A/N: Welcome back my dear readers for a short case fic with the young Winchester brothers. Dean is eighteen and Sam is fourteen. Even when they aren't trying, s**t happens. Sit back and get ready to start this journey. I do like reviews/comments. NC

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of SPN, and this is my own creation. Any errors are my own.

Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate it.

Chapter 1

Sam looked at the clock as it slowly ticked away the minutes until the class was over. It was his last period of the day, and he was anxious to get out of there. He gathered his books as the bell rang and stuffed them into his backpack. The halls were packed with kids trying to get to their lockers, heading for pickup or the buses, or to practice or clubs that met after school.

Once he was outside, Sam walked to the row of buses, and found the right one. He rode it into town and got off at the garage where his brother worked. They had been living in a two-bedroom, rundown house for several weeks and would be there a couple of more until he finished this school term.

John Winchester had left them in this town while he went in search of the demon who killed their mother or any other hunts he could find along the way. He had raised his sons in the hunting life and expected them to follow in his footsteps. Dean was a soldier, a warrior, and was born to hunt. Sam, on the other hand, preferred to do the research and study, than doing the physical part of the job.

He enjoyed school and wanted to learn, absorbing everything he could. It had been Dean's idea for them to stay in this town to let Sam finish the school year out and not have to start in a new school with only a little over a month left. Sam had been pleased with this development and didn't balk at it. He knew Dean had insisted on this and didn't back down from their father.

Dean always looked out for his little brother since he had raised him after their mother was killed when Sam was six months old, and he was almost five. He knew the kid better than Sam knew himself. He watched Sam grow and mature over the years and saw his defiant, stubborn streak grow. He chalked some of it up to Sam being a teenager now. They had their brotherly fights and disagreements, but Dean was always there for him, no matter what. He knew Sam wasn't as gun ho to hunt as he was and tried to keep him out of most of it. He wanted his brother to have a chance at a better life than he had growing up.

After their mother had died, Dean's childhood was snatched away from him, and he had to grow up fast and become the caregiver for his little brother. He quickly learned how to take care of their father and his brother over the years and left his childhood behind that dreadful night of the fire.

The brakes on the bus hissed as it stopped at the corner and opened the folding door. Sam got up and made his way down the aisle and paused long enough to tell the driver to have a good weekend before exiting onto the sidewalk. He was always respectful of adults like he had been taught. He waited until the bus pulled away and the light was red before crossing the street to where the garage was located.

"Hey Sammy," Dean called to him when he saw Sam walking into the open bay. "How was school?"

"Not much different than yesterday," Sam shrugged. He hated the last few weeks of the school year because the teachers tried to cram what they could in during that time. They didn't really teach, more like just expected the students to memorize stuff and spit it back out.

"There's change in my locker if you want a soda."

"Thanks. I'm going to finish my homework in the breakroom." Sam made his way to the breakroom and looked in Dean's locker for change. He stepped to the drink machine and fed coins into it before pushing a button, hearing the loud clang as the bottle fell. Sam pulled out a chair to sit at the table and opened his pack to get out homework he needed to finish. He was always diligent about doing his homework and any extra credit wanting to ensure good grades because he had goals that didn't include hunting for the rest of his life.

It was a couple of hours later that Dean strolled into the room to find Sam reading a book. He swore his brother had a computer for a brain the way he could retain what he read. Sammy was an ace with research and would prefer doing that to the actual hunt.

"You about ready bro?" Dean asked him as he opened his locker to get his lunch box and keys.

"Yes," Sam answered putting away his book and shouldering his backpack to leave. He followed his brother out to the parking lot and waited for him to unlock the Impala so he could get in.

"I've got a surprise for you Sammy," Dean preened excitedly.

"Really what?"

"There's a traveling carnival in town this weekend and I thought we could go tonight."

"Oh, well, that's okay, you go ahead."

"What's wrong dude? It'll be fun. There'll be rides, food, exhibits, and maybe I'll win you a stuffed animal."

"Really, I'll stay at home," Sam tried to convince Dean. He didn't like those kinds of things like Dean did and he had no desire to see the clowns that were always at them. Sam hated clowns and avoided them at all costs when possible. He had a terrible experience as a child involving a clown and detested them ever since.

"Awe, come on Sammy. They have turkey legs and those funnel cakes topped with fruit that you like. It'll be fun. Besides, you need to have some fun bro. You've been working way too hard in school. Give yourself a break."

"Fine," Sam gave in with a sigh knowing he wasn't going to win this argument.

"Great!" Dean said happily. He knew Sammy would give in if he kept bugging him about it. He was already planning out what they were going to do at the carnival and the food he wanted to try. He hummed to the music coming from the radio as he made his way back to the house they were renting. Dean pulled into the driveway and parked.

"We'll leave when it gets dark so be ready," Dean told his brother as they went into the house.

"Okay," Sam replied. "We need to do laundry this weekend Dean, don't forget."

"Yeah, sure Sammy, I'll take you to the laundry mat either Saturday or Sunday." Dean looked toward the living room when the phone started ringing and hurried to answer it.

Sam walked down the short hall to their bedroom and dropped his backpack by his desk. The room was small with only two twin beds, a desk, two small dressers, and a small closet. He flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling deep in thought. He liked being in one place and not moving around all the time. He hated being the new kid in school all the time, but his concerns were ignored since his father wasn't concerned with his education as long as he could do research for their hunts.

Dean strolled into the bedroom to get clean clothes to put on after showering.

"That was Dad," Dean told Sam. "He was just checking in."

"Is he still going to come and pick us up when I get out of school?"

"As far as I know. I'm going to shower."

"Okay," Sam mumbled with a sigh. He wished he could stay with someone during the summer and not have to travel with their Dad on hunts. It wouldn't be all bad since Dean would be alone, but it didn't outweigh his desire to not hunt. It would be nice to just enjoy a summer and be a kid, but he didn't see that happening.