Meet Me on the Battlefield

Chapter 4

No Way to Forget

Dean wasn't sure what he expected to happen after running into his brother at the gas station, but he could always trust Sam to do the unexpected. Sam decided that he didn't want to have any conversation at all with Dean when his friends were watching their every move, so Dean watched as Sam went over to talk to them, straining as hard as he could to hear what was being said.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sam? Who is that guy?" the blonde girl asked.

"He's no one. Just an old friend," Sam answered.

Dean hated to admit it, but the "he's no one" statement really rankled him. He didn't expect Sam to go into complete detail about him, but he expected more than that.

"Listen, guys…I haven't seen him in a long time, so I'm going to hang out with him for a while. I'll see you all in class tomorrow, okay?"

The group didn't seem to like that idea at all. "Seriously, Sam? He looks a little crazy. Are you sure you want to go with him?" one of the guys asked.

Sam laughed. "He's harmless, I promise."

That rankled Dean even more. Of course, he wasn't harmless! Standing up a bit straighter, Dean tried to look as threatening as he could. He smirked at the glare Sam shot his way. He definitely wasn't going to make things easy for his little brother.

Several minutes later Sam walked back over to his brother, still glaring but Dean could tell he wasn't really mad. "Dude, what's your problem? Are you trying to intimidate my friends?"

"Did it work?" Dean asked coolly.

"They all think you're crazy, if that's what you were going for."

"That'll work," Dean laughed. "Whatever keeps them from thinking I'm harmless."

"Get in the car, Dean," Sam growled. "Let's go before I change my mind."

Dean gladly got in the car, feeling almost completely at peace now that he and Sam were back together again.

After going through a drive-thru and grabbing a few burgers, Dean drove Sam to his motel room. He was a little embarrassed for Sam to see the state of the room, but quickly got over it. Sam had lived with him for 18 years. He knew that Dean could be a slob sometimes.

"How long have you been here?" Sam asked when he eyed the sink full of beer bottles.

"Not too long," Dean answered, trying to keep things as simple as possible. "So, let me look at you, little brother? Something's different about you."

Sam shifted uncomfortably under Dean's once over.

"You've lost a little weight, Sammy," Dean said in a disapproving tone. "And what's with your hair? Are you trying to grow it out so you can braid it?"

"It's not that long," Sam answered as he self-consciously ran his fingers through his hair.

"Come on, Sammy. It's so long I'm going to have to start calling you Samantha again."

"I've been busy with school, Dean. I haven't had time to get a haircut."

Dean walked over to his bed and dug around in his duffle. "I can take care of that for you, dude," he said as he pulled out his hunting knife. He couldn't keep from laughing hysterically at the look on Sam's face.

"You're not coming near me with that thing, Dean. Remember what happened last time? Dad got so mad at you when he had to take me to a barber shop to repair the damage you did. And you cut me, remember? I still have the scar."

Dean's smile vanished for a few seconds. "Yeah, Dad was pretty mad. I thought he was going to kill me when he walked in and saw what I was doing. I wouldn't have cut you if he hadn't snuck in and surprised me like that. I had it all under control."

"Dean, I looked like my head got stuck in a blender…"

"Yeah, well I think my backside looked worse after Dad was done with me. That man knows how to prove a point, doesn't he?"

Dean noticed right away that Sam's whole demeanor started to change once the conversation rolled around to John Winchester, so he quickly tried to change topics. "You're doing good in school?" he asked. "I bet you're pulling a 4.0 gpa aren't you?"

Dean nearly laughed at the slight blush that crept up Sam's neck.

"Yeah, but it's a lot harder than it was in high school. I really have to work at it now."

"What are you talking about?! You really worked at it in high school, too. You always had your nose in a book and you were always whining about needing more time for studying. I mean, Dad was ready to….."

Dean could have kicked himself for bringing up their father again, but luckily Sam didn't want to discuss the man any further.

"What about you?" Sam asked. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing new," Dean answered. "Hunting, drinking, girls…. And not necessarily in that order. You know, just the usual stuff."

"And what are you hunting now? Anything I can help with?"

"You'd want to do that?" Dean asked in surprise.

"Well, I wouldn't use the word want, but I don't really like the idea of you hunting something by yourself. And neither would Dad."

Dean couldn't imagine what Sam would think if he knew that their dad had been sending him out on hunts by himself for the last six months. Sam had always been a worrier and he had taken John's edict of never hunting alone to heart. Of course, that edict only extended to the Winchester boys. John Winchester hunted alone all the time. He was definitely a 'do as I say, not as I do' kind of guy.

Grabbing two beers out of the small refrigerator, Dean sat down on the bed, motioning for Sam to grab a chair at the same time. "There's a ghost out at a place called Stow Lake that's recently started stepping up its game to hurting people. Someone was killed there a week ago. Have you ever heard of the place?"

"Yeah," Sam answered after taking a swig of his beer. "My friends and I hung out there occasionally at the start of the fall term. The water was still pretty warm and it's a great place to swim."

Dean had a hard time imagining Sam hanging out at a lake with a bunch of friends, but the thought brought a sad smile to his face. All he had ever wanted was for Sam to be happy, for him to have the childhood that Dean himself never had. Of course, that didn't happen, but Dean had tried to protect his brother as much as he could in the beginning. Their childhood wasn't great, but there were definitely a few good parts to it. All of Dean's best memories revolved around his little brother and it saddened him to think that Sam's best memories were most likely the ones he was making at Stanford. And Dean was okay with that, really, because it at least meant that Sam was happy.

After getting his thoughts back together and reining in his emotions, Dean started to explain what he had figured out about the ghost of Stow Lake.

"So, how are we going to fix this?" Sam asked. "If no one ever found her, there won't be a body to salt and burn."

"I don't know, Sammy, but I guess we need to just go out there and see if we can talk to her. Maybe we'll find an answer that way."

"I guess we're going to Stow Lake, then," Sammy sighed.

Dean looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly nine o'clock. "You're up for it tonight? We could always wait until the weekend, since you have class in the morning."

"My first class isn't until ten. Let's do this tonight."

The ride to Stow Lake was quiet, but comfortable. Dean and Sam always traveled well together and this time was no different. The radio was tuned to a classic rock station, as usual, and Dean was surprised to see that Sam seemed to be enjoying it.

"I know you probably never thought you'd hear me say this, but I've missed this music," Sam said with a laugh. "No one at school truly appreciates good classic rock. They're all into Matchbox Twenty or Usher and I just don't get it."

"Seriously? They don't know what they're missing out on. Zeppelin, Metallica, AC/DC. Nothin' better than that!"

"I'm not arguing with you. It's called classic rock for a reason, right?"

Dean grinned at Sam as he turned up the music.

"Whoa, there," Sam said as he reached over and turned it back down. "I said I missed it, but not enough to blow out my eardrums! I don't know how you can still hear after so many years of blasting your music like that."

"My hearing is great, Sammy. No need to worry about me!"

"Okay, but don't come crying to me when you're forty and can't hear a thing."

"That'll never happen. I probably won't even live to be forty."

Sam glared at Dean. "Why do you say stuff like that?"

"Because it's true, Sammy. The hunting life is dangerous, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember, but we know lots of hunters that are older than forty, Dean. Dad? Pastor Jim? Bobby? Remember them?"

"Jeez, Sam… I was just joking."

"It's not something to joke about, that's all," Sammy answered quietly.

"Okay, no more jokes about dying. Got it. Now, what's your plan for finding this ghost?"

"My plan? I don't have one. I thought you did."

"Hey, you're the college educated one here! Not me."

"But, you've been hunting longer than me, so you should be the one with the plan."

"Come on, Sammy. You know my plans usually consist of just winging it. It'd be nice to have a more concrete one this time."

Sam stared thoughtfully out the window. "I guess we should go to the part of the lake where she went missing. Do you know where that is?"

"The police reports said that the cars stalling all at the same time happened on the north side of the lake, but the couple that reported seeing the lady looking for her baby and the drowning a week later happened on the west side. So, we start somewhere in the middle?"

"Sounds like the start of a plan, Dean."

Dean had just parked the Impala on the side of the road when his phone rang. With a sinking feeling, he looked down to see that it was his dad calling. Sam looked at him as he stared at the phone, contemplating whether or not he should answer.

"Who is it?" Sam asked, even though Dean was sure he already knew.

"It's Dad," Dean replied.

"Answer it, Dean."

"I don't know if I should," Dean argued.

"Dean, answer the phone. What if it's an emergency?"

Dean hesitated through one more ring, before finally answering. "Dad?"

"Dean, where are you?"

"I'm uh….I'm in the Impala, Dad."

"That's not what I meant, son. What state are you in?"

"I'm uh….I'm still in Oregon," Dean lied. The last thing he needed was for John to know that he was in California.

"Good," John said. "I need you to head to Nevada. A little town called Carter Springs. There's been a report of what sounds like a shapeshifter there."

Dean looked over at his brother, hoping that he couldn't make out what John was saying. By the look on Sam's face, he didn't think he could.

"Dad, I can't right now. I'm working a case of my own. Can you send someone else?"

"No, everyone else is unavailable. Dean, this shapeshifter has already killed two people. So, start driving."

"I said I can't, Dad," Dean said quietly. "I can't just drop what I'm doing."

"I'm giving you a direct order, boy," John barked loudly, causing both Sam and Dean to jump slightly.

"And I'm telling you I can't," Dean said again. "Dad, people are dying here, too. And you always said never leave a job undone."

"I don't need you to tell me what I always say, Dean. I need you to follow orders without hesitation. This new attitude of yours leaves a lot to be desired."

"I'll head there as soon as I can, Dad," Dean answered, hoping to placate the man at least a bit.

After a long pause, John finally answered. "Listen, you finish whatever you're doing there and then you report back to me. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Another long pause. And then, "How are you doing, son? Are you all healed up? Do you need any help on this case?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Everything's healed and I don't need any help, sir."

"That's good to hear, Dean. Now, finish up the job and call me."

"Yes, sir."

Dean ended the call and stared out the window, not wanting to look at his brother. Sam obviously had something to say about that.

"What did he want?"

"He has a job. Wanted me to go to Nevada to help with a shapeshifter." Dean worked hard to make sure Sam didn't find out that John was sending him there to hunt alone.

"He was going to meet you there?"

"No, but another hunter was," Dean lied.

"He didn't sound happy when you told him no."

"When has he ever liked being told no, Sam. We're talking about John Winchester. He expects to be obeyed without hesitation."

"Which is exactly what you usually do."

"Well, not this time. I can't just leave in the middle of a job. That's not how I work."

"I guess we better finish this job, then. I wouldn't want Dad to come looking for you."

"Me, either, Sammy. Me, either."

After walking halfway to the north side of the lake and not finding anything, Dean decided it was time to split up. Sam continued to the north side, while Dean backtracked to the west side. Both made sure that their phones were receiving signals and both agreed to check in every fifteen minutes. Dean wasn't too keen on the idea of splitting up, but it was their best option. Plus, he knew that his brother was more than capable of dealing with a spirit.

Almost an hour had passed since they split up, when Dean received a frantic call from Sam.

"Dean, you need to get here now. I don't know how long I can hold her off."

"Where are you, Sammy?"

"I'm at the north side boat dock. I was just about to turn around and head back to the car when I saw her."

Before Dean could answer, his phone went dead. Trying to squash the small amount of panic that was building in his stomach, Dean turned and ran toward the Impala. He was only about five hundred yards away from it, so it didn't take long to get there. Unfortunately, when he tried to start the car, it wouldn't start.

Letting out a string of curses, Dean jumped out of the car and headed in the direction of the boat dock. Halfway there, he heard the sound of Sam's shotgun blasting and he pushed himself to run even faster. It didn't escape his notice that the previously clear night was now shrouded in a dense fog. The coldness in the air entered his lungs as he ran, making it harder to draw in a deep breath. He could feel his breath catching painfully in his chest, but he pushed on towards his brother. Eventually, he came upon the small boat dock, but saw no sign of his brother. Looking around frantically, Dean finally saw Sam's shotgun at the edge of the dock.

"Sam!" he yelled. "Sammy, where are you?!"

As he looked out over the lake, seeing nothing on the surface, the dense fog started to lift. Seconds later, the moon shimmered over the lake just enough for him to see a series of ripples about two hundred feet out. Without hesitation, Dean jumped in the water.

He had to find Sam.

Author's note: Wow! Another chapter already. Sam and Dean are finally back together and I'm hoping you enjoyed the little bit of bromance. I tried to make it a little more light-hearted before delving into more angst. And just so you know, I'm not much for writing action scenes, so I would love to hear what you all think. Did it make sense? Did it flow well enough?

Thanks so much for reading. I appreciate every one of you, especially those of you who take the time to review. I truly do love hearing your thoughts of what works and even what doesn't. Take care, all.