Disclaimer: See first chapter
Betaed by my awesome friend Sammygirl1963!
Previously on Supernatural: Taking a deep breath Sam followed Dean into the room.
SPN
Hearing the impala pull into the lot Caleb jumped up and headed to the door. He couldn't wait to see Little Bit again. The kid was always up for a game or two of chess or any other game even though he usually got his a$$ handed to him by the older hunter. And it was going to be great not to be the shortest hunter on the team. At just 5ft.11 he was always having to look up at other hunters. But with Sammy in the picture that was about to change and he couldn't be happier. Standing beside the door he waited for Dean to walk by and then stepped forward. "Hey runt" he greeted gazing down. Finding himself staring at the teen's stomach he looked up and up mouth dropping open at the enormous boy in front of him.
"Hey Caleb" Sam chuckled. "It's been a while."
"Damn!" Caleb exclaimed still staring at the youngest Winchester. "What have they been feeding you, kid?"
"Just the usual fast food crap" Sam replied. He went around the older hunter and set the drink container on the tiny wooden table on one side of the room.
"Don't let him fool you Caleb." Dean piped up. "Sammy there was afraid he wasn't gonna grow up to be big and strong like me and dad so he started sprinkling all his food with Miracle Gro."
"Ha ha, very funny Dean." Sam mumbled swatting his brother on the back of the head.
"Boys that's enough." John warned from his seat at the table. Leaning back in the creaking chair he crossed his arms and looked over at his youngest. "What'd you find out, Sam?"
Sighing Sam tossed his book bag on the nearest bed and pulled out his notebook. Glancing down at his notes he cleared his throat and began. "Okay, there have been five deaths in the last three weeks. All the victims were killed in one of two clearings in the woods. Both are popular teen and young adult hangouts according to the sheriff. But luckily both have been roped off since the last attack."
"Good, the last thing we need is to have a bunch of teenage idiots running around." Caleb mumbled.
"What about the victims? Any connections?" John questioned.
"No sir" Sam answered shaking his head. "They're all different ages, races, and genders. None of them knew the others from what I could discern. They didn't go to the same school or job. And they didn't live on the same street." Seeing his dad motion for more he cleared his throat. "The first victim, a fifty-five year old woman named Mary Perry, was last seen walking her dog on the road adjacent to the woods. Neighbors called the police the next morning when they found the dog wandering the neighborhood splattered with blood. Mrs. Perry's remains were found in the clearing closest to the road. Her body had been ripped apart and drained of blood. All her friends said she would never have gone out in the woods at night but the police reasoned that her dog must have gotten loose and ran into the woods and she chased after him. They put it down as a bear attack and closed the case. And that was the end of it. At least until the next body showed up. After that first case the police were called to the clearings every few days. All the bodies were in the same shape: ripped to shreds with almost no blood at the scene. The police gathered a group of animal hunters and they went into the woods and camped out. They set traps and followed animal tracks but they all came up empty handed. Then after the last victim, a nineteen year old boy named Harry Patterson, the police cordoned off the woods and the roads surrounding it calling them unsafe. They've called in some forest rangers to take care of the animal and have men patrolling the roads at night to ensure no one else goes out there until the "bear" is eliminated."
"Which isn't gonna do squat." Dean grumbled. "If kids wanna go out there, they'll find a way. They'll take the cops being there as a challenge."
"I know I would have." Caleb agreed earning a glare from John. "What? It's great practice."
Shaking his head John turned back to his youngest. "Cut to the chase Sam. What are we hunting?"
"Well, everything points to an Adlet. It is a creature that is covered in red fur with sharp talons on its hands and feet and a mouthful of extremely sharp teeth. They're pack hunters that are usually found in the northern parts of America and Canada. They'll kill and eat anything to survive but Adlets prefer the blood and skin of a newly killed human."
"How do you kill them?" John quizzed.
"Adlets only weaknesses are silver and fire. Either will kill them." Sam explained.
"Good. We'll go tonight." John announced. Grabbing the fast food bag from the middle of the table he reached in and started doling out the food.
"Dad, I think we should wait." Sam hesitantly suggested.
"What for? We know what it is and how to kill it. What more do we need?" Caleb asked.
"That's just it. I'm not sure we're really looking for an adlet." Sam replied. He shuffled nervously from foot to foot as his father's glare landed on him. "Everything does seem to point to an Adlet attack but something's wrong: I can feel it. And I know I can figure it out with a little more time. I just need to go back through the evidence."
"Not happening Sam. It's an Adlet pure and simple." John countered. "And I'm not going to sit around on my a$$ waiting for you to figure that out while it stalks and kills another victim."
"But dad…"
"Don't but dad me!" the Winchester patriarch growled slamming his hand on the table. "We're going tonight and that's final!"
Undeterred by his father's temper the teenager took a step towards his dad. "We don't even have a plan yet dad. We can't possibly come up with a…" he drifted off at the guilty expressions on Dean and Caleb's faces. "You already planned it out, didn't you? You knew it was an Adlet all along. You just sent me to the library to get me out of the way while you three planned the hunt."
"Yes, I did. We needed to plan out our strategy for the hunt and we didn't have time for your incessant questioning and second guessing." John firmly stated. "And before you start I am not in the mood for any of your crap. I'm warning you now: one more word outta you and you'll be sitting your a$$ here tonight while we go on the hunt. Now park your behind in that chair and eat your supper."
"I'm not hungry." Sam muttered before storming across the room and into the adjoining one slamming the door behind him.
Dean mentally kicked himself. He knew he should have filled Sammy in before they got back to the room. He just hadn't had the heart to tell his brother that their dad was just sending him off on a fool's errand so they could plan the hunt without his interference or constant questioning. "Time to go fix things." He thought with a sigh. Dropping his bacon cheeseburger onto its wrapper he stood. "I'll go talk to him." he grumbled.
"Sit down Dean. If your brother wants to go off and pout like a two year old, let him." John huffed. "He doesn't need you holding his hand."
"Yes sir" Dean mumbled. He reluctantly retook his seat and picked up his half eaten burger.
"John maybe you should..."
"Stay out of it Caleb. This is between me and my boy." The Winchester patriarch growled. "It doesn't concern you."
"Yeah right" Caleb muttered under his breath. Snatching up a handful of fries he shoved them in his mouth to keep himself from telling John off. This hunt was already going to be hard enough without the two of them butting heads. They couldn't afford to go into the hunt angry with each other. None of them could and that included John and Sammy. Caleb shook his head as he reached for his soda. Hopefully Dean could get the rest of his family sorted out before the hunt. Otherwise they were all in trouble.
SPN
Sam furiously paced around the silent room. How could he have been so stupid! He should have known his father was never going to see him as anything more than a little kid who couldn't do anything right! That's all he'd ever been to his dad and that's all he ever would be. It didn't matter how many hunts he went on or how much research he did it was never going to be enough for John. Snatching a pillow off the nearest bed he threw it across the room. "Fine! If he doesn't think I'm as good a hunter as him and Dean, I'll just have to prove him wrong!" the teenager growled. Plopping down on the bed he grabbed the notebook he'd thrown on it when he first came in and set to work. He'd show his dad. He'd find that elusive clue and then his father would have no choice but to allow Sam into his inner circle.
SPN
"Dean, Caleb and I are going out for a while. Clean up this mess and then get some rest. We leave as soon as it gets dark." John told his eldest before walking out the door.
Caleb clapped Dean on the shoulder as he slowly trudged past. "Talk to Sammy. I don't want him going into the hunt angry." He whispered.
"Don't worry. I've got it covered." Dean softly replied.
"Good" Caleb said with a nod. Grabbing his cup off the table he strolled out the door.
Dean swiftly picked up the empty wrappers, napkins, and cups and shoved them back into the paper bag. Crushing the bag in his hand he tossed it into the wastebasket over by the wall. After giving the room a quick once over to make sure he hadn't missed anything, Dean headed over to the door to the adjoining room. Standing at the door the young man took a few minutes to get his thoughts in order and then knocked on the wooden door. "Sammy, it's me. Can I come in?" he called. Taking the answering mumble as a yes he twisted the door knob and taking a deep breath walked inside.
Sam glanced up at his brother for a second before focusing back on his work with a sigh. He'd known Dean would come and try to smooth things over but he really didn't want to hear the "go easy on him" speech again. Besides, he didn't have the time. He had to find what he was missing before the hunt tonight.
Dean shuffled over to the empty bed and took a seat on the edge. Looking at his little brother he bit back a groan. The rigid body and set jaw said more than any words could. Sam was pissed. Not that the kid didn't have a right to be. Dean had been telling his dad for years that he needed to let his youngest help. But his old man refused to budge: said they didn't have time for Sammy's nonsense. Which Dean understood. His sibling tended to question every little detail. He just couldn't get it through his head that their father knew more about hunting, plans, and strategies than he did. Dean really wished one of the two would give in just a little: he was tired of being caught in the middle of the two feuding Winchesters. Yeah right, like that would ever happen. He stood a better chance of getting Bobby Singer to kiss a demon than he did of ever getting John or Sam to back down. Nope, it looked like he was going to always be stuck trying to fix things between the two hard heads. Speaking of fixing things… "I figured you might be hungry so I saved you a burger." he said holding up the wrapped sandwich.
"No thanks" Sam replied without looking up.
Shrugging Dean set the cheeseburger down on the bed. He wasn't gonna force the kid to eat. At least not right now. But he'd make sure Sam ate something before the hunt even if he had to shove it down his little brother's throat. Running a hand through his cropped hair Dean mentally worked out the best way to broach the subject at hand. Deciding to just jump right in the older boy took a deep breath and began. "Look Sam…"
"Don't" Sam warned.
"Don't what?" Dean asked staring at his sibling.
"Don't make excuses for him, Dean. I don't wanna hear it." Sam calmly told him.
"I'm not gonna make excuses for dad dude." Dean refuted. "What he did was wrong. He shouldn't have sent you out while we planned the hunt. I know that. But maybe if you didn't question…"
"So it's my fault!" Sam cried.
"No, I didn't mean that. I just meant that one of you needs to give a little." Dean stated.
"Why do I have to be the one to give in? Why can't dad for once in his life concede that I'm good enough to be part of the team?" Sam questioned.
"You're part of the team, Sam." Dean assured his sibling.
"Yeah right" Sam muttered as he stood and began pacing once more.
Dean ran a weary hand across his face. This so wasn't going the way he'd expected. This was more than just anger; Sammy was hurt. He should have known his brother would equate being left out to not being good enough. "Time for a different game plan." Dean thought. Hoisting himself off the bed he stepped into his sibling's path. "Sammy, I know how you feel man…"
"No you don't! How could you possibly know how it feels to work you're a$$ off every day trying to earn dad's trust? You've always had it! Even when he's pissed at you about some stupid stunt you've pulled, you still have his trust." Sam yelled.
"You're wrong Sam" Dean argued. "Remember that time a few years ago when I snuck out to go meet that girl Sandy or Mandy or whatever her name was? Remember I came home drunk at like two in the morning spouting off some nonsense about a trash bin running out in front of the car. Dad hit the roof when he found that dent in the front passenger side. He didn't trust me with the impala for weeks after that."
"Riiight, that's why he tossed you the keys the next morning and sent you on a supply run." The teenager reminded. "Face it Dean, there's nothing you could ever do that would cause you to lose dad's trust. You're his soldier, his perfect son. Me, I'm just the stupid little kid that can't do anything right."
"Now wait a minute Sam" Dean interrupted voice rising with each word.
"No, you wait!" Sam growled. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be on the outside looking in? I'm always the outsider; in town, at school, even at home."
"You're not an outsider here Sammy. You're part of the family. You know that." Dean huffed. "So we left you out of the planning. That doesn't mean you're not one of us."
"That's not what I mean. I may be part of the family but that doesn't mean I'm part of the team cause I'm not. I never have been." Sam refuted.
"Yes you are. You've been part of the Winchester team since you were a little kid Sam whether you want to admit it or not." Dean growled.
"Uh huh right. That's why you guys lied to me for the first eight years of my life!" Sam fired back.
"Dude, we lied about hunting to protect you! You were too little to know about what was really out there!" Dean yelled.
"And you weren't?" Sam angrily asked. "Look it doesn't matter why you did it Dean. It still made me the outsider. I wasn't stupid you know. I knew you guys were keeping something from me for years before I snitched dad's journal. I'd watch you and dad at the table going over something in his journal and wonder why I couldn't be part of them. That's why I took the stupid thing. I thought if I read it you guys would let me in." Stopping Sam angrily swiped at his eyes. He really hadn't meant to say that. This was not a conversation he wanted to have with his big brother or anyone else for that matter. He needed to end this before he said something he'd really regret. Glancing at his sibling out of the corner of his eye he sighed. "Look just drop it okay. I don't have time for this right now. I have a ton of research to go through before tonight. Besides, if we keep going, we'll just end up arguing and I don't want to go into the hunt mad at you."
"Sam I can't just…"
"Please Dean" Sam begged turning his saddest kicked puppy look on his big brother. "I really don't wanna do this now."
Dean took one look at his brother's pleading hazel eyes and admitted defeat. "Fine" Dean conceded with a sigh. "I'll let it go for now. But once this hunt's over, you and me are gonna have a long talk bro. Understand?"
"Sure Dean" Sam replied crossing his fingers under his notebook. This was one conversation he wouldn't be finishing. Ever. Seeing Dean slowly walk back into the other room the youngster let out a relieved breath. Turning back to his notes the teen quickly got back to work.