Chapter Twenty-Three: Bloodlust

It wasn't that he didn't want to hunt. He did. He was just really going to miss staying at Bobby's house. He was going to miss his room. His bed. He was glad that Dean had finished the Impala. He'd missed the Impala even if he'd had…a moment when it was time to go. He still wasn't good with being on the back passenger side of the Impala, but his leg hurt if he sat up front for too long.

He still had a bad limp, but he was allowed to ditch the crutches. Sam and Dean didn't want him to hunt yet, but they said they weren't going to drop him off anywhere either. He would have just stayed at Bobby's house if they hadn't finally agreed to let him hunt.

"Whoo! Listen to her purr!" Dean said happily as he sped down the road. Dean had been in a good mood since he'd gotten the Impala running. He was pretty sure his brother wasn't ok, but he was also pretty sure that he really was happy to be behind the wheel again. "Have you ever heard anything so sweet?"

"You know, if you two wanna get a room, just let me know, Dean," Sam teased.

"Oh, don't listen to him, baby," Dean said. "He doesn't understand us."

Sam laughed, "You're in a good mood. A lot better mood than Alec."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Dean asked. "And Alec's just mad because we left his new room behind." He ignored his brother and just glared out the window. Ok, so he was still a little grumpy about leaving, but he'd never had a room before. Sam glanced back at him but immediately knew he was still grumpy and turned back around. "Got my car, got a case, things are looking up."

"Wow. Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows and you're Mister Sunshine," Sam said.

"How far to Red Lodge?" Dean asked with a laugh.

"Uh, about another three hundred miles," Sam said.

"Good."

Dean sped up and he leaned against the door. He refused to look over at the passenger side. When he did that, flashes of the crash would come back to him. His memory was still crap, starting from when he and John were taken by the demons, up to when John died in the hospital.

He smiled a little when a message popped up on his phone. Jo. He'd had to ask Dean for a new phone, but as soon as he got one, he'd put in his old numbers, and Jo's. They didn't text constantly, but he always smiled when he got a message from her. He knew Sam and Dean knew what was going on, but neither of them made fun of him for it. He'd thought they hadn't made fun of him back at the Roadhouse because he'd been hurt, but they still hadn't teased him even when he started feeling better.

He texted Jo back that they were going to go hunting. He smiled again when she told him to be safe.

"You texting Jo?" Dean asked, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. He looked up in surprise, unsure how to answer the question. "I'm not gonna tease you."

"Yeah," he finally answered.

Dean nodded once, "Good."

He smiled a little and relaxed against the window. "The car sounds good," he said after a few miles.

"Yeah she does!" Dean agreed.

Sam looked back at him again and gave him a reassuring smile. It felt like it had been a long time since the three of them had all been together. Dean had been working on the car every day since the hospital. Sam had been going through Bobby's books while he could. And he'd been confined to either the sofa or his room while he was recovering. He missed being around his brothers.

His leg was stiff again once they got to the sheriff's office. Sam and Dean were planning on pretending to be reporters to try to get more information. He was planning on being Dean's little brother who had to take a day off from school. If the guy asked, he'd say it was for a doctor's appointment. He still had a limp, so it would be believable.

The sheriff didn't even ask about him, which was how he preferred it.

"The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at this time," the sheriff said.

"Sure, sure, we understand that, but, just for the record, you found the first, uh, head last week, correct?" Sam asked. Sam and Dean were both sitting in front of the sheriff's desk, and he actually had asked for a chair this time since his leg still hurt if he stood for too long.

"Mmhmm," the sheriff hummed in agreement.

"Ok, and the other, uh, Christina Flanigan," Sam asked.

"That was two days ago. Is there-" The sheriff stopped when a young woman knocked and opened the door before she pointed at her watch. "Oh. Sorry boys, time's up, we're done here."

"One last question," Sam said.

"Yeah, what about the cattle?" Dean asked before the sheriff could ask them to leave.

"Excuse me?" the sheriff asked.

"You know, the cows found dead, split open, drained…" Dean said. "Over a dozen cases."

"What about them?" the sheriff asked.

"So, you don't think there's a connection?" Sam asked.

"Connection…with…"

"First cattle mutilations, now two murders? Kinda sounds like ritual stuff," Sam said.

"You know, like satanic cult ritual stuff," Dean threw in. This guy was not buying it.

The sheriff laughed like they were joking, but then frowned when he realized they weren't. "You're not kidding," the guy said in disbelief.

"No," Dean stated.

"Those cows aren't being mutilated," the sheriff said. "You wanna know how I know?"

"How?" Sam asked.

"Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation," the sheriff said. "Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within forty-eight hours the bloat'll split it open so clean it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall down into the ground and get soaked up because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan." He hid his smile as the guy asked, "What newspaper did you say you work for?"

"World Weekly News," Dean said.

"Weekly World News," Sam corrected.

"World-"

"Weekly World-"

"Weekly…I'm new," Dean said, giving up. He couldn't stop laughing now, which he knew wasn't helping, but this was hilarious.

"Get out of my office," the sheriff stated.

He laughed all the way back to the Impala. Sam and Dean were trying not to laugh, but Dean gave up after a minute and laughed too. He was still laughing to himself after they got to the morgue. He thought about just waiting in the car since he knew he couldn't pretend to be whatever Dean had come up with this time, but he'd figure it out.

Dean grabbed a couple lab coats and tossed one to Sam to put on. Dean looked back at him, but he just moved back to be out of sight as Dean put his own lab coat on. If he had to, he'd just blur past whoever was in the office.

"John," Dean said happily after he'd walked inside.

"Jeff," the guy corrected.

"Jeff. I know that," Dean said. "Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away."

"But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation," Jeff replied.

"Well, he's back," Dean said. "And he's pissed, and he's screaming for you, man, so if I were you I would…" Dean whistled, and then Jeff ran out of the office. Dean whistled again, and he knew that was his signal that it was clear. "Hey, those satanists in Florida, they marked their victims, didn't they?"

"Yeah, reversed pentacle on the forehead," Sam said. They walked further into the morgue and Sam picked up a folder to see what drawer they needed.

"Yeah. So much fucked up crap happens in Florida," Dean said. Dean grabbed a pair of latex gloves before he put on his own pair. He didn't bother asking for a pair because he wasn't planning on touching anything. Sam opened the compartment and rolled out the body, which had a box between its legs. "Alright, open it," Dean said.

"You open it," Sam shot back with a frown.

"Wuss," Dean said. Dean picked up the box and put it on top of one of the tables. He chuckled when Dean made a face after he opened the box. He leaned closer to see the severed head. It was a girl. "Well, no pentagram."

"Wow. Poor girl," Sam said.

"Maybe we should, uh, you know, look in her mouth, see if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat," Dean said. "You know, kinda like the moth in Silence of the Lambs."

"Yeah, here, go ahead," Sam said, turning the box toward Dean.

"No, you go ahead," Dean said, turning the box back. He sighed since he knew this could go on for a while. "Put the lotion in the basket," Dean muttered under his breath. He frowned since that seemed pretty random. He was tempted to just grab a pair of gloves himself to get this over with, but he didn't want to touch the severed head, so he wasn't going to.

"Right, yeah, I'm the wuss, huh?" Sam shot back. His brother didn't mention Dean's weird lotion comment, so he figured it was from a movie he hadn't seen yet. "Whatever." Sam took a deep breath, and then made a funny face as he put his fingers in the dead girl's mouth. "Dean, get me a bucket," Sam said.

"You find something?" Dean asked.

"No, I'm going to puke," Sam replied. He laughed and he didn't bother stopping when Sam shot him a warning look. He knew by now what he could get away with while his brothers thought he was hurt.

"Wait, lift the lip up again," Dean said.

"What? You want me to throw up, is that it?" Sam asked.

"No, no, no, I think I saw something," Dean said seriously. He walked a little closer, so he could see as Dean lifted up the lip. "What is that? A hole?" Dean pressed on the gum above the hole, making a tooth come down.

"It's a tooth," Sam said.

"Sam that's a fang," Dean said. "Retractable set of vampire fangs…You gotta be kidding me."

"Well, this changes things," Sam muttered.

"Ya think?" Dean sarcastically replied.

His brothers both looked at him at the same time, and he knew before either of them said anything that they were about to bench him. He walked out, limping, before they could. He could hear them rushing around to try to put everything away as fast as they could to catch up with him.

"Alec…" Sam started.

"You're wasting your breath," he said. "I like hunting vampires."

"C'mon kiddo," Dean tried. He just kept walking, trying hard to hide his limp since he knew that would hurt his argument. Dean grabbed his arm, which pissed him off. He hid it though and stopped and looked at his brother with his smirk already in place. "Don't give me that crap," Dean said.

"What crap?" he asked, refusing to budge.

"You're pissed, but you know hunting hurt is a bad idea," Dean said. He didn't say anything since he was a little pissed, but not because of the hunt. Well, he was pissed about the hunt, but he was also mad because this was the most time he'd spent with either of his brothers since the hospital. He didn't need them to hold his hand or anything, but he would've liked to just hang out with them. "Alec, you're not hunting," Dean said.

He shrugged, still casual, but Dean knew he really was pissed. "Ok."

Dean glared while Sam frowned and looked back and forth between them. "I'll drop you off at the motel," Dean said, keeping his voice even.

"That's ok. I'll walk," he said as he slipped free of Dean's grip. He walked off again and refused to look back.

"Dean, what's going on?" Sam whispered.

Dean didn't say anything, but both of his brothers were next to him again within a few seconds. He walked toward the car, but then kept walking as Sam and Dean got in. It was a little childish, but Dean kept telling him he was still a kid. But Dean knew he would sit out if he needed to. And if Dean had talked to him at all the last few weeks, then he'd know that he didn't need to sit out.

"Alec, get in the car," Dean said, inching the Impala next to him.

"Nah, I think I'll walk," he easily replied.

"Alec," Dean sighed. "Sam, what are you doing?"

He stopped in surprise when Sam ran in front of him. "Is this just because we don't want you to hunt?" Sam asked. "Because we just want to protect you."

"Do you?" he asked.

"What? Of course," Sam said with a frown. "You're our little brother."

"Huh," he said before he started walking again.

"Alec, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"I'm hunting," he said.

"Let's get in the car and talk about it," Sam said. "Your leg-"

"My leg is fine," he cut off angrily. "If you would have asked me, then I would've told you…"

"What?" Sam prodded when he trailed off.

"I could've told you at the hospital how long it was going to take to recover," he said. "Even as messed up as I was, I was able to tell John a pretty good estimate of when I'd recover. I thought at least going on a hunt would mean you two would have to talk to me again." Oops. He hadn't meant to let that last part slip, but it had to be said eventually.

"What-"

"I'm hunting," he repeated. "I'll walk to the bar if I have to, since I'm guessing that's where you're going next, but I'm going to hunt."

Sam was quiet for a few minutes, and he didn't even try to defend himself, and then he finally nodded. "Alright, you can hunt."

"I'm not getting in the car until he says it too," he said. "And if he agrees, and then just takes me to the motel anyway, I'm walking to Bobby's and there's no point in picking me up again."

"Ok…hold on," Sam said before he got back into the Impala. He started walking again, needing to move around since he was still mad. He should've probably said something back at Bobby's house, but he'd known Dean needed his space. He'd thought after the Roadhouse and their last hunt that maybe they would start talking to him again, but they didn't. Dean kept working on the car, ignoring him when he'd go out to talk to him, and Sam only wanted to read Bobby's books.

He stopped again when Dean caught up to him. Sam stood by the parked Impala, watching them. "Your leg's ok?" Dean asked. He didn't say anything. "Alright, you can hunt."

"I'm guessing Sam told you that I'll walk to Bobby's if you're just messing with me," he said.

"You can hunt," Dean said again.

He walked back over to the Impala and got in without saying anything to either of his brothers.

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"How's it going?" Dean asked the bartender. He saw Alec look behind them to a man who was sitting by himself at one of the tables. Alec watched him just a little too long, so he took notice and saw that the man was actually watching them.

"Living the dream," the bartender replied. "What can I get for you?"

"Two beers, please," Dean said. He nearly cringed since Dean was leaving Alec out. He wished he could go back and fix what had happened at Bobby's. He knew they were leaving Alec alone too much, but he couldn't go back and change it. "And a glass of scotch. Top shelf."

He caught the look of surprise that Alec tried to hide, but he was surprised too. Although, he should have known this would be a way Dean would try to make things up to Alec. He knew this wouldn't fix everything, but Alec liked his scotch.

"So, we're looking for some people," he said after Alec had his scotch. He didn't care about the beers, but they weren't leaving until Alec had his drink. He was a horrible brother, letting his 17-year-old brother drink scotch…

"Sure. Hard to be lonely," the bartender said. Alec snorted in amusement, which got the bartender to smirk.

"Yeah. But, um, that's not what I meant," he said. He got $50 out, and then dropped it on the bar. The bartender was quick to pick it up. "Right. So, these people, they would have moved here about six months ago, probably pretty rowdy, like to drink…"

"Yeah, real night owls, you know? Sleep all day, party all night," Dean added.

"Barker farm got leased out a couple months ago," the bartender said. "Real winners. They've been in here a lot…drinkers. Noisy. I've had to 86 them once or twice."

"Thanks," Dean said.

Alec downed his scotch in one drink, nodding once to the bartender, who just then seemed to realize Alec was a little young to be drinking. He glanced over to the table where the man had been, but the man was gone. He nudged Dean, already knowing that his brother had noticed the guy watching them. Alec was tense as they left, which meant the guy was definitely still around. He could nearly feel the man watching them, but he had no idea who he was dealing with.

The three of them went down the next alley, and then quickly ducked out of sight. The man ran into the alley just a moment later. He looked around for them, and just as he turned away from them, he and Dean jumped out and pinned him to the wall. Dean already had his knife out and against the man's throat, ready and willing to cut the guy's head off if he made one move against them. Alec stayed back, but he was watching closely.

"Smile," Dean ordered.

"What?"

"Show us those pearly whites," Dean said.

"Oh, for the love of…you want to stick that thing someplace else? I'm not a vampire," the man said. He frowned and shared a look with Alec. Dean didn't let up against the man, so he didn't either. "Yeah, that's right. I heard you guys in there." The man looked between him and Dean, but his eyes lingered on Alec. He shoved the guy harder against the wall. He didn't want this man's attention on his little brother.

"What do you know about vampires?" he asked.

"How to kill them," the man said. "Now seriously, bro. That knife's making me itch." The man started to try to push off the wall, so he shoved him against it again. "Whoa. Easy there, Chachi." He slowly moved his hand up and pulled his lip back, so they could see his gums. "See? Fangless. Happy?" Dean slowly let go, so he followed his brother's lead even though he didn't trust this guy. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like him. "Now. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Dean, and these two are my brothers. Sam and Alec," Dean introduced.

"Winchester?" the guy asked, looking at him and Dean, but refusing to look at Alec now. Dean nodded in acknowledgement, hiding his surprise that this guy knew who they were. "Name's Gordon Walker." Gordon led the way back over to the parking lot to what must have been his car. He opened the backseat and pulled out a large arsenal of weapons. "Sam and Dean Winchester. I can't believe it," Gordon said. He frowned since this guy had intentionally left Alec out. He glanced back at Alec, who was casually leaning against another car. He was good at pretending nothing was wrong. "You know, I met your old man once? Hell of a guy. Great hunter. I heard he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes. But from what I hear, you guys fill 'em. Great trackers, good in a tight spot…"

"You seem to know a lot about our family," Dean muttered.

"Word travels fast. You know how hunters talk," Gordon said.

"No, we don't, actually," Dean said. They didn't even know a lot of other hunters. Just the few that Dad was friends with.

"I guess there's a lot your Dad never told you, huh?" Gordon guessed.

"So, um, so those two vampires, they were yours, huh?" he asked to get the topic away from his Dad.

"Yep, been here two weeks," Gordon said.

"Did you check out that Barker farm?" Dean asked.

"It's a bust," Gordon replied. "Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone."

"Where's the nest then?" Dean asked.

"I got this one covered," Gordon said. He saw Dean's disappointed look, and he knew his brother wanted another hunt. But Alec looked relieved. He thought he wanted to hunt. "Look, don't get me wrong. It's a real pleasure meetin' you fellas. But I've been on this thing over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it."

"We could help," Dean offered.

"Thanks, but uh, I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy," Gordon replied.

"Come on, man. I've been itching for a hunt," Dean said.

"Sorry. But hey, I hear there's a Chupacabra two states over. You go ahead and knock yourselves out," Gordon said as he got into his car. "It was real good meeting you though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side."

Gordon drove off, but he knew that wouldn't be the end of it. Dean immediately headed for the Impala, so he and Alec followed him. He wanted to know what Alec thought about all this, but Alec was just looking out the window as Dean followed Gordon.

Dean drove out to what looked like a mill and parked next to Gordon's empty car. He and Dean immediately got out, and he was just about to look at Alec and tell him that he couldn't blur to find Gordon faster, but Alec just slowly got out of the car and didn't say anything. He could suddenly hear a piece of machinery turn on, so he started to run.

They ran up just in time to see a man pinning Gordon below an electric saw. The man started to bring it down, ready to decapitate him. He grabbed Gordon before that could happen at the same time that Dean grabbed the vampire. He turned back to make sure Dean was ok, but just stared as his brother pinned the vampire where Gordon had just been and brought the saw down, decapitating the vampire.

"So, uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink," Gordon said.

Dean turned to look at him and he felt his heart clench since he knew Dean was completely lost right now. His face was covered in blood and his eyes looked dead. He didn't know how to fix this.

"You've got blood all over. Don't worry, Sammy's always got something to wipe blood off," Alec said, breaking the silence like only his little brother could. Dean huffed in amusement and the dead look instantly left his eyes. He handed Dean a handkerchief, which made Alec chuckle as he turned away. "Told you."

They ended up back at the bar since Gordon insisted on buying them a drink. At least this way they would probably get some more information about the vampires. Gordon gave Alec a weird look when he ordered another scotch, and he was guessing it was because he looked too young to drink. But Alec was watching Gordon the whole time. He didn't order anything since something was bugging him. He didn't really like Gordon, but he didn't know why.

Dean started to get his wallet after the second round, but Gordon waved him off. "No, no, I got it," Gordon said.

"Come on," Dean tried.

"I insist," Gordon said before he looked at the waitress, "Thank you, sweetie." Gordon raised his glass after the waitress left, "Another one bites the dust."

"That's right," Dean agreed, raising his glass slightly before he drank.

"Dean," Gordon said with a laugh, "You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend."

"Thank you," Dean replied, smiling a little.

"That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful," Gordon said.

"Yep. You alright, Sammy?" Dean asked, glancing over at him.

"I'm fine," he stated.

"Well, lighten up a little, Sammy," Gordon said.

He scowled and pointed at Dean and Alec, "They're the only ones who get to call me that."

"Ok," Gordon easily replied. "No offense meant. Just celebrating a little. Job well done."

"Right. Well, decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess," he muttered.

"Oh, come on, man, it's not like it was human," Gordon said. Gordon's eyes flicked over to Alec briefly before looking back at him. He didn't like Gordon looking at his little brother. "You've gotta have a little more fun with your job."

"See? That's what I've been trying to tell him. You could learn a thing or two from this guy," Dean said with a nod. Dean didn't seem all that concerned about this guy, so he tried to reign in his suspicions.

"Yeah, I bet I could," he said dismissively before he started to get up. "Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel."

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Alec, you staying or you wanna come with me?"

"I'll stay," Alec said, taking another drink of scotch. He wished Alec would come with him, so he could ask him what he thought about all this, but he also wanted Alec to stay with Dean and watch out for him. It wasn't like he could really argue to change Alec's mind anyway.

"Sammy? Remind me to beat that buzzkill out of you later, alright?" Dean said as he tossed him the keys to the Impala. He went back to the motel without either of his brothers, but with a pit in his stomach.

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He didn't like Gordon. He didn't like him one bit. But he stayed in the bar with Dean and Gordon, drinking slowly as the two of them swapped stories. He'd wanted to leave with Sam earlier, but something was bothering him about Gordon. Dean didn't seem bothered, so he didn't mention it, but he still watched him.

"So, I pick up this crossbow. And I hit that ugly sucker with a silver-tipped arrow right in his heart," Dean said to Gordon. He'd never heard this one from Dean before, and he liked hearing stories from Dean, but his brother wasn't ok. "Sammy's waiting in the car, and uh, me and my Dad take the thing into the woods, burn it to a crisp. I'm sitting there and looking into the fire, and I'm thinking to myself, I'm 16-years-old. Most kids my age are worried about pimples, prom dates. I'm seeing things that they'll never even know. Never even dream of. So, right then, I just sort of-"

"Embrace the life?" Gordon asked.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. Gordon nodded as he took another drink. None of Dean's stories included him, but so far, Gordon hadn't pointed that out. He knew Dean could come up with some story, but he'd rather just be forgotten. He didn't want Gordon's attention on him at all. "Yeah. How'd you get started?" Dean asked.

"First time I saw a vampire I was barely eighteen," Gordon said. "Home alone with my sister. I hear the window break in her room. I grab my Dad's gun, run in, try to get it off her. Too late. So, I shot the damn thing. Which of course is about as useful as snapping it with a rubber band. It rushes me, picks me up, flings me across the room, knocks me out cold. When I wake up, the vampire's gone, my sister's gone."

"And then?" Dean asked.

"Then…try explaining that one to your family," Gordon said. "So, I left home. And then bummed around looking for information. How you track 'em, how you kill 'em. And I found that fang. I was my first kill."

"Sorry about your sister," Dean said.

"Yeah. She was beautiful. I can still see her, you know? The way she was. But hey, that was a long time ago. I mean, your Dad. It's gotta be rough," Gordon said.

Dean looked over at him, and he knew his brother didn't want him around right then. "I'm gonna go see if the kitchen's still open," he said, grabbing his drink as he got up to go to the bar. He could still hear, so he wasn't sure if Dean was going to say anything or not, but he gave him the space he could.

"You know, he was just one of those guys," Dean said. "Took some terrible beatings, just kept coming. So, you're always thinking to yourself, he's indestructible. He'll always be around. Nothing can kill my Dad. Then just like that, he's gone."

"Need somethin', hon?" the waitress asked him. He just shook his head no, turning his glass to watch the liquid inside.

"I can't talk about this to Sammy," Dean said. He wasn't sure if his brother left him out since he knew he could hear him still or if he just didn't think about it. "You know, I gotta keep my game face on. But, uh, the truth is, I'm not handling it very well. Feel like I have this-"

"Hole inside you?" Gordon finished when Dean trailed off. "And it just gets bigger and bigger and darker and darker?" Dean probably nodded, but he didn't turn around to look. "Good. You can use it. Keeps you hungry. Trust me. There's plenty out there needs killing, and this'll help you do it. Dean, it's not a crime to need your job."

He didn't like the sound of that. This really didn't sound like good advice to him. He wished Sam was here. He wasn't good at this sort of thing. And he really didn't like Gordon.

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He finally caved in and called the Roadhouse. His brothers were still out and something about Gordon was seriously bothering him. He waited until Ellen finally answered the phone. "Hey, Ellen, uh, Sam Winchester," he said.

"Sam, it's good to hear from you," Ellen said warmly. "You boys are ok, aren't you? How's Alec?"

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Alec's good. Pretty much recovered now," he said. "Got a question…"

"Yeah, shoot," Ellen said.

"You ever run across a guy named Gordon Walker?" he asked.

"Yeah, I know Gordon," Ellen said.

"And?" he prodded. If Ellen knew the guy and said he was ok, then he could quit worrying. He didn't really know Ellen, but he trusted her. He trusted her to take care of Alec after just meeting her. He didn't like leaving Alec with Gordon, even with Dean there. He knew something was off about the guy.

"Well, he's a real good hunter," Ellen said. "Why're you asking, sweetie?"

"Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kinda working with him, I guess," he said.

"Don't do that, Sam," Ellen said seriously.

"I-I thought you said he was a good hunter," he said, confused.

"Yeah, and Hannibal Lecter's a good psychiatrist," Ellen said sarcastically. "Look, he is dangerous to everyone and everything around him. If he's working on a job, you boys just let him handle it and you move on."

"Ellen-"

"No Sam," Ellen said. "You just listen to what I'm telling you, ok? And keep him away from Alec."

"Right, ok," he said before he hung up. This was so not good.

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"Know why I love this life?" Gordon asked. They were still drinking, and the kitchen was closed, so he wasn't very happy. He was ready to go. He should've just left with Sam when he had the chance, but he was worried about Dean.

"Hmm?" Dean hummed back.

"It's all black and white. There's no maybe," Gordon said. He looked up, feeling a pit in his stomach. Gordon was watching him, and he felt like he might have given too much away by looking up just then. "You find the bad thing, kill it. See, most people spend their lives in shades of gray. Is this right? Is that wrong? Not us."

"Not sure Sammy would agree with you, but uh…" Dean trailed off and refused to look at him. He was a shade of gray. He wasn't completely human. Sam and John had both thought he was a monster. Dean had even thought he could've been a shapeshifter. He didn't want to be here anymore.

"Doesn't seem like your brother's much like us," Gordon said. Dean looked up in surprise but didn't say anything. "I'm not saying he's wrong. Just different. Like Alec here. He's different." He glared at Gordon but stayed quiet since he didn't want to give too much away. He could be mad that Gordon was saying he was different from Dean. That wouldn't give anything away. "But you and me? We were born to do this. It's in our blood."

"Y'know, you didn't get to see Alec in action," Dean said. "He's just as good a hunter as I am. Better probably."

Gordon relented, "True. And he did stick around for some drinks. How old are you anyway?" This was the first time Gordon had even really spoke to him the entire time.

"Old enough," he replied shortly. "Are we gonna hunt the vampires or just drink all night?"

Dean chuckled, "Alec gets grumpy when the kitchen closes early."

Normally, he would roll his eyes and just laugh, but not tonight. He didn't trust Gordon, and he didn't like the guy around his brother.

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He went outside to get a soda from the vending machine. He thought about texting Alec to try to get his brothers away from Gordon but decided to wait. He knew Alec could do it if he asked him, and he was pretty sure Alec would agree with him, but he needed to talk to Dean. His brother had to see this was a bad idea.

He stopped when he heard something. He looked around but he didn't see anything, so he grabbed his soda and walked back to the motel room. He slowly opened the door to the room, expecting someone to be inside. But there was no one in there.

He closed the door again and leaned against it in relief. His brothers would laugh at him if they saw him freaking out like this. He walked further into the room when he was suddenly attacked from behind. He quickly turned and knocked down the first guy, and then managed to punch the second. The second guy came at him again, but he was suddenly hit on the back of his head with something heavy. He went down hard, and his vision went black.

He woke up in a vehicle, but he couldn't see anything. He pretended to still be unconscious as whoever took him just kept on driving. He stayed limp as they hauled him out of the truck and tied him to a chair inside a house. It was one person who took him out of the truck, and they didn't seem to be struggling. He was guessing it was one of the vampires, which meant he was totally screwed.

The sack was taken off his head, and he startled when he realized it was the bartender that they'd talked to earlier. They'd seriously screwed this one up. They gave the vampires a head's-up that they were looking for them. The guy snarled at him, showing off his fangs, and then started for him. He struggled, but whoever tied him to the chair had done a good job. He was stuck.

"Wait!" a woman said from the doorway. "Step back, Eli." Eli stopped and his fangs disappeared again. "My name's Lenore," the woman said as she walked closer to him. "I'm not going to hurt you. We just need to talk."

"Talk? Yeah, ok, but I might have a tough time paying attention to much besides Eli's teeth," he said, giving a wary look to Eli who was still watching him like he was ready to eat him.

"He won't hurt you either. You have my word," Lenore said.

"Your word?" he asked incredulously. Like he was going to just take her word for it. "Oh yeah, great, thanks. Listen lady, no offense, but you're not the first vampire I've met."

"We're not like the others. We don't kill humans, and we don't drink their blood. We haven't for a long time," Lenore explained.

"What is this, some kind of joke?" he asked. He wished he could tell if she was lying or not.

"Notice you're still alive," Lenore said. She did make a good point even if he still didn't believe her.

"Ok, uh, correct me if I'm wrong here, but shouldn't you be starving to death?" he asked.

"We've found other ways. Cattle blood," Lenore said.

"You're telling me you're responsible for all the…" He trailed off, not really able to wrap his head around all this.

"It's not ideal, in fact, it's disgusting. But…it allows us to get by," Lenore said.

"Ok, uh, why?" he asked.

"Survival," Lenore stated. "No deaths, no missing locals, no reason for people like you to come looking for people like us. We blend in. Our kind is practically extinct. Turns out we weren't quite as high up the food chain as we imagined."

"Why are we explaining ourselves to this killer?" Eli snarled.

"Eli!" Lenore snapped.

"We choke on cow's blood so that none of them suffer," Eli said. "Tonight they murdered Conrad and they celebrated."

"Eli, that's enough," Lenore said.

"Yeah, Eli, that's enough," he echoed. It was a little childish, but he was still a Winchester. And Winchesters were really good at smarting off to bad guys, even if it was incredibly stupid. But Lenore didn't hurt him, just like she said she wouldn't. It was weird and nothing like what he thought was possible.

"What's done is done. We're leaving this town tonight," Lenore said.

"Then why did you bring me here?" he asked, confused again. "Why are you even talking to me?"

"Believe me, I'd rather not. But I know your kind. Once you have the scent, you'll keep tracking us. It doesn't matter where we go. Hunters will find us," Lenore said. It was funny since they thought the same thing about each other.

"So, you're asking us not to follow you," he guessed.

"We have a right to live," Lenore said. "We're not hurting anyone."

"Right, so you keep saying, but give me one good reason why I should believe you," he said. It didn't make sense. Everything he knew about monsters was that they killed people and needed to be taken out. But could there be good vampires? He knew that just because someone wasn't entirely human, it didn't make them bad. Alec was fantastic and he'd killed before, but he wasn't a monster, and he would take out anyone who said otherwise.

"Fine," Lenore said, getting in his personal space. "You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to let you go." His eyes widened in shock. "Take him back. Not a mark on him."

Maybe they were wrong.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sam's not here," he said to Dean as soon as they were back at the motel. He'd wanted to talk to Sam because he thought Gordon was bad news, but now his brother wasn't here.

"It's alright," Dean said. "He probably went out."

Gordon was still outside, grabbing stuff to come up with a plan for the vampires, so now was his chance. "Dean…I don't like him," he whispered.

"Hey, that crap that you're different…the guy doesn't know you," Dean defended.

"I don't want him to," he said with a growl. "I'm serious. I don't like him. He's dangerous."

"He's a hunter," Dean said.

He clenched his jaw, "Dean, I'm not hunting with him. I don't want anything to do with him, and I don't think you or Sam should hunt with him either."

"Let me get this straight. You threatened to walk to Bobby's when we mentioned you sitting out, and now you won't hunt because we have an extra hunter along?" Dean asked.

"You always tell me to trust my instincts," he shot back. "My instincts are telling me that he's bad news." He walked over to one of the beds and turned on the TV as he sat down. He wasn't in the mood for this right now.

Dean sighed, but then Gordon came in and his brother didn't say anything else. Dean and Gordon sat at the little table and Gordon spread out a map of the area. The man kept looking over at him, but he kept his focus on the TV.

"This is the best pattern I can establish," Gordon said. "It's sketchy at best."

"Looks like it's all coming from this side of town. Which means the nest would be around here someplace, right?" Dean asked, pointing at the map.

"Yep, that's what I'm thinking. Problem is, there's 35, 40 farms out there. I've searched about half of them already, but nothing yet. They're covering their tracks real good," Gordon said.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to search the other half," Dean said. Dean glanced over at him before he checked his watch. "What time is it? Where's Sam?" Now Dean was worried.

"Car's parked outside," Gordon said, looking out the window. "Probably went for a walk. Seems like the take-a-walk type."

"Yeah, he is, but…" Dean trailed off, and then they all looked up in surprise when the door to the room opened and Sam walked in. Sam looked over at him before he shifted his look to Dean. "Where you been?" Dean asked.

"Can I talk to you alone?" Sam asked.

He huffed and refused to look at either of his brothers as they went outside. Apparently, it was time for the grown-ups to talk. Now he was alone with Gordon, who he didn't trust at all.

"Dean tells a lot of interesting stories," Gordon said once his brothers were outside. "Funny thing is…you weren't in any of them."

"Wasn't allowed to hunt until last year," he mumbled.

"Heard some stories lately," Gordon said as he stood up. He rolled his eyes and tried to pretend he was just a petulant teenager.

"Great, story time," he said sarcastically.

"Stories about you," Gordon said. "Stories about how you showed up at the Roadhouse, looking like you're at death's door, and now less than a month later, you're good as new."

"Eat your veggies and you'll be just as cool as I am someday," he said. His muscles were tense, ready for a fight. Gordon was getting closer, but he just kept up the pretense that he was a moody teenager, bored of this entire conversation.

"What are you?" Gordon asked, breaking the pretense.

He sighed to himself; he knew this was going to happen. Dean should've listened to him. "Guess I'm a shade of gray," he said.

It wasn't a long fight. Gordon was better than he'd been expecting. But he should have known. A hunter who went after vampires would know how to fight something stronger and faster than themselves. He thought if they made enough noise, then his brothers would at least hear and bust in before anything could happen.

There wasn't even any furniture that was knocked over. Gordon had locked in on his busted knee the moment they met. Gordon had managed to kick out his knee, and then there was a pinch on the back of his neck, and everything went black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dean, maybe we've got to rethink this hunt," he said. He should've had Alec come out with them, but he was afraid Alec would be on Dean's side on this. He didn't want to be outvoted before he could even make his case. If Dean said they should hunt, then Alec might back him up. He needed to make his case to Dean, and then if Dean didn't agree, he would try to get Alec to back him up. He didn't want to leave his little brother alone with Gordon, but he needed to do this one brother at a time.

"What are you talking about? Where were you?" Dean asked. "Alec's in a mood. He should've probably gone back with you."

"In the nest," he said. He'd try to get to the bottom of Alec's mood in a minute.

"You found it?" Dean asked, surprised.

"They found me, man," he said.

"How'd you get out? How many did you kill?" Dean asked, scanning him for injuries.

"None," he stated.

"Well, Sam, they didn't just let you go," Dean said in disbelief.

"That's exactly what they did," he said.

Dean shook his head, not buying it, "Alright, well, where is it?"

"I was blindfolded, I don't know," he said. Not exactly true, but he didn't want to give anything away.

"Well, you've got to know something," Dean prodded.

"We went over that bridge outside of town, but Dean, listen," he said. "Maybe we shouldn't go after them."

"Why not?" Dean asked. His brother was starting to get mad. He didn't know what to say to convince him, but he had to try. At least he hadn't asked Alec to come outside too. If they were going to fight, he didn't want to do it around Alec.

"I don't think they're like other vampires. I don't think they're killing people," he said.

"You're joking," Dean said, shaking his head. "Then how do they stay alive? Or undead, or whatever the hell they are."

"The cattle mutilations," he said. "They said they live off of animal blood."

"And you believed them?" Dean asked.

"Look at me, Dean," he said, motioning to himself. "They let me go without a scratch."

"Wait, so you're saying…" Dean stopped and shook his head no. He knew how hard it was to believe. He was still having a hard time with it too, but he knew what he saw. "No, man, no way. I don't know why they let you go. I don't really care. We find 'em, we waste 'em."

"Why?" he challenged.

"What part of 'vampires' don't you understand, Sam? If it's supernatural, we kill it, end of story. That's our job," Dean said.

"Alec," he stated. Dean just looked at him. "Yeah, I'm pulling that card. I tried to kill him, and so did Dad and we both regretted it. We can't just jump into this."

"Alec's not supernatural. He was created in a lab," Dean argued.

"Our job is hunting evil. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil," he said. Now he was really glad Alec wasn't out here. He didn't want his little brother to hear this argument. Dean wouldn't want him to hear it either.

"Of course they're killing people, that's what they do," Dean said. "They're all the same, Sam. They're not human, ok? We have to exterminate every last one of them."

"No, Dean, I don't think so, alright? Not this time," he said.

"Gordon's been on those vamps for a year, man, he knows," Dean said.

"Gordon?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You're taking his word for it?"

"That's right."

"Ellen says he's bad news," he said.

Dean groaned and mumbled, "Not you too…" He frowned since he thought maybe that meant Alec had mentioned something about Gordon too. "You called Ellen?" Dean asked, louder. He nodded back. "And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her, Sam, no thanks, I'll go with Gordon."

"Right, 'cause Gordon's such an old friend," he said, rolling his eyes. "You don't think I can see what this is?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, an edge in his voice.

"He's a substitute for Dad, isn't he?" he said, and then added, "A poor one."

"Shut up, Sam," Dean growled.

"He's not even close, Dean. Not on his best day," he said.

"You know what? I'm not even going to talk about this," Dean said.

"You know, you slap on this big fake smile, but I can see right through it," he said. "Because I know how you feel, Dean. Dad's dead. And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to. It's an insult to his memory."

"Ok," Dean said flatly. Dean started to turn away, and he knew a second before it happened that he'd gone too far. But then Dean threw a punch, hitting him hard. He knew what Dean wanted, and he wasn't about to give it to him. Another good reason to leave Alec in the room.

"You hit me all you want. It won't change anything," he said, and then added, "And it's better to hit me than Alec."

Dean was quiet for a few seconds. He knew Dean wouldn't hit Alec. He was always careful around Alec to try to help make him feel safe. Dean had been slacking off in the brother department lately, and he had been too when it concerned Alec, but he had to get through to him before they went back inside. "I'm going to that nest," Dean finally said. "You don't want to tell me where it is, fine. I'll find it myself."

They went back inside but they both stopped once they were in the empty room. Alec and Gordon were both gone. Everything looked like they'd left it, but he couldn't figure out why Alec would leave with Gordon. But he knew Alec was still pissed at them…maybe this was his way of getting back at him.

"Alec?" he called out, hoping his little brother was just in the bathroom or something. "You think they went after them?" he asked Dean.

Dean clenched his jaw, "I don't know…"

"Dean…"

"I don't know, ok?" Dean snapped. "I-I don't think Alec would've left with him."

He rounded on Dean, "Why?"

"He said he didn't like Gordon. He said he wouldn't hunt with him," Dean admitted.

"Did he know? Did he know about Alec?" he asked quickly.

"No! You think I'm an idiot?" Dean asked.

"What if he figured out that Alec's different…not entirely human?" he asked. "What would he do?"

"He'd kill him," Dean said. "But Sam…the room's perfect. If Gordon knew about Alec, then he would've fought back, and there'd be a body. So, Alec must've gone with Gordon to find the nest. He's acting out. I told you he was in a mood." He wasn't so sure about that, but Dean was right, if Gordon was going to attack Alec, then there'd be a mess in the room.

"You sure they went for the nest?" he asked.

"No, but I don't have any better ideas," Dean said. "Give me the keys."

He looked over at the table where he'd left the keys, but they were gone. "He snaked the keys," he said.

He followed Dean back outside and got into the Impala while Dean grumbled as he got to work on hotwiring the car. "I can't believe this. I just fixed her up too," Dean muttered. He sat up again once the engine started. "So, the bridge, is that, uh, is that all you got?"

"The bridge was four and a half minutes from their farm," he said.

"How do you know?" Dean asked.

"I counted," he said as he got a map out and traced the path the truck had to take. "They took a left out of the farm, then turned right onto a dirt road, followed that for two minutes slightly up a hill, then took another quick right and we hit the bridge." He remembered most of that from the trip back. They hadn't knocked him out on the way back.

"You're good," Dean said. "You're a monster pain in the ass, but you're good."

They drove in silence, except when he told Dean where he thought they needed to turn. He wanted to try to convince Dean again that they should think about this before they just killed the vampires, but he knew Dean didn't want to talk about it anymore.

He was also worried about Alec hunting with Gordon. If Gordon even suspected that Alec wasn't completely human, he'd probably try to kill him. He knew his little brother could take care of himself, but this just didn't seem like him. Even pissed at them, he didn't think Alec would do this. But he didn't have a better explanation. He just hoped Alec was ok.

He thought about texting his brother to see if he was ok, but they would be there soon. He could check up on Alec as soon as they got there. As long as Gordon actually knew where to go. He assumed he'd heard the thing he'd said about the bridge and that he didn't think they should hunt the vampires, which had probably brought on this sudden need to find the vampires.

"Dean…" he said as his brother pulled up to the farmhouse.

"Yeah?"

He hesitated, "I just…"

"Look, I should've listened to Alec earlier and now he's even more pissed off, but I can smooth things over," Dean said.

"Just…don't go in there gun's blazing, ok?" he asked.

Dean just nodded, so they both got out and went inside. He was secretly happy that Dean didn't even grab a machete from the trunk. That had to mean his brother was at least entertaining the idea that the vampires could be good.

He walked in behind Dean, frowning when he heard a female groan. His eyes widened when he saw Lenore tied to a chair, covered in bloody cuts. Gordon dipped a knife into a jar of what had to be dead man's blood before he walked over to Lenore and slowly cut her across her chest. She groaned at the pain, but she looked like she was barely hanging on.

"Sam, Dean," Gordon greeted. "Come on in."

"Hey, Gordon. What's going on?" Dean asked slowly. He didn't see Alec anywhere. This situation was already bad, but he was starting to feel panic now that Alec wasn't where he'd thought he would be. Dean was tense too, probably thinking the same thing.

"Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood," Gordon replied. "She's going to tell us where all her little friends are, aren't you?" Gordon looked over at them and asked, "Wanna help?"

Look, man…" Dean started.

"Grab a knife. I was just about to start in on the fingers," Gordon said as he slowly cut across Lenore's arm.

"Where's Alec?" he asked. He needed to know.

Gordon shrugged, "Asked if he wanted to come along. He wasn't in the mood." He didn't like that answer. He didn't want to think it, but something had happened to Alec. Gordon slowly cut Lenore again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, let's all just chill out, huh?" Dean suggested. He could hear the worry in Dean's voice, but he knew they needed Gordon to talk to figure out what happened to Alec. He just hoped he was still alive.

"I'm completely chill," Gordon said.

"Gordon, put the knife down," he ordered. He took a step toward Gordon, but Dean put his hand against his chest to stop him. He was done playing games. Lenore wasn't going to hurt them, but Gordon had done something with Alec.

"Sounds like it's Sam here who needs to chill," Gordon said.

"Just step away from her, alight?" he said. He wanted to demand to know where Alec was, but he didn't think that would get them anywhere.

"You're right. I'm wasting my time here," Gordon said with a nod. "This bitch will never talk. Might as well put her out of her misery." Gordon got an even bigger knife out and looked at him, "I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane."

Gordon turned back to Lenore, and he stepped up to block him. "Gordon, I'm letting her go," he stated.

Gordon pointed his knife at him and threatened, "You're not doing a damn thing."

"Hey, hey, hey, Gordon, let's talk about this," Dean said, his protective instincts kicking in.

"What's there to talk about? It's like I said, Dean. No shades of gray," Gordon said. Dean didn't say anything, and he wasn't sure what Gordon was talking about. It must have been something they'd talked about after he'd left the bar.

"That vampire that killed your sister deserved to die, but this one…" Dean trailed off. So, his brother agreed with him. At least a little bit.

Gordon laughed, "Killed my sister? That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her one of them. So, I hunted her down, and I killed her myself."

"You did what?" Dean asked back, shocked. His heart sank. If Gordon could do that to his own sister, he didn't think there was a chance he'd leave Alec alive.

"It wasn't my sister anymore. It wasn't human," Gordon said. "I didn't blink. I thought you wouldn't either." He wasn't sure if Gordon was meaning that Dean wouldn't blink when it came to the vampires, or if he really did know something about Alec.

"So, you knew all along then?" he asked. "You knew about the vampires. You knew they weren't killing anyone. You knew about the cattle. And you just didn't care."

"Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Taking a little time out from sucking innocent people? And we're supposed to buy that?" Gordon challenged. "Trust me. Doesn't change what they are. And I can prove it."

Gordon grabbed him and cut his arm before he could stop him. He struggled to get away, but then Gordon pressed the knife against his throat, keeping him still. Dean pulled his gun as he was dragged closer to Lenore.

"Let him go. Now!" Dean ordered.

"Relax," Gordon replied calmly. "If I wanted to kill him, he'd already be on the floor. Just making a little point." Gordon held his cut arm over Lenore, letting his blood drip onto her face. She hissed and her fangs appeared, ready to feed from him. Gordon ignored Dean's shout to let him go. "You think she's so different? Still want to save her? Look at her. They're all the same. Evil. Bloodthirsty."

Lenore somehow got control of herself, and her fangs disappeared again as she turned her face away. "No. No…" Lenore breathed.

"You hear her, Gordon?" he asked. Gordon didn't say anything, but he didn't let him go either. "Where's Alec?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was in the trunk of Gordon's car. He knew the car was parked now, but his hands were zip-tied and so were his ankles. He was really pissed off now. He told Dean he didn't trust the guy, but Dean didn't listen and now he was in the trunk of a car.

He heard the Impala pull up, and he heard his brothers get out and go inside, but he couldn't do much to get their attention. They didn't sound like they were in a hurry anyway, so they probably thought he was working with Gordon. That just made everything worse.

He managed to get his knife out of his pocket and worked it open. It was tricky getting the zip-ties off his wrists, but he managed to do it. It was even worse trying to get the zip-ties off his ankles. His leg was throbbing from Gordon kicking him. He was ready to tear that guy apart. He growled in frustration since he couldn't curl up enough in the tiny trunk to get to the zip-ties around his ankles.

He kicked as hard as he could with both feet and kicked out the back taillight. It didn't really help with getting him out of the trunk, but it did make him feel a little better. He slowly and painfully moved onto his back, and then put his feet on the roof of the trunk. It hurt, a lot, but he was getting out of here.

He pushed up on the trunk as hard as he could. He heard the metal creak and groan, but it didn't pop open…yet. He took a minute to stop and catch his breath, trying to ignore how much his leg hurt. He put his feet back on the roof of the trunk and pushed hard. He laughed when the trunk finally popped open. He sat up and cut the ties around his ankles before he slowly got out of the car.

He was about to just storm into the farmhouse, but then he caught sight of a tire iron in the trunk. He smirked as he got it out, and then he went to town, beating the shit out of Gordon's crappy car. He broke every window out and dented as much of the car as he could. Then he ransacked the weapons cache he had, taking what he wanted and stashing the rest of it on the roof of the house, so Gordon couldn't have it anymore. Then he was ready to go inside.

He stormed in, and then blurred when he saw Gordon holding Sam's bleeding arm over some lady who looked half-dead. He slammed into Gordon, denting the wall with the force of his hit. He jumped up, ignoring the strain on his knee, and considered kicking Gordon while he was on the ground.

"Alec?!" Sam and Dean yelled at the same time.

Yeah, he was going to kick him. Gordon grunted as he kicked him, hard, trying his best to break as many ribs as he could. He was going to kick him again when he was suddenly pulled back. His leg wasn't ready for it, so he stumbled, and Sam had to help him up again.

"Alec, what happened?" Sam asked.

"This asshole stuffed me in the truck," he growled, ready to kick Gordon again. He looked over at Dean and glared, "I told you I didn't like him."

"Alec, I'm sorry," Dean said guiltily.

He looked over at the almost dead girl and asked, "What's going on? She the vamp?"

"Yeah, but they're not hurting people," Sam said.

He looked over at Dean again and said, "Sounds like a shade of gray."

"Alec…"

"What are we planning on doing with her?" he asked.

"Nothing," Sam said. "We're gonna let her go."

"Sam, get her out of here," Dean said. Gordon was starting to get up again, but didn't move yet to try to stop Sam.

Sam untied the vampire and picked her up, but then looked over at him. "C'mon, you should come with me," Sam said. He didn't argue since his leg was starting to shake. He wouldn't mind beating the shit out of Gordon, but he was afraid if he stayed, he'd kill him. He didn't like Gordon, at all, but he was afraid to kill a human again. He was his own person now. If he killed a human now…what did that make him?

He handed Sam the keys to the Impala that he'd taken from Gordon when he'd crashed into him. Sam looked at him in surprise but didn't ask him how he got them. Sam probably thought he'd stolen them himself.

Sam put vampire girl in the backseat, so he sat up front. "Alec…"

"I'm fine," he cut off, looking out the window.

Sam sighed, "You're not fine. I already know you're pissed."

"I told him I didn't trust Gordon, and then I got thrown in a trunk. You guys didn't even know I was missing," he said.

"Alec, I thought Gordon had killed you," Sam admitted. He glanced over at Sam, feeling just a tiny bit of guilt tugging at him.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked, his voice small. He sounded like a child, but right now, he didn't care.

Sam was quiet, but then said, "Every time I looked at you…I saw you in the backseat…that night. I can't stop thinking about it. You almost died, and…you were so scared, and I couldn't do anything to help you."

He looked down in shame, "I'm sorry…I should've been better. I'm a soldier, not a kid. I shouldn't have acted like that."

"Alec, you were dying. I was terrified," Sam said. "I'm still terrified. You and Dean…you're all I have. I miss Dad like crazy and I hate that he's gone, but I don't know what I would do if you or Dean died." He felt good hearing that for some reason, even though he thought Sam wouldn't be as messed up if he died than if Dean died. He didn't say that though.

"I thought you were mad at me," he mumbled.

"I'm not mad at you," Sam said. "And Dean isn't either. He's just…he's having a hard time dealing with this. And I don't think he realizes how close we were to losing you."

"Do you know how close we were to losing Dean?" he asked.

"I know a reaper was after him," Sam said. "And somehow he recovered pretty fast."

He just nodded since he didn't want to talk about Dean almost dying anymore. He knew he was the one to bring it up, but he didn't want to talk about it. He didn't understand what was bugging him about what happened, but he wasn't ready to talk about it. He actually wanted to talk to Bobby about what happened, but he didn't have Bobby's phone number.

"Alec, I'm sorry," Sam said after a moment. "We shouldn't have left you alone, and I knew something wasn't right with Gordon. I shouldn't have left you alone, but I wanted to try to convince Dean that the vampires weren't hurting anyone, and I was afraid that if you were out there too, it would be harder to talk Dean into waiting."

He shrugged, but then asked, "How'd you know Gordon was bad news?"

Sam chuckled, "Well, for one, you."

"Me?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, you," Sam said, shooting him a quick smile. "You were watching him. That's one reason I started getting suspicious. But then when we pulled up to the mill and you didn't even offer to take off to help, that's when I really started thinking something was off."

He laughed and shook his head, "I didn't offer since I didn't really care what happened to him. Plus, I'm not stupid. I can run if I have to right now, but I'm not wasting my one good run on saving a guy I don't even like."

Sam nodded, "Well, I called Ellen after I left the bar. She knew who Gordon was and told me we shouldn't hunt with him, which just confirmed what I already knew. Oh, and she wanted to know how you were doing." He smiled a little since he liked Ellen. "Did he know? Did he hurt you?" Sam asked after a moment.

"He knows something's not right with me," he said, looking out the window again. "I don't know how he figured it out. Dean was telling a lot of stories after you left, and he noticed I wasn't part of any of 'em. But I don't know if he just went off a hunch or what…We had a little standoff in the motel room. It was embarrassing how short of a fight it was. He kicked out my knee, and then he either had some kind of sedative he injected me with or a tranq or something. Woke up in his shitty car."

"I'm sorry," Sam said again. "How's your knee feeling?"

"Hurts," he admitted. "I'll need to ice it once we stop. Might need the brace again for a few days."

"You really do know how long it takes to recover," Sam said, sounding surprised.

"I told John in the hospital how long it would take to recover without another surgery. I can't remember if I told you or Dean," he said. "My memories are all messed up still. I probably won't ever remember what happened after me and John were taken until after the hospital."

"I should've hung out with you more at Bobby's house," Sam said.

"I should've told you sooner that I thought you were mad at me," he said.

Sam smiled and reached over to mess up his hair. "Y'know, you're gonna have to talk to Dean once we get back."

"He doesn't want to talk to me," he muttered. "Especially after what I said back there."

Sam chuckled and shook his head no, "We're not going anywhere until the two of you talk. It's been too tense in the Impala lately."

Well, he could agree with that. He just nodded and leaned against the door a little more. "Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"If Gordon's still alive when we get back, don't let me get around him again, ok?" he asked.

"How come?" Sam asked.

"Because I don't wanna be a bad guy," he said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Uh-uh," he warned when Gordon started for the door after Sam and Alec left. "Gordon, I think you and I've got some things to talk about."

"Get out of my way," Gordon said.

"Sorry," he replied with a shrug. He definitely wasn't sorry. In fact, he kind of wanted to kick this guy's ass. He didn't know what he had done to Alec but messing with his little brother was going too far. He should've listened to Alec. He was the world's worst brother.

"You're not serious," Gordon said.

"You're lucky you're not already on the ground with a bullet," he said. "You messed with my little brother."

"There's something wrong with him. I don't know what it is yet, but I'll figure it out," Gordon said. "But I was really talking about the vampires."

"I'm having a hard time believing it too, but I know what I saw," he said. Sam had been right. Alec had been right. He should've just kept driving. "If you want those vampires, you gotta go through me." Internally, he was begging the guy to go for a fight. He needed someone to kick the shit out of. It wasn't going to be the vampires, so it might as well be Gordon.

Gordon nodded after a moment, and then stabbed his knife into the table. "Fine," Gordon said. He looked at the knife, and then he looked at his gun. It wouldn't be a fair fight if he kept his gun. He didn't know if this was the best idea, but his Dad had taught him to fight fair against humans. He took out the clip and set it aside, but then stumbled back as Gordon suddenly punched him.

He groaned when Gordon grabbed the knife out of the table. He took some hard hits, but he managed to get the knife away from Gordon and pummel the guy. He was pissed at everything, and he just took it out on Gordon. He was pissed that his Dad was gone, he was pissed that he'd messed up with Alec, more than once, he was pissed that this hunt was a bust, and he was pissed at Gordon.

"What are you doing, man?" Gordon asked. "You doing this for a fang? Come on, Dean, we're on the same side here."

"I don't think so, you sadistic bastard," he said.

Gordon practically threw him across the room, and he landed hard on a coffee table, crushing it beneath his weight.

"You're not like your brother. You're a killer. Like me," Gordon said.

He got up and kicked Gordon hard, knocking him down. He hauled him back up and slammed him against the wall before he elbowed him in the face. He smirked in victory as Gordon went limp in unconsciousness. He pinned the guy under his arm and started dragging him along, moving back to the other room. He made sure to slam Gordon's head against the wall as he went.

"Oh, sorry," he said with a smile when Gordon groaned. He set Gordon up in one of the chairs at the table and tied him up, making sure the ropes were tight, so he'd be as uncomfortable as possible. "You know, I might be like you, and I might not. But you're the one tied up right now."

He had to wait a while for Sam and Alec to get back, which meant he had plenty of time to go over everything he'd done wrong. He paced back and forth, watching Gordon. Gordon woke up after a while, but they didn't say anything to each other. He was starting to hurt from the fight, and he knew he would have some pretty nasty bruises in a little while, but it was worth it. He considered putting a round or two in Gordon for what he did to Alec, but he just kept pacing.

"Did I miss anything?" Sam asked slowly as he walked into the room.

"Nah, not much," he said with a shrug. He noticed Alec hadn't come in with Sam. "Lenore get out ok?"

"Yeah. All of 'em did," Sam said, shooting a look at Gordon.

"Then I guess our work here is done," Dean said. "How you doin', Gordy? Gotta tinkle yet?" Gordon just looked at him. "Alright. Well, get comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have them come out, untie you." He jammed Gordon's knife into the table, knowing the guy would probably find a way to get untied eventually.

"Ready to go, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Not yet," he said. He walked back over to Gordon and stood in front of him. "You ever touch my little brother again, you even get close to him, I'll kill you." Gordon didn't say anything, but he was lucky he wasn't going to kill him right then and there for what he'd done. He hit Gordon hard, knocking him to the floor, still tied to the chair. Yeah, that made him feel better. "Ok," he said, turning back to Sam. "I'm good now. We can go." Sam smiled a little as they walked out of the farmhouse. Sam walked a little ways ahead of him, but he stopped and got into a fighting stance. "Sam? Clock me one," he said.

"What?" Sam asked, turning back to face him.

"Come on," he urged. "I won't even hit you back. Let's go."

"No," Sam stated.

"Let's go, you get a freebie. Hit me, come on," he said. He felt bad for hitting Sam earlier, especially since his brother had been right.

"You look like you just went 12 rounds with a block of cement, Dean," Sam said. "I'll take a raincheck."

"I wish we never took this job," he said as he and Sam walked the rest of the way to the Impala. He still didn't see Alec, which was driving him nuts. "It's jacked everything up."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Think about all the hunts we went on, Sammy, our whole lives," he said.

"Ok…"

"What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? You know? I mean, the way Dad raised us…" He trailed off since he didn't really want to think about that, or about Dad.

"Dean, after what happened to Mom…Dad did the best he could," Sam said.

"I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect," he said. "And the way he raised us, to hate those things, and man, I hate 'em, I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill, I didn't even think about it. Hell, I even enjoyed it."

"You didn't kill Lenore," Sam pointed out.

"No, but every instinct told me to," he said. "I was gonna kill her. I was gonna kill 'em all."

"You didn't kill Alec," Sam said softly. "You didn't even hurt him from what I heard."

He stopped since Sam had a point. He'd thought Alec could have been some kind of shapeshifter, but all he'd done was cut his hand. And then he'd practically forced him to stay with him. "Where is he?" he asked.

Sam looked back to the house and nodded to the roof. He frowned and followed Sam's gaze to the roof, where Alec was hanging out by the chimney. He walked back to the house and called up, "I wanna talk, but I ain't goin' up there to do it."

Alec slid down the roof to the top of the porch. He lowered himself down to the top of Gordon's car, which was practically totaled. He smiled a little since he had a pretty good idea that Alec had done that. Alec moved down the car to sit on top of the ruined trunk.

"Payback?" he asked with a nod to the car.

"It was a piece of shit anyway," Alec said.

"And he deserved it," he agreed.

"What happened to your face?" Alec asked.

"Payback, and he deserved it," he said. Alec finally cracked a smile. It was small, but it was there. He realized his little brother hadn't smiled for a while.

"Sam said we had to talk because the Impala is too tense right now," Alec said.

"And I was an ass," he said. "I messed up."

"I get it," Alec said with a shrug.

"No, Alec…I should have listened to you. What you said, you were right. I told you to trust your instincts and I didn't listen when I should have," he said. "I'm sorry."

"That bothered me," Alec admitted. "But not as much as you abandoning me at Bobby's. I understood it at the Roadhouse since I knew I couldn't hunt. But even when we got back, you and Sam avoided me as much as you could. I get it. John just died and you need your space. I asked Sam, and he said he was avoiding me because he kept seeing me dying in the backseat of the Impala. Now I wanna know why you were avoiding me."

"Because I knew if I talked to you, you would know what to do to make me feel better," he said. "You always do. I didn't wanna feel better."

"I know you're messed up because John died," Alec said, refusing to look at him. "But I don't know what to say to people who are messed up 'cause someone died."

"I'm still gonna be messed up, but I'll stop avoiding you," he said. "And next time you tell me you don't like someone, I'll kick their ass before they hurt you." He walked closer to Alec and raised his eyebrows, silently asking if it was ok if he checked his knee. Alec nodded and let him roll up his pants over his knee. His little brother winced at the movement, which was all he really needed to know. "How'd he get the drop on you anyway?" he asked. He knew Alec would be able to tell that he was concerned.

"Took out my knee first," Alec said. "He's a good hunter. Knew exactly where to strike first and it didn't bother him that I'm stronger and faster than him. Oh, and he had some kind of sedative ready."

"Any idea how he knew?" he asked. Alec's knee was already swollen.

"Nothin' concrete," Alec said.

"We cool again?" he asked, rolling Alec's pants down again.

"Yeah, we're cool," Alec said as he smiled a little. He helped his brother off the trunk, and then stayed close as they slowly walked back to the Impala. "You beat the shit outta him, right?" Alec asked. He helped his little brother into the backseat and grabbed his pillow from the trunk.

"Beat the shit outta him and tied him to a chair," he said. "He won't be gettin' out for a few days at least."

"Good," Alec said.

He reached in and messed up Alec's hair. He wasn't over Dad's death, and he wasn't sure he ever would be, but he was ok. This hunt had messed things up, but Sam was right, he'd been ok with shades of gray for a while now, he just hadn't realized it.

He got into the driver's seat and started his car. It would be good to get on the road again.