Disclaimer: I do not own these characters- they belong to Eric Kripke and I wouldn't have it any other way!
Summary: Dean tries to break the news to his father that Sammy isn't interested in carrying on the family business. John handles it like an ex-Marine would, and Dean storms off to the shores to cool down after the heated debate. There, he is entranced by a water succubus. Will his father realize what happened before it's too late?
Tag to "After School Special." Dean is 17 and Sam is 13.
"You want to tell me what's goin' on, Sam?" Bobby inquired as they drove down the street towards the grocery store.
"What do you mean?" Always act innocent when you've got something to hide…
"Look, son, I'm many things, but a fool ain't one of 'em. I know when I'm bein' dragged into a plot and I'd like to know who the mastermind is before I become an accessory to World War III."
Sam shrugged. "Dean just wanted to talk to dad alone is all."
"Uh huh…"
Sam ignored the skepticism and wondered if he was doing the right thing leaving Dean alone to deal with their father when it was Sam's problem that was being addressed.
He shifted in his seat, trying to ignore the queasy feeling that was settling in his stomach.
**********
"Grab the weapons bag and bring it to the table, Dean. We should get started."
"Yes, sir." Dean moved quickly, getting everything set up for the cleaning.
As they set to work, Dean's eyes kept drifting up to glance at his father, wondering how and when to breach the taboo subject. The fourth time this happened, John couldn't take it anymore and he spoke up.
"Somethin' on your mind, son?"
"No! I mean, well… Yeah, I guess."
"Well which one is it?"
"Yes. I have to talk to you about somethin', dad, but I know you're not gonna like it."
John sighed, putting down the shotgun he was currently cleaning and giving his full attention to his eldest. "One of those conversations, huh? Well, let's have it then."
"It's about Sammy…"
"Ah. Let me guess, you think he's still too young to hunt?"
"Uh, that too, but that's not what I…"
"Come on, Dean. You were hunting at the age of ten for cryin' out loud!"
"That was different though! I had to learn to hunt so I could protect him while you were out. I thought we'd agreed that we'd keep Sammy in the dark for as long as possible."
"We did, but his curiosity got the better of him as it always does and he found the diary. Nothin' we can do about that now."
"So we couldn't shield him forever, I know that. But that doesn't mean he has to start huntin' so soon. Let him be a kid for as long as he can."
"Where's this comin' from, dude? We've been plannin' this hunt for weeks now. Why didn't you say somethin' before?"
"Cause I thought he might've been ready, but now…"
"Did he say somethin' to you?"
"In a matter of speakin'."
"Well spit it out then! What? He's afraid he hasn't been trained enough? He doesn't want to tackle a spirit for his first hunt? It's the easiest case we've got, Dean. If he can't handle a simple salt and burn…"
"Hedoesntwannahunt," Dean forced out then held his breath, unsure if he wanted his father to understand his jumbled words or not.
John raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"
"He… He doesn't want to hunt, dad."
"What, this week?"
Dean sighed. "No. Not ever."
"He'll grow out of it." John picked his shotgun back up again and checked to make sure the barrels were clear.
"I don't think he will actually. He wants to stay in school. Maybe become a lawyer."
"A lawyer?!" John chuckled. "Oh, that's just rich."
An awkward silence fell over the room as John switched to the next gun and Dean fumbled around for something else to say.
"Don't make him hunt, dad," he practically whispered, just a half a step away from pleading.
John lowered the gun to the table again. "Look, Dean, it's not my mission in life to destroy your childhoods, okay? I wish to hell you could both live normal lives, go to college, meet nice girls, have 2.5 kids… But we don't get a choice, kiddo. The second we turn our backs on the supernatural, that's when it'll attack and if we're not prepared, it'll win. I won't let that happen, understand?"
"Maybe it's not too late for him."
"It's too late for all of us. End of story. Finish with that knife. Bobby'll need the table when he gets back with the food."
"Yes, sir."
Dean knew he should just let it drop. He had lost. That was that. But he couldn't live with that. Not when it was his brother that he was failing. He had to try again.
"If we keep stranglin' him, he's just gonna leave. Sammy's always had a mind of his own."
John took a steadying breath, trying to keep his anger under control. It wasn't like Dean to keep prodding the sleeping dragon.
"So… What, Dean? You want me to let him go? Send him off into the world where I can't keep an eye on him? Can't make sure he's safe?"
"I don't want him to go either, dad! I would do anything to make him stay! But that's not what he wants and I'd rather see him happy than watch his soul get crushed day after day until he's no more than a mindless hunter!"
"Damn it, Dean! That's enough!" John stood abruptly from the table, slamming his fists on it as he rose. "Sam's gonna learn how to hunt just like the rest of us, whether he likes it or not!"
Dean stood as well to match his father. "We're going to lose him that way! Can't you understand that?! He's got a mind of his own and he'll do whatever it takes to become his own man. Even if that means shuttin' us out completely!"
"If I have to chain that kid to a toilet every day for the rest of his life to keep him here and safe, then that's what I'm gonna do!"
Dean made his way around the table until he was only a few feet from his father. "He'll hate you for it till the day he dies. Is that really what you want?!"
"I don't give a shit!" John whirled angrily, grabbing his son by the shoulders and slamming him into the nearest wall. "I am in charge of this family, and I will do whatever is necessary to protect the two of you, regardless if you understand my reasoning or not!"
Dean was shell-shocked as his back slammed into the wall and his father's strong hands tightened like vice grips on his shoulders. The wind was knocked out of him instantly, but he wasn't sure if it was the collision or his father's towering rage that kept him dumbfounded.
He latched his hands onto his father's wrists, trying to break their painful hold and did his best to melt into the wall to put as much distance between himself and John as he could.
"You and your brother will do exactly what I ask when I ask it and without questioning my authority, you got that?! I've been doin' this since you were four freakin' years old, Dean! I know what we're up against and it sure as hell ain't pretty! Every goddamn evil thing out there knows about us Winchesters, and the majority of them want to rip us apart piece by goddamn piece just so they can gloat about gettin' the best of us, but I'm not gonna let that goddamn happen!"
With a half-hearted shove, he pushed away from his son, releasing him, and turned his back on him breathing heavily and trying to get himself back under control before he did something he'd regret.
Dean's numb hands scrabbled slowly against the wall behind him, looking for purchase to keep himself on his feet. He finally understood why his father did what he did. Why he was always in military mode, treating his boys like soldiers and toughening them up for war. His heart was in the right place, and like every father on the planet, his greatest fear was losing his children.
He slowly pushed away from the wall, taking a few careful steps towards his father, trying to figure out what to say now.
John had his left thumb and index finger pressed tightly against his eyes and his right hand rested on his hip as he tried to gain his control back. How could he have let his anger get the better of him so quickly? How could he have taken it out on Dean when the boy was only trying to help? It was the upcoming hunt that had his nerves in a bind; knowing that both his boys would be at real risk for the first time. Risk that he was putting them in himself…
"D-dad…?" Dean squeaked out.
Thinking Dean was still up against the wall where he had left him, John swung around, arms out in a do you really want to push me right now? gesture, and to his horror, his left hand met the side of Dean's face with a harsh slap.
Dean stumbled backwards into the wall again, left hand pressed against his throbbing cheek in fear.
"Dean?! Shit, Dean… I, I didn't realize…" John took two steps towards Dean but froze at the look of pure betrayal in his boy's eyes.
"Don't. Just, don't." Dean slid against the wall until he reached the front door, then threw it open and raced out into the brisk night.
"Dean!"
**********
"Sam, grab us a head o' lettuce, will ya?" Bobby asked as he glanced in the cart, mentally preparing the meal in his head so he didn't forget anything.
Sam did as he was told, but paused before adding it to the cart.
"Bobby, we've gotta go back."
"What're you on about, Sam?" Concern lined the kind man's words.
"Just a feeling, but I'm worried about Dean."
"Dean's with your daddy. I'm sure he's fine."
"No, this isn't right. This is my fight, not Dean's. We have to go back."
"Talk to me, son. What's goin' on here?"
"Dean's gonna tell dad that I don't want to be a hunter."
"… Forget the cart. Get in the truck. We're leavin'. Now."
TBC
Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! You inspired me to sit down and start writing a second chapter straight away, so here you go! I'm by no means a fan of John being abusive, but I needed an excuse for Dean to head down to the shore on his own. And at least I made it an accident, right? Haha Please review again and let me know I'm still heading in the right direction! As always, any suggestions are always welcomed as well. The water succubus (aka Rusalka) will be making her first appearance in the next chapter, and it's going to get a bit steamy for Dean!
