WHAT BROTHERS DO

WHAT BROTHERS DO

A Hardy Boys/Supernatural Crossover

By marasmorgue

CHAPTER TWO

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Dean noticed Fenton watching him and gazed back with startling green eyes that held a gaze many a suspect had turned away from.

Laura chose that moment to announce that dinner was over and that the boys should get ready for bed, a prospect that some of them welcomed gratefully. Dean saw Sam safely into Joe's room before heading back down and helping Laura with the dishes.

"Your mother sure taught you manners, Dean, she should be proud of you" Laura commented happily as she packed away some of the dishes. Immediately Dean tensed and Laura wondered what she'd said that had bothered him so.

"I'm sorry did I say something bad?" she asked quietly. Dean kept his head down towards the sink as he replied.

"No, it's ok. Its – my mom is, uhm, she died. A long time ago, when Sammy was a baby" Dean said quietly in a strained voice.

Laura's face crumpled in sympathy. "Oh Dean, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I meant what I said though, she'd be so proud of you I'm sure. Both of you. I've seen the way you care for Sam, it's something to make any mother proud" Laura said, hoping she wasn't stepping over too many boundaries.

"Thanks" the young man said quietly, turning his head and giving Laura a slight grin. She smiled back, inwardly sighing in relief; she hadn't alienated the boy with her thoughtless comment.

They finished the dishes in companionable silence before Dean headed up to check on Sam. He took the stairs two at a time, compensating for his height and the smallness of the steps and arrived at the door to Joe's bedroom where he'd seen Sam to earlier. Before opening the door, he heard voices; Joe and Sam were talking away a mile a minute. He grinned; at least something good had come out of staying at the Hardy's for the night. Recently they'd been moving a lot and Sam hadn't much of a chance to talk to kids his age, Dean being his main companion, and he was glad his little brother had finally gotten the chance.

He walked in with a smirk plastered on his face.

"So, what are you girls up to?" he asked, smiling, as Joe and Sam looked up from their place on the floor.

"Shut up Dean" Sam said in mock anger, "I'm sure you wouldn't understand" he added, pointing to the books spread out between the boys.

Dean glanced briefly at the titles; a mix of fiction and schoolbooks lay spread out, and grimaced. "Damn straight I wouldn't understand, shouldn't you be knee deep in comics, or, even better talking about girls?" he asked. He never could get why Sammy was so happy with his nose stuck in a book. He'd rather be hunting, or, if not that, then perhaps hunting of a different kind.

"Not everyone thinks with their downstairs brain all the time, Dean. Though I can understand you, not having an upstairs one" Sam said, a grin on his face. He'd finally got one up on his brother.

Dean grinned back; maybe he and Sam were more alike than he thought.

"Shut up bitch" he answered back.

Sam's grin widened. "Jerk"

And with that, Dean walked back out of the room, closing the door and after checking on Frank, he headed back downstairs.

Fenton greeted him as he entered the living room, sitting in a leather chair and sipping a drink, paper in hand. "Hey, didn't think you'd still be up" the older man greeted.

"Sammy and Joe are talking" Dean explained. "And I don't exactly feel like sleeping" he added. He'd checked in briefly on Frank who'd been listening to music via headphones whilst studying, and had opted for going downstairs.

"Frank?" Fenton inquired.

"Studying" Dean answered. The older man grinned at him. "Then I guess you're stuck with me" he said.

"Fine by me" Dean answered. "Frank and Joe said something about you investigating a crime racket when we were coming back earlier" Dean said by way of introducing a topic both men could discuss.

Fenton raised a brow at the professional tone Dean had adopted.

"Yeah. Started out as a missing persons case; fair few people have gone missing in similar circumstances, no trace of them. Thing is, none of them were really connected at a glance; they weren't family, didn't have any real connections" Fenton stated. He wasn't normally one to talk about cases with just anyone, but the young man in front of him seemed intelligent and able, so he didn't see the harm in bouncing some facts and ideas off him.

"So just random people going missing. How did you figure a crime racket fit the picture?" Dean asked.

"I looked a little deeper. Found some connections, some anomalies. Things just didn't add up. Took what I had to some of my own connections and started piecing things together. From what I could gather, recently there's been a lot of movement underground, rumor has it a new big bad's in town, clearing out any obstacles" Fenton said, tone serious.

"So why haven't you just handed the case over to the cops?" Dean asked, curious.

"It's just so, well, odd" Fenton admitted. "Nothing's turned up on the MP's so they can't further their investigations and there's nothing solid on the underground level so no one can act. It's almost as if whoever they are, they're playing in the shadows" he finished.

More than just the shadows, Dean thought to himself.

The two men continued to discuss aspects of the case; Dean questioning, Fenton providing facts and theories.

Well for someone who has no clue what he's really going up against, he's got it down pretty good, Dean thought. He had listened attentively as Fenton gave him the details of his current case and his theories as to how everything connected. Where it came unstuck was Fenton couldn't find a fitting motivation for what was going on to cement the case. That's to be expected though, Dean thought, I mean, normal people wouldn't think about the things we hunt, they don't even know they exist except for in stories.

Fenton caught sight of Dean yawning and grinned.

The young man had listened intently to the details of his case, passing comments occasionally, asking questions where due.

The older man was surprised how efficient and professional Dean was in obtaining information and processing it to come to a sensible conclusion; he wasn't entirely unconvinced that the boy wasn't trained in investigations like his boys were, but he just couldn't quite picture it.

There was just something that didn't add up; like the knowing look on his face when Fenton had admitted he didn't quite understand the reasoning behind what had been happening.

The younger man looked tired, and he recalled his injuries and the long day the boy would've had. Especially if Frank and Joe were involved, Fenton thought, mentally chuckling.

"Well I think I've bored you enough for now. How about you check on that brother of yours and "crash" as the boys say" Fenton suggested.

Dean yawned again, grinning and rose, "Reckon I might just do that" he agreed, bidding good night to the older man and heading upstairs.

He soon found Sam, already in bed, apparently waiting up for him.

"Hey Sammy, you right?" Dean enquired.

"Yeah" Sam yawned, "you comin' ta bed now?" the younger boy asked sleepily.

"Yeah" Dean answered. He climbed into bed, weary and sore from the day, only pausing to check on Sammy once more and reassure himself of the knife under his pillow before falling asleep.

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The next morning found Dean waking early as usual, so he left his brother after checking he was still asleep and headed down to the kitchen where he heard a kettle boiling.

Laura Hardy turned as she heard feet shuffling across the linoleum and found Dean walking towards her.

"Morning" he said casually, "want some help?" he asked, indicating the bacon and eggs sizzling away in the pan. He was used to preparing meals for his brother and his father and, not that he'd admit it, enjoyed it just a bit.

"You don't have to" Laura chuckled, "you keep doing this and I might just have to keep you around" she joked.

"How's your brother?" she asked as she pulled out the toaster, passing it for Dean to plug it in.

"Fine, he's still sleeping. Don't know how the kid can sleep so much" Dean said as he grabbed a loaf of bread at Laura's instruction.

"Just load it up and keep it going" she said, turning back to the fry pan.

Pretty soon the kitchen table was loaded with bacon, eggs, toast, juice, coffee and pancakes and the rest of the house joined Laura and Dean.

"I heard the phone ring earlier, honey, was it Gertrude?" Fenton Hardy asked as he sipped his scorching coffee.

"Yes, she said she was going to stay with her friend, Mildred, for another week or so" Laura stated as she passed the plate of bacon over to a sleepy Joe.

"Well at least that means we won't get lectured about being "reckless and careless" again for a while" Joe stated happily. He loved his aunt, but she was always grumbling about the boys not being careful enough and getting into trouble. After all, they always got out of it didn't they?

"Joe" Laura admonished, a smile on her face, "she means well"

"I know, but geeze, every time?" he complained.

Frank laughed, "Well maybe if you didn't get kidnapped and tied up so often she wouldn't keep saying it" he joked.

Joe's only answer was to roll his eyes, which caused the rest of the table to grin.

"So, boys" Fenton started, looking towards his sons, "what are you up to today?"

"Not sure" Frank admitted, then, looking towards Joe and receiving a nod he went on, "we were thinking we might head out to that warehouse again today"

"Think again, Frank. I don't want you boys going anywhere near that place. If those goons are connected to my case, they're probably more dangerous than you think" Fenton said sternly. He was proud of his boys and their work but he didn't want them needlessly hurt.

"But it's worth checking out properly and we didn't really get the chance to yesterday, what with Joe getting tied up again" Frank argued.

"Which is why I'm going there today" Fenton stated.

"You need someone to back you up Dad. We should go with you" Joe insisted.

"No"

Laura took the chance to intervene. "I was thinking maybe you boys could all go out today? Maybe see a movie, go visit Chet. Then we could all have a barbeque back here tonight. I'm sure Sam and Dean would enjoy meeting everyone" she added.

At this, Joe lightened up considerably, and even Frank looked happier.

"How about it, Sam?" Joe asked eagerly.

Sam turned to Dean. "Can I, Dean?" he asked. Whilst he may have been sixteen he still knew the drill of who was in charge when their father was away and he didn't mind having to defer to Dean, generally because his big brother couldn't resist his pleading looks.

"Why not?" Dean said, enjoying the full on Sammy smile he got for his answer.

"You gonna come to?" Frank asked.

"Nah, I gotta do some work on my baby out there, then I figure, if your Dad doesn't mind I might tag along with him to the warehouse we were at yesterday. Like you said, none of us got to finish what we went there for, and two pairs of eyes are better than one. Plus, if those goons are there again, backup might come in handy" Dean added. He saw Sam's flitting look of worry, replaced by understanding; if Fenton came across anything…. Unusual he wouldn't be able to handle it, no matter how capable he was.

"You sure you don't want to hang around with the boys today, Dean?" Fenton asked.

"Nah" Dean answered, finishing off his breakfast coffee.

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With the day's plans settled, everyone went about gathering what they needed for the day; Dean made sure Sam's mobile was fully charged "just in case he needed him" which earned him an eye roll from his little brother. Dean might have been letting him go, but he wasn't doing it without the usual protective worry.

"D e a n" Sam whined.

"S a m m y" Dean whined back. "You wanna go or not?"

"Fine. Promise you'll be careful?" Sam asked, concern in his eyes. "I could come, you know, if you wanted?" he asked. He really wanted to spend the day with Joe and Frank but he also didn't want to break the rule of having backup.

"Nah. Relax Sammy; I've got Fenton for backup, don't I? Plus, I doubt anything will happen. Now hurry up and get your lazy butt downstairs; I wanna tune up my baby before I go" Dean said, grinning as he pushed his brother towards the stairs.

"It's Sam" Sam muttered, a grin belying his tone.

"Whatever bitch" Dean replied.

"Jerk" Sam quipped back.

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"You sure you don't want to go with the boys?" Fenton Hardy asked the older Winchester, "I'm sure you could still catch up to them. You don't have to come out to the warehouse with me" he added.

Dean just grinned at the older man "Trying to get rid of me, eh? Nah, I want to check the place out myself, and I'd prefer to do it today"

"Wouldn't have anything to do with not wanting Sam to go there again would it?" Fenton asked.

"No more than you going has to do with not wanting Frank and Joe there again" Dean replied as he gently shut the Impala's hood.

Fenton chuckled. "You got me there"

"So, you ready to go?" Dean asked Fenton. He was pleased he'd been able to check the Impala's stock in the trunk while everyone else was distracted- he didn't exactly feel like explaining the virtual armory in there.

He'd been able to tuck away a few weapons himself earlier; gun at the small of his back, silver knife and an iron file in his boots, salt in one pocket and holy water in the other. He didn't know if he should expect anything supernatural in the day, but he sure as hell wasn't going anywhere unprepared.

"Yeah" Fenton confirmed as he settled into the passenger side of the Impala. He had offered to use his vehicle but Dean declined; he wanted supplies nearby should they be needed and he didn't fancy dragging his armory around in duffle bags, hence him taking the Impala.

"Let's hit it then" Dean said, gunning the engine.

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Some time later the two men arrived not far from the warehouse. Pulling up, Dean sidled the Impala under the protective cover of some trees; close enough to run to, far enough away not to be seen or suspected.

Climbing out of the car he subtly checked the gun at his back and his other stashed weapons, making sure they were easily reachable.

Too much could go wrong in a well planned endeavour that in one with no plan he wasn't willing to risk costly mistakes because of laziness.

"Perimeter scout first, then in through the back?" Dean asked Fenton.

The older mans eyebrows rose slightly in surprise; this kid sure was well trained.

"Sounds good" he concurred, pulling out his Glock and checking it over before tucking it back into the hip holster he wore.

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"So how long have you guys lived around here?" Sam asked from the left-hand back seat of the Hardy boys" van.

"Forever" Joe stated from beside him. Usually he'd sit up front with Frank but today he chose to sit back with Sam.

"How about you? Where do you guys come from?" Frank asked from up front. They'd been driving for a while and were headed out to meet up with Chet and the rest of the gang.

"We move a lot, but originally we come from Kansas" Sam said.

He was never entirely sure what to say when that question came around, which was pretty frequently, so he just stuck to the bare basics.

"Cool" Joe answered as they pulled into Chet's drive. "Must be fun to get to see different places, huh?" he asked casually.

"Yeah" Sam agreed, "It is mostly."

The boys tumbled out of the van to be greeted by a group of teenagers around the Same age.

"Hey Frank, Joe" Chet Morton called. "Who's your friend?" he asked, grinning at Sam.

Sam smiled back as Joe answered. "This here is Sam Winchester, Sam, this is Chet, that's Phil, Biff and Tony" he said, pointing an extended arm at each boy as he introduced them.

"Hi" they called, and Sam answered happily back. They all seemed really friendly, just like Frank and Joe. He was glad Dean had let him come.

"You guys up for a barbeque tonight?" Frank asked Chet and the rest of the boys.

"When are we ever not up for a barbeque?" Chet laughed back. "What's it for?"

"Mom keeping us outta trouble. Plus I think she's trying to con Sam and Dean into staying longer with us" Joe answered back, laughing.

"Dean?" Phil asked.

"Sam's big brother" Frank replied, "He's gone with Dad to check out the warehouse Chet here dropped us off at yesterday"

"Oh yeah, how did that go for ya?" Chet asked. He'd received a message from Joe saying a lift home wasn't necessary, but not much more than that.

"Joe got tied to a chair" Frank said teasingly.

"Again?" the others chorused.

"Yeah. That's where we met Sam and Dean. Dean saved Joe's butt and I found Sam here having a nap on the forest floor outside the warehouse" Frank said.

"No kiddin'? I was wonderin' where you got that shiner Joe, and you, Sam, guess that explains the slice on your head, huh?" Chet barrelled out.

Both boys looked suitably sheepish and the rest of the teens laughed comfortably.

"So, we gonna head back to your place? I'm sure your mom wouldn't mind some help if we're all invited. Normally Callie would be kickin' our butts to go help. Pity she's away right now, huh Frank?" Tony piped in. They all knew about Callie and Frank; they'd been going out for a while and everyone was good friends.

"Yeah, yeah, just let us know when you get your own girl, Tony" Frank fired back grinning, setting the boys off once more.

Eventually, after a while mucking around and everyone getting to know Sam, the boys piled into the van and Chet's car and headed back to the Hardy's place. That is, after they made a few stops, of course.

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"You see anything?" Dean asked as he and Fenton circuited the warehouse.

They'd spent a good while scouting the area for any obvious lookouts but hadn't seen any so had moved on to stepping the perimeter of the warehouse, staying in the cover of tress and shadows when they could for cautions" sake.

Dean had shown Fenton where he'd entered the warehouse when he found Joe as they walked around the abandoned building, both noting possible entry and exit points along the way, Dean for the second time, thought the last had been somewhat rushed and incomplete.

"Nope" Fenton answered back.

"Me neither"

"Shall we go on in then?" Fenton enquired. He was impressed with the amount of training the younger man had obviously had to become so efficient and professional and had no problem with being equal to someone less than half his age.

The kid deserves the respect, Fenton thought to himself as they stealthily entered the building.

Dean took point once inside the warehouse; leading Fenton along the route he'd taken previously when he had come across Joe, though the men walked side by side for the most part.

"Here it is" Dean said quietly, turning to Fenton. He stopped suddenly, hairs on the back of his neck rising with his hunter's senses, noting Fenton's eyes go slightly wider as he coarsely whispered.

"What the hell?"

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Well well well. If it isn't the brat from yesterday. Oh and you brought a new friend, how delightful" the gunman sneered at the two men.

"Shut up, asshole" Dean snapped. The hairs on the back of his neck rose with his hunters instinct, unease settling in like a bad meal in the pit of his stomach.

Fenton tensed slightly beside him, shifting on his feet.

"Oh now now, young Mr. Winchester, that's hardly language suitable in the presence of a lady now is it?" a smooth voice called from the darkness.

Dean glared towards the sound of the voice, replying, "and I don't see any ladies" as the slick-looking man stepped into the light.

Why was the area so dark? It hadn't been this dark before, and then it was later than it was now. It made him all the more tense and uneasy that he couldn't scope the whole area for dangers. Every instinct was calling to him that there was something wrong. He just wasn't sure what, and he didn't want to run before he knew. That wasn't how they did things. He was, however, glad Sam had convinced him to let him go with Joe and Frank. At least he's not here, he thought.

At that, a sleek, feminine form was revealed from the shadows the man had appeared from.

"He's pretty" the woman purred, eyeing Dean like a piece of meat.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean demanded. Beside him, Fenton wished the younger man would cool off and stop trying to antagonize the people. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on; a feeling he swore he'd never get used to. He sure as hell didn't like it.

The man tutted, "Oh I'm hurt, don't tell me Daddy Winchester didn't tell his best little soldiers about me? By the way, how is sweet little Samuel?" he asked, trying to get a rise out of Dean.

He wasn't disappointed. At the mention of his little brother Dean tensed; on the balls of his feet and ready to fight. Fenton laid an arm across the young man's chest, halting him.

"Answer the question, who the hell are you?" Fenton growled. He was quickly growing tired of being lead around the conversation with no answers in sight.

"Ah, so the great investigator does speak. I was beginning to think they were just rumors, and that you were in fact a mute. Or obsessed with charades" the man smirked. "You really should calm down, though, my dear Mr. Hardy, it'll do no good for your blood pressure" he scolded lightly.

Blood pressure? Fenton thought, what the hell kind of a thing to say was that?

Beside him, Dean was now thrumming with contained tension and violence as he muttered "shit" under his breath.

Sinister laughter echoed ominously throughout the warehouse, ricocheting back and forth as if mocking the two men, as several more people stepped forward into the light.

Fenton reached for his gun, slipping it smoothly out of the holster and into his hand. This only caused more laughter.

"Dear me, Mr. Hardy, do you honestly think that'll do any good against me?" he asked, still chuckling. The woman beside him sniggered, a sound unsuited to her dark beauty.

Crap crap crap crap. Dean thought rapidly. This was just going from bad to worse. He wasn't expecting this much of a reception, if any. Like things ever go our way, he thought. Man does irony bite. Mentally he cursed again. His only back-up was an inexperienced ex-cop with a normal, ergo useless handgun and a temper.

Crap.

Silently he edged closer to Fenton, shoulder to shoulder, catching the older man's eyes. He was so used to being able to silently communicate with his father or brother, even Bobby and Caleb. Could he manage to convey his message to the older man?

Fenton turned his eyes towards Dean. he'd felt him edge closer and had wondered what he was doing before he realized he was staring intently at him. What could he want? He saw Dean's eyes waver from himself, to Fenton, to the group of people standing before them to himself again. Did he want to take point? Fenton wasn't sure why, but he nodded ever so slightly. Hopefully he'd interpreted correctly. He still didn't think he should let Dean take point, after all he was practically still a kid.

Dean bent slightly, sliding the silver knife out of his boot with one hand, the gun from his back with the other.

"Well, it's been fun, guys, but me and Fen here, we gotta go" Dean quipped as he swiftly raised the gun, shooting the two foremost men and the woman promptly in the heart. Fenton was about to protest the callous onslaught when the remaining people's features morphed, canines elongating, eyes flashing disturbingly. Fenton. shot at one of them with his gun but it just leered and leapt towards him.

Dean was grappling with two more as the last lunged at Fenton. Shocked, he acted on instinct, throwing the vampire into the wall. Dean came up against Fenton as he managed to shoot another man, thrusting the silver knife into one of his hands.

"Aim for the heart and for Hell's sake, don't miss" Dean grunted out as the other vampire tackled him. He worked the pistol upwards and fired repeatedly, killing his attacker.

Turning he noted Fenton grappling with the last of them and picked up the Same 2x4 he'd used previously, swinging it viciously at the assailant, knocking him off Fenton.

"Come on, we have to go" Dean growled out. He was almost out of bullets and one silver knife wasn't going to do them any good if any more "people" showed up.

Quickly they made their way out of the warehouse, Dean once more taking point as he navigated through the trees back towards the Impala.

"What the hell were they?" Fenton panted out, adrenalin beginning to fade from the fight. "I shot that last one at almost point-blank range and he just grinned" he said, stunned.

"I'm not so sure you want to know" Dean said as he opened the driver's door to the Impala, "And I'm pretty sure you won't believe me even if I do tell you"

TBC……