I don't own Sam or Dean or John or the Impala or Supernatural…..that's all the CW. So if they would be very kind to let me borrow it all for a bit, I promise to give it back….eventually…..well, maybe. Also, I lack an editor, so any mistakes are mine and please kindly overlook them (or let me know). Thanks.

Sam is 16 and Dean is 20.

-ff-

Sam, Dean and John sat at the table. It seemed like that's all they had been able to do so far in the case. Sam and Dean had a handful of wooden disks in front of them. They were carefully carving signs of protection into them. It wouldn't stop anything really powerful, but it might buy the kids some time if they had them. Maybe.

John looked up from the notes. "You think it might be Jack?"

Sam shrugged. "He lives across the street from Nick, but I don't know. He was scared." Sam looked up. "But that doesn't mean anything."

"You said Nick hadn't gone anywhere strange or was with anyone strange?"

"He was away at boarding school until recently, this was already happening when he got back. His parents made sure they knew where he was." He looked back down at what he was carving. "It's got to be someone they all know."

"If it is, we have to go at this carefully." John looked directly at Sam. "We shouldn't lose anyone else."

"Maybe if I had this to the right person, we'll know who is behind this." Sam held up one of the wooden disks, now suspended from a thin leather strap. "We could soak them in holy water."

Dean shrugged. "Couldn't hurt."

There was a sad smile on his lips as he watched his boys. Sure, he was proud of them, of how smart they were, but they were talking of things he wished they had never known.

-s-

Sam stood by the back door. His pocket held a flask of holy water and the protection charms he and Dean had made. His other pocket held the tape recorder. His stomach was tight with nerves and his mouth was dry. Whoever this demon was in, they had to find it soon. Too many kids had died and they didn't know why.

Dean came out in a black shirt and dark jeans. He met Sam's eyes and nodded. "You ready?"

He nodded.

John came out dressed similar. "Be careful, Sam. Dean and I will be across the street, like before. If you need help, just yell."

Dean threw his arm around Sam's shoulders. "We won't let nothing happen to you."

"I know. I'll be fine." He shoved Dean's arm away. "Ready?"

John nodded.

Sam took a breath and went outside. He walked a block and then glanced back. He only saw his dad and brother because he had been trained to see things hidden in shadows. He smiled a little to himself. He'd be all right. Nothing could touch him with his dad and brother so close.

Jack was already at the basketball courts when Sam got there. He sucked in a breath, flipped on the tape recorder and gripped the flask of holy water. If it was Jack…..

"Hey." Sam's voice cut through the darkness.

Jack turned with a relieved smile. "Glad someone else is here."

Sam pulled out one of the protection charms. "This is going to sound weird, but my grandma believes in all this ghost, paranormal stuff. She was worried about me and my new friends. So she sent this box of, well she called them protection charms." He shook his head. "She said they might keep us safe?" He held one up.

"At this point, I'd take whatever I can get." Jack held his hand out.

Sam lowered it into his hand and nothing happened.

Jack tied it around his wrist. "Thanks." He looked up and met Sam's eyes. "Tell your grandma thanks, too."

"I will. I hope it works." He lifted the charm he wore around his neck to show Jack.

"Well, you're doing all right, so far."

Sam nodded.

Emily and Danny came next, they walked close together. When the arrived Sam handed them protection charms as well. Two more people that didn't react when holy water touched their skin.

Danny glanced around. "Anyone else coming?"

"Abby said she and Tom would be here." Emily muttered, she played with the leather strap of the charm.

"Here they are." Jack looked up past Sam's shoulder.

Abby and Tom joined the circle. She stood close to Sam, her eyes were wide with fear. The six stood closer together than the first time.

"Abby." Sam turned to her. He held up one of the charms.

Her eyes glanced down at it, then up at Sam. Her eyes were no longer wide with fear. They were as black as the night.

"Samuel. You won't remember this." She gripped his wrist in her hand. "I promise."

Before he could even breathe or reach for the holy water in his pocket, there was a sharp prick of pain on the inside of his wrist. He looked down and saw a spot of blood. She let go of his arm as quick as she grabbed it.

He blinked and took a staggered breath. Her eyes were just fear filled again. She leaned close to him.

"You seem to know what you're doing, so you might survive all this." She didn't take the charm. "I hope you do." She wiped the blood away from Sam's wrist, all that was there was a small scrape. The charm fell from Sam's hand.

Nobody else in the circle noticed anything, it happened too fast.

The six kids only stood there in the dark for ten minutes. The said goodbye and ran back to their homes. Like before, Sam stood there alone until John and Dean came up behind him.

Dean gripped Sam's shoulder. "Learn anything?"

Sam shook his head. "It seems the only people who know anything are the ones who are dead." He sighed. "They're just scared."

John knelt down and picked up one of the charms. "Someone left this." He held it up.

Sam handed over the tape recorder and found one extra charm in his pocket. "I have an extra one."

"So two people didn't get one." Dean took them both. "You remember who?"

"Maybe we made extras." Sam muttered. "I think everyone got one."

John, Dean and Sam walked back to the house. They got inside, locked everything down and put down salt and charms.

"Boys, why don't you go to bed." John looked at his sons.

Sam met his eyes. "What about the tape recorder?"

"I'll go over it. Get some rest."

He nodded and went to brush his teeth.

Dean leaned on the back of a chair. "Any ideas?"

John shook his head. "I'll see if anyone said something on the tape." He ran his hands through his hair. "I just don't know."

"Want help?"

"I won't be long, get some sleep."

Dean nodded and went to the room. Sam was already in bed, but not asleep.

"Dean?" He looked over at his brother.

"What do you need?"

Sam sat up on one elbow. "I'm sorry I didn't figure out anything else tonight."

"Maybe you did and it just hasn't fit together yet. We'll figure this one out." He turned out the light. "Goodnight, bitch."

"Dork." Sam smiled and turned over.

John sat at the kitchen table and turned on the tape recorder. He heard Sam's voice and then he heard something that made his blood run cold. He flipped through his notes until he found the pages on Tom and Abby. He didn't have much, but he had their address. And he knew why there were two extra protection charms.

He ran to his boys' room and turned on the light. Sam and Dean squinted against the sudden brightness.

"Dad, what the hell." Dean sat up.

Sam sat up. "What's wrong?"

John went to Sam and gripped his wrists. Sam winced at the unexpected pain and pulled his arm back. He looked down and saw a scratch he didn't remember getting.

"Dad?" Sam glanced over at Dean.

"Are you sure you told us everything you remember about tonight?"

Sam nodded.

Dean went over to Sam. "Dad, what's going on?"

John carefully turned over Sam's arm and saw the scratch. "What happened here?"

"Dunno. Must have scraped it training with Dean last night or something. Why?" His heart pounded in fear, something was wrong. He could see it in his dad's eyes.

"Both of you get dressed." He stood. "I know who's behind this."

Sam and Dean didn't waste any time pulling on jeans and shirts. They were out the door and in the car in under five minutes. Dean was checking that his gun was loaded with silver as John drove.

Sam leaned forward between the two front seats. "You're not telling us something."

John glanced up in the mirror at Sam. "Let it go. We have a job to do."

He leaned back, his arms folded across his chest.

John looked at his son in the mirror again. Damn right there was something he wasn't telling his boys.

The house was dark when they pulled up. The Winchesters got out, dangerous and focused. As though Abby and Tom knew, they stepped out onto the front porch. She smiled at the visitors.

"Gentlemen." Her eyes rested on Sam for a moment. "Had I known we were expecting company, I would have made some coffee."

Tom stood as silent as a statue behind her. Sam then recognized him for what he was, not an older brother, but protection so that Abby could do what she set out to do.

"Hello again, Samuel."

Dean automatically took a step in front of his brother. "You forgot these." He tossed the protective charms towards them.

Abby took a step back, but one of them hit Tom's hand. It hissed and smoked as it fell to the porch. His fists clenched in anger.

John started reciting the Latin and Abby and Tom froze where they stood.

"You don't want to know why?" She yelled over John's words.

He didn't stop.

"I'm planting seeds for an army, but most of these humans are too weak." Her eyes met Sam's. "I have high hopes for you, Samuel. You seem different than the others. Your family is, at least."

John finished the exorcism. Abby and Tom crumpled to the porch. The demon was gone and the town was safe, but John didn't feel relieved.

Sam looked at his dad. Dean rested his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Let's go home." John's words were hollow.

"When did you know?" Sam's voice cracked on the words.

John didn't want to have this conversation in the street in the middle of the night, but he knew Sam needed answers. "When I saw the scratch on your wrist, I was pretty sure."

Dean's grip on Sam's shoulder tightened. "He'll be okay, though, because the demon's gone?"

"I don't know. I hope so."

Without another word, they went to the car.

-ff-

Oh no! At least the case is solved, for the most part. Thank you all so so much for reading and for the comments. I love reading them and they definitely keep me writing this for you.