Dean was cautious when he approached his uncle, the rain damaged advertisement hidden behind his back. He been rooting around in the pockets of the jeans Sam had been wearing the previous day that had been discarded in a pile of dirty washing in the bathroom when he found it. He had been looking for the twenty that he had been foolish enough to leave out on the kitchen worktop, even though he already knew his brother wouldn`t have taken it. Sam was a good little saver, but even on the rare occasions he was broke, he would never asked Dean for the smallest amount of change. Finding the faded flyer in his pockets only furthered his resolve. Sammy was going to that funfair. He deserved a few hours off to just be a regular teenager for once and Dean was determined he was going to give it to him. Even if it meant lying to their prison warden of a father.

The sky was only just starting to get light when Bobby wandered in to his untidy study, still half asleep and still dressed in his checked pyjama bottoms, clutching a very large novelty mug overflowing with strong coffee. The aroma made Dean want to gag, why grown-ups loved the bitter tasting poison he had no idea.

Bobby didn`t look at all surprised to his nephew sitting perched on the corner of his desk instead of asleep in his warm bed. The older man groaned once, muttered some kind of greeting and sat down on his comfy armchair. "Shouldn`t you be in bed?" he asks, gulping down his drink.

"I couldn`t sleep." Dean lies artfully, but Bobby knew him too well and scoffed at his response before taking another swig.

"You really think I was born yesterday, don`t you? Well I wasn`t so the actual reason would be?"

The teenage boy sighs and picks up the stack of paper he had printed out earlier, throwing them in the direction of the chair. Copies of newspaper headings, police reports and missing person posters stared back up at Bobby, who as an experienced hunter wasn`t at all surprised.

"You found a case?"

"I think so." A fake case still counted as a case, right?

Putting his empty mug down on the table, Bobby begins to read. Dean resists the urge to chew on the loose skin around his thumbnail, a nervous habit he knew the older man would quickly pick up on.

"Not sure it sounds like us to be honest," he begins. "Mouthy teenagers go wandering off all the time."

Dean`s heart felt like it had jumped all the way up from his chest to his throat. Bobby just had to buy this and show it to his dad. He had to.

"In big cities sure, but this is a sleepy little town. And what about what the friends of that girl, Lucy said? Before she vanished she was talking a load of crap about vampires. And the guy a week before her? His brother said for a while he had really gotten into the occult and shit. Can that really be just a coincidence?"

"I dunno, but I`m not exactly in the best condition to be going battling anything anywhere anymore. I`m too damn old. Everything's clicking and groaning and just about ready to pack up. I`m not a hunter anymore, son. Now if you really think there is something bad happening I can look into it and see if we know anyone in the area-"

"No," he snaps, regretting it instantly upon seeing the suspicious look on Bobby`s face. "I mean, why bother them? It isn`t far why don`t we tell dad about it? He hasn`t had a case for weeks, ever since that dud a couple of towns over, I`m sure he is dying to get back out there."

Something twigs and Bobby gets to his feet. "I know what this is really about."

Dean stares him right in the eye. "I don`t know what you are talking about."

"You want your daddy outta the way for a few days so you can sneak off or something." His tone wasn`t angry like dean had feared, or disappointed, only puzzled. "I tell you what, I think you boys both deserve a break and sending your daddy off a bit of a wild goose chase a hundred mile away is what it takes to get you both that, then I`m all for it. So long as whatever you're planning is safe."

"It is." He reaches behind him and pulls out the disintegrating poster from where he had hidden it tucked behind two dusty leather volumes and hands it to Bobby. "Sam wanted to go."

"A funfair." Bobby sounds confused as he reads what is left of the multi-coloured text. The flimsy paper looked too delicate for his big, calloused hands like it was crumble into miniscule fragments at any moment. It doesn't and he hands it back. "Least it`s not something stupid your planning like sneaking in to a bar with fake IDs to get served." He smiles, "Alright. I`d better tell your daddy about this case over in the middle of nowhere."

He is about to walk off when out of nowhere he is pulled backwards and encased in a firm hold. "Thank you."

He grins and awkwardly ruffles the boy`s hair. "Ain`t no need to be thanking me, just make sure Sam has a good time." It was an entirely different warning to any his dad had given him and it makes Dean smile.

"I will."

…

"We`re really going?!"

"Not if you don`t keep you voice down we ain't," Dean shushes the younger boy with a warning glance as their father passes by dressed in his hunting gear. A heavy black backpack was slung over his shoulder. It was filled with necessities such as a change of clothes and toiletries, but more importantly a small selection of guns loaded with salt rounds, a deadly sharp knife and his journal. It contained his knowledge, combined with some of Bobby`s helpful top tips about every creature he had ever encountered. Demons, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, you name it, he fought it.

John Winchester strides into the room confidently, and studies his two sons carefully. "I`ll only be gone for a few days, hopefully three tops." They both nod along, having heard it all before. It was never a few days tops. "Listen to Bobby, look after Sammy and don`t even think about bunking off training. And don`t you be letting them shirk their responsibilities this time." He turns to Bobby and glares. "They are hunters, they ain`t got time for playing ball in the park. Knowing how to hit a damn baseball isn`t going to protect them when they go up against a demon."

Without another word he stalks out of the room leaving a tense feeling behind him. The front door opens and slams shut with a loud bang that makes Sam wince. Even though he was the typical good son that most parents would be proud off, he never seemed enough for John. He was too opinionated for a start, and didn't like the idea of devoting his entire life to hunting monsters. He wanted to go to college and make something of himself, like his mother would have wanted. That hadn`t sat well with John, who had refused to talk to his youngest son for a month before Bobby had stepped in and knocked some sense into him. Quite literally actually, he had swiped him across the head and told him to stop being a bloody drama queen and talk to his son again. That was four months ago, and things hadn't been visibly strained between the two since.

"Alright boys," Bobby gets to his feet and takes out his worn leather wallet from his pockets. Dean and Sam both try to protest, Dean insisting that he still had money from last month, but the older man persists. Stubborn old goat. Almost as though he could tell what they were both thinking he grins. "That`s right, I am a stubborn old goat and damn proud of it." He forces a handful of notes into both of their hands and walks them out of the house.

"Thanks Bobby."

"Don`t thank me, just go and have a good time."