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May. 1st, 2008 02:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
liptonrm_backupYay for Winchester Day! I'm not sure exactly when I'll be seeing the episode, either this evening or tomorrow, but it's still overwhelmingly For The Win!
It's also May Day. I guess it's appropriate that I'm still doing my spring cleaning, then, I suppose. Actually, it would be more appropriate if I were having sex in a field, or maybe dancing around a beribboned pole (huh, not much difference between the two, is there?). Seeing as neither of those things are going to happen, I guess cleaning will have to suffice.
And, since it's a beautiful day and a SPN one, at that, I bring a little more of my Bobby with a kid AU. Today's snippets expand a little on yesterday's, as well as offer a small taste of the future.
January, 1991
It was weird how much this greasy guy with a beard reminded her of her dad. He hadn’t said much since breakfast, at least, not to her. She’d told him her name, where she was from, that she didn’t have any family, and that had been all that she could physically say. After that her throat had closed off and he’d stopped asking her questions, almost like he knew that she couldn’t answer even if she’d wanted to. He’d been on the phone ever since.
She looked down at the dog who had his head on her lap. He didn’t look anything like her dog, Rocky. For one thing he was a lot bigger than her puppy. But she felt safe with him, just like she did with Rocky, like she could tell him her problems and he’d understand.
She swallowed around a lump in her throat and kept stroking his head. Bobby had called the dog Reagan. That was kind of funny, her mom hated President Reagan. She never would’ve thought that someone would name a dog after that guy.
She looked back down at the book on her other knee. The images blurred for a second but she blinked rapidly and they came back into focus. The pictures reminded her of what she’d seen in that book hidden in her grandma’s attic crawlspace. The words were in Latin, but that didn’t matter, the pictures were pretty descriptive all on their own. She’d paused on one that showed a person burning alive.
The phone in the other room slammed down and she looked up as Bobby walked in. “Just talked to the cops in Dearborn. They backed-up most of your story.”
Rachel stiffened. “Did you tell them where I am?” She had to go, she had to cause he had to’ve told them. Her dad would’ve.
“Nope, figured I’d suss out the rest of it before doing anything like that.” He sat down on the other end of the couch, his eyes level with her’s. He wasn’t talking to her like she didn’t understand what was going on. It was almost like he actually thought she knew what she was talking about. It’d been a long time since anyone had listened to her opinion on anything.
“My grandma’s book was like this.” She handed the book to him and he took it gently. He treated books like they were important. “It was smaller, and in English, but the pictures were drawn the same way. There was a bookmark in it and the section said things about burning error and sin out of people. There was a notebook with it and she’d written down lots of things in it about phases of the moon and ingredients.”
“So from that you figured that your grandma was a witch.” He gave her a level look, letting the words speak for themselves.
She shrugged and lowered her eyes to look at the dusty couch. She scrunched up her mouth and looked back up, looked him directly in the eye. It was true and it didn’t matter whether he believed her or not. “I don’t know if she’s a witch, but I know she used that spell thing to kill my family. I couldn’t stay there after I knew that.”
Bobby nodded. “I’m sure that’s how it looks from your end. ‘S’just a might queer, is all.”
“I don’t care how queer it seems, it’s still true. She hated my mom and she didn’t like that my dad stopped being a baptist and she wanted to set him straight so she did whatever it was that she did. She took them away.” Rachel stopped, her throat dry. They were gone, she tried so hard, but not thinking about them didn't bring them back.
Bobby nodded again, his eyes somber. “I believe you, girl. God help me, I do. But I have to have all my ducks in a row.”
Rachel blinked and nodded silently. He believed her. She’d never thought anyone would, it was too crazy. But this guy actually listened to her and believed her.
He set the book carefully on the floor and then picked up her bag and handed it to her. “Why don’t you go get washed up while I see about some grub. Bathroom’s down the hall on the right.”
Rachel nodded again and slipped past him. She stopped at the door and looked back. Bobby was standing by his desk, his head bent over another book. He really believed her.
~~~
Summer, 1991
“And then Han kisses Leia.” Sam blithely informed them from his perch off-stage from the carbonite pit they’d imagined out of a stack of old cars.
Dean and Rachel shot him identical looks of disgust. “Eeeww, no way.” They said in unison
“But that’s the way it’s supposed to go.” Sammy whined, his eyes getting extra big and bright.
“Don’t care,” Dean replied, 12 year-old arms crossed decisively across his chest. “I let you be Luke-”
“But you think Luke’s a big pansy.” Sam interrupted with a pout.
“-And I’m letting you tell the story but there’s no way you’re gonna make me kiss her.” Dean plowed on, oblivious to his brother’s inherent patheticness.
“Yeah, because it’s gross.” Rachel agreed, her fists planted decisively on her hips.
“Are you saying I’m gross?” Dean asked, his eyes narrowed.
“Yes I am.” She replied, matching him glare for glare. “I’d rather kiss the wookie.” She gestured at Reagan the Rottweiler who was laying down a few feet away, panting in the sun.
“I just bet you would.” Dean sneered.
“Fine,” Sam interrupted before the situation could devolve to blows, again. “How ‘bout we skip to the part where Luke and Darth Vader fight?”
“Cool.” Dean agreed, already backing down.
“It is pretty sweet when Luke loses his hand.” Rachel said and they all nodded in agreement.
~~~
March, 1995
The silence in the truckcab was deafening. Bobby refused to glance over at the kid sitting across the bench. If he did he was liable to say something he didn’t mean, start something he couldn’t stop and he was just rational enough to not layer one more damnfool action on top of all of the others that had made this evening one he wasn’t likely to forget any time soon. That girl had made him age ten years in less than a day, he was sure of it, ten years of worry and anger and fear that hit him so hard he was surprised he still knew how to breathe after it passed.
Plus, damn it, he couldn’t help the bare ember of pride he felt underneath it all. She’d gotten the job done as well as anyone he knew. She was going to be someone to be reckoned with, if he didn’t kill her himself before the night was through.
The truck rolled to a stop beside the house. Her door flew open and was slammed shut at the very instant that it was safe to get out. Bobby sat there for a minute and just breathed as she pounded her way across the gravel and into the house. She’d gotten so damn prickly the minute she’d turned fifteen. It was like a switch had been flipped in her brain and he wasn’t sure from one second to the next which side of her he was going to see. All her old tells had flat-out disappeared. Course, it didn’t help that she could still play him like nobody’s business. He should’ve known that something was up what with the way she’d been downright agreeable for over a week, all happy smiles and enthusiastic questions. Girl had played him like a fiddle and he hadn’t even seen it till almost too late.
He levered himself out of the truck and trudged towards the house. The door creaked as he opened it, sounding as tired and worn out as he felt. He wasn’t surprised to find her standing there, waiting for him with her arms crossed and a fierce expression on her face. This was something new and different too. Time was she would’ve worked to avoid a confrontation by all means necessary, and now here she was outright courting one. Well, what had to be done had to be done. There was no getting around it.
He turned and closed the door, making sure to lock each and every last lock and carefully check the salt line sealed into the crevices and cracks right behind it. He could feel her seething behind him and he left her to it. A little stewing never did anyone any harm, hell, might even give her time to think about how damn reckless she’d been.
He almost snorted. Yeah, fat chance of that.
He turned back around and faced her, taking his advantage and speaking before she could get a word in edgewise. “You’re grounded.” It sounded so reasonable when put like that, when he really wanted to tan her hide and lock her in her room until she was sixty. Hell, if he was going to be stuck raising this kid then he damn sure was going to raise her right.
“What?!” She squawked, eyes wide like this was the last thing she’d expected, like he was being the unreasonable one. “Because of me those people are alive and that ghost is toast. You can’t just ground me after all of that!”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.” He didn’t raise his voice one bit but there was real steel in it now. He meant what he was saying and he saw that she knew it, even if that mulish look was still pasted to her face. “You risked your life and the lives of all the people in that house just because you were stupid enough to think you could handle anything on your own. You lied to me, you lied to your teachers and you lied to that family. You all would’ve been dead if I weren’t nearly as dumb as you seem to think I am.”
She opened her mouth like she wanted to make some sort of argument, but under all of that teenage attitude she knew he was right and nothing came out.
“So, yeah, you’re grounded.” He continued in that same even, reasonable tone that brooked no arguments. “Your butt’ll be on that bus in the morning and straight on it again the minute the bell rings. No staying late with friends, no lurking around the library. I’ll have a list of chores for you to do every afternoon and you’ll do them all before you get dinner. When the weekend rolls around you won’t go haring off, you’ll stick around here and do whatever it is I think needs doing. And this’ll last for as long as I think it takes to get this all through your thick skull.”
Her eyes flashed with anger and rebellion for a long moment before her shoulders slumped in defeat. Girl was smart, she knew when she was beaten. Without the spit and vinegar to hold it up her head bowed and he could see the beginnings of a truly spectacular shiner swelling around her left eye. A surge of white-hot anger shot through him to see it. That ghost was damn lucky that nothing of it was left for him to come after.
“Go on, go take care of that eye before it swells shut. We’re done here.” She nodded quietly in response and made her way back to the kitchen. He slumped back against the door and forcibly restrained himself from banging his head against it. Teenagers were going to be the death of him, he was sure of it.
~~~
Much like Dean, I think I'm pretty damn adorable. *points at icon*
It's also May Day. I guess it's appropriate that I'm still doing my spring cleaning, then, I suppose. Actually, it would be more appropriate if I were having sex in a field, or maybe dancing around a beribboned pole (huh, not much difference between the two, is there?). Seeing as neither of those things are going to happen, I guess cleaning will have to suffice.
And, since it's a beautiful day and a SPN one, at that, I bring a little more of my Bobby with a kid AU. Today's snippets expand a little on yesterday's, as well as offer a small taste of the future.
January, 1991
It was weird how much this greasy guy with a beard reminded her of her dad. He hadn’t said much since breakfast, at least, not to her. She’d told him her name, where she was from, that she didn’t have any family, and that had been all that she could physically say. After that her throat had closed off and he’d stopped asking her questions, almost like he knew that she couldn’t answer even if she’d wanted to. He’d been on the phone ever since.
She looked down at the dog who had his head on her lap. He didn’t look anything like her dog, Rocky. For one thing he was a lot bigger than her puppy. But she felt safe with him, just like she did with Rocky, like she could tell him her problems and he’d understand.
She swallowed around a lump in her throat and kept stroking his head. Bobby had called the dog Reagan. That was kind of funny, her mom hated President Reagan. She never would’ve thought that someone would name a dog after that guy.
She looked back down at the book on her other knee. The images blurred for a second but she blinked rapidly and they came back into focus. The pictures reminded her of what she’d seen in that book hidden in her grandma’s attic crawlspace. The words were in Latin, but that didn’t matter, the pictures were pretty descriptive all on their own. She’d paused on one that showed a person burning alive.
The phone in the other room slammed down and she looked up as Bobby walked in. “Just talked to the cops in Dearborn. They backed-up most of your story.”
Rachel stiffened. “Did you tell them where I am?” She had to go, she had to cause he had to’ve told them. Her dad would’ve.
“Nope, figured I’d suss out the rest of it before doing anything like that.” He sat down on the other end of the couch, his eyes level with her’s. He wasn’t talking to her like she didn’t understand what was going on. It was almost like he actually thought she knew what she was talking about. It’d been a long time since anyone had listened to her opinion on anything.
“My grandma’s book was like this.” She handed the book to him and he took it gently. He treated books like they were important. “It was smaller, and in English, but the pictures were drawn the same way. There was a bookmark in it and the section said things about burning error and sin out of people. There was a notebook with it and she’d written down lots of things in it about phases of the moon and ingredients.”
“So from that you figured that your grandma was a witch.” He gave her a level look, letting the words speak for themselves.
She shrugged and lowered her eyes to look at the dusty couch. She scrunched up her mouth and looked back up, looked him directly in the eye. It was true and it didn’t matter whether he believed her or not. “I don’t know if she’s a witch, but I know she used that spell thing to kill my family. I couldn’t stay there after I knew that.”
Bobby nodded. “I’m sure that’s how it looks from your end. ‘S’just a might queer, is all.”
“I don’t care how queer it seems, it’s still true. She hated my mom and she didn’t like that my dad stopped being a baptist and she wanted to set him straight so she did whatever it was that she did. She took them away.” Rachel stopped, her throat dry. They were gone, she tried so hard, but not thinking about them didn't bring them back.
Bobby nodded again, his eyes somber. “I believe you, girl. God help me, I do. But I have to have all my ducks in a row.”
Rachel blinked and nodded silently. He believed her. She’d never thought anyone would, it was too crazy. But this guy actually listened to her and believed her.
He set the book carefully on the floor and then picked up her bag and handed it to her. “Why don’t you go get washed up while I see about some grub. Bathroom’s down the hall on the right.”
Rachel nodded again and slipped past him. She stopped at the door and looked back. Bobby was standing by his desk, his head bent over another book. He really believed her.
~~~
Summer, 1991
“And then Han kisses Leia.” Sam blithely informed them from his perch off-stage from the carbonite pit they’d imagined out of a stack of old cars.
Dean and Rachel shot him identical looks of disgust. “Eeeww, no way.” They said in unison
“But that’s the way it’s supposed to go.” Sammy whined, his eyes getting extra big and bright.
“Don’t care,” Dean replied, 12 year-old arms crossed decisively across his chest. “I let you be Luke-”
“But you think Luke’s a big pansy.” Sam interrupted with a pout.
“-And I’m letting you tell the story but there’s no way you’re gonna make me kiss her.” Dean plowed on, oblivious to his brother’s inherent patheticness.
“Yeah, because it’s gross.” Rachel agreed, her fists planted decisively on her hips.
“Are you saying I’m gross?” Dean asked, his eyes narrowed.
“Yes I am.” She replied, matching him glare for glare. “I’d rather kiss the wookie.” She gestured at Reagan the Rottweiler who was laying down a few feet away, panting in the sun.
“I just bet you would.” Dean sneered.
“Fine,” Sam interrupted before the situation could devolve to blows, again. “How ‘bout we skip to the part where Luke and Darth Vader fight?”
“Cool.” Dean agreed, already backing down.
“It is pretty sweet when Luke loses his hand.” Rachel said and they all nodded in agreement.
~~~
March, 1995
The silence in the truckcab was deafening. Bobby refused to glance over at the kid sitting across the bench. If he did he was liable to say something he didn’t mean, start something he couldn’t stop and he was just rational enough to not layer one more damnfool action on top of all of the others that had made this evening one he wasn’t likely to forget any time soon. That girl had made him age ten years in less than a day, he was sure of it, ten years of worry and anger and fear that hit him so hard he was surprised he still knew how to breathe after it passed.
Plus, damn it, he couldn’t help the bare ember of pride he felt underneath it all. She’d gotten the job done as well as anyone he knew. She was going to be someone to be reckoned with, if he didn’t kill her himself before the night was through.
The truck rolled to a stop beside the house. Her door flew open and was slammed shut at the very instant that it was safe to get out. Bobby sat there for a minute and just breathed as she pounded her way across the gravel and into the house. She’d gotten so damn prickly the minute she’d turned fifteen. It was like a switch had been flipped in her brain and he wasn’t sure from one second to the next which side of her he was going to see. All her old tells had flat-out disappeared. Course, it didn’t help that she could still play him like nobody’s business. He should’ve known that something was up what with the way she’d been downright agreeable for over a week, all happy smiles and enthusiastic questions. Girl had played him like a fiddle and he hadn’t even seen it till almost too late.
He levered himself out of the truck and trudged towards the house. The door creaked as he opened it, sounding as tired and worn out as he felt. He wasn’t surprised to find her standing there, waiting for him with her arms crossed and a fierce expression on her face. This was something new and different too. Time was she would’ve worked to avoid a confrontation by all means necessary, and now here she was outright courting one. Well, what had to be done had to be done. There was no getting around it.
He turned and closed the door, making sure to lock each and every last lock and carefully check the salt line sealed into the crevices and cracks right behind it. He could feel her seething behind him and he left her to it. A little stewing never did anyone any harm, hell, might even give her time to think about how damn reckless she’d been.
He almost snorted. Yeah, fat chance of that.
He turned back around and faced her, taking his advantage and speaking before she could get a word in edgewise. “You’re grounded.” It sounded so reasonable when put like that, when he really wanted to tan her hide and lock her in her room until she was sixty. Hell, if he was going to be stuck raising this kid then he damn sure was going to raise her right.
“What?!” She squawked, eyes wide like this was the last thing she’d expected, like he was being the unreasonable one. “Because of me those people are alive and that ghost is toast. You can’t just ground me after all of that!”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.” He didn’t raise his voice one bit but there was real steel in it now. He meant what he was saying and he saw that she knew it, even if that mulish look was still pasted to her face. “You risked your life and the lives of all the people in that house just because you were stupid enough to think you could handle anything on your own. You lied to me, you lied to your teachers and you lied to that family. You all would’ve been dead if I weren’t nearly as dumb as you seem to think I am.”
She opened her mouth like she wanted to make some sort of argument, but under all of that teenage attitude she knew he was right and nothing came out.
“So, yeah, you’re grounded.” He continued in that same even, reasonable tone that brooked no arguments. “Your butt’ll be on that bus in the morning and straight on it again the minute the bell rings. No staying late with friends, no lurking around the library. I’ll have a list of chores for you to do every afternoon and you’ll do them all before you get dinner. When the weekend rolls around you won’t go haring off, you’ll stick around here and do whatever it is I think needs doing. And this’ll last for as long as I think it takes to get this all through your thick skull.”
Her eyes flashed with anger and rebellion for a long moment before her shoulders slumped in defeat. Girl was smart, she knew when she was beaten. Without the spit and vinegar to hold it up her head bowed and he could see the beginnings of a truly spectacular shiner swelling around her left eye. A surge of white-hot anger shot through him to see it. That ghost was damn lucky that nothing of it was left for him to come after.
“Go on, go take care of that eye before it swells shut. We’re done here.” She nodded quietly in response and made her way back to the kitchen. He slumped back against the door and forcibly restrained himself from banging his head against it. Teenagers were going to be the death of him, he was sure of it.
~~~
Much like Dean, I think I'm pretty damn adorable. *points at icon*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2008-05-31 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-03 09:24 am (UTC)And am also so very happy that you like this kid. Have to admit, I'm pretty fond of her, myself. =D