Dog Day Afternoon Ch. 10

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Warning: Please forgive any mistakes as this chapter once again is not beta'ed. And my sincere thanks to all who read and/or reviewed the last chapter.

"Night boys," John whispered, taking just a moment to watch his sons before exiting the tent to put on a pot of coffee. It was going to be a long night.

Strolling over to the campfire, he sat down in a folding chair beside Joshua who was enjoying the warmth of the fire, while sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Sure hope you saved me some of that awful sludge," John stated with a yawn as he reached out for the tin coffee pot, which was sitting atop the campfire logs, using a small towel to keep his hand from getting burnt by the hot handle.

"Hey, I'll have you know I make the best coffee this side of the Mississippi," Joshua informed his friend with a stern look before placing his mug down on the ground. "Now that you're here to take watch, I'm going to burn the carcass of that damn shapeshifting Mimick dog. I don't want to have to worry about it coming back to take revenge."

"Thanks Josh. I'd come with you, but…"

"Don't thank me man. It's better that you stay here and watch over the boys since they're both dealing with injuries. I won't be long," Joshua stated before turning on his flashlight and treading down the path. He didn't envy going out alone, but he wasn't about to let John join him either knowing that he needed to be with his boys. No, he would get the job done quickly and then hurry his ass back to camp.

Watching as the burly hunter walked away, John felt a little guilty knowing it should be him out there taking care of disposing of the creature's body. It was his boys who had been hurt, but then he also knew how much Joshua loved and would do anything for his sons. Joshua had become attached to his boys the moment a two year old Sammy climbed up in his lap one day at Bobby's and that attachment had only grown stronger over the years.

Swallowing down the last of his coffee, John stood up and grabbed the folding chair to drag it over by the tent the boys were currently ensconced in. He wanted to be as close to them as possible until turning in for the night himself. However, that would have to wait until Joshua returned back to camp safely.

~~Supernatural~~

Standing over the Mimick Dog as he emptied the canister of salt over the creature's body, Joshua's mind drifted back to a time when an inquisitive ten year old Sammy had questioned him as to why it was necessary to salt a dead creature before setting it aflame. Though he had thoroughly hated that Sammy had been indoctrinated into the hunting world he had been kept away from for so long, he answering the youngster's question. "Well, you see Tiger; the salt is used for the purification of the dead creature's body so that the hostile spirit can be released with the destruction of the body through fire. It keeps the angry spirit from coming back." Shaking the memory from his mind, Joshua quickly doused the body with lighter fluid and then tossed a lit match upon it. He smiled in satisfaction as he watched the flames quickly flare up with a 'whoosh' before dying down again moments later.

"So long you nasty son of a bitch," Josh voiced with supreme satisfaction upon watching the creature burn down to nothing but charbroiled embers. He could feel no sorrow knowing the creature deserved everything it got for daring to hurt the boys he loved as though they were his own.

Staying until the flames died out and the dousing them with water from the river to make sure they didn't cause a forest fire, Josh then started making his way back to camp. He really needed to make sure that the boys were alright after their nasty run-in with the creature,

As he traversed the path back, Joshua thought about how much of an impact the creature might have had on Sammy before they were able to rescue the young teen. He knew Mimick Dogs could be vicious and there was no doubt the creature had screwed with the boy's mind. He would just have to make sure that John and the boys came to his ranch in Montana for a break and to get their bearings back. His only problem would be convincing John of that.

He had made it approximately half of the way back when a terrified scream permeated the air. "Oh God, NO!" Josh voiced worriedly as he set off running at a quick clip, wondering if the Mimick Dog had a mate that they hadn't known about.

~~Supernatural~~

Sitting at the back of the tent as another slightly smaller and lighter in color Mimick Dog growled at him with its' fangs dripping bloody saliva, Sam couldn't help but wonder where his family was. Surely they knew that he was in danger.

Glancing around him for some kind of weapon, his heart dropped when the only thing he saw was his clothing duffle and the sleeping bag. He was totally weaponless; having only his hands for defense.

"Dean, Dad, where are you?"' He pondered as he scooted back as far as he could possibly go, his back pushing the back of the canvas tent outwards.

"Your family has been dealt with," the Mimick Dog answered as it transformed into the most evil looking woman he had seen in his life, her eyes glinting black as midnight, matching her coal black hair.

"N..No, you're lying," Sam stammered as tears began to flow from his eyes and run down his cheeks unabated. His family was still alive. He would know in his heart of they were did.

"Your brother's heart made for a most delectable meal," the shifter crooned as she made her way to the crest fallen lad. "How fun it was to watch the light die from his eyes as he took his last breath," she crowed before shifting once again into a tigress, pouncing through the air and landing on the terrified teen, her teeth tearing into the sinewy meat of his neck as she bit down hard.

"NOOOOO," Sam screamed as he was filled with immense pain as the Mimick Dog began to clamp down with her powerful jaws, the pain worse than anything he had ever felt in his entire life, well…except for knowing that his family was now gone.

"SAMMY! SAMMY! WAKE UP, KIDDO," Dean pleaded with his younger sibling as Sam trembled uncontrollably in his sleep, rivulets of tears streaming down his forlorn face.

"Dean?" John questioned as he burst into the tent, to find his eldest pulling a sobbing Sam into his arms.

"He was having a nightmare," Dean informed his father as he began to rub Sam's back in a circular motion with his right hand while his left cradle the nape of his brother's neck as he whispered comforting words.

"S'alright, Tiger, I've got you. I've got you," Dean voiced over and over until he could feel the trembles die down a few moments later.

"It…It said you were dead," Sam sputtered as gazed up at his brother with tear filled, his hands clutching onto Dean's button down shirt.

"What did?" John questioned as he knelt down beside his sons and carded his hand through Sam's wavy chestnut colored hair.

"The female Mimick Dig," Sam answered as he glanced around the tent, looking for the creature.

"It was just a nightmare little Dude," Dean stated, just as the tent flap was thrown open forcefully, causing them all to jump in fright just a bit.

"John?" Josh queried as he surveyed the tent, his gun held at the ready.

"S'okay Josh, Sam had a nightmare," John explained, watching as the burly hunter relaxed and lowered his gun upon hearing the words.

"I heard him scream, damn near scared the shit out of me," Josh stated as he walked into the tent. "I thought there was another…"

"Yeah, Sammy did too," Dean interrupted as he pulled the sleeping bag in tighter around his brother. "Everything is okay now though."

"Yeah, well, I'm not okay," Josh voiced as he swiped a hand across the beard starting to adorn his muscular jaw. "After everything that's happened, I think I need a couple of weeks just to kick back and relax at the ranch. What do you fella's say?"

"Josh, I don't think…" John started to voice, just before the sound of his youngest child's voice broke in.

"I think that sounds perfect," Sam answered, gazing over at his father with dewy eyes, imploring him to accept the offer.

"Yeah Dad, just think how nice it would be to kick back with a few bears, maybe do a little horseback riding," Dean intoned, knowing that his baby brother needed the time to recuperate, he himself also if truth be told.

"Dean, you hate horseback riding," Sam voiced as he looked at his brother incredulously, swiping away the moisture at his eyes with his sleeve.

"Yeah, well, if you had the saddle sores that I dealt with the last time. You would hate it too. I mean I had sores in the cra…"

"Whoa there, Ace. Too much information," Josh swore as he covered both ears, not wanting to hear any more.

"Wimp," Dean stated, winking at Sam as the boy snickered slightly at his words. It wasn't often that a person could get away with teasing Josh.

"So, can we go Dad?" Sam asked hopefully, trying to discern what his father was thinking.

Yeah, I guess we could all use a little down time," John answered, knowing he had made the correct decision by the smile that totally lit up his youngest son's face.

"It's set then. We'll pack up tomorrow and head out to the ranch," Josh intoned, happy to know the boys would have plenty of time to heal up from this last hunt and get their minds back in the game before being forced to endure another. What more could he ask for.

Encouraging Sam to lay back down, Dean climbed into the sleeping bag behind his brother and pulled him close. He would make sure Sam got a good night's sleep before leaving for their trip tomorrow. As he lay there, he thought about the things he would do to make sure Sam knew that everything the Mimick Dog had said to him was a lie. He would make sure that Sam knew there was nothing more important in his life than taking care of the brother he cherished like a son!

THE END Sorry for your long wait on the epilogue. It will be a while before I post another story as I plan to finish a story before posting so there won't be any more of these long waits between chapters.