Chapter 8

"So… what's new, little brother," Dean had made the fatal mistake of asking when they had finally gotten out onto the open road and Sam had no problem answering his single, solitary question with a barrage of answers that made little to no sense to the weary older man as he drove the painfully long ride back the way he had already come just a few short hours before. Sam could tell something was not quite right in the car when Dean's responses to his chatter started with one or two word phrases that gradually declined into nothing more than an occasional grunt of shake of his head.

"Dean… What is wrong with you?" Sam's voice tore through his head when he nearly barked at him and the shock of hearing his brother's unidentifiable tone caused him to jump slightly. He couldn't tell if Sam was irritated, annoyed, or concerned but he had a pretty good idea the next few sentences his little brother spoke would answer that question for him.

"I'm fine Sam. Did you have to yell at me?" Dean semi-shot back with a little irritation of his own rising in his voice, trying to hide the slight hint of embarrassment that crept up inside him when he was startled from his thoughts like a daydreaming little girl.

"It finally got you to listen to me, didn't it? You've said, like, ten words the entire time we've been in this car. Are you gonna tell me what's wrong or are we going to play the 'I'm fine' game again?"

"Why do you always think something's wrong?"

"Probably because I just spent the last five minutes telling you about this really great girl I met and you never once asked me if she either rides the mini-bus with the rest of the mentally challenged kids, runs on AA batteries, or needs a tire pump to get ready for a date, that's why."

"Does she?" He forced a grin that he tossed in Sam's direction as he subtly waggled his eyebrows in the hopes of placating his annoyed sibling as Sam just continued to glare at him, trying to read his facial expressions and body language and noticing his first clue that something just wasn't right as he caught a glimpse of Dean's fingers clamped so tightly around the steering wheel his knuckles were nearly white with each tendon standing out proud and doing an occasional dance under his flesh when he would turn the wheel slightly left or right.

"Does she what?" Sam automatically asked without thinking, instantly regretting it the second the question came out.

"You know… run on batteries?"

"It's not funny when I have to feed you the material to bust my balls with," Sam rolled his eyes and decided to just go quiet when Dean's stare drifted back out onto the road in front of them as he sat rigidly in the driver's seat with his jaw clenched so tightly shut he thought for sure he could see every muscle in his older brother's troubled face and neck trying to pop out through the skin that protected it. If that wasn't bad enough, the sporadic grinding of Dean's upper teeth against the opposing ones gave Sam a random shiver when he would hear it every so often. Dean would only grind his teeth on the rarest of rare occasions, and they were never pleasant ones that usually involved bowing down to their father's iron will, no matter what.

As much as Sam wanted desperately to know what was bothering his brother so badly, he knew that when Dean was wound this tight, it was better to just keep the status quo; especially considering what they were driving into. There would be plenty of time to interrogate Dean later. With nothing to distract his thoughts from the worst, Sam decided he'd heard enough of just the roar of the Impala's engine and leaned forward to turn the radio on, something he was also rather surprised Dean had not already done. Flipping from station to station, he finally settled on something more to his own liking then to what Dean would have filled the air of the big, black Chevy with and nestled back into his seat as his eyes fixed on his brother's stiff body and waited for the inevitable complaining to start, which unbelievably never did; even when Sam started humming right along with the Dave Matthews Band.

Not another word was said between the two brothers as the picturesque sunset that Sam had been admiring outside his window as Dean made the long trek south gave way to the nearly pitch black of night; the full moon not quite high enough in the sky to help illuminate the dark ground just yet until Dean drove well off the road onto the grassy shoulder before throwing the car into park and killing not only the engine but the radio right along with it. Turning his face in Sam's direction and praying anything written on it he didn't want his brother to read would be readily masked by the darkness inside the vehicle, Dean stuffed the keys into his coat pocket and spoke for the first time in well over an hour.

"I hope you're wearing comfortable shoes Sammy because we're gonna have to hoof it from here. I already scoped out an area through those trees that is as good a spot as any to wait this bitch out."



"Wait a second, you were here once already? When?"

"Earlier. Did you think I wouldn't check the place out before I dragged you here?"

"You drove all the way up here with nothing more to go on then a newspaper article so what do you think?"

"I think you better tie your shoes up nice and tight because we've got some walking to do," Dean told him before climbing from the car and slamming the door shut a little harder than he had meant to. Disappearing from his sight into the dark as Dean walked the length of the car slowly to the trunk; Sam heard the latch holding the lid to the hidden weapon's compartment shut give way, and then heard the heavy thud of what was quite obviously Dean's duffel hit the ground. Feeling the car shake as the trunk was securely closed back up, Sam finally climbed from the silent interior of the vehicle and deeply breathed in the unseasonably warm, refreshingly clean, late December air; thankful that the nighttime lows hadn't dropped below fifty in the last few days and weren't expected to tonight as well.

"You remember how to use that?" Dean asked his little brother as he shoved a fully loaded 9MM into his hand, the weapon containing the finest silver bullets that scammed credit card money could buy. Well, maybe not the bullets, but the silver that his brother had used to make them anyway.

"Yeah Dean, just point and pull. It's not rocket science," Sam grumbled at Dean's seemingly lack of confidence in his shooting abilities. It hadn't been that long since he'd held a firearm in his hands and it really was like riding a bike anyway. Some things you just never forget, especially when John Winchester was the one teaching them to you.

"No, but it could end up being brain surgery, in a weird sort of way," Dean tried to joke back, sensing the slight hint of irritation in his little brother's tone and he was almost convinced he could hear Sam's eyes roll when he said it.

It had been too many long months since Dean had seen his brother and this was not how he had envisioned their next reunion to be. No, he'd planned on it being in some nice, loud, college-town bar filled with plenty of booze and blondes as the two of them joked and laughed and got drunk together before stumbling back to either Sam's dorm or Dean's motel room to pass out, allowing him to momentarily forget what his lonely existence was all about now that Sam wasn't really a part of his life anymore. This was far from that though as he stood there in the dimly, moonlit night listening to his brother's somewhat huffed breathing and knowing Sam's piercing stare was trained directly on him, even in the dark and wishing he had never had to come to his little brother for help in the first place.

"Uh Dean… are you waiting for your big, furry friend to come carjack us or are you gonna lead the way into the trees since you're the only one that knows where we're going?" Sam casually asked his brother without the slightest hint of annoyance in his voice anymore as he tapped him on the shoulder when it seemed that Dean's mind had wandered way out elsewhere for the moment; the far away, blank stare his older brother had suddenly taken on starting to bother him. He knew there was something wrong with Dean; he just couldn't put a finger on what… yet. He told himself he would figure it out before the night was through though, because in all honesty, he usually always did.

"Yeah, come on. Let's get this over with," he said with the subtle shake of his head as if trying to clear the cobwebs out of it. Slinging the heavy bag over his shoulder with a barely audible but obviously visible grunt, he made his way into the dense forest of trees that seemed to be anxiously awaiting their arrival.

As the full moon rose higher and higher into the sky, it cast an eerie glow on his brother's hunched back and Sam couldn't help but notice from his position several feet behind that Dean stomped through the thick brush entirely too heavy footed, heedless of how much noise he was making as he trudged on further and further into the forest making no attempts at concealing their presence from anyone or anything that may be watching or listening. They advanced deeper and deeper into the trees without saying a word to one another until Sam finally saw Dean stop dead in his tracks at the edge of what looked like a clearing from Sam's spot numerous feet to the rear. He picked up his pace to cut the distance he had let spread a little too wide between them and was surprised to hear that even after standing totally motionless for the last couple minutes as Sam caught up, Dean was still somewhat out of breath with his face bathed in sweat. Sam hadn't found the hike in to be all that arduous; he himself barely breaking a sweat and he added Dean's lack of stamina to the growing list of things already starting to concern him.

"This is it," Dean managed to breathe out as he dropped what Sam thought had been the heavy duffel hanging on his shoulder until it landed on the ground and he started rummaging through its sparse contents, which meant the bag weighed barely anything at all. Finding what he was looking for relatively quickly and shoving the pair of night vision goggles he had safely tucked away in his bag immediately into 

Sam's hands when he located them and pulled them out, Dean pointed up the lone, tall tree that stood nearly dead center of the clearing they were now standing in. "Take those up that tree and keep your eyes peeled. When you see something, you shout and I'll shoot."

Sam stood there for the moment at a total loss for words, staring into his brother's face incredulously, unwilling to believe what he thought he had just heard him say. "You seriously expect me to hang out in that tree all night while you plan on doing what, exactly? Roam around down here on the forest floor as bait? Dean, I didn't come all the way out here to sit on a branch like a friggin' squirrel chewing on a nut waiting for you to make the forest safe from evil like some kind of werewolf hunting Robin Hood."

"Don't be an ass Sam, it's a brilliant plan. First of all, I wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of green tights and secondly, with you up there scoping out the area, you'll be able to see anything coming long before it ever gets anywhere near me AND you can tell me what direction it's gonna be coming at me from. Point and pull, remember? It's the safest way for you to back me up. There's no reason we both need to be potential sapien steaks, is there? Come on Sammy, if you've got a better idea, I'm all ears," Dean quickly explained his logic and as much as Sam didn't want to admit it, he knew his brother was right, even if his well thought out plan had been concocted mainly to keep Sam as far away from any real action as he possibly could. Sam did have to agree, they would have a distinct advantage if they could see it coming well before they had to encounter it and Sam's face totally gave his thoughts away. "Ahh… see Sammy, you know I'm right. I can see it in your eyes."

"Shut up jerk," Sam said with a pout; his lips pursed so tightly together they weren't really even visible to Dean anymore and all he could do was chuckle when he saw his brother's face now that he had reverted to using facial expressions that would normally get him his way when he was ten. Too bad Sam wasn't ten anymore.

"Start climbing bitch," Dean jokingly shot back with a wide-mouthed grin, the quick wink of an eye as raised his eyebrows before pointing straight up.

Without saying another word, Sam turned away from his brother and silently started the short climb up and over the various thick limbs like an agile monkey until he was about halfway up the trunk, his long arms and legs making quick work of the thick trunk and branches, until he was sitting comfortably on one of the larger boughs with his back resting against the thick base. He was surprised that, from the position he had taken, he had a relatively unobstructed view of the entire area and once again had to admit to himself his brother had probably been right.

"Hey, you find a spot to cop a squat yet Tarzan?" Dean called into the dark when he didn't hear anymore movement coming from above him.

"A little louder Dean, I don't think the entire forest quite heard you," he sarcastically called back down to the normally stealthy hunter that was making absolutely no attempts at hiding their presence. "Why don't you just put up a big, neon sign that says 'Dinner is served' with an arrow pointing at yourself?"

"Bite me Sam," Dean ironically shouted back up, once again not even bothering to lower the tone of his voice. He knew full well it didn't matter how loud he was because it wasn't his voice that would draw the beast to them, it was the scent. His scent. It would come for him, of that he had no doubt. All he could do now was sit and wait, praying he was up to the challenge. "You got a good view from up there?"

"Yeah… dude, these goggles are awesome. I can see everything through them," Sam shouted back, figuring that if Dean didn't feel the need to be quiet, neither did he.

"Good. The moon's up now so keep your eyes peeled. Somehow I'm doubting we're gonna have to wait too long," Dean mindlessly commented in a loud tone at first but trailing off to end it in a very hushed one instead, preferring to keep the latter part of what he had said more to himself.

With Sam perched up a tree and safely out of harm's way for the most part, Dean palmed his chrome Colt 1911 with the ivory handle in one hand as he braced himself against the tree Sam was pulling guard duty in with the other and slowly slid his aching body down it until he was firmly planted on the hard ground before taking and expelling a deep breath as he rested his back and head against the rough bark with his eyes closed. He didn't know what was more exhausting, trudging through the forest in search of a wild, supernaturally charged man-eating beast or keeping up appearances for his brother's sake. As the silence fell over him like a heavy blanket and any adrenaline rush he may have had faded, he couldn't fight his exhaustion anymore and within a few short minutes he had actually fallen asleep, confident that Sam would shout enough like a girl to wake him when the time came.

Sam made cursory scans of the area for barely an hour when something caught his eye at the edge of the tree line when he made his latest sweep, the sight causing the hairs on the back of his neck to instantly stand at attention when he realized it was more than just the wind and too big to be just a 

raccoon. Climbing carefully to his feet, he continued to watch as the movement approached slowly, as if trying to go unnoticed.

"Dean… something's coming," he whispered loud enough for at least his brother to hear but frowned when he got no response. "Dean… where are you?"

It wasn't Sam's voice that jarred Dean from his light sleep but the bone-chilling howl that echoed throughout the night as all other nocturnal sounds ceased to exist and within seconds he was awake and on high alert, finally responding to his brother's warnings with a one word question as his self-preservation instincts kicked fully in and he was up on his feet faster than he could speak. "Where?"

"Three o'clock," Sam called down and Dean instantly turned his body to the right with his sights trained down the length of his arm and off into the thick brush.

It tore through the trees with a purpose, the very long, very sharp teeth that were exposed by the menacing snarl reflecting the now bright moonlight that had started to light up the forest floor and for some strange reason Dean just froze in place, seemingly unable to pull the trigger as his eyes met those of the black beast advancing on him until he heard the shot ring out from high above his head. Hearing the pain-riddled wail that replaced the intimidating howl ringing sharply in his ears after the lone crack of gunfire echoed in his head somehow broke him from his trance and he knew he had to move fast.

Rushing to the monster now sprawled out on the ground drooling blood and panting, he wasted no time aiming his pistol directly at the beast's chest and fired over and over until his gun held no more ammo, the bullets tearing one hole after another through fur, flesh and bone and sending blood, gore and chunks of hair in various different directions. Dean was totally mesmerized by the sight before him and could do nothing but kneel next to the now dead body on the ground and watch it turn from the beast he had just ended to an amazingly striking young woman who could be no older then eighteen. An amazingly striking young woman that was now dead by his hand. He was oblivious to Sam's presence next to him until he felt his brother's gigantic paw firmly on his shoulder as he spoke to him in a soft, calming voice.

"I think you got it this time," he stated rather triumphantly for Dean who just continued to stare.

"Yeah, I think you're right," was all Dean could muster the energy to say as he turned and walked away in the direction of the duffel he'd deposited underneath the tree and started rummaging through it again, the heavy clank of something metallic hitting the ground causing Sam to frown. He held that frown as his brother approached him and he could clearly tell by the look in Dean's eyes that he knew exactly what his brother was going to say even before he said it. "Head back to the car and I'll meet you there Sam. I need to clean up this mess myself."

"No you don't Dean, I'll…" Sam started to say but his brother cut him off before he got any farther.

"I want to do it myself. Please Sam, just head back to the car and wait there and let me burn the bodies myself," he told him again, this time tossing him the keys before turning his back to his baby brother and marching back in the direction of the body lying naked and dead on the ground. He listened carefully as Sam sighed but made no other sounds and from the corner of his eye he watched his shoulders slump as he began the trip return trip back to the car without saying another word in protest. This was obviously something Dean felt obligated to do and as much as he wanted to help him get it over with, he decided to let him do it.

The walk out had taken a little longer than the walk in as this time Sam was in no real hurry, until the chiming on his watch told him that it was only nine o'clock. Still early enough to maybe hit a bar with his big brother to celebrate a job easily done for a change and maybe spend some quality time together since he was actually here. He had had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach the second he had seen Dean at his door that the night wasn't going to end on a pleasant note but he was now starting to let that feeling go when he caught sight of the car waiting patiently for them as he stepped through the last grouping of trees and back out into the open air. Unlocking the passenger door and climbing inside to take his designated position at shotgun, he slid the key in the ignition, rested his head against the seat and waited for his brother to finish what had obviously been started just to please their old man.

That thought was the one that threatened to turn Sam's good mood into a foul one, the thought of Dean always trying to please their unpleasable father. He always obeyed every order the man gave him without question; he always did everything his father ever asked him to, and he hated the fact that Dean felt like he had to take this particular burden onto himself and finish what they had both clearly screwed up on just to appease the stubborn man who obviously decided not to help shoulder the blame of a botched hunt. He also hated the fact that their father treated Dean like some dirty disease when he was disappointed in him and that was what bothered him more than anything else. John knew all too well where to hit Dean where it hurts the most and for that, he almost hated his father.



Feeling his anger start to grow, he pushed the thoughts of John Winchester as far from his mind as he possibly could and refocused on the natural high he had felt when they had taken care of Dean's little problem and eliminated yet another monster from the world unscathed. He was starting to get that happy feeling back when he saw the trees moving to his left and glancing at his watch, he saw that he had been sitting there for over an hour waiting for Dean to take care of that body so it would never be found. Seeing him break the tree line and come at the car in a hurried trot, he threw the Chevy's heavy door open and nearly sprinted to his brother when he saw the mess he had become.

"Jesus Christ Dean, what the hell happened to you?" Sam nearly screamed into his brother's blackened face as he approached him quickly, ripping the nearly empty bag off his shoulder as Dean stopped where he stood for a second, bent over and rested his hands on his knees and took in a few deep breaths now that he was breathing like he had just ran a marathon. His face was covered with dirt and soot and the sheen of sweat that had broken out across his forehead in his run had only made the already filthy mess even filthier now that it was wet. The closer Sam looked, he thought for sure he could see Dean's eyebrows were singed slightly as well and now he really wanted to know what his brother had done after he had been forced to leave him behind. "What the hell is going on?"

"I thought I heard someone coming so I took off after shoveling the last few piles of dirt into hole I dug to burn those bodies in," he told his brother, still somewhat out of breath but catching it quickly.

"That doesn't explain why you look like you just climbed out of a coal mine," Sam asked suspiciously, hearing the distinct sound of a tin can rolling around in the duffel he was holding on to.

"Yeah… that. I didn't want to be standing around all night waiting for the fire to die out so I decided to make it really hot in the first place. Remind me to never do that again with an entire can of gasoline, will ya? I think I burned out all my nose hairs with that one," he snorted in amusement, finally finding the energy to stand. "You ready to head back, 'cuz I sure as hell am?"

"I was ready an hour ago," Sam casually commented back before opening the rear, passenger side door to toss the bag into the back. Getting ready to climb back into his spot in the front, Dean stopped him before he could even get the door open and jangled he keys in his face with an interesting look plastered on his face.

"That goes in the trunk, little brother," he coyly reminded Sam of the Impala's storage protocol as he forced the key into Sam's hand, then shot him another interesting look that Sam had no words to describe as Dean spoke again. "You wanna drive?"

"What? Did you just ask me if I wanna drive? Holy shit, hell has frozen over!" Sam was totally shocked by the question and even more shocked by his brother's lack of any response. Dean let him drive only on the rarest of occasions, and usually they were prompted by same thing that made him grind his teeth nearly flat. Only this time, he didn't see any of that tension pulsating through a clenched jaw anymore, just the tired look that was left in his eyes after what Sam could only assume had been a very long day.

Without saying another word, Sam grabbed the duffel he'd thrown into the back, threw it in the trunk and jumped behind the wheel before his brother could change his mind and had the Chevy started and ready to go before Dean even moved from the spot he was standing in. Sam watched him start towards the car and couldn't help but notice how slow he moved, each step he took coming with that slight limp to it again. When he finally sat himself in the seat next to the anxious young man behind the wheel and let out a heavy breath, Sam couldn't help but ask the question that annoyed him to no end.

"Dean, are you sure you're alright?" The concern was subtle, but it was there and Dean wanted nothing more to squash it right now.

"For the millionth time Sam, I'm fine. Will you please stop asking now?"

"Ok, crabass," was all he said before dropping the transmission into drive and spinning the tires before he pulled back out onto the pavement, annoying Dean in an entirely different way when he did it.

The ride north had been made in less time than the initial ride south, each minute being spent listening to Dean's own music selections as opposed to Sam's while Dean rested his head against the window and closed his eyes to let his mind wander as Sam drove, the sound of his little brother's voice breaking the verbal silence once they were safely back at the dorm startling him out of his nearly dreamlike state.

"Hey Dean, it's only midnight. The bar across the street is open until two. Think we could get a beer or something before we crash for the night?" Sam asked him in a semi-beg, still wanting to celebrate their victory and knowing if he got a few into his brother, he might loosen up enough to talk.

Had this been another day and time, he would have readily jumped at the suggestion, but right now he wasn't sure he could sit very long on a bar stool and pretend everything was normal. Unfortunately for him though, he had to keep his game face on because he had absolutely no intentions of letting his 

brother in on his little secret, the little secret he had brought with him that was threatening to make itself known. In fact, he had no intentions of letting anyone in on his little secret. He would force himself to stay awake and alert for a couple more hours to please Sam if that's what it took, then he would check into a motel and drop like the rock he felt like for a couple days before heading back to wherever his father would be and nobody would ever know he had screwed up yet again.

"I guess so. Can I grab a shower first?" Dean had to ask since he was sitting in his car covered in filth from the neck up.

"Probably a good idea," Sam agreed as he turned off the engine and tossed Dean the keys. "Grab your gear and I'll show you where you can grab a shower.

Taking in a deep breath before climbing out of the car, Dean dragged his heavy body to the trunk and pulled out his bag with most of his clothing in it, the tossing of it over his shoulder eliciting a slight hiss that Sam had been too far away to hear. Turning on his heels to follow his little brother back into the dorm, he stayed far enough behind to make sure he had enough control of himself to make it up the stairs. Wandering as close to his brother as he dared to get, he spied the couches in the common area and dropped down hard onto one of them before turning his eyes up to Sam's, who had landed on his face rather curiously.

"Any chance you got a clean towel?" He tried averting the gaze by resting his head against the back and waited for his brother to answer him, his brother that had clearly started to see through his façade.

"There's a towel in my room, grab it on your way to the shower. It's down the hall on the left two doors beyond mine. Hurry up man, will ya? A beer sounds like a little bit of heaven right now," Sam's answer to Dean's question had been issued as almost a challenge and Dean reluctantly accepted it as he slowly stood and ambled down the hall to his brother's room. Sam watched as he disappeared inside barely long enough to sneeze before coming back out again and continued his walk down the hall, the sound of his name behind him turning his attention away from Dean's gait and onto the voice coming from behind him.

"Hey Sam, what are you doing here?" She asked him curiously and he recognized who it came from before he even turned around. "I thought you were heading to Jess'."

"Hey Penny," he stated back as she gave him a big hug. "I'm not heading to Jess' until Sunday. Just hanging around with my brother tonight."

"Your brother? Your brother is here?" Penny questioned with a little flash of excitement in her eyes.

"Yeah, he surprised me with a visit. We're gonna hit the bar after he showers if you wanna join us."

"I just might do that. I've heard so much about Dean I feel like I already know him," she nearly gushed at the mention of the older brother's presence. "I was supposed to get up early tomorrow to head home, but what the hell; I don't need that much sleep."

The two of them stood and chatted away the long minutes that went by waiting for Dean to emerge fresh from the shower and Sam had finally decided to just sit down after the longest time had gone by when he realized his brother wasn't going to hurry up like he had so nicely asked him to. No, Dean had probably decided to use all the hot water in the tank before coming out, which could take quite a while here. Taking the lead from Sam, Penny decided to join him on the couch, until her eyes caught something marring the light brown fabric next to the spot he was sitting on.

"What the hell is that? I think there's blood on the couch?" She asked, rather surprised not only by the sight of the stain but by the look of sheer panic that had suddenly come across Sam's face when it registered what she had just said. "Who would do that and not clean it up?"

Looking at the exact spot Penny was pointing to, Sam pressed a finger into the red splotch that had seeped into the fabric and wasn't the least bit surprised to see his fingers had come away wet. That blood was fresh, very fresh and Sam knew exactly where it had come from the moment he saw it. Rising quickly to his feet and bolting down the hall, his one word he uttered said it all.

"Dean…"