Special Note: I wanted to thank Mary Leal for such a nice review and kind words. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know you are enjoying my stories. I hope you will try out others to your liking. I am humbled by your kind words. Thank you again. NC


Chapter 30

Sam waited for Missouri to pull her car from the garage and got into the passenger seat. He stared aimlessly out the windshield as she backed up and headed for the mall. Everything was whirling around in his head, and he didn't know what to think or what to do about it.

"I know you're upset with your brother Samuel," Missouri told him in her soft, soothing voice. "You think he doesn't care for you or doesn't want a relationship with you. I can tell you young man that is not true. Not even close. Your brother loves you very much and it is breaking his heart to have you mad at him."

"Then why won't he tell me what's going on with him?" Sam huffed in frustration. "Why is he keeping me in the dark? What doesn't he want me to know?"

"Well, child, there are things that you might not understand or scoff at, but it will be Dean's decision whether to tell you or not. Neither Bobby nor I can do that. It's not our place. But might I give you some advice?"

"Yes, sure," Sam sighed with discouragement.

"Be patient with Dean. I think he's going to come around and I caution you to have an open mind to whatever he tells you; it will be the truth even if it sounds impossible."

"So, you agree I should stay until tomorrow too?"

"Yes, I do. Bobby was right to suggest it. Give you brother another chance, I think he will surprise you," Missouri told him. "Now, which side of the mall is this jewelry store located you need to go to?"

"It's near the bookstore."

"Alright. I'll park in the back, and we can go in the entrance there."

"I can't wait to see it. It feels good to have something of Dad's, like Dean has his car."

"I'm sure it does. Having something to remember your father by is special." Missouri pulled into the mall entrance and followed the road around to the back entrance. She found a place to park near the doors and they went inside. "I'll wait for you here Samuel. I can check out the books."

"Okay Missouri." Sam walked to the jewelry store below the bookstore and went inside.

Missouri browsed the books on the sales table, keeping a sharp eye out for Sam. She thought he might be willing to listen to his brother now, if Dean was willing to talk to him. She picked up a book on growing herbs and thumbed through it before putting it down to look at one about world religions and cultural changes. It seemed interesting and went to the cashier to pay for it.

When Missouri stepped back into the mall, she saw Sam making his way toward her. He had a happy smile on his face and seemed in a better mood.

"What do you think?" Sam asked holding his wrist out to show her the watch. "They adjusted the band for me so I could wear it."

"That is nice Samuel. It looks good on you, you should be proud. Shall we head back to the house?"

"Yes. I'm ready now."

"Why don't we stop on the way back and get you and Dean a milkshake? I'm sure Dean would enjoy one. I know he likes chocolate. What about you? Do you have a favorite flavor?"

"Well, I don't drink a lot of them, but I like strawberry."

"Alright, one strawberry and one chocolate milkshake it is."

Missouri made a detour on the way home and ran by the diner to get the milkshakes. Sam held them as they continued home and took a few sips of his thinking it was really good. She let him out before putting the car in the garage. Sam waited at the door for her to unlock it and let them in.

"Why don't you go find your brother? And remember dear, keep an open mind," she encouraged Sam, shooing him toward the kitchen where she knew Dean was waiting. Missouri followed him and motioned to Bobby to join her so the brothers could be alone.

spn

"Hey," said Sam shyly as he fidgeted from one foot to the other. "Missouri got us a shake," he offered holding one out to Dean.

"Thanks," Dean replied fidgeting just as badly as Sam. "Wanna go outside so we can maybe talk?"

"Yeah, we can do that," Sam nodded waiting for Dean to get up and followed him out the backdoor.

Dean gave the backyard a quick look and walked to the two wooden chairs that were positioned under the shade trees that looked out onto a large flower bed on one side and her garden on the other. He dropped into one of the chairs and waited for Sam to sit in the other. Dean stirred his milk shake before drinking it from the straw, relishing the cold, sweet taste that hit his taste buds.

Sam sat next to him and drank his shake waiting for Dean to say something. He remembered Missouri told him to be patient with Dean and was trying to do that. He could feel Dean's uneasiness as he shifted in his chair. Sam listened to the creatures that were chirping, croaking, buzzing, and chattering around them trying to name each one in his head.

"Guess we need to talk Sammy," Dean finally broke the silence between them. He wouldn't look at him but gazed off into the yard.

"I really want that Dean. No matter what you tell me, it won't change how I feel about you. You're my big brother and I think we've lost enough time as it is. I want to get to know all about you and hope you feel the same way about me."

"Yeah, I do. But Sammy, you've gotta understand what I'm going to tell you is going to sound crazy and unbelievable. You may not want to see me anymore once I tell you. But I'm not going to lie to you, what I'm telling you is the truth," Dean explained as he leaned forward for a moment before settling back in the chair.

"Alright," Sam nodded turning slightly so he was facing Dean and waited. He absently rubbed a finger over the watch as Dean started talking.

"I guess I should start with Bobby and me…We're called hunters and there are quite a few of us out there keeping people safe. We hunt monsters. What you thought was make believe or fake are real. We hunt vengeful spirits, werewolves, vampires, witches, and a lot more you've probably never even heard of. You've got black magic, hoodoo, voodoo, spells, rituals, and incantations. It's a job we don't advertise or want recognition for. We don't get paid and keep a low profile if possible. Our main goal it is to save people's lives." Dean stopped and glanced sideways at Sam to see his reaction.

Sam listened intently to Dean's every word as he confessed his secret. The more he talked the more bewildered he became. Did his brother have a few screws loose and believed what he was saying? How could monsters be real, and no one knew about them? He knew Missouri told him to have an open mind, but this…Sam never in his wildest imagination thought this was what Dean was hiding from him.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Dean asked when he saw the look on Sam's face. "I should have guessed as much. I don't see any reason to continue this conversation," he said sarcastically getting up to leave.

"No! Wait Dean, please," Sam insisted reaching out and grabbing Dean's arm to stop him. "Can I ask you some questions? It's not that I don't believe, but it is hard to when there's nothing out there to support what you said."

Dean stood stiffly as Sam gripped his arm tightly so he wouldn't leave. He could have broken away but fought to control his temper and waited for Sam to go on.

"How did you find out about all this?" Sam asked when he saw Dean was going to stay. "Please, I truly want to know. Help me to understand."

Dean drew in a slow breath and let it out as he rolled his shoulders and shrugged off Sam's hand to sit back down.

"My foster parents were killed by monsters and Bobby and another hunter killed them…" Dean started.

"Killed by monsters!" Sam butted in as his voice got louder. "Why them? What kind of monsters? Is that what they do, just pick random families and kill them? What about my parents? Could they be targeted?"

"Hold on, easy there Sammy," Dean cautioned him when he finally stopped to take a breath. "Yes, they were killed by monsters, but Bobby wouldn't let me see or told me what kind. He was trying to protect me. Why them? I don't know, monsters can be fickle. We lived on a farm, so our neighbors were farther away and maybe because of the privacy, I don't honestly know. Most of the time, it's not that obvious and attacks are mostly random. People are in the wrong place at the wrong time kind of thing. Or we have those dumbasses that go looking for trouble. Go hiking by themselves and getting lost. People go missing all the time and are never found. As far as your parents…it's not that likely. You need to understand, anyone could be a target, but there are things you can do to protect yourself. That's another talk we'll have later."

"Okay," Sam huffed calming himself after his outburst. He drew in some deep breaths and forced himself to relax. "Go on, I want to hear the rest."

"He found me hiding in my adopted parent's bedroom and I asked him to take me with him. I didn't want to go through group homes and foster families again. I was around ten at the time. He sat me down and told me about what's out there in the dark and started training me. I worked my ass off wanting to make him proud and to become a hunter like he was," Dean told Sam as he stared off in the distance. "He was tough and hard on me, but I understood why. You don't become a hunter and not know what you're up against or you won't live through your first hunt."

"So, how do you find these…Hunts?"

"Internet, other hunters, and word of mouth. We look for strange or unusual deaths, disappearances, missing people, and go check it out to see if it might be our thing. Monsters are smart and they try to fly under the radar so they can continue to prey on the innocent. The reason everyone out there doesn't know about monsters is because people would panic, and the world would go crazy. People would see monsters in every corner and every person. There would be too many innocent people killed because others thought they were monsters."

"That seems logical," Sam nodded as he tried to treat this like any other puzzle or problem he was trying to understand or solve. "Horror movies, do they get anything right?"

"Very little," Dean chuckled remembering some horror movies that he had watched. "Vampires can be in the sun, no they don't sparkle or burst into flames, but they do prefer the night and yes they drink human blood, but you don't turn into a vampire if they bite you. Werewolves do change on the full moon cycle and yes silver bullets will kill them. And no, they don't turn into big, hairy dogs," Dean chuckled shaking his head. "Now if they bite you, that's it, you will turn into a werewolf on the next full moon. Ghosts or spirits can fade in and out and move through walls. They can become corporal and are very strong. You need to salt and burn their bones to put them to rest. That is if there is a body, and that's another story. Witches are just nasty and those that mess with dark magic are the most dangerous. They can cast spells or do rituals that harm others. But there are some called white witches that are not bad. They actually help people."

"Missouri told me she was a psychic, is she a witch?"

"No, she has special abilities, but she was born with them. She can see things and knows what you're thinking most of the time. I've heard Bobby call it the 'shining'. There are a lot of people out there claiming to be psychics, but most of them are fakes. They do it to cheat people out of their money. She's helped us on hunts, and she sells herbs and spices that are used in spells and such. Missouri is an intricate individual and a good and caring person."

"You don't mind her doing that? Knowing what you're thinking? Does she do it to everyone?" Sam asked as he thought back, wondering if she saw his thoughts.

"Missouri doesn't pry or do it all the time. She respects your privacy, but sometimes if your feelings or thoughts are 'shouting' at her, she can't block them out and listens to see if she can help. Missouri tells me I think too loud," he told Sam. "If you have more questions, talk to Missouri. I'm sure she'll be happy to help you understand more about her abilities. She's the expert."

"So, this is why you didn't want me to come visit you this summer?"

"Yeah, Bobby's house if full of reference material, books, objects, weapons, which couldn't be explained away. I knew we couldn't hide it all from you and you'd have questions. Bobby does research for other hunters and has tons of books, lore, tomes, and manuscripts about the supernatural. He knows more about that stuff than anyone I know."

"Well, since you told me about this, does that mean I can come this summer now?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Are you sure you want to? You don't think this is all weird and crazy? And your brother should be in a loony bin?"

"I'm keeping an open mind about it all. And no, I don't think you should be locked away," Sam insisted seeming insulted by Dean thinking that. "Now that you've opened my eyes, I want to know more. I need to know more. Will you teach me?"

"Are you sure? What we do is a thankless job, and it is dangerous. Not all hunts turn out like you want and there is always the chance of being hurt or even worse killed. I don't want to put you in danger."

"Wouldn't it be worse if I didn't know about the monsters and was attacked?"

"Yeah, Bobby sort of pointed that out. I think first we need to get you home tomorrow and meet your adopted parents. They may have plans for the summer for you."

"I'm sure I can convince them otherwise. I really want to spend it with you. A weekend is not enough time to get to know your brother. We have thirteen years to catch up on."

"Is that Dad's watch?" Dean asked catching the glint of it as the sun reflected off it.

"Yeah, they got it cleaned and running and fitted it to my wrist. Here, check it out," Sam beamed taking it off to show Dean.

"This is nice," Dean agreed looking at it and turning it over in his hand to check it out. He looked closer to the back and could see something engraved on the back. After stepping out into the sun for more light, Dean held it closer to his face and could barely make out 'Love is Timeless, Mary.' "Did you see what's on the back?" he asked handing the watch back.

"No, what?" Sam questioned. He did the same as Dean and smiled as he read it. "Thanks for letting me have it."

"Sure, you deserved something of Dad's too."

"Do you have any books with you I can start reading to begin my training?"

"Maybe, let's go check the Impala. I may have a book or two in the trunk." Dean got up and they headed out the side gate toward the Impala. Dean opened the trunk and raised the fake bottom to reveal his arsenal of supernatural items.

"Wow," Sam whispered when he looked over everything hidden there. He saw guns, machete, knives, wooden stakes, iron rods, salt, and other things he wasn't sure what they were.

"Here we go," Dean said. He pulled two books from the back corner of the hiding spot. He let the fake bottom down and closed the trunk. "This is on ghost and spirits, and this is on creatures of the night. Start with these and any questions if I can't answer, Bobby probably can."

"Thanks," Sam replied accepting the two books and reverently ran a finger over the covers. "I'll be careful with them."

"Yeah, Bobby doesn't like his books torn up."

"Can I find things online too?"

"Yeah, but not all the stuff you find online is true. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I'm not that naïve. I research to my satisfaction before accepting anything for fact."

"That's good. Sounds like doing research is right up your alley," Dean surmised. "You ready to head back inside?"

"Yeah, I wanted to see if Missouri needed any help with fixing dinner."

"Should I start calling you Betty Crocker?" Dean teased.

"What? I like to cook. Mom has been teaching me. I can even make pies."

"Now you're talking bro. If you need a taste tester, sign me up," Dean laughed, smiling warmly and throwing an arm around Sam's shoulders as they walked side by side to the backdoor.


A/N: The brothers have made up and Dean had given Sam 'The Talk' and he took it well, wanting to know more about everything. Hope you are enjoying the read. Reviews/Comments are great. NC