A/N: Happy Friday everyone. As a thank you to all who are reading this story, I am posting this chapter early. Enjoy...NC

Chapter 20

The rest of Dean's Christmas break was spent checking the Impala out and deciding everything that needed to be done. He needed to drain all the fluids and oils and replace them along with the filters. The belts were cracked and dry rotting and would need to be replaced. He was going to need to replace the tires and check the brakes and rotors. The interior upholstery didn't have any rips or tears, which was good, so all he needed to do was clean it and the carpet.

Dean had studied the trunk and decided to design a fake floor so he could store weapons and other things needed for hunting where people wouldn't be able to see them. He made up an expense sheet to see how much money he would need to begin making the repairs and tried to decide where he should begin.

After he started back to school, Dean spent half of Saturday working on the Impala and the other half helping Bobby on cars that came in to be repaired. Bobby helped him find parts for the Impala through the contacts he had in the salvage yard business. This would save Dean money overall, and he was happy for that.

Dean used his study hall at school to go to the library to use the computers so he could research the orphanage that he had been taken to when his parents died. Douglas County Orphanage had been in operation for twenty-five years until about six years ago when it was shut down. He looked for articles around the time of the house fire that killed his parents. Whatever he could find, Dean printed them out and started a file. Over the next weeks the articles grew, and the file thickened with anything that was vaguely related to his research. He added anything Bobby had found to his file and was going to compare notes after he gathered everything he could.

spn

On January 24th, Dean celebrated his fourteenth birthday. Bobby took him out for dinner and got him his favorite pie instead of a cake, since pie was Dean's favorite dessert. Bobby gave him a silver, folding knife with his initials on the side of it and a nice leather jacket. He thanked him and shared his pie of course, topping it with a scoop of ice cream. Dean didn't mind it was just them since he didn't like the fuss. He was never one to want a big party with him as the center of attention like most kids wanted or to get a load of gifts, most of which would be tossed aside in a few days.

The weeks passed and spring break was coming up where Dean would have a week off from school. He was lucky to not have a lot of schoolwork and hoped to do some work on the Impala. Bobby picked Dean up on a Friday to start his break and they stopped at the diner for a milk shake for Dean and coffee and Danish for Bobby. They enjoyed the time and talked about school, his progress on the Impala, and his training.

Bobby and Dean walked into the house as a phone started ringing in the office. He hurried that way and answered it as he took a seat behind the desk. Dean went upstairs to leave his backpack and use the bathroom before heading back downstairs.

"Hello," Bobby answered the phone.

"Bobby, how's it going? It's Mackie," he greeted Bobby.

"Mackie, good to hear from you. How are you doing?"

"Not bad. I need some help on a case I'm working."

"Okay, what do you need?"

"I'm working a case, vengeful spirit and got called by a couple of other hunters wanting help to take out a vampire nest. I need to go now and wanted to see if you could finish up my case? I've done all the work and pretty sure I know who the spirit is. The body just needs to be salted and burned."

"Of course, can you email me what you have, and I'll head out early in the morning."

"Thanks Bobby, I appreciate that. I'll get the files sent to you when I hang up."

"Just be careful taking out the vampire nest Mackie."

"I will, thanks for doing this, Bobby. Catch you later," said Mackie ending the call.

"Dean, can you come in here?" Bobby called to him when he saw the boy walk into the living room.

"Sure," Dean replied walking into the office and slouching in a chair in front of the desk.

"That was a call from a hunter buddy of mine, and I need to head out to pick up a hunt he had to bail on. He got a call for help on a vampire nest. You can stay…." Bobby tried to explain when Dean interrupted.

"Take me with you Bobby," said Dean quickly and with excitement. "I've been training so hard, and I can handle myself with weapons. I'm ready Bobby, and you should have backup. You always drilled that into my head, so…I can be your backup."

Bobby looked at him and saw how excited he was. He couldn't deny Dean had been working hard to get to this point and thought about it and the hunt. A vengeful spirit shouldn't be too dangerous, and Mackie had done most of the legwork already.

"Alright, but only on one condition."

"Anything," Dean nodded quickly scooting to the edge of his seat.

"You do exactly what I tell you and if I think it's too dangerous you stay in the truck."

"I will, I promise," said Dean solemnly.

"We'll head out early in the morning. I need to go over what Mackie is sending me, so I'll see what we're heading into."

"Okay, can I look over the notes too?"

"Sure, two sets of eyes are better than one."

"Yeah, especially if one set of eyes is getting old and their sight is getting poorly."

"Watch your mouth boy, I can still leave you at Joe and Maggie's," Bobby growled playfully at him as Dean laughed before scooting from the room.

Dean headed back upstairs to pack a bag for the trip, wondering where they were going. He went through his dresser and closet to pack warm clothes since the weather was still chilly. He wasn't sure how long they would be gone and went ahead and packed enough for a couple of days.

Once that was done, Dean went back downstairs to see if Bobby had the files from his hunter friend. He wanted to look them over so he would be knowledgeable about the case. He could barely control his excitement thinking this was his first case and he wanted to make Bobby proud and let him know he was ready to help with hunts. If he did good this time, maybe Bobby would take him on some this summer when school was out.

"Did your hunter friend send you the information?" Dean asked Bobby as he walked back into his office.

"He did," Bobby replied handing him some printed pages.

Dean settled in a chair and began to read the pages carefully, reading parts of it several times. He studied the way Mackie had tracked who the vengeful spirit was and the reason it was still here on Earth. They were heading for Reedsburg, Wisconsin, which was east of Sioux Falls off Interstate 90.

Dean knew they would need to salt and burn the remains of the body to destroy it or find what was tying it to this plane and destroy it. He knew rock salt bullets would banish the spirit for a brief period of time, and when the spirit was near, the temperature would drop quickly, and lights would flicker.

"So, what do you think?" Bobby asked when Dean looked up from his reading.

"This Mackie guy seems to know his stuff. Did you help train him?"

"I helped him some and worked some cases with him over the years. He's a good hunter."

"His facts seem accurate. It looks like he's done the hard part and all we have to do salt and burn the bones."

"True, but the spirit is not going to like us doing that, so it's going to attack to try and stop us. It may not be that easy."

"Yeah, I get that. That's where the rock salt shells come in."

"I better go pack and be sure the weapon's bag is restocked."

"Alright, I'll go see what I can fix for dinner tonight," Dean huffed, pushing himself from his seat. He headed for the kitchen to see what was in the fridge that he could throw together.

spn

Everyone was awake early the next morning. Dean showered and dressed before shouldering his duffle and heading downstairs to find Bobby was up and drinking coffee in the kitchen.

"I see you're up. Was coming to wake you in a few minutes. Do you want breakfast before we go?" Bobby asked him.

"No, I'll just grab a yogurt and piece of fruit," Dean replied. "No need to cook for me."

"That's fine son. I'll fix us coffees for the road."

Dean looked toward him with a puzzled look wondering if he had heard him right. Bobby still had not let him have coffee yet. He watched as Bobby took down two travel mugs and filled one with coffee and the other with three fourths cup of heated milk and the rest coffee, making it a weak version of the real thing.

"Are you taking those with you or not?" Bobby questioned looking over at Dean for a moment.

"Yeah, let me grab a plastic spoon and I'll be ready to go," Dean replied once he broke from his thoughts. He went to the cabinet and found a box of plastic silverware to dig out a spoon.

"Guess we can head out then." Bobby stopped by his office to grab the folder with Mackie's notes before opening the front door allowing Dean to go out first so he could lock the door behind them. He followed Dean to the truck and unlocked it so they could put their bags behind the seat.

Dean settled in the passenger seat and accepted his coffee drink from Bobby, taking a small sip. He could taste the hint of coffee in the hot drink and smiled thinking maybe Bobby was seeing him more grown up now.

"Don't let it go to your head boy," grunted Bobby as he cranked the truck. "I figure if you're old enough to hunt, you can have your first cup of coffee."

"Thanks Bobby," Dean nodded keeping his voice neutral and calm. He watched the first rays of the sun peek over the horizon as he ate his yogurt and sipped his almost coffee. He watched the scenery race by them as Bobby drove to the interstate to head east.

There wasn't much traffic on the highway this early in the morning and they made good time toward Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Dean reached to turn on the radio and found a station for them to listen to. Music filled the cab and Dean hummed along with it as he tapped his fingers on his leg. He couldn't stop that little flame of excitement from building inside of him as they drove toward his first hunt.

spn

"Alright," Bobby huffed. "Time for a short break and the truck needs gas."

"Okay," Dean answered looking up from his handheld computer game that he had been playing to see where they were. "It wouldn't hurt to stretch my legs for a few minutes and use the restroom."

"Might as well grab a drink and snack too."

"Yeah, I could go with a drink."

Bobby changed lanes so he could exit in a few miles at a truck stop. They usually had the best price on gas and a good selection of drinks and eats. As the exit came up, he slowed to take the ramp and stop at the light. When it turned green, Bobby signaled to turn and drive down to the truck stop. He pulled beside the pumps to get gas and Dean headed inside to find the restrooms first. He then went to the cooler section to look at the offered drinks, deciding what he wanted.

Bobby came in after filling the truck and headed to the back to the restrooms before coming out and looking for Dean. He got a large coffee and bag of nuts to snack on and found Dean waiting for him at the door. They headed out to the truck to continue the last leg of their journey.

It was after lunch when Bobby pulled into Reedsburg and took the bypass around to find the family cemetery where the body had been buried. It was located outside of town on a plot of land owned by a rich family for several generations. Seems some grandkids decided to take out their grandfather for his money and the old man wasn't very pleased with it and came back to get his revenge.

After pulling off the road onto a gravel one, Bobby followed it for several miles until he found the cemetery and stopped at a small area to park.

"Okay, we need to find the grave where this Hubert Martin is buried," Bobby told Dean as they got out. They went to the back of the truck and armed themselves with shotguns filled with rock salt bullets.

"Doesn't look like many people visit out here," Dean noted looking around at the grass that could use a cutting. It wasn't out of control yet, so he figured someone cut it maybe once or twice a month. "I'll go this way and meet you around back."

"Be careful," Bobby cautioned him. "We don't know if Martin's ghost might be hanging around."

"I'm armed, he better be the one to watch out," Dean called with confidence as he walked away, holding up is shotgun.

"Dumb ass," Bobby mumbled watching him strut away. He headed into the cemetery in the other direction looking at tombstones that he passed. He was halfway around the cemetery when he heard a whistle from Dean that came from the back corner. Bobby headed in his direction and found him standing by a grave.

"Found it," Dean told him pointing to the grave. "Do I get the prize?"

"You get to walk back to the car and get the shovels and bag," Bobby growled at him.

"Yes sir," Dean replied deciding to jog across the middle of the cemetery to get there quicker. He gathered what was needed and headed back to Bobby.

"This is the hard part; we've got to dig the grave and watch to be sure we're not attacked by Martin." Bobby took one shovel as Dean took the other and they began to dig. "Dean, I need to warn you, there's going to be a body in the coffin and not just bones. Martin's only been dead for less than a month."

"I'll be okay Bobby," Dean assured him.

Every muscle in Dean's body seemed to ache as he shoveled more dirt, throwing it over his shoulder. Sweat dripped down his face and he had already shed his jacket and long-sleeved shirt. He used the bottom of his shirt to wipe his face so the sweat wouldn't drip into his eyes. They had been digging for almost three hours, taking ten-minute breaks every hour. He didn't know if his arms were going to hold out when Bobby struck something solid.

"Get out of the way son, I'll get the coffin uncovered, you get the salt and gas ready," Bobby told him.

"Alright," Dean huffed heaving himself from the hole. He slid the gas can closer and used the shovel to snag the bag so he could get the salt. He looked around the area wondering if the spirit was going to make an appearance. He was going to be disappointed if it didn't. Dean looked back into the grave to see Bobby had the coffin unearthed and was prying the top off. He gagged as the smell hit him and covered his mouth with his arm.

"Okay, you can do the honors, toss the salt and then gas on the remains," Bobby instructed him after he climbed from the grave.

Dean stood and opened the salt canister and poured it over the remains trying to hold his breath and not think about what was in the coffin. He quickly doused it was gas and stepped back when suddenly he was tossed backward by an unseen force. He collided with a tombstone and groaned in pain as he tried to move.

Bobby grabbed for the shotgun and fired at the spirit that appeared across from him making it vanish. He got out his lighter and tried to light it before the spirit came back. He shook it and cussed as he thumbed the flint again but before he could toss it into the grave, he was sent stumbling away from the opening as the spirit bore down on him.

Dean shook his head to try and clear his vision when he heard Bobby cry out and the spirit wail in anger. He rolled toward the dropped lighter and picked it up with shaking fingers. Dean thumbed the lighter and on the second try got a flame and tossed it into the grave. A whoosh of flames shot up for a moment making Dean cover his face. He turned his head to see the spirit begin to burn and slowly disappear until it was gone.

"Bobby," Dean groaned as he looked for him with blurry eyes from hitting his head on a tombstone. He tried to shake his head and found that sent a piercing pain through his head and didn't do it again.

"Dean, son, are you okay?" Bobby asked as he limped back to him. Bobby knelt by his side and turned him over to see blood seeping from a small gash on the side of his head. He felt his arms and legs and didn't find any broken bones. "Can you hear me?"

"Head hurts," Dean mumbled lifting his hand to touch his head and felt something wet.

"You've got a gash that's bleeding. It's not bad and should stop soon. Can you hold this to it?" he asked taking a bandanna and pressing it to his head.

"Okay," Dean mumbled pressing a hand to the bandanna on his head.

"Good thing you're hardheaded. I don't think it'll even need stitches. Can you sit up?"

"Think so," Dean grunted as he carefully pushed himself to a sitting position and closed his eyes until the dizziness went away. "Are you okay?"

"Few bumps and bruises and twisted my ankle. Ain't nothing to worry about. You did good son for your first hunt."

"Thanks Bobby."

"I need to fill the grave in and then we'll get a motel room for the night."

"I can help too." Dean tied the bandanna in place and used a shovel to help him stand. He wobbled for a moment until he got his balance and began to push the dirt back into the grave.

"Just be careful and don't fall in," Bobby cautioned him going to the other side to shovel the dirt back into the hole.

"Man Bobby, I didn't know hunting was going to be this dirty and back breaking."

"Comes with the job. This is nothing compared to what you can expect in the future."

"Lucky me," Dean huffed sarcastically.

When they were done, they both used their shovels for support and hobbled back to the truck. The shovels and bag were put in back and they got into the cab to head back to town and get a room at a motel for the night before starting back to Sioux Falls the next morning.

A/N: Dean's first hunt wasn't smooth sailing, but neither were hurt too bad. He is seeing how quickly things can go sideways. Reviews/Comments would make my day. NC