I never actually plan these things, they just sort of pop in unannounced. Hope you are enjoying this little ditty which is alot longer than I thought and might actually have a plot after all.

R&R if you like, Hugs

Chapter 7 Schoolyard scuffle

Walking through the back streets of the little town back toward the Ranch House Dean came to an abrupt halt as a dark shadow skulking in the distance caught his attention.

"What the hell…" Sam grumbled.

"Another creature," Dean growled as he took off after the shadow, "It's headed down the side of the red house. You armed?"

"Yeah," Sam managed to spit out. Long legs pumped hard and it took only a few strides to catch up with Dean.

"We're too close to town Dean – someone's going to see us."

"The creature is hunting Sam. So far everything we've encountered has been vicious and deadly. This one is not going to be any different. We need to get to it, before it finds a victim."

Sprinting through the brush the hunters followed the crazed creatures trail. It wasn't long before laughing, shouting childish voice filled the air.

Dean grimaced, Sam swore at the sounds. Children, a school or playground filled with children was up ahead. Were they too late. Leaping a small hedge the hunters brought their weapons up as the creature broke from cover charging at the children.

The Sigsauer in Sam's hand came up mirroring the Glock held in his brother's hand. Fingers squeezed the triggers and the sound of gunfire split the air. The creature was big, bigger than it should have been standing nearly three feet tall at the shoulder. The front half might have been a large dog – possibly a German shepherd, the back half was that of a wild black boar.

Children screamed Teachers and parents alike panicked. It took six rounds to bring the creature down.

The sound of frightened children filled the air as the half dog, half boar slid to a halt inches from a young girls feet. Too frightened to move she stood staring at the monster lying at her feet.

In two strides Sam was beside her lifting her into his arms as the creature's sharp teeth snapped shut on air where the little girls leg had been only seconds before.

"Get them out of here Sam," Dean screamed as he put one last bullet in the creatures head.

"Dean," Sam shouted as he watched his brother take off across the schoolyard. Turning to the milling crowd, yelling at the top of his lungs Sam pushed and shoved at the children moving them toward safety. "Get behind the wall," he screamed. "Do it, do it now," he yelled at the teachers. "That thing is going to explode.

Over his shoulder Sam saw a second creature stalking its prey, a young boy, alone and unaware of the danger played with a toy truck beneath a big oak tree. Why hadn't the boy heard the shots?

The Glock in Dean's hand came up but the hunter couldn't get a clean shot on the stalking monster.

The dark shadow of the creature moved in the bushes as it approached its target. The boy sat beneath the tree dragging the truck through the dirt blithely unaware of the danger so close at hand. Growling beneath his breath Dean pushed himself harder as he saw the creature break cover and leap for the boy. A silent scream of terror tore through the hunters mind. He wasn't going to make it. He lifted the Glock and prayed that they boy wouldn't move. The shot was high and sliced a path across the creature right hip. A high pitched squeal of pain was torn from the Boar's throat. The creature stumbled, but didn't go down.

Only then did the boy look up his eyes going wide at the sight of the malformed monster rushing toward him. Glistening yellowed tusks protruded from each side of the Boar's head. Its jaw snapped opened and closed revealing razor sharp teeth.

Without breaking stride Dean scooped the boy up as the Boar attacked.

Teeth snapped shut missing the boy by scant inches. A sharp tusk slammed into Dean, sending him and the boy tucked in his arms skittering across the gravel. Dean slammed into a tree a grunt of pain escaping him. Shielding the boy with his body Dean brought the Glock up.

The raging creature howled its fury at being denied its prey. Skidding on the gravel surface it spun around to try again.

Dean twisted sideways shielding the boy with his body. he knew he wasn't going to get the Glock in time up as the creature leaped.

The sharp crack of a rifle exploded through the school yard. The creature's body convulsed in midair before dropping like a stone to land at Dean's feet. With the Glock at the ready Dean didn't take his eyes off the creature but it wasn't his shot that had brought the creature down.

Still shielding the boy, Dean leaped to his feet. With the adrenalin rushing through his veins he barely felt the pain in right thigh as he stumbled away from the creature. Behind him he heard the muffled explosion as the first creature shredded into a thousand splinters of black glass. He knew what was coming and leaped for cover behind the large oak. Protecting the boy he huddled behind the tree waiting for the blast. The explosion rocked the ground and sent sliver of black glass skittering across the ground.

When silence filled the air Dean slowly rose to his feet. The boy snuggled close wrapping his arms around Dean's neck. He buried his face against the hunter seeking comfort. Dean saw it then. The reason the boy hadn't heard the screams; a hearing aide was tucked into his left ear. Dean sighed giving in to the emotion pulsing in his heart and hugged the boy. The kid was safe that's all that mattered.

"Dean," Sam yelled as he rushed to his brother's side, "You ok."

"I'm fine Sam," Dean replied quietly.

A third figure walked up beside them a rifle raised on her shoulder. The Sheriff eyed the hunter carefully. "If you're so fine what's that red stuff soaking your pants?"

Dean grunted as he stared down at his right thigh. "Damn," he grumbled, "These were my favorite jeans?" The throbbing ache in his thigh was fast becoming a gut-wrenching agony as the adrenalin pulsing through his system wore off.

"Come on, let's get TJ back to his teacher and we'll get that leg taken care of."

Dean took a step back saying, "It's just a scratch Sheriff. I'll clean it up back at the house."

Melisandra snorted, she knew his kind. He hated to be fussed over, and didn't like doctors, but from the look of the wound, it needed more than just a clean up back at the house. "You have two choices Dean. Behind door number one – is me hauling your ass down to the jailhouse for carrying loaded weapons on school grounds and I call the doc to come fix you up. Or behind door number two – You get in my truck and I drive you over to the clinic now. Which is it going to be?"

"No door number three," Dean groused.

"Nope!"

"I have a first aide kit…"

Melisandra blew out a sigh, "Dammit Dean get in the truck."

"Yes, ma'am," he grumbled. Stepping forward his injured leg gave out. He pitched forward straight into waiting arms.

Sam grabbed his left arm; Melisandra grabbed his right preventing him from falling on his face. Beside him Sam suppressed a chuckle and Dean wanted badly to smack him.

Hauling him back to his feet they made their way across the playground to the waiting vehicle. Settling him in the back seat, Melisandra pulled a small first aide kit from beneath the seat. Carefully she pressed several gauze pads over the wound and wrapped it tight hoping to stop the flow of blood. Hearing Dean's hiss of pain, she mumbled "Sorry."

The Sheriff drove the big dodge truck three blocks to park beside a beautifully restored Victorian house with a yellow rose bush out front. It was a huge two story house, the bottom floor given over to the fully staffed clinic and trauma center. At the moment the Clinic was quiet, with only one car in the parking lot.

Pulling around back Melisandra stopped beside two glass doors. She had called the clinic and warned them they had a patient on the way. A wheel chair was waiting, a tall man in a white lab coat and a Nurse dress in blue scrubs stood waiting. Dean opened the truck door grumbling something beneath his breath about hating hospitals, hating doctors. He would have said something about hating Sheriff's if Melisandra hadn't been standing so close beside him.

Dean sat grudgingly in the chair, and threw his brother a killer look, that promised dire retribution.

Melisandra caught the doctor's arm as he moved to follow Dean. "Stephen, can I talk to you for a minute."

"Sure Sheriff," he whispered with a wink.

Melisandra smiled, but quickly sobered, "There was an incident in the schoolyard Stephen, and before you go berserk on me, TJ is fine."

The doctor's body went stiff as he listened to Melisandra's words. TJ was his nephew. The doctor closed his eyes and sighed softly. The boy had been through so much in the last few months. A car wreck had killed his parents and left him deaf. There was hope his hearing would return but with each passing day that hope faded.

The doctor's eyes reflected the turmoil in his mind, but he quickly pulled himself back into control. "What happened Sandi," he rushed in?

"Two of those animals I told you about came into town. They were in the schoolyard."

Stephen knew what she meant, he had heard the stories, seen the newspapers. The creatures were savage and vicious.

"Those two young men in there saved a lot of lives today," Melisandra whispered. "TJ was playing with his truck by the big oak when they attacked. He's not hurt Stephen, just frightened. Dean got to him before the animal did."

Stephen's eyes followed the two men as the nurse pushed the wheelchair down the corridor. "That's how he got hurt isn't it Melisandra, protecting TJ."

Melisandra nodded. "The cut is pretty deep, but he's not going to be an easy patient Stephen. Didn't want to come here, said he would take care of it himself."

The doctor smiled; having dealt with more than a few reluctant patients in the past he knew how to bring them around to his way of thinking.

"Thanks Sandi, I appreciate you telling me about TJ." Leaning forward Stephen brushed a light butterfly kiss across her cheek.

A few minutes later Dean was resting on the bed as the doctor walked through the door to examine his leg. To a grumpy Dean the doctor's gentle hands seemed rough as he poked and prodded the cut. A nurse had come and gone taking his vitals and entering the information in the chart that now sat open on the table at the doctor's elbow.

The doctor was younger than Dean had expected, and taller. Almost as tall as Sam, he wore the usual white lab coat with a light blue polo shirt and tight fitting jeans beneath with a pair of well worn cowboy boots on his feet. His eyes were a vivid blue that matched the color of his shirt. At the moment they held only concern as he assessed the wound.

Melisandra had pegged Dean to a T. He didn't like to be fussed over and hated hospitals. Grumpy and tired he wanted nothing more than a shower and bed. "Am I going to live doc," he quipped.

The doctor's head came up his face grim, "I think I'm going to have to amputate."

Dean's eyes went wide but the twinkle in the doctor's eyes gave him away. "Not funny," the hunter grumbled.

The doctor flashed him a smile, his blue-gray eyes turning serious. "Melisandra warned me you might be a difficult patient. I just thought I'd get my two cents in before you started grumbling at me."

Stephen's hands stilled and he looked up catching Dean's eyes. "Thanks for what you did for my nephew. The Sheriff told me what happened in the schoolyard."

The doctor's remark stopped him in his tracks and the sarcastic remark he had planned to deliver flew from his head. Dean dropped his head a slight flush creeping into his cheeks. "You're welcome," he answered quietly.

Thirty minutes later Dean lay in bed beneath cool white sheets grumbling again. It had taken eight stitches to close the wound. An IV hung beside the bed, a needle feeding the fluids into the vein of his left hand. He had mumbled, grumbled and complained, but the doctor had been adamant. His blood pressure was too low, he was dehydrated and exhausted.

"You are not leaving here until I'm reasonably certain you aren't going to fall flat on your face as you walk out the door."

Standing in the doorway Stephen watched the brothers with curious eyes. Dean still had a mulish expression on his face after being forced to endure all the attention. But at least the color was returning to pale skin. Sam - the Sheriff had told him looked almost as bad as his brother. He was tempted to order him to bed with an IV cocktail. Both men looked like they had been rode hard and put away wet.

An hour later, dressed in clean scrubs Dean slid into the back seat of the Sheriff's truck. The doctor stood beside him, his voice adamant as he said, "And stay off that leg for a few days."

It was late, well after seven when the hunters returned to the Ranch house. Aunt B was waiting. Her kindly face filled with concern for the young men. She fussed and cooed over his injury.

Dean was at a loss on how to react. Having lost his mother at an early age he didn't know how to respond to the woman's kindly intentions. His dad's usually gruff demeanor didn't lend itself to kindly older women and their well meaning intentions.

Melisandra stepped in suppressing a laugh at the look of horror on Dean's face. "Take it easy on him Aunt B. Stephen just wants him to rest and stay off that leg for a few days."

"Don't worry Melisandra, I'll take good care of them and see that they gets all the rest the doctor ordered."

"You do that Aunt B."

Dean groaned again.

Sam had caught the 'they' reference and did a little groaning of his own.

Melisandra had almost forgotten about the Pixie's. Stepping into the hunter's room she saw the two of them sitting in the bouquet of flowers on the table. Buttercup was the first to fly into the air, her concern for her human overcoming her fear for the sheriff.

Remorse filled the little pixie's heart. He human had been hurt while she had been out playing. It would never happen again she vowed.

Melisandra sighed, murmuring quietly beneath her breath so only they could hear she whispered. "Take care of them ladies, it's been a rough day – and no pixie tricks,' she warned them."

Buttercup sat perched on Dean's ear her worried eyes flying to the sheriff's. Shaking her head the little yellow pixie quickly turned her attention back to Dean wondering what she could do to make him feel better. She couldn't see the wound in his leg and was reluctant to just make a wish and hope it would work. Biding her time she sat on the pillow beside him listening.

Making sure Dean was settled Melisandra dropped two bottles of medicine on the nightstand beside his bed. "Doctor's orders," she smiled. "Take the anti-biotic until it's gone the other one is for pain. Rest," she admonished him, "And lots of it!"

"Thanks Sheriff," both hunters whispered.

"No guys - thank you! If you hadn't been there some of those children would not have survived. We owe you a big debt of gratitude that can never be repaid."

"I'll come by in the morning, but Aunt B knows how to reach me if you need anything."

"Thanks," Sam replied mostly because he didn't know what else to say.

"We need to talk," she warned them. "Don't think I'm going to let you off without finding out what exactly you are doing in my town – traveling salesman you're not!" With that parting shot the sheriff left closing the door quietly behind her.

The hunters stared wryly at the door knowing they couldn't skip town just yet – but they wanted to.

"What else could go wrong with this hunt Sammy," Dean whispered.

Unsure how to answer Sam started talking while he picked up the pills and read the instructions.

"I was talking to the Sheriff while you were getting stitched up. TJ, the boy you saved today. He lost his parents a few months back. They were killed in a car wreck. That's when he lost his hearing. Hit and run, they never found the other driver.

"Poor kid," Dean whispered settling back against the pillows. "It's not bad enough that he lost his parents he had to loose his hearing too. There's no justice in this world, that kid doesn't deserver to be deaf," the hunter murmured beneath his breath.

Buttercup stored the information away as she listened to the brother's talk

"Can I get you anything," Sam asked reaching down to fluff his brother's pillows.

Dean gently slapped his hand away. "Stop fussing Sam, I'm fine."

Sam grinned but repeated the question. "Can I get you anything?"

"Beer," Dean grinned.

"I don't think so," Sam snorted.