Learned Behaviour

I don't own anything – but they own me!!

"Ok class" she put her bundle of books on the table in front of her and smiled at the eager faces peering back. It was her first day at this new school and she wanted it to be a good one. "Today we are going to study the urban myths of Middle America" she stood on tip-toe and began to write what she was saying on the chalk board "At the end of the lesson I am going to give you some homework on this – so be sure to pay attention"

She was excited to be here; her first job since graduating as a teacher and she wanted so much to make a good impression. The kids were all aged 9 to 11 and she knew that it wouldn't be easy but she also knew that this lesson was one of the most interesting, one of the most exciting. She had loved it herself when she had been in school and she clearly remembered getting more than a little scared as they discussed such classics as The Hook Man, The Phantom Hitch Hiker and her own personal favourite the Asylum haunted by its previous inmates.

"Ok" she opened one of the books and ran her fingers across the page "Let's start with the classic Hook man legend" she smiled down at the children "Who can tell me about that one?"

Several hands went up but she saw that one boy was virtually out of his seat with excitement. She grinned a little and gestured in his direction "Ok – you there, with the dark hair" she glanced at her register, trying to remember names "Dean is it? Dean Winchester?"

"Yes Miss" the boy stood; he was tall for his age and he had bright and intelligent green eyes "What do you want to know Miss?"

"Tell us what you can Dean" she said, gently, wondering what might be coming next.

For the next ten minutes, both she and the class were enthralled as the young boy who stood before them talked about the Hook man. He appeared to know names and places that she had never even heard of, yet something told her that he was not making any of this information up. At the end of his little speech he drew in a short breath and nodded, sagely, looking suddenly 19 instead of 9 "But none of that matters Miss, cos the Hook Man isn't there anymore cos my daddy killed him"

There was a collective gasp and some of the kids scribbled this piece of information furiously on their pads. She shook her head and pursed her lips "Now Dean" she said "You certainly know a lot and I guess you must have done a lot of background reading – but you know that it is very bad to tell lies or make up stories – very bad indeed"

"I'm not making it up Miss" he didn't look down or shame-faced, instead he met her gaze with a bold green stare "It's true" he grinned for a moment and she saw the sunlight flicker across his freckled face "My daddy killed the Hook Man by burning his bones – he killed the Doctor in the haunted Asylum in the same way. He killed lots of evil son's of bitches Miss". There was a massive snigger as all the children in the class covered their mouths and suppressed laughter at Dean's statement. "Dean!" she felt her own face flush – this was not the way she saw it going, not at all can't "I tolerate such language in my class"

"Sorry Miss – just calling it as I see it"

"Alright Dean" she gestured that he sit "Lets continue with the lesson – now who wants to tell me about the Phantom Hitch Hiker" she swept the classroom with her eyes and was, somehow, unsurprised when Dean's hand was now the only one raised. She glanced at her watch, praying, suddenly, for 3.30pm and home time.

Exhausted she picked up her bag and began to thrust books into it. Her face was flushed and she could feel the start of sweat under her arms and at the base of her spine. The classroom was quiet now but she could still hear Dean's voice, strong and determined as he told tales about the supernatural and his daddy. She wondered how he had conjured all this up in his mind; how a small child could be so imaginative, make everything sound so real and so true. She was worried that this first class might be her last and she sat down on the stuffy classroom chair and rubbed the back of her neck, wondering when the first parent would be calling to complain.

"Hey"

She startled at the soft voice and looked up to see a man standing in the doorway. He was the tallest man she had ever seen; his head nearly touching the top of the door. She swallowed, pushing strands of stray hair back into her untidy bun "Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry – I didn't mean to startle you" he came closer and she could see that he was in his mid thirties and very attractive, his long brown hair flopping into his bright and slanting hazel eyes "I've come about Dean" he saw her expression and his smile faded a little "I hear he gave you a hard time today"

"You could say that" she felt hotter than ever and she wished that she did not have chalk dust on her blouse and a smear of pen on her face "He is quite a handful isn't he?"

"Yeah" the hazel eyes glinted for a moment "He can be headstrong"

"Do you know what today's lesson been about?" She could only imagine that this was the boy's father and she wanted to say so much to him, to discover what an earth made Dean say the things he did

"Urban myths" he grinned slightly, his cheeks dimpling "His favourite subject"

"He does seem to know a lot" she gestured that he sit and he took one of the small chairs, perching in it like an overgrown school boy, his long legs and arms folded in for comfort "I mean what do you let him read? Let him watch? To talk about things" she paused, a little embarrassed by her anger "Like that"

She watched as he fidgeted in his tiny chair, saw his jaw clench, his throat convulse and swallow. She saw how tired he looked suddenly, a man old before his time "Mr Winchester – are you alright?"

"Sam" he nodded, a smile touching his eyes again "Call me Sam"

"Sam" she wanted to touch him but she knew that that would be unprofessional "Look, I didn't mean to pry, but as his teacher – you know – this was my first day and it didn't go quite to plan"

"No" his smile widened "That's ok – I've told him to tone it down – you won't get any more trouble from him"

"I don't want him to lose his passion though" she felt a smile touch her own lips "He seems such an assured little boy"

"Oh yeah" Sam's smile was wider still, dimples deepening "He's just like his dad"

"Oh" she shook her head "You're not his father then?"

"No" he didn't quite meet her eyes "His dad is…his dad is dead – I'm his uncle"

"Oh" she could see the pain but she could also feel it and it radiated off him like waves "I'm sorry"

"Dean didn't really know his dad – he…he died before Dean was born. I guess I should've brought him up differently – maybe called him by a different name – but I wanted…no I needed to keep Dean with me somehow"

"I see" she didn't, not really, but she felt he needed to hear it "What about his mother?"

"She didn't want him" Sam stated "It was just – well one of those things – I'm not married and maybe that's a bad thing" he looked at her for a moment "He sort of lacks a feminine influence"

"Look" she stood up, wondering if she had said too much, dug too deep "I'm sorry about today – tell Dean we can try again next time"

"Yeah" he stood up too and took her hand, shaking it firmly, his eyes on hers "But you see – Miss – what Dean told you – it wasn't exaggeration, it wasn't a lie" he let her fingers drop from his and cocked his head on one side, trying to read her expression "His daddy really did all of those things and a whole lot more – so many things – things you wouldn't comprehend or believe – things that you wouldn't be able to teach in school even if you were here for a hundred years" he nodded "I'll see you again no doubt"

"I guess" her hand hovered over his and she swallowed, wondering, briefly, if the whole Winchester family were mad "Why are you telling me this – how do you know this?"

"Because I was there" Sam Winchester stood up straight and smiled, his eyes meeting hers one last time "Because I was there"

FIN