The Halloween Card (G)
Jumping forward in the timeline a bit, here's a fluffy little bit of seasonal humor for the spn_bigpretzel Halloween Reverse Micro Bang, based on a prompt by the fabulous quickreaver! PDF available here.
Summary: In which John has two highly intelligent, highly affectionate granddaughters on his hands, both of whom--purposely or not--run interference for their mothers' plan to talk Sam and Dean into posing for a certain picture.
The Halloween Card
By Enola Jones and San Antonio Rose
Tricia had a very sleepy girl on her hands. “You need to work with me, baby girl,” she purred as she finished changing Mary’s diaper. “You eat your breakfast, and we’ll go see Papaw awhile before Mommy has to go to work.” She and Daphne had finally gone back to work after their maternity leave, but Calvin had insisted that Tricia cut her shift to only part-time so she could have more time with Mary. And since Mercer had finally convinced John to take his two weeks of vacation, Tricia figured that he could use a certain tiny visitor to relieve the boredom of his house arrest.
The word “Papaw” seemed to have a magical effect on Mary. She perked up immediately. “Pa?”
“Well, listen to that,” Tricia laughed. “You get this breakfast down and we’ll head on.” She lay out baby oatmeal and pureed green beans and went to get the spoons to feed her.
When she turned around, Mary was trying to eat the oatmeal with her fingers.
“Mary Louise Winchester,” she scolded, cleaning her up. “You’re in a bit of a hurry....” She sat down and fed her slowly, so she wouldn’t choke. But she could tell the slow pace was frustrating Mary. So she tried bigger spoonfuls. Mary kept gulping them down, like she couldn’t finish eating fast enough.
“There you go,” she says when all of the food was eaten. She lifted her and burped her, then set her back in the high chair. “Just let me take care of the dishes and change my clothes and we’ll be all ready!”
Mary whined and tried to push the tray away.
“I know, honey, but there’s no more food. All done.” She rinsed the baby dishes quickly and put them in the dishwasher. “Just need to change my clothes now. You ready to get outta that chair?”
“PA!!!”
“Right, then we’ll go see Papaw after I change for work....”
“PAAAAAAA!!!” The whining was starting to sound a little distressed.
“Oh, honey...maybe not, if you’re this upset.” Her hands felt her forehead and cheeks. “If you’re sick, we’ll just stay home...”
Mary pulled away as best she could. “Pa! Pa! Pa!”
“Mercy, calm down! Five minutes, tops, and we’re gone!” She put Mary on the bed and got her uniform. She just had to change her outer clothes and pull on different shoes.
Mary watched, not quite crying but not quite crooning to herself. As soon as Tricia tied her last shoe, Mary cheered and clapped.
Tricia laughed. “I swear, sometimes I think you understand everything I’m saying.” She lifted Mary up and slid her tiny arms into a jacket. “Let’s head over to Papaw’s, now.”
“Ow,” Mary agreed with a nod.
“Ow? You hurt?” but she got her bag and buckled her into the car seat.
“’O Pa!!”
Tricia chuckled and drove the four miles to John’s house, knocking smartly on the door.
As soon as John answered, Mary practically launched herself at him.
“Whoa, hey, bug!” he laughed, catching her smoothly and spinning her around, making airplane noises.
Mary laughed and laughed. And when John finally brought her to rest against his chest, she nestled into his shoulder with a contented “Nnnnnn.”
Tricia laughed. “Want me to leave you two alone?” she teased.
Mary hummed a little again.
John laughed. “You headin’ to work?”
“Yep. Looks pretty hectic; lots of Lamar alumni who couldn’t get rooms in Beaumont for Homecoming.”
John looked at the clock. “Well, Sam and Dean are off for Fall Break after four - why don’t you head on in? I’ll call the boys and tell Sammy I’ve got Mary here and you don’t worry?”
“Mmmmmm!” Mary agreed.
Tricia laughed. “Never seen such a Grandpa’s Girl. Fine, I’ll be back after dark.”
John grinned. “Okay, then. We’ll see you later.”
Mary turned just enough to wave a little.
Tricia kissed her daughter and headed out with a wave, then pulled out her cell phone to call Daphne.
John bounced Mary as he closed the door. “Let’s call your daddy and let him know where you are, huh?”
“Nnnnnn,” said Mary, snuggling close again.
John cradled her in one arm and picked up his phone with the other, dialing Sam’s cell number.
“Hey, Dad,” Sam answered.
“Hey, son. Tricia headed in to work and I’ve got Mary here.”
“Oh, okay! We’ll head on over after school, then.”
“Okay. Wanted to let you know.”
Sam’s smile was audible. “Thanks, Dad. See you in a few hours.”
John hung up and smiled at Mary curled up on his shoulder. “Why don’t we go watch some TV?”
Mary just hummed contentedly.
John chuckled when he turned Barney on and the expression he got in return promised murder.
In hindsight, Dean should have known something was up when he got to John’s house to find Daphne and Tricia commiserating over coffee while Daphne rocked Michelle and Mary played with her plastic keys at Tricia’s feet. Well, at least, that it wasn’t that something was wrong, which was what he asked immediately after giving Tricia a hug and kissing his wife and daughter.
“Nope,” Tricia said as she stood up. “Nothing’s wrong. Just thinking of a few things.” She leaned over and kissed Michelle, then bent to pick Mary up.
Mary immediately insisted on getting a hug and kiss from Dean herself.
That earned a chuckle from both Dean and Daphne. “Anything I can help with?” Dean pressed as he handed Mary back to Tricia.
“Yup,” they said together, but then Daphne pointed at him. “Later. Right now, you can go change your little stinker.”
Michelle was getting a little ripe, Dean noticed. “Oh, fine. C’mere, baby girl.”
Her new-baby noises were now starting to coalesce into random syllables, he noticed as he carried her from the room.
He missed seeing Daphne sign, So we do cards?
And he missed Tricia’s wink and reply of Yes.
That Saturday, Tricia talked Sam into going shopping in Beaumont, and one of their stops was Michaels. For the fifth time in fifteen minutes, Mary reached from her vantage point on Sam’s shoulder and pulled something off of the shelf as Sam walked a little too close. For the fifth time, she babbled in his ear.
For the fifth time, Sam gently took it from her and put it back. “What has gotten into you today, baby girl?”
Tricia chuckled. “She definitely has opinions!”
“BA!” Mary agreed.
“Anyway, I think she just likes Michaels.” She walked a little forward and smiled. “Look, Halloween decorations.”
Sam sighed. “Trish....”
“I know, but Daphne and I grew up loving it and we still do.” She went through the aisles, looking at the clearly fake animals and monsters. Gradually, the Halloween decorations gave way to generic fall decorations.
“Sorry. There’s just... too much celebration of the kind of stuff we hunt. Not to mention the personal side.”
Mary whined and pushed her face into Sam’s neck.
“Aw, honey... look, she’s picking up on your emotions.” Tricia rubbed the infant’s back.
Sam cradled the back of Mary’s head with his hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he whispered.
Tears rolled down the baby’s face and she rocked against his hand comfortingly. He thought she was trying to comfort herself, but she was trying to comfort him.
“Hey, look, Mary,” he said by way of distraction. “Turkeys!”
She rolled her head to look at the turkeys. Then she put it back down on his shoulder, yawning.
“Aw, sleepy girl. Wanna go out to the car and wait for Mommy?”
“Might be a good idea. Let me get the stuff for the holiday cards alone,” Tricia smiled.
“Okay.” He smiled back and patted Mary’s back. “Let’s go, kiddo.”
Tricia watched them go, then grinned. She headed back to the Halloween shelves and found a beautiful faux raven and a large pumpkin with a rubber knife in it and fake seeds and innards coming out. These would be perfect for the card.
As she was checking out, though, she suddenly realized that Mary had winked at her as Sam had turned to leave... or had she only imagined it?
Daphne gasped as she turned from the table to find Dean in the doorway. You scared me! Silent feet!
Sorry, he signed back. What you doing?
Planning. She watched him move to the table to see the sketches for the card she’d laid out.
He frowned as he looked over them. What are these for? he asked, looking back at her.
Holiday card. Friends. Family.
For Halloween?!
Daphne nodded, smiling.
Dean looked skeptical. Why?
Make smile.
In our family?
Daphne nodded. My parents.
You know what my dad will say.
She waved a hand. “I’ll take care of your father.”
He sighed. I not win this, will I?
She smiled and kissed him.
Didn’t think so. He kissed her back. Love you anyway.
Good. Then the discussion ended abruptly when Michelle started to cry.
I get her. Dean kissed Daphne’s cheek and headed off to tend to Michelle.
And Daphne went back to her designs.
The next morning, Daphne knocked on John’s door.
John opened the door with a grin. “Mornin’, Daphne!”
Michelle reached for her grandfather. “PA!”
“Hey there, cutie!” John took her gently, and his face lit up at the way she clung to him.
Daphne walked in, careful not to muss the salt lines. “She’s looking forward to Beggar’s Night.”
He chuckled. “Can’t remember the last time I let the boys do trick-or-treat. Lot of dangers out there-and once Sam was old enough, we usually had a hunt that night. Can’t think of a safer place to do it than Cazadore, though.”
“Which reminds me... Tricia and I are making holiday cards.”
“... Holiday cards?”
She sank onto the couch. “Yup.”
“Like, what sort of holiday cards?”
“You know,” she said. “Happy Halloween cards for my parents.”
He nodded warily. “And... you’re telling me this because?”
“Cause I want you to help me pick out the shirts.”
“-Shirts?”
She slid his computer over and turned it on. “Yup, shirts.”
Michelle started patting his cheeks and burbling.
He let Michelle distract him until Daphne had the shirt images pulled up. Then he watched skeptically as she scrolled through them until she got to one that made him roar with laughter. “That’s Dean!”
She clicked and added it to the cart. Then she added another one, all bones that ran down the arms. “That’s perfect for Sam.”
John nodded his agreement. It was certainly better than the earlier one that had said “Devil in Disguise”-that was one joke that might never be funny to any of them.
Daphne ordered the shirts and turned to smile at John - right when Michelle spit up all over his shirt.
But he laughed as she took Michelle back and started cleaning her up. “If I had a dollar for every time her daddy did that to me....”
“Or her uncle?”
“Or her uncle. Hoo boy, the stories I could tell about those first years--taking a seven-month-old on the road is no picnic.”
Daphne grinned. “So... about the card... Tricia got this fake raven and pumpkin that would be perfect for Sam’s props and we’re thinking about Dean’s.”
“Hm... black cat, maybe?”
The grin turned calculating and John suddenly saw why Daphne was the perfect partner to her husband. Both of them had a definite ruthless wicked streak.
He chuckled. “I’d better go change out of this shirt before it turns into cement.”
“I’ll take her home and see about getting food in her that settles.”
“Okay. Call me if you need anything, all right?”
She kissed his cheek and left, with Michelle babbling and waving over her shoulder.
Two mornings later, Dean woke to an empty bed and a fussing daughter in the crib. Frowning, he got up to tend to Michelle. Daphne was usually even less of a morning person than he was, so he had no idea where she might be.
Once Michelle was dry and content again, he set out to get her some food. To his surprise, a light was burning downstairs in the office.
“Daphne?”
No answer.
Carefully, he made his way to the office door. He found Daphne crashed out in the computer chair, head and hands thankfully not mashed into the keyboard, but over to the side. The photo gallery screensaver happily ran as her back rose and fell with the even breaths of sleep.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said quietly before putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Uuuh....” she sighed as she slowly sat up, blinking her eyes sluggishly.
“Morning, princess.”
“Mmm...” she shook her head and her hands moved. Too early...
“Not that early. We got a hungry mungry upstairs. Want some coffee?”
She nodded. I have her. Swaying slightly, she wove her way upstairs without bothering to turn off the computer.
Suddenly curious, Dean shook the mouse to dismiss the screensaver.
He was confronted with a bright orange screen with white lightning letters that spelled “HAPPY HALLOWEEN!” and black bats sprinkled about on it.
“What the-” It took a second for him to realize that he was looking at part of Daphne’s card design. Another bat was blinking white and black at him, as if she’d fallen asleep positioning it. He looked at it for a moment, then moved it to what looked like a better position and saved the file.
Daphne finished nursing Michelle and brought her downstairs after changing her into an outfit for the day.
Dean met them at the foot of the stairs and traded a mug of coffee for his shockingly perky daughter, who was babbling excitedly.
Thank you, Daphne signed, taking it and holding it in both hands, sipping.
The distinct rumble of the mail truck pulled up and left.
“C’mon, kiddo, let’s go see what the mailman brought,” Dean said to Michelle.
She babbled all the way to the box, which was stuffed with letters and a rather large brown paper package.
Confused again, Dean brought everything inside. “Daphne? Were you expecting a package?”
“I was, yes! Bring it on in!” She was back in the office.
He carried it back to her, Michelle still talking his ear off.
Daphne frowned up at her daughter. “She’s awful chatty today.”
“Think she knows something we don’t?”
“Nah, I think she’s just chatty.” Her fingers made quick work of the paper, revealing a pair of shirts. One black and one garish orange.
Dean raised an eyebrow, but Michelle clapped and laughed and babbled something that featured “Pa!” very prominently.
Daphne shook out the orange one and went to hold it up to Dean, testing the size. “Perfect.”
Dean looked down at it and read the printed slogan “I’M WITH CREEPY” above an arrow-that happened to be pointing toward Michelle. Both eyebrows raised, he looked at his daughter. “Who they calling creepy, little girl?”
“PA!” she laughed.
“Was that Grandpa’s idea?”
“No, mine,” Daphne grinned. “When the picture is done, that’ll be pointing at Sam.”
Dean laughed. “Okay, that is funny.”
“What?”
“Sammy as the creepy one.”
She shook out Sam’s shirt and held it up. And Dean laughed even harder. Daphne smiled and put it away.
“I shoulda had more faith in your sense of humor, hon.” Dean handed his shirt back to her and kissed her cheek.
She grinned. “Let me tell you what I have in mind for these.”
“Shoot.”
When she was done, she beamed at him, waiting for his reaction.
What she got was a slightly skeptical “Pumpkin-flavored beer?”
Daphne laughed so hard she made herself cry.
When it came time to take the picture for the card, there were some issues. The raven Tricia bought was so large it overshadowed Sam’s face. The fake black cat wouldn’t stand up. The beer grew warm while they tried and tried to set up. Sam tried valiantly not to whine about it, but it was one of those gorgeous October Saturdays that was perfect for being outside-in a light-colored, short-sleeved woven shirt. In a long-sleeved black T-shirt, the sun and humidity were well nigh unbearable.
At last, they had their shot. Sam and Dean would sit facing each other slightly, positioned so that Dean’s “I’m With Creepy” was pointed at Sam. Sam had the fake pumpkin in between his legs and the fake knife stuck right in it. Both of them had beers and the girls decided to just drop in the raven and cat later.
But right when they were taking the picture, the black cat from a few blocks down walked in and demanded attention. Dean absently petted her while he gestured at Sam with his other hand, punctuating whatever point he had been making as they made conversation.
Tricia clicked the shutter. The image was perfect.
The sound of the flash got both brothers’ attention. “Is that it?” they chorused.
“That’s it,” the girls chorused.
Dean scritched the cat behind the ears. “Thanks, girl! Guess you brought us some good luck for a change!”
She meowed and wove around their legs, standing on Sam’s and sticking her nose and paws into the fake pumpkin before she decided to go after the plastic raven.
“HEY!” Sam yelped.
Dean was caught out with a mouthful of beer, which he ended up spraying all over Sam as he laughed. Mouth pinched both to express his annoyance and to keep from laughing himself, Sam shook up his beer and sprayed Dean right back.
Before it escalated from there, both babies started fussing, so brotherly wars were put on hold so the fathers could care for them and the mothers could work on the card. The cat pranced off with a mouthful of feathers, up the fence and out of the backyard-right into the waiting arms of Bill Cooper, who picked her up, retrieved the feathers, and returned them to the raven with a snap of his fingers.
Daphne dropped the raven into the picture and sized it to fit. Then she made it all fit and beamed to see the finished picture. “... Tricia, come here.”
Tricia came into the office and grinned. “¡Me gusta!”
Laughing, Daphne printed out a test one and took it in to their husbands. “Final draft!”
But fathers and daughters were busy with a tickle fight. Mary squealed and arched away from Sam’s long fingers. And Dean was making Michelle screech and laugh by giving her “zurburbs” on her bare tummy.
“Got you,” Tricia said, scooping Mary up and spinning, holding her and making her screech.
“Hey, hey!” Bill called, walking back into the yard. “I’m hearing a party and I wasn’t invited!”
“Over here, Bill!” Sam called.
Bill charged over and snatched a giggling Michelle away from Dean as if she were a football, then kept running around the yard cackling maniacally.
Dean shook his head, watching. “Careful, Bill! She spits!”
As if on cue, Michelle’s motion sickness got the better of her. The expression on Bill’s face sent all the adults laughing.
Daphne handed the test card to Dean and went to take care of Michelle.
Dean looked at it. “Hey, Sammy, check it out.”
Sam walked over and looked, and his eyebrows shot up. “Hey. That turned out pretty good!”
“It did! Better than I thought it would, hearing them describe it...” Dean smiled at the picture. “Think we can get a copy for ourselves?”
“It’s on our computer, sweetheart,” Daphne teased.
Dean nodded. “I’ll run you off a copy,” he assured Sam.
Sam nodded back. “Awesome. Listen, I gotta get out of this shirt. It’s killing me.” He paused, realizing what he’d just said, and then burst out laughing.
They laughed with him and he vanished into the house.
Dean turned to Bill. “Long as you’re here, anything I can get you? Dr Pepper, sweet tea, clean shirt?
“The latter two, please.”
“Comin’ right up.” Dean headed into the house.
Bill studied the picture. “This is really good.”
Daphne grinned. “Thanks!”
“You made this?”
“Yup! Finished it just now!”
Bill slowly began to smile. “You, darlin’, might have a side career blooming.”
Daphne blushed.
“I’ll go take this to John as soon as - ah, perfect timing,” he called as Dean returned. He changed shirts right there in the yard and promised, “I’ll return the mug,” as he took the sweet tea. Then he took the card and walked out of the yard.
They knew who he was, but he still did things the mundane way with them after being undercover for so long.
Daphne smiled, watching him go. “Wonder what John will say....”
The first thing John saw when he opened his door was the card, being held up with Bill’s eyes visible over it.
“You,” said Bill, “have a highly talented daughter-in-law.”
He took the card and just stared. “... never thought I’d enjoy anything connected with Halloween...”
“With good reason. But you’re healing, John.”
John met his eyes. “Is this what it is?”
Bill shrugged a little. “Part of it.”
“And the rest?”
“Daphne’s sense of humor.”
John blinked at him and then began to laugh.
And so did most all of their friends and family who got the unique Halloween card that year.
Summary: In which John has two highly intelligent, highly affectionate granddaughters on his hands, both of whom--purposely or not--run interference for their mothers' plan to talk Sam and Dean into posing for a certain picture.
The Halloween Card
By Enola Jones and San Antonio Rose
Tricia had a very sleepy girl on her hands. “You need to work with me, baby girl,” she purred as she finished changing Mary’s diaper. “You eat your breakfast, and we’ll go see Papaw awhile before Mommy has to go to work.” She and Daphne had finally gone back to work after their maternity leave, but Calvin had insisted that Tricia cut her shift to only part-time so she could have more time with Mary. And since Mercer had finally convinced John to take his two weeks of vacation, Tricia figured that he could use a certain tiny visitor to relieve the boredom of his house arrest.
The word “Papaw” seemed to have a magical effect on Mary. She perked up immediately. “Pa?”
“Well, listen to that,” Tricia laughed. “You get this breakfast down and we’ll head on.” She lay out baby oatmeal and pureed green beans and went to get the spoons to feed her.
When she turned around, Mary was trying to eat the oatmeal with her fingers.
“Mary Louise Winchester,” she scolded, cleaning her up. “You’re in a bit of a hurry....” She sat down and fed her slowly, so she wouldn’t choke. But she could tell the slow pace was frustrating Mary. So she tried bigger spoonfuls. Mary kept gulping them down, like she couldn’t finish eating fast enough.
“There you go,” she says when all of the food was eaten. She lifted her and burped her, then set her back in the high chair. “Just let me take care of the dishes and change my clothes and we’ll be all ready!”
Mary whined and tried to push the tray away.
“I know, honey, but there’s no more food. All done.” She rinsed the baby dishes quickly and put them in the dishwasher. “Just need to change my clothes now. You ready to get outta that chair?”
“PA!!!”
“Right, then we’ll go see Papaw after I change for work....”
“PAAAAAAA!!!” The whining was starting to sound a little distressed.
“Oh, honey...maybe not, if you’re this upset.” Her hands felt her forehead and cheeks. “If you’re sick, we’ll just stay home...”
Mary pulled away as best she could. “Pa! Pa! Pa!”
“Mercy, calm down! Five minutes, tops, and we’re gone!” She put Mary on the bed and got her uniform. She just had to change her outer clothes and pull on different shoes.
Mary watched, not quite crying but not quite crooning to herself. As soon as Tricia tied her last shoe, Mary cheered and clapped.
Tricia laughed. “I swear, sometimes I think you understand everything I’m saying.” She lifted Mary up and slid her tiny arms into a jacket. “Let’s head over to Papaw’s, now.”
“Ow,” Mary agreed with a nod.
“Ow? You hurt?” but she got her bag and buckled her into the car seat.
“’O Pa!!”
Tricia chuckled and drove the four miles to John’s house, knocking smartly on the door.
As soon as John answered, Mary practically launched herself at him.
“Whoa, hey, bug!” he laughed, catching her smoothly and spinning her around, making airplane noises.
Mary laughed and laughed. And when John finally brought her to rest against his chest, she nestled into his shoulder with a contented “Nnnnnn.”
Tricia laughed. “Want me to leave you two alone?” she teased.
Mary hummed a little again.
John laughed. “You headin’ to work?”
“Yep. Looks pretty hectic; lots of Lamar alumni who couldn’t get rooms in Beaumont for Homecoming.”
John looked at the clock. “Well, Sam and Dean are off for Fall Break after four - why don’t you head on in? I’ll call the boys and tell Sammy I’ve got Mary here and you don’t worry?”
“Mmmmmm!” Mary agreed.
Tricia laughed. “Never seen such a Grandpa’s Girl. Fine, I’ll be back after dark.”
John grinned. “Okay, then. We’ll see you later.”
Mary turned just enough to wave a little.
Tricia kissed her daughter and headed out with a wave, then pulled out her cell phone to call Daphne.
John bounced Mary as he closed the door. “Let’s call your daddy and let him know where you are, huh?”
“Nnnnnn,” said Mary, snuggling close again.
John cradled her in one arm and picked up his phone with the other, dialing Sam’s cell number.
“Hey, Dad,” Sam answered.
“Hey, son. Tricia headed in to work and I’ve got Mary here.”
“Oh, okay! We’ll head on over after school, then.”
“Okay. Wanted to let you know.”
Sam’s smile was audible. “Thanks, Dad. See you in a few hours.”
John hung up and smiled at Mary curled up on his shoulder. “Why don’t we go watch some TV?”
Mary just hummed contentedly.
John chuckled when he turned Barney on and the expression he got in return promised murder.
In hindsight, Dean should have known something was up when he got to John’s house to find Daphne and Tricia commiserating over coffee while Daphne rocked Michelle and Mary played with her plastic keys at Tricia’s feet. Well, at least, that it wasn’t that something was wrong, which was what he asked immediately after giving Tricia a hug and kissing his wife and daughter.
“Nope,” Tricia said as she stood up. “Nothing’s wrong. Just thinking of a few things.” She leaned over and kissed Michelle, then bent to pick Mary up.
Mary immediately insisted on getting a hug and kiss from Dean herself.
That earned a chuckle from both Dean and Daphne. “Anything I can help with?” Dean pressed as he handed Mary back to Tricia.
“Yup,” they said together, but then Daphne pointed at him. “Later. Right now, you can go change your little stinker.”
Michelle was getting a little ripe, Dean noticed. “Oh, fine. C’mere, baby girl.”
Her new-baby noises were now starting to coalesce into random syllables, he noticed as he carried her from the room.
He missed seeing Daphne sign, So we do cards?
And he missed Tricia’s wink and reply of Yes.
That Saturday, Tricia talked Sam into going shopping in Beaumont, and one of their stops was Michaels. For the fifth time in fifteen minutes, Mary reached from her vantage point on Sam’s shoulder and pulled something off of the shelf as Sam walked a little too close. For the fifth time, she babbled in his ear.
For the fifth time, Sam gently took it from her and put it back. “What has gotten into you today, baby girl?”
Tricia chuckled. “She definitely has opinions!”
“BA!” Mary agreed.
“Anyway, I think she just likes Michaels.” She walked a little forward and smiled. “Look, Halloween decorations.”
Sam sighed. “Trish....”
“I know, but Daphne and I grew up loving it and we still do.” She went through the aisles, looking at the clearly fake animals and monsters. Gradually, the Halloween decorations gave way to generic fall decorations.
“Sorry. There’s just... too much celebration of the kind of stuff we hunt. Not to mention the personal side.”
Mary whined and pushed her face into Sam’s neck.
“Aw, honey... look, she’s picking up on your emotions.” Tricia rubbed the infant’s back.
Sam cradled the back of Mary’s head with his hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he whispered.
Tears rolled down the baby’s face and she rocked against his hand comfortingly. He thought she was trying to comfort herself, but she was trying to comfort him.
“Hey, look, Mary,” he said by way of distraction. “Turkeys!”
She rolled her head to look at the turkeys. Then she put it back down on his shoulder, yawning.
“Aw, sleepy girl. Wanna go out to the car and wait for Mommy?”
“Might be a good idea. Let me get the stuff for the holiday cards alone,” Tricia smiled.
“Okay.” He smiled back and patted Mary’s back. “Let’s go, kiddo.”
Tricia watched them go, then grinned. She headed back to the Halloween shelves and found a beautiful faux raven and a large pumpkin with a rubber knife in it and fake seeds and innards coming out. These would be perfect for the card.
As she was checking out, though, she suddenly realized that Mary had winked at her as Sam had turned to leave... or had she only imagined it?
Daphne gasped as she turned from the table to find Dean in the doorway. You scared me! Silent feet!
Sorry, he signed back. What you doing?
Planning. She watched him move to the table to see the sketches for the card she’d laid out.
He frowned as he looked over them. What are these for? he asked, looking back at her.
Holiday card. Friends. Family.
For Halloween?!
Daphne nodded, smiling.
Dean looked skeptical. Why?
Make smile.
In our family?
Daphne nodded. My parents.
You know what my dad will say.
She waved a hand. “I’ll take care of your father.”
He sighed. I not win this, will I?
She smiled and kissed him.
Didn’t think so. He kissed her back. Love you anyway.
Good. Then the discussion ended abruptly when Michelle started to cry.
I get her. Dean kissed Daphne’s cheek and headed off to tend to Michelle.
And Daphne went back to her designs.
The next morning, Daphne knocked on John’s door.
John opened the door with a grin. “Mornin’, Daphne!”
Michelle reached for her grandfather. “PA!”
“Hey there, cutie!” John took her gently, and his face lit up at the way she clung to him.
Daphne walked in, careful not to muss the salt lines. “She’s looking forward to Beggar’s Night.”
He chuckled. “Can’t remember the last time I let the boys do trick-or-treat. Lot of dangers out there-and once Sam was old enough, we usually had a hunt that night. Can’t think of a safer place to do it than Cazadore, though.”
“Which reminds me... Tricia and I are making holiday cards.”
“... Holiday cards?”
She sank onto the couch. “Yup.”
“Like, what sort of holiday cards?”
“You know,” she said. “Happy Halloween cards for my parents.”
He nodded warily. “And... you’re telling me this because?”
“Cause I want you to help me pick out the shirts.”
“-Shirts?”
She slid his computer over and turned it on. “Yup, shirts.”
Michelle started patting his cheeks and burbling.
He let Michelle distract him until Daphne had the shirt images pulled up. Then he watched skeptically as she scrolled through them until she got to one that made him roar with laughter. “That’s Dean!”
She clicked and added it to the cart. Then she added another one, all bones that ran down the arms. “That’s perfect for Sam.”
John nodded his agreement. It was certainly better than the earlier one that had said “Devil in Disguise”-that was one joke that might never be funny to any of them.
Daphne ordered the shirts and turned to smile at John - right when Michelle spit up all over his shirt.
But he laughed as she took Michelle back and started cleaning her up. “If I had a dollar for every time her daddy did that to me....”
“Or her uncle?”
“Or her uncle. Hoo boy, the stories I could tell about those first years--taking a seven-month-old on the road is no picnic.”
Daphne grinned. “So... about the card... Tricia got this fake raven and pumpkin that would be perfect for Sam’s props and we’re thinking about Dean’s.”
“Hm... black cat, maybe?”
The grin turned calculating and John suddenly saw why Daphne was the perfect partner to her husband. Both of them had a definite ruthless wicked streak.
He chuckled. “I’d better go change out of this shirt before it turns into cement.”
“I’ll take her home and see about getting food in her that settles.”
“Okay. Call me if you need anything, all right?”
She kissed his cheek and left, with Michelle babbling and waving over her shoulder.
Two mornings later, Dean woke to an empty bed and a fussing daughter in the crib. Frowning, he got up to tend to Michelle. Daphne was usually even less of a morning person than he was, so he had no idea where she might be.
Once Michelle was dry and content again, he set out to get her some food. To his surprise, a light was burning downstairs in the office.
“Daphne?”
No answer.
Carefully, he made his way to the office door. He found Daphne crashed out in the computer chair, head and hands thankfully not mashed into the keyboard, but over to the side. The photo gallery screensaver happily ran as her back rose and fell with the even breaths of sleep.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said quietly before putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Uuuh....” she sighed as she slowly sat up, blinking her eyes sluggishly.
“Morning, princess.”
“Mmm...” she shook her head and her hands moved. Too early...
“Not that early. We got a hungry mungry upstairs. Want some coffee?”
She nodded. I have her. Swaying slightly, she wove her way upstairs without bothering to turn off the computer.
Suddenly curious, Dean shook the mouse to dismiss the screensaver.
He was confronted with a bright orange screen with white lightning letters that spelled “HAPPY HALLOWEEN!” and black bats sprinkled about on it.
“What the-” It took a second for him to realize that he was looking at part of Daphne’s card design. Another bat was blinking white and black at him, as if she’d fallen asleep positioning it. He looked at it for a moment, then moved it to what looked like a better position and saved the file.
Daphne finished nursing Michelle and brought her downstairs after changing her into an outfit for the day.
Dean met them at the foot of the stairs and traded a mug of coffee for his shockingly perky daughter, who was babbling excitedly.
Thank you, Daphne signed, taking it and holding it in both hands, sipping.
The distinct rumble of the mail truck pulled up and left.
“C’mon, kiddo, let’s go see what the mailman brought,” Dean said to Michelle.
She babbled all the way to the box, which was stuffed with letters and a rather large brown paper package.
Confused again, Dean brought everything inside. “Daphne? Were you expecting a package?”
“I was, yes! Bring it on in!” She was back in the office.
He carried it back to her, Michelle still talking his ear off.
Daphne frowned up at her daughter. “She’s awful chatty today.”
“Think she knows something we don’t?”
“Nah, I think she’s just chatty.” Her fingers made quick work of the paper, revealing a pair of shirts. One black and one garish orange.
Dean raised an eyebrow, but Michelle clapped and laughed and babbled something that featured “Pa!” very prominently.
Daphne shook out the orange one and went to hold it up to Dean, testing the size. “Perfect.”
Dean looked down at it and read the printed slogan “I’M WITH CREEPY” above an arrow-that happened to be pointing toward Michelle. Both eyebrows raised, he looked at his daughter. “Who they calling creepy, little girl?”
“PA!” she laughed.
“Was that Grandpa’s idea?”
“No, mine,” Daphne grinned. “When the picture is done, that’ll be pointing at Sam.”
Dean laughed. “Okay, that is funny.”
“What?”
“Sammy as the creepy one.”
She shook out Sam’s shirt and held it up. And Dean laughed even harder. Daphne smiled and put it away.
“I shoulda had more faith in your sense of humor, hon.” Dean handed his shirt back to her and kissed her cheek.
She grinned. “Let me tell you what I have in mind for these.”
“Shoot.”
When she was done, she beamed at him, waiting for his reaction.
What she got was a slightly skeptical “Pumpkin-flavored beer?”
Daphne laughed so hard she made herself cry.
When it came time to take the picture for the card, there were some issues. The raven Tricia bought was so large it overshadowed Sam’s face. The fake black cat wouldn’t stand up. The beer grew warm while they tried and tried to set up. Sam tried valiantly not to whine about it, but it was one of those gorgeous October Saturdays that was perfect for being outside-in a light-colored, short-sleeved woven shirt. In a long-sleeved black T-shirt, the sun and humidity were well nigh unbearable.
At last, they had their shot. Sam and Dean would sit facing each other slightly, positioned so that Dean’s “I’m With Creepy” was pointed at Sam. Sam had the fake pumpkin in between his legs and the fake knife stuck right in it. Both of them had beers and the girls decided to just drop in the raven and cat later.
But right when they were taking the picture, the black cat from a few blocks down walked in and demanded attention. Dean absently petted her while he gestured at Sam with his other hand, punctuating whatever point he had been making as they made conversation.
Tricia clicked the shutter. The image was perfect.
The sound of the flash got both brothers’ attention. “Is that it?” they chorused.
“That’s it,” the girls chorused.
Dean scritched the cat behind the ears. “Thanks, girl! Guess you brought us some good luck for a change!”
She meowed and wove around their legs, standing on Sam’s and sticking her nose and paws into the fake pumpkin before she decided to go after the plastic raven.
“HEY!” Sam yelped.
Dean was caught out with a mouthful of beer, which he ended up spraying all over Sam as he laughed. Mouth pinched both to express his annoyance and to keep from laughing himself, Sam shook up his beer and sprayed Dean right back.
Before it escalated from there, both babies started fussing, so brotherly wars were put on hold so the fathers could care for them and the mothers could work on the card. The cat pranced off with a mouthful of feathers, up the fence and out of the backyard-right into the waiting arms of Bill Cooper, who picked her up, retrieved the feathers, and returned them to the raven with a snap of his fingers.
Daphne dropped the raven into the picture and sized it to fit. Then she made it all fit and beamed to see the finished picture. “... Tricia, come here.”
Tricia came into the office and grinned. “¡Me gusta!”
Laughing, Daphne printed out a test one and took it in to their husbands. “Final draft!”
But fathers and daughters were busy with a tickle fight. Mary squealed and arched away from Sam’s long fingers. And Dean was making Michelle screech and laugh by giving her “zurburbs” on her bare tummy.
“Got you,” Tricia said, scooping Mary up and spinning, holding her and making her screech.
“Hey, hey!” Bill called, walking back into the yard. “I’m hearing a party and I wasn’t invited!”
“Over here, Bill!” Sam called.
Bill charged over and snatched a giggling Michelle away from Dean as if she were a football, then kept running around the yard cackling maniacally.
Dean shook his head, watching. “Careful, Bill! She spits!”
As if on cue, Michelle’s motion sickness got the better of her. The expression on Bill’s face sent all the adults laughing.
Daphne handed the test card to Dean and went to take care of Michelle.
Dean looked at it. “Hey, Sammy, check it out.”
Sam walked over and looked, and his eyebrows shot up. “Hey. That turned out pretty good!”
“It did! Better than I thought it would, hearing them describe it...” Dean smiled at the picture. “Think we can get a copy for ourselves?”
“It’s on our computer, sweetheart,” Daphne teased.
Dean nodded. “I’ll run you off a copy,” he assured Sam.
Sam nodded back. “Awesome. Listen, I gotta get out of this shirt. It’s killing me.” He paused, realizing what he’d just said, and then burst out laughing.
They laughed with him and he vanished into the house.
Dean turned to Bill. “Long as you’re here, anything I can get you? Dr Pepper, sweet tea, clean shirt?
“The latter two, please.”
“Comin’ right up.” Dean headed into the house.
Bill studied the picture. “This is really good.”
Daphne grinned. “Thanks!”
“You made this?”
“Yup! Finished it just now!”
Bill slowly began to smile. “You, darlin’, might have a side career blooming.”
Daphne blushed.
“I’ll go take this to John as soon as - ah, perfect timing,” he called as Dean returned. He changed shirts right there in the yard and promised, “I’ll return the mug,” as he took the sweet tea. Then he took the card and walked out of the yard.
They knew who he was, but he still did things the mundane way with them after being undercover for so long.
Daphne smiled, watching him go. “Wonder what John will say....”
The first thing John saw when he opened his door was the card, being held up with Bill’s eyes visible over it.
“You,” said Bill, “have a highly talented daughter-in-law.”
He took the card and just stared. “... never thought I’d enjoy anything connected with Halloween...”
“With good reason. But you’re healing, John.”
John met his eyes. “Is this what it is?”
Bill shrugged a little. “Part of it.”
“And the rest?”
“Daphne’s sense of humor.”
John blinked at him and then began to laugh.
And so did most all of their friends and family who got the unique Halloween card that year.