Warnings and disclaimers: See chapter 1

Many thanks to CorieHall for the beta on this story.

Chapter 5 A new friend

Ten months later

Dean tapped his fingers on the inside edge of the Impalas door to the soft tune of Metallica from the speakers. He looked out the window against the glare of the sun and saw Sam walking towards him with a taller guy by his side. As Dean watched, they parted ways at the end of the path at which time Sam gave a high five to the guys half raised hand. Dean frowned looking hard at the stranger and not knowing why he had a bad feeling about him.

Sam strode up to the car and swung open the door and slid in next to his brother.
"Hey Sammy. Who was your friend?"
"Oh Joe yeah. He's pretty cool."
"Joe huh?"
"Yeah. He's not gay Dean," exclaimed Sam misinterpreting Dean's look.
"No, he just doesn't seem like a 'Joe'." Dean rubbed his fingers over his lips, something Sam had seen a lot in the last few months and more so in the last few days.
"We made friends today. Guess what Dean? His dads a hunter."
"What? How do you know that?" Dean looked at Sam sharply.
"He told me. Well he saw me use that neck strike you taught me and told me his dad is a hunter."
"Why did you use that? And at school?"

Dean crossed his arms across his chest and frowned over at Sam letting him know he was not going anywhere until Sam told him what he wanted to know.
"I was in my gym class and we were playing volleyball. This creep Malcolm Dunn, you know a big stupid jock, hit me with the ball in the back of the head on purpose."
Sam saw Dean frown.
"I'm okay. And I know it was on purpose by the way he smirked at his friends. So Joe served the ball into Malcolm's head knocking him into the net and making him look like a spazz. Even his friends laughed. When I went to change at the end of gym I found Malcolm trying to crush Joe's head in a locker. I used that neck strike on instinct and it had him on his ass in a couple of seconds. I felt like I had to do something cause he helped me out. He said his dad uses that strike all the time, learned it in the forces."
Dean frowned harder. "Except it's not a marine move Sammy. It's a Hapkido move."
"Oh, anyway. His dad is a hunter but he doesn't like it. His dad made him learn enough to keep himself safe but he hates the life too."

Dean sighed. Trust Sam to find someone with similar feelings about hunting. Dean found himself thinking it was a little coincidental.
"So he just volunteered that his dad was a hunter?"
"Yeah. Why what's up?"
"It's just unusual for a hunter to be so up front. You know what it's like. Hunters are a secretive mob, they don't like showing themselves unless absolutely necessary. I mean we know Bobby, Pastor Jim and a couple of his family hunt but there must be more out there. They don't exactly coming running out of the woodwork when we need help."
"Yeah I guess. But he seems nice enough."
"He's in your class?"
"Some of them."
"So he's your age?"
"I guess. Why?"

Dean sighed again knowing Sam always saw the best in people. He started the car and put it in gear.
"He looks older is all. Just be careful okay Sammy?"
"Yeah sure Dean." Sam recognized Dean's protectiveness but always listened to his brother.
Dean drove along for a while before he turned to Sam.
"So Einstein, time for some brain food before you hit the books?"
"Sounds good."

Dean drove into the next drive thru for food. As they waited in line, Sam saw Dean yawn widely numerous times before noticing for the first time Dean's jeans were torn and muddy and his boots looked like he had scraped them clean recently.
"So how's the hunt going?"
"Slow."
Dean accepted the bags of food from the girl at the window without his usual flirt and drove back out to the road towards the motel.
"Dad still got you looking at abandoned buildings?
"Yep, I'm up to my eyeballs in them."
"But you don't think you are in the right area do you?"

The hunt that they were on was proving to be tricky. They were hunting something that was taking young men from five towns close to each other. Sam had been placed in a school that was just outside the zone meaning Dean was driving Sam twenty miles to school then back every day.
"How do you know that?" Dean flicked a glance at Sam as he hunted through the bags for his food.
"You seem despondent and I know you're not sleeping well."
"I'm not keeping you awake am I?"

Dean and Sam were having to share a bed again because they were low on funds and could only afford one motel room. Even though Dean was working on research till late, when he did go to bed he tossed and turned.
"A little but I'm kind of used to it. I think I'm so used of you being in the bed I don't sleep so well when you are not there. I prefer the rolling around to you not being there."
"Sorry man. I will have an early one tonight. I think I need it anyway." Dean yawned as if proving his point.
"Yeah I think you do."

When they arrived back at the motel, Dean helped Sam with his homework after he washed up and changed into sweats. John arrived home after a while and Dean and John went out to do some training. Dean was happy it was a ten mile run, sit ups and pushups before John drove them to a gun range to practice. Dean collected a small group of guys around him watching him shoot as his shots were hitting the center tens with deadly accuracy.

When they returned to the apartment, Dean cooked them dinner while John looked at the places Dean had crossed off the map they were using as reference. While he had been helping Sam with his homework that night, Dean had written his notes out for John so he could get a reasonably early night as promised. True to his word, Dean was showered and ready for bed just after Sam lay down with a book. Sam was surprised to hear Dean's breathing smooth out in sleep before he even turned the light out. When Sam looked down at his face he noticed black rings under his eyes. He sure seemed to be worried about something.

Even as Sam watched Dean's brow scrunched in his sleep and he mumbled as he rolled over. Sam sighed and decided to keep a close eye on his brother whenever he could. When Dean was worried about something Sam had learned to trust his instincts.

TBC