Chapter 4: Hey Brother
Hey brother, there's an endless road to rediscover
Hey sister, know the water's sweet but blood is thicker
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do
-Avicci
"Dean, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, Sam did leave for a reason." Shelby whispered, trying not to remember the night Sam left. She caught up to Dean as he hurriedly moved to the apartment building that his brother resided in. He didn't pause, or hide the annoyance in his voice when he half yelled, half whispered back at her.
"This is our dad Shelby, it doesn't have to be a good idea. He should follow anyway." Shelby rolled her eyes at the man in front of her as he stumbled through the window he had forced open. Shelby followed, although quietly, and more gracefully. She heard Dean snooping around in the kitchen. Keeping to the living room, she looked around silently. A small, almost too-hard-to-hear squeak of the hardwood floor alerted Shelby just in time to duck below the giant fist hurtling towards her.
She smirked as she leaned down and swept her left leg out, successfully sweeping the attacker off their feet. Before they could react, Shelby was straddling them with hands holding their arms down.
"Hey, Sammy." Shelby said with a smile in her voice. A light came on in the living room a second later and another girls voice appeared.
"Umm, Sam... What's going on? Who is this?" Shelby looked up at the blonde girl with a stern looking face standing in the doorway. Sam said nothing. Just stared at the brunette on top of him in disbelief. At that moment, Dean walked in with a beer in his hand. If looks could kill. Shelby saw Dean and jumped up, a small smile on her face. She walked over to the blonde girl and held out her hand.
"I'm Shelby, and this is Dean."
"Jess." The girl grabbed Shelby's hand hesitantly, but firmly. Dean moved over to help Sam off the floor. Sam cleared his throat and moved next to Jess.
"This is uh, Jess. My girlfriend." Shelby smiled brightly and Dean's shoulders relaxed a bit. Sam didn't let his eyes leave Shelby.
"Wait, Dean, as in your brother?" Jess looked at Dean.
"I've heard so much about you. Nice to finally put a face to all the stories." A smile finally formed on Jess' face. Dean stepped closer to Shelby and wrapped a hand around her waist firmly. Sam cleared his throat once again and motioned to Shelby.
"This is-"
"Shelby. Sam, haven't you told Jess about Shelby before?" Shelby looked at Dean weirdly before looking at Sam. She felt the awkwardness of the situation but wasn't sure what to do. She didn't know what Dean was talking about.
"It never came up." Both girls looked at Sam uneasily before Dean spoke.
"Well Jess, as nice as it's been, we need to talk to my brother. Family business." Sam shook his head. There was an awkward, pregnant pause.
"No, you can say whatever you need to in front of Jess." Shelby looked surprised. Has he told Jess about his family? What they do?
"Okay..." Dean started, "Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a few days."
"Weeks, really. He's missing and we need your help to find him." Shelby finished with a softer tone in her voice. Sam looked at her with a little confusion on his soft features.
"Look, I've got some big things here at school. I can't really take off with you guys at the moment. Why don't you guys call Colt?" Sam finished his sentence looking at Shelby. She slumped out of Dean's grasp and walked over to the window. After a few seconds she turned around, her eyes glassy and red-rimmed. She took a deep breath.
"He's dead."
Silence.
Sam withdrew from Jess and strode over to Shelby, wrapping her up in his huge frame. She violently shrugged out of his grasp and took a few steps back.
"You don't get to comfort me, Sam. You left. You abandoned our family. Plus, I'm over it anyway. Dean, if he doesn't wanna come, we can find someone else." Shelby grabbed Dean's hand and started for the door. She knew Sam would be the one to resist, possibly bringing up her father's death.
Sam had left that night so long ago. Shelby had begged him not to. He had begged her to go with him, to California. Shelby hadn't talked to anyone for a while after the taxi took her best friend away. She swore she would never forgive him, but seeing him tonight; she wasn't so sure of herself anymore.
"Wait. Jess, give us a few okay?" Jess nodded and went back into the room where she came from. Sam grabbed a shirt from the back of the couch and shrugged it on. He came closer to Shelby, but Dean slammed a hand over his chest and shook his head before pulling away and following his girlfriend out the door.
-TOL-
The only noise filling the car was Shelby's soft voice singing along to her iPod in the back seat. She hadn't said a word to the brothers since the apartment. She had stormed outside and down to the Impala, opening the back door roughly before jumping in. There she had stayed.
"So, uh, what happened?" Sam asked softly after a few hours. Dean saw his brother glance at his girlfriend behind him. Dean gave Sam an answer, but not the one he wanted.
"Dad caught a lead on the demon that got mom. So he left. That was a few weeks ago. Five days ago was the last time we heard from him. The voice-mail was all garbled. So we're heading to where he last was to see what is going on. If all goes to plan we'll have you back by Monday morning." Dean thought that had ended the conversation. Sam glanced back at Shelby, who seemed to have fallen asleep. He looked at his big brother.
"That's not what I meant Dean. What happened to Colt? How long has it been?" Dean shook his head and answered, much to Sam's disappointment.
"That's not a story for me to tell you. How about you tell me about that Jess girl back there. I see you didn't tell her about Shelby. What's that all about. Still pining for my girl?" Sam looked away from his brother, trying not to eye the rear-view as his eyes moved across the windshield.
"Dean, that's not fair. You're the ones who came looking for my help. I'm giving it to you. So you don't need to ask questions as to why I'm here."
"You should be here for dad." Dean said angrily.
It was quiet until they reached the small town Friday morning.
-TOL-
After talking to the local P.D. the three were no closer to finding out what was happening in the small town any more than the cow was close to the moon. Walking down the street Shelby picked out a small diner to eat lunch at. They ended up running into the missing boys girlfriend eating lunch with her friend. Shelby made sure to sit as close to Dean as possible so the young girls backed off. She didn't like how they eyed him when they were waiting for a table.
"So a legend huh?" Sam asked skeptically. The girls looked at each other before they both nodded their heads. Dean thanked them and the three hunters left the diner, their lunch forgotten.
"Sorry, Sam. Shelby gets shotgun." Shelby smirked a bit when Dean held the door open for her. Such the gentleman. She hopped in and changed the radio to a modern country station, turning it up a bit when she recognized the song. Sam looked at Dean incredulously.
"How come she can pick the music?"
"I've got your big brother wrapped around my little finger." Shelby answered, blowing a kiss Dean's way. Sam smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.
Later that night, the trio returned to the bridge where the boy disappeared. After watching the brothers going back and forth about their father, Shelby walked in between them, putting a hand on each chest. She was tired. She wanted out of these FBI heels she had been wearing since this morning. And she wanted to shower.
"Boys, we're not finding anything out just jibber-jabberin' about stuff we can't change right now. Let's go get a room and do some research." Both men felt their anger drain when they looked at the slim hunter touching them. They backed off and started heading back to the car. All of a sudden, the headlights blinded them and the engine roared to life. Shelby and Sam looked at Dean. He grabbed the keys out of his jacket pocket and jangled them. Shelby didn't need any coaxing to turn around and book it.
The car sped forward, coming closer with each frenzied step the three took. There weren't many places on the bridge to grab onto off to the side. They were so close to the end of it where they could safely dive to the side. But the possessed Impala was closer. They had no choice. Sam jumped to one side of the bridge, Shelby and Dean to the other.
After driving to the end of the bridge, the car's engine cut out. Sam looked across the bridge and didn't see either of his companions. Running to the edge, he saw Dean pulling himself out of a part of the river that looked like a sewer drainage outlet. Shelby was nowhere to be found.
"Dean! Where's Shelby?" Sam yelled over the water. Dean seemed to realize that Shelby hadn't held onto his arm after they hit the water. He forgot about the sewer junk all over him and dived back into the water. Shelby couldn't swim. She was terrified of water, and he'd let her go! Damn it!
"I'm over here! Dean!" He heard her voice after a few minutes of searching the black water. Sam was the first to get to her. Swimming over to the giant rock she was clinging to, he helped her back to the riverbank and she ran over to Dean, ignoring the horrible stench coming from him.
"I'm sorry baby, I shouldn't have let you go. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, I just want to go to bed. Please." How could Dean say no to those big green eyes?
"I'll drive." Sam offered. Dean didn't say anything, just tossed him the keys. He didn't want to let go of her right now.
-TOL-
After sneaking into their dads vacant motel room, Shelby and Dean took a quick shower while Sam looked over his dad's research, trying to ignore the rather loud noises coming from the bathroom. He figured it was the Woman in White. He explained everything he knew to Shelby and Dean when they had emerged from the bathroom. After setting a plan in place, the hunting couple left, deciding they couldn't fight a vengeful spirit on an empty stomach. Sam was left to wait for them in the motel.
Walking out, Shelby nudged Dean a little too harshly in the shoulder. She moved her eyes and nodded her head slightly over to the officers from the bridge yesterday. Dean pulled out his phone and warned Sam before they made it all the way over to the couple.
"Fake outfits, fake badges, fake names. There anything you got that isn't fake?" The officer asked the two.
"My boobs."
"My dick." They both answered at the same time with identical smirks on their faces. The cuffs came shortly after that.
-TOL-
"Nice Sammy, fake gunshots? Anyway, we're on our way. Where are you. We've got dad's journal. This is bigger than I thought." Dean talked through the phone as Shelby looked over John Winchester's journal. Her mind was racing. He never went anywhere without this. This had his whole hunting life in it. What he's fought, and how he's fought it. In the back, she found a few pictures taped crudely to the college lined paper. Some were of her and the boys, but one that struck her the most was the one of John, Mary, Sam, and Dean. Dean was holding his little brother lovingly. Dean was lucky that his dad kept pictures of his family. Colt had burned the few pictures of Shelby and Amelia that he had. Shelby didn't remember when exactly, probably in one of his drunken rages.
Shelby shut the book and looked up at Dean when his voice became frantic.
"Sam! Sammy, you there?" Dean hung up the phone and threw it on the bed of the new room they got just outside of town.
"Come on. Sam found out what is going on with these people, and if he's right, then he is in trouble. He gave me the address." Shelby looked at the messy handwriting on the old receipt Dean used to write the information down and grabbed her jacket before following Dean out the door.
"Which mode of transportation would you prefer tonight my lady?" Dean asked with a deep bow, holding his hand out to the parking lot filled with older cars. Shelby smiled and walked over to an old F-150.
"This will do I suppose Jeeves." She replied in an English accent. Dean smirked and picked the locked doors before hopping in and hot-wiring it. This is one of the things she loved about Dean. His sense of humor; even in horrible situations, his sarcasm and lightness did wonders for her. Dean would argue the same about Shelby.
-TOL-
"Sam, I don't understand why she went after you. I mean you have Jess. And you're not the kind of guy that would cheat. But we still got rid of her the way the legend said to. Ugh, God I swear ghosts are so confusing." Shelby ran a delicate hand over her face before getting out of the car and heading towards the motel room. The two had arrived just in time to save Sam. Shelby had somehow overcome her annoyance with him since then. The youngest Winchester was glad for it. He watched her figure walk towards the motel room. Sighing internally. He honestly never thought he would see her again.
"You need to get over her. It's never gonna happen. She's mine Sammy. You have Jess anyway." Sam clenched his jaw a few times before responding to his brother.
"You think I don't know that Dean? I've tried forgetting about her ever day since I left! That's why I never told Jess about her! Because talking about her out loud means that I have to come to terms with her not loving me. Not like I want her to. But I am happy. For Shelby, I mean." His voice softened.
"I just hope that you keep her safe Dean." With that, Sam got out of the Impala and headed to the motel room. He needed to pack for the trip back to his apartment. Dean stayed in the car, Sam and Shelby shouldn't take long to pack up their things and he had everything ready to go earlier that day.
When Sam opened the motel door he was not expecting Shelby to be sitting on her bed facing him. She had a solemn look about her.
"I'm sorry, Sam. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like I did." Sam realized she was talking about her father. He closed the door all the way and moved to sit beside her on the bed. She fidgeted with her hands, kneading them over themselves and popping every knuckle that should could as she tried to form words.
"It's just, I guess I never really forgave you for leaving us like you did. You never even tried to get a hold of me."
"My dad said-"
"Who cares about what your dad says? I'm not talking about your dad! I'm talking about me, and Dean for that matter. We've missed you so much Sammy." He could see the tears forming in her eyes as she kept talking. He wanted so badly to kiss them away.
"It was always us three. The Golden Trio." She said that with a smile in her voice. Sam chuckled at their inside joke. Dean always called them nerds when they said that around him. He never understood Harry Potter.
"I'm sorry Shelby. I just -" Shelby looked up at Sam with red-rimmed eyes.
"I couldn't stand being around you. Watching you look at Dean the way you did. You didn't even notice me."
"Sam I -"
"I love you Shelby. I have for a long time. And I know you don't feel the same for me." He held up his large, sweaty hands before she could speak.
"I accept that. All I want is for you to be happy. I see Dean makes you happy, you're a better person when you're with him. I love Jess, I do, but... There is a reason I never told her about you." Sam took in a big breath, waiting for Shelby to respond.
"I'm sorry, Sam." Shelby knew how Sam was feeling. She felt the same about Dean for a while before he acted on his feelings. She didn't really have anything else to say. Sam must have realized this, for he stood up and started to gather his things, throwing them haphazardly into his duffel. When he finished, he headed towards the door. Tan, muscular arms wrapped around him from the back.
"I'll always be here for you Sammy." He smiled.
"Thanks Shelby." Shelby released him and grabbed her own duffel before heading out to the Impala.
-TOL-
So what'd you think of this chapter? Have you guys been listening to the song titles? They're really good songs! As always, please review! They are the fuel to my writing fire! Thanks darlings. Gooseygirl