It hadn't taken long for Sam to drift off to sleep in the car and Dean had grinned a little at that. Well, vampires were supposed to sleep during the day anyway, right? It was probably a good thing that Dean himself was a bit of a night owl and certainly didn't mind sleeping in most of the time.

Dean watched Sam sleep for a while and couldn't help but thing Sam looked pretty damned adorable. Sitting there slouched a little in his seat, tilted against the window, his face completely relaxed, and his lips parted a little. He looked even younger than normal and Dean couldn't help but think that Bobby was right. It was definitely Sam's eyes that betrayed his true age. Right now Sam looked like a kid, hell, almost innocent.

At least, he would have looked innocent if his hand still hadn't been resting comfortably on Dean's thigh. Dean didn't move Sam's hand and he didn't move his own covering Sam's either.

After a couple of hours of driving, listening to the radio and watching the scenery go by, Dean made himself more comfortable and decided to take a nap himself. Considering he really hadn't gotten all that much sleep last night, thanks to Sam.

Dean had a lot of years of experience falling asleep in a car, usually with his dad driving. Sometimes he thought he actually slept better with the rumbling of the impala's engine than in a motel room. Though Bobby's car definitely wasn't the impala, Dean had no trouble drifting off. He didn't have any nightmares, thankfully.

When he woke up, he didn't know how long he'd slept but since they were stopped at a gas station they'd probably been driving for a few hours at least. Dean yawned and stretched. He didn't see Bobby or Jacob, they were probably inside the little convenience store. Sam was still asleep in the seat next to him.

Dean smiled at the vampire and decided to get out and stretch his legs. He really had to piss too, since he'd forgotten to actually go when they'd left the diner. The young man climbed out of the car as quietly as he could, not wanting to disturb Sam. He stretched again outside the car, his shirt riding up a little and his jeans hanging precariously on his hips as he did so.

He saw a sign for restrooms around the side of the building and started to head that way.

The shift of weight in the seat roused him, and the shutting of the car door nudged him further toward consciousness. He had been in one of his deep sleeps and it took a few minutes for the cobwebs to clear. That was one drawback to being a vampire that he had taken advantage of through the years when he was attacking a nest.

He finally sat up, shaking his head a little as he rubbed his eyes. Trying to get his brain working, Sam ran a hand down his face and took in his surroundings. He was alone in a car. Bobby's car. The insides smelled of Dean and Bobby and Jake so where were they?

Gas station. Convenience store.

A moment of fear gripped him. Dean. Where the hell was Dean? The thought that Dean was out of his sight practically terrified him. What if Vanessa had caught up with them? What if a guy tried to hit on Dean? He hastily untangled himself and got out of the car, stumbling in the process and knew he probably looked like an idiot, but he didn't care.

He practically ran to the doors of the store and stepped inside. Bobby. Jake. Yes, they were there. But where was Dean? He didn't smell Dean inside the store. He stepped back out and looked around wildly and tried to breath in and track Dean's scent. The wind was strong enough, and the smell of fuel and exhaust pungent enough, he couldn't track him.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, the panic rising in him. Had someone or something taken the young hunter? He went to one end of the building and finally caught his lover's scent. Bathroom. Dean's scent trail ended at the door to the bathroom. Needing to be certain, his heart pounding in his chest, he pushed open the door. The air rushed from his lungs as he saw Den at the sink reaching to turn on the water. He stepped forward and couldn't help but pull Dean into his arms.

Dean was glad that the bathroom was empty. He had to go badly enough when he left the car that he hadn’t really thought about being uncomfortable about being alone. He’d only realized once the bathroom door swung shut behind him that this was the first time he’d really been alone since the whole mess with the vampires had happened.

And he wasn’t freaking out. Yet anyway.

He considered it an improvement… that he didn’t need the other man holding his hand while he took a piss… But Dean knew if there had been any other men in the bathroom, he probably would have turned right back around and gone back to the car no matter how badly he had to go. As it was, he finished as quickly as he could, just in case someone else did come in, he wanted to be on his way out.

Yeah, it embarrassed him more than a little to be looking over his shoulder while he stood at a urinal, but he had to get over this, damn it. When he had freaked out in the bar/restaurant when that guy had touched him… he was not going to live like that for the rest of his life. He wasn’t a kid anymore, like the first time… it… had happened.

He was a hunter. He could take care of himself. He wanted to be Sam’s equal, not the scared little damsel in distress that Sam felt he needed to protect all the time. It was a little ironic that these were the thoughts going through his head as he stood at the sink and he heard the door open. His pulse immediately shooting through the roof, though it was nothing compared to the panic he felt when he felt strong arms wrap around him before he’d even had a chance to turn around to see who it was.

Before he could even begin to fight though, it was like a switch flicked on in the back of his mind. A part of him recognized the arms that were wrapped around him, recognized Sam’s scent, even though his initial fear. Dean sagged back against the other man then, fear bleeding away as his breath rushed out of him, though his heart was reluctant to return to a normal pace just yet.

“Jesus Christ, Sam. You scared the shit out of me.”

He felt Dean stiffen, then suddenly relax into his arms.

"I scared the shit out of you? You scared the shit out of me!" Sam said. "God dammit, don't leave me like that without telling me. I woke up and I'm all alone in the car. Bobby and Jake are in the store but not you. I couldn't smell anything of you with that wind and all the damned fumes. I didn't know where you were."

He turned Dean to face him and kissed him deeply, still feeling his heart pounding with his panic. He clasped Dean so close and tightly to him, it took him a moment to realize he might be hurting the young man and eased his hold.

When he finally stopped kissing him, he laughed softly. "I'm acting like a scared kid. Or a clingy freaky boyfriend. I'm sorry. I guess I’m a little needy. A hundred and sixty six years old and I'm needy. You've got to admit, that is definitely drifting into the pathetic zone."

He rubbed Dean's back. "I guess that gives you one free pass to be a clingy jealous boyfriend without me calling foul next time, huh?"

Dean's eyebrows rose a little when Sam told him how he'd freaked Sam out. Honestly? He hadn't thought of that and he should have.

He knew Sam had been freaked out just by leaving that old abandoned farm house and returning to "civilization". He knew Sam was protective… to say the least. He felt Sam's eyes on him all the time, watching him, and honestly it had comforted him a lot. Just knowing that the other man was watching, to keep him safe. Dean remembered all too well how quickly Sam had jumped to his aid when that schmuck had put his hands on him in the bar. He hadn't really thought how Sam watching him like a hawk wasn't only for his peace of mind though.

He hadn't thought about how not knowing where he was might affect Sam. Dean had only gone to the bathroom for Christ sake, but Sam didn't know that. He'd left the vampire alone, sleeping in the car. Fuck, he'd left Sam alone, practically defenseless. No wonder the other man had freaked out.

Dean cursed himself even as Sam kissed him breathless, tasting the other man's fear as well as relief. He could be really damned stupid sometimes, Dean knew that much, but this was pushing it. He held onto Sam just as tightly, kissed him just as hard, and only reluctantly let the other man go when Sam relaxed his hold.

Dean shook his head a little at Sam's self deprecation, even as he smiled a bit at the other man's attempt to joke the moment into something less intense.

"You're not pathetic. I was an idiot. Can't promise I won't be again, but I won't I won't do that again, ok?" Dean said, before pulling Sam back into a kiss. Just as the bathroom door swung open again and this time burly trucker guy walked in, stopped dead in his tracks when he saw them, and then turned around and walked out. Dean blushed in embarrassment, pressing his face against Sam's neck and didn't know whether to laugh or groan.

They were making out in the bathroom of a rest stop... how much more cheesy porno could you get?

Sam smiled at Dean's reassurance he wasn't being pathetic. If Dean had known his from before all this, yeah, he was. He never freaked this much or needed his other lovers like he needed Dean right now. But he would get over it. He knew that. He just needed time.

"You weren't being an idiot. When you gotta go, Dude, you gotta go. I don't know if I would have stopped to think about it either. But yeah, please, just tell me next time. I'm sure I'll be an idiot along the way too."

He let Dean pull him into another kiss. He heard the door swing open but he didn't feel any particular threat though he honestly couldn't think much beyond Dean's tongue in his mouth and Dean's hot body pressed against him. Still he turned Dean enough to see who it was. The look of shock that flickered over the man's face and his sudden about face, coupled with Dean burying his head in Sam's neck in embarrassment made the last of Sam's panic drain away and he laughed.

"Bet that guy never goes to the restroom here again. As much as I would like to throw you up against the wall and suck on your neck until you came, this place," Sam wrinkled his nose, "is a little too…grungy." He released Dean and walked over to the urinal. "I'm here, might was well take care of business so I'm not accused of having a bladder, what was it, the size of a tea cup?"

Well, at least Sam was laughing instead of freaked out now. A little bit of embarrassment was worth that, Dean hated seeing that scared look in Sam’s eyes. He hated even more being the cause of it.

"Making out in rest stop bathrooms definitely ain’t one of my kinks, Sammy." Dean replied with a little roll of his eyes. When Sam headed for the urinal, the young man headed for the door.

"Well, since you’ve got everything in hand..." Dean grinned as he glanced briefly down at Sam’s crotch, "I’ll go back to the car. Last thing we need is Bobby freaking out because he doesn’t know where we are."

Dean gave the vampire one more good leer for good measure before he pushed the door open and headed outside because really, making out in grungy roadside bathrooms wasn’t his style. He didn’t have many standards, but he had some.

He saw but didn’t pay too much attention to the small group of men, one of whom was the burly redneck trucker who’d walked in on him and Sam, standing over by their trucks not to far away. He definitely didn’t notice all the beer bottles scattered about. If he had, maybe he would have been less surprised by one of the bottles smashing across the back of his head, sending him sprawling before he made it back around the side of the building.

He was so dazed by the blow, he barely felt the first kick aimed to his stomach. Dean definitely felt the second and third, though he lost count after that.

"Fucking faggot!" He heard one of the men snarl before aiming another vicious kick to his kidneys. Maybe if he hadn’t been half knocked unconscious by the initial blow, maybe if there’d only been two or three of them, he could have done something to stop them. As it was he could barely curl in on himself and use his arms to try to protect his head from being kicked in.

Sam was just finishing up when he heard the sounds of a scuffle and the damning words he knew too well. He’d barely zipped up before he was outside and saw his lover on the ground being kicked by a group of men. He could smell the alcohol on them and his lover’s blood scented the air with fear, confusion, and pain. Rage filled him. Hadn’t they suffered enough at other’s hands?

Only his years of ‘playing’ human through vicious fights and brutal pain kept him from ripping the men into bite size morsels fit for scavengers after he had drained them of blood. Rushing forward he grabbed the first man to come within reach and tossed him backward twenty feet. The next he grab his shoulder and spun him around, giving him a right cross that put the man on the ground. He planted his palm in chest of the burly trucker who had walked in on them and knocked him back and onto his ass. The group finally realized they were being attacked and turned on Sam. Sam felt his lip split open as one of them caught him with a left hook.

The animal in Sam begged for vengeance but Sam knew he couldn’t risk it. A hunter or Vanessa would potentially notice a report of a fight where one man tore apart a group of men. Rumors would spread, descriptions might be given. He had to allow himself to take some hits. That didn’t mean he couldn’t savor every punch he landed, though.

“Dean, on your feet,” Sam snapped. He needed to make sure Dean was still lucid and figured being a hunter, Dean would respond to a commanding tone with little thought no matter how out of it he was. A part of him also knew that Dean needed this fight, needed to prove to himself he was still capable of defending himself.

His own blood tasted bitter in his mouth with fear and pain. Yes, the pain was bad. But it wasn’t even the kicks and punches that kept being aimed for his ribs, stomach, and arms (only because he was using them to protect his head) that was the worst of it. It was the fear that was the worst. The flashbacks to the vampire nest, their hateful jeers not so different from these men. At any moment Dean expected the rough hands to change, to begin ripping at his clothes, and begin to bruise and hurt him in an entirely different way.

He couldn’t go through that again… he simply couldn’t… he couldn’t… he’d rather die. He’d rather just let them kick in his skull and bleed to death on the ground right here than go through that again.

That didn’t happen though. It took him a while to realize he wasn’t being attacked anymore. Probably because he hurt enough everywhere that it still felt like he was being kicked and punched, but he wasn’t. Then he heard someone yelling at him, and he must have been hit harder on the head than he thought because he would have sworn it sounded almost like his father’s voice, but of course it wasn’t.

It was Sam.

Still, even if his mind knew that his body reacted immediately as though it had been his Dad’s command. Well used to obeying without really thinking it uncurled itself from his protective huddle, ignoring the pain as he began to push himself up, getting onto his feet and somehow remaining there. Seeing Sam being attacked by the men who’d been attacking him ignited a new emotion inside of him. Fury. Overpowering both the fear and pain that had crippled him so easily before.

Dean grabbed one of the men, spun them around, and punched him so hard he sent the man sprawling and he was sure he’d broken the fucker’s jaw in the process. Good. Between him and Sam the fight was over rather quickly after that. The stupid drunk truckers and rednecks no match for two trained hunters, one of whom was a vampire. Soon all the men were either lying on the ground moaning, or knocked out.

The young man stood, bruised, blood dripping into his eyes from a gash on his forehead, and down the back of his neck from where the bottle had connected, and still practically shaking with anger. Wishing the bastards hadn’t gone down so quickly, just so he could kick their asses all over again.

To Sam it was one of the most beautiful things he thought he had ever seen. His lover, was on his feet and fighting. A part of him had feared Dean might never recover from what the vampires had done to him. Brutality like they had experienced branded a man's soul and sometimes, that could never heal. He had worried, even though Dean wanted to go with him to hunt Vanessa, that he would be a liability. Hell, Sam wasn't entirely certain how he was going to react when facing the bitch and he couldn't worry about his too human lover. It would assuredly get them both killed.

But Dean was fighting. He was striking back at those who had attacked him. Fighting back with a little bit more than human strength and Sam would have to caution Dean about that. So busy admiring his lover, he took another wicked punch to his face. He refocused on those he was facing and between he and Dean, put them all down. Seeing their unconscious bodies or hearing their pathetic groans was definitely rewarding. Damn. Always over too fast. His animal begged for just a small snack at least, to put just a little bit of fear into the men, but Sam assured the animal soon enough they would find Vanessa and soon enough, its thirst for vengeance would be slaked.

Giving Dean a grin he said, "Okay, remind me of this the next time I say I want to see you try to kick my ass. I may have second thoughts."

He spat blood out of his mouth. It was mixed with the foul taste of one of the jerks who had split his knuckles on Sam's teeth. Sam wiped away the blood from his lip with his thumb and leaned down, grabbing a buck knife clipped to one of the men's jeans. He tossed it to Dean and grabbed another knife from one of the other fallen then jerked his head toward the vehicles with something of a diabolical grin. Maybe not blood, but the hell he wasn't taking a bit of extra vengeance for this attack and for men like these, it would be as bad as getting their asses whipped.

He jogged over to where the men's vehicles were. With rapid efficiency he flattened tires of each vehicle that he smelled the scent of the men. Except for the burly trucker guy. Maybe the guy hadn't been the one who goaded the others into the attack, but he was Sam's chosen sacrificial lamb. He opened the trucker's door, opening it just a bit beyond how far it was supposed to open, springing the hinge. He took hold of the steering wheel and twisted, using his vampiric strength to not only twist the wheel out of round, but to bend the steering column just enough that the truck certainly wouldn't be drivable in the near future. He wiped down his prints from the door and steering wheel, then for a finishing touch he used the knife to poke several holes into the radiator. Wiping his prints from the knife he walked over to the burly trucker still groaning on the ground.

"Word of advice. When you see two men kissing who look like they can wipe the floor with you, they probably can." He drove the knife through the cuff of the man's shirtsleeve, burying the knife to the hilt in the ground below. "And the next ones might not stop with just kicking your asses."

Blood was running from his nose and a cut on his cheek from a ring one of the men had been wearing. He pulled off his t-shirt and after ripping it in half, tossed part of it to Dean while he used the other part to wipe way the blood on his face.

"You okay?" he asked. While the boyfriend in him wanted to walk over to Dean and clean away the blood and take care of the man, the hunter in him wanted to offer Dean the respect of licking his own wounds. Once in the car, then he would look after Dean the way he wanted to.

Dean looked over to Sam at the other man’s words. Seeing Sam’s grin a genuine smile pulling at his own lips, and even though the vampire looked just as bruised and bloodied as he felt, the young man was certain he’d never seen anyone so damned beautiful. The anger he felt at the fuckers who’d attacked him was still there, boiling just under the surface of his skin, but the panic he’d felt was completely gone now. Despite the pain and knowing he was going to be feeling even sorer later on… he felt better than he had in a while. Fuck, he almost wanted to thank the fuckers. Well, not really them, but Sam. For understanding what he’d needed.

Sure, the vampire could have easily taken out the group of drunken men by himself, saved the “damsel” in distress again… but he hadn’t. Sam had reminded him that he was a hunter, damn it. His Dad had taught him to fight. Had taught him to hold a gun practically before he knew his ABC’s. His father had taught him to hold his own against things a lot more dangerous than this drunken group of assholes. He’d almost forgotten that… that he wasn’t a victim… but Sam had reminded him who he was.

Dean almost couldn’t wait to have a little friendly sparring match with the Vampire.

He caught the knife that Sam threw to him, and he knew exactly what the other man had in mind. Laughing a little he followed Sam to the men’s trucks and helped slashing the tires, cutting up the upholstery of the seats, even taking a rock to some of the windows and carving up the paint jobs. One truck Dean scraped the word ‘Faggot’ into the side of the car with the knife and then pocketed it. It was a good knife, after all.

By the time they were done, Dean’s anger was mostly sated, though he still aimed a kick at one of the groaning men as he passed. He was definitely starting to feel the full extent of the beating he’d taken, and really wouldn’t mind another several hours in the car just not having to move.

Dean raised an eyebrow when Sam took off his shirt, wincing a little at the forming bruises he saw and knowing he probably had plenty of his own under his own shirt. He caught half of the ripped shirt that Sam threw at him though, using it to wipe off some of the blood on his face.

“Fine. You?” He asked to Sam’s question, even as he tenderly probed at the wound on the back of his head. The bleeding had slowed to pretty much a trickle, but it still hurt like a bitch. Dean sighed and wiped off his fingers, pressing the material to the back of his head with another wince. That was when he heard Bobby calling his name, the older man sounding more than a little worried.

“We should get back.”

"I'm fine. Have to admit, kicking someone's ass felt good," Sam said.

He heard Bobby's voice clearly. He regretted the concern he heard but a glance over his shoulder and he couldn't help but grin. Bobby would get over it. He knew too that the men would never admit two 'fags' cleaned their clocks. He was certain the tale would come out that there was a whole gang of trouble makers that they tried to handle, but there was just too many of them. There would be no stories of two men taking them apart and vandalizing their vehicles.

Rounding the corner of the building, his grin broadened. "Hey Bobby. Sorry, we had to take care of some business."

The old hunter's gaze zeroed in on the bruises and bloody wounds both the young men carried. He twisted his head and yelled at Jacob. "Get a bag of ice for the cooler and some Ziploc baggies." Turning back to the young men. "Should I ask?"

Sam gave a shrug. "Some yahoos didn't like two men kissing in the bathroom. They'll think twice next time. But we probably ought to get on the road quickly, if you know what I mean."

With a sigh and a nod, he waved his hand toward the car. "Get your butts in there. I'll get the first aid kit from the trunk. As soon as Jake gets the ice we can be on our way. I swear, can't leave you two chuckleheads alone, can I?"

Dean couldn’t help but laugh at that, even though it made his ribs hurt. Yeah, kicking their asses had felt damned good. Maybe next time they could head to some crappy redneck bar, start making out at the counter, and then kick the asses of the homophobic pricks that would surely get in their faces over it. Not that Dean often went out purposefully looking for trouble, but that had felt damned satisfying and he wouldn’t mind a little longer “therapy” session.

He followed after Sam, still grinning like an idiot. Though now it was in more admiration than amusement. Sam made a stunning sight. Even bruised and a little bloodied, or maybe even because of it. Plus watching his lover walking around in public with no shirt, seeing people turning their heads to look, knowing that was all they could ever do. They could look and admire. They could want what he had. But Sam was his. Yeah, that was pretty damned satisfying too.

Possessive? Maybe. Did he care? Hell no.

He gave Bobby a little grin and a shrug, but didn’t add anything to Sam’s explanation. He simply headed towards the car, and climbed into the back seat with a small groan of relief. Yeah, he was going to be sore later. Hell, he was sore now.

Dean looked over at Sam when the other man climbed in the back seat and smiled. He reached over to wipe away a little bit of blood that still seeped from Sam’s nose and from his split lip. Then leaned across the seat, ignoring his discomfort, to press his mouth to his lover’s. Tasting Sam’s blood in his mouth and moaning softly as he licked it away.

He sure as hell hoped Bobby wasn't going to lecture them, but Bobby seemed content throwing them a thoroughly annoyed look. With the wind and all the smells at the gas station, he was picking up too many different scents to be certain, but along with relief, he thought maybe he smelled a bit of pride coming from Bobby. But then the wind gusted and the smell of gasoline wiped it away. He noticed more than a couple heads turned their way, eyes resting on him, watching him, a few watching Dean who was behind him. Normally he wouldn't have minded people admiring him, he would have even enjoyed it, but he just wanted to get in the car and get back on the road. He wanted to get back to his things, his clothes, his everything. He wanted to hide from the world for a few more days before he had to start dealing with hunting for Vanessa.

Climbing into the back seat was a relief. The station had a canopy so he hadn't had to deal with the sun at least. Glancing over at Dean, Dean's smile washed away his upset. He watched Dean's hand move to touch his face. Yeah, he was still bleeding a little, but then, so was Dean. He was a bit surprised when Dean leaned across and kissed him, what with Bobby's rule and all. Dean's tongue lapped at the split in his lip and the moan that followed had Sam wrapping his arms around the young man tightly. He hoped Dean didn't feel him shaking. The sight of those men kicking Dean had brought forth fury, but had also brought back memories of Sam behind bars while he had to watch the man he loved being tortured and raped. Sam turned their gentle, almost sensual kiss possessive and demanding. He growled in declaration of his love and the desire to protect and possess. He didn't care that he heard the trunk close and Bobby was surely looking in on them. He didn't care that Bobby's open window would let him hear Sam's growl.

"Dammit boys," he heard Bobby start, but then heard Jacob interrupt. Knowing Jacob would keep him busy, he refocused on his lover.

"It's not what you think," Jacob told Bobby softly as he laid a hand on Bobby's arm and pulled him a few steps back. "It scared Sam, he's just…reconfirming Dean's still his and that Dean is okay."

"Never knew vampires growled," Bobby said quietly.

Jacob smirked. "They purr, too. Probably when Dean growls back, you'll get to hear it. Like having a big cat in the room with you," Jacob said, pouring the ice into the big cooler. They already put some ice in it as well as the little cooler they had up front, but if they were going to need icepacks, they needed more ice than what they had bought initially, hence Bobby's order to him to get some more.

"Dean's going to growl?" Bobby said, not sure he was comfortable with the idea. It made Dean a little less than human and he didn't want to think of John's boy as that.

"Only because they're blood mates. As far as I know, the only time I ever growled was that first time when I was dying, when Sammy figured out I needed vampire blood and I was desperate for it. Haven't growled since. Huh, wonder if Dean can purr?" Jacob mused as he filled a couple baggies with ice. He stopped Bobby from following suit. "Sam won't take one. He hates being cold. He gets a little colder as it is when his body is healing itself. A blanket will help him more.

Bobby retrieved a blanket from the trunk, shaking his head. Well, he was going to have to get use to how a vampire worked, or at least, how Sam worked. A slight smile touched his lips as he shut the trunk and looked in on the two. John would have had a shit fit about Dean and a vampire being together, but once he saw how much Dean cared about Sam, Bobby was sure his earlier words to Dean would have been true. John would have accepted it…eventually.

Sam’s arms wrapping around him and holding him so tightly was a little uncomfortable against his bruised ribs. Hell, it was a lot uncomfortable, but Dean didn’t really care at the moment.

He could feel the slight tremors running through his lover’s body. He could taste the slight bitter lingering fear Sam had felt. It was obvious what had happened had shaken Sam up a little. Though he was sure the other man never would have admitted it. Mostly for Dean’s sake, probably. Hell, it had shaken Dean up to. He remembered well the initial paralyzing panic that had gripped him until Sam had broken him out of it.

His hand slid around to cup the back of Sam’s neck. Gently massaging and caressing through the other man’s soft hair as he kissed him, comforting. Opening his mouth up eagerly for the almost desperate and possessive kisses Sam gave him. His other arm wrapped around the vampire’s back, drawing Sam even closer.

Dean heard and felt Sam’s worried growl. On one level he heard Bobby’s half worried/half annoyed comment, but right now his only concern was Sam. Bobby could just suck it up. He answered Sam’s soft growl with one of his own, reassuring, and smiling into the kiss when he heard the other man’s answering purr. God, he loved it when Sam purred.

He gently caressed up and down the other man’s bare back a few more times, and then reluctantly started to draw back. As much as he liked it, the position wasn’t really a comfortable one considering how bruised up and sore he was.

“I’m ok.” Dean reassured again, his fingers continuing their gentle petting motion through Sam’s hair.

Dean's growl shot through him, reassuring him in ways no words could and his growl softened into a purr. He loved the way Dean's fingers played in his hair, the way his hand stroked his back. As reluctantly as Dean released him, Sam did likewise, finally letting the young man settle back.

"I know you are," Sam answered softly as his purr died away. "I just…too many memories." Giving a strained smile he added, "I'm not used to dealing with these types of demons. I think I prefer my hellhound. Him I can handle. Usually."

Sam was a little startled when his door opened and twisted away, pulling his fist back.

"Just me," Bobby said and handed him in a blanket. "Jake says you'd rather have this than an icepack."

Sam relaxed immediately and took it with a slight nod. "When the AC is kicked back on, yeah. Thanks."

Bobby proceeded to hand in the first aid kit and a couple ice packs wrapped in towels. He also gave Sam a t-shirt and long-sleeved flannel. "I'm gonna get us on the road before what ruckus you two raised gets us noticed. You," he bent over a little further and glared at Dean, "let Sammy fix you up, no whining. And I s'pose…I s'pose a little kissing or something is okay. Just no moaning and groaning, and growling. When I hear growling behind me and it ain't Rumsfeld, kinda puts me on edge."

"Yes sir, Mr. Singer," Sam said. "No growling."

"I told you, it's Bobby."

Sam offered him a smile. "And regardless of what Jake's told you, it's Sam."

Bobby stared at him a moment, then began laughing. "Sam. Got it, son."

Sam's brow lifted. Son? He passed a look over at Dean and grinned. "Haven't had someone call me that in…a long time. And now I get to ask you one of my all time favorite things. Take your shirt off for me, Dean." He gave the young man the most lustful leer he could.

Dean nodded slightly at Sam’s answer. Yeah… memories.

He would rather tangle with an actual demon than deal with the memories those fucking vampires had left them with any day. But there wasn’t any spell that could exorcise them, unfortunately. None that Dean knew of anyway. They just had to live with them… at least with Sam around Dean thought that he actually could. Without Sam… yeah, he really didn’t want to think about that. If he hadn’t been killed in the vampire nest outright, he probably would have put a bullet in his head a long time ago. It was much better not to think about that.

Dean was a little startled by Sam’s reaction when Bobby opened up the car door, and he thought he was jumpy. He laid a light hand on Sam’s arm, even though the vampire had relaxed almost immediately after confirming Bobby’s identity.

When the older hunter turned his attention to him, ordering him to let Sam fix him up, Dean frowned a little. How many times did he have to say he was fine? Ok, he got the shit kicked out of him a little, but he’d given it back a hell of a lot more than he ‘d been given, and he certainly wasn’t crippled with pain or anything. A few aspirin and a nap and he’d be fine.

He almost told Bobby as much, even though the older man had told him no whining, but the older hunter’s grumbled reluctance to let them kiss in the back seat had Dean grinning again in spite of himself. In fact, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing when Bobby amended that they better not start groaning or moaning in the back seat. And kind of wished he hadn’t realizing it was still sore from being punched. Ow.

Mr. Singer… Dean couldn’t help but snort at that. Then he rolled his eyes a little when Sam went on to order him out of his shirt.

“Alright, alright. Swear you two are a pair of mother hens.” Dean huffed as he started pulling up his shirt. Hiding a wince as he pulled it over his head, feeling every damned bruise from every boot that had connected to his stomach, ribs, and back.

“Should have pissed in their gas tanks…” The young man grumbled, dropping his bloody shirt on the car floor.

Bobby had them back on the road before Dean had hardly gotten his shirt off. Sam felt anger smolder inside him when he saw all the bruises and scrapes on Dean's torso. Dean's arms and face weren't much better.

"Should have molotov cocktailed their damned vehicles," Sam growled.

Running his hands gently over Dean's body, he checked each bad bruise for deeper damage.

"Stop squirming, you're fine, remember?" Sam said almost teasingly. Satisfied the bastards hadn't actually broken anything, he opened the first aid kit and pulled out some gauze that he wet down with a bottle of water Jacob handed him. With utmost care, Sam dabbed at the gash on Dean's forehead before cleaning it with antiseptic and then bandaging it. "Hmm, I think we need to get some Disney bandages for the first aid kit," the vampire murmured with a smirk. "C'mon let me see the back of that hard head of yours."

As with the gash he tenderly cleaned the wound, using tweezers to pluck out a few slivers of brown glass. After putting antiseptic on it he handed Dean an icepack. "This will probably work best on it."

After handing Dean some aspirin and water, he took the other icepack and put it on the worst bruise on Dean's side, then went to work cleaning up the various scrapes his lover had taken in the scrabble. Once he was satisfied he had done all he could, he kissed Dean.

"We never catch a break, do we?" Sam asked softly. "Think we'll ever get a few days running when we aren't recovering from some sort of injuries?" He cupped his hand alongside Dean's cheek, lightly running his thumb over Dean's lower lip.

Shivering suddenly, Sam skipped the t-shirt and instead reached for the flannel shirt and slipped it on, then pulled the blanket over himself.

Dean couldn't help but laugh at the other man's growled words, even though it hurt and he kind of regretted it, he kind of didn't. It was easier to just laugh it off. The fact that either of them could laugh about it at all, well, that was something of a miracle in itself. Dean had to admit he felt a lot better once they were back on the road.

He relaxed a little back in the seat, though he kept Sam's torn shirt behind his head to keep his blood off of the back of Bobby's seat. Not that the older man would probably care, but it meant less he would have to clean up later. He knew from experience cleaning blood out of upholstery was a bitch. One of the nice things about the impala, all the seats were leather. Made clean up easy… he missed his baby.

When Sam started poking and prodding at the bruises around his ribs, Dean had to bite his tongue to keep from hissing through his teeth. Normally he liked, hell, really liked, Sam touching him. Now though Dean only glared mildly at the other man when Sam told him to quit squirming. Sam would squirm if Dean started poking at big blackening foot shaped bruises on him too! While a part of him missed the feeling of Sam's fingers on his skin, even though it had hurt, he was glad when Sam apparently decided he had not broken bones and stopped. Giving him time to catch his breath.

He let Sam clean off his forehead and face with more care than Dean would take. He was glad that the cut apparently didn't need stitches.

"Ass." Dean muttered under his breath when Sam mentioned fucking Disney band aids. Sam was just looking for an ass kicking. He didn't do anything more than grunt when Sam ordered him to let him see the back of his head. He really didn't want to move but since his head was what hurt the worst right now, it was probably best to get it taken care of.

So Dean leaned forward, wincing a few times with the movement and then again when Sam started pulling little shards of glass out of the back of his head. Fucking rednecks with their beer bottles… The ice pack on the back of his head didn't feel all that great at first, but he knew it would in a couple minutes so Dean obediently held it there as he relaxed back against the seat. Giving Sam a small smile when the other man pressed a second ice pack to his side. The small sweet kiss Sam gave him when it was done made it all worthwhile.

Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam's question.

"Hunters and gay lovers? Probably not." Dean joked, maybe in bad taste, but head injuries made him even less politically correct than normal. Even though it was true. How often was he not bruised, cut, or had something broken in one way or another? But then, that was part of the job. Hunting was dangerous. Scars were a part of a hunter's life… in more ways than one. The fact that this recent round of injuries didn't involve anything supernatural… yeah that bothered him. But what could you do? Another reminder that supernatural crap wasn't the only evil out there in the world sucked, but that was life too.

Dean sighed heavily, deciding he didn't like the places his mind went when he had a head injury either. He saw Sam shiver and pull on the shirt and blanket around him and frowned worriedly. He'd thought Sam's hands had felt a little cool, but he hadn't been paying much attention until now.

"Come here." Dean said, putting down the ice pack he'd been holding to his side reaching out to grasp Sam's arm, tugging the vampire to him. If Sam was cold, he could curl up against him for warmth. Besides, Sam was better than any ice pack any day.

Dean had a point. Hunters lives were fraught with hazards. They could ease the hazards of being gay in homophobic areas by keeping a lid on it. If Sam hadn't been so worried about Dean, they wouldn't have been kissing in the men's bathroom, or would have locked the door at least. Being more careful should eliminate most of those hazards.

Sam's breath hissed when Dean tugged him close. Shit that hurt. He saw Dean's concerned look and reassured him. "Gotta couple bruised ribs. One of those gorillas got a solid punch in. I'm fine, nothing broken or I'd have you wrap them. Part of the reason I'm cold though."

He supposed it would hurt less if he did wrap them butjust didn't want to mess with it. He was getting better and better at this not breathing thing and hated the fact he was getting far too much practice of late. He had to breathe to talk, and habit made him take breaths. Actually he wondered if he could talk without breathing. He never had bothered to explore some of the more supernatural sides of his vampirism. Ghosts talked and they didn't breathe. Huh. He would have to ponder that. In the meantime he gladly curled up against Dean. He knew he was colder than normal to the touch. The sun was hot, the day was hot, and then with all the adrenaline, he hadn't really been paying attention to keeping his heart beating fast enough to keep his body temperature up, especially when the virus started stealing energy to heal the injuries. Still he was growing too lax around Dean. If he didn't start paying more attention to being 'human', they were going to run into someone who nailed him for what he was.

But it was so nice. Nice not to have to pretend to be anything or anyone but who he was. Dean knew. Bobby knew. Jake knew. And they didn't care. He supposed that was one of the things he missed most about having a long term lover. Being himself. Allowing himself to relax. With Dean it was even better. Not just the bloodmate thing, but that was pretty damned special by itself. Dean wasn't put off by his teeth or his growling or his purring. Dean loved being bit, loved biting back. If Sam were bleeding, he didn't have to worry about keeping his lover protected from it. It was all so damned perfect.

The way Dean draped his arm over his shoulder, the way Dean seemed to understand Sam needed warmth was so special. Okay, he didn't actually need warmth. Being cold just reminded him too much he wasn't human and sometimes he really needed to pretend he was. Sometimes, he really hated being a vampire. Other vampires probably didn't shiver if they got cold. It probably didn't bother them at all. He was different. Even Stasi had pointed out Sam was more 'human' than most vampires, and that he mimicked human extremely well. Maybe he longed to be human more than most.

No, that wasn't really true. He longed to have someone with him forever, though forever was a long time and after a couple hundred years he wondered if a relationship would get old and stale. The years he had spent with any of his lovers, the relationships never had, but those were mere decades. Centuries? He didn't know. Jessica and he had taken on occasional one night stands or doing the threesome bit to learn new things, to add spice and variety to their love life. The thought of sharing Dean? No, he didn't like that one bit and he realized suddenly how jealous he would be if he caught Dean looking at someone's ass the way he had been looking at the waitress's. They could maybe admire together, that would be good, and he smiled a little. Michael and he used to go out 'hunting' together. They would go out and ogle the pretty lads and lasses of the day and the sex those evenings was always really hot.

Maybe it was being girlie, but he took hold of Dean's warm hand. His shivering had eased and he was feeling a little less like an ice cube. His virus was dutifully working away at healing his injuries. The constant intake of blood from Dean, even in the very small quantities he was getting, seemed to make his virus strong and healthy. That was probably due to the blood being such a perfect match to his vampiric needs. He smiled more broadly. Dean was sticking around for a while. He lifted his head.

"Hey," he said softly. When Dean twisted his head to look at him, Sam captured his mouth and licked his way in to Dean's. It wasn't meant to get either of them hot and bothered. It was just a loving intimate kiss. "Love you," Sam whispered softly.

When Sam hissed in pain Dean immediately let the other man go, guilt and worry warring for control inside of him and surely showing on his face. Sam had said he was fine, but he was obviously in a lot of pain to show it like that. The vampire's reassurances that it was just bruised ribs and nothing worse eased his worry a little bit but not really his guilt. Even though it had been unintentional, he hated the idea that he had caused Sam pain. He should have known better, damn it. He was so stupid sometimes…

When the other man finally curled up against his side, Dean didn't hesitate putting his arm around Sam and holding him gently. Maybe a little more gently than he strictly needed to be, but he didn't want to risk doing anything that might hurt Sam again.

He smiled at the other man curled up against him, glad that he could do this for Sam. Dean liked that he could give Sam this, even if it wasn't much. Just offering some of his own body's warmth so that the vampire wouldn't have to work so hard keeping his temperature up. He liked being able to take care of Sam this way. For so long Dean had only had himself to look after, he liked being able to look after someone else for a change… even if Sam might deny he needed it.

Dean closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. The ice pack was doing its work, so were the pain killers, and he was feeling relaxed enough now to feel exhaustion pulling at him. Yeah, a nap sounded really good right now. Maybe by the time he woke up they'd be at Jacob's and he and Sam could curl up together in a nice soft bed. Dean wasn't sure if either of them would be feeling well enough for a roll in the hay but he was willing to give it a shot…

Sam's soft word roused Dean a little and he opened his eyes, turning to look down at Sam and smiled when his lips were captured. He opened his mouth willingly to the gentle invasion and made small appreciative sounds as their tongues tangled together gently. Trying to keep his groaning and moaning to a minimal if only so Bobby wouldn't feel the need to interrupt them for being too porno for him.

When Sam finally released his lips the soft whisper against his lips made Dean's heart do a girly flip. Yeah, he had it bad…

"You're such a girl." Dean teased lightly to cover it up, though he gave the other man's hand holding his a light squeeze. Not that he really minded a little girlyness right now. Not that he'd ever admit it aloud. He could blame it on the head injury later. "Love you too."

Sam heard Dean's heart jump just a little when he told him he loved him and smiled, then chuckled a little at the accusation of being a girl. He decided not to tease Dean back about it, especially when Dean squeezed his hand and the fact his own heart did its own little jump when Dean told him he loved him too. Unintentionally a purr started in his chest and he snuggled up to Dean a little closer and squeezed Dean's hand back. He could tell Dean was getting sleepy, and he certainly didn't mind the thought of sleeping curled up next to Dean. His Dean.

He closed his eyes and his purr softened but didn't go away as he let himself drift off to sleep.

He was aware when they stopped, he was aware when Bobby and Jake talked and passed jokes and barbs, and he was aware when Dean shifted. When Dean's breathing or heart rate changed he purred deeper and a little louder, soothingly. But even while being aware of these things, he slept. It wasn't the deep sleep he would eventually need, but it was rest, which is what his virus needed. The longer he rested, the faster he would heal.

When the car stopped this time though, and the windows were rolled down, he smelled the familiarity and opened his eyes.

"Told you," Jacob said to Bobby and held out his hand. Grumbling, Bobby dug a five dollar bill from his wallet.

Sitting up, Sam looked around. Yes, they were at Jake's. He shook his head as the memories of just how much had happened in such a brief period of time rolled into his mind. How he had brought Dean here, watched him practically turn, watched him fight the battle against the virus, almost kill himself, how they made love, and then how things went so badly and Dean almost left him. It was almost ironic to know that had Vanessa not come after them, he would not have Dean beside him now. How fucked up was that?

He kissed Dean lightly. "C'mon Sleeping Beauty. Time to wake up," he said.

The near constant gentle purring from Sam had lulled Dean to sleep rather quickly. He was sure it was one of the reasons why he felt so comfortable and was able to sleep so deeply without nightmares. He wondered if he would ever stop being amazed how something so definitely not human could comfort him so much. Sometimes Dean did forget that Sam wasn’t human. Sitting in a diner sharing pancakes with the man, for instance, it was hard to think of Sam as a bloodsucking creature of the night.

But even in times like this, with the other man’s slightly chilly skin (but warming up quickly) pressed against him and Sam’s soft purrs in his ear he wasn’t put off in the least. Maybe because it even though it was a reminder that Sam wasn’t human, it was also a reminder that it was Sam with him. No one else.

Dean stirred more from the fact that Sam had pulled away from him than the fact that the car had stopped. Though the soft kiss pressed to his lips helped a little, Dean was sure, the young man still grumbled under his breath at the “Sleeping Beauty” remark. Damn it. Sam had agreed to quit that.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes before blinking them open. Realizing they were here rather than feeling relieved Dean felt a chill pass through him. This was where the vampires had taken them. They had snuck up on him, practically in this very spot, standing in the driveway when he’d been waiting for Bobby. Pissed off as hell and not paying attention, ready to walk out on Sam and never look back.

This was where the vampires had found them before… kidnapped them, tortured them, raped… what if they came back? What if they were waiting for them now? Now that they were here… Dean suddenly wished they could be anywhere else.

Seeing the emotions that crossed Dean's face, Sam suspected he knew what was going through Dean's mind. With a sly grin, Sam wrapped his arms around Dean. Time to put a little positive reinforcement on Jake's place. He wanted Dean to be comfortable coming here and yeah, it was possible Vanessa might hunt for them here, expecting them to return, but they would deal. They wouldn't be caught with their guard down again. Sam would definitely do a circuit around the place, trying to catch anyone's scent he didn't recognize, but even for the trepidation he felt at being back here, there was an odd sort of comfort to it as well. But for the moment, he focused on wiping anything and everything out of Dean's mind except for him. He growled possessively as he kissed Dean breathless. His tongue was everywhere inside Dean's mouth, tasting him thoroughly. His hands he kept gentle, mindful of Dean's bruises, though some of the lesser bruises had already faded a good deal.

When he finally thought he had completely succeeded in taking Dean's mind off anything that might upset him, he drew back and looked at Dean, utterly pleased with himself. Damn did Dean look hot so thoroughly kissed, those plump lips with his breath panting between them, a little flush to his face, and if Sam didn't know there was a nice big bed inside Jake's place, he'd start sucking on Dean's neck and he was certain where that would lead.

"Damn you taste good," Sam said, planting a final light kiss on his lips. "C'mon. Let's get inside, give it a once over, then we'll go visit your baby while we run the circuit around the place and make sure we're good. I'll bet Jacob will be grilling up some veal by the time we're back. You need a good relaxed meal. Got to make sure you keep up your strength because I want to keep you awake half the night. Maybe the whole night. It's with great restraint I'm not already giving you the hickey from hell on your neck."

Dean supposed he really should stop being surprised at Sam picking up on his change in moods so easily. For the most part he was, so the hug wasn’t really unexpected. Sam practically tongue fucking his mouth though? Yeah, that was a little unexpected. Especially when Bobby and Jacob were still right there, and they were still in the car, so technically the older hunter’s rule still applied…

Telling Sam to stop though was pretty much the last thing on his mind through. In fact, all of his previous thoughts had come to a screeching halt and the only thing he really could think was fuck yes as he groaned back into the kiss, returning it enthusiastically. Dean thought he heard Bobby grumbling something about them getting a room but he wasn’t really sure. He definitely heard two car doors opening and closing, leaving him and Sam pretty much alone now. When the vampire finally let him breathe, Dean knew he was flushed and his heart was pounding hard in his chest.

That wasn’t the only part of him that was hard. His jeans definitely felt tighter than before. Dean glanced down and couldn’t help but smirk, pleased more than a little that Sam was in much the same state as he was.

“What? No romance? Just expect me to put out?” Dean teased, laughing a little as he opened his door and got out of the car before Bobby could yell at them about making out. “And seriously, Dude. You are not going to turn my neck into one gigantic bruise.”

Dean was only playing of course. He loved it when Sam sucked on his neck. Didn’t mean he couldn’t make Sam beg for it a little.

Sam climbed out of the car and shifted his jeans so he wasn't quite so uncomfortable. Damn, he had promised Dean he could eat first.

"Hey, what's more romantic than being awakened by a kiss?" Sam protested as he caught up to Dean and threw his arm around his waist. Bobby and Jacob had already gone inside. He whispered in Dean's ear, "You're my one and only. And if romance is what you want, I'll romance your pants off." He stopped the hunter and pulled him around to face him. "We can go drinking and dancing," he said, putting a hand on either side of Dean's waist, swaying a little as if they were slow dancing. "Or go to a baseball game. I'll get you beer while you work on your baby. I'll send you love notes. I'll take you to see your favorite rock band. I'll kiss you gently." He pulled the young man to him and kissed him tenderly. "I'll cook you burgers." He nuzzled Dean's neck, nipping it lightly. "I"ll wash your back," he switched sides and licked up the side of Dean's neck to the base of his ear which he took in his teeth and tugged on just a little. He blew in the man's ear then reached down to Dean's groin and lightly rubbed his member. "I'll give you a blow job so good your brain will melt."

Pulling back a little he grinned at Dean. "Just so you know. But for now, you go inside and see if Jake or Bobby need any help. I'm going to do a quick jog around the place. No argument. I want to make sure there's nothing we need to worry about. If I sense even the tiniest thing out of place, I'll high tail it back here. I won't be a hero. Promise." He gently shoved Dean toward the door.

Dean couldn’t help but laugh when Sam came up behind him and grabbed him by the waist. Of course Dean had only been kidding about the whole romance thing. He wasn’t a chick after all, he didn’t need the whole flowers and poetry bit. In fact, if Sam went all gushy like that on him he’d probably have to hit the other man. And to be honest, Sam was pretty damned romantic anyway. Not to an annoying degree, thank god, and Dean couldn’t help but chuckle again at Sam’s choice of words.

“Romance my pants off, huh?” Dean asked, cocking an eyebrow when Sam turned him around. Well, despite his earlier words, Sam certainly didn’t need to resort to romance to get his pants off.

When Sam started listing off all the things he’d do to “romance” him though, Dean didn’t know whether to be amused or horrified. Dancing? Oh, hell no. Though the drinking part he could definitely get into. And love notes? He’d really have to kick Sam’s ass if the other man started leaving him love notes.

Though some of the things certainly didn’t sound too bad to him. Like Sam bringing him a beer and cooking burgers. Though he really wanted to ask Sam what the hell was so romantic about a baseball game?

Dean made a sound halfway between a laugh and a groan when Sam began teasing his neck and rubbing him through his jeans.

“I’m definitely holding you to that last one…” Dean practically purred and then made a sound of complaint when Sam pulled back.

He frowned however when Sam told him he should go inside. Seconds ago Sam had said they would walk the perimeter and now the other man was saying he’d go alone? Well, maybe Dean was still feeling a little too bruised to keep up with Sam, but still. Sam might not want an argument, but too bad. He needed a little reminding Dean wasn’t a damsel in distress.

“I liked you’re first suggestion better. We’ll take a look around, and check on my car while we’re at it.” Dean said and rounded to Bobby’s trunk that was still sitting open so they could grab their stuff. He grabbed one of the machetes out of their bags just in case. “Well, let’s go.”

Sam rolled his eyes. He just wanted to make a fast circuit around the place, then get the stuff unloaded from the car and take Dean with him for a thorough walk, checking out everything.

He called into the house, "Jake, Bobby, we're going to check the perimeter. We’ll get the car unloaded when we're done."

After hearing Jake's confirmation, he joined Dean at the trunk.

"I was just going to give it a once over while you helped Jake and Bobby, then I thought we could do a proper reconnaissance," Sam said with a slight smile. "But I did say we would do it together, didn't I? If we're doing a full walk of the perimeter, then we better do it right."

Taking out two machetes, he told Dean, "I always carry two since I focus on vamps more than other things. But I do believe in being prepared." He handed Dean a semi-automatic and holster and took one for himself. After checking the clip and putting on the safety, he buttoned up his shirt and slipped on the shoulder holster. Last, he grabbed his hat and sunglasses out of the car.

"Be sure to stay downwind of me if you can," Sam said, "or all I'm going to be thinking about it you." He grinned. He was almost ready to break into a light jog when instead he sobered and turned to Dean. "I'm use to working alone, probably like you are. We're going to have to get used to working together and learn not to step on each others egos. Assuming you want to do jobs together. If it's okay with you, since we're dealing with vampires and they're my specialty, I'd like to take lead on this. I don't mean to be giving you orders. I have no doubt you can do the job and I have no doubt you're a good hunter. Next job that isn't a vampire job, you can order me around," he said with a genuine smile. "Are you okay with that?"

Dean didn’t miss the impressive eye roll that Sam gave him, but he also didn’t give a shit. Once over or not, he didn’t want Sam walking around out there alone. The vampires had gotten the drop on them once already, and even if they were going to be a lot more alert for them than before, that didn’t mean that the vamps couldn’t get the drop on him again. Especially if Sam was out there alone without any kind of backup. Sheer numbers could overpower him. Dean wasn’t taking any chances and Sam could just suck it up.

But despite the eye roll Sam didn’t try to argue with him or make him stay behind. He wondered how much that had to do with Sam’s confidence that they weren’t going to be followed back here again, at least this soon, or the other man’s confidence in Dean’s abilities as a hunter. Dean certainly couldn’t really blame the other man if he had doubts about that though since Dean hadn’t exactly been at his best from the first moment Sam had met him.

Hanging like a slab of meat in a vampire nest, almost taking himself out when he’d been turning, getting them caught by the same nest again, not being able to hold the vamps off long enough for Sam to escape, getting jumped by a bunch of redneck homophobic assholes… Yeah, not really his most shining moments. He would prove it to Sam though, that he was good enough to partner up with him to take down the fuckers.

Dean took the holster and gun Sam handed to him with a grin and put it on, checked the clip in the gun, and then slid it into the holster. Sure a gun wouldn’t really stop a vampire for long but well placed bullets would certainly slow one down. Besides, vamps weren’t the only baddies that could be out there. Unlikely? Sure. But might as well not take any chances and go prepared just in case.

The young man laughed a little at Sam’s order to stay down wind of him.

“I’ll do my best.” Dean replied and started to follow Sam but he was a little surprised when instead the other man turned around and made his little speech. Yeah it was true, most of the time he worked alone, but it wasn’t like he never partnered with anyone. Bobby of course was the one he most often partnered with if either of them needed it and he was used to deferring to the older man who was definitely more experienced than him. Dean knew it was going to be different with Sam though. Except for Bobby, Dean really didn’t care too much what other hunters thought of him as long as they respected his abilities. He’d gotten into a few arguments with some other hunters about how things should be done and it was never pretty. Dean did care, a lot, about what Sam thought about him though, so laying a few ground rules before they started working together was probably a good thing.

“As long as I can order you around in bed.” Dean finally replied, grinning back at the other man.

Sam broke into laughter. "Order me around in bed huh? If you can string together enough words to give me an order next time, I'm not doing my job." He grinned and took a nice slow hungry look up and down Dean's body. "And believe me. I plan on doing a very good job."

With that, Sam broke into a light jog to reach the nearby treeline, trying to ignore his ribs that still ached. Once into the trees he paused, listening and scenting the air. Satisfied, he moved slowly and silently through the trees, occasionally motioning Dean to stop as he paused, sometimes for as long as a full minute to listen and smell and look. At one point he stopped and with a smile pointed to a mother deer with a fawn. He led Dean around the perimeter, down by the horses out in the field and back up and around to the house. Instead of stopping at the house though he led Dean to a barn not far from the house. The door creaked as it opened. He stared into the dim light. Inside was a tractor with a wagon attached, various tools, and a large car under a tarp. He gave Dean a nod.

"All clear."

He helped Dean carefully remove the tarp to reveal the black beauty that was Dean's baby. The '67 Impala was covered in road dirt but otherwise unharmed. Opening the front passenger's side door, the inside was thick with the scent of his lover, and to a lesser degree, himself. A pang of almost nostalgia struck him. So much had happened since he had first sat in this car. He shut the door with care and walked around to Dean, coming up behind him and pressing himself up close to Dean's body as he wrapped his arms around the young man. Almost immediately he began sucking on Dean's neck.

"That big back seat," Sam said in between sucking and licking, "sure looks inviting…"

“Oh really? We’ll see about that.” Dean snorted softly and smirked at Sam’s laughing reply, deciding to take it as a challenge. If Sam wanted to go all alpha male on him... well, he could certainly try. Not that Dean didn’t like the hungry possessive look that Sam gave him or his promise to do a very good job, but Dean did have something of a reputation to keep. He might not be all that experienced with having sex with guys, but that didn’t mean he was inexperienced. They’d see just who could and couldn’t string together sentences when he was through with Sam.

All joking and flirting aside though, they had a job to do, so when Sam finally took off in an easy jog, Dean immediately became all business. Following after the vampire silently and as he agreed, taking his cues from Sam when to stop and when to move on.

Of course he tried to keep an eye and ear out for anything strange as well, but he knew that Sam’s senses were much stronger than his. He trusted Sam’s instincts, but he made sure to watch the other man’s back as well. Continuously darting glances behind them, his hand tight on the machete held ready at his side.

By the time they were about half way around Jacob’s property though Dean was really beginning to feel the pull of the various bruises on his back and sides thanks to those fucking rednecks. He didn’t complain or ask Sam to slow down though, used to pushing through most discomforts in order to get the job done.

When Sam led them around to the barn Dean smiled when the door was opened and he saw his baby was indeed safe and sound as Bobby had promised him. He ran his hand almost reverently over the hood, not really caring about the dirt but checking for dents or dings the fucking vampires might have left. But he didn’t see anything. Lucky for them. As though he needed any other reasons for wanting the bastards beheaded slowly, if they had touched his car...

The impala was more than just a piece of metal to him. Dean had restored it practically from scrap metal from when he’d wrapped it around a tree when his father had died. It was the closest thing he’d ever had to a home. His father had loved the car as much as he did and since then Dean had made sure to take care of it just as like his dad would have wanted him to.

Dean’s laugh when Sam suddenly hugged him from behind quickly changed to a low groan of pleasure when the other man began sucking on his neck. Yeah, the back seat was looking pretty inviting and more so by the second, but he knew his body would be definitely complaining by the time they were through if he attempted it. Especially since it was already protesting from the run and the way Sam had grabbed him. A nice soft bed. That would be much better in the long run.

“Mmmm... maybe later... If you’re good.” Dean managed, though he moaned again as Sam found a particularly sensitive spot on his neck. His cock twitching a little in interest with ever suck. “Food then bed, remember?”

Then a thought occurred to Dean, making him pause. Maybe Sam was hungry? Like vampire hungry.

“Unless you need a snack?”

Dean's laugh pleased him and Dean's groan sounded more than a little promising. Even though he was sore, he was willing to put that aside for a chance to make love to Dean. Sam shifted against Dean, pressing closer, his cock taking as much interest as he was. He ignored Dean's suggestions for later, more interested in the now, but chuckled when the young man said if he was good.

"Lover, I'm always good," he murmured as he worked a little harder and that just right spot. Food. Dammit, he was going to have to watch what he said to Dean. The hunter didn't forget and wasn't easily persuaded. He was definitely going to have to work on distracting Dean harder in the future. Then it occurred to him. If he was sore, hell, Dean had to be aching even worse. He hadn't exactly gone easy on the perimeter recon and how many kicks had Dean taken from those assholes? He was being a shitty boyfriend, putting his own desires above his lover's welfare.

Sam gave a final hard suck on Dean's neck then licked gently at it. "I don't need to eat that often and you don't need anemia," Sam said, genuinely touched by Dean's offer. They both knew what Sam's feeding did to each of them. "And you might heal quickly, but you're going to get tired of always having bite marks in your neck, no matter how good it feels when I do it." He kissed up Dean's neck to his jawline then whispered in his ear, "You are so damned hot, you'll have to forgive me if I get…enthusiastic."

He turned Dean to face him, and ran his fingers through Dean's hair and down the side of his face. "Beautiful. So hot, so handsome, so beautiful, so considerate." He kissed Dean tenderly. "Food, then bed, if you're feeling up to it. You heal slower than I do, so sometimes you might need to remind me of that. Don't ever hesitate to tell me no. I can be happy with curling up with you and just laying beside you. Or on top of you. I do get cold easily," he grinned, a bit of tease to his words. He gave Dean a quick kiss. "Why don't we get anything out of Bobby's car that they haven’t gotten to, and see how Jake's coming on lunch. If you're still pretty sore, we could come out and get your baby washed and waxed and detailed. She needs a good bath and it would be a nice relaxing way to spend a day. We put a lot of miles on her. I can always run into town and get you some oil for her. But let’s be clear. I don't change oil, I don't replace belts or hoses. I'll top off fluids, but that's as far as work under the hood goes unless I don't have a choice. Besides, me working under the hood of a car is not a pretty picture. I may be damned good with a machete, but a wrench might as well be alien technology to me."

Dean couldn’t help but laugh a little at Sam’s proclamation that he was always good… Dean couldn’t really argue with that. Especially the way the other man’s insistent sucking on his neck was making him groan in an almost obscene way and his cock was definitely taking an interest in the way Sam was rubbing against him. Dean was about to say fuck it and push Sam into the back seat of his car and have his way with him and damn how sore he felt now. Not to mention how much sorer he’d probably feel after a romp back seat no matter how ‘roomy’ it might be.

He groaned again, this time in disappointment when Sam stopped sucking, though the gentle licks along his neck still felt good. Well, the other man had a point. He’d rather not have to start getting blood transfusions every couple of weeks just to keep Sam fed. No matter how much they both enjoyed it.

“I like it when you’re enthusiastic.” Dean reassured with a smile, though he found himself blushing a bit at Sam’s words and gentle petting. Yeah, it was all kinds of sappy and girly but he didn’t really care right now. Curling up with Sam in bed sounded really appealing right now, and he was definitely willing for more than that too as long as they took it easy, if that’s what Sam wanted.

Dean raised an eyebrow when Sam went on to offer to help him wash and detail his baby. Working on the Impala was something he’d always enjoyed and it would be even better with company. It had been a long time… his father had taught him everything he knew about taking care of cars, and Dean had a lot of fond memories of him and his Dad working on the Impala together. Maybe he and Sam could do that and then later on if they were both feeling better they could try out Sam’s first suggestion.

“Alright, I take it back. You definitely know how to romance a guy.” Dean chuckled. Wrapping his arms around Sam’s neck and pulling him down again for another quick kiss. “I dunno, I think you’d make pretty damn hot picture working under the hood of my baby.”

Dean grinned.

“But maybe this time I’ll settle for seeing you in a nice wet t-shirt.”

Dean's blush just shot right through him, and he suddenly wanted to renege on his offer to wait. He didn't know what it was about Dean's blushing but it set him on fire. Reluctantly he forced himself to stay under control. One of these times though, Dean wouldn't be injured and Sam was going to pounce him so hard Dean would be seeing stars for a week. Of course he would also want fucking Dean to be part of that and they were still both pretty gunshy about something quite so intimate so he supposed it was best.

He could tell Dean really liked the idea of them washing his car, and he knew it wasn't just about the car. When Dean confirmed that Sam knew how to romance a guy, it made him smile. Everyone had their own little obsession and the participation of their loved one with them in that obsession was typically a turn on.

Sam settled for the quick kiss though he would have liked to draw it out, but already his pants were tighter that was quite comfortable so it was probably a good thing it was a quick kiss.

"I get wet, you get wet," Sam promised, laughing. "Okay, then let's get moving so we can get you fed."

Leaving the car in the garage, they both walked out to Bobby's car but found it emptied of everything on the inside and the trunk was closed, so Sam assumed Bobby and Jake had already taken car of it. They walked in the house and through the kitchen. Potatoes were simmering on the stove, creamed peas were on a back burner being kept warm, he could smell an apple pie baking in the over, and a little automatic ice cream maker was whirring away on the countertop. Sam grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and tossed it to Dean while grabbing one for himself. Jake and Bobby were out back and steak was cooking on the charcoal grill.

"Hey guys," Sam said as he walked out and sank into a cushioned glider on the back porch. "Perimeter looks clear."

Jake gave him a hard once over. "Well I'll be damned. Same clothes. I thought for sure you and Dean would have had to change clothes, or stop for a shower," he said with a chuckle.

"Just because all you think about is sex, old man, doesn't mean that's all we think about, too."

Jake guffawed. "Uh huh. Then I guess you need to get looser pants."

Sam rolled his eyes, though he did feel a little bit of a blush touch him. "Jake, I swear, you have the tact of a five year old."

"And how often do I get to tease you? I just can't pass up opportunities when they crop up. You eating human or vampire tonight?"

"I'll have some dessert, but I better skip the human food for tonight. My system is telling me I've eaten enough. I took down a deer where Dean and I were and I'm still pretty sated, though that damned fight and healing up from it…maybe in the morning I'll visit Betsy and Veronica." He gave an offhand wave toward the barn then made a bit of a face, "though it's going to take some effort to get back on a domestic diet. Maybe I'll go hunting in the morning, ease myself back into it."

Jake smacked his lips. "Venison. You know I like venison."

"I'm not hungry enough to kill it," Sam said, though at Jacob's pleading look he sighed. "Okay, okay. Assuming there isn't a fawn with it, I'll get you your venison." He looked down when one of the farm cats jump up into his lap. "Hey Smokey Bear," Sam said, obliging the cat's demand to have its ears scratched.

Bobby cocked an eyebrow at Sam. "I always figured animals wouldn't like…folk like you."

Sam shrugged. "Some do, some don't. I never really know what reaction I'm going to get. For as much solid food as I eat, I usually smell more 'human' than vampire. Technically I'm undead, but what's a person with a pacemaker who's kicked off and then been resuscitated? My pacemaker just happens to be of the demonic variety. Like other vegetarians, I keep all my systems working. I sweat, I piss, my heart beats at a fairly normal rate, I breathe. The only real difference is that I don't have to do these things to survive, but if I didn't," Sam shook his head, "I'm not sure how long I would feel human. And I like feeling human."

Dean grinned at Sam’s “threat” that if he got wet then so would he. It certainly wasn’t much of a threat though since it was warm enough out that Dean would probably enjoy getting splashed with the hose a few times while they were out here. He’d probably get rather wet anyway just from washing his baby and a water fight would definitely be worth it just to see Sam’s t-shirt wet and clinging to that gorgeous chest and perfect abs.

The thought of pealing that wet clingy material off of Sam’s body and running his hands all over the other man’s damp skin, feeling it warm beneath his fingertips, had Dean adjusting himself a little as they walked back towards the house. Now that they knew there was nothing out there waiting to pounce on them Dean found himself relaxing a little more even though his memories of the place weren’t that pleasant. It was rather secluded and peaceful out here, and Dean might not mind hanging around a few days to recuperate some more before heading out.

He didn’t know if Bobby was going to be hanging around though. He’d have to ask the older hunter later. Dean actually wouldn’t have minded heading towards Bobby’s place to relax for a while. He would probably feel more secure there than here. There was a lot less chance of the vampires showing up at Bobby’s place than here. But Sam seemed comfortable here though, despite what had happened, and Sam really needed a place where he could relax for a while. Dean didn’t know if Sam would feel comfortable enough at Bobby’s to do so.

When they walked into the house Dean’s stomach immediately began growling smelling the food cooking in the kitchen. Fuck, that pie smelled amazing. They must have been outside longer than he thought for the two older men to have set this all up. He caught the beer Sam threw to him with a grin and didn’t hesitate twisting off the cap and swallowing a few ice cold mouthfuls. Damn that was good. He could certainly get used to this. He had smelled the grilling food outside a little but once he and Sam went out back Dean felt his mouth practically watering.

He sat down beside Sam, grinning a little in spite of himself at Jacob’s comment and then swallowing down his laughter with another pull from his beer at Sam’s reply. Like Sam hadn’t been trying to get him into the back seat for a quick romp five minutes ago…

“How often do you get to tease him? How about every other sentence out of your mouth?” Dean pointed out with a laugh. The young man didn’t interject again though as the two old friends talked. Content to just to sit back and drink his beer, rocking the glider a little bit with his feet.

Bobby studied the two young men sitting side by side, marveling at how…right…they looked together. They both looked relaxed, and that was good to see. A part of his brain was still jumping up and down yammering about the fact Sam was a vampire, but he told it to just shut up. Dean was happy. Sam wasn't evil. He suspected Dean was going to stay with Sam for awhile at least. He decided that would be a good thing and with that decision, the last of his reservations just sort of melted away.

Jake looked over his shoulder. "Okay, this veal's at medium, a little on the rare side but not enough to make our favorite vampire toss his cookies. Wash up and start getting the food brought out to the picnic table." He waved his spatula toward the red painted table under a large oak. "Sam, get the tablecloth out of the cupboard. Oh, and just so you know, the new mattress arrived while we were out hunting for you. Jason got it switched out, but the bed needs made up."

Sam gave his friend a smile. "Jake, you just earned the pumpkins back. Thanks."

"Don't thank me too much. Put it on your charge card," Jake said with a grin.

Shaking his head, Sam lifted the cat off his lap, stood, and brushed the fur from his clothes. "It is a damned good thing I am rich. Did you buy yourself a flat screen TV or anything else I should know about?"

"Nah. But I wouldn't complain if you wanted to throw that in with the pumpkins. My TV is over ten years old."

"Well, maybe Santa will come early this year," Sam tossed over his shoulder as he led the way into the kitchen.

It didn't take the men long to get the picnic table loaded with the food and start eating. Sam was content to drink his beer while the others enjoyed the meal. He disappeared inside only long enough to pull the pie out of the oven to let it start cooling. He swore he could feel his muscles unknotting the longer he sat there, breathing in the familiar scents of the place.

Dean glanced at Sam with a grin when Jacob informed them that the meat was done, though it was a little on the rare side. It amused him to no end that the vampire was… well, a vampire, liked blood and all, but didn’t like rare meat.

The young man tossed back what was left in his beer so he could get a fresh one when he made his way into the kitchen to help bring out the rest of the food. He told his stomach that had been grumbling practically non-stop from the smell of the cooking meat to quiet down, it was going to get fed shortly.

Dean was just as thrilled as Sam to hear that they had a new mattress to sleep on, considering the old one had been rather soaked with his blood. He’d almost forgotten about that. Considering that his senses were a little bit stronger now Dean certainly didn’t want to have to be smelling dried old blood all night long when they… well, broke in the new mattress.

He followed Sam inside the house and carried out the cooked veggies and potatoes while Sam handled the table cloth. Everything tasted just as fucking good as it had smelled and Dean stuffed himself unashamedly. Jacob had made enough to feed at least double the amount of men who were eating so he didn’t feel bad doing so. The older man had gone all out and seemed to enjoy doing so. Dean wondered briefly how often Jacob actually had guests over cause he seemed to like playing host. He probably didn’t get to do it often.

Besides even if they finished off all the veal, Sam was going to be bringing some fresh venison to cook up tomorrow. Dean remembered how good the venison Sam had cooked for him before had been, he was looking forward to trying it when Sam had a better “kitchen” to work with this time. When Sam returned from checking on the pie, Dean finally forced himself to slow down. He wanted to have room for pie after all.

“So… exactly how loaded are you?” Dean asked as he took a sip from his cold beer and grinned at the other man. Not that he really cared if Sam was dirt broke like Dean himself usually was, living off credit card scams and hustled pool winnings. He was just curious.

Sam put a few more cold beers onto the table. The ice cream would be ready soon and the pie would still be quite warm. He was looking forward to it. A local farm made the pies and sold them, frozen, at the store in town. They were good, and as he was a dessert prude, that was saying something. He nearly snorted beer out his nose when Dean asked him how rich he was.

"Friends, alcohol, apple pie with fresh ice cream, and a hot boyfriend. Hell, how much richer can a guy get?" Sam asked. He grinned at Dean. "Loaded," he confirmed. "But a lot of my money is tied up in the Network.

"Living for a long time means you start to see things. Patterns. New technology. You get a pretty good idea what's going to take off and what's not. You get a pretty good idea when things are beginning to go down hill. And you learn to hide your money in various places. It's best to keep money in gold and antiques and artwork, because that keeps the government from looking too closely at your bank account. Then there are the people who like to know who the richest people in the world are so you have to stay off the radar.

"Vegetarians all have the same problem so we created the Network. We have brokers that handle things, hide money, shift money. If I were to cash out everything, sell everything, take my share out of the Network, I don't know, ten or twenty million probably. The Network owns a couple museums. We own everything and all of it is valuable. We have 'foundations'. We have stockpiles of gold and gems and jewelry. We have stocks and bonds. I usually keep about a hundred thousand in my savings and twenty thousand in my checking. It's not enough to draw attention and enough to live mostly on the interest. I don't really need a lot after all. Clothes, weapons, car, gas, motel, food, alcohol. My house is paid for. I have a separate account that handles my household bills, property taxes, things like that. If I need more money I call the Network and they transfer the money in, or wire me cash or I'm suddenly a consultant for one of our companies for a few months. If anyone starts spending too much, it's brought to their attention to cool it or be cut off. A lot of vegetarians aren't hunters, obviously, and they hold down jobs and just want to be 'normal.' I'll take time off now and again from hunting. Hunters, after all, are more attentive to things like a hunter that never dies."

Jake chuckled as he got up to retrieve the pie and ice cream. "Course Sammy here has gotten that warning about getting cut off a couple times. He sometimes gets a little too generous with the cash."

Sam smirked. "Yeah. Sometimes. But I remember the days when I was a poor, both when I was human and then the first several years as a vampire. The crash of '29 kind of woke us all up and was when we started getting serious about pooling money and created the Network as more than just a communications network and underground railroad. You could always count on the older vampires and the network to help you out in a pinch, but we realized we could do better. And we did.

"You okay with having a rich boyfriend?" Sam teased, grinning at Dean.

When Sam launched into quite a lengthy explanation for what he had thought was a simple question Dean couldn’t help but be... impressed wasn’t quite the right word. Shocked? Yeah, that kind of worked. After all, a few weeks ago he, like many hunters, would have sworn up and down that vampires were nearing extinction. Then he meets Sam and learns about “vegetarian” vampires, vampires that didn’t live off humans was shocking enough, but realizing they were in far greater number than any hunter probably realized was surprising enough. Now to hear just how organized, networked into society, these vampires were...

Dean glanced over at Bobby and he knew the older man had to be wearing the exact same expression on Dean’s face, and he finally put a name to the emotion he was feeling. Stunned. Completely and utterly stunned. Impressed? Definitely. But still stunned. It was really hard to believe... but why the hell would Sam lie? He had nothing to gain really and everything to lose if this kind of information got out, especially if other hunters caught wind of it. It could be very very bad for all the vegetarian hunters out there. Unfortunately the number of fanatical half crazy hunters out there willing to slaughter anything supernatural and ask questions later outnumbered the more reasonable sort.

At Sam’s teasing question Dean finally shook himself a little and snorted in amusement. Did he have a problem with it? Hell no. Why the hell would he? But instead he grinned and answered, “Good thing I’m only interested in you for your body.”

Sam couldn't help laughing at the looks on Dean's and Bobby's faces. "I told you there were a lot more vegetarians out there than any hunter would believe." He grinned at Dean's response. "I don't know. Wait until I start spoiling you."

Leaning closer he kissed Dean, then rested his arm over Dean's shoulders. "Just think, you get to stay in three star hotels instead of one or two stars. Believe me, with your enhanced sense of smell, you'll appreciate the upgrade. We can go to rock concerts of your favorite bands. You can get all the ammo or any weapons you could dream of.

"Since I'm guessing it would be blasphemy to suggest putting a CD deck in your baby, we can get a stereo system so you can make tapes from CDs. We can upgrade the speakers in your car if that's not out of line. I've got a garage that does paint jobs and body work. When it needs it, they can give your baby a fresh black paint job so fine it'll make a Ferrari jealous. A home to go to when you need a break. It's not the most fancy maybe, but it has its perks. Hot tub, pool, home theater, satellite TV, a stereo system wired through out the house. One of those massage chairs. A stocked pond out back for fishing." He glanced over a Bobby, "It even has a small three room guest house for friends to come visit."

Returning his focus to Dean he asked, "You ever wanted to go to Hawai'i or Japan, or Australia? Or even just take a two week vacation at a beach house with a private beach? We can.

"I love hunting, I like helping people, but sometimes it wears me down. And it's really nice to know I can take a couple weeks off and go somewhere and just relax. Or a couple months off and go home. I don't normally do the five star hotels but sometimes, it's a nice change. But I like greasy spoon diners and rowdy bars and playing darts and poker, too. Especially if I have someone to do it with."

Sam looked back at Bobby, "That goes for you too, Bobby. You ever need anything, if I," he smiled at Dean," if we can ever do anything for you, just ask. I owe you big. I can tell you're not a man who likes handouts, but maybe you've got something you need done that you just keep putting off because you don't want to do it. Five years ago I repainted the outside of the house. I put it off forever because I didn’t want to do the prep work so I said screw it and had someone else do that. A new gun, a new computer," he laughed, "a vacation somewhere. Maybe we could all go white water rafting or do one of those weekends where you get to drive race cars, whatever."

As Sam spoke about all the places they could go, things they could do, things he could buy him Dean felt himself growing more and more uncomfortable and he wasn’t really sure why. After all, it wouldn’t be a bad thing really to stay in nicer hotels than the flee infested places he usually had to crash in. Not having to worry about his weapons and ammo supply was also a pretty good thing, after all, silver bullets were fucking expensive to make.

Dean was sure a look of almost horror came over his face when Sam mentioned replacing his tape deck in his baby with a damned CD player. Even if it had ate one of his favorite tapes about a month ago, for some reason he’d always just liked the sound of a tape playing rather than an all too perfect CD. Course it might also have something to do with the box of tapes under his front seat having belonged to his father. Though he’d had to replace quite a few, a lot of the mixed tapes still bore his father’s distinct handwriting telling what was on each one and he just couldn’t part with them.

As far as getting his baby a new paint job… Dean glanced briefly at Bobby. Whenever his car inevitably got scratched or dented during a rough hunt or something he’d always taken the impala back to Bobby’s house to fix her up again. He usually did all the work on her from tune ups to paint jobs and It was at Bobby’s where he’d done all the work on restoring his father’s car after the accident. When Dean had finally recovered enough to stand for more than a half hour at a time he’d put both himself and the impala back together with little more than his own two hands. It seemed almost… sacrilegious… as Sam had put it, to let someone else touch her like that even if they could do the job a thousand times better than him.

As far as vacationing and stuff… Dean had to almost restrain a shudder from passing through him he definitely didn’t want Sam to feel. But he just didn’t do planes. Ever. There was a reason he drove everywhere beyond the fact that he just loved to drive. He hated to fly.

But all that wasn’t even the reason why Dean felt uncomfortable while Sam talked about sharing his money with him. He finally put a pin on it after Sam mentioned how Bobby probably wasn’t a man who liked hand outs, which was definitely true, and Dean was the same way. When he’d agreed to stay with Sam he’d never expected Sam to support him. Dean had taken care of himself for a long time now, his way of supporting himself and his hunting lifestyle might be far from respectable, but he still got by on his own. The idea of letting Sam support him… like some kind of sugar daddy… ok, maybe that was unfair, especially the way Sam seemed so fucking happy talking about showering him with gifts and crap. He almost hated to say anything, but he knew he had to.

“Dude, seriously, I don’t need all that.” Dean finally said with a small laugh once Sam finally let him get a word in. Trying to keep his tone as light as possible, not wanting to upset or offend Sam or anything. Besides, what he'd said before was true. He wasn't staying with Sam because of his money. He didn't need to be spoiled.

Bobby watched Dean's face as Sam started talking about 'spoiling' Dean and could see the young man's discomfort. He wasn't sure whether to burst into laughter or curse John Winchester. The boy had never had a chance to be a boy. Never had a chance to have some of the normal things that Sam was offering him. Never had a chance to have a slice of a normal life. He got it. John Winchester was a damned stubborn man and wouldn't take a handout from anyone. Taught Dean that same code. That wasn't a bad code, but when someone you love wants to give you something, sometimes you have to bite your tongue and swallow that pride. Of course, Sam might be going over board. But that was love talking. He was just trying to show Dean that Dean could have anything and that everything that was his was Dean's too if the young man wanted it. And dammit, the boy deserved to have more than just a life of hunting. Sam would have to learn that Dean, being Dean, would not want Sam supporting him. Hell, Bobby wouldn't want someone he loved supporting him. Bobby needed to make his own money, needed his own things, and could never be a freeloader, even if it wasn't free loading. He suspected Sam understood that. He had been a hunter for years. He had to know how independent hunters were. When Sam mentioned flying, though, Bobby couldn't hide his snort of laughter. Yeah, getting that boy in a plane? That wasn't going to happen unless Dean was doing it to save someone's life.

Sam watched Dean's face and could tell Dean wasn't entirely thrilled with everything he was spouting off about. Between Dean's look and Bobby's snort when Sam suggested going to Hawaii or Japan he wondered what was up, especially when he caught the barest whiff of fear from Dean. So Dean didn't like to leave the States? That was too bad, but okay.

Sam grinned mischievously at Dean. "There I go, being all intense again." More seriously he said, "Okay, okay. Less intense, Sam speaking now. I can't deal with trashy motels. I can smell the past twenty tenants and it's not pleasant. I take a couple months off now and again and I really would like you to spend them with me when I do, but if it's just not in you to have some down time," Sam shrugged, "that's okay. I know you don't want me taking care of you. You've made your way for all these years on your own. A man just can't stop making their own way. Well, I guess some could but you're not that type. I wouldn't want you to be that type. I couldn't just let someone take care of me. Earning your own paycheck, doing stuff for yourself, that's a sense of accomplishment that nothing else can replace. It gives a man self-respect. But I am going to spoil you sometimes and that's just me." He laughed. "But feel free to spoil me too."

Bobby smiled a little. He liked Sam's style. No, Bobby didn't take handouts, but maybe he could teach Dean a little something about taking the time to enjoy life.

"Always wanted to go take a fishing trip in Canada," Bobby said. "Never seem to find the time to go do it. You two boys tell me when and we'll do it." He knew Dean liked to go fishing, though he didn't imagine he had done it in a while. Dean needed to stop going through the motions of living and actually find time to live. There was more to life than hunting.

Sam beamed at Bobby. "That sounds great."

Jacob returned to the table caring a tray loaded with four bowls filled with pie and ice cream and after setting the tray down, handed out the desserts.

"Perfect topper to any meal," Jacob said and wasted no time digging in.

Dean wasn’t really sure what to say so he decided it was probably better to just keep his mouth shut. He was starting to wish he’d never asked Sam about how much money he had. He had a feeling it would have made it easier to refuse some of the things the other man was offering him if he could pretend that Sam couldn’t really afford it.

But if Sam needed to stay in nicer motel rooms, Dean certainly wasn’t going to argue about that. It wasn’t that Dean particularly liked staying in roach motels, he only did it so he could stretch his funds as far as possible. So he could spend more time actually hunting and less finding ways to fund it. But with Sam paying for their rooms half the time Dean didn’t necessarily have to spend more time earning cash, it should be just the same.

And Sam was going to only pay half the time, damn it. Dean would argue about that if it came to it.

Dean arched an eyebrow at Sam, looking at the other man as though he might have hit his head in the last few minutes when Sam said Dean could spoil him too. Him spoil Sam? What the hell could he possibly give Sam that Sam couldn’t get for himself? Dean couldn’t afford fancy electronic gadgets, or trips to wherever, or fancy five star hotel rooms...

When Bobby spoke up about wanting to go on a fishing trip, Dean gave him a mild glare that clearly said the older man wasn’t helping things. Bobby knew he didn’t like “down time”. The only time he ever stayed in one place after finishing a job was if he was hurt or if his baby needed work. He had a job to do, damn it. Those evil sons of bitches out there didn’t take vacations or time off to go fishing...

Dean was glad when Jacob returned with the pie and ice cream and the young man didn’t hesitate digging into his own bowl even though he was pretty close to being stuffed to bursting. It gave him an excuse not to talk and he hoped by the time they were done the topic would be well dropped.

As Sam dug in to the dessert, he decided he needed to corner Bobby. He and Dean were together and still hardly knew anything about each other. It was going to be all too easy for Sam to do something or say something that would upset Dean. He could tell the car was even more off limits than he suspected. What else might there be that was sticky that Sam shouldn't make any suggestions about? Obviously Dean didn't like the thought of leaving the States so that was number two on the things to avoid bringing up. Dean didn't seem to like the idea of taking a vacation. Part of Sam understood that. A vacation meant you had time to think about things that you really didn't want to think about. Sam would just have to convince Dean that the body and mind needed that time off to heal. The big bad creatures out there would still be out there. There would always be something out there. Sam had learned that. He had also learned you couldn't save everyone. He hoped he could convince Dean to take some time off. There were so many things to do and to see that to spend your life with blinders on to the beauty of the world only meant that your world got darker. Obsession about hunting would turn you dark and bitter and more obsessed. It was one big vicious circle.

All too soon it seemed the dessert was gone. The men had been silent while they enjoyed the pie and ice cream and it was a comfortable silence. As much as Sam liked to talk, he equally enjoyed the silence. He put his empty bowl on the tray. That had been a damned fine dessert.

"Whenever you're ready for the water fight...uh, car washing, just say the word," Sam said, squeezing Dean's thigh lightly. Dean in a wet t-shirt and tight wet jeans…okay, he didn't have any tight jeans right now because of all the weight he'd lost. That was okay, easier to get the wet jeans off, Sam mused, trying really hard to resist the urge to kiss Dean. Apple Pie, ice cream and Dean. Damn that sounded tasty.

Despite his stomach already being so full it was almost uncomfortable Dean finished every last spoonful of ice cream and pie in his bowl. Practically licking the shine off his spoon when he was finished. Damn, that was good.

He set the empty bowl aside with a loud unashamed belch. Phew, that felt better.

"Compliments to the chef." Dean praised to Jacob cheekily.

When Sam mentioned them going out to wash the car whenever he was ready, to be honest despite the fact that he'd slept most of the way here he would have loved to curl up and take a nap. Now that his stomach was full he was feeling lethargic despite all the sugar he'd consumed. Dean knew that would wear off though just as soon as he started moving though. It was past time he stopped being so lazy and started working on building his endurance back up.

"Ready when you are." Dean replied to the other man, though he didn't make any move to stand up yet, enjoying the hand on his thigh. He was glad the earlier discussion and awkwardness was over. Hopefully it wouldn't be brought up again anytime soon. However seeing the look that crossed Sam's face Dean couldn't help but laugh.

"You know, I can tell the exact moment your brain falls into the gutter." He teased the vampire, grinning.

Sam didn't realize he had let his thoughts cross his face and felt a blush redden his cheeks. "It's your fault. You mentioned the wet t-shirt."

"The keys are on top of your green bag in the bedroom," Bobby said.

"Got some proper car wash soap in the basement. Wax too," Jacob said. "Use those towels down there"

Sam patted Dean's leg and gave it a final squeeze. "I'll get the bucket and soap and stuff, you get your car. The hose is on the north east side of the house, right around the corner from the swing. If you pull into the shade I'll help wash. Otherwise, I'll sit on the swing and watch and give you wolf whistles and cat calls."

Sam pushed himself to his feet, stepping over the bench, and as soon as he was standing, he immediately leaned down, wrapped his arms around Dean and nuzzled his neck. "Mmmm," he purred, gave Dean a tight hug.

Bobby gave a small snort of laughter. "I don't know that I'm ever going to get used to hearing you purr," he told Sam.

Sam grinned. "Being able to purr has some unique advantages. Doesn't it, Dean?" He nipped Dean's neck then straightened. "See you out front," he tossed over his shoulder as he headed inside and to the basement door off the kitchen.

Dean couldn’t help but snicker at Sam’s bright blush when he called him out on his dirty thoughts. Serves Sam right for feeling him up at the table and all.

“Thanks Bobby.” Dean replied to the older man. Listening as Jacob and Sam explained where everything was he could use to clean his baby, where he should park her, and rolling his eyes a little in amusement at the vampire’s comment about wolf whistles. He had little doubt that Sam would do exactly that. Dean wondered briefly if it was just Sam or if all vampires were always this horny. He cut the line of thought off abruptly however before it could lead to darker places he didn’t want to go.

Before Dean could navigate his way out of the picnic table too however he found himself wrapped up in a giant bear hug and the vampire purring against his throat. Dean wasn’t sure whether to be amused, turned on, or embarrassed by unexpected embrace. He liked it and all, but it was still just a little bit weird getting all touchy feely with Bobby around to witness it. It was just weird. Especially now that he was feeling better enough to remember he didn’t usually do touchy feely or chick flick moments.

Sam’s comment about the advantages of his purring however made Dean’s cheeks flush bright red in embarrassment. Which probably only made the comment worse because if Dean hadn’t reacted the sexual aspect of the comment might have gone unnoticed. It also didn’t help much that his dick decided to remember exactly what those advantages were Sam mentioned and react a little. It probably wouldn’t have embarrassed him nearly as much except that all this happened in front of Bobby.

“You asshole.” Dean called after Sam’s retreating back, though in all truth he wasn’t all that angry or anything. He decided now was probably a good time to make a speedy exit. “I’m gonna… yeah…” He said, pointing towards the front of the house as he attempted to get up from the bench without calling attention to his groin and made his way into the house before the snickering could start behind his back.

He made his way to the bedroom and found the keys exactly where Bobby had said they were and then went out the front way. Despite the fact that they’d checked the area out thoroughly Dean felt an uneasiness creep over him and he found himself constantly trying to look in every direction to make sure he was alone out here as he made his way to his car. He was glad to reach the barn and even more so when he finally slid behind the wheel of his baby. If he didn’t know better he’d say she purred too when he started her up for the first time. Dean smiled and patted the wheel.

“I know, been a while. Back now, baby.” Dean said, still grinning as he drove the car out of the barn and down to the front of the house, parking in the sun. It wasn’t that he had anything against Sam helping him with his car, but his baby would dry better in the sun than in the shade. Besides, even in the shade it would probably be too damned hot for Sam and he didn’t want the vampire to get sick or anything from something Dean could handle fine on his own.

Chuckling at Dean's insult, he turned on the light and walked down the old steep steps into the basement. The washing machine and dryer were down here so he had been in the basement a few times. A set of shelves nearby was stacked with cleaning supplies and towels. He rifled through the bottles until he found the car soap and wax.

After grabbing a stack of the towels and rags, he dropped the car soap and wax down in a bucket and carried everything out front. He watched as Dean stopped the car in the sun. Dean must need some bonding time with his girl. He probably needed something normal in his life, and if washing his car by himself fit the bill, then Sam was glad. Maybe he should feel slighted, but he didn't. If this was what Dean needed, then that was fine with him.

Setting the towels on the porch, he carried the bucket out to Dean then went around to the side of the house. He screwed a nozzle on the hose, turned the water on full, and dragged the old green hose out to the bucket.

He grabbed the wax out of the bucket and after setting it by the towels, brought Dean a thick rag. "I'll go get the lemonade or tea, or whatever Jake has in there. And if it's hot enough out here that you want to take off your t-shirt or anything," Sam grinned, "please. Feel free."

Dean spent a few moments looking through his box of tapes for one he wanted to listen to while he worked and popping it in the player while Sam went around the side of the house for the hose. Deciding on one of his father’s mixed tapes he popped it in and cranked up the volume so he could hear it once the doors were shut.

He was glad that Sam didn’t seem upset or anything about where he’d parked. If Sam had really wanted to help him of course Dean would have moved the car into the shade, but the vampire didn’t say anything about it. Dean grinned a little bit at Sam’s comment about him taking off his shirt while he worked as he took the offered rag from him.

“Alright. Now go sit in the shade or something before you melt.” Dean said with a small laugh, giving the other man’s shoulder a light shove in the direction of the porch.

After that, Dean pretty much focused all his attention on his baby and while he worked he found himself relaxing more than he thought he would. This was a “chore” he’d almost always enjoyed and now wasn’t any differently. He hummed along with the music as he took his time spraying her down thoroughly and then going over her practically inch by inch with the soapy rag.

The day was pretty damned hot and he was even more glad that Sam had sat this one out. Pretty soon his t-shirt was sticking to him both from sweat and from the water he’d sprayed himself with to help him keep cool. Knowing Sam was watching him closely while he worked, Dean didn’t mind giving the other man a bit of a show. Leaning over the hood of the car more than he needed to for instance, letting the wet shirt ride up his back and show off his hip bones when his damp jeans slipped a bit lower than was decent.

After a while, Dean did strip off his wet shirt. The sun on his skin felt damned nice, so did the water that splashed him down his chest, back, and arms as he used the hose to rinse his baby down one last time. Satisfied, Dean stood back to admire the gleaming black perfection. Once he was done giving her a good wax, she’d sparkle like she was brand new.

Dean finally dropped the hose and started over to the porch where Sam sat for a drink and the towels to dry both himself and his car off.

"I'm a vampire, not a snowman," Sam retorted. He went in the house and found a pitcher of lemonade made up in the fridge. He poured himself a glass and filled a glass with mostly ice cubes and just a bit of water. By the time Dean needed it, it would probably be mostly water but still be cold. Bobby and Jake were just coming into the kitchen with the dishes.

"Hi guys," Sam said. "You want any help?"

"I got it," Jake said. "You go help Dean."

"Ah, he parked in the sun. I'll be sitting on the porch watching him."

Bobby snorted. "That car is mighty precious to him. Don't feel slighted."

Smiling, Sam said, "I don't. He needs something normal and I had a feeling washing and waxing his car would be something good for him. Considering the reaction I got to my suggestion of a professional paint job, its one hundred percent hands off?"

With a nod Bobby said, "He does it all himself. Paint touch ups when it needs it, whatever. He rebuilt her practically from scratch when he wrapped it around a tree when his father was killed."

"Any other mines I need to be aware of?" Sam asked.

"Anything in that car might have a connection to John. Anything in that car is hands off. And Dean, he's like me, and like John. He don't like handouts. He'll need to pay his own way."

Sam gave a nod. "All right."

"And the old leather coat you probably ain't seen yet. That was John's. Don't think of getting him a new one."

"Weapons too, I suppose?"

Bobby shrugged, "Some were, some weren't. Sam, the boy, he's pretty simple in his needs. His car, his music, food, you know. Showering him with gifts, he just won't take well to that. And he won't get in an airplane. Hate's flying worse than about anything."

"Damn, I would have like to have at least shown him Europe, where I grew up, stuff like that. Or Hawaii. How about boats?"

"He don't mind the water I reckon, but he'll get restless fast if you're thinking cruise."

Sam sighed. "Is there anything I can do to make him slow down, take a vacation?"

Pressing his lips together Bobby gave a slight shake of his head. "With time. He slows down, he has time to remember things he don't want to remember. You give him enough good memories, maybe then. He comes by to visit sometimes, stays a couple days, then he's back on the road, looking for something to hunt."

Sam frowned a little. "There's more to life than hunting."

"He ain't learnt that yet. Don't know that he ever will. He might, with you, he might."

"You're taking this pretty well, all things considered. I'm not only a guy, but I'm a vampire. I kind of expected a little more…distrust or something."

Bobby took finished off his beer and set the empty container on the counter. "'Fore he was…taken advantage of he went either way. I guess in some ways I look at him having a relationship with you as healing up an old and festering wound. He's finally lettin' go of that bad set of memories. That you're a vampire…still getting used to that. You just don't seem like a vampire. I don't like seeing the bite marks on him, gotta admit that, worries me that you might be…hurting him in ways he don't see."

"I'd never hurt him. A vampire making love, rather than feeding, it's a whole different ball games. I can numb it so the bite doesn't hurt and honestly…maybe it's like the getting the best hickey of all time about ten times over. I don't take much when we're making love. Just there at the end, when his blood chemistry changes. I won't ever take enough from him to weaken him, and anemia, that's a concern, though I don't really know if he can get anemia since he has his own virus in him."

"He's worried you'll leave him when he gets old," Bobby said quietly. "Iffen you tell him I told you that, I'll throttle you."

Sam gave a slow nod. "It's always been a concern of my human partners. I wouldn't. I couldn't. I'll take care of him until his last breath, if he'll have me that long."

Looking into the vampire's eyes, he saw Sam meant it. "I ain't gonna be around forever. It kinda eases my mind to know he'll have someone to call family when I'm gone."

"I promise you, he will, if I have anything to say about it." Sam broke into a grin. "I need to get back out front. Need to watch Dean's back and all." He gave a wink and then hurried back to the porch.

Settling into the swing, his eyes hardly left Dean. When Dean sprayed himself down with water he eyed him appreciatively, loving the way the wet material clung to Dean's delicious body. When Dean leaned over the hood and his t-shirt rode up and his pants slipped down, it took everything in Sam not to go out there and just take him. His cock was more than ready for that. Even to just feel that warm body and wet skin with Dean bent over the car, would be good, he didn't have to fuck him. It would be better, but it could still be good, rubbing his stiff dick between Dean's ass cheeks. He softly moaned in appreciation when the young man slowly stripped off that wet t-shirt. The vampire shifted uncomfortably. Dean had him hard as hell.

He watched Dean approach and stood, handing him the cold glass of water when Dean got within reach. As soon as Dean finished it, Sam took the glass back and set it on the table. He pulled Dean close, pressing his firm cock against Dean.

"Damn, the things you do to me," Sam murmured and kissed him, running his hands over Dean's wet skin. "Can't you…wait to…wax the car," Sam begged between kisses. He ran his hands down Dean's back and slipped his hands under the wet waistband of the jeans. Squeezing both Dean's cheeks he pulled pulled him up against him and kissed him deeply.