A/N Hi, there! I'm back. Thank you all for the reviews and support you've shown for this work. You have no idea how much it has helped me. Apparently studying abroad is tougher than I thought and seeing your responses has helped me to crawl out of the black hole I had fallen into.

Okay, enough about me...

Since I think it will be easier on everyone's nervous system, I decided to try and publish a new chapter around every Saturday. Some people got worried about this being slash - worry not, this is just a good old story about the coolest brothers in the world.

As always - a big thank you to ArtistKurai who keeps reading this monster and proving how utterly helpless I am with English grammar. :)

Disclaimer: SPN still belongs to CW.

Happy Reading, guys!

Chapter 3 – Nameless boys

Sam whipped around at the sound of the woman's voice and was immediately shoved back by Dean. His brother squared his shoulders in front of him, trying to block as much of Sam as possible, leaving Sam to huff in annoyance.

"Who are you?" Their father shouted, eying the newcomer over the barrel of the gun, similarly to what Dean was doing.

"I am Sheriff Jody Mills!" The middle-aged woman answered. "Lower your guns."

Sam looked the woman up and down but even he couldn't figure whether she was lying or not. As far as he knew she could be a normal local or a very well disguised monster. Either way, they couldn't risk attacking a police officer. They weren't the enemy. At least not directly.

Sam exchanged a worried look with Dean, who seemed just as uncertain. They glanced sideways at their dad but it seemed he had come to the same conclusion as Sam. Reluctantly both his brother and father holstered their weapons, their eyes never leaving the woman.

"Can I ask what this is about?" John stepped closer to them. Sam didn't miss how he was once again pushed backward, his dad and brother creating a wall between him and the woman. Sometimes Sam wondered if they understood that he was seventeen not seven.

"We received a call of a madman gunning through the streets in the direction of Singer's place." Jody finally backed off and also lowered her gun. "I will have to ask you to come with me now."

"Sorry, Sheriff, but that won't be possible," John responded, and Sam could already see it taking a turn for the worse.

"And why is that?" The woman squinted at him and Sam noticed how close her hand still lingered at the gun.

At this point the only things to illuminate the dark and depressing surroundings were the lights of their stolen car and the moon above their heads. Sam could hear crickets in the woods during the moment it took John answer the woman.

"We have family business to take care of." John pointedly looked at the woman's hip.

She looked down and instead of grasping the weapon once again, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know it must be important, but so is my job. I'm afraid I have to insist." Sheriff's voice gained strength and abruptness and Sam got the feeling that the woman could match his father in stubbornness.

He was also getting annoyed by the back-and-forth conversation and despite clearly making his brother uncomfortable, stepped in front of him and their dad and looked the woman in the eye.

"Listen, we don't mean trouble. We were just looking for the owner of the house."

It clearly got the Sheriff's attention because her stern façade faltered and confusion crept in.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah, do you know where he is?" Sam asked, ignoring John's disapproving growl and the warning tug at his sleeve.

"I'm sorry, kid." The woman answered and the tone in her voice created a pit in Sam's gut. Only people bearing bad news had a tone like that - grave and gentle at the same time. "Bobby died four years ago."

Sam blinked.

He must have heard wrong. He must have.

Bobby couldn't be…

Over the sound of his pounding heart, he heard Dean's sharp intake of a breath and John's low cursing. Sam glanced back to see his brother's pale face and wide, scared eyes.

"What?" Dean choked out. He glanced at the destruction behind and around them and then back at the Sheriff. "Did he…did Bobby...?"

Sam felt a painful squeeze in the heart at his brother's broken tone. He felt like he was balancing on the edge of the cliff, which would lead to infinite sorrow.

"He wasn't at home when the fire happened," the woman answered in a soft tone. "He died later. A gun shot."

"Who did it?" Dean sharply pulled Sam back and resumed his previous position in front of him. "Who killed him?" he asked venomously and Sam noticed his arms trembling. He wanted to reach out and comfort his big brother but doubted it would be a welcomed gesture.

"If you're searching for revenge, boy, don't bother. Bobby was avenged." Sam kept looking back and forth between the woman and the house, trying to wrap his head around said things. "It's been years already."

Years. Sam tried to force himself to concentrate. It had been years since Bobby died. Whatever future they had ended up in, Bobby had died. For some reason, Sam had always thought that Bobby would forever live as an old grunt.

"How did you know Bobby anyway?" the lady Sheriff asked cautiously.

For reasons unknown to himself, Sam felt like a trapped animal in that moment. Like Sheriff Jody Mills was one step ahead of them and wasn't telling them something.

"We shared the same line of business." John gave the typical vague answer, but Sam didn't miss the tone of suspicion in his voice. "Why?"

The woman seemed to gauge her actions but finally, with a sigh she faced them.

"You guys are hunters."

It was a conclusion and the way she said the word told Sam that she wasn't talking about hunting a deer or a boar. She was definitely meaning their kind of prey. The kind that went bumping in the night and for which special kind of hunters were needed with just the right amount of sorrow, loss, crazy and brave mixed into their blood.

"Who are you?" John immediately had his gun out and pointed at the Sheriff's chest. The woman, though, didn't pull out hers.

"I was a friend of Bobby." She raised her arms. "I have seen the crap he dealt with. I've seen my own share of monsters and hunters to recognize one when I see one."

"I've never heard of a cop hunter," John accused.

"Not my day-job. If I hear something in my neighborhood, I deal with it," Jody explained, and even though John still had his gun aimed at her, she lowered her arms and leveled him with an annoyed look. "Look, you can be all mysterious on me or allow me to help you, your choice."

"Help." Sam quickly answered before his father could refuse her. "We could use some help."

It definitely wasn't what his brother or father had in mind but Sam felt a weird pull toward the woman. He couldn't not believe her. Their family didn't trust many people but Sam was willing to risk believing this one woman.

Jody smiled at him kindly.

"You boys remind me of someone I know." She eyed them for a while and shook her head in denial before Sam managed to get uncomfortable under her stare. "Anyway, we've had some trouble brewing in the neighborhood, so if you want to find a familiar face, I might know the place."

"What trouble?" John asked, finally stowing his gun.

"A demon." Jody sighed. "He helped to create a huge mess and I know a couple of hunters been hunting him down ever since. Last time I heard, they captured the bastard."

"What demon? What mess?" Dean interrupted her. Sam could hear how annoyed and confused Dean was and he had a feeling Dean was trying to place the blame on Sheriff for what had happened to Bobby.

"It's a long story." Jody eluded questions and nodded at their getaway car. "That one's probably stolen so why don't you take a ride with me and I'll tell you on the way?"

"How do we know we can trust you?" John growled at her. Sam glared at him. His father could at least trust him.

"Look, mister, I am a Sheriff first and a hunter second. You can decide whether you trust me or not after I give the boys there," she pointed to him and Dean, "a proper bed. It looks like they could use some rest."

"Thank you, but we'll be fine." John tried to back away. "I have friends we can ask for help."

"What's your name?" the Sheriff asked, refusing to give in.

"John."

"Listen here, John." The nice tone was gone and was replaced by iron. "If you were alone, I'd send you on your merry way, but those boys look exhausted and are probably not older than twenty."

"Twenty-one." Dean interrupted.

"Whatever you say, boy!" she answered shortly and turned her attention back to John. "I could arrest you, but I'm showing you some compassion. The least you could do is get a room for the night. I'll show you where my contacts are meeting up tomorrow."

"We don't play well with others." The way John said it made it sound like a threat.

"Don't all hunters?" She snickered. "So? You coming?"

Sam saw John hesitating so he took the step forward. Dad would give him hell for this, but he felt that no one but him was willing to take the initiative.

"Thank you."

"Sammy, what are you doing?" Dean hissed from behind him, loud enough for him to hear him, but not enough for Jody to catch what they were saying.

"She can help," he whispered back, not taking his eyes off the woman. "Otherwise we are just wandering around, hoping to run into someone we may know."

Dean was about to say something back, but a ring cut through the night and the Sheriff pulled out a black square object. Sam guessed that's how phones looked in the year 2016.

"Sheriff Mills," she answered and apparently knew the caller because she huffed in annoyance. "Garth, no one's going to kill you," someone named Garth spoke on the other line as the Sheriff listened. "Listen, Sam and Dean will be there in a couple of hours….No, I can't come, I'm a little preoccupied at the moment…No…Just don't let the demon get away, right?...Okay…Bye, Garth!"

Sam lost his train of thought upon hearing the conversation. He sharply turned around to face his brother, whose face was an exact mirror of shock as his. Sam and Dean. She couldn't have meant them, right? They both looked over to John, who seemed to have a gotten a bit wide-eyed as well.

"Sam and Dean," John spoke the moment Jody put down her device. "You mean Winchester?"

The response Jody gave them was not what Sam thought it would be. He expected an indifferent shrug, but the response they received took him by surprise. Sheriff stiffened and for a moment her hand twitched in the direction of her gun.

"Yeah, you know those boys?" She squinted at them coldly. Protectively.

"You could say we have a history together." John gave them pointed looks. A sign to keep shut and let him do the talking.

"What kind of history?" Jody eyed them suspiciously. It was clear that future Sam and Dean Winchester meant a lot to her.

"Does it matter?" John answered, clearly not comfortable with being asked so many questions.

"Yeah it matters." Jody barked at him and Sam almost flinched at the sudden change of tone. "Those boys have enough trouble as it is."

"No, we don't want to hurt them!" Sam interrupted, seeing where it was going. "They…we're…we're old friends…they could help us."

Though Sam saw he was doing a better job at convincing her than his father, Jody still didn't let her shoulders relax.

"How do I know you're not the enemy? Winchesters don't keep many friends."

"We're not." Sam looked her in the eye, hoping to convince her.

"Prove it."

"How do you want us to prove it, lady?" Dean grumbled and Sam shot him an annoyed look. "Bobby was our friend. We know he was close to the Winchesters as well. And if you knew Bobby, you'd know he chose his friends carefully."

It felt weird hearing Dean speak of them like strangers. The sorrow in Dean's eyes had blended together with annoyance and tiredness. Dean clearly had had enough for one day. Any more and Sam didn't doubt Dean would start shooting things.

"Fine." Jody relented after a careful thought. "Sam and Dean will get into town in a few hours. I'll show you the place."

"Thanks!"

"But I swear to God, you try harming either of them I'll hunt you down myself," Jody added, shooting John a dark look.

Sam shivered at the threat but followed the woman when she led them to her car, parked just behind a turn.

"Get in." The Sheriff nodded and opened the driver's door. "I'll take you to a hotel and call someone to pick up the one you stole."

Sam even felt bad at the accusing glare the Sheriff gave them.

"When can we meet the Winchesters?" John asked, closing the passenger door behind him.

"They are meeting at an abandoned house tomorrow." Jody steered them on the main road and passed him a piece of paper. "This is the address."

"Thank you." John tucked it in his jacket pocket.

"Yeah, well, the threat still stands." Jody didn't turn her attention away from the road, but her tone was like a steel blade. "You try hurting them and I'll make sure you regret it."

"You seem to care about them a lot," Sam stated, impatient to find out something more about their possible future counterparts. Even Dean beside him perked up, waiting for an answer.

"They are like sons to me." Sam couldn't help the small smile when he noticed how loving Jody's expression in the rearview mirror was. "Saved my ass more than once. And more importantly, they are the reason I have two wonderful daughters now."

Sam glanced a Dean, who had gotten pale as a sheet, and immediately knew he'd gotten the wrong idea. Stupid older brother.

"Dude, that's disgusting." Sam jabbed him in the ribs with a growl.

"Yeah? How so?" Sam asked and ignored how Dean paid him back with a kick to the calf.

"Both lost their families and got saved by the boys." Jody smiled at him and Sam genuinely smiled back. "When they had nowhere else to go, I offered to take them in."

Sam would have loved to ask more but John had questions of his own and interrupted their little conversation.

"So what's been going on here? You mentioned a demon."

Jody's face turned serious and it was obvious she would have liked it more to continue her conversation with Sam.

"I don't know much." She sighed and her expression turned thoughtful. "Apparently a spell went bad and the demon knows how to reverse it."

"What demon?" Sam saw anger flash in his father's face and nudged Dean again. Before Dean could start a brawl with him, he pointed towards John. They both recognized what was happening.

"Don't know," Jody answered warily.

"Dad, how about we ask the Winchesters ourselves?" Dean suggested in a stern voice and Sam hoped that it would be one of those times when John actually listened.

When John nodded, Sam huffed out a relieved breath and noticed them taking a turn into a parking lot.

The motel was similar to a thousand different motels they had stayed at but Sam couldn't care less. At the thought of having a bed and a pillow, he finally acknowledged how tired he actually was.

"Thank you, Sheriff Mills!" Sam said as they pulled over and got out.

"Just Jody will be enough." She smiled at him and pointed to the reception. "And don't mention it, kid. Tell the clerk I sent you. You should get the room cheaper."

"Thank you very much. For everything." This time, it was Dean who said it. He took Sam by the elbow and led him aside. John had already bid his farewells and gone to get them a room so they just stood at the side of the almost empty parking lot, watching the truck pull away.

As Sam breathed in the cool night air and let his thoughts wander he had a sudden realization. They had somehow ended up sixteen years in the future.

Sixteen years later, where Sam and Dean Winchester were hunting down a demon.

Sam was glad that it was too dark for Dean to see the disappointment on his face and that he stood far enough to not notice the flinch he got at the thought.

For Sam Winchester hadn't gotten out of the life of hunting.

Only when Jody parked in her driveway did she remember a weird fact. She hadn't asked for the boys' names. She had been so concerned about their suspicious-looking father she actually forgot to do it. That and the fact that the boys so strongly reminded her of Sam and Dean.

"I'll probably see them tomorrow anyway." She shrugged and opened the door to the house. "Girls, I'm home."