Disclaimer:Supernatural is not mine. More's the pity. They belong to Kripke Enterprise and the CW Network. I am not making any money from this; I am simply playing in the fantastic sandbox that Kripke created with these two characters.

Synopsis: Samuel Campbell (Sam) is called home from Palo Alto, CA when his father is killed in an accident at the ranch. His sister Gwen remained in the family business, though it was always his father's intention that Sam should run the family business. Her husband Christian has taken over running the business, but the ranch is losing money and since Sam is the sole executor of the estate he is forced to return. Upon returning home, he finds his family's business is a wreck; an unknown corporation is trying to buy them out.

After interviewing several men to take the spot of one of the hands, Sam's foreman Bobby Singer eventually settles on Dean Winchester. This is after the man saves Sam's life in a bar one night. The cowboy brings his own baggage including a small son. He is also running from something in his past that he desperately wants to keep buried.

Warnings: This is an unrelated AU story with Male/Male pairings. If you don't like that sort of thing, DO NOT READ THIS STORY. There is also foul language interspersed throughout the story, so be on the look out for that. Dean and Sam are unrelated in this story, since I don't really write Wincest. But I do like the dynamic between these two characters. ALSO IF YOU READ MY OTHER WINCHESTER STORIES…YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS ONE. PLEASE READ ALL WARNINGS.

Previous Chapter:

"Name's Rufus Turner." Rufus sank into an old wooden chair and immediately opened the bottle, pouring himself a glass. He eyed Sam before deciding that maybe he could use a glass too. "Here."

Sam took the offered drink and briefly wondered if the glass was clean before knocking back the amber colored liquor in a single gulp. "Thanks." He appreciated the burn of the liquid as it coated his insides with courage.

"So why did Bobby send you to me? Who am I looking for?" Rufus drained his own glass and refilled it. Sam couldn't help but notice that he wasn't offered a second glass.

"A friend of mine was taken…and I don't know by who or why. But I do know he's in danger." Sam inhaled and prayed to god that this man could help him.

"You sure he didn't just get sick of looking at you and take off?"

Sam couldn't help being offended by the comment. "Yes. I'm sure."

Rufus shrugged. "Just asking. So this guy, he gotta name?"

"Dean Winchester…and his son Emery."

Rufus nodded. "Okay. Well, give me a few hours and let me see what I can come up with." Sam made no effort to leave. "You got a place to go?"

Sam shook his head.

"Yeah, I thought not." Rufus exhaled slowly. "There's a couch in the other room and a television from the early eighties. Only gets three channels, but I got a dvd player…and some old movies. Make yourself comfortable kid." He stood up and headed into another room off the kitchen and Sam scrubbed his hand down his face.

Sam was startled awake when a hand pushed his legs off the couch and he had the distinct feeling of falling. "Son of a—"

"Kid, you need to let this guy stay gone." Rufus said as he sank into a chair off to Sam's right.

"What?" Sam queried as he ran his hands through his hair.

Rufus shook his head. "This Winchester guy…he's bad news. Let him stay gone."

Sam furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know anything about this guy do you, kid?" Rufus tossed back another drink of the scotch.

"I know enough. What'd you find out?" Sam found that all exhaustion drained away at the thought of learning something real about Dean.

"This Winchester guy…he's attached to the mafia in Chicago…and that kid? That ain't his kid…he's the heir to the whole mafia shebang." Rufus took another drink and then passed the half empty bottle to Sam. "He's an assassin kid…and he's wanted for the murder of the boy's mother…and at least half a dozen other grisly murders."

Sam felt all the air whoosh from his lungs. Dean's a killer? That can't be right. "I don't believe that." He stuttered.

"I can show you the arrest records and the police reports if you want…" Rufus paused and took a long breath before continuing. "But you don't wanna see those. What that guy did to that poor woman…it was sick. Like twisted sick."

Sam's whole world felt like it was crumbling in around him and found that he couldn't say anything. He couldn't have been that far off the mark about Dean…there had to be something that was missing in those files. Because Dean…the Dean he knew…couldn't do something like that. He'd seen the man's devastation when talking about Lisa…he'd loved that woman. And Emery? Dean would never hurt that kid. So what was the truth? He didn't know, but he was sure as hell gonna find out.

XXXX

Chapter 14

Comet Star Motel

The drive was uncomfortably quiet as the road rumbled under the wheels of the car. The son of a bitch was smoking too. He was smoking in Dean's baby and he if he hadn't already been determined to kill the bastard he'd be at the top of that list now. The guy blew smoke out the opened window and then tossed the butt out onto the passing countryside. The only thing that was making this worse the fact that Emery was in the other car and Sam must think that he abandoned him.

"That's a $300 dollar ticket." Dean growled and he readjusted his hands and glanced in the rearview mirror. The other vehicle was several car lengths behind them and he could see Emery in the front seat. He shouldn't be in the front seat.

"Mind your own business and just keep your eyes on the road." A sudden jag in his ribs had him grimacing in pain and anger.

He wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel more tightly and clenched his jaw. The only thing he could picture was a bullet through this guy's skull. Dean inhaled slowly, he thought he'd left that part of himself behind…okay, I prayed that I'd left it behind.

"Take this exit."

"Why?"

"The suns dropping you idiot and I don't fancy sleeping in this piece of crap all night."

Dean slowed and took the exit, he glanced in the mirror to make sure that the other car did the same. "You realize you're insulting an American classic, right?"

"Whatever. Next motel you see, pull over." The man pulled his cell phone out and dialed a number. "Hey, it's me…we're pulling over for the night. Yup. Two rooms, you keep the kid with you and I'll stay with Winchester."

"I want to see my son." It was more of a growl than anything else.

The other man sighed and placed the muzzle of his gun against Dean's shoulder. Honestly, dean thought it was a threat, but the resound of the weapon and the searing pain informed him otherwise.

Dean's face screwed up in agony as the bullet ripped through his shoulder. He couldn't even tell if it had exited and to make matter worse it was his right shoulder. Since he wasn't left handed, that was a fucking problem. Plus, he was getting blood all over the leather and it was a real bitch to get out.

"That wasn't a warning…that was a taste of what's to come…and what we're authorized to do to that sweet little boy."

"Could've just asked…you didn't need to shoot me. I'm a quick study, even got a gold star once." Dean swallowed the pain and debated on trying to staunch the flow of blood. He groaned and pulled off at the Comet Star Motel.

"Shut up. God, Winchester…no wonder they want you dead."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows at that. He'd known that the family would want him out of the picture. But it always sucked to hear that out loud. Lisa's last day flashed before his eyes and he blinked several times trying to clear the last image of her. Tied to a chair, the blood dripping from her head where something had been driven into it over and over again. The small cuts all over her body showed that she's lasted for a long time before they'd finally seen fit to end her suffering.

The only thing that would have kept the woman holding on like that was if they'd threatened Emery.

XXXX

Sam stared out the window of the truck as it powered down the highway. The sun had set and the temperatures were dropping the further North East he got. And he had nothing but time. Time to think about Dean's hands on his body and the smile that lit up the older man's face when he laughed…oh God, his laughter…

And then there was Emery. The little boy that Dean so obviously worshipped and judging by Emery's response, the feeling was mutual. They were a happy functional, well sorta, family. Sam inhaled and yawned as the clock ticked past eleven thirty. He saw the signs for a motel up ahead and took the exit. Every fiber in his body wanted to keep driving, but his sagging eyelids and the fuzzy feeling in his brain told him it was time to stop.

The glowing comet with a long neon tail and a vacancy sign made him pull into the manager's slot. Sam was just peeling himself out of the seat when he spotted a car that looked an awful lot like…No…it can't be.

Sam hunkered down and moved slowly toward the black Impala and the blue sedan. "Son of a bitch." He whispered as he looked into the car. It was empty, but something on the front seat had him gasping. A large red stain against the leather of the driver's seat made his concern jump several notches to flat out fear. Someone was bleeding…a lot. And that someone had been driving Dean's car.

His gaze swept the row of closed doors, two of them had the porch lights on. A shadow moved in front of the curtained window and Sam dropped to his knees. The door to room 5 opened and a man stepped out to light a cigarette, Sam only thought about his actions for half a second before he threw himself onto the man. His fist connecting with the man's chin, he went down like a felled tree.

Sam pushed the door open after dragging the guy into the bushes. He was starting to feel like a real badass…that is until he saw the blood on the floor inside the room as well. The man hadn't been injured, which meant that it was probably…Dean.

"Dean?!" He whispered loudly as he shuffled into the room. The water was running in the bathroom. Sam glanced around and he grimaced when he didn't see any sign of Emery…That was bad. "Dean?" He called a little louder and then pushed the door open.

Dean was leaning over the sink, staring intently in the mirror. His right shoulder a bloody mess as he dug at something in his shoulder, probably the bullet, Sam thought grimly. Sweat was running down his handsome face and it was screwed up in pain. Green eyes finally panned over to meet blue-green. His lips parted in a silent 'oh' and he looked away.

"Dean…what happened?" Sam's hands ached to touch the smooth flesh of Dean's back. If only to reassure himself that he was actually real.

Dean turned back around, his face masked of any emotion and he shrugged. Then the pain flashed across his eyes and he bit his lip. Sam's gaze dropped to the shoulder. "The bullet still in there?"

"No, I just enjoy digging around in my own shoulder joint." Dean regretted the snarky comeback almost immediately. Sam's face took on a wounded look and he stepped away. "I'm sorry Sam…it's been a shitty day." Dean looked around, "Where's my guard?"

"Out cold in the bushes…where's Emery?"

"Next room over." Dean turned back to the mirror and made a face before lifting his left hand to his shoulder again.

Sam's fingers covered the blood soaked skin and he stilled the movement before Dean could do more damage. "Let me help."

"Change of plans. Help me wrap it and let's get Emery." Sam started to argue and Dean held up his hand. "I'm glad to see you Sam…you have no idea how much. But the only reason I was digging at this is to keep from trying to kill these bastards."

"Okay." Sam wasn't going to argue. He wanted to help and he knew that Dean was right. That guy wasn't going to stay unconscious forever. He grabbed a white towel and tied a makeshift bandage around Dean's shoulder. It wasn't pretty, but it would work for now.

Dean pulled a shirt on and his lip pulled in pain as he wrenched his shoulder wrong. "Fuck." He growled as he buttoned an over shirt. It hid the blood and the white bandage.

"You gonna be okay?" Sam asked. His insides were twisting with all the things he wanted to say and the things he knew he couldn't. The desire to pull Dean into his arms and never let him go was so strong that he found it physically painful. He more than liked this mysterious, possible bad guy…he was falling love with him. "Can I ask you one thing?"

Dean tossed him a distracted look as he peered out the window, the guy was still crushing the bushes and the two cars were still in the lot. "Is this really the time for twenty questions, Sam?"

"Just one thing I need to know before I go any further." Sam stepped up and debated on turning Dean around. As it turned out he didn't have to. Dean turned on his own.

"What do you want to know?"

Sam gulped and pushed forward. He could forgive almost anything, but he needed to know if Dean had killed people. Had he killed Emery's mother?

"Lisa…" Sam tried to force the words out, but they wouldn't come.

"Did I kill her?" Dean's face darkened and he looked both and angry and sad at the same time. "No." He saw Sam's hesitation, he had another question. "Spit it out, Sam."

Sam licked his lips. "Have you killed other people?"

And there it was. It was the one question that Dean wouldn't lie to Sam about and the one question that would irrevocably change Sam's feelings towards him. Somehow, Dean hadn't thought that it would be this painful to let Sam go.

"Yes." He watched as a myriad of emotions passed across Sam's face in rapid succession. Everything from shock to disgust, revulsion, and finally loss. "I won't blame you if you leave…but please…" Dean stepped up and Sam jerked his arm away. Hurt reflected out of deep green pools as Dean stepped back. "Help me save my son."

A pair of bright blue eyes flashed in front of Sam's eyes and he knew that he couldn't leave that kid to this fate. Not for any reason. "Okay. Let's get him home safe."

"And then?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Here's the deal Dean, I'll help you get Emery and I'll help get these people off your tail…but then…" Sam's voice drifted off.

"We'll leave…"

That thought scared Sam worse than the thing he thought Dean might be. "I'm not saying that…just…" He swallowed. "…we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

TBC…

Authors Note: "Dean carefully twisted the door of the room open. As he stepped inside he was assaulted by the musty smell of the room. That didn't make sense…not if Emery and the other guy had checked in. He looked back as Sam as he too slipped silently through the door, he nodded toward the beds and Sam immediately set himself at the base of the one closest to the window. Dean waited for a moment longer before flipping the lights. The room flared to life with yellow lights and both men gasped at the sight of the empty beds. They'd never even been slept in. Which meant that they had no clue where that bastard had taken Emery. Dean's knees buckled and he sank to his heels as the pain of failure crushed him." Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed, so sorry this has been so long. My work schedule got crazy, but I worked in some time for this. Thanks to: Mrs. Winchester, Gina Mark, Carolina888, redcheeks28, ajaali, redyellowgreenandblue, mb64, Miuda22, DearHart, and LeeMarieJack.

Please Review: Let me know if you guys are still out there, I know I've been away.