Author's note: The action is picking up!

Thank you to everyone who leaves me comments. I like hearing what you guys thought of it. I'm staring to feel sorry for Dean.

Kaze-chan

Chapter 3

Dean drove in silence to where his father said he'd meet him. The peaceful night drive, however, did nothing to ease the knot in his stomach. Why did it always seem like he and Sam always parted ways angry?

It was no surprise, however, that Sam was frustrated with him. His younger brother had wanted him to skip the hunt. If it wasn't for their father orders, Dean might have listened. But he had already spent a month hiding from the man, he wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer without raising suspicion. He rubbed his sore leg trying to ease the pain that always seemed to come back after long drives.

He let out a deep breath, letting his finger drum out the rhythm of the song on the steering wheel. He would call Sam later when the job was done, atleast to let know how it went. He knew Sam wasn't angry at him, he was just worried. That's what Sam did, that's why his brow was forever creased in a scowl.

When he finally pulled up the deserted driveway off the deserted road, he quickly spotted his father leaning against his truck, obviously annoyed by his son's tardiness; even if it was only 20 minutes. He steeled his face and squared his shoulders; this was going to take more work than any other hunt.

"You're late." Typical John Winchester Dean thought as he stepped out of the Impala, carefully avoiding his left leg. Though John never missed any details in anything he did, Dean knew he wouldn't notice this for the simple fact that he knew his father wouldn't notice him. Dean had discovered many years ago that John Winchester had a major blind spot for his eldest son. Dean could show up with two black eyes and John wouldn't spare him a glance unless it changed his plans. Sam, however, had not been lucky enough to profit from the same treatment; the main reason why his brother was now at Palo Alto.

He winced as his foot connected with a rock. Dean quickly recovered and thankfully, John had his back to him, already leading the way to the weapons cash. "Sorry, missed the turn off, had to detour." Dean easily lied; his father didn't even turn to face him. This is going to be great, he thought sarcastically as his father handed him a silver dagger.

Within 15 minutes, Dean was briefed on the hunt and the two where currently making their way through the abandoned house, combing each room for the shapeshifter. The entire house was eerily silent, each corner shrouded in darkness. They made it to the second story before they heard the sound of the creaking floor boards just beyond a closed door.

As if by a sixth sense, the Winchester men fell into flank formation around the closed door, years of practice making the movement subconscious. They noticed a second too late it was all a trap. Before Dean could make another move, the floor boards creaked beneath his feet, the floor disappearing under his weight.

He landed in a sickening thud in the living room below. Instantly, pain flared up his left side making him gasp in pain. He curled onto his side, clutching his leg, trying to remain conscious. The last thing he wanted right now was a lecture from his father about passing out on a hunt. He fought against the nausea and the black dots that forced their way into his vision.

"DEAN!!" His father's worried cries filtered down through the floor. From the noise and the amount of movement above, Dean figured his father was busy with the shapeshifter. "DEAN!!!" The floor boards creaked and dust filtered down as Dean could only imagine a fight taking place upstairs.

He propped himself on his elbows, looking up at the hole he had just made. "I'm alright." He called up. The scuffling above continued but since his father wasn't yelling at him anymore, he figured he had been heard. He already knew his left leg was broken before he saw it sprawled out at an odd angle. "At least it wasn't the other one." Dean mumbled to himself.

"I can fixe that." Dean's head snapped up in the direction of the voice. Out of the basement door a woman stepped forward, her face twisted in a smile. She spared a glance at the hole in the ceiling, listening to the action above before fixing her eyes back on the man sprawled on the floor in front of her.

Dean mentally calmed himself as he watched her pace around him, clearly in no hurry. When she smiled, Dean quickly notice she wasn't human at all; another shapeshifter. Never dropping her gaze, he searched his pocket for his silver blade. Uninterested, she continued circling her prey, enjoying the fear she could see in his eyes.

Her smile widened. "What's wrong hunter. Come on a hunt unprepared did you?" She closed the distance between them, making her circle smaller. His heart beat increase when couldn't find the silver blade; it must have fallen somewhere.

"You son of a bitch." Dean's mind was racing trying to come up with something, anything. There was no way he was going to sit here helpless and let this thing kill him. Slowly, he managed to pull himself up with the help of a nearby chair. In the time it took him to achieve this, the shift never stepped closer. She seemed amused at watching him; for now. The pain was excruciating but he pressed it to the back of his mind. "Is this your idea of a fair fight?" His voice didn't come out nearly as steady and confident as he had hoped. Dean was stalling for time. He knew he was no match and worst yet, the shifter knew it to. The best he could do right now was to keep it talking in hopes that his father could finish his fight soon.

The shifter stopped her slow circling, dropping her head to one side. "What do you mean? There are two of you after all." She took a step forward, causing him to step back. He muffled a groan as the small step caused him pain. She watched in amusement, her sinister smile twisting her features as she resumed her slow pace.

Shit. He was in trouble with no options and no weapon. He scanned his surroundings looking for anything that would help. The second his gaze left hers, she sprang towards him, reaching him faster than any human could.

The air escaped his lungs in a whoosh as she pinned him to the wall behind, her abnormally strong grip holding him suspended by the collar if his shirt. He was momentarily dazed, a small moment of relief before he felt her cold hands close around his throat. "End of the line, hunter." She snarled, her smile revealing her perfect teeth.

He kicked with his good leg the best he could, as his hands frantically worked to free his throat. Each movement brought a new wave of pain as it jarred his injured leg. Despite that, he was losing the energy and the oxygen.

Just before his vision blurred, he saw her face twist in pain, her smile vanishing. He followed her gaze to her chest, where the tip of his silver blade was visible, blood beginning to stain her shirt.

When she released her grip, Dean expected to come crashing to the floor once again. Instead strong arms held him upright. It took him a second to realise someone was talking to him. He fought back the wave of dizziness, trying to keep his grip on reality.

"Dean! Hey, are you alright? Come on Dean. Look at me." He forced his eyes to focus and his brain to concentrate on the foreign voice.

He finally found the strength to bring his head up. "Sam?" His younger brother smiled at him, relief plain on his face. He helped Dean into a nearby chair, apologizing every time Dean winced in pain. While Sam examined the break in his leg, it finally occurred to Dean that his younger brother hadn't been with them when they came in. "What are you doing here?"

Sam glanced up at his brother's face before quickly looking away guiltily. "I ummm…" He continued his careful examination. "I was worried you might do something stupid." He finally admitted with a small smile, still averting his gaze.

"Like going on a hunt with a hurt leg?" Dean grinned despite the pain.

"Something like that." Sam chuckled before going around the room in search of something to use as a splint. He knew he didn't have to tell Dean the leg was broken. He also knew this was going to hurt.

"Hold still." Dean cried out in pain, despite himself, as Sam reset the bone. The break was clean and would heal in no time, but a hospital visit was still needed. Sam had just managed a make shift splint, emitting multiple curses from his brother.

"What are you waiting around for?" Sam spun around at the sound of his father's stern voice in surprise. He knew his father was here but it still came as a shock. "Well?" Sam visibly shrunk under his father's intense glare.

Dean straightened in his chair, emitting another string of curses. "I broke my leg, Sam's just reset it." The silence between the men was suffocating. John Winchester's gaze traveled the room, stopping on the body of the shapeshifter. For a second Dean thought he saw anger flash across his father's face, but it quickly disappeared.

"Fine." He growled, turning towards Sam. "You take care of the on upstairs. I've got this one." Sam glanced over at Dean in a moment of hesitation, unsure of what he should do. When his father didn't seem like he was going to say anything else, Sam headed towards the stair case. He figured at this point he was just going to finish the job so he could get Dean to a hospital as fast as possible.

Dean kept his gaze on his father; something was wrong. His father should have been furious with Sam, instead he just didn't say anything. They listened in silence to Sam's footsteps until he was in the bedroom where John and the shapeshifter had fought. It was then that Dean noticed the sinister smile spreading across his father's features; the same smile the other shapeshifter had shown him only moments before.

"You're going to pay for that." He snarled his face twisting inhumanly as he stepped forward.