Chapter 12

Sam looked at his brother as they pulled in. Watched the grin light his face when he caught sight of the family on the front porch. 5 year old Danny and his mother carving out a pumpkin. Dean climbed out and didn't have time to straighten before he was tackled with pumpkin guts and all. "Whoa, there, Champ."

"Dad, come look."

"I'm coming." Dean followed him up to the porch. Liz transferred the amulet from sticky boy to returning hunter. Kissed his mouth softly. "Hey beautiful."

"Shameless charmer." She set down the knife and turned the pumpkin to face him.

"Uncle Sam! Come look!" Dan put the candle in the pumpkin. Liz lit a match and carefully set the pumpkin aglow.

"Nice job." Dean nodded to the wicked smile on the jack o' lantern.

--

Liz sat next to him while he wrote in his journal. "I still hear them… its getting stronger."

"Cut one with some of your blood… did nothing." Dean paused but kept writing.

"You want to try his?"

"No."

"You don't want to know?"

"I'd rather not, thanks." He finished his entry and closed the journal.

"Did you say my prayers?"

"Sammy did, nothing happened." Dean polished off his beer. "He asleep?"

"Yeah. You tire him out." She smiled at him.

"I tire him out?" Dean snorted. "I'm exhausted. I keep thinking about my dad… Shit, when I was five, Sammy was one and I know… I don't know how he kept up with us both… and on the road…"

"Love. He loved you boys…"

"Must be it." He closed his hand over hers. "Sammy still up?"

"Yeah. His light's on. He have a final?"

"Midterms in a week." Dean yawned and stretched. "Let's hit it, yeah?"

"You getting old?"

"God, yes." He muttered and tucked his journal into his bag before wandering down the hallway of the little house. He checked the window in Danny's room, kissed the boy's head and joined Liz in the master. Stripping down, he fell onto the bed. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Just two weeks of Halloween wind-up."

"So… the wolfman wasn't his first choice costume?"

"No, his first choice was Frankenstein's monster, then it was Dracula and then finally the Wolfman versus Swamp Thing." She slid in next to him, tucked her pillow beneath her chin. "How'd the hunt go?"

"Same old, same old. Lingering spirits… poltergeists." He reached up and flicked the light off. "Glad to be home."

"Home?" She ran a hand up his arm.

"Yeah."

"First time you called it that."

"Shouldn't have been."

--

"This is Duke." Danny showed his father. "And this is Cobra Commander… and this is Scarlett O'Hara… and this is the Baroness. She looks like a geek but she's a bad guy."

"And what's this war about?" Dean studied the men on both sides of the fence.

"Cobra Commander is using genetic-enhanced soldiers to take down the U.S." Danny informed his father. "This cannot come to pass, sir!" He saluted. "The forces of Cobra will not prevail, sir!"

"Stand down, soldier." Dean tried not to laugh too hard. "And, hey… Granddad was a Marine, this Army Ranger phase better not stick."

"Was you a Marine, too?"

"Nah… too busy helping Granddad fight terror inside the homeland."

"Aunt Ellen says Granddad was a badass."

"Yeah, he was."

"Jo says that Grandad was a hottie."

"Ew." Dean shook his head. "No more hanging around Jo."

"What's a hottie?"

"Never mind what a hottie is." Dean swore under his breath.

"Come on… Tell me." Danny begged, abandoning his G.I. Joes to scramble onto his father's lap.

"Okay. Let me lay this out for you. Listen carefully… Mom… super-hottie. Jo… super-snottie." Danny giggled and bounced with glee.

"What about Aunt Ellen?"

"Ooh… that's getting into some uncharted territory. Aunt Ellen is what I call a Mama-Hottie… but she owns guns…" Dean clucked his tongue. "So… we'll call her a smokin' hottie."

Danny fell silent, his eyes on the amulet around his father's neck. He twirled it around between his fingers. "Safe." He stared at it. "How come you leave it with me if you're gonna be gone?"

"Cause the stuff I do is dangerous… but someone's gotta do it."

"Did Grandad go to heaven?"

"I hope so."

"And Grandmom?"

"Yeah."

"Mom doesn't talk about her mom and dad."

"Mom doesn't remember a lot about them." Dean ruffled his hair. "Go play. Stop being so serious."

He leapt down and resumed his battle against Cobra Command. Liz was standing in the doorway, arms crossed. "What?"

"He's a lot younger than you were at the same age. Don't go filling his head with goblins and monsters." She warned him. Then she took Danny's place on Dean's lap. "Or with hotties and snotties."

"You heard that, huh?"

"Yeah. I heard that." Liz picked up the amulet and yanked his face to hers. "Sam's got a girlfriend. Six weeks. You didn't hear it from me."

"What?"

"They broke up. Don't give him shit."

"Wait, he got a girl and lost her in six weeks and I didn't know?" Dean blinked at her. "What the hell?"

"You didn't think he was acting funny the last two weeks?"

"He's Sam. He always acts funny." He shrugged.

--

Dean tossed the ball. Danny missed. "That's okay. Toss it back, we'll try it again."

Danny picked up the ball and tossed it back, Dean had to lurch forward to catch it. "I suck."

"Not gonna happen. You got the blood of hunters and warriors in your veins. Just need some practice. We'll get you T later." Dean tossed it again. Danny made contact but the swing was weak and the ball only made a couple of feet.

"Dad… what's gonna happen when Uncle Sam finishes school?"

Had to cover the distance to get the ball. "Dunno. He'll get a job."

"Isn't he old for school?"

"Says the kindergartner." Dean backed up to get the right distance for the pitch.

"School's a tough job."

"That it is, my boy." Another swing, a tap.

"Dad… am I gonna get a brother like you did?"

"Dunno, kiddo…" Dean rescued the ball and thought about the last pregnancy test that Liz had taken. There was no room for planning in their lives but it was always a possibility. "We'll see what the future brings us."

"Hey Dad?" He swung and managed to hit the ball a good ten feet. Dean nodded his approval. "Did you ever do this with your dad?"

"Yeah… I did."

"The talking stuff, too?"

"Yeah, we hit the ball around and talked some."

"What about?"

"You know… boring stuff. Girls. Goblins. Cootie shots."

"What's a cootie shot?"

The End