Title: Broken Anchor

Part 4

Author: MacGateFan

Disclaimers in Part 1

"Sammy?" Dean asked as the Impala door opened.

"We're in Cincinnati," He replied. "Remember that werewolf case?"

Dean stared at Sam as if he had three heads. "That's the case Dad was going to deal with next. I highly doubt he's gonna want my help."

"You're not gonna be helping anyway, Dean, you're still recuperating."

Dean sighed as he got out of the car and followed Sam to the motel room. "You really expect me to just sit here while you guys hunt a werewolf? You're crazy, Sammy."

"I'm crazy? How are you gonna fire a weapon much less hold one when your dominant shoulder is out of commission?"

Dean didn't reply as he went immediately to the bathroom and shut the door. He put the lid down on the toilet and took a seat. Sam was right, he was too much of a risk. Besides he didn't want anything else to happen to Sarah while he was on the job.

After making a decision Dean took a breath and stepped into the main room. Sam was already on the phone with Sarah. "Yeah, he's fine. Sulking as usual. You really need to talk to him. Right. I'll be here. Later."

"Sarah okay?" he asked as he sank onto the bed, surprised at the softness. He could really get used to Cincinnati.

"She's fine. She's gonna pick me up in an hour so we can check into how long this has been going and where the most recent sighting has been,"Sam replied. "She wants to talk to you, though."

Dean nodded, not really feeling in the mood to talk to anyone right now. He had to think. "Got those pills?"

"You want them now?" Sam asked, knowing very well what Dean was trying to do. He was going to avoid Sarah completely. "Dean..."

"Sam, give them to me, my shoulder is killing me!"

Sam inwardly winced. Dean had to be in more pain emotionally if he was admitting to the fact that he was hurting physically. Without saying another word, he hand his brother the pills and a glass of water. Dean took them and settled on the bed. Within minutes he was fast asleep.

About 45 minutes later Sam heard a knock on the door. He smiled at Sarah, giving her a hug. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," she replied, looking over at Dean. "How's he doing?"

Sam sighed shaking his head. "He wouldn't take his meds the whole drive here and the minute I mentioned you were coming he asked for them. He's doing the avoidance thing. Sometimes I think he thrives on it."

"It's understandable, Sammy," Sarah said. "It's not like I reassured him that I don't blame him for what happened. And going off with Dad like that was like slapping you both in the face. Dad's feeling a bit ashamed too, ya know."

"Really? Why am I surprised at that?"

"Give him a break, Sam. He was worried sick about me and that if something did happen he knew how much it would affect Dean."

Sam glanced back at his brother. "Well, Dad was right about that, but he needs to show his concern a better way than shutting Dean out of his life and us for that matter."

"I know and I told him as much. I asked him what he thought Mom would say about all of this and he got this guilty look on his face," Sarah explained. "And I understand how lonely he feels even with us."

Sam nodded thoughtfully and noticed Dean stirring. "Maybe we should take this to the library," he said. "Just so we can get some work done and he can keep thinking he's pretty slick."

"Heard that Sammy," Dean replied, blinking his eyes open. His shoulder felt stiff and he was groggy beyond belief.

Sarah went over and sat next to him, placing her hand on his arm. "Hey big brother! How ya feeling?"

"Awesome," he replied sarcastically. Dean surprisingly let Sarah help him sit up. He was quiet for a moment before asking, "What about you?"

"Dean, I'm fine! Really! And you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened out there! I was stupid for putting myself in that situation in the first place."

He put a hand to his head and closed his eyes. "Please don't shout, Sar," Dean said.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Sarah asked, standing up and looking helplessly at Sam.

"I told you."

Sarah frowned. "We'll be back later, Dean, and I expect you to talk to me and acknowledge the fact that I don't blame you for any of this!"

Sam placed the pills and another glass of water on the nightstand as Sarah went out the door. "You can be a fucking asshole sometimes!"

"Same to you!" Dean shouted back as Sam left.

John sat quietly in his motel room. After Sarah left to meet up with her brothers, he had finished up a few interviews with some people at the local bar within walking distance. Now he was waiting to hear back from her. He also kept staring at his cell, willing Dean to call him. He knew his older son, though. Dean was would not call him. Not when he believed he was to blame for what happened to Sarah. Not when John blamed him as well and practically disowned him because of it.

"Oh hell!" John muttered as he left. He saw the Impala sitting five spaces past his room and knocked on the door it was sitting in front of.

A few minutes later a disheveled Dean opened the door, wincing at the bright sunlight. "Dad? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Dean, I..."

"Come on, man! I know I fucked up, but do you have to rub salt in the wounds?" John took a step forward wanting to apologize but not knowing how. "No!"

"Dean, please."

But Dean wasn't fazed by the fact that his Dad was actually pleading for him to listen. Instead, he ignored the man, grabbed his keys and went straight for the Impala. He needed time to think and with his family hovering around him that wasn't going to happen.

"Shit!" John exclaimed, kicking the door. He began pacing angrily back and forth as he waited for Sam and Sarah to get back from the library. "Great job, Winchester," he growled. "You are really gonna win that Father of the Year award."

He looked up when he heard a truck pull into the parking lot. John saw them exchange worried glances and that's when he realized he was still in front of Dean and Sam's room and the Impala was nowhere to be seen. This is going to go over real well, he thought.

"Dad?" Sarah asked the moment she jumped out of the truck. "What's going on?"

"I tried to talk to Dean," John said with a sigh.

Sam shook his head. "I guess it didn't go the way you planned. Sometimes I think Dean is more sensitive than me and Sarah combined!"

"Just don't let him hear you say that," Sarah said with a chuckle.

Dean got out of the Impala and looked around. It was still daylight, but he didn't see that many cars. Most likely no one wanted to go into the woods where people were getting torn to shreds by a werewolf. He looked over to his right to see a couple with two small children rushing towards him. He noticed they looked panicked about something.

"Help us, please!" The man said.

"Take it easy, what's wrong?"

He took a deep breath before speaking up again. "Our daughter. She's missing. We and when we didn't hear a sound from her, we turned to find that she wasn't behind us anymore. Please!"

Dean glanced at his shoulder, he had already took off the sling, and nodded. "I'm a park ranger," he said, pulling out the badge. "Ma'am, why don't you and your kids get in your car?"

"He's right, Molly. I'll show him where we last saw Josie."

Molly nodded. "Stay safe Brandon. We love you!"

Kissing each one of them, Brandon turned to see Dean was now holding two shotguns. "Know how to use one of these?" he asked.

"Definitely!"

"Good," Dean replied with a smirk. "Lets go hunting."

Brandon watched Dean with curiosity. To him, this guy did not seem like a park ranger. He was probably the one killing everyone around here lately. Maybe he should have had Molly call the police. How did he just happen to be in the park almost 20 minutes after his daughter went missing and why the hell did he have two shotguns in the trunk of his car? Do park rangers really carry that kind of fire power?

Dean could almost feel how uncomfortable Brandon was with him, but right now he had more important things to focus on. Like where in the hell the werewolf took the girl. Besides the fact that the family didn't even hear her scream. Most werewolves he encountered usually just attacked you where you stood and caused massive amounts of terror. They didn't secretly grab you from behind.

He was starting to think this wasn't a werewolf. Maybe another Wendigo. Damn, he really hated those things. Either way he was going to have to call for backup. His Dad was going to be pissed, but since he already was that didn't matter. Sam and Sarah were going to be too now, but he just didn't care. The only person that mattered right now was little Josie.

"I'm calling for backup," he told Brandon, who nodded still feeling a bit unnerved by everything. "Sammy. Yeah, shut up. Just pack everything and get to Mitchell Memorial now. Dude, I don't know, but a little girl is missing! I don't think it is. Wendigo maybe. Whatever, just get here fast!"

Dean turned to face Brandon. "My partner's coming with two other rangers..." Dean trailed off. Brandon was gone. He hadn't even been able to fire his weapon. Picking it up, he looked around, seeing nothing. "Hurry up, Sammy!"

Suddenly from out of nowhere a figure came flying at Dean. He didn't have time to fire either weapon. Dean felt a sharp pain in his head, then nothing.