ooOoo

The Supernatural characters belong to Kripke Enterprises and the CW, not me. No money is being made from this story. It is for entertainment only.

The Fae Prince

Chapter 6

A Change of Venue

And moving thro' a mirror clear

That hangs before her all the year,

Shadows of the world appear.

There she sees the highway near

Winding down to Camelot.

There the river eddy whirls,

And there the surly village-churls,

And the red cloaks of market girls,

Pass onward from Shalott.

The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809-1892

Dean was melting into Sam's embrace and the chill of the evening drained from his bones to be replaced by fire in his groin. The power of the Fae Prince pulsed under his fingers and resonated on his lips. Just as the young Hunter was thinking about asking for more the Prince stepped back and released the teenager. With a smile Sam placed a hand on the small of the young man's back and guided Dean back into the house.

They walked through the rooms looking for Bobby. Dean continued to lick the sweet taste of Sam's kiss from his lips. He felt warm all over and the touch of Sam' hands made his nerves tingle.

Bobby was still awake, sitting at his desk in the library consulting another ancient, leather-bound book. As the boys entered he glanced up. "You boys all right?" he asked.

Dean nervously answered for them both while glancing at Sam's face. "Yes, we've talked it out and we're going to become partners. I'm going to abandon John and his never ending quest for revenge. Sam is going to stay with me. We'll hunt together."

"Ditching John is going to be the first problem you'll face together. He won't like this at all." Bobby counseled. "He's already suspects Sam of hiding secrets and he won't want to lose his hunting partner."

Dean replied "There's reason right there. John doesn't want to lose his hunting partner. Not lose his son; lose his partner. I wasn't even treated like a partner. I was there to take orders and clean weapons for him. I was there to be his punching bag when he got drunk. I treated him like my father; he treated me like a grunt."

Sam raised his hand and cupped it behind Dean's neck. Rubbing his neck and scratching at his scalp with a long finger, Sam offered Dean some comfort. Dean was spitting his words out like bullets, the pent-up bile after years of abuse finally flowing out of the young man. Sam laid his other hand on Dean's arm and pulled the two of them closer together.

Bobby watched the by-play of their bodies as he listened to Dean's cascade of words. Dean spoke as if a dam had finally broken and Bobby approved of the lancing of the infected wound.

"Fine, if you're sure this is what you want, Dean," Bobby interjected into the flow of words, "I'll help head John off for you. I know he's looking to go up to Jericho California to look into a string of disappearances there. He told me that he's going to call me in the morning because he wants to buy a truck before he leaves and he wants to garage the Impala here."

"Really? He's giving up the Impala?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, " Bobby replied. "He's got it in his head that she's getting too old and too much trouble for him. You know what he's like when he gets an idea lodged in that thick head of his." Bobby paused. "Didn't I hear him say once he was going to give it to you?"

Dean looked down and scuffed his shoe over a spot on the floor, hiding how much the news had shaken him. The Impala was the only home he had ever known. It had sheltered him from storms and monsters. He had grown up in that back seat and now he was on the verge of losing not only his father but also the one place he had always felt safe. That back seat was the only place he had ever cried.

"He said that once. Dangled it like a carrot when I talked back to him once. Said as long as I was his obedient little soldier he'd give her to me for my eighteenth birthday. Guess that won't happen how."

"Listen kid, you've earned it." Bobby growled. "If he leaves it here you and Sam can have it. I'll offer to buy it from him. I know he needs money for ammo. How dependent has he become on your pool hustling skills for money lately?"

Dean looked at Bobby through his lashes as he glanced up from the floor. "Pretty much I've been paying for the day to day stuff. His temper has gotten shorter and shorter and when he goes into a bar lately he's drunk before he even makes it back to the tables."

"He'll jump at the chance of money then after he finds out you've run off with Sam." Bobby laughed. "The story sounds like you guys eloped."

"Bobby, I don't know how I'll pay you back for this, but I will," Dean promised.

"Yeah, you will." Bobby said. "As a down payment I'm going to want you two to go take a look at some reported disappearances in a place called Black Water Ridge in Colorado. A bunch of people disappeared there back in the eighties but the place has been quiet for decades. It's started up again recently and it looks to me like a 23 year cycle. The isolated area, the long hibernation cycle and no bodies ever being found all seem to me to point at a possible Windigo."

Bobby went on. "That's how you guys can pay me back. I'll cover your tracks and let you use this place for research and a home base. I admit I'm slowing down but I can't let people die because I got a back ache. You might stop being your father's soldier but now I get to call the shots. Maybe you've traded one bossy bastard for another."

In Bobby's mind this had been a long time coming. Sam perhaps was not the partner that Bobby would have chosen for Dean but even so the Fae was a big step up from John Winchester. Bobby approved of the way that Sam hung over Dean and backed the young Hunter up. Sam's stance looked protective.

Dean laughed. "Not even close, Bobby. At least you won't be breathing down my neck, barking orders. And, offhand, I can't ever remember you taking a belt to me because I was too slow on a hunt."

"Did John make a habit of that?" Bobby grimaced and picked up his own whiskey bottle. He pulled some shot glasses out of the desk drawer and lined up a drink for each of them. "I didn't know he was beating you. I would have done something if I had."

"I think it was a hobby." Dean replied. "Anytime things went bad he'd get drunk and take it out of my hide."

"One time when I was about eleven I was supposed to be his back up on a black dog hunt. I had a hard time keeping up with him and the damn rifle knocked me on my ass." Dean picked up his glass and drank. "The dog got in a couple of good ones before Dad was able to kill it. When we got back to the room he used the belt on me for being slow and lazy and not training hard enough."

Bobby downed his own drink and eyed Sam who was just picking up his glass. "It's whiskey, Sam. You ever had any before?"

Sam sniffed delicately at the amber liquid and curled his nose at the smell. "Not that I remember." He answered then took a small sip. He grimaced at the taste but then went on and drank the whole glass.

"Well, don't hurt yourself." Bobby laughed. "It's not supposed to be a test. You don't have to drink it if you don't want to."

Sam put the glass back on the desk. "Great. Now you tell me. The Fae drink a lot of wine and mead. This whiskey is not like either of those."

Bobby smiled. "Well, real mead is hard to come by but I can see to it that there's wine here for you."

Bobby yawned and pulled off his hat to scratch his head. "It's getting pretty late and tomorrow might turn into a busy day depending on how John takes the news. You guys need to stay out of sight and don't pay any attention if the conversation gets loud. I can handle John. I've been doing it for years. I want him to think that you are already long gone when I tell him you've left."

The older hunter put a bookmark on his page and continued. "Take the bedroom all the way in the back and don't make noise until you hear us pull back out of here tomorrow in my truck. Just stay out of sight."

XXXXXXX

When Dean opened the door to the last bedroom in the hallway upstairs he found only a large king-size bed in the room. "I guess this is where you're going to sleep, Sam"

Sam closed the door behind them. "Don't you mean where we are going to sleep."

"I'll sleep on the floor." Dean replied. "Or maybe I'll sleep downstairs on the couch."

"I think Bobby sent us up here to get us out of his hair, Dean." Sam replied. "Don't worry. I won't assault you in your sleep. You're safe with me." The tall man laughed and Dean blushed. "Or maybe you're planning on assaulting me. Is that it, Dean?"

The two men went through their personal nighttime routines. Sam hit the bathroom down the hall first. By the time that Dean came back to the room Sam was already in bed. Dean slid under the covers and turned out the bedside light. He lay in the dark watching the moon through the open window and remembering the taste of Sam's kiss. He could feel the warmth that the larger man's body was radiating from the other side of the bed.

Dean lay there trying to get his thoughts to slow. Bobby's whiskey was racing through his veins. John never shared his whiskey with his teenage son and each time Dean closed his eyes his world would spin. He turned on his side and evidently his fidgeting bothered Sam. The Fae Prince reached over, wrapped a big arm around Dean's waist and pulled the smaller man against his chest. Dean froze in surprise.

Sam curled his arm under Dean's pillow and whispered into Dean's ear. "What's the matter? Can't sleep?" He pulled Dean in even closer and spooned against him, tucking Dean's head under his chin. The chill night air invaded the room and Dean curled into Sam's body heat.

He finally relaxed, safe in Sam's arms and drifted off to sleep with Sam's breath on the back of his neck,

XXXXXXX

Raised voices woke Dean up in the morning. He could hear John Winchester's angry bark, punctuated by Bobby's low growl. He only caught a few words; Dean, Sam, hunt, orders. Mixed together he caught John's meaning. Behind him he felt Sam stir and the big man wrapped both arms around Dean's body.

"Quiet, don't move yet." Sam muttered. "They've been building it up for a while. I think they might be close to either fighting or leaving. We're only getting out of this bed for gunshots. Be still."

Dean thought about disobeying Sam's orders but couldn't come up with a good reason so he stayed still and listened to the turmoil below. The shouting drew more distant and Dean heard Bobby's screen door slam. A couple more minutes went by and he thought he recognized the rumble of Bobby's truck starting.

Sam let go and sat up, stretching his arms above his head. Dean lay looking up at the sheer size of the Prince. Dean wasn't small. He was, in fact, larger than the average but Sam was a giant. He reached out and ran a cautious hand over Sam's chest. Sam looked down and smiled. "You like what you see?"

Dean blushed and withdrew his wandering hand.

"Go on, get up." Sam said. "You get first shower. I'm going downstairs to see if Bobby left a message perhaps. We have to still be careful. John might come back again or he might not. We just have to keep watch. I hope Bobby comes back alone. The only way we're starting for Colorado today depends on how well Bobby handles John"

Dean threw off the comforter and stood up. He could feel Sam's eyes on his body and he liked it. He might have given a little extra swing to his hips as he walked away.

Sam snorted at Dean's body flirting. He cheered silently. His seduction of the young Hunter was right on track. By waiting and going slow he might even convince the young man that it was completely his own idea to climb on the Prince. Instead of simply taking the young man by force Sam was playing a long game. By the time he had Dean under him in bed Dean would be thinking it was all his own idea. Sam could wait.

Sam and Dean were sitting in the kitchen around noon when they heard Bobby's truck again. The older hunter appeared to be by himself. There was no one following behind so the guys assumed John was gone. Dean had made a new pot of coffee not more than fifteen minutes earlier and they had cleaned up Bobby's kitchen for him after they made breakfast.

Bobby came in smiling. "The asshole's on his way to California. He's expecting me to chase you guys down for him and he'll take care of Dean's rebellion when he gets back." Bobby pulled out a kitchen chair and accepted a cup of coffee from Dean. "He's more convinced than ever that Sam is something evil. He can't imagine Dean taking off like this unless Dean's either under a spell or possessed."

Dean hissed. "He doesn't give me any credit for finally growing balls enough to leave on my own, does he? Nothing's his fault; it has to be someone else influencing me. He thinks I'm a fool." Dean slammed down his coffee mug. "He might be right about that. I've been an idiot for following him around like a kicked dog all these years."

Bobby didn't say anything at first. He just looked at Dean over his own coffee mug. "Dean, cut yourself a little slack. What are you now? 17? 18? You're right on schedule for getting out from under your father's thumb. If you did it any younger you most likely would have ended up with Child Services."

Dean laughed. "As if they could catch me."

"Not the point, Dean." Bobby replied. "You would have been hiding from them and your father at the same time."

Sam came over and put his hands on Dean's shoulders. "Bobby,' he started. "What's the minimum we're going to need to wander around in this world? Remember that I'm new to this place. I have to depend on you and Dean to tell me what I need to know."

"Well, here's one problem addressed." Bobby pulled a thin folder from his back pocket. "Here's the new paper on the Impala. It's now registered to The Singer Salvage Yard since I couldn't put it in Dean's name in front of his father. It's already on the Yard's Insurance so your vehicle is legal in all fifty states. The plates and the official forms will arrive here sometime this month."

"Before you boys pull out of here we're going to go visit a friend of mine to get you some I.D. so pick yourselves some names for your new South Dakota birth certificates and driver's licenses. I suppose Sam doesn't even have a last name and Dean, you need to flush the Winchester if you don't want John immediately on your tail. Figure it out now so I can make the call."

"I guess we won't be getting on the road for Colorado today then." Dean said.

"You boys are definitely not ready to be cut loose on the roads of America just yet." Bobby grimaced. "I suppose you also need things like phones and weapons unless John left that stuff in the Impala, which would surprise me."

They ended up in Bobby's library. Samisfallen completed his transition from Fae to human and became Samuel Singer. Dean held on to some of his name and become Dean Michael Campbell

After those decisions were out of the way Bobby made his phone call to his friend to get the paperwork rolling and they went out to Bobby's lean-to garage to load the Impala's trunk with the necessary equipment for hunting. John had taken everything useful and so they had to depend on Bobby's back up weapons. Dean sill had his favorite gun, the Taurus, and some silver knives but Sam had never even touched any weapon other than a sword and some throwing knives.

They spent the afternoon showing Sam how to load and fire various weapons including the sawed off shotguns. Dean explained the use of salt in hunting and the different kind of ammunition for various purposes. Sam experienced some discomfort in handing silver and iron rounds but at least his skin didn't peel off or smoke out so they called it a win.

One thing they discovered was that Sam was a sponge where occult history and magical symbolism was involved. He sucked down Bobby's most esoteric volumes as if they were his childhood favorites. Latin was a second language where the Fae world was concerned and the various exorcisms were also common in Fae education.

Bobby figured that it all made sense. Sam was looking at magic from the other side. Knowledge that Bobby had to unearth and scratch for was a normal part of Sam's world. Sam could spin a spell out of the air and call magic to his fingertips.

Dean was smug about the special powers his partner added to their hunting pair. As long as Sam's gifts did not draw the attention of other hunters it would give them a huge advantage in dealing with the supernatural world. Bobby also sucked as much knowledge out of Sam as he could.

Sam spoke of how the Unseelie Court would create and unleash magic on the human world out of simple malice. He gave Bobby specific ways to fight such enchantments. Sam also spoke of how magic could leak through open doors; doors that had not been sealed properly when there was passage between the two worlds and how that magic could be twisted by human mages and witches.

Bobby took notes all afternoon. This kind of knowledge was meat and drink to the older Hunter and Sam was fulfilling his part of the bargain he had struck with Bobby the previous day.

After dinner they all climbed into the Impala and Dean proudly drove them to Bobby's document source, Ed Farley. Ed lived inside the city of Sioux Falls and Sam got his first look at a moderately large human city. Sioux Falls had a population of over a hundred and fifty thousand people and had been founded in the 1830's. Sam found the small historical facts fascinating.

Bobby smiled. Fae or not he knew a knowledge geek when he saw one. He could foresee a time that Sam would be haunting Bobby's library.

Ed had the necessary documents ready for them. All that was left was taking pictures and laminating the licenses. Since they were Bobby's friends and therefore Hunters Ed had also made up some FBI I.D.s and CDC badges also. Hunters always found those identity documents useful. Ed had picked the phony names. He found that part of the business humorous. He picked Gardner Schoop and Daedalus Cranwhistle for Sam and Dean. Dean just stared at the man in shock.

Bobby paid Ed and Dean objected. "Bobby, that's a lot of money. I swear we'll find a way to pay you back.'

"Hush, boy." Bobby responded. "The information that Sam has given me just today will save me weeks of work and hours bending over faded documents and most likely what I would find with all that effort would not be even half as useful as what Sam tells me. Your partner's a gold mine and every time you boys come back I expect to dig more out of him. No amount of money could buy the knowledge that boy can give me."

Business now concluded there was a brief discussion about stopping at a bar to not only get a few drinks but also replenish Dean's cash but Bobby voted the idea down.

"You guys should get an early start in the morning," he said. "Lost Creek Colorado's a solid twenty four hour drive. You need your sleep tonight."