The Winchester Family Rules
Rule One: Always go straight home after school.
“Andy, where are we going?”
Holly’s little legs struggled to keep up with her taller older brother. He had just picked her up from the elementary school, conveniently located directly adjacent to the middle school. Blonde pigtails bounced as the girl hurried to keep up, the sound of her crayons and colored pencils clashing together in her book bag. Her hand was clutched in Andrew’s as they crossed the street, heading in the opposite direction of their house.
“We’re going on an adventure,” Andrew replied patiently. “We’re going to hunt for buried treasure. And we’re not going to tell Mom, right?”
Holly nodded eagerly in agreement, a grin breaking out on her face. She was so rarely included in Andrew’s games and she was not going to mess up this opportunity. Andrew always had fun games to play.
“If I can’t tell Mommy, can I tell Daddy?” She asked eagerly, wanting to share the excitement of her inclusion with someone.
“No, Holly,” he answered, annoyance laced in his tone. For a girl, Holly was all right. But still, he had asked for a brother and got a sister. A brother would be much better in these situations. It wasn’t fair.
“But…we’re supposed to go right home…Mommy left cookies for a snack…”
“I know we’re supposed to go home right away, that’s why we’re not going to tell,” Andrew explained. “We’ll be home before mom or dad gets there and I’ll make sure you get your cookies.”
Holly seemed to consider this before nodding. She was quiet for a few moments, doing the best she could to keep up with Andrew. Her eyes widened a moment later, looking up at her brother: “Do you have a treasure map?!”
Rule Two: If you can’t say anything nice, at least make sure you say it quietly.
“That man has a funny nose,” Holly observed loudly, turning her head back to face forward.
Andrew grimaced, beginning to walk faster. Maybe it had been a bad idea to take Holly along with him. He just really needed to go retrieve those firecrackers and bottle rockets he had stashed at his special hiding place by the playground. Mom had said it was going to rain the next day and they would be ruined if they got wet. He would have gone later without Holly, but then Mom would ask questions and then he would get into trouble. But then again, Holly’s blunt approach to life got them in trouble plenty.
“Quiet,” he warned her, squeezing her hand.
She frowned. “He’s following us,” she said, ignoring Andrew’s wishes.
Andrew kept walking, though his mind seemed to freeze. He was tempted to look behind them, but he knew better than to scare Holly, especially if it was just her overactive imagination.
“How long has he been following us?” Andrew asked quietly.
Holly’s shoulders shrugged, “Since we passed Mrs. Johnson.” The crossing guard out by the school…
“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
Rule Three: Don’t go anywhere with strangers. They’re liable to be on Mommy or Daddy’s bad side.
Andrew thought for a moment, sneaking a glance behind his shoulder. They were definitely being followed by the man with the funny nose in the business suit. He supposed it was one of their mom’s more colorful enemies. Dad’s usually spewed nasty goo and had fur - they didn’t shop at Armani.
Holly was still too little to understand, but Andrew had been picking up things over the last year or two. He knew this was not going to end well if he didn’t get them out of there.
“When I count to three, we’re going to run,” he whispered quietly. “Keep running until you get home. Can you do that?”
Holly nodded resolutely.
“I’ll be right behind you. Ready? Three ….two…one…RUN!”
The two took off running. Holly tried the best she could but she was still too slow. Andrew could not let her fall behind and acted as the buffer between her and the man. Unfortunately, they were no match for the men and his three friends that appeared out of nowhere.
“You Chloe Sullivan’s kids?”
“No,” Andrew answered, struggling against the man holding his arms. They were Chloe Winchester’s kids. There’s a difference. No real difference, but the technicality still existed. “Get off me!”
“What do we do, Hank?” One of the men who was holding Holly asked.
“Hank?” Holly parroted. “Like a hankie!” She began to giggle. Andrew wished she would shut up.
The man glowered dangerously. “Get ‘em both in the van!”
Rule Four: Do not play with fire when an adult is not present…Uncle Bart does not count.
“I want to go home.”
Her bottom lip began to quiver, hazel eyes beginning to fill with tears. They were sitting on the floor in the warehouse, the suited men congregating just out of hearing distance. Andy sighed, unsure of what to do.
He had gotten them into trouble. He should have just done as he was told and went straight home after school.
“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “I’m going to get us out of here.”
“How?” She asked stubbornly.
“I don’t know yet.”
She pouted, wiping her wet eyes with the heel of her hand. “I want mommy.”
“Will you be quiet? I’m trying to think.”
Andrew still had his backpack with him - packed to the brim with his schoolbooks, firecrackers, and bottle rockets. He glanced around the warehouse trying to find some way to get their captors distracted so that they could make a clean getaway. There were a bunch of stacked wooden crates within throwing distance with the word ‘Warning’ painted in bright red letters. He couldn’t make out the next word as it was blocked by a table, but it began with an F.
Still, the stuff in the crates was probably important to these guys.
And what did mom always say about being careful with the fireworks because they could start fires?
Taking a handful of the bottle rockets and firecrackers out of his backpack, he set upon aiming them at the crates. Hidden in his shoe were a pack of matches that he had swiped from the Impala’s trunk one afternoon. Dad always kept a few matchbooks in the trunk. Why? Andy wasn’t exactly sure, but he doubted dad would miss one. He took it out of his shoe, preparing to light one of the matches.
“You’re not supposed to have those!” Holly whispered in what Andy liked to call her tattletale voice.
“Shut up!”
Rule Five: Winchesters stick together.
Relief washed over him when he saw the two walk out of the building unscathed.
“Daddy!” She called, running towards him. Dean bent down, scooping his daughter into his arms. She was fine - bright purple backpack and all. Sam stood next to them, glancing at Andrew who lagged behind his sister. One look at the boy and Sam could tell he was guilty of something.
They had figured something was wrong when the two didn’t get home on time. Luckily for them, they had placed tracking devices in the kids’ backpacks, just in case anything like this should happen.
“Are you two okay?” Dean asked, looking between the two.
Holly nodded enthusiastically. “We went on an adventure!”
He frowned. Andy shifted guiltily, knowing he had broken the rules that afternoon and it had gotten them in trouble.
“Get in the Impala and lock the doors,” Dean instructed, managing to look his son in the eye. “We’re going to have a long talk when we get home.”
Andrew nodded, grabbing Holly’s hand. He knew what a “long talk” meant. Boy, was he in trouble. “Yes, sir.”
Dean seemed to hesitate for a moment, his expression softening. “Get going. Don’t unlock the door unless it’s me or Uncle Sam.”
“I want to stay with Daddy!” Holly protested.
“Come on, Holly, not now,” Andy said, leading her to the Impala. He opened the back door and let Holly climb inside first. He settled into the leather seat, watching out the window as his dad and uncle began to head towards the building.
There was a moment of silence, when all went still just before there was a ground-shaking rumble. An explosion followed with the glass in the few windows of the warehouse shattering. Smoke began billowing out of the windows, swirling in grey towards the sky.
“Cool!” Holly said, eyes widening as she heard the explosion and saw smoke beginning to funnel out of the windows.
Andy glanced out of the window, seeing both his father and uncle look back towards the car. He could tell they were both surprised. The two turned around, knowing there was nothing they could do now.
If those guys that took Andrew and Holly didn’t get the message not to mess with the Winchesters after that, they never would and it would only be to their detriment.
Sam was outside of the car, presumably calling the authorities to anonymously report a fire down by the docks. They didn’t have to worry about getting followed and questioned about torching the building, because then the men inside would have to explain what they were doing there with two young children.
Dean sat in the driver’s seat. Looking in the rearview mirror, he locked eyes with Andrew for a moment before the boy looked away and out the window.
“Anyone want to explain what that was about?” He asked lightly, but knew he would be getting an answer from Holly.
“Andy did it.”
Andy couldn’t be sure, but he swore he saw his father smile.
“Andy, where are we going?”
Holly’s little legs struggled to keep up with her taller older brother. He had just picked her up from the elementary school, conveniently located directly adjacent to the middle school. Blonde pigtails bounced as the girl hurried to keep up, the sound of her crayons and colored pencils clashing together in her book bag. Her hand was clutched in Andrew’s as they crossed the street, heading in the opposite direction of their house.
“We’re going on an adventure,” Andrew replied patiently. “We’re going to hunt for buried treasure. And we’re not going to tell Mom, right?”
Holly nodded eagerly in agreement, a grin breaking out on her face. She was so rarely included in Andrew’s games and she was not going to mess up this opportunity. Andrew always had fun games to play.
“If I can’t tell Mommy, can I tell Daddy?” She asked eagerly, wanting to share the excitement of her inclusion with someone.
“No, Holly,” he answered, annoyance laced in his tone. For a girl, Holly was all right. But still, he had asked for a brother and got a sister. A brother would be much better in these situations. It wasn’t fair.
“But…we’re supposed to go right home…Mommy left cookies for a snack…”
“I know we’re supposed to go home right away, that’s why we’re not going to tell,” Andrew explained. “We’ll be home before mom or dad gets there and I’ll make sure you get your cookies.”
Holly seemed to consider this before nodding. She was quiet for a few moments, doing the best she could to keep up with Andrew. Her eyes widened a moment later, looking up at her brother: “Do you have a treasure map?!”
Rule Two: If you can’t say anything nice, at least make sure you say it quietly.
“That man has a funny nose,” Holly observed loudly, turning her head back to face forward.
Andrew grimaced, beginning to walk faster. Maybe it had been a bad idea to take Holly along with him. He just really needed to go retrieve those firecrackers and bottle rockets he had stashed at his special hiding place by the playground. Mom had said it was going to rain the next day and they would be ruined if they got wet. He would have gone later without Holly, but then Mom would ask questions and then he would get into trouble. But then again, Holly’s blunt approach to life got them in trouble plenty.
“Quiet,” he warned her, squeezing her hand.
She frowned. “He’s following us,” she said, ignoring Andrew’s wishes.
Andrew kept walking, though his mind seemed to freeze. He was tempted to look behind them, but he knew better than to scare Holly, especially if it was just her overactive imagination.
“How long has he been following us?” Andrew asked quietly.
Holly’s shoulders shrugged, “Since we passed Mrs. Johnson.” The crossing guard out by the school…
“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
Rule Three: Don’t go anywhere with strangers. They’re liable to be on Mommy or Daddy’s bad side.
Andrew thought for a moment, sneaking a glance behind his shoulder. They were definitely being followed by the man with the funny nose in the business suit. He supposed it was one of their mom’s more colorful enemies. Dad’s usually spewed nasty goo and had fur - they didn’t shop at Armani.
Holly was still too little to understand, but Andrew had been picking up things over the last year or two. He knew this was not going to end well if he didn’t get them out of there.
“When I count to three, we’re going to run,” he whispered quietly. “Keep running until you get home. Can you do that?”
Holly nodded resolutely.
“I’ll be right behind you. Ready? Three ….two…one…RUN!”
The two took off running. Holly tried the best she could but she was still too slow. Andrew could not let her fall behind and acted as the buffer between her and the man. Unfortunately, they were no match for the men and his three friends that appeared out of nowhere.
“You Chloe Sullivan’s kids?”
“No,” Andrew answered, struggling against the man holding his arms. They were Chloe Winchester’s kids. There’s a difference. No real difference, but the technicality still existed. “Get off me!”
“What do we do, Hank?” One of the men who was holding Holly asked.
“Hank?” Holly parroted. “Like a hankie!” She began to giggle. Andrew wished she would shut up.
The man glowered dangerously. “Get ‘em both in the van!”
Rule Four: Do not play with fire when an adult is not present…Uncle Bart does not count.
“I want to go home.”
Her bottom lip began to quiver, hazel eyes beginning to fill with tears. They were sitting on the floor in the warehouse, the suited men congregating just out of hearing distance. Andy sighed, unsure of what to do.
He had gotten them into trouble. He should have just done as he was told and went straight home after school.
“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “I’m going to get us out of here.”
“How?” She asked stubbornly.
“I don’t know yet.”
She pouted, wiping her wet eyes with the heel of her hand. “I want mommy.”
“Will you be quiet? I’m trying to think.”
Andrew still had his backpack with him - packed to the brim with his schoolbooks, firecrackers, and bottle rockets. He glanced around the warehouse trying to find some way to get their captors distracted so that they could make a clean getaway. There were a bunch of stacked wooden crates within throwing distance with the word ‘Warning’ painted in bright red letters. He couldn’t make out the next word as it was blocked by a table, but it began with an F.
Still, the stuff in the crates was probably important to these guys.
And what did mom always say about being careful with the fireworks because they could start fires?
Taking a handful of the bottle rockets and firecrackers out of his backpack, he set upon aiming them at the crates. Hidden in his shoe were a pack of matches that he had swiped from the Impala’s trunk one afternoon. Dad always kept a few matchbooks in the trunk. Why? Andy wasn’t exactly sure, but he doubted dad would miss one. He took it out of his shoe, preparing to light one of the matches.
“You’re not supposed to have those!” Holly whispered in what Andy liked to call her tattletale voice.
“Shut up!”
Rule Five: Winchesters stick together.
Relief washed over him when he saw the two walk out of the building unscathed.
“Daddy!” She called, running towards him. Dean bent down, scooping his daughter into his arms. She was fine - bright purple backpack and all. Sam stood next to them, glancing at Andrew who lagged behind his sister. One look at the boy and Sam could tell he was guilty of something.
They had figured something was wrong when the two didn’t get home on time. Luckily for them, they had placed tracking devices in the kids’ backpacks, just in case anything like this should happen.
“Are you two okay?” Dean asked, looking between the two.
Holly nodded enthusiastically. “We went on an adventure!”
He frowned. Andy shifted guiltily, knowing he had broken the rules that afternoon and it had gotten them in trouble.
“Get in the Impala and lock the doors,” Dean instructed, managing to look his son in the eye. “We’re going to have a long talk when we get home.”
Andrew nodded, grabbing Holly’s hand. He knew what a “long talk” meant. Boy, was he in trouble. “Yes, sir.”
Dean seemed to hesitate for a moment, his expression softening. “Get going. Don’t unlock the door unless it’s me or Uncle Sam.”
“I want to stay with Daddy!” Holly protested.
“Come on, Holly, not now,” Andy said, leading her to the Impala. He opened the back door and let Holly climb inside first. He settled into the leather seat, watching out the window as his dad and uncle began to head towards the building.
There was a moment of silence, when all went still just before there was a ground-shaking rumble. An explosion followed with the glass in the few windows of the warehouse shattering. Smoke began billowing out of the windows, swirling in grey towards the sky.
“Cool!” Holly said, eyes widening as she heard the explosion and saw smoke beginning to funnel out of the windows.
Andy glanced out of the window, seeing both his father and uncle look back towards the car. He could tell they were both surprised. The two turned around, knowing there was nothing they could do now.
If those guys that took Andrew and Holly didn’t get the message not to mess with the Winchesters after that, they never would and it would only be to their detriment.
Sam was outside of the car, presumably calling the authorities to anonymously report a fire down by the docks. They didn’t have to worry about getting followed and questioned about torching the building, because then the men inside would have to explain what they were doing there with two young children.
Dean sat in the driver’s seat. Looking in the rearview mirror, he locked eyes with Andrew for a moment before the boy looked away and out the window.
“Anyone want to explain what that was about?” He asked lightly, but knew he would be getting an answer from Holly.
“Andy did it.”
Andy couldn’t be sure, but he swore he saw his father smile.