Warning: Blah, blah, blah...
Disclaimer: If only...
Aw, thanks everyone for all the wondeful reviews! Plenty more trouble ahead for our boys, but first...
dumwolf16: Aw, thanks!
SilverStorm06: Hmmmm...that's a good idea...never thought of that...
TammiTam: Thank you very much!
Poaetpainter: (gasps in horror) No! I could never kill Sammy!
friendly: Thank you!
jjackles: 'Twas the point...Dean needed to have some sexy too.
puplover77: Yes, definetly something up with Jamie. Now, Dean should really listen to Sam now...but those Winchester men are so stubborn...(hint hint)
lilfunnymonkey: Once again, no...could never kill Sammy. I love him too much.
Sandy Murray: Yep. This was the point when the girls on the fan board really became suspicios of Jamie. I got comments like "What kind of girl could just sit next to a naked Sam and take his hand?" and "Why does Sam need pants?"
Enjoy!
Chapter Ten: Walking on Water
Dean looked around to see himself surrounded by trees.
Where am I? he wondered.
"Dad, do I have to come?" a voice asked. Dean turned towards the sound. Standing not far away were two young women and a man. One girl was tall and slender, she had her dark hair pulled into a ponytail and two guns sat in a holster worn loosely on her hips over khaki shorts. Dean grinned thinking that she looked like Lara Croft. The other girl was shorter and obviously younger, her blonde hair cascading past her shoulders. She was in a loose t-shirt and jeans, .45 in hand. The man had short, silver coloured hair and was sporting a pair of old faded jeans and a button up shirt. Where do I know them from?
"Now, Katherine," the man said to the blonde haired girl, "This is an old friend of mine, I owe a lot to him. If he needs help we're not going to turn him down." "Come on, Squirt," the older girl piped up, "This'll be fun! We haven't gone on a family hunt in a while." "Don't call me Squirt, Leanne!" Katherine said, "You know I hate it! I'm not a baby!" "But you'll always be my baby sister, Kat!" Leanne cried, embracing her sister tightly, a teasing smile on her face. "Get off me!" the younger shouted, shoving her older sister away. Dean recognized this type of scene well. Underneath the teasing and bickering he could easily see the protectiveness and devotion of the older sibling and the admiration and trust of the younger. There was a rustling sound as someone or something approached the little family. Dean smiled when he saw Leanne unconsciously step in front of her little sister. When Dean saw the familiar face of the figure stepping from the shadows, he felt like he'd been socked in the stomach. All the air rushed out of his lungs and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get any more in. "Dad!" he gasped. Nobody seemed to hear him but they all visibly relaxed as John Winchester's face came into view. "John," the gray haired man said stepping forward and extending a hand. "Brian," a smiling John Winchester replied, taking Brian's hand and shaking it. "It's been a long time." "Sure has." John then turned to elder sister, extending his hand once more, "Hey, Lea." "John," she said, hands on her hips, "I thought we were passed all those formalities." She then hugged him warmly. "Good to see you again," she said. "Likewise." John then turned to the younger sister, "And you must be Katherine." She shook his hand politely, although she looked like she'd rather be anywhere else right now, "Mr. Winchester." Dean did a double take when he saw a younger version of himself step up beside his father. "Dean!" Leanne cried, quickly hugging him before he could get away. "Hi, Leanne," Little Dean said, pulling away. Leanne looked him up and down, "Well aren't you getting to be a handsome young man? And how's little Sammy?" "He's staying at Pastor Jim's. It's too dangerous for him to come on this hunt with us." "And is this your first time hunting werewolf, Dean?" Little Dean nodded. Suddenly it hit Dean where he'd seen this before. Brian...Leanne...Katherine...Trotter?
Of course! How could he forget his first werewolf hunt? His father had wanted to leave him at home with Sammy but it had been one of the few times in his life that Dean had opposed John. Dean had argued and insisted that he was old enough until his father gave in. But John was still unwilling to take any unnecessary risks where his son was concerned and had asked for help from an old friend. That old friend was Brian Trotter, a man who had also lost his wife to the demon that killed Mary Winchester. Brian had agreed readily, saying that it would be good experience for his youngest, Katherine. Dean had met Brian and his stepdaughter, Leanne, once before and knew that his father had hunted with them many times since then. "All right, kids," Brian said seriously, although that constant twinkle in his eye remained, "This werewolf is a mean SOB. I don't think we should have to remind any of you to be careful." Leanne, Katherine, and Little Dean all nodded solemnly. "He's smart," John added, "It's taken me a long time to track him down. Once he figures out what we're here to do, he'll start hunting us, too. You can count on that. We all need to watch each other's backs." The group split up slightly, although making sure they were always in a position to help one another if there was attack. Little Dean stuck at his father's side. Dean stayed where he was for a moment before following Katherine. He felt like something was pushing him in this direction, like he was meant to see something. He watched as Katherine entered a clearing, not noticing how far she'd split off from the group. "Why doesn't he understand?" she muttered, "I don't want to hunt. I don't want to be like him. I just want to have a normal life." Dean looked at Katherine, feeling affection and grief for her. She reminded him so much of Sam. A nearby growling interrupted Dean's thoughts. He looked over to see a pair of yellowed eyes peering from the darkness. Katherine jerked around only a few moments after Dean, bringing her gun up. But it was too late. The wolf jumped from the shadows, knocking the gun from her hand and pinning her to the ground. The creature opened its jaws wide and went for the struggling girl's neck. All Dean could do was watch in horror. "NO!" The werewolf was suddenly thrown off of Katherine and into a nearby tree. Dean looked to the source of the voice and saw Leanne, looking winded. The wolf, slightly dazed, was already getting up, its eyes watching both sisters carefully. It was about to attack again when its chest seemingly burst open as the creature was riddled with silver bullets. Out of the trees stepped John and Little Dean Winchester, firing almost casually at the werewolf's heart. The creature collapsed to the ground, returning to its human form. Katherine watched the scene in fascination and horror. She suddenly seemed to come back to herself and ran from the clearing as fast as her legs could carry her. "Kat!" Leanne called, running after her. Dean quickly headed after both of them. Katherine stopped so suddenly that Leanne almost ran into her. Both girls were panting hard and, in unison, leaned back against the surrounding trees. "So what's with the foot race, Squirt?" Leanne asked. Katherine turned to her, tears standing out in her eyes, "This is exactly why I hate this job!" Leanne gave her a quick once over, "You're not hurt are you?" "No, Lea," Katherine sighed. "So what then?" "What you did back there-" Leanne shook her head and began to turn away but Katherine grabbed her arm. "Lea," she said, "There's something wrong with us. Both of us. We're able to do things, we have powers. We shouldn't and we don't know why we have them or how to control them. We don't know when they'll work or when they won't. That werewolf we were hunting, it was human once. Before the supernatural intervened in his or her life, and they became a monster, capable of killing other human beings. What if that happens to us, Lea? What if one day we start killing people and have to be taken down by hunters like ourselves? It has to be more than just a coincidence that the demon killed Mom and now we have these powers. What if it's after us? What if we become monsters?" Leanne shook her head, "Never happen." "Unless you can add premonitions to your ever growing list of abilities," Katherine said, "Then you can't know that." "I know," Leanne said, putting a comforting arm around her sister, "Because I won't let it." Katherine visibly relaxed under her older sibling's touch, but Dean saw the flicker of uncertainty on Leanne's face. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean groaned as he woke up. He was sitting in an incredibly uncomfortable plastic chair in the hospital waiting room. He couldn't remember dozing off. How could he have gone to sleep without knowing how his brother was?
Jamie sat down next to him and handed him a coffee.
"Thought you could use one," she said.
Dean thanked her. He grimaced as he took a sip. The hospital's coffee was terrible.
Jamie gave him a smile but it didn't reach her eyes, "I'll take you out for a real coffee later."
Dean simply nodded, not really listening. He was thinking about his dad. Wishing he were here because, to be completely honest, Dean didn't have a clue what was going on. Also being slightly glad that he wasn't here to see how his eldest son had failed. If Dad were here, this never would have happened.
Jamie laughed suddenly. Seeing Dean giving her a funny look, she explained, "I was just thinking about my parents. My mother outlived my father by three years. Whenever something went wrong, she'd say something like 'If your father was here, he'd know what to do' or 'This kind of thing never happened while your father was around'. I just think its funny, the way those we lost always seem perfect in our memories, all their mistakes conveniently forgotten when we want to blame ourselves. The way we go on about them, you'd almost think that they could walk on water."
Jamie turned to Dean, her look solemn, "Don't beat yourself up, Dean. What happened to Sam...it's not your fault."
Dean opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when a doctor walked into the room.
"Dean Hunter?" the man asked, glancing at his clipboard.
Dean stood up immediately, followed by Jamie.
"Mr. Hunter, I'm your brother's doctor, Dr. Cleveland."
"How is he?" Dean asked anxiously, unable to hide his worry.
"Your brother's heart did stop at one point," Dr. Cleveland said, "But there seems to be no long term damaged caused by the incident."
"So, I can take him home then?" Dean asked, relieved.
"Ye-es," Dr. Cleveland said, seeming reluctant.
"What?"
"Well," the doctor explained, scratching his head, "We've done some tests on Sam. There appears to be no brain damage caused by the lack of oxygen or injuries to the head, but-."
"But what?" Dean asked, heart hammering in his chest.
"Well, he has some memory loss," Dr. Cleveland said, once again reading his clipboard, "There's also some difficulty concentrating, slight dizziness, and fatigue. It could be nothing. Your brother went through a traumatic experience and it is expected that he would be shaken. These symptoms may go away on their own and a psychiatrist may help further the mental and emotional healing process. I don't want to worry you unnecessarily, but Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is often a result of near death experiences. You can help him get over it, but you will need to watch him for the next little while."
"I'm going to release him into your care, Mr. Hunter," he continued, "But if these problems persist I suggest bringing him in for further examination."
Ack! Memory loss! Not good!
Hope you liked!