Fellow hunter and family friend Caleb, saw his fair share of hunters getting hurt, or worst killed. But the Winchesters' were a special case.

As he sat by Bobby Singers hospital bed while the man slept, he went over the whole story of events in his head. "Leave it to Sam and Dean to make a family reunion into a shoot-out and kidnap." The young man thought to himself. "Especially that Sam." Caleb smiled fondly and shook his head. Sam has always been getting into trouble as far back as he can remember. And sure enough, there was Dean and John saving their youngest. Mostly Dean….especially Dean.

Speaking of the brothers, he wish he could be at the hospital with them. Of course he cared about Bobby, but both those boys held a special place in his heart. He knew Dean was going to be glued to Sam's side for a long while, and who could blame him? Especially when one of the people responsible for Sam's current condition is still out there. Ed Singer may just disappear since he has his blood money, but who knows if he'll send someone to tie up loose ends? No one is going to take chances like that.

Caleb leaned down and gently grasped the older hunter's hand. Everyone was told that the abusive drunk of Ed Singer has long been dead and buried. Of course if Bobby would have known something like this was ever going to happen? No way would he would have been unprepared.

John had called Caleb once he got to the correct hospital, and was at his boys sides. He had given him an update, saying that Sam was going to be fine physically, and most likely make a full recovery. Once asked how Dean was doing, he wasn't surprised to get a short answer of 'fine, but stubborn, refuses to get himself checked out, cause that means leaving his brothers side for just a second, and even with the guards and his own damn father standing guard, he isn't taking any chances.' Caleb had to laugh at that. Dean's behavior didn't surprise him one bit. But of course one thing worried him. "How far will he go to get revenge?" Once Sam is healed, and safely tucked away with a couple trusted hunters, those responsible will suffer. Caleb was sure about that.

Bobby let out a moan directing Caleb's thoughts to the man in the bed. Poor gruff old guy got shot by his own father, but considering how Booby had described the older man in passing, the drunken rampage didn't surprise him.

"Ssmm…Dennn"

Caleb knew Bobby was concerned about the brothers. He knew he thought of those boys as family, so of course he would be using any breath he had in his body to ask for them. Caleb put his hand on Bobby's head in a comforting manner.

"Hey Bobby you awake old man? It's me Caleb."

Bobby was in a lot of pain. Things were clearer this time waking up, but he was sure it was time for his next dose of some kind of pain medication.

"M'head." Bobby groaned. It didn't take a genius to figure out he needed to get a nurse, so Caleb jumped out of his seat, and into the hallway. He got the attention of the first nurse to walk his way.

"Hey can I get someone in Bobby Singer's room please? He's a awake and in pain."

The nurse nodded. "I'll get someone right away." As the nurse scurried away, Caleb briskly walked back into the room, and sat next to his friend.

Bobby had his eyes shut, but Caleb knew what he wanted to hear.

"So, Sam and Dean are both ok. Both are a little worse for ware, but they are strong young men, and will both make a full recovery. That's the good news." Bobby opened his eyes a little to squint at Caleb, who frowned. "The bad news, is your father is nowhere to be found. Johnny and myself think he made it to Mexico after all. Just in case he had any other friends, which I don't think he did, you, and the boys, have the most trusted hunters standing guard. Then because Sam was involved in a kidnapping and he's a minor, he has police guarding his room. Not like he needs with his bulldog brother with him, but just know for now? Everyone is safe. And we will get to the bottom of this old friend."

Just then a nurse came in with a syringe, and inserted it into Bobby's I.V line. The pain lines on his forehead started to relax, and he took a deep breath.

Bobby's words were coming out in a tired voice, but also a place of sorrow. "Growing up, all he did was drink and beat me and my ma. She passed from cancer when I was sixteen, but I went out on my own. All those years went by, and when I bought the salvage, I made a fake plot in the back yard to…'bury him'. Wasn't real, just helped with closure. Now the son of a bitch is back, and I'll be damned if I let him hurt those boys any more. Once I get out of this hospital, there will be no hiding from me. And this time? This time, there will be a real plot, with a real body in it, in my back yard. And it will be marked Ed…Singer." Bobby dozed off from the shot, and didn't notice Caleb's subtle tears running down his face. No hunter really has an easy life, but knowing doesn't make it any better.

*~SPN*~

The guards in and out of Sam's room didn't seem to care that Dean was leaving. They seemed to be a little bit relieved. No one still knows about Ed Singer, and no one knows who else could be involved in the kidnapping of the sweet sixteen year old boy with a gunshot wound. So having Dean out the room was a small relief for the guards that didn't know Dean Winchester.

Leaving Sam's side was a difficult decision. He didn't want to leave, but right now? He was being fueled by pure rage. Rage towards the men who dared hurt his brother, who dared to leave bruises and a gunshot wound in him, and who dared to try and take him away. Dean has never killed a human, he has thought about it before. Thought about if his family had come across some serial killer, would he actually be able to kill him?

In the scenarios, Dean convinced himself that he would be able to actually talk to the killers, make them see some kind of sense, and get them to willingly stop hurting and killing people. Dean was a hero with just his words when it came to human bad guys. But there were a couple of problems with his scenarios. One, he thought that serial killers might be able to start to see reason, mainly because they were human and not a supernatural being. He found that now to be false.

Two, in his scenarios, he was stopping the killers from killing an innocent civilian, not his brother. Because no way would he let his brother get caught up in some kind of serial killer scenario. He would drive Sam to the other end of the country before taking on a case like that, and even then? No way John would let either of his sons near a case like that. Now Dean understood why. He also understood that some people you couldn't talk too for one reason or another. This reason? Both Ed and his accomplish lacked empathy, there were both desperate, and both had nothing to lose. But now that Dean has lived one of his worse feared scenarios in his head, and Sam was now hurt in a hospital bed, with said killer not too far away? Dean knew what he needed to do. Who knows how many people, how many kids like Sam this guy has hurt in the past for one reason or another, and how many more he could hurt if he doesn't take action. Dean was on a mission, and he wasn't going to be stopped.

It was easier than he thought to find the guys room. Apparently hospital staff doesn't really care about a man that has hurt others, and is on his death bed, because sneaking into the hospital room and closing the door was even easier.

Now that Dean was in the same room as the man that took his brother, who scared him, and shot him? He felt no mercy. Sure Dean himself was still hurt, but now he had adrenaline and a thirst for revenge fueling him. He wonder if this is what his dad felt like when his mom died, if this is still what his dad feels like even after all these years.

Sure the death of his mother was rough, and of course he wants revenge on the demon that tore his family apart, but this was about Sam now. His brother that he raised, the brother that he protected, and the brother he feels he let down.

It would be easy to take this guy off the lie support, but Dean wanted him to suffer, suffer a fate worse than death, and make him feel ten times more scared than his brother did. Right now? All he could really do was pull his knife out, and rip this guy's heart out.

Dean got right up against the bed. The closer he got, the more surreal it became. He had to do this, he had to do this for his brother.

He raised the knife into the air, it would be so easy, and he would slip out before the nurses registered the death. He could come up with a good alibi, he was sure of it. He could get away with it, he knew he could!

Dean didn't realize tears were dripping his face. Not until he noticed how badly his hands were shaking while holding the knife above this bastard's heart. It would be so easy, so why couldn't he do it? What was taking him so long? He needed to avenge Sam, cause no one hurt his brother and got away with it!

He started to sob. Dean was sobbing next to this man who had hurt his brother. He was so caught up in his own jumbled thoughts, he didn't hear the door opening, didn't hear the man who walked in, and didn't hear the man who was standing right next to him until he started to speak.

"It's alright son."

Dean startled and soon the knife was up in the air again, this time pointed at the intruder, who instantly deflected the attack with little to no emotion on his face.

"Dad…"Realizing it was his own father, Dean put the knife down. Remembering he was crying, he tried to hide it. "What are you doing here?"

John walked closer to Dean.

"I saw you weren't in Sam's room when I got there. Which, I figured could mean one of two things, either you were getting coffee, or getting revenge, and since the coffee machine was vacant, I figured it was the latter."

Dean smirked. "Coffee here sucks. Had to do something else."

Now it was Johns turn to smirk. Then just like that, the clever banter was done.

"Dean, what did you think you were doing? I want an honest answer. And I'll try to keep an open mind here."

Dean took a deep breath, Dean and John looked at each other. "Honestly? I don't know. Dad, I want to kill this son of a bitch, I want to hurt him so badly for what he put Sammy through. I mean, I marched right over here determined to end him, then go after Ed Singer and put a knife right through his heart too."

"So, what's stopping you?"

"I don't know."

"I do. It's because you're a good person, a good man."

"I've killed plenty of things…"

"Yes, you've killed plenty of things, I trained you to kill the supernatural, not how to kill humans."

"You trained me to kill evil. To kill the evil of the world, and this guy is evil."

"Yes, but he is still a human. I taught you how to control your emotions while killing monsters, I never thought I would have to teach you on how to control your emotions while killing a human. Those things we hunt? They were made into what they are. This man was born, flesh and blood human. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve punishment, because he does, and I'm not saying I didn't want to get my revenge also, because trust me I do, but not like this. You're a man now, so this is your choice, but just know, you can never undo this, and you'll be a changed man. It's your decision Dean."

"Dad, the thing that killed mom, what if it was a human and not a demon? What if you came face to face with him?"

John was not prepared for this. Hi breath stuttered, because he had thought about it. What if Mary's killer had been human? Would he let the cops handle it? Or would he? But he had sons to think about, and Dean had someone to think about also.

"What would you think of me if I had killed a human who killed your mother? Forget about the lives we lead, if we were…normal, how would you think of me if I had killed a human?" Dean thought about it. His dad had killed a lot of things, and he was sure his dad had killed while in Nam, but that was a different story. This wasn't killing out of survival, this was killing out of revenge. "What would Sam think of you if you murdered someone for him?"

Dean stopped. Sam would never forgive him, but before that? Dean could never forgive himself. Killing a man already on his death bed wasn't him, that's not how he operated. Suddenly he was in his father's arms, sobbing, with his dad shooshing him soothingly. Dean pulled himself together.

"I can't do it. I want to, but damn it dad I can't. I won't"

"I knew you wouldn't. Let's get back to Sam's room. Besides, you really want revenge? Put all that into locating Ed Singer. We're pretty sure he made it past the Mexican border. Once Sam and Bobby are up and ready, we'll all get him together."

Dean and John made it out of the hospital room, and started making their way to Sam.

"No way is Sam coming with. He can stay with Caleb or Ash."

"Don't you think Sam might want some revenge also?"

"That's a nice thought, if only I would let that physco near Sammy. No, he stays in the U.S.A, under protective custody."

John shook his head and smiled. Dean was a great kid, and a fantastic man. Of course he knows Dean would kill for Sam, he's done it in the past with monsters, but killing humans requires a whole new level of commitment that Dean just wasn't ready for.

*I know it's taking forever! But I'm determined to finish this and 'Hunters and Heros' before the New Years.*