Wild is the Wind by slaysvamps 9/9 (John/OFC Adult)
Title: Wild is the Wind
Author: Slaysvamps
Pairing: John/OFC
Characters: John, Dean, Sam, OC
Warnings: Angst, Adult Situations & Language
Stats: 9 chapters, 10,642 words total, 1348 this chapter
Spoilers: IMTOD.
Complete: Yes, posted one chapter at a time.
Disclaimer: If John Winchester belonged to me, I think my husband would be mighty upset. Of course, if I owned the rights to Supernatural, we’d have lots more money so he might not care…
Summary: The Winchester brothers go looking for answers to questions about their father’s past.
Notes: Beta’d by my best friend lenastockton who so far refuses to revel in the world that is LJ. Text for cut is from Bon Jovi: Wild is the Wind.
Chapters ~ One ~ Two ~ Three ~ Four ~ Five ~ Six ~ Seven ~ Eight ~ Nine ~
~ Tumbleweed Motel, March 2007 ~
Emma parked her car in the back of the lot, near the playground. She’d gotten out and locked the doors of the car when she saw a car parked in front of room 24, a long black car that filled her mind with memories. She stared at the Impala remembering the hot August morning she’d watched her dark stranger drive out of her life.
The trunk of the Impala was open and a tall man stood behind it, all but the top of his dark head hidden behind the shiny black metal. Her heart began to pound but she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anticipation. John was back, he’d changed his mind and he’d come back to her. She started across the lot, forcing herself to keep to a walk just in case she was wrong.
She stumbled a bit when she saw her son walk up to the side of the car. The boy was a dark haired six-year-old bundle of energy that didn’t seem to grasp the concept of strangers. From where she was she saw the boy say something to the man standing behind the car and though she didn’t catch the words, she knew from the sound of his voice that the man wasn’t who she wanted him to be.
"My daddy’s a soldier," she heard her son say as she approached. "Momma says he’s gonna come back real soon."
"John," Emma called as she reached the back of the car, her voice nearly breaking on the word. She had to stop him from saying anything more about his daddy.
"Ah, no, it’s Sam, actually," the tall man said apologetically. He looked into her face and smiled when he recognized her. His dark hair and dimples reminded her so much of John she had to swallow roughly to control her emotions. "Emma," he added, obviously pleased to see her. "It’s good to see you again."
Emma put her hand on her son’s shoulder and gently tugged him against her side. "Sam," she mumbled softly. Clearing her throat, she tried to smile. "It’s been a long time."
"Yeah." Sam smiled down at the boy at her side. "I was just having a talk with the boy here. Is he your son?"
She managed to smile in return. "He is."
"Dean," he said to his brother as the older man joined them. "You remember Emma, don’t you?"
"Who could forget?" Dean smiled with his father’s charm. "How’ve you been?"
"Just fine," she replied, looking down at her son to hide the hope in her eyes. "How is your father?" She couldn’t bring herself to ask if he were here with them.
The brothers glanced at each other, their faces grim. She saw Dean shake his head and watched his mouth move, but didn’t need to hear his words to know.
"Dad passed away late last year." Dean’s voice was tight with the effort of holding his grief in check.
She closed her eyes, remembering that night seven years before when she’d lain beneath John in room 19, when they’d come together as one in the delirium of his fever. It didn’t matter how it had happened, her dark stranger was dead and he was never coming back, not ever. She’d never be able to tell him the truth about her son, never know what he’d have said or thought or if he’d have even cared.
Sam’s voice cut through her memories. "Emma, are you okay?"
Opening her eyes, she looked up at the concerned young man standing over her.
"I’m fine," she said with a weak smile as she tried not to clutch at her son. "Just a little tired I think. I’m sorry about your father. He was a good man."
Dean nodded. "He was. I’m not sure we ever thanked you for looking after him the last time we were here."
Emma felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, but she did her best to keep her emotions off of her face even as her hands tightened on her son’s shoulders. "You don’t have to thank me, Dean."
In an effort to turn the topic, Sam spoke up. "Your son said his father is a soldier. What branch of the military is he in?"
For a moment her chest was too tight to speak. She cleared her throat and forced the air from her lungs. "He wa-he’s a Marine," she croaked. "I’m glad you boys are back, but I need to get my groceries put away. Maybe we can talk later." She’d do her best to see that it didn’t happen of course. She knew she couldn’t hide her grief and she didn’t want them to start questioning it.
Without waiting for a reply, Emma guided her son toward her car. Sam glanced at Dean who simply shrugged as if to say who understand women nowadays? The two men watched as she opened the trunk and reached inside, handing the boy a bag before filling her own arms.
Suddenly the boy sprinted toward the office, running across the lot without sparing a glance for traffic. "John!" she called urgently. "Watch for cars, okay?"
Emma’s son stopped and looked both ways before continuing across the lot at a fast walk. She followed him into the office without once looking over at the long black car or the two men standing next to it watching her.
~ Opal’s Bar, August 2007 ~
"Did she ever say for sure who the boy’s father was?" the younger man asked.
Josh looked between the two men, his face thoughtful. "Dad thought he knew who’d gotten her pregnant, considerin’ what she named the boy, but the guy never came back."
The men across from him exchanged a look, but it was the older man who spoke. "I thought the boy’s name was John, that’s a common enough name."
"Yeah, it is," Josh agreed easily, the drunken slur gone from his words, "but Winchester ain’t, and that’s what she named him. Jonathan Winchester Reardon."
Both men sat back at that, staring at the empty bottles in front of them as if they’d find the answer to life’s questions in the amber glass. It seemed that after the hours they’d spent with Josh they’d finally run out of questions.
After a long moment the older man found one more question to ask. "And you don’t know where she is now?"
Josh smiled and finished off his beer, setting the bottle down on the table with a solid thump. "Emma’s gone, my friend, and she don’t wanna be found, least not by either of you." He pulled the wallet from his back pocket and flipped it open, reaching behind the money inside for a small folded envelope. "Told me to watch out for that car though, and if it ever came back I was to give this to the men drivin’ her."
He unfolded the envelope and dropped it on the table. The words ‘Dean and Sam’ were written clear and steady in a woman’s script.
"I’ll be movin’ on myself, got no reason to stay in Redding now," Josh said as he got to his feet, steady despite the amount of beer he’d consumed. "Sorry to hear about your dad."
The two men stared after Josh as he walked out the door and it wasn’t until it closed behind him that the younger man picked up the envelope. With hands that trembled ever so slightly he ripped it open and took out a piece of stationary from the Tumbleweed Motel.
Boys, the note read, I had a feeling you’d come back looking for answers, but what you’ve heard from my brother is all the answers you’re going to find. Things might have been different if John had come back, but he never did and now he never will. I’ll take care of my son, keep him safe. That war you’re fighting already took one John Winchester from me. I won’t let it take another one. I hope someday you can forgive me. Emma.
Finis
Author: Slaysvamps
Pairing: John/OFC
Characters: John, Dean, Sam, OC
Warnings: Angst, Adult Situations & Language
Stats: 9 chapters, 10,642 words total, 1348 this chapter
Spoilers: IMTOD.
Complete: Yes, posted one chapter at a time.
Disclaimer: If John Winchester belonged to me, I think my husband would be mighty upset. Of course, if I owned the rights to Supernatural, we’d have lots more money so he might not care…
Summary: The Winchester brothers go looking for answers to questions about their father’s past.
Notes: Beta’d by my best friend lenastockton who so far refuses to revel in the world that is LJ. Text for cut is from Bon Jovi: Wild is the Wind.
Chapters ~ One ~ Two ~ Three ~ Four ~ Five ~ Six ~ Seven ~ Eight ~ Nine ~
~ Tumbleweed Motel, March 2007 ~
Emma parked her car in the back of the lot, near the playground. She’d gotten out and locked the doors of the car when she saw a car parked in front of room 24, a long black car that filled her mind with memories. She stared at the Impala remembering the hot August morning she’d watched her dark stranger drive out of her life.
The trunk of the Impala was open and a tall man stood behind it, all but the top of his dark head hidden behind the shiny black metal. Her heart began to pound but she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anticipation. John was back, he’d changed his mind and he’d come back to her. She started across the lot, forcing herself to keep to a walk just in case she was wrong.
She stumbled a bit when she saw her son walk up to the side of the car. The boy was a dark haired six-year-old bundle of energy that didn’t seem to grasp the concept of strangers. From where she was she saw the boy say something to the man standing behind the car and though she didn’t catch the words, she knew from the sound of his voice that the man wasn’t who she wanted him to be.
"My daddy’s a soldier," she heard her son say as she approached. "Momma says he’s gonna come back real soon."
"John," Emma called as she reached the back of the car, her voice nearly breaking on the word. She had to stop him from saying anything more about his daddy.
"Ah, no, it’s Sam, actually," the tall man said apologetically. He looked into her face and smiled when he recognized her. His dark hair and dimples reminded her so much of John she had to swallow roughly to control her emotions. "Emma," he added, obviously pleased to see her. "It’s good to see you again."
Emma put her hand on her son’s shoulder and gently tugged him against her side. "Sam," she mumbled softly. Clearing her throat, she tried to smile. "It’s been a long time."
"Yeah." Sam smiled down at the boy at her side. "I was just having a talk with the boy here. Is he your son?"
She managed to smile in return. "He is."
"Dean," he said to his brother as the older man joined them. "You remember Emma, don’t you?"
"Who could forget?" Dean smiled with his father’s charm. "How’ve you been?"
"Just fine," she replied, looking down at her son to hide the hope in her eyes. "How is your father?" She couldn’t bring herself to ask if he were here with them.
The brothers glanced at each other, their faces grim. She saw Dean shake his head and watched his mouth move, but didn’t need to hear his words to know.
"Dad passed away late last year." Dean’s voice was tight with the effort of holding his grief in check.
She closed her eyes, remembering that night seven years before when she’d lain beneath John in room 19, when they’d come together as one in the delirium of his fever. It didn’t matter how it had happened, her dark stranger was dead and he was never coming back, not ever. She’d never be able to tell him the truth about her son, never know what he’d have said or thought or if he’d have even cared.
Sam’s voice cut through her memories. "Emma, are you okay?"
Opening her eyes, she looked up at the concerned young man standing over her.
"I’m fine," she said with a weak smile as she tried not to clutch at her son. "Just a little tired I think. I’m sorry about your father. He was a good man."
Dean nodded. "He was. I’m not sure we ever thanked you for looking after him the last time we were here."
Emma felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, but she did her best to keep her emotions off of her face even as her hands tightened on her son’s shoulders. "You don’t have to thank me, Dean."
In an effort to turn the topic, Sam spoke up. "Your son said his father is a soldier. What branch of the military is he in?"
For a moment her chest was too tight to speak. She cleared her throat and forced the air from her lungs. "He wa-he’s a Marine," she croaked. "I’m glad you boys are back, but I need to get my groceries put away. Maybe we can talk later." She’d do her best to see that it didn’t happen of course. She knew she couldn’t hide her grief and she didn’t want them to start questioning it.
Without waiting for a reply, Emma guided her son toward her car. Sam glanced at Dean who simply shrugged as if to say who understand women nowadays? The two men watched as she opened the trunk and reached inside, handing the boy a bag before filling her own arms.
Suddenly the boy sprinted toward the office, running across the lot without sparing a glance for traffic. "John!" she called urgently. "Watch for cars, okay?"
Emma’s son stopped and looked both ways before continuing across the lot at a fast walk. She followed him into the office without once looking over at the long black car or the two men standing next to it watching her.
~ Opal’s Bar, August 2007 ~
"Did she ever say for sure who the boy’s father was?" the younger man asked.
Josh looked between the two men, his face thoughtful. "Dad thought he knew who’d gotten her pregnant, considerin’ what she named the boy, but the guy never came back."
The men across from him exchanged a look, but it was the older man who spoke. "I thought the boy’s name was John, that’s a common enough name."
"Yeah, it is," Josh agreed easily, the drunken slur gone from his words, "but Winchester ain’t, and that’s what she named him. Jonathan Winchester Reardon."
Both men sat back at that, staring at the empty bottles in front of them as if they’d find the answer to life’s questions in the amber glass. It seemed that after the hours they’d spent with Josh they’d finally run out of questions.
After a long moment the older man found one more question to ask. "And you don’t know where she is now?"
Josh smiled and finished off his beer, setting the bottle down on the table with a solid thump. "Emma’s gone, my friend, and she don’t wanna be found, least not by either of you." He pulled the wallet from his back pocket and flipped it open, reaching behind the money inside for a small folded envelope. "Told me to watch out for that car though, and if it ever came back I was to give this to the men drivin’ her."
He unfolded the envelope and dropped it on the table. The words ‘Dean and Sam’ were written clear and steady in a woman’s script.
"I’ll be movin’ on myself, got no reason to stay in Redding now," Josh said as he got to his feet, steady despite the amount of beer he’d consumed. "Sorry to hear about your dad."
The two men stared after Josh as he walked out the door and it wasn’t until it closed behind him that the younger man picked up the envelope. With hands that trembled ever so slightly he ripped it open and took out a piece of stationary from the Tumbleweed Motel.
Boys, the note read, I had a feeling you’d come back looking for answers, but what you’ve heard from my brother is all the answers you’re going to find. Things might have been different if John had come back, but he never did and now he never will. I’ll take care of my son, keep him safe. That war you’re fighting already took one John Winchester from me. I won’t let it take another one. I hope someday you can forgive me. Emma.
Finis