Chloe (deckc) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2022-02-25 15:05:00 |
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When Chloe awoke that morning it felt like just another day of the week, nothing special. She pulled on her robe and made her way downstairs to make some coffee while everyone else in the house was asleep. On her way to the kitchen, she barely registered the young boy sitting patiently at the table. She grabbed a mug from the cabinet and selected a k-cup to insert into the Keurig. It took her a moment, but as the aroma of coffee soon filled the air, she pulled her robe a little tighter and turned her attention towards the table. "Good morning, mommy! What are you making for breakfast today?" Chloe blinked a few times and turned to glance at the clock on the microwave. It was only seven in the morning. Was she dreaming right now? Or, was this maybe another child from her future, like Rory? "I'm sorry, but...who are you? Are you sure you have the right house? I think you might be lost, sweetheart." "Don't be silly!" The young boy giggled in amusement as he climbed off the chair and made his way over to her, his arms going around her legs in a hug. "When is daddy waking up?" Chloe moved to crouch down in front of him, taking her hands in his own. "Do you know your daddy's name? Maybe I know who he is and I can give him a call to come pick you up." "My name is John Winchester, and I live at [Chloe's address]. My parents are Chloe Decker and Sam Winchester." He rattled off proudly with their phone numbers following and it was exactly something Chloe would have had her child memorize, and John. His name was John. After her father and Sam's. "Okay, sweetie. Daddy isn't at home right now, but he'll be here soon. I can make you some pancakes. How does that sound?" John squealed in delight and kissed her cheek before running back to the table, his thick, dark curls flopping about. Since it had been so early on a Saturday, Chloe waited until ten to send Sam a text, asking him to come over and that it was important. When he arrived at the house, she had just opened the door when John came flying in to throw himself at Sam, arms open wide. "Daddy!" It was just another Saturday for Sam. He looked forward the most to the weekends because it was his free time, when he was able to spend time with the people he loved without an obligation or having to run off early because he had work early. This Saturday he had promised DJ that he was going to take him to a petting zoo and then to lunch, and by the time the text from Chloe came they had been at the petting zoo, feeding the goats, for probably the eleventh time that day. It was a welcome relief to see that it was from her and that she wanted to see him right away. Truth be told, he found himself dropping a lot of things to go and see Chloe when she called anyway, and was concerned when she said it was important. Instead of texting back, he told DJ it was time to go, and before his son could protest Sam had him up and around his shoulders, giggling at Sam to run faster as they headed to the car. When he got to Chloe’s, Sam rang the bell and waited, with DJ at his side, curious to see what was going on. Sam barely had time to say hello to Chloe before a small boy was flying at him. Instinctively, Sam bent down and grabbed the boy giving him a tiny toss as he held him against his shoulder. “Hey, little man, what’s up?” he said and grinned over at him. He looked over at Chloe and mouthed the word ‘daddy?’ to her, asking silently if that was what he heard as the little boy ran at him. He had to be her nephew or… cousin? Or something. Someone she didn’t know was going to be visiting. “Is everything alright, Chloe?” She glanced over at DJ who was standing next to Sam and watched his reaction at the other boy calling his father daddy. "Sorry, I didn't know how to tell you about this over a text." Chloe apologized and gave him a sympathetic smile, one hand moving to Sam's back while the other took DJ's hand, leading them into the living room. She couldn’t help the smile on her face as she turned to look up at Sam, noting how similar they looked. “Yeah, everything is fine, Sam. It’s just that…” she paused a moment and reached up to take John out of Sam’s arms so she could set him down on the floor. “Sweetheart, why don’t you take DJ up to your room and show him your toys.” DJ had never been to the house before and she wasn’t sure if he would be okay going off like that, but John waved for him to follow and the two ran up the stairs together. “DJ? I have an older brother named DJ, that’s cool!” John exclaimed. She waited until they were both safely out of earshot and sat down on the couch. “This little boy claims that his name is John Winchester and we’re his parents. Now, I did have another child from the future show up recently, but I’m not sure this is the same situation.” While they had been enjoying each other’s company, they had yet to actually sleep together, which made this feel a little more awkward. “He can stay here with me, it’s fine, I don’t mind at all, but…I’m not sure how you want to handle this. Especially with having DJ and all of that.” “I understand, we were already out, so it’s fine.” Sam wasn’t completely dumb, just a little oblivious sometimes and while he hadn’t been expecting anything truly eventful to happen today, he was always prepared for the curveball that this place sent people, so that nothing would surprise him. So far he’d been lucky to avoid things, and with luck that trend would continue. Dj looked at Sam with hopeful eyes, and when Sam quickly nodded his permission, DJ trailed off up the stairs behind the other boy. “Cool! I have the same name as my uncle, we call me DJ so we don’t get us mixed up. Do you have any dinosaur toys?” Sam wasn’t surprised to see DJ get along so well with another child. It was hard to keep him in his booster seat in the car dropping him off at school in the mornings when he saw kids he could play with. When the two were gone, Sam already kind of knew what Chloe was going to say, and while he was prepared for it, actually hearing the words was a little jarring. He sat down on the edge of the couch and blinked up at Chloe. “John Winchester,” he said, wearing a little smile. He looked towards the stairs where the two boys could be heard laughing and playing together in one of the rooms upstairs. “And he’s ours. I - I’m not completely sure how to handle this. I mean, it’s great news, and it looks like DJ is going to get along really great with him, so I wouldn’t mind.” He paused to clear his throat and stood up and walked over to Chloe to take her hands in his. “Can we decide what we’re going to do with him later? He and DJ sound like they’re getting along really great, so whatever we decide to do or whatever upsets him the least - should be easy, right? Let’s just take a few minutes to revel in the fact that we - you and me - have a son together.” Honestly, she was a little surprised to hear Sam say it was great news, but at the same time, she was incredibly relieved. Chloe hadn't expected him to be angry or anything, she knew he would be understanding about the situation, and maybe she was surprised that he was being so supportive. It hadn't been the case with Lucifer all too long ago and she was glad this was a completely different situation. He actually wanted to revel in the fact and she wasn't used to that at all. She gave his hands a squeeze and nodded her head with a smile. "I'm sure that DJ is a great older brother to John, and that Trixie and Rory adore him. I can't believe how adorable he is. I wish I could see baby pictures of you. I bet he takes after you so much." Chloe leaned in and brushed her lips against Sam's mouth in a chaste kiss, pulling him into the kitchen to get him something to drink. "He seems to think that this is his house and I'm pretty sure he thinks you live here with us. I don't mind having him stay here at all, but that's something we need to figure out. What to tell him." “I’m pretty excited, if I’m honest. I’m sure all three of them are great with him… I - we’ll have to get them all together later and explain him to them. Don’t we? That’s the thing to do.” As excited as he was, he was nervous, too. There were tons of things that came with finding out that you have a surprise kid, and he was sure that he was forgetting everything that he should be doing, but Chloe’s own calmness calmed him, made him feel more like he could handle it. He really liked that about her, how levelheaded she was when it came to some things. “I don’t think I ever had any baby pictures. My dad wasn’t a ‘capture the moment’ kind of guy, but I imagine that I was adorable, like I still am.” Sam teased as he tagged along behind Chloe into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter as she busied herself around in the kitchen. “I bet he takes after us both. And those curls.” Sam always wanted a big family, and in the future it seemed like he got his wish with DJ, John, Trixie and Rory. He wondered if there was marriage in their future, since apparently John thought that he lived there. They had barely even kissed at this stage, which he was fine with, but having a kid dropped in your lap did make you wonder. “Maybe we can just let him think whatever makes him comfortable for now. If he thinks I live here I can hang out until he goes to bed, and then I can go home after. And during the day I can just go to work, like I do normally.” "Yeah, I guess I probably should tell Trixie and Rory about him, but what about DJ? Do you think he'll be able to make any sense of it?" Chloe questioned as she grabbed a mug to make him a cup of coffee. "No baby pictures? That's a shame, but you're right, I bet you were utterly adorable. Considering you certainly have not stopped being adorable." Why was she such an awful flirt? Seriously, it was downright embarrassing at times. She turned to face him with a smile, leaning back against the counter while she waited for his coffee to brew. "You're welcome to stay here, but I think that John is going to start wondering about DJ. He'll probably wonder why Trixie isn't older as well." Choe sighed, her hand lighting to rub at the bridge of her nose. "Or, maybe he won't even ask. I guess we could say DJ is with other family?" It shouldn't have been quite so complicated, right? Did Dan have any kids of his own? "He'll expect you to be here in the morning. Maybe. I don't know. But, like I said, you're welcome to stay and DJ can share the room with John." The coffee finished brewing and she turned to grab the cup, setting it down in front of Sam. "We should all go out for lunch somewhere. Maybe. If you aren't too busy and don't have other plans." “I think DJ will - he’s a pretty smart kid, and I think he’ll love that he’s got a mysterious brother. He adapted super well to this place, and he seems like he’s chill with John right now, so I think it’ll be okay. And, I could definitely be wrong, but I don’t think the age thing is going to matter to John. It might be confusing at first, but I think that as long as his siblings exist, he’ll be okay with the age change.“ He gave a small laugh. Chloe was adorable and he wasn’t sure how he’d lucked out and been looking at his phone when she wrote, but he was glad for it. It was obvious when you saw them together that he was infatuated with her, and he was, but he knew that she was going through a lot and he was more than happy to wait for her to be ready to take the next step. And if that step never came he was fine with that, too. “I think everything’s going to be okay. We just can’t let ourselves overthink it like we do. John’s our son, he’s going to fit in well with our other kids, too.” Sam nodded his thanks to her when he lifted the coffee and took a test sip to try the temperature before he took another sip. He was quiet for a second while he thought. He didn’t want to lie and make John think he lived there when he didn’t, but on the other hand, John was a young boy. Something like that you probably had to ease him into. “We’ll stay, if you’re sure. I’ll get a few things from my apartment for us and bring them back here later. And don’t worry, I’ve shared a bed with Dean a few times before when we were younger, I know how to stay on my side.” He laughed. “Me and DJ were actually planning to go and get some lunch, so that works out great. And I get time with you, which is always a plus. Do you wanna go anywhere special?” It was definitely an awkward situation. Suddenly having a child with someone who you weren’t even sure if you were dating, but she enjoyed spending time with Sam whenever the opportunity arose. The idea of him spending the night was an appealing one, and she even found herself close to suggesting he share the bed with her, but she didn’t want to give her daughters the wrong impression. Chloe had always wanted to have more children, but after she had split up with Dan and Lucifer showed up, that had become less of a reality, though she was more than happy to have Trixie, and with Rory around, things were even better. It was a tough situation to work around, but she was getting through it, thanks to the help of her girls, Dan, Linda, and now Sam. Though she had no idea what the future would bring, she was finally starting to feel more confident about life in Madison Valley, and that was a good thing. “Yes, I’m absolutely sure. It should be fine, and it will be better for the boys. For however long this situation happens to be for.” Nothing ever seemed to last forever, which was sometimes a good thing, but in this particular instance she found herself wishing it would be something more permanent. “We can just go wherever the kids want, which I’m sure will be nothing fancy. Probably for burgers or pizza, and then maybe we can see a movie or hit up the park?” She could only imagine how much energy the two of them would have together and it was probably best if they let them run around outdoors for a while and get it all out of their system. “The best part about this might be that I’m neat, and DJ takes after me in that regard. I don’t even have to tell him to put his toys away or trail behind him to pick up behind him after meals.” It was pretty nice, he wouldn’t have minded picking up behind him sometimes as he learned that particular responsibility, but his son had seemingly picked the idea up all on his own. The ‘for however long this lasts’ that Chloe tacked on at the end of what she said made Sam’s face fall a little. He knew, deep down, that John would likely not be around forever, stuff like this seemed to come and go around here, but hearing it out loud was a little harder than he’d imagined. It had been what, ten minutes now? So he liked the idea of that family coming together like that. Sue him. Sure Chloe was just a friend, and - well, maybe John wasn’t in their futures per se, maybe another Sam and Chloe had found each other in the past or would in the future, but he still liked the idea and the feeling it brought. “I’m sure they’ll choose somewhere with a play place situation, so we might actually get to eat our food in relative peace,” he laughed a little. “But yeah, if we can keep them from running up and down the aisles in the movie theater, all of that sounds perfect to me.” He took another sip of his coffee, glancing at the stairs again and wanting to go up and really meet his second child, but feeling too nervous suddenly to even say it. “So, what’s he like so far?” “Really? You don’t have to ask him twenty times to pick something up? That is very impressive.” Chloe remarked with a smile, finding it cute how proud Sam was of the fact. Trixie had certainly had her moments, but for the most part, she was usually well behaved and Chloe considered herself to be very lucky in that regard. Rory, on the other hand, was a different story. She truly had no idea what her daughter had been like growing up, and part of her was a little disappointed she would never get to experience that. “Oh, I didn’t even think of that. I guess the boys might be a little more rambunctious…especially together.” She followed his gaze and his question made her realize that unlike her, he hadn’t spent any time with him. “Why don’t you go on up and find out for yourself? I’m sure they would love to have some daddy time.” Chloe teased playfully, more than okay with giving them all some time together. “Maybe there’s a cartoon or a superhero movie playing that will grab and hold their attention. I, personally, go for the popcorn, and play games on my phone the entire time I’m there with DJ, so I’m not picky about what we see.” He smiled at Chloe and took her hand in his. “I just wanted to say that you’re amazing, how you’re handling all of this. I’m a little bit freaking out and nervous about him liking me, but you just being so cool headed made me feel ten million times better.” He looked up when he heard the sound of laughter coming from up the stairs and couldn’t help but laugh too. “You sure you don’t wanna come up? You know, family time.” "I don't know that I would say I'm amazing, really. Plus, you're giving me way too much credit. This is not the first time I've had a kid show up from the future. I'm a seasoned pro at this." Chloe teased playfully, a slight blush covering her face over the compliment. Family time. It had a nice ring to it for sure, but it wasn't real and she didn't want to go lusting after something like that. It was always better to be optimistically cautious. "No, I'm sure. I think the three of you should have some quality male bonding time together. You can tire them out and we'll put them down for a nap before having lunch." |