I don't own Sam or Dean or John or the Impala or Supernatural…..that's all the CW. So if they would be very kind to let me borrow it all for a bit, I promise to give it back….eventually…..well, maybe. Also, I lack an editor, so any mistakes are mine and please kindly overlook them (or let me know). Thanks.
Sam is 16 and Dean is 20.
-ff-
John, Dean and Sam sat around the small kitchen table. John's notebook was open in the middle of the table, newspaper clippings were spread out around it. The dark of the night pressed in against the windows. John rested his head in his hands for a minute.
He looked up at his boys. "I don't know, Sam."
"This might be the best chance to find something." Sam glanced over at Dean. "You and Dean are gonna be in the shadows making sure I don't get in over my head, anyway"
Dean leaned back in the chair. "I know, but it still ends up with you in a position a lot like bait."
"I've gone up against things before, alone or nearly alone." Sam unconsciously slipped into the tone that John didn't tolerate and redirected. "I mean, I know this plan sucks, but we don't really have another one."
John looked over at Dean before he met Sam's eyes. "I don't want you in danger."
"How are we gonna figure out what's going on? Your research turn up a bunch of stuff you haven't told us?" Sam leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.
"Sam." That one word warning again.
He didn't back down, didn't look away, didn't apologize. That was Sam's style lately, to push back against John just to see how far he could go. On some level, John knew Sam was just feeling out his independence, but that didn't mean it still didn't make him jump right to anger. The kid knew exactly what buttons to push and he was too damn smart for his own good.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow."
Sam pushed his chair back. "Fine." He retreated to the bedroom.
Dean watched his father carefully to read him. "So, what's plan B?"
"There isn't one. Research isn't turning up anything. We can't even go into this blind because we don't know what we're looking for." He sighed. "If Sam thinks he can find out something by meeting up with those kids tomorrow night, then we have to take it. We'll spend tomorrow getting him ready."
"He's gonna love that." Dean snorted.
"It will be lots of fun for all of us." John deadpanned. "The quicker we figure this out, the better, too many kids have died already."
"And the list of likely suspects is?"
John sighed and pulled his notebook over. "Best case scenario? Some sort of vengeful spirit. Worst? Demon or something we've never even heard of yet."
"I don't like it."
"I know, neither do I. We don't have a whole lot of other options at this point, Dean."
Dean got up from the table and went to the bedroom, feeling that he was allowing his brother to be set up for slaughter. Sam was reading when Dean came into the room. The boys didn't say anything to each other.
-s-
Sam spent the day training with Dean under John's critical eye. When Sam spoke to John, it was usually a sarcastic "Yes, sir", but he'd do as he was told. He knew his father and brother were giving him everything they knew to keep him safe, but his first instinct was to be defiant.
That night, an hour before everyone was going to meet at the park, Sam stood in the middle of the living room. A line up of weapons and protections were spread out on the kitchen table. John and Dean checked and doubled checked everything.
"Sam." John looked over at his boy.
He wouldn't admit to being nervous, or even a little scared, he'd never admit that. Sam walked over, his jaw set and his eyes determined. Only Dean was able to pick out the faint flash of concern in Sam's steady gaze.
John took a breath and handed Sam a small flask of holy water, a sliver knife and a vial of salt. He dipped his thumb in a small bowl of holy water and made the sign of a cross on Sam's forehead. Sam resisted the urge to pull away and held still.
He held Sam by the shoulders. "Don't go anywhere alone, don't leave the park. If something doesn't feel right, trust that feeling. Dean and I will be close if you need help."
Sam nodded. "Got this, too." He pulled out a tape recorder. "For the notes later."
John couldn't help but smile a little. "Good. Ready?"
He nodded once and headed to the door. "Don't follow too close." He paused in the doorway. "I'm gonna be fine, all this isn't going to matter."
The three Winchester men left unsaid the knowledge that more hunts have turned bad then they cared to admit, that it always seemed if it could go wrong it would, that even the simplest of salt and burns went to hell. Sam stepped out into the night and headed towards the park. John and Dean stayed about a block behind Sam, they stuck to shadows like they were on a hunt. They hoped that they wouldn't need any of the precautions or weapons they had prepared. They ignored the tight feeling of unease in the pits of their stomachs.
Sam stood under the light that lit up the basketball court. He was alone in the park, the town had an eerie, abandoned feel to it. He heard footsteps behind him and turned. His heart beat quicker until he recognized Nick and a girl and boy he didn't know. They walked over to Sam.
"Just us?" Sam glanced to the side.
"Don't know yet." Nick pointed to the other two. "This is Jack and Emily. Sam just moved here, figured he should know what we're up against."
Jack scoffed. "None of us know that. Not really."
"I might." Emily muttered. "Because of Shawn."
Everyone sobered at the realization that Shawn, whoever he was, was one of the victims. There wasn't too much time to dwell on it before two others came over. Another girl and a boy who was considerably taller than her came to the group. Sam instantly recognized the protective posture of an older brother.
The girl looked at Sam. "Haven't seen you around before."
"Just moved here."
"I'm Abby, this is Tom, my brother."
"Sam." He reached out and shook their hands.
The six teenagers stood close together under one of the lights. The crickets chirped in the shadows and a warm, summer breeze rustled the trees. Other than that, it was just silence.
"Well?" Jack looked at each of them.
Emily kept her eyes focused on the ground, Sam wanted to put his arm around her in comfort, but he was the new kid and nobody knew him. "Shawn died last week." She spoke just above a whisper. "The week before that he was fine."
"What happened?" Abby asked. Tom stepped closer to her.
"He snuck out one night, to meet his girlfriend at the lake. When he got back in the morning, he said his head hurt. Then his nose started to bleed. By that night he was delirious with fever, kept saying things that didn't make sense."
Sam took a step closer and took her hand. Abby took her other hand.
"What'd he say?" Tom asked, his eyes on Abby.
Emily sighed and closed her eyes. "He kept saying "her eyes are black, the seed is spoiled". Until his voice was gone."
Sam squeezed her hand gently, but his blood ran cold. He knew what was doing this. He glanced over to where he knew his brother and father were hidden, invisible in the night.
"Then he died. Two days later. He just never woke up again." She looked up at Abby. "Before he went unconscious, he looked at me and told me a secret."
"What'd he say?"
She shook her head. "It's a secret, Abby. You're my best friend, but he's my brother."
Tom rested his hand on Abby's shoulder. "We should get home before someone misses us."
Jack took a slow breath. "Same time next week?"
"I'm in." Nick had his arms wrapped around himself like it was cold, even though it wasn't. "Until we figure out how to keep from dying."
"Emily, want Tom and I to walk you home?"
She nodded and put her arm around Abby. The group split up and slipped into the darkness.
Sam remained where he was. He couldn't get the way Emily's voice broke out of his head, her grief was something solid he could feel. She had watched her brother die and nobody knew why. Sam could feel the fear in the group that had met in the park, their terror of the unknown, of not knowing who they would never see again.
He turned at the almost silent sound of footsteps.
Dean saw the fear and sadness in his little brother's eyes. "Sammy?"
Sam handed over the tape recorder.
"Let's talk about this back at the house." John rested his hand on his son's shoulder, Sam didn't push away his dad's hand.
They walked home in silence, closer than usual. Sam was quiet and pensive and scared if he was honest with himself. He didn't know how the demon was picking its victims, or if it was just random. He also didn't think that Shawn's last words were simply from his fever. Black eyes was easy enough to understand, but the spoiled seed was harder.
Once home, Sam helped salt the windows and doors and put up extra protection.
The three Winchesters sat down at the kitchen table. Sam rewound the tape recorder and hit play. John and Dean listened to the conversation and listened to Emily talk about her brother all over again. Dean reached over and rested his hand on Sam's arm.
"Demon, that's obvious." John sighed. "But I can't figure out what it wants. At least now I know where to look." He looked over at Sam. "You pick up anything from the kids?"
Sam shook his head. "I'll hang around this next week, see if I can get to know them better before the next meeting." He paused. "I'm going to that one, aren't I?"
John ran his hand through his hair. "Unless we figure out something else. Dean?"
Dean looked into Sam's eyes for a long time. "He needs more protection, now that we know and you're not going anywhere alone."
In all honesty, Sam didn't want to be too far from Dean. Demons tended to know when the Winchesters came to town, and Sam didn't want any of them alone. None of them were safe.
-ff-
I'm trying this update sooner thing, but I don't think I'm very good at it. Thank you for following me with this story, thank you for reading. I always sort of knew where it would end, but now I'm excited to get there. (Finally)