Summary:  Wanting to prove himself amongst his peers, Sam realizes he might have have bitten off more than he can chew.
A/N:  This story is not beta’d, so any grammar errors are alas my own!   This is my first fanfic, so any reviews would be much appreciated!
For all you Dean fans out there, YES he is in the story. In fact, he's a very big part of the story!
Disclaimer:  Sam, Dean, and John belong to the almighty Kripke, but anyone else that has not previously appeared on Supernatural are the creation of my imagination.

Sam listened as the teacher droned on and on about the intricacies of pollination in a voice that made it seem anything but dull at best.

He’d been here for over just over a week, in this crap town somewhere just south of nowhere, to the east of shit hole, and if you turned left you could find the gateway to hell. It wasn’t the hell that John Winchester fought on a daily basis, but something far worse. No, this hell involved Sam being once again known as New Kid.

It wasn’t so bad his freshman year. Dean had been a senior and had pretty much made Sam cool just by association. Not that Dean didn’t pick on his geek boy brother, he did, but it was with the understanding that only Dean was allowed that luxury, anyone else had to walk through Dean Winchester first, and frankly, not many had been willing to take that risk, and thus, despite his New Kid status, Sam had fallen into the rank above most freshman.

Now he was a sophomore and not quite old enough to drive, since it was the spring before his sixteenth birthday. He was well below the level of ruling the school, and barely above the newbie level of freshmen since he was known, unceremoniously, as New Kid.

Sam thought about having it tattooed on his arm.

Wouldn’t his dad be pissed then! Not because he got a tattoo, but because he’d dared to do so without his permission, without an order! Oh, if John told Sam to tattoo a target on his ass, he was certain that the only answer his father would want was a ‘Yes Sir’ from his youngest son. But for Sam to actually do some sort of self-thinking without John first instructing him to, well, Sam was certain that John would blow a gasket.

So caught up in his own musings, Sam nearly missed the bell signaling lunch. Normally that would have been a good thing, but since he wasn’t in school long enough to fit in with any close-knit, and already formed group, it left Sam usually sitting by himself, in some corner that no one else wanted to sit at … reading. Sighing, Sam gathered his books and rose, ignoring the few blatant stares from some of the jocks of the school, who already made it quite clear that Sam’s hand-me-down look offended their upscale tastes.

Born with that Winchester pride that would lead to trouble one day, Sam raised his chin, stared Robert Barnes in the eyes challengingly, and then walked out, refusing to be bullied by a kid that was awarded his status by his daddy’s paycheck.

Robert Barnes all but snarled as that damn Winchester went by him with a look of defiance as if he had any right to snark at him. Glaring, he stared the kid in the back, but as of yet, said nothing. Something about Winchester scared him. Not in the “scream like a girl in a horror movie” scared, but still … there was something about Sam Winchester that made Robert step back and watch with a wary eye.

Making his way into the lunchroom flanked by Billy Daniels and Jacob McElroy, Robert stewed on his own juices, his thoughts on pounding Winchester into the concrete as he begged, in tears no less, for Robert to stop. His own near orgasmic thoughts were ripped from him suddenly at the back-handed slap that hit his chest. “Hey, isn’t that Katie?” Robert paused in his death musings to glance across the lunchroom, spotting the girl he was trying desperately to sport as a trophy, standing at the edge of none other than Sam Winchester’s table. Clenching his fists, he made his way across the expanse of tables and students, knocking a few unsuspecting people from his path, and definitely ignoring the “HEY!” and “Jerk!!” that followed in his wake.

John Winchester might have made Sam come to school in nothing but Dean’s old clothes, but he never would he have allowed Sam to go hungry. It was true that most of Sam’s clothing looked like they came from the Salvation Army (though that was due in part to the life expectancy of Winchester clothing, new or old), but the lunch tray before him was definitely full.

So, with one hand on a cheeseburger and one pointing the place to his spot in his current book, Sam didn’t notice the young sophomore walk up to his table until she cleared her throat, then smiled at him as he glanced up, mouth full before he swallowed. “Hi.”

Katie Thompson might have been brazen enough to approach the tall guy that a lot of her classmates were talking about, but that all ended right there when hazel eyes lifted from his book to meet with her brown ones. Blushing, she glanced down, then shyly back to his gaze with a barely there smile.

Sam was completely frozen for all of ten seconds when he was met with the shy grin of the girl that he’d seen, but never met before. Swallowing, his own grin started forming, complete with patented Sam Winchester dimples that made the girl’s blush deepen. “Hi yourself.” Then, remembering the manners that his dad seemed to expect when it came to him and him alone, he grinned nervously before offering his name. “I’m Sam, I …” “I know you’re the new kid.” His demeanor seemed to change in that one instant, a frown starting before Katie quickly added, “It seems Ohio didn’t realize their loss.”

Sam chuckled, his mouth opening for a retort that would have made Dean proud, when Robert stormed up to their table looking ready to take on Sam right then and there. But, instead of confronting him, he tugged Katie by the arm, spinning her to face him. “So, are we on for Friday night?”

Sam rose as Katie winced, the Winchester in him not allowing him to sit this one out. It didn’t matter that Robert’s two goons were there as back-up, in fact, nothing mattered at that moment except showing Robert Barnes just what it was that real men did.

Katie smiled apologetically at Robert, the deviousness in her gaze almost missed. In fact, most would have missed it, but for someone as perceptive as Sam, it was caught immediately. “Well Robert, Sam here has already asked me to the camp out, but I’m sure we’ll see you there!” All this said with a cheery smile as she shifted to stand by Sam, her date since about two seconds ago.

Steam all but sizzled out of Robert’s ears, his fists clenching and loosening so fast his knuckles began to whiten. What was the shocker was that he nodded (through gritted teeth!) and turned and stormed back the way he had come.

That Sam Winchester was going to get what was coming to him. Robert Barnes was going to make sure of it.

Dean sat outside in the Impala, watching teenagers hustle to wherever it was that they had to go in their normal little lives. Just the thought of suburbia made him shudder as he waited for Sam to exit the High School. The only thing promising here were the girls, and even they … oh wait a minute! Instant Sammy radar went up as Dean saw his shaggy-haired brother exit the school, a petite brunette too close to his side to be some study buddy.

That’s my boy!

Dean pretended not to watch, even lowered dark shades over his eyes as he nestled back into the seat of the Impala. Oh but all eyes were on his kid brother, watching as he walked with the unknown girl halfway down the sidewalk before they paused, something definitely spoken between the two, then parted ways. Dean was so intent on his kid brother he never noticed the jocks who watched Sam, or he might have seen the look they were giving the youngest Winchester.

“So … how was school Sammy?” Sam folded himself into the passenger seat of the Impala and mumbled a “fine” to Dean. The grin on the elder’s face, however, was hard to suppress. “I saw you with that hot chick, man was she ever smoking!” Sam rolled his eyes and gave Dean his most exasperated look he could manage … all the while trying to hold in his smile at his brother’s antics.

Ever since Sam hit High School, things had gone from normal (at least in the Winchester book of standards) to weird with Dean and him. There were moments when Sam would have revealed his soul to his big brother, shared his world with him and allowed him to see the inner machinations of what made up Sam Winchester. But then there were those times when Sam was angry at the world and Dean in particular, and then Dean became the bane of his existence. There was hardly an in between. They were either best friends or worst enemies, and neither Sam nor Dean knew exactly when or why this was the case … just that it was.

As soon as they hit the house that was currently home, Sam brushed inside, his thoughts on a camp out that was this weekend, one that he was sure his father was not going to allow him to attend. It never failed, when Sam desperately wanted something so badly he could almost taste it, it was then that John Winchester decided to show his leadership by denying Sam the very thing he craved … normalcy.

“Hey boys….”

Sam brushed passed with a nod to his dad. It wasn’t that he meant to be rude or the typical teenager, he just wanted time to gather his thoughts and plan his tactical move, because, with John Winchester, everything was a war strategy … even something as simple as having a camp out with some friends at school.

John raised a brow, but said nothing, he just wasn’t in the mood for another round with his youngest son, and instead he turned his attention on Dean. “I finally picked up the trail, and since the full moon is this weekend, I figured we should get our gear together and get set up.”

Dean nodded, only half in the conversation, the other half was, of course, on his kid brother. Pausing the conversation for only a moment, he voiced his concerns. “What about Sam?” John lifted his head to meet the gaze of his elder son, one brow arching slowly. “What about Sam?” Dean hesitated for but a split second before meeting what he assumed would be a brick wall. “It’s not summer….” “I know that, Dean, I…” “What I mean is he should be in school.” John didn’t even hesitate before he retorted. “There’s no one close by to watch him.” “Dad, he’s fifteen, he can watch himself, I don’t see why…” “And what if something happens? What then?” “He’ll take care of it dad, he’s a smart kid.”

Sam had his school books spread out over the bed, though he was hardly concentrating on algebraic equations. No, Sam’s head was caught back at school, to the cute smile of Katie Thompson. The goofy grin that emerged was hardly something he planned, hell, he didn’t even realize it was there until the throat clearing drew his attention from his inner musings to his brother standing in the doorway, his shoulder pressed against the frame.

“See, I knew you thought she was hot!” Dean’s roguish grin had started when he was about eleven, and by the time he was legally driving, it was damn near perfected. It was something that would have sparked wars if countries were still ruled by Queens, and it certainly melted more than a few hearts in his day.

“Shut up!” Though there was no heat to his words, in fact, there was an almost imperceptible smile that Sam was desperately trying to hide from his elder sibling. “You really should be kissing my ass about now, Sammy boy.” “It’s Sam…” “Yeah, whatever.” Dean just smirked, waiting for Sam to take the bait, which he did. “And just why should I be kissing your ass this time?” One side of Dean’s mouth quirked up in that cocky grin of his. “Because Sammy, I just won you a get out of jail free card.” Sam’s confusion was evident until Dean decided to elaborate. “I swear though, if you make me regret talking dad into letting you sit this one out, alone I will personally kick your ass!”

Sam sat speechless for all of two seconds before his own grin started, one that was seen too seldom these days in the Winchester household. “You’re kidding, right? You mean dad is actually letting me stay home? Alone?” Dean just grinned. “You can thank me later. The Impala does need a nice washing, plus a wax job. Oh, and a good detailing would be ni……..” His words were cut off by the projectile pillow smacking him in the face.

“The full moon is officially Friday, so we probably won’t be home until Sunday night, maybe Monday.”

“I know, you already …”

“I left some extra cash in the drawer by the refrigerator, and here’s the credit card, just in case…”

“I got it, I….”

“I’m not sure when we’ll be able to check in, but as soon as we can, we’ll call.”

“Okay, I’ll….”

“Don’t forget to salt all the doors and windows and….”

“Dad, I got this….”

John Winchester looked at his youngest son, the last thing Mary had given him, and sighed. This wasn’t easy, letting Sammy go. The hardest part was the mixed signals he was constantly throwing at Sam, making it hard for the kid to achieve, and John tossed his failures at him regularly.

On the one hand, he wanted his son, his and Dean’s Sammy to be that small piece of innocence they had left in the world. And on the other, he wanted Sam to fall into the family business just like Dean did.

Sam was too much like Mary to fall into line without question. It was those traits that John both cherished and detested all at once. He wanted to protect and shelter the last gift Mary had given him, had given Dean. But John Winchester knew what was out there, and he needed to prepare the boy for it.

“I’m counting on you, Sam.”

Sam nodded, hiding the smile that tried to creep up his mouth. His father was actually going to trust him. Part of him felt this immense guilt for he was about to betray that trust. It didn’t matter that his dad didn’t actually say he couldn’t go to the camp out, he was still lying. Omitting facts was just about the same thing, or at least Dean always told him that.

“I know dad. I … I got this.”

John smiled and cupped Sam around the neck, the closest he was going to come to a hug. Smiling, he nodded to Dean.

“Ok, let’s go.”

Dean gave Sam a look, one that was filled with both worry and trust. Giving Sam that knowing nod, he hefted up his bag. “See ya in a few days, Sammy.”

For once Sam didn’t correct his brother on the use of what he considered a baby name. He just nodded, and then let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding as the door closed behind the two elder Winchesters.

“Finally…..”

Leaning against the door, he sucked in another breath, waiting for the sound of the Impala to pull out of the drive. It was only then that Sam ran to the phone, dialing quickly.

“Hey, Katie? Yeah, it was a piece of cake, I can go…. “

John Winchester drove in silence for the duration of the short trip. Since it wasn’t summer yet, John took to hunting in the vicinity of Sam’s latest school. And while eventually he would run out of possible jobs and they would move, for now they were stuck in their latest craze in normalville. While Sam seemed to thrive on something so mediocre, Dean detested it. And John? Well, John felt like it was just another crux on their way to killing the yellow-eyed bastard that destroyed his life.

“The last kill was in the area of these woods, just south of town…”

And while John was trying to hide his anxiety over leaving Sam alone, Dean was just antsy over the whole thing. Yes, it was his idea, but he was having second thoughts at leaving Sammy alone … defenseless. Now, he knew, deep down, that his kid brother had all the know-how to take the bull by the horns and show it a thing or two. But that was just it … it was his kid brother.

“The last three full moons?”

“Yeah, so I’m guessing someone new, or someone back from a trip….”

John’s words trailed off, thinking back, again, to Sam.

“He’s okay dad.”

Blinking, he looked at Dean, confused for a moment.

“What?”

“I said he’s okay.”

“How did you….”

“Because I was thinking about it too.”

John shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand. They were going to set up camp in the woods, then begin scoping the area. Hoisting his bag higher, he motioned before trudging into the woods. After another long moment of silence, John grinned.

“It’s a good thing Sammy isn’t here….”

“Yeah, we all know how he feels about werewolves….”

“Hello?”

“Hey dad…”

“No, I’m just … doing homework.”

Sam grabbed a t-shirt and tossed it into the duffle he was packing for tomorrow night’s camp out.

“Yeah, I remembered to salt the windows.”

Sam grabbed a pair of jeans and, of all things, a very deadly hunting knife. Being raised by John Winchester, Sam knew better than to go into anything unprepared, even something as innocent sounding as a camp out.

“No dad, nothing at all, just the same ole…”

“Yeah, okay…”

He tossed a bottle of holy water into the bag, then a container of salt before hefting up his gun, his gaze drifting to the bullets.

“Hey Dean.”

“No, I’m fine, just relishing in the quiet!”

A grin laced his face as he fingered first the silver bullets, then the consecrated iron.

“See man, I told you all the signs pointed to a werewolf.”

“Yeah, me too, you know how I hate those things.”

Tossing the silver into the bag, he shuffled his things around so his weaponry was hidden below his other things.

“Well, shoot big ugly and furry once for me too.”

“Yeah okay….”

“It’s SAM…”

“Yeah …” Then mumbled. “Jerk….”

Sam hung the phone up and looked to his packed bag, a grin crossing his features; he was actually going to get away with it! For some reason, that gave him mixed feelings. On the one hand he felt elated … he was actually doing something without his father or brother breathing down his throat. But, on the other, they had trusted him, and he was betraying that trust. Frowning, he pushed those thoughts away and dropped down on the bed to actually do homework.

“Lighten up Sam, it’s not like they actually told you not to go on the camp out….”

Friday had to have been the slowest day since the dawn of time. Sam stared out the window of his last class, idly wondering if there was some sort of time demon that stopped the world just to taunt him, making him all the more miserable for the pain his family had caused on demon-kind. That would be just desserts, wouldn’t it? His one chance at doing something completely normal and some demon steps in to ruin it.

He snorted at his own thoughts just as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Sam grabbed his books and went to his locker where he had his duffle of belongings stashed. A bit risky considering it contained more than just a sleeping bag and a change of clothes, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Hey Sam!”

Sam turned and smiled to Katie, her own smile making his small one only grow all the larger.

“Hey Katie.”

“You ready for tonight?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Okay, so … meet back here at seven?”

Nodding, he leaned to brush a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

“I’ll be here.”

So Sam omitted a few things to her as well … like the fact that his dad and brother weren’t at home, that they didn’t permit him to attend, and that he wouldn’t be going home until it was time to meet.

The Spring Camp Out had been tradition for as far back as anyone can remember. It wasn’t school run, nor was it parent chaperoned, though it was tradition just the same. The students of Sherman High would spend spring’s first full moon in the woods that not only lined the edge of the school, but ran to the border of the county.

Robert Barnes had attended last year’s gathering, but nothing was going to be as glorious as showing up some new Salvation Army kid, and putting him back in his trailer park trash place.

Leaning against a post, he eyed the young Winchester as he sat on the bleachers. Grinning, he slapped Billy on the chest and motioned over with his head. In unison, all three young men headed across the field toward Sam Winchester.

Sam sat at the table, his gaze distant and foggy with his thoughts, his mood taking a dip into the balmy southern waters of hell. Yes, he felt great to be going out with Katie, but guilt was starting to riddle him for lying to his father. So caught up in his thoughts he didn’t hear the group of jocks approach until Robert blocked the light that was shining on the side of his face.

Turning toward the shadow, he sighed inwardly, he really didn’t want to deal with Robert and his gang at the moment. Rising slow, he met the wannabe bully face to face, Sam’s smirk something that would have made Dean proud.

“You better watch your back, Winchester…”

Sam actually laughed, shook his head, then gave Robert a grin that was half cocky, and half shy. However, when his mouth opened to come back with that snarky reply, another voice piped up.

“My dad dropped me off early!”

Sam turned to smile at Katie, the dangerous look he was about to direct at Robert and his band of merry men dissipating.

“I can see that.”

Katie looked from Sam to Robert, Billy, and Jacob, her smile only fading a fraction.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“No … we’re done…”

And with that, he hoisted up his duffle bag and moved to slide his arm around Katie’s slender waist. Looking back, she smiled to Robert.

“See you out there.”

“Yeah … see ya.”

The tug that curled Robert’s lips upward was anything but jovial, in fact, it was downright wicked. Waiting until Sam and Katie were a bit ahead of them, Robert actually broke into a smile.

“Tag … you’re it.”

“Hey Sammy.”

“You watching TV?”

John chuckled at Sam’s response … seems the kid was forever immersed in some book or another.

“Did you take precautions on the house?”

It was idle conversation said as if he was asking Sam if he had forgotten to turn the stove off or to look both ways before crossing the street.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

He glanced from the cleaning of his gun to his eldest, who seemed impatiently waiting for the phone. Funny … the two could be at each other’s throats in any given minute, but come between them, and it was like pulling teeth.

“Hold on a sec, Dean wants to talk to you.”

John actually held the phone a moment longer, making Dean all but snatch it, causing a chuckle from John.

Dean grabbed the phone from his dad, giving a glare just as he put the receiver to his ear.

“Hey Sam.”

“Can’t live without me can you?”

Dean glanced to the window, then back to his dad, who was busy cleaning weapons, though he was certain that John Winchester didn’t take his attention too far from the one-sided conversation.

“Yeah, well, live it up, once the full moon is over, I’ll be back to kick your ass!”

“I’m just glad you aren’t here for it.”

“I bet you’d have nightmares for a week!”

Moving again, because sitting still was not Dean Winchester’s strong suit, he starting playing drums on the bed, getting the look from John, and when John Winchester gave the look, God would have stopped to take notice.

“Don’t worry, first shot has your name on it! Just stay out of trouble.”

“All right, Sammy. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

“Right back atcha … Bitch.”

Grinning, Dean sat the phone back in the cradle, and then turned to John, his grin fading just a bit. Despite talking to Sam, his worries of leaving the kid alone weren’t totally gone.

“So, Sam’s good, now we just have to hunt down big, ugly, and furry and send him back to doggy hell….”

John looked at Dean and shook his head before going back to work, the position of his face hiding that grin that his eldest son’s antics often elicited.

The gunshot echoed somewhere to the left of John Winchester, catching his attention enough to pause him in his tracks. And while concern seemed to harbor in every inch of his being, John didn’t race toward the sound as his heart told him to. No, instead, he kept his attention focused ahead, toward the rustling he had heard but moments ago.

All around him, for several mocking moments, silence prevailed, making the nothingness of the forest all but deafening. Even the woodland night sounds were stilled to nothing. Not crickets, not the flutter of a bat or bird flying overhead … not even the rustle of a leaf.

Then another gunshot reverberated throughout the stillness, shattering the illusion of serenity and riling John into action.

Without thought as to the werewolf that he’d been tracking, he turned, gun in hand, and raced toward the direction of the shot, the sound still echoing in his ears. Plunging through the thick foliage, he nearly toppled over the body lying in the pathway. Before John could even swing around to spot his son, another shot rang out, this one closer, so close the bullet whizzed by his head, ending in a growling sound as the intended target was hit dead center … and dropped just as swiftly by judge, jury, and executioner.

John blinked; it was really all he could do. Standing almost on top of the human remains of a person turned supernatural killer, he glanced to Dean, then turned to spy the remains of another that was way too close for comfort for John’s tastes.

“Two.”

It was Dean who had broken the silence by speaking, his assessment needing only that one word. However, John shook his head, looking back to Dean with a grimace.

“Three.”

“What?”

“I heard one back the other way.”

“So you’re saying there is one more of those bastards?”

“At least.”

Dean made a face that was half sneer, half grimace. Checking his weapon, he then nodded to his dad … he was good.

“I’m just glad Sammy is safe at home.”

“Yeah, with his nose stuck in some boring book, being Geek Boy as usual.”

John shook his head as the two trudged further into the woods.

“It must be really lonely … three guys living together … without a woman.”

Katie and Sam had found their camping spot not far from a larger group. While they had wanted their privacy, they didn’t want to be so far from the beaten path that they’d be impossible to find. So, if they strained hard enough, they could hear their classmates prattling on about ghost stories or some other tale to pass the time. The very idea made Sam inwardly groan. Some of the stories were just so … wrong! There were so many times he’d sat through them and wanted to correct them, to tell just what really would have happened. But, Sam knew enough to bite his tongue and feign fright at the desired point. Usually the same point that one of the girls in the group would scream and all but leap into the lap of some guy.

It really made Sam roll his eyes.

“No, I um, no.”

It wasn’t that Sam didn’t want to talk about his mom, or even that he felt that she didn’t deserve talking about … it was that some things Sam wanted to hold to himself, Mary Winchester was one of those things.

Katie leaned forward and around so she could look Sam in the eyes. It was funny … Sam Winchester was everything she wanted, and yet he was so much a mystery to her. There were times she felt like she’d known him her whole life, and other times when she wanted to take her whole life to get to know him. She wondered idly if that would ever change.

“Surely a little feminine touch wouldn’t taint the bachelor Winchesters!”

She said that in jest, and it did the trick, it got Sam to smile. Turning a dimpled grin to her, his mouth opened, words beginning to form when she simple leaned over and kissed his lips quickly before rising with a blush.

“I um … wait right here …”

Sam, for as smart as he was, it took him a moment before he got it and nodded.

“I won’t move a muscle.”

With a suddenly shy smile, she rushed into the bushes, leaving Sam to grin, his gaze wandering away, his thoughts drifting back to his father and brother as he wondered how their werewolf hunt was going.

Robert Barnes was used to getting his way. His father was an influential business leader in the community. It might not have meant much in a large community where the large fish still get lost in the gene pool … but in one as small as this, well, Jim Barnes was someone that could make things happen.

On more than one occasion Robert had used that to his advantage. He learned at an early age that if he pushed hard enough, people jumped to his wants, needs, and later … demands. And frankly, it pissed him off that Sam New Kid Winchester had so blatantly usurped him of his status without so much as a blink of an eye.

He was going to make him pay, and he had the backup to do it. Not only were Billy Daniels and Jacob McElroy there flanking him, as per usual, but two other wannabe jocks were by his side. Mark and Curtis Parsons were two great additions to his little band of not so merry men. While not of high-ranking heritage, their parents were on their way up. But that isn’t what captured the attention of Robert. It was their methods. Neither of them seemed to have a problem in attaining what they wanted through any means necessary.

Glancing at the two, they snickered as they watched Katie move into the woods, but waited for Robert’s go ahead. After a minute, the would-be leader of the small group nodded for the five of them to flank in on the unsuspecting Winchester.

Sam lay back on the sleeping bag, his gaze at the dark sky, wondering how his father and brother were faring. With his hands laced behind his head, hazel eyes on the sky, he only jerked from his musings at the twig snapping behind him. Jerking up, his hands braced at his side as he turned his head.

“Katie, I thought you went…”

The words stopped at seeing that it definitely wasn’t Katie, and that Robert was wearing the grin of the cat that at the infamous yellow bird.

“So sorry to disappoint Winchester … not!”

If Sam hadn’t been raised by John Winchester, he might have panicked in that moment. But, being that he was a Winchester, he carefully and strategically sized up his opponents.

Robert was definitely the ring leader, but he was hardly the brawn of the five-some. No, that title went to the Parsons brothers, though judging by reputation alone, out of the two, Curtis was the force to be reckoned with. Then there was Billy and Jacob. Neither of which was a lightweight, though Sam had little doubt that in a fair fight he could take either down without breaking too much of a sweat.

Taking Sam’s silence for fear, Robert smirked and nodded to Mark, who moved forward and stepped on one of Sam’s bracing hands.

“Don’t have much to say now, do you Winchester?”

Dean was the brother that was the ‘go in, guns blazing, sort it all out after the smoke clears’ sort of brother. Sam was the logical one, the resourceful one, the one who would talk his way out of anything before throwing a punch. But that all changed once Mark moved in and grounded him. No sooner was Robert’s rhetorical question asked than Sam threw his first punch … a gut check to Mark’s stomach.

The saying ‘all hell broke loose’ seemed to fit at that moment. As soon as Mark doubled over, Sam scrambled to his feet. Seeing his brother get hit, Curtis barreled after the now standing Winchester. Jacob and Billy flanked Curtis, and Robert moved to Mark’s side, his hate-filled gaze on Sam.

“Oh you are so going to pay for that!”

But it wasn’t Robert who spoke … Curtis, it seemed, had the same infliction that Dean himself possessed … Big Brother Syndrome. Sam had dared to hit Mark, and for that he was going to pay.

Charging in, Curtis threw several punches, most of which Sam blocked, dodged, or managed to back peddle enough to avoid a full on attack. But, once the proverbial smoke cleared, he was throwing his own, landing a few to a well versed opponent. Sam had calculated correctly … Curtis was going to be the hardest to fall.

“What are you standing there for?”

It was Robert who yelled, knocking Billy and Jacob out of their stupor. By then Mark had regained his breath and charged passed the two and threw his own fists into the ring, landing a hard right to Sam’s jaw. Staggering back, Sam quickly assessed the situation, and while retreat was not something he was willing to do, he did back up just enough to make it harder for the five to surround him.

It was at that moment that Katie returned from her visit with the tree … and screamed!

Three heads turned to the sound. Billy, Jacob, and unfortunately Sam. That was all it took for Mark and Curtis. Both brothers moved as one and launched themselves at the youngest Winchester. The elder grinning as his fist connected with Sam’s nose, and the youngest had to settle for payback … a hard fist to his stomach.

Barely having time to register the pain in his nose as blood sprayed, coating his upper lip, then his chin, Sam grunted and doubled over, but never made it to his knees … four strong hands jerked him up, holding him.

Katie tried rushing to his aid, but was caught by Billy and Jacob, their hold enough to keep her from Sam.

“See what happens when you pick the wrong man, Katie?”

“You jerk! You’re hurting him!”

“That’s kinda the point…”

And with that said, Robert moved to the held Sam and punched him in the jaw, the impact swinging his head to the side.

“Now see, we could have done this the easy way Winchester.”

“Go to hell.”

Another blow hit Sam in the face, this one centered between cheek and mouth, the impact splitting his lip and causing a trickle of blood to spill from the corner of his mouth.

Katie screamed.

Robert grinned.

And just off in the distance something growled low.

“What was that?”

It was Sam who jerked his head toward the sound. Curtis and Mark tightened their hold, jerking him back. Robert, brave now that Sam was held, reached forward and grabbed him by the hair, a yank forcing Sam’s attention back to him.

“No one is going to save you, Winchester.”

Just as the words left Robert’s mouth, a rustle came from the trees, then a growl that had Billy and Jacob turning toward the sound … just before a large, dark shape leapt from the trees.

The tension in the air was palpable and thick, making it seem another entity in the forest. John and Dean moved without words, none were needed. So used to each other’s movements, the only thing needed at times was just eye contact, and at other times a mere hand signal or nod would suffice.

They were born hunters, and worked as one entity. Were one to study them, they would find that their movements very much mimicked a task force during war. And this was war, wasn’t it? It was just a different kind of war on a whole other level of understanding.

John’s shoulders were tensed, his gaze scanning not only the trees and bushes around them, but the clear pattern of a trail that marked the forest floor. His steps faltered only after about 15 minutes of following a trail that was, in John’s opinion, far too easy to follow. It only took Dean two more steps to realize his father had stopped, and, moving toward him, his brows furrowed as he realized why.

“Two?”

He nodded toward the trail they’d been following, one that very obviously split into two very distinct trails. John nodded.

“Two.”
”They’re splitting us up.”

“I don’t like it.”

“It’s not like we have a choice.”

Silence settled for a moment while John debated inwardly with himself on the issue at hand. Dean, knowing his father as well as he did, knew better than to interrupt him during this silent deliberation. He knew John would make up his mind and there’d be no changing it. But, he also trusted his father enough to know that no matter the choice, it would be the right one.

Finally John nodded and motioned left.

“I’ll head this way, you follow the other trail. If you get into any trouble…”

“Yeah, I know, shoot first and ask questions later.”

“That’s my boy…”

John watched with pride a moment as Dean followed the prints that led right, his gaze, for once, not masking his emotions. They were, however, gone within a moment’s time, replaced with the hardened mask that was the hunter … all traces of Mary’s John were gone as he set off in the opposite direction as his son, in search of a werewolf.

Robert Barnes looked so smug, so arrogant in the longest thirty seconds in history. He held Sam’s head up, his eyes boring into the pain laced Winchester’s eyes. He smirked, his words smug as he drew back a fist, the punch coming at Sam in slow motion just as the forest was split by a large, black shape. A shape that rushed forward, making it so that the intended punch was followed through with Robert’s entire weight tackling Sam to the forest floor.

It was only then that the world caught up to time as a scream ripped through the night.

Curtis and Mark fell with the impact, though they were quick to scramble to their feet, a “Holy shit!” going unnoticed to Sam’s ears. All he was fully aware of was that Robert was screaming as growls echoed into the night. And Sam’s legs lay trapped beneath the weight of both Robert and the werewolf.

Somewhere in the distance he could hear Katie’s screams, Billy and Jacob telling her to run … but it was all in some distant dream, his reality was the werewolf tearing into Robert Barnes.

And then the world came crashing back down and Sam began scrambling to try and free himself. Twisting and turning, he wiggled and wormed until he eased one leg out and began stretching for his duffle bag. His fingers stretched, his back arched, his whole body straining to get to his duffle. To get to the gun that lay within its depths. The gun that held his whole world in way of the silver bullets in its chambers.

Kicking with one foot, he tried ignoring the wet stickiness that coated his pinned leg, tried ignoring the fact that Robert was hardly struggling now … and just concentrated on grasping the handle.

He didn’t hear the sounds around him anymore, just stretched until his fingers finally caught the handle and dragged the duffle over. Just as he reached into the depths of the bag, a searing pain lanced down his side, causing white spots to dance before his eyes. It took Sam several seconds … seconds in which his fingers curled around the gun … for him to realize just what had violated his world so despondently.

The heat on his ear was the first clue. Next came the putrid breath and the small growl of … was that pleasure as the beast brought its mouth so close Sam could almost make out its features from the corner of his eye.

For the second time that night the world froze. While the first time seemed to last forever, this time was truly but a second before Sam was drawing his weapon from the bag. The world reeled back into focus as the beast atop him drew its claws along the youngest Winchester’s ribs just as Sam rolled, causing those deadly nails to dig into Sam’s flesh.

His scream echoed with the blast of the gun firing, followed almost simultaneously by a roaring howl of the beast as it withdrew, the bullet imbedding into its chest, but hardly dead center in its heart. Sam fired again, but his aim was off due to the pain that ripped through him, and his deadly bullet merely grazed the once human’s side. Turning, it snarled at Sam, though he barely took notice, he was sinking … sinking back onto the ground … and toward the darkness that was beckoning.

What had started out as the best night of her life for Katie Thompson, this night in question was soon dipping somewhere into the nine gates of hell! She had thought when she walked back into the campsite to see Robert and his gang beating up on Sam, that things could not get worse.

How wrong she had been.

She stood frozen, watching with disbelieving eyes the thing that should not exist, at least not anywhere outside of a Stephen King novel or some horror film. But there it was, ripping Robert Barnes from limb to limb. Somewhere in the background she heard Billy and Jacob yelling at her to run. She saw, from the corner of her eyes, the four henchmen take off into the forest, but still, Katie could not leave.

Sam was still there.

Sam who struggled toward his bag, who seemed oblivious of anything but the viciousness above him … and Katie herself was frozen in place, unable to move.

It was Sam’s scream that got her moving, that broke her trance and got her rushing to him just as he was falling.

“Oh God, Sam, you’re….”

She shook her head, it was no use stating the obvious, and she refused to play the part of the simpering female that needed rescuing. Sam needed her, and she was going to do whatever it took to give him what he needed.

“Somebody help us!!!!!”

She settled Sam’s head in her lap and grabbed his bag to draw out a blanket. Draping it over him, she patted his cheek, eliciting a groan from the mostly unconscious young man.

“Come on Sam, wake up…”

She turned her head just after speaking softly to him, and yelled again.

“HELP US!!!”

The rustle in the brush caused her to breathe a sigh of relief, but after just a second, the tension was back. What if it was that … thing coming back for another taste? Panicking, she reached for the gun that was still held in Sam’s hand, but found his grip was tight on the weapon. Still, she tried prying his fingers free to no avail. Her fear was put to rest as a tall young man stepped from the trees, his own gun aiming right at her.

“Where is it?”

“You have to help, he’s hurt and …”

“Was he bitten?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if he was bitten.”

“I don’t know, he was …”

She sniffed and brushed Sam’s hair from his face, a face that was mostly obscured from the approaching stranger.

“If he was bitten he’s gonna die, maybe it’s better if I just … SAM!!!!”

TBC…