Dean wasn't thrilled about leaving his brother alone. Of course he worried about the kid, but he did know that Sam knew how to take care of himself and he had put up the protection symbols himself, so it did make him feel a little better about the whole thing. Besides that and he would never tell Sam this, he had looked into the house and the town to make sure nothing even remotely supernatural had occurred within the last 200 years.
He tried not to think too hard about his baby brother, who he swore to protect, being left behind, but being alone in a car for five hours he had a lot of time to think. He wanted to question his dad as to why he chose to leave Sam behind. He didn't want to think it was because Dad thought Sam was a liability and that he couldn't handle the hunt. He wanted it to be that Dad knew two guys were enough and that Sam was just better off by himself. He'd like to think that Dad trusted Sam enough and knew that sometimes he just needed a break. He knew Sam needed time off, hell, they all did, lately him and John had been butting heads over everything and Dean was stuck in the middle. He just hoped this hunt would give his dad and brother enough patience to last awhile before they started fighting again.
John glanced in the rearview and saw Dean following closely behind. It might be seem silly to be taking two vehicles but he knew ever since he gave the car to Dean, he didn't want to leave it too far behind. John knew he had left it in good hands when that first weekend it was his he spent the whole Saturday waxing and cleaning out the interior. John liked his truck and it was nice and quiet, what he was used to because Sam always rode with Dean anyway.
John knew that Dean was curious about why he left Sam behind and unlike Sam he wouldn't ask. Dean would know soon enough. Another hunter had contacted him about this hunt and since John wasn't on anything at the moment he said yes. He got all the info and knew he wasn't taking Sam. All the victims so far were young males in their teens, tall with brown hair. Dean would understand as soon as John showed him what he knew. It was a small price to pay to let his baby boy think he wasn't wanted if it meant he was safe, because he knew that's what Sam thought. And despite all the arguments they had and all the silent treatments Sam gave him, John loved him, just as much as Dean. He also thought Sam was perfectly capable of being left alone, which was why he took Dean along and not asked him to stay home.
Dean had called Sam that first night hoping he didn't sound too much like a worried, paranoid older brother. If Sam heard through it he didn't comment and Dean was relieved. He missed Sam, especially after hanging up and he was alone with John. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but he wasn't used to it. He couldn't joke around with his Dad like he could with Sam, couldn't dump the research on him either.
The werewolf was easy enough to identify. They looked into the victims and found out the first one had been on a camping trip a month before he died, on a full moon. He was with a group of friends and only him and his girlfriend had survived, what the cops called an animal attack. They both sustained cuts, had to go the hospital and get stitches. Everyone said they were lucky and life moved on. A few weeks later his girlfriend walked in on him with another girl. A week later, on the full moon, he was dead, attacked as he was leaving work.
Dean didn't think werewolves had victim types but John said that this guy was connected to her and now, even in her wolf form she saw every guy that looked like him, as an enemy. Dean shrugged, it made sense and to him it just made finding the wolf that much easier. They still had to be sure though and so had to wait a day until the full moon before they could follow her and see the change themselves before killing it. Dean was glad that Sam wasn't here and not just because of the victim types. The wolf was a 17 year old girl and just looking at her, she looked harmless.
The actual hunt was easy enough too. They followed the girl home and waited. Right after the full moon rose they saw her climb out her window. It was easy enough to spot the changes, the eyes and the sharp fangs. They moved in fast, coming up behind her, one on each side. It was like a well rehearsed dance, one Dean and John had down packed. John was the one to make the fatal shot and Dean felt a sense of satisfaction. The hunt was over, the monster dead and they had saved lives. They took care of the body and they went out to celebrate.
John decided to stay one more day, just to be on the safe side. Dean had no objections, although he was eager to get back to his younger sibling. He called Sam, telling him that the hunt went well and they were going to stay one more night. Sam just laughed and said he understood, he was glad the hunt went well and that they were safe. Sam sounded more relaxed already and Dean knew Sam had been just as worried about them as he was of Sam.
Looking back Dean regrets a lot about that last phone call. He wished he would have told Sam the real reason they left him behind, they were just trying to protect him. He wished he would have made John talk to his son before they left, telling him how he really felt, it would have been easier over the phone anyway. He wished he would have told Sam how he felt, that even though he could be a pain in the ass little brother he still loved him. Instead the last words spoken to his brother, in what would turn out to be a very long time, were ones of sarcasm and teasing. They hung up with their usual goodbyes of 'bitch' and 'jerk' and Dean knowing he would see his brother in just one more day. If only he knew how wrong he was.
Thanks everyone who is following my story and twohisglory2002 for the review. I hope to get one more chapter out tomorrow before I leave for the weekend, otherwise I won't be able to update until Monday.
Thanks for reading!