Secrets
There were a lot of things no one talked about when they were a Winchester,
even if they weren’t born one. Number one on that list was the fact that
the man Sarah was legally married to, and the one that shared a large part
of her heart as well as her bed, were brothers. That one was normally
pretty easy to avoid, most of the time anyway. Others weren’t so easy,
especially with a precocious three year old in the house.
Sam claimed that Dean was her biological father, while Dean would roll his
eyes and say that it was Sam's swimmers that did the work. Sarah honestly
hadn’t a clue which man was responsible, and didn’t care. They were both
her husbands and both Mary Elizabeth’s fathers. She certainly had Sam’s
ability to make everyone in the world trust her implicitly along with Dean’s
brash outgoing spirit and tendency to stretch the truth. She also had a
knack of asking exactly the wrong questions in the most innocent of ways.
They had all been going through a box Dean had found in his 'office' while
looking for some obscure bit of research he was convinced Sam had found
years ago when he found something. Walking out into the living room with a
ragged shoe box and a smile. “Hey Sammy, remember that stuff that woman
found in the basement of ou… that old house in Lawrence?” He flopped down
on the sofa proffering the rectangular box to his partner. As soon as Sam
took it, Dean lifted Beth into his lap and gave her a quick tickle followed
by a light hug.
“Open it Dad.” The child looked up expectantly at the tall man, waiting to
see what treasure lay inside the cardboard walls.
Sarah slid into place on the other side of Dean and Beth while Sam pulled
off the lid. On top was a picture of a young blonde woman holding a pink
faced serious looking baby.
“That’s the woman I’m named after,” Beth said, pointing proudly as though
recognizing a letter on a flash card.
“Yes,” the older man smiled and pointed to the infant in the picture.
“That’s your Grandma and this is your Dad.”
“Nuh-uh. Dad was never that little.”
Sam chuckled as he pulled out the next picture, and then stopped short when
he saw what it was. “Whozat?” Beth asked, continuing the game.
“That’s Daddy.” He smiled again, though it was more forced as he pointed
out the four year old Dean in their father’s arms. “And the man with him is
your Grandfather.”
“Oh. I don’t know him. Did he die in the fire too?” Though the question
was innocent, it hit directly on the number two thing no one talked about.
Oh, it was perfectly fine to talk about John (though both men were careful
not to call him Dad anywhere but the privacy of their own thoughts). It was
okay to talk about John the Great Hunter, but no one ever brought up how or
why he died.
Both Dean and Sam went perfectly still, one looking at the other. Sarah
swooped in gracefully trying to salvage the situation before one of her
husbands fell into a ‘mood’. “No Sweety. That man died to save someone he
loved very much. Now, time for your bath.” She lifted the little girl out
of her Daddy’s lap and left the other two to quietly remember their father
and take solace in each other.
even if they weren’t born one. Number one on that list was the fact that
the man Sarah was legally married to, and the one that shared a large part
of her heart as well as her bed, were brothers. That one was normally
pretty easy to avoid, most of the time anyway. Others weren’t so easy,
especially with a precocious three year old in the house.
Sam claimed that Dean was her biological father, while Dean would roll his
eyes and say that it was Sam's swimmers that did the work. Sarah honestly
hadn’t a clue which man was responsible, and didn’t care. They were both
her husbands and both Mary Elizabeth’s fathers. She certainly had Sam’s
ability to make everyone in the world trust her implicitly along with Dean’s
brash outgoing spirit and tendency to stretch the truth. She also had a
knack of asking exactly the wrong questions in the most innocent of ways.
They had all been going through a box Dean had found in his 'office' while
looking for some obscure bit of research he was convinced Sam had found
years ago when he found something. Walking out into the living room with a
ragged shoe box and a smile. “Hey Sammy, remember that stuff that woman
found in the basement of ou… that old house in Lawrence?” He flopped down
on the sofa proffering the rectangular box to his partner. As soon as Sam
took it, Dean lifted Beth into his lap and gave her a quick tickle followed
by a light hug.
“Open it Dad.” The child looked up expectantly at the tall man, waiting to
see what treasure lay inside the cardboard walls.
Sarah slid into place on the other side of Dean and Beth while Sam pulled
off the lid. On top was a picture of a young blonde woman holding a pink
faced serious looking baby.
“That’s the woman I’m named after,” Beth said, pointing proudly as though
recognizing a letter on a flash card.
“Yes,” the older man smiled and pointed to the infant in the picture.
“That’s your Grandma and this is your Dad.”
“Nuh-uh. Dad was never that little.”
Sam chuckled as he pulled out the next picture, and then stopped short when
he saw what it was. “Whozat?” Beth asked, continuing the game.
“That’s Daddy.” He smiled again, though it was more forced as he pointed
out the four year old Dean in their father’s arms. “And the man with him is
your Grandfather.”
“Oh. I don’t know him. Did he die in the fire too?” Though the question
was innocent, it hit directly on the number two thing no one talked about.
Oh, it was perfectly fine to talk about John (though both men were careful
not to call him Dad anywhere but the privacy of their own thoughts). It was
okay to talk about John the Great Hunter, but no one ever brought up how or
why he died.
Both Dean and Sam went perfectly still, one looking at the other. Sarah
swooped in gracefully trying to salvage the situation before one of her
husbands fell into a ‘mood’. “No Sweety. That man died to save someone he
loved very much. Now, time for your bath.” She lifted the little girl out
of her Daddy’s lap and left the other two to quietly remember their father
and take solace in each other.