Mary Had A Little Sam--Part 2 of 2
WARNING: Contains the corporal discipline of a minor by his father and brother (minor).
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any character from (or anything related to) the show Supernatural. I only want to play with them for a little while. I promise to return them in (almost) the same condition.
TITLE: Mary Had A Little Sam--Part 2 of 2
CHARACTERS: Sam(12) and Dean (16) Winchester, John Winchester
IMPLEMENT: Hand
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Sam Winchester walked out of school and over to the black, shiny Impala, ready to go home and start his grounding. In his twelve year-old mind, logic dictated that the quicker he started, the quicker it would be over, right? If he had been thinking clearly, he would have realized the fallacy in that logic.
He approached the car and slowly opened the door, leaning in to look at his older brother already in the driver’s seat. He sighed, knowing it was going to be a long two weeks, but his anger and irritation had dissipated somewhat and he was able to give his brother a small grin in greeting.
“You do okay today, Sammy?” questioned the teen.
“Just peachy. I couldn’t sit still all day because my butt hurt so much, but I feel better,” Sam replied. He still was angry at his dad for making him stay away from his friends, but since there was little he could do about it right now, he decided to let it go temporarily.
“Hurry up and get in, I wanna get you home, Sammy,” Dean said impatiently. He tried to judge his little brother’s mood, but the preteen’s face gave away little.
“What’s the rush?” Sam asked, puzzled, as he sat down on the front seat with a small hiss.
“After I drop you off, I got a date with a cheerleader. You ought to see the size of her pompoms!” Dean said gleefully, as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
“That’s gross, Dean,” the younger boy responded with disgust. “How are you gonna get Dad to let you out? You know he said you couldn’t go anywhere on a school night until you pull up your Biology grade.”
“Biology, smology. I’m gonna tell him that I’m meeting a friend at the library to study. That’s sorta the truth because I will be studying biology, as well as debate.”
“Debate? You aren’t taking debate,” Sam said, confused.
“Yeah, Sammy. I gonna debate with Tiffany how much better she’ll feel once she’s naked!”
“Dean! Stop, you’re gonna warp my mind!” Sam laughed as he grabbed both sides of his head.
Dean was so relieved to hear his brother seemingly happy. This morning, he was afraid Sam would be sullen and unpleasant until his grounding was over and now he almost sounded, well, joyful--if that were possible.
The boys pulled up in front of the rental house they were currently residing in and Dean cut the engine. The kitchen door opened and John stepped out, glad his sons were back home safe. He was anxious when he wasn’t with his boys, so he was always relieved when they returned to him. He would protect them always: it was the vow he had made to his beloved Mary.
‘Oh, Mary, I wish you could be here to see the gifts you gave me. Such fine young men. Dean with his cocky attitude and his can-do spirit, he’s growing into a man we can be proud to call our son. And Sammy, well he’s stubborn as hell--he gets that from you--but he has a gentle soul and he’s gonna be whatever he wants to be. John felt himself choking up at the memory of his beloved wife and he took a deep breath to compose himself before his sons saw his vulnerability.
Dean was the first one out of the car and he walked over to his dad with a smile. “I don’t think he’s gonna do anything, Dad. He didn’t mention it, if he has a plan.”
“Good to hear, son. Why don’t you go inside and let me talk to Sammy alone, okay?”
“Yes, sir, but when you’re through, I need to ask you something,” Dean said as he shifted his gaze from his father to the ground.
“Okay, we’ll be inside in a minute,” John answered, wondering what Dean had up his sleeve.
John walked towards the car and Sam slowly got out to face him. The young boy felt ashamed about how he had acted, both this morning, as well as yesterday. He had regretted all day not letting his dad hug him after giving him a spanking this morning. John looked at his son and opened his arms, inviting Sam in and he threw himself into his father’s warm embrace, squeezing tightly. The hug lasted for several minutes and John stroked his young son’s hair, whispering, “I love you, Sammy.”
“I love you, too, Dad,” was the tearful reply as Sam pushed back slightly.
“How ‘bout we go inside and you can start on your homework at the kitchen table while I clean the guns. Sound good?” John said with a smile, relieved that the tension from earlier had seemed to disappear.
“Sounds good, Dad.” Both father and son headed for the kitchen feeling better than they had all day.
Once seated at the table, the two Winchesters turned their attention to the jobs at hand and Dean came slowly into the room, obviously wanting something. John glanced up at his older son and waited for him to speak.
“Uh, Dad, can I ask you something?” Dean timidly said. John was surprised, Dean usually wasn’t afraid to ask him anything.
“Sure, son, what is it?” John inquired as he looked suspiciously at his boy.
“Well,” Dean started and then paused for a second before continuing, “ you see, I want to go to the library to study for a while. I know you said I couldn’t go out on a school night, but…”
“And would you be going by yourself?” John asked, eyeing Dean.
“Well, someone else might be there,” Dean said quietly as he looked at the floor.
“Who? Is he someone I know?” John said, catching onto his son’s ploy. He didn’t want to study, he wanted to make out--or worse--with some girl.
“His name? You don’t know him,” Dean tried, still unable to look his father in the eyes.
“What’s his name, Dean?” John ground out through clenched teeth.
“Tiffany.” Dean answered, embarrassed, knowing it would be in his butt’s best interest to tell the truth.
“Mighty pretty name for a boy, don’t you think?” John scoffed. He was irritated that his teen-age son was trying to pull a fast one over on him.
“Well, she’s a girl. A cheerleader,” Dean said, guessing he was probably in trouble for trying to deceive his father.
“A cheerleader, huh?” Dean only nodded lamely in response.
“So, you wanna go to the library to meet a girl when I’ve told you already you’re not leaving the house until you pull up your Biology grade?” John asked incredulously.
“Yes, sir. But you make it sound so bad,” Dean whined.
“That’s because you tried to deceive me by not telling me you were meeting a cheerleader for this study session,” John replied angrily. “By the way, were you even going to the library?”
“Well, we were going to drop her books off,” Dean said, aware he had just sealed his fate.
“That’s it. You’re grounded for the next three days! And you are not leaving this house until I see an improvement in your Biology grade,” John decreed forcefully.
“Grounded? For what?” Dean shouted at his father.
“You’d better watch your tone, boy. I’ve about had it with you!” John yelled back as he leapt to his feet. “Are you really asking why you’re grounded? Try for lying to me.”
“But I didn’t lie!” Dean stated emphatically.
“Oh, yes you did, young man. You never had any intention of going to the library and that’s where you told me you were going. Sound familiar?” Dean just blinked because he realized his father was right- he had lied.
“Yes, sir. I’m really sorry for lying,” Dean quietly replied, not able to look anywhere but the floor.
“You better be. Now, go call your cheerleader and tell her something came up…” John started before he was interrupted by his older son.
“You mean something would have been up!” Dean said, crudely, causing his brother to snicker.
“Dean, that’s enough!” John admonished.
“Yes, sir,” Dean replied sheepishly.
“Make the call, then come back with your books and do your homework with Sammy. After you finish you can help me clean the guns,” John said, daring his son to make another crude remark around his younger brother.
“Yes, sir,” Dean said as he turned to obey his father.
When Dean left the room, Sam and John exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter.
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The next three days were torture for John with both his sons grounded. By the third day, the boys were practically bouncing off the walls and John was seriously considering killing at least one of them just so he could have a little peace. That was one reason the man didn’t ground his sons too often, it was as much a punishment for him as it was for his boys.
Relief finally came in the form of a phone call from Bobby Singer about a hunt a few hours away. John practically shouted his agreement to take on the hunt, eager for a change of scenery. A poltergeist had been raising hell with a family that was well-known to John’s friend, Pastor Jim Murphy, so John was more than willing to check it out. He decided that because the hunt should only take the weekend, Dean could come and help quickly rid the family of the annoying presence, while Sam could stay home.
“Boys?” John called out to his sons who were currently wrestling in the living room floor.
“Yes, sir,” came the twin reply.
“Uncle Bobby just called with a hunt over in Readsville, a poltergeist. Dean, I want you to come with me so we can finish up quickly. We won’t be gone but two nights at the most, so, Sammy, you can stay home this time.” John was amused at the look on his younger son’s face.
“Sammy, this doesn’t mean you’re not grounded anymore, so, no leaving the house. But since your brother won’t be here to entertain you, you may watch TV until we get back. ONLY until we get back and then you finish out your grounding like normal.” Sam was taken aback at his father’s leniency.
Dean winked at his brother and Sam smiled knowingly. Not leave the house? Fat chance!
#################################################################
The next morning, John and Dean loaded the Impala with supplies and headed off to Readsville in search of the poltergeist. Sam waited until he could no longer hear the roar of the powerful engine before he put on his shoes and walked towards the woods nearby. These were the woods Sam had been researching when he had gotten in trouble four nights prior, and he was anxious to explore them.
Several hours later, a hot and sweaty Sam had made up his mind there was nothing to the stories about a woman haunting the woods, when he heard a twig snap, causing him to whirl towards the noise. He didn’t see anything, so he slowly walked in the direction the noise had come from. He pushed aside the branches blocking his access and stared into a clearing. Something was there, no someone. He felt compelled to approach the figure when suddenly he found himself falling weakly to the ground and unable to catch himself. The woods seemed to blur for a moment and then everything went black.
When Sam opened his eyes, he could see the sky overhead and he could hear birds chirping in the trees surrounding the clearing he was now in. How had he gotten here? A rustle beside him startled him and he turned to stare into the face of a beautiful woman with green eyes and long blond hair. She looked so familiar, but Sam couldn’t place her.
“You alright, Sammy?” asked the lady as she reached to touch his face. Sam instinctively pulled away, unsure if the woman was real or his imagination.
“How do you know my name?” Sam asked, confused. He scrambled to put some distance between himself and this woman, but he couldn’t help but feel he knew her from somewhere.
“What do you mean, honey? Why wouldn’t I know your name?” the woman replied with a hint of mirth.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Sam questioned, still not sure of what was going on or who the lady was. He shook his head slightly to try to clear the fogginess in his brain.
“You don’t recognize me, Sammy? I’m hurt,” the woman answered, giving him a pitiful look and poking out her bottom lip.
Sam gasped loudly when suddenly it dawned on him where he knew the woman from. He hadn’t seen her in years and he could only remember her because Dean was always showing him pictures and telling him stories about the lady standing before him. He couldn’t speak for what seemed like eternity.
“Mom?” Sam said, sure he was wrong. His mother passed when he was six months old. It couldn’t be her. It just couldn’t be.
“Yes, Sammy, my precious baby. It’s me,” the lady answered, smiling broadly.
“But you died, Mom. You can’t be here,” Sam said logically.
“But I am here, Sammy, my boy. I can’t explain it and I don’t question it. Maybe it was all those prayers you said, maybe God finally answered one of them for you,” Mary said as she took a step toward Sam.
Out of the corner of his eyes Sam saw something furry fly by his face and he yelped his surprise. He was still trying to catch his breath when he realized the fur ball was nothing more than a cat that had leapt into the waiting arms of the lady who claimed to be his mother. She stroked it and smiled at Sam.
“This is Desajo, my cat. Do you want to pet her?” Mary asked as she turned so Sam could reach out to pet the purring cat. When Sam put out a tentative hand, Desajo swiped at him, scratching him.
“Ow! That damn cat scratched me!” Sam complained, rubbing at the mark on his hand.
“Language, Sammy,” Mary gently chided. “ Now, Desajo is just nervous and once she gets to know you, she’ll really like you. Let me see, please,” Mary said as she pulled Sam’s hand near her face to inspect the damage the cat had inflicted.
“It’s not so bad. See, it’s already stopped bleeding, sweetie,” Mary said as she raised her son’s hand to her lips and planted a gentle kiss on the injured area. Sam was transfixed because he couldn’t remember anyone kissing a ’boo-boo’ for him since he was a kindergartner and it just felt so right.
Sam tried to understand what was happening when he felt himself grabbing Mary around the waist and hugging her tightly. He had grown up for twelve years without her, but now here she was. He couldn’t wait to tell his father and brother. Mary returned the hug and patted his back. Sam broke the embrace first and looked up smiling.
Mary led Sam over to a fallen log and they both sat down. Sam stared warily at the cat curled up in his mother’s lap, but Desajo had apparently gone to sleep. The youngster reached out to touch the face of the mother he thought he had long ago lost and she leaned into the touch.
“Tell me everything, Sammy,” Mary said with another smile. Dean’s smile, Sam noted.
“What do you want to know, Mom?” Sam replied, liking the way the word ‘Mom’ sounded rolling off his tongue.
“Everything! I want you to tell it all to me and don’t leave anything out!” Mary said giggling.
“Okay, but that’s gonna take a while,” Sam said. He had to think about what all his mom had missed and what she might want to hear.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Mary assured her son.
“Well, Dad still has the Impala. Dean’s sixteen now. I’m on the honor roll at school. That kinda thing?” Sam asked uncertainly, still not exactly sure what he should tell. He was still somewhat in shock over the situation and couldn’t seem to think clearly.
“Oh, yes, baby. I want to hear about that, too, but first tell me about the hunting,” Mary said as she looked at her son with a glint of merriment.
“Hunting? How do you know about that?” Sam asked, startled.
“I know lots of things, my precious. But I want you to tell me,” Mary answered, her eyes going hard for a split second before returning to the green eyes that danced with happiness.
“But why do you want to know about that?” Sam inquired.
“No reason, just curious,” Mary insisted as she reached out to pat her son’s shoulder. “Please go on.”
Sam told everything he could think of to tell. He recounted stories of his childhood and of hunts, both good and bad. He shared insights about his father and his inability to move on after losing his wife. He laughed about trouble that he and his brother had gotten into over the years and even the penalties they had paid for their misdeeds. He even told about his father’s obsession with the yellow-eyed demon and how he wouldn’t rest until the demon was dead.
As the sun sunk further down behind the trees, Sam realized he should be getting home, but for some reason, he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay with his mother, letting her hold him and rock him to sleep.
Mary had started a fire and Sam didn’t even question where the hot dogs had come from as his mother handed him a stick to roast one over the flames. When Sam finished eating, he felt so sleepy that he curled up and put his head on his mother’s lap and allowed sleep to claim him.
The next morning, Sam was awakened by the birds chirping in the trees above him and he looked around for his mother, half afraid that yesterday hadn’t been real. He heard singing in the distance and soon the figure of his mother emerged from the trees with a bucket of water and some wild berries. Sam smiled at the realization that it hadn’t been a dream.
“You sleep good, sweetie?” Mary asked as she bent over to kiss Sam on the forehead.
“Yes, ma’am,” Sam answered, reaching up to touch where the kiss had been planted.
“I see your father’s military training stayed with him,” Mary said, chuckling softly.
“Yes, ma’am, it did. He would have a fit if I said, ‘yeah’ to you!” Sam informed his mother.
“Good for him! What are we gonna do today, baby?” Mary asked, smiling down at her son.
“We could go to our house. It’s not far!”
“NO!” Mary involuntarily shouted. “I mean, why do we need to go to your house?”
“It’s our house, Mom. You’ll live there, too,” Sam said, curious as to why his mother didn’t want to leave the woods.
“Sammy, precious, I can’t,” Mary said sadly.
“But why?”
“I can’t explain it, but I just can’t. You understand, don’t you, baby?” Mary pleaded with her son.
“No, I don’t understand. Tell me,” Sam insisted. He saw the woods go a little blurry again and when the edges sharpened up, Sam couldn’t even remember what he had been saying. He shook his head again to clear out the cobwebs and felt Desajo rubbing against his legs purring.
“How about you eat and you tell me more about the family, Sammy?” Mary encouraged, as she reached down to pick up her cat and stroke her.
For some reason, Sam wanted nothing more than to do as his mother asked. He felt as if he couldn’t make any decisions for himself and it worried him, but he did feel safe with his mother around.
Sam spent the better part of the day telling stories about Dean and his father, as well as more about the hunts that he already been on. He told of witnessing the deaths of werewolves, revenants, ghouls, vampires, and even witches. Mary seemed to pay close attention to every word, all the while stroking Desajo and smiling at her son.
When darkness started to fall, Mary built another fire and magically more hot dogs appeared. Sam still couldn’t figure out where they came from, but he ate three before once again becoming very sleepy. He knew he should go home, but for some reason, he wanted to stay in the woods. He fell asleep on a pile of leaves and dreamed of what his life was going to be now with his mother.
Sam was abruptly awakened by a commotion coming from outside the clearing. He sat up trying to figure out what was going on, when his mother ran up to him and pulled on his arm, shouting, “Run, Sammy. We have to go!”
“What’s going on?” Sam yelled back as he scrambled to his feet. He ran through the clearing following his mother deeper into the woods. After almost a mile, the duo stopped to catch their breath and listen for sounds of someone tracking them.
“They’ve come for me!” Mary said breathlessly as she clung to Sam, squeezing him around the waist.
“Who?” Sam asked.
“People who want to hurt me. You don’t want me hurt do you?” Mary said as she pushed her son back to look into his eyes.
“Of course not! But who are they?” Sam inquired of his trembling mother.
“Bad people. We have to keep running!” Mary insisted as she tugged on Sam’s arm.
“We need to get Dad and Dean! They’ll help us!” Sam trying to pull from his mother’s grasp.
“NO! They won’t understand!” hollered Mary, as she jerked Sam’s arm again in an attempt to get him to follow her deeper into the tree line.
“Why not?!”
“I don’t have time to explain. Let’s go.”
“No!”
“Sammy, precious baby, please come with me!” Mary begged.
“I can’t Mom,” Sam said, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. Mary looked forlorn as she turned to flee.
A crashing sound came from the nearby trees and Sam tried to hide behind a fallen log. He saw the two men, but he hoped they wouldn’t see him. No such luck--the smaller of the two men trotted directly toward him before pulling him up by his arm. Sam froze in terror, unsure of what the men would do to him, now that he was at their mercy.
“Sammy, what the hell are you doing here?” Dean’s voice asked as he held on tightly to his brother’s arm.
“Dean? Is that you?” Sam said as he flung himself into his brother’s arms.
“Of course, bitch,” Dean replied as he glanced over to figure of his father.
John cleared his throat and Sam loosened his grip on his brother to turn to face his irate father. He could see the veins bulging in his father’s neck and could hear the ragged breath coming from his partially opened mouth. He was in some deep trouble. But first, he had to get his father and brother to help Mary.
“Dad, I know you’re mad..” Sam started, only to be interrupted by his father.
“Mad?! You think I’m mad?? Mad doesn’t even begin to touch it!” John bellowed, the sound echoing off the trees that surrounded them.
“Dad, please listen. I know I’m in deep crap, but there’s someone you need to help first!” Sam said tearfully. John couldn’t miss the hitch in his son’s voice.
“Who, Sammy?” John asked as he squatted down to look in his son’s eyes.
“You won’t believe me,” Sam answered sorrowfully.
“Why wouldn’t I believe you?” John said, puzzled.
Sam glanced at Dean and his father before taking a deep breath and saying, “because it’s Mom.”
“What did you just say?” John said shaking his head, positive he had misunderstood his son.
“I said you need to help Mom,” Sam stated.
“What are you talking about?” That was from Dean.
“I’ve been here for the last two days with Mom. I can’t explain it, but it was her.” Sam said.
“That’s not possible, Sammy. I don’t know who you were with, but it certainly was not your mom!”
“Dad, please, can we debate this later? She really needs your help!” Sam declared.
“Okay, let’s say I believe you. Where is she now?” John demanded from his son.
“She was running through the woods with me. She was scared because she said bad people were after her. But I think it was just the two of you,” Sam responded. Something was nagging in the back of his brain, but he couldn’t figure out what it was yet.
“What? She just up and ran?”
“Yes, sir,”
“Did she have a cat or bird with her?” John inquired, narrowing his eyes.
“How did you know that? She had a cat named Desajo who stuck to her like glue.” Sam was amazed by his father’s question.
“Never mind. Dean, take Sammy home and stay there unless I call you. Lock all the doors and windows and make sure the salt lines are intact. Fix you each a hex bag and keep it on you. I’m gonna go check out Sammy’s story,” John instructed his older son.
“But Dad, don’t you want me to come with you? I mean Sammy did say it was Mom.”
“No, I want you to do what I told you to do! Am I clear?” John growled at his teen.
“Yes, sir,” the sixteen year-old answered.
“Please, Dad, help her. She’s really nice and I want her to come home with us. So find her fast, okay?” Sam pleaded with his father.
“I’ll do my best to take care of her, Sammy. Now go with Dean while I try to find Mary.”
“Yes, sir,” came the preteen’s reply.
Dean and Sam headed out of the woods and walked toward home. The silence was deafening until the two boys reached home. Dean told Sam to check the salt lines while he made the hex bags. All the while, Dean was mulling over how to ask about his mom. Finally, he decided to just bite the bullet and ask.
“What was she like, Sammy?” Dean quizzed his younger brother.
“She was great, Dean. Just like a Mom should be,” Sam replied, beaming. “And you have her smile!”
Dean grinned at the thought. “Did she ask about me? What did the two of you do? Where did she come from? Is she coming back?” Dean was firing so many questions that Sam couldn’t keep up.
“Slow down. We can both tell you when Dad brings her back home,” Sam responded. He didn’t see the cryptic look Dean shot him.
Almost two hours later, the rumble of the Impala could be heard and Sam jumped at the sound. He was so excited for his mother to be back and he couldn’t wait for Dean to get to see her, too. He waited with bated breath for both his parents to walk through the door, but was surprised when only his father walked in.
“Where’s Mom? Couldn’t you find her?”
“Sit down, Sam,” John said gently. “Dean come over here please, I want you to hear this, too.”
Sam? What was going on? His dad hardly ever called him just Sam. He began to panic.
“What’s wrong, Dad? Did something happen to Mom?” Sam asked frantically.
John shot Dean a look and he instinctively moved closer to his little brother. Dean put his arm around his brother’s shoulder and squeezed, preparing himself mentally for his father’s revelation.
“Yes, Sam, something happened to your mom, but not tonight. It happened twelve years ago.”
“What are you saying? Mom’s not dead! I just spent two days with her!” Sam exploded and Dean squeezed tighter, willing Sam to calm down.
“No, you didn’t. I’m so sorry, but that wasn’t your mom,” John stated, his heart breaking not only for his two sons, but for himself also.
“LIAR!” Sam screamed at his father as he tried to wrest himself out his brother’s tight hold.
“Stand down, Sammy!” John roared. “I know you’re hurting, but you’re not gonna scream at me!”
“I know you don’t want to believe me, but it’s the truth. When have I ever lied to you?”
Sam furiously struggled in Dean’s arms, but had to admit he couldn’t remember a time when his father had lied to him. “You haven’t, Dad.”
“And I’m not lying now. That was not your mom, it was a witch who cast a glamour on you to make you see what she wanted you to see. She had plans to take you away from me forever, she just needed time to make you believe that she was your mother,” John explained, his voice breaking slightly.
Sam looked at his father, stunned. How could he have been so stupid? Everyone knows once you’ve passed, there’s no coming back, but for some reason Sam had forgotten that.
When the reality of the situation hit him, Sam burst into tears, turning to bury his face in his brother’s chest. He cried for his loss, but also the loss that his father and brother must be feeling. He cried until he was exhausted and still he clung firmly to his big brother. Finally, the sobs slowed and he released his grip on Dean, who wiped his tears and gave him a reassuring smile.
John who was watching Sam couldn’t help but feel for his son--well, both of them. It was almost like they had lost their mother twice. His anger still boiled at the cruelty of the witch who had been responsible for making his son cry and he relished the thought of what he had done to her before he killed her. It had actually been therapeutic for him.
“Sammy, I think you need to go to bed now. It’s been a hard day and we all need some rest,” John said as he reached out his hand to help his son up from the couch. When Sam was standing, John pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back.
As Sam headed toward his bedroom, John looked over at Dean and realized his usually stoic son appeared to be upset. John knew what Dean needed, even if he would never admit it out loud. So John reached for his older son as he had for Sam and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Dean. I wanted it so much to be true and I know you did, too.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I’m just glad Sammy knows the truth,” Dean replied as he broke the embrace. Normally, he balked at hugging unless he had been punished, but this hug he had needed.
“Why don’t you go get ready for bed and check on Sammy, okay? I’ll come back there in a few minutes to check on both of you.”
“Yes, sir.”
John waited twenty minutes before heading to his sons’ bedroom. He could hear the quiet voices inside and he pushed the door open slowly so that he wouldn’t startle his boys. Sam and Dean both fell silent as John entered the bedroom and made his way over to Sam’s bed. He took a seat on the edge and ruffled his son’s hair. He wasn’t looking forward to next few minutes, but he wanted to get it over with and move on.
“You okay, Sammy?” John asked, concerned.
“I’m fine, Dad. Disappointed, but fine,” Sam responded softly.
“Speaking of disappointed, do you remember what I told you before we left?” John inquired as he stared into Sam’s face.
“Not to leave the house,” Sam mumbled. He was surprised at the turn of events. He had all but forgotten he had disobeyed his dad.
“That’s right. Don’t leave the house, but you did it anyway didn’t you?” John questioned his son.
“Yes, sir.” Sam kicked himself for being so stupid. If he had obeyed then none of this would have happened.
“Look, I know this has been a really difficult day, so if you want to wait until tomorrow, I understand. I just can’t let you get away with disobeying me,” John told his son.
“I’d rather get it over with, please,” Sam said as he pulled back the covers to climb out of bed.
“Dean, would you give me and Sammy some privacy, please?” John directed at his older son.
“It’s okay, Dad. He can stay. After all, I hurt him too,” Sam countered.
“You didn’t really hurt me, you just worried me, Sammy,” Dean responded.
“You don’t feel hurt about losing Mom tonight? I mean, I know it wasn’t really Mom, but it sure felt like her,” Sam said as he looked at Dean. “If I had obeyed Dad, then that witch wouldn’t have been able to put a spell on me and none of this would have happened.”
“I might be a little hurt,” Dean admitted.
“That’s why you need to be here for this. Maybe this is what I need to teach me a lesson,” Sam said, as he glanced at his older brother.
Sam pulled down his pajamas and underwear and draped himself over his father’s lap.
“Why are you getting this spanking?” It was the way almost all the boys’ punishments began.
“Because I’m stupid!” The response was a sharp ‘SMACK’ on the back of Sam’s thighs, causing a pained gasp to escape from the boy.
“You are not stupid! You just used poor judgment,” John countered. “Now answer my question. Why are you getting this spanking?”
“Because I disobeyed you about leaving the house while you were gone.”
“Right.” John didn’t want to prolong his son’s anguish any more, so he raised his right hand and brought it down in a series of solid ‘SMACKS’ on the backside of his younger son. He was upset about Sam’s disobedience but he couldn’t blame the boy for everything--after all, that witch had used a glamour on him.
By the time John had finished, Sam was sobbing and his backside was the color of a ripe apple. John used the same hand that had just punished his son to rub soothing circles on the small of his back. He glanced over at Dean a saw him trying to wipe his eyes on his t-shirt without anyone seeing. He waited patiently for Sam to calm down and when he did, John helped him fix his clothes before pulling the boy into his lap.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Sam apologized. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“Sammy, you couldn’t help that a witch cast a spell on you, but you could help disobeying me,” John told him before pulling him into a hug. “I love you, Sammy.”
“I know and I love you, too, but I’m still sorry.”
“Just think a little bit next time, okay?” John said as he released Sam.
“Yes, sir. I will,” Sam replied around a large yawn. John motioned Sam to get back under his covers and once he complied, he rolled onto his stomach to keep the pressure off his smarting backside.
“Now right to sleep, young man,” John chuckled at the boy whose eyes were already closed in exhaustion. He pulled the covers up tightly around the youngster’s shoulders and leaned over to kiss his head.
When he reached the bed of his older son, he automatically tried to tuck him in, too, but Dean resisted.
“I’m way too old for the tuck-in, Dad!” Dean grumbled.
“Humor me, please, son,” John said as he pulled the covers up to his son’s chin. “Now right to sleep, young man,” he repeated to the teen in mock seriousness. He quickly leaned down to peck his son on the head before Dean could realize what was happening. “I love you, son,” John whispered.
“I love you, too, Dad. But did you have to kiss me? I mean I’m sixteen!” Dean complained as he rubbed the spot where the kiss had been placed.
“You’ll never get too old for me to kiss, son. So suck it up!” John laughed.
Time would pass and wounds would heal, but some things were changed forever. John thought maybe he should start telling his sons stories about their mother that he had kept locked inside of himself because they had always been too painful to share. Now he felt the boys needed that connection more than ever. It would be hard on him, but he was tough. After all --he was a Winchester!
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