Family is Where the Heart is

Chapter 50

Dean drove down the highway, excited to be driving the Impala again. "Woo!" he yelled out. "Listen to her purr. You ever heard anything so sweet?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam just shook his head at his brother, smiling, "You know, if you two wanna get a room, just let me know, Dean."

"Oh, don't listen to him, baby," Dean assured the car, "he doesn't understand us," and looked up at the rear-view mirror to see Sarah sitting behind him, zoned out on her PSP. "Right, baby girl?"

Sarah wasn't paying her father any attention. She was trying to take her mind off life by killing some zombies. The Winchesters had stayed at Bobby's for almost a month until Dean and Sarah finished rebuilding the Impala and waiting for Sarah's shoulder to heal. Not much had changed though since she and her father had talked. Sarah was still not herself. In fact, she had been itching to get back out there and hunt so badly, she didn't care what it was. Sarah just wanted to kill something and video game zombies weren't cutting it. So when they caught wind of a possible hunt, Sarah immediately agreed.

Sam had scoffed at his brother's enthusiasm. "You're in a good mood."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Dean asked.

"No reason," he shrugged.

"I got my car. My baby girl in the back all healed up, nicely. Got a case. Things are looking up." Dean stared out his window at the passing scenery.

Sam could not believe the sudden change in his brother. Now if only he could see his niece that way. "Wow," he laughed. "Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows…and you're Mr. Sunshine."

Dean let out a small snicker, grinning as he stared ahead again. "How far to Red Lodge?"

"Uh," Sam looked over out the front window, "about another three hundred miles."

"Good," said Dean, wanting to drive for as long as possible. Not only was he excited about how good the Impala was roaring but it was also because it was something his daughter and him built together. Dean remembered the many times when he was growing up when he and his own father was always working under the hood, fixing it up. That was only doing small things that took a few hours tops. He and Sarah actually redid everything, from the engine to the rims, and Dean was loving every moment of it. The Impala wasn't just his anymore, it was Sarah's, too and he had already given her, her first lesson of driving it. Of course, Sarah had to sit on his lap but it was something.

Upon arriving in town, the Winchesters spoke to the sheriff about what they knew first. It didn't really help and Sam got a little uncomfortable and creeped out as he noticed his niece seeming to enjoy how the sheriff was explaining how a cow drops dead.

When they were outside again, Sam noted, "Peanut, you definitely scare me, sometimes."

Sarah just shrugged.

They headed over to the morgue where Dean got the head mortician out before they got started looking over the body and the severed head.

"All right, open it," Dean nodded up at Sam.

Sam looked back at his brother like he was nuts. "You open it," he replied.

Dean sighed and lifted the box with the head inside, "You wuss," and carried it over to an examining table. He flipped the lid off as Sarah was pulling a step stool over so she could see, as well. A strong smell hit their nostrils. Dean turned the box around and stared down at the lifeless head.

Sam walked over still putting his own gloves on.

"Well, no pentagram," Dean shrugged.

"Wow," said Sam, staring at it. "Poor girl."

"Maybe we should, uh, look in her mouth. See if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kind of like the moth in Silence of the Lambs," he suggested.

"Great movie, by the way," Sarah pointed out.

Sam pushed the box over to Dean, "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead."

"No, you go ahead." Dean pushed it back to him.

"What?" Sam asked of him.

"Put the lotion in the basket," he smiled at his brother, trying to keep a straight face.

"Right, yeah, I'm the wuss, huh."

"Oh for Pete's sake." Sarah grabbed onto the edge of the box and pulled it over towards her. She then stuck her gloved fingers in its mouth and pushed it open, examining inside, closely.

"That's my girl," Dean praised but got a look that said, and I'm supposed to be the kid?

Sarah continued to look inside the mouth until she noticed holes alongside the gums. "Dad, Uncle Sammy, check this out."

"You want me to throw up, don't you," Sam told her.

Sarah pulled her hands back and dropped them at her side, on the table, leaning on them. "You have seen many things in your life and have killed a lot of monsters, seeing blood and guts spill out, and you're worried about looking inside a freakin' vampire's mouth?" she questioned of her uncle.

Dean looked alarmed. "Vampire?" he questioned, too.

Sarah looked back down and lifted the head's upper lip, pushing on the gums. A porcelain white fang popped out.

"A retractable set of vampire teeth," Dean realized. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Well, this changes things," said Sam.

Dean looked at his brother, "You think?"

Sarah was biting her lower lip, starting to suck on it as she stared at the head. Why did it happen to be a vampire? Why? Yes, she wanted something to kill but why vampires? Vampires were the first hunt she went on with her grandfather and it didn't help that it was barely a little over a month ago. She didn't cry though. Even though her father said it was good to cry, Sarah was actually all cried out now. She was way passed that stage. Now, she just held what was left, in.

The Winchesters headed over the local tavern that night. Once they were inside, Dean wrapped his right arm around his daughter, protectively as they walked up to the bar.

"How's it going?" Dean greeted the bartender.

"Living the dream," he said. "What can I get for you?"

"Two beers and a ginger ale, please." Dean unhooked his arm so he could take out his wallet.

"So we're looking for some people," Sam began as the bartender turned to fish out the drinks for them.

The bartender scoffed, "Sure. It's hard to be lonely."

Sam half smiled and shared a look with his brother. "Yeah, but that's not what I meant," and unfolded a fifty dollar bill, setting it on the counter. The bartender looked at before he grabbed it. "Great, so these people, they would have moved here about six months ago. Probably pretty rowdy, like to drink."

"Yeah, real night owls, you know," Dean added, putting his beer to his lips. "Sleep all day, party all night."

"Barker Farm got leased out a couple months ago," he said. "Real winners. They've been in here a lot. Drinkers. Noisy. I've had to eighty-six them once or twice."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks between them before Dean thanked the bartender. They each took one last swig of their drinks, including Sarah before turning around to leave the bar, getting a suspicion they were being watched. The Winchesters headed outside and around back, splitting up. When a guy came around the corner, they jumped him, pinning him to the wall.

"Smile," Dean ordered the guy.

"What?" he questioned.

"Show us those pearly whites."

"Oh for the love of…" Dean pushed the knife closer to his throat. Sarah looked as if she was rearing to take the guy down, right then and there. "You want to stick that thing somewhere else? I'm not a vampire."

Sarah perked up when she heard him mention vampires. Was he another hunter? The curiosity fueled her attention.

"Yeah, that's right," he continued, staring at Dean. "I heard you guys in there."

"What do you know about vampires?" Sam asked of him.

The guy looked over at him with just his eyes, "How to kill them. Now, seriously, bro, that knife's making me itch." There was a moment of silence before he tried to break his arm free from the boys.

"Hey!" Sam said.

"Woah, easy there, Chachi," he told him and slowly raised it to lift his upper lip, showing them that he wasn't a vampire. "See? Fangless. Happy?"

It actually disappointed Sarah that he wasn't. She wanted to slaughter something soon before she exploded in anxiousness.

Sam and Dean took a step back, next to Sarah.

"Now, who the hell are you?" the guy demanded.

"None of your business, pal," Sarah told him, coldly which she felt her father place a hand on her shoulder, letting her know to take it easy before he introduced the three of them. Turns out, the guy's name was Gordon.

Gordon took the small family over to where he had his car parked to show them his arsenal. "Sam and Dean Winchester. I can't believe it," he smiled at them. "You know, I met your old man once. Hell of a guy. Great hunter."

Sarah looked up him, slowly. So, he knew her grandfather, huh? Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"I heard he passed. I'm sorry."

Sam and Dean nodded, not saying a word. Dean stared down at the ground.

"Big shoes," Gordon continued. "But from what I hear, you guys fill them. Even this little one here."

Sarah glared up at him at that, "Who you calling little?" she threatened.

"You, shorty," he replied.

"You know, I can have you down on your knees like that," and Sarah snapped her fingers to prove her point.

Dean grabbed the back of her new leather jacket (well, new to her anyway), and yanked her back to bend over and whispered to her, "Next chance we get, you're over my knee. Don't think I forgot what I said back at the roadhouse." He let go and stood up, apologizing to Gordon for his daughter. "You seem to know a lot about our family."

"Word travels fast. Just picked up word there was a new Winchester in the gig. You know how hunters talk."

"No, we don't actually," he said, looking over at Sam, who was staring at the guy.

"Guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?"

Dean looked back at him, raising his head.

"So, um," Sam began, and shifted his weight on his feet. "So those two vampires, they were yours."

"Yup. Been here two weeks," Gordon smiled.

"Check out that Barker farm?" Dean asked.

"It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone."

He shrugged, "Where's the nest, then?"

Gordon retracted his weapon arsenal back into his car. "I got this one covered. Look, don't get me wrong, it's a real pleasure meeting you fellas. But I've been on this thing for over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it."

Sarah shrugged, "We could help you. A team is better than one."

"Thanks," he told her. "But I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy."

Dean smiled, "Come on, man. I've been itching for a hunt."

"Me, too," Sarah chimed in.

"Sorry," he said. "But, hey, I hear there's a chupacabra two states over. Go ahead and knock yourselves out." Gordon then got into his car. Looking back, he said, "It was real good meeting you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side," and started the engine, driving away.

The Winchesters watched him leave before exchanging more looks between each other. But none of them took no for an answer and before anyone knew it they had hurried over to where Gordon was taking on a vampire at a warehouse where he was on his back with the vampire over him.

Sam pulled Gordon away from a motorized saw while Dean and Sarah charged over and took care of the vampire. Sarah had him, knocked off his feet as she and Dean went at it, and repeatedly punched the vampire in the face, not taking it easy in the slightest. All that was pent up was released into every single punch.

Dean ordered his daughter to move before dealing the final blow, sawing off the vampire's head as blood splattered all over his face. Sarah watched it like a kid on Saturday morning, watching cartoons and Dean felt like one on Christmas morning. He stood up and looked over at the others.

"So, uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink," Gordon told him and let out a scoff that said, amazing.