a/n: So this is my first Supernatural fan fic and I'm kinda nervous about posting it. But I am posting it for a very special person, her name is Amy. Amy is a member of the Supernatural family who is very sick and fighting for her life. On the 12th she will be undergoing surgery with all the odd stacked against her. Now I don't know Amy but that doesn't mean that we can't show her love and support. So I wrote this fic for her, to show her that I care and that I will be thinking and praying for her. Family doesn't end with blood. This is for you Amy, you are an unbelievably brave person and I know you'll come out swinging.
a/n 2: Dean is 11 and Sam is 7
Hunting was a simple way of life. Find the evil, kill it, and then get the hell out of doge. Hunting was an addiction. It was a high, killing the things that ruined the life you once lived. It was a rush, a never ending trip, once you got a taste of it you couldn't stop. But the life wasn't so easy when you had two kids to look after and keep safe.
John Winchester had a plan, a way to balance the life with his family. He would search high and low for a hunt that would keep him in one town for awhile. When that didn't pan out he would leave the boys alone for weeks on end while he was out on a hunt, putting Dean in charge. It wasn't ideal and John hated to leave the boys unprotected but he had faith in Dean, he trusted him to look after Sam. He knew he would do anything to keep his little brother safe. The only downside to his plan was all the moving they had to do.
Once a hunt was finished John would have to pull the boys out of school and move to another crappy motel room and equally crappy school. It was safer that way, seeing as the aftermath of a hunt was usually messy to the point where the cops would start sticking their noses in places where they didn't belong. The boys hardly ever complained but John could tell that they didn't enjoy moving all the time. But this year, things were starting to look up.
John had found a vamp hunt in a somewhat decent town, nice motels, a nice school, and nice people. Dealing with vampires was tricky so John figured they would be staying in the town for at least a month. Three months later they were still in the same town, the end of the school year fast approaching. The boys were actually going to finish out a school year only having moved twice. It was something short of a miracle. John had never seen Sam so happy. He had friends and good grades; he had something akin of a normal life for a change. Dean on the other hand, well it was hard to tell with Dean. He kept everything bottled up inside, he never let his emotions show. John had no clue if Dean had any friends outside of Sam, he had no idea what was going on in his oldest head.
But as much as Dean tried to hide what he was feeling John had noticed a few things change in his son's behavior. Dean had grown increasingly quite over the passing months. It was strange because Dean was never quite; he was always talking or singing at the top of his lungs. He had become more closed off. He did his drills, watched over Sam as he did his homework, and he went to bed. It was so un-Dean like. John had asked Sam one day, while Dean was in the shower, if he noticed anything different with Dean. Sam had picked up on the same changes as John had but like John had no idea why. Maybe it was just his teenage hormones that were making him that way; John decided to add it to the list of things he would never understand.
Unlike his son's strange behavior, John understood the hunt. He knew exactly how to handle the monsters and soon the fangs had all been beheaded then salted and burned. Good timing too, the boys would be finished with school tomorrow. They'd kick off the summer with a nice long drive to god knows where and a new hunt. John's life was feeling pretty good, or at least as good as it could get, given everything he'd been through.
John drove from the old abandoned barn where the vamps had shacked up back to the motel, his spirits high. Foreigner blared from the speakers, his fingers drumming along to the beat. Despite his good mood, he was tired, his bones seemed to ache at the slightest movement, the fangs had put up quite a fight, but John had won in the end. All he wanted to do now was to be with his boys. Granted they has listened to him, and knowing Dean they had, the boys would be at the park right across the street from their motel room. Maybe he would walk over and join them for a while, or pick up a pizza for dinner.
He pulled into the parking lot and sat there, the song fading out as he cut the engine. Rubbing a calloused hand over his face, he looked out of the rearview mirror at the park. He found Dean and Sam standing by the swings, surrounded by a group of older boys, one of which was talking. Something about the tall boy talking to his sons made John feel uncomfortable. Or maybe it was Dean's protective stance, his body shielding Sam, his hands clenched in fists.
John could tell something bad was going to happen. So cautiously he opened the driver side door just as Dean launch himself at the talking boy who was at least two feet taller than him. Jumping out of the car he ran across the street to the park. By the time he reached Dean and the other boy, Dean was sitting on the boy's chest, his fists pounding into his skull.
"Dean!" John yelled trying to pull his son off of the boy but Dean was putting up one hell of a fight, batting away his father's arms, a guttural scream ripping from his throat. "Dean stop it, that's an order!" John tried again, knowing that Dean would respond to a direct order, but Dean didn't flinch. Finally John was able to pull his son away, still struggling to reach the boy.
"The little shit broke my nose!" the boy said thickly getting to his feet while his friends flocked around him. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"
"Like hell you are!" John challenged back fighting to keep Dean in his arms. "If you know what's best for you, you'd run on home to your momma before I kick your ass ten ways to Sunday."
Without waiting for a reply John's eyes flashed over to Sam telling to get a move on. Sam followed without complaint, his hazel eyes wide with fear. Once safely behind the closed courters of their motel room John dropped Dean who in turn ran for the door the second his feet hit the ground.
"Oh no you don't." John said blocking his way.
"Get out of my way." Dean growled his voice rough from screaming.
"What hell has gotten into you Dean?" John ordered watching his son carefully while Sammy stood deathly still, tears shining in his eyes. Dean's young eleven year old face was twisted with hate, his green eyes alive with anger. "Beating up on kids twice your size? What happen to keeping a low profile? You had one day left of school, how could you do something so stupid?"
Dean's face paled, his green eyes blow wide. He stood shock still and then in a flash launched himself at John, his little fists punching every inch of body he could find.
"I'm not stupid!" he screamed. "I'm NOT!"
John easily subdued Dean this time, his own sudden adrenaline kicking into the fight, wrapping him up in his arms and disposing him in the shower fully clothed.
"You need to cool the hell down." he snapped as he turned the water on full blast before stepping out of the bathroom and locking the door. He had to move the lock on the outside of the door a couple of weeks ago to stop Sam and Dean from locking themselves in there to get out of school. Of course that didn't stop the boys from using that to their advantage. For a while he had found himself locked in the bathroom while his boys sat on the other side of the door laughing like hyenas. He had been considering switching the lock back to the inside, but now he was glad he didn't.
Dean pounded on the bathroom door, his voice muffled but still there, screaming like his life depended on it. John's head snapped over to Sam who seemed to be rooted at the spot.
"Who the hell was that kid?" John demanded. Sam didn't move still fighting the tears in his eyes. "Answer me damn it, who was that kid Sam?"
"J-Jimmy Page." Sammy said in a shaky.
"And who is Jimmy Page?" John asked his temper running short. His oldest was punching kids twice his size, he needed to know why and he needed to know now. He didn't have time for Sam's round about answers.
"He's an eighth grader I think."
"And?"
"He's really mean, h-he likes to pick on kids, calls them names." Sam said his bottom lip trembling.
"Does he call Dean names?" John ordered.
"I-he-I don't-I don't know."
"Don't lie to me Sam. Does he call Dean names?"
"I promised I wouldn't tell."
"Promise who?"
"Dean." He whispered.
"What does he call him?" John almost yelled. Friggin' bullies. No bully ever picks on a Winchester. "What does he call him Sam?" he asked again when he didn't receive an answer.
"H-he calls him s-stupid." He said quietly. "He says D-Dean's stupid."
"How long?" John asked his voice a rough whisper.
"Since we moved here."
John's heart dropped. The mystery that was 'Dean's Strange Behavior' suddenly came to light. And it was a fucking bully. Some punk ass kid was calling his son stupid daily. Dean was a tough kid, he could handle a lot of things but constantly being told that you are stupid, well that can mess with a kid's head.
Dean was in fact a bright kid but they moved around so much that he had fallen behind. Plus he was always looking after Sammy, making sure Sammy got all of his homework done, making sure he was studying for his tests, he hardly took anytime for himself. School just seemed to take the back seat for Dean. But John wasn't surprised that it upset Dean to be called stupid, even if he didn't care about school. No kid ever wants to be told that they aren't smart enough, especially when they are smart.
John felt like a complete and total asshole. Not but mere seconds ago he had called Dean stupid. Right now he was no better than the bully.
John turned to face the bathroom door. Dean had stopped pounding and screaming and an uneasy silence fell over the room. Quietly he walked over to the door and unlocked it.
John expected to see Dean sitting on the floor seething or ready to jump him the second the door opened but that was not what he saw before him. Dean wasn't on the bathroom floor; instead he was sitting in the bathtub curled up into a little ball as the water from the shower head soaked him through and through. John's heart broke at the quite little sobs that came from his brave little soldier.
Turning off the water, John sat on the edge of the tub.
"Dean." He called softly.
No answer.
"Dean, son, look at me." he ordered.
Slowly Dean lifted his head to look at his father with swollen blood shot eyes.
"I'm not stupid." he said in a quiet voice, desperate and pleading like he was trying to convince himself.
"I know kid, I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it like that." John apologized trying his best to keep it together. Dean looked so lost and broken that it killed him inside. He looked like the sweet little four year old who would cry for his mommy when stubbed his toe. He couldn't bear to see his boy like this but he didn't know what to do, how to comfort him. If Mary was still here, she would know what to do…
"I'm not stupid."
"No, you're not." John said, his eyes watering.
"I'm not."
John couldn't take it anymore. He reached for Dean and pulled him into his arms, ignoring his wet clothes and hugged him, holding him tightly. He felt Dean give and go completely lax in his hold, his body shaking with his sobs. John ran his fingers through his wet hair rocking him back and forth. He could feel Sam staring from the doorway, without looking at him; he waved Sam over and wrapped an arm around him too. They were leaving in the morning; screw the last day of school, right now getting his boys out of this messed up town was all that mattered. He needed to be with his boys, he needed to help them be ok.
"You're not stupid Dean." He said meaning every word. "You're not."
Xx Strength for Amy xX