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The Supernatural characters belong to Kripke Enterprises and the CW, not me. No money is being made from this story. It is for entertainment only.
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Dean Winchester, Skin Walker
Chapter 14
Along the Way
From Chapter 13
He turned his head to look at her and she caught her breath.
He was a teenager, just verging on the edge of manhood but god he was beautiful. His eyes were huge and sparkled in the sunlight. Even from this distance she could tell they were as green and as bright as it was possible for a human's eyes to be. The string of brusies trailing down the side of his face were a blasphemy.
As quick as that she was past him. There was nothing she could do. She wasn't going to stop the car and stare as much as she wanted to. His face hung in front of her memory. She wondered if it could possibly be real or if she had deluded herself into believing she had seen an angel on the road to work.
Chapter 14
Caroline pulled into the lot at the rear of Al's and pounded on the back door. When Andy stuck his head out Carline waved at the back seat of her Corolla.
"There's your stuff, Andy. If you want it come get it. I'm not hauling it in for you."
She swung the passenger door open and walked back out to the end of the lot. Shielding her eyes with her hand she gazed back up the road, looking for a horse and rider. The kid and his horse were not in sight but she felt that she would see them again. After all, Al's was about the only building for miles. Where else was the kid going to go?
She turned and followed Andy into the kitchen.
"Listen, Andy," she said to his back as the tall guy was putting the supplies in the fridge. "If some kid comes to the back door looking for work, call me. He's only about fourteen or fifteen and looks like someone slapped him around pretty good. I want to see him if he shows up."
Andy turned to her, "Sure, Caroline. Anything you want and thanks for picking up the stuff. I really appreciate your help in the mornings."
"No problem, Andy," Caroline smiled. They danced this same dance every morning. It kept the wheels greased.
They both heard the front door jangle as an early morning customer arrived. Caroline headed out to the dining room and Andy headed for his grill.
A few minutes later the orders were lining up and Caroline was exchanging greetings with her regulars and pouring coffee. The morning sun was peeking in through the east facing windows and Al's was coming alive.
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The place got busier as the morning stretched on. For a beat up joint in the middle of nowhere Al's did alright. Andy's cooking was more than adequate and Caroline knew everyone's face and their likes and dislikes. A lot of customers didn't even have to order out loud. Caroline knew from years of mornings just how they all liked their eggs and what to put on their plates. She forgot all about the horse and rider until Andy stuck his head out the window when she went to pick up Mr. McGruder's fried eggs.
"Your stray's at the back door." Andy smiled. "He wants to know if he can work for breakfast. What should I do.?"
"Go on and feed him then have him wash dishes." She replied. "I'll come back to talk to him when it calms down a bit after ten. "
"Fine," Andy's head disappeared and Caroline stood on her toes trying to catch a glimpse of the boy. She wondered if he was really as pretty as she remembered or if it had just been the sun in her eyes.
Just after ten Margie showed up to start her shift; lunches were usually heavy and they needed two waitresses to cover the business. Margie brought Clay along with her. He covered for Andy in the kitchen. Clay was going to get a break today if as was likely the kid had already taken care of the breakfast dishes.
Caroline took off her apron and put her order pad away. She went through the kitchen and glanced at her stray as she headed for the back door. The boy raised his head as she passed and she once again was stunned by the greenest eyes she had ever seen. Up close now she was very aware of how long his lashes were. The lashes actually touched his cheeks when he blinked.
Out the back door Caroline circled the Corolla and opened the trunk. She grabbed some stuff from the trunk, put it in a plastic bag and then turned to go back inside.
She pulled out the chair on the other side of the table and sat down in front of the boy.
"How are you doing, kid?" she asked. "Did Andy give you enough to eat?"
The boy grinned at her almost shyly. "Oh yes. It was good. Thanks very much,"
"Hey, you worked for it. You don't' have to thank me." She paused for a moment. "I assume you have a name. I'm Caroline." She extended her hand,
"I'm Dean," he replied and shook her hand.
She pulled up a bag she had taken out of the trunk of her car. "Here, Dean. Try these on. It's only pull on sneakers and socks but they're better than nothing. You shouldn't be walking around back here in your bare feet."
The boy pulled out the sneakers and socks and had them on in a hurry. "Thanks," he grinned. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I ran out of the house so fast I didn't have time to find my shoes."
Caroline leaned away. "So what happened? Does it have anything to do with the bruises on your face? Who beat you up, Dean? "
The boy went back to staring at the table top. "It's kind of personal." He muttered.
Okay, fine" Caroline responded. "Just let us know if someone is chasing you. Tell us what to look out for. Where are you going, anyway?"
"I'm going to my brother, Sam" the boy answered. "He's out in California, a place called Palo Alto."
"Wow," Caroline breathed. "That's a ways to go. You know if you're heading for Denver and the pass through the mountains that's not the best way to go. You're going to end up in the Nevada Desert if you stay on this road."
Dean looked up at here, surprise on his face. "I didn't know that. This is the only way that I know to get through to California."
Andy wandered over and sat down. "Nah, if you want to drop down into Palo Alto you should go north to Fort Collins, cross Wyoming and head west to Laramie. Then you'll cut across the top of Nevada and drop into California above San Francisco. It's a much better route and easier to travel. It's thirteen hundred miles to Palo Alto. That's a pretty long trip, kid. What are you going to do, hitch hike?"
Dean shrugged. "I've gotten this far on my own. I just don't want my Dad to catch up to me so I gotta keep moving."
"Is that who hurt you, Dean?" Caroline asked. "Your father did this? Hopefully it'll take a while for him to track you down."
She tapped her nails on the table. "You know, today is Monday. Isn't Tuesday McGruder's regular day for going up to Fort Collins?" She glanced at Andy.
"I think you're right, Caroline." Andy said slowly. "Has the old guy been in yet today? Maybe you could ask him to give Dean a ride to the jump off for Laramie."
Caroline laughed. "Sure. Tell me Dean, have you ever waited tables? If you want to work this afternoon you might pick up enough in tips to buy a bus ticket from Fort Collins to Laramie, Wyoming.
After that you'd be on your own and it can be some pretty rough county west of Laramie. You'd be crossing Utah and then the top of Nevada near Reno before you hit the California border. You'll be sick of the Rockies long before you make it to the California valleys. You'll be following the old Overland Stage Route and that's no easy trail. "
"That would be great," Dean enthused. "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself in the back country.
Caroline remembered being that age. She thought that she could conquer the world back then too.
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John Winchester sat in driver's seat of his Denali up high in the pass above Denver, watching the slow moving traffic make the steep climb. He had been waiting here at a "Scenic Lookout Point" for a day and a night, convinced that Dean would be showing up every minute.
Eldon was still in the truck, which surprised the hell out of John. There had been more than one instance where John had held himself back. Now his supposed partner was irritating the hell out of him again with Eldon's talk of how he'd shoot Dean through the head as soon as look at him.
"Hey John, "Eldon whined for the fortieth time. "How long we gonna sit here? My ass is numb and I want breakfast."
"Shut up," John snapped.
"How do you know the wolf will come this way? " Eldon banged away on his same theme. "Why are you so sure?"
"I told you before; this is the only way that Dean knows to get to his brother. He'll be here, sooner or later. Now, shut up and give me some peace." John Winchester was far from a patient man and the string Elson was hanging from was getting worn pretty thin.
"You got to give up Winchester. The thing isn't Dean. Why would it even care what Dean remembers?" Eldon pulled up his damn rifle and targeted yet another bird. John reached over and knocked the rifle to the floor.
"Damn it, Winchester," Eldon barked. "You nearly shot me in the foot that time. What kind of hair you got up your ass now?"
"I've told you before," John growled back. "Stop shooting everything that moves. You're going to get us arrested sooner or later, you fool."
"Still pissed about that guy's dog, Winchester? I told you. It looked like a wolf. I didn't even see the leash."
John closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the steering wheel.
The thread snapped and John started the Yukon up. He pulled over the crest of the pass as fast as he could go. Light was getting bounced around in the passenger seat
"Jesus Christ, Winchester." Eldon bawled. "What the hell are you doing?"
"This is the last time I'm telling you to shut up, Light." John snapped. "Put you damn seat belt on."
John pelted on deeper into the mountains. He left the traffic behind and took a turn out posted with another one of those annoying "Scenic View" signs. When he pulled into a deserted overlook he shut the SUV down and threw open his door.
Once on the ground he stomped over to the rustic touristy spilt pine fence and braced his elbows on it, looking out over a mountain side of pines. The sky was clear. There was no sound except for the wind rustling the needles on the trees. Eldon finally threw open his door and marched over to John squalling all the way. Complaint after complaint fell from the man's mouth. When he finally reached the fence Winchester turned and punched his supposed partner full in the face.
"I told you to shut the hell up." John breathed and with each word punched Light in the face again. Finally he knocked Light unconscious. John Winchester picked the lighter man up, spun around and threw Eldon Light over the fence and down into the ravine. John leaned in to make sure Light fell all the way down.
He smiled grimly and shook the blood from his fist. He couldn't even see Eldon's body any longer. Good enough, John thought. Let the bastard live and try to climb out of that hole. Most likely something would come along and eat him hopefully.
Now maybe he could hear himself think again.
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Caroline's customer Mr. McGruder had dropped Dean at the Fort Collins bus station. It had only been an hour's wait for the next bus to Laramie. The pretty green eyed boy with a pocket full of crumpled bills had attracted some attention but no one bothered him. People stared but staring didn't hurt and Dean was running around inside his own head anyway, making plans and thinking things through.
He liked this body. People were kind, and helpful. When they asked if he was lost he told them he was going to his Grandad's house in Laramie. They all went for it and the lady selling tickets even gave him a break. She told him to go buy snacks for trip with the little bit of money left over. Laramie was almost a hundred miles away and the bus didn't stop along the way.
Dean gave her his sunniest smile and batted his lashes. He almost felt bad manipulating the nice lady that way but, he reminded himself, he wasn't really fourteen years old. The lifelong con man had difficulty holding his natural instincts down.
Waiting on the hard wooden bench he made friends with a couple of younger boys. They were so happy to show the supposed teenager their hand held games and how to play. This was a new world to Dean. He thought it was pretty likely that Sam knew all about this stuff but it was new to him. By the time the bus showed up Dean had a couple of complete ensorcelled followers.
He felt pretty comfortable buried with his underage friends. No one would look at him twice. He was just another boy entranced by electronic games; callow, loud and far too young to be dangerous to anyone. He doubted there would be any rumors about him and no Hunters would mention him at all. Unless someone on the bus had an EMF meter he couldn't see how he could be tracked.
After a while he got bored with the kids and told them he had to take care of making some calls to his family. The boys went further back in the bus to take up annoying their own younger brothers and their parents again. Dean watched out the window as the Fort Collins valley receded and the Rocky Mountains rose up before him inch by inch. The mountains lined the Western skyline, leading him on. He was very aware that those mountains separated him from Sam and his brother was all the family he had left.
Sam picked up on the second ring.
"Dean? That you?" Sam voice was warm and welcoming. "Where are you? When will you get here?"
Dean laughed. "Calm down, baby boy. I'm on a bus in Wyoming but I'm getting closer. I'll be there in maybe a couple of weeks at the most. Is it alright for me to come there?"
"Why wouldn't it be alright?" Sam asked. "Of course you should come here."
"Hasn't John filled you up with warnings?" Dean asked. "Told you to stay away from me and call him when you see me? I'm telling you, Sam; me and Dad are seriously messed up now. He wants me dead."
"Come on, Dean." Sam disagreed. "He's your Dad. He doesn't want you dead. That must have been a hell of a fight. Better even than mine. Dad told me not to come back but he never threatened to kill me. What did you do?"
"You'll understand when I get there, Sam" Dean replied. "Trust me though; I'm still your brother no matter what Dad thinks."