Chapter Text
Sam Winchester knew it was going to be one of those days as soon as he opened his eyes.
These days he just knew. After spending 17 years as the youngest member of the Winchester family – and yes, he must stress on the fact that it’s the Winchester family because you wouldn’t find a family like his anywhere in the entire universe. Most days this reckoning would come to him with pride. Some days it would come to him with a tinge of bitterness.
Like today.
He felt the chill in his bones before he felt the cold air creeping inside his spare covers. Even with the jacket he had pulled over in the middle of the night, he still felt like his insides were ice. He internally groaned, he was hoping his bout with the flu was finally gone for good.
“Sammy, you awake?”
How did he always know the exact moment he woke up without him making any sound?
“It’s Sam.” It was all he needed to reply.
“Okay, Samantha.” He felt the voice coming closer and a second later green eyes were peeking over his face. “How do you feel about breakfast burritos? With extra cheese?” he grinned, his eyes twinkling in that familiar way that Sam was so used to.
Sam felt his face twist in part disgust, but his stomach had different ideas. One plus side of getting over the flu was that he had his gigantic appetite back. “Could you make one without the cheese?” He slowly started shifting around, he could feel an extra sheet lying over him and he didn’t have to guess where it came from.
“No can do, hermano.” Dean said. “No blood of mine can say no to cheese.”
Sam made a face as his brother’s back was turned, not that he wouldn’t notice. “Why are you up so early and making breakfast?”
“Cause it’s not early anymore. Its 12.” Dean quipped. He looked showered and dressed and in a lighter mood than he had been for the past few days. “And who doesn’t like breakfast? Its food for the champions!”
“Pretty sure you are saying that wrong.” Sam muttered before his eyes widened at the other piece of information. “Its 12? Why didn’t you wake me up before? I have so much crap to do today!”
Dean rolled his eyes. “What, more reading and squinting at those screens you look at all day?”
“The school’s out for the next two weeks and you know its research.” Sam said and couldn’t help the bitter undertone as he thought about the pile of research he had to get through for the coming days as he didn’t have the distraction of schoolwork anymore. “And now Dad’s going to walk through the door soon and realise that I haven’t done my morning laps yet and then he’s going to add extra to those and- “
“Geez, calm your panties.” Dean broke in, holding up his hand but there was some amusement in his eyes. “See this is what happens when you don’t have breakfast in the morning. You get to be a cranky bitch.”
Sam huffed loudly and moved his feet off the bed. His muscles still felt a tiny bit sore from the flu and the fact that he hadn’t really worked out as much as he would have normally. Doing push-ups while he was puking his guts didn’t really go well together.
“You don’t have to go running today, I already asked Dad.” Dean said lightly.
Any other day he would have cried in relief at that. Most of the days anyway. But today it stopped him short, and he levelled what he thought was a lethal glare at his older brother casually standing at the door. “You asked Dad if I could skip the laps today?”
Dean must have registered the mood change, but he didn’t let it show at all. “You get one more day to sleep in, what’s the harm? Especially after the rough weeks you have had.”
“Dean!” Sam was never good at being calm in situations like these. He usually just exploded. Wonder where he got that from. “I told you, I feel fine now. Actually, Dad told you that I feel fine now. And when do you ever not listen to whatever he says?”
“If you want to go run so badly, you can just go and stop bitching to me, ya know?” Now there was the slight grunt in Dean’s tone.
“That’s not the problem and you know that!” Sam pushed. “Already Dad thinks that I have wasted his precious hunting time these past few weeks and having you to stand up to him every time he wanted us to move.”
Dean’s eyes flashed. “Dad’s been hunting on his own you know that.”
“And aren’t you so over the moon about it.” Sam said, not leaving the sarcasm out in the least.
“Excuse me for wanting to care about his well-being while he is off battling monsters all by himself.”
“No one ever stopped you from going with him.” Sam grumbled, he already felt a headache blooming in the back of his head as he tried to think what had even started this particular argument. And consequently, pushed down the nagging voice that pointed a finger at him.
Dean’s face was starting to take on that hard blank expression that Sam hated more than anything else. He quickly plowed on, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. “Look, I feel fine now, I am almost over it. I just don’t want Dad to look at me the way he’s been doing this last week. You know he’s just itching to get going and he’s not going to be happy if he sees me dragging my feet. Especially when you go up to him and keep making excuses for me.” His voice tapered off in a sigh and he looked down. He really didn’t want to make his brother feel bad because he knows how much he is looked after by Dean, especially the last couple of weeks.
Dean sighed too and slowly came and stood in front of him. “I get what you are saying, okay?” He said softly. “But don’t think so low of the old man, would you? He’s been trying his best to give you the downtime you need. I was pretty specific about that part, and you can’t blame me either cause I was just looking after your shivering, snotty scrawny ass.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Thanks for that.”
“Hey you almost puked in my baby the one time we thought we could drive to a different place. I am never risking that.” Dean mock shuddered. “And I know you are much better now. You are right about Dad having the itchy pants. He’s probably going to lug ass today and drive through the night. It doesn’t harm to have a couple of extra hours of shut-eye before the two of you go at it again in the confines of the car.”
Sam sighed again reading the inevitable truth in his words. When he was a kid and the Impala was the only home he ever really knew, and still did, he was so used to just sleeping through hours of driving or put his nose in a book and forget about everything else. It wasn’t so simple anymore.
“Pretty sure you are the one who needs the extra snooze time, Dean.” Sam chuckled. “Considering what a saint you are when it comes to that.”
Dean huffed. “Believe me, I had rather fly than sit in between the two of you for more than a few hours.”
“You are all talk, that’s all.” Sam said, a small smile tugging at his lips. Thank god for his brother, for his patience and his love for his family that he always put them first no matter how hard it was for him. Sometime Sam truly wondered, why couldn’t he be more like Dean? It seemed like all his troubles would go away.
“Its gonna happen one day, Samuel.” Dean said loudly as he started walking away. “But for the love of god, not tonight if you can help it. Now get your ass outta bed and help me make breakfast. What, you thought it was breakfast in bed service or what?”
Wouldn’t be the first time, Sam thought back to three weeks back when he did get breakfast in bed. Dean had been desperate to get him to eat and Sam had just wanted to crawl out of his burning skin.
“Atleast this way, I can keep the cheese out of my burrito.” Sam said as he stood up and stretched. His body was really feeling so store, he wasn’t looking forward to the 10-hour ride tonight. He needed to release some tension, both physical and emotional. “I am going to run a few laps.”
No one else would have seen the quick appraising look that Dean sent his little brother but the said little brother had seen it so many times, he knew. “You sure? It’s still frosty out there.”
“I need the fresh air, Dean. Especially if we are going to be driving a lot tonight.”
“Alright alright. Just don’t be too late. You still have to come back and help with breakfast.”
“It’s not going to be breakfast time anymore. Maybe I can pick something up at the diner on the way back?”
Dean’s face immediately brightened. Food could always do that. Apart from Sam. “Get their Double Cheeseburger special with the extra sauce and onions and cheese on fries. Lots of cheese.” He ordered.
Sam scrunched his face. “So I should sit in a car with you after all of that? The cheese burrito sounded nicer.”
“You got to pay the dues, little brother.”
“Dues of what?” Sam scoffed.
“Of being the little brother” Dean winked.
Sam shook his head at him and walked away. Just so he couldn’t see the small smile playing on his lips again. He couldn’t ever let Dean know how much he liked having him around, would he now?
Sam came to a steady stop at the top of the small hill that surrounded the small town he had been holed up sick in for more than a month. These towns they found were always like this – small and unremarkable.
Sam felt particularly good now despite the burn in his chest and the slight tremble in his legs. He may not be a hundred percent but for once he was so sick of being sick that he was ready to do something. To kill something.
Dad would never believe if he said that to him, Sam thought with a humourless smirk. He hated hunting sure, but he didn’t not like the feeling of finding the monster terrorising innocent people and killing the monster and saving the people. There was no feeling quite like it and he knew the rest of the family revelled in it more than he could understand. But that didn’t mean Sam didn’t get that euphoric feeling either.
He just had other ways to show it.
Giving a quick glance at his watch, Sam realised he had been running later than he had thought, and began to swiftly make his way down the path. He still had some heart attack inducing food to buy for his big brother.
As soon as he had started on a concealed path, he heard some soft murmurs coming from a canopy of trees. “We shouldn’t go, Claire. I have a bad feeling.”
The female voice was too soft but Sam slowed down and strained to hear as silently as he could.
“I don’t understand what the big deal is. We made this plan months ago and now that we are almost there, you want to skip?” Another female voice. Claire.
Sam didn’t know why he was trying to get their soft whispers but there was something in the tone of the first girl that had stopped him in his tracks. She sounded spooked.
The spookiness was replaced by anger real quick now. “There’s people dying in that forest! Excuse me for trying to skip our supposed death!”
Claire chuckled. “Come on, Suzi. You really believe the shit the old man was spouting? The part were he said ‘devouring the hearts of those who wander lost’.” She finished in a heavy mocking male voice, before chuckling again. “That sounds like bullshit. You know those people fell off the cliffs and into the ravine. Now that’s dangerous and upsetting I know. But we have been hiking for so many years, this one is nothing.”
“I find it hard to believe that all of them, all 5 of them had the same fate.” Suzi murmured, sounding lost. “You know I believe in luck. And faith. I can’t imagine if anything ever happened to you…” she sounded close to tears now.
There was some shifting and this time Claire sounded anything but like before. “Look at me, Suz. You believe in me, right? I won’t let anything happen to us. Hey, we are a great team. We’ll look after each other, like we always do.”
“I’ll agree to go but you have to trust me. If I feel like there’s even the slightest hint of something wrong…”
“We’ll bail” Claire said strongly. “I promise.” Some more shifting. “Hey, who even eats hearts? Do vampires do that? Or wait that’s just the blood…what are those other things called? Werewolves?”
They were up and walking as the sounds started to soften in the stillness of the trees. Sam could feel a trickle of sweat at his forehead by how still he was standing and listening in the frigid air.
“Shut up, Claire.”
“Or maybe its an honest to goodness cannibal that likes the taste of tired & stinking human hearts on a hike.”
“There’s goes my breakfast, thanks for that.”
The sounds of laughter faded as they moved away.
Sam stood breathing deep for a while, his fingers felt frozen but there was a heat inside of him as he went over what he had just heard.
Just his luck, he shook his head, the day he was finally going to keep the town behind him, he had to stumble on a case.
For once though, he had energy thrumming in him at the thought of it. Maybe this time, he could work with his family (his dad) and not end up almost chopping his head off.
Sam barged in through the door in a huff, he was almost freezing at this point. He was definitely much later than he was supposed to be.
Dean was going to be upset about his food.
Looks like Dad was also going to be upset about something, going by the still hard look on his face as he looked up from the paper he was reading and straight at him.
“Hey Dad.” Sam muttered quickly, shrugging off his jacket and shoes quickly. The smell of food wafted over as he dropped the bag on the kitchen counter.
“Where the hell have you been?” This was Dean who materialised out of the door, quickly walking towards him. Or not as he watched stopped just at the table and started riffling through the bag. “I am starving and you shouldn’t have taken that long.”
“Sorry.” Sam smiled at him quickly before he moved in and turned his attention to his father. “How was last night, Dad?” He couldn’t see any new bruises or cuts at least. He never realised how much of the weight he carried inside of him whenever his Dad went on a hunt and he wasn’t there. Until he could set his own eyes on him, he always had that feeling.
“It went fine.” Dad nodded towards him. “How are you feeling today? That run do you any good?”
Sam quickly nodded. “I feel fine now.”
“That’s good.” John cleared his throat. “Because we are living as soon as you two are finished with the food. That is if your brother doesn’t finish it all before. Go and have a bite. You need the energy.”
“As if I am going to touch that salad thing in here.” Dean scoffed, he already had a huge bite of the burger, the sauce dripping down his fingers. “This is so good, I am going to miss you.” He said while looking at the burger.
Any other time Sam would have made fun of his brother professing his love to greasy food, but he already had a pit in his stomach as he looked around and realised that their meagre belongings were nowhere to be seen and his family were ready down to their boots.
San internally sighed, here it goes. “I think we need to stay a few more days here.”
Wrong thing to start with, Sam thought as he saw his father’s eyes glint and felt the silence from behind him where Dean had stopped chewing.
“Sam.” John said his name like a warning. “Are you not feeling up to it yet?” Sam had to give him some points for not outright bursting and planting his ass in the car yet.
“I feel fine.” Sam said hurriedly as he saw John start to open his mouth. “I might have found us case here.”
“What?” Dean’s voice came from behind him. “You only went for a run, didn’t you?”
“Sam, we have been here how long?” John asked paying no heed.
Sam clenched his teeth. “More than a month, sir.”
“And now that we are just about to step out of here, you find us a case?”
Sam narrowed his eyes, feeling the familiar burn inside of him start to rise up. No one like his Dad to bring it out. “Are you thinking I made up something to keep us here longer?”
John levelled his gaze at him. Sam flashed back to a few weeks back when he had been so drugged up and burning up that he felt like he had seen his father look at him with a gaze he had never seen before. Something so soft and deep, and full of love.
It wasn’t there anymore anyway.
“If you want to stay a few more days to rest up, you could just say so.”
Sam clenched his fists. “Why the hell do you think I would make up a stupid case so that I could stay longer in this hellhole?”
“Language boy.” John’s eyes flashed. “All I am saying is that I checked this place out before we came here. There has been no supernatural sighting or no energy of that sort around the place. Do you think I would bring in you sick the way you were in a town that could be dangerous to hunters?”
“Sammy.” Dean broke in. He had come to stand around him, fingers sticky with sauce. Sam felt a pang that he had interrupted his obviously hungry brother. “Did you hear something?”
Sam kept his eyes on his father. “I know you checked this town. Its not here. Its in the forest on the outskirts of the town. 20 miles actually.”
John raised his brows and there was almost a hint of curiosity in there. “What did you hear?” he said slowly.
“I asked the same thing, its like I am not even here.” Dean mumbled, shaking his head.
Sam sent a quick apologetic look to Dean but he just looked apprehensive.
“Two women were talking about hikers going missing in the forest trails. There’s a huge cliff and a ravine that goes at the bottom. Seemed like people are falling off it.”
“Seems like these people need to have steady footing, that’s all.” John huffed.
“These bodies are not being recovered.” Sam gritted his teeth. “Except for one. Guess what was missing clean from his chest like someone had ripped it out with their bare hand?”
“Hearts.” Dean voiced it, his expression looking troubled. “It’s a werewolf then?”
Sam shook his head. “I am not sure, Dean. I went to the diner and talked with that reception lady.”
“Risa.” Dean supplied.
“Yeah her. She said it’s the season for trails now, no one from this town really goes through. But the people who have hiked come through here after. She heard someone talking about something similar. People fell off and disappeared and haven’t been recovered yet.”
“Hold on now.” John raised his hand. “This all still sounds like nothing for us.”
Sam widened his eyes. “Missing hikers with missing hearts is not enough for you?”
John sighed. “One person and one missing heart. Did you even see the body to know exactly that’s what it is? You know the time I had it wrong too and it turned out to be a completely natural fall much less a werewolf. You can’t be believing everything you hear, Sammy.”
“It’s Sam.” He bit out loudly than he thought. “And no I didn’t see the body but I am not stupid. I went to the library to crosscheck a few incidents from previous years. There’s always been one or two hikers go missing the exact same way during this season.”
“That still doesn’t show anything out of the normal. Hikers slip and fall and are never recovered in such conditions.” John said vehemently.
“Why are you so against this right now? I understand that there isn’t much for now but we could research more and check things out before we slam the door completely on this!” Sam argued.
“Because it feels a lot like you dragging your feet and we have more important things to do!” John couldn’t mask the anger in his voice now. “Bobby’s called and he needs our help tracking a Wendigo down a few hours from here. You want me to say no to him because you have got some hikers go falling down some hills?”
Sam let out a quick breath at the mention of Bobby. He always liked the man, their shared love for lore and reading ancient scripts. And how he always made him hot chocolate at the end of the night even thought he was almost 17 fricking years old.
“Bobby does need our help, Sammy.” Dean said softly. “Look maybe there is something here, but you can’t know for sure, right?”
Sam gave himself a few seconds to think. He didn’t always knew the right thing to do, he almost never knew. But he kept going back to the conversation he had overhead. The fear in the woman’s voice. Those two were going to be there, he knew for sure. What if something happened to them?
“I know there is something there in the forest for sure.” Sam said steadily. “If you give me just a day or two to figure out exactly what-“
“We don’t have the time, Sam!” John was standing up now. “Why can’t you just listen to me for once?”
“Why can’t you listen to me for once when I am actively trying to do a hunt? Isn’t that what you keep accusing me of all the time? To contribute more to the hunting with you?” Sam didn’t let up on the bitterness in his tone.
“Is that what this is?” John chuckled darkly. “You finally getting your head in the game? Cause it doesn’t look like it, boy. The way you are going looks like we are willingly leaving Bobby alone to fend off a deadly monster while we sit here and you try and convince us there is something worthwhile to do here. In this town which by the way we have been holed up in cause you were too sick to do anything else!”
“Dad, enough!” Dean hissed but the words were out there and there were drilling a hole through his heart.
John may have seemed to realise the effect of his heavy words but he didn’t show it. He just turned around, showing his back to him.
Sam let out yet another huge breath, all that he seemed during these routine fights with Dad when he wasn’t spitting yelling or delivering his own set of hurtful words. “You didn’t have to use Uncle Bobby like that.” He said quietly. “You better know that if this thing here is real, which I am pretty sure it is…it is going to kill innocent people too. People who have no idea about these things that exist in the night and won’t hesitate a second to kill ‘em.”
Dean sighed loudly next to him as he understood the implications of what he was saying and especially how his father was going to take it.
John slowly turned back to him, that dangerous look in his eyes so familiar to him because its him who had always put that there. “You are giving me the speech I have given you countless times now?” he said thinly.
“Learnt from the best, isn’t it?” Sam shot back.
“That is enough!” Dean burst finally. “Both of you.” He turned towards his father, his stance tightening a bit. “Dad..if what he saying is true, we should atleast check it out.” He plowed ahead when he saw his father open his mouth. “You go ahead to Uncle Bobby’s and set yourself up. We’ll stay back a day, two days max and research on what is happening. If it isn’t anything, we’ll drive straight to you. I promise.”
John seemed to be staring holes at Sam as he quietly pondered for a few seconds. It always went like this, the two of them would yell at each other until Dean stepped in and pacified both of them. Sam didn’t really know how he did this every single time.
And he succeeded almost every time.
“No, not this time.” John said, his lips stretched in a thin line.
Sam felt the anger come back. “Dad-“
John held up his hand. “We are not doing this again. This time, I am the one staying back. With you.”
Sam felt the confusion reverberate between him and Dean. “What do you mean?” Dean asked quickly.
“You go ahead, Dean.” He said looking at him. “I need you to go and help Bobby, while I’ll stay back with Sam and this great new hunt he’s found us.” There was a different satisfying look in his eyes Sam had never seen before.
Sam felt his stomach drop just a tiny bit as he realised what his father was planning here. Him with his dad hunting together? Without Dean? Without his big brother?
“Uh-huh no freaking way.” Looked like Dean had also been reaching the same conclusion. He was seemed wired tight, his chin lifted as he looked at John. “You and Sam together in the same room never works out, you think you can handle a hunt by yourself?”
Dad sent a withering look his way. “What do you take me for, boy? I can look after myself and my son.” He looked at Sam. “Unless you think you can’t do the same.”
Sam bristled. “I can look after myself fine. I don’t need you to babysit me anymore.”
“This is exactly what I am talking about!” Dean held up his hands. “You at each other’s throat all the time. Both of you can look after each other fine but…Dad, come on. We always do these hunts together. I need to know I am watching your backs. You don’t even know what you are going up against!”
“If there is even anything to go up against.” John reminded him. “For all we know, there is nothing and we would have wasted our time. But I had rather wait here and settle this thing with you.” He said, his mind made up.
Despite his heart hammering away in his chest, Sam stood taller. “If that’s what you want, I am fine with it.”
“Wait a goddam second!” Dean stepped in, facing Sam. There was the familiar concern blooming in his eyes and he let it show to Sam, the only person he ever did if at all. “Sammy, are you sure about this? We don’t have to spilt up like this. Let’s research from the car while we are on the way to Bobby’s or something else. If you need me to back you guys up if something happens, I will be too far away then.” There was almost an edge of plea in his voice, which he knows will work on Sam to back down. He would always listen to Dean.
“Dean.” Sam said, putting in as much reassurance as possible in his tone. “Look, its not a big deal. I don’t want to leave you all by yourself either but you will have Uncle Bobby to look after you.”
“I don’t care about that!”
“I do. And you know you can’t leave him by himself either. So it has to be this way.”
Dean whirled around to face his father, not giving up yet. “It doesn’t have to be this way!” he said, his voice going higher than it normally would to his father. “Bobby asked for you, pretty sure he won’t be happy with just me turning up as back-up!”
“You are experienced enough to be his back-up. I don’t doubt it, I wouldn’t have said it or else, you know that.” Dad told him firmly. “And you ned to tone down this attitude of yours towards Sam. He is almost 18, he should be out there by himself and not having to be coddled by his family like this.”
Sam felt another piece of his heart clenched tight at the words. He was about to burst when Dean as always did it before him.
“He just turned 17 and he can look after himself fine but doesn’t mean he should have to risk his life! Not when I am here.” Dean’s voice had gone an octave lower, each word biting itself out of him. Sam rest a quick palm on his back, where he could feel his muscles bunched tight. His stance ever so relaxed.
“Dean, stop it.” He said softly. “Its going to be fine, don’t make a huge deal out of it. I am just going to research and find out what it is first, okay?”
Dean still didn’t turn around to him, watching John quietly. Finally, “Fine.” He bit out. “You two never listen to me anyway, so knock yourselves out. But on one condition.” He looked at his dad intensely. “You find out what it is and if you think you can’t face it by yourself, I’ll come back and we do this together.”
John huffed, “You can’t be giving out orders to me like that, you know?”
“I can if it concerns Sam.” Dean tipped his head back. Sam felt the familiar fondness and irritation come together, he really was going to miss his brother, they did too well staying apart even though they have at times.
John seemed to be staring at him for a few hard seconds before he backed down. “We’ll find what it is. If its killing people. Me and Sam can manage it.” He held up a finger. “If I think at any point we can’t, I’ll call you.”
“Sam will call me.” Dean turned back to him. “You do your research Sammy and you let me know.” He said in a threatening tone.
“You can’t just leave Uncle Bobby behind either, you know?” Sam reminded softly.
“I’ll figure something out.” He said tightly.
“Enough.” John said. “Dean, you better not screw things up for Bobby or else there will be hell to pay.”
“And you better not screw things up here either.” Dean snapped. He heaved a sigh of utter annoyance. “The two of you are going to be the death of me.” He muttered as he started to move. “Fine, let’s just get it over with.”
Sam looked over at John, saw just a flicker of concern pass it before hardening into a determined stare as they set on his. Sam didn’t do what he was signing up for here but he knew he had to do it. The familiar burn of anger and resentment at what his life was now, the need to save people from what he knew and had trained for and ultimately his love for his family that was always at the centre of it no matter how he came across, it all warred inside of him.
He's had to prove himself all his life, more so over the last few years. Now was his chance to show it. He may well prove himself wrong or being unworthy, but he’ll be damned if he didn’t at least try.
Dean threw his bag in the trunk of the Impala and slammed it shut a little harder than he had usually do. Muttering a soft mental apology to his baby, he looked up and saw his father making his way towards him.
“Got everything?”
Dean gave a short nod. “Yeah. It’s a 3-hour drive.” He looked at his watch. 3 hours was too damn far, he grimaced.
“We’ll be fine, Dean. We might be making our way there this time tomorrow.” John said.
“You giving the kid just 24 hours to make up his case?” Dean raised his brow. He himself didn’t know if there was something here or not, but he knew Sam. “Atleast hear him out, will you? You know how his geeky mind works sometimes, he sees things we don’t.”
John sighed, looking down. “I know that.” He said. “If there is something in that forest, you know I won’t just abandon it.”
“But you will call me if you think you can’t handle it?” Dean reminded his not for the first time again.
“I have hunted a lot of monsters by myself, Dean.” John said gruffly.
But not with my little brother, Dean thought, the pit in his stomach widening again at the thought of his family facing something evil without him watching their backs. “I am usually there to watch both of your backs.” He said.
“You think I can’t look after my own son?” John said, his tone sounding a little more harsh and something else in it he didn’t quite recognised. Guilt?
Dean immediately felt bad for his father. The way he had been rebelling against this idea, of course he trusted his father to look after them, he always had. But looking after Sam was his job. He had been given that job a long time back and all of his instincts and feelings came down to that.
“Of course, you can, Dad.” Dean said instead quickly. “All I am saying is, don’t kill each other before you even get to the monster.” His lips quirked.
John surprised him by giving a loud chuckle. “Now, we can’t bet on that, you know it.” He gave a quick look back at the house. “I am not sure why I signed up for this in the first place, but damn if I am the one who gives up first. And who knows? The two of us might actually make a good team.”
Dean suppressed the grin that was trying to break out. His father and Sam making a good team? They sure did, considering how alike they were but he knew they would never admit it to each other under no good condition at least.
And Dean didn’t want to think about a bad condition.
“You look after Bobby now, you hear me?” John was back to his stern voice. “Wendigo’s are no fun to deal with. With me not there to give an extra hand, you are going to have to be more alert. No distractions, you get it?”
“Yes sir.” Dean nodded, although there was the niggling voice in the back of his head which assured him he was going to be distracted a plenty.
“You call me when you reach there. Go on.”
“Yeah. Just send him out and I’ll say a quick bye.”
John huffed and turned around. “Fine.”
Sam was already out of the door and walking towards him as John passed by. He had the nerve to be smiling, his eyes twinkling while Dean was feeling shitty inside to be leaving him.
“Can’t wait to get rid of me, huh?” Dean folded his hands and leaned against the side door.
Sam rolled his eyes. “You know I had rather sit in the car with you with your stinky onion breath for hours then be in there with him.” He said. “But I feel good about this one, Dean. I can just feel it. I know I am right and I am going to prove it to him.”
Dean took a second to rejoice the fact that he was actually getting a mini vacation from the constant war of his family. “This coming from the person who was heaving his guts out not too long ago.” He reminded him.
“I feel like I have so much energy now.” Sam said sincerely. “I don’t have school, and as if Dad’s going to let me work on my papers that I had planned for the break. Might as well focus on getting to kill something.”
Dean liked it better when his little brother was against hunting and any mention of killing. There were times lately that he would see him get that look in his eyes when he was talking about the monster of the week and how he could kill it. He didn’t know what to make of it even though he should be happier about it.
“Easy there, cowboy.” Dean said. “First you have to work on finding whatever it is.”
“You believe me that there is something?” Sam asked quickly, his eyes flashing with something before it was gone.
Dean shrugged. “I know you are not about to be making stuff up either just to stay here any longer. Now you would do that to irk Dad, sure.” He gave a quick smile. “But I believe you. Just put that nerdy brain of yours to work and find out what it is as soon as possible. I don’t think you can convince Dad to stay any more than tomorrow.”
Sam twisted his lips. “I know.” He huffed. “I am making him work with me this time, you’ll see.”
“I am almost glad that I am not here for any of that.” Dean gestured towards the house. “I am going to relish my solo time for once.” he tried to believe it as much as he could.
Sam gave a knowing smile. “You should.” He said. “You need to help out, Uncle Bobby okay? And you need to look out for yourself too. I know Dad’s worried about sending you off by yourself. If only we could all be together.” Sam bit his lip, looking troubled.
Dean quickly shook his head. “Don’t worry about us, Sam.” He said strongly. “You know how scary Bobby can be, we should be worried about whoever goes a round against him.” He took a step towards Sam and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey.” He said softly, peeking down at his eyes which were hiding behind the curtain of hair as usual. “Watch your back, okay? And watch Dad’s too. And you keep me updated even if Dad’s tries to stop you. I am serious, Sam. I know the two of you are just dandy by yourselves no matter how much you argue. But if at any point, you think you guys need me…” he trailed off, gripping his hand firmly.
Sam looked up at him and gave a soft smile. “I will. Don’t worry.” He stepped back. “You should get going.”
Dean nodded quickly, swiping his palm over his mouth. His legs felt heavy all of a sudden and all he wanted to do was walk back to the house. But instead his opened the door and quickly climbed in. “I’ll call you once I reach.”
“Cool” Sam said. “You can happily listen to your crappy music tuned all the way up.” He grinned.
Dean pointed a finger at him. “Careful what you call crappy, squirt. Or else I won’t get those precious books Bobby will want to send back for you.”
Sam held up his hands. “Get going already, you jerk.”
“Bitch.” Dean shot back before he was squealing out of the dirt path, giving a last look at his brother standing by himself in front of the place they had called home for a while now. He looked at the empty passenger seat beside him. This was home, apart from the fact that it was empty.
“Its going to be a long few days.” He muttered, cranking the music up all the way, letting it drown his thoughts.