Title: Rest Stop
Author: OXBastetXO
Rating: K
Archive: Please ask first
Status: Complete
Category: Drama/Humor
Summary: John Winchester finds that even a quick stop at a rest stop can hold a little more excitement than he and the boys were expecting.
Spoilers: None
Sequel/Season: Pre-series
Authors Note: I don't own them, CW does. I'm just borrowing them for while and promise to give them back when I'm done, though I might just keep Dean and the Impala little longer ;-)

Rest Stop

By

OXBastetXO

John Winchester stared at the vending machine and signed. How many times in the last few years had supper consisted of Fritos and Hershey bars? He could almost imagine the chewing out Mary would have given him, but there wasn't much choice from vending machines on the interstate at two in the morning.

John glanced around nervously. He would have rather they had kept to the back roads, but they were even more deserted in this stretch of country. With the gas guzzler the truck was they would have had to have lugged spare gas with them for the lack of open gas stations this time of the night.

He smiled a little remember Sammy's eyes light up as they pulled into the brand new glass and chrome rest stop.

"Flush?" the four year old quickly asked his older brother.

Dean smirked. "Flush. You think anything this new would have pit toilets?"

Sammy shook his head. "I bet it doesn't even smell funny."

Dean nodded, looking duly impressed. "I bet it doesn't, kiddo," the boy trying to sound much the sage at his ripe old age of eight.

John parked the truck in the deserted parking lot. "You boys take care of things and wash up while I get us something to eat."

"Peanut M&M's?" Dean asked quickly, his head wiping around to look at his dad.

John smiled. "If they have them. Sammy?" He looked at his youngest son.

"Skittles," the little boy said, bouncing impatiently beside Dean waiting for the older boy to climb out of the truck. Dean jumped down and Sammy bailed out after him and then on a dead run for the rest stop.

Dean shook his head and smirked at his Dad. "Kids," he said and then took off after Sammy, yelling for the little boy to wait for him.

John dug in his pocket and started counting out change.

"DAD!" Dean came running around the end of the building, dragging Sammy behind him, the young boy's Scoobie Doo Underoos half sticking out from the top of his jeans. It would have been funny if it wasn't for the obvious terror in the boys eyes.

John shoved the change back in his pocket and hurried to meet the boys. "What's wrong?" he demanded, quickly checking them for injuries.

"The bathroom is haunted!" Dean declared. "The toilets keep flushing on their own and the water keeps turning off and one with nobody doing it!"

Sammy nodded his head vigorously his dark eyes wide and frightened.

"Are you boys okay?" John asked and when they both nodded, he told them to stay put and he headed to check it out, pulling his .45 from the waistband of his pants. He checked to make sure it had iron rounds in it and then he headed into the Men's Room cautiously.

Bright florescence glared from the clean white tiling on the walls. The floor was tiled in a dizzying pattern of blues and greens. He eased past the sinks and watched, but nothing happened. He headed past the urinals and towards the stales. He cocked the pistol and cautiously shoved the door of the first one open. A toilet, but nothing else. He moved to the next, .45 held tightly. The same. He was just about to move to the third when he heard the whine of a small motor and then the toilet abruptly flushed. He swung the pistol around and watched the water swirl down in a rush. That's when he saw it…the small black box at the base of the water pipe going into the back of the toilet.

He gently released the trigger on the pistol and slipped the safety on and started to chuckle. The chuckle quickly dissolved into laughter as he slid down the side of the stall to sit on the floor, tears streaming down his face.

It wasn't long until a small worried face peeked around the edge of the stall. "Dad?"

John rubbed the tears out of his eyes and pushed himself up. "It's okay, Dean," he said, explaining to his son how the automatic flushing toilet worked. "It's not haunted. It's automated."

The boy's mouth formed an "O" and then he looked up at his father. "Sorry. Am I in trouble?"

"No, of course, not," he said ruffling the boy's hair.

Dean glanced warily at the 'possessed' toilet. "Is it safe to use?"

"Yes, it's just a toilet."

"Good, cause Sammy's about to pee his pants outside," Dean said, darting for the door.

John chuckled and ruffled the boys hair as he passed them heading back to the vending machine.

This life was never dull. Nope, not one bit.