A/N: A special thanks to EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester for that little tidbit of information. You rock girl. NC

Note: Sorry for the delay in posting but FF would not let me upload anything this weekend. Hey its finally fixed. Hope you enjoy. NC

Chapter 13

"Wake up time to get started. I gave ya an extra hour of sleep." Dean called to a sleeping Sam who mumbled an answer as he raised his head from the pillow to glance his way. "I'll be downstairs. Don't make me come back up here." he warned before leaving.

"Righ'..." Sam coughed and cleared his throat as he wiped crud and sleep from his eyes while sitting up on the side of the bed for a moment doing his best to wake up before pushing up and heading into the bathroom. Once he was done, Sam snagged his running shoes and headed downstairs to find Dean. He noticed it was lighter outside than yesterday as he dropped into a chair to put on his shoes.

"Go on out and stretch for a minute and I'll join you." Dean instructed coming from the laundry room. "We're only doing a short run today so we can focus more on one on one. If anything did happen it's more likely to be close quarters."

"Ok, how short?" Sam questioned before opening the back door.

"Six miles should be good." Dean shrugged not seeing the deflated look on Sam's face since he was thinking six miles wasn't that short. He usually ran around three when he had a chance and that was pushing it.

Sam walked out onto the deck and drew in a deep breath of freshness as he looked around. The rain from the day before left a dampness in the air and a wetness on everything else. The first fingers of the sun peeked across sky casting the sunrise into soft pink, purple, blue hues making it look picture perfect. Sam had not seen many sunrises that compared to this one and was in awe. He snapped out of his thoughts when a deep voice called from inside telling him he better be stretching. Sam huffed to himself wondering if Dean had eyes in the back of his head, but did as he was told and stretched his long, lean body until Dean appeared beside him. It didn't even occur to him how easily he was getting around.

"Ok, put this on and we'll get started." Dean told him holding out the dreaded backpack.

"Crap!" Sam muttered under his breath hoping Dean had forgotten about it as he accepted the pack and slipped it over his shoulders and cinched it down thinking it felt heavier today.

"I wouldn't complain there Sammy, our PT shirts in basic had a saying printed on them, 'Pain's Good-Extreme Pain is Extremely Good-Agony is Ecstasy.' Just think I could have you run with fifty pounds on your back and double the distance." Dean commented arching an eyebrow before heading for the back gate.

Sam grumbled silently in his mind deciding he didn't want to earn any more extra weight than he had. Of course Dean wasn't hampered with a backpack of bricks when he ran, so he thought it was a little one sided, but he kept that to himself too. He was afraid to see what Dean could actually do if provoked. He fell into step behind Dean who jogged toward the back gate to lead them onto the blacktop. Sam worked on controlling his breathing as Dean set a face pace for them this morning. He could feel the muscles in his legs tightening up slightly but was surprised when he realized that he was even moving at all after the workout from the day before and how stiff and sore he had been.

spn

Sam was panting hard as he slowed to a walk when he saw the gate leading back into the salvage yard. He wiped the sweat and hair from his face so he could see and followed Dean back toward the house. Dean had not slowed the pace and only paused for two minutes before heading back.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Dean questioned looking back and giving Sam a once over to be sure he was still standing.

"N-n-no." Sam wheezed out while working hard to get a breath.

"At least it was level ground this time, thought I'd give you a break and save your energy for other things."

"Th-th-thanks." Sam mustered wondering how much energy Dean thought he had because he felt like most of it was just used.

"I'll get us some breakfast going and then we'll try some target practice before working out." Dean spouted not checking to see if Sam was listening or not. He headed back toward the deck and backdoor leaving Sam to walk slower behind him letting his body cool down. When Sam finally made it into the kitchen, Dean was moving around making breakfast and humming to the music coming from a portable radio that was sitting on the counter.

"You can start on that." he nodded toward the table where a glass with a thick, brown liquid was setting.

Sam dropped into a chair and pulled the glass toward him so he could sample whatever this was. He took several swallows and thought that it tasted familiar. He was sure he had drunk this before and very recently, but couldn't quite pull the memory up.

"What is this?" he asked looking toward Dean for an answer.

"Protein shake, you need to drink two a day. It'll help build up muscle and give you energy since you'll be working out hard. You had some last night. What's the matter don't ya like it? I got a couple of different flavors. They're in the fridge if you want a different one."

"No this one's ok, but...Could you maybe fill me in on what happened last night?" Sam asked shyly. "It's a bit fuzzy in my mind. Last thing I do know I was sitting on the couch with a book waiting on you or Bobby to come home. And how am I not sore or stiff from yesterday's workout?"

"I got you upstairs and put you to bed." Dean chuckled seeing the perplexed expression on Sam's face. "I rubbed you down with this special balm me and a couple fellow recruits created in basic. It works wonders on those aching muscles quicker than anything you can buy from the store shelves. I never leave home without it."

"Wait...You gave me some of this last night right?" Sam said as a fleeting memory passed through his mind of pills and a drink.

"Yes and some Tylenol."

"So you stripped me and..." Sam started as he pictured in his mind what he was trying to say. He could feel the heat running up his neck and into his face thinking of what Dean had done and an underlying question popped into his mind but was too afraid to ask.

"Don't worry, I've seen plenty of naked men before, basic training, remember, doesn't bother me. Well...You still had your briefs on, so semi-naked. Think of me as your coach and I was giving you a rub down if that helps." Dean suggested trying not to laugh at Sam's expression of horror and shock and then a thought occurred to him. "Don't worry, I don't swing that way, I like women. Think of it this way, if I hadn't rubbed you down, you wouldn't be moving at all today and the run we did...Well...I'd probably be picking you up from a ditch somewhere out there on the road and hoped you were still alive. You could look at me as your big brother helping out his younger brother."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sam mumbled knowing what he said was true and was just trying to help him and there was no sexual intention behind the action. He sipped on the shake but kept his eyes downcast, not wanting to make eye contact with Dean because he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. It did please him that Dean thought of him as his younger brother and seemed to be treating him more like that every day they were together. He startled slightly when Dean sat a plate with an omelette, toast and fresh fruit in front of him and a cup of coffee.

"Not sure how you take your coffee."

"Cream and sugar."

"Eat up; we've got a lot to do today." Dean told him.

"Thanks." Sam replied as Dean doctored his coffee and then got his plate to sit down and eat with him. "Where's your uncle?"

"He got a call for a tow job and left right before I got you up. He's got some errands to run afterwards and won't be back 'til this afternoon."

"Looks like this place keeps him busy." Sam said trying to make idle conversation. "He seems to be a collector of sorts."

"I guess, the garage can get busy at times and he buys junkers for parts he can salvage and then sells them for scrap metal. He does alright I guess, never really thought about it. You know in the afternoon I'm sure Bobby wouldn't mind having help in the garage. It'd give you something to do when you're not training."

"I'd like that if Bobby doesn't mind. So we're going to shoot today?" Sam asked trying to hide his excitement about doing it.

"Yes, I want you to feel comfortable with a hand gun and know the right way to use it. I don't need to get shot in the ass by accident."

"I wouldn't..." Sam insisted looking up to see the merriment in Dean's eyes and realized he was teasing him. "At least I could treat the injury." Sam shrugged throwing a brief smile his way thinking he got Dean back.

"I guess you could at that. You finish up and I'll get my bag." Dean said taking his plate to the sink and finishing his coffee before adding it to the dirty dishes.

Sam was surprised that Dean could cook this good as he cut off another bite of omelette and put it in his mouth. He wouldn't admit it, but he was looking forward to learning how to shoot and how to defend himself. It made him feel more confident in a way. This was all foreign to him and he felt a sense of accomplishment when he hit the target or finished a set. Becoming a doctor had its own rewards and he felt good about helping people, but this...He was helping himself here and that felt good too.

"You 'bout done?" Dean asked as he strolled back into the room carrying his weapon's bag.

"Almost." Sam answered forking the last of the fruit into his mouth. He got up and placed his dishes in the sink and ran water over them before turning to see Dean waiting on him. "Now I am."

"Ok, well let's go do a little shooting." he said heading out the door. "Do you remember what I told you about guns?"

"I think so; Number One-Always think the gun is loaded. Number Two-Never point a gun at someone unless there's no other recourse. Number Three- Don't put your finger on the trigger unless you're gonna fire it. Number Four-Don't hesitate when you fire, it could save your life. Number Five-Don't be afraid of it, it's not the gun that kills." Sam spouted out and looked to Dean for approval. "Did I get them?"

"Pretty good, you got the gist of them." Dean said proudly glad he at least was paying attention to what he was telling him. "We'll go just past the fence at the back of the lot. I made a firing range back there a long time ago and it's still there."

spn

Sam followed Dean to the back of the yard again and went through the gate. Instead of going left they headed right toward the woods that lined a field adjacent to the fence. They didn't have to go far before Dean stopped and set his bag down. He reached in and pulled out a target and walked to a huge mound of dirt about thirty feet long and eight feet tall. He fastened it to a frame made of two by fours and walked back toward a waiting Sam. After giving him ear plugs to put in, he did the same before taking out a gun.

"Now I'm gonna give you the same gun that you used before. What do you do first?"

"Check to see if it's loaded?" Sam asked accepting the gun and making sure to point it at the ground. He carefully pulled back the slide to see it was empty and pressed the button on the side to eject the clip. "Empty."

"Here you go, load your clip and chamber a bullet."

Sam looked at the gun in one hand and the clip in the other and at Dean's outstretched hand holding a box of bullets. Knowing he was going to need both hands to load the clip and not wanting to lay the gun on the ground, Sam tucked it into the waistband of his jeans before taking the box. He got it opened and slowly began to slip the bullets into the clip making sure they locked in right. Once he had the clip loaded, he handed back the box and took the gun from his jeans. Sam loaded the clip and turned so it wasn't pointing at Dean and pulled the slide back to chamber a round.

"Now see if you can hit the target from here or if we need to move closer."

Sam raised the gun and thought about what Dean had told him from before. Let the gun be an extension of your arm. Grip it firmly and support your hand with your other one. Squeeze the trigger, don't jerk and keep your eyes open. He drew in a slow breath and aimed before pulling the trigger. Even though he was expecting the loud bang, Sam still jumped slightly throwing his aim off. He squinted; looking at the target and saw he had missed the dark silhouette and huffed madly.

"Hey, at least you hit the paper. Now try again and try not to jerk this time. Remember, smooth and steady pull." he instructed.

Sam sited the target and stilled himself as he drew in a deep breath and fired. A smile broke out across his face when he saw he had hit in the black by about three inches.

"Better, go ahead and empty the clip. Remember to count your shots so you know what you have left. That's an old trick 'cause most shooters don't and sometimes that leads to missed shots. Always be aware of everything around you 'cause that can effect a shot too. Let's see if you can get the rest in the black."

Sam nodded and took aim again feeling more confident than before. He adjusted his stance and grip and fired three more rounds, one after the other. Two went in the black and the third just caught the corner barely tearing a small piece of the black away. Sam counted to himself the number of rounds fired and knew he had seven more to go. He rolled his shoulders and loosened up before aiming again and firing off four more rounds. They were not tightly grouped, but they all did go in the black which made him feel like he was learning. He emptied the gun and lowered it looking to Dean for instructions.

"Not bad bro, you're hitting the target, we just need to work on your grouping."

He pulled another target from his bag and strolled to the two by four frame placing it next to Sam's target. After walking back to his bag, Dean removed another hand gun, checked the load before snapping into position and firing all the rounds without stopping, every one hitting in the X for the heart on the target blowing a large hole in it.

Sam's eyes widened as he took in the target. He knew Dean was probably good but he didn't know just how good. He knew he had military training and now wondered what he did while serving.

"Wow, I don't think I'll ever be that good."

"Takes practice. Why don't you do a few more clips and then meet me in the workout room? You'll need to clean your gun and have it ready to use again."

"Alright, I think I can do that."

"Please, whatever you do...Don't shoot yourself. It'll look bad in my file if I let a client shoot himself."

"I'll be careful." Sam chuffed a laugh and checked to be sure his gun was empty before popping the clip to reload, thinking he wasn't dumb enough to accidentally do that. Knowing he had to be careful, Sam reloaded the clip and popped it in the gun so he could continue to practice. He concentrated hard on trying to group his shots and cheered when he got four really close but forgot to take his finger off the trigger and shot into the ground by his foot kicking up small clumps of dirt onto his leg and almost giving himself a heart attack. Sam quickly looked around to be sure Dean didn't see his stupid mistake and chastise him. He let out a long breath when he realized just how close he came to shooting himself in the foot. "Dumb ass..." he muttered as he settled down and finished his target practice before heading to the workout room to find Dean.

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading my creation. I hope you are enjoying this 'verse I have created. To the guests who have left reviews for this story and others I have wrote thank you for your thoughts. I do like reviews and if you have a moment please leave one. NC