Winchester Family Vacations

Chapter 4

Dean looked all around the small room, his agitation growing with each second that went by without him finding the amulet. Sam was moving around the room to help him look, but he could tell that the amulet just wasn't there.

"Are you sure you left it here? Maybe you lost it on the beach or something?"

"No. I'm sure, Sam. I took it off because it had some clam chowder on it, remember? I was going to clean it off when we got back. Where the hell could it be?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone came into the room while we were gone. Did you request the turndown service?"

Dean looked at his brother like he'd grown another head. "Did I request the what? The turndown service? I don't even know what the hell that is, Sam."

"Okay, okay. Well, then maybe someone just broke in?"

"The door was locked. And I left my wallet here, too. It's still here." Dean pointed to his wallet that he had thrown on the bed before they left the room. He picked it up and checked to see if anything had been taken. "The money's still here."

Sam didn't know what to say to his brother, so he just kept his mouth shut and watched as Dean looked around the room for the third time. Once he was done, he plopped down on the bed hard enough to make it bang against the wall.

"Dean! You're gonna put a hole in the wall if you're not careful."

"I don't care, Sammy! Someone stole my amulet!"

"We'll find it. There aren't very many other guests here, so the suspect pool won't be very big," Sam said with a laugh.

"It's not funny, Sam. I want it back."

"I know. And we'll find it, I promise. But for now, why don't we try to get some sleep. It's been a long day."

Dean didn't have the will to argue with his brother, thinking that it had indeed been a long day. After changing out of his clothes and into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, he climbed into the bed closest to the door. Sam quickly changed and climbed into the other bed. Dean was just about to fall asleep when Sam's voice broke the silence.

"This is nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "This bed is pretty comfortable, actually."

"No, I mean it's nice to be taking some time off. For once, we don't have to get up early to do anything. We can sleep in as late as we want. The brochure said that breakfast was at eight, but if we miss that, there's also a brunch at eleven. That means we can sleep until at least ten-thirty."

Dean doubted that either one of them would sleep that late, but it was nice to think that they could if they wanted to. Suddenly, the idea of spending a few days at such a nice little place was super appealing to him.

"Yeah, it is nice to maybe take off a few days, I guess. We deserve it, don't we? After that last job?"

"I'd say we do. Lucky for us, that guy had connections. How often does that happen?"

Not often enough, Dean thought to himself. But, he could remember one little vacation that hadn't turned out so well, thanks to some guy's "connections."

Dean was thirteen that summer and Sam was nine. They had just finished the school year in a small town outside of Tuscaloosa and were ready to leave Alabama. Dean hated the school he'd spent the last six weeks in and was eager to forget everything about the small town. Sam hadn't really minded the elementary school, but he hated the small town, too. Other than the park that was overgrown with weeds, the small town really didn't offer much in the way of entertainment for kids their age.

So, when John showed up after a hunt and told them to pack up, they both jumped up and packed as fast as they could. Neither one of them failed to notice the way John was limping nor the fact that he was holding his ribs tightly. It wasn't until they were in the Impala and traveling down the road, though, that either of them thought to ask where they were going.

"We're heading to Texas, boys. Bobby told me about a Hunter's meeting he's setting up outside of San Antonio and he wants me to be there. Seems there's a pretty large number of werewolves in the area and we're going to be teaming up to take care of them."

"How soon do we need to be there?" Dean asked. He was hoping that they wouldn't have to drive straight through, knowing that Sam would be bored within a few hours and it would be up to him to entertain the kid.

"The meeting isn't until next week. So, I thought we'd maybe take a few days off. How does that sound?"

Sam and Dean shared a look, thinking that it actually sounded crazy. John Winchester never took days off.

"Sounds good, Dad. But, what are we going to do until then?" Dean asked.

"Well, Pastor Jim knows a guy that knows a guy that has a cabin on a lake. Thought maybe we could do some swimming and fishing for a few days."

Both Sam and Dean started to get excited about the prospects of spending a few days at a lake like a normal family. Sam wasn't really into fishing, but he figured he could take a book to read while the other two fished. And Dean was hoping that maybe there would be some cute girls at the lake. All in all, they were both looking forward to a bit of a vacation.

Luckily, John wasn't in the mood to drive straight through, so they stopped frequently for breaks. They even stopped for the night at a motel with a swimming pool, and even though it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months, Sam and Dean spent several hours swimming around and cooling off.

The next morning they had a quick breakfast and were on the road again before nine o'clock. After driving almost six more hours, they arrived at a place called Calaveras Lake. It took them almost an hour to find the hidden driveway that led to the cabin where they would be staying for the next week. The driveway was almost a half a mile long and when they finally arrived at the cabin, they couldn't help but feel a let-down.

"It's a shack," Dean said immediately, as he eyed the small cabin that looked like a strong wind would knock it over.

"It's not that bad," John said a little uncertainly.

"Dad, it's a piece of…."

John cut him off before he could finish what he was about to say. "Watch your mouth, Dean," he warned.

"I didn't say anything," Dean said defensively, which was true, even though he would have if his dad hadn't interrupted.

"You were going to," John answered.

"Dad, are you sure this is the right place?" Sam asked quietly. "Maybe you got the address wrong."

John looked down at the piece of paper he was holding. "No, this is it. Come on, boys…. It's not that bad."

"Yeah, it is. We'll probably get tetanus or something if we go in there," Dean griped.

John knew he was about to lose it with his oldest, so he turned the car off and opened the door. "Grab your gear, boys," he said as he stretched his legs. "And Dean? Grab mine while you're at it."

Dean rolled his eyes and Sam punched him in the ribs. "Knock it off," Sam whispered. "You're gonna put him in a bad mood."

Dean glanced over at his dad, hoping that he hadn't seen him roll his eyes, and then looked sheepishly back at his brother. Without another word or eye roll, he got out of the car and went around to the trunk. Sam followed him and just a minute later, they were saddled down with their duffles. John was already making his way up the steps and into the cabin.

Once they were inside, they were a little surprised to see that it wasn't that bad. The rugs on the floor were threadbare and there was a thick layer of dust everywhere, but it didn't look like it was all going to disintegrate at any time.

"This isn't too bad," John said as he put his weapons bag down on the couch. After quickly looking through all the rooms, he turned to his boys. "Okay, you two take the bedroom at the end of the hall. I'll take the one on the right. The bathroom is on the left. Go get unpacked and throw on your swimming shorts. We'll go check the lake out."

Sam and Dean ran off down the hall, but stopped after John yelled at them to stop running. Several minutes later, they came back into the living room, ready to head out.

"Dad, we shoulda brought some sunscreen. Dean's gonna burn."

John cursed himself for not thinking of that. "Dean, leave your shirt on for now. I'll pick up some sunscreen for you tomorrow."

"I hate swimming with a shirt on," Dean whined.

"Yeah, well I bet you hate being sunburned even more, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Dean agreed.

"Okay, then…. We won't stay out too long today, anyway."

Sam and Dean followed John down a path that was supposed to take them to the lake. John had no idea how long the path was, just that the man had said that it "wasn't that far." Almost fifteen minutes later, they turned a corner in the path and found the lake before them. There was a small dock at the end of the path and it didn't take the boys long at all to take off running and jump into the lake. John wasn't very happy with them for not checking things out before they jumped in, though. Calling them out of the water, he spent almost ten minutes chewing them out and lecturing them on the dangers of doing what they did.

Eventually, after double checking that the area was indeed safe, John let them go. Sam and Dean both immediately ran back to the end of the dock and jumped in. They spent almost an hour jumping in and out of the lake before John finally called them out. He'd spent most of the hour sitting on the edge of the dock, dipping his feet in the water, and watching his boys act like normal boys. And he loved every minute of it. At one point, Dean had enticed him into the water, but he couldn't do much more than tread water, since his ribs were still hurting.

Once they were back at the cabin, John sent them to get cleaned up while he put together a few sandwiches from the few groceries they had. After dinner, they played a few card games and eventually, John sent them to bed.

Sam and Dean woke up the next morning, eager to get back to the lake. They weren't happy at all when John told them they would have to wait. After breakfast, he sat them down and set out a few rules they were to abide by while they were there. Dean wanted to scoff at the rules, thinking that they were ridiculous, but he didn't. Plus, he thought that the rules were probably a good idea for his little brother.

Never go anywhere alone. Never go into the lake without John being there. Watch out for snakes. Watch out for poison oak. Watch out for wild animals. Don't get lost.

Dean definitely thought those were rules that Sam needed to follow, but not him. He was thirteen. Practically an adult. Unfortunately, John Winchester didn't feel the same.

After they were done eating breakfast, John told them that they were going back to the nearest town to get some supplies. Dean didn't want to go and begged his dad to let him stay. Sam wanted to go, but when he found out that Dean wasn't going, he wanted to stay, too. John wasn't sure it was a good idea to leave them there, but he finally agreed and as he got into the Impala, he leaned out the window, reminding them once more to follow the rules. And he reminded Dean to watch out for Sammy.

Once John had been gone for a while, Dean stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked as he jumped up to follow.

"Back to the lake," Dean said as he kept walking.

"Dean, Dad said we couldn't."

"No, he didn't," Dean answered. "He said we couldn't go into the lake. He didn't say we couldn't go to the lake."

"But he said we couldn't go anywhere alone!"

"We're not alone. There are two of us, Sam. That's not alone, is it?"

Sam looked thoughtfully at his brother. "I don't think that's what he meant, Dean."

"Yeah, but that's what he said." Dean kept on walking, not wanting to give in to his brother's concern. "Come on, Sam. We'll be back before he is anyway."

Sam wanted to argue, but they were already well on the way to the lake anyway. Once they got there, they sat down on the end of the dock and relaxed. Dean really wanted to jump in, but he wasn't stupid. Instead, they just sat and stared at the water, relishing the slight breeze that rippled the water a little.

Dean was just going to suggest that they go back when they heard voices coming from the left of them. Quickly standing up, they waited to see who it was and just a few seconds later, three young girls came off a nearby path and stepped onto the dock.

Sam couldn't keep from groaning when he heard the girls giggling to each other at the sight of his brother. He also couldn't keep from groaning when he saw the goofy look on his brother's face.

"Hey," Dean said as he waved to the girls.

"Hey," all three of them answered, still giggling. Sam couldn't figure out what they were giggling about, but he knew it was because of Dean. Girls always did that, for some reason.

One of the girls stepped towards them, her eyes never leaving Dean. "I'm Holly. And this is Nicole and Tyler."

"Tyler? That's a boy's name," Sam laughed.

"Sam…."

"Well, it is," Sam said.

"That's not very nice," Holly scolded Sam.

"I'm not being mean," Sam continued. "I'm just telling the truth."

Dean couldn't believe his little brother was acting so rude. Especially since he was doing it in front of three pretty girls. "Shut up, Samantha," he finally said, making all three of the girls laugh. He immediately felt a little bad at the look on Sam's face, though. "Sammy, I'm sorry."

But Sam had already turned and was walking off the dock.

"Sam, wait!"

"I'm going back, Dean." Sam continued up the path and Dean was just about to follow, but one of the girls spoke.

"Dean? That's your name?"

Dean turned back around to the girls. "Yeah," he answered.

"And that's your little brother?" The girl named Tyler was asking.

"Yeah. Sorry. He can be a pain in the ass sometimes."

The girls snickered at that.

"I think he's adorable," Tyler said.

"You do? Even though he was making fun of your name?"

"I don't think he was making fun of my name, really. I think he was just saying what he thought. And it is more of a boy's name, isn't it?"

"I think it's a cool name," Dean said. He could feel himself turning a little red, but he tried to play it cool. "It's different."

"Where are you guys from, Dean?" the girl named Nicole asked. "And how long will you be staying at the lake?"

Dean looked back down the trail, knowing that he needed to go after Sam. But he turned his attention back to the girls instead. "We're staying here until next week," he said. "And I'm not really from anywhere. We kinda just move around a lot."

"Really? That's so cool," Tyler said.

Before Dean could answer, he heard Sam yelling for him. And he could tell it was a 'Sam's scared' kind of yell.

"I gotta go," he said as he quickly turned to leave.

All three girls watched him run down the trail. One of them yelled that they would see him later, but he was too worried about his brother to reply.

Halfway down the trail, Dean found Sam frozen in place, staring at something in front of him. Dean came to an abrupt halt when he noticed how much Sam was shaking. "What is it?" he asked as he tried to look around his brother.

"A s-snake," Sam answered shakily.

"Don't move, Sammy," Dean instructed as he looked around to find something he could use against the snake if he had to. The snaked was coiled and poised to lunge at Sam at the first sign of movement. And Dean was afraid that his brother was going to panic and try to run off.

Eventually, Dean found a rather large branch from a tree that had a y shape at the end. He thought that maybe he could use the y part to trap the snake against the ground long enough for Sam to get away from it. Slowly coming up behind his brother, he hefted the branch is his hands. "Sam, don't move until I tell you to, okay? And when I do, I want you to go to the right. Over to that tree right there, okay? As fast as you can."

"Okay."

Dean stepped up to the right of his brother, keeping him slightly in front of him still. The angle he was at required him to hold the branch in his left hand and he was suddenly thankful for all the hours his dad had made him train using his left hand. Taking a deep breath, he lunged forward, yelling at Sam to move.

"Now, Sam!"

Sam quickly moved to the right and ran towards the tree Dean had indicated. Dean speared the branch down to the ground and was somehow lucky enough to capture the rattlesnake within the y. He wasn't sure how long he could hold the snake if it started to slither, so he quickly moved over to the right, scooped up the snake with the y part and flung it off into the woods. He wasn't sure how far he'd actually been able to fling it, but he didn't waste any time searching for it. Instead, he moved towards his brother and quickly pushed him up the trail towards the cabin.

Once they were back to the cabin, Dean ushered a still shaking Sam inside. He settled him down on the couch and grabbed a soda out of the small refrigerator. He remembered his dad telling him that sugar was a good thing to counteract some of the effects of shock, so he encouraged Sam to drink the soda.

Once it looked like some of the shaking had stopped, Dean stood back up. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Dean."

Dean nodded at his little brother and then headed over to the kitchen table, grabbing one of his dad's guns. "I need to go back to the dock and warn Tyler, Holly, and Nicole," he said as he opened the door.

"Wait! You can't go back there, Dean."

"I'll be fine, Sam," Dean said, holding the gun up to show his brother.

"Dean, Dad'll kill you if you take that gun. And you can't go to the lake by yourself."

"Sam, I can't let them walk back without knowing to look out for that snake. What if one of them got bit?"

"You'll get in trouble," Sam tried again.

"No, I won't because Dad will never know. You're not going to tell him, right? And I know I won't tell him."

"He always finds out, Dean," Sam said knowingly. "You know he does."

"Sam, it's our job to fight monster's remember? It's what we do. I have to save them."

Sam knew that he was fighting a losing battle. He knew his brother wasn't going to back down. "Hurry, okay? And don't get bit by that snake."

"I won't." Dean smiled at his brother and then walked out the door, eager to do what he was supposed to do. What he had been trained to do.

Dean carefully made his way back down to the lake, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of rattlesnakes. He could still feel his hands shaking a little, so he stuffed them in his pockets as he moved along. He arrived at the dock just as the girls were getting ready to jump into the lake. Just before he stepped out onto the dock, he put the gun down on the ground, next to a rock.

"Dean!" Tyler called out. "You're back! Are you ready to jump in? It's getting so hot, isn't it?"

Dean wanted nothing more than to jump into the lake and get to know Tyler a little more, but he knew he couldn't. He was already going to be in enough trouble for going down to the lake by himself, if his dad found out.

"I can't right now, but maybe later, okay? I have to get back up to our cabin before my dad gets back."

"Why did you come back then?" Holly asked him, looking at him suspiciously.

"Oh….um… I just wanted to warn you about the snakes."

All three of the girls screamed at the word, and if Dean wasn't still a little shaken up after his encounter with the rattlesnake, he probably would have rolled his eyes.

"Where did you see a snake?" Tyler asked as she ran over and grabbed Dean's arm. Dean didn't really mind that she had done that.

"On the trail. It was a big ol' rattler, too."

"Did you kill it?"

"No, but I flung it further into the trees," Dean said. "I just wanted you to know about it so you can be careful when you walk back."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you," Tyler crooned as she continued to hang on to him. "Isn't that sweet, Nicole?"

Dean looked over at Nicole, who didn't look impressed in the least. "It would have been sweeter if he would have killed the snake in the first place," she said.

"Nikki! Don't be rude." Tyler gave her friend an angry look before turning her attention back to Dean.

"Are you sure you can't stay for a while? Just a quick swim?"

Before Dean could answer, Tyler pulled him forward. He wasn't prepared for her to do that, so she easily pushed him off the dock and into the lake with a laugh.

Dean sputtered his way back over to the dock and pulled himself out, thankful that he didn't have the gun on him still. Tyler and Holly were laughing loudly at the look on his face. "See? The water feels good, doesn't it?" Tyler asked. "And now that you're all wet, you might as well stay for a while, Dean. Please?"

"I can't," Dean answered reluctantly, as he climbed out of the lake. "I have to get back."

"Will you come back later?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll try."

"Okay, well…. we'll be here this afternoon, too, so maybe we'll see you then."

"Yeah, maybe." Dean said goodbye and then headed back to the cabin, stopping to pick up the gun along the way. He could hear the girls giggling behind him and was glad they couldn't see the blush that had just spread across his face.

As he walked back to the cabin, his mind was distracted by the thought of spending an afternoon with Tyler and also with looking out for the snake. He was so distracted that he didn't see the large tree root that was sticking out of the ground on the edge of the trail and, of course, he tripped over it, sending himself flying sideways and into some undergrowth.

Pulling himself up, he looked down to find both of his knees skinned and bleeding. His right palm was bleeding some, too. Shaking his head at himself, he quickly made his way to the cabin. And, as his Winchester luck would have it, he turned the last bend in the trail and saw that his dad was back.

Dean walked through the door like a man walking to the gallows. He could hear his dad questioning Sam, who was obviously getting anxious. Neither one of them heard the door opening, so he was able to hide the gun and assess the situation before making his presence known. Not that it really mattered, because Dean knew from the minute he saw the Impala in front of the cabin that his dad was going to be pissed. And he knew that he most likely wouldn't even get a chance to explain himself before the hammer fell.

John Winchester wasn't known for taking the time to hear his sons out when they disobeyed. In his mind, disobedience was never excused. And the mere fact that Dean was standing there in his soaked clothes was going to be enough to send the man over the edge. Dean saw the exact moment that happened, too.

John turned away from Sam when he heard the squelching of Dean's wet tennis shoes on the floor. His eyes widened at the sight before him and Dean could literally see his face turning red.

"Did I not make myself clear on the rules before I left, Dean?" John asked in a steely voice.

"You did, sir," Dean answered without wasting any time.

"And yet here you are…. soaking wet, so you obviously went for a swim even though I told you that you couldn't. And not only that, but you obviously went off alone, which I also told you you couldn't do."

"I can explain, Dad," Dean tried.

"I'm sure you can, Dean, but I don't think I want to hear your explanation."

"That's not fair," Dean said sullenly.

"Oh, really? Because I don't think it's fair that you can't seem to follow the rules, son."

Dean didn't have an answer for that. He just continued to stare at the floor in front of him as he started to feel uncomfortable from the wet clothes, trying not to fidget and draw even more attention to himself.

John watched his son trying not to fidget and suddenly realized that he really didn't want to have to punish either of his boys. They were on a mini vacation and he really didn't want to spoil it for them. After thinking about it for a few long seconds, he finally decided to hear his son out.

"Dean, why don't you explain to me why you disobeyed me?" John finally said.

Dean looked up at his dad in complete surprise. He could tell that Sam was surprised, too, and he almost didn't know what to say. After a bit of prodding from the man, though, he opened up and explained all about the snake and how he'd gone back to the lake to warn Holly, Nicole, and Tyler. He then explained how Tyler had pushed him into the lake.

Sam was giggling at the story by then, knowing that Dean thought that Tyler was cute. He could tell by the way his brother's face was turning red, too. "I can't believe you let someone push you in, Dean," Sam laughed. "Especially someone like Tyler."

Dean glared at his little brother.

"Did you at least get some payback? Push Tyler into the lake?" Sam asked.

"Of course not. I just got out and told them that I had to come back before…." Dean stopped mid-sentence, hoping his dad hadn't heard what he was about to say.

"Before what?" John asked. "Before your old man came back and decided to tan your hide for disobeying?"

Dean looked up at his dad awkwardly. "Yes, sir."

Sam was still laughing at the look on Dean's face. "It's okay, Dad. Dean probably didn't mind getting pushed in. He likes Tyler."

Sam didn't realize the impact his words had on John, but he did notice how confused he looked, all of a sudden. Dean could tell that his dad was shocked by something, but he wasn't sure what it was, at first. It wasn't until John spoke that he was able to figure it out.

"Dean likes Tyler?" John asked in confusion.

Dean's face immediately turned beet red, knowing exactly what his father was thinking. He was pretty sure he had never been so embarrassed in his life. "Tyler's a girl, Dad," he finally spit out.

"Oh," John answered simply. "Oh… okay."

Sam had no idea what had just happened, but he was enjoying watching his brother squirm under their father's gaze. It didn't last too long, though, because John got back to the task of dealing with Dean's misbehavior.

"So, you were trying to help them. Is that it?"

"Yes, sir."

"And this girl, um…. Tyler…. Pushed you into the lake?"

"Yes, sir."

"You weren't planning on getting into the lake yourself?"

"No, I swear, Dad. I just went down there to warn them about the rattlesnake and I was going to come straight back. That's all."

John ran his hand over his face and through is hair as he looked at Dean. There was a part of him that thought that any disobedience deserved a swift correction, no matter the reason behind it. If they weren't on a "vacation," he would have probably lit a fire in Dean's backside the moment he walked through the door, but, he couldn't fault the boy for wanting to protect the girls at the lake. And it really wasn't his fault that he got pushed into the lake, was it? Besides, saving people was what the boy was being trained to do.

"Okay, Dean. This is your one free pass, understand? If we have to have this conversation about following orders again, you'll not be getting a pass, no matter the reasoning. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, then…. Go change out of those wet clothes and let's grab some lunch. After lunch, we can go fishing. How does that sound?"

Both boys were excited and they eagerly helped their dad fix lunch. And both boys were still a little surprised that Dean had escaped without punishment.

After spending the afternoon and early evening down by the lake, all three of the Winchesters were tired. They had fished for several hours, catching enough fish for a good dinner. Then, they spent a few more hours swimming in the lake. Eventually, the three girls showed up and John couldn't help but smile at the way they fawned all over Dean. He could tell that Dean was enjoying every second of it.

Sam, on the other hand, wasn't happy with the way the afternoon was turning out. John could tell that the kid was jealous of the girls. He obviously wanted to play with his brother, but Dean only had eyes for Tyler at the moment. After making a general nuisance of himself in front of them all, Sam stomped over to where John was sitting and plopped down.

"Dean's stupid," he pouted. "And girls are stupid, too."

John laughed at the look on Sam's face. "I'm betting you'll feel differently in a few years, son."

"No, I won't. Not if it's gonna make me act like Dean's acting right now. I don't want to act stupid."

John laughed again and pulled his son into a one-armed hug. "What do you say you and I go catch a few more fish?"

Sam jumped up and immediately started gathering up the fishing gear. He didn't really like fishing, but he was desperate to get away from his stupid brother. He threw a few more glances over to his brother, but then turned to follow his dad down to the edge of the lake.

After finally having to pull Dean aside and threaten him with the threat of a few well-placed swats, John managed to get the boys back to the cabin. He noticed that Dean's shoulders, back, and face were a little sunburned, despite the sunscreen he'd slathered on multiple times throughout the day. He also noticed a strange rash trailing along Dean's stomach. Dean seemed to be constantly scratching his stomach, arms, and a few other private places.

Eventually, John couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you scratching yourself raw, Dean? Come here and let me look at that."

Dean stepped over to his dad, who immediately lifted up his shirt to check out his stomach.

"Whoa…. What the hell is that all about?"

Dean looked down at his stomach miserably. "I-I th-think it's poison oak," he finally answered.

John checked him out a little more. "So, I see it on your stomach and your chest and arms. Anywhere else?" He watched as Dean started to squirm a little more before pointing at his groin area. "There? Really?" John asked, sympathizing with Dean at the idea.

"Yeah," Dean answered miserably.

John tried to stifle his laugh, but it escaped anyway. Digging through the first aid kit, he found a tube of cream and handed it to Dean. "Maybe you should take a shower and then slather yourself up with this, kiddo."

Dean gratefully took the ointment and headed off to the bathroom. He didn't know it yet, but he was in for a long night.

The rest of the mini vacation wasn't too bad. Until the very last day.

Sam and Dean had gone down to the dock while they waited for John to make some phone calls. Dean was happy to find the girls at the dock, too, and he immediately went into what Sam liked to call his "Douche mode."

After spending almost two hours sitting on the dock and watching his brother flirt like an idiot, Sam was ready to go. So, he was more than happy when he heard John calling for them.

"Let's go, Dean. Dad's calling."

Dean completely ignored his little brother, not wanting to say goodbye to Tyler just yet. Over the last few days, Dean and Tyler had grown pretty fond of each other and Sam had even caught them kissing once or twice. Eventually, John's angry yells for them to return to the cabin, got Dean moving like he should have been doing in the first place. He said goodbye to Holly and Nicole, and then turned to Tyler, who was crying.

"Bye, Tyler," he said simply.

"Bye, Dean." Tyler stepped up and kissed Dean gently. "It's been a lot of fun getting to know you."

Dean brushed off a few tears from her face and then simply turned and walked away. He was trying to catch up with his brother, who was about twenty yards ahead of him by that time, and really wasn't paying attention to where he was going. And that's exactly how he got bit by a rattlesnake.

Present Day

Dean woke up the next morning to the sounds of his brother snoring and to the wonderful smell of bacon cooking downstairs. He stretched his body out on the too short bed frame and then rolled over.

"Rise and shine, Sammy," he said as he reached his leg across the small gap between their beds and nudged Sam's big foot with his own smaller one. When Sam didn't budge, Dean tried it again. "Come on, Sam. Don't you smell that delicious bacon?"

Sam rolled over with a loud groan. "Why do you always have to wake me up like that? Is there an unspoken rule that says we can't ever sleep in past eight?"

"Hey, it's almost twenty minutes after, dude. Time's a-wastin' and the food's getting cold."

Dean was halfway to the bathroom when he spotted something on the table by his bed. Stepping closer, he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his amulet laying there. He picked it up and could immediately tell that it had been cleaned by whoever had taken it.

But, who would do that?! Who would take something one day and return it in even better condition the next day? Does that even make sense?

"Sam…. dude…. Look at this?" Dean held the amulet up for his brother to see.

Sam rolled over and tried to pry his eyes open. At the same time he was trying to sit up in the bed. "See? I told you, Dean. I told you that you probably just misplaced it."

"But, I didn't. It wasn't here when I went to sleep. So that means someone took it and brought it back." Dean walked over to the door and was surprised to see that it was still double-locked. "The door is locked, so no one broke in. How the hell did this thing just reappear?"

Sam pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the bed and was now staring at the amulet. "I have no idea, but at least it's back."

"Yeah."

"That is weird, though."

"You think?" Dean asked sarcastically. He was beginning to get the feeling that this little "vacation" was going to turn out just like all the other ones they'd had. Which didn't bode well for him, at all.

"What?" Sam asked when he saw the sudden change in Dean's demeanor.

"What?" Dean echoed.

"What's wrong with you? All of a sudden, there's a dark cloud hanging over your head. You're like Eeyore, or something."

"Like who?"

"Eeyore. You know, the gloomy donkey from Winnie the Pooh?"

"I don't watch Winnie the Pooh, Sam."

"I know you don't now, but when we were kids."

"I didn't watch it then, either," Dean answered.

"Anyway, what are you thinking about?"

Dean stepped over to his bag and started pulling out clothes. His stomach growled loudly and he really wanted to hurry up before all the bacon was gone. "Come on, Sammy. We need to get downstairs before all the good food is gone."

"You mean before all the bacon is gone," Sam laughed.

"Damn right, that's what I mean. I need bacon, Sam."

Sam got up and started grabbing his own clothes. "Okay, but you're still gonna tell me what's got your panties in a twist."

Dean took a quick shower and brushed his teeth. He was trying to decide if he wanted to shave when Sam came out of the shower. After deciding against shaving, he sat down on the bed to put his boots on. Sam sat down on his own bed and looked over at his brother.

"Ready to talk yet?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Something's bugging you. I can tell."

Dean was suddenly too tired to avoid Sam's questions anymore, so he decided to just answer him. "I just have a feeling that this little vacation isn't going to turn out good."

"Why do you think that?" Sam asked, genuinely curious.

"Because, Sam…. When do our vacations ever turn out good? For me, especially."

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Sam. Think about all of our vacations in the past. I almost died on a kiddie ride at a carnival. I got stung by a jellyfish and we got stuck in a tornado. I got bit by a rattlesnake and had poison oak in places you wouldn't believe, remember? My appendix ruptured that summer we went to Maine. And you almost drowned on one of our "family vacations." Remember? Our track record isn't the greatest, so what makes you think this one is going to be any different?"

Author's note: Whew! This chapter got away from me a little bit, lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and the torture I love putting Dean through. Poor guy!

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