John didn't talk to Dean for a long time after that and as much as it hurt him, Dean couldn't even be angry with him for it because he knew that Sammy nearly dying was his fault.
"You had ONE job Dean" John's words echoed through his head
It had been months since that night but all that anger, that hurt was still fresh in his mind.
Dean shook his head, trying desperately to clear it as he slid the loaded clip into the pistol and took aim at the tin cans he had lined up on one of Bobby's many wrecked vehicles.
"Come on Dean, concentrate" He thought critically after missing the first shot.
Ping, one can flys off the roof of the broken down car.
"That's better" He smirked.
The next four shots were dead on, sending the remaining tins tumbling through the air and onto the ground.
"What the hell are you doing kid?" Bobby asked, sounding a little cranky.
"I'm practising, I have to keep working at it to get better" Dean shrugged.
"P-Practising? Boy, you're nine years old where did you even get a gun?" Bobby questioned, his voice shooting up several octaves.
"Dad" Dean replied quietly, suddenly feeling guilty for some reason he couldn't quite place.
"That son of B-.. What else did your father give you?" Bobby asked, clearly working very hard not to lose his temper.
"Um.. I" Dean stammered.
"It's okay Dean, just show me and I promise you I won't get mad" Bobby reassured him gently.
Dean thought about it carefully for a moment before crawling under the wrecked car he was shooting at and pulling out a large, black duffel bag.
"Here" Dean almost whispered, handing the bag to Bobby.
Bobby placed the bag on the hood of a rusted out pick up truck and slowly unzipped it and poured it out.
Several handguns, a sawed off shotgun and a handful of knives in all different sizes and weights clattered against the old metal.
Bobby's eyes widened in horror as he stared at Dean's arsonal.
"I'm sorry Bobby" Dean whispered, knots building in his stomach.
"This.. This is NOT your fault Dean, do you understand?" Bobby growled, furious and filled with worry all at the same time.
"I.. I need them.. I need to learn so I can protect Sammy.. I have to protect him Bobby" Dean explained, sick with stress and suddenly overwhelmed by the sound of his father's voice. Screaming at him for letting his brother get hurt.
"I.. Dean you shouldn't have to worry about that" Bobby whispered, his heart breaking at the words of a clearly damaged child.
"Come here, kid" Bobby gushed, pulling him into a hug.
"I have to protect him" Dean whispered over and over again into Bobby's chest.
"It's okay" Bobby reassured him, trying to calm him down.
"What the hell is going on here?" John boomed, staring at the two of them.
"YOU" Bobby growled, anger radiating off of him.
"We need to have a talk John. Right now." He snapped, grabbing his arm and dragging him around the corner.
"What the hell Bobby" John questioned, freeing his arm from Bobby's grip.
"You're teaching that boy to hunt aren't you?" Bobby asked, his voice filled with hostility.
"I'm a hunter Bobby, so are you for that matter, what did you think was going to happen?" John shrugged dismissively.
"He's NINE years old John! he's a child!" Bobby yelled, completely exasperated.
"You can't give a child weapons! Are you insane? Have you lost that parental side of you completely?" Bobby ranted.
"Dean is my son! I'm raising him to be strong! To survive and to protect his brother!" John snapped defensively.
"You're not raising a son! you're raising a soldier!" Bobby barked.
"Dean is nine years old and you're teaching him how to kill things! Do you how much damage this is doing to that kid? Do you even care?" Bobby shouted, throwing his hands in the air in frustration.
"Of course I care! Dean know's this is all for his own good, for the good his little brother.. He needs to learn all this stuff to keep Sam safe" John explained, his voice growing softer.
"John, do you even hear yourself? Dean is so tied up in knots over protecting Sam he doesn't sleep at night, he won't close his eyes because he's afraid that he nods off Sammy is going to get attacked!" Bobby gasped, trying desperately to make him understand.
"I'm sorry he's so tied up about it but he needs to protect Sammy, he knows that" John groaned, trying to rationalize everything.
"How can you be so damn callus? You're sacrificing the health, hell the sanity of one of your children to for the sake of the other! don't you see that?" Bobby boomed, infuriated.
"Dean is going to be fine! He's strong, stronger than you realize, have you ever seen him fight? He's so damn good already Bobby, he's truly a natural" John beamed.
"He's nine years old John, he's a child and you're treating him like a grown man! Like a hunter!" Bobby growled, growing more and more angry the longer they spoke.
"He is a hunter! it's in his blood Bobby, can't you see that?" John told him, trying to reason with him.
"He's a child!" Bobby snapped, his eyes filled with fire.
"He's a hunter Bobby, from the second Mary died in that nursery" John murmured.
"He's right Bobby, this is what I'm good for" Dean called out, breaking up the fight before firing another six shots, sending every target flying through the air in lightning quick succession.
"A natural born hunter" John whispered, proud of his son.
"Natural born hun- Damn it John" Bobby muttered.
"Dean, this life you're chasing.. It's not the only option for you, you do know that right?" Bobby asked gently.
"Bobby.. I have to, Sam won't be safe without me and I won't let him get hurt.. Not again" Dean replied, his voice tinged with pain and anger.
Bobby stared into the eyes of the broken child in front of him and he finally understood, no matter what he said to him there was no changing his mind. Dean Winchester was going to be a hunter and he was going to keep his little brother safe, even it killed him. Which it likely would.
"Pie?" Bobby asked, defeated.
"Sure!" Dean beamed, excited at the thought.
"I'll come back to the house as soon as I get all this back in the duffle" Dean grinned, his eyes sparkling.
"Need some help?" John asked.
"No, I got this" Dean replied sternly.
John's blinked, shocked by Dean's response.
"Are you sure?" John asked again, still slightly stunned.
"Dad, go with Bobby. Make up over a slice of pie" Dean insisted, waving dismissively at him.
"If you say so" John shrugged and made his way back towards the house.
Dean carefully put everything back in the duffle bag, checking each weapon to make sure nothing was left loaded before zipping and locking the bag and sliding it back under the rusted out car.
"Pie" Dean grinned and quickly walk towards the house to get a slice.