The morning was dry, and cold. No clouds littered across the sky, if someone looked outside from a window they could easily mistake the cold day for one of the hot ones in summer. Dean knew it would rain later. It always did on days like this. And days like this were never good for him.

He walked into the garage, it was part of the mechanic shop he owned, well his father owned. They lived above it, sometimes. Most of the time, they lived in the beautiful 1967 Chevy Impala that was in pristine condition and practically built from the ground up by John, Dean's father, and himself. His older brother never paid much mind to mechanics, his brother, Sam, was always too busy with his nose in books to bother with the car.

Dean had inherited two things from his dad, even though his dad was still alive, a Colt hand gun, and the Impala, though Dean wasn't allowed to drive the Impala when the whole family was involved. There were only three of them Sam, himself, and John, and that's how he liked it.

Dean was in the garage, it looked like any family run mechanic's shop. Parts on tables, a car up on blocks, a desk with a few strewn papers across, all tickets for fixing things or receipts for parts. It was a second home to Dean. He pulled a brown leather chair, that had seen is prime years 20 years ago, the leather had gone soft, the color along the seems was darker, the seat had a a blue stain on it, from blue jeans sitting there for so long. But the shop wouldn't be the shop with out it.

Dean sat in the chair, and pulled out his gun. He carefully took it apart and then began to clean each piece. He laid the parts on the desk, and he could put them back together in a flash if he needed to. The door that connected the actual garage to the store front opened with a creek. "Dean, dad needs the car."

The voice was clearly that of his younger brother, "Why?"

"He says he needs it for a hunt."

"Hunt my ass, Sammy, its my car."

"I'm just telling you what he said."

Dean huffed, "Then I'm going with him."

Sam hadn't closed the door, and Dean hadn't looked up from cleaning his gun, but it was clear when their dad entered the room. "Are you arguing with my orders, boy?" he asked.

Dean put the part of the gun he was cleaning down, "No sir." John was always sir to them, never dad. Well they called him dad on occasion but it was always sir, it had to deal with their upbringing and there Dad's being in the military.

"Good, I'm taking the Impala."

"But my baby," Dean said, still not moving from his chair.

"Is going with me on a hunt, alone." They way that alone rang out of John's mouth made it very clear that that was the final say on the matter. Dean never liked it when Dad took these trips alone. It was September 27, John was going to spend the weekend up in Windom, Minnesota. Whenever September rolled around, John always took off. His excuse was a hunt. The reality, he was visiting someone. Someone who was raised very different from Sam and Dean.

At 9:00 on September 27 John rolled up to the two story house, that was covered in blue would siding with white trim, and brown door. He parked the Impala in the drive and got out. The flash of the one of the curtains told him someone was home, who it was would be a guess.

He walked up the cobbled front path, and up the wooden steps of the porch. He debated knocking or the doorbell, but it turned out he didn't have to do either, the door opened. Standing there was a blond women, in her scrubs, a purse over her shoulder, car keys in her hand, "You know, I had to force him to go to school today, because he wanted to wait for you," her tone went from stern to one of lightheartedness in seconds. The skin around John's eyes crinkled as he smiled, "You're an amazing mother Kate, I don't know how you do it?"

Kate laughed, "With a firm hand, and a very mature 15 year old. I'm headed out, Adam is doing homework in the den, I don't think he heard you pull up, I'll be back around 8 in the morning." She gave him a smile and pushed past.

John headed in, and closed the door behind him. He only came here about once a year, but he knew the house like the back of his hand. He could tell you where everything was. He made his way to the den, "What ya working on Adam?" he asked.

"Biology," Adam stated, not registering who it was, "Its super ea…" he stopped mid word, and looked up, he launched himself from the chair, "Dad!" he said, as he practically tacked John. Adam always did this, except for that first meeting. That first meeting was by far the hardest and most awkward thing John had ever done.

When he heard Adam's twelve year old voice on the phone, he dropped everything. He drove all night to Windom, Minnesota. Dean was not happy, but Dean wasn't happy most of the time. Sam just stayed quiet about it.

That first meeting, John didn't even know what his son looked liked, but when he saw Adam it wasn't a mystery to find out. The blond hair, the blue eyes, the chin, he looked like Dean did at that age. And he excelled in school just like Sam. Adam was a Winchester without a doubt.

Adam didn't come tackle him at that first meeting, no he was very shy and didn't speak much. John thought Adam was mad at him, and walked outside for a bit. But then Adam came after him, Adam wasn't mad, just nervous.

Now John knew Adam was a far cry from the boy he first met. John would swear that somehow Sam and Dean both got into Adam. The kid had Dean's looks and attitude to boot, but when it came to winning people over, Adam had that puppy look that Sam gave him whenever he did something wrong, Adam also had Dean's smarts. John did wish Sam and Dean could meet Adam sometimes, they'd get a kick, he knew that much, but he was keeping Adam safe. He had to keep Adam safe.

So Adam came and tackled him, "How've ya been kid?" he asked.

Adam smiled, "Good…" something wasn't right about his tone, "You're early."

John nodded, "I know, I figured since your fifteen you deserve a little something more for your birthday."

By the 9:00 pm on the 29th, Adam had had his first beer, he learned to drive the Impala, and almost crash it within five minutes, he learned how to play pool and poker, and he had got to spend time with John. Also by that time, John was back in Lawrence, Kansas with a bit smile on his face.

Dean didn't like it. His dad never smiled that big any more, well only around September 29. They were sitting around the kitchen table, with some take out food in the middle. Dean wasn't buying his Dad's look. "Where do you go?" he asked.

John looked at him. Sam was keeping quiet. Its times like these that John always liked Sam a little better. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean." Dean said, "For the past three years around this time of year, you leave on a hunt. What is it, some chick, some stripper?"

"That's quite enough Dean." John said, the subject was at rest, when he left the table.

Three days later Dean was working on some blue Chevy truck when the phone rang. He had just finished replacing the oil, the last thing that needed to be done, when he heard the phone ring.

It was John's phone. Dean wasn't supposed to answer John's phone that was always a big no no. But John wasn't in the shop, he was out getting supplies, salt, and paint to be specific. They needed to go over the Devil's trap in the garage because it was starting to wear off.

So Dean picked up the phone flipped it open, and pressed talk. "Hello," he said, his gruff voice almost matched John's.

"Dad," the voice on the other end came.

Dean just about dropped the phone, "Dad? Sorry kid you got the wrong number."

"No, John gave this to me, said it was for emergencies only."

"And just who the fuck are you?" Dean asked.

Dean didn't hear the answer, because John had come in, and yanked the phone away. "I told you not to answer my phone Dean." He put the phone to his ear, "Hello," he said.

"Dad?"

"Adam, I told you this was for emergencies."

"This is an emergency."

John froze, "What kind of emergency, did you break your arm or something?" he asked. Dean's face was distorting in a way that was not normal. He did not like the sound of this conversation, even if he could only hear one side of it.

"No, mom's missing. I went to school, and saw her come home, but when I came home from school, she's usually in her room sleeping, because she works the graveyard shift, remember?"

"I remember."

"She wasn't in her room. I checked all over the house, she's gone Dad. She's never left without leaving a note, even when she's going to work."

"Did you call the hospital, maybe she had to go in?"

"Yeah I called them, they said the last time they saw her was when she left that morning. I talked to our neighbors too, they didn't see her leave. I'm scared dad."

John sighed, his free hand went to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Adam, listen carefully, first thing you need to do is take salt, you have rock salt right," he could see Adam nod through the phone, "I want you to put that alone every entrance to your house, doors and windows, okay. Make a nice line, and don't break it when you do. Can you do that for me buddy?"

"Y-Yeah," Adam stuttered.

"Alright I'll be there in a few hours, hang tight buddy, we'll find your mom."

"By dad." Adam said his voice small on the other end, then the line clicked, and John closed his phone.

Dean was glaring at him, "What the hell was that?"

"Doesn't matter, go get your stuff and Sam, we have an important call."

"Not until you tell me what that was?"

"Not the time Dean, later, this is important."

"You were talking to him like he was your kid." Dean said, the disappointment on his face clear as day, the frown that was there, was almost heartbreaking, almost.

"Get your stuff, and get Sam."

Dean left but he wasn't happy about it. He did not like Dean talking to some strange kid like they were his own son.

The three Winchester's piled into the Impala, and drove. "Where are we going?"

"Minnesota." John stated.

"And what is in Minnesota, might I ask?" Dean said from the passenger seat.

"Your brother."

Sam's mouth opened from the back seat. Even with the ACDC in the background the car was so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

"A brother?" Sam asked, because Dean was either to shocked, or to pissed to say anything right then.

"Yes, a half brother. In 1990, I got a case in Windom, dealing with ghouls. I got pretty torn up, I met a nurse, and well, she got pregnant. I didn't know about him till about three years ago."

The puzzle pieces were clicking into place for Dean, "And you never told us!"

John pulled the car over, and put it in park. He turned and looked straight at Dean. "I didn't want this life for him, so don't go thinking otherwise. I know you two would go looking for him, and I couldn't have that. Now we are on a deadline, his mother is missing, and whatever got his mother probably wants him. He's family, so you will accept, and if you don't don't let me hear it and if you sure as hell won't let him hear it. Do I make myself clear!"

There was no answer, John started the car, he took their silence as a yes.

When family is in danger, the time it actually takes to get from Lawrence to Windom is cut drastically short. They arrived a little after midnight. The minute Dean saw the house he was jealous, this kid, this half brother got the life he always wanted. John had them pull out a few weapons, he wasn't sure what it was, but they covered the basics.

John knocked on the door, no answer. He pulled out a key, from the mailbox, and opened it. The house was quiet, to quiet. "Sam you check upstairs, Dean you go with him."

When they heard the grunt, they stopped. John's heart skipped a beat. John put to fingers to his lips; his sons knew what that meant.

They followed John, John was headed for the den. The stopped and hid in the shadows of the doorway. What Dean saw made him sick to his stomach. A blond, no wonder dad went after her, and some older guy, both with knives staring hungrily at a kid tied to the table.

Adam's arms looked like they were bleeding pretty fast, and pretty bad. He needed medical attention, to bad the woman in scrubs, was one of the ones going down on him. The man had ripped Adam's shirt open. He trailed the flat of the knife down to Adam's stomach.

John stood in horror, but at the same time, he was a hunter. He had to figure out what these things were.

"We know you called daddy when your mommy went missing." Adam struggled against the restraints, but he was getting weaker by the second. "We know how to lure him here, after he killed our dad. We're just returning the favor."

The man sliced at Adam's stomach, and he screamed in pain.

"Nice and slow, that's how we'll go," the woman said. "I bet you liked when you found your mom like this. You liked it when we ate her didn't you." She took a bite out of his shoulder, and Adam's scream of pain shot John into action.

He took his gun, and aimed for Joe's head, that's who the man was, Joe Barton the cop that helped him on the ghoul case back in 90. He pulled the trigger. The cops head exploded and the body fell.

The woman looked up, "Welcome, welcome John." She said. "Glad you could make it."

The blood began to pool on the table, where Adam's stomach had been cut, it was a deep cut too.

She didn't say much else, because there was a bang. John looked back at his son, Dean was holding his colt, freshly fired.

Sam went into action, he cut the ties on Adam. "Dad, can you find some rags, we gotta stop the bleeding."

John left the room, he went upstairs to the linen closet.

Adam looked pale, he wasn't doing so hot, "Damn ghouls," he muttered. But his heart broke at the sight of Adam. Adam who looked so much like him, who was bleeding to death, who was his little brother.

John came back with rags and towels, and gave them to Sam. "Adam, hey, come on, stay with me buddy."

"It hurts," Adam said, fat tears forming down his cheeks. The words were barely audible, he was going to pass out. And he did.

It had been one week, when Adam finally woke up. He remembered what happened. His dad was there. He wasn't in a hospital which his mom would freak about; he winced at the thought of his mom. She had taken a bite out of his shoulder.

"Where am I?" he asked.

Three men were in the room the second they heard his voice. "Hey Adam, you're at my home, in Kansas. How are you feeling."

"Scared."

John gave him a warm smile, the two other men stayed pretty quiet. "Who are they," Adam asked after a bit of comfortable silence.

"I'm Sam," the taller one with brown shaggy hair said.

"I'm Dean."

"You're the one who cussed at me over the phone."

Dean's face went pale, "Sorry about that kid, not every day you hear you have another brother." Sam elbowed him in the ribs. "Bitch."

"Jerk."

John rolled his eyes, "Is it true, what they said…" he asked.

Adam nodded, "They tied me to one of the chairs, and made me watch," Adam was crying, and Dean could not handle it, the kid crying was worse than when Sam cried. He walked over, and put his hand on Adam's shoulder.

John nodded, "Adam, do you know what those were?"

Sam swallowed; he thought John didn't want Adam in this life, well that was sort of nullified now, because Adam was thrown into the life.

Adam shook his head. Dean took charge, "Those were ghouls, they eat people, pretty scary right?"

Adam nodded.

John smiled, he remembered when Dean was like this to Sam. He guessed Dean got the message that he had another little brother. Another thing to take care of and Dean would do it. Dean would take care of Adam without question; Dean would take a bullet for Adam without question. The night went on explaining to the fifteen year old what the Supernatural was, he didn't need much convincing.

Adam had nightmares that night, and both Sam and Dean were there to comfort him. But in between the fits it was just the two of them. "How do you feel?" Sam asked.

"About what, the kid?"

Sam nodded, "You seemed to not like the thought of him at first."

Dean shrugged, "Guess when that ghoul that looked like his mom took that bite out of him, I just couldn't help but think he didn't deserve it. No one deserves it. I thought of you, what you would look like. And I saw red. He's family, and I have to protect family."

Sam smiled, "He definitely is a Winchester."

Dean nodded, "Yeah let's hope he's not a smart ass like you."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

AN- slight AU, still cannon. Sam would have been off at college, but John would have been alive. By my calculations this would have been the last year Adam saw John. Because the next year, I think is about when he died. The ghouls came a bit earlier in Adam's life, and boom Adam is now a Winchester, no matter who likes it.