Flagstaff
Darkness encompassed the eldest siblings of the Winchester clan as the night sky also seemed to shed empathy over their situation. The vague and hazy storm clouds moved in front of the almost full moon, making the already dim evening appear even more lonesome. Dean and Dottie sat at high alert in the front seat of the Impala, keeping their eyes peeled for anything that might even resemble the two wayward Winchester siblings. Dottie's leg bounced up and down in anticipation, as her older brother seemed to be as still as a frozen statue in the dead of winter. After a couple of minutes of anxiety-ridden movements, Dean rested his hand on top of his sister's disquieted leg.
"Dot, it's okay. We're going to find them. I promise." In one movement, he quickly leaned over, grabbed her chin, and drew their noses together. "I promise, Dot." Dean's reassuring voice echoed in the enclosed space.
Dottie allowed herself to let out a deep breath before ceasing the movement of bouncing her limb. "Okay, Dean." She whispered towards her brother. Then another wave of nerves took hold of the young girl. "What if dad finds out they're missing before we find them?" Dot stated in an ominous tone. "He's gonna kill them." The last words came out as a whisper and were mostly meant to be said only to herself, but Dean's superpowered ears managed to catch the statement.
"Dottie," He said, exhaling harder this time, "It's not going to be their fault."
"What? Of course, it is. Whose else would it be?" The reply came fast.
"Mine." Dean's answer came even more rapidly.
"What? Why?" She asked, turning to face her older brother.
"Listen, they ran away on my watch. Not yours. Not Dad's. Mine and mine alone."
"But Dean -"
"No, Dottie, listen. Please. If Dad finds out before we find these two knuckleheads, you and I will tell Dad that this is all on my shoulders." He paused to gauge her reaction. "Listen, Dippin' Dots," he said softly while trying to draw a smile from her face. "I'm mad at them too. Hell, I'm pissed. Eli lied to me yesterday, she has never lied to me before, and Sam," Dean scoffed, "Well, let's just say that a nine-year-old girl couldn't have organized an escape like this."
Arguments swarmed in Dottie's mind because she knew that this wasn't Dean's fault, and if Dad did find out, well, she didn't even want to think about that.
"Well," she paused before stating with full determination, "If it's your fault, then it has to be mine too, Dean."
"No. Dot-"
"No, Dean, it's my turn to speak. So shut your pie hole and listen." His mouth fell open, but no words came out, "You are the oldest, I know, and I understand. BUT," She emphasized to bring her point home, "I am also older than both of them, and I also have to take some responsibility for them running away. So argue with me all you want, but you are not taking all of dad's anger alone."
As soon as Dottie had completed her heartfelt monologue, the phone rang, and the caller ID read John Winchester. Dean glanced over at his baby sister and grabbed her hand. What first appeared as an acknowledgment of mutual responsibility soon revealed itself to be a trap. Dean rapidly reached over in the glove box, grabbed the stolen police handcuffs, and snapped them around Dottie's wrist and the door handle.
"DEAN! What the HELL!" She yelled as Dean's ringtone, Smoke on the Water, continued to play in the car. "Let me out of these, NOW," Dottie grunted behind gritted teeth.
"Sorry, Cowgirl. This isn't on your shoulders." He said sympathetically while grabbing the phone and stepping out of the car.
"IT ISN'T ON YOURS EITHER!" Dottie yelled at his stubborn back.
Dean flipped open the phone and was met with a very unhappy John Winchester on the other line.
"H-hello?" The young managed to stutter out, not fully prepared to deal with his wrath.
"Where in the hell are you all? I got home two minutes ago to find the salt lines broken and all of my children missing!" His bark was so loud through the phone that Dottie could hear exactly what he was saying in the car with all of the doors closed.
"Well, I... We all w-went..." Dean tried to sputter out.
"Dean. Report." John's voice left no room for any disobedience. If there was one thing that all the Winchester children knew too well, it was the word 'report.' When that word left his mouth, he wanted to hear every aspect of the day with no lies, no stalling, and no extra details—facts only.
"Yes, sir." Dean took a deep breath and began to tell his father the earlier events of the day leading up to the present. Dottie, who was still struggling against the restraint, couldn't help but roll her eyes as Dean tried so effortlessly to blame the whole situation on himself. After Dean finally finished throwing himself under the bus, John's voice came out as a deadly whisper.
"They ran away?" He questioned, knowing full well the answer that would come out of his son's mouth.
"Yes, Sir. It's my fault-"
"Be quiet, Dean." Dean swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Sorry, Sir." He answered noiselessly.
"Where is Dottie?" He finally asked, breaking the silence.
"She's sitting in the car. We've both been look-"
"Come back to the motel. Understand?" His voice once more interrupted.
"But we haven-"
"I'm sorry," He paused, "Want to try that again?"
The lump in Dean's throat began increasingly difficult to swallow, but somehow he managed to muster a "Yes, sir." As quickly as the phone call came, it ended. Dean slouched back down into the driver's side seat and unlocked the cuffs on Dottie's hand.
As soon as her hand was free, she clipped the back of his head. "Dean, how stupid are you. I could have taken half the heat!" She angrily shouted. "He's gonna be so mad at you now! I just can't bear to see him so angry at you again, Dean!" A couple of tears managed to escape the tightly closed ducts of Dottie Winchester.
"Hey, hey, hey." He tried to calm her down while wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "It's okay, Dot. Hey, hey look at me." He gently nudged, waiting for her icy blue eyes, which were now slightly red, to meet his emerald green ones. "It'll be okay, but you have to trust me, okay?" She nudged her head deeper into his shoulder. "Do you remember when you first came to live with us, Dottie?" He asked out of the blue.
"W-what?" She questioned.
"I remember when you first came to live with us. You were six years old and one of the deceptively quiet kids I'd ever seen." He smiled, "But to be fair, anyone's quiet compared to Sammy." Dottie shoved her elbow into his ribs. "Okay, okay." He held a hand up in surrender. "Well, I don't know how much you can recall, but the first couple of months were hard for you, understandably, but still. There was one night," He began, "Dad had gotten upset at you because you left your horse, Clomp, in the last motel. He was trying to be kind because it was one of the only things you had left from your parents." Dean's eyes drifted down to see Dottie's eyes staring intently at him. "Well, you had tears in your eyes, but no one could tell because you never looked us in the eyes." He joked, but still serious. "Well, I'm not sure, but something in him must have snapped because he actually turned around to get your horse. And then, when we finally got back to the motel, he grabbed Clomp from the lost-and-found, handed him to you, and said, 'Not again, Dottie.'" Dean tried to mimic his father's gruff voice as she giggled. "And for one of the first times since you'd lived with us, you looked him in the eyes. He was so surprised!" Dean laughed. "Then after you looked up at him, you said, really seriously might I add, 'yes, sir.'"
Dottie's chuckle rang out through the Impala. "Did I really?" She questioned.
"Yes Dot, you did." He answered, nodding his head. "I just remember being so..." Dean paused, trying to find the right word, "sad, I guess.
"Why were you sad, Dean?" Dottie asked him with her head furrowed deep into his shoulder now.
"Well," He took a deep breath, "Probably because I was jealous."
"Jealous?" She scoffed, "Why were you jealous? Of that?"
He shrugged and let out a little laugh of his own. "Well, truthfully, I had been the only one you'd talked to the entire time that you'd been with us, well besides your ramblings to baby Eli," Dean added in. "And, I don't know, but seeing you talk to dad like I spoke to him, it just hurt. I guess that was hard to wrap my head around." His hand scrubbed across his face, and he saw Dottie staring up at him again. "I never wanted you to be a soldier like me, Dot. Hell, I never wanted any of you guys to even be hunters!" Dean stated exasperatedly. "I begged dad not to tell Sammy and Eli, trust me, Dottie, I begged him, but he-" His voice choked out, looking up at the top of the car, "he just wouldn't listen to me. He said that to keep you guys safe, you all had to know the truth. Hell, if you hadn't stolen dad's journal, you wouldn't have known for a long time." His hand tangled Dottie's hair.
"You piece of day-old garbage," She mumbled.
"Dottie, I hate it when you do that. Stop it." He commanded while dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Dottie let out a little chuckle until silence overtook them.
"Why did you tell me that, Dean?" She questioned, staring off through the windshield and focusing on the two yellow stripes cutting the road in half.
"You know, Dottie, I'm not entirely sure." He hesitated before speaking once more, "I guess that I just... I mean, I don't know. I'm just really, really proud of the," he shuttered, "woman, you're becoming." She slapped his arm and smiled. "Sometimes Dot it's hard to see you as anything else besides the shy and broken little girl that came to live with us all those years ago." This time they both froze and looked at each other, "I mean, I always tried so hard to make you laugh and pop you out of your shell, and when I could finally make you laugh at one of my great jokes, I would just be so proud of myself being able to make you happy again. But," He stopped and looked straight ahead while the young girl kept her eyes focused on his face. "I keep forgetting that you're not six years old; you're sixteen years old! When did you grow up so much, Dottie?"
"I grew up right next to you, Dean," she added quietly, "You were just so busy helping to raise me that you must have forgotten that you grew up just as fast as me." She smiled, watching his eyes brim with tears.
Dean leaned down once more and kissed the top of her head before sitting her up next to him on the seat. "Come on, dork. We don't want dad to think that we ran away too." He stated, continuing to head back to their temporary home.
The Woods
The lights lining the outside walls of the cabin broke through the blind's barrier, showering the two young kids and their recently found scruffy dog in the deceptively warm rays of richness. Sam's head rested almost on top of young Eli's blonde head of curls, while his arm lovingly confined her body into his own. Being taller than the average teenager, Sammy was able to snuggle her entire being against the top half of his torso, causing his outstretched legs to be able to move freely. Murphy, the scanty stray golden retriever dog that had run-up to the pair almost like fate, was stretched out on his back and lying adjacent to the siblings, with his ear barely touching young Eli's calf. Their chests rose and fell in the same rhythm, a heavy and sleepful breath leaving their lungs with each exhale. The warm white comforter swallowed them whole, causing their bodies not to need the extra warmth of a blanket.
The cabin, or 'The Hideaway,' Eli affectionately named it, was not like the crappy and cheap motels that John had rented for the family in the past. In contrast, it only had one bed, but there was a very comfy couch with great television and a mini kitchen. The cushions lay scattered across the floor after Sam and Eli's trampoline contest, and an empty pizza box was left slightly cracked open on the table, along with a half-empty bottle of orange soda. And although the pair had run away, they had no intention of being taken by something supernatural; thus, all the doors and windows had been lined with salt and one poorly made demon trap symbol in front of the door shaped out of Twizzlers.
The peace that Sammy felt was unlike any other in his lifetime. Sure he knew that Dean would be pissed at him when they finally came home; but, Sam also knew that this would probably be his only vacation ever, and he wasn't just going to let that pass by.
Eli, on the other hand, was less filled with peace and more filled with worry. Although this had been one of the most exciting nights in her life, she had never felt more guilty. Eli couldn't help but think about how disappointed her hero and her big sister would be in her when she finally saw them again. Snuggling up against her reassuring big brother did grant her a peaceful rest, but the angry and guilty thoughts still swarmed around inside her head like a swarm of aggressive bees.
As the make-shift street lights brought Eli more into consciousness, she could feel Sam's protective arm subconsciously squeeze tighter around her body, causing her to feel more at peace. And as her brain and body slowly drifted off back to sleep, she knew once more that Sammy would always be right by her side.
The Next Morning
After what felt like days, the sun finally rose over the top of the hills as the Impala filled with three angry and worried Winchesters cruised over what felt like the millionth hill of the night. While Sam and Eli had slept a somewhat restful night, John, Dean, and Dottie had not even bothered to entertain the possibility of sleep.
"Dad, I can drive for a while if you need to take a break." Dean offered up, knowing that his father had been exhausted, both from the hunt he'd just returned from and the endless search for his siblings.
"It's alright, Dean." He sighed. "We just need to find them." Dean nodded his head and peered to the back seat, where Dottie was very cautiously observing her outside surroundings, hoping to find even a scarce trace of the runaways.
"Are you okay, Dot?" Dean asked her, full well knowing that her answer would be 'no.' She nodded her head, eyes never leaving the view of the window.
"Just worried." She mumbled.
"Well, that wouldn't have happened if Dean was watching them," he turned and looked at Dean, "like I had told you to, boy." John's gruff voice made Dean almost visibly flinch.
Last night when Dottie and Dean arrived at the hotel, all John had said was 'Get in the car,' and nothing else until just now. Even when Dean had tried to apologize, John told him to be quiet. This is why John finally saying something about the matter at hand scared the crap out of Dean.
"Dad, I'm sorry, I -" He tried to speak but was cut off by his father.
"I just don't understand, Dean. I specifically told you to watch out for them. And you not only lose one, but two of your siblings. What in the hell were you thinking, boy?" He asked.
Dean's eyes began to brim with angry tears, knowing that he'd let his dad down. He could barely speak, and Dottie put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. After a moment of no answer, John said again.
"What's most important, Dean?" This time his voice was laced with fatigue and disappointment.
"T...to w-watch out for S...Sam, Dot, and E-Eli." Despite the heavy lump in his throat and tears suffocating his very bright green eyes, he somehow managed to choke out the answer.
"And what happened, Dean?" John questioned, hoping to put fear in his kid so that nothing like this would ever happen again.
"I-I d...didn't watch out for them, dad. and n-now they're gone." Dean answered, trying to control his breathing more. He glanced back at Dottie, who also had tears falling freely across her face. Dean took her hand into his and rubbed his thumb across the top of her knuckles. After a moment, he let go and faced his father. "I'm so sorry, dad, but please, you can't get angry with Sam and Eli. They'll- "
"Dean. Stop." He said, turning to face his tear-streaked son. "You let me be the parent right now, understood?" He nodded his head, and at the raised eyebrow, added in a 'yes sir.' "Now not another word, unless those words are, 'I found them.'"
Two more 'yes sirs' echoed in the space of the car. John gripped the wheel and focused his attention on the last possible place his kids could be—Flagstaff.
The Hideaway
Samuel Winchester awakened to the feeling of tangled curly hair laying on his face and the bodyweight of another person on his chest. Thick curls blocked his full view of the lodge, so he carefully moved his sister's hair from his face and smiled. Somehow throughout the night, she moved from his side to the top of his chest. He looked down to see her small arms wrapped around his body and her head nuzzled into his neck. Sam had wanted to get up before her to make breakfast for their first day of freedom, but, now seeing her like this, so peaceful, there was no way he could move without awakening his baby sister. So rather than prep the cereal bowls and turn on Scooby-Doo, Sam ran his fingers through her hair and enjoyed the rarity of sleeping in past seven o'clock.
Although the peace of the sibling's adventure was suddenly brought to a halt when Sam Winchester, still cuddling his sleeping sister, heard the very familiar roar of Baby's engine.
"Shit." He said quite loudly, causing Elizabeth to stir on his chest. "Eli." Sam shook her. "Eli." Again he shook her, but no response. "Elizabeth!" He shouted.
"Huh? What?" She shot up off of Sam and looked into his panicked eyes.
"I think that Dean and Dottie are here!"
"What?!" Eli yelled, alarmed. She quickly got out of bed and went to peer out the window, only to be joined by Sam a moment later. Sure enough, Dean and Dottie were sitting in the Impala. "Wait." Eli paused. "Why isn't Deanie behind the wheel?"
"Shit, shit, shit." Sam horrifyingly cursed. Looking his sister dead in the eyes, he said quietly, "Dad's here."
Then, if almost on cue, a heavy fist pounded on the oak door.
"SAMUEL! ELIZABETH! Open this door, right now!" John's angry voice boomed, making both of the siblings freeze with fear. Without another verbal warning, the door was kicked off its hinges, and in walked a visibly red-in-the-face John Winchester. Eli's legs were shaking so badly that she fell to the ground after a moment of feeling the intense rage radiating from her father. John stalked over to his youngest son and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"What in the hell are you playing at, boy?" He asked in a tone so menacing that Sam thought John was about to murder him. Rather than respond, Sam's mouth just opened and closed like a fish until he felt his father push him away from the wall and grab the back of his shirt, dragging him to Eli, who was now trying not to break down in a fit of sobs but was failing miserably. He picked up the young girl in his other arm and dragged the two of them out to the Impala. Seeing their runaway siblings, Dean and Dottie couldn't help but feel extremely relieved.
"Thank You, God," Dottie whispered under her breath, thanking God that they were not dead or worse. Letting go of Sam's neck collar and opening the front door, John quickly ordered Dean to the back seat before throwing his youngest and scared son into the front seat along with the now full-on weeping Eli. He slammed the door and walked back over to the front office to collect the remainder of the money, now that the sibling's visit had been cut short.
Sam felt a sharp slap to his head and turned around to see a teary-eyed, pissed, but also relieved Dean pointing his finger at his brother. "Don't you ever scare us like that again, Sam. I'll beat your ass." He added on for extra emphasis. Sammy nodded his head as words could not find his tongue at the moment. Without warning, John opened the driver's side door and sat behind the wheel holding Sam's wad of cash.
"Want to tell me where you got all this money, Samuel?" He asked in a deadly serious tone.
"I-I got it from...from y-you." Sam tried his best to stutter out amidst the heavy breathing. Once more, Eli's tears were the only thing heard.
"Elizabeth, stop crying and sit up straight. You put yourself in this position, so don't you dare cry expecting me to pity you. Understood?" She nodded her head, trying to control her breathing once more. John forcefully grabbed her chin and waited till her red and blue eyes were looking at his own. "I said, understood?"
"Y-yes, sir." She miraculously managed to get out. John let go of her face and focused his attention back on his son.
"Did you steal it?" He asked.
Sam took a deep breath and mustered up enough courage to answer a couple of questions. "N...no, sir."
"Then where did you get it from, Samuel?" His patience was beginning to wear even more thin than was possible.
"The last couple of hunts you went on," Sam hiccupped on some tears, "I kept some leftover cash that we didn't use..."
"So every time I asked if there was any leftover money, and you said no, you lied to me?" His father's voice was becoming increasingly more terrifying.
Hiccup. "Y-yes, sir," Sam concluded, wiping his nose with his sleeve.
"Did you know about this, Dean?" John turned to ask his other son.
"Dad, he didn't-" Another sharp smack was heard in the car as Sam rubbed the side of his head.
"I said," He repeated with emphasis, "Dean, did you know about this?"
"No, sir, I didn't know. I swear." Believing his oldest son, he turned to face the front of the car.
"I knew." A small voice sounded amplified in the deadly silent cab.
"What was that?" He questioned, turning to the now still petrified but also confident kid sitting next to Sam.
"I knew ... sir." She added in at the last moment in hopes of lessening his anger by a tiny bit.
"No, Eli. No, she didn't know dad. I just-"
"Samuel, if I want to hear from you again in this car, I will fucking tell you to speak. Now be quiet and listen to me for once in YOUR DAMN LIFE!" John's voice boomed, causing all the Winchester kids to be silent once more.
"Now, Elizabeth, what were you saying?" He prompted not unkindly but still impatiently. She looked quickly around the car to see all of her siblings giving her the same look. "Elizabeth," John repeated once again.
"Sammy told-d me about the money. I knew, sir, and I-I didn't tell you." She looked down to her hands in shame, "And I lied to Dean and lied to you by not telling you about the money." She paused once more and risked a glance up to her father's face. "I also lied to Dottie about why I needed my shark, but -"
"Is your stuff still inside the lodge?"
"Yes, sir." Came the small reply.
"Dottie, would you mind running out to grab their bags? Dean give her a hand, would you?" Two more 'yes, sirs' were heard before the back doors closed.
Fearful of saying the wrong thing, Sam and Eli wisely kept their mouths shut. After what felt like an entire lifetime, John finally opened his mouth to speak.
"Words cannot express how deeply disappointed I am in you both." Eli sniffled, and Sam stiffened in his seat, unused to this calm voice in his dad's repertoire. "For once in my life, I have no idea what to do with you two." He paused once more, staring at nothing in particular, before shifting over to look at his kids. "Do I have to ship you away to Bobby's for a year?" John questioned, watching Sam and Eli both panic at the thought of being away from Dean and Dottie. "Is that what I need to do to make you listen to me? I mean, at least you'll both be together away from me." He added sarcastically. "That was the plan, wasn't it, Sammy? To run away from your old man?" The question seemed rhetorical, so Sam didn't answer at first until he felt his dad's gaze stiffen. "Well?" He questioned again, "Wasn't it Sam?"
"N-no, sir, not entirely." Sammy tried to explain, but words seemed to elude his smart brain.
"Then tell me what in the hell you were thinking, putting your life and your sister's in harm's way?! Huh?" He demanded, "Do you know what I would have done if one of you was hurt? Or if I opened that door to find both of you dead?!" His voice seemed to grow louder by the second, and Sammy recognized the hurt in his tone.
"No, sir." He responded quietly. "I-I wasn't thinking about that." Came the honest and anxious reply.
"Exactly, Sam! You weren't fucking thinking!" His voice boomed again. "Which begs the question once more, what do I have to do to make you listen to me, Samuel? And you too, Elizabeth? Do I really need to send you both away? Is that what you want?"
"No, daddy, please don't!" Eli's young voice and heart broke at the thought.
"Then what?" John questioned again. "Should I ground you for eternity? Take you over my knee like I used to do when you both were little?" The pair visibly shuttered at that idea. John Winchester was not known around the house for going easy on his kids. He shook his head and wiped a hand down across his face. "I ..." he paused and remembered how exhausted he was before going out to hunt down his wayward children. "You know what?" He asked. "I want you both to sit there and think. Think about how guilty Dean would have felt if you two had been killed during this little escapade of yours. Think about how Dottie would have felt knowing two more of her family had died." John waited a moment to let those questions sink in and watched their eyes grow five sizes. "Think about what I would have done finding you both dead in that cabin. Think about that." He concluded, turning back to face the front of the car.
Dean and Dottie appeared from the lodge holding Sam and Eli's backpacks. They slowly got into the car, hoping to avoid any of their dad's anger. After a few moments of very uncomfortable silence, the Impala gunned it out of the dirt parking lot and headed back to their temporary home.
'Home'
The ride back to the motel had been absolutely silent. No one even dared to breathe too loudly in fear of upsetting the patriarch of the family. Dean and Dottie sat next to each other in the back seat, almost asleep from driving. Dot laid her head down on her brother's shoulder, closing her eyes, as Dean tried his hardest not to fall asleep.
Meanwhile, in the front seat, Sam and Eli sat anxiously next to each other, thinking about the questions that their dad had asked them. Sam couldn't help but blame himself for the whole ordeal and disliked how Dean was blaming it on himself.
Eli, however, tried to scoot closer to Sammy from the middle so she wouldn't have to be so close to John. She was so fearful that he might send them away from the family that she didn't even want to even exist too loudly around him at the moment.
All John wanted was sleep, and a burger, and maybe a glass of whisky, or five. As the Impala pulled into the rundown motel, the family got out of the car and headed to the green door of room 117. When John opened the motel lock, he sat down on the bed and once more scrubbed a hand over his face.
"Dean, fix the salt lines, and Dottie, check the salt on the windows." The pair got to work like they had when they'd first arrived, except no one dared to start another salt war at the moment. "Sam, Eli, come here." His hand beckoned them to stand directly in front of him, and he noticed the look of fear in both their eyes. John turned to Eli and put a hand on her shoulder. "Eli, Corner. Now." He stated without any room for argument. Then pointed to the corner behind his bed for the time being. She hung her head but nevertheless managed to go and find her spot in the corner.
"Samuel," He began, and Sam's eyes looked directly up into his and the pause seemed to last an eternity. "I'm sorry."
Everyone in the room froze. Dean and Dottie turned to make sure that he was, in fact, their father. Even Eli turned around, not believing the words that had just come out of his mouth. "Eli, turn around," John added, somehow now having eyes in the back of his head.
After a brief second of disbelief, Sam answered, "What?"
"I said I'm sorry, Sammy." He repeated.
"Why?" Sam hesitated, "I don't understand..."
"You know," John began reaching out to grab his shoulder, "I never wanted this for you, for any of you. And while, yes, I am extremely angry and disappointed in you, Samuel, I don't know if I blame you." He felt his son stiffen, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never would, at least not right now. "I'll never apologize for training you to protect yourself and others from the supernatural, but I can apologize for being more of a Drill Sergeant than a father."
"Dad -" He tried to interrupt.
"No, Sam, just please listen," John shook his head. "I've done my fair share of stupid shit in my life, and you will too, but you need to know that I still love you Sammy, and if something were to happen to any of you," a lump appeared in John's throat, and he tried to push it down and continue, "Well, I'm not sure what I'd do." He smiled and grabbed the back of Sam's neck, pulling his face close to his own, "I can't lose any more of my family. It won't be pretty if I do, Sam. I was so scared when I walked in to see you all missing. I thought- " Once more, John's emotions caught up with his body, "I thought I lost you all." He managed to say.
Sam grabbed his dad's hand and put it on his face. "I'm so sorry, dad. I promise I won't ever leave you all again. I'm so sorry..." Sam kept repeating through more tears.
When the crying had been reduced to sniffles, John shifted Sam to sit next to him, wiped a tear from his own cheek, and cleared his throat while looking up at the ceiling. "Come 'ere Elizabeth." Two small feet instantly pattered over in front of her father. She looked up at him through red eyes and a tear-stained face. Though Eli had the superpower of not ever looking like she'd cried, every superhero has their kryptonite, and Elizabeth's father tended to be hers.
"I'm so sorry, daddy," Eli whispered, looking up into his hazel brown eyes. He took her face in his hands and noticed how guilty and heavy her eyes seemed. Far too guilty for someone so young. He thought to himself.
"Come here, kiddo." He said gently, lifting her into his lap. "I know, it's okay now," John repeated through her tears. Sam wrapped an arm around them both and embraced something that he hadn't felt in a long, long time—fatherly love.
"Look at me, both of you." John requested. Two heads slowly peaked out from their father's chest. "Don't think this means you're just getting away with running away, got me?"
"Yes, sir." Came Sam and Eli's reply as they looked at each other, hopeful that he'd let them stay with Dean and Dottie.
"Relax, I'm not sending you away." They both visibly loosened at the comment. "But, you can expect double PT, writing lines in Latin, and weapon duty for the foreseeable future." Sam and Eli nodded their heads in understanding. "And," he started once more, "You two are on house arrest until this school year comes to a close."
"But that's two more months!" Sam exclaimed.
"Yeah, Sammy, it is." John chuckled a bit and continued. "You're lucky I'm not in the ass beating mood kid, I'm going easy on you." Sam swallowed and nodded his head, "It'll be PT, school, and home for a while, or at least until I can trust you both not to run off again." He stated, raising an eyebrow in their direction.
"Yes, Dad," Eli said in a small voice and cuddled into his flannel, soaked in tears. John tousled her hair and gave her another hug. After the embrace from John, Eli walked over to her big brother Dean, who was sitting at the table, and put her hands on his knees.
"Deanie," she started in a very quiet voice. "I'm sorry that I lied to you…" although she felt like she couldn't shed any more tears, a couple more managed to find her eyes and slide down onto the ground. Eli couldn't bring herself to look at him in the eyes, or even up at his face, so instead focused her attention on his feet. A couple moments later a strong hand reached under her chin and lifted her face to meet his.
"It's okay sunshine." He spoke softly, wiping her tears with the pads of his thumb. She jumped up into his lap and wrapped her arms tightly around his body.
"I'm so sorry bubba…" Eli repeated quieter than the last time.
"Hey look at me kiddo," He said to her, "You're forgiven, okay? I'm just glad you're back home safe." Dean smiled and watched the guilty look slowly leave her face. However, something still didn't seem quite right. "Is there something else Eli?" He asked not harshly, but also wanting to make sure that they could start on a fresh slate.
"Yes, Dean." she said with a bit more confidence. "I need to apologize to Baby too." Eli said with full conviction.
Dean couldn't help but give a proud smile at his little sister. "Damn right." he agreed clear as a bell, picking her up and holding her in his arms.
"WAIT! I need to say something else to Dot first!" Eli insisted quickly. But before she even was able to apologize, Dottie wrapped her in a giant sister hug, including Dean.
"It's okay smalls." Eli buried her face into Dotties jacket and hugged her for dear life.
"I'm so sorry for lying to you Dottie, I love you sister." she smiled at her sister.
"It's all in the past, rugrat. I love you too." Dot smiled and unwrapped her arms from around the both of them, as they raced out to the parking lot.
"Is dad gonna be mad at me for coming out here? He said that I'm on house arrest." Eli asked and Dean didn't miss the little bit of fear seeking into her speech.
"No kiddo." Dean shook his head. "How could you be in trouble for wanting your home." He stated, matter of factly tapping the Impala's roof. Eli smiled and went to sit in the driver's seat as Dean watched with careful eyes. She hugged the steering wheel and mumbled a few incoherent words to Baby that Dean couldn't entirely make out, then she kissed her hand, sat up on her knees and gently tapped the dash like Dean had taught her. He gave her a proud smile and helped her out of the car. Dean felt a slight tug at his hand and saw Eli wanting to say something else.
"Dean…" She began. "I promise that I will never ever EVER lie to you again." Eli held out her pinky and waited for him to return the gesture. He did and they interlocked pinkies for a brief moment. "Pinky promise,'' She said as they let go. "There. Now this pinky promise will be above all other ones." a small smile played on her lips. "The only reason I lied to you, Dean, is because I pinky promised Sammy that I wouldn't say anything to you." She tried to explain in her best nine year old logic, "But now it won't matter because I will have promised you first.'' Eli said, pointing to him and grinning. Dean shook his head and lifted her up into his arms once more.
"That's good kiddo, because if you ever do lie to me again," he began seriously as she looked up into his face, "Well just don't, okay?"
"I promise, Dean," she smiled and the two made their way back into the motel.
Dottie, who was now sitting at the kitchen table, watching the odd and unusual interaction between John and Sam play out, couldn't help but smile at Sammy. She recalled him reading The Wizard of Oz to him a couple of nights before and how Dot felt that the world might end when they aren't all together. Dottie chuckled to herself and let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. Looking at Dean and Eli snuggled up on the couch, then Sammy and John enjoying a rare time of peace, Dottie knew one thing for sure—Not only would the entire world come to an end, if they were apart, but her world crumble if she had to live without her family and the people she loved. Sure, the idea of the fantasy world of Oz may sound like a dream to some, but to the young Dottie, she would be content right where she was—at home.
AU: Thank you all so much for your reviews and follows! It keeps me writing, so thank you :)) and I know, I know, soft John moment, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for soft moments between John and Sammy:') More coming soon!
- auggie