Disclaimer: All characters belong to Mark Schwahn and Eric Kripke.
Author's Note: I know it's been forever since I've updated this story and I am so sorry. I'm trying to get better and this story is at the top of my priority list, I promise. Also, you guys have waited long enough for this chapter so I cut one scene short, but the revised version will be up in a couple of days.
You Found Me: Chapter Eleven
An older man sat at a bar, writing in a journal very similar to John's, when the bartender came over to him.
"Mr. Elkins?" He didn't hear her and continued writing. "Mr. Elkins?" He finally looked up. "Would you like another?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Beth."
She smiled and walked over to another man who was also sitting at the bar.
"I thought they caught the Unabomber," the man said.
"Yeah, poor Mr. Elkins lives all alone up in the canyon. Same seat every day, going through his papers, making his little notes. He's a nice old man. He's just a nut." She set a beer down in front of him then walked back to Elkins, picking up a bottle and refilling his glass. "Here you go." He looked up curiously, seemingly able to sense something. The door opened and a group of men entered along with an attractive woman. Elkins watched them carefully as they sat down at a table and Beth began talking to them. "What'll you have?"
"Jack all around. Leave the bottle," the woman replied.
"You hungry?"
"We have dinner plans."
"Okay." Beth walked away to get the bottle of Jack. "Can I get you something else, Mr. Elkins?" She turned and saw that he had left, his drink still untouched and looked up just in time to see the bar door close.
Elkins pulled up in his driveway and got out of his truck then made his way inside, shutting the door after checking that no one was behind him. Seeming to feel someone in the room, he turned around as the woman from the bar entered.
"It's been a while. I've got to say, you look old," she commented as her eyes glinted silver.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"What do you think?" He suddenly took a knife out of his pocket and threw it at her, hitting her in the chest. "Damn" She pulled the knife from her chest, unharmed. "You can do better than that."
Elkins walked into his office and shut the door, barricading it with a bookcase. He began turning the combination lock on the safe that had been hidden by the bookcase. "Come on, come on." The safe finally opened and he took out a wooden box. He opened it, revealing a Colt revolver and five bullets. He hurriedly began loading the gun as the woman tried to break down the door. Just as he put the gun back together, two men from the bar crashed through the glass ceiling and Elkins dropped the revolver as the men pinned him to the ground.
The woman finally broke down the door and entered the room, walking over to pick up the gun so that she could examine it. "Nice gun. Wouldn't do you much good, of course. Boys?" They looked up at her. "We're eating in tonight."
As a couple made their way down the road in the car, the woman laughed, seemingly unable to help herself.
"What?" the man questioned.
"Well, I guess you showed that guy."
"What guy?"
"The guy who bet you you wouldn't buy that shirt."
"I love this shirt."
She laughed and rolled her eyes, but stopped when she saw a man lying in the street, seemingly dead. "Look out!" The man slammed on the brakes and the car came to an abrupt stop. "What happened to him?"
"Call 911," he instructed as he got out of the car and crouched down next to the man, rolling him unto his back. Suddenly, the man's eyes snapped open and he smiled as a set of fangs appeared. The man who had been in the car screamed as he was grabbed and bitten.
Dean folded the newspaper he'd been reading and placed it on the table as Sam continued researching on his computer.
"Anything?" Haley asked.
"Not a decent lead in all of Nebraska. What do you got, Sammy?"
Sam simply shot his brother a glare at the use of his hated nickname before he responded. "Well, I've been scanning Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota. Here, a woman in Iowa fell ten thousand feet from an airplane and survived."
"That sounds more like "that's incredible" than, uh, "Twilight Zone." Hey, you know, we could uh—we could just keep it in the east. New York, upstate. We could stop by and see Sarah again. You two seemed pretty friendly. What do you say?"
Sam laughed as he continued to look for leads. "Yeah, maybe, someday. But in the meantime, we've got a lot of work to do, Dean, and you know that."
"What else do you have?" Haley asked.
"Manning, Colorado—a local man by the name of Daniel Elkins was found mauled in his home."
"Elkins? I know that name," Dean said.
"Doesn't ring a bell. It sounds like the police don't know what to think. At first, they said it was some sort of bear attack, and now, they're finding signs of robbery."
While Sam had been talking, Dean had pulled out John's journal and started leafing through it. Now, he placed it in the middle of the table so Sam and Haley could see it. "Here. Check it out."
Haley looked to Dean when she saw a number listed for a D. Elkins. "You think it's the same Elkins?"
"It's a Colorado area code."
"Looks like the maid didn't come today," Dean commented as he, Haley, and Sam entered Daniel's house with flashlights and began looking around.
"There's salt over here. Right inside the door," Haley said.
"You mean, like, protection-against-demons salt or, uh, "Oops, I spilled the popcorn" salt?"
"It's clearly a ring. You think Elkins was a player?"
"Definitely."
"That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's," Sam pointed out as he and Haley walked over to where Dean was going through Daniel's journal.
"Yeah, except this dates back to the sixties."
"Whatever attacked him, it looks like there was more than one."
"Looks like he put up a hell of a fight, too," Haley commented.
As they continued to search the room, Dean found the box which had held the Colt revolver. When he bent down to get a closer look he noticed several scratches that had been carved into the wooden floor.
"You got something?"
"I don't know, just some scratches on the floor."
"Death throes, maybe?" Sam suggested.
"Yeah, maybe." Dean grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil from Elkins' desk. When he finished rubbing the scratches he looked at the paper carefully. "Or a message." He handed the paper to Haley. "Look familiar?"
"Three letters, six digits. The location and combination of a post office box. It's a mail drop."
"That's just the way Dad does it."
"J.W.—you think? John Winchester?" Sam suggested from the backseat of the Impala as he watched his brother examine the envelope they'd pulled from Elkins' mailbox.
"I don't know. Should we open it?" Dean questioned. A sudden loud knocking on the window and he jumped as he turned toward the sound. "Dad?"
"Dad, what are you doing here? Are you all right?" Sam asked as John joined him in the backseat.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Look, I read the news about Daniel. I got here as fast as I could. I saw you three up at his place," John admitted.
"Why didn't you come in, Dad?"
"You know why. Because I had to make sure you weren't followed. By anyone or anything. Nice job of covering up your tracks, by the way."
"Yeah, well, we learn from the best," Dean said.
"Wait, so, you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?" Haley asked.
"Yeah. He was…he was a good man. He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting."
"You never mentioned him to us," Sam spoke up.
"We had, uh…we had a kind of falling out. I hadn't seen him in years. I should look at that letter." Dean handed the letter to him and John opened it then read it. "If you're reading this, I'm already dead. That son of a bitch."
"What is it?" Dean asked.
"He had it the whole time."
"Dad, what?" Sam prompted.
"When you searched the place, did you see a gun? An antique—a Colt revolver. Did you see it?"
"There was an old case, but it was empty," Dean replied.
"They have it."
"You mean, whatever killed Elkins?"
"We've got to pick up the trail."
"Wait. You want us to come with you?" Sam asked.
"If Elkins was telling the truth, we've got to find this gun."
"The gun? Why?"
"Because it's important, that's why."
"John, we don't even know what these things are yet," Haley pointed out.
"They were what Daniel Elkins killed best—vampires."
"Vampires? I thought there was no such thing, Dad," Dean said.
"You never even mentioned them," Sam added.
"I thought they were extinct. I thought Elkins and a few others had wiped them out. I was wrong," John admitted.
"What do you know about them?" Haley questioned.
"Most vampire lore is crap. A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them, and neither will a stake to the heart. But the bloodlust—that part's true. They need fresh human blood to survive. They were once people, so you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late."
"When did you start drinking coffee?" John asked.
Haley smiled as she set the styrofoam cup down on the small table in their room. "When I was fifteen."
He returned the smile and pulled her to him in crushing hug. "Damn, it's good to see you again, baby girl. Especially since you didn't look like you could stand on your own the last time we met up."
"Yeah, well getting attacked by a pissed off shadow demon can do that to a girl."
John pressed a kiss into her hair then took several steps back so that he could look her over again. "You look a hell of a lot better. Do you have a scar?"
"No. Dean took good care of me."
"How are my sons treating you?" he questioned as they moved over to the two beds and sat down across from each other.
"I'm fine, John. Sam and Dean would die before they let anything happen to me. They know they would have to face you if something happened to me."
"They better remember that."
Haley rolled her eyes in exasperation, but at this point it was more out of habit than actual annoyance. She had accepted years ago that she would always be the daughter John Winchester had never had and that he would always be overprotective of her. Even now that she was in a serious relationship with his oldest son. "Trust me, they will."
"You know I'm never going to like that you're hunting, right?"
"I'm more than capable of protecting myself and your sons. And if I didn't think I could handle the truth about what's really out there, I would have stayed in Tree Hill. John, you don't have to worry so much. I'm safe. I trust both of your sons with my life and I feel safest when I'm with Dean. I always have and that's never going to change."
"You two always have been close. You know, Karen used to tell me that the two of you would get married one day, but I just couldn't see it. You've always been one of my children. My little girl. I just thought Dean would be the overprotective big brother. I couldn't have been more wrong."
They shared another smile and Haley touched the necklace that Dean had given her when she was fourteen. "I love him, John. I've loved him for years but I denied because it was so strong and that scared me."
"And now?"
"It doesn't scare me anymore. I'm seventeen and I know who my heart belongs to. There was never anyone else and there never will be. I've been Dean's girl from the moment we met."
"Now that's something I can't argue with."
Haley nodded in agreement before letting the mood get a little more serious. She'd seen the look in John's eyes at the post office and knew something was going on, but she hadn't wanted to say anything in front of Sam and Dean in case she was wrong about why he'd seemed even more focused on the hunt than usual. "How close are you, John?"
"Close to what?"
She shook her head. "Don't do that. I know you. I know your moods and I know that you've been damn adamant about staying away from us since you disappeared last year. There's a reason you're here and a reason you let us know. What the hell is going on?"
"Haley, I don't—"
"Now, damn it! Now is the perfect time and don't try to tell me it isn't."
John's dark eyes widened, but he didn't snap at her and tell her to back down like he would have Sam and Dean. Haley reminded him so much of Mary that it was scary at times. "I'm close. Closer than I've ever been and the son of a bitch knows it."
"They deserve to know. They deserve to kill him as much as you, if not more. You can't shut them out. Not this time. Not on this. It's too important."
"Haley—"
"You know I'm right. You know what they would say if they knew the truth."
The next afternoon John was talking to the police as Haley, Dean and Sam waited by the car.
"I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him," Sam commented.
"Oh, don't tell me it's already starting," Dean protested.
"What's starting?"
"What do you have?" Haley asked, cutting the brothers off as John walked back over to them.
"It was them, all right. Looks like they're heading west. We're going to have to double back to get around that detour," John replied.
"How can you be so sure?" Sam questioned harshly.
"Sam—"
Dean's warning was cut off by his brother. "I just want to know we're going in the right direction."
"We are," John assured his youngest son.
"How do you know?"
John pulled something from his pocket and held it out for his sons and Haley to see. "I found this."
"It's a vampire fang," Dean said, taking the object from his father and inspecting it more closely.
"Not fangs. Teeth. The second set descends when they attack." John turned to Sam and raised an eyebrow, almost in challenge. "Any more questions? All right, let's get out of here, we're losing daylight. Hey, Dean, why don't you touch up your car before you get rust? I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were going to ruin it."
As John got into his truck, Sam laughed and Dean glared at his brother as Haley shook her head and climbed into the backseat.
As Sam drove, Dean sat in the passenger seat researching their latest creature of the week and Haley sat in the back seat reading Jake's latest letter. When Dean started reading out loud, she folded the letter and put back in its envelope, listening to her boyfriend interestedly.
"Vampires nest in groups of eight to ten. Smaller packs are sent out to hunt for food. Victims are taken to the nest, where the packs keep them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks. I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple."
"That's probably what Dad's thinking. Of course, it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks," Sam said.
"So it is starting."
"What?"
"Sam, we've been lookin' for Dad all year. Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours and there's static already?"
"No. Look, I'm happy he's okay, alright? And I'm happy that we're all working together again."
"Good."
"It's just the way he treats us like we're children."
"Oh, God."
"He barks orders at us, Dean. He expects us to follow him without question. He keeps on us some crap need-to-know deal."
"He does that for a reason."
Haley, who had been listening quietly, couldn't help rolling her eyes. While she understood where both brothers were coming from she had been hoping that they could keep things on neutral territory until they finished the hunt. Sam and John had a lot of issues to hash out but now wasn't the time. "Guys, come on, this can wait until later. We have a job we need to focus on."
"And we will as soon as Dean explains why he always has to defend Dad. What reason, Dean? Why does he keep us out of the loop for as long as he can?" Sam questioned.
"Our job!" Dean snapped. "There's no time to argue. There's no margin for error. It's just the way the old man runs."
"Yeah, well, maybe that worked when we were kids, but not anymore, all right? Not after everything you and I have been through, Dean. I mean, are you telling me you're cool with just falling into line and letting him run the whole show?"
Dean was quiet for several moments before speaking again. "If that's what it takes."
In their nest, several vampires were drinking and enjoying themselves. The couple they had kidnapped was tied to a post and Bo walked over to them, beer bottle in hand. "Have some beer, buddy. It'll calm your nerves."
"No, thanks."
"Oh, come on. You drink enough. I can taste it in your blood."
"That's gross," Kate commented as she walked over to them.
Bo laughed as he took a drink and moved over to the woman. "How about you, babe?" He brought the bottle to her lips and tipped it back, forcing her to drink. When he pulled the bottle away, she spit the alcohol back into his face and as he got ready to backhand her, Kate called out to him.
"Bo! Wait for Luther."
A second later, Luther entered the room and Kate smiled as she launched herself at him and kissed him. After several long moments, they broke apart. "I missed you, too, baby."
"We've got presents." She grinned and brought Luther over to the couple.
He reached out, stroking the woman's face. "She looks interesting." He then turned his attention to the man. "He doesn't. Lock him up. On second thought, go ahead and treat yourselves."
Bo took the man over to a group of vampires and they attacked him as the woman screamed in protest.
"There's something else," Kate said, leading Luther over to a table where money and valuables had been placed.
"This all theirs?"
"No. It's from an old friend of yours, Daniel Elkins. I caught his scent and I thought I'd surprise you."
"Kate, what did you do?"
"I made him suffer."
"You shouldn't have done that."
"Luther—"
"There are others like him. They'll know the signs and come looking for us. We have to be careful."
"Luther, I did it for you. For what he did to your family."
"Revenge isn't worth much if you end up dead."
"I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry." Luther picked up the Colt revolver, examining it closely. "I thought you might like that. It looks like it was made around the time you were born."
"I've seen this before."
"Elkins died with it in his hands. He should've known better. Using a gun."
Luther shook his head at her statement. "This is no ordinary gun."
"Yeah, Dad. All right, got it." Dean hung up his phone and let his eyes connect briefly with Haley's in the rear view mirror. "Pull off at the next exit."
"Why?" Sam questioned tensely.
"Because Dad thinks we've got the vampires' trail."
"How?"
"I don't know. He didn't say." Sam stepped on the gas forcefully and sped down the road, cutting in front of John's truck and pulling over. John pulled over as well and all four of them got out of their cars. "Oh, crap. Here we go. Sam!"
"What the hell was that?" John demanded as he approached Sam.
"We need to talk," Sam responded, his voice still tense.
"About what?"
"About everything. Where are we going, Dad? What's the big deal about this gun?"
"Sammy, come on, we can Q and A after we kill all the vampires," Dean interjected.
"Your brother's right. We don't have time for this," John said.
"Last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous to be together. Now, out of the blue, you need our help. Now, obviously, something big is going down and we want to know what!"
"Get back in the car."
"No."
"I said get back in the damn car."
"Yeah. And I said no."
"All right, you made your point, tough guy. Look, we're all tired. We can talk about this later. Sammy, I mean it. Come on," Dean prompted as he pushed his brother toward the car.
"This is why I left in the first place," Sam muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" John questioned harshly.
"You heard me," Sam replied, turning back to his father.
"Yeah. You left. Your brother and me. Hell, even Haley. We needed you. You walked away, Sam, you walked away."
John grabbed Sam by his shirt and Dean stepped between them. "Stop it, both of you!"
"You were the one who said "Don't come back", Dad. You're the one who closed that door, not me! You were just pissed off you couldn't control me anymore!" Sam yelled.
"That's enough!" Haley's voice cut through the tension that had settled around the four of them after Sam's statement. "This can wait until later. Right now, we need to find that nest. That's the most important thing. You two can try to kill each other later. Now, let's go." Sam angrily turned and made his way back to the Impala but John stayed where he was and Haley's eyes flashed with the temper that very rarely made an appearance. "Now, John!"
Not many people could speak to John Winchester like that and live to tell about it and Haley was one of those few. But he was so shocked by her outburst that he stood still for several more seconds before he finally turned and got back into his truck leaving Dean and Haley to share a look before they walked back over to the Impala.
While most of the vampires slept, Kate and Luther were kissing passionately. As they began to undress each other, Kate noticed the woman watching them from where she was tied up.
Luther turned and saw her as well. "You like to watch, huh? Me, too." He turned back to Kate. "Ready, baby?" They kissed then broke apart and walked over to the woman and Kate stroked her hair.
"Are you going to kill me?" the woman asked tearfully.
"I'm going to take you so high, you'll never come down," Kate responded, turning to Luther and holding out her arm. He took out a knife and cut across Kate's skin. She sucked the blood then knelt next to the woman, grabbing her face and kissing her, covering both of their mouths with blood.
When she pulled away, Luther stroked the woman's hair. "Welcome home, baby."
"You okay?" Haley asked as she settled on her knees behind Dean and began rubbing his shoulders.
"Headache," he replied, leaning into her touch.
"Sam and John."
"I know they have problems, but they could have waited until this hunt was over to go at each other."
"Where are they now?"
"Dad booked two rooms. They're across the hall. They left our room while you were in the shower."
"We'll be lucky if there's anything left of them in the morning."
"I know, but I need a break. I hate playing mediator." He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax completely as the tension he'd been feeling all day finally drained away. "That feels good."
"Did you know you were so tense?"
"Not until you started that massage. You don't have to stop anytime soon."
Haley laughed and leaned forward, kissing his cheek. Her laughter quieted, however, when he turned his head and captured her lips in a kiss. She crawled into his lap, placing her legs on either side of his as she threaded her arms around his middle and lightly massaged his back.
Dean groaned against her mouth and let his hands settle at her waist. It had been a week and a half since they'd been alone for more than ten minutes and he hadn't realized how much he had missed the intimacy of having her so close until now. Then, almost without him realizing it, the kisses turned to hot, open-mouthed exchanges. As the taste of strawberries and vanilla flooded his mouth, he groaned again, hungrily sweeping his tongue against hers and his hands trailed lazily along her sides.
And then he was falling backwards and Haley was moving with him, using their momentum to roll them onto their sides. He reluctantly broke the kiss, but kept his forehead pressed to hers as the sound of their breathing filled the room. Their eyes locked and both of them forgot about the stress of the last two days. It was just the two of them and nothing was more important in that moment.
Haley watched Dean with heavy-lidded eyes. He, John and Sam needed to sit down and talk everything out, there was no question about that but right now she wanted to take advantage of their time alone. She didn't care how they spent the time and she could tell that he didn't either. They just wanted to be together.
He reached up, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes and they shared a smile. As far as Dean was concerned, this was the perfect moment and it would always remain one of his favorites in their relationship. The way he felt, how beautiful Haley was, the way she smiled, all of it was committed to memory and he knew that no matter what, he would never forget any of it.
Then they were kissing again and Dean lost himself in what they were doing the way he always did when they had the chance to be truly alone. His hand moved from her face, slowly trailing down her body before sliding under her shirt and making contact with her skin. She arched into his touch, but he held her in place as he broke the kiss and moved down her body, placing his mouth where his hand had been.
"Son of a bitch," Dean commented from where he, Haley, John and Sam were hiding the next morning as he watched Bo make his way into the lair. "So, they're really not afraid of the sun?"
"No, direct sunlight hurts like a nasty sunburn. The only way to kill them is beheading. And, yeah, they sleep during the day. It doesn't mean they don't wake up," John explained.
"So I guess walking right in isn't our best option."
"Actually, that's the plan."
Dean took a large knife out of his weapons case and held it out to John. "Dad, I got an extra machete if you need one."
John took a much newer one out of his trunk. "Think I'm okay. Thanks."
"Wow."
As Dean turned back to his trunk, John sighed. "So…you three really want to know about this Colt?"
Slightly surprised, the brothers and Haley stopped what they were doing and turned to John. "Yes, sir," Sam replied.
"It's just a story—a legend, really. Well, I thought it was. Never really believed it until I read Daniel's letter. Back in 1835, when Halley's Comet was overhead, the same night those men died at the Alamo, they say Samuel Colt made a gun—a special gun. He made it for a hunter. A man like us, only on horseback. They story goes that he made thirteen bullets. This hunter used the gun half a dozen times before he disappeared, the gun along with him. Somehow, Daniel got his hands on it. They say—they say this gun can kill anything."
"Kill anything, like, supernatural anything?" Haley asked.
"Like the demon," Sam commented, disbelief evident in his voice.
"Yeah, the demon. Ever since I picked up its trail, I've been looking for a way to destroy the thing. Find the gun…we may have it," John admitted.
The four of them shared a determined look before turning back to their weapons.
Sam and Dean snuck in through a window in the vampire's nest then closed it behind them as they looked around. Several vampires were sleeping in hammocks set up around the room. Dean tried to duck under a hammock but accidentally kicked a glass bottle and hit the hammock instead. He immediately froze, but when the vampire didn't wake up he breathed a sigh of relief.
In another area of the nest, Haley and John were looking around and found Luther and Kate asleep in their bed, the Colt in a leather case next to the bed. John cautiously started down the steps leading into the bedroom as Luther and Kate rolled over but didn't wake up.
In the other room, Sam and Dean found the woman that the vampires had kidnapped, still tied up, but asleep. As Sam began untying her ropes, they heard a noise.
"There's more," Dean whispered, walking over to a cage-like door. Through the bars he could see several more men and women tied up, asleep. He grabbed a crowbar and broke the padlock that had kept the door shut. He waited to see if the vampires woke up, but they didn't.
John finally reached the gun as Sam continued to untie the woman's ropes. When he noticed her waking up, Sam placed a finger to his lips and spoke quietly. "Hey, hey, shh, I'm here to help you." She let out a piercing scream and he jumped back and away from her as the other vampires woke up.
In the bedroom, Luther woke up and, spotting John, threw him into the wall. John picked up an empty liquor bottle and hurled it at the bedroom window. "Boys, run!"
Sam and Dean ran out of the nest, closely followed by the vampires. They finally stopped in the woods and looked around for John and Haley as the vampires retreated back to their nest.
"Dad?!" Dean called. John didn't respond and Dean forced himself to ignore the fear settling in his stomach. "Dad! Haley!"
Seconds later, John and Haley appeared, running to meet them. "They won't follow. They'll wait until tonight. Once a vampire gets your scent, it's for life," John explained.
"What the hell do we do now?" Haley questioned.
"You have to find the nearest funeral home, that's what."
John sat at a table in one of their motel rooms researching as Sam paced.
"It shouldn't be taking this long. I should go help."
"Dean's got it. So does Haley," John assured his youngest son. "Sammy…"
Sam stopped pacing and turned to face his father. "Yeah?"
"I don't think I ever told you this, but…the day you were born, you know what I did?"
"No."
John smiled slightly as the memory played out in his mind. It was something Sam needed to hear and he knew that, but after years of being so militant with his sons it was hard to switch gears so quickly. "I put a hundred bucks into a savings account for you. I did the same thing for you brother. It was a college fund and every month, I'd put in another hundred dollars, until…" John trailed off and met Sam's gaze briefly. "Anyway, my point is, Sam, that…this is never the life I wanted for you."
"Then why'd you get so mad when I left?"
"You have to understand something. After your mother passed, all I saw was evil, everywhere. And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you prepared—ready. So, somewhere along the line I, uh, I stopped being your father. And I—I became your drill sergeant." John looked down briefly then back up as Sam sat down across from him. "So, when you said that you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about—my only thought was that you were going to be alone…vulnerable. Sammy, it just—it never occurred to me what you wanted. I just couldn't accept the fact that you and me—we're just different." Sam laughed as tears came to his eyes. "What?"
"We're not different. Not anymore. What happened to Mom and Jess…we probably have a lot more in common than just about anyone else."
"I guess you're right, son."
Sam smiled half-heartedly. "Hey, Dad? Whatever happened to that college fund?"
"I spent it on ammo."
They both laughed as Dean and Haley came back into the room.
"Man, there's some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys."
"Did you get it?" John asked. Dean pulled a paper bag out of his pocket and opened it, pulling out a jar of blood and handing it to John. "You know what to do."
That night, Dean had opened the hood of his car and was looking inside when he heard Kate's voice behind him.
"Car trouble? Let me give you a lift. I'll take you back to my place."
"Nah, I'll pass. I usually draw the line at necrophilia."
She punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. She quickly bent down and grabbed him by the cheeks, lifting him off the ground.
"Well, I don't normally get this friendly until the second date, but…"
"You know, we could have some fun. I always like to make new friends." She lowered him then kissed him and pulled back after a few seconds.
"Sorry. I never really stay with a chick that long—definitely not eternity."
Suddenly, an arrow impaled Kate's chest and the vampire standing behind her and she let go of Dean. "Damn it." She looked up as Haley, John and Sam came out from behind the trees, holding their weapons. "Barely even stings."
"Give it time, sweetheart. That arrow is soaked in dead man's blood. It's like poison to you, isn't it?" Kate's smile faded as her eyes glazed over and she fell back into Dean's arms. "Load her up. I'll take care of the other one."
Dean carried Kate to John's truck, followed by Sam and Haley as John walked over to the other vampire who had fallen to his knees and raised his knife.
"Toss this on the fire," John instructed, handing Dean a small bag. They walked over to a small clearing where a fire was burning and Kate was tied to a nearby tree. "Saffron, skunks, cabbage and trillium. It'll block our scent and hers until we're ready."
"Stuff stinks," Dean commented.
"Well, that's the idea. Dust your clothes with the ashes and you'll stand a chance of not being detected."
"You sure they'll come after her?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. Vampires mate for life. She means more to the leader than the gun. But the blood sickness is going to wear off soon so you don't have a lot of time."
"Half hour ought to do it."
"And then I want you out of the area as fast as you can."
"But—"
"John, you can't take care of them all yourself," Haley protested.
"I'll have her and the Colt," John said.
"But after—we're going to meet up, right? Use the gun together, right?" When John remained silent, Sam shook his head. "You're leaving again, aren't you? You still want to go after the demon alone? You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this."
"Like what?"
"You are my children. Even you, baby girl. You're my daughter as much as they are my sons. I'm trying to keep all three of you safe."
"Dad, all due respect, but that's a bunch of crap."
Sam and John were surprised, but Haley hid her smile in Dean's arm. They'd talked about this last night and she was proud of him for going through with it so soon.
"Excuse me?"
"You know what Sammy and I have been hunting. Hell, you sent us on a few trips yourself. And Haley's been doing this for a while, too. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe."
"It's not the same thing, Dean."
"Then what is it? Why do you want to keep us out of the big fight?"
"This demon? It's a bad son of a bitch. I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive."
"You mean you can't be reckless."
"Look…I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece. Your mother's death—it almost killed me. I can't watch my children die, too. I won't."
"What happens if you die? Dad, what happens if you die and we could have done something about it? You know, I've been thinking. I think maybe Sammy's right about this one. I think we should do this together. We're stronger as a family, Dad. We just are. You know it."
"We're running out of time. You do your job and you get out of the area. That's an order."
Luther and several other vampires watched as Bo pulled up in his car.
"Is there any sign of those four?" Luther asked.
"No, something else," Bo replied as he and a female vampire approached the group.
"What?"
"Luther, they cut off Hank's head."
"And Kate?"
"I don't know. She wasn't there. What are we going to do?" They heard the sound of John's truck in the distance and turned to look at it. "It's just a truck on the highway."
"Kate. She's in that truck."
In the passenger seat of John's truck Kate began to wake up, but was still tired. He looked in the rearview and smiled briefly when he saw two cars following him.
Back at the vampires' nest, Bo was drinking alone when he heard a noise from another part of the room. He looked around but didn't see anything. When he turned around, however, Dean was standing beside him.
"Boo," he greeted before beheading Bo.
Out on the highway, John continued to be followed. He checked on Kate then looked back in the rearview mirror only to see that the cars were gone.
Dean walked over to the cellar where the other captives were being held. "I told you I'd come back," he said as he broke the lock on the door.
When John came around a bend in the road and saw Luther and three other vampires, he stopped the truck.
"Get out!" Luther ordered. "Who are you?"
"The name's Winchester," John replied as he got out of the truck.
"Where are your friends?"
"Cleaning out your nest."
"Where's Kate?"
"Come here, sweetheart." John pulled a rope and dragged Kate out of the truck, her hands still bound together.
"Kate, you all right?"
"Dead man's blood," she replied.
"You son of a bitch."
"We want the Colt—Elkin's gun. Trade."
"Is that what this is all about? I mean, you can't shoot us, right? We'll kill you."
"Oh, I don't need it for you. I'm saving it for something else. Put the Colt down or she goes first."
"All right, just don't hurt her." Luther took the Colt out of his pocket and put it on the ground.
"Back up." Luther took a few steps back. "Further." Luther stepped back again and John stepped forward, kneeling on the ground with Kate and putting her in reach of the gun.
"That's a nice move. You almost made it." Kate hit John with gun then threw him into the front of the truck as the gun fell to the ground. Luther walked over to John and hit him. John flew into the door of the truck and fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious.
Suddenly one of the vampires was shot in the chest with an arrow and the others turned to see Dean, Sam and Haley running toward them as another vampire was hit with an arrow. Luther hit Haley, knocking her to the ground. He then picked her up and began choking her as Dean grabbed a knife.
"Don't! I'll break her neck. Put the blade down," Luther instructed. Dean stilled completely, holding the knife in midair as Haley desperately gasped for breath. Finally, Dean gave in and put the knife on the ground. "You people—why can't you just leave us alone? We have as much right to live as you do."
"I don't think so." Luther and Haley turned to see John holding the Colt. He shot Luther in the middle of the forehead and Luther let go of Haley who ran to Dean. A trickle of blood ran down Luther's nose and everyone watched as he sank to his knees.
"Luther!" Kate called. There was a flash of light before Luther died completely and she began stalking toward John before a fellow vampire stopped her.
"Kate, don't!" The two women angrily walked back to the car and drove away.
Sam, Haley and Dean looked at John in shock and he smiled triumphantly.
Haley, Sam and Dean were packing their things when John came into the room.
"So..."
"Yes, sir?" Sam questioned.
"You ignored a direct order back there."
"Yes, sir."
"But we saved your ass," Dean spoke up.
"You're right."
"I am?"
"It scares the hell out of me. You three are all I've got. But I guess we are stronger as a family. So…we go after this damn thing. Together."
The younger occupants of the room answered in unison. "Yes, sir."
Haley slipped her hand into his Dean's and settled against his side as the four of them shared a knowing look.