A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 20

Disclaimer: See first chapter

Author's Note: To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk. _

Previously: "Let him show up. We'll teach him what happens when you mess with one of ours," Joshua voiced strongly as he slammed his bottle down onto the arm of the chair. "Ain't nobody else hurting that kid or his family if I have any say so about it."

"That goes double for me," Caleb replied forcefully as he glanced from Joshua to Bobby and then back again. John could be an ass at times, but he was family as far as they all were concerned and family takes care of their own.

Driving down the interstate at a leisurely place, Detective Matt Speight couldn't wait to meet up with John Slade and his family. He was more convinced now than ever that the man was guilty of a heinous crime. Why else would he sneak his youngest son out of the hospital in the middle of the night and escape to parts unknown? Luckily for him, he had friends who helped him trace down the whereabouts of the villain and he was now hot on the trail and would soon have the scoundrel within his sights.

Sure, he knew the father of two was innocent of the murder that he thought him guilty of, but he just didn't care. He knew a criminal when he saw one and John Slade was a nefarious lowlife if ever he saw one. He should be rewarded for hunting the man down and making sure he got those two boys away from him before they followed in their father's footsteps. He knew that it may be already too late for the oldest son, but hopefully getting him away from the father would steer him in the right direction once again.

So lost in his thoughts was he that he almost missed the ringing of his telephone. Pulling the cell phone from his right front pocket, he flipped it open and placed it to his ear.

"Speight here," he stated, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead.

"Matty, just what the hell do you think you are doing?" Detective Jason Marks questioned angrily through the phone line.

"Huh, what the hell are you going on about Jason? I have no idea what you're talking about," Matt stated, wondering why his partner was yelling at him over the phone.

"I was just informed that you have requested a two week leave of absence. Please tell me that you aren't still hung up on going after John Slade." Jason pleaded of his long-time friend. He knew Matt could be very impetuous at times, but he sure hoped this wasn't one of those times.

"Okay, I won't tell you," Matt quipped with a smirk.

"Damn it Matt, are you trying to throw away your career? You heard what Captain Thomas said about badgering the Slade family. He'll have your shield if he hears about this." Jason seethed, upset that his partner could do something so stupid.

"Yeah, well, then let's just hope he doesn't hear anything," Matt retorted, swiping a sweaty palm across his face. He didn't even want to contemplate losing the job he loved so much, but he just couldn't let this case slide.

"You know he won't hear anything from me, man. But you're on your own here. I have a family to take care of and I won't cover things up for you if you get caught," Jason stated with an angst filled voice.

"Fair enough," Matt replied, knowing his partner was basically between a rock and a hard place if things went south on him. "I wouldn't want you to put your own career in jeopardy by covering up for me. I take full responsibility for what happens."

"Just take care of yourself Matty. I don't want to lose my partner," Jason voiced with a sigh.

"I will. Catch ya later," Matt stated to end the conversation.

~~Supernatural~~

Glancing down the long driveway as the familiar rumble of the Impala could be heard making its way towards the house, Bobby, Joshua, and Caleb pushed themselves to their feet as they wait to lay eyes on the small family that meant so much to all of them. For the three grizzled hunters, it had been over two years since they had seen the boys due to the falling out John had had with each of them at one time or another and they couldn't wait to see how much the boys had grown. Damn John and his tenacity for holding grudges.

Taking a deep breath as the Impala parked just short of the front porch, Joshua became concerned upon peering into the car and seeing only two occupants. He knew Bobby had said Sammy was injured, and now he shuddered to think just how badly the youngest Winchester could be hurt. Chewing on his bottom lip as Dean exited the car and immediately opened the back door, Joshua gasped at seeing how weak Sammy looked as the youngster exited the classic muscle car with the support of his older brother just moments later. It was more than obvious to him that the thirteen year old was in considerable pain and it nearly broke his hardened hunter's heart.

"Damn," he hissed as he made his way down the front porch steps and swiftly strode over to the two boys and hefted the youngest into his arms.

"Hey Tiger, thought you might enjoy a little ride inside the house,' he voiced with a smile as he cradled a surprised Sam to his chest.

"I…I can walk, Josh," Sammy stated, a slight shade of pink encompassing his cheeks at being carried like a baby. "I'm not an in-invalid."

"I know you aren't kiddo," Josh returned, refusing to put the injured boy down as he carried him up the stairs and inside the house. "But how about letting an old man help out anyway?"

"You're not old, Josh," Sammy refuted as the bear of a hunter gently lay him down on the couch while Dean and the others walked inside not far behind them.

"Don't listen to Sammy, Josh. The kid is stoned on pain medicines. Of course, you're getting old," Dean wisecracked as he grabbed the small afghan off of the back of Bobby's chair and placed it over his younger sibling to keep him warm.

"Smartass," Joshua rejoined, as he cuffed Dean around the back of the head.

"Hey, easy on the merchandise, you old goat," Dean said indignantly as he reached out to pump the hunter's hand. "Been a long time Dude."

"Yeah it has," Josh agreed, shooting a glare at John as he said so.

"Too long," Bobby agreed as he shot John a look of his own. "But let's not talk about that right now. We can hash things out between us later. Right now I want to know what we can do to make things easier on Sammy and the both of you."

"You're doing it already," John replied in answer as he watched his youngest slip off to sleep, feeling safe and secure for the first time in days.

"So how is he doing really?" Caleb queried, kneeling down beside the youngest hunter in the room and brushing a hand through the teen's chestnut colored hair.

"He's basically doing fine. The doc said it's going to take a while for his gut to heal from the effects of the stabbing, but that he'll get back to one hundred percent given time," John answered.

"Yeah, well I'll feel better once I hear that from Jefferson," Bobby intoned as he pulled the dirty old trucker's cap from his head and gave his head a scratch. "He should be here in a few later this evening after he finishes his shift at the clinic."

"Bobby, you didn't have to…"

"Shut up idjit before I do more than just threaten to fill your backside with buckshot," Bobby groused as he glared at John. Sammy needed medical attention now that he was here whether John liked it or not.

"Hey Bobby, you got anything here to drink?" Dean inquired to break the tension that was building in the room. "My throat's feeling kinda dry after that long ride."

"Sure Ace, there's some soda in the fridge," Bobby answered allowing Dean to change the subject

"I was thinking more along the lines of a cold beer," Dean grumbled, placing his hands on his hips.

"You turn 18 while I wasn't looking boy?" Bobby questioned knowing that the legal drinking age in south Dakota was 21, but that an 18 year old could consume alcohol in the presence of a parent as long as it wasn't too much.

"No sir, but…"

"No buts about it boy, its soda or nothing," Bobby declared authoritatively.

"Tyrant," Dean grumbled under his breath as he made his way towards the kitchen.

"I heard that," Bobby stated with a warning tone in his voice. Yeah, he could have let the seventeen year old have a bottle of beer, but he also knew Dean needed to be at the top of his game while taking care of Sammy, something that the seventeen year old would insist on doing at all times.

Following Dean into the kitchen, he was going to grab a beer for himself and the others when he was interrupted from doing so by the ringing of a phone.

~~Supernatural~~

Sitting innocuously in the back corner of a roadside diner, Steve Wondell couldn't help but take note of the cop sitting at the front. The guy oozed law enforcement and from the gleam in his eye, he could tell the man was out to get someone with a vengeance. Grasping his nearly empty coffee cup, he strode up front and leaned against the end of the counter as he waited for the waitress to come fill it up in hopes of hearing some of the conversation going on between the lawman and the waitress.

"So, how did you say I get to this Singer Salvage Yard again?" Detective Matt Speight asked of the waitress as she leaned over and placed a triple cheeseburger and fries down in front of him.

"Its ' easy, just follow the highway until you get to mile marker twenty-seven. Just past there, you will take a paved road to the right and go approximately another seven miles or so. From there, you just follow the road signs," the waitress answered with a smile as she stuck out her ample breasts in front of the handsome detective. "Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked seductively.

"Maybe later, sweetheart," Matt stated with a wink of his own as he picked the top bun up off the burger and doused it with ketchup first and then some mustard.

"Well, just holler if you need anything," the waitress stated before walking over to where Steve stood, his cup raised in the air to motion for a refill.

Placing the cup down on the formica counter top after it was refilled," Steve excused himself to the bathroom so he could make a phone call.

Flipping open his cell phone once he was sure the bathroom was empty, Steve scrolled through the list of names until Bobby Singer's was highlighted on the dial, pressed the send button and then waited from the hunter to answer.

"Singer here," Bobby voiced as he picked up one of the phones that hung along his kitchen wall.

"Bobby, its Steve Wondell. I'm at Betty Lou's Roadside Diner and I thought you might like to know that there's a bluecoat here asking for directions to your place."

"Thanks for the head's up Steve. I owe you one," Bobby stated as he gave Dean an anxious look.

"Nah man, we hunters gotta look out for our own," Steve informed the man whom most hunters considered to be the hunters voice of authority before hanging up the phone. He could only hope his warning would be of some use. Of course, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of trouble Singer had gotten himself into.

TBC