AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I know it's been longer since I updated than usual, but mom has come home from rehab after her back injury and I've been taking care of her, so I haven't had much time for writing. I will try to update more regularly from here on in.

CHAPTER 14

Finally on the morning of the fifth day(with less than 2 days left before we were to meet that psycho Alpha, Lucius) Sam's fever finally broke and he was able to rest. I was beside myself with worry about how I was gonna help him control his Alpha while simultaneously trying to prepare him for the inevitable confrontation.

"Open wide, Sammy!", I said cheerfully, trying to force another piece of raw cow heart into his mouth. He didn't want it, but Bess said that it was the only thing that he would be able to hold down now. Sam shoved the fork away with a pained groan and tried to get out of the bed before I shoved him back against the headboard. "Sam, come on! Don't be such a baby!", I growled. "You gotta get your strength back!"

"Dean, I'm fine!", Sam whined, looking everywhere but at the bloody chunks still on the plate next to him. When I tried to get close to his mouth with the fork, he growled at me. And I don't mean a normal "bitchy Sam" growl either. This was a "leave me alone or I'll rip your throat out" kinda growl. I dropped the fork on the plate and threw my hands up in defeat. He jumped from the bed like he had been shot from a cannon and went to his duffel, rooting around for some clean clothes. "I'm gonna go shower". He was gone before I could get another word out. I could tell he was desperately trying to hold it together and had fled before he came unglued.

I ran my hands through my hair as I sat in the chair next to the bed, staring at the half-empty plate sitting on the mattress. What was I gonna do? We had to leave in a few short hours if we were gonna make it to Arkansas before midnight tomorrow! It looked like Sam and I both were gonna have to learn on the fly because I don't have time to teach him what I knew and I didn't know nearly enough myself! We were all seriously walking a tightrope without a net here!

"Hey!", a soft voice called from the doorway. I looked up to see Garth poking his head around the door frame and giving me a hesitant smile.

"Hey, Garth. How you feeling?"

"I'll be ok", He said, waving me off. "How... how is Sam doing?" He was whispering and looking over his shoulder to make sure Sam wasn't walking up behind him. "I can smell the tension from down the hall."

"I don't know, Garth. Sam's trying to hold himself together, but I... I just don't know how long he can keep that up before he..." I was afraid to finish the thought.

"Before he wolfs-out?", Garth said with a sad sort of smile. I just nodded running my hands down my face. "Now, Dean, you need to stay optimistic. I bet Sam will surprise you! He's always seemed to have a level head." I just looked at him with incredulous eyes. He grinned toothily at me and then leaned toward me like he had a secret to tell. "That's more than I can say for some Winchesters I know!" I just grumbled at him and rolled my eyes. "But seriously, Dean! At least give him the benefit of the doubt. This is uncharted territory. There's no way to know what to expect. We pretty much threw out the rule book when you showed up at our door."

"Yeah, I know I upended you're lives and got Rev. Jim killed. I'll never be able to give back what I took from you and Bess." I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. I regretted ever setting foot in this house and getting Garth's family involved in my shit.

"Dean?"

"What?!", I blurted angrily, keeping my head down.

"Look at me, Dean." I didn't want to, but I raised my head and met his gaze, a clear look of irritation on my face. "I don't blame you for what happened to Rev. Jim. I don't and neither does Bess." I scoffed in disbelief. Even if Garth didn't blame me, I knew that Bess had to be harboring some serious resentment. I got her father killed! "We don't, Dean! Bess loves you like a brother! She told me this herself!"

"She... she did?"

"Yes!", Garth said, pleading with me to believe him. "You and Sam, you're our pack!" Garth sat down on the bed, facing me and put his hand on my shoulder. "You know? I've considered you guys family for a long time. Maybe even from the day we met."

"Garth, I treated you so shitty most of the time! Why would you consider me family?" Garth laughed softly and patted my shoulder.

"You guys gave me a chance! You let me hunt with you! Nobody's ever let me be a part of anything like that before! Practically everything I know I learned from the Winchesters!" A lump formed in my throat at his admission, but before I could swallow it down and respond, Sam came flying in the door, his wet hair dripping on his gray T-shirt, leaving dark spots on his shoulders.

"Dean! We gotta get going if we're gonna make it by...", he cut himself off when he saw Garth with his hand on my shoulder and me near tears. "Uh... Is everything alright in here?" He looked from Garth to me and back again like he had walked in on something he shouldn't have.

"Yeah... yeah, Sammy, everything's ok. Garth just came by to see how you were doing. Right Garth?"

"Oh, yeah! Right! How are you feeling, Sam?", Garth said, standing up.

"Um... great, Garth! A little cow heart and a good, hot shower and I'm good to go!" Sam sounded upbeat, but the expression on his face seemed to portray a look that said he was far from convinced that Garth was just here to check up on him.

"Good! Great! I'll uh... I'll just let you guys get ready!" With that, Garth was out the door in a hurry.

"What the Hell was that?", Sam asked, cocking a thumb over his shoulder.

"That? Who knows? Garth is just... strange." I could tell Sam wasn't buying it, but thankfully, he didn't push any further for an explanation. I quickly changed the subject to keep it that way. "So, baby brother! You ready to take down the big, bad wolf with me?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess", he mumbled, digging through his bag for who-knows-what. He seemed so calm since he got back from his shower. Maybe me trying to force the cow heart down his throat was what set him off.

"How are you feeling, Sammy?"

"I'm fine, Dean. Never better." His back was to me so I couldn't see his face, but there was no way he could be "fine". I stalked over to him, grabbed his arm, and spun him around to face me. For a moment he tensed and his eyes narrowed like he didn't recognize me as anything but a threat. But it was gone in a heartbeat and was replaced by confusion.

"Talk to me, Sam", I whispered. "I need to know if you're gonna be able to hold it together." His jaw twitched and he swallowed hard as he looked away.

"I'm good, Dean. Really." The growl in his voice was less than convincing, but I let it go. I didn't want to keep needling him and cause more problems that we didn't have time for right now. "I'm ready to go whenever you are", he said as he strode out of the room without looking back.

"Well, shit", I groaned under my breathe as I grabbed my own bag and followed him out the door.

This was gonna be a "fun" trip.