A/N: I want to thank VegasGranny and Clowns or Midgets for their advice on this one. I did struggle with it trying to come up with something different and I think it turned out well. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I do like reviews. NC


S

Dean pulled out briefs and socks from his dresser and moved to the bed to drop them in his bag. He slid his laptop in last and closed it before picking it up to leave. He opened his bedroom door and stepped into the hallway, pausing to look toward the intersection that led where his brother's bedroom was. Dean took a step that way to go tell Sam he was leaving but stopped himself and turned instead to head toward the map room.

It had been nearly two weeks since he had come back to the bunker after getting the angel out of Sam. In that time, there had been a half dozen one syllable words spoken between them. If he was lucky, he might catch sight of Sam once a day. He was getting tired of the silent treatment. He knew Sam was royally pissed at him for tricking him into saying yes to an angel, but he couldn't stand by and let him die.

The bunker was quiet as he walked into the map room and up the couple of steps thinking he would grab a coffee and be out of here before Sam woke up. Dean faltered in his steps when he looked up and saw Sam sitting at a library table tapping quietly on his laptop. He saw Sam's eyes look up for a second, dismiss him, and go back to what he was doing.

"I'm leaving, may have found a case," Dean said, waiting for Sam's reaction.

Sam paused in what he was doing to look up again, a neutral expression on his face. "Fine, I'm heading out too." He pushed his chair back and proceed to retreat into the kitchen without any further explanation.

Dean watched Sam walk away and all thoughts of coffee fled his mind. He had been dismissed and couldn't stop the ache that twisted in his chest. He never thought it would come down to this. Sam barely tolerated him, wouldn't talk to him, ignored him and seemed he didn't care anymore. Dean turned and headed back down the steps and toward the garage to the Impala to leave. He got the message loud and clear; Sam didn't want to be brothers anymore; they were not family.

spn

Sam was surprised to see Dean up this early when he looked his way noticing his bag but didn't say anything. When he heard Dean say he was leaving to check out a possible case made him angry. He didn't ask if he wanted to come alone or tell him where he was going. That was fine with him. He had found his own case to check out and would let Dean do his thing while he headed for Irving, Texas.

Dean's footsteps faded away as Sam stood in the kitchen waiting to see if he would come in there. He drew in a slow breath and pushed it out. When Dean came back, he didn't know it would be this hard. What he had done…Even when he knew how he felt about it…It was unforgiveable. He had crossed the line one too many times with him. Now Sam had to carry the guilt of killing Kevin with him the rest of his life. He knew it was Gadreel that was actually in control, and did it, but it still didn't help with the remorse and shame of it.

He pushed from the counter and headed to his room to pack his bag and head out. There was no use hanging around here alone. He had already mapped out a route and knew it would take him about eight hours to drive there. He grabbed the pages he had printed out and laid them with his laptop before heading down the hall to his bedroom. Sam couldn't help but pause for a second at his brother's bedroom door wondering if things would ever be the same between them again.

After packing a bag, Sam headed to the library and picked up his computer bag before heading to the garage to get a car. He had found an older model Dodge Charger in a used car lot a while back and bought it to have a car when Dean wasn't around. He was glad he did now and grabbed the keys off the rack on his way by. He dropped into the driver's seat and cranked her. It didn't sound as good as Dean's Baby, but it was fine with him. Sam had remodeled the trunk and filled it was the basic weapons needed for hunting. It felt good to have a car of his own, even though nothing would ever replace the Impala.

spn

It was late afternoon when he pulled into the small town of Irving, Texas. It was located just outside of Dallas and was a college town sporting a number of colleges and catered to the college crowd. He drove around the town first and on to the college where the deaths had occurred to get a lay of the land. He was going to pose as a new hire for maintenance on campus, thinking that would allow him access to all the places he needed to go. If he was found out, he would fall back on being undercover with the FBI to check out the deaths.

After deciding on a motel that was close enough to campus to walk to it, Sam got a room and dropped his things off before heading out to find the house where the fraternity was located. There had been three college students die on campus supposedly by accident, but Sam thought something wasn't right. They were all pledging to the same fraternity but were all killed different ways, different times and different places.

He had hacked the police data base and got the reports on the crimes and the autopsy reports. After reading through them, Sam got the feeling there was something else that drove someone to kill all three. It was almost like a crime of passion and if it turned out there was nothing supernatural about it, he would turn anything he found over to the locals and let them take care of it.

Students were strolling around the campus as Sam walked among them, thinking of his time at Stanford. He had some good memories of his college days until his girlfriend had been killed on the same day, and in the same way as his Mom. If it hadn't been for Dean coming back, he would have died in that fire too, but he had saved him just like he did when he was six months old. Sam shoved those memories away knowing it wouldn't do any good to dwell on them. He found a campus map on one of the bulletin boards and found the charter house he was looking for.

It was starting to get late and the students were heading for their dorms or to the cafeteria to get something to eat. He tried to act normal like he belonged there as he walked down the street noting the different fraternities and sororities on campus. He paused outside the three-story house, watching the guys going in and out. You could tell the pledges because they looked scared, young, and out of their element. He bet some were only there because their parents wanted them in a fraternity.

He headed back to the main part of campus and was going to stop at one of the restaurants in the quad to get something to eat and ease drop to see if any of the students were talking about the deaths. He had learned more from locals over the years than from some of the cops they had talked to.

Sam picked the one that had the biggest crowd and went to the counter to order. Once he got his food, he looked around and spotted a table in the back of the place. As he was about to sit his tray down, a young woman sat hers down too.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "Didn't see you." She started to pick up her tray and move as Sam spoke.

"That's okay, you can join me if you like, I'm alone," Sam offered taking one of the seats.

"You don't mind?" she asked taking in his good looks and wondering if he was single.

"No, be my guest, I'm Sam."

"Hi Sam, I'm Mia. Are you new here?"

"Yeah, just getting started, transferred in from California."

"Wow, I've always wanted to go there, hadn't made it yet. I've another year after this one before I decide where I'm going."

"So, you're a junior?"

"Yes, what are you studying?"

"Oh, ummm," Sam stuttered as he quickly made up a story. "I'm almost done with my PHD in law."

"That must be interesting, I'm working toward being a computer analysis and cyber technology."

"Nice," Sam nodded.

They began to eat, chatting lightly until they were done. Sam decided to take a chance and see if she had heard anything on the death.

"Mia, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Sam."

"I heard some other students talking when I was getting all my paperwork done and schedule filled out…They were talking about three guys that had died on campus in the past two weeks. Is that true?"

Mia stopped chewing and looked at Sam with curious eyes before finishing and swallowing. She took a drink of her soda before speaking.

"It is. They were two freshman and one sophomore that were pledging to the Delta house on campus. Those were awful accidents," she whispered. She looked around them to see if anyone was listening before continuing. "I know a friend who was friends with the sophomore's girlfriend, and she doesn't think it was an accident. She thinks he died doing some stupid pledge and they are trying to cover it up."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Do others think that way?"

"I'm sure of it. Have you seen the news over the past few years of college students dying during pledge week?"

"Yeah, I think I remember hearing that. Does anyone know who might be behind it?"

"Well, between you and me, I think it has to be one of the seniors there. They're the ones who decide what a pledge has to do and makes their lives a living hell."

"Interesting theory," Sam surmised.

"It was nice talking to you, maybe we'll see each other around again," she suggested, batting her eyes at him.

"Never know, have a good evening Mia," Sam said getting up to throw away his trash. She was a nice girl, but a little young for his taste and he had other things he needed to do.

"Bye Sam," Mia called, disappointment in her voice that he didn't take her up on her offer.

Sam was going to head back to the motel and try to find out who the seniors were in Delta house and who might be the leader of the crowd. He also wanted to figure out who might be the weakest link and would talk if confronted. Tomorrow he would find the maintenance department and snitch a uniform and pay the fraternity a visit to scope it out.

spn

As he walked back to the motel, Sam's mind wondered to his brother and what he was doing right now. Was he checking on a lead to see if he had a case or not? He had no idea where Dean had gone or even what he might be hunting and what danger he could be putting himself in, but he shoved those feeling of worry and concern away so he could focus on his case.

Once he got back to his room, Sam used social media to find out what he could about the fraternity and their members. He began to go through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts of the names he found, looking for anything that might give him a lead.

After a couple of hours of scouring pages of parties, dates, school events, he was about to give up when he hit on an Instagram post that was happening tonight. It seemed the seniors were out dancing at a club and someone was posting pictures of what was happening. Some were not that great, but one stood out as a guy turned toward the camera, but his reflection was caught in the reflective surface of the mirror tiled wall. Sam downloaded the photo and used a program to enlarge the image enough to tell it wasn't a person he was seeing. It showed an ugly, hairless, form that could not be a shapeshifter.

Sam went back and pulled up the members of the fraternity and compared the face to them. He couldn't find him among the photos and wondered who he was or better yet, what he was. This showed him that there was something supernatural going on here and he would try to find the guy tomorrow and check him out.

He rubbed his tired eyes and knew he needed to get some sleep. Sam headed for the bathroom first and did his routine before moving to the bed and turning it down. He crawled between the sheets and lay there, trying to shut his mind down to rest. He couldn't help but miss the annoying snoring of his brother that would lull him to sleep. Sam punched the pillow and rolled over with a huff. He settled back down and made himself go to sleep.

spn

It wasn't hard for Sam to sneak into the maintenance department and snitch a uniform and toolbox. He found a bathroom and changed, pushing a ceiling tile up to hide his clothes in the dropdown ceiling. He had grabbed a campus employee badge from a desk when no one was in there and clipped it on before heading out to go check the Delta house.

Classes would be in session, so he hoped that meant there wouldn't be many guys there. Sam strolled down the street and crossed over before stopping at the walkway that led up to the front door. He looked up and down the street, but no one seemed to be interested in him and headed for the front door.

After knocking on the door, Sam stepped back and waited for someone to answer it. He looked up when a sleepy-eyed guy answered the door, yawning and scratching his unruly hair.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm from maintenance, I came over to check out a plumbing issue," Sam told him hoping it would get him in the door.

"Sure, whatever," the guy grunted stepping away and leaving the door opened for Sam.

Sam stepped into the foyer of the large house and looked around, taking in the layout and who else might be there. He went right and found a large room with couches, chairs, a couple of small tables scattered about and a huge flat screen television mounted onto the wall.

He continued through the room and into the kitchen area. Sam went to the sink and opened the cabinet to look underneath like he was inspecting it. He noticed several trashcans full of beer cans and bottles that were overflowing and unwashed dishes in the sink, thinking the place was pig sty. He looked toward a doorway that led to a dining room and heard voices in there. Being careful not to get caught, he eased to the doorway and peaked in to see some guys sitting at the table eating. None were the one from the photo he saw last night, so he went back to the sink and opened his toolbox to pull a random tool out and kneel.

"What's going on?" a male voice asked from behind him.

Sam stilled and stood up slowly turning around to address the guy. "I'm with maintenance, there was a work order submitted about a plumping issue. I'm here to take a look and see about fixing it."

"Boy, you guys are dumb, it was for the bathroom upstairs, not the kitchen," he laughed. "No wonder you're working maintenance."

"Alright," Sam replied closing his toolbox and heading back to the front of the house. He really wanted to punch the asshole but held himself back.

Sam climbed the stairs, passing a couple of guys rushing down and out the door. When he got to the top landing, he paused for a moment seeing a guy come from a room with a towel around his waist. Deciding that was where the bathroom was, he headed that way and went inside. The room had been remodeled to add more showers, bathroom stalls, urinals and sinks. Two of the shower stalls were occupied, so he quietly moved to the last sink to pretend to work on it as he listened to see if they would talk. He pulled out earbuds and stuck them in like he was listening to music so he could pretend not to hear them.

"Has anyone questioned you again?" a voice asked from one of the stalls.

"No, I think they buy the stories, so we're in the clear," another replied.

"Do you know who that new guy is?"

"No, but Dave is all over him and he likes girls."

"Did you believe Dave when he said it was an accident?"

"Why not? He may be a bully but he's not a killer."

Before anything else could be said, the guys stepped from the stalls and startled as Sam bopped his head to pretend music and fiddled with the sink.

"Hey! What are you doing in here?" one asked but Sam didn't respond until he was tapped on the shoulder.

Sam jumped and looked startled for a moment before pulling an earbud out. "Oh, sorry didn't hear you. The guy downstairs said there was a leak or something in here and I came to fix it."

"Fine, just don't take all day. C'mon we need to hurry, or we'll be late."

The two guys left Sam alone in the bathroom and he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if they would believe him or not. He remembered the name Dave from the photos he had looked at last night and knew he was in the upper class and one of the leaders. He waited in the bathroom until it was quiet in the hall before sticking his head out to look around. He didn't hear anyone moving around upstairs and ventured out.

As he walked down the hall, Sam noticed there were names beside the door and searched for a Dave. He stopped at the door of a Dave Street and knocked once. When no one answered, he tried the knob and slowly opened the door to look inside.

"Maintenance, wanted to see if you had any other issues," Sam called looking around but not seeing anyone. He stepped in and closed the door before hurrying to a desk and looking at the scattered papers on it. He checked the closet and under the unmade bed but wasn't finding anything. He turned slowly and saw photos tacked to a cork board and moved closer to look at them. One caught his eyes of Dave with his arm around another guy and they were laughing. The other guy wasn't looking at the camera, but Sam was sure it was the same person that he found last night. He looked at the scribbled names at the bottom that read Dave and Mitch.

Not wanting to press his luck, Sam used his cell to snap a shot of the photo before going back to the door and cracking it to see if anyone was around. He slipped out and went back to the bathroom to get his toolbox. What he didn't notice was the shadow watching him from a partly open door down the hall. He watched Sam come back out carrying his toolbox and head down the stairs. The guy followed Sam out of the house and stayed behind him as he made his way back to the building and bathroom where he changed clothes.

Sam looked around a couple of times thinking he was being watched but there were so many students hurrying around he didn't pick out the one guy sitting at a picnic table. He headed to the library to do some research and try to figure out what he was dealing with, so he'd know how to kill it.

It felt good to be in a library again, thought the Men of Letters one was pretty awesome too. Sam paused at the front and looked around for the computer stations before moving that way. The guy trailing him waited outside until he had moved from the door to come in and shadow him. He found a seat close enough that he could see the screen of the computer he was using. If his suspicions were correct, things had just gotten complicated if he was dealing with a hunter. He would have to change his plan and deal with him before he could have some more fun with these stupid college students.

spn

The sun was high in the sky when Sam exited the library and looked around. He was trying to decide if he wanted something to eat or to try and track Dave down. His stomach rumbled its protest and he opted for food first and headed to a sub shop to get lunch.

Sam found a place under a tree that was quiet to enjoy his meal. He was starting to relax and just enjoy the scenery and the hustle and bustle of the students around him when a whine caught his attention. He turned and saw a grown chocolate lab staring at him with a pleading look on his face as he eyed Sam's sandwich.

"Hey there, where'd you come from?" Sam asked looking around for anyone that might have lost a dog. He didn't see anyone fitting the bill and looked back to him. "Are you lost buddy?" he asked reaching a hand slowly toward him to let him sniff it before reaching to scratch his head. The dog whined again and rubbed into Sam's hand as it stepped closer. "Okay, but only a bite, people food is not good for dogs," he laughed pulling some meat from his sandwich and holding it out for him.

The dog wagged its tail and quickly devoured the morsel, licking its lips and waiting for more. Sam couldn't resist and gave him another larger bite, smiling at him. It moved closer and suddenly began to lick his face and mouth before Sam could push him away.

"Hey, hey, I don't need my face washed," he laughed heartily rubbing him and searching his neck for a collar. "You don't have a collar. Do you want to stay with me?"

The dog yipped and danced back and forth in delight before laying his head in Sam's lap and looking up at him with loving eyes.

"I always wanted a dog growing up, but we moved around too much and my Dad wouldn't let us get one," Sam sighed as memories came flooding back. "I did have one for a couple of weeks when I ran away, his name was Bones. Guess I'm going to have to give you a name to. Can't just call you dog…" his voice trailed off as another set of memories surfaced of hitting a dog, the vet, their relationship, a small house, and Dog.

The dog whined when Sam stopped paying attention to him and butted him in the chest to get his attention. Sam looked down at him and smiled.

"What would be a good name? Let's see you're a boy," Sam noted looking between his legs. "What sounds good to you? Champ? Sampson? Butch? Zeus? Any of the strike your fancy?" he asked stroking him and scratching his belly. He chuckled when the dog shook his head no before laying it back to his chest. "I know how 'bout Bruno?"

When Sam said that, the dog lifted his head and panted for a moment before leaning forward to lick his cheek.

"Bruno it is then, until I find out who lost you anyway," Sam sighed knowing he couldn't keep the dog and from the good condition he was in, he was sure he had an owner somewhere. "What am I going to do with you while I work? I don't think my motel welcomes dogs."

Bruno woofed and stood, waiting for Sam to do the same. When Sam got up and gathered his trash, Bruno fell in beside him walking obediently by his side, stopping when he did.

"Guess it won't hurt for you to come with me then. Why don't we find a store to get you a couple of things? Everyone's in class right now, so there's not much I can do." Sam headed off campus and to the motel to get his car. He opened the passenger door and allowed Bruno to get in and went around to the driver's side to get in. He checked his cell to find a store that was close and read the directions before pulling out and heading across town. He kept glancing over at the dog still amazed that he found him when all his life he had wanted a dog.

"Okay, I need to run inside, and they don't allow dogs, but I won't be long. I'll get you some food, bowls, treats and couple of toys. How does that sound?" He smiled when Bruno gave a short bark and settled down on the seat. Sam had put both windows down knowing no one would bother the car with Bruno inside. He hurried inside not wanting to be away from him for that long. He didn't understand the draw the dog had on him but dismissed it without further thought.

spn

Sam came back out carrying bags in both hands and almost ran to the car for fear Bruno was gone. He was breathing heavily as he skidded to a stop and saw Bruno was asleep in the front seat. He dumped the bags in the back seat and got in only to have Bruno, whining and butting his hand wanting to be petted.

"Did you miss me?" Sam cooed to him as he scratched him behind the ears. "Yeah, I missed you too. Look what I got you," he said reaching in the back into a bag and pulling out a bag of treats and opening it. "How 'bout one and maybe we can go to the park and play?"

Bruno gobbled down the treat and laid his head in Sam's leg as he wagged his tail excitedly. Sam smiled down at him and pulled from the parking lot to head back toward the motel. He had seen a nice park not far from it and knew Bruno wanted to play.

"I got a ball and Frisbee, which would you like?" Sam asked holding them out to him. He laughed when Bruno choose the Frisbee and took off with it. "Wait on me!" Sam called, locking the car and jogging after him.

Bruno ran around Sam and teased him with the Frisbee before he let him take it and throw it for him. He chased it and brought it back to Sam to be thrown again. They played for an hour before Sam dropped down under a tree to rest. He got a bottle of water and one of the bowls he had bought to give Bruno water and drank the rest. He felt happy, content, free and didn't care if he ever left this place. Bruno curled up next to him with his head under Sam's hand so he could rub and scratch his ears.

Sam felt his cell vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out seeing Dean was calling. He sent it to voicemail and put it away so he could go back to petting Bruno. He didn't feel like talking to Dean and spoiling the great mood he was in. There was nothing important they needed to discuss that couldn't wait. Sam watched the people coming and going and knew he needed to go back to campus and find Dave Street and question him. He didn't move from under the tree until an hour later knowing he couldn't wait any longer.

"C'mon Bruno, we need to get back to campus, I need to find someone," Sam sighed looking at the sky and seeing the sun was dropping toward the horizon. He pushed himself up from the ground and patted his leg for Bruno to follow him. They headed for the car and on to the motel to leave the car and take the bags inside. "Hate to do this, but you've got to be on a leash while on campus," he told Bruno before fastening a collar around his neck and attaching a retractable leash. He hooked a roll of poop bags to the top and headed back outside. "You have to behave while we're on campus. I've got to find someone."

Bruno shook himself hard once they were outside as if trying to dislodge the collar and leash. He stretched and trotted off with Sam as they headed for the entrance to the college. He pulled his cell out when it beeped, he had a message and pulled it up to read. It was from Dean checking to see if he needed any help on his case. He ignored it and slipped his cell back into his pocket. Sam made his way back to the Delta house and up to the front door. He started to knock when it was opened, and he stepped back to stare down the guy at the door.

"Is Dave Street here?" Sam asked putting authority behind his voice.

"He's in his room," the guy said pointing up the stairs. "Last room on the left."

Sam nodded and slid by his body to head up the stairs with Bruno by his side. He felt confident and sure of himself as he stopped and knocked on the door. He could hear movement inside before the door was jerked open by Dave Street. He looked disheveled, frantic and scared as he stopped suddenly and looked up at Sam.

"Dave Street?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, what do you want?" he asked quickly looking around in a panic.

"Tell me what happened to those pledges that died," Sam stated.

Dave started at him as his eyes bugged out and he turned pale. Bruno growled at him and Dave stumbled backwards, slamming the door in Sam's face, locking it.

"Dave, hey, open up," Sam called to him as he pounded on the door. He could hear things being thrown around in the room and suddenly a loud crash of glass. He used his shoulder to break the door down and looked around the room for Dave. Sam ran to a broken window and looked out to see Dave's body lying on the concrete below, a pool of blood forming under his head. Sam hung his head and Bruno seemed to be grinning as he growled deep in his throat with satisfaction. Sam didn't seem to notice this and headed out of the room and down the stairs walking by the ones gathering outside around the body. Sam walked away since he knew he couldn't get any information from a dead body.

Deciding to take the long way back to the motel, Sam walked Bruno around the campus enjoying the last remnants of the day. He was surprised when Bruno suddenly pulled away and knocked him down onto the grass and jumped on him, playing and making him laugh. They rolled around in the grass until Sam finally stopped as the light began to fade.

"C'mon Bruno, we're going to have to sneak you into my room," Sam said out of breath and he sat up and breathed deeply a few times. He laughed as Bruno collapse on him, panting hard and grinned up at him. "Five minutes and we're heading to the motel."

Bruno seemed to understand him and plopped down beside him to rest, being sure he was touching Sam. Things were going as he wanted, and he had the hunter right where he wanted him.

spn

After making sure no one was around to see, Sam quickly hurried to his room with Bruno and got him inside. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it and waited for a few minutes to be sure no one saw him and was going to come knocking. Once he was sure they were safe, Sam took off Bruno's collar.

"Alright, first things first," Sam stated. "You need a bath."

Bruno whined and dropped down to the floor, refusing to move. As Sam looked back at him with his hands on his hips.

"Okay, if you want to sleep in the floor tonight, that's fine…."

Bruno suddenly jumped up and dodged around Sam to get into the bathroom. Sam followed laughing when he found him in the tub waiting for a bath. He pulled the hose down and started the water adjusting the temperature. Sam pulled the shower curtain almost closed before taking the shower head to wet Bruno's fur. He let the water run over his head and wipes his eyes before taking a small amount of shampoo to massage it into the dog's back. He worked the lather up and carefully washed his face and around his ears being sure he didn't get it in his eyes or ears. Sam rinsed the suds from Bruno's body and made sure to get his belly before shutting the water off.

Before Sam could drape a towel over Bruno's body, he started shaking his entire body sending drops of water everywhere. Sam cried out as he held his hand up to try and stop the drops of flying water from splashing in his face.

"Okay, okay," he cried out laughing hard. "I can take my own shower thank you."

Once Bruno stopped shaking, Sam took a towel and began to dry him off. He dropped the towel over his head and rubbed his face, being careful to wipe his eyes and checked his ears. He picked up each foot and dried it and let Bruno jump from the tub.

"Now, my turn," Sam told him starting the water again and stripping out of his clothes. He got in the tub and let the hot water run over his dirty body getting the dirt and grass washed away. He looked out and saw Bruno had laid down by the tub to wait on him. He shampooed his hair and soaped down his body before rinsing. After turning off the water, Sam reached out to get a towel and found Bruno standing there holding one for him. "Thank you, Bruno," Sam praised him. He dried his body and hair before cinching the towel around his hips and headed into the other room to get some sleep clothes. Once he was dressed, Sam pulled down the sheets and adjusted the pillows so he could settle back and watch the television.

Sam patted the bed and Bruno jumped up beside him to settle at his side. He rolled over so Sam could scratch his stomach. His cell beeped again with a message, but Sam ignored it, content to lay there and watch an old movie as he rubbed Bruno. He was almost lost in a trance, not even seeing what was on the screen.

When the movie ended, Sam turned off the television and adjust the pillows before turning off the lamp by his bed. He could feel Bruno's body molded against his back and knew it felt so right. He was keeping him even if he had to move from the bunker. Sam didn't think Dean would even care considering how it was between them right now. He would find a place in town that allowed pets and they would settle in and have a good life.

Sam's dreams were filled with running, playing, and lounging around with Bruno. Nothing else mattered to him except making Bruno happy and taking care of him. He could picture them spending the rest of their lives together. He slept deeply and hardly moved through the night.

spn

Sam rolled over when the room started getting brighter with a new day and opened his eyes. This was the first restful sleep he had gotten in a very long time. He felt refreshed and invigorated and ready to start the day.

"Good morning boy," Sam whispered to Bruno who lifted his head and wagged his tail happy Sam was awake. "Let me get some clothes on and I'll take you out." With the word out, Bruno was off the bed and at the door looking back at Sam wanting him to hurry. Sam laughed at him and found clean clothes before going to the bathroom to change and use it. He came out and grabbed the collar and leash to slip onto Bruno before cracking the door to check that no one was out there before slipping out and dashing around the corner.

He walked down the sidewalk and let Bruno explore several vacant lots before finding a place to use the bathroom. Sam waited patiently and when he was done, used a bag to pick up the poop. He continued to walk down the street for another thirty minutes before turning around to head back. Sam was getting hungry and he had to decide where to go from here to find the creature. His thoughts suddenly spun another way without him wondering why.

"What if I see if there's a dog park around here?" Sam asked Bruno. "You wanna go play at a dog park?"

Bruno bounced up and down and barked happily as he pranced around Sam.

"Then it's settled, we'll have breakfast and see if there's a dog park we can go to. Maybe we'll go on a hike on one of the trails outside of town…" Sam mumbled thinking it would be a great day to be outside with Bruno. It would just be them alone with Mother Nature.

Sam snuck Bruno back into this room and gave him breakfast while he packed his room up so they could leave if he couldn't find any other leads on campus and no more pledges died. He didn't see a reason to stay any longer than he needed to. He wanted to hit the road with Bruno and start his life with him.

spn

Dean cussed under his breath when his call went to voicemail again and Sam wasn't answering his text. He had a bad feeling about this and couldn't get past the gut feeling that Sam was in trouble. His case turned out to be nothing and he was trying to contact Sam to see if he needed help.

Getting tired of being ignored, Dean pulled up a tracking program and typed in Sam's cell number to find out where he was. He waited as the program did its thing and brought up a town in Texas called Irving. He pulled up a map and found he was only three hours away, which was good. Dean took the time to see if anything strange or weird was happening there and found the articles on the three deaths at the college. This in itself was a little off and knew that was what Sam had to be checking out.

He did a little more research and looked on social media to find out more about this fraternity since it seemed to be the link for all three students that died. He found photos and thumbed through them, finding the same ones as Sam had with the guy with the glowing eyes. He realized the glow was only caused by camera flash but noticed the mirror in the background showed a fuzzy image of something not human, but unclear.

He got the feeling this was a monster that could take on human form and started going down the list. The articles didn't say anything about the bodies being drained of blood or missing internal organs so that knocked out quite a few. A good candidate would be a shape shifter but changed his mind when he read a couple of posts and decided with the mirror image it sounded more like a siren. He remembered his run in with one and once it infected you could make you do whatever it wanted, even kill. Had it not been for Bobby, he was sure Sam and him would have killed each other. He cranked his Baby and headed for Texas. Maybe Sam would be pissed, but he would at least know he was okay, and he'd head back to the bunker if Sam didn't want him around.

spn

It was late afternoon when Sam got back from his hike with Bruno. After showering and changing clothes, he took Bruno to campus to one of the outdoor restaurants for dinner. He took a table outside so Bruno could be with him and attached his leash to a steel post so he could go place his order.

Bruno sat up and growled deep in his chest when Sam came out with a young woman. He had met Mia again and asked her to join him at his table. She might be too young for him, but he did enjoy talking to her and was going to see if she knew any more about the deaths.

"Nice dog, what's his name?"

"I call him Bruno, but he's not mine. He just sort of found me the other day and we've been hanging together," Sam said petting Bruno. "You don't know of anyone that lost a dog, do you?"

"No, sorry, we're not allowed to have animals on campus," she shrugged.

The longer he talked to Mia, the more his mind began to go fuzzy and he lost his train of thought frequently. He didn't seem to notice how she was flirting with him openly and how the dog was reacting to that. They finished their meal and Sam invited her to his room to continue their conversation even thought it was an unusual thing for him to do. They walked back to the motel and Sam let them into his room.

Something didn't seem quite right to Sam as he tried to shake this feeling of not being in control of himself. He tried to hide it from Mia as she talked about where she was from and how she ended up going to this college. He rubbed his temples when it felt like someone was whispering to him, wanting him to do things he shouldn't.

He looked over at Mia and saw she was rubbing Bruno and talking to him and his body stiffened. His one thought was she was going to try and take Bruno away from him. He could never let this happen.

Bruno fixed his eyes on Sam and seemed to be communicating with him as he played his role of cuddling up to Mia and then pretending to be ignoring Sam. Each time he glanced over at Sam he could see anger building in the human's eyes and knew it wouldn't take much more for Sam to attack the girl just like he wanted.

"Sam is something wrong?" Mia asked when she noticed he had stopped talking. She looked over at him and saw something that scared her in his eyes. "I-I think I should leave," she said slowly as she got up from the table backing away from him.

"You can't have him," Sam growled as he got up his hands clenching into fist and his body going stiff. "He's mine. I had nothing before he found me."

"What are you talking about? Have who? You're scaring me."

"He's my best friend and I don't know what I would do without him. You think you can worm your way into my life just to steal him away because he's so awesome. You have to be stopped and there's only one way to do that. I have to kill you. Bruno has brought me nothing but happiness and love and peace. My life is so much better now with him in it. I'll kill anyone who tries to come between us or take him."

Sam advanced toward Mia as his face clouded with anger and she matched his steps backing away. When she tried to run, he grabbed her and threw her to the bed and straddled her to hold her down.

"He's mine and only mine," Sam spat as he reached to clasp his hands around her throat. He looked up at Bruno who was panting and dancing around and yipping at him. "Don't worry, I'll get rid of her. We'll be together."

Mia started hitting at Sam trying to make him stop. She cried out but her next scream was cut off when Sam began to strangle her. His long arms kept her fingers from his face as she clawed at him trying to escape.

spn

It was dark when Dean pulled into Irving and decided to check the motels near the campus since that is what he would do. The first motel was a bust and he went down to the next and drove through the parking lot to find Sam's car parked in front of a room.

Dean got out and went to the trunk trying to decide what to take in with him. To play it safe he grabbed a silver knife and a brass knife before going to the door he hoped was his brother's room. Dean started to knock when he heard a strangled cry of distress coming from the room. He stepped back and muscled the door open to take in the scene playing out in front of him.

Sam had a young woman pinned, laying across the bed, with his hands around her throat, choking her. His face was slack, and his eyes were empty. There was a big ass, brown dog in front of him dancing, jumping around and barking. Neither had noticed Dean when he broke in.

Dean knew he had to stop Sam from killing the girl. He knocked Sam's hands away from the girl's throat and grabbed him by the shoulder to drag him off onto the floor and pinned him down with a knee to the back. He looked back up when the dog jumped on the bed and bared his fangs at Dean growling loudly.

Glancing at the reflection on the TV screen, he saw the creature's true image as it snapped at him. It was hideous and he knew he had found the monster. He pulled the brass knife from his jacket and poked Sam in the arm hard enough to draw blood and swiped the blade across it.

The dog attacked before he could turn back and knocked Dean to the floor as it tried to bite him and get to his mouth so it could poison him and take control of him. Dean had an arm under the dog's neck pushing the mouth full of sharp teeth away and drew back to slam the knife into its side several times.

The dog howled, then shrieked weirdly in pain and agony as its body began to wither and dry up before turning to ash. Dean quickly jumped up and grimaced as he brushed the remains from his jacket. He looked over to Sam who was picking himself up from the floor as if he was waking up, the slack, empty appearance fading until Dean saw his brother again in his face. Sam looked around shocked and confused, not sure what was going on or why Dean was there. He saw the girl on the bed and some of it came back. He thought she was going to take Bruno and he had to stop her. His stomach churned and he felt sick when he realized he had attacked her to stop her.

Dean remained silent as he went to the young woman and checked to be sure she was still alive before picking her up and carrying her from the room, leaving Sam standing alone by the bed watching. Dean was going to take her to the ER and leave her so she could be checked out. He didn't know if Sam would want him around, so he was going to head back to the bunker.

Sam watched his brother leave and looked down at the pile of ash on the floor near him. He saw the collar he had bought among the ashes and knew it was Bruno. He had been the monster he was looking for and knew he had been infected by him. He couldn't help the tears that pricked his eyes with the loss.

He went to the bathroom to bandage his arm before grabbing his things and leaving. Sam knew he didn't want to still be in the area when Mia came to after what he did to her. He barely remembered why he'd attacked her, or what had happened while he was under the siren's thrall. He realized the siren had been controlling him since that first lick to his face and mouth, preventing him from noticing, and controlling his focus.

He shuddered, thankful that Dean had shown up when he had, otherwise…Well, he would have killed that poor woman. Shaking his head, he decided to focus on the present. Sam was sure Dean would be heading back to the bunker and wasn't sure what he was going to do, even if he'd be welcome back there now. He decided to just drive aimlessly for a while and let his head finish clearing and think. He'd figure it out later.

The End