Prologue
3rd Person POV
August 1991
It was a cool summer night as John Winchester slowly searched the alleys in between the rows of apartment buildings for the rouge vampire. This was the seventh day of his hunt and he knew that it was in his best interest to get the hell outta dodge but he wouldn't let more innocent people die.
John had already managed to kill the rest of the nest that had decided to make downtown Manhattan their cafeteria, but an older, probably smarter, blood-sucker had managed to slip out while he was distracted, which was the reason why John wasn't already halfway out of New York with his two sons.
As he was exiting an alley, John heard a muffled scream from above. He quickly looked up and saw a light coming from a slightly-open window three stories up.
I've got you now ya bastard, John thought as he quickly climbed up the fire escape and snuck into the apartment.
He slowly walked through the apartment, following the low sounds of pain-filled moans. Coming to a cracked open door, John glanced in and saw a woman on the ground, holding a hand to her neck. She seemed a few years younger than he was with long, wavy brown hair and eyes that seemed to change color as the moonlight shifted. He swiftly entered and was by her side in the blink of an eye.
"It's okay… I'm gonna get you to a hospital. What's your name?" John asked trying to reassure the woman while keeping her awake.
"Sally…" the woman whispered with a sad smile. "And I don't think I'm going to make it much longer."
Before John could respond, Sally's eyes became wide and she harshly said "Look out!" while pressing herself further into the wall.
John sprang to his feet and turned himself around while pulling the machete out from underneath his jacket. The vampire growled and began to try and circle around John back towards Sally.
"If you leave now, I won't follow you. Just let me have the woman and I'll be on my way…" the vampire said once he realized there was no safe way to get around John.
"Like hell…" John sneered. "I'm gonna send you back to whatever hell-pit you crawled out of."
The vampire hissed, baring his fangs, and got into a defensive position. John did the same and waited for the beast to attack. He wasn't disappointed, but he was surprised. This vampire somehow managed to dodge every assault John threw at it. He finally landed a blow on the beast's ribs only to have it grab his arm and slap John's machete out of his hand then press him up against the wall.
"I told you that it would have been better for you to just leave!" the vampire hissed in Johns ear. "Now you are going to die tonight…"
The bloodsucker bared his fangs and began to lean towards John's neck. Suddenly the beast stiffened and there was the unmistakable sound of a blade passing through flesh. John looked on in awe as the vampires head rolled onto the floor and his body fell in a heap.
John looked up and met the tired eyes of Sally and saw that she was holding his machete. She smiled and began to fall. John rushed forward and caught her before her head could hit the floor. He looked at her in amazement as well as confusion.
"You needed help… and I… knew I wasn't going to… last much longer…" Sally said through deep, ragged breaths. "I know… I have no real right… but… could you promise me something?"
"Of course…" John answered, still in shock at the major turn of events.
"My son… Perseus… he's only two… make sure… make sure he's taken care of… He's special… in more ways… than you'd believe…" Sally choked out, tears beginning to fill her eyes.
"I promise," John whispered to her wondering how he could have missed the fact that this woman, whom had just saved him, had a child somewhere in the apartment.
"Thank … you…" she said with one last smile and then she was gone.
John set her down gently and stood with shaking hands to begin his search for this child. He opened a door at the end of the hallway that he had assumed was a closet and found a room the color of the ocean with a white crib against the left wall. John slowly made his way over and found a sleeping boy with a mop of raven-black hair under a soft, sea-green blanket.
John leaned over and picked up the child. Once in John's arms the boy stirred and looked up at him with piercing eyes the same color as his blanket. John instantly became attached to the boy but knew that he couldn't bring another child into this life. He decided that, no matter how hard it would be, he needed to drop the child at an orphanage on the way out of the state.
An hour later, with a baby in his lap, John pulled into the run-down motel that he had dropped his boys off at a week ago. He sighed as he thought about how his sons would react when he brought little Perseus into the room. His 8-year-old son, Sam, would probably be ecstatic, thinking that he finally had a little brother to tease. On the other hand, his 12-year-old son, Dean, would probably gripe about having another mouth to feed. When he finally got through the door Sam and Dean both just stared at him blankly.
"Umm… Dad? What are you holding?" Dean finally asked.
John took a deep breath and shifted the bundle in his arms. "His name is Perseus. His mother was attacked by one of the vampires I was chasing and she killed it while I was pinned. Her last wish was for me to make sure her son was safe."
Sam continued to stare at his father with a blank expression, while Dean's face softened suddenly and he came forward with his arms outstretched.
"Can I…?" Dean asked hesitantly.
John looked at his eldest son in shock for a moment before placing Perseus in Dean's arms. He continued to stare at Dean in wonder as he cradled and cooed at the baby.
"I'm going to call him Percy..." Dean muttered under his breath.
"Don't get too attached," John said, suddenly snapping back to reality.
Dean's head shot up to stare at his father. Sam, who had floated over to get a closer look at Percy, turned and looked at his father quizzically.
"The hell do you mean 'don't get attached'?" Dean questioned.
"First of all, don't use that tone with me young man," John said sternly, surprised by Dean's reaction. "Second, we're dropping him off at an orphanage on the way out of town."
John was astounded to see the glare that Dean threw at him before snarling, "Like hell! You promised to take care of him! If you drop him off at an orphanage, I'm going to waltz in there and stay with him!"
"Dad… I don't wanna leave Dean…" Sam whispered.
"You're being ridiculous Dean!" John yelled, ignoring Sam's comment. He was too busy trying to figure out what in the name-of-god had gotten his normally obedient son to make him suddenly go against something he had said.
"I'm not being ridiculous!" Dean yelled back. "We keep him or you lose me!"
And John realized that this was one battle he wouldn't win no matter what he did, so he simply sighed and said, "Fine Dean. But he's your responsibility."
And thus began Percy's life as a Winchester: Saving People, Hunting Things; The Family Business.
