As It Was - Dean Winchester

Part 2

I opened the door to the motel we were staying at, bringing our lunch.

"Winchester." John looked over his shoulder, only wanting to look away from whatever he was doing for a second. I held up the brown bag with food, and he turned to look at me expectantly.

"Burgers?" He asked, and I nodded.

Before picking up our food, I had decided to run a check on his sons. He had been anxious, and I knew the best thing to do in that situation was to give information. I had not expected to find what I did, though, and I wasn't sure if I should tell him at all. I sat down by the table opposite him. I made up my mind.

"I have some information about your boys." He stopped rummaging around the bag and looked up at me. I noticed that his eyes weren't entirely brown, more like hazel with spots of green in them. "Sam is fine. He's with Dean." I began, knowing that was the most important thing for John.

"He's with Dean?" John looked surprised, and I decided to continue before he could ask any questions.

"There was a fire in his apartment in Palo Alto a few months back." I bit my lip. John stared at me, and I knew I had to spit it out. "His girlfriend died. A passer-by swore to the police that he saw her through the window, pinned to the ceiling." He stood up with such force that he could have flipped the table.

"What're you saying?"

I pulled out the papers I had printed out at an Internet cafe. "I double-checked if there were any omens..." He ripped the papers from my hands and looked at them, pulling a hand over his mouth. "We missed this one. John, I know how you feel about this, but I need to point it out..."

"Keep your mouth shut." He pointed a finger at me, but I just shook my head.

"You told me the fire started in Sam's nursery, and now another fire started in his room. His mom and his girlfriend died the same way. All these other places we've been to... The demon went after families. This breaks the pattern." Something flashed in his eyes behind the rage and worry. "What is so special about your son, John?"

"He knows I'm coming after him. He knows I can track him."

I accepted his answer, knowing that it wasn't the whole truth and that he avoided my question. He stared down at the research I had printed, and I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sam is with his brother. They'll be fine. They wrapped up the case you left in Jericho and have been hunting together ever since." His eyes snapped to mine in an unspoken question. "I know how to get information. I looked up your old alias, Mr. Afraim," I rolled my eyes. "and found someone using the same last name at the motel you stayed at. Doesn't take a genius to find out who. From there on, it was kind of easy to find out where he's at, even after he ditched the credit card."

"Where are they?" The softness in his voice surprised me.

"Oasis Plains, Oklahoma." He nodded and put my papers down, along with the rest of his research, on the table. This was the freshest trail we had. I started packing my things, expecting John to want to go there and see what we could find.

"When did the fire happen?" I closed my eyes when I heard his question.

"There was nothing you could have done differently," I told him, avoiding to answer. Even if I'd only known the man for a few months, I knew how he would react.

"When did it happen?"

I ran a hand over my braid and turned back to him. He looked sad like he just waited for me to confirm what he had already guessed.

"It broke out the night we met at Calebs."

"I need to see my boys."

"That's not a good idea," I protested.