The Family Business

Home from Spring Break

From Maggie's POV:

The next afternoon, the four of us were relaxing, having a conversation when the bunker door flew open. John and Hannah came rushing down the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants to hug everyone after being gone so long.

"Hey, you guys! Oh, it's so good to see you both! Did you have fun with Auntie Ruthie, Uncle Jim and Emma?" I asked, hugging Hannah.

"You bet, Momma! We had lots of fun! Emma and I went shopping, and I used that gift certificate you gave me for my birthday," she said. She showed me her newly-pierced ears, then ran over to show Andrea.

"I hope that was okay, Maggie," said Ruthie.

"Yeah, sure, no problem. I was hoping to take her to the mall myself, but it's been a little busy around here, I replied. "Thank you for taking her, Sis," I said as I hugged Ruthie.

John came towards me with his guitar slung over his shoulder. He carefully set it down before giving me a welcome home hug. "Hi, Momma," he said in greeting as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Welcome home, John," I replied back. "So, what did you do at Auntie Ruthie and Uncle Jim's this past week?" I asked

"Uncle Jim took me to the music store downtown, Presley's? Anyway, they had a guitar instructor there for the week, and he gave me a few pointers. Said I was a natural, and that I had some real talent," he gushed.

"Of course you do, sweetheart, you inherited that from your dad, no way you got any musical talent from me," I murmured.

Dean overheard our conversation and came over. "Don't let her fool you, John. Your momma has the voice of an angel, and she really knows how to dance," Dean added, winking at me.

"Sing something for us, Mom? Pleeeeaaaasssseeee?" John and Hannah both pleaded.

I shot Dean a dirty look. "Maybe later, my loves. Right now, why don't you head to the kitchen for a snack? Go on, get in there," I said, ushering them into the kitchen.

As soon as they were out of sight, I rounded on Dean. "Why in the world did you tell them I could sing? Now they want to hear me sing, and when they do, they'll wish they hadn't. I can't sing, Dean," I finished softly.

Dean opened his mouth to reply, but Sam stopped him. "Yes, you can sing, Maggie. I've heard you. I caught you singing in the kitchen a long time ago. Remember? It was that first Baking Day you had after you came here to live with us."

"Here's what happened. I was on a research break and had grabbed a cookie. You didn't see or hear me come in, so I just watched you and how much fun you were having. You were taking a tray of cookies out of the oven, turned around and saw me. You almost dropped the tray of cookies, because you were so surprised to see me. I said 'Nice music, nice voice'. You thought I was talking about Patsy Cline's voice, but I was talking about yours."

I thought back to that day, and any other time I had been in the kitchen singing. How many other times had I been caught and no one mentioned it? "Sweetheart, I also have heard you sing. It's like the kitchen just draws it out of you," Dean said, folding his arms around me. "The kitchen is a happy place for you, a safe place where you can be yourself. That's when the magic happens, my love," Dean explained, whispering the last part.

"All right, I will think about singing something later. Fair enough?" I asked. Dean nodded his head, winking at me. "What am I going to do with you, Winchester?" I sighed as I relaxed into his arms and laid my head on his chest.

"I can think of more than a few things, my love," he said as he chuckled. "Later," I whispered.

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