Chapter 4

AN: I'm taking how the Winchesters and Tony met from my story 'They're Like Buffy—On Steroids.'

Dean grinned. "Oh, Tony, I'm sure you've had worse days than this."

The agents had put out lanterns and used flashlights so that the cave was actually lit pretty well.

Gibbs and the rest knew of the Winchesters. They were on the FBI's most wanted. Gibbs, Leon, Ellie, and Tim reached for their weapons.

Tony saw the action. "It's okay. They're harmless."

Leon looked at Tony. He knew he had a head injury and all. But what was DiNozzo saying. "Agent DiNozzo! What are you…? These are the Winchesters, killers…. You know, FBI's most wanted!"

Dean saw Leon going for his gun. "It's okay, Director Vance. We're not here to hurt anybody. We just wanted to get out of the rain. Just like you."

Leon just stared at Dean. 'How did Dean Winchester know his name?' He had no clue.

It was only then that Sam and Dean noticed how dirty their clothes were. They put it together.

"You guys were involved in the landslide we saw a little ways back?" Sam kind of asked and stated at the same time.

Tony nodded.

"How did you know who I was? The director asked.

"Tony told us. He told us about all of you." Dean stated.

"His job is so dangerous. It's good to know he's with people he can trust." Sam added.

"That seems…odd, coming from you." Gibbs replied. He knew he was powerless to do anything at the moment. He would not be able to get everyone to safety. They were all injured. And he could not move too fast, himself.

"I can understand why you would say that, Agent Gibbs." Sam said. "But Tony is a good friend. We like to know he's being taken care of. And we are not killers, we're hunters. There is a difference."

Gibbs and company were all sitting with their backs to the wall of the cave. They each seemed injured. The Winchesters knelt down in front of Tony.

"Did you mess up your leg again?" Sam asked.

Tony nodded. "Check out everybody else first. Tim dislocated his shoulder. Abby broke her ankle. And Ellie may have too, I'm not sure. Gibbs knee is bothering him. I think Jimmy and Ducky are just bruised and battered. And the director, I don't know, but that gash looks pretty nasty."

Dean went over to Tim. Tim started to protest.

"Let Dean set your shoulder, Tim. It's okay. He knows what he's doing." Tony said, trying to reassure the scared, injured agent.

Dean knelt down beside Tim. "I've done this before, many times. Our dad was a Marine, just like Gibbs. He taught us how to do a lot of survival-type stuff."

Tim nodded. But he still was not sure. He decided to ask questions to get his mind off things. "Where did you meet Tony?"

Dean eased McGee's jacket off his shoulder and felt for the dislocation as he talked. "He was still a detective in Baltimore. He carded us in a bar, thought we were underage. Our fake ID's fooled him, that time." He paused. "The next time, he got us. We…we had two different IDs two different names. He chased us this time, right into an alley, right into some big, big trouble."

Dean stopped and told Tim he would pull on the count of three. He braced himself and jerked on the count of two. He took Tim completely off guard. The agent yelled, but his shoulder was back in place. He could tell Dean had fixed it.

"Thank you." Tim said, amazed that he could now move his arm so easily and without pain.

"What was this big trouble?" Ellie asked. She had been quiet, just listening.

Dean shook his head, then looked at Tony.

"Go ahead." Tony said. "They already think you're crazy."

They all looked at Tony, then back at Dean.

"I told you we were hunters. We hunt…supernatural things. The things that aren't supposed to exist, but do." Dean explained. He sighed. "Tony got chocked by a demon in an expired meat suit."

"Demon?" Tim asked, probably the most skeptical of the bunch. "They don't…."

"They exist. Trust me. And they like to possess humans." Dean replied. "And they have solid black eyes. No whites in the eyes, at all."

Sam, meanwhile, had knelt down in front of Abby. She tried to move closer to the wall, to get away from him. She was intimidated by his height. But she relaxed just a tiny bit when Sam smiled at her. Something in his smile put her at ease.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Abby." Sam replied as he moved to take off her shoe. Luckily the boot unzipped, so it was easily removed. "I'll tell you everything I am going to do as I do it. I'll be as gentle as possible, I promise."

Abby nodded, but didn't say anything. She wasn't completely over her fear. She braced herself as Sam felt for the break.

Sam stood. "I'll be right back." He then headed out into the rain.

"Where's Sam going?" Tony asked.

"…probably getting something to use as a splint." Dean offered. He took off his jacket and then removed the checkered shirt he was wearing. He fished in his bag for a small knife and began cutting his shirt to then tear it into strips.

"What are you doing?" Tim asked.

"We need something to stabilize the splints." Dean replied as he continued to rip up his shirt. "Okay." He said when he finished. He looked over at the Director. "I'll stitch up that wound, if you want."

"Demons possess the living." Ducky spoke up. "That is always what I have heard." He had grown up in Edinburgh hearing all shape and size of supernatural tale.

Dean nodded. "That has always been our understanding too. But they can possess the dead. As long as the person has not been dead too long, rigor mortis and all. The body is hard to operate, too stiff." He said as he knelt down beside Vance and inspected the wound.

"I have a needle and thread and some whiskey, Director." Dean said as he pulled the items from his bag.

"Whiskey?" Vance asked.

"…for sterilizing and drinking purposes." Dean explained. "I sterilize the needle and thread, and the wound with it. You get to drink the rest."

Vance seemed to be considering what Dean was saying. He had seen nothing vicious, in the least, from these two young men. And he had come to understand how much Gibbs trusted Tony's judgement with people. The fact that the agent tended to be spot-on with his intuitions caused Vance to put faith in the young man, also.

Vance nodded. He then closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cold wall of the cave as Dean began his work.

Sam returned moments later with a small bundle of semi-dry small branches that he had stripped of their branches and leaves. He then splinted Abby's ankle and then wrapped her foot so that she would have a sort of shoe to protect it. He then moved on to Ellie. Then he and Dean worked to splint Gibbs' and then finally Tony's knees after Dean had finished up with Vance.

Dean then took a seat on the floor beside Tony and Sam sat down beside Abby.

"How the ankle?" Sam asked her as he felt it gently to measure the swelling.

Abby nodded. "Okay." She was feeling more comfortable with Sam. And the fact that he was a friend of Tony helped him tremendously, at least in her eyes. "Some ice would have been great, though."

Sam nodded. Then he realized that they had forgotten Jimmy and Ducky. He knew that they could asses and treat their own injuries. But he asked anyway. "Dr. Mallard, Jimmy…" Sam said turning towards them. "…do you two need help?"

Ducky shook his head. "I seem to have twisted my knee. I didn't realize it at first. Mr. Palmer has sprained his ankle. But I do think we are fine, for now. Thank you for asking, Dear Boy."

Sam nodded. "You're welcome."

"Sam." Abby said, getting his attention. "I never did thank you. And I'm sorry for that, so…thank you."

"You're very welcome, Ms. Scuito." Sam said, smiling.

"Go ahead and say it. Everybody else has." Abby replied.

"What?" Sam asked, he was not sure what she was talking about.

"The shoes." Abby told him. "Everybody was asking why in the world I would wear these shoes to go on a retreat."

"Seems like a reasonable question, Abby." Sam stated. "But for you, from what Tony has told us about you, it just fits, just another 'Abbyism.'"

Abby grinned widely as she looked at Sam. "Abbyism?"

"That's what Tony calls them, your…querks." Dean said, speaking up.

Abby looked at Dean then at Tony. "That is so cool. I have my very own 'isms.'" She clapped her hands, joyfully.

Tony shook his head. "Only you would take that as a compliment."

"Yet another 'ism.'" Abby replied.

Tim spoke up. "The rain has stopped. The sun's coming out." He got up and stepped just outside the cave entrance. "The sky is clearing up, too."

"Ssshhh!" Dean said edging his way to the entrance. He had moved slowly to the entrance and peered out. Sam followed suit. He waved Agent McGee back inside.

Tim moved back inside quickly. He was not sure he had heard anything. But he drew his weapon also.

Sam looked at his brother.

"Growling…footsteps, heavy ones…above our head." Dean whispered as he pointed towards the roof of the cave.

They all looked up, waiting for the sound. Then they heard it, heavy footsteps and a menacing growl.

Vance, Tony and Gibbs got to their feet, albeit, unsteadily. They waited, weapons drawn, to see who or what might appear in the cavern entrance.

TBC