This is for Spoilerwolf (Jess), I hope you like it. I tried to use everything from your promps.
1) A nice case fic would be cool - set in S1-S2 or pre-series. Limp!Sam of course Maybe... around Sam's birthday? This is Sam's b-day fic exchange, afterall.
2) I'd like to see Sam save the day - Dean must be included, and John/Bobby are optional. Of course, Sam must save the day while also injured Can be from seasons 1-3 (including pre-series) & excluding season 4-5.
Bonus points if you can include any of the following:
- Save a puppy (okay, must be an ACTUAL puppy, not just Sam)
- the words 'okie dokie' - said by anyone.
- the guys mistaken for a gay couple ( that still gets me rolling everytime I see/hear it, lol)
- And a brother hug - must be realistic and not over the top
Wind of Change
The sun standing high in the blue sky was occasionally blocked by one of the fluffy white clouds that floated playfully along. A light breeze cooled the heated air to a perfect temperature. It was the perfect day for a family picnic, something that Sandra Johnson had convinced her husband off only an hour ago. The convincing had actually consisted of packing the kids in the car seats and handing him the cooler filled with some of his favorite foods, before climbing into the passenger seat of the family van. She smiled as she thought of the look on Jake's face, when he finally put the cooler in the back and joined her. There had been no need to ask where she wanted to go, he knew her favorite place.
Sitting on the blanket and enjoying the view off the cliff over the valley below, she listened to the laughing and happy screaming that came from behind her, where Jake was playing ball with eight year old Jimmy and ten year old Brooklyn. It was good to hear her husband have fun with the kids; he was working way too hard. She continued to allow her thoughts to wander, when the scream of a bird of prey made her turn.
It was a red tailed hawk, sitting on the branch of one of the large fir trees. It was large, even for a male of its species and the eyes with which it watched the kids and Jake showed an intelligence that was almost eerie. Letting out another screech, it swung itself into the air and disappeared into the forest.
A sudden heaviness seemed to fill the air, making it almost hard to breath. Even her family seemed to notice, as they seized there play and stood silent. Sandra noticed the mild breeze seized and the noises of the insects and birds quieted. For a moment it seemed like there was no noise at all then unexpectedly a roar ruptured the forest. Trees, hundreds of years old, fell, split apart like toothpicks, as a whirlwind broke through them. Before she was capable of moving even one limb, the small but powerful cyclone engulfed her family and sucked them up into the air. Making an unbelievable 180 degree turn, it disappeared on the exactly same path it had come, leaving three broken bodies behind in its wake.
It took the wife and mother five minutes, before she was able to stand up and tumble over to the lifeless bodies of what had been her family only a few minutes ago. Letting out a scream of despair, she crumbed to the ground unconscious.
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"Thanks see you tomorrow!" Dean Winchester closed his cell phone and shoved it back into this jeans pocket. Seeing his brother stand in the doorway, he said, "That was Bobby; he wants us to meet him in Rapid City at noon tomorrow. Said there might be a case, he'll tell us more when we get there."
"Rapid City? Dude, that means we have to drive through without a break and that only, if we leave right now."
"Yeah, so?" Dean shrugged his shoulders, "Got a problem with that?"
Knowing he would loose any argument with his older brother, Sam replied, "Guess not, as long as you take the first leg of the drive."
"Let's pack up then!"
The older man threw him the empty duffel bag that was sitting on the floor beside him, before moving into the bathroom to retrieve their toiletries.
With the weapons already safely stored in their hiding place, it didn't take them long to pack up the rest. Twenty minutes later they were an the road with Dean behind the wheel, accompanying John Hetfield blaring out the lyrics to "The Four Horsemen", while Sam checked the map in an attempt to find a way, that might save them some time.
"Got it!" He finally called out, "If we go south for about thirty miles, we can take I-25 south most the way. That looks like the fastest way."
"Already on it!" Dean grinned. It wasn't the first time he was in this area and had to make his way up to South Dakota. Sure, he could have told his brother, but Sam had so got so excited, if he could find a faster route for them, why take the fun away from him?
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Dean glanced over at the sleeping form of his gigantic little brother huddled up in the passenger seat. It amazed him time and time again that the kid could sleep this deeply all cramped up in the car, while he didn't seem to be able to find any rest stretched out in a motel room bed. Yet he knew, it had something to do with feeling safe, after all, he classic black car had been their home ever since they've been little. For Sam it was the only home he remembered.
Tearing himself back into reality, he concentrated on the road. After he drove for over six hours, Sam insisted on taking over. Initially Dean was going to let him drive for a few hours, before he would take the wheel again, but then had fallen asleep. It wasn't until three hours ago that he woke, scolding the younger man for not waking him then making him stop and switch seats. Now they were only a mile away from the motel Bobby mentioned. The older Winchester was glad the place was on the main road, just outside of town, so he wouldn't have any problems finding it.
A few minutes later he pulled into the parking lot of the South Town Motor Inn. It wasn't difficult to find the room Bobby had rented, as his truck was the only vehicle there. Parking right beside it, Dean shut the engine off and gently shook Sam's shoulder.
"Dude, time to wake up, we're here!"
For a moment the younger Winchester looked around with confusion, "Here where?"
Dean laughed at the expression on his face, making him look like he was eight years old. "At the motel, princess! Lets get our stuff and find out what Bobby has to say."
After rubbing his eyes for a moment Sam got out of the car. Still sleep drunken, he walked towards the door, running into it, when he misjudged the distance. Rubbing his forehead, where it connected, he found himself face to face with Bobby Singer.
"How come you never taught your brother that using his fist for knocking is a lot less painful than using his head?" The older man chuckled, before he pulled Sam into his embrace, "Good to see you, kid! Now you better come in and sit down before you hid that noggin of yours again."
Dean followed with both their duffels, placing them on the floor as soon as he entered. Locking the door behind him, he walked over to his brother, who by now was sitting in one of the beds, still rubbing his head.
"Here, let me see that!" He demanded, trying to pry Sam's hand away from his forehead.
"It's fine!" The younger man insisted, but finally relented to the "I'll determine that" look Dean gave him.
Seeing the discolored area, which already started to raise slightly, he turned to the salvage yard owner, "Got some ice?"
The older man disappeared into the bathroom, returning with a hand towel, he went over to the table and reached into a plastic container to retrieve several ice cubes. Wrapping them into the towel, he handed them to Dean.
"Why don't you scoot back and lie down!" The older brother suggested, guiding his compliant sibling into a horizontal position, then pressing the make shift icepack against the bruised area. "Hold on to this and rest for a while. I'll get some food and then we can talk."
The mumbled "kay" coming from Sam made Dean grin, poor kid was obviously completely exhausted to not even give instructions for the kind of food he wanted.
"Why don't you sit down and go over my notes, while I get the food." Bobby suggested, "Any change in your food choices?"
"Nah, you know me!"
"Didn't think so!" The older man smiled, would be a cold day in hell, before Dean Winchester would go for anything less then red meat in general and greasy burgers in particular.
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Three hours later the tree men were finally talking about the hunt. After Bobby had come back with the food, Dean had tried to wake his brother, but found the younger man didn't even stir. The grizzled hunter had anticipating this would happen and had brought back soup that could be reheated and a salad with the dressing on the side. Now they sat around the table, while Bobby briefed them on what was going on.
"Six people have been killed and two injured in three different tornadoes during the last two weeks."
"Wait a second." Dean interrupted, "Tornadoes, how is that our kind of thing?"
"Shut up and you'll see." The hunter warned, yet the smirk on his face belied his words, "These tornadoes happen at random and on beautiful, sunny days, when there is no wind and hardly a cloud in the sky."
"But how is that possible?" Sam straightened up in his chair and leant forward.
"I haven't figured that out yet, but it's clear something supernatural is involved here." Bobby answered his question.
"Who are the victims? Are they connected in any way?" Dean inquired.
"Not that I can see. The first people involved were a young couple camping in the Black Hills. The husband barely survived and is still not out of the woods, but from what the police report says, he was able to tell them the cyclone came out of nowhere and was only about nine feet wide. It engulfed them and he lost consciousness. When he woke up, both he and his wife were lying side by side on their backs. It was a miracle he survived and probably only because he wore a swim vest, which must have padded him and protected him from worse injuries. They had planned to go fishing and because he wasn't a good swimmer, his wife insisted he would wear one."
"Guess I'll never make jokes again, about people wearing those ridiculous looking things." Dean grinned.
"The second time it happened to a group of six men hiking in an area about ten miles east. The same thing happened to them. Because they were walking in two groups, three of them managed to get away unscathed, while one of the men in the other group was just a little behind and got thrown against a tree rather than sucked in. The other two weren't so and died, again there bodies lying side by side on their backs after the tornado disappeared."
"Okay, so this enough for me to proof this isn't natural. I mean the weather conditions are completely wrong and who ever heard of a tornado this small? And if that wasn't enough, the victims being laid out like that, is just not something that would happen naturally." The older Winchester announced.
"What about the last case?" Sam wondered, almost afraid to ask.
"A family of four, the mother didn't get hurt, but the father, a ten year old daughter and an eight year old son were killed instantly. The mother collapsed after witnessing her family die and had a breakdown later in the hospital. She just was released this morning and is now staying with her sister here in town."
"Have you talked to her or any of the men in the other group?" Seeing the older man shake his head, Dean added, "Guess we should do that then!"
"Guess so." Sam replied, not really enthusiastic. Although he had done it many times before, he never enjoyed making people, who just lost their loved ones relive the tragedy. Yet he knew it was necessary, if they wanted to prevent further deaths.
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"Excuse me…" Sam looked at the mid-thirties red-headed woman, who opened the door he just had knocked on, "I hope we're not disturbing you, but we were told we would find Mrs. Sandra Johnson here?"
The smile on the woman's face turned to something more like a frown, "What do you want from my sister? If you are with the press, you better leave right now; she has been through enough lately."
Dean, who was standing beside his brother, watched how the younger man's expression instantly changed into one of pained compassion. He'd seen it so many times in the past and yet it astounded him again and again, how Sam could emphasize with others and make an immediate connection.
"I'm sorry ma'am. I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Dr. Sam Mullin and this is my partner Dr. Dean Tomann, we are scientists with the NOAA, or to be more specific the NWS, the National Weather Service." He paused to let the information sink in, before continuing, "Ma'am, I know this is a really bad time, but the weather phenomenon that killed your sister's family has killed several other people. We've never seen anything like it in the past and are desperate to find a way to prevent further deaths. We were hoping that maybe your sister could…?"
He didn't finish the sentence, yet he didn't have to, as the woman stepped slightly to the side, "Why don't you come in and have a seat. I will ask my sister, if she is up to talking to you. I can't promise you though that she will."
"That is perfectly alright. We appreciate the effort, Mrs…"
"Tammy Gifford." She answered, before leaving the room to go upstairs.
She returned a few minutes later with a dark blond woman a few years her junior following her down the stairs. There was no doubt of the relationship between the two of them, as other then the hair color, they looked very similar, the only other difference immediately apparent was Tammy being about half a head taller than Sandra.
The younger Winchester made a start by stepping up to her, "Mrs. Johnson, I'm so sorry for what happened to your family. I know there is nothing that will ever make up for it." Pausing, he glanced over at his brother, "My college and I wish this could wait, but we really are trying to save lives."
"I know." Her voice was slightly shaky and subdued, as she tried to continue without breaking down, "Please, have a seat."
She pointed at the group of chairs to their right, giving herself a moment to regain control. As soon as everyone had taken a seat, she said, "So, what can I do to help?"
"We already know what happened during and after the tornado, what we really would like to know is, if there is anything strange you noticed just prior to it?" For the first time Dean spoke up, feeling he needed to make a contribution to be believable.
She thought for a moment, then shook her head, "No, nothing, other that it was really quiet."
It was clear that trying to recall the tragedy was getting to her as she squeezed her fists so tight, her knuckles turned white.
"I know this is incredibly difficult, but was there anything else, except the silence. Maybe some animals that behaved strange or noises?"
"I think this is enough, my sister needs to rest. If you leave your number, I make sure I call you if she remembers anything else." Tammy stood up, her face anxious with worry at the sudden paleness of her sibling.
"Sure, let me…"
"No, it's alright!" The younger woman interrupted the older Winchester, then turned towards Sam, "Actually there is something I remember. There was this red tailed hawk that showed up right before and landed on a branch. I remember, because he was unusually large and almost seemed like he was watching us. He flew away into the forest, right into the direction from which the twister came only a few seconds later. I guess they say animals have a special sense for strange occurrences…" She mused.
"You're right." Sam agreed, "Maybe this is something that could help us."
Getting up, he moved closer and took her much smaller hand into his large one, "I promise you, we will do whatever we can to prevent this from happening again. I know that's not enough, but maybe it will help a little." He locked eyes with her, before turning and walking out.
Slightly surprised, Dean scrambled out of his own seat and said his good-bye, then ran after his brother, who already had taken up his seat in the passenger seat of the Impala.
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The ride back to the motel had been spent in silence. As soon as Dean had entered the classic black car, he had realized his brother needed a moment to collect himself. It had been clear from the expression on his face that the conversation with Sandra Johnson had gotten to him. After Jessica it had probably hit too close to home for the younger man. For a moment Dean had wanted to kick himself, but what was done was done and couldn't be changed. So he had decided to give Sam the time he needed.
He was glad he did, as it seemed to have worked. By the time the two of them entered the motel room it appeared like Sam found his balance once again. Sitting down he watched Bobby, who was talking on his cell phone, with impatience, eager to exchange notes with the older hunter.
After what seemed like forever, the salvage yard owner finally ended the conversation with an, "Okie dokie", making Dean break out in a laugh and even Sam couldn't suppress a grin.
"Idjits!" The grizzled hunter mumbled, choosing to ignore their antics and instead asking, "So what did you get?"
Recalling all the details of their conversation with Mrs. Johnson for the other man, both of the younger hunters then listened to Bobby telling them about his talk with the three uninjured hikers.
Hardly letting him finish his tale, Dean jumped up, exclaiming with more than just a little excitement, "This has to be it! This has to be something we can use!"
"What do you mean?" Sam looked at him without understanding.
"Don't you get it? All three of the men said they saw an extremely large falcon watch them and then fly away into the direction, where the whirlwind came from just a moment later and…"
"…Mrs. Johnson said the same happened to them, only the bird was an unusually large red-tailed hawk." Sam completed his sentence.
Bobby, who had listened closely, now questioned, "Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before? Because I sure haven't."
"Neither have I." Sam confessed, "But it's a start. Between the three of us, we are bound to dig something up."
"Alright then, where do we start?" Dean questioned.
"The library…" Sam instantly perked up, making his older brother smirk. The kid still was the same geek he had been all his life. Show him a library and he could spend weeks in it and not even miss eating. It would seem that a place like Stanford, with all its libraries and books, would have exhausted his need for knowledge, yet maybe there were things that never changed and maybe never should, his little brother being a hopeless book worm being one of them.
"Alright, I'll surf the net for some info then." Dean offered.
"Guess that leaves me with the city archives, maybe there is something on this kind of thing happening before. I know it's a long shot, but worth the try." The oldest hunter announced, glad that Dean had taking over the net surfing. Although he was quite proficient at it, he had never taking a liking to it and still preferred the old fashioned methods whenever possible.
Separating, they agreed to meet up again in three hours and call it a day, if neither of them had found anything by then and retry early the next morning.
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It was a few minutes after nine o'clock, when the youngest Winchester walked down the steps of the library. It turned out that although small, there were some valuable resources on the history of the area to be found in the dusty place. A satisfied smile on his face, Sam tucked the three books he was carrying securely under his right arm. He had received a call from Dean only a few minutes ago, telling him the older man was on his way to pick up Bobby from the archives, which were located several blocks from the library and then would come get him, so they could grab dinner before returning to the motel.
Standing on the sidewalk, Sam was amazed by the relatively heavy traffic still going through town at this late hour. Sure, Rapid City was a tourist destination, yet it was still a little early in the year for this to start up, as it was only late April. Then again, what did he really know about tourism, other than it was a seven letter word. Vacations hadn't really been on their schedule growing up.
The young man was torn out of his thoughts by a fearful, high pitched scream, "Sammy…"
Turning into the direction, he saw young girl of maybe nine or ten standing about fifteen yards away from him, holding the torn end of a leash in her hand. At the same time he saw an energetic looking dog of maybe fifty pounds storm toward him, just to swerve right in front of him and run into the heavy traffic. Without thinking Sam ran after the animal, catching it by the collar and at the last second pulling it out of the path of an oncoming car.
Finding himself thrown off balance by his sudden pulling back and his feet still in the momentum of running forward, the tall hunter found himself settling down hard onto the asphalt, the dog, who once again changed directions, this time back towards its owner, taking him down all the way until his head hit the ground. Dazed, yet still holding on tightly to the collar, he heard breaks screeching and a door slamming, at the same time as two voices almost in unison called out, "Sammy…!"
The next moment he was pulled up to an almost sitting position and supported by a strong arm, while a hand ran over the back of his head.
"No blood…" Dean stated, his voice still a little shaky from the view he just experienced, "What in the world, Sammy? Running after a dog? Without looking? Didn't I teach you better?"
Still woozy, Sam attempted to focus on his brother's face, but suddenly found a black and tan blur in front of him, which was followed by something large, pink and wet swiping all over his face, almost making him fall back again, if it wouldn't have been for Dean's strong arm continuing to hold him up.
"Woah, woah, buddy…" One hand still on the collar, he put his other into the dog's fur and dragged it away from his face. His vision clearing, he saw for the first time that he was not dealing with a fully grown animal, but rather with a puppy.
"Sammy!" Still high pitched, but stern this time, the voice startled both of the Winchester and made them look up at the little girl, who was standing beside them with an angry look at her face, "How many times have I told you that you can't run away. See what you did? You broke the leash and almost got killed, if it wasn't for the nice young man here."
She looked at Sam and suddenly blushed, "I'm sorry mister, Sammy really is a good dog, but she is just a puppy and sometimes I just can't hold her back."
"I know, same thing happens with my Sammy!" Dean couldn't help but respond, leaving the girl with confused look on her face, "Sorry, his name is Sammy too." He explained.
"It's Sam." The younger man corrected with a scowl.
Still holding on to the pup, not intending to let go until he knew the animal couldn't run away anymore, he started to stand, using his brother's shoulder as leverage. Still he wouldn't have made it, if Dean wouldn't have stood at the same time and held on to his arm.
"You alright kiddo?" The older brother asked, concern breaking through his voice.
"Yeah, yeah, just a little dizzy, nothing I can't handle." Looking over at Bobby, who was standing back a few yards to stay out of the way, yet close enough to help, if needed, he said, "There should be some rope in the back seat…?"
While the old hunter made his way to the car, Sam started to lead the dog back onto the sidewalk, his brother staying close by his side, making sure he wouldn't fall. Kneeling, he unhooked what was left of the leash and took the rope out of the junk man's hand, as soon as he arrived with it. Securing it to the collar with a knot, he made a loop on the other end, then pulled a soft cloth out of his pocket and wrapped it around the loop.
"She really is a pretty dog." He noted, looking at the dog, obviously a shepherd mix with very vivid colors, who now was making some strange rooing sound at him, while wagging her tail.
"Yes, she is a German Shepherd/Basenji mix." She explained, before adding in a very important voice, "You know Basenjis are African herding dogs and they don't bark they just talk. But Sammy here, she does bark too, because she is half Shepherd."
Sam smiled at her, remembering how much he wanted a puppy, when he was her age. Out loud he asked, "How far from here do you live?"
"Just over there, see the diner?" She pointed at one of the buildings just down the road, "It belongs to my mom and dad."
"Great, here you go." He handed her the make-shift leash, "This will hold Sammy for a while. But I will walk you there, just to be on the safe side."
Standing up again, this time much surer on his feet, he started to walk beside her, the dog staying by his side, like she knew he just had saved her life.
"Thanks again, mister…" She said, suddenly a little shy.
"Just call me Sam."
A big smile appeared on her face, "So your name really is Sammy!"
"Yeah, but for Sammy's sake here…" He pointed at the puppy, whose large brown eyes were excitedly looking at him, "…you better call me Sam."
"I understand, Sam." She winked at him, "My name is Patricia, but I let you call me Patty, that's what my parents and friends call me."
"Thanks Patty, now we better go and take Sammy back to your parents before they get worried." He smiled, as he felt her small hand slight into his larger one.
Dean smirked as he saw the gesture then nodded at Bobby, "Why don't you park the car? I follow Sammy, wouldn't want anything else to happen. We might as well eat right there."
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The three men returned to the motel room two hours later with there bellies stuffed and their wallets as filled as they were before. Mr. and Mrs. Sunderman, Patty's parents had refused to take any of their money and even insisted they would take home one of Mrs. Sunderman's delicious caramel apple pie, an offer that especially Dean hadn't been able to refuse.
After Patty had gone to the back room, her mother had confided in them, how much it meant to the family that Sam had saved "Sammy" the mutt. The little girl had been very close to her grandfather and had spent a lot of time with him. After the old man had unexpectedly died of a heart attack nine month ago, Tammy's world had been torn apart. That had changed, when the neighbor's dog had a litter of puppies. She had instantly taken to the runt of the litter, a sickly little pup, who had little to no change of survival, as its siblings wouldn't even let her suckle. With the advise of one of the local vets, the little girl had taken on the task of feeding the pup every two hours and under her loving hand and with a little help from mom, who very fast realized that this was exactly what her daughter needed, the runt had grown into a beautiful and very lively puppy.
The story had touched all of them and although Dean would never admit it, had even brought tears to their eyes. Although still a little upset about Sam acting without thinking, he was glad his brother had been able to save the pet. With the younger man always worrying about causing death and destruction, this was just what he needed.
Thinking about it now, Dean had to confess that getting a meal and a pie out of the deal wasn't anything to complain about either.
TBC
I used my dog Sugar in this story. She was a good girl, but I had to put her to sleep last April. She was almost 14 and had been sick for a couple years. Please let me know how you like this one. The story is complete and I will post part 2 and 3 soon. Hugs, Vonnie
