"So that's why I would appreciate your help in this." John Winchester finished speaking as his son Deans who sat next to him nodded along.
Mary Campbell didn't say a word, blink, or even move her head. The only thing she did was bring her coffee cup up to her mouth and take a long sip before bringing it back down to the table and still she didn't say a single word. The only sound they heard was the murmurs of other people's conversations in the diners and the waitresses calling out orders to the cooks.
"Mary, say something." John urged her. Deans felt his pounding heart start to fall in his chest.
This time she did blink and purse her lips slightly.
"Is that a yes or a no?" John asked now annoyed.
"It's more of an 'I can't really believe what you're asking of me' than anything." Mary finally said. She took another sip of her coffee. "Do you even know what you're asking of me?"
"Ma'am, with all due respect." Deans injected. "I do, and I do want this."
Mary's green eyes met his. "You want to go on a hunt." she said almost in disbelief. When Deans nodded she gave a snort. "What's wrong with being a Man of Letters? Looking through books for the rest of your life isn't enough to get your fire going?"
Deans flushed lightly. "I just wish to explore the outside world and try to do something…exciting I suppose."
"Exciting." Mary repeated. Her eyes went to John now. "And you approve?"
"Going on a hunt is better than him going to the wrong part of town and ending up with an STD from a prostitute and mugged in an alleyway." John retorted.
"I would've gone with the wrong part of town." Mary said dryly. "Lot safer than a hunt."
John gave a sigh and shot his only child a helpless look. "I tried to talk to him." he said gruffly. "He won't listen."
"'He' is right here." Deans said only to be ignored.
"A hunt, regardless of how simple it is or isn't, is not something to take lightly." Mary warned. "Reading about it is one thing, it's an entirely different thing in reality."
"You're talking to an ex-Marine ma'am." John said wryly. "Trust me, I know."
"Ex-marine?" Mary asked in obvious surprise. Her eyes roamed over John once more with a new inquisitive look on her face. "You served?"
John nodded as he took a sip from his own coffee cup that had ultimately cooled down. "Vietnam."
Mary scrunched her nose lightly. "Hell of a war I heard."
"Hearing is nothing like in reality." John said echoing her words back with a small smirk.
She waved that away with a single sweeping movement with her hand although she had her own smile on her face. Suddenly with almost a blink of her eyes she became serious again as she looked at Deans.
"This isn't a joke, hunting." Mary said truthfully. "I know what Men of Letters think of hunters, and it's nothing like that. When you, and I mean this in general, go on a hunt; there is no guarantee of coming back."
Deans couldn't help the smile on his face as he felt his heart begin to pound in excitement and a rush of adrenaline started flowing through him. Mary took one more look at his face and sighed once more before she leaned back in her seat and waved to their waitress for a refill.
"I can't take him with me." she finally said and Deans felt everything crash around him.
Although John tried to hide it Deans was still able to see how he relaxed and the smile that he was now fighting to hold back. "You're sure?"
Mary nodded. "I have personal business to take care of in Nebraska, not going on a hunt anytime soon."
However she locked gazes with Deans once more who refused to look away. They stared at one another for a long moment before Mary gave another sigh and said, almost regretfully, "But I could call a different hunter and ask him to take Deans."
Deans nodded eagerly as John gave a low groan.
Mumbling to herself under her breath, and suspiciously sounding like she was cursing herself or perhaps him out, she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and without looking at the touchpad dialed with her thumb and brought it to her ear.
Suddenly a smile appeared on her face, wide and filled with pride and love, as she said "Sam, how are you?"
She listened to the others answers before she said in answer "I'm good too, how was your last hunt?"
She nodded as she listened to 'Sam' answer in length. Her eyes shined as she listened to the other hunter and her smile looked like it was starting to hurt. "Listen." she finally said throwing one more look at Deans. "I have a favor to ask you."
"You know the Men of Letters? The Winchester boys?" she asked and listened to before continuing. "John Winchester has a son, Deans, and the kid wants to go on a hunt."
"I'm not a kid." Deans interrupted. "I'm almost twenty years old."
Mary rolled her eyes. "My apologizes, he's almost twenty." she said almost mockingly. "Sam, listen to me. No, I said listen. I understand but…Sam I said listen."
She quieted as she listened to Sam talking. "Sam bear with me here. Don't talk to me like that." she snapped suddenly. "Now I need you to do this for me and I'm not going to take no for an answer."
Now they could make out the barest of a voice from the cellphone although they couldn't make out the words it was clear that Sam was arguing with Mary.
"Yes I know. No I don't think that. Sam stop yelling so much at the phone and pay more attention to the road in front of you." Mary said rolling her eyes once more, Deans wondered if she did that any harder if her eyes would fall out. She looked at Deans and pressed the phone down on her arm to block their voices. "Do you know how to at least use a gun?"
Deans nodded. "My father taught me."
"What about hand to hand combat?" she asked.
"Some." he answered with slight embarrassment.
Mary had that look of disbelief on her face again and it was only now that Deans realized that it wasn't just disbelief, it was of skepticism. She didn't think that he could handle a single hunt.
Anger built inside of him and he bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying something he would have regretted, he needed her to go on a hunt.
With a sigh Mary told Sam what Deans had told her before listening for a few more moments.
"Sam." she said in soft tone. "You know why I'm asking you and not someone else."
"Lebanon, Kansas." she said suddenly and Deans felt a thrill go through him once more. "You're going to need to go off road for this one."
With a start as he continued to listen to Mary he realized that Mary was giving this Sam directions straight to the Man of Letters bunker. John sputtered next to him and Mary ignored the both of them.
"Just stop outside it, you can easily miss it so if anything I'll set up a signal, cell phones don't work that close to there." Mary finished. "See you soon Sam."
With her thumb she flipped the cover back over the phone at and looked at the gaping Winchesters.
"What?" she asked innocuously and obviously confused.
"You just told him where the bunker is." Deans hissed at her as he glanced around the diner to make sure no one had been listening in.
"Paranoid bastards aren't you?" she said dryly. She shot back her coffee and swallowed the entire contents in a single gulp. Smacking her lips slightly she asked "What's the big deal of him knowing?"
"We don't know who this hunter is, pertaining to the fact that we don't know if he is trustworthy or not." John said in a low voice.
"I trust him." Mary said simply. "We were partners until he decided to go solo a little year over ago." She dug through her jacket pocket and pulled out a handful of crumpled bills, counting out the appropriate amount she threw them onto the table and waved at the father and son. "He'll be here tomorrow, pack a bag Deans and we'll meet at the front of the bunker around ten in the morning."
"What should I pack?" Deans asked quickly before she could leave.
"Clothes comfortable enough that you don't mind getting ripped or stained with god knows what." Mary said almost immediately. "Something easy to run in, sneakers too and boots if you got the right kind." She gave a small frown. "Maybe one fancy thing, like a suit, just in case."
"In case of what?" Deans asked however Mary was already out of the diner.
That night as Deans looked through his clothes as he tried to figure out what he was going to take with him his grandfather knocked and entered his room.
Henry Winchester, one of the few to survive the attack on the Men of Letters by a Knight of Hell more than fifty years ago, still had a commanding respect to him even when he sat at Dean's desk and simply stared at his grandson as he looked through his drawers and closet.
"You're father says that you're going on a hunt tomorrow?" Henry asked, his tone suggesting that he already knew the answer.
"Yes sir." Deans answered chancing a glance at his grandfather before quickly looking away.
Henry despised hunters, he held onto the firm belief that hunters were nothing more than brute savages that were good for nothing else other than shooting anything that crossed their paths.
"He also said that this was your idea." Henry continued.
Deans nodded. "It is."
"May I ask why?"
Suddenly all his thoughts and all his reasons all but flew out of his mind when he faced his grandfather. He respected, and feared a bit he would admit, his father. But when it came to his grandfather, he was completely terrified.
"I just…" Deans said as he licked his lips and fought to unstick his throat. "I mean that…I just want…"
"I realize that you are a boy," 'Man.' Deans thought. "And you might have some sort of pent up energy from your life here however, there are better ways of getting rid of that pent up energy than going on a hunt." Henry said. "Have you tried using the gym here?"
Deans nodded as he pulled out a shirt from his drawer. "I have, it doesn't work that good for me."
"Well then perhaps joining the neighboring towns clubs or volunteer work?" Henry persisted.
"Grandfather." Deans said scrunching his shirt in his hands and gathering his courage. "I want to do this, at least once."
Henry was silent as Deans slowly relaxed and continued to pack his bag, the duffel bag had been given to him from his father for the trip.
"To go on a hunt, with hunters." from the way Henry spat out the last word as if he caused him physical pain. "You are a Man of Letters Deans, far above those barbaric gorillas."
"Grandfather." Deans said feebly, his resolve disappearing with every moment he was in the other man's company. "This isn't going to change anything, I am still a Man of Letters."
"Then I suggest that is time you start acting like one." Henry said before standing and leaving his grandsons room.
Around nine forty five the following morning Deans followed his father through the bunker to the front entrance.
"You are to call me every night." John instructed. "I am to know exactly where you are each night regardless."
"Yes sir." Deans agreed as he shifted the duffel bag higher up on his shoulder. He ignored his grandfather's piercing gaze that he could still feel on his back even when they entered the corridor leading to the outside.
Once they were standing in front of the door John suddenly turned to Deans and reached out to grab his sons shoulder.
"One hunt." he said firmly. "You go on this one hunt, you come back, and you never do something this foolish ever again."
Deans nodded, it seemed that nodding was the only thing he has been doing his entire life.
"Promise me." John persisted intensely.
"I promise dad." Deans said. John held his gaze for another moment before sighing and opening the door to the outside.
Squinting slightly in the sudden sunlight Deans stepped out of the bunker behind his father and blinked a few times as he got used to bright light.
Mary Campbell was already outside and leaning against her car, a simple silver Sedan, as she idly looked through a newspaper and chewing on her pen. She looked up when the two of them appeared and acknowledged them with a nod before bringing her attention back to the newspaper.
"He's coming." she said when they looked around at the lack of another person. "It's not easy to find this place of yours, he got lost twice."
"You trust this man?" John asked going up to her.
"With my life." Mary answered easily folding her paper and throwing into her car through the open window and sticking the pen behind her ear. "Like I said, we were partners until he decided to go solo a little year over ago."
"Why split up?" John inquired.
Mary shrugged. "He wanted to, I worry about him sometimes but we keep in contact and help each other out if we need it."
John slowly nodded. "So, he is your boyfriend in the hunter's version?"
"Hunters universe?" Mary repeated. "Do I want to know what that means? And what do you mean boyfriend?"
"Well." John said helplessly glancing at Deans who shrugged back at him. He turned back to Mary and tried again. "You hunters see things differently, that much I know. Is Sam your partner in hunting and…other stuff?"
Mary seemed to be at a loss of words as she stared at John with her mouth open and her eyes wide. "You do realize that we are normal human beings, right? We love and marry if we want to and do what we want right?"
"I know." John said nodding his head. "But I also know that hunters don't form attachments and that some prefer things…to be like that."
Mary was silent for a moment before she said "I literally have no idea what you are talking about."
John blew out an annoyed breath. "Well then who the hell is Sam and why do you trust him so much?"
"Sam's my son." Mary said simply, as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.
"Your son?" John repeated in disbelief. "Your son!"
Stifling a giggle Mary questioned "Is it really that unbelievable that I have a son?"
"Well!" John exclaimed looking her over from head to toe. "How…how old is he?"
Suddenly a car drove by slowly before gathering speed. Mary brought her fingers to her mouth and gave a sharp and shrill whistle causing the car to skid to a stop, back up, and go towards them.
"There's Sam." she said pushing herself off of her car and going towards the approaching car. "And he's sixteen."
She ignored the both sputtering men, Deans because his supposed escort into the hunting world was younger than him by four years, John because he was entrusting his son's life to a child.
A beige colored Lincoln town car crawled towards them before being brought to the side and stopping. The driver's door opened and out stepped Sam Campbell.
Even from where Deans was he could tell that Sam was taller than him by an inch or so and despite being completely covered in and layered in a plaid shirt and a leather jacket that seemed to almost hang off his frame. He squared his shoulders back, taking as much advantage of his height as he was able to even when he bent down to hug Mary quickly yet tightly.
"Sam." Mary said warmly. "How are you?"
"Good." Sam answered shrugging lightly. "Drive over here was hell, couldn't find the way until the very end and I still would've missed it if I didn't hear you."
Her hand came up to grasp and tangle itself in Sam's hair before she brought it down with a sharp yank causing Sam's nose to scrunch slightly at the motion.
"Your hair is getting too long." Mary commented. "You need to cut it soon."
In answer Sam's hand shot out and twirled his fingers in her long hair that she had kept down at the moment.
"Pot, kettle." he retorted
Mary patted Sam's shoulder twice before bringing her arm down, she was almost dwarfed by Sam's height however something inside of her made her seem bigger than she was even when she was standing next to him.
Sam's hazel eyes came up and landed on Deans green ones. "You Deans?" Sam asked.
Not completely trusting his voice Deans nodded and held out his hand in greeting.
With a snort and a small smirk Sam crossed the little remaining distance and extended his own hand and grasped Deans in a tight grip. "Sam Campbell."
Without waiting for an introduction from Deans Sam let go of Deans hand and stepped back to look him over.
"You can shoot a gun?" Sam asked.
Gripping the strap of his duffel bag tightly Deans nodded once more.
With another shake of his head Sam walked back to his car and opened the trunk. Looking through it he quickly pulled out a simple handgun. Closing the trunk he went back to Deans and handed it to him. "Show me."
Pulling his bag off of his shoulder Deans took the gun from Sam and looked around for a target.
Sam nodded to one of the trees whose branch was hanging on a few strips of bark left. "Try to shot that off in one shot."
Rolling his shoulders back Deans gripped the gun in both his hands and brought it up, he aligned the two parts together and pulled the trigger.
With great satisfaction the group watched as the branch fell to the ground. He saw Sam's eyebrows lift for a second before he went to the fallen branch and pulled it off the ground. He inspected it for a moment before he looked back at Deans and said simply "Shoot." and throwing the branch into the air.
Acting on instinct Deans brought the gun up once more and pulled, this time he couldn't keep the pleased smile on his face when he managed to shoot it once more as it flew to the side.
Sam nodded. "Have to say, a bit more than what I thought. You're at three now."
"Three?" Deans asked, finally managing to find his voice.
"On my impressed scale." Sam said coming back to them and taking the gun back from Deans and tucking it the back of his jeans. "You were about a one with the first shot, now you're at three with the second." Deans tried to ignore when Sam's voice cracked for a single word before going back to normal however he could hear his father muttering something about kids and suicidal missions.
Sixteen years old. Damn it.
Sam inspected Deans once more, his eyes going up and down as he looked Deans over completely, before coming to a stance with his feet a few inches apart and his hands at his sides. "Punch me."
Deans blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Punch me." Sam repeated. "I need to know what you can do hand to hand."
With a helpless look at John, who nodded, Deans curled his hand into a fist, walked the few feet to Sam, stopped, and tried to move quickly as he drew his fist back and brought it forward.
Or at least he tried to because Sam easily grabbed Deans hand and twisted quickly and almost in a blur that Deans didn't even realize that his own arm had been wrapped around his body and Sam's arm was curled around his neck.
"Your balance is off, you punch with only your arm, and you're too tense when you swing." Sam said into his ear before letting go of Deans. "You just went down to one and a half on my scale."
Deans rubbed his arm where he had felt his muscles and tendons being stretched. "Will you still let me accompany you?"
Sam looked over at his mother and seemed to have a silent argument with her complete with his face changing to convene what he wanted to say and Mary's face never changing once. Sam sighed almost sadly and said "It appears I have no choice."
"Mom, if I die on this hunt-" Sam started only for Mary to interrupt with "I'll make sure your bones are properly disposed of Sam."
"Doesn't matter, I'll still find a way to haunt you." Sam said.
Deans and his father shared another hopeless look. When John shook his head slightly Deans shook his as well.
He wanted to go on this hunt regardless.
"So where are you headed?" Mary asked.
"Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania." Sam said. "Bunch of missing people, thought of going there to check it out."
Mary tilted her head to the side. "What about the missing people that drew your attention?"
Sam threw her an incredulous look. "Is this a test?" he asked in disbelief. "Are you serious? I've been hunting by myself for a while now, there's no need to check my every move."
"Humor me." Mary insisted.
He gave her another annoyed look and with a huff he walked back to his car and opened the back door to take a folder out and handed it to her.
"Three missing people in the last month alone." he said as she looked through the papers. "Happened two years ago on the dot. Every two years a range of six to ten people just vanish, in this month for the last twenty years." He pulled a piece of paper from the other side of the folder. "All witnesses always say that the last time they were seen was at one of the towns three lakes. No bodies have ever been recovered."
Mary nodded as she looked over the entire folder, over each and every paper before gathering them together and placing them back in the folder and handing it to him.
"Sounds like one of ours." she confirmed. She ignored Sam's mumbles about how he wasn't looking for her confirmation or approval on the case, and said "Good job Sammy."
"Its Sam." he said almost automatically.
"Sammy to me, always." Mary countered, the same ease that Sam had when he retorted. It had the smell of an old argument and just a bit of an inside joke.
Sam heaved a sigh, gave another look searching look at Deans and nodded. Motioning with his head Sam said "The trunk is open, you can put the bag there, just move the weapons to the side."
Deans moved quickly opening the trunk, trying not to gape at the amount of weapons that were in there; he swore he saw about twenty different guns, thirty different knives, and what he swore seemed to be a grenade launcher and an arrow gun. Making a free space he placed his bag inside and closed the trunk with a bit of a hint of nervousness.
John came up to him and grasped his shoulder tightly. "Remember what I said Deans, be careful."
"I will dad." Deans promised.
Mary and Sam were hugging one another tightly, although Sam was clenching her jacket in his fingers as well.
"Be safe Sam." Mary said softly. "Be wary, take care. Remember the words that keep you safe."
"You too mom." Sam replied almost tenderly. Mary's hand brushed through Sam's hair that were just brushing his shoulders. Slowly they untangled themselves from the hug. Sam nodded in goodbye to John and with a motion of his head Deans climbed into the passenger's seat of the car.
Without another word Sam took the driver's seat, started the car, and drove away as Mary and John watched, Mary with a look that showed that she was used to saying goodbye and John with his heart in his throat.
"I know a lot of hunters John." Mary said as she watched the car drive away. "And Sam is the only one that I can tell you with honesty and certainty that I can guarantee you that Deans will come back."
I do not own Supernatural.
To the people that believe Sam, Dean, Mary, and John are out of character there are completely different character than the ones that we are used to and each person's personality and the reason for their changes will be explained in later chapters.