"Sonofabitch," swore Dean as flopped himself backwards onto the bed. 'What the hell else is gonna go wrong?'

Sam looked at his brother and then turned his attention to his father. "How'd she find out about that?"

John rubbed his hand across his forehead and replied, "Apparently the hospital called Children's Services early this morning. Some nurse filed a report. I guess she didn't quite believe your explanation for the bruises." He looked over at the two boys and continued, "Which, by the way, you never bothered to tell me."

Dean sighed, "It just didn't seem important when we got back from the hospital. You were going hunting and we were kinda more worried about that then some stupid nurse bugging us about Sammy's neck"

"Well, she was obviously concerned enough to file a complaint with Children's Services," stated John. "They're sending this Lorraine Stoddart over to talk to us. So…we should get our stories straight before she gets here. Maybe starting with what you told them at the hospital."

"Umm," uttered Sam, glancing at Dean, "We told the nurse that we were wrestling and we just got a bit carried away."

"Yeah…and she obviously didn't believe us," added Dean as he propped himself up on his elbows. "She kept bugging us about it, trying to trip us up."

"So what did you tell her?" asked John.

"Not much," responded Dean. "We stuck to the story. Just told her that Sammy wants to join the Wrestling Club next year, so I was teaching him some moves. Just got a little bit outta hand. You know, brotherly love and all that kinda stuff."

"Well," added Sam, "they did keep asking me questions when they took me for x-rays."

Dean sat up and looked at his younger brother. "You didn't tell them something different did you?" he asked accusingly.

"Not really," confessed Sam hesitantly. "I just told them that we were wrestling and you got mad and tried to strangle me."

"Oh, great!" groaned Dean. "I tried to strangle you. Thanks a lot."

"Well, you did!" retorted Sam.

"Did you tell them I was trying to stop you from getting the crap beaten outta you – which, if I recall, was the reason we were there in the first place?"

"No," shot back Sam. "I told them you were mad because I wasn't paying attention. So you wanted to show me what would happen if I didn't pay attention during a match."

"I doubt strangling's legal in wrestling, no matter crappy your opponent's concentration is," countered Dean. He couldn't believe that Sam had actually told someone that he had tried to strangle him even though it was true. Maybe he should have just hit him in the first place. A black eye could have been explained away with the other injuries.

"No, Idiot," countered Sam. "I told them you were mad and wanted to quit but I kept bugging you until you turned around and grabbed me."

"Oh… that's so much better," griped Dean sarcastically. "My little brother wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to strangle him."

"Guys," interrupted John, "This isn't helping…"

But before he could finish Sam continued, "I told them that I was jabbing at you and I wouldn't stop, so you grabbed me by the neck."

"Sam. Dean." intervened John, more forcefully this time. "Bickering isn't going to help. We have to sort this out before this woman gets here. She's probably going to want to speak to all of us separately. So we have to be able to tell the same story and we have to make sure it coincides with what you told them at the hospital." He looked at both boys as he added, "And it couldn't have been too bad, because they let you leave together and come home."

"That's all I told them," whined Sam to his father. "He did try to strangle me and I just told them it was my fault because I kept bugging him. I didn't tell them anything else."

"Okay," moaned John, not sure why everything seemed to be coming to a head today. "Did they ask where I was during this whole thing?"

"Yeah," responded Dean. We told them you weren't here and didn't know anything about it."

Sam nodded in agreement but the conversation was stopped short by a knock on the door.

John opened the door and introduced himself to the woman at the door; he motioned for her to come in and she took a seat at the table by the window. Ms Stoddart opened the file she had brought with her and removed some paperwork. Then she looked at all three of the Winchesters and explained that she had been asked to come by and interview them because the nurse at the hospital had been concerned about Sam. She would be interviewing all three of them separately, starting with Sam, and then she would talk to all of them together.

John and Dean went outside. Ms. Stoddart had requested that they refrain from discussing the matter, so John sat on one of the chairs outside the motel room and Dean went and sat in the Impala. He didn't want to speak with his father anyway. He threw a tape in the player and leaned back in the seat to listen to the music.

Inside, Sam and the woman began their discussion in a casual, friendly manner. She asked him how he got along with his family and how they happened to be living in a motel in this town.

Her first set of questions were ones that both Dean and Sam had been asked a million times before so Sam's answers were quick and easy. Nothing that Sam said seemed to raise any warning bells with the social worker so they slowly eased into how Sam had received the bruises on his neck.

Sam sighed before he launched into his story. He sounded as if he were extremely bored with the re-telling of the incident. Sam told her how he had pestered Dean into showing him some wrestling moves because he wanted to be on the wrestling team next year when he went to high school.

Ms. Stoddart wanted to know if Dean was on the wrestling team and Sam told her no, that Dean really wasn't big on joining clubs and things, but he was a really good wrestler anyway.

She asked Sam how he and Dean got along and Sam told her that they usually got along okay. Dean liked to boss him around but he figured that was because he had been looking after him since their mother died. That led into a brief discussion about their mother but Sam was pretty evasive, telling her that she had died in a fire when he was a baby and explaining how Dean had carried him out of the house that night.

Ms. Stoddart steered the conversation back to the bruising on Sam's neck and Sam maintained that he had been being a pest and kept jabbing at his brother after Dean asked him to stop. He said that Dean had tried to ignore him but that he kept it up until Dean finally turned around and grabbed his neck. The social worker asked him to explain what happened then.

"Well, Dean was pretty pissed and he told me to stop being a pain in the butt. That made me mad, so I took a swing at him."

"Did you hit him?"

"No he was too far away, so I tried to kick him. But that missed too."

"And then what happened?" asked Ms. Stoddart, writing down everything that Sam told her.

"Dean kinda tightened his grip on my neck, which made me even madder, so I took another couple of swings at him. That's when he pushed me down and told me to grow up."

"How did he push you down?"

"He just sorta increased the pressure on my neck and pushed me backwards. Then, when I was lying down, he just let go."

"What did he do after that?"

"He went outside."

"And what did you do?"

"Nothing. I coughed a bit, but that was about it."

"And are you afraid of your brother?"

"Afraid of Dean? Are you crazy?" answered Sam incredulously. "Dean would do anything for me. He's always watching out for me and sometimes that drives me nuts."

"Has he done this type of thing before?" Ms. Stoddart asked, watching Sam very closely.

"No."

"And why do you think he did it this time."

"I dunno," replied Sam, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess he was just having a bad day." Then he looked at the social worker and stated, "He's really not a bad guy, you know."

"How about your father? What did he think of all this?"

"He was pretty mad at Dean. I think he grounded him, but I'm not really sure. It's none of my business so I didn't ask. But he was pretty mad."

Ms. Stoddart nodded slowly and stared at Sam for a few minutes. He was about to ask her if they were done, when she said, "Tell me about how you got your other injuries – the ones you went to the hospital for."

Sam took a deep breath and replied, "I got in a fight at school."

"Was your brother involved?" asked Ms. Stoddart inquisitively.

"Not until the end. He kinda broke it up."

"How did he do that?"

"He just told the guy I was fighting with to leave me alone."

"And that was all?"

"Yeah... after he told the two guys that were holding me to let me go too. He wouldn't let us fight anymore," reflected Sam.

"So the other boys just walked away when Dean told them to leave you alone."

"Yeah. I think they were a bit scared of him 'cause he's older and bigger."

"And what did Dean do then."

"Nothing. He just brought me back here because I didn't want to go to the hospital, but Dad told me I had to. So Dean took me to the hospital."

"Why didn't your father take you?"

"I guess because he wasn't feeling well."

The social worker watched Sam for a moment and then she wrote something in the file. When she was done, she told Sam that she didn't have any more questions for him. She asked him to tell his father that he could come back in now and cautioned him about speaking to Dean.

Sam picked up the novel he was reading for English class and went outside to change places with his father. Sam sat in the chair beside the one his father had just vacated and opened his book. He glanced at Dean in the Impala and noticed that Dean was watching him. Sam really wanted to go talk to his brother, but Ms. Stoddart had warned him against it, so he half-smiled at Dean before he started to read his book.

John came inside and sat down. The social worker started her questioning with a list of basic questions, which John answered without hesitation: Yes, he was a single parent. Mary had died in a fire when Sam was a baby. No, he had never remarried. He'd like to find a place to settle down with the boys if he could find a decent job that had a future. No, he didn't think that living in a motel room was the best thing for his sons, but he was doing the best he could. Yes, he constantly relies on Dean to help him out with Sam.

"Does Dean resent that? Always helping out with his brother?" asked Ms. Stoddart.

"I don't think so, but you'd have to ask Dean."

"Has he ever said anything to you about it?"

"No," stated John, "But he doesn't talk about his feelings much. Even if I ask him, he tends to be very evasive. He's always been like that."

"Has he ever done anything like this before?"

"No. I'm actually still surprised that he did it this time. It's really not like him to do something like that to Sam."

"And why is that?"

"He's very protective of Sam. Has been since their mother died."

"Sam said he carried him out of the house the night it burned. Is that right?"

"Yeah. I handed Sam to him and told him to run outside and not look back and he did - without question." Then he added with regret, "I tried to get Mary out but I just wasn't able to."

"I'm sorry," replied the social worker, realizing that she had hit upon a very sensitive topic. After a brief pause she added sympathetically, "I only have a few more questions."

John nodded.

"Do you think that there's a risk that this type of thing might happen again?"

"I doubt it," answered John honestly. "I'm pretty sure that Dean's learned his lesson – especially with Children's Services becoming involved."

"Okay," concluded Ms. Stoddart. "That's all." She smiled at John and asked, "Can you tell Dean I'd like to talk to him now?"

John nodded and asked if it was acceptable for him and Sam to talk now. Ms. Stoddart acknowledged that would be okay and John told her they'd probably just go to the motel diner for something fast to eat. She told him that she would probably be about 30 minutes with Dean and that she would send him to get them when she was done.

John opened the door and exited the motel room. He motioned to Dean that it was his turn to speak to Ms. Stoddart and then he and Sam headed for the diner.

Dean got out of the car and headed to the motel room. As he entered the room, Ms. Stoddart greeted him and told him to have a seat.

Dean sat down but didn't say anything as he felt it best to wait for the social worker to start. No point trying to fake something until he had to.

"So, Dean," Ms. Stoddart began, "Do you want to start by telling me what happened? How your brother got the bruisings on his neck?"

'No. Not really.' "I guess I lost my temper and I grabbed him by the neck," was all he offered.

"Well what happened to make you lose your temper?"

There was no point dragging this out by making the woman ask a million questions, which was usually how he handled these things. Don't provide more information than required or requested. But Dean knew this would be a long night if he adhered to that philosophy, so he decided to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"Sam wanted me to show him some wrestling moves. We were just goofing around. After a while he didn't seem interested any longer so I figured we were done. But then he kept bugging me to show him more, even though he'd stopped paying attention. So I told him that was enough. But he wouldn't leave me alone and I guess I got mad."

"When you say that he wouldn't leave you alone – what was he doing?"

"Just being a pesky little brother. Pokin' me and stuff," replied Dean. "He just kept bugging me and wouldn't stop so I guess I grabbed him."

"And what did he do then?"

"Same as anyone else would who was grabbed by the neck," retorted Dean. "He started squirming."

"Is that all?" asked Ms. Stoddart.

"He might've tried hitting me – I really don't remember," responded Dean. "All I wanted him to do was stop. Once he settled down, I let go of him."

"And then what did you do?"

"I guess I went outside to cool off." Dean figured that was a pretty safe bet, seeing as that was usually what he did when the situation with his family got to him.

Ms. Stoddart studied Dean for a few moments before she picked up her pen and wrote some things in the file. Dean watched her but resisted the urge to try to see what she was writing, surmising that it would look better if he didn't appear to be too interested.

When she was done writing, the social worker looked back at Dean was asked, "You look after your brother a lot, don't you?"

"Yes, Ma'am," responded Dean, "I have since he was little."

"Do you resent having to look after him all the time?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Well, for one thing, it takes up a lot of your time," said Ms. Stoddart. "Time you might rather spend with your friends."

Dean smirked. "I don't have many friends. We move around so much that I never bother. We're just gonna move anyway, so there's not much point."

Dean's statement was given without any hint of emotion and it caught the social worker by surprise. "Does that bother you? Wouldn't you like to make some friends?"

"It doesn't matter what I'd like. It's just the way it is."

"I see," replied Ms. Stoddart, "But wouldn't you like it to be different?"

"Look," stated Dean, sitting forward in his chair, "I'd like my mother to still be alive. But she's not. Everything changed after she died. There's nothing I can do about it. We – me, my Dad and Sam – we do the best we can. Sometimes it's hard, but we manage."

Ms. Stoddart nodded and looked at the young man sitting across from her. He was so young yet he came across as being much older than his years.

"All right," she tried, "Let's get back to what happened with Sam. Do you have any idea why you became so angry with him?"

Dean thought for a moment before he answered, "I guess it's been bothering me that he'd been letting some kid pick on him at school."

"Is this the same boy he was fighting with?"

"Yeah. Sammy's been letting him push him around. I told him he had to stick up for himself, but he seemed to be content to let this kid bully him."

"And it bothers you that your brother is being bullied?"

"Damn straight," retorted Dean. "You move around as much as we do, it's easy to be the target of some jerk at school. You have to stand up for yourself and that's what I told Sam."

"But he wouldn't do it?"

"No, he'd rather not rock the boat."

"Does he look to you to protect him?"

"He used to. But now that he's getting bigger, he says he doesn't want me to."

"How do you feel about that?"

"It'd be fine if he'd look out for himself."

Ms. Stoddart contemplated Dean's answer; he seemed to be caught in a moral dilemma much like a parent – when do you let go and let children look out for themselves and when do you step in to help. And Sam was reacting to Dean like he was a parent. He expected his help even though he didn't think he wanted it.

And Dean had been concerned about Sam's safety, which she found rather ironic seeing as she had been sent here to check on the same thing. Talking to Dean, she got the impression that he really wasn't a threat to his brother; that this entire incident had simply been a mistake. Mistakes did happen and she was sure that Sam was not in any danger from the young man in front of her.

Ms. Stoddart told Dean he could go get his father and brother so she could talk to them all together before she left. When they returned to the motel room, Ms. Stoddart informed them of her observations. She didn't think that Sam was in any danger from Dean and she was going to put that in her report. She wasn't sure whether her supervisor would recommend that she come out and talk to them again, but she didn't really see any need. She did think it would be a good idea for them to try to find an apartment if they were going to stay in town for a while; that would give them all more space and probably alleviate some of the tension. But as far as she was concerned, the matter was closed. She gave her card to John and she left.

Dean looked at his father and stated, "I'm glad this day's over."

"It's not over yet," he replied. "We have to go find that Aswang."