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The Supernatural characters belong to Kripke Enterprises and the CW, not me. No money is being made from this story. It is for entertainment only.

The Fae Prince

Chapter 2

The Will-o'-the-Wisp

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,

Little breezes dusk and shiver

Thro' the wave that runs for ever

By the island in the river

Flowing down to Camelot

Four gray walls, and four gray towers,

Overlook a space of flowers

And the silent isle embowers

The Lady of Shalott

The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809 1892

Samisfallen drank from John Winchesters little flask and watched Winchester's eyes as he did so. He knew that the Hunter was looking for a sign that Sam was bothered by the Holy Water spiked whiskey; looking for choking, steaming, any sign at all that Sam was of demon kind.

When nothing happened John seemed disappointed and Dean looked disapproving but while John was staring at Sam, Dean was staring at his father. Sam started to hand the flask back to John.

"Thank you Mr. Winchester. That's a little strong for me." Sam made his eyes appear to water, emphasizing his apparent youth and innocence, but he had noticed that John was twisting a ring around his finger, making it look like a small nervous habit. When Sam handed back the flask somehow that ring gashed his hand and blood welled up. Samisfallen felt the burn of silver on his skin.

"God damn it, Winchester." Sam barked. "Enough. Have I passed your tests? Did you think I would not know what you're doing?" He turned away from the Hunters and stared out over the fields and made to leave.

Dean put a hand on his arm. "Please don't leave, Sam." he said. "I promise no more, not even a Christo."

Sam laughed. "You're as bad as your father. Maybe just a little more sneaky but you're two of a kind. Here, I'll give you your shirts back. Give me my vest and I'll be on my way."

'Now, son," John Winchester said. "No need to be hasty. You're a stranger to us. Why wouldn't we take precautions? The question is, why aren't you doing the same?"

Sam managed to look wide-eye and young. "I know that you were called in by Mrs. Bradley's doctor to help her son. Why would I be suspicious of you?" All through this play acting Samisfallen was careful not to let any of his blood fall. The effect of Fae blood on the human world would not be something the Hunters could ignore. He stuck the hand inside his waistband and hope the wound would stop leaking soon. He could have healed it but that would be sure to alert John's suspicions again.

"See, Dad," Dean chimed in. "He really is too young to be out on his own. We should take him with us, just to keep him safe. Otherwise we could end up scraping him off a floor somewhere."

"Come on, Sam." Dean turned to him. "Get in the car. I'll buy you some dinner."

Still acting hesitant Sam climbed into the back seat of the Impala, confident that the Winchesters had no idea that they had helped him end up exactly where he wanted to be.

XXXXXXX

They took Samisfallen to a local bar that was more than it appeared. Even from the parking lot Samisfallen could feel the tingle of wards and passing through the front door came close to being painful for him. Several heads turned as they entered and he was afraid that perhaps some of these people could feel him.

After sitting down at a table he realized from the various comments he heard that it was the oddity of the Winchesters showing up with a teenage boy in tow that was attracting all the attention. Evidently these Winchesters didn't mix well with their fellow Hunters. Sam could tell the high number of Hunters around him like a rabbit could tell a hawk was on the wing. He was careful not to attract any more attention than he had already.

When the waitress came to the table John ordered beer for himself and Dean and 'a coke for the kid'. Samisfallen wondered what 'a coke' was and if he would like it. She seemed to already know what John and Dean would like to eat but had to ask him what he wanted. In a small voice he asked if they had salads. Dean Winchester rolled his eyes.

When he asked for water even the waitress stared. He felt like he was failing another test but had no idea how to pass. He could not eat dead meat. Even after it was cooked it still smelled of death to him. He didn't know if he could sit between two meat eaters and act relaxed. He could only try to not get sick. The food arrived and the Winchesters set land speed records eating. Samisfallen was a lot slower but he appreciated the various flavors in his salad more, he thought.

When he raised his hand to drink the 'coke' that the woman brought he noticed that the gash on the back of his hand was still leaking. Dean reached out to grab his hand and Sam recoiled.

"Here, now." Dean said. "I didn't mean to scare you but we should bandage that cut before it gets infected. We have a medical kit in the car. I can go get it."

"No, don't bother," Sam said. "I'm fine. It's just a scratch. It'll heal on its own."

"Don't be foolish, son." John Winchester said. "A hunter needs to be very careful. You never know what your hands might be into next. Let Dean bandage the thing."

San looked the older man in the eyes and wondered why it was Dean's job to bandage up the gash when it was John's fault that it was there in the first place. Samisfallen was getting the idea that John felt nothing was his fault and that the man never doubted for a minute that whatever he did was always for a good reason and therefore excusable.

It was just another piece of the Winchester puzzle and Samisfallen put it away to think about in the dark when he was supposed to be sleeping.

While Dean went to the car to fetch the kit another man came over and sat in Dean's seat next to Sam.

He looked a good match to John; hard, closed off and sure of his view of the world.

"Rafe," John greeted him with just his name.

"Winchester," the man responded and raised the beer he was carrying to his lips. After a sip he said, "Who's the kid? You taking on apprentices?" Rafe laughed at his own joke, exposing a line of broken teeth hiding behind his gray flecked moustache.

"This is Sam Fallen. Sam, Rafe Crosswell." John grudgingly responded. "Who I travel with is my own business, Rafe."

Dean came back to the table carrying the medical kit and squeezed a chair in on the other side of Sam. "Lo, Rafe," Dean said.

Rafe saluted with the beer bottle. "Dean. Oh, I see. This your friend, Dean?" Somehow, and for no reason, Crosswell made the relationship sound improper.

Dean's eyes flashed and John laid a hand on his son's arm. "What'd want, Rafe?"

"Want to do you a favor, Winchester. If you are trying to train another kid I got a kid sized hunt for you; a Will-o'-Wisp beside the road near Grainger. Interested?"

"Why would anyone want to chase a ghost light, Rafe? Aren't they pretty much toys for tourists?" John shrugged.

Rafe scratched a large, fleshy ear, pulling it low against his jaw. Samisfallen was repulsed. Everything sang wrong, wrong, wrong to Sam. The man was tainted, a halo of grey memories dimmed whatever soul remained to the older Hunter. Evil fingered its way over the man's flesh. Samisfallen wondered if the man was physically ill or if it was only his psyche that was damaged.

Samisfallen flinched when Dean unexpectedly pulled at his hand. He had completely forgotten about Dean and the medical kit. Dean had a wad of cotton in his hand and was attempting to blot a burning liquid over the gash.

Sam pulled away from the pain, well aware that Dean had Fae blood on the cotton now.

"Don't be a baby," Dean said. "It's only peroxide for cleaning out the wound."

Sam put out his other hand and took the cotton pad from Dean's fingers. Once he had it in his own hand he breathed easier. No one seemed to notice the blood stain fade from red to silver and take on an iridescent sheen as it drank the burning liquid.

"I'll do it," Sam responded. Give me the bandage too. I'm not afraid. I just don't like to be touched. Not by you or anyone else."

Rafe snorted and then, of course, leaned over and put his hand on Sam's thigh. "That's a shame," the man said. "You being such a pretty thing and all; I bet Dean would like to touch you."

John Winchester stood up suddenly. "Alright Crosswell, that's enough. Leave the kid alone."

"Fine," Rafe answered. "Keep the kid for yourself. About the Will-o-Wisp, this one's turned bad. It's not just pretty lights on the hills. It's started chasing people and darting over the road in front of cars. A couple of kids had to be found by the Forest Rescue people and there have been several crashes from people trying to avoid it. Someone is going to end up dead, eventually."

He sat the beer down on the table, finally finished and continued to dig his fingers into Sam's thigh. "I was going to take it out as a public service. Then I see you sitting here with some kid who still is wearing training wheels and I thought you might be interested."

Dean also stood and pulled Sam away from Rafe's groping hand. "Fine, we'll take it. Dad, we'll be in the car, Ok?" He turned and left with Samisfallen trailing behind.

XXXXXXX

Samisfallen climbed into the Impala's back seat and Dean settled in shotgun. "Here's your bandage, Sam." Dean said handling back the giant size Johnson & Johnson band aide. "That should be big enough. There's more in the kit if it falls off." Dean then also handed back the medical kit. "Slide this under the seat for me, won't you?"

Samisfallen was happy to get the gash out of sight. Now he could let it heal over. Fae blood dripping and mending everything it touched was no longer a problem, he hoped. He simply had to take care that large amounts of it didn't get loose in this world.

He leaned forward and put his hand on the back of Dean's seat. "Dean, what was wrong with that man?" he asked.

Dean glanced back at Sam. "What do you mean, wrong"

"I think he is sick. Perhaps even physically sick," Samisfallen answered.

Dean snorted. "Rafe Crosswell has perfected the art of being an asshole. Don't let it bother you. He's OK backup on a hunt as long as you remember that his number one priority is covering his own ass. Dad will be out soon and we'll get far away from Crosswell. Dad can't stand the man either."

The two sat quietly in the car. Dean watched the bar door and Samisfallen leaned his head back and watched the stars through the rear window. The night was quiet except for the occasional hoot of a hunting owl or the stealthy rustling in the underbrush of small animals going about their business.

Samisfallen relaxed, comfortable in the silence. He thought he was doing pretty well in this world. He had only been here one day and he was fed and sheltered and had companions to help him learn the human ways. He had handled the initial interaction with humans fairly well and hopefully had soothed John Winchester's suspicions.

Perhaps, if all went well, he might even have found a place in the world with these Hunters. He liked Dean a lot. John was not his first choice as a companion but it looked like Dean could not be separated from his father.

John came out of the bar about fifteen minutes later. He slid into the driver's seat and turned to see both his passengers. "I got the location of this Will-o'-Wisp out of Rafe. If it has turned dangerous, as Rafe claims, we can most likely take it out tomorrow might. These things are usually pretty easy to stop. I'm just concerned it might have been captured by a spirit."

Dean perked up. This sounded more interesting than just chasing some wimpy ghost light over the hills trying to douse it with a refreshing bath of Holy Water. "Why would a spirit want a ghost light? I never heard of that."

"It happens," John said. "A vengeful spirit will use the ghost light as bait to lure victims closer. I've seen it once in the West Virginia hills, near an abandoned coalmine. I'll look it up in the journal when we get to the motel." He then turned to look Samisfallen full in the face.

"Do you want to stay with us, Sam?" he asked. "No one is holding you here if you have your own plans. You can stay with us and go do this hunt tomorrow night, if you like. It's up to you."

Samisfallen had been thinking about the sprite the Hunters called a Will-o'-the-Wisp. He knew, better than they, exactly what it was. It was called a Fae Lantern in his world, used to adorn the trees at night. It sounded like the little thing somehow leaked out into the earth world and had become lost. The whole idea of one of the harmless creatures being captured by something evil was revolting. Samisfallen hoped he'd be able to send it home.

If he couldn't find a way to return it he would most likely eat it to end its misery. They were sociable little things and he was sure it was very unhappy here. His thoughts were interrupted by John's question.

"Sorry, what did you say?" he asked.

John made a noise deep in his throat. "Daydreaming is not a safe trait for a Hunter, Sam. You'll have to get that under control. I asked if you wanted to stay with us and go to the hunt tomorrow night."

Samisfallen straightened up. John could make you feel like the slightest little thing you did was wrong. He wondered how Dean stood up to the constant belittling day after day. He dared to glance at Dean but he was staring out the side window as if Sam's answer made no difference to him

"I would very much appreciate it, Mr. Winchester. I have no place to go now that I've hunted the succubus down. My plans are completely open. You might say, I haven't got any plans or any place to be." Samisfallen hoped that was the right answer.

John furled his brow. "About that, Sam, where is your family? Aren't they worried about you? What are you, 16, maybe 17 years old? I know I would be out looking for my teenager if he just up and disappeared one day. Are we likely to be hassled by the cops if they catch you with us?

Now Dean turned around and become involved in the discussion. "Yeah, what about that, Sam? I don't want to be accused of baby snatching."

Samisfallen laughed. "I can guarantee that no one is reporting me missing or looking for me. My father literally tossed me out the door and slammed it behind me. I think the exact words were 'Get out and stay out'. I'm free and clear. I suppose you could claim me as another son, if you wanted to, Mr. Winchester.

John Winchester turned back around in his seat. "Ok, I'm going to take your word for it. I think though from now on get used to calling me 'Dad' instead of Mr. Winchester. Follow Dean's lead if you're not sure how to act. Dean, let me introduce you to your little brother, Sam."

Dean laughed. "Great, I was never comfortable being an only child anyway." There was suddenly a silence in the car as if something unspoken cut between the Winchesters, a secret they shared, a shadow on their souls. Samisfallen felt sorrow, old and bitter in the air.

John pulled out of the bar parking lot and stopped shortly thereafter at a liquor store. Samisfallen was surprised and Dean looked uncomfortable. "Dad, do you really think this is a good idea?" he asked softly.

"Dean, I'm your father, I can decide how much I want to drink without your input. Put a sock in it." The older man went into the store and Dean turned to Sam. "Listen Sam, sometimes my Dad can get a little hard to handle when he's had too much to drink. Just stay out of his way and let me take the lead. You don't need to get involved or be afraid, no matter what happens."

Samisfallen thought back to the literal fireworks that went off when his father lost his temper. No human could possibly match that and Samisfallen had survived. He was pretty sure that John Winchester would be no match up against the King of the Fae.

John finally pulled into a small country motel and got two rooms, a single for him and a double for the boys. Dean appeared to be uncomfortable with the arrangement. He had seen how much liquor John had purchased and getting his own room was a bad sign. Dean had seen this act before and had a couple of scars to prove it.

They entered their room and Samisfallen was very pleased to be finally alone with the young Hunter. They chose beds and Samisfallen flung himself down to watch Dean strip for a shower. The Fae Prince wrapped his arms behind his head and enjoyed the show, pleased to find out with certainty exactly how right he had been about the young Hunter. Dean had no idea what he was sharing a room with and innocence was not a trait that Samisfallen owned.

When Dean came back out of the bathroom all damp and pink cheeked from the warmth Samisfallen was pretending to be asleep.