WHO: John & Mary Winchester WHERE: the Winchester & co house WHEN: Sunday, February 5, 2006; early a.m. WHAT: Sometimes the wounds that never left a mark are the deepest ones of all. RATING: PG-13 for content STATUS: thread; in-progress
John, from having been in Hell, could imagine all too well what had been done tonight, even though the only physical mark was the bump on Mary's head, and just thinking about it filled him with fury, because it was a deeper kind of torture, to make them all wonder about just what had been done, wonder till it drove them mad. It was a trick he knew.
The thing that turned that fury to blinding rage and heartbreak, however, was knowing Mary had witnessed at least some of it. Had to stand helpless and see all the things Hell's worst could do to a person, see it in a way as close to Hell as could exist here because there were people, like Claire Bennet, who would heal up like new. John knew that would appeal to many demons, but one more than the rest.
But he wasn't ready to say the name, not yet. Even when the message had been delivered, he and Dean and Ruby had shared a look that only those who had been in Hell could share – the look that they knew the true weight of the evil that had come to this city, but no one could bring themselves to be the one to say it out loud and make it real. As long as they didn't say what they were thinking but couldn't entirely prove yet, the wouldn't yet have to name a danger they might not be able to stop, one of the worst yet and possibly one of the worst of all.
Closing the bedroom door behind them, where they had retreated once everyone had been pointed to places to sleep or talk or just try to forget the last almost day, John pulled Mary tighter to him again.
"How about we get you some pjs, alright?" he murmured, pushing back her hair with his cheek so he could kiss her temple. She hadn't wanted to let go of him yet, but as the weight of what had likely happened sunk it, John had begun to brace himself for her rejection, for her pulling away from him because she finally understood what kind of monster he'd become.