(no subject)
It had been a damned long time since John Winchester had been around a small child, and willingly at that.
Sharon had 'won' John in the auction he hadn't actually realized he'd been made a part of. When Isabel informed John he'd been bought, John had frowned and considered asking Isabel to confer with Sarah Jane and get him out of whatever it was whoever nominated him had gotten him into. But when Isabel explained the purpose of the auction, John's frown had vanished and he haltingly agreed to do it. As it turned out, John didn't much complain after he learned just who had won him. A military person herself, John trusted Sharon not to put him through anything ridiculous like he'd seen some of the other people go through. John was plenty sure he'd seem some guy out on the beach acting like a cabana boy and he'd be damned if he'd do somethin' like that. Besides, no way in hell would his boys ever let him live something like that down.
Fortunately for John, his assessment of Sharon had been accurate. All she asked of John was that he take Hera for the day. He'd been all too happy to do it, distance memories of Dean as a toddler surfacing. While Mary had loved being a mother and adored spending time with Dean, she'd definitely appreciated getting time all to herself every once in a while. And with Sharon's husband disappeared, she probably didn't get that very often.
Hera had been dropped off at the Winchester hut early in the morning with a bag full of things John might need for the day. For a good part of the morning, while Dean and Sam were asleep, John and Hera sat at the makeshift table and scribbled colors on scraps of paper. When that got old for Hera, they abandoned the hut and went to the beach, where Hera had an absolute blast making lumpy-looking sandcastles with moist sand.
All that playing had made Hera hungry, so it wasn't long before John walked beside her along the boardwalk, headed for the compound. They hit the kitchen and Hera chose her juice (orange), which John put in a makeshift sippy cup for her.
"Me want book," Hera decided, swinging her legs against the too-tall chair.
John quirked a brow, folding his hands and resting them on the tabletop as he looked over at her. "Now?"
"Now."
Seeing as Hera's tone was no-nonsense, John collected her bags and they went to the rec room. Soon enough they stood before the bookshelf. Hera pointed and John pulled out each thing she indicated. "Which one do you want? This one or this one?"
"I read book!" she said enthusiastically, pointing to a book with ducks on the cover.
"You know this one?" he asked, to which Hera nodded vehemently.
After grabbing John's hand, Hera practically dragged him to the couch. She crawled up on it and began to flip the pages, reciting the story from memory to John.
ETA: No more new tags please; I'm swamped! ♥]
Sharon had 'won' John in the auction he hadn't actually realized he'd been made a part of. When Isabel informed John he'd been bought, John had frowned and considered asking Isabel to confer with Sarah Jane and get him out of whatever it was whoever nominated him had gotten him into. But when Isabel explained the purpose of the auction, John's frown had vanished and he haltingly agreed to do it. As it turned out, John didn't much complain after he learned just who had won him. A military person herself, John trusted Sharon not to put him through anything ridiculous like he'd seen some of the other people go through. John was plenty sure he'd seem some guy out on the beach acting like a cabana boy and he'd be damned if he'd do somethin' like that. Besides, no way in hell would his boys ever let him live something like that down.
Fortunately for John, his assessment of Sharon had been accurate. All she asked of John was that he take Hera for the day. He'd been all too happy to do it, distance memories of Dean as a toddler surfacing. While Mary had loved being a mother and adored spending time with Dean, she'd definitely appreciated getting time all to herself every once in a while. And with Sharon's husband disappeared, she probably didn't get that very often.
Hera had been dropped off at the Winchester hut early in the morning with a bag full of things John might need for the day. For a good part of the morning, while Dean and Sam were asleep, John and Hera sat at the makeshift table and scribbled colors on scraps of paper. When that got old for Hera, they abandoned the hut and went to the beach, where Hera had an absolute blast making lumpy-looking sandcastles with moist sand.
All that playing had made Hera hungry, so it wasn't long before John walked beside her along the boardwalk, headed for the compound. They hit the kitchen and Hera chose her juice (orange), which John put in a makeshift sippy cup for her.
"Me want book," Hera decided, swinging her legs against the too-tall chair.
John quirked a brow, folding his hands and resting them on the tabletop as he looked over at her. "Now?"
"Now."
Seeing as Hera's tone was no-nonsense, John collected her bags and they went to the rec room. Soon enough they stood before the bookshelf. Hera pointed and John pulled out each thing she indicated. "Which one do you want? This one or this one?"
"I read book!" she said enthusiastically, pointing to a book with ducks on the cover.
"You know this one?" he asked, to which Hera nodded vehemently.
After grabbing John's hand, Hera practically dragged him to the couch. She crawled up on it and began to flip the pages, reciting the story from memory to John.
ETA: No more new tags please; I'm swamped! ♥]