A/N: Hello dear readers and welcome to a short story that takes place when the brothers are still with their father. So, buckle in and I hope you enjoy the ride and the AU that I have created. A special thank you to VegasGranny for her input, support, suggestions, and help. There will be twists and turns around every corner, making you wonder what could happen next. You know I do like reviews/comments. Enjoy…NC

Special Note: Dean is 17 and Sam is 13.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of SPN, and this is my own creation. Any errors are my own. NC

Chapter 1

John checked the weapon's bag one more time before slinging in over his shoulder and looking to his eldest son.

"You ready Dean?" he asked.

"Yeah," Dean replied checking to be sure his weapons were in place on his body.

"Sam, you keep the door locked and don't answer it for anyone but us," John instructed his youngest.

"I will Dad. I know the drill. You sure you don't want me to go too?" Sam asked hoping the answer would be no.

"Naw Sammy, we can handle it," Dean told him before John could answer. "It's only a scouting mission, since we're not sure what we're hunting yet." He didn't want Sam going with them because he wanted to protect him. Also, Dean knew Sam had a lot of homework to get done before Monday, when he went back to school. He didn't want his Dad to know the real reason why Sam should stay behind since he wasn't that concerned if Sam went to school or not.

Dean had dropped out of school the year before when he was sixteen to hunt full-time with his Dad. School didn't mean the same thing to him as it did to Sam, and Dean knew this. Sam wanted to go to school. He wanted to learn more than just hunting and Dean wanted to give him the chances that he didn't have.

"Alright," Sam nodded, looking away so their father wouldn't see the relief in his eyes. He glanced at his brother and gave him a small smile knowing what he was doing. Dean was always looking out for him and being sure he got what he needed.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," John told him. "If not you know what to do?"

"Yeah, call Bobby and have him come get me or if he's not there, Pastor Jim."

"Good, don't forget what you were taught," John stressed before turning to leave.

"See ya Sammy," Dean said, giving him a salute before following John from the motel room.

Father and son got in the Impala and headed across town to a set of abandoned warehouses to check and see if there were any clues there. It didn't take them long to get there since traffic was light for the time of night. John found a place to leave the Impala and they headed down the block to the buildings to start their search.

Dean picked the lock for the side door to allow them entrance to the first building. They found it empty but for some crushed boxes, random pallets, and a lot of dust and cobwebs. Once the search was complete, they moved to the next building to continue their search. Dean headed into the darkness and John went the other way.

When Dean found stairs, he started down into a basement, but when he stepped on the third step, it gave way sending him into the blackness below him. He lay on the floor amid the broken wood unconscious, but not seriously injured.

spn

Dean rolled over and settled back into the mattress, thinking it was extremely comfortable. He rolled his head to the side and a stray thought surfaced in his mind. He never remembered motel beds feeling this way before it faded away.

"Dean honey, you better get up or you'll be late for school," a female voice called to him from the doorway.

"Five more minutes," Dean mumbled not wanting to get up yet.

"I'm off to work, so don't oversleep. Even if it's your last week of school, you don't need to miss a day."

"Mmmmmm…" Dean answered not realizing what was happening.

Ten minutes later, Dean opened one eye and frowned as he opened both eyes to let his eyes roam over the room. It was a bedroom but not one he was familiar with, at least he didn't think it was. He looked to the other twin bed across from him and saw it empty and made up. He slowly sat up in bed as his mind tried to comprehend what he was seeing. He got up and went to the partly open door, slowly widening the gap to look into a hallway.

Dean saw a bathroom across from the bedroom and stepped into it to use it. He saw toothbrushes in a cup, shampoos sitting on a shelf in the shower, and a hamper full of dirty clothes. After washing his hands, Dean walked down the hall listening for noises of anyone else being there.

"Hello," he called when he stepped into the main part of the house. He could see a family room off to one side and a kitchen on the other side. Pictures were hanging on a wall, and he slowly walked over to look at them and sucked in a sharp breath when he saw who were in them. This couldn't be right, he thought as a dull ache started behind his eyes making him rub his temples.

A phone began to ring in the kitchen and Dean was pulled from his trance and hurried to answer it.

"Hello," he said cautiously.

"Hi honey," a female voice greeted him. "I wanted to be sure you were up and getting ready for school. How's your head today?"

"M-Mom…" Dean gasped in total shock to hear her voice.

"Yes Dean, are you okay?" Mary asked with concern. "You sound off today. The doctor said you might have a headache for a few days. You were lucky you didn't get seriously hurt."

"No, I'm fine," Dean replied clearing his throat before speaking again. He felt his head and found a tender spot on the back. Maybe this was what had caused his headache. "I better go finish getting ready for school."

"Alright honey, I'll see you this afternoon."

"Bye Mom." Dean hung up the phone and stood there for a moment thinking something wasn't right, but he couldn't make sense of it. It was like his mind was clouded and he couldn't think straight. He shook his head gently and headed back to his bedroom to change so he could leave for school.

Dean opened his closet door and looked inside at his choice for clothes. He frowned slightly when all he saw were casual slacks, button up shirts, suit jackets, and sweaters. For some reason, he couldn't see himself wearing any of these items and dug into the closet until he found a pair of jeans, T-shirt, and simple button up shirt. He looked on the shelf for boots and then in the floor finding a pair in the back that didn't look like they had been worn much. These were more to his liking, and he got dressed.

There was a bookbag sitting by his desk and he picked it up to look inside. He found a yearbook with the school's name on it and didn't recognize it. Dean used a computer that was on his desk to look up the address for the school and directions. After scribbling it down, he went back into the kitchen and looked in the fridge for a yogurt and decided to take a travel cup of coffee with him.

After investigating where the doors led, he found a garage and a silver Dodge Charger sitting in front of one of the doors. Guessing that was his car, he went around to the driver's side and slipped into the seat, looking around and thinking it didn't feel right, but shrugged his shoulders before looking for the keys. He flipped down the visor and they dropped into his lap. Dean pushed the remote and opened the garage door before cranking the car and pulling out, following the driveway to the road. After checking his notes, he followed the directions to the school. He didn't question why he couldn't remember the way. He just found parking once he got there and headed for the school entrance.

The hallways were filled with milling students, some greeted Dean or nodded to him like they knew him. Dean nodded back, wondering their names since none looked familiar. He looked at the paper he had found in his backpack that showed where his classes were. He stopped at a map of the school and gave it a quick look before heading down the hallway.

Dean was almost to his homeroom when a perky, blonde, dressed in a cheerleader's uniform accosted him and planted a slobbery kiss on his lips.

"Whoa, there sister," Dean complained pushing her away from him.

"Why didn't you call me last night?" she whined trying to hug him.

"Maybe, I was busy," Dean replied holding her at arm's length. "I don't think the school would approve of your actions."

"What's wrong with you? Are you breaking up with me?" she pouted. "Is it Danni? Are you screwing her?"

"And that's my cue to leave," Dean stated. "Better find someone else to lip lock with." He turned on his heels and continued to his homeroom ignoring the stares of other students as the girl stomped her foot and stormed away in tears. The only thing Dean knew was she was not the type of girl he would date.

"Everyone, have a seat," the teacher announced to the students in the classroom. "I have announcements to make before the bell rings…"

Dean took a random seat and hoped it wasn't the wrong one. He looked around at the other students trying to figure out who they were and why he couldn't remember any of their names. He wondered if something had happened to him that was causing him to forget things. He pulled his schedule back out and glanced over it again seeing he was taking all AP classes thinking that was strange and not sure why he would be doing that. The only reason he could think of was to prepare for college.

College, that was another thing that didn't seem right. He wasn't the one that should be going to college. No, that was his brother's place. It suddenly dawned on Dean that he hadn't seem Sam at the house. Maybe their Mom took him on to school before he got up. He needed to talk to Sammy and see if he could figure out what was not right with this picture.

The bell rang and Dean grabbed his backpack and headed into the halls to go to his first class. He rubbed his temple as the nagging, dull ache came back when he tried to focus on the past and tried to remember what had happened previously. He was thinking the blow to his head might have something to do with his faulty memory. He hoped it would correct itself and he could make sense of what was going on with him.