A/N: This is written from Bobby's perspective, right when Sam dies in All Hell Breaks Loose part 1. Basically just angst, I don't know why I did this to myself. Please review! The last and second part will be posted in a few days.
Bobby didn't fully realize it until it was too late. At first, he hadn't wanted children which turned out to be a decision he would regret for the rest of his life. The look on Karen's face still haunted him to this day, that look of betrayal and hurt. With Karen gone, a piece of him had died with her. Sam and Dean had always meant a lot to Bobby, they were some of the few people he actually got really close to. He'd unconsciously allowed himself to feel love again, to relearn what family meant. He didn't fully understand that what had come to mean so much to him could be taken away. Bobby hadn't realized he practically saw them as his own children, his sons. Until that night in Cold Oak. Hearing Dean's desperate cry as he ran back, he knew what he'd just lost.
Earlier
"I know where Sam is." That was the hope they needed to find him and they would. Bobby shuddered at the thought of Sam in that place; they had to get him out of there. The place had been extremely haunted, causing all the inhabitants to leave. A goldmine for a hunter. Bobby had heard of it during his first years introduced to the hunting life. As they sped down the highway, passing the border to South Dakota, Bobby cast a look at Dean. He was staring down the road, hardly paying attention, just driving. He must be worried out of his mind. They rode in silence the next few miles, Bobby knew the timing to make any kind of conversation right now wasn't the best.
"It's getting dark." Dean stated flatly. Bobby stirred lightly, not expecting him to speak.
"Yeah, only about five more miles now." Dean's hands tightened on the steering wheel. The car sped up, going way past the limit.
"He'll be alright, Dean. We'll find him and you two can get back to bickering with each other." The corner of Dean's mouth twitched slightly. Bobby tried to relax into his seat, Sam would be fine. He had to be.
"Are you sure it's here, Bobby?" Dean asked as they pulled up behind the abandoned houses. It was dark and very hard to make out where they were. Cold Oak was surrounded by woods and it had been difficult to find their way here.
"Yeah, see the bell over there?" Bobby asked, letting the light of his flashlight fall on the bell in front of them. "That's the bell you saw, isn't it? In the vision." Dean's eyes narrowed in the dark. He turned to Bobby with new hope in his eyes, giving a short nod.
They made their way down the road, entering the ghost town. Bobby pushed his cap down further; the drizzle was a bit heavier now. Dean walked ahead with quick steps. The air was eerily quiet; the only sounds were coming from their boots walking on the muddy ground. Had the vision been correct? Was Sam really here?
"I don't like this Bobby, where is he?" Dean said, his voice tinged with restless worry. Bobby couldn't escape the feeling that something was wrong, off. Maybe it was just the ghosts in this place giving him the chills.
"He could be hiding in one of the houses- "Dean didn't wait for him to finish his answer. Thunder suddenly rattled from above.
"Sam!" He called loudly. Bobby muttered a curse under his breath, what if they had just attracted the damn thing that took Sam to start with? They turned a corner and sighed in relief seeing Sam's tall figure. He looked up at the sound of Dean's voice, walking towards them. Something had happened to him, he was clutching his right arm.
"Sam!" Bobby saw something move in the dark but he couldn't make out what it was.
"Dean!" Sam called back in relief. It happened so quickly but still Bobby could see the man running up behind Sam clearly, holding what looked to be knife in his hand.
"Sam, look out!" Dean yelled in panic, both of them freezing for a second. It was too late. The man plunged the knife into Sam's back; the sickening sound was audible even to where they were standing. A grunt left Sam at the force, his back arching. Before Bobby knew it, they were running.
"NO!" Dean sprinted towards Sam, his scream echoing between the empty, abandoned houses. Bobby knew he had to focus on whoever this person was, he was going to pay. The man was heading for the woods and he was fast. Bobby followed him but not before he saw Dean hitting the ground in front of his brother, catching him in his arms before he could fall. Bobby adjusted his hold on the rifle, speeding up as fast as he could go. The rain clouded his vision, suddenly much heavier. Bobby swore to himself, his physique wasn't the best at this age. He wasn't exactly taking laps in his scrap yard. The man was in the woods now; Bobby could see his figure fading. Dammit. He knew he was too slow, or, the man was too fast. There was no way that he would be able to catch up. Bobby stopped, chest heaving at the effort. Trying somewhat to catch his breath, he froze. He had to get back, back to the brothers.
"SAM!" Dean's scream snapped him back. He knew what it meant and he swallowed, taking a breath. Ignoring his protesting lungs, he ran back as fast as he could.
"Sam! Bobby, come here!" He heard an eight-year old Dean call from the living room. Bobby walked in with a sigh. The boys were getting on his last nerve today.
"What?" He demanded, not bothering to feign a shred of patience. Dean got up from the couch to stand before him, lips pouting dramatically. He pointed to his little brother on the carpet.
"Sam took my old toys and now he's broken one of them! I told him to be careful, Bobby!" Sam studied the scene in front of him with big, guilty eyes. Bobby sneered, dragging a hand down his chin.
"So? You're not even playing with them anymore! If it troubles you so much I can go out right now and buy a new Barbie set if it pleases the princess." Dean glowered up at him, feeling stupid.
"But- "Bobby gestured for him to stay quiet. He met Sam's gaze.
"Sam, be careful with the toys okay?" Sam nodded solemnly, eyes flickering nervously to Dean.
"I said sorry." He mumbled quietly. Bobby saw Dean soften at that. Sam fidgeted with his back pocket and smiled triumphantly when he found what he was looking for. He tumbled over to his brother, hand outstretched. Dean, still significantly taller than Sam, looked down at him with an amused expression.
"Candy." Sam stated, holding his hand out to Dean. Dean frowned down at the crushed candy.
"Sammy, you've been sitting on it." He said, crossing his arms. Sam sighed in defeat. Bobby gave Dean an insistent nod. Dean rolled his eyes and grabbed his brother's hand.
"Come here Sammy, I'll show you the rest of the toys." Bobby smiled to himself.
"Idjits." He muttered under his breath.
A part of Bobby wanted to turn back at the sight in front of him. No, no, no, not Sam… He halted in his tracks, not knowing what to do. Dean was clutching Sam in his arms on the ground, the rain soaking them both. He was talking frenetically to his dead brother, holding on to any thread of hope. Bobby felt his heart clench and the lump in his throat grew. He looked down at the muddy ground, rain splattering down, forming puddles. Staring at his hands, the rifle, he swore.
"I should've…God…" He was shaking. Trying to calm down, he ran a hand down his face. This could not be happening. He should at least have tried taking a shot to take down the son of a bitch who did this. Bobby forced himself to look down in front of him, at the two of them.
"Sammy, Sammy, come on. You have to wake up alright? Please." Dean called desperately, voice breaking. He held his brother's head up, to looking for any reaction. A reaction that wouldn't come. The dead won't answer you. "No, no, no. God, please."
"Dean- "He didn't even know what to say. What could he say? Dean had just lost his brother; the only family he had left. What broke Bobby's heart was that he hadn't admitted it to himself yet. Dean either ignored or simply didn't hear him, his full attention on Sam.
"God dammit Sammy, don't do this to me! I'm supposed to look after you, remember? I- I have to, okay? I promised dad that I-." Bobby closed his eyes at the mention of John. He'd barely been gone a year and now Dean would lose Sam too? How was any of this fair? Bobby knew Dean couldn't survive this. Even if he did all that'd be left would be a broken man.
"Sammy, please! I'm going to patch you up, you'll be fine, I promise." Dean's voice lightened faintly as if trying to convince himself that this wasn't happening. "But you- you've got to open your eyes, okay brother?" Dean pushed wet strands of hair out of Sam's face, his head lulling from side to side. He saw blood on Dean's hands, Sam's blood. Bobby felt a tear roll down his cheek, maybe it was rain. It didn't matter. He knew that Dean knew now, deep down. But he couldn't admit it; it would make it all too real.
"Come on, you can't be- can't be dead. I made you a promise, I have to keep it. Wake up. Sammy." He whispered the last part, barely audible. "Don't leave me." Bobby sniveled and cleared his throat, he couldn't take this. They had to get out of here, who knows what could come after them. Tentatively, he took a step forward, setting his hand on Sam's shoulder and the other one on Dean's.
"Dean, I can't even tell you how sorry I am. I don't- "He had to pause for a second, not trusting his own voice. "We have to get out of here, okay? I'll help you carry- "
"Don't. Touch. Him." Dean spat through clenched teeth, turning his head to glare through empty, dark eyes. Tears glistened in his eyes. Bobby noticed his hand reaching for his gun as a sign of warning. He held his hands up, backing up a bit, giving Dean the time and space he needed. Minutes went by with Bobby idly standing by, watching Dean's world crumble. Finally, he turned around, chock written across his face. Bobby took a step forward but hesitantly slowed down to see how he'd react. Dean blinked, disbelief clear in his staring eyes. He met Bobby's worried gaze, swallowing thickly before speaking.
"Bobby… "The helplessness in his voice and expression made Bobby crouch down next to him. He felt bad at his unconscious attempts to avoid looking at Sam, he might as well have been sleeping but the color of his skin wasn't lying. Bobby cursed at himself, it was still Sam after all. Dean looked at Bobby pleadingly, like a child begging you to say that it's going to be okay. Bobby grasped Dean's shoulders tightly, as if to keep him together.
"Bobby, he's…" Bobby nodded and blinked furiously. Dean looked down at Sam's limp body in his arms and met Bobby's eyes again, a single tear falling down his cheek.
"He's gone." Dean's voice broke. The raindrops were now enough to make them shiver. Dean tilted his head to look up at the sky, raindrops blending in with tears.
Bobby heard the door slam and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Dean was at it again. He walked down the stairs while muttering to himself, finding Sam in the kitchen. He was frowning as he slowly ate some cereal, lost in thought.
"Your brother made a run for it again, I guess?" Bobby asked, sitting down opposite him. Sam nodded, giving a tired shrug. Bobby could tell there was something eating at him.
"If you think you any harder your head will explode, Sam. What is it?" Bobby asked, surprisingly gentle considering it came from him. Sam ignored him for a few seconds, the cereal in his bowl suddenly sparked some great interest.
"Sam." Bobby prodded. Sam sighed and put his spoon down. He brushed some too long hair out of his face and finally met Bobby's eyes.
"It's Dean." Bobby nodded, that much he figured. He waited for Sam to continue, pouring himself some scotch.
"He's always out with some girl these days. That's why he just sneaked out. Guess now with dad gone for a week…" Sam trailed off. Bobby cursed under his breath.
"That boy doesn't know the first thing about sneaking around." He muttered. The corner of Sam's mouth twitched. Bobby raised his glass slightly before taking a sip. "Well, here's to hoping you won't become an uncle any time soon." Sam nearly choked on the cereal, giving Bobby a traumatized scowl.
"Bobby, ew. Stop." He said with a shudder. Bobby chuckled.
"Yeah, you're way too young to be an uncle." Sam glared at him, straightening up.
"I'm twelve, Bobby." He remarked confidently.
"Exactly." Sam sighed again, looking down at his bowl.
"Anyway, it's just… he doesn't want to spend time with me like he used to. He probably just thinks I'm the annoying kid brother." Bobby disguised his laugh with a cough. The kid really was blind.
"Sam, don't worry. For the moment your brother's just a stupid teenager okay? But trust me, the way that boy looks after you, there's no reason for you to feel forgotten or left behind, do you understand? He'd never let anything happen to you."
