from a nap Meeting the Winchesters Ch. 11

Author's Note: Please forgive me for the long absence. I am trying to get back into the groove of writing. The last chapter ended with Bobby, Caleb, and Joshua teaching John about sigils and protection wards. Sammy woke up crying and Dean asked for a story. Joshua decided to tell them one about the Three Hellhounds and the Big Bad Wendigo.

And so, on with our story

And so that mean old wendigo ran off into the forest, never to be heard from again," Joshua touted with satisfaction as he ended the story much to the delight of everyone listening.

"Guess those hel-heck hounds knew what they were doing," John intoned with a smile as he allowed Sammy to grasp the fingers of his right hand and pull them to his mouth. That smile soon turned to a frown however as John let out a startled yelp.

"What, what is it?" Caleb queried anxiously as he instantly went into hunter mode, his hand fingering the weapon in the back of his jeans, wondering what had the newbie so alarmed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," John voiced as he wiped drool covered fingers on the leg of his pants before taking a quick look at the middle and index fingers to find a small pinprick of blood where Sammy's incoming molar had broken the skin. "Looks like Sammy here is teething again."

"Is that why Sammy woke up crying? Because his teeth are hurting again?" Dean asked somberly as he looked up at his Daddy with a worrisome gaze?

"Yeah Ace, I'm afraid so," John answered with a grimace as he began to bounce Sammy on his knee when the child began to squirm about in agitation. "I think maybe we better get us a motel room for the next few days?"

"Why would you wanna do that, ya idjit?" Bobby inquired as he leaned forward to check on Sammy himself. "I have more than enough room here for everybody. Ain't no need to go wasting money on a room when there is plenty here."

"Yeah, I know. But the last time Sammy was teething, he was cranky most of the night," John answered honestly. "He's liable to keep you up all night if we don't."

"A few lost nights of sleep won't hurt anyone," Bobby refuted. "Besides, you might need someone to spiel you throughout the night if things get too bad with the little fella there."

"Are you sure?" John asked as he used his sleeve to wipe off the drool currently running down Sammy's chin. "Sammy gets awful damn fussy when he's teething. I don't want to put you out."

"I wouldn't have offered if I weren't sure, ya dimwit," Bobby answered gruffly. Sure, he knew it would most likely get on his nerves at times to hear a whining youngn', but damned if he didn't feel a growing fondness for those boys in his heart with each and every day.

"I guess we're staying then," John stated with a sigh of relief. It was good to know that he would have help with Sammy when the exhaustion set in...well, that is if Sammy would let the others soothe him in times of despair.

~~Later that evening~~

"Come on kiddo, I know you're hurting, but I don't know what else to do," John voiced anxiously as he walked the floor, bouncing Sammy in his arms as Dean looked on with concern. Sammy had been crying for nearly two hours and John's nerves were at the fraying point. Of course, Bobby ,and even Caleb had tried to help, but Sammy just cried even more, clinging to his Dad as if his life depended on it.

"Hey John, why don't you let me give it a try?" Joshua queried, as he walked up to the angst filled father, with a banana clutched in his hand.

"Joshua, I don't think the kid is in the mood for a banana right now," Caleb claimed with a roll of his eyes, cringing at the sound of Sammy wailing even louder. 'Damn, but that halfpint has some lungs on him,' he thought

"Whoa, little one. There's no need in crying. Uncle Josh has something to make it all better," Joshua intoned softly as he pealed the banana and rubbed it enticingly across Sammy's lips. "Come on Tiger, give it a try."

Feeling the coolness of the banana against his lips, Sammy opened his mouth and eagerly began to suck on the cold treat, his tears abating as the banana began to numb his sore and aching gums.

"What the hell?" Caleb questioned with disbelief as Sammy reached out to Joshua and allowed the burly hunter to take him and cradle him in his muscular arms, much to his father's relief.

"It's something I learned from my grandmother a long time ago," Joshua replied as he held the banana while Sammy sucked contentedly on it. "When a baby is teething, you pop a banana into the freezer and allow it to chill for about an hour or so. It makes for a great teether, and a sweet treat for the little one as it thaws," Joshua stated as he walked over to the rocking chair in the corner of Bobby's room and sat down to gently rock the child in his arms.

"Wow, who would have ever thunk it...Joshua, the baby whisper," Caleb laughed as the others joined in.

"Don't listen to them Uncle Josh, you did good," Dean voiced as he walked over and climbed up into the big hunter's lap also, needing to be close to Sammy should he need more comforting.

"Thanks Ace, that means a lot," Josh replied, giving the others a smug look as he relished in having both boys in his lap. He didn't have any children of his own, but he had nieces and nephews and enjoyed spending time with them when he could.

"Looks like Joshua has things well in hand," Bobby voiced as he watched Little Sammy teeth on the frosted banana as he slowly drifted off to sleep. "What'd ya say John, you up to learning a little Latin?"

"Yeah, I guess now would be as good a time as any," John agreed. "As long as Josh doesn't mind babysitting for a while?"

"Can't think of anything else I would rather do at the moment," Josh replied as he continued to rock, the two boys snuggled firmly within his grasp.

A Few Moments Later

Standing on the porch as they looked out over the expansive junk yard, John and the others surveyed their surroundings before they got down to the business of making sure that John learned the most important exorcism he would need to know if he was going to become a hunter.

"John, the first thing you need to know before we begin your Latin lessons is that Demons can be nasty sons of bitches. They are always in search of human hosts to do their dirty work. Most of them will smoke in and take possession before you've even had a chance to know they are near. And when they take over a body, they relegate the human to the back recesses of their own mind and make them watch everything that the demon does. They delight in putting their hosts psyche through sheer terror," Caleb began needing John to know just how devious demons were.

"Okay, so once a demon gets inside, how the hell do we get them out?" John questioned.

"You have to perform an exorcism," Bobby answered, as he scratched his hair stubbled jaw.

"Seriously, like they do in the movies?" John answered incredulously as he glanced from Bobby to Caleb and then back to Bobby again.

"Only if you want to get yourself killed," Bobby answered. "There is a right way and a wrong way to do an exorcism and the movies usually are way off base."

"When it is done the right way, exorcisms will put demons through considerable pain, so much so that they will leave the human host's body to escape the torture being inflicted upon the demon through the exorcism. Caleb added.

"You also need to know that in most instances, the demon has done so much damage to the hosts body, that the host will usually die once an exorcism is performed," Bobby intoned to make sure John understood just how serious exorcisms could be.

"Damn, what an awful way to die," John voiced with a slight shiver. "So, I'm taking it this exorcism ritual has a name?"

"Yes it does, it is called the Rituale Romanum and it is the only exorcism sanctioned by the church," Bobby explained as he prepared to recite the ritual from memory. "It must be performed in Latin to have full effect on expelling a demon from the host, so it is pretty tough to learn, but once you get the hang of it, it will flow smoothly."

"Yeah, well let's just say Latin wasn't one of my best classes in high school," John groaned, knowing that these next few lessons in Latin would probably be one of the hardest things he ever had to learn as far as hunting was concerned.

"Well, then I guess it is a good thing you have us," Caleb enthused, "You're about to become an expert."

TBC Once again, I am so sorry it took me so long to update and that the chapter is so short. My writing has become rusty, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. I am also attempting to start a new story about the boys taking a relaxing (yeah, right!) vacation to the Grand Canyon.