Snippets

Chapter Ninety-Six: At Bobby's House

John pulled into Bobby's house around four a.m. Looking into his rearview mirror, he noted that his oldest boy was awake.

Opening the driver's door, the man spoke abruptly, "Get you brother, Dean."

John Winchester walked to the front door and knocked. Castiel stood behind him but kept an eye his charge. Bobby answered the door on the third knock.

"John? Is everything okay? Where are the boys?"

"They're coming," the oldest Winchester answered.

Bobby looked over the man's shoulder and saw Dean helping his brother walk across the yard. Sam was upset about being wakened. Dean was having problems with him.

"You should have picked Sam up and carried, John. Dean's having a problem."

"He can deal with it."

"What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Dean disobeyed commands and almost got his brother killed. When faced with a life and death situation on top of it, he couldn't even fire his weapon," John spoke scathingly, not seeing his son come up behind him.

Bobby saw the pain in the young boy's eyes and snapped at the Father, "You might pay attention to who's listening, John." Bobby went past the man and picked up Sam.

"Come on, Dean." The boy followed his Uncle Bobby upstairs to the room he shared with his younger brother.

Bobby put Sam on the bed and covered him. He turned to the older boy.

"What happened, Son?"

"Dad's downstairs, Uncle Bobby."

"He can damn well wait. This is more important."

The boy broke down in tears and told the older man the entire story. Bobby was not a stupid man. No one left children in a motel room in a community where children were going into comas.

"You're human, Dean. You needed a break. Your Dad should never have left you boys there. It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is, Uncle Bobby."

Bobby hugged the boy and headed downstairs.

"John!"

He found the man in the kitchen drinking a glass of whiskey.

"I'll keep the boys for now. You get the hell out of my house."

"What?"

"I'm not a fool, John Winchester. You left those boys in that town with a shtriga running loose in it. Dean tells me the thing attacked Sam and he froze. BUT, you were there almost immediately. How convenient, John."

"I don't know what you mean."

"It's really bad, John, when you use your children for bait. Get out of my house until I can calm down."

"I'll get the boys."

"No. They need a little sanity for a while. Bait? Get out!"

Bobby heard the duffels hit the porch and the Impala drive off.

Castiel, upstairs, lay beside his charge, his eyes flashing in anger. It had not occurred to him that the father would use his sons as bait.

'Father, I want to hurt him.'

'No, my son. John will never learn, but Dean needs him right now.'

The angel trembled along with the boy who sobbed quietly.

'I will find a way, John Winchester. I will.'