AUTHOR'S NOTE: I won't be updating this story here until I have time to come back to it and write a genfic arc. However, it is completed in my livejournal (clocking in at 10 chapters- 19,000 words) as a Sam/Dean slash fic. If you would like to read that, the link to my lj is in my profile. Thanks.

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"Not gonna need you at the shop today, after all-" John smiled at his son's delighted whoop, "but I do want you to get in some target practice, okay?"

"Yes sir," Dean looked at his dad hopefully, "Does that mean I can take the Impala?"

"I don't see why not, but you'd better be in before I get home tonight. You've got school tomorrow and I want you to get some sleep."

"Yeah, all right. Thanks, Dad!"

John made a half-hearted attempt to ruffle Dean's hair as he passed on his way out. He felt like he did so little for his son, but Dean was always appreciative. He was a good boy and John wished he could give him more, but was doing the best he could. He'd realized that high school was traumatic enough for kids with a stable home life. He couldn't keep dragging Dean from school to school; he had to make some changes. He'd decided on this small town just outside of Austin for a couple of reasons. The first being that there was some interesting paranormal activity in the area and it didn't necessarily appear to be malignant. The second being that this is where Mary had grown up and John had good memories of his wife's home town. He felt close to her here.

Dean had been almost ecstatic when John told him his plan. He'd never lived anywhere longer than a year. His enthusiasm for the idea had been somewhat tempered when they'd arrived in Round Rock. It wasn't exactly what he'd been hoping for, but Dean was nothing if not flexible. They'd lived there for two years now and Dean had settled in very well.

As his day job, John was a partner in an auto body shop where Dean also worked part time, after school and on weekends. Dean had turned seventeen this year and John felt comfortable leaving him on his own for a few days. He'd started hunting again when the job wasn't too far from home. Both he and Dean had returned to hunting during the summers. Thankfully, the first day of Dean's senior year was tomorrow. John knew he had to take time out for Dean, but it chafed him to be in one place for so long when he knew the thing that had murdered his wife and baby boy was still out there hurting people. He'd be relieved when he and Dean could devote themselves to finding the demon full time.

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Dean managed to get detention the first week of school. He thought he might already have senioritis 'cause he was having a hell of a time getting to school on time. He'd been late three days this week, which had landed him in the freakin' cafeteria on a Friday afternoon.

"This sucks," he muttered, turning to scowl out the window. Well, at least I have entertainment!

There were three kids skating in the parking lot. He tended to find skaters incredibly annoying with their punk-ass attitudes tattoed on their foreheads and the obnoxious habit of nearly running down pedestrians as often as possible. However, he had to admit that some of the stuff they could do was pretty cool. The tallest kid was the best, it seemed. He was trying to show the other two how to do a jump where he flipped the board twice, caught the back edge in one hand and landed upright. The other two kept falling. Dean thought the tall kid probably had a unfair advantage with his Go-Go Gadget arms. It was weird that someone so lanky could move so smoothly.

"All right, you guys can go." The monitor announced, jerking Dean's attention back inside the cafeteria walls. "Have a good weekend and let's hope I don't see you back here next week."

Dean certainly hoped not, his Dad was gonna kill him as it was. He should have been at the shop half an hour ago.

---

"Hey!" Although the parking lot was crowed and chaotic, Dean was pretty sure that hey was for him. He turned to see a vaguely familiar kid jogging towards him, back pack in one hand and a skateboard in the other. It clicked then, this was the tall kid he'd seen skating a couple of weeks ago.

"Hey," the kid said again once he reached Dean. He was clearly younger than Dean, but to Dean's chagrin the boy had at least two inches on him.

Dean raised a brow, "Yeah?"

Skater-boy shifted nervously and Dean cocked his head, interest piqued. Why on earth was this kid talking to him?

"Um- hi! I'm Sam," he held out one huge paw and Dean shook it, looking at the kid like he was crazy.

"I'm Dean- I'm sorry, why are you talking to me?" he didn't mean to sound quite as snotty as that, but didn't exactly mind that he did either. It was just... there were rules in high school about this sort of thing. Skaters and metal-heads didn't talk unless a teacher made them work together. Not that Dean was a metal-head really, he was kind of a clique unto himself.

His words turned Sam's nervous expression into a sour one. "Believe me, I'd rather not talk to you, but I don't really have a choice."

"Okay, and why is that?" Dean had been around enough crazy people to know things always went better if you humored them.

"Um- well, that's the- hey, is that your car?" Sam gestured abruptly at the Impala behind Dean.

Dean looked at the car and back at Sam, "Um yeah... dude, are you on crack??"

"Can we maybe talk in the car?" Sam held up his hands, "I'm not gonna put the moves on you, I swear! I just can't say what I have to tell you out here, where anyone could hear."

The whole thing was just bizarre enough that Dean decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"All right, kid." He got in the car and leaned over to unlock the passenger door. He threw his books and jacket in the back and turned to look at Sam expectantly, "Well, let's hear it."

Sam stared at his hands, playing with the hem of his long, baggy shorts. "So, I don't know you at all, right? Like, we don't have any classes together, no friends in common-" he sighed, "So why on earth would I be having dreams about you dying?"

Dean was too stunned to speak, but the kid still wasn't looking at him.

"You're in the woods and this thing, it looks sort of like a man, but it's limbs are stretched out all wrong and it's huge- I dunno, some kind of monster. Anyway, it gets you- rips your throat out, your entrails-"

"Hey," the kid was so upset, Dean couldn't help but reach out and lay a hand on his bony shoulder. Sam jumped and met Dean's eye for the first time since they got in the car. God, he looked terrified, eyes huge as a puppy's. "Sam, calm down, okay?"

The big eyes narrowed and Sam shrugged him off, "You don't believe me!" His mouth twisted and he laughed bitterly, "Of course you don't, sounds crazy- I wouldn't believe it either."

"Dude, I didn't say that. Trust me, I've heard way crazier shit than that."

Sam studied him skeptically for a long moment, "You have?"

Dean shrugged, "I have. I can't give you any details, but yeah, with all the crap I've been through you story just isn't that unbelievable. So, is that all?"

Sam's jaw dropped, "Is that all? Um, isn't that enough?"

"Well, specifics would be nice, you know. Like when is this thing going to attack me? An actual location would be great- 'in the woods' is kind of general."

Sam shrugged, "I really don't know, the dream is a little different each time. Sometimes there's a man with you, he yells your name when it grabs you-," Sam was looking distinctly green around the gills, "That's one of the things that clued me in, made me think maybe it wasn't some random nightmare. I'd seen you around school, but had no idea who you were. The other day though, I heard one of your friends call you. I mean, I know I didn't subconsciously know your name. I'd never heard it until the man in my dream had to watch you get ripped apart. I think he's your dad, he goes a little crazy when it happens."

God, Dean couldn't even imagine what something like that would do to his dad. "What does he look like?"

"Well, it happens at night so it's hard to tell... I think he's a lot darker than you. Dark hair, beard and heavy eyebrows-" Sam's mouth snapped shut as his eyes suddenly focused on a spot over Dean's shoulder.

"Dean Winchester!" Lisa slid her hands around his neck from behind, sliding them down his chest. It was Sam's reaction more than anything else that made him uncomfortable. The kid had turned bright red and his eyes were as big as saucers.

Dean lifted Lisa's hands and turned to face her. She was leaning through the driver's side window in a most appealing manner. Really showed off her assets rather nicely. She leaned forward for a kiss before he could get a word out.

"Mmmm-" the sound of a car door closing nearby had him pulling away reluctantly. He turned back, but Sam was halfway across the parking lot. "Shit! Sorry, babe- I've gotta catch that kid." He pushed her back gently, "I'll call you later!"

She scowled, "You better!"

He started the car and caught up to Sam at the edge of the lot, "Sam!"

Sam looked over, startled. "Hey- what?"

"Let me give you a ride home."

Sam's brows rose, "You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Cool!" Sam grinned and Dean had to blink. The kid sure had some smile, dimples and blindingly white teeth. Dean couldn't help but return it.