Disclaimers and warnings see chapter 1
Beta: Many thanks to RealFunkyTown for her awesome editing skills. Any mistakes are mine not hers.
Chapter 4
John drove on as Sam slept in the passenger seat getting them to Omaha mid morning. John got a room at a motel and drove the car over, Sam waking when John slammed the trunk closed after taking the bags in. Sam staggered out of the car sleepily and shook Dean awake. It didn't take Dean long to get his bearings this time and help with setting up the room. John instructed Sam to get a couple of hours sleep while he and Dean did some research on the hunt. They woke Sam at lunchtime with a basic idea of what was going on. Sam went and got lunch from a pizza place across the road and they sat at the table and discussed what they should do as they ate. John, it was decided, would interview people about the victims who were missing or who had been killed.
Sam and Dean were to have a look at the forest where there had been an attack. It was hilly and Dean thought the black dog might have a den in the area due to where the attacks took place and working out the pattern. Since there had been three people missing and one body found the interviews wouldn't take much time. John dropped the boys at the site and went off to do the interviews. Dean had holy water, a silver knife and a first aid kit since Sam wouldn't allow him a gun. Dean walked to a lonely area of the forest quite quickly, Sam quiet by his side. Dean slowed down when the trees thickened up quite a lot. They walked the area slowly, Dean using the most awesome tracking skills Sam had ever seen for a six year old (okay he was really twenty one), while Sam scanned the area. Dean was seeing prints on the ground where Sam only saw faint marks.
Dean was walking along slowly looking at the ground and Sam was walking beside him watching his every move when he fell down a small hole in the ground and twisted his ankle. He limped out of the hole swearing lightly under his breath. He looked up to find Dean pointing at a low log on the ground.
"Sit down, let me have a look."
"Its okay, Dean, I swear."
"Yeah, I know. Sit."
Sam sat with a sigh knowing how stubborn Dean could be. Dean quickly had Sam's shoe and sock off and was moving Sam's foot around slowly, feeling the muscles and tendons. Sam winced slightly at the pain but it wasn't too bad, just felt sprained a little.
"Best to wrap it up, Sammy. Feels like a slight sprain."
Sam marveled at how quickly Dean's small hands moved, deftly getting the bandage on and the sock and shoe back on before Sam could stop him. Sam stood slowly testing the joint.
"Okay?"
"Yeah, good. Much better thanks, Dean."
"How's the pain?"
"Manageable."
"I would give you a piggyback but that would be kind of tough now." Dean smiled and it looked so cute on his diminutive face."All right to walk back to the road?"
"Yeah. Are we done?"
"Yeah, it's a black dog. Well, two black dogs. Looking to start a family by the looks of it. But I don't think they have been here long, hence the closeness to people. They probably came down from higher in the mountains for more food since there will be more of them soon."
Sam shook his head at the information Dean had gleaned just by looking at footprints. That was why he couldn't ask Dean to stop hunting and come to school with him. He was made for it. He was just too good and saved too many lives to leave it behind. As they got back to the road John pulled up frowning at Sam's slight limp. They drove back to the motel swapping information and decided they would get the gear they would need, have dinner and head out as soon as it got dark. John reported to Dean that he had called the Mambos phone a few times but it was still switched off meaning she might still be in transit. John went for take out Chinese and Dean took some change and headed for the drink machine in the upstairs hallway since the one closest to them was out of order. As Dean plugged quarters in a guy approached from the opposite end of the hall. The guy was thin and pale with greasy hair and looked like he spent a lot of time indoors. He pulled keys out to open a room but turned when he saw Dean. Dean was immediately creeped out by the guy and pushed the change in faster.
Dean had started to pull the cans out when the guy approached. "Hello little fellow. Are you lost?"
"No." As Dean turned slightly the man's eyes roved Dean's face hungrily.
"Well aren't you a handsome fellow? Where are your parents?"
Dean glared at the guy but he was unperturbed and grabbed up Dean's wrist.
"Let me help you find them. I have a phone in my room. I can call the desk and they can tell me your room number."
Dean pulled his arm back. "You better let me go or you will be one sorry asshole."
"Such language from a boy of your age."
"Well, I'm a lot older than I look. Now leave me alone or get kicked in the balls, you pervert."
The man looked shocked at Dean's words but he wasn't about to let his prize go just yet. He grabbed Dean under both arms with surprising strength and started to carry him up the hallway in front of him.
"I'm going to have to call your father about your behavior you little..." His next words were cut from him as Dean swung the can of soda in his hand with all his six year old strength, but twenty one year old determination and skill, into the guy's face.
He howled with pain as the can struck him above the eye and made a cut there. His hands squeezed Dean tighter, however, so Dean kicked as hard as he could with his feet and connected with the guy's groin. With a yell of furious pain, his grip slipped on Dean, and Dean brought the can back down on his face. With the downward momentum he hit both his nose and his lip making both a bloody mess. His grip on Dean slipped again and Dean decided help would be good at this time and yelled for Sam even as he punched and kicked anywhere he could reach. The man's arm slipped around Dean's neck and held him hanging while he swiped blood off his face quickly with his free hand.
As Dean struggled in the crook of one arm he punched at Dean's head with the other hitting Dean in the eye and the temple. Dean's struggling slowed as he was stunned far easier than he normally would have been. The choking wasn't helping his cause either. The man pulled Dean up higher checking to see if he was still conscious as he started toward his room. So far he had been lucky and no one was around not even 'Sammy'. As he hitched Dean up, Dean got a release of the crushing feeling on his windpipe, and drew in a deep breath swinging his hand still holding the soda can. As his hand was hanging low the guys groin got another blow and he let go of Dean like he was electric. The whole thing had taken about a minute but felt a lot longer. Dean fell to the ground in a heap.
"Damn kid, you're not friggen worth it," he panted and kicked Dean twice in the ribs as he limped off clutching his groin.
Dean had barely sat up holding his side when Sam came flying round the corner.
Sam saw a door slam shut and his brother sitting on the ground with a trickle of blood next to his eye. "Dean! What the hell happened? Are you alright?"
"Asshole tried to mess with me. I showed him." Dean held up the bloody dented can.
"Crap Dean did you...?"
"...Canned him with a can." Dean chuckled then winced as he pressed his fingers to his swelling eye. "Ouch."
Sam saw blood drops on the floor leading away from them. Sam quickly pulled some tissues out of his pocket and pressed them to Dean's eyebrow examining the small cut and noticing how Dean was blinking that eye that was swimming with tears. Sam saw a redness around Dean's neck and how he was pulling breaths into his small body. He was about to follow the blood and find the guy and beat the living shit out of him when John ran around the corner.
"What the hell's going on?"
"Dean just clocked some guy."
"Why Dean?"
"He tried to pick me up and take me to his room."
John's face darkened "Lets go get this idiot."
Sam helped Dean up and they followed the blood to the room and pounded on the door. The guy refused to come out and someone must have called the desk because the manager showed up just as John was about to pick the lock.
"What's going on here?"
"One of your guests just tried to abduct my son."
"Holy shit." He unhooked a radio from his belt and spoke quickly into it. "Security is on the way." He bent to Dean's level. "What happened son?"
"That jerk picked me up but I smacked him one." Dean held up the can smeared with blood. "And kicked him in the balls."
Just as the manager opened his mouth to say something a security guard came around the corner at a run.
"This young man was grabbed by the guy in 33. We need the door opened now."
The security guy pulled out a master key and knocked sharply before announcing himself and opening the door with the key. The guy had locked himself in the bathroom trying to open the nailed shut small window and the guard broke the door open at John's insistence. The security guy marched the man to the front office and the manager said the police would be called. John and Sam noticed the condition of the guys face and the fact he waddled like a duck as he was led out and they shared a small smile between them.
Sam picked Dean up and carried him back to their room and John grabbed the cans of soda scattered in the hallway and some ice from the machine. Sam sat Dean on one of the beds and cleaned his face with an antiseptic wipe being gentle around his eye since there was a small cut that was still weeping blood. Sam quickly gave Dean three stitches to the small cut as it looked deep on such a small face. He wiped Dean's tiny hands over checking the petite digits for injurys other then the redness and scrapes that were obvious. Dean winced when Sam gently popped a knuckle back into joint that he didn't even know was out. Damn small knuckles. Dean grizzled at the attention but Sam noticed him wriggling uncomfortably and pulled up his T shirt and saw redness and bruising over his ribs on one side. John had ice in two small bags that he wrapped in cloths and gave to Sam.
John watched as Sam made Dean lay down and placed the ice on both areas after checking his ribs carefully. He lay Dean's small left hand on the ice on his side to help his knuckles. Sam felt Dean was very lucky to be getting away with bruising. At his size a well placed foot could easily have broken some ribs. Dean squirmed under Sam's care.
"Dean, just lay still would you?" John frowned down at him over Sam's shoulder.
"Dad give him a break. He is in pain. Remember how small his body is. Do we have any aspirin we can give him?" Sam's brow was furrowed with concern as he worked on his brother.
"How do I know?" John bit back.
"How about having a look?" Sam said angrily.
"How about you stop ordering..."
"Guys enough! Quarter of a normal one will do me." Dean's little voice still had a commanding ring to it.
John bowed his head like he had been told off and slouched over to the sink for a glass of water while Sam fished the tablet out of the kit with one hand.
John bought the water back and they got the small piece of tablet into Dean. He was about to tell Sam to eat his dinner and he would look after Dean when there was a knock at the door. John opened the door to find a cop there wanting to ask Dean some questions. John went outside with them leaving Dean in Sam's care. Dean looked up at Sam as the door shut behind their father.
"Go get some food, Sammy. I'm okay."
"Man, you really gave that guy a beating Dean. I'm so proud of you. Imagine that guys surprise when he picked on you. Not that he didn't deserve it. And thanks for being the peacemaker with Dad, again."
"Its okay, Sammy, it's what I do."
Sam looked at Dean's earnest little eyes sure for a second he could see older Dean behind them.
"You always clean up the mess Dean no matter what. I'm gonna miss..." Sam's eyes shimmered and he looked down.
"Its okay, Sammy, you need to go. I understand."
"There you go again trying to make it easy on me."
Dean nodded and couldn't look at Sam and there were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Sam got up and bought over some food for them both.
With all the pain I've watched you live within,
I'll try my hardest not to cry
When it is time to say goodbye.
Juniors eyes, Black Sabbath.
TBC
