Ever since Spencer had joined up with their team, Sam had gotten sort of used to having another person involved in some of their case planning. The fledgling wasn't involved in every case, but the ones he was there for he brought a rather unique perspective with him. Sam had figured it was part him being a profiler and part just pure Spencer.

Derek carried that same quality to him. He was easy to talk with and he folded himself seamlessly into their conversation.

For someone on their first case it would've been understandable if they'd been hesitant or unsure, not quite confident in what they had to do or how things had to go. Sam had been prepared for that, ready to try and discreetly steer Derek in the direction he needed to go. He knew that novice hunters required an extra brand of patience that Dean didn't typically possess for anyone but family and he knew it would be up to him to help Derek out, though Sam had to admit that Dean had surprised him so far with how patient he'd been with the profiler. But Derek just kept on surprising them. He worked well and easily with them, not bothered by what they were doing or how they did it.

They'd gone over the basics of the case and Derek had just proved that his mind was pretty quick, remembering the facts and keeping up with everything in a way not many would've. It was more than Sam had been expecting and he couldn't help turning to give the profiler a surprised look. When Derek gave him a curious look, Sam smiled reassuringly. "You're doing really well here, Derek. Better than I'd expected, really." Though he should've known better. Spencer had told them that Derek was smart – smarter than he looked.

His remark had Derek flashing a grin at him. "Well, yeah. This is the easy part. Anyone can talk about a case. I've been doing that with my team for years and years now. Let's see how I hold up once we get out in the field."

That was going to be the true test wasn't it? Once they got him out in the field they'd see how well he did. All the physical training in the world could only get a person so far. Nothing out there compared to taking down your first vampire – and that's what this case looked like it was shaping up to be. It was already pretty evident judging by the bodies left behind. At least vampires were a pretty easy starter hunt. Thinking that made Sam want to snort. Once, he wouldn't have thought like that. Once, he hadn't even believed there were any vampires left. He and Dean had thought they were extinct. Right up until that case where they'd met back up with their father and had to fight against the vampires to get the Colt.

Vampires had seemed so difficult back then – so insane to deal with. But now, after everything they'd gone through and everything they were still going through, a couple vampires didn't seem like that big of a deal.

"You think you're ready to go up against a couple vamps?" Dean asked, breaking Sam out of his thoughts and bringing him back to the conversation that was still going on around him.

It was a point in Derek's favor that he didn't give a cocky answer to that. Instead, he shrugged one shoulder and candidly admitted. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to see."

"I think you'll be fine." Sam reassured him. He really did, too. Derek didn't seem like the easily flappable type. He imagined once the profiler got out there, he'd do just fine. If he had any sort of freak out it'd be after the hunt was done, which was how it should go. But Sam had a feeling that Derek would come through during the hunt. Not just for himself or for them, but for Spencer. The fledgling was the whole reason that Derek was here after all. He wasn't going to give Spencer any reason to think about sending him home.

A buzz in Sam's pocket had him looking downwards. He pulled his phone out and pressed the button on the side to light the screen up. A second later he was grinning when he saw the name there.

Miss me yet? – King

The nickname was one that Gabriel had put in there, the dork. A play off his need to call Sam princess over and over. Away from where anyone might be able to hear him, or archangels with no sense of boundaries might be able to hear the thought, Sam could admit that he kind of liked it. He liked a lot of things he was coming to find in his relationship with Gabriel. Not just the pet names, either, but the whole package. Gabriel was – surprisingly sweet and romantic. He was snuggly and affectionate, always touching Sam in some way, and not always sexually like Dean groaned about. Sometimes it was something as simple as a hand on Sam's neck, or fingers in his hair, or their legs brushing together under the table. For Sam who had grown up in a home life that didn't exactly encourage much hugs and gentle touches, getting all of these from Gabriel was, for lack of a better term, heavenly. He never told Gabriel that but he had a feeling his partner knew.

Still smiling, Sam sent back his own reply.

We've barely been gone. I haven't had time to miss you yet – Sam

I'm obviously not doing something right then – King

What came through next was a picture that had Sam flushing and immediately closing out his texts. The last thing he needed was for Dean to look over and catch sight of that!

Unfortunately for him, his brother wasn't the only one in the car, and Derek seemed just as happy to tease as Dean was sometimes. "Looks like someone got a rather interesting text." Derek said teasingly, humor bright in his voice. He didn't even look regretful when Sam shot him a glare, the bastard. His grin just grew wider.

Dean groaned from his seat and shot Sam a sideways glare. "Dude, no dirty-texting your boy-toy in my baby."

"We were just talking!"

"I dunno," Derek drawled out. His laugh was easy to hear in his voice. "That was an awfully deep blush for 'just talking'."

That blush grew even deeper. Sam slumped down in his seat and shoved his phone into his pocket. "Shut up. Both of you."

The sound of their laughter echoed around the car and Sam wondered just how much he was going to regret this trip.

Any grumpiness had long since vanished by the time the trio arrived at their motel. Spencer had text them the address to it about twenty minutes into their trip, which had sparked a comment from Derek that "It still surprises me to see him doing stuff like that. Reid's always been pretty anti-technology." From there, it had taken only a question or two before the Winchesters were suddenly getting entertained by stories of Spencer over the years. Some of the things that Derek told them had Sam and Dean laughing so hard it was a wonder that Dean was able to keep the car on the road. Other stories gave them a bit more insight into the man they'd claimed as more than just a simple friend in their little unit. Hearing about Spencer walking onto a train with just a little chip and a bit of sleight of hand to help him trick an Unsub and try and rescue a train car full of innocents had the two Winchesters shaking their heads. They'd done stupider things, of course, but that didn't make it any easier to hear about their friend.

"He's always been like that, as long as I've known him." Derek said, a hint of heaviness in his words and his posture. Dark eyes drifted to look out the window. Sam would bet they were seeing something the rest of them couldn't; caught up in memories they didn't know. "It worries me with all this. The kid won't hesitate to put himself in danger if it means saving someone else."

Yeah, Sam had already noticed that tendency. Spencer seemed to shut off all self-preservation instincts when it came to helping out someone else. It reminded him a little of someone else he knew.

Funny enough, that person was the one to speak up next. "We'll just have to keep an eye on him," Dean said firmly. "Make sure he doesn't do something stupid. We'll have his back."

There was a fierceness to those words that Sam had noticed growing stronger and stronger lately. Not long ago it had been a tone that had only come out when Dean was feeling protective of Sam. But the longer that they knew Spencer and the closer they got with him, the more protective Dean became. It was apparent he'd adopted the fledgling into the tight knit circle of people that Dean considered family. That meant that there was no one out there who would look out for him better. Though, there were plenty that Sam felt would try. "We won't be the only ones." He pointed out, following that train of thought. "He's got a lot of people who care about him."

He was surprised by a huff of disbelief from the backseat. When he turned to look, he found Derek frowning, a small furrow building between his brows. "An how many of them are actually looking out for Reid and not for their supposed savior?"

"Most of us do." Sam defended them. He couldn't claim all of them did – he had no doubt that Michael saw only a savior, a fledgling, when he looked at Spencer, and Raphael was potentially the same. Gabriel, well, it was obvious what he saw when he looked at the fledgling he considered his. Castiel and Anna weren't as easy to read, but Sam believed that both of them saw Spencer even if they saw a little bit more to him. Castiel also seemed to see a brother, a friend, and a commander, while Anna seemed to see someone to look up to, someone who ranked higher than her and who, in her mind, had definitely earned her allegiance.

The only one that Sam wasn't sure about was Lucifer.

What he saw between Spencer and Lucifer was – interesting. It wasn't like Lucifer was at the bunker often enough for them to really get a good idea of how the two interacted. The few times that he'd seen them together, though, were interesting. It was either in horrible moments where Spencer was upset, during which Lucifer was calm and kind and caring in ways that none of them had expected from the devil of all beings – or else it was casual moments in which the two seemed to have some sort of casual, slightly friendly slightly hesitant sort of interaction.

Whatever Spencer's relationship with those around him, he was definitely protected. There were plenty who would watch out for him, and Sam knew he'd watch out for them all in turn.

When they arrived at the motel, they found the three angels were outside waiting for them. Spencer was seated at the bottom of the staircase that led to the second level of the motel while Anna and Castiel stood in front of him, Castiel standing stiff as he always did and Anna leaning against the railing with a small smile on her lips. Spencer looked like he was telling a story of some sort. His hands were up and waving around and his expression was animated and lit with that light that Sam had noticed he got when he was sharing information.

The sound of low laughter from the backseat showed that Derek had seen them as well. "Some things never change." The profiler said cheerfully. They got closer, pulling up to a spot right in front of the trio, and Spencer came more into view, prompting a low "And some things do" from Derek that was followed by a sign that sounded just a bit nostalgic. "I don't' think I'm gonna get used to seeing the kid dress like that."

Sam looked out at Spencer and acknowledged that the kid looked different than when he'd first met them. Even though Spencer and Barile didn't spend all their time out at their little hideaway anymore, Spencer still dressed like he had when they did. A sort of khaki colored linen pant like he'd taken to wearing anymore, a button up dark green shirt that looked to be a lighter linen style material as well, and then still the same shoes he always wore, his black converse. His hair had gotten a bit longer and he'd taken to pulling bits of it back into a half ponytail, leaving the rest free. It made him look so very different from before. Less professor and more… something that Sam didn't have a name for.

That shy smile that greeted them as they got out of the Impala was the same, though. "Hello." Spencer greeted them, looking completely at ease as he sat there. Some of the tension that had been building up in the bunker didn't seem to be present anymore. All of them were a bit more relaxed from just this small little trip away. They'd needed the break. "You guys made good time."

"You expect anything less with this one behind the wheel?" Derek asked, jerking a thumb at Dean and grinning.

Anna and Sam chuckled while Spencer just smiled even more, the corners of his eyes wrinkling from it. It was an open and happy look that was good to see there. "No, not really. We were prepared for that. The rooms are ready, warded and everything, and we've scoured the town just to make sure. It's just an average hunt. One you shouldn't have any problem with, Morgan."

"If he gets into trouble he's got enough backup." Sam pointed out.

That had Dean snorting from back by the trunk where he'd been grabbing their bags. He pulled Sam's up and tossed it his way, tossing Derek's out next. "Looks pretty routine to me."

"Dude." Groaning, Sam shot a mock-glare at his brother. "Don't say that. Every time you say that, we end up neck deep in trouble."

He wasn't at all reassured by his brother's grin. "Live a little, Sammy."

Before Sam could form any kind of reply to that, and he had a few sarcastic ones building, they were interrupted by Spencer. "Boys." The way he drawled out that single word told Sam that the fledgling had been spending way too much time with Bobby. He had that tone that Bobby got when the two were starting to annoy him and it was time to shape up. When their eyes snapped to him, he lifted an eyebrow, and wow, they were all rubbing off on him weren't they? Because that was pure Gabriel right there. "You think it might be smart to potentially save your bickering at least until we're inside of our rooms?" From his pocket he pulled out a few sets of keys. One he tossed to Dean and the next he tossed to Derek. "I put Dean, Sam, and Cas together in one room, and you're in with Anna and I in the other room, Morgan. It seemed the smartest way to split things up."

A hint of a color briefly flared in Dean's cheeks at the mention of having Castiel in their room. "You do realize angels don't actually need a room, don't you?" He pointed out.

Spencer shrugged one shoulder. "You realize that having them stay with us was the compromise that kept the archangels from locking you inside the bunker, don't you?"

The way that made Dean scowl had Sam smothering a snort. He hung back a little and followed behind his brother as Dean got them into their room just two doors down from the stairs. Once inside, the two moved easily and got themselves set up in their usual beds, their bags tossed down. If this had been their case on their own, they would've already been getting ready to head to the morgue to take a look at the bodies. But on the way out they'd talked about this and decided that it would probably be smart to split up and keep Derek away from the police, at least for right now. No need to have local cops looking him up and finding that a real profiler was here investigating a strange case without the rest of his team. That meant that Sam was going to head over there, most likely with Spencer – though Sam did wonder about that, about whether it was smart to send another profiler over there without his team, but Spencer had reassured them more than once that people wouldn't recognize them if he didn't want them to – and Derek and Dean were going to head to the latest crime scene. There was plenty enough daylight for them to get some things done. If this were vampires, they might get lucky enough to find where they were and get this taken care of tonight.

The case proved to be a whole lot easier than any of them had anticipated. It was perfect – the perfect case for Derek to dip his toes in the waters of the supernatural. The bodies at the morgue were obviously killed by vampires and there weren't really a whole lot of places around the area for them to hide. Derek was the one who did the research and found a few likely places where they could be.

It was when it was time to go after them that they hit their first little snag. Luckily, it wasn't that hard of a snag to be smoothed over.

Castiel and Anna both wanted to come with them when they went to go take the vampires out. Sam could understand their reasoning, he really could, but they didn't need the extra help. Neither he nor Dean had to point it out, though. Spencer did it for them. "This isn't a large nest." The young genius told them. They were inside of Dean and Sam's room, all of them gathered here to prepare, and Spencer was perched on a chair at the small table. He looked up at the two angels and gave them that shy smile of his. "We saw them earlier, guys, remember? It's just a few idiots who are too new to realize the mistakes they're making. Sam or Dean could take them out on their own if they wanted. It's the perfect case for Morgan and it definitely doesn't require extra angelic help. Besides, if there is any trouble, either myself, Dean, or Sam can step in and offer assistance."

"We're supposed to be watching over you." Anna said. The way she looked at him made it clear who she felt she was supposed to be watching over.

Seeing Spencer shift around a little in his seat and how his eyes briefly dropped down, it wasn't hard to tell that things like that still made him a bit uncomfortable. He didn't let it stop him, though. "We'll be fine, Anna." There was a note to his words that made it clear he didn't want to keep talking about this. He wasn't ordering her to stay – that wasn't his style – but he'd made his opinion clear. Anna backed down, dipping her head in acknowledgement. As for Castiel, he seemed to be in some intense, silent debate with Dean, the two staring at one another in that way they had that made the whole room uncomfortable and had the little brother in Sam wanting to throw something at them to break it up. Eventually they broke apart as well.

With that, they thankfully managed to make it out of there with just the four of them. Dean drove them to the place they'd picked out to check first. When they got there, they didn't have to go inside to look. Spencer gave them that part of the answer easily enough. "They're here."

"You're not supposed to tell him that, Doc." Dean scolded him. "He's supposed to be figuring this out himself."

Spencer didn't seem at all perturbed by the admonishment. "I'd do the same for you two."

There was a sort of thrill that came with that first real case, Sam knew. One that you could feel even if you didn't even want to be hunting. It was that bit of excitement that came from coming up against something that was different and strong. Something that you knew had the potential to kill you. You could still get that thrill years and countless cases later, but it was never quite the same. Nothing was ever exactly like that first one. Looking over at Derek, he could see that on the man's face. The thrill. The excitement. The anticipation. There wasn't any real hesitation on him. The others had worried a bit about how Derek might react when he got out here – Sam could see, even if no one else could, that Derek was ready for this.

They were quiet as they gathered their weapons out of the trunk. Much to their surprise, Spencer didn't grab one with them. When Derek gave him a funny look, he shrugged. "I'm just the backup, Morgan. One that I feel will prove wholly unnecessary. I trust that the three of you will be able to handle the nest without any assistance from me."

His absolute faith in their skills eased that tiny bit of tension in Derek and had both the Winchesters smiling at him. It was kind of nice to have someone who had no doubts about their abilities. Kind of a nice change from the doubt and disbelief that the angels had showed.

"All right, then." Dean hefted his machete up and rested it against his shoulder. His grin was wide and bright and just a bit dangerous. "You ready, Morgan?"

Derek's answering grin was just as broad. "You better believe it, Winchester."

Together, the group turned and made their way silently up along the small trail that would lead to the abandoned barn – a perfect hiding spot for a small nest of vampires. It was time to hunt.