Jensenfan1978's playlist


MusicPlaylistRingtones
Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Supernatural Death Note Chapter 1

Authors: Lady Laran and Tisha Wyman Warnings: Bad language, violence, and some sex. Spoilers: My favorite show is Supernatural. Anyone who knows me will say I am almost obsessed, unless they happen to be Laran, who knows I am. Laran loves Death Note. We both love to write. Never in our wildest dreams did we ever think we'd be writing an alternate universe/crossover between the two. What started as a several chapter story has turned into a novel The story had a life of its own. This saga begins towards the end of season 4 and before L truly got involved with the Death Note. This is a story of healing, family,friendship, humor, and horror. We do not own either show or its characters, but I'd take Dean in a heartbeat. We make no money from them. Thank you for reading. Comments are highly appreciated.


Between Hunts


Dean put a key into the lock of the motel room door and opened it, carrying several bags.

Sam looked up from his laptop and stared at his brother for a few minutes. "You were gone a long time. You stop at a bar again?"

"No, Sam, I got food, and a few other things. This is the first time in months that we actually don't have a hunt. I thought we could relax a couple of days before we take another one.”

Sam looked unhappy at the thought. "Not if I can get a line on Lilith, Dean."

Dean placed the bags on the table. "We sure as hell can, Sammy. We've been going steady for months. You keep disappearing, and you don't want to tell me what's going on. That's fine if that's what you want, but we are taking a few days off. There's no argument. That means no angels, no demons. Got that."

Before a comment could be made, Sam's laptop screen shifted before going white. A gothic L was imposed on the empty screen.

“What the hell is that, Sammy? You been hacked? Tell me you aren't hacked? You're too good at protecting that thing."

Sam stared at the L wondering what had just screwed up his life even more.

A computerized voice filled the air. "Dean and Sam Winchester, purported hunters of the supernatural, I am L."

Sam leaned back in disgust, staring at his laptop. Dean was leaning over the table, a look of shock on his face. “What the hell is an L?”

“He a detective, Dean. He is known world wide as one of the best. He's also very reclusive, and don't ask me, because I have no idea what he's doing in my computer.”

“He said we were purported hunters of the supernatural, Sammy. Who the hell does think he is?”

“The guy who hacked my computer, Dean.”

"There is a case where I have been summoned, but there are..issues where your expertise will be useful."

“Well, you think you know about us? Exactly what expertise are you talking about?
What issues, buddy?"

“Calm down, Dean, before he destroys my computer.”

"Both of you were raised to be hunters by a father who had issues with revenge. Said father disappeared about the time Dean was hospitalized after a car accident. Hospital records indicate that the recovery was astounding considering the staff had commented that the survival rate was incredibly low. Government records also show skills that are unusual considering you two have no military background. Need I continue or should I email the files I have on you two to your brother's computer?"

“There's no need to send the files. I don't know if the email program can hold it all. I know my laptop memory can't. Not on both of us.”

“What the hell are you doing, Sam? What do you want with us, 'L'?”

"I will send you the address of where the case is taking place. My subordinates will meet you there and give you the rest of the information required."

“No! I don't give a damn that you're some famous recluse. You want our help, we don't meet with your subordinates. We meet with you and talk to you. It don't work the other way, 'L'.”

"Impossible."

“There's nothing in this world that's impossible. I've seen it all. You meet us face to face, or no go.”

"The address has been sent. It would be best if the two of you took advantage of this opportunity. Your rooms have been reserved already."

“Turn the computer off, Sam. I'm not being ordered anywhere by someone who won't meet me face to face. I sure as hell am not taking orders from someone I don't know. Turn it off.”

“Dean, maybe it wouldn't hurt to see what he wants."

“He ain't gonna tell us, Sammy. I'm not going anywhere without knowing. I don't take orders from him. He's not Dad, Bobby, and when I have to, Cas.”

The voice responded back drolly. "I would hate to have to notify the authorities of your location. You two have accumulated quite a bit of a history that I'm certain that specific agencies would be interested in."

“That's cute. If I thought you had the clout, I might actually worry a little, but you see, the FBI told them we're dead. I think they'll believe the FBI, don't you.”

"I would recommend your brother checking his email. He will find a zip file. You see, Dean, I have a lot of clout with international agencies..including the FBI. The knowledge is yours to deal with. My subordinates will be waiting." The screen cut out, returning back to the normal desktop.

Sam went to email and found a message with no return address. His eyebrows raised a little. He looked at Dean who was frowning. He clicked on the email and found the zip file. Pulling up the winzip, he opened the file.

In the file was a very detailed dossier of the illegal activities the brothers had participated in, even going back to before Dean had picked him up at school. It was obvious that whoever had put this together knew how to research..and research well.

“Dean, over half of this is listed after our deaths.”

Sam could hear Dean swearing, he threw things for a minute, grabbed his jacket and left the motel. Sam heard the Impala back out of the parking lot, and shook his head. Dean must be heading for the bar again.

There was a soft ding from the email. This one would include the address that the two would need to get to the destination.

Several hours later, Sam heard the Impala. He waited to see if Dean needed help. The key entered the lock and Dean came in. Sam found no smell of alcohol, and he was angry.

“Where the hell did you go, Dean? We got the address in the email. It's a hell of a drive, too.”

“I went for a drive. Sam, we got problems. This guy has stuff on us that can get me the death sentence, and you can end up in prison for life, man. Maybe death too. There's pictures in there of us ganking monsters, man. They look human. He can hold this over us and use it against us for the rest of our lives.”

The address was for a city in Texas, large but not a well known one. It would be a long drive for the brothers.

Dean looked at the name as Sam pulled it up on map search. Dean sat down in a chair as he took in the Texas map.

“Sam, the last time we were in Texas, it was not real far from north central. Texas is massive, man. That's west Texas. That's desert, cactus, mountains, rattlesnakes, tarantulas and nothing for hundreds of miles." Dean sighed. "He give us a time limit?”

There was an expected destination time which would give them time to get there..following traffic laws.

“Traffic laws? Aw, come on, Sam! The back roads in some areas want you to go 40. I can take some roads that will let us go a little faster then that.”

Sam nodded. "I know. Getting there early might surprise him."

“Getting there early wasn't my idea. I want to have time to stop and eat, sleep, watch a little television at night. Haven't had much time for that lately. I really needed these few days off. Damn it, Sammy.”

Sam shook his head, his mind on Lilith and Ruby, and what the hell was he gonna do when he needed it?

They were stuck though and had to follow through on this.

The week that followed was a total taste of hell for both of the boys. Dean was bitchy, nothing satisfied. He tossed and turned at night. He wasn't eating well. He didn't even drink. All he could think of was a lingering noose around his neck. This 'L' had them by the balls and there was no way out of it.

Sam was scared of facing withdrawals. He'd not been able to get hold of Ruby. He was panicking, not wanting Dean to know there might be problems ahead. He'd told Dean that nothing was going on that he couldn't handle.

When they arrived in the city, the directions guided them to a nice hotel. At the desk, an elderly gentleman was waiting for them. He was well dressed in a suit, but carried himself well..as if he'd had training in the past.

Dean reached for his wallet, wincing at the thought of the price for this place and no idea how long they would be kept there.

He nonchalantly asked, “How much?”

The gentleman shook his head. "Dean and Sam Winchester, I presume?" He was soft spoken, obviously educated.

“Yeah, we're them. You know this guy who brought us here?”

He nodded. "I am Watari. Please, both of you follow me. Your rooms have been paid for already by L."

Dean eyed the man carefully, unsure of everything in their situation. "Paid for?"

He nodded, giving a small smile. "Paid for, yes. Please follow me."

Dean looked at Sam and smiled slightly. Sam was sweating. “You okay, Sammy?”

Sam just nodded and said yeah.

Watari helped with the bags, leading them to an elevator. Once inside, his voice broke the silence. "L's team is here already. I shall introduce you to them once you are settled. Should you have need of anything, please inform me."

“What I need, is a hot meal, a hot bath, and a good bed. This has not been a good week.”

"Of course," he murmured. "If you will tell me what you would like, I can have the food ready for you once the introductions are complete."

“Okay, I want a steak, medium rare, baked potato with all the fixings, and a big piece of apple pie. A beer would be nice to go with it. Sammy?”

“I just want to sleep, Dean. I'm not hungry.”

“You haven't eaten much all week. That's not good. What's wrong?”

“I'm just tired, Dean.”

Dean frowned, worried about Sam.

Watari nodded, giving both a key card. "This is your suite." He opened the door,
depositing the luggage inside. "If you'll follow me, I'll introduce you to the team."

Dean knew they were both exhausted, he was hungry, no idea why Sam wasn't, and he needed a hot shower badly. He knew he wasn't ready to meet anybody at this moment, but he followed Sam and Watari down the hall.

The older male knocked on the door once, then opened it, leading them inside.

Inside the living room of the suite, there were computers set up. Each one in different colors. There was a red head on the couch, playing a game machine. Beside him, with a laptop on his lap was a blond munching on a chocolate bar. On the floor was a white haired boy, white computer in front of him and toys in his hands and around him. He looked the youngest of the trio.

Sam had walked in and was looking at the arrangement. Dean stopped in the doorway. "This some kind of joke?"

Watari shook his head. "No joke. These three are part of the team."

“Okay, now that we've seen the nursery, where's mommy and daddy?”

A soft voice from a doorway within the suite answered Dean. "Dean Winchester would be wise not to underestimate them." Standing inside the doorway was an unkempt figure. Dark hair, longish, flowed messily over the pale skin of his face and shoulders. He was tall but slumped in a careless crouch. He wore a long sleeved white shirt and jeans, no shoes. There were smudges under his eyes, which were dark in color.

Dean was angry and frustrated. “Look, I'm tired, dirty, hungry, and my brother is acting like he's sick and he's not talking about it. I'm being blackmailed by a bastard who won't meet me face to face. We had no case and were planning on a few days off. We never get that chance. I've driven over a 1000 miles to get to the middle of nowhere to meet with the diaper patrol? What the hell do they know about demons, monsters, and how to kill them?”

The blond stared at him. "It depends on your definition of a monster, idiot."

"Mello," came the quiet voice. "Enough. You two must be our guests. The blond is Mello; the one beside him is Matt." The goggled boy waved half heartedly. "The white haired young one is Near."

“And you are?” Dean was gritting his teeth.

"I am Ryuuzaki," was the soft answer.

“Please tell me you're the leader and I don't have to deal with kids? Kids don't always take orders. When hunting monsters, your life can depend on that.”

"I am and the boys will follow orders. They have been trained since they were small to fulfill certain purposes."

“Well that's just dandy. I hope they fill your purposes completely. Keep them out of mine. If we are having a debriefing now, then tell us what's going on. I have three things I want to do tonight. The fourth I will do if you tell what's happening here. Sam and I hunt with other hunters once in a while, but we mainly hunt as a team or alone. People who don't understand what we go after will get hurt if they try. I won't be responsible for kids. If I have to keep an eye on them, and I will if they tag along, I'm gonna get myself hurt or killed. I am not in the mood to do that again.”

There was the press of a gun against Dean's back and another at Sam's. The blond and red head had moved without the two noticing and had done so quickly. Matt's voice was soft, holding a smoker's rasp."I wouldn't discount us so quickly. Each of us have had been trained in combat since we were old enough to walk. L has said we work together because he wants to know the truth of things. So we work together."

Matt never saw it coming. Dean moved and was down under him in a roll and came up holding the boy's gun at his temple, a knee across his throat. Sam had made no effort. Dean looked at his brother in worry. “Okay, you may be good, boy, but I was trained by a United States marine starting at age 4, and raised my brother from that age on. I've seen shit you have no idea exists. If your 'L' wants to know that things exist, he sends adults. I'm not getting myself torn to pieces again. Not because I have to keep an eye on kids. Ryuuzaki, tell them to back down. I don't want to, but I can hurt him. This crap goes on and I will. Sam, you're on your own in this. Drop the gun, kid.”

There was the cock of a pistol and a monotone voice was answering Dean. "Dean Winchester may have been trained by a former Marine but Near can guarantee that Dean Winchester cannot dodge this bullet." It was aimed right for the spot between his hazel eyes. "Near suggests that Dean Winchester regains calm and listens to Ryuuzaki. If Near recalls correctly, L's orders must be obeyed or both Dean and Sam Winchester stand to lose a great deal."

“If your 'L' is so smart, he would let us do our job and leave. I can not do the job if kids come along. I won't. It's a risk and I can't take it.”

Ryuuzaki answered. "It is not your choice to make but his."

“Look, just tell us what is happening. Let us do the research. If it's a simple salt and burn, the kids can come and you'll have your info. We have the most dangerous job on earth, okay. Our minds have to be alert every second. We can't worry about other people. We have each other's back and go for the kill. We kill, and it's not what you want kids to see. I promise you that. You taught them how to fight, shoot a gun, and research. Awesome! Send them after what they are trained to go after. What we hunt is not human, okay? Horrible things can happen if you aren't alert. I won't be alert if they come. I won't be able to not be worried about them and keeping an eye on them. It will get me killed or worse.”

Ryuuzaki took a seat in a chair, crouching in it. "Impossible. Our orders are clear. Matt, Mello, stand down. Once they have rested, I will explain things further."

“Well, Matt here can't stand down. I have his damn gun. You might tell Near here to stand down. It's beginning to itch. Don't worry about rest. Let Sam go back to our suite. He's not looking good. Okay? I'll handle this for the time being. Let's do it now. I'm not going to be getting any rest in the near future.”

Dean looked at his brother, his eyes showing the fear and panic he wouldn't let the rest of him exhibit. Sam was acting strange. Not himself at this point. Dean wanted him to get some rest.

Ryuuzaki stared at the pair for a moment. "I was not under the impression your brother was ill." Matt moved a second later, flicking a lit cigarette lighter under the arm holding the gun.

“I wasn't under the impression he was either. I've been cut and burnt a hell of a lot worse than that, boy. I'm not letting go of the gun. The gun between my eyes is getting rather tiresome, Ryuuzaki. I suggest you pull him off now. Or I might let this lit lighter make me squeeze down.”

Near's voice was soft. "Not until Dean Winchester lets Matt go."

“This is a Mexican stand-off, Ryuuzaki. Your boss didn't do his homework. Anyone will tell you, after what I've been through, I don't give a damn any more.”

Ryuuzaki picked up a lollipop, unwrapping it studiously. "I believe you will find that L ends up earning extra credit. You have a die hard attitude. However, you are acting illogically because you do not have all the information and chose to come in 'guns blazing' in regards to attitude. Let the boy go. I will share information but only when you have calmed down enough to assimilate it properly."

“I never drew a weapon on anyone, Ryuuzaki. I just told you that I can't have kids on a hunt. The way I work, I would not be able to keep my mind on the job and stay alive. You understand that? Your 'kids' here, drew guns on us. I disarmed one. Now I have another on me. You show good faith and remove them. I'll talk, but not with them holding guns. I will not disarm until they have. First rule of combat, you never do that.”

Mello had moved back to the couch, picking up his chocolate again, while Near simply laid the gun back onto the floor. The white haired teen played with a lock of his hair, eying this newcomer.

Dean removed his knee from Matt's neck, uncocked the gun and slid it across the floor to Ryuuzaki. He stood up and walked towards his brother. Shaking him, he hissed at him, “What the hell is wrong with you. You act like you're on something or coming down off.....” Dean looked into Sam's eyes. “What are you taking?”

Mello looked at Ryuuzaki as Matt headed back to his game, lighting a cigarette. "You didn't say he was a drug addict."

Dean turned and looked at the two. “You didn't say?” Dean walked to Ryuuzaki. “I want to talk alone. Let Sam go lie down, send the geek squad on an errand.”

Dark eyes looked at Watari, who nodded and called for the three teenagers to come with him.

"Watari, would you take Sam back to our suite?"

"Of course. Come along boys, you can help me get him settled."

"Thank you. "Dean watched them leave. He turned to the other man. "I think we have some sharing to do here. A little honesty, a little story telling."

"Sit please. I have coffee and tea available. My subordinates tend to be a bit defensive, especially when their skills are called into question." His voice was mild.

“Yeah, well, they're kids. There's a lot you don't know about us, L. Things that were never in the papers or written down anywhere. I'm gonna open up here because of who you are. You want to know what's out there? I'll tell you. Hell, I'll show you. But it's you and me at this point. If we need others later, so be it. I'll tell all you want to know and then some right now. Deal, L?”

He stirred his tea with his lollipop after adding a lot of sugar. "You assume a great deal in calling me by that name." There was no insult at all.

Dean took a cup of coffee, drinking it black. He watched the other man as he sat down on a chair. “I'm not assuming anything. You are very eccentric in the way you act, dress, sit, and even the large amount sweets you are taking in. The kids drew weapons trying to enforce your orders. You don't act like a subordinate, or even how I would have acted with my dad. No, you're L. I won't tell anyone, but I can think pretty clearly. Especially when I feel like I'm in a trap and trying to find a way out. I want honesty, here.”

He blinked, shaking his head. "You believe I am L just from my mannerisms? The boys are well trained to follow orders. L has given me jurisdiction. His face is never seen. However, this is no trap."
“I know I asked for honesty. I took L to be an honest man. The boys did what they did out of loyalty to you. I have a feeling that L is seen a lot, just not as L. Is Ryuuzaki, your real name, L? You see, they're kids, and this is a very dangerous situation if I'm not mistaken. L would not leave them in the hand of another in that situation. I think he's like me in some ways. He has to keep an eye on kids, even if it costs him his life.”

He gave him a lopsided smile. "A mark in your favor. The boys are my heirs. They have been working with me to gain them more experience as a detective. And no, Ryuuzaki is a name I won."

Dean's smile broke through, the laugh lines around his eyes showing. “Thank you. I will just call you Ryuuzaki for the time being. If L is heard and not seen, I'm not gonna change it I'll tell you the Winchester story you haven't heard. You know about deaths, car wrecks, and stuff, You think I'm a killer. Well, in some ways I am but not like the police know it. Inspector Henrikson found out but he died. He set it up that we were killed. He was gonna work with us. Where do you want me to start?”

"From the beginning," he answered, sipping his overly sweetened tea. "I do not believe that Dean Winchester is a murderer. I do believe there is something that he is hunting. Before now, I have not acknowledged anything can exist beyond our senses."

"I wish I could say that. I'll go back before I was born because I got to go back in time and see my parents before they married, and met my grandparents. I met a demon, I would hunt for several years. His name was Azazel. We didn't know his name then. He was known as the yellow-eyed demon. My grandparents and my mom were hunters. That surprised me, because I didn't know. In a battle with the yellow-eyed demon, who had possessed my grandfather, my dad was killed. Mom made a deal that he could come into our home ten years from then. Azazel brought my dad back to life."

L set the teacup rather hard in the saucer. "I beg your pardon?"

Dean looked up at him. “What?”

"Demons?"

“Most of the things that go bump in the night are real.”

"Illogical," he murmured. "Please continue."

“The supernatural is not logical. Six years later, I was born. Four years later, Sammy was born. When he was six months old, Azazel came to the house. Mom found him standing over Sammy. He forced her up a wall to the ceiling. She ripped open and caught on fire.” Dean's voice broke when he said it. His eyes closed.

A plate of chocolate cake was slid over to him. L was listening with keen interest.

Dean took a slice of the cake, and murmured that it was good. “My dad handed Sammy to me and told me take care of him, get him out. He didn't know that I'd seen what happened to mom. I didn't talk for over a year. Dad went kind of crazy. He found out about the world of hunters and what they hunted. He kept a journal. He ruined our lives. We never finished a year of school in the same district. Sometimes there were more then ten schools in one year. Sometimes he left us with other hunters...Pastor Jim and Bobby Singer. Those were the only times of normalcy. I raised Sam, making sure he had a childhood. I didn't have one. When Sammy got out of high school, he got a full ride at Stanford. He and dad had a fight and Sammy left. I didn't he see him for a couple of years. He never answered the phone the couple of times I tried to call. I quit calling. Dad, well, he raised us to be soldiers. He was a former Marine and he taught us hard. When Sammy left, Dad didn't want it to be the two of us and he walked out. I hunted on my own til Dad disappeared. I was scared, to tell the truth. With Dad really gone, I had nobody, so I went after Sammy.”

The detective listened quietly, munching on snacks and sipping his tea. "A very demanding person."

“He left his journal for us when we followed his trail and took out a woman in white. Sammy got her in a way. Dad sent us coordinates for a hunt in Colorado but Sam wanted to go back to Stanford. He had an interview for law school and his girl wanted to make sure he was there. He was thinking of marrying her. Her name was Jessica. I dropped him off, and left, but something didn't feel right. I saw the flames when I pulled back up. Azazel did the same thing to her he did to Mom. Sam became obsessed with revenge...just like Dad. We hunted Wendigo in Colorado. Dealt with a water spirit and I was able to help a kid who saw his dad killed by it. He wasn't talking either. We finally caught up with Dad looking for the colt.”

L nodded, following the tale with interest.

“Sam had split up with me earlier, wanting to go after Dad in California. He met a girl named, Meg who tried really hard to separate us. She wanted Dad and the colt because it kills unnatural things. Dad wanted it to kill Azazel. She was human but possessed by a demon. We had some run-ins with her. She set a really good trap. They had Dad but we found him, killed her brother. We threw holy water on Dad and he seemed fine. We hid in this cabin we knew about. Dad wasn't mad that Sam didn't kill Azazel when he had the chance, and that's when I knew it wasn't Dad. Dad and I got into it after that. I ended up against one wall and Sam against another. He didn't hurt Sam and I never questioned it. It never occurred to me that he would hurt Sam. He all but killed me. Tore my insides up bad. Sam shot him, and Azazel left his body.”

“Sam got me into the backseat of the Impala and Dad into the passenger seat, and that's when an 18 wheeler semi hit us. I remember waking up in the hospital, but I was having an out of body experience. I was dying and had a reaper on my tail. Sam began to notice things and thought I was hanging around. He had Bobby take the Impala to his yard and he went out and bought a Ouija board. I laughed at that, but it worked.”

“Dad knew I was dying. He made a deal with Azazel. He gave Azazel the colt and his soul. He said good bye to us and told me I might have to kill Sammy. He died.”

L frowned, sipping his tea. "So your family has a bit of an issue with this demon."

"Yeah, we did."

"So, beyond demons, there are other things within the non-human area?"

“Yeah, Strigas, vampires, weyrwolves, shapeshifters, wendigos, women in white, water spirits, angels, well...the list can go on for hours.”

He frowned. "Then my suspicions were correct."

Grateful that Ryuuzaki had changed the subject off the Winchester history, Dean asked, “And they are?”

"I will explain momentarily but there is an area of concern I must bring up. Your brother. I hold some expertise in psychology, and he is exhibiting symptoms of withdrawal. Can he be trusted?"

“Withdrawals? From what?”

"I would venture to hazard a guess to say drugs but I am unsure. Your type of nomadic lifestyle would make that difficult." L listed the symptoms Sam was exhibiting.

“We were apart for about four months. He changed while I was gone. He was hanging around with a demon named Ruby. He's told me that I can't do the job the angels said I was supposed to do, that was prophesied. I had something really bad happen to me. I couldn't deal with the memories for a while. I was drinking way more then I normally do. It was affecting the job, I think, but I'm not sure. Some other things happened and it lined me out. I knew I would have to do what I was supposed to do. Me, not Sam. He's been pretty hostile about it. He wants revenge on a demon named Lilith. He blames her for what happened to me. It was my fault and mine alone, but it scarred him.
We're traveling together but he has gone to see Ruby and drives out demons that she tells him about. I've seen him do it. He's getting more powerful all the time. But he can't have a pusher. We are all over the country. I need to look at his cell.”

"I would. I would also be willing to volunteer Watari's assistance in helping him to dry out while we work on this investigation. My heirs are more than capable of assisting us. I would advise looking into his habits."

"I would appreciate the help in drying him out. I would really prefer to work with you. They may be really good, but they are kids. I can't keep up with them and do the job, whatever it is."

He held a slender hand up. "I would prefer utilizing their talents where we can. With your brother down and Watari attending him, we will need the additional manpower. They may not even be in a danger zone."

“I want you to keep them out of the danger zone.”

"I will attempt to. Mello..can be difficult but as far as physical fighting, he is the best of the three." He frowned. "First, before we get further into the issues, let me call Watari.” He gingerly picked up a phone and pressed a button.

“Ask him if he can send me Sam's cell?”

L gave instructions and a few moments later, Matt came in with a tray of food for Dean, as well as the cell. "Watari had to help him sleep."

Dean looked up. "How did he do that?"

The red head shrugged, handing him the cell. "Pressure points."

Monday, July 5, 2010

Interludes

Well, it's July 5th, and it's evening time. I have an early morning coming. I work 7-4 tomorrow. I will be dividing the new story into chapters and rewriting it as I post. This one is a Supernatural crossover/alternate universe story. I never thought I'd do one of these at all. My daughter loves anime. I'm not a big fan, but there are some I like. I love the characters of Death Note. We decided that there was no reason the Death Note characters have to die. There's no reason parts of season 4 and all of season 5 of Supernatural should have to happen. Why can't the boys face their past and deal with it, no matter how emotional it may be. For those who love John Winchester, I apologize. He's a real nasty guy in this one. I happen to love John, but this suited the story. It's a very long story and will take time to post it all. We are still writing the last parts. I hope you will all enjoy A Supernatural Death Note.

A Supernatural Christmas Carol Chapter 19

Authors: Lady Laran and Tisha Wyman Warnings: Bad language and violence. Spoilers: Season Five - so if you’ve not seen it, be warned a few things are a bit weird.Disclaimer - We do not own Supernatural nor A Christmas Carol. The show is owned by Eric Kripke and the book is by Charles Dickens. Neither of us has rights to this nor have we earned anything by doing this. We’re just doing this for fun. Oh..we also don’t own Christmas at Ground Zero or any other carols that might be mentioned. This is a story of healing, family, humor, and horror. Sounds like a typical Thursday night on the CW. (Of course, the CW has gone bonkers and moved them to Friday nights. We will see.)


Christmas Night


Dean had enjoyed watching the little girls with the angel. Cas had done so well. It just drew them all closer. His thoughts turned towards the big meal for the day and how he was going to get past his family to be able to see it through.

"I am going to get dressed and put a ham on."

"I'd say the surprise for the girls was a success," Bobby answered.

Castiel looked at his brother. "Do you need help?"

"Thanks, Cas, yeah."

He rose from his seat, waiting for Dean to dress so they could work on getting the ham started.

Dean came back and headed to the kitchen, grateful that Bobby wasn't after him again about doing. Dean had to do. He took a large ham out of the fridge. It was still cold and he was glad. He turned the oven on. Mixing, mustard, honey, and horseradish, he made a glaze. He coated the ham and tried to lift the heavy roaster. Cursing under his breath, he realized he was still too weak to lift it. Drunkenness, whether intended or not, can make a mess out of a man, he realized. "Cas, I could use some help here. I can't seem to lift it."

Castiel, who had been watching him put the ingredients together, lifted the roaster easily. "Odd mix of ingredients, Dean. It smells different."

"It's good. You won't taste the horseradish. The mustard and honey will glaze it really well and form a nice crust. The horseradish just adds a little bite to it."

The angel put the ham into the oven, closing the door. "Should we work on anything else or have to wait for the ham for a while?"

“Wait awhile. We will probably just eat a light lunch. “

"That sounds good."

"Yeah, it is good. Haven't had it in a long time. Seemed the right time."

He nodded. "I am interested in trying it then."

"I think you'll like it."

They went into the living room and noticed that everything had been put up or arranged somewhere. Dean sat in his chair. "Thanks, Bobby."

"Thank Sam, he did all the heavy work."

"No, thank you for not yelling at me for cooking, or taking the trash out."

He laughed. "Dean, I knew you needed a few moments after getting the pendant, and Cas was with you. As for the meal, Cas has no idea how to do that and it's your first Christmas dinner to cook. Just promise to let Cas and Sam help, ok?"

"I will, Bobby. I promise."

"Good, now what do you say we break out a game or something to keep us entertained?"

"Sounds good. What other games did you guys get? Unless Sam would rather play with his computer. He's got to be wanting to."

"I do but family is more important. Let's see...we have scrabble and a few other board games. I also found a card game online called progressive rummy that sounded like fun."

"I like card games, so sure. What do we need?"

"Pad and pen. I'll grab the cards. We'll need to shuffle a few decks together. Cas, can you get Bobby comfortable near the coffee table?"

Dean wondered what game required several decks of cards. Might just be fun. He grabbed a pad and pen.

Once they were together and seated, Sam went over the rules and handed out the rules and card points for them.

Dean looked at it. "Rummy can be fun?"

"I think so."

"Okay." Dean grabbed some of the cards and started shuffling.

Castiel read over the rules one more time as Sam set up the paper for score keeping.

Dean took a little time. The cards were new. He soon had three decks shuffled well.

"All right, deal and let's play."

Soon everyone was having a fun time with the cards. Dean discovered that this form of rummy required skill. He liked it.

The others were enjoying too, occasionally nagging each other when a card was bought that someone else needed.

When round 13 came round, the game was tied between Dean and Cas. both had incredibly low hands.

Bobby was shaking his head. "How is this one possible?!"

Dean grinned. "What a poker player and angel winning at rummy? It ain't over yet."

"I am sure it will be soon, Dean," replied Castiel.

Dean laughed. "Like this?" He laid his cards down. "Gotcha, Cas!"

Bobby threw his cap at his son, shaking his head while Castiel looked at Dean. "Again."

"You want a rematch?"

"I think so, Dean. Someone shuffle and deal." Sam was laughing as he added it up. "Dean wins but there's a five point difference between him and Cas."

"That close?"

Sam nodded. "Yup."

"Man I thought we were tied at the end of 12. So Cas was ahead?"

"Like maybe a few points."

"Have to be more then a few, Sammy. No one goes down. He had to have a halfway large number."

He handed the pad to Dean to take a look. The two had been really close for most of the game. Bobby was shuffling while they discussed it.

"Cas was in the lead?"

"Yup. You got him good."

"No wonder he wants a rematch." Dean was laughing. "Okay, Cas, you're gonna get your rematch."

Bobby dealt the cards, laughing to himself. He liked this game, as frustrating as it was.

Dean was helping to shuffle the cards. " I think that, if we play this much, we need one of those automatic shufflers. This is a hell of a lot of cards."

Sam nodded. "Definitely."

The game was about halfway through when Dean lifted his head, sniffed, and got up. "I need to get the rest of the meal going. Coming, Cas? Back in a little bit, guys."

The angel rose, following Dean into the kitchen. "What are we going to prepare?"

"Well, two types of potatoes for one thing. I want to try something different for a vegetable. I thought about making butternut squash. You cut it in half, clean it out, and put butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon on it. You bake it on the other rack in the oven. I'm going to clean the Idaho potatoes, cut them up, put them in a pot and boil them. Don't peel them. Put sweet potatoes in another pot, whole. Boil them. that's it for now. I figure we have time to do a relish tray also. There's olives, cheese, raw veggies, and I can put some eggs on and devil them. Not sure it's all needed."

"If there is extra, we can snack on that." He found the potatoes and began scrubbing them. "You can start the squash as I do not know how much of each spice to put on them."

Dean walked into the living room for a moment. "Guys, I was wondering? We are gonna have a lot of food. Ben had plans with Marie and the girls. Think we could invite Jacob, Seamus, and Trudy to dinner?"

Sam rose. "I have no problem with it, honestly. I can go with Bobby and invite them."

"That'd be great. Jacob's gonna be staying with Bobby and be seeing us. I kind of think of Trudy and Seamus like grandparents. Don't know that I could ever say that to them, but I sure do like them."

Bobby laughed. "They're very sweet. Come on, Sam, let's invite them. What time should I tell them to come, Dean?"

“Give us about an hour. I'll be pulling the ham out in a little while to sit. The squash is going in and the potatoes are on. We're making a relish tray."

"All right." The two disappeared to send the invitations.

Dean got out a bottle of wine, some orange juice, lemon juice, and spices. He started heating the wine slowly with the juices and the spices in it. He put eggs on to boil. The squashes were cut in half, seasoned, and put in the oven.

Castiel had gotten the potatoes done, and on the stove, both the regular and sweet kind, before heading to slice cheeses for the tray.

Dean washed baby carrots, broccoli, and celery. He cut the florets off the broccoli. Getting a sharp cheddar, he began to grate it. He opened a jar of chopped pimiento and got the mayonnaise out. The three ingredients were mixed and stuffed into the celery. Taking out a sweet dill relish, he left it on the counter with the mayo. The eggs had come to a boil. He turned them off and put a lid on them, "Muttering something about hating green eggs." He pulled up a stool and sat down on it. "Grab you one, Cas. We got a few minutes."

Bobby came back in alone, called out, and Dean joined him, leaving Cas in the kitchen. "Trudy, Jacob, and Seamus agreed. Trudy is bringing desserts, something from Ireland, and Jacob said he'd bring some rolls and drinks."

Dean sighed a grateful sigh. "I just realized hadn't made a damn thing for dessert. That's a relief. I was trying to figure out when I'd find the time to slip rolls in the oven. There's not any room right now. Thanks, Bobby. Where's Sam?"

"Working on a chore for Trudy actually." He chuckled. "She just asked please and he melted like chocolate on a stove."

"She does have that way about her,” Dean chuckled. "Can't blame him. I can't say no to her."

"She's a sweetheart that one. Reminds me of my mother."

Dean smiled. "Sometime, I'd like to hear about her."

"I'll show you pictures next time you're at the house, I promise. She was a stubborn woman but strong."

"She helped shape who you are, Bobby. That's special."

He gave him a small smile. "Thanks Dean."

“Well, Need to check the food." Dean headed back into the kitchen. "Sam is doing something for Trudy. Bobby's back. They're all coming. Jacob's bringing rolls and drinks. Trudy is bringing dessert. Irish of some kind. I like that." Dean checked the white potatoes. They were done. He drained the potatoes, got out salt, pepper, butter ,milk, sour cream, shredded cheddar, and potato toppers. He mashed the potatoes and then added milk, butter, and seasonings. Using a fork, he whipped until the potatoes were smooth. He added the sour cream, cheese, and the toppers.

"What can I do?"

"You can drain the sweet potatoes, carefully cut off the ends and, peel them. Add butter, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Whip them like I did the white potatoes."

Dean ran cold water over the eggs. He gently crushed each one and shelled it under the water. He cleaned the sink, then halved eggs lengthwise. He took out the yolk and mixed it with sweet dill relish and mayo. Refilling the eggs, he sprinkled paprika on them. He opened the oven and took the squash out and sliced it. He place it in a large bowl. The ham was ready. Dean leaned in to lift and carefully put it on a hot pad on the counter. It never crossed his mind that he could lift it again. He got a large fork and a sharp knife and carefully sliced the ham and placed it on a platter. "People should be here pretty soon. Hey, Bobby, I think we'll move the dining table into the living room and set the food on it. We got paper plates, if you don't mind. Save on dishes."

"Like I'm going to care, less dishes means less of a headache later."

Castiel started to work on the sweet potatoes. Sam came back in a short time later, humming.

"Hey, Sam, would you help move the dining table? The thing isn't that heavy, just massive."

"No problem." He started to work, pushing the couch out of the way to make sure there was enough room.

Dean left the kitchen and met Sam in the dining room. "It's gonna take two to get it around the corner. Cas, is doing the sweet potatoes. I thought it'd be easier to have it in the living room and put the food on it. We're using paper plates today. Less dishes. Are ya'll gonna get mad at me for doing this?"

"Works for me, keeps most of us from being busy." Sam stared at his brother and the table, shaking his head. He worked with Dean to get the table and chairs in, then afterwards set a few of the oil lamps on the table. Bobby rolled up and stared at the brothers.

"Dean, what the hell are you doing?"

"Too late, Bobby, it's already done. I like what Sam has done to the table." Dean looked at Sam for help.

"Well, it's not real Christmassy but it's warm and the food should be good."

"The important thing is friends and family, right?" He looked at his brother.

"Oh yeah." Dean smiled a huge grin and headed to the kitchen to bring out the food. He stuck his head out. "They should be here any minute, right?"
+
"I think so. She was getting it together when I left and damn, did it smell good."

"Really? What is she bringing?

"An Irish Chocolate Cake."

"That sounds good. I like chocolate."

He laughed. "A little bird informed her of that."

"Really? That shouldn't have mattered. Should have been something she thought everyone would like. But it's nice."

"It's chocolate, Dean. Practically everyone loves it."

"Yeah? You want gingerbread. Cas wants anything sweet. Bobby prefers pie. Well, so do I but when it's chocolate, well. Anyway, it sounds good." Dean laughed and Sam knew then he was teasing.

"There's gingerbread here too," he grinned.

"Yeah, and that was what I was gonna serve. Forgot about dessert."

"You can still serve it. I can eat both." He goosed his brother as they set up the chairs.

Dean laughed. "Your wish is my command."

Sam grinned and then set the table so Dean wouldn't have to.

Dean set gingerbread and whipped cream on the counter. He took a taste of the sweet potatoes. Cas had done a great job. "Let's all go sit down and wait for our guests. Everything’s ready."

There was a knock on the door just after Dean had said that.

Heading to the door, Dean opened it, saying, "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," the trio chimed to him.

"Come on in. Dinner's ready." He reached for the plate Trudy was carrying. "Here, let me take that for you. Sam, will you get everyone's coats and hang them. Cas, you want to help Jacob. Trudy, Seamus, why don't you go join Bobby?"

Cas and Sam had moved to do just that, listening as the chatter filled the room as Bobby greeted their guests.

Dean placed the cake with the gingerbread. He started grabbing food and putting it on the table.

Once Castiel had finished, he worked to help Dean put the food on the table.

The food was all on the table, when Dean brought out the paper plates. "It's ready, everyone."

Sam helped Trudy into her seat while Castiel assisted Seamus. The woman smiled at Dean. "This looks delicious."

"Thank you. Cas helped. He's quite a cook."

"A recently discovered talent," the angel replied as he took a seat.

Bobby took the head of the table, with Trudy at his side. Everyone was soon seated.

Jacob watched, obviously new to the whole family style meal.

Dean put a little of everything on his plate, passing everything to Jacob on his right. "Try some of everything,... little at first. Go back for seconds on what you really like. Works great that way."

He nodded, doing just that. Castiel, having overheard the instructions, did the same.

Soon everyone was eating and chatting like old friends. "Trudy, I never did ask. Where do you guys live?"

"South Dakota, actually."

Bobby and the boys grew quiet. "South Dakota?" Dean looked surprised. "What are you doing down here?"

Seamus chuckled. "My Trudy got an itch to see the ocean and while I was looking up places to go, we found out about the Dickens on the Strand. The rest, as they say, is history."

Bobby smiled. "Kind of the same story for us. I was trying to teach the oldest idjit over there a little culture. I'm from South Dakota. The boys are also when they aren't working."

Dean stared at Bobby. "Idjit? I knew who Dickens was." He was grinning.

"I think he meant Cas," Sam said with a grin. Trudy gave a soft laugh at that.

"Now that would be a nice change. He's always saying that to me...or you are, Sammy." Dean grinned.

Cas paused as he was about to take a drink. "I am not an idiot; I too am aware of Charles Dickens. It's just not something I have had time to read."

"I have Dickens at the house, Cas. I'll see to it you get the chance once things calm down."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Son."

Trudy smiled before taking another bite of her meal, watching the family interact.

It was discovered a short time later that the elderly couple lived in a town not fifteen minutes away from Bobby's.

Dean grinned. "Once things settle down, where Sam, Cas, and I are at home, we'd love to visit with you a lot, but I know Bobby would now."

"And we'd love to have you and let you meet the rest of the family. Children and grandchildren. We're a large group," she said with a laugh.

"We're not yet. He looked at Sam. Hope to be."

Seamus grinned. "I have a granddaughter that's single," he laughed as his wife nudged him.

Dean looked up from his ham. "The mechanic?"

"That's my daughter whose the mechanic, she's got three boys and all are rambunctious little lads.

No, Eileen is an artist and a very talented one at that."

"What kind of art does she do?"

"Eileen is a painter but she also does pottery."

"I'd like to see what she does sometime."

"She's got talent," Trudy said with a proud smile.

"What kind of stuff does she paint?"

"Anything that strikes her fancy, really. Landscapes, portraits..."

"Wow! Then she paints real things? I'd really like to see it."

Seamus chuckled. "If we had access to a computer and internet, Trudy could show you. Eileen has a website."

Dean grinned. "If the internet is running, we have laptops."

"That sounds good then."

"Yeah, it does."

Bobby, Sam and Cas were watching Dean curiously. What was he doing? An artist?

Jacob gave a soft laugh at the expressions on their faces.

Dean looked at them quizzically. "What?"

Bobby coughed. "You've never struck us as the artsy type."

"Careers aren't the whole thing, guys. Besides, I bet she's not the mechanic type either. But, I do woodworking and that is kind of artsy." Dean smirked.

"It'd take a special kind of man for our Eileen to be honest," Trudy said. "Plus she's got three brothers and a whole crew of cousins to go through."

Dean laughed. "I haven't even met her. If she was the right one, I'd go through them. Way things usually end up for me, we might be friends."

She gave him a soft smile. "You never know, right? She could use a good friend. Eileen tends to stay at home a lot, either with Seamus and me or her parents. She's deaf, so she doesn't feel very
comfortable with others."

"She read lips, or do I need to learn sign language or something?"

Seamus laughed. "She reads lips and can make herself understood quite well in several languages."

Dean grinned. "Right now, our job takes us on the road a lot, but we're hoping it will end soon and I will be helping run the yard."

"A good trade there, solid one that never runs out of work," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm good with my hands. One thing I can do right." Dean laughed softly.

Trudy scolded him. "I'm sure you can do a lot right."

"Well, some things I'd rather not have to do, right or wrong. I can cook, I can fix any vehicle, and I can work wood. I've not been very good with relationships."

Seamus looked at him. "No one is good at relationships, Dean. That's the great mystery to it. No one is good at them. You have to work at them every moment of every day."

"That's why I'm not good at them, Seamus. Right now, in my life, I don't have the time to work at one. I'm on the road all the time. I want one and I hope to have one some day. Just not now."

He smiled. "Then wait until you're ready and have the time to try. Until then, just focus on your goals and get to that point."

"Thanks, Seamus. That's what I plan to do. This Christmas was to get our family back on the right track. I think we did it. Added to it too."

"Honorary grandsons," she chimed in with a warm smile.

"That would be great! We don't have grandparents. Never knew ours. Sam, Cas, this is awesome!"

Sam grinned. "I think so too."

Seamus laughed softly. "Our house is lively during the holidays. All of our children married good Irish girls and boys, and all of them gave us a handful of grandchildren each. All of you would be more than welcome, that's for sure."

"Thanks, but not without Bobby. And Jacob. He's new to the family."

"As if we would leave out any of our family."

Dean grinned.

"In fact," the older man commented, "which of your brothers aren't trained in carpentry?"

"Ummmm....I am not sure about Jacob and Cas. Sam isn't."

Jacob and Castiel both shook their heads, and Seamus grinned. "It's a tradition that each grandchild comes to spend time with us and I usually train them in the woodshop to learn how to handle some of the tools. It never hurts for a man to be able to make some repairs around his home."

Dean grinned. He took a bite of sweet potatoes.

The meal passed with warm chatter, allowing the new family to learn about each other even more.

When the meal was over, Dean grabbed Sam, Jacob, and Cas. "C'mon. Let's clean this up fast so we can get back in here."

Jacob picked up the dishes and headed towards the kitchen, followed by Sam and Castiel. Trudy got up as well, wanting to help.

"Nope, it's kids' job."

She laughed. "All right, all right. At least I tried to offer."

Dean laughed as he carried food into the kitchen, looking for containers to put it in.

Sam was dividing up the leftovers so everyone could have some for later tonight or tomorrow.

"Thanks, Sam, for doing that." Dean turned on the water and got ready to wash pots and baking dishes.

Jacob had nudged Dean out of the way so he could wash, tossing the other a dishtowel.

Dean's brows went up. He grabbed the towel, grinned, and started drying.

Between the four of them, kitchen duty went by quickly. Castiel had started the kettle for tea, leaving Sam to figure out how to use the old style percolator for coffee.

Dean was feeling a little tired. It had been a busy day. But, it had been such a wonderful one. He decided he loved Christmas.

Bobby noticed it and decided he'd have Sam and Cas serve up dessert later. Once their guests were gone, they'd do their stockings and relax with a glass of wine or something.

Dean sat in his chair, leaned his head back and listened to the conversations around him, taking it all in.

The conversation passed idly, covering Christmas traditions back in Ireland to all sorts of things.

After a while, Bobby sent the two in to serve dessert and coffee.

Dean was almost dozing when Sam placed a cup of coffee under his nose. His nosed wiggled a little and his eyes opened. "Thanks, Sammy. Is that Trudy's cake? It looks awesome." Dean took his coffee and the slice of cake offered him.

"It is. Smells even better than it looks."

"I bet it tastes even better then it smells."

Sam handed out the small plates and beverages before sitting down to take a bite.

Dean had taken a bite and not chewed at all. His eyes were closed and his face had an expression of awe. Finally, he started to slowly chew. After swallowing, one word left his mouth. "Damn!"

Trudy blushed and laughed at the reactions she was getting from the group. She was happy they enjoyed her baking so much.

Dean ate the cake slowly, savoring every chew.

Bobby set his empty plate aside and sighed. "I'm going to have to get the recipe."

"I'll second that."

She smiled. "I'll write it down for you later."

Thank you. That would be great."

"You're most welcome."

Dean joined into the conversation. He went into the kitchen and looked at the mulled wine he'd made. He slowly heated it and put some into two thermoses to be taken home with the food. He went back into the living room and sat back down.

After a bit, Trudy gave a quiet yawn. "I think, boys, I'm going to rest. Thank you so much for having us."

Dean went and got the thermos and the food and brought it out in a large bag. He looked at Trudy and Seamus. "I'll walk you to your rooms. I want to check your fire and bring this stuff for you."

The elderly couple rose, Jacob as well, and donned their coats. "I'd better get back as well. Thank you for the invitation and the wonderful meal."

Dean headed back into the kitchen and brought out a bag for Jacob. "I want to thank all of you for coming. It made the day."

Sam, Castiel, and Bobby agreed.

Dean followed everyone out.

Sam and the angel got the living room back together and dishes done from the dessert.

Thirty minutes later. Dean returned. "Thanks for cleaning up, guys." He lay back in his chair. Sam came into the room and turned on the cd player and put the Pachabel Canon in D that Cas had bought Dean into it. The music started playing and soon Dean had relaxed and a soft smile was on his face.

"You three ready for stockings?"

A chorus of yeses followed the question . Dean yawned, "There's mulled wine in the kitchen."

Sam poured that for everyone while Castiel retrieved the full stockings.

Dean grinned. "Thanks, Cas."

"You are most welcome."

Sam returned with a tray of mugs. Everyone was soon drinking the wine. "Who's first?"

"I say Bobby," Castiel answered.

"Sounds good. to me."

Bobby began opening his stocking. There were two movies from Dean on top. The War Wagon and Ben Hur. “I haven't seen these in years!"

Dean grinned. Cas and Sam's gifts were next. At the bottom was a large, apple, an orange, some nuts, and a large candy cane. Dean, remembering his childhood, bought them. There was incense and other things from Castiel, which bobby definitely appreciated. Sam got him a couple of Tom Clancy paperbacks.

Bobby thanked them all with a warm smile.

"Okay, Cas, you’re next."

Castiel nodded and began opening his stocking.

At the top was a can of pick up stiks from Dean.

"What is this?"

“Well, it's a game. You hold the sticks in your hand and let them go. You have to get them out of the pile without moving another stick."

"Interesting."

"It's fun, Cas. Ah, go ahead and open the rest." Dean smiled.

He nodded and did just that.

Dean's other gift was on top. An MP3 player

"I could use this for music, correct?"

"Yeah, you can download off the internet onto the computer and put it on the player. Anything you like to listen to."

"I do not have a computer though."

"No, but I do. We'll go looking for music for you and fix you up."

"Sammy has a new laptop. I bet he'd let you have his old one to keep this charged and stuff. Doncha thing, Sammy?

"I'll get it set up for him and teach him how to use both before he goes on his quest again," answered the youngest Winchester.

"Thanks, Sammy."

"Not a problem," he smiled as Cas went on to continue opening his gifts.

Cas found the fruit, nuts, and candy cane.

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome, Cas."

Sam and Bobby said welcome as well, Bobby having given Cass a few pocket books.

Dean looked at Sam...."You or me dude?"

"Go ahead," Sam grinned, "but first, change places with Cas. Want you here when you open yours."

Dean frowned, feeling comfortable, but saw the look on Sam's face. He got up and joined his brother.

Dean opened his stocking. Castiel had gotten Dean a better pocket knife to carry.

"Wow, Cas, this is nice. Thank you."

"You are welcome, Dean." The next one was from Sam, which was an Ipod, charger, and adapter for the Impala so Dean could have his music.

Dean's eyes widened. "For my new music?" Sam nodded. "Oh man, thanks, Sammy."

"You're welcome, Dean." Bobby's gifts included music and a gift card for another music store.

Dean hugged everyone. "Thank you."

"Your turn, Sam."

Sam dug into his stocking with gusto.

At the top was an envelope. $100.00 in Starbucks gift certificates were inside it.

"Oh sweet! Hot chocolate here I come!"

There was a GI Joe Doll. Sam looked almost misty eyed at it.

"I owed you that one, Sammy, after we gave the sex change operation to the Barbie doll.

Bobby nearly spat out his wine. "You what?!"

"I... er...um...cut its boobs off."

"Dean..that leaves holes on the chest."

"Yeah but those were military wounds. GI Joe could handle those.”

Sam grinned, setting the toy carefully to one side.

Dean looked at Bobby. "Well, it's true, Bobby. Joe would get by a lot better with chest wounds then he would trying to cross dress. Much better to cut the boobs off."

He shook his head, covering his eyes.

"Come on, Bobby. He was six and I was ten I did the best I could. It wasn't a GI Joe. I had to do something with it.”

Bobby laughed softly. "You did good, Dean, honestly. Not many brothers would do that."

"You ever try to cut the boobs off a Barbie? Those things are rock hard."

He snickered. "No I can't say I tried that."

"Well, you don't want to. I cut a little hair off and glued it to the chest to cover the holes. I shaved the head and gave it a burr. John wasn't happy when he got home and found all his razors gone."

Sam blinked. "Was that what he was all pissed about?"

"Yeah. There was probably other stuff but it stands out in my mind."

He shook his head, fingers stroking over the toy. "Thanks, Dean."

"You're welcome, Sammy. Enjoy it. It's never too late to be a kid."

He smiled at that. "Get yourself one?"

Dean grinned. "Soon's I can drive around here, I will."

Sam grinned. "Works for me!"

"Yeah, me too. Hand to hand against the bad guys." Dean laughed. "Be fun."

"I think so!"

"Me, too, Sammy! We'll do it."

Bobby smiled to himself, watching the brothers interact.

Dean laid his head back and closed his eyes for a few minutes. He was soon fast asleep.

Sam yawned as well, quickly dozing off and using his brother as a pillow.

Castiel looked at both of them and Bobby swore there was a smile on his face. He looked at Bobby.

"This Christmas was what they needed. Even the hauntings helped them in the end."

"I think so," Castiel answered. "They will have new energy and zest in regards to facing what comes. Something the opposition will never expect."

“I believe they will trust and support each other now. Better then they ever have, Cas. They'll make it."

He nodded. "I know."

“It's an early time to turn in. I am tired. You think we can get the pallets made without them? Check the fires, ours and Seamus and Trudy's"

The angel rose, setting up the pallets and their fire before heading out to check on Seamus and Trudy's fire before it grew too late.

Bobby quietly went over to the boys. "Sam, wake up."

"Mmm..don't wanna."

"Just want you to get your brother and the two of you go to bed. The fire's done, and the pallets are made. Cas is checking on Seamus and Trudy. Let's go to bed, Son."

"Kay," he nudged Dean.

"Not now, Sammy. Tired."

Sam shook his head, trying once again.

"Bed time..bed ready."

"Don't wanna get up, Sammy."

He nudged him again. "Bed time."

Dean opened his eyes. "I was asleep. I really don't want to move. Comfortable."

"This is where Bobby sleeps. C'mon..pallet's ready. Tired too."

"Pallet?" Dean looked down. "Okay." He rolled off the couch onto the pallet. He pushed the blanket down, laid down, and pulled it back over him. He was back to sleep in seconds.

Bobby laughed to himself as Sam was at his side and sound asleep just scant seconds later.

Castiel entered and saw the two brothers, side by side, sound asleep. Sam's head up against Dean's neck. He stared for a second. He made Bobby's bed and helped him get into it since the boys were blocking a good portion of the couch.

"Bobby, Thank you. This has been the most unusual Christmas I have ever seen. It has also been the most wonderful. The family brought back together. The brothers are healed, or very close to it. Christmas was spent like it should be spent. Family and friends. Merry Christmas, Bobby. Cas blew out the lanterns. He lay down and went to sleep."

Bobby smiled to himself in the darkness. Granted, it hadn't quite been what he'd thought it would be with the odd snow storm but he wouldn't change this holiday with his boys for anything. Yup, the Winchester-Singer family was ready to face the world again..and tear it a new asshole while they were at it.


The End

A Supernatural Christmas Carol Chapter 18

Authors: Lady Laran and Tisha Wyman Warnings: Bad language and violence. Spoilers: Season Five - so if you’ve not seen it, be warned a few things are a bit weird.Disclaimer - We do not own Supernatural nor A Christmas Carol. The show is owned by Eric Kripke and the book is by Charles Dickens. Neither of us has rights to this nor have we earned anything by doing this. We’re just doing this for fun. Oh..we also don’t own Christmas at Ground Zero or any other carols that might be mentioned. This is a story of healing, family, humor, and horror. Sounds like a typical Thursday night on the CW. (Of course, the CW has gone bonkers and moved them to Friday nights. We will see.)


It's Christmas



The night went by quietly, the snow still coming down. Christmas morning dawned quietly. Dean slept through it all, cushioned in the love of his family, and Sam woke first.

Castiel roused afterwards, heading to put something together for breakfast.

Bobby stirred and looked around. He noticed that Dean was the last one up and smiled. He saw Sam building up the fire. He could hear Cas in the kitchen. Bobby decided that today was going to be a day of enforced rest for Dean. With Sam's help, he managed to get up without waking the older Winchester. He motioned to Sam about fires and pointed to the door and mouthed Seamus and Trudy. Sam grabbed a jacket and went to take care of them. Bobby went into the kitchen to see if Cas needed advice.

The angel read the box for pancakes and began making those for breakfast.

Bobby's brows raised. “ Does it explain about how long to cook before turning them?”

"It does," he answered, mixing the batter.

Bobby nodded. Sam came in behind them. He put on the coffee and the tea kettle. "Maybe I get to put a cup of coffee under Dean's nose today." He grinned.

"Were Trudy and Seamus all right?"

"They were fine. Exchanging gifts. They'd planned to spend Christmas here. They had wanted warmer weather." Sam smiled.

Bobby laughed softly. "Imagine so; I was expecting it too."

Sam smiled. They heard a groan from the living room. "You think his being so tired and eating so little could have really allowed that alcohol to get to him? He passed out, and Dean seldom does that. Me? Yeah, but not Dean. He may have a bad hangover if it did."

Cas turned some pancakes. "I've never seen Dean with a hangover, Sam. Will he be vomiting like you do?"

The older man hid the laughter when he saw Sam's reaction.

Sam poured a cup of coffee and headed to check on Dean.

"Find some Tylenol, Sam," Bobby called out, keeping an eye on Castiel.

Dean groaned again, holding his head. Sam laid the coffee on the table and went to find the aspirin. Dean moved into a fetal position, feeling slightly nauseous. Sam knelt down with the aspirin and coffee. 'You okay, Dean?"

Dean groaned about noises. "What the hell hit me?"

Sam's voice shook as he said, "Eggnog."

Bobby came out with a cup of steaming tea. "Cas suggested trying this before the coffee."

Dean looked in horror. "Tea?"

"Herbal. It'll settle your stomach."

Cas walked out with a half empty bottle of brandy. He set it on the coffee table and left. Dean looked at the brandy, his mouth open. Bobby's eyes opened wider and he bit his bottom lip and looked at Sam.

"Sammy, that bottle had four shots taken out of it. That was a huge bottle. Was my glass about two-thirds full of brandy? That wasn't a small glass, Sammy. You plastered me!"

"Umm..oops?"

Oops?" Dean tried to get up to grab his brother. He turned green. "Oh my god," he moaned. Bobby yelled at Sam, "Get him in there now, boy! He's not use to alcohol making him sick!"

Sam picked him up, taking him into the bathroom.

Dean was violently ill, cursing the whole time. Sam knew he was in for it. Maybe he had given his brother a little too much, but Dean really needed it.

He stroked his brother's back, trying to help him calm down.

"Damn it, Sammy." He kept feeling spasms in his gut. "It's Christmas morning and I'm upchucking what little bit I did eat yesterday!”

"I'm sorry, man."

"I swear I smell pancakes. I don't think I can."

"Cas is cooking. Try the tea, he knows his stuff."

Dean nodded. He stumbled into the living room and fell to his knees next to the coffee table. Even his coffee smelled bad to him. He shuddered. Sam handed him the tea. Dean wrinkled his nose and took a sip. It tasted like ginger and honey. It was soothing. He slowly sipped it.

Sausage was put onto the stove as well.

Dean started to turn green again. Sam handed him the tea. "Drink more, Dean."

Bobby nodded, coming back in. "It'll help."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to drink eggnog or coffee, or eat pancakes and sausage again," Dean whined.

"You will in a bit," he answered. "Finish the tea. It'll help. Sam, give him the aspirin."

Dean grabbed the bottle and began to shake out a dozen aspirin. Sam grabbed his hand and left three inthis palm. Dean was shaking , but he downed the aspirin with the tea. Cas brought another cup.

Dean reached for it without complaining.

The hunter sipped the second cup of tea. He laid his head on the table.

Bobby looked at the brandy bottle. "Damn, Sam."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be more careful next time."

"I think you could have killed him. I've never seen him this bad. Now I know he was bad when Cas brought him back. That was expected,but even then he wasn't like this. Yeah, be careful. Cas, fix him some oatmeal. I want him in feeling better for the tree. He likes butter, brown sugar and syrup, right?"

Castiel heard and began to fix the oatmeal for Dean.

No, just honey on it, please."

"All right," he called back.

Dean tried to sit up. He looked very pale. His eyes were watering. He handed his cup to Sam. "Could I have some more please?"

He nodded, heading to get him some more tea.

Bobby rolled over to Dean and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Once you get some food into you, you'll feel better, Son. I promise."

Castiel came back with a bowl of oatmeal and tea. "Here Dean, this will help you feel better."

Dean waited til the food and tea were set down. He didn't trust his hands to hold them. As he slowly ate the cereal and drank the third cup of tea, he began to get some color back into his face.

The rest of the meal was brought in for the family.

Dean paled a little when he smelled the food but it wasn't as bad as it had been earlier. He began to crawl to his chair. Sam helped him up and got him settled. He closed his eyes and listened to the chatter.

Castiel did bring him another cup of tea to help fortify him further.

Dean whispered, "Thank you." His voice hoarse from being sick. As everyone chatted quietly, Dean's voice was finally heard again. "Merry Christmas, Guys."

"Merry Christmas, Dean." Sam looked unhappy at having messed up.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah Dean?"

"Bobby's right. You can be an idjit. But you're still the smartest idjit I know. It was a major screw up, but I am going to survive. Don't worry, I'll get even. When you least expect it." There was a hint of the old Dean in there somewhere. Sam's heart lightened.

"I still love you, Sammy." Sam felt better then.

"Let's get this cleaned up. The tree and stockings are waiting." Bobby was impatient.

Castiel began moving the empty plates into the kitchen to be washed. It was good to know that the two were back to normal again.

Dean started to get up.

Sam pushed him to sit down gently. "We'll take care of it."

Dean looked into his brother's brown eyes, sterner then he'd ever seen them. He didn't think he could fight and win at this moment so he sat back and laid his head back. It was down to a dull throb now.

The two got things cleaned up quickly, coming back in to share the morning with Dean and Bobby.

Sam moved the coffee table over near Dean. He and Cas sat on the floor. Cas near Dean and Sam handling the packages. Bobby thought he would use the couch to put his things. Cas had the trash bags for paper.

"Everyone ready?"

Dean's voice perked up a little. "Yeah, Sammy. Let's go for it. One at a time. I want to watch everyone open."

"Who goes first?"

"Stockings or presents?"

"Let's save the stockings for the afternoon," Bobby suggested.

"Then just grab whatever is out front and work around. Doesn't matter if someone gets two in a row. Don't forget the big stuff on the hearth. Cas and I both set one there."

Sam exchanged batteries in the player, put some music on and chose the first gift, which was Dean's.

Dean looked at the package. "It's from Bobby." Dean started opening the package.

Bobby smiled, watching as Dean opened his gift.

Dean finished opening the package, handing the paper to Cas

A book on card games was in the package. Dean grinned. "Thanks, Bobby. Cas, I’ll find one you can't win."

Sam snickered at that, handing Castiel a present that was from him.

Cas opened and found the backpack. His eyes misted a little. "For putting my things in?"

"Yup. It's military which means it'll last forever and take a lot of damage. Figured it'd be easier for you."

"Thank you, Sam."

He grinned. "You're most welcome."

Dean pointed to the bulky wrapped one next to the base of the tree in front. "That's yours, Sammy."

Like a little kid, he pounced on it, unwrapping it quickly to see what it could be. Dean watched him take out the WWII military jacket.

"Oh my god, it's fantastic!" Sam quickly tried it on, finding that it fit perfectly.

Dean was as excited as Sam over the his reaction to the gift.

"Very thoughtful gift, Dean. He's been using denim jackets for far too long." Bobby had been worrying about that.

Dean nodded. Contented that he'd given Sammy something that would keep him warm and that he really loved.

Sam grinned at him, hands smoothing over the material. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Sammy. Is there something from us for Bobby under there?"

He nodded, handing it to Castiel to give to Bobby.

Bobby looked at the large package from all three boys. He looked at them curiously. Unwrapping the package, he saw a large walnut frame with gold trimmed, dark green matting. The picture was a large photo of the three. The were all three smiling. Cas, smiling? Bobby did not notice the tears flowing.

Castiel tilted his head. "Is the present not a good one?"

"I'd say it was a very good one, Cas."

"Ahh..then why the tears?"

"Because he loves it, Cas."

That didn't make a lot of sense to the angel but if Dean was sure, then he'd be pleased.

"You okay, Bobby?" Dean whispered, softly.

"Yeah, Dean. This...this is just incredible. Thank you, boys."

They were all three grinning, ear to ear. They all told him you're welcome. The picture already said how much they loved him. He never knew how Sam had taken the picture and put it on a flash drive. He had braved WalMart and its photo center to have the picture made. He and Dean had bought the frame and matting when they had to go out once or twice during the week.

Sam laughed, pulling another present out for Dean. This one was from Castiel.

Dean opened the package and found a cd of Pachabel's Canon in D. He looked at Cas questionly. Dean did not know what the song was. He felt a little embarrassed and did not want to hurt his new brother. Sam caught the dilemma.

"That is a cd by Pachabel. From the looks of it, it's a Galway cd. Flute music, Dean, you'll love it."

"It's not Christmas music? So it's by the same guy, though? Something I can listen to all year round. Thanks, Cas. He's really good."

You are most welcome, Dean."

Dean saw the small box under the tree for Cas. He knew it was the cell. "Hey, Sam, can you get the small rectangular box down there for Cas?"

"Yeah, I can." he went and grabbed it.

Dean watched Sam hand the box to Cas. It was a simple phone compared to some but it was something Cas would be able to handle and with it was membership on their account. Castiel opened it, then stared at the two brothers.

Dean smiled. "You're part of the family,Cas. No more minutes running out. A good charger and one for the car. It will hold up better then whatcha got."

"This will definitely come in handy. Thank you, both of you." He was touched by their thoughtfulness.

Dean got up and walked into the kitchen. They could hear pots banging. "What the hell's he doing?" Bobby asked. "We decided today was his do nothing day. If you gotta pick him up, Sam, get him in here. Cas, would you see what he was doing and do it, please?"

Castiel rose and went into the kitchen. "What are you doing, Dean?"

"Making hot chocolate. I got cocoa, sugar, cream and milk. Won't take very long, and it will give everyone a restroom break or whatever."

"This is supposed to be your do nothing day, according to Bobby."

"Cas, this is nothing. I'm not working. I'm in one place. I'm not running. I'm putting a few things in a pot and I'm stirring . You can get the cups and saucers and you can even pour it and serve it. How's that?"

He retrieved the items in question, making sure to stick close so he could learn how to make this. Dean brought the milk just below boiling. He added the cocoa and sugar. He stirred as it simmered, allowing the cocoa and sugar to dissolve. When this had been done, he added the cream. He stirred 'til it was hot. Turning off the burner, he said, "All yours, Cas."

Dean returned to the living room and could see two very upset men. He stared at them. "I'm surprised he didn't send you after me, Sam." Before Sam could respond, Bobby huffed, "I did."

Dean sat down in his chair, and started laughing at the looks on their faces.

"I wasn't going to try to get him in this mood,' Sam said with a grin.

"So you sent Cas in to beard the lion in his den?", Dean asked.

"Pretty much," the grin grew wider.

Dean smirked. "I still reign," he joked.

Sam snickered, then sipped his drink. "Good."

"Thank you."

They finished their hot cocoa before Sam found a gift for Bobby. Bobby opened a gift from Sam and Dean. It was a thick, woolen bathrobe in a black watch plaid.

"Nice, mine was getting a bit old. Thanks boys."

They grinned. "Hey, Sam, that flat one right over there is for you."

Once again, he pounced, dragging it over to himself. Dean watched him open a leather bound edition of Chaucer.

"Oh awesome, Dean. This is great."

"You really like it? There's a gold plate to have your name engraved and then have it glued inside. I wanted to make sure it was the one you liked before I had that done."

"It's perfect, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Sam retrieved another package, this one for Dean from Sam.

Dean opened the package and started to removed the item inside. It was one of the books that Dean had mentioned he had liked.

"Steinbeck! Thanks, Sammy. I mean that." The gift was a surprise for the others. Bobby knew Dean had read some but not anything like Steinbeck.

Sam chuckled. "I'm glad you like it, Dean. Hopefully this will be something you'll enjoy later."

"Yeah, it will. Thanks again, Sammy."

Once again, he disappeared under the tree to pull another gift out. The gift was given to Cas and was from Bobby. The morning was passing quickly. There were still some gifts under the tree. Dean knew there were three from him. Cas had two for Bobby. Whatever Sam still had under there. There was one for Cas from Sam.

Castiel opened it to find the leather trench coat the two had gotten him. Castiel looked at the trench coat. and then at the boys. It looked a lot liked the one he wore and liked so much. The leather would prevent rain from bleeding through. It looked so good, he was almost mesmerized by it.

"Hey, Cas, try it on."

The angel stood, trying the item on, which fit perfectly.

"You look great, Cas."

"Thank you very much, both of you."

Dean was pleased. "Sammy that squat looking package on the side is for you."

Sam retrieved it, opening it eagerly. The six DVD set collectors BluRay edition of the entire Star Wars series...all six movies was in the box.

"SWEET!!!!"

Dean grinned. He thought, "Yes!"

It was obvious Sam was very excited about this. Another present was given to Bobby.

It was the gift of oils from Cas

"Nice to relax with, Castiel, thank you."

"You are welcome, Bobby."

A present was given to Dean, this one from Sam again.

Dean opened the gift and started to open the box that was inside. This one was the collector's edition of Sherlock Holmes novels.

"Wow! Thanks, Sammy. We talked about these. Did you mean it?"

"Of course. It'd be a great way to unwind, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it would." Dean was so excited that Bobby wondered what Sam was supposed to mean.

A package was handed to Castiel. This one was from Dean and Sam...some books that would hopefully catch the angel's interest.

Cas looked at some sci-fi and fantasy, a few histories, and a western. He looked at the back of each one and thought they might be worth reading. The boys had good taste.

Dean asked Sam to hand Bobby the box under the tree. Sam knew it was the books Dean had gone through and picked from both of them. They had both actually done this as he had added to it. Sam handed him the box. Bobby opened the heavy box. Inside were a number of leather bound books, including Zane Grey, a biography of Benjamin Franklin, some military histories of the WWII and the Civil War, and Isaac Asimov's I Robot series.

"Damn boys, these are great. I don't think I have any of these at home."

Dean sighed and did a high five towards Sam.

Sam handed Dean another box.

Dean opened the box and looked inside.

This time was collector's edition of Shakespeare's comedies.

"Wow! These are gonna be hard. They're the comedies? I'm told they're pretty dirty. Are they?"

Sam laughed. "Yup, they tended to be."

Dean smirked. He asked Sam to give Bobby the gift they had gotten at the liquor store. He told Bobby to be careful when opening it. Both boys watched Bobby's face as he opened the box and saw the Glenfyddich. Bobby, knowing the cost of the Scotch, stared at the boys in awe and said thank you.

Dean pointed to the large box for Cas. Sam handed the box to Castiel, who opened it. Castiel looked at the new clothes. None of it suits. He touched denim, flannel, wool, and the stretchiness of t-shirts. When he wasn't working, these would be nice.

He looked at the boys, "Thank you."

"Figured those would help you a lot," Sam said with a smile.

"They will be nice when I am not working."

He laughed softly. "We thought so too." He pulled another present out, handing it to Bobby. This one was a large one from Castiel.

Bobby was surprised by the weight of the package. He opened it and saw the whirlpool.

Castiel's voice was soft. "The chair causes some muscle tension. I thought that this would make things more relaxing for you."

Bobby's hands trembled. His voice was choked a little as he said, "Thank you, Cas."

Dean was looking. "Sam, is there just the thing for Bobby and that big one?"

"There's one last gift from me to everyone."

"Well, how do we want to do this?"

"I'd like mine to be last, if that's okay."

"All right. Give Bobby his, please."

Sam did just that.

Bobby looked at the printout. He put on his glasses and read it. "What did you boys do?"

He gave him an innocent look. "Do? Us?"

"It's from Santa, Bobby."

Sam nodded, wide eyed.

"Like hell it is. Do you know what these things cost?"

"Not more then a father's worth, Bobby."

Bobby blushed at that. "But still."

"Uh Uh, Dad, your sons got the right and the responsibility to take care of you. Blush. Be happy. The dang thing is gonna come while we're stuck down here. We contact them tomorrow and hold off on the shipping, Sammy."

"I'll do that after we finish the tree, Dean."

"They'll be open on Christmas? Huh. Well, the big one is yours. Enjoy, Sammy"

Sam grabbed the huge box, trying to figure out what it was before opening it. He only knew it was heavy.

"You gonna open, Sam?"

"I'm savoring the moment," he said with a grin. Bobby rolled his eyes, laughing softly.

"Sammy, open it," Dean said, laughing.

He ripped it open, reminding Bobby of an excited kid. The box had nothing written on the outside to even hint at what was inside.

"Okay." He opened the box carefully.

Bobby noticed how tense Dean was. What in the world had the boy bought his brother?

"No way!" His eyes were wide as he looked at what was inside.

Dean grew tenser. He was biting his bottom lip at this point. Sam pounced his brother, hugging him tightly. The older Winchester held on for dear life. "Thought you might be in need of something better then whatcha had, Sammy."

"Thank you so much, Dean."

"You're welcome, Sammy."

Bobby at this point interrupted, "Can we know what it is?"

"Brand new laptop with all the peripherals I need." He was beaming proudly now.

Bobby looked surprised. Dean bought that?

Castiel was smiling as well. It seemed that Sam had really enjoyed the gift.

"The guy said there wasn't anything it could need, Sammy. It's got all the memory, everything that any computer could hold at this time. I got the gaming one cause he said it would do everything a working machine can do plus have great graphics.

Sam continued to hug his brother. "It's absolutely perfect, Dean. There's nothing more I could wish for in a computer."

Dean was incredibly happy with that response.

"Okay, idjits, Sam's got the last gift to give."

"Aw, let us savor the moment, Bobby."

He laughed and handed out a small box to each of them.

Dean looked at the small box, suddenly nervous.

Bobby seemed surprised by the size and shape.

Castiel could sense a certain tenseness, not quite understanding.

"Sammy?"

"Open them, you guys."

Bobby held up the chain with the pendant on it. "This is beautiful, Sam. Thank you."

"It's called a Celtic Four knot," he told them as Castiel examined the silver pendent. "It represents friendship and love between people who are separate yet together. Like a family."

Dean held it in his hand, eyes closed. He stood up abruptly and walked over to Sam. He grabbed him and held on. Sam hugged him back, a bit taken aback by Dean's reaction to this. The older brother’s voice was rough when he thanked his brother.

"You're welcome."

Dean put the chain over his neck. He still held onto the pendant as if afraid it would disappear. "Hey, Cas, wanna help me haul this trash out?"

Castiel put the pendent on himself as well, a look of awe on his face as he pulled on his new coat to help Dean. Dean donned his jacket, and started grabbing bags of trash. With both hands full, he headed outside into the snow. The angel followed him, putting the bags into the appropriate bins.

Dean stood in the snow, his face looking up into the sky. Cas noticed the tears.

"What's wrong, Dean?"

It's not bad, Cas. You see, that pendant you needed from me? One Christmas, Dad didn't show. I tried to make a Christmas for Sam and I lied to him. While I was out stealing presents for him, I got the wrong stuff. I ended up giving him girls’ gifts. He found out about monsters and stuff. He'd gotten that pendant from Bobby for Dad. He gave it to me, Cas. It was the only real thing anyone had given me since Mom died and it was from Sam. Giving that to you was the hardest thing I ever did, and I felt naked without it. It meant Sam loved me. This told me he still does. It replaced that one for me. I just got all emotional is all."

Castiel's voice was awed. "It showed he loved all of us. If there was anything given to me today that proved that you three believed I was truly a part of your family, it was this." His hand pressed to the pendent.

"Exactly, Cas. I couldn't handle it."

He nodded, not saying anything to that. Sam had truly given the most important gift of Christmas this year.

"I was afraid it I stayed in there, Sam and Bobby might get the wrong idea. I had to get out a minute. Get these emotions under control."

"I would explain it to them though so that Sam does not worry as you know he will."

"Yeah, I know. I will when I go in."

Cas nodded, hand still over his pendent as if to verify that it was real.

Dean was still clasping his.

"All these millennia with my brothers and sisters..and I have never felt the closeness as I have with your little family, Dean."

Dean grabbed hold of Cas and held onto him. "I'm glad you're a part of it, Cas."

"I am glad I am a part of it too, Dean. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's go back in. I got explaining to do."

He nodded, walking beside his younger brother.

They headed into the house, Dean's eyes a little red and puffy. He walked back over to his brother and hugged him and whispered, "I love you, Sammy. Thank you so much."

Sam hugged him back tightly. "I love you too, Dean. Very much. And you're welcome. I'm glad you liked it."

"I want to apologize. It overwhelmed me. I couldn't get control. I had to walk away a minute."

"It's ok." His smile was soft, understanding.

There was a knock on the door.

It reminded me of when you gave me my pendant. That pendant was always proof to me that you loved me."

Dean turned as Cas went to the door, looking at Sam.

"This just reminded me that you still did. It meant so much to have it. I felt naked without my other one."

He nodded. "I know. You kept reaching for it."

Castiel gave a muffled 'umph' as he was pounced by two babbling three year old twins who were going on and on about Santa visiting them even in bad snow and had to tell Mr. Cas-man all about it.

Dean hugged Sam one more time and turned towards the twins, watching them with Cas, a grin on his face.

Bobby was hiding his face, snickering at the adorable sight. Marie was apologizing and trying to get the girls off of the downed angel, who was listening intently to the babble. By this time Dean was laughing softly, and he noticed Marie was wearing the earrings. They looked good on her.

Sam caught a picture of that with his cell phone, knowing that one would have to be printed and given to Bobby to put into an album.

"I'm so sorry," Marie apologized to the men. "They were so excited and had hit it off with Castiel last night. When they saw what Santa had brought, they insisted on telling their new friend about it."

"We'd like to hear about it," Dean said. "Come on in."

The girls giggled as Castiel stood, picking the two tiny ones up and moving to a chair near the fire place to sit down. They perched on his lap, telling the others all about what Santa had brought them.

Dean sat back, enjoying the picture before him, remembering all the work of the day before. Six of them had made this happen. He was so grateful for the work that went into those toys. He was grateful for Ben and Jacob and the tree.

Bobby was laughing as well. He hadn't expected Castiel to be so gentle or that good with children, even with his abrupt manner, but the twins had taken a strong liking to him. Before the twins left, each of them were treated to sticky kisses on each cheek before skipping out with their mother to play with their new dollies.

A Supernatural Christmas Carol Chapter 17

Authors: Lady Laran and Tisha Wyman Warnings: Bad language and violence. Spoilers: Season Five - so if you’ve not seen it, be warned a few things are a bit weird.Disclaimer - We do not own Supernatural nor A Christmas Carol. The show is owned by Eric Kripke and the book is by Charles Dickens. Neither of us has rights to this nor have we earned anything by doing this. We’re just doing this for fun. Oh..we also don’t own Christmas at Ground Zero or any other carols that might be mentioned. This is a story of healing, family, humor, and horror. Sounds like a typical Thursday night on the CW. (Of course, the CW has gone bonkers and moved them to Friday nights. We will see.)


Christmas Eve Mischief



Dean stopped when they neared the dining hall. "Is that Donald Duck singing?"

He snickered quietly. "Sounds like it."

"Well, has to be our little player. Bobby or Cas?" Dean was chuckling.

"Probably Cas, given his sense of humor." Sam laughed softly.

"Is that another poke at me? What the hell's gotten into him lately?"

"That or appeasing the little ones."

Dean grinned. "Yeah, has to be."

They went in to find the room lit by lanterns, music cheerfully filling the room.

People were arriving, bringing food and setting it on the table. Dean saw the tree. It was huge. Walking over, he slowly strolled around it. "How'd Ben get this done in so short a time?"

Ben walked behind him. "It's from the sitting room. Jacob and I carefully rolled it into here. You like it?"

"It looks great," Sam said with a smile. It was magical in the room.

The twins arrived and ran towards the tree looking for presents. Bobby rolled up behind them and told them the presents would be upstairs in their rooms in the morning. The mother looked surprised.

"Santa comes tonight, sweet ones," Trudy told them with a soft laugh.

Dean wasn't sure if anyone had told her so he kept quiet. Ben began introduce everyone.

It wasn't a large group but each of them were nice people.

Ben walked up and told everyone the food was ready. The ice-cream was in a glass bowl, setting inside a red one filled with snow. There were sandwiches, chips, dips, candy, and cookies. Someone had brought soda, and Cas' cider was in a punch bowl. There was also a pot of coffee.

Jacob had also brought in fruit juice for the twins in special cups just for them.

Everyone filled their plates and sat at the decorated tables. Dean found a seat near Jacob. "How you doing, man?"

"It's been an enjoyable time. Ben has treated me nicely despite everything."

"No one could blame you, Jacob. Ben said you were having a rough time. We'll be around a while, if you'd like to talk. I've been through some stuff and it's easy to fall into self blame. I do know that. I'm available. I know Sammy'd be too. We'd like to be friends."

His voice was sad. "I'd appreciate that."

"Good. For now, enjoy Christmas like it's supposed to be. Have a good time. Over eat. Try everything. You don't get to see this very often. I know I don't."

"No, this is the first Christmas I've ever celebrated."

"Well, enjoy it to it's fullest, my friend. It's the first of this kind I've had in 27 years."

He smiled at that. "It's a great home."

Dean smiled back. "Yeah, it really is. I'd like a to have a home like this some day. Fill it with a wife and kids."

"You'd be good at that, I think."

"I'd like to think I would be. Sam always thought I hated kids. I avoided them. Mainly...well, because it was easier then wanting them all the harder. A kid dealing with a water spirit changed my mind. He saw something as bad as what I saw when I was four. He didn't talk. Me neither, for almost a year."

He winced at that. "Poor child."

"He's gonna be okay. Doing fine, last I heard. Thing was, I could reach him cause I understood."

"That's wonderful," he said, sipping his soda. "You and your brother really do make a difference."

"Nowhere near enough. There's just so much that needs to be done and not enough hunters to go around. Lost some good ones over the last five years."

"It's not always perfect, you just have to hold onto the ones that are positive."

"Yeah, that's something I’ve been learning lately." Dean took a sip of his coffee and ate a sandwich., raising his eyebrows. It was good. "Make sure you get some ice cream. Bet you never had this kind before?"

"What kind is it?"

"Snow."

"You can make ice cream from that?"

"Yup. You can. It's real good."

"I'll definitely have to try it."

"It's something you'll never forget, I promise."

He smiled and nodded.

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear the young mom is hitting on Sammy."

Jacob looked to see what it was Dean was talking about. In actuality the mother was wanting to meet Jacob and trying to talk Sam into introducing her. Sam, remembering that Jacob wasn't exactly straight, was trying to gently set her down and distract her.

"You know what, Jacob, sometimes healing can come in the strangest places. She likes you."

"She seems nice, but not exactly my thing."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "Women are nice, I suppose. I've never been attracted to them."

“Oh. Ohhhhh!!!"

Jacob gave a soft laugh.

"I had no idea, man. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I don't advertise it."

"Okay. Shame for her. She's cute."

"I think Ben is single."

"Yeah, he is. So's she, with two kids to raise. Now how do we do this?" Dean laughed softly.

Jacob nodded towards a doorway. There was a plant fastened there that was a bit infamous.

Dean stood and walked to the young woman. He looked at Jacob and nodded towards Ben. Dean asked the mother if she could help him with something, putting on his best Winchester charm. Sam was furious. Dean had promised no flirting. He saw Dean head towards the door with her.

Jacob leaned over, whispering something to Ben. The homeowner was quick to stand up to tend to the need of someone, heading to that doorway.

Dean pulled the girl out of the doorway, waiting for Ben and he gently pushed her into Ben, commenting on them being under the mistletoe. Dean walked away. Sam snickered, realizing what his brother was doing as Ben kissed the blushing young woman. As the kiss increased instead of quickly ebbing, Dean's walk got a little more cocky. He looked at Jacob and winked. Jacob chuckled. Seemed that this might work out after all.

Everyone started cheering and clapping. Dean grinned as he went to get some ice cream He fixed two bowls and brought Jacob some.

"I think we did pretty good there," commenting about the blushing pair.

"Yeah, I think she'd be good for him. He certainly would for her. Those girls need a daddy, too. Here, try some."

He nibbled on the ice cream, eyes widening. "This is incredible."

"Yeah, Bobby knows his stuff."

Jacob nodded, enjoying the cold treat.

"I definitely have to live where it gets cold. I like winter. I like Christmas like this. I want a lot more of them."

"Bobby's home, doesn't it snow there?"

"Yeah, it does. We plan to live there. He's been the dad we really never had."

There was a wistful expression on his face. "Must be nice."

Dean saw the look. "You know, we all talked about it some. You'd be more then welcome. Bobby always has room in his home and in his heart for another boy. You could start over up there. Find what you really want to do. The house as rooms I didn't even know existed."

"He offered it to me. I think it'd be a good thing as long as I'm not putting anyone to trouble."

"No. Sam and I are gone a lot right now. Cas is with us sometimes and following his own agenda at times. Bobby's there alone. He would welcome you and we'd be grateful he wasn't up there on his own."

Jacob smiled softly. "I'd like that."

"Great! Welcome to the family."

"Thank you, Dean."

"You're welcome." Dean looked at his watch. It was almost nine. The twins were dozing on a chair. Their mother and Ben were nowhere in site. Dean looked at the kids. He walked toward Sam. "I need your help, Sammy. You gotta pick a lock." Dean walked over and picked up both little girls.

Castiel took one of them after wiping stickiness from his own hands. He'd entertained the girls while their mother had spoken with Ben. Sam grinned and the rest of the group were smiling as well.

The threesome went to the kids' room. Sam picked the lock. Cas looked for the right room. They lit a lantern in the bedroom. Dean and Cas laid the little girls on the bed. Sam found their pajamas. Dean looked around. "Do they still need diapers, you think? Or do they have those plastic lined panties?" He was undressing one little girl and putting her into a nighty.

"I think it's the plastic lined ones. Honestly, I'm not sure." Sam looked baffled.

"See if there's anything in the drawers over there. We got to have something."

Sam found some of the lined ones, bringing two out. "Feels strange doing this," he laughed.

"No....," Dean's teasing sounded nervous. He took off the panties and put on the plastic lined ones. He turned and saw that Cas had dressed the other child. They put them into bed and covered them. Sam blew out the lantern.

They left the door open as Dean went and made a fire. 'I'll stay until Ben brings the mom home. Why don't you guys go back and be with everyone. You can help Bobby with the stuff and clean up. Hopefully, I'll be back before then."

Sam and Castiel agreed,heading out to get things together. Dean sat on the couch, and waited.

Ben brought her back after having coffee together, occasionally laughing at some comment. When they got to the party, she realized the twins were gone.

Bobby smiled. "They conked out so the boys put them to bed."

"Oh, I'm sorry to have been so much trouble."

"It's quite all right; good learning experience for them," he laughed.

“But men that age don't know about raising children. They are so independent nowadays."

"My boys want kids so it's good training."

She sighed. "But... they do need training." Laughing, she reached up and kissed Ben on the lips. “Until tomorrow with you and Jacob?"

"That sounds good," he answered with a soft blush.

Dean was half asleep on the couch when the girls' mother entered.

With a soft laugh, she nudged him. "Dean?"

He woke up slowly, rubbed his eyes, smiled, said a soft, "Hi."

"Thank you for watching the girls."

"No problem. Never took care of girls before. Just Sammy. Glad to be able to help."

She smiled. "I appreciate it a great deal."

"It's alright, honest. Well, I got to get going. Good night."

"Sleep well, Dean. Thank you for the idea of the potluck; it was wonderful and the girls had fun."

"You did too. You're welcome. Seemed like a good idea."

She gave a soft laugh. "It was."

Dean smiled, sleepily. Waved and shut the door behind him.

Sam and Castiel were waiting with a group, each of them carrying an item to get the room ready for the family.

"She's probably still awake. Is she supposed to know? Where did you get the tree? " the exhausted hunter asked, forgetting Ben's comments earlier that day.

"It's a small one Ben had; fake tree but it'll work." Jacob answered. "And it might be better to let her know so she doesn't freak."

"Yeah, I think so. Want me to go tell her. Or better, yet Ben should."

Sam laughed at that as Ben headed to talk to her.

The group slowly climbed the stairs with their burdens. They waited outside the door quietly.

A few moments later, Ben opened the door to reveal a tearful Marie and beckoned them in to set things up.

The small tree was set on a table in the center of the room. Soon it was decorated with garland and ornaments. A star was put on top. The presents were set underneath it. Dean placed the small box for Marie on top so she wouldn't miss it among the childrens'. "Santa's elves were very busy today," was his only comment as he smiled tiredly at her, and quietly left the room to find Bobby at the foot of the stairs.

"How'd it go?"

"It went great, Bobby. She was crying. We set the tree up on the table in the living room. Decorated it. We put the kids gifts down first. I set hers on top so she'll find it. I told her Santa's elves had been busy today. I didn't stay any longer, Bobby. Honestly, it's been a long time since I felt this tired. I fell asleep up there."

He smiled. "Let's get the room set up and get you to sleep."

"It'll be Christmas in a little while. I want to be up and see it come in. I used to do that when Sammy was asleep. After midnight, I'd go scrounging. Had to make sure he had a Christmas, you know. He never remembered. I know it hurt Sammy. I always lied. Said he'd come by for a minute but Sammy was so sleepy he didn't wake. He kissed Sammy, left the presents and had to go back to the hunt. At least Sammy thought he'd come. I don't know if it ever crossed Sammy's mind that he was the only one who got gifts." Dean sounded tired but he still laughed softly.

"It did, honestly. Why do you think I tried to make Father's day cards for you, Dean? After a while, it didn't take Einstein to realize who was going to all that trouble for me." Sam had heard his brother and wanted to reassure him.

Dean turned. "Damn it, Sammy, You told me about that card. I'm sorry I never got to see it. It still meant a lot to me that you did it. I never wanted you to know about Dad not showing, but you read his journal and found out that Christmas I screwed up so badly. That pendant has never left me 'til Cas needed it and I feel lost without it. It was and always will be the best thing I've ever gotten. I wasn't complaining or anything. Just remembering the past. This would be the first Christmas we've had together, Sammy, where I wasn't worried about taking care of your basic needs and wants, with nothing to do it with."

Sam gave him a hug. "Thank you for being you, Dean, and for taking care of me."

Dean hugged Sam close to him. "Thank you for just being you, Sammy. You've been my sanity for years."

Bobby smiled, watching them bond even more.

"Let's all go watch Christmas come in. Bobby, Jacob is going to move in with us. He said you asked. I'm glad cause I had asked too."

He's a good kid and has a long way to go to get to where he needs to be. I can help him with that and help him learn to like himself again."

"Yeah, that's something you're good at, Bobby."

Castiel and Sam both agreed as they headed towards their suite.

Dean headed towards the fireplace to rebuild the fire. Bobby watched him carefully. The boy had been running like crazy all day long. He looked at Sam. Sam came over. "Make some eggnog. Pour about a shot glass of brandy in ours. Put a couple in his. He's been hauling stuff all day. He hasn't been walking most places, he's been running, trying to make time for everything he had to do. We stopped for lunch but he didn't unless he snuck something for Seamus and him. That half a sandwich and the ice cream he ate tonight was all he's eaten since breakfast. The eggnog should hit him pretty good, and, yes, I know he can drink a sailor under the table. But, not exhausted, and on an almost empty stomach. Cas, you know how to build that fire? Let's put Dean down for the night after midnight. Get him into that chair and a major spiked eggnog into him."

Castiel went to build the fire while Sam made the eggnog and snacks for everyone, coming back with a tray full of goodies.

Dean and Cas were arguing over the fire. Bobby finally raised his voice and told Dean to sit down. Again, Dean froze when Bobby raised his voice. He quietly said, "Yes, Sir., and sat down.

Sam snickered, handing out the drinks once Castiel finished with the fire.

Dean looked up at Sam, a question in his eyes, but Sam couldn't read them. He stared at the drink. Finally, he took it and took a sip. His eyes watered and he looked at Sam with a very strange expression on his face. "You trying to get me drunk, Sammy? This could strip paint off my baby."

"You need to relax. You've been running ragged all day."

"We all have."

"You have even more," he murmured, settling in a seat.

Dean looked confused. He always did things this way, so why now?

Castiel tilted his head. "Dean, you tend to take everything on your shoulders and not utilize the family around you."

"Wait a minute, Cas. I utilized everyone today. I even utilized Seamus and Trudy. You got stuck with the cooking. Don't say I didn't utilize everyone."

He nodded. "You did, and we are still worried that you overdid it."

"Overdid it? Yeah, I probably did. I always do. It's part of the life I have, and I get used to doing things a certain way. It's quicker then having to tell people what needs to be done."

"Telling others how you would like to see things done is a good thing."

"You're right, Cas, it is. Did you see how much had to be done? If I had to take the time to tell everyone what would be a good thing to do, we'd still be doing it, Cas. You guys did a lot that I asked you to do. I'm grateful, but I couldn't explain what to look for in the snow in the amount of time it took me to do it. The breakfast, I just normally do when there's food, unless Bobby cooked it. It's habit. You have no idea what a bad cook Sammy is. Trust me. The woodwork, well, it's just a skill I have and it needed me. Running is just to get it done faster. Sam will tell you I can be lazy too."

"He can, but honestly, Dean...he's got a point. Sometimes, you do need to slow down. Yeah, I can't cook but it seems Cas can. Bobby can help supervise it."

"Look, guys. I said I'd try. I am trying. I'm 30 years old, Bobby. I've run things and looked out for Sammy for 26 of them. I’ve said this before. It's hard to give up habits. I'm not an old man. I did start watching what I eat. I've begun realize that my life can kill me, and I ought to laugh at that one. I'm just saying give me time, okay? Just...just..don't yell, okay?"

"We're not, we're trying to help, Son."

"Okay."

"Now, feel up to a reading?"

"Yeah."

"Choose a book, Son." He sipped his eggnog.

Dean got a mischievous look on his face and handed Bobby a very slender book.

Bobby looked at the book. "You're serious?"

Dean just smiled. He chuckled and began to read. Dean kept smiling and leaned back and sipped his eggnog, his eyes drooping, but alertly watching his brother and Cas. Sam laughed, recognizing the book immediately while Castiel was listening to the story intently. Dean slowly relaxed, enjoying the story and Cas' intentness. The story didn't take long to get through and it was obvious that Cas was enjoying it. Dean loved Cas' expressions as the story went on. He realized that it would have to be the new Christmas Eve tradition.

"I haven't heard that one in years," Sam said with a laugh.

"Saw the movie when I was in the hospital one time. The live action one. Not as good as the cartoon though."

"There's movies on this?" Castiel asked quietly.

Yeah, Cas. A cartoon with characters that look like in the book. The story stays strictly with the book. The live action story is different but still good. Just not as good."

"When power returns, do you think we could see it?"

"Yeah, I'll see about getting the live action one. I bought the cartoon version when we were out."

"Thank you."

Dean grinned. "You're welcome, Cas." He finished the eggnog, got up to take the glass into the kitchen. He was halfway to the kitchen when the dizziness hit. A hand reached out for something to grab hold of and found nothing. Sam caught him as he went down.

"It's about time," Bobby said.

Sam laughed. "Come on, let's get the pallets set up."

Cas and Bobby worked together while Sam laid Dean on the couch. The three of them fixed the pallets. Sam unclasped the belt buckle, unfastened Dean's jeans, and pulled them off him. Cas had his pajama bottoms. The two of them got them on him. Sam lifted him up and Cas took off his button down shirt. They worked together to get him onto the pallet next to Bobby. This time it was so Bobby would watch over him.

The family finally settled to rest, watching over and taking care of the older brother for a change.