[SR] Laurie Halse Anderson quote
[Set in takea_stepback. Jo is huntersdaughter and used with permission from her mun who made a request for a Sam/Jo kiss. Tonight’s episode was evil, so how do I retaliate? Super Sappy Future Kid Fic. None of the background elements of the future are binding on the verse. Just a way of making some things a little easier.]
“There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore. I am thawing.”
After it was all over, the Winchesters retired.
They had earned it, after all. You put down Lucifer, you pretty much get the chance to do whatever the hell you want with the rest of your life, end of story. If they wanted to still hunt, they could hunt. If they wanted to settle down with their girls somewhere in the middle of nowhere where no one would ever find them unless they already knew where to look? Then they could do that too.
It didn’t hurt that they had made some unexpected connections towards the end in an unexpected place. After the Fringe Division cleared their names on their previous charges-legally, for that matter-they said wanted to disappear, and their lead agent had done her best to help them do that. Agent Dunham even went so far as the find them places to live. Houses that were seized by the FBI and going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, but still. Houses. They had a place to call home.
That and the royalties off Chuck’s books.
Getting all those benefits from the FBI, however, didn’t come for free. Sam and Dean became consultants, and that required a bit of travel when they wanted them to take care of a case. But it was a steady pay check for a job that was usually underpaid and underappreciated, and that made the occasional trip out of town all the easier. It was worth it if they got the chance of being just a little bit normal. It was one of those trips they were coming home from right then, a poltergeist in Bozeman, Montana, not far from where they were living in Flathead County, but far enough that it took them a few days to take care of everything and get back again. Dean had saddled him with the paperwork, but that wasn’t anything new, and Sam fully intended to sit down, bang it out, and send it off to Olivia in the main office-as soon as he finished saying hello to his wife.
“Daddy! You’re back you’re back you’re back!”
Or his daughter. Whichever came first.
A small blond girl charged him, catching him around the legs, and nearly knocking him over with the momentum. He laughed slightly as he let his hand rest on top of her head lightly as his bags dropped to the ground. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said with a grin. “Miss me?”
“Lots,” Hannah said with a bright grin as Sam scooped her up off the ground. She threw her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder. “What took you so long?”
“We had to finish the job, that’s all,” he said with a nod, turning and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“But now it’s all done?”
“All done.”
“And you don’t have another one for a really long time, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Good,” she sighed. “Cuz I need you to help me with some stuff.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of stuff?” Sam stopped in the entryway to the kitchen, spotting Jo where she was sitting at the dining room table, reading through the newspaper.
“Well, Bunny’s birthday is coming up.”
“Is it?”
“Yup. And I need you to help me throw the party.”
“That so?” He pause for a minute, before giving her a grin. “You know, I think your mom has better party planning skills than I do.”
“Yeah, Daddy, but I want you to do it.”
“You sure?”
“Sure, sure.”
“Okay. You got it.”
“Good ,” she sighed, before wriggling out of his arms and dropping down to the ground. “I’m gonna go tell him.”
“Okay,” he said with a bit of a laugh, watching her run out of the room and up the stairs. It was the childhood he never got to have, a place to call home and a family that stayed together. A father that was actually there. It was everything he wanted to be able to give her, and so far, he’d been able to do it. Though he wouldn’t have been able to do even half of this if it hadn’t been for Jo.
He made his way over to where she was sitting, leaning in next to her and brushing a kiss against the side of her neck lightly. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she said, turning back to face him again with a smile. “You both make it back in one piece?”
He shrugged. “Dean got tossed around a bit, but nothing too damaging. Just your average, everyday poltergeist.”
“Good,” she nodded, before leaning in to kiss him softly. “I missed you. I’m getting too used to having you around all the time.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” he asked as he moved to sit down next to her, pulling his chair closer.
“No,” she sighed softly. “Just feels kinda lame. We’ve been separated for longer than a week before and I’ve been fine.”
He smirked slightly. “You’re just getting used to me. That’s not bad.”
“Definitely not bad,” she nodded, before smirking back at him. “Though if I start missing Dean? We have a problem.”
Sam laughed as he leaned in to kiss her again. “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
She grinned back at him, and sliding her arms around his neck. “Good.”
886 words
“There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore. I am thawing.”
After it was all over, the Winchesters retired.
They had earned it, after all. You put down Lucifer, you pretty much get the chance to do whatever the hell you want with the rest of your life, end of story. If they wanted to still hunt, they could hunt. If they wanted to settle down with their girls somewhere in the middle of nowhere where no one would ever find them unless they already knew where to look? Then they could do that too.
It didn’t hurt that they had made some unexpected connections towards the end in an unexpected place. After the Fringe Division cleared their names on their previous charges-legally, for that matter-they said wanted to disappear, and their lead agent had done her best to help them do that. Agent Dunham even went so far as the find them places to live. Houses that were seized by the FBI and going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, but still. Houses. They had a place to call home.
That and the royalties off Chuck’s books.
Getting all those benefits from the FBI, however, didn’t come for free. Sam and Dean became consultants, and that required a bit of travel when they wanted them to take care of a case. But it was a steady pay check for a job that was usually underpaid and underappreciated, and that made the occasional trip out of town all the easier. It was worth it if they got the chance of being just a little bit normal. It was one of those trips they were coming home from right then, a poltergeist in Bozeman, Montana, not far from where they were living in Flathead County, but far enough that it took them a few days to take care of everything and get back again. Dean had saddled him with the paperwork, but that wasn’t anything new, and Sam fully intended to sit down, bang it out, and send it off to Olivia in the main office-as soon as he finished saying hello to his wife.
“Daddy! You’re back you’re back you’re back!”
Or his daughter. Whichever came first.
A small blond girl charged him, catching him around the legs, and nearly knocking him over with the momentum. He laughed slightly as he let his hand rest on top of her head lightly as his bags dropped to the ground. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said with a grin. “Miss me?”
“Lots,” Hannah said with a bright grin as Sam scooped her up off the ground. She threw her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder. “What took you so long?”
“We had to finish the job, that’s all,” he said with a nod, turning and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“But now it’s all done?”
“All done.”
“And you don’t have another one for a really long time, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Good,” she sighed. “Cuz I need you to help me with some stuff.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of stuff?” Sam stopped in the entryway to the kitchen, spotting Jo where she was sitting at the dining room table, reading through the newspaper.
“Well, Bunny’s birthday is coming up.”
“Is it?”
“Yup. And I need you to help me throw the party.”
“That so?” He pause for a minute, before giving her a grin. “You know, I think your mom has better party planning skills than I do.”
“Yeah, Daddy, but I want you to do it.”
“You sure?”
“Sure, sure.”
“Okay. You got it.”
“Good ,” she sighed, before wriggling out of his arms and dropping down to the ground. “I’m gonna go tell him.”
“Okay,” he said with a bit of a laugh, watching her run out of the room and up the stairs. It was the childhood he never got to have, a place to call home and a family that stayed together. A father that was actually there. It was everything he wanted to be able to give her, and so far, he’d been able to do it. Though he wouldn’t have been able to do even half of this if it hadn’t been for Jo.
He made his way over to where she was sitting, leaning in next to her and brushing a kiss against the side of her neck lightly. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she said, turning back to face him again with a smile. “You both make it back in one piece?”
He shrugged. “Dean got tossed around a bit, but nothing too damaging. Just your average, everyday poltergeist.”
“Good,” she nodded, before leaning in to kiss him softly. “I missed you. I’m getting too used to having you around all the time.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” he asked as he moved to sit down next to her, pulling his chair closer.
“No,” she sighed softly. “Just feels kinda lame. We’ve been separated for longer than a week before and I’ve been fine.”
He smirked slightly. “You’re just getting used to me. That’s not bad.”
“Definitely not bad,” she nodded, before smirking back at him. “Though if I start missing Dean? We have a problem.”
Sam laughed as he leaned in to kiss her again. “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
She grinned back at him, and sliding her arms around his neck. “Good.”
886 words