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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.

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A Wandering Boy

Chapter 13

Dark Clouds

From Chapter 12

When they left Gabriel's room through the door to the outer office, Gabriel popped out his side door to get a real good look at Sam's ass as the man walked away. The Principal wasn't surprised to see two of the younger women from the outer office also hanging around their door watching the two men walk away.

It was a pretty sight and Gabriel shrugged. It was a free country and he was he to begrudge them the fun of watching that perky ass walk away? He was sure the teacher's lounge would be buzzing about Dean's Father and "Uncle" for the rest of the day.

Chapter 13

He had parked a half block from the bus stop just so he could watch for a good long time. His hands gripped the steering wheel and slid down, greased by his sweaty palms. Eyes glued on the rear view mirror he saw the group of little boys far down the block and ran his eyes over them possessively.

There was the tall, thin black kid, the littlest boy was out in front, like usual, with a big smile on his face, the kid he called 'the geek' in his head and, there he was, the prize. The prize was a compact, confident little bundle. He had gotten close enough to the boys to know that the prize had bright green eyes and a spray of freckles over his nose.

He momentarily closed his eyes, the flush of arousal spreading up his chest to his neck then settled in his ears, making them buzz and burn. For just a few seconds he imagined the prize in his grasp, naked and afraid. He loved the tears, the warm flesh quivering in his hands, the little boy screams. Soon, soon he would make his move and take the boy away. He already had the place set up. No one would know. No one would hear.

He opened his eyes, unwilling to lose a moment, even for his fantasies. The boys were closer now. He could hear the chatter of their voices, the occasional laugh. As the boys got closer to his truck he thought he could pick out the voice that belonged to the prize. The kid seemed to be the leader, his voice measured and sure. The other boys replied, calling him Dean.

The man in the truck clutched the knowledge to himself. The prize had a name. His name was Dean. The man imagined cooing to Dean, whispering the name as he marked that pretty soft skin and fondled those smooth, hairless limbs. Dean, Dean, he murmured, fitting the name into the hollow of his mouth, into the world of his fantasies.

The boys drew near and then were level with the truck. This was the dangerous time. As much as he wanted to he could not stare at the kids. They might remember. The other boys would tell about the guy who stared at them. The only one who had ever noticed him was the prize. Those bright green eyes had looked full in his face last week when he was watching the group leave the school at the beginning of their walk to the bus.

It didn't matter if the prize had marked him. The prize wouldn't be around to tell the police about the man in the truck. As the boys passed he looked out the driver's side window, away from them. It almost hurt to take his eyes off the boy but it had to be done. He didn't want to take the chance that the nosey cops would interrupt their time together. He was literally shaking in anticipation and he watched as they walked away, his eyes caressing the prize from the back of his head, down his back and over that cute little butt. Soon, very soon.

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Sam stood on Bobby's porch alone. He gazed out over the trees to the edge of the sky. Bobby's house was beginning to make him itch. He felt the clinging embrace of responsibilities. Now he was supposed to be Dean's father – brother. Castiel was becoming his partner. Bobby wanted them all to live with him.

Sam had been alone since that last fight with John Winchester. The taste of freedom was what had driven him out the door and into the world to face it on his own. The sense of freedom was almost like being drunk. No more waiting for his father to return. No more questioning if it would be a good night or if he would be waking up in the morning as bloody as if he had gone on the hunt himself. Sixteen years old he had gone out on his own to grasp his life with both hands, leaving John Winchester to stew in his own venom.

Now he seemed to be growing a shell of attachments. Yes, he felt responsible for these people but it was so much easier when he was out on the highway, driving from haunted scene to monster hunt.

To be held to a single place when he could be out standing in the wind, feeling the hidden life behind the façade of the real world was where he felt he belonged. He didn't want to run away. He didn't want to abandon any of them but if he didn't get a break soon he might just do it. Perhaps a hunt would sooth him; a hunt without Castiel. Let Castiel stay here and let him go. Maybe another Hunter needed a backup. He would have to ask Bobby to find something.

Then he would explain himself to Dean and Castiel. He would just have to face Dean's soulful eyes that might just fill with tears. He would have to explain to Castiel while the angel cocked his head to the side, trying like hell to understand human motivations. Bobby would understand without an explanation. The older hunter had watched Sam come and go over the years, never interfering, grounded in the knowledge that short of death, Sam would always come back.

Sam came back either damaged and returned to lick his wounds until they healed or he would come back on top of the world, renewed, energized and ready for the next challenge. Bobby was always good for either situation. Sam hoped that Bobby could point him in a direction right now. He could simply walk off this porch, get in the car and drive away but he know he would feel guilty the whole time.

In addition, his new partner was an Angel. He was pretty sure that Castiel would start out hunting for him, just to make sure that everything was alright. It would be better to just explain his need for solitude and let them swallow it. He had visions of Castiel bringing Dean with him as they hunted him over the landscape.

Castiel had told him that these marks that were carved into his ribs hid him from Angel and Demons but who knew how Angels searched. Maybe Castiel could smell him or something. No, it was better to explain and then walk out freely.

Sam made up his mind and turned to go back in the house. His hands felt empty without the usual beer bottle. See, they were changing him already. He wasn't drinking because it upset Dean. Of course, he also didn't want to end up just a copy of John Winchester so he had some skin in the game also. It was just another thing to attribute to this new life. He kind of wanted his old one back again.

Tonight, after Dean got home from school, they would sit down and talk about it. In the meantime he was going to go see what Bobby could find for him. Already he was shedding some of his tension now that he had a plan.

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Sam wandered through the house looking for Bobby. He found Castiel sitting at Bobby's desk in the room that Bobby called his living room but everyone else called the library. Castiel was paging through one of Bobby's oldest books, slowly turning the heavy pages and taking notes.

"Hey, Cas," Sam said. "Do you know where Bobby is?'

Castiel lifted his head, holding the book down delicately with a single finger and looked around. "Until a few moments ago he was right here with me." The Angel replied. "I am translating this passage for him. I did not notice when he left. "

Castiel turned in his chair and looked down the rows of book cases behind him. "Perhaps he has gone back to find another volume. I suggest you look there." Cas waved his hand in the general direction of the back end of the room and went back to his work.

Sam stopped and stared down at Castiel's head. The Hunter was not oblivious. He knew that Castiel had been making careful moves on him. Sam had the feelings beat out of him a long time ago. He had no urge to touch other people. As a teenager he had learned that to be touched was to feel pain. Perhaps it could be different with an Angel. Sam wondered for a moment how it would feel to have Castiel's hands on his body.

The hunter shook the thought out of his head and went on looking for Bobby. In the furthest corner, hunched over an entirely inadequate light, he found Bobby looking over another old book.

"Hey Bobby," Sam interrupted.

"Hey yourself Sam," Bobby greeted him back. "You need something?"

"Now Bobby I don't just talk to you when I want something." Sam said, embarrassed.

"Not in my experience," Bobby replied. "Don't worry about it, boy. It's what us old guys do, twist the young guy's tails. By the way, thanks for bringing Castiel home with you. He's a goldmine. I really appreciate it."

Bobby came around the side of the bookcase. "You want to go back to Cas or do you have something you want to talk about privately?"

Sam was always amazed at how easily Bobby could read him. Sam prided himself on his poker face. It evidently did not fool Bobby Singer.

"Privately, please Bobby. I have a problem and Castiel is part of it."

"Don't worry, Sam." Bobby waved him forward. "Come around back here, There's a door here to the back end of the house."

Once outside Bobby sat down on a rickety old garden chair just outside the door and pointed to another one for Sam. "What's up?"

"I got an itch, Bobby." Sam admitted. "I need to get out on a hunt for a week or so and I don't want to take Cas or Dean along. You got anything I could hook into without a partner? Someone needs back up or even just a drive to an investigation?"

"Is there anything wrong between you and Castiel?" Bobby asked seriously. "I thought you guys were forging a pretty good partnership."

"No, no, nothing Castiel has done," Sam went on. "It's me. Like I said, I've got an itch. I guess I spent too many days alone and this partnership thing is rushing in on me along with the whole being Dean's Dad now too. I just need some time to settle it all in my head."

Bobby patted Sam's knee. "Maybe you're right. You should get away for a while and let your mind adjust to the new situation. It's a lot to have land on you all at once. You're all alone one day with just an apprentice hunter to train then, bam; instant partner, instant kid. It's a big change for you."

"Thanks Bobby. I feel better about it already. If it makes sense to you could you help me explain it to Castiel and Dean? I'd like to talk it over with them tonight after dinner. I would appreciate your help. If you step in perhaps Dean won't be so unset with me leaving for a little while."

"You got to be careful with the kid, Sam." Bobby said. "It sounds to me like his John Winchester was just as bad as yours. The kid got left behind a lot. "

"I feel for him, Bobby, I do." Sam responded. "It was the worst thing in the world. To be left behind in a smelly motel room to sit and wait for days, all alone and just wonder if he was ever going to come back. To sit there day after day trying to figure out how to get something to eat, how to stay safe and what you would do if Dad never came back. "

"I'm working on getting the kid to trust me," Bobby said. "If he knows that I'll keep him and I'll always be right here a lot of that pain should go away. Besides, now he has Castiel, his Angel, too. We did fine while you guys were gone on the Hotel hunt. He should do fine again. The one that's all worried is you. Feel better now?"

"Yes, you're the best, Bobby." Sam stood up and stretched. "I'll make dinner tonight, if you like. What do we have to cook?"

"Good, deal, Sam," Bobby answered. "I have everything out to make spaghetti. Sure would be nice to have somebody wait on me for a change. You go on in and get to work. I'm just going to sit out here for a while and watch the sun go down."

Heading for the kitchen Sam passed Castiel working away on the translation. Pausing for a moment he put his hand on Castiel's shoulder and leaned in to look at the Angel's work. Castiel looked up at the unusual gesture.

"How are you doing Castiel?" Sam asked.

"The translation is going well. I hope that Bobby is pleased with my work. I have enjoyed it and would not mind doing more for him. Where is Bobby, by the way?" Castiel turned his eyes back to the book.

"Bobby stayed outside to watch the sunset." Sam replied. "Whatever floats his boat. I'm on my way to make dinner for us all. I hope you like spaghetti."

Castiel was again confused. "Bobby has a boat? I have never seen a boat here. And whatever spaghetti is I'm sure I'll enjoy it."

Sam laughed and patted the Angel's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cas. To float your boat is a idiom that means to do as you are pleased to do. Bobby is watching the sunset because he enjoys doing so."

"Very well," Castiel said. "Thank you for the explanation. These idioms abound. It may take a while for me to learn them all."

Just then the men heard the screen door slam and then the front door close. "I'm home!" Dean cried out. "Where is everybody?"

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After a pretty good spaghetti dinner, prepared and served by Sam wearing an apron, the table was cleared and the dishes were washed, with Dean's help. They then settled back down at the table with steaming coffee mugs for a family meeting, as Sam described it.

"Castiel, Dean, I wanted to discussed something with you." Sam started off seriously. "I'm most likely going to be leaving for about a week to back up another Hunter by myself. But more than that, I'm going away to think about this new life of ours."

Dean moved off his chair and went to stand beside Castiel, focusing his now huge eyes on Sam's face. "Did I do something wrong? Do you not want to be my Dad now?"

This was the reaction that Sam had dreaded. "No, no, Dean. Don't worry. I'm coming back. I just need a little time to myself to get used to the idea having a family. It's a big change for me. I've been alone since I was sixteen."

"Before you talk about leaving me," Dean said. "I have something I want to tell you."

"Damn it Dean, I'm not leaving you. It will only be for maybe a week and you'll have Castiel and Bobby here for you. Don't make this harder than it needs to be. I'm not giving you up."

Dean moved into the circle of Castiel's willing arms. "Ok, fine. I believe you but what I wanted to say is that I been being followed all week by some guy in a white pick-up truck."

"What do you mean by followed, Dean?" Sam asked quietly.

"Well I saw him first last week sitting on the other side of the road from the school when we all came out. "He was just sitting there, staring but it felt like he had looked at everybody and then found me. He was creepy. When he saw I was looking back at him he started his truck and drove off."

"I wrote down his license plate number just because he made me nervous. Then I started seeing him pretty much every day. He's always parked in the street along the way me and the guys walk to the bus. He moves around all the time and pretends not to be looking but it's the same stupid truck.

"I really don't like the sound of this," Bobby Singer said.

"Neither do I," Sam added. "What else, Dean?"

"He's always watching us in his rear view mirror." Dean answered. "He thinks we can't tell but I can. I can see his eyes. He might be looking at little Mikey. I hope he's not but it's possible. Mikey always walks out front. Somehow though, I think it's me he's watching. I think he's stalking us like a hunter stalks a deer trail. He turns and looks the other way when we get close but he's not fooling me."

"What do you want us to do about this, Sam?" Castiel asked. "I will guard Dean while you are gone but what if the man is after Dean's little friend? What should I do?"

"First of all," Sam answered. "I'm not going anywhere. Dean is more important than my desire for solitude. I can go whenever but all I will be thinking about is Dean in danger. We need to settle this before I even think of leaving. What do you think we should do, Bobby?"

"The first thing should be to tell Sheriff Mills that she has a possible predator stalking kids at the elementary school." Bobby said. " Maybe she knows something. If she doesn't have anything then we'll need to draw this guy out for her and identify him. I'm thinking maybe we need to set a trap."

Bobby looked at Dean very seriously. "Immediately through I don't want Dean walking around unarmed. The kid should at least have a knife on him. Right now he's as harmless as a baby deer. We need to give the kid some bite."