall then extended her hand to her brother. He wasn't as catlike quiet as his sister and the oof sound he made alerted a huge guard dog who waited on the other side of that wall. The beast let out a low warning growl.
Both the dog and Nick had excellent night vision and the two locked eyes for a few minutes that seemed like an hour to Emma. Finally, her brother blinked and looked at her.
"Well?"
"Aw, he's just a misunderstood guy doing his job. It's fine now."
"Uh, ok."
Nick jumped down first and then his hesitant sister.
"Don't worry, he's going to help us."
The dog sniffed Emma's crotch and she pushed him away with her boot, "Is this part of the whole helping process? Next time you mind meld with the dog, tell him sniffing crotches isn't polite."
"His name is Duke. I don't think I can stop him from that because it's a dog thing."
Duke sniffed Nicks butt.
"Ha! He smelled your butt. Trust me, buddy you do not want to go near that after he eats cabbage. Ok, stealth mode on."
The now trio crept around the massive structure with Duke taking the lead, searching for the best way in. The dog suddenly stopped and sat in front of a heavy looking wooden door with iron decorations that would look fitting on a castle.
"Is this the way in?"
"It's as good a place as any I guess."
Emma slipped the lock pick kit from her vest and went to work on the strange old lock while Nick kept watch. The sound of the lock giving way was music to the girl's ears. She pushed the door open and when they went inside, they found themselves in a huge, commercial style kitchen. Duke went to his dog bowl and wolfed down his kibble and drank water loud enough to wake the dead.
"Wow, what a great dog, he led us to his food."
"At least we're inside."
"I'm guessing the person we want is on the second floor. She's too important to sleep on the ground floor and the third floor seems like a place you put unwanted guests."
"Good thinking, Em. I feel like one of the Hardy Boys."
"Well then I'm Nancy Drew."
Duke stopped them before exiting the kitchen and just in time, they heard heavy footsteps going past. When the coast was clear, Duke led them up a set of grand stairs that would have been more at home in Gone with the Wind. He led them down hallway after hallway, stopping to sniff now and again. Emma would have stopped to admire all the fabulous art on the walls if she'd had a moment.
"I'm going to take some of these for the cabin and Grandpa's house. Maybe a nice landscape for Nana."
"Are you paying attention?"
"Of course, I can do several things at one time you know."
Duke stopped in front of double doors and looked back at the twins. They could see light beneath the doors.
"This is it. Ready?"
"Ready."
…
Danny fiddled with the radio hoping to find some music or maybe even a news broadcast. It was hit or miss but when he was lucky, he got to listen to the old songs his parents told him about or hear other people's voices talking about the state of the world. He had no idea was out there. It was big, bigger than he could imagine with all sorts of people both good and bad. There used to be places called zoos, restaurants, carnivals, museums and the like, he'd read about in books and he planned to visit all of them as soon as the world started running again.
"Dan, hand me one of them honey sandwiches."
"Yay, on Mom's wonder bread!"
"Yup."
"I love it. Nick says it's got everything a person needs for energy and good health."
Bobby let out a sigh before taking a bite. He knew his boy was sweet on Nick and had been for a while. They spent so much of their childhood together that maybe it was just a natural transition from friendship to feelings. It wasn't like either of them knew many kids their ages except for the handful at the school where the orphans stayed.
"Your sweet on him aren't you."
"Nick?" He heisted before saying, "Yeah, I am. It doesn't matter though, ever since he presented it's like no one wants me around him anymore. I mean he does, but none of you guys do."
"It's not that we don't want you two to hang out, we want to make sure you're both safe with whatever you get up to."
"We've already had the sex talk, Dad. I haven't even kissed him. Did you date any omegas before mom?"
"I like females too. I was married to a fine lady I loved very much. Her name was Karen, she died."
"How did she die?"
"It wasn't in a peaceful way, lets leave it at that. After that I dallied around before meeting my second sweetheart. He was the first omega I'd ever been with. Then he was murdered. After that I met your mom's brother and he was killed. Your mom and I fell in love somewhere in all that grieving…we needed each other and I love him with all my heart. As for you being sweet on Nick, I don't care if you like omega boys, girls or regular boys, I just want you to be happy."
He reached over and tousled Danny's hair.
The teen grinned at his father, "Thanks, Dad."
"We better stop this Walton family moment before I get diabetes."
"Who?"
"Never mind, you'll see it in reruns someday."
…..
Abaddon heard the doors to her home office open with a flourish and standing there were two teenagers, a boy and a girl who looked eerily similar. When she spotted her turncoat guard dog, she pointed a well manicured finger at the rottweiler, "Traitor beast."
The tall, flame haired beauty stood to her full height and with hands on her hips and demanded to know who they were.
Nick stepped forward, puffed up his chest and declared, "We are Nick and Emma Winchester. You tried to kidnap our dad for your dastardly experiments!" Nick had taken to reading ancient Mike Hammer and James Bond novels from the 1940s and 50s on up and had taken to grand displays, much to the embarrassment of his sister. She visibly cringed at "dastardly experiments."
Emma stepped up next to him and squared her shoulders, hoping to look as intimidating as the woman wearing blood red lipstick, "The monsters you sent for our father, killed a lot people and it's all your fault."
"Have you children ever heard the saying you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet? From your blank expressions I guess not. They were collateral damage. Well, you father must be fine since none of the men ever came back. He holds the key to saving the world and I'm up to my ass in people who I owe a cure to, let's say I owe them my life because that's what at stake. I really appreciate you breaking in because this makes things so much easier. Blood is blood and I bet yours is extra special, otherwise you wouldn't have made it this far."
The twins heard the footsteps long before they heard the gun cock behind them.
Before the dog could even react, Emma whipped around and stuck a fixed blade knife deep into the man's carotid artery. The goon let off a shot as he staggered back and hit the wall then slumped to the floor. The blood spray decorated Emma in a macabre red mist. She'd just killed a human and for a few precious seconds she was stunned by what she'd just done.
Abaddon let out an ear splitting shriek and shot her own gun. Duke dashed the short distance between them and landed full force on his owner, driving them both backward into a large, old window, crashed through it, falling the two stories onto the pavement below.
Emma dashed to the window and looked down. Abaddon's body lay broken, limbs at odd angles and skull split open. She could see the woman's brain exposed beneath the security light.
Duke was prone across the woman's body, unmoving.
"Nick, she's dead!"
Her bother didn't answer. She turned to see him standing there clutching his chest. His lips moved but no words came out. The teen dropped to his knees then fell on his side.
…
Dean paced the length of the cabin porch over and over while Sam talked to Bobby.
"Bobby, what do mean they're gone?!"
"They took the Impala during the night and we found 'em gone in the morning."
Dean yelled, "No way someone didn't hear Baby starting up. Were you both in a coma?"
Bobby, angry, yelled right back at him, "They did something to us! I slept hard, don't remember a thing until morning and neither did Cay. I'd rather jump off a cliff than them be in danger and you damn well know that."
Sam held out his arms, putting more space between them, "This isn't helping anything. Where do we think they went? Did you check the school?"
"First place I went. They don't know any other places except that trip Nick took with Sam."
The hunters went over everything place they could think of but none of it made sense. Dean suggested the twins might have heard one of them mention a place or a person when the kids were listening. Sam, Dean and Bobby wracked their brains trying to remember anything they talked about or mentioned in the past few weeks, something that would catch Nick and Emma's attention.
Sam recalled their recent clandestine evening conversation in the porch, "Abaddon, the mansion, Landon Pharmaceuticals, we just talked about it. I didn't think they could hear us."
"Sam, you know those two have hearing like a dog. I thought they were asleep. Why would they go there though?"
It made sense to Bobby, "We talked about tying up the last loose end. Maybe the kids didn't want us going out there. It reminds me of some foolish, brave thing you two would have done as teenagers."
Danny had been quiet the whole time but decided to give his two cents, wanted or not.
"Nick always says a person can learn more from listening than talking. I know they worry about you guys. More than you think. I could see them wanting to end all this, get revenge for you."
Dean clapped his hands on his knees and got up, "That makes sense to me. Let's go get my babies."
TBC