Chapter Two - Safety

A couple hours later Sam startles awake, the remnants of his nightmare still gripping his rabbiting heart. "You, Ok?" Bobby asks putting his hand on the young man's shoulder "I tried to wake you up, but you were having a pretty bad nightmare there" Bobby pats his shoulder.

"Oh man... it was bad enough going through it once... now I'm reliving it in my dreams" Sam put his hands over his face while he takes deep breaths trying to slow his hammering heart.

Bobby knew exactly what Sam meant; he wasn't surprised that the young man had a nightmare considering what he had gone through. "Hey, it'll get better eventually, don't worry ok"

Bobby guided the car into the junk yard, he parked as close to the front door as he could get, so the young Winchester didn't have to walk far. He helped the young man out of the car and up the steps. Bobby could tell he was exhausted and in pain, so he guided him straight to the couch, passed him a couple of much needed pain meds and laid him down and as his eyes closed, the gruff hunter placed a blanket over him and stood back "OK, Sam, you rest up and I'll get your stuff to your room"

When Sam opens his eyes again, it takes him a moment to figure out where he is and how he got there. The memories of what happened and of Bobby coming to help him came flooding back. A mixture of emotions swirl around him, shame and sadness along with anger and disbelief, but most of all, he feels lost. His father was supposed to be the one person he could rely on, the one person on his side. Instead, he has saddled himself to the man who has been more than a father figure than his actual father. He is grateful for the older hunter for coming to his rescue and know that if he tried to pay him back for his kindness or tried to tell him how much he appreciated it that the older man would call him an 'idjit' and put him to work. Smiling at this, Sam knew that all he had to do was just help out around the junk yard and not complain about the simple food that Bobby would be cooking.

Sam pushed himself up slowly into a sitting position trying not to agitate his ribs too much and took stock of how his body and his injuries were feeling. His face felt sensitive and puffy around his left eye and nose, his chest and abdomen were feeling like one large bruise. His head was clearer, but his body ached everywhere with his day-old injuries. Looking around the room he realised that he was still on Bobby's old but surprisingly comfy couch with a blanket covering him, which he couldn't remember Bobby placing over him. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment thinking about what he was going to do now, he realised that Bobby wasn't in the house, but he could hear voices outside. He surmised that Bobby was probably out there helping another hunter or a junk yard customer.

Just as he was about to try to pull himself up to his feet, Bobby came striding in from outside "Ah, your awake, how are you feeling Sam?" he asked watching him cautiously as he walked into the room.

Sam smiled at the older man, with his arm resting over his ribs as he finally stood with a groan "I'm doing ok, although I may need to get some more pain meds, my ribs are starting to ache a bit"

"Yeah, I've got something to help with that" Bobby turned and grabbed the pills from one of the cabinets and tipped out 2, then filled a glass from the tap and passed them to the youngest Winchester when they were interrupted by another person coming through the door "Hey Bobby, d'you got a..." The man stopped when he saw Bobby standing with a tall young man with floppy brown hair, hazel eyes and a bruised and scrapped up face "Shit Sam?" he exclaimed as he moved over to him.

Sam looked at the man and recognised the tall, muscled man, with blonde spiked hair and green eyes "De... ah what are you doing here?" Sam replied in surprise, he hadn't seen the older man for 18 months and obviously a lot had changed.

Dean Campbell is a 24-year-old hunter with broad shoulders and muscles that reflect the physicality of hunting. Throughout the years, Dean has worked with Sam's father several times and during those hunts, Dean and Sam had worked together on research and with the cover identification documents. During this time, he and Sam had grown pretty close, and Sam would go as far to say that they are friends and that sometimes Dean could be overprotective of him "What the hell happened to you?" Dean asked as he got a closer look at the young man's injuries.

Bobby moved towards the other hunter and placed his hand on his chest to stop him from coming too close when Sam flinched as he had come closer and tried to touch him. "Hey, he's alright Dean, he's just staying here until he's better"

"Yeah, but Bobby, look at his face, he's been beat all to hell" Dean said angrily "Who did this to him? Who do I need to beat up?" he asked, ready for a fight.

"I'm alright Dean" Sam replied softly from the other side of Bobby

"Yeah, I can see that" He said sarcastically pointing to Sam's face "Those bruises look totally normal"

Bobby looked at Sam and silently asking him if he wanted to tell the other hunter about what had happened. Sam sighed and looked over at him resigned "If you really want to know, it was... it was my dad... I umm, I told him that I got into Stanford on a scholarship and... he didn't take it well... "

"Well shit..." Dean said as his shoulders slumped "Firstly, that's freakin awesome Sammy, congratulations, that is one hell of a achievement and secondly, I can't believe that asshole of a man could do this to you... you look like he hit you with a baseball bat" Dean moved his hand out again and lightly touched Sam's cheek where the biggest bruise marred his face and shook his head.

Sam didn't flinch this time "No, he used his fists, and he wasn't shy about using his steel cap books on me either" Sam replied sarcastically "I guess he couldn't find it in himself to be proud of me" he said blinking away unshed tears.

"That absolute bastard" Dean said as he squeezed his hands into fists "If I see him again... I'm gonna..." Dean was so angry he couldn't get all the words he wanted to say out of his mouth.

"I'll be right there with you Dean... the boy has bruises all over his body" Bobby chimed in, not caring about Sam's protest "Some of them are older Dean... the man has been using Sam as a punching bag"

"Hey, I'm right here" Sam's soft voice fell on deaf ears.

"That asshole... do you need me to wrap his ribs, I can help you do that for ya" Dean rushed on.

"Well I..." Sam started before he was interrupted

"Yeah, I meant to do it" Bobby explained "but he needed to rest first"

"OK, come with me kid and I'll fix you up" Dean grabbed the had not covering his ribs and pulled him gently towards the nearest bathroom "Is the first aid kit in here?" He asked as he grabbed the doorknob.

"Yep..." Bobby replied as one of the phones on the wall rang out shrilly.

"Come on, sit down on the toilet seat Sammy" Dean said to the young man as he guided him into the small white tiled room.

Sam sat down slowly and groaned as he hunched over. The pain in his ribs was reaching a sharp peak as he waited for the pain meds to kick in. Now that they were alone and Dean was looking at him, Sam felt suddenly shy.

"Can you take your shirt off for me?" Dean asked softly as he stood in front of him holding a large spool of bandage.

After a moment of embarrassed hesitation Sam starts to unbutton his shirt and the mixture of old and new bruises that cover his chest and abdomen become visible. "Shit Sammy" Dean said softly hissing out a breath and traces the newer purpling bruise on his right side with his fingers. As he tried to shrug the shirt off his shoulders, the movement caused his breath to catch, and he cried out in pain "Ah!" As he let out a breath, Dean gets down on his knees and rubs his hands up and down Sam's calves in a soothing way.

"Here let me help you" Dean said softly as he pulls Sam's shirt off the rest of the way. Sam looks over at him and his breath catches at just how handsome the older man is this close up. Dean presses and feels the other bruises, scapes and welts that are all on display, carefully with his fingers "God Sammy, that man really did a number on you" Dean gently touches one of the older green bruises "Why didn't you ever tell me he was doing this to you?"

Sam looks over at Dean and sighs "Like I told Bobby... I just didn't want to whine about it... I mean my dad is a tough man and he has very high expectations... he used to make me feel like if he had to whip me, it was because I had to work harder... Like I shouldn't be complaining... You've worked with my dad before and I wasn't sure how you felt about that kind of thing" Sam looked away with a shrug.

Dean shook his head "No... Sammy I would have punched him in the face if I you had told me... I don't like bullies; I don't like people who think that violence is the way to motivate their own kids" Dean looked over at Sam and gave him a little smile "I still might give him a punch in the face" making Sam chuckle with a wince.

Dean sees a boot shaped bruise on his left side and hisses again at how painful it looks. "Alright, I have some Hirudoid cream that should help these bruises heal a bit faster, do you mind if I put some on you before I wrap you up?" Sam nods in response as the tingling that has been running along his torso makes his skin come out in goose pimples.

Sam sat there on the toilet seat with his eyes closed and just waited for Dean to be finished. Ok, can you turn a little so I can check your back?" Sam slides around to his side and Dean checks his back and applies the cream to the bruises he can see there as well. "OK, now I'll wrap your ribs so you don't injure yourself anymore, can you stand up for me?" Dean asks as he helps Sam to stand and starts to wrap it around his ribs tightly, with Sam gasping every now and then, with Dean giving him a minute to calm his breaths in between.

"How is it feeling Sammy" Dean asks as he watches Sam breath through the pain when he gets to the end of the bandage spool and tapes it up.

"Um... it's getting better" Sam said with his eyes closed

"It's OK, take your time" Dean said soothingly

Sam takes some breaths that he tries not to make too deep and when the pain is gone down to a dull ache, he opens his eyes and looks right into green eyes "Oh" Sam says and leans back a little to move away from him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" Dean says gently

"Oh no, I wasn't scared... I just wasn't expecting you to be right there... um" he says nervously. Those green eyes make him all fluttery and nervous.

Dean watches as Sam's cheeks go pink "Why are you so nervous... it's just me" Dean asks soothingly

"Well... it's not just you though is it... You're like this..." Sam says indicating to Deans muscly arms " And I'm all gangly and skinny... and you just wrapped my ribs up and saw my... scrawny body... I mean it's embarrassing, I'm not strong like you" Sam looks away embarrassed.

Dean took a moment before he replied. He was half embarrassed that Sam had noticed his body had become more muscular and stockier because he had been on his own for a long time, he had started going to the gym to occupy his mind away from the tall lithe body in front of him "Sam we're just different... I don't see you as gangly... You are strong Sam, I mean you have endured so much, and you were strong enough to tell your father that you didn't want to do hunting anymore... that's huge… you got into Stanford, I mean how amazing is that?" Dean didn't see Sam as anything but smart, caring, silently strong and if he was honest with himself, he had always noticed just how attractive the youngest Winchester really was, with his hazel eyes, his floppy hair and his broad shoulders, any lady or even man would be lucky enough to snap Sam up.

"I don't… I don't really see myself like that but… thanks" Sam said the last part softly as he looked away shyly.

"I'm sure you'll have the ladies knocking down your door in college Sammy" Dean said jokingly.

Sam looked away; he just couldn't get the words to form in his mouth "Yeah… maybe"

Sam had always felt different and when he finally realised what it was that made him feel so different and he had started to have unusual dreams about other boys in school and other hunters and he knew the reason was because he was gay. He also knew that he could never tell his father, or anyone else in the hunting life about these feelings because of the toxic masculinity of the hunter community meant there was so much homophobic language swirling around them that he knew they would not take the new well. He had gone on dates with girls over the years just to ensure no one suspected that he was any different and to cover up the secret rendezvous he had occasionally with local cute boys from whatever town they were staying in.

He could never reveal that he wasn't like everyone else, that he didn't feel like anyone else. He wasn't sure if he could even tell Dean about that side of himself because he was part of that life. Dean had always been a ladies' man so to speak and Sam wasn't sure how he would feel about Sam being gay. So far Bobby had been the only person he had told and even that had been accidental. He has so few people on his side that he couldn't risk telling someone who could reject him.

Dean pats Sam on his arm and gets to his feet "Alright, let's get you back out there and feed you, you look like you could do with a good meal" Dean helps Sam to his feet and helps him to button his short. Sam watches as Dean leaves the small bathroom. Sam knows he is skinny and most of that was because of his father. When they stopped at a diner, his father would always give him the evil eye and Sam would know that he had to choose the cheapest thing on the menu, like a side salad or a simple cheese sandwich. Sam felt it was just another way for his father to control him, so he had always had a weird relationship with food, it was stressful and now that he was freed by his father's manipulative persona, it was going to take a while for Sam not to feel stressed about choosing something he really wanted, something nutritious and large enough for a man his size and it was going to take a while for his stomach to get used to eating the smallest amount of food.

Walking back out into the kitchen he saw Bobby dishing out food from a large pot on the stove into generous sized bowls "Hey, um…can I just get a small bowl of that please Bobby?" He said quietly "Umm… I don't…" Sam's hand went straight to his stomach along with the feeling of nausea.

Bobby looked over at the youngest Winchester and took in his tall and very slim form as it tried to curl in on itself and when Bobby blinked, he realised what Sam was saying without saying it. The Winchester patriarch hadn't fed his son as well as he should have, so Sam didn't have a big appetite. "Alright son, you go sit down at the table and I'll bring it over"

Dean looked between Bobby and Sam during this interaction and when he realised what they had been talking about, the feeling of anger and disgust at a man who had denied his son so much from understanding, affection and compassion to the basics of life, like food. It just made Dean want to hunt him down and just go to town on him.

They sat down and started to eat and made small talk which helped Sam to just calm down and let all the tension fall away. "So, Sammy, what are you going to study at that Ivy League University?" Dean asked as he dipped a piece of bread into his bowl to soak up the gravy.

Sam took a sip of his iced tea and looked over at Dean to answer, "I'm studying law actually" he said a little self-consciously.

"Wow… Law?" Dean asked amazed "You really are a nerd"

"Ok, thanks for that Dean" Sam chuckled in reply

"How on earth did you get enough on your SATs to get into Stanford with your father breathing down your neck?" Bobby asked genuinely impressed.

"I would do a lot of studying at night while Dad was out drinking" Sam said looking down at his hands. Sam remembered a lot of nights being alone in a motel room with nothing but himself for company.

"Well… you should be really proud of yourself because that is a hell of an achievement" Bobby said, "But why law of all things?"

Sam smiled at that "Well, I still want to help people but I've never really been much of a hunter, and I'm not just saying that because my Dad said it every single day" Sam said had to swallow down his emotions at that, constantly hearing something slowly chips away at your confidence and your self-worth, then clears his throat and continues on "Um, I want to use my intellect more than my muscles, or lack thereof and I think I can still make a difference" Sam always wanted to help people but after years of abusing his body past its endurance with the physical rigors and dangers of hunting, he felt that it was more of fit to use his brain rather than his body.

"I think if you do what makes you happy then I'm not going to stop you… when are you meant to start?" Bobby asks curiously, he had never gone to university, but he knew that there were things to sort out.

"Um I think orientation is in January, but I have to send in all my forms and everything for housing and everything for my scholarship soon, otherwise I might miss out on a spot and finding a place off campus, is really hard" Sam says hoping it's not to inconvenient.

"Well, I can help you with all that if you want and I can take whatever forms you need to the post office when I go into town" Bobby says.

Sam gives Bobby a grateful smile, he shouldn't be surprised that the grizzled hunter was being so supportive and gracious. "Thanks so much Bobby… God… that was how… a normal person is supposed to react. I'm just so thankful" Sam had to wipe his eyes again and just calm his breathing down because his ribs were still aching so he can't get too carried away with his emotions.

Bobby clears his throat and takes a mouthful of his stew to cover his own emotions. "You old softy" Dean says with a chuckle

"You shut it you idjit" Bobby replies gruffly but with no heat behind it.

Sam chuckled and felt lighter that he had people on his side who wanted him to pursue his dreams. "Thanks Bobby, I may need to use you as a contact for some of these forms because of my scholarship, is that alright?"

"Of course, Sam…" Bobby replied without hesitation. "Whatever you need"

"And if you need someone to help with anything else, moving all your stuff or just anything at all, you can call me Sam" Dean said looking directly into his eyes.

Sam was sure what that look meant, but he knew that he was genuine "Thanks Dean" Sam gave the green eyed man a small smile.

Sam looked over at Bobby "I don't know if anyone will contact you or anything, but I may need to put you down as sort of my… um… guardian or whatever, I mean I know I've literally just asked you and it's a lot to expect for you to do something like that for me...

"OK" Bobby said interrupting his anxious flow "Of course Sam, you can use me as a contact as your guardian. Your father has lost the right to use that title as far as I'm concerned, then I would be more than honoured to be the contact person for you" Bobby smiled at the youngest Winchester.

"That's so amazing… thanks Bobby" Sam had to wipe his eyes to hide the tears to had formed without his permission.

They moved over to the couch and chatted for a while and when Bobby had to go out and help a customer, Dean moved back outside to his finish fixing his car with Sam accompany him, walking slowly down the stairs so he didn't jostle his ribs and took a seat with a sigh on the comfy leather armchair that Bobby had out in the garage. They chatted about random things and after a while as Deans head was buried under the hood the conversation had quietened down and Sam's eyes closed for a second and the next thing he knew he was being woken up by concerned green eyes as Sam noticed the sun had done down so the yard was pitch black and garage had been illuminated by the bright fluorescent lights overhead, "Oh my god… how long was I asleep?" Sam asked dazedly as he noticed a blanket had been placed over him.

"A few hours, I just let you sleep while I fixed up my baby… but you did start to sort of mumble and move around near the end, so I had to wake you up before you hurt yourself" Dean said as he wiped his hands with a clean cloth.

Sam blinked as he tried to allow the memory of the frighteningly realistic dream take him to that day of his father's outrage and dissatisfaction. This time around his father had spewed out all the way that Sam had disappointed him and all the horrible ways that Sam had believed he had failed or had disappointed his father. "Did I say anything that you could understand?" Sam asked, not sure how much he wants Dean to know at this point.

"Not really… but you sounded pretty distressed, and I figured you didn't need to relive whatever it was for long" Dean said sympathetically. He knew that what Sam had gone through with his father wasn't fun the first time around and if he could protect the young man a little even from his own memories then he would do his best.

Sam ran his hands through his hair and sighed as he felt like he had to explain himself "God, I'm sorry about that… I just… I've never seen my father like that you know, I mean, he's been angry before and… as you saw he… he was never shy in showing me how disappointing I was and… I mean I could never quite meet his expectations you know… I was just never quite good enough" Sam felt his emotions bubble up again as tears came to his eyes and the next thing, he knew he was crying, he covered his face with his hands and just let emotions flow.

Dean sat with him rubbing his back soothingly "Hey, Hey, it's alright" he said soothingly.

"Sor... sorry" Sam said as he tried to get a handle of his emotions.

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for" Dean said gently

Sam lifted his tear-streaked face to look at Dean and when he was caught by those bright green eyes, he noticed just how close they were. "Umm… sorry" Sam said again and moved to get up and put distance between them, and he did something to ruin everything.

"What did I say about saying sorry" Dean watched him with a frown. He wasn't sure what happened to make Sam's mood change but he wanted to be the one to put a smile on his face.

"Well, you know I saw Bobby cry once? He stubbed his toe, and I definitely saw tears in his eyes… the big baby" Dean said with a chuckle

"I did not!" they could head Bobby yell out.

They both started laughing as Bobby came into view "Shut it, ya idjit" he said with no actual anger whatsoever.

Dean helps Sam to stand up and they all walked back inside to end the day with dinner and a night cap. After a few hours of winding down after dinner, Sam is having trouble keeping his eyes open when one of Bobby's phones rings on the wall of phones. Bobby groans as he gets up and answers the phone, then when he listens to the person on the other end of the lice, his eyes move over towards Sam "Hi John, how can I help?" He says schooling his voice to sound like his usual self.

Sam felt the world tilt when he realised that Bobby was speaking with his father, he really thought that he would be safe with Bobby. He hadn't banked on his father using Bobby's skills as a world of knowledge. He just hoped that his father wasn't going to try and take him away. As he sat there looking at Bobby his hands shook as he waited for the next words out of Bobby's mouth…

TBC