Readers: Sam has arrived at the lake to help Dean and Gregg take down the monster!

Chapter Ten

Sam!" I shouted too late. Watching helplessly while her tail came whipping around to catch Sam at the ankles, he flailed a bit and I thought he might catch himself, but being new to that gangly body and all, there he toppled into the lake.

Sam was a good swimmer, and his head resurfaced almost instantly and in time for me to see the look of panic on his face.

Without thought, I pivoted, machete in a two handed grasp, and came face to face with the monster. She was ugly up close. Two large eyes, no nose, several little tentacles where he mouth should be and that mouth was growing wider.

My hesitation was all she needed, she was fast and what might be called an arm shot forward towards mine trying to knock the machete free of my hands. I took a step back and centered my weight. Then I heard Sam's voice.

"Hey baby, don't you want me?" She turned towards his taunt, I swung. I felt my blade contact flesh..and I remembered no more.

"Dean! Dean! Answer me!" It was Sam's voice, far away. She'd hurt him, I'd killed the bitch. Sam's underwater, help him out.

"Dean, say something." A hand patted my face, a cool forehead rested on my own.

"Ammy?" I managed; then promptly began to cough. There were hands on me rolling me to my side. The vile lake water came spewing out along with the sandwich I'd eaten hours before. Then my eyes shot open and alert. Not Sam, Gregg. Where was Sam? Had Gregg let him die? No, he'd helped him to the boat after the lamia knocked him into the water. Hands behind me pulled me up and then I heard the familiar laugh of my brother.

"Dean, I'm right here. It's over, you took her head clear off!"

"Yeh, great aim there dude!" It was Gregg. They were both safe and all three of us were in the fishing boat.

"I better get us back to shore, just in case she has a sister."

"Come on Dean, say something."

I was talking, or so I thought, but it seemed they were talking around me. Sam, who was never all that hands on had his arm around me. I felt like I was practically in his lap. Gregg needed to slow down or we would go smashing into the dock, then we'd all be screwed, forget the lamia. And was she dead?

I remembered bringing the machete down, but had I made contact? Why wouldn't anyone answer me? My teeth were chattering and despite Sam's arm I was shaking uncontrollably.

"Come on walk!" Sam ordered. I could barely tell he had most of my weight supported over his shoulder.

An Irish coffee that was more whiskey than coffee was handed to me. It's warmth bringing me back to life.

Gregg looked as pale as the white mug he handed to me. He'd made one for himself and Sam. After what he'd seen he had every right to be freaked. Yet, he was pretty steady given he was a civilian.

"So this is what you guys do?"

"Sure beats a desk job."

"I guess, but, these creatures are real, so I'm guessing there's other things out there that maybe I don't want to know about."

Sam was laughing, no giggling, the combination of his youth and the whiskey getting to him faster than with me. "Ghosts, witches, strighas all real. But Dad swears that Big Foot, just a hoax."

It was Gregg's turn to laugh. "God, I feel so naïve."

"Your lucky. Things we know about, no one should have to."

"So how'd your family get mixed up in all this? Are you like the Masons, like some secret society?"

"I prefer the X-Men." I joked.

Gregg had asked the inevitable question, the one that I knew would cause a dam to break somewhere. I wasn't about to be the one to make the full confessional. I shot Sam a glare that said in no uncertain terms: "tell him about Mom and I end you."

"After our mom died, Dad couldn't hold down a regular job, so this opportunity came up and he took it."

"Yeh, but you were a toddler, right?"

"Well, not by then."

"But still, you were school aged? So how does a kid learn how to wield a machete like that? And have no fear?" He looked towards Sam who now sported the face of sobriety. Strange how the topic of how we got into hunting can do that to you.

"My Dad was a Marine, he had all kinds of training, and he wanted us to be able to protect ourselves."

"You must have started really young." I didn't answer. Instead I headed towards the bathroom.

"Shower time, got to get that nasty stink of the lamia off me." And with that, I managed to shut Gregg down.

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"You get bruised like this all the time?"

Shit, Gregg had crept up behind me way too silently. I couldn't even remember half the bruises and old scars that I might have at any given time. I still was foggy on what the lamia had done to me. According to Sam and Gregg, I had taken off her head, but as she was dying, her tail wrapped around me, pulling me into the water. Both Sam and Gregg had jumped in after me. The monster had pulled me deep into the lake, but fortunately she'd lost her grip and they pulled me to the surface.

I turned to face him. "Job hazard." I did my best Sam as an abused puppy look and it worked.

"Who takes care of you?" Greg already had his arms on my chest.

"Nobody." His arms pulled me closer.

"I'd like it to be me."

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Later, when I came downstairs I saw that Sam was curled up on the couch, arms wrapped around a throw pillow. He was safe, healthy, loved. Not that I was gonna say those words out loud, but I'm sure he knew his big brother would look out for him, that I loved him more than anyone on Earth.

Gregg's words as we had drifted off to sleep echoed back to me. "Who takes care of you?" Dad tried, but he hadn't really in a long time. It was just me and Sam, and I just couldn't loose my little brother. If he suspected the truth about my relationship with Gregg, he wasn't showing it. I grabbed a blanket and covered my little brother before returning to the loft, thoughts heavy.

When Sam knew the truth would he disown me the way Gregg's brother had?