The Third Wheel
by Destiny's Darkness

Disclaimer: You might notice in watching Supernatural episodes that my name will never appear in any of the credits. There's a reason for that. My name is, however, on the tag on the back of Charlie's shirt.

Author's Note: So this chapter was well underway before I posted the last, which partially explains how I managed to get it out in less than 15 months. The next, however, has NOT been started, so I hope I can get it out in a reasonable time frame. Enjoy!

Chapter Six : Meet the Father

It was apparently a night of research and searching for new cases. The trio had made themselves comfortable at a spare table in the small diner. Dean was looking for potential hunts in a collection of newspapers while Sam did the same on his laptop. Charlie had been given an older stack of her own papers, a test Dean had devised when she came up with the idea of acting as an office manager of sorts, keeping an eye out for supernatural news and organizing their resources.

Dean finished his last page and set it down. "All right. Not a decent lead in all of Nebraska. What do you got?"

"Well," Sam glanced up to answer, "I've been scanning Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota." He paused. "Here. A woman in Iowa fell ten thousand feet from an airplane and survived."

Charlie shook her head. "Poor thing. Didn't even scratch that flight stewardess' free fall record." When the brothers looked at her in surprise, she grinned. "What? I enjoy random trivia."

"She's right. That sounds more like 'That's incredible,' than, um, 'Twilight Zone'." Sam made some sound of agreement. "Hey, you know, we could just keep it in the east. New York, upstate. We could stop by and see Sarah again, huh?" He grinned, ignoring Charlie's elbow jabbing into his side. "She's a cool chick, man - smokin'." His whistle was interrupted by a grunt at another blow. "You two seemed pretty friendly. What do you say?"

Sam just laughed. "Yeah, maybe someday. But in the meantime, we've got a lot of work to do, Dean, and you know that."

"Yeah, you're right. What else you got?"

"Manning, Colorado - a local man by the name of Daniel Elkins was found mauled in his home."

"Elkins? I know that name."

Sam shrugged. ""Doesn't ring a bell." Sam continued to speak while Charlie passed Dean their father's leather bound journal.

"It sounds like the police don't know what to think. At first, they said it was some kind of bear attack, and now they found signs of robbery."

Charlie made a face. "Couldn't someone have found the aftermath of the bear attack and helped themselves? I mean, sometimes people suck."

Dean made a noncommittal sound of agreement before seeming to find what he looking for. "Here. Check it out." He tilted the book for Charlie to see, then handed it to Sam so they could both read the written phone number for a .

"You think it's the same Elkins?" Sam asked.

"It's a Colorado area code."

The Winchesters slipped into the Elkins' house, flashlights in hand, leaving Charlie to stay in the back seat of the Impala. And no real surprise - the house was fairly trashed, though Sam stopped by the door.

"Hey, there's salt over here - right inside the door."

Dean looked up. "You mean, like, protection-against-demons salt, or, uh, Oops-I-spilled-the-popcorn salt?

"It's clearly a ring. You think this guy, Elkins, was a player?"

"Definitely." Sam went to Dean, where he was looking through a familiar looking journal.

"That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's."

"Yeah, except this dates back to the sixties."

Dean pocketed the journal, thinking their new bookworm could take a look at it, and the brothers made their way into the man's office.

"Whatever attacked him, it looks like there was more than one."

Dean agreed. "It looks like he put up a hell of a fight, too." He found a box, empty but clearly designed to hold a pistol and a series of bullets, then several scratches carved into the wood floor caught his eye.

"You got something?" Sam questioned.

"I don't know. Just some scratches on the floor."

"Death throes, maybe?"

"Yeah, maybe." He swiped a piece of paper and a pencil from Elkins' desk, using them to create a rubbing of the impressions. "Or maybe a message." He handed it up to Sam. "Look familiar?"

"Three letters, six digits - the location and combination of a post office box. It's a mail drop."

"That's just the way Dad does it."

A few hours later, the Winchesters sat in the Impala, studying the letter addressed to 'J.W.'. "Think it's John Winchester?"

"I don't know," Dean admitted. "Should we open it?"

Sam's answer was interrupted by a loud knocking on the window, causing the two brothers in the front seat to jump, startled, and waking Charlie, who was curled up in the back with Dean's jacket tossed over her. Three sets of eyes snapped to the driver-side window, albeit one set a little more sluggishly, where an older man stood waiting.

"Dad?"

The man slid into the back seat, staring hard at the blonde pulling herself upright. "Who the hell are you?"

There was no mistaking the antagonistic tone to the question, even as Sam burst out with his own. "Dad, what are you doing here? Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm okay. Look, I read the news about Daniel. I got here as fast as I could I saw you two up at his place." He focused on Charlie again. "You I didn't see."

"This is Charlie," Sam interrupted. "Why didn't you come in, Dad?"

"You know why - because I had to make sure that you weren't followed, by anyone, or anything." Dean nodded in acknowledgment. "Nice job of covering your tracks, by the way. Other than this new habit of picking up strays."

Charlie was pretty sure she should be offended at the comment, but was really too intimidated to make the effort. Luckily, Dean and Sam took their cue from her lack of response. "Yeah, well, we learn from the best," Dean replied, trying to brush off the compliment and failing to entirely hide his pleasure.

"Wait," Sam spoke up, "so, you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?"

Like the flip of a switch, John Winchester's threatening attitude vanished, an air of sadness taking its place. "Yeah. He was... he was a good man. He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting."

"You never mentioned him to us."

"We had, uh... we had kind of a falling out. I hadn't seen him in years." He gestured at the letter sitting forgotten in Dean's hands."I should look at that." The younger generation waited quietly while he opened and read it quickly. " 'If you're reading this, I'm already dead.' That son of a bitch."

"What is it?" Dean questioned hesitantly.

"He had it the whole time."

Charlie didn't feel particularly enlightened by the response, and judging by the equally blank faces, she wasn't simply missing out on a family inside story. Sam looked a little annoyed. "Dad, what?"

"When you searched the place, did you see a gun? An antique - a Colt revolver, did you see it?"

Dean thought back quickly. "Uh, there was an old case, but it was empty."

"They have it."

"You mean, whatever killed Elkins?"

"We've got to pick up the trail?" John gave Charlie another had look as he climbed back out, noting the small book and pen she'd grabbed.

Sam looked fairly stunned by such a quick change of events. "Wait. You want us to come with you?"

"If Elkins was telling t' the truth, we've got to find this gun."

"The gun? Why?"

"Because it's important, that's why."

"Dead, we don't even know what the things are yet."

"They were what Daniel Elkins killed best - vampires."

Dean interrupted. "Vampires? I thought there was no such thing."

"You never even mentioned them, Dad," Sam added.

"I though they were extinct. I thought Elkins and others had wiped them out." John paused to consider. "I guess I was wrong." He stopped speaking again, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "I guess we should find some place to crash for the night; nothing we can do until they make their next move. You boys found a motel yet?"

"No, sir."

John nodded to acknowledge the answer, then fixed dark eyes on the passenger in the back seat. "Is she coming?" There was no secret as to what he wanted the answer to be.

Dean surprised himself by rolling his eyes. "Dad, this is Charlie. Charlie's staying with us for a little while."

John grimaced at his concerns being confirmed, even as Charlie stretched a hand up through the front seat. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Winchester."

He ignored the offered handshake and turned his attention back to his sons. "There's a place with some vacancies aways up the road. We can crash there and work out some kind of plan."

Charlie couldn't sleep, though she liked to believe she was faking it reasonably well. Tucked into her sleeping bag - which was greeted by surprise and poorly disguised confusion by the elder Winchester - between Dean's bed and the wall, she listened to the faint murmur of John's walkie-talkie. She couldn't make out any of the words, but suddenly he snapped to attention.

"Sam, Dean, let's go." Charlie ignored the silver of envy as they popped awake. "Picked up a police call."

Sam pulled himself to a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "What happened?"

"A couple called 911. They found a body in the street. Cops got there, everyone was missing. It's the vampires."

"How do you know?"

"Just follow me, okay?"

After talking to the police and determining a direction, they were on the road heading west. John had lent them one of his research books, with Dean was reading aloud from while Sam drove. "Vampires nest in groups of eight to ten. Smaller packs are sent to hunt for food. Victims are taken to the nest, where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks. I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple."

"That's probably what Dad's thinking," Sam replied. "Of course, it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks."

"So it is starting."

"What?"

"Sam, we've been looking for Dad all year. Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours, and there's static already?"

Sam shot a glance to where Charlie was reading in the rear view mirror. "No. Look, I'm happy he's okay, alright? And I'm happy that we're all workin' together again."

"Good."

"It's just the way he treats us like we're children."

"Oh, god."

"He barks orders at us, Dean, he expects us to follow him without question. He keeps us on some crap need-to-know deal."

"He does what he does for a reason."

"What reason?"

"Our job! There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, all right, it's just the way the old man runs - "

Sam interrupted, sounding fierce. "Yeah, well, maybe that worked when we were kids, but not any more, all right? Not after everything you and I have been through, Dean. I mean, are you tellin' me you're cool with must fallin' into line and lettin' him run the whole show?"

Dean paused, considering his brother's words carefully. "If that's what it takes."

Sam's angry reply was cut off by Dean's phone ringing, which grabbed Charlie's attention as well. "Hello?"

The silence stretched on for a long minute, while Charlie stretched herself alert, Dean listened to their father, and Sam fumed. Finally, "Yeah, Dad. All right, got it." Dean hung up and turned to direct his brother. "Pull off at the next exit."

"Why?"

"Because Dad thinks we've got the vampires' trail."

"How?"

"I don't know, he didn't say."

Dean's words caused an unusual reaction in his brother. Sam slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, causing the Impala to leap forward and charge their father's truck. As soon as they passed it a baffled John included, Sam yanked on the steering wheel to the right, cutting off their father as he screeched to a stop angled across the road. John mimicked his move, and when both cars were safely stopped, the two drivers leaped out, Dean and Charlie following a little slower. "Oh, crap," Dean muttered. "Here we go. Sam!"

John spoke up first. "What the hell was that?"

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

"About everything. Where we goin', Dad? What's the big deal about this gun?"

Dean stepped forward, trying to stop the fight before it picked up any real steam. "Sammy, come on, we can Q and A after we kill all the vampires."

Sam rolled his eyes at the expected lack of support form his brother as his father rumbled, "Your brother's right."

Charlie sort of tuned out, having already predicted exactly how this conversation would go. Sam would demand information about what the hell was going on, his father would stonewall him, and Dean would play peacemaker in support of John. It wasn't until Sam started to turn away, muttering something, that her attention snapped back.

"What did you just say?" The dangerous tone to his voice was clear even before Dean stepped in front of her, clearly trying to block her from the older man's vision and his wrath.

Sam didn't seem to care. "You heard me."

"That's right. You left. You left and your brother and I needed you."

"You were the one who told me not to come back - "

From the side, Charlie could tell this argument was about to go somewhere they would both regret her overhearing when they cooled down. So she reached forward and squeezed Dean's hand. "Stop them."

The thought had clearly already occurred to him. He squeezed back almost immediately and stepped between them. "Hey! This is not the time or the place for this! Vampires, remember? So we get to wherever we're going, then you can battle this out there if it's that important."

The combatants glared at each other for a moment longer before retreating to their respective vehicles. Dean turned back to where he left Charlie, only to find her climbing into the passenger seat of his father's truck in the face of the man's utter surprise. "Charlie!"

She waved him on. "We're all going to the same place, right?"

"Yeah, but..." He trailed off when she shut the door on his response, which was almost a good thing, seeing as he didn't actually know how to express his concerns that his father would scare her away.

But inside the truck, Charlie felt a hell of a lot more uncertain than she was trying to let on.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Ignoring the solid impression of a growl, she held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Charlie."

John had instinctively returned the offered handshake before his frown made her shrink back just slightly. "Charlie doesn't answer the question of what you think you're doing."

"No, sir." With a pause, she gestured to the Impala in front of them. "I think they're waiting for you to take the lead again." His frown darkened, but the truck pulled out.

The black car behind them was nearly as tense. "I can't believe I'm putting up with this again."

"Just deal with it, man. You, you don't think Dad would be really rough on her, would he?"

"What?" For the first time, Sam checked the backseat, and his voice grew nervous. "Where's Charlie?"

Dean was at her side opening the door for her before she'd even unlatched her seat belt. "You okay?"

John scowled at his oldest son. "It's not like I'd shoot her, at least not in the car."

Unsurprisingly not comforted by the statement, he helped her down and held her hand a few moments longer than necessary. "You okay?" he repeated.

"I'm fine, Dean," she answered as John walked around the far side of the truck. "We spent the whole ride in awkward silence. Sort of. I would try to start a conversation, and he would ignore me. He did want to know how long I've been hunting." She grinned, if weakly. "I told him not as long as you all."

She managed to get trick a small, quick smile out of him.

"So what's the next step?" Sam asked, though no one missed his concerned glance at their tagalong.

"For the long of..." their father exploded. "What kind of abusive jerk do you two take me for?"

"Not at all," Charlie answered before either brother could say something to further tick him off. "They just seem to think I'm some kind of wilting flower."

"Yeah. So what's the next step?"

John wasn't particularly appeased. "We check out the nest."

Dean led Charlie back to the Impala, equipping her with the knife he left with her every time she stayed behind. "Hey, dad, anything good for protection against these things?"

"No that I have on me. But we won't be long." He watched as Dean and Sam both checked on her one more time before the Winchesters headed out. They picked their way through the rather thick forest for several minutes before John finally spoke up. "So, what's her story?"

"Her family died a few years ago, leaving her all alone. We met up with her a few weeks back when she was trying to deal with some sort of aggressive spirit."

"In Chicago."

"Yeah." Sam trailed off, exchanging a loaded look with Dean. "How did you know?"

"I saw the article too. A couple of us did."

"So why didn't you go to help?"

"Looked a lot like a trap. A story like that, making such a splash? It happens sometimes. Something escapes a hunter and holds a grudge, so it sets up a situation to lure the hunter in unsuspecting."

"Well, it wasn't a trap," Dean spoke up.

"What was it?"

Another quick glance. "We haven't figured it out yet. It gets its kicks by playing nasty tricks on her, but it seems almost frightened of us."

"Convenient." Before either could question that statement, he continued. "So why is she with you now?"

"Well," Dean looked embarrassed, "we couldn't figure out what it was, and it was starting to get dangerous. It didn't make sense to hang around for who knows how long gathering information."

"I don't suppose it occurred to either of you that there were better ways of dealing with that situation than inviting her to go with you."

"Well, of course there were other options. We could have introduced her to some different protections or relocated her to a hunter, like Bobby, who mainly stays in one play. But you taught us to trust our instincts, and both of them were saying she should come with us."

That comment didn't seem to make their father any happier, but they'd reached the area they were looking for. As the rising sun began to grow stronger, they began to gather information.

Charlie waited, leaning against the Impala with Dean working under the hood, doubting the wisdom of volunteering to help out with this particular bit of brilliance. The Winchesters had gone into the nest while the bloodsuckers were sleeping, getting an idea of what to expect inside as well as apparently letting the monsters get a good whiff of their scent. John explained that the vampires would be able to follow that scent as long as they lived. Sending Dean off to a funeral home for something, they retreated to the motel room, where John had tried to explain himself to his youngest son. Charlie had pretended she wasn't there but wished he had waited for Dean.

"I never wanted this life for you," he'd confessed, explaining about the college funds he'd started the day of their births, "but I got so focused on revenge after we lost your mother that I stopped being your father. I became your drill sergeant."

Dean arrived back not long after, with a jar of something Charlie didn't want to know about. And John explained about the Colt. It was created for a hunter, and legend said it could kill anything, even the monster that killed their mother.

The weapon clearly couldn't be left in the hands of the vampires, which led to their current plan. The creatures had Dean's scent, but not hers. They were hoping that having her there would keep their trap from being quite so obvious.

"It's okay, Charlie," Dean spoke up, leaning around the front of the car to look at her directly. "There's no reason to be nervous."

"No reason? I'm in the woods in the dark with the possibility of dangerous creatures."

He grinned at her snarkiness and winked. "Well, besides that."

Suddenly they weren't alone.

"Car trouble?" the annoyingly lovely woman called out as she walked up to them, a silent bodyguard behind her. "I could give you a lift. Maybe we could head back to my place, and Hank could keep your... little friend entertained."

"Thanks," Dean drawled, "but we're not really into necrophilia."

She responded with a fist to his face, sending him sprawling. Charlie moved to go to him, only to be stopped by a meaty hand, forcing her to stand on her toes to relieve the pulling.

The woman reached down and mimicked the movement with Dean, fingers wrapped around his throat. Before she could get into the really impressive threats though, an arrow embedded itself in each of their captors' chests, followed closely by the appearance of Sam and John.

The woman smirked. "That almost stings."

"Just wait a moment," John advised. "That arrow's been soaked in dead man's blood. That's like poison to you, right?"

Near the end of John's first sentence, Charlie felt the hand in her hair lose some of its strength. By the time he finished speaking, she was able to slip free and out of the way. She watched as the female vampire tried to issue one last ineffective threat before collapsing.

Charlie's captor fought against the poison a little harder and more successfully, perhaps due to his larger body mass, but it didn't do him much good. Sinking to his knees, he could only watch as the senior Winchester approached with a wicked-looking blade. With one swing, John effectively beheaded the creature and covered Charlie in the splatter of its blood.

"Charlie!"

Dropping the arm that shielded her face, she refused to respond to Dean and studied the body curiously. "What do we do with the leftovers?"

John couldn't help the tug of a smile. She wasn't weak. If she was, she'd be screaming like a banshee, but she wasn't. She wasn't weak."We'll take them with us to burn at a safer location."

"Cleanup is a lot less gross in the Hollywood versions."

"Dean finished binding the other vamp and approached, laying a firm hand on her shoulder and a dirty glare on his father. "You okay?"

"Dean, I was raised in a society extremely alarmed about AIDS. I'm trying really hard not completely freak out."

He started to pull her toward the Impala. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"No. I'll be okay long enough to finish up here." She dropped her voice and stepped closer. "Your father already dislikes me. I'd rather not give him more ammunition." Turning back to John, "So, let's get this thing packed up."

The burning herbs added a fairly unpleasant taste to the air around them. Charlie stood across the small bonfire from their unconscious captive, trying not to think about the thick liquid still drying on her face and arms.

She was vaguely aware of Dean rummaging in his bag somewhere nearby, while Sam and John had gone a few miles away to burn the dead vampire, leaving the two to keep an eye on everything else.

"Hey," she heard suddenly, startling her. Dean grinned and held out a hand. "Come here a minute." When she obeyed, he held up a damp towel. "Can't do anything about your clothes, but we can still clean you up a little." She moved to take the cloth from him, but he just grabbed her hand and pulled it out of his way as he began to clean her face with long, soft strokes. "I'm sorry he's being so rough on you. That bit with the blood was real nasty."

She shrugged, eyes closed under his attentions, which had certainly made the apology easier to get out. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Charlie, the man covered you in vampire blood."

"I didn't say it was particularly pleasant. But it's not all that surprising either. Your dad's just worried about you two."

"Yeah, and he's taking it out on you."

"It's because of me. You've gotta know how he feels about me traveling with you. At best, I'm some idiot civilian who's gonna distract you at the wrong moment and get one or both of you killed. At worst, I'm some sort of plant who's leading you all into a trap."

Dean pulled back. "Figured all that out on your own?"

"I was working on a psychology minor in college. I notice things."

The corner of his mouth quirked up in a grin and her resumed his movements. "You know, you were talking about Hollywood earlier? They should see this stuff - it's like syrup."

She reached out and punched him in the shoulder. "Seriously, Dean. You're gonna make me sick."

"Nah, you're tougher than that." He finished with her face and poured more water on the towel to start on her arms."

After a number of passes along her skin, slowly driving Charlie out of her mind with his single-minded focus, Dean finished up and tossed the towel toward the fire, choosing to sit next to her and watch their captive in silence.

John and Sam finally returned, and their father threw a bundle of something into Dean's lap. "Toss that on the fire. Saffron, skunks, cabbage, and trillium - it'll block our scent and hers until we're ready."

Dean obeyed, offering up the comment of, "Stuff stinks."

"Well, that's the idea. Dust your clothes with the ashes, and you'll stand a chance of not being detected."

Charlie frowned. "Won't they notice this smell coming at them?"

"No. There's something about the combination that they block it out. Just don't notice it."

"Are you sure they'll come after her?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Vampires mate for life. She means more to the leader than the gun. But the blood sickness is gonna wear off soon. So you don't have a lot of time."

"Half hour ought to do it," Sam agreed.

John continued, "And then I want you out of the area as fast as you can."

"But - "

Dean interrupted his brother. "Dad, you can't take care of all of them yourself."

"I'll have her and the Colt," John argued. "And you have to look after... Charlie here."

Dean's eyes narrowed, and Charlie grew suspicious, but Sam didn't pick up on the hint. "But after," he pressed, "we're gonna meet up right? Use the gun together, right?" John stayed quiet, eyes locked with his younger son's. "You're leaving again, aren't you? You still want to go after the demon alone? You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this."

John looked offended. "Like what?"

"Like children."

"You are my children. I'm trying to keep you safe."

Dean replied before Sam could say something stupid. "Dad, all due respect, but that's a bunch of crap." Both men turned to stare at him in shock, neither able to remember the last time he spoke to his father like that.

"Excuse me?" John managed.

"You know what Sammy and I have been huntin'. Hell, you sent us on a few huntin' trips yourself. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe."

John shook his head. "It's not the same thing, Dean."

"Then what is it? Why do you want us out of the big fight?"

"This demon? It's a bad son of a bitch. I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive."

"You mean you can't be as reckless."

"Look... I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece. Your mother's death - it nearly killed me. I can't watch me children die, too. I won't."

"What happens if you die?" Charlie asked, looking just as surprised as the others at her interruption, but not the least bit regretful. "What would your sons be left to deal with if you die and they know they might have been able to do something about it?"

Dean nodded in agreement. "You know, I've been thinkin' - I think maybe Sammy's right on this one. I think we should do this together." This time Sam nodded. "We're stronger as a family, Dad. We just are. You know it."

John was already shaking his head in refusal. "We're running out of time," he insisted, effectively putting an end to the conversation. "You do your job, and you get out of the area. That's an order."

He walked away abruptly, entirely conscious of the three sets of eyes focused on his back.

Sam and Dean cleaned their blades while Charlie worked on calming down the group of people who'd been considered food until only minutes before. The brothers had gone into the nest after the vampires took John's bait, four of them leaving in a hurry. They took care of the two guards left behind and freed the captives, taking a moment for some decisions.

"We're not letting him go off without us again, are we?" Sam questioned.

Dean shook his head. "Not this time. Charlie, you got this?"

She looked over from where she was loading the last victim into the van their captors conveniently left behind. "Sure. I'm gonna drive them to the nearest hospital, tell whoever's in charge that they were kidnapped by a bunch of psychos pretending to be vampires, then slip away when their backs are turned."

"We'll meet you at the motel."

They waited long enough to see Charlie pull herself behind the driver's wheel and head toward town, then turned the Impala toward the clearing John had earmarked as a good location for the exchange. About a half mile from the meet, they parked the car and ran the rest of the way with crossbows, arrows soaked in dead man's blood, and some big ass blades, arriving just in time to see their father crumple to the ground, seemingly unconscious. Without even slowing, they simultaneously loaded their crossbows and fired. The arrows hit their mark and the boys fired again, finally getting close enough for some hand-to-hand. The leader of the vampires hit Sam, choking him in a move than seemed popular among the blood-suckers. Dean drew his knife.

"Don't!" The vampire hollered. "I'll break his neck. Put the blade down."

His brother froze, knife clenched tight in midair, as he struggled to figure out his options. Dean had a great amount of experience with battles, with making decisions on the fly with no good choices, but putting his brother in the middle of it never failed to cause self-doubt. And the vampire clearly had Sam in a perilous position, fist clenched around his throat forcing him to gasp for meager amounts of air. After what felt like eons and what was probably mere seconds, the shorter man acknowledged that he, in fact, had no options. The knife hit the ground, and he attempted to make himself look as harmless as possible, not an easy trick for a man who typically relied on appearing as threatening as possible.

"You people," the vampire snarled in a magnificently offended manner, "why can't you just leave us alone? We have as much right to live as you do."

Another voice interrupted, a voice that had been forgotten in the chaos. "I don't think so," John Winchester quipped.

The vampire turned, effectively turning Sam as well, and John fired the Colt, a perfect shot in the middle of the monster's forehead. A single trickle of blood flowed from the hole as he collapsed to his knees, releasing Sam in the process.

The former captive, Kate, screamed. "Luther!"

Luther failed to react, a flash of light flowing through his figure as though he had been electrocuted. Then that something that identifies a life form as alive fled from his eyes, and the creature died. Kate began to stalk toward John, enraged beyond the point of reason, when another vampire stopped her with a, "Kate, don't!" The two remaining females fled to their car and away.

The Winchester boys stared at their father in shock, where he stood with a triumphant smile.

Back in the motel room, the younger generation packed their belongings as John entered their room. Charlie gave him a nervous smile, still feeling a slight thrill at successfully performing her part of the night, as she slipped past him through the door to put her belongings in the Impala.

John waited until the door closed behind her, then began, "So, boys..."

The trio met each other in the middle of the room. "Yes, sir," Sam answered respectfully.

"You ignored a direct order back there."

"Yes, sir."

"But we saved your ass," Dean pointed out, much to his brothers surprise.

"You're right," the older man admitted.

"I am?"

"It scares the hell out of me. You two are all I've got. But I guess we are stronger as a family. So... we go after this damn thing - together."

"Yes, sir." His sons spoke as one. The family shared a knowing look, each mentally preparing for the danger in their future, the conversation over.

Except...

"But, really, does the girl have to go?"

Destiny's Darkness
7-06-2010