Years Ago

"My mom's out there, somewhere," sixteen-year-old Ben Braeden said as he took a slow drag of the joint in his hand. Next to him sat his mute friend Chad, who'd had his tongue bitten off by a vampire when he was a college student. "I'm gonna find her, you'll see."

The two hunters were sitting outside of their bedroom window on the slanted roof of the old farmhouse, watching over the place while the rest of the group were out hunting demons in town.

Ben passed the joint over to Chad, who noticed an SUV driving madly toward the farm. He nudged Ben, who looked out into the distance. "That's Gary's SUV."

The two young men raced downstairs to the front door, and upon opening it, found a badly beaten and bleeding Mike and Mason with their arms around Asher, who was bleeding worse than the others.

Wayward Sons #30

"The Brothers Colby, Part Two"

Jacksonville

Her luxury Sedan having stalled in the small town, the red-headed woman had no choice but to wait for her car to be repaired. She'd hoped the car would be ready to go by sundown, but unfortunately wasn't the case, so she was making the best of it. Once the sun had set, she found herself in a bar, wondering why the men weren't approaching her like they usually did. She was a beautiful woman and was used to being hit on by all kinds of men, and the occasional woman.

Once the sun had set, Rowena immediately started to realize what kind of town she was in, and knew anyone else in her position would be in mortal danger. But Rowena wasn't normal.

Or a mortal.

Chad was patching up Mason as Ben walked out of the room that Asher had been taken too. He wasn't a doctor, but he was starting to pick up how to patch hunters up from the others. But poor Asher had really taken a slashing by the werewolf in the alley back in Jacksonville. Mike and Mason fought like hell, but in the end they knew that had to either stand their ground and die or flee and get help. They'd made it to the SUV and drove as fast as they could out of the town, hoping they'd find the old farmhouse that a group of hunters called home.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Ben said. "I tried fixing him up the best I could but-"

"But what?" Mike asked angrily as sat on the couch, nursing his own wounds.

"I'm surprised he survived the trip here," Ben told him. "A hospital probably could have-"

"The hospital's even further away from this farm," Mason said as Chad was sewing up a bad cut. "OW! Watch it, Chad, that's skin, not a torn t-shirt."

"He won't make it through the night," Ben said sadly as he stared down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Mike. There's literally nothing we can do for him now outside of making him comfortable until..."

"He's not dying," Mike said as he stood up. "He's going to be okay. He's survived way too much to die here. He's a strong kid, you'll see."

"Okay," Ben told him. "Okay. I'm going to go into the basement, see if I can dig up any more medical supplies. Maybe there's something stronger to try to hold him together."

Chad finished treating Mason's wounds when he stared over at Mike.

"I'll be fine," Mike told him. "I've had worse done to me. Is Asher at least... awake?"

"No, but that could change," Ben said as he headed to the basement.

Mason, holding his shirt in his hand, headed toward the bedroom. "I'm going to sit with Asher for a while. Let him know that we're here when he opens his eyes."

"Don't tell him about your parents," Mike said. "Bad news could-"

"Yeah, I know," Mason said as he walked into the bedroom, where Asher was laying on Ben's bed. His eyes were closed and he had blood and claw marks all over him. Mason tossed his shirt onto a chair and sat down next to Asher. "Hey, kid."

As Mike sat on the couch, tears started welling up in his eyes as he thought about all the people he'd lost over the last few years. His mother, friends who had died during Meg's rampage in Fitchburg, his adoptive parents, and now Asher could be dead by morning. Mike buried his head in his hands as he cried, glad that Asher wasn't awake to see his big brother looking so weak. It was then that the tears started turning into uncontrollable anger.

Five minutes later when Ben and Chad came back upstairs, Mike was gone. The door was standing open and the SUV was no longer in the driveway.

Asher moaned as Mason gently ran a hand through his hair.

"It's okay, buddy, I'm here," Mason smiled as Asher opened his eyes halfway.

"It hurts," Asher whispered.

"I know," Mason said. "But you're safe now. We're at the Wheat farm. Mike's just outside. Do you want to see him?"

"Don't let him see me like this," Asher said. "He already thinks I'm weak."

"What? No one thinks you're weak, Asher," Mason assured him. "You're one of the strongest people I know. You're brave, and smart, and you're one hell of a hunter. Remember that wendigo we killed? You took him down like a pro."

"Didn't want to see you hurt," Asher said. "Mason, I have to tell you something. In case I don't make it."

"Shhh," Mason whispered as he put two fingers on Asher's lips. "It's okay, Asher. I know. And you're going to survive, because you have a lot to live for. You've got monsters to kill and lives to save. And maybe... if you're up for it... our first date."

"Mason, are you-?"

Mason leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Asher's before pulling back.

" I've... been thinking of you ever since the night we killed that wendigo together. You were so strong and fearless. I was just too... ashamed to admit that I was into you. So don't you die on me, Asher. I'm not losing my first boyfriend to a werewolf."

"First boyfriend? Who else are you planning on dating?" Asher told him as he tried to smile. "If I live, Mike probably won't be-"

"Mike will just have to deal with it," Mason promised him. "The whole world will, because I'm not backing down. You give me strength, Asher. And I want to give you strength to fight this, you hear me? You fight this, and you get out of this bed and be my hunting partner, got it? We'll be strong together."

"Back, ya beasts!" Rowena shouted, having found herself surrounded by werewolves. She'd managed to incinerate some of them with what limited magic she had, having had to reserve her powers for years due to being banished by the Grand Coven, but it wouldn't be enough to take out a small town. She was about to try another blast of magic when she was hit from behind, knocking the youthful looking witch out.

The werewolves were closing in when a whistle was heard from not too far away. Mike stood there with two silver machetes that Gary had specially made to kill werewolves and vampires. The one in his left hand was the one that Mason had used to defend Asher against vampires not too long before.

"You bastards killed my foster parents and my baby brother," Mike said in an angered voice. "Time to return the favor."

The werewolves charged just as Mike did, swinging a machete and cutting one of the monster's heads off. He went into a slide, cutting off the legs of another werewolf that howled in pain as he rolled before two others could grab him. He quickly got back to his feet, holding his machetes firmly, twirling and slashing at his enemies, cutting into them enough to send them stumbling back.

The more Mike thought about his dying baby brother back at the farm, the angrier he became, which led to wanting more of the werewolves dead. He was killing anything that came at him, but he couldn't see the carnage that he was inflicting. All Mike could see was the first time he got to hold his newborn brother. He could see the first time he had to look after Asher the day his father left and his mother was too distraught to make the boys dinner. Mike could see sending Asher off to his first day of school with a freshly made lunch. Mike had become the father that Asher never had, and didn't regret a day of it.

By the time Rowena opened her eyes, Mike was standing amidst a pile of werewolf corpses, drenched in blood from head to toe. Even soaked in red, the witch could tell that he was crying and unable to move.

"You saved me," Rowena said as she stood up and saw she didn't have a scratch on her. "Such a brave young man. A little blood-stained, but brave. Do you have a name, wee one?"

Mike just stood there, unresponsive as Rowena looked into his eyes. "Ah, I see, you lost a loved one to these monsters. If only I had my full powers, I'd have been more than happy to restore them as a reward to you."

"Dead should stay dead," Mike whispered while still unmoving. "My little brother's gone, I need to accept that everyone I love leaves me in the end."

Mike's cell phone started ringing as he slowly answered, expecting it to be the call that Asher was truly gone.

"MIke, get your ass back here!" Ben shouted. "Its Asher, he's asking for you. I- I think he's going to be alright. I don't know how, but he's fighting it, Mike. Get here quick."

Mike hung up and looked at Rowena. "Asher, he's going to be okay."

"Then it seems like I still owe you for saving me life," Rowena told him as she gave him a card. "When you need me, call that number. You'll be able to reach me anywhere at anytime."

She kissed his bloodied cheek as she started walking away.

Mike came running through the door, still covered in blood as Ben looked at him. "Uh, dude, you wanna like, shower first?"

"No time!" Mike shouted as he ran into the bedroom and started breathing heavily as he saw Asher in the bed, his eyes half-open.

"What happened to you?" Asher asked weakly.

"You don't want to know," Mike said as he took Asher's hand, squeezing it as he smiled. "You have no idea how happy I am right now. You're going to be okay, Asher. You're gonna be alright."

"Maybe," Asher said as he looked up at Mike. "Maybe not. Depends on how you feel about what I'm going to say to you. I'm gay, Mike. You need to know that your precious baby brother is a freak."

"You are not a freak, and I don't care that you're gay," Mike told him. "You're still the same brother I raised. I will never stop loving you. Never. You will always be the most important part of my life. I love you, kid."

"I love you, too," Asher said as Mike looked at him.

"I'd hug you, but I'm drenched in werewolf blood,"

A few days later after Patrick and the other hunters returned home, a hunter's funeral was held for Gary and Linda. Asher had to watch from the bedroom window as he was still too weak to get out of the bed, but Mason had stayed with him, holding his hand as they watched Mason's parents be cremated.

"You know you boys are welcome to stay here with us for as long as you need to," Patrick told Mason.

"I appreciate it, but Mike and I were talking about what we were going to do next, and I think it's a damn good idea," Mason told him. "We're going to convert my parent's house into a hunter's roadhouse. I remember the stories my dad used to tell me about a woman named Ellen who ran one for years. Hunters need a safe haven, just like you offered to us. It'll take a lot of work, but I think we can make it happen."

"Well, if you boys need help, just give us a call," Patrick promised him.

"I wish you guys didn't have to leave so soon," Ben said as Mike was helping Asher stand up from the bed. "You're like brothers to me."

"Well, we get the roadhouse up and running, and you're more than welcome to come stay with us," Mike said. "Besides, more hunters means more info on that demon who killed our mom."

"And the vampires who took yours," Asher said. "Finding your mom's one of the things we're going to try to do with the roadhouse."

Ben didn't know what to say as he pulled both of the brothers into a hug. "I love you guys so much. By the way," Ben said as he handed Mike a baggie with marijuana in it. "Asher's going to need this while he recovers. Those claw marks are going to be a pain to work through."

"I am not getting my brother hooked on pot," Mike said as he tossed the baggie onto the bed. When he wasn't looking, Asher shoved it into his pocket.

Now

"I'm sorry for being a dick toward you when you've just been looking out for me," Asher said. "I keep forgetting how much you've given up to keep me in line."

"I haven't given up anything," Mike told him. "I have the roadhouse and I have you. I don't need anything else. And someday, the roadhouse will be all yours."

"Not anytime soon I hope," Asher said. "Mike, I think we should go help find Samandriel."

"You're still injured," Mike told him.

"It's not like I'm going to be running," Asher said. "If all else I can, I don't know, watch Hunter while you guys do the heavy lifting. Adam and Ben need us."

"Adam, huh?" Mike asked. "You really like him, don't you?"

"He's a good guy," Asher told him. "He's nothing like Mason, but... he's got a good heart."

"Okay, buddy, I'll go pack a few things and we'll hit the road," Mike said as he got up. "Probably should call Adam and let him know we're coming."

As Mike left the room, Asher just stared up at the ceiling. "Hey, Mason, I know you probably can't hear me, but... you probably saw with me Adam last night. I really like him, but... I don't know if I'm ready to move on from you, or if I ever will be. You're my first love. We should have been together for the rest of our lives. I just miss you so much. No one's ever going to be the man you were in my heart."

"Adam's not answering, he's probably charging his phone," Mike said as he came back in. "Let's get you dressed and we'll hit the road."

Windom, Minnesota

Adam pulled into the driveway and headed toward the house, not realizing that he was about to be ambushed by Patrick Wheat's sons and a ninja vampire while Prometheus, Hunter and Ben were all unconscious on the living room floor.

Next: Interview WIth the Alpha Vampire!