Sam sat on the sofa, his arm was perched along the back of Dean's shoulder with his hand resting on the mating mark under the Alpha's jaw. His knee had by now healed though he still had it elevated on a footstool just in case, there was a pink line where the blade had cut through his eye looking like it was going to scar. A reminder that Dean would have to carry around with him. Dean's hand rested on Sam's thigh with his fingers digging in every now and then like he wanted to reassure himself that he was still there, either that or he was masking his pain or to which was most likely he was trying to ground himself to stop him from losing control. How the Alpha had managed to go through that altercation without shifting amazed the omega, Dean had a strength inside of him that neither one of them seemed to have been aware of. In a way Sam was glad he didn't want Dean wolfing out and making the matters worse than what they were. Though he wasn't sure how you could get worse from being accused of murdering a young woman by her own mother.

Bobby was calmly sitting in his chair with a glass of whiskey in hand. Missouri had situated her chair in the middle of the four of them seeming to want to play the role of referee, something that Sam didn't envy in the slightest, he was happy enough trying to control his own stubborn Alpha let alone two. She was facing Ellen who refused to sit or give up her shotgun. The woman was standing in front of the four of them, the gun hung loosely by her side with her finger still pressed to the trigger. Her right leg was bouncing and her murderous gaze was fixated solely on Dean. She looked to be a second away from attacking him again though this time Sam was prepared. He wasn't going to let that crazy woman get to his mate once more, not after she seemed to have left her mark already. Her right leg was shaking with her body seeming to run on nothing but pure adrenaline.

Sam moved his hand to the back of Dean's neck and began to play with the soft hairs there. He could feel the tension in his mate's body and he wanted nothing more than to take the man upstairs and work out those knots. He wanted to crawl into their bed and pretend that the rest of the world didn't exist, that nothing mattered outside of their four walls. He just wanted to be like any other normal were, he wanted to enjoy having a mate and think about starting their own little family. But instead he had to once again fight for his Alpha's reputation.

"Ellen if you would take a seat," Missouri called out her voice calm.

"I am not sitting near that," Ellen seethed pointing her gun at Dean once more, her finger hoovering above the trigger still. "He killed my daughter."

"Broken record," Dean murmured.

"So you deny it? What about the evidence? That picture…she told me she was meeting you."

"It wasn't me," Dean added.

"I'm not stupid anyone can see that was you," Ellen growled her free hand pointing to the picture that was lying in the middle of the room where she had thrown it earlier. Dean's disfigured face peered up at Sam, the canines and bright green eyes haunting him showing him that he did and can lose control at the drop of a hat.

"That's me," Dean sighed scrubbing a hand across his face with his finger tracing the light scar briefly. "I swear to you I did not kill her, I killed the thing that killed her. I was tracking a rogue and I found her like that. I would never…have never killed a person…well…on purpose." He drew in a deep breath and pushed to his feet, he stepped forward towards Missouri which caused Ellen to level her gun on him once more. Sam drew in a deep breath and braced himself, ready to jump in front of the bullet if he needed to not sure what his mate thought he was playing at. "I wish I could have saved her, if I had been quicker…" he trailed off his eyes becoming haunted for a moment before he pulled himself out of the guilt he carried. "I was framed, I ran from my family, from my lands…Do you think I want to be here?" he gestured to the house around him.

"You really want me to fall for the lone wolf act?"

"Family is important to you I can tell. What happened to Jo…"

"DON'T YOU SAY HER NAME! NOT YOU!" Ellen screamed taking a step closer causing Missouri to push to her feet so that she was now between them. Sam jumped up behind Dean with Bobby ready to restrain Ellen if he needed to again.

"Dean couldn't have done it," Sam interrupted pushing in front of his Alpha, standing directly in the line of fire ignoring his Alpha's sharp warning growls. "He can't shift, he can't control his wolf so how was he meant to have killed your daughter when he didn't shift?"

"You're just trying to protect your boyfriend."

"Mate," Sam growled his eyes flashing. "Our kind don't do relationships, we have one mate and that's it. Dean and I are mated, do you really think that he would be off romancing a random girl? He hasn't left my side for the past six months, he is Crown Alpha when was he meant to have found the time?"

"You're just making excuses."

"Listen to the boy Ellen," Missouri whispered gently her hand reaching out to grasp onto Ellen's shaking hand that still held onto the gun tightly.

"Dean tried to save her, he was devastated when he couldn't," Sam reached down to hold onto Dean's hand. "I know him, I know him better than anyone ever will and I know he didn't do it. I can feel it," he lifted their joined hands to his heart. "I can feel him here, he had to abandon his family because of this lie."

"The picture…" Ellen stammered the gun falling into Missouri's hand.

"I messed up," Dean added. "Sammy's right, I can't shift, I can't control my wolf. If I could than maybe I could have been quick enough. Maybe I could have saved her. When I got to her she was already dead. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything."

Ellen nodded tears running down her face. "They told me it was you, there is a bounty on your head, and I didn't want anyone else to get the pleasure. I just want my Joanna back, my beautiful baby girl," she sobbed. Her knees gave out as she sank to the floor. Missouri strode forwards and grasped hold of her shoulders, placing the gun in Bobby's lap in the process. She brought the crying woman into her chest and began to shush her. Sam pulled on Dean's hand and as one they sank back into the seats they had previously vacated.

…

After a couple of moments had passed Ellen seemed to regain composure. She pushed Missouri away and wiped furiously at the tears with the back of her hand. "So that's why you didn't shift when I…" she gestured towards Dean's general direction the injuries she had inflicted seemed too many to mention.

Dean nodded slowly. "Yeah, I wanted to but I couldn't risk it."

"Are you sure you didn't just…I don't know…lose control?"

"Dean didn't do it," Sam added wanting to move the questioning away from that train of thought. It wasn't long ago he had to convince his Alpha away from this thinking he didn't want the man to revert back to it. He knew Dean there was no way he could have killed that girl control or not. Besides the only person he had ever killed had been an intruder and in Sam's eyes that was in self-defence. "Someone is framing him."

"Who?"

"This is what we are hoping you can help us out with Ellen," Missouri interrupted. "Now you mentioned that Jo was seeing Dean, what did she tell you about him?"

"She was besotted with him," Ellen's eyes fell to the ground. "I run a hunter bar called the roadhouse, Dea…he came in one day and she was all over him. I told her that he was no good, I could tell that there was something about him but she didn't listen. She wouldn't stop talking about him, telling me how he was going to take her camping. It wasn't until two months ago that I realised what he really was by then it was too late. She wouldn't listen to me, she found were's romantic young girls…He took her camping and then I get a call…a hunter friend of mine told me what he found…he told me that my little girl…" Ellen trailed off her eyes lifting to look at Dean, instead of her previous hatred she had written on her face all Sam could see was grief. "It was his eyes, that's what she said attracted her to him."

"What did she say about them?" Missouri asked.

"How they were the brightest blue…" Ellen's words trailed off as she stared into Dean's very bright and obvious green eyes. Another sob wracked her body. "Oh god…I'm…I…" her hand flew up to her mouth as she pushed herself to her feet and sprinted from the room out the front door. The sound of her retching filled the atmosphere.

…

Dean leaned forward and ran his hands through his hair, letting his head hang down. He stared at the floor his mind whirling a mile a minute. He had no idea just how far someone had gone to frame him. Who would want to do that? What exactly did he have that someone else wanted? His life had gone to shit because someone wanted him out of the way, wanted him dead for something he didn't even do. He guessed that they weren't betting on Ellen…either that or…she was next. He lifted his head as realisation dawned on him.

Without saying a word determination spread over him as he pushed himself to his feet. He ignored his omega calling to him as he strode out of the room following the path Ellen had taken seconds ago. He pushed open the front door and almost fell over her form huddled against the door frame. She was holding a dark pink hoodie in her hands with her nose pressed against the fabric. The tough façade had gone and in its place she just looked broken and defeated. The hunter had given away to the mother.

Slowly he lowered himself down so that he was perched on the step beside her. He opened his mouth to say something but no words would come out. He had no idea what to say or what to do in this situation. Only half an hour ago this woman had been trying to kill him. "I'm sorry," he whispered, silently he hated himself for not being able to get to Jo sooner. Would they have been in this situation if he had been able to have shifted? "I should have been able to have done something."

Ellen sniffed lifting her head from the clothing. "What happened…?"

"I don't think…"

"Please I want to know."

"It was a rogue, I don't know who he was or why. I tracked him and I killed him. She was already gone when I got there."

Ellen nodded the tears continuing to fall. "Did she suffer?"

Dean drew in a deep breath, the image of Jo's broken and torn body filtering through his mind. An image he knew he wouldn't be ever able to forget, an image of his failure. His silence seemed to have been enough of an answer for the hunter who began to cry harder. Her head fell towards Dean's shoulder who automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said again. Ellen's hand reached out to cup onto his cheek, her eyes falling on the scar that now crossed his eye, one that he knew would be there for the rest of his life. To add to his other collection of silver induced wounds.

"No, I'm sorry. I was just so sure. The name was the same, I thought it was you. That picture it was so convincing."

"Made me doubt myself," Dean admitted pulling his head away from her not wanting to reveal too much of his inner thoughts. "I don't know who is doing this," he sighed with Ellen pulling away from him.

She held the hoodie out, her hands rummaged in the pockets and pulled out a pink iPhone. She handed this out towards Dean. "I haven't been able to look at it…but if it helps…" she shot him a small smile before pushing off of the steps and walking back inside of the house with Dean following behind.

…

Dean laid on the bed, his feet were crossed at the ankles with his boots still on. The phone was in his hands as he battled his conscience about looking through a dead girl's private business. He twirled it around, downstairs he could her the muffled talk of Missouri and Bobby, Ellen had excused herself to the guest room as soon as they entered the house with Dean taking his own leave to the room he had been sharing with Sam. He didn't want to do this publicly, he wanted to give Jo some dignity. The bedroom door opened and Sam walked in quietly, he closed it after himself and strode towards the bed. He toed off his own shoes and climbed over Dean pushing him forward so that he could settle behind him. Yes Dean might have been the Alpha but that didn't mean he didn't like to give up control sometimes, he wasn't ashamed to admit that he enjoyed being the little spoon though if anyone was to ask he would deny it. He did have an image to obtain after all. If he had an image after all the damage had been done.

Sam's arms wrapped around his waist as his head rested on his shoulder. His eyes were on the phone though he never said a word. Slowly he began to kiss at the mating mark on Dean's neck causing the Alpha to moan. He could feel shivers running down his spine heading straight to his dick. He titled his head allowing the man more access and immediately he felt the omega's teeth break through his skin next to the mating bite. He felt the man suck at his skin for a couple of moments before pulling away and smirking at the mark he must have made. For some reason Sam seemed to have a fetish for leaving his own little marks and bruises on Dean's skin. Possessive bastard.

Dean titled his head and captured Sam's lips in a kiss. His lips moved against the omega's perfectly both in complete sync with the other. He broke the kiss after a couple of minutes knowing that he couldn't keep putting off finding out the truth, as much as he would have liked to bury himself deep inside of his omega he needed to clear his name first. Then when he had they were going to spend a week locked in their own cottage, the rest of the world could go fuck themselves for all that he cared. He needed some time with his omega away from everyone.

Sighing he turned his attention back to the phone. He pressed the unlock button and entered the code that Ellen had written on the back of the case. Instantly the phone clicked open and the image of a very alive Jo curled up with a sandy coloured wolf came into view. She was laughing at the camera with her arm just out of shot. Her body was laying on top of the wolf with his paws placed in front of him. His piercing blue eyes stood out in stark contrast, he was smiling but those eyes held a sense of danger in them. It was like he was laughing at her rather than with her. That thought sent chills down Dean's back. He knew then that he was going to delete it before he gave the phone back to Ellen.

He opened up the latest text messages and sure enough at the top was his own name from a different number. Frowning he opened up the last one to be sent.

Dean: Can't wait to see you tonight.

Jo: Me neither, you are going to love the outfit I have just brought ;)

Dean: Oh I bet you are going to look good enough to eat babe.

Growling he drew in a deep breath. Whoever this was he knew what he was doing, seems like this had been planned from the very beginning. When he got his hands on this person he was going to make sure that he had suffered as much as Jo had. Pushing those feelings down he flicked through some older messages but finding nothing else relevant he turned his attention to the gallery. There were various photos of Jo in certain stages of undress, others were of her and this wolf. He was about to give up when the very last photo caught his eye. It was slightly blurred with half a thumb in the way seeming to have been taken discreetly. It seemed that whoever this other Dean was he was camera shy. He could make out the brown leather jacket, similar to the one that he himself wears, the torn jeans. The face of the person was turned towards the camera with a stern expression on his face, one that Dean had seen many times in his life. The blond hair was hard to miss along with the way it was styled the same as Dean though it was a lot lighter than his own. Blue eyes.

He felt Sam stiffen behind him not that he could have blamed him. A ghost from their past. A face neither one of them wished they would see ever again.

Dean growled "Adam."

TBC (Hey everyone, I know another cliff hanger but I had to leave this here otherwise the chapter would have been way too long. As always thanks for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy! Thanks for those who review. See you all in chapter Twenty Two!)