Who: Sam and DJ (npc) Winchester, Dan Espinoza and Rory Morningstar What: Random meeting doing Christmasy things Where: Walmart When: Early November Warnings: none Status: Complete Gdoc
They had only been back here a short time, and they already needed to holiday shop. Luckily, Sam had been able to get his old job back at the construction company, but money was still going to be tight for the next few weeks, but that didn’t mean that the holidays couldn’t be felt around their apartment. He wanted to give DJ a good Christmas something he would remember with fondness, and Walmart seemed to have a lot of good things to decorate with that were in their budget. DJ had already picked out a Christmas tree for their apartment, it was in a box and they’d have to put it together when they got home. They also had a few boxes of ornaments and lights to decorate it with, and DJ was busy looking at the hanging angel's ornament, each one with their names in cursive on their chests. Sam picked up the one with a horn labeled ‘Gabriel’ and laughed to himself as he put it in their basket.
“Maybe we should look at some garland, or a wreath or something. Some wrapping paper maybe and we can decorate the door like a present.” DJ was only half listening as he moved on and was pressing the button on a stuffed Santa that made him sing and call out several Christmas greetings.
Rory personally thought it might be a little early to go Christmas shopping , especially for decorations. But, she did let Dan talk her into at least picking up wrapping paper, ribbon, and gift tags while everything was still in stock. Plus they could get an idea of the availability of decorations here and then Target.
“Why do I keep hearing random Christmas greetings?” Her head started to hurt. “Maybe we can convince the child to stop?” She started to head to the next aisle. “Watch it be Nita.” After all, Rory adored her niece, and couldn’t tell her no. No, it was a kid she didn’t recognize…and maybe Sam? “Sam?”
Dan chuckled at the idea of Lucifer’s granddaughter playing with a Christmas toy. He followed Rory with the cart to go investigate. He needed something to take his mind off his discussion with Trixie about his death back home.
When he saw who it was, Dan smiled. Not Hope and Nita, but he did keep meaning to introduce himself to Chloe’s boyfriend. He and Chloe might not be a couple anymore, but they’d been good friends for years.
“Christmas shopping too?” Okay Dan’s and Rory’s was more a recon mission plus wrapping paper.
Sam was in the process of sticking the ‘Michael’ ornaments to the back of their row, when over the Santa noise he heard someone say his name. He looked up quickly and almost immediately recognized Chloe’s daughter, Rory, standing on the same aisle. Before he could respond, the man he knew to be Dan, Chloe’s ex, had spoken as well. He knew that a formal meeting between them all didn’t seem to be in the cards anytime soon, so he’d always assumed they would meet this way. Maybe not in a Walmart specifically, but in some random run in.
“Yeah, the anklebiter wanted to take a look around, so I figured why not buy a few things while we’re here.” Sam was guiding DJ back from the Santa Claus toy, and with a step forward offered his hand to Dan and Rory in turn. “It’s nice to finally meet you guys.”
Rory grinned at DJ. “I’m Rory. I think you know my mom, Chloe?” Unlike Trixie, Rory didn’t really mind if her mom dated someone besides Lucifer. Given her overly complicated relationship with the man who abandoned her for her whole life, would anyone be surprised? To Sam, she added, “It’s nice to finally meet you.” Rory could be bratty, but she didn’t see a reason for it at the moment.
“You should check out the penguin who says Merry Christmas in various languages,” Rory winked at DJ.
Dan groaned at Rory’s suggestion. “Sometimes I think it’s good I get to know you at this age and not as a three year old,” he teased his surrogate daughter. Returning his attention to Sam, Dan held out his hand. “Nice to meet you in person, Sam. And DJ.” He tried not to think about the part where Trixie now knew her dad died back home.
“Are you settling back into Madison Valley okay?” Dan asked, deciding that he wanted a polar bear ornament.
DJ visibly brightened at the mention of Chloe’s name, and he smiled at Rory and nodded. “I like Chloe a lot,” he said. “You’re lucky she’s your mom, she’s nice.” Sam grinned down at his son and ruffled his hair. He knew that DJ liked Chloe, but it was always nice to actually hear the words. “Good to meet you too, Rory. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
DJ gave a little, excited inhale and immediately looked around him for the penguin Rory had mentioned while Sam bit his lip.
“Yeah, it’s nice to be able to put faces with names,” Sam agreed. Sometimes it felt like Chloe kept him a secret from her family, and while he knew that wasn’t true at all, it still felt that way. “I think I lucked out only being gone a month or so. Most of our lives are still intact, the way we left them. Even got my job back.”
“I’m glad. I know she likes you,” Rory responded. She liked DJ and handed him the penguin. “Here you go.” If Sam got annoyed, well, nothing she could do about it, really. She whispered to DJ, “Try to go easy on playing it around your dad, though. Adults aren’t as always fun as us kids.” Never mind that she was older than the two men, but she’d always look this age.
“It’s nice to put a name with your face too.”
Dan sighed. “Just don’t give Nita the penguin or Karl might actually kill you.” He knew Karl a bit, given he dated Karl’s Alpha and Karl’s wife was another daughter of Lucifer. Chloe didn’t keep Sam a secret, but Trixie still hadn’t forgiven him for the kidnapping and it probably felt easier for Chloe to keep them separate.
“I’m glad to hear you got your job back. That must be a relief. I’m sure Dean is happy to have you back too.”
With a giggle and a hearty nod at what Rory had said to him, DJ started pressing the button that made the penguin talk, and Sam wondered how many languages were built in. It definitely wouldn’t hurt to have DJ learn how to say Merry Christmas in other languages, but he was imagining the headaches he would have by the time the batteries died. Or maybe he’d actually like it too. Who knows, he really wasn’t aggravated by repetitive kid's toys that often, he did grow up with the Billy Bass button-pushing, same twelve cassette collection in his car for thirty years Dean, after all.
“It’s just construction, there’s probably a million of them, but I liked it there, I was comfortable, you know? Sam chuckled remembering Dean picking him up his first day back, right out front actually. “Yeah, he’s pretty happy. Me and DJ are too. Being back home without him was tough. I’m glad DJ didn’t remember that he knew him back there.” Sam glanced down at DJ. “I didn’t know you knew Dean, but I’m not surprised either.”
Rory tried not to eavesdrop on Dan and Sam, given what she knew of Dan’s history in the other version of Madison Valley. Dan didn’t tell her a lot, but she still knew a little bit. “I’m glad you could pretty much just…get back into your routine here.” To DJ, she smiled. “I’ll buy you the penguin. Consider it my Christmas gift to you.”
Dan considered his next words really carefully. “I…knew a different version of Dean for a year. A different version of you as well, in an alternate Madison Valley. This Dean I don’t know as well, but he helped me out a few times.” This sounded way more diplomatic than what actually happened which included the other Sam didn’t like Dan at all. “I worked for the other Dean.”
“I wasn’t sure we’d be able to, even though we were just gone a month everything here seems to move so quickly, I assumed it would be harder than it was, but we just fell right back in to everything.” Sam glanced from Rory down to DJ and DJ seemed to be excited, glad that he had seemed to make a new friend. He was sure he was going to hear about her for hours from DJ. It was really great that they seemed to be getting along so well. “Really? DJ’s voice was a little louder than it had been as he sounded tickled. “Thank you, I promise I won’t play it too much.” Though how much was too much was left to be seen.
Madison was a really strange place, and coming from Sam, someone who had been to a lot of strange places, that really said a lot. “No one’s ever mentioned an alternate Madison before,” Sam said, brow furrowed. He wondered what the other versions of he and Dean were like, and if this place still existed. It might be interesting. “So… you’re from the alternate place?” Was anyone else from there?
Rory grinned at DJ, happy enough she wouldn’t be around much while the young boy played his new penguin. Maybe she’d grab a second one just to watch her sort of brother-in-law grumble. For next year. Even Rory knew Nita probably wouldn’t enjoy it that much this year. “Maybe I should buy your dad some headphones,” she joked, grinning at Sam.
After another few seconds’ pause, Dan shrugged. “I just ended up in the alternate version first before I showed up in this place.” In no fucking way did Dan want to be the one to tell Sam just what a bastard he’d been, including killing the woman Dean loved. Sam also hadn’t been overly fond of Dan. “A few people started there first.” He wanted to forget the fuck about it and already regretted mentioning it.
With a smile on his face, Dan added, “It was not a good place. Here? Much better.”
Sam grinned back at Rory shaking a little with silent laughter. DJ was already repeating after the penguin and he wondered how long it would be before he stopped being cute and Sam wanted to hide the penguin.
He could see that the alternate Madison topic was making Dan uncomfortable, and though he wanted to hear more about it he decided not to press. “Well, at least that’s all behind you and you “probably have a nicer life here.” Sam nodded. “We should plan to get together soon, for dinner or something. Redo this on purpose.”
Rory grinned. “I’d be up for dinner.” She liked DJ and Sam. It would make her mother happy to see her get along with the two of them.
Dan nodded. “We should definitely do dinner soon. But for now, I think Rory and I should let you two get back to your shopping.” Besides which, they did plan on cooking dinner for Chloe and Trixie tonight.
“I’m sure we’ll see you both soon.” Dan offered a smile to both Sam and DJ, before he turned to Rory. “Ready to continue on?” She nodded and waved bye.
“Dad makes really good chicken nuggets!” DJ said to Rory, clearly on board with the idea of seeing them and hanging out for dinner. Sam just shook his head fondly at his son.
“That sounds great,” Sam smiled at them both. “Like I said before, it was so nice to finally meet you two.” They waved at them as Dan and Rory walked away, and Sam took DJ’s hand and put it on the basket so they could continue on down the aisle. He felt a lot better after meeting them, and all the nerves he had felt at the idea before were gone. Dan and Rory were very nice people, very friendly, and he was glad that they had this run in.