Summary: Sam was a boringly regular guy. Best friend and sometime step-brother, Dean, was something different. When a hunter comes along, they hit the road. It turns out to be a long journey. AU Sam/Dean unrel slash, full SPN cast no OCs. Warnings: suicide dub-con mpreg.

The Monster's Child (Chapter 14: Forever Yours) by frostygossamer

Sam and Dean went back to the Sheriff's Department, where Sam spoke to Sheriff Mills again.

"This guy Nick, the ex, you check him out?" Sam asked.

"He'd got an alibi from his father, a judge no less," Mills explained. "Couldn't shake him. Personally, I agree he was mighty shady."

"You know where he was working?"

Mills glanced at the file. "Restaurant called 'Hell's Kitchen'. Why?"

"You check his vacation time?"

The sheriff picked up her phone and dialled the place's number. Sam memorized it. After a short conversation Mills put the phone down.

"Hmm. Spoke to the owner's PA. Sounds like the guy left there the month BEFORE the girl's death."

"Got a photo?"

Mills sent one to Sam's cell phone.

Dean and Sam went and showed the guy's mug around the bars and restaurants in town. One waitress Lucy, a pretty brunette, recognized the face.

"Yeah, sure. I remember him," Lucy recalled. "He came in a few times. He had camping gear, binoculars, video camera, tripod and stuff. Guess he was a bird watcher."

"Oh, yeah, he was a watcher, sure," Dean agreed.

Outside he met up with Sam.

"He WAS here," Dean told him. "And he WAS stalking Cassie, camping in the woods, making videos."

Sam rang Nick's last employer again, making out to be one of Sheriff Mills' deputies, and got the guy's forwarding address.

"Got him!" he said.

-~=O=~-

They arrived on Nick's doorstop the following night. A scruffy, stubble-chinned guy opened the door a crack, got a glimpse of Dean and ran back inside, desperate to get out the back way. Dean charged through the house and grabbed him in the back yard.

"Get him off of me! Get him off of me!" Nick yelled hysterically, as he squirmed on the ground with Dean's knee in his back.

Dean growled low as Sam caught up with them, breathless.

"Get him off of me," whined Nick again, pathetically. "Damn psychopath."

Dean rolled him over, pinning him down by the arms. Nick stared up at Sam, eyes wide with fear.

"He'll let you go when you tell me what the hell you did to Cassie," Sam barked.

Nick whimpered. "Cassie, the bitch, she told the cops I beat on her. Told me she didn't wanna see me no more. Walked out on me. And next thing I hear she's found herself a new guy, that ho. She was mine, MINE, and she needed to know that. I made sure she knew it. Made her pay for walking out on ME. Made her pay."

"You lured her into the woods and then you shot her. That it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Nick admitted. "She had it coming. And I made it look like she offed herself, cos it was her fault, all her fault. She did it to herself, cheating on me that way. Then HE jumped me."

"Who?" Sam demanded.

"Him! This bastard. First I thought he was a goddamn bear. Only there weren't no bears in the woods. He went for me like an animal. Hurt me bad."

Dean snarled dangerously and Nick flinched.

"Call him off. He nearly killed me, out in those woods. I got away by the skin of my teeth. Call off your dog, dammit!"

"Not till the cops get here," Sam said, opening his cell phone. "I'm sure the CSI techs are gonna find some very interesting videos in your collection."

The local cops were there in a few minutes. When they had arrived, Sam stroked Dean's hair calmingly and carefully prised his grip off of Nick's arms. His nails had drawn blood. Dean turned his head to face Sam. His eyes had that glazed look that indicated darkside Dean was in control.

"It's OK now, Dean," Sam told him quietly. "Nick's a dead guy."

He met Dean's eyes steadily, and after a few moments, Dean's expression changed, the spark returning to his eyes.

"He's a dead guy," he agreed. Sam nodded.

After speaking to the cops, and squaring things with Sheriff Mills, Sam and Dean got in the Impala.

As he pulled away, Dean grimly murmured "It wasn't a bear."

Sam nodded carefully. "But it was no dumb brute, Dean. Not the way Nick is."

-~=O=~-

The knowledge that Dean had almost killed a man for sure, and might very well have actually consumed human flesh, was unbearable to him. Sam upped his meds to try and prevent him descending back into utter despair, perhaps for good.

"Dean, you need to get outta this room before you get cabin fever," Sam told him.

Dean had refused to leave their motel room for six days. He was just sitting on his bed in the T-shirt and shorts he slept in, hair a mess. He looked like hell.

"I need to be locked up, Sam. I'm not safe to be around people," he moaned.

"Look, Dean," Sam began, sitting down beside him. "Maybe you lost control back there in the woods, but you didn't kill anyone. Not Cassie. Not even Nick."

"I ate...," Dean faltered, unable to say the words.

"We don't know that," Sam pointed out. "And even if you did... Jeez, so what? She didn't feel it. She wouldn't blame you."

Dean chuckled bitterly. "Doesn't make it any better."

Sam put his arm supportively around his friend's shoulders. Dean seemed strangely small and deflated.

"And when we caught up with Nick you took control back, right in front of my eyes."

"Yeah?" Dean asked, unconvinced.

"Yeah. So you CAN do it, Dean. You CAN control it. All we need to do is work on that. You can learn to suppress the dark side."

"Y'think," retorted Dean.

Sam smiled encouragingly. "But first we GOTTA get the hell outta this damn room and find someplace we can chill out and think."

-~=O=~-

It had been a couple months since they had last heard from Pamela, when Sam got a phone call. She sounded hesitant, which was strange for her.

"I need you to come over," she said. "There's something you gotta see."

Sam was intrigued. "Like what?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna tell you over the phone," Pamela exclaimed. "You really gotta see this."

"I'll get Dean and come over," Sam suggested.

Pamela was silent for a moment. "You might wanna come over alone. Reckon this is kinda personal."

Now Sam was curious. He made up an excuse to go out to the store, and left Dean watching crappy daytime TV.

Pamela met him at her door. They walked in the living room to find a little baby boy laying on the couch, face covered in chocolate. Sam smiled at the kid.

"Hi, scamp," he said.

The sticky infant beamed back at him sweetly.

"Yours?" Sam asked Pamela.

Pamela smiled wryly. "Yours," she said.

TBC

A/N: I'm sure you all saw that one coming.