The Winchester's were simple folks. They lived off the land as much as they could, spent most of their time in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and riding. They didn't have all the new gadgets people had these days, in fact the only reason they all had cell phones that weren't burners was because Johnny and Caden had pleaded their case a few years back. The boys considered themselves lucky to have cell phones at all, smart phones were out of the question. "The hell you need a phone that's smarter than you for?" John had said when the boys had asked about them. No, they had simple flip phones, they could make calls and texts and that was it, and that was all they needed according to their fathers.

Old fashioned was the way the Winchester's liked it. John still insisted on having a corded phone for the house. "You never know when these cell phones will get lost or just stop working." It was hardly used, except for the occasional service call or when the Winchester men were out of town and wanted to call to check in on the boys.

When it rang one hot August day, neither Johnny nor Caden felt like peeling themselves off the couch to answer it. They gave each other a look that said 'your turn'. They silently did rock, paper, scissors in the air. Johnny won.

"Ugh, fine." Caden groaned as he rolled off his spot under the ceiling fan (because air conditioning is a waste of money, according to John) and dragged himself to the hallway to answer the phone.

"Yes, we're fine and no, the house didn't burn down." Caden sarcastically stated into the receiver. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were my dad… One sec. Johnny, it's for you!"

Johnny squinted at his cousin. "Who is it?" He couldn't imagine who would be calling him on the landline besides his dad or grandpa.

Caden covered the mouthpiece with his hand and whispered. "It's Simone."

Johnny raised his eyebrows. He hadn't heard from Simone since their prom 4 months ago. They had been close for a couple years before then, but she wanted to make their relationship official, and Johnny just wasn't into labels. He pretty much did all the things a boyfriend did, he dated her exclusively, he took her to the prom (so not his thing), they had hung out every weekend, but for some reason he just didn't want to go by titles and Simone did, so they stopped talking all together.

Johnny got up, his curiosity getting the best of him, and took the phone from his cousin. "Hey," was all he said.

Caden watched as Johnny nodded and "uh huh'd" a few times before hanging up.

"What'd she want?" Caden asked.

"She asked if she could come over and talk. Probably wants to get back together." He smiled. True, he didn't want to officially date, but he had missed being with her. He went to his room to change into fresh clothes. He gave himself a sniff, maybe a shower too. He quickly cleaned himself up and looked out the front door to watch for Simone. He noticed her car was already in the driveway and she was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Don't forget, our dads are gonna be calling any minute and they'll expect you to be here." Caden reminded his cousin as he headed for the door.

Johnny rolled his eyes. "I know, just signal me when they call, and I'll come in."

Johnny tried not to look too excited as he sauntered down the front steps and crunched down the gravel driveway to her car. He leaned on his arm outside her driver's side window which was rolled down. "Hey babe, I missed you."

He took one look at her and saw wet, red eyes and puffy cheeks. "Are you crying?"

She wiped a tear from her cheek and went to open the car door. Johnny stepped back to let her out and as she stood in front of him, he saw it.

"Wha-"

"Johnny…"

Johnny slowly shook his head.

"Johnny. I'm pregnant."

Johnny just stood there, mouth hanging open, shaking his head. This couldn't be true. No. They had been safe. He used a condom every single time, his dad had drilled that lesson into his head since he was 13.

He finally found his voice again. "How?" It's all he could muster up.

Simone shrugged. "Condoms don't work every time I guess."

"And, um.." he cleared his throat. "You sure it's mine?"

Simone elbowed him in the ribs. "Yes, asshole."

"I'm sorry," Johnny said, rubbing the spot. "But we haven't been together in like 4 months so…"

"Yeah, and I'm 17 weeks pregnant Johnny."

"17 weeks?" Johnny felt lightheaded. He thought he might faint, or puke, maybe both. His head was spinning. He was sweating, and he was pretty sure it wasn't from the 95* heat. "How long have you known?"

"A couple of months."

"MONTHS" Johnny didn't mean to yell it. "How the hell could you not tell me for months?"

Simone gave him a light shove on the shoulder before turning away. "You said you didn't want to be with me anymore!" She reached for the car door handle, but Johnny pushed the door shut just as she got it open. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her to face him.

"First of all, that's not true. I just didn't want to label it. Second of all, that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to know this!"

Simone's face was filled with anger, Johnny could tell she had been building up these feelings since the prom. "You didn't want to be labeled a boyfriend, why would I think you'd want to be labeled a father?"

Hearing himself being referred to as a father brought on a whole new wave of nausea. He took a few steps back and breathed in some fresh air. He picked up the axe he had abandoned earlier in the day and began chopping the wood before him. Whack Whack Whack went the wood. Boom Boom Boom went his chest. He felt like hyperventilating. This wasn't working. He dropped the axe and began pacing back and forth trying to work off this nervous energy. Simone came over, her demeanor a little calmer than before.

"Look, I didn't come here to fight with you. I just needed to tell you in person. You can talk to your family and-"

"My family?" Johnny interrupted. "No. No, my dad would kill me. And I don't even want to think about what my grandfather would do"

Simone gave him a look. "You have to tell them Johnny."

Johnny shook his head. "Not until we decide what we're gonna do."

Simone sat down on a nearby stump. "I've already decided what I'm gonna do. I'm keeping it. That's why I decided to tell you now. We don't have to be together; you don't even have to be involved, but I needed you to know."

Johnny squatted down next to Simone; he took her hand in his. "Of course I'm going to be involved. This is my kid we're talking about. I don't plan on being no dead-beat dad. But I need some time, a few days, to let this sink in. Can you give me that?"

Simone nodded. "Sure." She stood up. "Just call me when you've processed it." She began walking back to her car but paused and turned to face Johnny again. "I have an ultrasound on Friday, I'd like you to come if you want."

Friday. That's only two days away. Johnny wiped his hand down his face and nodded. "I'll call you."

As he shut Simone's door he saw Caden waving to him from the front porch. Shit. That mean the dads were calling and Johnny was in no mood to talk, but that wouldn't fly with his old man. He slowly walked up to the house, Caden practically threw the phone into his hands when he got through the door. "Hello?"

"Hey, son. What took you so long?"

"Sorry, dad, I was just outside chopping some wood." His voice was monotone.

"Really?" Dad sounded suspicious. "Because Caden said you were going for a run."

Fuck.

"Oh yeah…" The wheels in his head began to turn. "Well, I was going to run but then I got outside and remembered I hadn't finished chopping the wood from this morning, so I decided to finish that."

Dean was silent for a moment. "I don't like being lied to, Johnny. What's going on?"

"Nothing dad, okay? What do you want?" Johnny's frustration and confusion were bubbling to the surface.

Dean's voice turned to a growl. "I want you to lose the attitude and tell me what the hell is going on."

"NOTHING! I just don't feel like talking on the damn phone being interrogated like child." Johnny's face was red and hot. He was feeling overwhelmed and pissed off. Not at his dad but unfortunately for both of them, Dean was the recipient of the outburst.

"You get your ass to your room, and you stay there until I get home. I'll be there in a few hours."

"Fine!" He yelled and hung up without letting Dean get in another word.

Caden was still standing there, a shocked look on his face. "What the hell was that about?"

"Nothing." Johnny said, shoving past Caden on the way to his room. Caden cautiously followed behind.

"Okay… Well what did Simone say? Did she ask to get back together?"

Johnny snickered. "Just butt out Caden." He said as he slammed the bedroom door in Caden's face.

Without skipping a step Caden opened the door and walked in. Hey, it's his room too. "Dude, what is your problem? What happened out there?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Johnny lay on his bed, covering his head with the pillow.

"Fine." Caden replied, his own venomous tone coming out. "But stop being such as ass. I'm sorry if she rejected you or whatever but don't take it out on me."

"She didn't reject me." Johnny sat up.

"Then what happened?" Caden insisted.

"She.." Johnny covered his face with his hands.

Caden's anger turned to a look of concern. He sat down on the chair across from his cousin. "What?"

When Johnny looked up, his eyes were laced with unfallen tears. When he spoke, his voice was low and hoarse. "She's pregnant."

Caden's expression was blank. "Come again?"

Johnny looked at Caden through furrowed brows. "You heard me, asshole."

Caden stood and circled his chair. "Are you serious?"

"No," Johnny rolled his eyes. "Just testing out my new standup material. Think I'll make it big?"

"Dude… Holy shit! What are you gonna do?"

"I just found out 20 minutes ago, Caden. I don't know what I'm gonna do, I'm too busy freaking the fuck out." Johnny heart started racing again.

"Okay, okay. Just chill. What did she say?"

Johnny laid back on his bed, closed his eyes and took a breath. "She said she's gonna keep it."

"Damn." Caden whispered. "When is she due?"

Johnny shrugged. "She said she's 17 weeks."

"Seriously?"

Johnny sat up. "Yeah. Why? What does that mean?"

Caden gave Johnny a look. "It means she is almost halfway through her pregnancy. Don't you know anything about pregnant women?"

"Um, no. Sorry, I've never gotten anyone pregnant before."

Caden chuckled. "It's called common sense, moron. Well, think of it like a hunt; the first step is research. Let's go to the library and get you a book on pregnancy."

Johnny scoffed. "Absolutely not."

"Hey, you wanna be able to support Simone or not?"

"Ugh. Fine." Johnny complained. "But I can't leave the room, dad said."

Caden looked around. "I don't see him anywhere."

Johnny shook his head. "After the way I talked to him, if he gets home and I'm not here I'm worse than dead."

"Fine, I'll go. But you owe me."

Johnny nodded before covering his face with his pillow again.

Caden made it back to the house before Dean and was relieved to see Johnny on his laptop looking up information about pregnancy. "Ew," he began as Caden entered the bedroom. "Her organs are gonna move to make room for the baby?" Johnny pretended to puke.

"If you think that's gross just wait til the kid is born. Here." He tossed Johnny two books.

"What to Expect When You're Expecting." He gave Caden a look. "Really?"

Caden nodded. It has some good info.

Johnny looked at the second book. "The Birth Partner?"

"You do plan to be there when it's born, right?"

Johnny shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet. Let me just get through the ultrasound first."

"Ultrasound? When?" Caden asked.

"Friday."

"Dude, you have to tell your dad by then."

As if by cosmic force, the boys heard the front door slam and heavy footsteps coming down the hall. Johnny quickly hid the books under his bed as his door banged open.

"Caden, out!" Dean ordered. He sounded just as angry as he had on the phone a two hours earlier.

"Yes, sir." Caden answered, quickly scampering from the room with a sympathetic look back at Johnny.

Johnny sat on his bed, eyeing up his father. His brain knew he needed to tell him, but his mouth wouldn't let him. Not now. It took him a minute to realize his dad was talking, yelling really, but he couldn't hear the whole lecture. A few words stuck out "attitude", "grow up", "immature". Johnny shook the fog from his brain and started trying to listen to what his dad was saying, because he was starting to look irate, as if Johnny should be responding to something.

"Well?" Dean said.

"Uh. What?" Johnny knew that answer wasn't going to go over well but he had no idea what his dad had asked.

Dean pulled Johnny up off the bed. "Stand at attention!"

The military tactics were usually John's thing, not Dean's. Johnny knew his dad must be pretty pissed but he didn't really understand why. So, he'd had an attitude on the phone, it's not like that's the worst offense he'd ever committed. Johnny stood up straight, but it was far from ramrod, his heart just wasn't in it. He was feeling so overwhelmed and weighed down by everything, he couldn't get his mind to focus on his dad.

Dean looked him up and down. "You call that attention?"

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Dad, I'm just not in the mood. Okay? Just ream me out and leave me alone."

Dean's voice dropped to a growl so low and laced that if Johnny's eyes had been closed he would have sworn it was his grandpa in the room with him. "What did you say to me?"

"Dad, what are you so pissed about?" Johnny dropped his shoulders and raised his voice. "Sorry for the backtalk, okay? But I have other things going on and I don't have time for this."

Dean roared, grabbed Johnny and pulled him down over his lap. He reached over to Johnny's desk and grabbed a wooden ruler. Johnny's brain was a few steps behind, but once Dean began yanking his son's pants and boxers down it finally caught up to him what was happening.

"Fuck! Dad!"

Dean began swatting mercilessly as Johnny squirmed beneath him.

"Dad, stop!"

Dean didn't reply and he didn't stop. Johnny would swear he even started swatting harder.

Johnny had never been hit with a ruler before, though he had been at the receiving end of a number of wooden implements, the ruler was so flexible and thin, it had that perfect whisp that left his ass searing with each lick. Johnny's mind was racing with so many thoughts and feelings, it felt like a tornado. He thought it might explode. He tried to yell for his dad to stop but he couldn't form the words, not that his dad would have listened anyway.

With each lash of the ruler, Johnny's mind seemed to turn more into mush. He eventually realized he was yelling. It was more of a moan/ cry/ sob/ groan, definitely not a sound he remembers ever coming out his mouth before. His dad was still whacking him methodically, he was like a robot, arm swinging with perfect rhythm, unbothered by anything around him.

Finally, Dean stopped, but he didn't let Johnny up. "Alright, Jonathan. You care to tell me what you have going on that is so important you think you can talk to me with such disrespect?"

Johnny couldn't answer. He could barely think. His head felt like his brain had run a marathon and couldn't take another step. His head hung low, inches from the carpeted floor beneath him. He heard Dean scoff and felt him lift his arm again when he was interrupted.

"Johnny." It was Caden who'd been silently standing by the door for who knows how long.

"Out, Caden!" Dean instructed.

Caden didn't acknowledge his uncle. "Johnny, tell him!"

For the first time since he'd gotten home, Dean had some softness to his voice. "Tell me what, Johnny?"

Dean guided Johnny off his lap and turned him so they were face to face. "What is going on?"

Johnny silently shook his head as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Dean wiped Johnny's tears with his thumb and gently lifted his face so his son was looking him in the eye. "Tell me what's going on, Johnny. Please."

Johnny sniffled. His brain was screaming at his mouth to work so he could get it out. "Simone is pregnant." He managed to get it out, but it was barely a whisper.

Dean closed his eyes, thinking, hoping, he must have heard wrong. "What did you say?"

Johnny took a long, slow breath. "Simone is pregnant, dad."

Dean slowly shook his head. "That's not funny, Johnny." But he could tell by his son's face that he wasn't joking. "Are you sure?"

Johnny nodded. "She came over and told me today. I'm so sorry, dad." Fresh tears began to fall down Johnny's cheeks. Dean pulled Johnny up, and slid his pants up in the process, pulling him in for a deep hug. For what seemed like an hour he sat there holding his boy, who was a lot more like a man these days and comforting him.

When the tears finally stopped, and Johnny was feeling a little better he pulled away from his dad. He sat on the bed with a wince. "Are you mad at me?"

Dean cupped Johnny's face in his hand. "I didn't want this for you, not at 17. I wanted you to become an adult before you became a father. But, no Johnny, I'm not mad at you. I'm scared for you, and I'm sad for you, but it's going to be okay. And I'll be here for you no matter what."

After a few seconds Dean spoke again. "Did she tell you…" he hesitated. "Did she decide what she wants to do?"

Johnny nodded. "She's going to keep it."

Dean put his face in his hands and said a silent prayer. "Then we will help her, we'll support her however we can."

"I love you, dad." Johnny stood and melted into his dad for another hug.

"I love you too, kiddo. It'll all be okay, I promise."

Johnny looked up at his dad. "Will you tell grandpa with me?" Johnny asked, sounding so much like a scared kid to Dean in that moment.

"Yeah, Johnny, of course."

"I'm here for you too, cuz." Johnny had forgotten Caden was standing in the doorway. "Whatever you need."

"Thanks, Cade." Caden walked over and joined the men in a hug.

"Okay,' Johnny said after a few seconds, pushing away from the others. "This is getting a little too girly for me."

Dean couldn't help but chuckle.

The next morning Johnny was pouring himself a cup from a fresh pot of coffee when he heard the rumble of his grandpa's truck on the gravel driveway. He looked to his dad and sighed. "Great. I better enjoy my last cup of coffee before grandpa kills me."

Dean rolled his eyes at his son's dramatics. "What makes you so afraid of his reaction?"

"Um, it's grandpa." Johnny deadpanned. "Besides, he's told me before that if I make him a great grandfather before he's dead, he'll kill me."

Dean's face seemed to light up. "Holy shit, I didn't even think of the fact that he's gonna be a great grandpa. This is gonna be awesome, I can't wait to see his face!"

"Dad!"

Dean collected himself. "Oh, sorry."

John and Sam came in, dropped their bags and immediately went for the coffee pot sitting on the counter. "Mmmm, hello beautiful!" Sam said as he filled his mug.

"Hey," John said to Johnny. "Glad to see you're still alive! I wasn't sure with the way your dad tore outta town yesterday.

Johnny side glanced his father. "Yeah, about that… Grandpa, Uncle Sam, I need to tell you something and I need to do it now before I lose my nerve. Could you sit?"

Sam gave Dean a sideways glance. "Uh oh."

Dean said nothing but followed his son to the table. Johnny made sure to sit next to his dad and Sam, leaving as much space as possible between him and his grandfather.

"I um-" Johnny cleared his throat. "Something happened and um…" Johnny started sweating and breathing a little deeper.

Dean reached out a rubbed his son's shoulder. "It's okay, Johnny."

Johnny nodded.

"C'mon nephew, you're freaking me out. It can't be that bad." Sam held his coffee tight, looking at his nephew with intent.

Johnny closed his eyes. He knew if he was gonna do this he just had to come out and say it. "I'm gonna be a dad."

The silence was deafening. For a few seconds nobody spoke, nobody moved, the critters outside even seemed to stop their chittering.

Sam found his voice first. "I don't know what to say. Are you sure?"

Johnny nodded. "I'm sure Uncle Sam."

Sam blinked. "Is it Simone?"

"Yes, sir."

"What um.. when.. Uh. Does Caden know?"

Johnny nodded again. "Yes, sir." Johnny's voice was weak. He looked over to his grandfather.

"Dad," Dean spoke up. "You've been quiet. Did you hear what Johnny said."

John, dark eyes blazing, looked at his eldest son. "Yeah, I heard him, Dean. I've not gone deaf ya know."

"Yeah, I know, dad. But, are you gonna say anything?"

John looked to his grandson. "What do you want me to say? Congratulations?"

"No, but, you could say something."

John shook his head.

"Grandpa…" Johnny began, his voice quivering.

"I need some air." John stood and marched out the kitchen door.

"Great." Johnny pushed his chair back and practically sprinted from the kitchen back to his bedroom.

Sam and Dean sat quietly, sipping their coffee.

"So," Sam began. "You're gonna be a grandpa!"

Dean narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Shut it, Sam."

Sam smiled. "Okay, I'm sorry. But really, what are you gonna do. Do you guys have a plan?"

Dean shook his head. "We haven't talked to Simone or her parents yet, but apparently she wants to keep it and Johnny wants to be part of the kid's life."

"Good. No nephew of mine is going to run out on his responsibilities as a father."

Later that night when Johnny came into the kitchen for dinner, he was surprised to see his grandpa at the table. Nobody else was there yet, but Johnny realized that might have been intentional.

"Are you still pissed at me?" Johnny asked, sitting across from John.

John took a breath. "Geez, kid. I'm not pissed. I was shocked, yeah, but I'm upset for you, boy. Your childhood is over at the ripe age of 17. We wanted more for you, Johnny."

"Come on, Grandpa. Dad and Uncle Sam barely had a childhood and they turned out fine."

"Watch it, boy." John rumbled.

"Sorry, sir. But my life doesn't have to be over. It's not like I was gonna go off to some four-year university and live the party life. Most likely, I was gonna stay here and start hunting full time. I can still do that. I don't know what Simone's plan is, we haven't talked about that yet, but I'm guessing she plans to live with her parents and the baby, and I'll be close enough to help."

"So, that's your plan. Stay here and let your daddy continue to take care of you? You're almost 18, Johnny, an adult. And now you're going to be a dad."

"I know, grandpa! I know I'm going to be a dad, okay?" Johnny's typical Winchester mouth was coming to life again. "I didn't say I was gonna lay around the house and let dad take care of me. I've had one day to think about things. If you want me to move out, fine, I will, but I never planned to be a bum or anything, I plan to be responsible."

John sneered. "Responsible. You got your girlfriend pregnant at 17 and you're calling yourself responsible? You ever heard of a damn condom, Johnathon? How many times have you had the safe sex talk with your dad, with me? But what does that matter, you just decided to go off into special love land and make the biggest mistake of your life!"

"Everything okay in here?" Dean cautiously entered the kitchen, Sam and Caden trailing behind him.

"Everything's fine, dad." Johnny answered plainly. "Actually grandpa, we did use a condom. I know about safe sex, I'm not an idiot. I also know that around .5% of the time, they don't work, and we happen to be part of that .5%."

Nobody had ever seen John Winchester shut up so quickly. Stopped mid-tirade and lost for words. Stopping John Winchester from yelling at one of his boys was like putting a wall up in front of a tsunami.

Johnny was not exactly comfortable with talking about his sex life with his grandfather, especially in front of his dad, uncle and cousin, but he was glad to clear up the misconception that this pregnancy was the result of him doing something stupid and irresponsible. Accidents happen (he and Caden were both proof of that) and there was nothing he could do to change that. All he could do was go forward and be the best dad he could be.

"And if I remember correctly, Uncle Sam was only 19, one year older than I will be, when Caden was born. Are you saying Caden ruined his life? That Caden was a mistake?"

That got John's blood boiling. He shoved his chair back from the table so hard that everyone could feel the movement through the floor on their feet. He stood up and pointed a threatening finger at his grandson. "Don't you dare go putting words into my mouth, boy! You may be a father soon, but don't you go thinking you can start talking to me with that attitude and disrespect. I have no problem putting you over my knee no matter how old you are."

And just like that John was back on top of the Winchester food chain. Johnny deflated as he remembered the licking he got last night and he had no plans to amplify that, especially from his grandpa.

The way this family works, you respect your elders, no matter how old you are, or you're in for a beating. Johnny liked to think that his dad and Uncle Sam didn't have to worry about that anymore from their dad, but truthfully, he didn't know. The line of child intimidation would end with him, he decided. He wouldn't need to scare, threaten or force his kid to listen to him. He had no plans to throw his child over his knee and give them a good what for. Someone had to break that trend, and Johnny decided right here and now that it was going to be him.

John was still glaring at Johnny, hands ever so slowly moving south toward his belt.

"I'm sorry, sir." Johnny said, in the way a Winchester expected, but he didn't mean it.

That night he called Simone and let her know he told his family and that he wanted to go to the ultrasound the next day. So the next morning at 9:30 Dean and Johnny walked into doctor's office completely unsure if what to expect but ready to be there for Simone. When they got to the room Simone's mom was waiting for the doctor with her.

"Hi Mrs. Bell." Johnny said sheepishly. He wasn't sure how Simone's parents felt about him now. They used to like him, but that was before he knocked up their teenage daughter.

Mrs. Bell offered Johnny a smile though. "Hi Johnny, hi Dean, I'm glad you could make it."

"Thanks Sasha. Simone, how are you feeling?" Dean asked.

Simone offered Dean a half smile. "Not so nauseous anymore, but really nervous."

"That makes sense. Well, don't worry, Johnny and I are here to support you, whatever you need, whatever we can do just let us know."

"Thanks, Mr. Winchester."

The four of them talked about how the pregnancy had gone for Simone so far and what baby stuff they had gathered up to this point, but nobody talked about the future or what it might look like. Nobody was ready for that conversation quite yet.

When the doctor came in she introduced herself as Dr. Smith, Johnny moved over to Simone and took her hand. As the doctor squirted the cold gel on her belly, she smiled at Johnny.

"Before we get started," Dr. Smith began, "Do you want to know the gender?"

Simone and Johnny looked at each other for a minute and seemed to have a silent conversation. In the end Simone smiled and answered, "Yes, we want to know."

"Okay then, let's get started."

Dr. Smith moved the scanner all over Simone's stomach, pointing out different body parts to the couple. "And here are the legs, it looks like you have yourself a little…"

To be continued…