Disclaimer: I don't own anything Supernatural or whatnot or Ami James of Miami Ink who was referenced for this Chapter, it is all property of the CW11 network and what ever else, TLC i think. So don't sue and please don't be offended by the language cause it's gonna be colorful to say the least.
Chapter 12
Sam Winchester slowly inhaled a deep breath of air and then released it in the same, calming fashion.
It had been nearly two months since his graduation from Parris Island.
His 52 days of training to become a USMC Rifleman were done.
The USMC Riflemen were the the primary scouts, assault troops, and close combat forces on the Corp. They were the foundation of the Marine Infantry.
They were the guys who carried the M16 Service Rifles, M203 Grenade Launchers, and the M249 Light Machine Gun also known as SAW.
Sam himself was particularly fond of his M16, and as a testament to the medals he'd been awarded in Marksmanship during Boot Camp, he was a deadly shot with all three of these weapons of war.
They were the primary attack force, it the bullets started flying, they'd be in the midsts of all of it.
He and his platoon, which included Rashad Mathers, Mark Twombly, Mathew Ruiz, and Greg Roginski would all be shipping out for Iraq in five days time.( Keep this little fact in mind readers.)
But, at the moment Sam Winchester was sitting in a tattooing chair with Rashad Mathers and Greg Roginski blocking any means of escape.
Today, they had Liberty so Greg and Rashad all but pounced on Sam and dragged their buddy off to one of the local Tattoo shops.
Sam figetted a little and looked up at the very amused faces of his two fellow Marines.
He had to admit, it was kinda weird to see them in civilian clothes after nothing but standard uniforms and training out-fits for so long.
" Guys, on the slight off-chance that I do change my mind about this-" Sam began but Greg cut him off.
" We're standin' here for a reason man, every single guy in our Platoon's got art, there is no way we're letting a blank canvas live among us." Smirked the PFC as he stared at the youngest Winchester who was currently sitting in the hot-seat.
" Oy, my brother and my old man are gonna trounce me if they find out I got inked." Groaned Sam dramatically, though the corners of his lips were turned upwards.
" Yeah well, it's just us right now Pal. That's the beauty of it." Said Rashad, sending Sam a big toothy grin that the youngest Winchester returned with a small snort.
The three friends and fellow Marines bantered and teased each other until the tattoo artist Sam had given his design to, a tall, muscular dude with a bald head and a dark goatee gracing his upper lip and chin ( think Ami James of Miami Ink if you will) walked into their midst.
The man had on black latex gloves and held the stencils that made up the tattoo design Sam had specifically asked for.
It was a simple but poignant design that the tattoo artist had taken and tweaked to perfection.
Sam was getting three medium-sized realistice black and gray barbed-wire armbands with a long metal plate that looked like a real dog-tag at the center of each band.
The first Dog-Tag would bear the name Mary W. written in white with the Artist making the letters look like they'd been engraved into metal. On the very right side of the tag would be a simple, thin white cross, which also would be made to appear as though engraved.
The second Dog-Tag would bear the name John W. at the very right side would be the USMC rank insignia of Sergeant, done in the same fashion as the cross on the tag bearing his mother's name. This was his father's rank when John had left the Corps. A small tribute to from a son, to the oblivious father who's footsteps he was following in.
The final Dog-Tag would bear the final and most precious name to Sam Winchester's heart, Dean W. in white letters that seemed engraved into metal, the name of a beloved smart ass older brother. At the very right end of this tag would be something that always reminded Sam of his big brother. At the very right end was the letters AC and DC with a lightning bolt acting as a slash. The signature logo of the famous " Mullet Rock" Band Dean loved so fervently.
" Alright, off with the shirt then Mr. Marine." Said Jason, the tattoo artist as he took a seat in the artist's chair.
Sam obliged, taking off the button-up shirt he'd been donning, revealing a buff and well-toned body that was tanned and rock-solid.
" Hubba Hubba." Smirked Jason, to his delight earning deep, rumbling chuckles from all three Marines.
" Looks like everyone finds you hot Winchester." Grinned Greg, earning a mock glare from Sam while Rashad broke into chuckles again.
Still smiling, Jason began to carefully and gently press the stencils he'd prepared to Sam's very well-toned right bicep.
" Alright, go check it out in the big mirror." Said Jason as he indicated the large mirror on the wall behind him once he'd peeled the stencils off.
With a nod, Sam gracefully rose to his feet and walked over to the mirror, his eyes darting to the non-permanant blueish purple ink that now graced his arm from the stencil paper.
The three plates were straight and perfectly spaced from each other with the barbed- wire designs neatly encompassing the circumference of his arm.
Greg and Rashad also joined him at the mirror and nodded their heads in approval when their gazes fell on their friend's arm.
" Looks good." Called Sam as he turned and walked back to Jason.
" Alright, let's get started." Smiled Jason as Sam quickly retook his seat in the chair.
" Hey, make this extra special seeing as to how it's our man's first tattoo." Grinned Rashad, thumping Sam's naked shoulder lightly.
" Well then, I'm gonna put as much finesse in this as I possibly can." Grinned Jason as he switched on his tattoo gun, the needle making a soft buzzing noise as Jason dipped the tip in tattooing ink before he brought it to Sam's skin.
Sam bit back a wince and softly inhaled at the new, slightly painful sensation of a vibrating needle against his skin.
But, months of Marine Corp training quickly kicked in, the pain diminishing to just a hot sensation across his skin.
The youngest Winchester relaxed in the chair he was in and was now naturally curious as he watched Jason begin to draw, following the blue ink lines of the stencils.
" So, what ranks do you three Devil Dogs currently hold?" Asked Jason as he set to work, using the nickname given to the Marines by the Germans during WWI. A lot of Marine and other members of the Service came to this shop to get inked, it was a regular occurance.
" Private First Class." Answered Greg.
" PFC." Answered Rashad.
Then all eyes turned to the guy in the chair getting his first tattoo.
" Lance Corporal." Said Sam.
" A Lance Corporal who's almost a full Corporal." Muttered Rashad in mock exasperation.
" Looks like we got ourselves an over achiever." Teased Jason as finished tracing the first Dog-tag and set to work on the barbed-wire armband it was attached to.
" Oh, don't look at me like that. All I did was follow Sergeant Goodman's advice of always doing more that you're told to do, that's all." Countered Sam as his met Greg and Rashad's gazes.
Two face breaking smiles spread across Rashad and Greg's faces that Sam couldn't help but smile back at them with one of his signature mega-watt grins.
And so, for the time it took for Jason to do Sam Winchester's first official tattoo, the three Marines bantered amongst themselves and with the seasoned Tattoo Artist until Jason asked the inevitable question as he cleaned the tattooing needle and dipped it in white ink, getting set to write in the first name into the first Dog-Tag.
The names were the final step, everything else was complete, the tags and the barbed-wire looked strikingly realistic in gray, white, and black. Stunning.
" So Sam, who are these people who's names you're getting tattooed on your arm?"
The three other men watched as a sad smile graced Sam's face as his eyes gazed down at the almost finished tattoo that now graced his right bicep.
" The first one, Mary, that's my mother's name. She died when I was six months old, our house in Kansas caught fire. My dad got me and my older brother out but, it was too late for her. I have no memory of her and I only know what she looked like from old pictures. She was very beautiful." Said Sam, then with a sigh, he turned his gaze to the wall and continued.
" The second name, John, that's my Dad. He's an ex-marine himself, he was a sergeant, he faught in the Vietnam war, tough as nails. After my mom died, he was lost without her. I think that's one of the main reasons why we moved around alot, me and my brother grew up on the road. There was no home without her but, my Dad did the best he could. He raised me and my brother to basically be soldiers. And as you all can see, I just decided to become an official one."
" The final name, that's my big brother Dean, he's four years older than me. He's a total cocky, smart-ass who loves to crack jokes about everything, mainly your's truely. He practically raised me since my Dad was always off working. He has this huge love for old school rock music like AC/DC and of course, pretty girls, he can never resist them. Besides that, he's really great guy, the best big brother a geek like me could have."
When Sam's voice trailed off, he was met with stunned silence as three pairs of eyes gawked at him.
" Wow, that's deep man. Just, real deep." Said Jason quietly once his voice returned to him.
" I'm sorry about your mom." He added, earning a small, sad smile from Sam as he nodded.
" Thanks."
Jason returned the quiet smile before he set to work, using greater care and reverence as he began to draw in the late Mary Winchester's name.
As Jason worked, Sam turned his gaze to the two other Marines who were standing in audience.
Greg and Rashad were silent as their minds processed this information, this had been the first time Sam had ever given any real detail about his family. They were trying to wrap their heads around how someone who could smile bright enough to but the sun to shame could do so with so much sadness and heartache surrounding him all his life. And once again, they couldn't help but realise how much strength their friend possessed.
If it was possible, Rashad and Greg's respect for the youngest Winchester just went up a few levels.
45 minutes later, Jason finished wiping off the excess tattoo ink from Sam's skin and took a moment to eye his work.
" Alrighty, we are done folks, go take a look." He said as he and Sam stood up from their respective seats.
Sam walked over to the large mirror once again, this time to see the finished artwork that now graced his arm.
Jason had worked his tattooing magic, the whole design looked awesome.
If one were to look from affar, they'd think that Sam was wearing armbands, actual jewelry instead of a tattoo, it looked that real.
The first Dog-tag held Mary Winchester's name, Jason had used the tattoo inks in such a way that the letter and the cross on the very right end of the tag looked chiseled into a metal surface.
The second and third Dog Tags had the same effect, Sam especially liked how the rank insignia on the tag bearing his dad's name and the AC/DC logo on his brother's tag came out.
" Dude, this is awesome." Grinned Sam as he turned to Jason, endowing the tattoo artist with one of his signature grins.
" Glad you like it Lance Corporal." Grinned back Jason.
After a few minutes of admiring the artwork, Jason skillfully wrapped Sam's right bicep in bandages and handed him a small tube of skin ointment as he told him to not let any direct sunlight hit his right bicep for a few day, until the tattoo was fully healed.
The three Marines bid the Tattoo Artist and fond farewell and walked out of the shop and into the mildly crisp January North Carolina day as they headed back to Camp Geiger.
As a newly inked Lance Corporal Sam Winchester walked down the street, flanked by two of his best friends and fellow Marines, Sam could help but wonder in the back of his mind.
Where was his father and big brother at? What were they doing? Were they alright?
Meanwhile, on a highway somewhere else in America...
A Black Ford Pick-Up truck roared down the asphault, being closely followed by a sleek, black 1967 Chevy Impala.
The men behind the steering wheels of these two powerful vehicles looked like they hadn't slept in months.
In a way that was the real case.
John and Dean Winchester spent very little time on sleep over the nealy two months since they'd found out that their Sammy had pulled a fast one on them.
They'd spend every waking hour looking for their youngest, while also working any minor job that came their way.
John had alerted all of his contacts in the hunting world, including Caleb Reeves and Bobby Singer.
They and several other hunters were keeping a look out for any signs of the wayward youngest Winchester boy.
Dean himself was obsessed with trying to find his baby brother.
From where he sat behind the wheel of his truck, John let a soul weary sigh escape him.
Dean didn't smile anymore, he didn't laugh anymore, he didn't joke around, the smart-ass was gone.
What was left was a young man who desperately wanted to find his baby brother.
At all costs, he was gonna find his baby brother Sammy.
Once he did find Sam, he was never gonna let him go. Ever.
John himself was no better, he wanted his youngest child, he wanted that stubborn little boy of his safely with him and his big brother.
At all costs, he was gonna find his baby son Sammy.
Once he did find Sam, he would never let him go either. Ever.
Right now however, John and Dean were headed for Blue Earth, Minnesota, to Pastor Jim Murphy's place.
By the time they'd get there, the Pastor would be back from his months in England, helping out hunters and fellow members of the clergy.
It was a six day drive.