Chapter 26

"Ya might as well get over it, sulking's not gonna work." Bobby grumbled to the boy who was pouting beside him in the truck. He sat stiffly looking out the window ignoring Bobby. "I told ya if you wanted to do this, it was gonna be my way did I not?" he questioned waiting for an answer. When Dean didn't say anything he prompted him. "I can't hear you."

"Yes." Dean mumbled just barely loud enough to be heard.

"What's that? Wanna try that again?"

"Yes sir." Dean said louder and will a little more force.

"That's more like it. Now we're heading home and your training will start tomorrow. Any problem with that?"

"No sir." Dean pouted still mad that he wasn't allowed to help with the dispersal of the vengeful spirit. Bobby had made him set it out at the motel while Clay and him took care of the job.

"Good to hear it. We'll be rolling into Sioux Falls in about four hours; figured we'd stop and grab a bite to eat 'fore we get there." Bobby said continuing his one sided conservation.

Dean knew Bobby was right to not take him along on the hunt, but it still it made him mad about not going. He had learned a lot in his reading of the books Bobby had lent him, but the physical training part was another story. It wasn't that he was helpless, but he knew there was much more to learn when you're fighting spirits or vampires or werewolves versus fighting a human.

"Can we get burgers?" Dean finally spoke to Bobby after another hour of driving in silence.

"I'm sure the diner has burgers and fries if that's what you want." he answered glancing sideway at the boy and seeing the broody, pouting face was gone. Bobby hoped this was not a preview of what he was going to be dealing with as the teenage years fast approached. Damn what had he got himself into? He hoped that taking this kid in to train was not a big mistake.

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The truck pulled into the salvage yard and Dean looked around curiously at all the junk cars, equipment and other items sitting in the shadows around a two story house and a number of outbuildings. This looked like a very interesting place for a person to explore.

"Well grab yer bag and let's get inside, I'm ready for a good nights sleep and six am's gonna come early in the morning." he told Dean fishing his own bags from the back of the truck. "Come on I'll show you your room. Probably need clean sheets on the bed and airing out, but it'll do for tonight."

After shouldering his pack and picking up the other bag of clothes, Dean followed Bobby into the house and up the stairs to the second floor. Dean looked around Bobby and into a room that had two twin beds, dressers, a chair, nightstand and lamp and a chest at the end of one bed. He stepped in and gave the room a once over before sitting his bag on the bed nearest the door.

"Bathroom's across the hall there, towels and linen in the closet beside it. If ya need anything let me know. Now get some sleep." he said turning to leave.

"Bobby." Dean called to him before he walked too far away.

"Yeah kid?"

"Thank you." he said as honestly as he could.

"I'd hold off thanking me until your training's done. Don't think I'll go easy on ya either, I won't be pulling any punches. That is if you last that long." he told him before heading down the stairs.

Dean dug his bathroom bag out of his pack and stopped at the linen closet to get a towel, washcloth and hand towel before going on into the bathroom. He placed the towels on the sink and got his tooth brush and paste out to brush his teeth. After relieving himself and washing his hands and face, he stopped again at the closet for fresh sheets for one of the beds in his room. He moved his bag and quickly made the bed pulling the blanket and quilt from the chest up onto the bed. He changed into sleep clothes and slipped between the soft sheets letting his head sink into the pillow. Dean didn't realized how tired he actually was and let his mind shut down quickly drifting off to sleep.

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Trevor looked around to find himself standing by a calm, serene lake. He looked around searching for the boy of his dreams. It had been a long time since there was any real contact between them except for an occasional feather like, passing touch. Trevor had tried for months to reach him, but something was stopping their connection and he thought it was from the boy. It had happened that one night when he had the nightmare and could feel the other's tortured pain. It was like he was trying to protect him from that pain so he wouldn't suffer too. There were times he was sure someone else was watching him in his dreams just out of sight in the shadows where he couldn't be seem. He didn't know why the boy had being so distant and he missed his visits. Trevor saw the outline of a body right at the edge of the woods and took a hesitate step toward it for fear he would disappear.

"Hello." Trevor spoke to the shadowy form. "Is that you? Where have you been, I've missed you."

"I've not forgotten you." a young male voice whispered on the wind as it floated around Trevor's head. "I will find you." the voice said fading away just like the shadow in the trees began to shimmer and waver before vanishing.

"I'll be waiting." he whispered opening his eyes for a moment to see his bedroom in the dim light of the nightlight. He lay there for a moment thinking about the other boy and what he had said. He made a mental note to do some research on dreams and mental connections. He rolled over deciding it was too early to be up and tried to go back to sleep.

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"It's six am wake up." Bobby called slapping Dean's leg to wake him.

Dean came awake with his knife in his hand ready to do battle. He looked frantically around the room before landing on Bobby who was standing there staring at him.

"Well at least ya have the sense to keep a weapon handy." he commented. "Get dressed to run, wanna see at least five miles to start with before breakfast." he ordered before leaving.

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Dean pulled himself out of bed and looked through his pack for sweats and tee shirt. He was running low on clean clothes and needed to do laundry sometime in the next couple of days. Picking out some clothes, he headed for the bathroom and then went searching for the older hunter.

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Dean was breathing heavily when he stumbled up the steps of the deck and made his way back into the house. Bobby looked up at the sweaty boy as he sipped his coffee. Laying the paper down, he went to the stove and got a plate of food to sit down in front of the boy along with a bottle of water that Dean greedily grabbed and guzzled several large swallows.

"Thanks." Dean huffed drawing in deep breaths.

"After ya eat we'll see just how much you know." Bobby said pouring more coffee into his cup.

"Can I have a cup?" Dean asked eyeing the coffee.

"No, ya can have milk or juice or water don't need to stunt your growth." Bobby informed him. "Eat you got twenty minutes to be outside." he said strolling to the other room.

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Dean ate the food in front of him and rinsed his dishes before leaving them in the sink. He took a deep breathe and headed out the door wondering what Bobby had in mind next. He found him sitting on the deck sharpening several throwing knifes watching the sun make an appearance over the trees.

"So have you ever shot a gun?"

"Yes."

"What kind?" he questioned surprised with the yes.

"I'm not sure, it's a small hand gun, it's in my pack." Dean volunteered.

"You have a gun? Where'd you get it?"

"Does it matter?" he asked stiffening slightly, staring at him just daring him to question further.

Bobby studied the angry expression on Dean's face and the sudden wall he threw up. Without missing a beat he changed the subject figuring he would explore that matter later.

"Can you throw a knife?"

"Yes, a friend taught me." Dean replied still staring at him warily to see if he was going to ask anything else about the gun.

"Here take these two and see if you can hit that wall over there." Bobby instructed him pointing to a wooden wall attached to a metal building by the house.

Dean accepted the knives and stepped away from Bobby checking them for balance before facing the wall and quickly tossing the knife and followed through with the other. Both knives stuck into the wall side by side. Dean turned at looked at Bobby waiting for his to say something.

"Not bad, mark you a target and practice throwing for twenty minutes."

"Yes sir." Dean said walking to the wall and pulling the knives out. He looked around and found a piece of metal to mark an X on the wooden wall before stepping back a reasonable distance and began throwing the knives working on his accuracy.

Bobby sat down in a chair on the deck and watched the boy concentrate on his throwing. He had to admit he wasn't half bad, with training Bobby thought he would be a formable hunter. Dean brought the knives back to Bobby and waited to see what he wanted him to do next.

"Done any fighting?"

"Little, I had some martial arts training a while back and some hand to hand before coming to Hank's."

"Ok, let's see you throw a couple of punches." he said holding up his hands to him.

After bouncing slightly and getting his balance, Dean punched at Bobby's hands throwing several rights and following through with a left. He continued this for ten minutes before Bobby dropped his hands for him to stop.

"Alright, we need to strengthen those muscles of yours, drop and give me twenty-five pushups, sit ups, jumping jacks, squats, crunches and after that see how many pull ups you can do on that bar over there."

Dean looked at him for a moment and dropped to the ground to do the pushups counting quietly to himself. The muscles in his biceps started to burn by the time he hit twenty and his arms were starting to tremble when he finally counted twenty-five. He rolled over puffing and started to do the sit ups in a steady cadence. He got up and shook his body out as he continued with the other exercise before walking to the bar. Taking a deep breathe, he jumped and caught the bar and began to pull his body up counting each one until he dropped after fifteen. He walked around drawing in deep breathes letting the pain in his arms ease up. He looked over at Bobby who was eyeing him closely.

"Alright jog out the that wrecked pickup and back but weave back and forth like you're dodging objects." he told him. "Do that twenty times and come on inside when you're finished."

"Yes sir." he grunted doing as Bobby instructed and began jogging toward the wreck. Dean was determined to not let Bobby see how tired and sore he was. He wasn't about to give up on the first day of training no matter how hard it was. He knew Bobby was doing this for his own good, to get him ready for the unexpected. From what Bobby had told him and what he had read, no two hunts were ever the same even if it was the same type of creature; you had to be ready for the anything and that is why he was going to give it his all.

A/N: Bobby's going to be a tough teacher, but if Dean expects to stay alive out there, he'll need it. Thanks to all of you for this continued support and all who reviewed. I am glad you like how the journey is going and the brothers will be reunited soon. How that'll go, we'll just have to wait and see. Who out there thought tonight's episode was really good. Loved the parallel story between brothers and Bobby and Rufus. So miss Bobby. So let me know what you think, your reviews motivate me to post sooner.

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