This was a fantastic story. I really *loved* getting an outsider's perspective on John and the boys, and this is exactly the sort of relationship I can see John having with a woman: no one could ever replace Mary for him, but even John needed to be close to someone sometimes. And I really loved seeing all the fallout from the incident with the striga.
And Mrs. Kirkland is a terrific original character. I loved that her first reaction to the boys was suspicion that they were abused, because...yes. That is exactly what an outsider would think. But I also loved how pragmatic she was, realizing that any official actions she took would only cause them to run and contribute to their isolation. I really loved her attempts to try to make things better for John and the boys, but I think even more than that I love the way she *failed*--especially the whole Christmas sequence--because that was so realistic. There are no quick fixes for the losses any of them (inclusing Mrs. Kirkland) have experienced, and John's breakdown afterward was just so powerful and real.
Oh, and the little snippets we get of John's training exercises for the boys (urban orientation!!!) were wonderful, too--I just love the way you manage to flesh out Sam and Dean's childhood with little snippets like that.
Finally, I love that John wrote to her--confessed every single thing--because it showed how much she meant to him. And then he didn't send it. Oh John. That's just so heartbreaking. I do wonder, if he had survived killing Azazel, if he really could have ever moved on. The letter is sort of the hope for that, but the fact that he didn't send it makes me think not. But he kept it.
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And Mrs. Kirkland is a terrific original character. I loved that her first reaction to the boys was suspicion that they were abused, because...yes. That is exactly what an outsider would think. But I also loved how pragmatic she was, realizing that any official actions she took would only cause them to run and contribute to their isolation. I really loved her attempts to try to make things better for John and the boys, but I think even more than that I love the way she *failed*--especially the whole Christmas sequence--because that was so realistic. There are no quick fixes for the losses any of them (inclusing Mrs. Kirkland) have experienced, and John's breakdown afterward was just so powerful and real.
Oh, and the little snippets we get of John's training exercises for the boys (urban orientation!!!) were wonderful, too--I just love the way you manage to flesh out Sam and Dean's childhood with little snippets like that.
Finally, I love that John wrote to her--confessed every single thing--because it showed how much she meant to him. And then he didn't send it. Oh John. That's just so heartbreaking. I do wonder, if he had survived killing Azazel, if he really could have ever moved on. The letter is sort of the hope for that, but the fact that he didn't send it makes me think not. But he kept it.