This Life [Dean Winchester]

chapter four

   "WHY DOES BOBBY have all these junky cars?" Noah peers up at his mother as they mull around outside of Bobby's house. The boy wanted to go outside, but Olivia went with him because she didn't want him to wander too far or get hurt on some of the old car parts lying around.

"I don't know," Olivia thinks about the question. "I guess he likes to fix them up."

"When I turn sixteen, can I have one?" Noah asks, pulling at Olivia's arm and smiling a little at his own question. Olivia shrugs.

"I don't see why not," she tells him. "You gotta ask Bobby, though."

"'Kay," Noah says, practically skipping in his steps at the thought of getting a car when he turns sixteen. "When can we go back home, mom?" He asks after a moment, peering up at his mother.

Olivia smiles reassuringly at him. "Soon, baby. I knew Bobby when I was a little girl and he's going through a hard time right now."

"How come?" He asks, curious.

Olivia inhales sharply. She can tell him, it's fine. "Bobby was hurt, and he can't walk anymore. That's why he has to stay in a wheelchair."

"Oh," Noah says, looking down and kicking a rock. "He's nice," the boy adds.

"Mm-hmm," Olivia agrees.

"He's really old, though," Noah says.

Olivia laughs. "He's not that old, Noah." The two walk around the lot, while Noah points out some cars that he likes, of course, he only judges them based on their color. Olivia wishes badly that he had his father around so he could teach Noah about cars and how they work. Maybe someday.

After a while of walking around the lot, Noah says he's getting hungry so the two go back in the house. Bobby is on the phone giving another hunter advice about a hunt. Olivia gestures for Noah to be quiet. He slips off his shoes and tiptoes across the floor.

"No, not me, the F.B.I., the real F.B.I.," Bobby is saying. "How are you still alive?" He hangs up the phone labeled F.B.I. and looks across the room at Olivia and Noah.

"Hey kids," he says. Olivia does not correct him on the fact that she's an adult now.

"Who was that?" She asks.

"Garth," Bobby says, rolling his eyes.

"He's still around?" Olivia asks, shocked. She really liked Garth, but he had kind of a strange way of hunting. Honestly, she would have assumed he had been killed on a job by now.

"Yeah. He gets lucky, I guess," Bobby says, rifling through some papers.

"Have you heard from Sam and Dean?" Olivia asks nervously as she gets a glass of water.

"Yeah, they'll be home soon," Bobby says, causing Olivia to relax. She admits that she's been worried since they took off the other night. She would have gone with them but she didn't want Noah to be here without her. Plus, she hasn't hunted in years and she probably can't shoot straight anymore.

"Have you eaten yet?" Olivia asks Bobby, milling around the kitchen. "I was gonna make something, Noah's hungry anyways."

Bobby smiles a little. "It's been a long time since I've had any of your cooking."

"I'm still alright," Olivia says modestly as she checks the refrigerator. She frowns when she sees Bobby only has a few items to select from; a pack of bacon, a carton of eggs, a half drunken six pack of beer, a block of Velveeta cheese, and a jar of something that looks like pickles or cucumbers. Olivia does not know the difference; she doesn't eat either of those.