Pivot Point

Story Name: Pivot Point

Pen Name: ElenaRoan

Disclaimer: Don't own any of them, written purely for enjoyment.

Warnings:

Summary: What if Anna decided to derail the apocalypse by intervening to help rather than trying to make the brothers never having existed.

Timeline: Season 5

Note: I'm Australian and I can't bring myself to use USA spelling, sorry.

Chapter 92: Phone Call Curveball

Dean frowned as his phone rang, he didn't recognise the number, "hello?"

"Hi… uh… sorry… probably shouldn't be bothering you…" he placed the voice after a second and sat up straighter.

"Vin? What's wrong? You need Sam and me to jump in the car?" He was already half standing in preparation for finding Sam and telling him to get ready.

"No… no… nothing like that. There's… it's not even our case… but… thought maybe you could keep an eye out."

Dean frowned as he sat back down, he could have sworn he wouldn't have been the agent's first choice for calling to talk things over with, "okay, what's the details?"

"Okay… first I knew was this agent came to the office. In the course of an investigation, they came across something that made them think someone was in trouble, health-wise, possibly even physically. They don't think it's related to their case… when they ran the blood they found… they got a cousin match… to me."

"Damn… that's gotta be a gut punch. Any idea who?" Dean asked sympathetically, he was starting to understand why the other Hunter had called. And it had nothing to do with a sympathetic ear. Finding family was something he could well understand.

"No. Before that moment I didn't think I HAD any blood relatives. And I find out that they're at the very least very sick, probably even dead… someone throws up that much blood at a rest stop… they're not likely to be alive much longer."

Dean went cold, that had to be a coincidence. Surely nature would have taken care of that before it was found, "threw up blood? At a rest stop?"

"Yeah… off highway 57 in Illinois."

Dean was somewhat surprised he was still able to grip the phone, but he could have sworn… "Vin… what was your mother's name?"

"Elizabeth, no idea on her maiden name or if she even took my dad's though. She died when I was 5."

"Was it… on 26 July 1986, Onslow, Texas?" Dean asked hesitantly, not really sure what answer he wanted. On the one hand, someone having survived would be amazing, on the other, that they'd missed him when they'd gone looking.

"Yeah…" the hesitation in Vin's voice was audible, and he could only imagine what the sniper was thinking.

"Vin… we had no idea she'd had a kid…" Dean told him softly and apologetically.

"You would have only been… what… 6 at the time…"

"7 actually. But we've got the family tree… her maiden name was Campbell." He corrected.

"As in…" the incredulousness was very apparent in the other Hunter's voice.

"Our mum's family, yeah. Her father was our mother's uncle, brother of her father." He confirmed.

"And you made that connection…?"

"Because watching my brother puke up a quart of blood is kinda seared into my brain. If I hadn't had the phone number for Anna, I don't know what I would have done." Dean told him, closing his eyes as the memory presented itself again all too vividly.

"What happened?"

"Angel gave him some kinda illness, I didn't ask the details and honestly didn't want to know after Anna healed him." He explained.

"Okay, that would explain the no hospital admissions or morgue intakes."

Dean was vaguely surprised someone had actually checked, "closest hospital was a couple of hours away anyway, there was no way we'd have got there in time if they could have even done anything to help."

Vin didn't reply, though the silence sounded somewhat stunned.

"You doing okay?" He asked, the two of them were hardly what someone would wish for in discovering long lost family after all.

"Yeah… bit off-kilter though… didn't think I'd ever find family… was bracing for finding out they were dead… not even JD was able to turn up any information as to mum's family." Came the reply. Dean wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not that the sniper didn't sound unhappy at the discovery.

"The Campbells were a Hunter family, they knew how to hide their paper trail. Wouldn't be surprised if the only thing you really find on them are their birth certificates, probably marriage certificates, and the occasional death certificate. Think there's a couple of distant cousins still alive out there, but only because they didn't have even glancing contact with our mum. Old yellow eyes pretty much killed everyone who even knew mum, to isolate her, we think." He explained and braced himself for being told the other Hunter didn't want to know more. Being friends with the trouble magnet two of them was one thing, being family, blood family no less, was a different kettle of fish. But if he cut contact, he might be safe, from the trouble hunting them anyway.

"Even if it's just you two… that's still more than I thought I had…" Vin replied, sounding like that option had never even crossed his mind, before continuing hesitantly, "Dean… what killed her?"

He was obviously asking about his mother, not theirs, but the answer was the same regardless, "demon. Either yellow eyes or on his orders. If it helps, he's dead. Shot him with the colt 3 years ago."

"Not really… but it's good to know for sure." Vin sounded shaky, not that Dean could blame him.

"Look… we'll head that way in the morning. If it's not urgent, it would be better to drive refreshed, unless you need us there asap." He offered. It would also give him time to break it to Sam in a relaxed setting rather than in the car on the way.

"Definitely not urgent, but you don't need to come." The tone was of not wanting to inconvenience them rather than wanting them to keep their distance. He thought anyway.

"Probably, but we'd like to. Finding family doesn't happen every day, and we can bring what we know of the family. Only a 10-hour drive anyway." Dean told him and got a small laugh.

"That would be good. Text you where to meet tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. See you then."

He hung up and shook his head, incredulously. Of all the things he thought he'd have heard, that was one of the ones he'd thought impossible.

He pocketed the phone and went to find his little brother. He located Sam with Adam and Bobby going over one of the dusty old books.

Bobby looked up at him as he entered, then straightened as he recognised the expression, "you got a case?"

Sam and Adam snapped their attentions to him, Sam straightening up as he prepared himself mentally for heading out.

Dean shook his head, "not exactly. Need to talk to Sam though."

"Not exactly? What do you mean, not exactly? Either you have a case or not." Bobby replied with a frown.

Dean held up a hand, "I'll explain… after I've talked to Sam. Okay?"

The mildly annoyed expression shifted to one of concern and the older Hunter looked worriedly between the two of them. Sam's expression shuttered, but Dean was familiar enough with him to be able to see the worry and dread behind the control.

"Okay, but no leaving before you do."

"Gives me plenty of time then, we're not going anywhere before tomorrow." Dean replied before waving his little brother out of the door.

"What's going on, Dean?" Sam asked when they reached the kitchen.

He didn't answer straight away, instead gesturing at the table, "sit."

Of course, Sam couldn't just do so and remained standing while he prodded, "Dean."

He just gave his little brother a look until he did sit, then pulled a couple of beers out of the fridge and joined him.

Sam played with the bottle he was given, "now you're worrying me, Dean."

"Don't. It's good… I think."

Sam snorted, "very reassuring."

"Here's the skinny. Vin called. You remember how you puked up all that blood after Cas returned reprogrammed?"

Sam nodded.

"Well, apparently, some law enforcement agency came across it before nature took care of it. And decided to do due diligence since they figured someone needed help. They ran it through their database."

"Neither of us are in the database, I made sure of that."

"But Vin is. And it turned up a cousin match to him."

Sam sat up straight like he'd been electrocuted. A moment later, Dean jumped slightly as the beer bottle in his little brother's hand shattered.

Sam swore as his attention was drawn to it, reaching towards the glass to deal with it without really thinking it through.

"Hey." Dean snapped his fingers at his little brother to get his attention, "that's just going to get you hurt. If you need a focus put it back together."

Sam stilled and swore again, "I'm an idiot."

"Don't talk like that about my little brother." Dean chastised gently, "I know it's a shock. I wasn't sure what to say or do when I put the clues together either."

"Who?" Sam asked as he started fitting the pieces back telekinetically, smoothing the very viscous liquid that was glass back together over the breaks.

His big brother had no problem figuring out what he was referring to, "his mother was Elizabeth."

"Probably used his dad's name on his birth certificate." Sam stated, "to hide him. And now because of me, they know about him."

"It's not your fault."

"The psileech… Zachariah set it on him because he spotted he was of the Campbell family. They were only both there because I used that Enochian exorcism on Lilith."

"One, you didn't know and couldn't have known the exorcism would be that volatile. Two, the actions of others aren't your fault. And I'm sure Vin would agree."

"You can't be sure of that. He's the one that nearly died."

His telekinetic hold wobbled slightly, and he had to concentrate to keep from breaking it again.

"I gave him an opening to say he never wanted us within spitting distance of him again and he didn't take it. He wants to know more about his family, I said we'd head there tomorrow."

"He wouldn't have asked you to do that, mightn't have known him long but that I know."

"I offered. He didn't want to inconvenience us, but he definitely wanted to know more. Once I pointed out it's only a 10-hour drive, he didn't protest."

Sam looked at him, and Dean was glad to see a slight smile even if he wasn't sure what had prompted it, "'only' a 10-hour drive."

"What? It is."

"Our lives are weird, man."

"True." Dean shrugged, he emptied his bottle and stood up to toss it in the bin. Then grabbed a muesli bar and slid it across to Sam, "you gonna be okay?"

Sam gave him a strained smile even as he telekinetically retrieved to spilt drink from table and floor back into the bottle before capping it and handing it to Dean to throw away.

"You're not going to drink it?"

"Can't be completely sure I only scooped up beer." Sam replied, opening the muesli bar and taking a bite, "besides… alcohol messes with control, and I've messed that up enough today. Vin would be better off staying as far away from me as he can get."

"Sammy… he called me asking if we could keep an eye out for a cousin he believed was most likely dead. That's not someone who would ditch family just because someone else keeps trying to make their lives difficult."

Sam just gave a shrug, "I'm going to go meditate."

Dean sighed as his little brother headed out of the kitchen and to their room to do exactly that. Hopefully, that would give him a better perspective on the situation. While he was doing that Dean decided he may as well update Bobby as to the circumstances.

Bobby came out to him as soon as he spotted him at the door.

"Okay, spill."

"Remember how Sam got real sick after Cas returned reprogrammed and I got Anna to heal him?"

"Yeah…"

"A law enforcement agency came across the blood before nature had taken care of it. They ran it in their database."

"Don't tell me you're actually in there and got a match."

"No, but Vin from the ATF Hunter team is. And they got a cousin match to him."

"There's no way he called knowing it was you."

"He didn't, he called asking if we could keep an eye out, though I got the impression he wasn't really expecting positive results. He'd already been bracing for finding out the cousin was dead."

"And of course you recognised the description of what happened."

Dean nodded, "located his mum in the family tree too. Elizabeth died on 26 July 1986 in Onslow, Texas."

"What about his dad?"

"No record that she was married officially, but not all Hunters do if they meet after they've got into Hunting." Dean replied, "if I recall correctly, his dad died before he was born. And he was 5 when his mum died."

"I'll take a look at my records, can't guarantee anything though. Even if he was a Hunter, we mightn't have found out. And sometimes all we know is a Hunter went silent with no idea whether they died, what they were hunting, or if they actually managed to retire."

Dean snorted, "how likely is that to happen?"

"I'm sure some Hunter somewhere has managed to retire… at some point in time."

Was only an hour later that the older Hunter came found Dean where he was looking through the information they had on the family, Sam still hadn't returned from the meditation session, he handed over a sheet of paper.

"Vin was named after him, made it easier to find. Nothing on the rest of that family though, looks like he got into Hunting after something wiped 'em out." Bobby told him gruffly, "died in '80 to a werewolf. His partner, I'm guessing Elizabeth, took out the creature then gave him a Hunter's funeral."

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