Title: Complications
Fandom: Supernatural
Author: DJ Sparkles
Rating: FRAO (language, mostly, so far)
Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue. I'll put them back when I'm done.
Spoiler Warning: Um, possible spoilers for all seasons so far… don't want spoiled, don't read. BIG spoilers for All Hell Breaks Loose, Parts 1&2, and season 3.
Timeline: Diverges from Canon after episode 3x03, Bad Day at Black Rock.
Beta: Ithil-valon, and Joe. You ladies just ROCK, you know that?
Pairings: None so far.

Part Two

Sam stared at the wolf, hand outstretched, trying to stifle the fear that threatened. All accounts of werewolves he'd read said they couldn't tell friend from foe. He was praying that they were wrong. "Come on, Dean, you know I won't hurt you." His voice was soft, non-threatening, and steady.

This was already different from the one they'd encountered earlier. That one hadn't shifted to a full wolf, not in all the time they were fighting it. Maybe it was a conscious decision how far to shift, or maybe not. Sam didn't know… but he didn't really care, either. Not right now. The focus at the moment was on Dean, and trying to keep him from trying to kill Sam.

There was shape-shifter slime all over the place, and for a moment, Sam was grateful that Dean had made it out of the car beforehand. He'd never hear the end of it if the Impala got messed up. Dean loved that car and was a little obsessive about it. No. A lot obsessive.

Sam hauled his mind back to where it belonged, focusing on Dean. The wolf had made no move, and Sam was slightly encouraged. At least it wasn't trying to rip out his throat yet.

Dean was looking at things a bit differently, that was for sure. He could smell things, hear things, things he'd never dreamed of before. But Sam was here… and Sam was afraid. He shouldn't be afraid. Should he? Dean wasn't sure, and right now rational thought was a bit out of his reach. Sam was human, and human meant prey. But he smelled like pack, and you didn't hunt pack. He was confused and disoriented, and he hated that most of all. He didn't feel like himself. He raised his nose again, scenting the air, looking for answers in the smells on the breeze, and finding none. He howled, a long, mournful sound in the darkness before dawn.

Sam was encouraged by the lack of aggression on Dean's part, but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to go any closer until he was sure the wolf wouldn't try to rip him up. He had to keep it separate in his mind. That wasn't Dean. It was a werewolf. But it was getting difficult to do, especially when it was Dean's eyes staring at him from the wolf's face.

The ring of the cell phone was too loud in the darkness. Sam fished it out with one hand, keeping the other held out toward the wolf, trying not to move any more than was necessary. He flipped it open without checking the number. "Bobby, I really hope that's you," he said steadily.

"I wasn't expecting to hear from you guys yet. You get your werewolf?" Bobby's voice was the one sane point in the darkness, and Sam felt himself clinging to it.

"Not – not exactly." He kept watching the wolf, who was watching him. There was no aggression in the beast, but he wasn't taking chances. "Yeah, it's dead, but ---"

"Oh, hell. Which one of you got bit?" Bobby wasn't stupid. The only reason they'd call early, and that Sam would sound quite so unsteady, was that one of them had taken a bite. "Let me guess. Dean. And he's shifted. Did you try the holy water?"

"About two gallons of it, yeah, inside and out. It didn't work. I'm, um, I'm looking at him right now, Bobby, and he's completely shifted. He's a wolf. No aggressive behavior, though. He just keeps staring at me." Sam decided to risk a step closer and stopped when the wolf growled at him. Okay, so that wasn't the best idea in the world.

"Don't get any closer. Where are you?" Bobby was rapidly turning over possibilities in his head, trying to come up with a solution that didn't involve killing Dean. Sam would object to that pretty strenuously. The problem was, he couldn't think of any other answer. Werewolves were just too damned unpredictable, according to all the legends. He'd have to do more studying up.

Dean was still trying to make sense of all this, and not doing very well. He could smell pack scent on Sam, like his own, but he couldn't understand it. Sam was human, not pack. How could human smell like pack? He cocked his head slightly, listening to the words, but they made no sense to him.

Sam noticed the motion and stayed still, watching Dean in turn. "We're on Route 17, just outside of Schuyler. I won't be able to move until he shifts back, if he does. I'm not gonna leave him here. Dawn's about two hours off, now. If I can last that long, I'll get him back in the car and meet you. Where?"

"I'm about an hour from you, Sam, so just stay put. I'll get there fast as I can, and we can try to figure this out." He barely kept himself from saying there was nothing to figure out. They'd have to put Dean down somehow to keep him from killing someone. It was a miracle Sam wasn't already dead. Bobby was hoping to get there before it happened, but he thought it was inevitable. Whatever else, that thing wasn't Dean any more. Sam would have to face that.

Sam clicked off the phone and kept watching the wolf, considering. It almost looked like it was listening to what he said. "Dean, if you're in there, hang on. Bobby's coming. We'll figure something out, okay? Just hang in there."

Dean lay down on the ground, eyes still glued to Sam. He knew this human, knew him, and he smelled like pack. He would protect the human, instead of killing. He had to. Pack protected their own.

"You were listening. Dean, do you understand me? Can you understand what I'm saying? No, of course you can't." Sam answered his own question when he saw the wolf's head cock to one side again, clearly quizzical. Something had changed, though. He could feel the change with the wolf's decision to lie down on the grass. There wasn't any threat any longer. He took a step forward, and then another when all it did was look at him steadily and then lay its head down on its paws. Finally he was next to Dean and sank down to the grass as well. He didn't think about it, just laid a hand on the wolf's neck and held it there. "We'll get you out of this, bro. I promise."

TBC…