Chapter 7:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DEAN POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's going on almost two years post Stanford. Seems like my life's divided in two setting. Pre Stanford and post Stanford. Life with Sammy in it felt like real living, without him it's only surviving. Even the hunts feel routine now, something to only count the passing days by.

I'm at Oklahoma City working on a werewolf now. Dad's god knows where doing his own thing. Talked to him couple days ago. Wonder what Sammy doing? Maybe I should call him just to see if he's ok. But the little bitch hasn't called either and I'm the one who's risking his life every day. Not that he cares.

No…No…No. I shut down that line of thought. Not going down that road. It will only bring back painful memories and remind me of my own shortcomings.

New rule – no thinking about little brothers during hunts.

"focus Dean, focus." I say to myself, being bitter about it will help no one. Truth is I'm darn proud of my litter brother. Even with our lifestyle he's made it into Stanford. The fucker was always too smart for his own good. Dad just couldn't see it. If I get a choice I would never chose this life for my baby brother. he's too pure and good to be living in the dark.

I just wish we hadn't parted the way we had. I wish I could have told him how proud I was of him. I should have told him. Now because of dad's big mouth and my silence my little brother thinks he doesn't have a family to come back to.

Too little, too late.

I just hope your happy little brother. happy and safe in your nerdy little campus.

A loud scream filled with pain brings me out of my thoughts of Sammy sitting in a library hunched over some book. I run toward the noise. As I get closer I hear growling. Damn, I was hoping to get the sucker before it got a new vic.

I follow the noise to an ally. The werewolf is on it's next victim. All I can see that its some guy, but he's fighting. I raise my gun but I can't shoot with a civilian so close, so I grab the furry fucker from behind and yank him off.

It was too busy with it's new plaything to notice me. Good. But as I pull the beast away I hear another scream. The wolf had its claw in him that probably ripped some flesh.

But I cant stop to check on the guy. Fugly's on me in the next second. I had my gun ready, so I fire off several rounds right into it's heart.

The silver bullets does it's trick. The fangs and claws retreat to show a guy in his mid thirties. He slumps over me with dead weight. I shove him of me and get up. There's some shuffling noise from behind me that reminds me of the vic.

I can see it's a guy, tall and built but still on the lanky side. Probably few years younger than me. As I get closer to get a better look the familiar face sends a jolt of shock through my body.

Hazel eyes that can see through my soul locks on mine and the relief I see there nearly knocks me off my feet.

"Sammy" the name comes out in a whisper but he still heard.

With that sam closes his eyes and passes out. For a second its like my heart stops beating. The shock of seeing him here stops me cold. 'what's he doing here ? why isn't he at college ?' these questions keep circling around my head.

A car passing by wakes me up from my reverie and I go on hunter mode. I can find my answers latter, but first I have to make sure that Sammy's alright.

I take stock of the situation. he's breathing is shallow but steady, his pulse is a little fast but that's per of the course after the adrenaline rush. There are gashes over his shoulder from where the werewolf grabbed him, that are bleeding sluggishly. Some of them will need stitches, but first I gotta get him out of here.

I pick up his limp body and nearly stumble under his weight. "whoa ! little brother's not so little any more."

Sam was already my height when he left but now he's a good head taller. He's put on a good deal of muscle too, not just skin and bones anymore. His hair is longer too, instead of just up to his neck now it's shoulder length which is pulled back with a rubber band.

'Dad would've been pissed about that' just as the thought comes I get pissed at myself for thinking about what dad would think when his pigheadedness got us in this mess in the first place. I won't let him keep me from Sammy any longer. That's not all true. I am as much to blame.

"Hang on little brother we'll fix you up in a jiffy than we can fix us, and whatever brought you here you won't be alone anymore. That's a promise."

I carry Sam to the car, 'good thing I parked close' I already have a room in the motel so I drive us there. Good thing it's late. Don't want to alert the neighborhood by carrying a bloody passed out body out the car.

In the motel room I lay him down the bed farthest from the door. A lifetime of habit has me getting a double room every time even though I don't need it anymore. Turned out pretty convenient today.

I get the first aid box and get to work. The shirts already ruined so I cut it of him. As I clean and stitch the wound I notice the whole myriad of scars that in no way should be on my brothers body if he was spending time reading in a library as I pictured him.

Done with patching Sam up my mind frees to wonder. 'How did Sammy get all those scars ? It sure wasn't from going to college. What was Sammy doing all this time if he wasn't at college ? hunting? If he wanted to hunt then why leave at all. Was all that fighting for all those years about leaving the hunt or leaving his family ? leaving me.'

There's only one person who can answer these questions and he's laying unconscious two feet from me. So, I set myself up for a long night by his bed.

All I can picture is Sam's face before he left. The pain on his face when dad said those words. Basically blamed mom's death on him., for that I will never forgive him. But through all this I was so focused with my own fear, my own pain I never thought about my baby brother. The look on his face as he looked at me, it's like he was begging me with his eyes to understand, to help him but I didn't.

"This time I won't stand by quietly and let you sleep through my fingers Sammy. You will talk little brother . I won't let you go."