Title: Reader's Special: Second Edition - One Shot Reward Fic Collection
Author: Disasteriffic Kaz
Info: A collection of 1 Shot Reward Fics for Prompters of my Reader's Special: Third Edition. Features many seasons, hurt/limp/awesome/caring!Sam/Dean/John/Bobby See each chapter for specific info for each 1 shot reward fic.
Author's Note: The Reader's Special: Third Edition was a smashing success! Prompters of the story were offered a One Shot Reward story of their choice. These are they. None of the chapters contained in this collection are connected. Each one is a stand-alone one shot per the Prompters request. Thank you to all of you who prompted the Reader's Special! You were fantastic as always!
Chapter Info: For Bastet'syoungestkitten - Could you do something that explains why it had only been 2 years instead of 4 since Dean had heard from Sam in college in season 1?
A/N: Pre-series. Two years into Sam's time at Stanford. :D so, two years before the Pilot.
Beta'd by the always awesome JaniceC678 :D– Friend and Muse's co-conspirator.
**Follow me on Facebook as "Disasteriffic Kaz" for frequent fic updates or just to chat!
~Reviews are Love~
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Sam listened to the ringing phone in his hand and cringed, imagining how this call was going to go. When it was finally answered, he took a deep breath. "Hey, Dean." He tried for easy and relaxed.
"Sammy." Dean heard more in those two words than anyone else would have and he scowled. "What's wrong?" He could have asked how the last two years had been, how's college, meet any girls, miss me? But none of that mattered the moment he heard something 'off' in his brother's voice.
"What? Why's something have to be wrong?" Sam said defensively even though, yes, something was. "Can't a guy just call to check on his big brother?"
"Uh huh." Dean started tossing clothes into his duffel and stopped to scrawl a hasty note for his father who was off on a job and wouldn't be back for a few days. "I'll ask again. What's wrong?"
"Oh for…" Sam groaned and gave in. "Alright. I need help…backup. Ok?"
"Sammy. I thought you ditched hunting for college. What the hell?" Dean stopped with his hand on the motel room door in surprise.
"I did." Sam rubbed a hand down his face and leaned back. "I wasn't hunting. We were - a couple friends and me, we were checking out this old building. Jack's an architect major and he wants to renovate it so we were mapping out the floors and taking measurements…"
"The point, Sam. Today?" Dean smirked as his brother went geek on him and pulled the Impala's door open, sliding behind the wheel, relaxing ever so slightly hearing that essentially Sam was okay and there was no impending disaster looming. A hunt with his brother he could handle.
Sam rolled his eyes. "There's a ghost, alright? Went into one room and the temperature must have dropped 10 degrees. Then the lights started fritzing - the usual stuff. I got everyone out before they, you know, realized anything was wrong besides a drafty building with bad wiring." He ran a hand over his right thigh and grimaced. "I went back later and tried to take it out on my own, but uh…backup would be nice. I just don't want anyone to get hurt."
Dean slammed the brakes, the Impala screeching to a stop at the end of the parking lot. "You went after it alone? What the hell were you thinking, Sam?" He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, praying for patience and started the car moving again. "How bad'd it tag you?" He growled into the phone when he heard his brother start to say he was fine. "Dude, don't lie to me. I'm gonna be there in two hours."
Sam opened his mouth, closed it and groaned. "Fine. It's not bad. I'm alright. I am," he insisted and then frowned. "Wait. Two hours? Where are you?"
"Around." Dean grinned and hit the gas. "See you soon." He flipped the phone closed and the grin fell away. He understood why Sam hadn't called in two years. He didn't like it, but he got it. However, he would have thought Sam would damn well know better than to hunt without backup, especially after being out of the game for so long. He snarled and pressed harder on the gas.
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Sam leaned on the low stone wall outside his dorm building. He heard the Impala's engine long before he saw the car and couldn't help the smile that crept on his face at the sound; it was the sound of home and Dean and…he scrubbed a hand down his face. "Not anymore," he said softly and watched as the sleek, black muscle car rumbled up in front of him and parked and his brother climbed out. "Hey, Dean." Sam smiled, genuinely happy to see him again after what suddenly felt like way too long.
Dean stood and leaned back against his car, crossing his arms on his chest and looked at his little brother. His hair was longer and hung in his eyes and Dean smirked. Sam looked good and was giving him a bitch face that made Dean roll his eyes, falling easily back into his lifelong role of big brother. "Before we go anywhere, where are you hurt?"
Sam groaned. He'd sort of hoped Dean would let it go. "It's nothing." He subconsciously put a hand on his right thigh.
Dean raised a brow and snorted. "We're not goin' anywhere 'til I know you're not gonna face-plant on me."
"You're still a jerk," Sam growled. "Stab wound in my thigh. It's no big deal, and no, I'm not dropping my pants to show you."
Dean chuckled and waved at the car. "Well, get in then." He watched Sam straighten and walk around to the passenger side with a critical eye. He was limping and working real hard to hide it. He got back in the car and looked over at Sam before turning the engine back on and didn't miss the wistful smile as the car rumbled to life. "Where to?"
Sam gave him directions and was silently grateful Dean wasn't playing twenty questions with him. "I'm pretty sure the guy's bones are actually in the building. There are some pretty concrete articles from thirty years ago about it. Seems one of the partners in the construction company building the place went missing after arguing with the others. Body was never found, nothing ever proven, but everything pointed to them. What better place to hide a body than in a building under construction, right?"
"Any idea where?" Dean turned down the street Sam had mentioned and tried to remember if he had a sledge hammer in the trunk.
"Third floor," Sam said ruefully and rubbed his thigh over the wound. "He pretty much ignored me until I started swinging at the walls up there." He watched the street lights pass for a minute and then glanced over at his brother. "So, uh…where's Dad? Is he…you know, ok?"
Dean clenched his teeth and didn't look at him. "He's fine, Sam. Don't start."
"I wasn't starting anything! Geez." Sam rolled his eyes. "I was just asking, alright?"
"Fine."
"Fine." Sam ran a hand through his hair, shoving it out of his eyes with an aggravated huff.
"He's down in Texas with Bobby," Dean said after a minute, once he was sure Sam wasn't going to start the old argument. "Shapeshifter."
"That's it." Sam pointed out the window to a tall, six-story building and sat up straighter in the seat. "Why didn't you go with?"
Dean sighed and opted not to tell his brother it was because he made a point of making sure he was never more than a day away from Stanford. Most of the time he succeeded, and he was glad this was one of those times. Dean figured Dad knew damn well what he was doing, but he didn't say anything, for which Dean was grateful. "Stayed behind to hustle up some funds." Dean smiled over at Sam and waggled his brows. "Dad bows to my skills."
Sam snorted a laugh, shaking his head and climbed out once Dean parked. "You're shameless, man."
"Oh, Sammy. You have no idea." Dean chuckled and got out, going to the trunk. He opened it up and pulled out two sawed-off shotguns, handing one to Sam.
"Left my hammer inside." Sam checked over the shotgun automatically and grabbed a flashlight from the trunk while Dean shoved salt and lighter fluid into a bag.
Dean pulled out a hand-axe and tucked that in the back of his belt. "Alright. Let's go roast a ghost." He closed the trunk and waved Sam ahead of him while he looked up at the dark building. "Architect major? Really? You should be hangin' with the cheerleaders, dude. I'm disappointed, Sammy."
Sam chuckled and rolled his eyes. "It's Sam, and I'm actually here to learn, remember?"
"Missin' out on all the fun, geek boy." Dean pulled open the side door Sam pointed to and stepped inside. He wrinkled his nose. "It smells like ass in here."
"Should have taken a shower then, huh?" Sam shot back and ducked the swing Dean sent at his arm. It was comforting the way they so easily fell back into old habits, and it hurt at the same time, knowing that, when this was over, Dean would be gone again. Sam did want his normal life with all his heart, but he missed his family; he missed Dean.
"You know I can still kick your ass," Dean warned. "Stairs or elevator?"
Sam gave him a shove away from the elevator doors. "Stairs. This guy likes to play with the elevators."
Dean took the lead up to the third floor and raised a brow when he saw a sledge hammer sitting on the landing. "Lose something?"
"I was in a hurry." Sam shrugged and picked it up. "He was kinda pissed at me."
"You have that effect," Dean said deadpan and chuckled as he pulled the third floor door open and peered out into the hall with his flashlight. "Which way?"
Sam hefted the hammer and nodded. "Left. Four doors down."
Dean nodded and stepped out. He put his shotgun under his arm and dug out his EMF meter, flicking it on. The needle climbed halfway up and stayed there. "Huh. Well, he's here somewhere. Come on." He swapped hands and got his finger on the trigger of his gun again. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sam to have his back, but it'd been two years since Sam hunted and the ghost had already proven he was violent. He wasn't going to take chances.
"That's it." Sam waved his flashlight to the open door, suddenly leery of going back in the room, but he quickly squashed the fear. He was with Dean.
Dean nodded and walked into what once had been a spacious apartment. He shone his light around the wide open room, noting several holes in the walls, and then a cold weight fell into his stomach. A pool of blood glistened darkly in his flashlight beneath the hole farthest from the door. He turned and glared at his brother. "I thought you said it was nothing." He pointed his light at the congealing pool of blood and looked at Sam. "That is not nothing! What the hell'd he stab you with?"
Sam eased around Dean, wary of his brother deciding he really did need a look at his damn leg. "Piece of pipe out of the wall." He put his flashlight up and held up the hammer. "Can we do this now?"
Dean growled angrily as Sam went past him to the far wall. "Can you swing that thing?" There was enough blood on the floor to make him wonder just how weakened Sam actually was.
Sam tossed him another bitch face and swung the hammer into an unbroken section of wall in answer. Yes, his leg hurt, but he wasn't about to let on; not with Dean obviously three seconds away from going full out mother-hen on him.
Dean looked up to the ceiling for patience for a moment and then went on a slow stroll of the room, looking into doors and watching the EMF. The needle stayed firmly put until Sam moved on to the next section of wall and swung the sledge hammer. The EMF suddenly screeched in Dean's hand as the temperature in the room dropped. "Head's up, Sammy."
"I hear it." Sam glanced around the room and then swung again at the hole he'd started, knocking another chunk of plaster loose. He gasped and backed up as a spectral head appeared in the hole and screamed at him. "Shit!" Sam instinctively ducked and heard Dean's shotgun go off as pellets of rock salt scattered into the wall above him. He stood back up and smiled. "Thanks."
"Hurry it up." Dean jacked another round into the chamber and moved closer to Sam. "Dude, you really pissed this guy off."
"He pissed me off," Sam said darkly as the wound in his thigh made itself known and he shifted his weight onto his left leg before swinging the hammer again. He took his flashlight back out and shone it into the wall. "Yahtzee! Got a body."
Dean nodded, his nerves tingling with the sure knowledge the ghost was still here and just waiting. "Burn him in the wall? It'd be easier."
Sam shook his head. "Might take the whole building, and Jack just bought the damn thing." He chuckled and swung the hammer again, opening the hole until he could see the skeleton. "I'd rather we didn't burn his investment to the ground."
Dean shrugged. "Ok. But this guy pisses me off anymore and I'm gonna cut our losses. Fair warning."
Sam rolled his eyes and set the hammer down so he could lean into the wall and get a look at the dead man. He closed his fingers around the rib cage with a grimace. It wasn't the kind of sparkly white skeleton you found in museums. It was more like a desiccated mummy with dark, leathery skin holding the bones together. It made his job easier yet somehow more macabre.
"Yeesh." Dean grimaced as Sam brought the body out into the flashlight beam. "That thing still looks juicy."
"Thanks…for the visual." Sam grunted and dragged the body out, trying to unhook one of the feet from the edge of the hole. "Dammit."
Dean turned at a strange rattling sound and his eyes widened. "Shit!" He threw himself at his brother and took them both to the floor along with the skeleton which crunched beneath their combined weight. Small lengths of pipe embedded in the wall where Sam had been standing and Dean looked up them angrily. "Son of a bitch!" He rolled off his brother when he heard Sam grunt. "You alright?"
Sam nodded and pushed away from the skeleton until he was sitting against the wall. "Yeah," His voice was a little breathless and he wrapped both hands around his right thigh.
"Lemme see." Dean pulled Sam's hands up and cursed again at the sight of blood staining through his jeans. "Reopened it, huh?" Sam just nodded and looked pained. "Ok. I got this." Dean set the flashlight down and pulled his bag around front for the salt.
"Dean!" Sam pulled his brother's shotgun from his hand and aimed it over his head, straight into the furious face of the dead man. He fired and the ghost vanished in a burst of salt and mist.
"Nice." Dean grinned and straightened. "Just like old times, huh, Sammy?" He thumped Sam's shoulder and stood to pull the corpse out into the center of the room. He took out the salt and upended it over the remains, then grabbed the lighter fluid and did the same.
"Dean…"
"No way. This bastard's not gonna let us get his bones out of the building." Dean said firmly and took out his Zippo. He'd warned Sam that he wouldn't risk their lives just to save a building. He spun the wheel and dropped the flame onto the corpse. The flames burst to life and Dean grinned; satisfied as he stepped back and went to his brother. "Come on." He held down a hand and pulled Sam to his feet.
Sam watched the body burning as smoke roiled up to the ceiling. "Maybe the fire suppression system will kick in."
"Don't care." Dean said cheerfully. He pulled one of Sam's arms over his shoulders and shoved him into a walk before the room filled with smoke. "No offense to your geek friend."
Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Right. Dude, I can walk."
"Tough." Dean ignored him and they went down the hall to the elevator with Sam limping at his side.
It was quiet in the elevator and as they made their way out of the building. The ride in the Impala back to Sam's dorm was quiet as well with both of them having so many things they wanted to say and afraid to say any of them for fear of picking a fight and not wanting to leave that way. Sam sighed as Dean parked in front of his dorm and looked out the window at the building.
"I could come in. Check that for ya." Dean said softly and waved at his brother's leg when Sam looked over.
Sam shook his head and smiled. "It's really not bad, man. I swear." He chuckled. "I'm in college now. I can't walk around with bleeding wounds I can't explain. Believe me, I'm gonna take care of it." He put a hand on the door and just sat there, loathe to leave the comforting rumble of the only home he'd known for so very long and the familiar, comfortable presence of his brother sitting beside him.
"So…you doing good? You know, classes and stuff?" Dean asked and raised a brow at him. "I mean you better be, or I'll kick your ass."
Sam chuckled. "Yeah, Dean. I do really well." He rolled his eyes. "Lots of studying and research."
"Well, you damn well know how to do that." Dean laughed and then sobered. He climbed out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, reaching down for his brother when the door opened and pulled him up. He looked at the spot of blood on his leg and then up at his face. "Sammy, you can't keep hunting on your own. You need backup."
Sam raised his hands. "Whoa, dude. I'm not. This was…a fluke, Dean." He meant that. "I don't plan on this happening again. I'm out." Sam smiled to take the sting out of it. "This is my life now, Dean. I mean, you and…and Dad." He sighed and dropped his hands. "I miss you, ok? I really do. A lot. But this is what I want; not hunting. Normal. Safe."
Dean ground his teeth and swallowed the disappointment. "Fine. I'll stay outta your way, but you promise me, Sammy." Dean grabbed his shoulders and gave him a shake, "somethin' happens and you do have to hunt, you call me, dammit. You got it?" He glared Sam down. "I mean it. This doesn't happen again." He knocked his knee into the wound on Sam's thigh and grinned when he hissed with pain.
Sam rolled his eyes and pushed Dean off. "Yeah, Jerk. I got it. I promise. Now, can I please go back to normal life and exams?"
Dean nodded and smiled. "Bitch."
Sam snorted a laugh and watched him round the car back to the driver's side. Sam leaned down in the passenger window after Dean got in. "I'm happy here, Dean. I really am. But I need you to be okay, too, so you" – his voice caught a little. "You take care of yourself, Dean." He sighed. "And Dad." It suddenly hurt, knowing he was about to watch his brother drive away.
Dean saw it in his eyes and had to clear his throat past the emotion stuck there. "Always do, Sammy." He winked over at him. "Do a cheerleader for me, dude. Just once."
Sam stood and laughed as the Impala streamed away from the curb and off into the night. "Bye, Dean." He sighed once the car was out of sight and turned to look up at his dorm. Sam limped up the stairs tiredly and smirked as he looked up to his room and saw a light in the window. "Explaining this is gonna be fun. Damn." He groaned and went inside, wondering what Dean would think of his incredibly hot girlfriend. Sam chuckled all the way up the stairs.
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The End.
Next Up: Sammynanci
