Dean woke up to the smell of something… really good.

He wasn't sure if it was the smell itself or his grumbling stomach that finally pulled him from sleep. His stomach gnawing on his backbone finally convinced his eyes that it was worthwhile to open though. Even though he still felt exhausted… not to mention like he'd been run over by a truck and then had it back up over him to do it again. At least the sleep he'd gotten had been free of nightmares though, letting him actually rest, even if it was only for a few hours.

It took him only a minute to realize where he was. Sam's home... He wondered if it would always set him on edge every time he opened his eyes. Probably. Because at least when he was on a hunt with Bobby, away from home staying at a random hotel, there were protections. But at least now he had his gun and knife close by, even if he would have liked them a little closer. He wondered how much knowing that he was not completely defenseless anymore contributed to his lack of nightmares this time…

Or maybe it was more to do with the warm weight settled beside him on the bed.

Sam was laying beside him, reading, and apparently hadn't noticed he was awake yet. Small wonder considering Dean's growling stomach. Sam seemed pretty engrossed in the book though. Maybe he just hadn't heard it. Dean took the time to study the younger boy's fine features without Sam getting shy and blushing under the regard… not that he didn't like it when Sam blushed, but this was nice too.

"What are you reading?" Dean finally asked.

Sam was deeply engrossed in his book and when the voice sounded beside in the previously quiet room, he jumped, his breath hitching. His gaze shot to Dean as he shifted away. He let out a sigh when his brain caught up to the real world.

"You scared the shit out of me," Sam said. "Uhm, Chronicles of Amber. Fantasy/mystery sort of thing. Guy wakes up in a hospital with amnesia and some one's trying to kill him. Then he learns he can travel through parallel worlds, and he's got a bunch of brothers and sisters most of whom don't like him very much. He's a prince, the king is missing, so there's also a battle for the throne and stuff. It's complicated."

Sam's heart beat was still trying to slow down from the start. He wasn't used to being in a room with someone else when he was reading. If there was a voice it usually came from the doorway not right beside him, or there had been other noises that had already alerted him someone was around. Looking at Dean he saw that Dean seemed to have a little more color and a little less pain in his eyes.

"You look like you're feeling better. Do you need help to the bathroom or anything?" He glanced at the clock. "Dinner's probably about ready, too."

Dean raised an eyebrow when Sam practically jumped out of his skin, then he couldn’t help but laugh. He had scared Sam? How could he possibly have scared him? It wasn’t like he had snuck up on the younger boy. He’d been lying right next to him. Had Sam somehow completely forgotten he was there? Dean wasn’t sure if he shouldn’t be a little bit offended by that.

He merely shook his head when Sam started explaining the plot of the book he was reading. Yeah, not really his thing, but for his geeky Sammy he wasn’t all that surprised.

“Yeah, a little.” Dean replied when Sam remarked that he looked better. He was hardly feeling even close to a hundred percent, probably not even at fifty percent, but he felt better than before at least, which was definitely an improvement. When Sam asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom, he thought for a moment. Getting up would probably just make him feel like crap all over again… but he did need to go.

“Yeah.” He finally decided, and started trying to sit up.

"Wait you idiot!" Sam protested. He slid his arm behind Dean's waist, then up a little bit further to his mid-back. "Okay. Now."

He could tell it still hurt Dean, but he knew it would have been a lot worse if he hadn't help. "Now just stay put a minute."

Easing out of the bed he hurried to Dean's side and helped him move his legs off the side of the bed. He hesitated a moment. "Let me get some help. We don't know how shakey you'll be and I'm not sure I can hold you up by myself." He dashed out the door before Dean could protest and brought his father back in with him. Dean didn't look happy but had surprisingly stayed down. Or else had tried to get up and found he couldn't.

Father and son helped Dean to his feet, holding him, letting him gain his balance. They walked slowly toward the bathroom. Sam saw his father had put a chair in the small half bath. The chair was turned so the back of it was available to Dean to use to stabilize himself.

"Didn't think you'd want help in here," Jim said, "but thought you might need a little extra something to hold on to. If you have to sit down to take care of business, don't try to get back up by yourself. In fact, you shouldn't try to sit by yourself. So, do you need us or have you got it handled?"

"I can stay if you want," Sam said. "Kinda crowded with the three of us and the chair."

Dean frowned a little when Sam called him an idiot. The younger boy did that way too often in his opinion. Bobby did the same thing whenever he thought Dean was being ‘stubborn’, though the older hunter called him an idget instead. Dean did the same thing now as when Bobby called him an idget, he merely rolled his eyes at Sam. But he didn’t protest the help that the younger boy gave him in sitting up. The fact that Dean probably wouldn’t have made it on his own had nothing to do with that, he stubbornly told himself.

Fuck that hurt…

Though once Sam had helped him to the edge of the bed, Dean frowned again. He didn’t need any help, damn it. If Sam just got him to his feet Dean was sure that he could make it to the bathroom and back on his own. Unfortunately trying to stand on his own, just to prove the point, hadn’t worked out so well… damn it.

When Sam returned with his father, Dean grudgingly let the older man and Sam help him to his feet. It was a bitch, but once he was standing he figured he’d be ok. Well, he’d been wrong before. His head started pounding almost the second he was on his feet and he was having a little bit of trouble keeping his balance as he walked. By the time they reached the bathroom, Dean was ready to say fuck it and just go back to bed, he’d piss later… but he supposed since he was already here he’d piss now.

When the two men offered to stay with him while he took care of business, Dean shook his head. There were only so many indignities he was prepared to endure, and while he might have his share of kinks, water sports definitely wasn’t one of them.

“I’ve got it.”

Both of the Colts stepped out to give Dean his privacy, Sam closing the door behind him.

"I've already got the lap trays out for you two," Jim said. "I'm betting Dean's not going to feel up to walking out to the dining room so I thought the two of you could eat in the den. Your mom and I will bring dinner in to you two."

"I can help," Sam offered.

"You are. By looking after Dean. I think your mother and I can manage setting the table ourselves," he said, squeezing his son's shoulder. "You just bring the dishes out when you're done and that will be fine. And you make sure if Dean needs something he's not worried about asking for it." More softly he added, "I get the feeling he's not used to other people willing, let alone wanting to help him."

Sam nodded. Yeah, he got the feeling self worth wasn't really in Dean's thought process too. They heard the toilet flush and then the water run in the sink. Sam peeked in. "Ready?"

Seeing Dean was, they helped Dean back to bed and got him settled.

"I'll go get you dinner," Jim told the boys.

Dean took care of his business as quickly as he could, not willing to risk running out of what little strength and balance he had, and risk ending up on the floor. Having Sam and his father rush in the bathroom to pick him up off the floor with his pants down around his ankles would just be the highlight of his day... Almost as soon as he’d flushed and washed his hands, Sam was looking in asking if he was done, and the young man nodded in reply.

When Sam and his father helped him back to the pull out bed Dean was quite glad to be laying down once more. Dean really hoped that by tomorrow some of the new tenderness in his side from the ripped stitches will have worn off… or at least he would have gotten used to it by then. He really, really, didn’t want to think about the indignity of needing help to get on and off the toilet when he needed to take a crap… why not need help to wipe his ass too, and make the experience really special…

Ok, so he was a bit cranky… and he couldn’t even work out, spar with Bobby, or do target practice like he usually did when he got in this kind of mood. Maybe imagining all the pain he was going to put Lancaster through once Dean got the chance would put him in a better mood. Though actually doing it would feel a lot more satisfying than thinking about it.

Dean sighed softly and gave Sam a strained smile, seeing the younger boy looking at him a little worriedly. At least there was dinner… though Dean wasn’t looking forward to it quite as much as he had before, he was still feeling hungry so that was probably an improvement. Hopefully he could get through eating without puking.

Sam got one of the vicodin out of the prescription bottles and handed it Dean along with some water. "Here, you can take one of these. It's way too soon to take the other one."

Glancing around the room, Sam finally spotted the oval trashcan by the recliner. He picked up the metal can and emptied what little was in it into a bag and set the cherry blossom painted can on Dean's side of the bed. "For napkins or…if you need it for anything else," Sam said. "You look a little…green."

He slid the next Star Wars tape into the VCR and got it set up and ready and settled onto the bed by the senior. He could smell the stew and his stomach was beginning to growl hungrily. His parents came in then carrying trays loaded with cream colored plates filled with beef stew and big hunks of steaming white bread.

"Sam, honey, would you go get your glasses of tea. Oh, Jim, we forgot the salt and pepper and napkins."

"Sure, Mom," Sam said and climbed back off the bed and headed out to the kitchen

"I thought you got them," Jim said, but seeing they weren't on the tray she carried, set his tray down on an end table. "I'll get them," he said, following his son back down the hall to the kitchen.

Although Keiko had wanted Dean to judge her without being influenced by anything else, she had thought long and hard about her conversation with Bobby and the nightmares Dean had. She decided she would tell him about the protections and wasn't sure she would have another excuse to speak with Dean alone before night fell and the young man was asleep for the evening. She set the lap tray over Dean's legs. Softly she said, "I thought it might make you feel better to know that up in the attic iron pipe rings the house and they're filled with salt. Also the attic is partially floored. On the underside of the flooring so my husband wouldn't see them are devil's traps. Or at least the Japanese version of such. I don't know if that will help you sleep easier tonight, but I thought it might."

Dean gave the younger boy a grateful smile when Sam got him one of his pills, taking it quickly and handing the remainder of the water back to him when he was finished. He hoped that would help some with the pain. Liquor would probably help more, but he doubted that Sam’s parents were going to let him do shots while he was in their house.

When Sam brought him over a trash can and set it by the bed, Dean chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you lose your appetite.” He reassured the younger boy. Though he was feeling a bit on the queasy side, he felt better now that he wasn’t upright anymore. He was pretty sure he’d be able to eat something as simple as soup and bread without it coming back for a revisit. He certainly wouldn’t blame the younger boy though if Sam didn’t want to eat with him, just in case something like that did happen. He heard Sam’s stomach growling and there wasn’t a much more effective way to ruin your appetite than having to hold the trash can while someone else puked into it.

Dean watched as Sam loaded Empire Strikes Back into the VCR. He’d slept through most of the first movie, but that was ok since the second was his favorite anyway. When Sam’s parents brought in the trays of food, Dean was a bit embarrassed by the way his mouth began to water a little, but he couldn’t deny it smelled fucking great. Even better than the scents wafting in from the kitchen… Then suddenly Dean found himself left alone with Sam’s mother. If he didn’t know better he’d say she planned it that way.

Apparently she had.

Dean’s eyebrows rose as she explained to him the protections set up around her home. Protections no one but a hunter… or someone who at least knew about the supernatural, would have. Just… who the hell was this woman? Was she a hunter? Or had been at one time? If that was true… why didn’t Sam know anything about it? If she knew… how could he keep Sam ignorant of such things? Put him in danger like that? If you didn’t know the danger out there how could you protect yourself?

By the time he’d processed what she was telling him, before he could open his mouth and say anything, Sam was returning with their drinks and Dean closed his mouth again. Merely giving Sam’s mother a slight nod, for the moment, though it was obvious they were going to have to talk later whether Dean wanted to or not. Though at least sleeping might be a little easier now that he knew he wasn’t such a sitting duck. Knowing that Sam would be safe too… ok, that eased his mind a whole fucking lot.

“Thanks, Sammy.” Dean told the younger boy with a slight smile, taking his drink from him.

"You're welcome," Sam said, smiling back at him.

Sam got back in beside Dean and his dad handed him the tray with his dinner. He loved his mom's stew. Beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, sage, it was all just awesome. Especially with the fresh bread. Of course, his mom was a pretty good cook all around. Still, Dean's burgers and fries, she couldn't top those.

"Give a shout if you need more tea or anything," Jim told them before he and Keiko left the two boys alone.

"Hope you like it," Sam said before he dug in.

Between eating and the movie, Sam was silent. By the time he finished his meal he was pretty stuffed and sighed happily. He saw Dean seemed to like the stew and once they were both done, Sam carried the dishes out, got them some more tea and settled down again beside Dean. He put his hand on Dean's thigh and absently brushed his fingers over the fabric of the jeans.

"Did you like the stew? Are you feeling any better?" he asked, squeezing the older boy's thigh.

Dean took a few cautious spoonfuls of the stew, just to make sure he could keep his promise to Sam, and when he was certain his food would stay where he put it he began to eat at a more regular pace. Though he wasn’t as enthusiastic as he normally was when eating, he had to admit the food was pretty good. Sam ate like he was ravenous and Dean couldn’t help but smile at the younger boy between taking bites of his own food and watching the movie. This had to be the longest he’d been with the boy and Sam had been quiet, he thought amused.

Dean didn’t finish all of his food and bread but he’d finished a good portion of it. When Sam took his dishes Dean reached around to adjust the pillows that had been propping him up so he could eat and shifted so he could lay down once again. Sam would probably get the bitch face because he’d done it without waiting for help, but it really hadn’t been that difficult, drugs definitely kicking in.

When Sam returned and laid beside him, resting his hand on his thigh, caressing it lightly, Dean smiled up at the younger boy. He wondered if Sam even realized what he was doing.

“Yeah.” Dean replied, in answer to both of Sam’s questions. When Sam gave his thigh a squeeze, he let his hand drop over the younger boy’s, caressing Sam’s fingers with his own.

Sam smiled at the senior. "Good. Told you she made good stew."

Turning his hand over he interlaced his fingers with Dean. "You know, it'd be nice if one of us wasn't bruised up or hurt for longer than a couple days."

Listening for activity in the other rooms he turned to Dean with a glimmer in his eyes. He knew his mom would probably be back on the computer and he figured his dad was probably cleaning up. It was unlikely either of his parents would disturb them at least until the movie was over. He leaned in and kissed Dean. He knew Dean wasn't in any shape to get too excited, and he would be horrified if he had to go jack off or something, but a little light making out, that would probably be okay for them both. Assuming they could keep it at light making out he thought with laugh to himself. It seemed like when they started anything, it went all the way.

He opened his mouth and let Dean's tongue in. He started to moan and realized if his parents heard him…no that would be bad. It was an effort but he choked back any sound, or at least tried to.

Sam’s comment made Dean laugh softly. Yeah, it would be nice. Especially since he was looking forward to doing a lot more with the younger boy than making out and sharing a few hand jobs. Though Dean certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if Sam decided he wanted to try giving him a blow job. Unfortunately Sam would probably think even that would be too ‘strenuous’ on him right now. Not that they could do such a thing in Sam’s parents house anyway… at least not while they were awake. He’d also promised Sam that he would get the boy laid with a woman first. Damn, Dean was regretting making that promise, but he’d stand by it.

Then Sam was looking at him in a way that made Dean raise an eyebrow. The younger boy had that look that made him wonder if he should be worried or pleased. Definitely the latter, Dean discovered.

The kiss that the younger boy gave him was unexpected but definitely not unwelcome, and he moaned softly in approval. Yeah, he knew they shouldn’t be doing this, they were risking getting caught and that would be very bad, but he hadn’t really been able to say ‘no’ to Sam yet. At least not in regards to this.

Dean had expected it to be a short, almost chaste, kiss though. But when Sam didn’t pull away, instead feeling the younger boy’s lips part, he didn’t hesitate deepening the kiss. Letting his tongue slip into that sweet mouth and twine with the younger boy’s as his free hand came up to slide through the soft hair at the base of Sam’s skull. Not a good idea, not a good idea, a voice in the back of his mind… that sounded surprisingly like Bobby… repeated over and over but it was easy to ignore as Sam sucked on his tongue.

God he loved the way Dean kissed. When Dean's tongue began dancing with his own, he remembered how it felt when Dean had sucked on his tongue and he decided to try. It was a strange sensation feeling that wet hot muscle between his tongue and palate. He wondered…at blushed at the thought…of how Dean's cock would feel in his mouth. He remembered going down on Eric when he was trying to escape. That disgusting red swollen cock dripping pre-cum like dog drool. He'd almost puked at the taste of that horrible milky fluid all the while telling Eric how wonderful it tasted. He'd sucked on the tip, tongued the slit, licked along that hard member. Eric's crown had filled his mouth; he sucked on it, swirled his tongue around it, even gone down on it as far as he could without choking. Cock whore. Slut. The words still rang in his head and he suddenly broke off the kiss.

He laid his head on Dean's chest and felt the sudden tears. "I had to lick him. Suck him. Go down on him. He called me a cock whore. A slut. I…think what it might be like to…to try for you but all I can see is his thick cock, taste that urine smelling, salty disgusting fluid that makes me want to puke. And hear what he called me. I can't get it out of my head." He listened to Dean's heartbeat and found it comforted him. "I like it when you…for me. You know. Do it."

He took Dean's hand in his and interlaced their fingers. "When you're better…I don't want what I told Eric to be a lie. We're boyfriends," he told Dean softly. "It's okay to have sex, right? I mean, all the way type sex. You…doing me. I wanna be yours."

Dean moaned softly in appreciation, but before he could return the favor for Sam the younger boy was pulling away from him. So suddenly he could only stare up at him in surprise and confusion for a moment. But before he could ask what was wrong, if he’d done something wrong, Sam was cuddling close to him, resting his head on his chest. Worry flickered in his expression then … before Sam’s words made Dean freeze.

Sam had never gone into such detail about what Eric had done to him the first night they’d met. Dean had known that the bastard had tried to rape Sam and thankfully the younger boy had been able to get away from him, but he didn’t know… Eric had gotten so far with Sam. Dean wanted to castrate the mother fucker and shove his cock down his own throat just to give the bastard a taste of what he’d done to Sam.

“Oh Sammy…” Dean whispered, one hand finding its way into Sam’s hair, petting through the soft strands and the back of the younger boy’s neck tenderly. “I like doing it for you. It’s not the same, I promise.”

Still, Dean couldn’t help feeling guilty for wanting so much for Sam to do something for him that the younger boy obviously wasn’t ready for. No wonder Sam didn’t want to do it for him, hell, he didn’t even blame the younger boy for not wanting to touch his cock… and he’d kind of conned Sam into it with that whole sponge bath thing the other day. Dean felt about an inch tall…

When Sam twined their fingers together, Dean brought the younger boy’s hand to his lips and brushed a soft kiss along his knuckles. After everything that Sam had gone through, for him to still want to be with him that way, it made Dean’s heart ache and feel light at the same time. Boyfriends… Dean never thought he’d like that word.

“It’s ok if that’s what you want, baby.” Dean said softly then smiled down at Sam. “Though I did promise I’d get you laid with a girl first. We can still do that, you know. I won’t be mad if you decide you like girls better.”

Sure, he’d be upset, and disappointed, but he wouldn’t be angry.

Not the same. God, he hoped it wasn't the same, because he really did want to try to do it for Dean…eventually. He remembered kissing Dean after Dean had given him that awesome blow job and remembered the taste in the older youth's mouth. It hadn't been bad. Maybe slowly he could get used to the taste, get more comfortable with the idea. Get dean so finally in his mind that thoughts of Lancaster never dared poked up again.

The feel of Dean playing with his hair at the back of his neck, it was nice and it was soothing. He felt so safe in Dean's arms. Was that chickish? Probably. He liked it too when Dean kissed his hand. He stared up at Dean. He was so handsome. Sam was certain Dean could have just about anyone he wanted and yet he chose Sam. That filled him with warmth and happiness. He sat up but kept his hand in Dean's.

"Okay, let's go with 'Sammy' instead of 'baby'," Sam said making a face. "That's just…yeah, really think Sammy's better. Baby makes me feel just a little too girlie." Reaching out he stroked the side of Dean's face. "We're boyfriends. Sleeping with a girl…I mean yeah, I'd like to try it…someday, but, I don’t want to cheat on you and that," he shrugged, "that feels like cheating. I want just us for now. I want to know what it's like, you making love to me. And I want to know what it's like, me making love to you. You in me. Me in you. I want…a relationship with you. When I see you, I want to be able to kiss you. I want your arm around my waist or over my shoulder. I want to go to see a movie and make out with you in the back row." Sam grinned. "I wanna have sex on the hood of your car. I want to learn to give you a blow job the best you've ever had. I want you to want me more than anyone else, more than any guy or girl. Just us. Each other's."

He leaned up and kissed Dean, this time taking over the kiss as he let his free hand cup the back of Dean's head. "I want you to be mine," he murmured against Dean's lips and began kissing him again.

Dean couldn’t help but laugh, and he didn’t even care how it kind of hurt his side, at the look on Sam’s face when the younger boy told him to stick with ‘Sammy’ rather than ‘Baby’. It was really kind of cute how sensitive the boy was about his masculinity. Especially since Sam was such a talker, liked to cuddle, oh and let’s not forget the bouts of PMS the younger boy got on occasion. But, if Sam didn’t want to be called ‘Baby’ Dean would stick with ‘Sammy’. He liked Sammy. Though he’d probably still call the younger boy ‘Baby’ when he was making Sam come his brains out, just for the hell of it, when the he was too fucked out to protest.

Though when Sam went on to say how sleeping with a girl now that they were boyfriends felt like cheating, Dean was tempted to point out to the younger boy that if he knew, suggested, hell, even participated it could hardly be called ‘cheating’. But since Dean kind of wanted Sam all to himself anyway, he wasn’t going to argue. Besides, he really liked that the younger boy only wanted him right now. They could always fool around with a threesome later if they felt like it.

Dean had to admit he was a bit surprised however when Sam went on to say how he was looking forward to fucking him. Not that Dean was against the idea or anything he was just a little surprised. Sam seemed so shy about sex, he’d never have pegged the younger boy as wanting to top. A relationship… Dean never would have imagined he’d want such a thing, with anyone, before Sam. Even though he wasn’t convinced that the younger boy wouldn’t tire of him and kick him to the curb like everyone else, he couldn’t deny what Sam described sounded kind of… nice. Especially the whole making out in the back row of the theater and fucking the younger boy over the hood of his car, Dean couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that even as he was grinning from ear to ear. That was surprisingly kinky coming from is vanilla Sammy.

Then Sam was kissing him, taking full control of the meeting of their mouths and tongues and Dean happily gave it up. Dean moaned in approval into the younger boy’s mouth as he wrapped his arms around Sam’s waist to pull him down next to him again.

“Already am, Sammy.” Dean replied when the younger boy finally allowed him a moment to breathe.

Dean's words made Sam's heart just want to burst. He had never ever considered a relationship with a guy and yet here he was, looking into jade eyes and knowing that he wanted Dean with him. He knew he was only fifteen and forever was something he didn't really get. He knew that high school sweethearts, well they often didn't last. But sometimes they did. He knew that Dean was kind of coarse, short tempered, and Sam was very good at pushing buttons, even when he didn't mean to. So maybe this was a for-now thing. Maybe this was a forever thing. He still would kinda like to sleep with a girl at some point. He wasn't sure how it would feel to have his finger between her folds, to have the breast to squeeze and suck, to have a place to slide his dick. Feeling all that, yeah, he really ought to try, but right now he had nipples to rub and suck on, and he had a place he could slide his dick, though he imagined it would feel a lot different that a girl's. What could a girl do to him and for him that Dean couldn't? Having Dean put his cock inside him…okay, that was going to be strange and he hoped it felt more good than weird. He really ought to do some web searches on gay sex.

Gay. Him. That was still kinda, okay a lot, weird. Though really, most guys he didn't have the slightest interest in. Sure Jeff was kind of hot, and if Jeff had an interest in him (and he didn't have Dean) then, well, maybe. Bi, he decided. He must be bi. 'Cause girls he definitely thought were hot. Girls he definitely noticed. Being bi, that he was more comfortable with. Maybe in a couple years he'd find buys weren't his thing. Or girls weren't. He had no idea and it didn't matter to him. Right now he had Dean and Dean cared an awful lot for him.

Sam was just about to lean in to kiss Dean when he heard steps in the hallway. He scrambled out of Dean's arms and sat next to the older youth. He wasn’t quite ready to spill the beans about all this to his parents. Telling them rather than having them walk in on him and Dean, that was the route he wanted to go. Most definitely the preferred route.

His father walked by the room, glancing in and giving the boys a nod before going into the bathroom. Sam looked at Dean and smiled sheepishly at him. "I want to tell them," Sam whispered. "I don't want them walking in on us. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed, okay? Okay, maybe a little embarrassed, but I would be with a girlfriend just the same." He leaned over and gave Dean a quick kiss, reassuring him. "I just want to tell them myself."

He stared at Dean and wanted to make sure Dean wasn't mad at him for his sudden retreat. If Dean was, he'd go in and tell them right now. He wasn't quite ready for that, but he would if it looked like his actions had hurt Dean at all.

If he wasn’t so disappointed at the interruption Dean might have been amused at how quickly Sam managed to untangle himself at the sound of the footsteps in the hallway. Dean gave the younger boy credit though, how normal Sam managed to appear when they’d almost been caught making out by Sam’s father. Sam wasn’t even blushing.

Still, the interruption sucked balls, and not in the good way, and Dean sighed heavily in disappointment. Missing the younger boy’s warmth pressed against him and those sweet lips, promising more.

When Sam apologized, explaining how he wanted to tell his parents about them first rather than having them find out the ‘hard’ way, Dean figured this was as good a time as any to talk to Sam about that.

“Sammy, I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell them… about us. Let’s face it, I’m the kind of guy every parent dreads their kid is going to bring home, and even if they don’t try to have me thrown in jail because you’re a minor… I don’t want them to say I can’t see you anymore…”

Sam frowned at Dean's words. He hadn't even considered that Dean was an 'adult' and that Sam was a minor and the legal ramifications of that. He also hadn't considered his parents might tell him he couldn't see Dean anymore. That was…ridiculous…wasn't it? And why would every parent dread their kid showing up with a guy like Dean? Okay, well maybe that wasn't a stretch. Dean hadn't been overly friendly with his parents and he was a little…unorthodox. Sam also knew that he wouldn't be able to keep it from his parents indefinitely and he didn't think they would approve at all if he hid it from them. Still, this close in time to everything that had been happening, maybe they'd think Sam had done something to encourage Lancaster and that maybe some of his words were true. And that maybe Sam was getting beaten up because he was gay or bi or whatever he was.

After some long thought Sam gave a hesitant nod. "Okay. For now. But I am going to tell them eventually. I don't like keeping secrets from them. And you need to try to make friends with them. If they like you, when I do tell them, they'll be much cooler with it than if you and them are still at odds."

He heard the bathroom door open and his father headed back to the living room. After Sam was sure he was down the hall he said, "My parents do know a gay couple and they have invited the women over for one of our Sunday cook outs before. So they aren't prejudiced in general. But I don't know what they'll think of us. Especially with everything with Eric and stuff."

At least Sam could see his point why telling his parents about them might be a bad idea. Though Dean didn’t really understand why Sam felt he would have to tell them eventually. After all, teenagers were supposed to lie to their parents. Sam had to be the only teenager in the world who felt he shouldn’t keep secrets from his parents, hell Dean trusted Bobby with his life and he still hadn’t told the older hunter everything about him. Some things were just better left in the dark. Hell, he would rather Bobby didn’t know about him and Sam, but there was no way to undo that mistake now.

Dean sighed heavily. He didn’t like the idea of having to ‘make nice’ with Sam’s parents, if only so they won’t try to have him thrown in jail once the younger boy told them, but he would if he had to… even if he hated every minute of it.

When Sam mentioned how his parents had invited a lesbian couple to one of their little backyard cookouts, Dean snorted softly. Dean knew better than to think that would make any fucking difference if Sam’s parents found out about them. Sam’s parents might not be ‘prejudice’ but there was difference between hanging out with a gay couple and accepting that your own son was taking it up the ass. People were just hypocritical that way.

Dean sighed again, then glanced at the movie that was now almost over.

“Wanna watch the third one?” He asked, even though he’d really rather get back to what they were doing before Sam’s father had walked by. Unfortunately now that he had food in his stomach and he was comfortable again, he felt weariness tugging at him strongly again.

Sam grinned at Dean's suggestion. "Sure."

He could tell Dean was lethargic, his eyes only about half open and he figured Dean would be asleep before Princess Leia ever escaped from Jabba the Hut. He slipped the last movie in as soon as "Empire" ended and settled by the senior once again. He clasped Dean's hand in his own, but decided kissing him would be a bad idea. Dean was definitely sleepy and the sleep would do him good. He scooted a little closer to Dean and focused on the movie. It wasn't long before he felt Dean's hand relax in his own. Looking over at Dean, he saw Dean was sound asleep. He leaned in and kissed Dean lightly on the cheek. With Dean's nightmare he was reluctant to leave Dean's side but he was also restless. He had sat most of the day, been arrested, fingerprinted, interrogated. He shuddered a little at it all. He most definitely would never make such a mistake again. The attention he had brought down on himself would also make it harder for him to attack Eric the way he had planned, via the computer, because he would be a prime suspect.

He could call his friend Chris he supposed. Chris's older brother and his friends were a little…okay, face it, they were a little nuts. They did all sorts of crazy shit. Go play war in the middle of the night in the woods. Toss small explosives down toilets at school. Steal shit from one yard and put it across the street in a perfect mirror image. While that all seemed trivial, they knew stuff, how to do stuff. He knew for a fact they'd beaten up some kids that had been giving Chris trouble. He wondered if they would be willing to tackle a target like Lancaster. He would have to think on it.

Sam slowly crept out of the bed and retrieved his book, then returned to Dean's side. While he didn't claspe Dean's hand again, he edged close to Dean so their thighs were touching. Somewhere along the way he closed his eyes and sleep took him, the book laying in his lap, his head resting on Dean's shoulder.

When Dean woke again, the room was dark save for the moonlight spilling through the curtains, giving just enough definition to objects to remind him he wasn’t at home. There wasn’t a clock anywhere in the room so he had no idea what time it might be. But considering the rest of the house also seemed dark and quiet, it was probably late at night or early in the morning. Dean had to admit, he was a bit surprised he had slept for so long without nightmares… though that might have something to do with the warm weight resting against his side making his arm fall asleep.

Dean turned his head to look at the younger boy currently using his upper chest for a pillow. He couldn’t deny he was damned surprised to find Sam there. Not that the younger boy hadn’t been sitting next to him all afternoon in the pull out bed, but the fact that Sam’s parents had let the other boy sleep here… with him… like this…

Maybe Sam had only taken up this position after his parents had gone to bed or something? That seemed a much more likely scenario, and it made Dean smile a little as he gazed down at the younger boy. The cool moonlight spilling across Sam’s cheek and giving his hair a silvery tinge making Sam look even younger.

Definitely jailbait… but so damned worth the risk.

His arm really was a little uncomfortable though, all numbness, and though he was reluctant to wake the younger boy he just had to shift it out from under Sam to return a little circulation to his limb. Dean sighed as blood began to rush back to his fingers, making them tingle. But now that his arm was free he could put it around the younger boy.

When Keiko came to rouse her son in the morning, she stopped dead in her tracks in the door way. Sam was…cuddled up…to Dean and Dean had his arm around Sam. They looked disturbingly like…lovers. They also looked so…peaceful. When she and her husband had gone to bed, both boys were asleep, Sam with his head on Dean's shoulder, book in his lap and she hadn't wanted to disturb the two. Dean wasn't happy being here and being in pain, waking up in a strange place, having nightmares, and being a hunter, it was all a bad combination. She'd probably been out of her mind to let the young man bring a gun into her house. Still, it wasn't like she didn't have her own share of weapons, just not any guns except in the bedroom, for home protection she had assured Jim. Never mind she had a clip of silver and a clip of iron bullets for them though she kept regular bullets for the first two rounds.

Sometimes she missed hunting. It especially bothered her when she read things that were clearly hunter needed events. Admittedly, she had slipped out once or twice to take care of something that went bump in the night. Once it was in your blood it was hard to step away from it. But the hunter lines were all cursed in some fashion it seemed. Few lived to their fifties or sixties, and they usually died unpleasantly. She of course knew she would be a caretaker once she married. She hadn't planned on the inability to have children. With Sam being adopted and free of the curse of the hunters she had never been able to bring herself to tell him the truth. She didn't want him afraid of the dark, afraid of what was under the bed or in the closet. She wanted him to remain innocent for as long as possible. She had taught him certain fighting skills such as knife throwing, archery, and swordplay, taught him to read ancient Japanese and most of the far eastern languages. She told him scary stories of monsters and how they could be killed by the heroic Samurai. He knew the lore, he knew the truth of how to kill anything supernatural. He just didn't know that monsters were real. She supposed she couldn't wait much longer. Once he was eighteen, he would be off to college, off on his own life, and it was his job to be caretaker of the family knowledge, of the hunter scrolls and journals and their histories and once he was eighteen, he may not be willing to accept that as part of his duty to the family. He was not the only caretaker, but he was the only one in America. Of course there were American monsters that did not exist in Japan and vice-versa. She had used a few American talismans to help protect her family because Japanese talismans didn't always work against American monsters and when in Rome, as it were…

She wondered if it were some strange sort of destiny that her boy would make friends with an obvious outcast and rebel who was also a hunter. She wanted him a caretaker, not a hunter, dammit. The ancestors had their own thoughts on it and if it were to be his destiny, then she would accept it, albeit reluctantly. That was why there was always more than one caretaker in the family lineage.

She quietly Sam and got him headed to his bathroom to shower and get ready for school while she got his breakfast made. She didn't think he realized how he had been snuggled up against the older youth or how the young man had had his arm around Sam. For the best. Dean was probably dreaming of his latest female conquest although she wasn't entirely certain that reassured her.

Once she'd seen her husband off to work and fed her son, they both heard Jeff's car pull up out front.

"I'm going to say goodbye to Dean," Sam told his mother.

"Don't wake him," she scolded him.

"I won't." Sam crept into the den and ran his hand over Dean's spiky hair, smiling. He kissed him on the forehead. "Be nice to Mom. I'll see you after school," he told Dean softly.

Dean had stayed awake for a while, just watching Sam sleep. He wondered if the younger boy would think that was weird, Dean watching him like that. He wondered if it would freak him out or something… maybe. It was kind of stalkerish actually. But he couldn’t really help it, the view was nice, so Dean enjoyed it for as long as possible until his eyes began to grow heavy again and he fell back to sleep with his arm wrapped securely around Sam.

When he woke up again, it was definitely morning. Judging by the angle of the light… and the way Dean’s bladder felt like it was ready to burst… it was actually probably closer to noon. Damn. That meant Sam was long gone at school already, and that meant Dean was on his own getting to the bathroom.

Well, Sam’s mom was supposed to be around here somewhere, but damned if Dean was going to ask to lean on the petite Japanese woman to the bathroom so he could take a piss. Surely he could make it there himself. It wasn’t that far.

Dean was actually kind of pleased it only took him three tries to get to his feet. It probably would have been easier if he’d had more painkillers in him at the moment, but he couldn’t wait for them to kick in, since he really had to go.

It was slow going. He had to hold onto the wall the entire way he limped to the bathroom, but he was determined to make it there before he pissed himself.

Keiko heard the grunts and groans coming from the den and considered getting up to help him, then decided Dean probably needed to do this for himself. She would be there to help get him back into bed though. She carried a fresh glass of water wither to the den. While he was in the bathroom she got the pillows fluffed up and situated so he would be able to sit up comfortably.

She listened for the toilet to flush. He probably would need to do more than just piss at this point. He was also going to need to do something to while away the hours until Sam got home. He had slept so long that even with painkillers in him and eating a good lunch, he likely would be awake for at least two or three hours. What could he do that wouldn't strain his side? She smiled to herself. Well, her gun hadn't been cleaned in a couple months. It should be fine but she liked to pull out all the bullets from the clip, examine each one, take apart the gun and give it a good oiling. Then there were her knives. Most of her knives were in excellent shape but there was the subset of throwing knives that she'd practiced with over the past couple months and they needed sharpening. Dean had taken great offense at her showing him how to properly fire arrows for accuracy but she wondered if he would like to learn how to properly sharpen a samurai sword. It wasn't part of the golden dragon's set but rather one that she had used in her youth for training and sometimes on hunts. Sharpening a samurai sword took a delicate touch and particular style. Well, she could ask and if he got shitty with her, so be it.

She heard the toilet flush and then the water run for a few minutes, probably washing his hands and face. She'd set a razor and shaving cream in there for him if he wanted it, but honestly didn't figure he'd be up to it yet.

"I'm right out here when you're ready to get back in bed, Dean. I'll walk in front and you can brace yourself with your hands on my shoulders."

Once Dean finished his business, he braced himself at the sink to wash his hands and also took the time to splash some cool water on his face. Rinsing away some of the sweat that gathered on his face and brow from the exertion of getting to the bathroom. His ankle didn’t feel too bad, since he was wearing the brace still, but his side still fucking hurt like a bitch. Though he noticed the shaving stuff sitting on the side of the sink, the only thing Dean was really interested in right now was returning to a reclining position.

He honestly wasn’t all that surprised to hear the voice of Sam’s mom outside the door when he was done. Dean grabbed a towel from the rack and wiped off his face, giving himself a moment to compose himself, before he finally opened the bathroom door and limped out.

Though he would have loved to protest the need for help getting back to the bed, Dean wasn’t all that certain he’d make it back on his own steam. If he fell, he was pretty sure the petite woman wouldn’t be able to get him back up by herself… and he’d promised Bobby and Sam…

So he accepted the help getting back to the den and situated back into the bed without complaint. Even muttering a soft thanks once he was settled again.

Keiko gave him a kind smile and pulled the blanket over his hips and legs. "Glad to help. I've got lunch ready for you and I already brought you in some water for your pills." She pointed to the glass that was beginning to sweat as the ice cubes settled. "You can take both of the painkillers at this point." The white pills were already out and laying by the water. "I'll be right back with lunch for you."

Sam had told her he liked hamburgers and since the stew seemed to settle for him just fine, she made him a burger and fried potatoes. She had a can of soup on standby just in case he wasn't up to the burger.

She returned to the kitchen and started the toaster. She turned the heat back up while the bun was toasting and made sure it was all good and hot. Since she didn't know if certain things might turn his stomach, she had all the condiments on a separate plate. Was the bun was toasted she slide the cheeseburger onto it. Carrying the tray she set it across his lap. The plate had the burger and fried potatoes. On a second plate she had cooked onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, uncooked onions, and small bowls of bar-b-q sauce, ketchup, mustard and hot sauce. The slat and pepper shaker was also on the tray.

"I wasn't really sure what you liked on your burger so I figured I'd let you decide what sounded good. If you aren't up to this, I also have some soup I can fix you instead. Tomato, chicken rice, chicken noodle, minestrone, probably just about anything. Oh and a can of ravioli too. Is the water good or would you like tea or a coke? Did I miss anything you'd like on your burger?"

Dean couldn’t say he was too happy about being tucked in but he held his tongue, merely nodding when Sam’s mom mentioned his pills. He was definitely ready for a couple of those, even more so than lunch. After popping the pills back with some water, Dean found the remote and turned on the television as he waited for them to kick in and for Sam’s mom to return with his promised lunch. Of course there wasn’t anything on this time of the day except damned soap operas and infomercials. Still, Dean flipped through the channels if only for something to do even if he didn’t watch anything.

He couldn’t deny, he was a little worried about Sam. Even though he knew that Jeff was watching out for the younger boy, Dean was still worried about what might happen. Dean didn’t think that Eric would risk doing anything to Sam himself, not after the incident with the police yesterday, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t goad some other shithead to take a shot at Sam. After Eric had taken Dean down so thoroughly yesterday, his reputation wasn’t going to do any good keeping Sam safe either.

When Sam’s mom finally returned with his lunch, Dean honestly had been expecting leftovers or just some simple soup. He definitely hadn’t been expecting a burger with all the fixings he could imagine. Maybe Bobby was right and he would turn into a cheeseburger one of these days. Not that Dean was complaining, not at all.

“I’m good.” Dean replied, his stomach growling a little impatiently and he had to admit it smelled great even though Sam had said more than once that Dean’s burgers were better than his mom’s. Probably best not to tell Sam’s mother that though Dean decided as he fixed his burger up the way he liked and took a bite.

Maybe not as good as his, but still pretty damned good all the same.

“This is great. Thanks.” Dean said, remembering to swallow first. Bobby wasn’t wrong. He could definitely be charming, when he wanted to be. And right now it was definitely in his advantage to get on the Japanese woman’s good side.

Keiko settled in a chair watching the young man seem to enjoy the lunch she made him. That pleased her a good deal. She took pride in her cooking. "I'm glad you like it. Sam said you liked burgers. He called, by the way. He's doing fine. He wanted me to tell you that when you woke up."

"After you're done eating, I can bring some movies in for you if you'd like, or cards for solitaire. There are plenty of books if you like reading. I don't imagine you're the board game type, but I could play a round or two of Yahtzee of chess or something if you wanted. I also have…well, I didn't know if you'd like to keep yourself busy doing something you probably enjoy. You don't have to do anything of course, but I thought I'd make the offer. My gun hasn't been cleaned in about four months, and I usually don't let it go that long. I also have some throwing knives that need sharpening and…I didn't know it you'd be interested in learning how to sharpen a samurai sword. It's very different than sharpening a traditional knife or sword. You didn't seem keen on my teaching you archery techniques, so I don't want to offend you or make you feel like you have to do any of this. I'm simply offering you some options. Sitting laid up in bed makes me buggy and I have to do something or I go crazy." She hesitated a moment, watching him. "…so, does anything spark your interest? Or should I just go away and let you watch…" she glanced at the TV, "As the world turns."

Dean had to admit, he was much relieved when she mentioned Sam had called. He hoped that meant there had been no trouble. It was hard to believe there wouldn’t have been any trouble though. But surely if there had been anything that Jeff couldn’t handle, he would have brought Sam home, or Sam would have asked to come home. Dean wished he could have talked to Sam himself though, since there were obviously some things that the younger boy might not feel comfortable telling his mother. Or better yet, if Sam had come home for lunch like the younger boy had mentioned yesterday.

When Sam’s mom went on to ask him if there was anything he wanted to do after he was done eating… movies might not be bad. Sam had mentioned they owned a few old classic monster movies, that wouldn’t be a bad way to waste a few hours he supposed. Cards might not be bad either. He had a feeling any books they had in the house would just bore him to tears though, and an almost horrified expression crossed his face for a second when she mentioned board games.

Besides, he was sure Sam’s mother had much better things to do than attempt to entertain him.

However when she went on to mention cleaning her gun or sharpening a few of her knives for her… a samurai sword? Seriously? No, he hadn’t been thrilled at all with her dishing out her little archery tips. But that had been when he thought she just did it for ‘sport’. Shooting arrows into paper targets and shooting them into monsters were two very different things, after all. Now? He didn’t know what the hell to think of her.

When she asked him if he’d rather watch the soap his channel surfing had landed on, Dean looked at the television then quickly grabbed the remote and shut it off with a shudder. Great. If that didn’t ruin his reputation, nothing would.

“You some kind of hunter, or what?” Dean finally asked as he set the remote back down on the bed. The spell bag, the weapons, the protections she said were around the house, the fact that she knew what he and Bobby were, it was all pretty obvious at this point, but he wanted to hear her say it.

She saw the concern pass over Dean's face with regard to Sam but also saw his relief. "He wanted to make it home for lunch but Jeff was held over by a teacher so they didn't have time," she told him.

She saw him considering the offers of movies and such she made and almost laughed at his look when she mentioned board games. Her family tried to have a game night once a week, but that was mostly to give the family quality time together. It made them all set aside whatever they were doing and sit down with one another. Had Dean ever even been given a chance to play board games? A lot were filled with strategy though some were just luck and fun. She really thought he might enjoy a couple of the games but she wasn't going to push. That he didn't play chess surprised her a little, but then Bobby didn't seem like the chess playing type and she suspected the young man might not have the patience for the game.

The way he positively perked up when she mentioned the samurai sword made her smile to herself. He actually wouldn't be able to do most of it if it needed to be sharpened from a rough restoration. Hers was in good shape and just a light sharpening was all that was needed. Even so, he would have difficulty with some of the moments. Fine polishing he would be able to do in his currently injured state though.

She couldn't help her laugh when he practically scrambled to get the TV turned off. His next question didn't surprise her and she had more or less been ready for it.

"At one time," she conceded. "In my younger days, with my family. Once the women are married, or sometimes the men who don't have the necessary skills, we become caretakers of the hunter lore. We are responsible for keeping the stories accurate, for copying over the journals and scrolls when they become aged. Our family members call on us to provide them the accurate lore if they are encountering something they have not encountered before. Our children are spared the burden of becoming hunters, but they often become caretakers. Sometimes caretaker children go on to hunt, just as some hunter children choose to become caretakers. In general though, the men hunt and their male children become hunters and their female children become caretakers. The caretakers teach the female children the lore and their own children may know very little of the details. As I am the only one of my family in America, Sam will become a caretaker. He knows the stories. He is accurate with the bow and with knives of all sorts, and with a sword and sling and slingshot. I suppose I should have taught him how to shoot a gun. We have gone out on a few rare occasions to the gun range, but honestly, if he needs to shoot, I'd rather he use a shot gun. Generally more efficient. I have already made plans to provide him with such when he is seventeen. He doesn't particularly like guns though. I haven't taught him hand to hand which it appears I should have. I'm honestly not very good at hand to hand. I prefer ranged weapons when possible. My size," she shook her head, "doesn't lend itself well to hand to hand."

She sighed. "I have not told Sam the stories that he knows by heart are true. He doesn't know that monsters are real. I have taught him to read Japanese, both ancient and modern, as well as many of the eastern languages. I wanted him to grow up without worrying what was in the dark. I wanted him to be able to have a childhood free of such terrors. Soon…soon I will have to tell him. Soon the family will expect him to assist with the research. Jim…he knows nothing of this. I haven't decided yet if I will tell him. We have had a good life, a quiet life. I have occasionally hunted since I was married, but only a few times."

So she was a hunter. At one time… well, that was better than being a witch, Dean supposed. Still, Dean didn’t understand why all the subterfuge. If she had once been a hunter, she had probably made him and Bobby the first time she saw them, or at least, the first time she came over to the salvage yard. The protections were easy to miss if you didn’t know what they were for, but a hunter wouldn’t miss them. Unless they were a piss poor hunter, Dean might not like Sam’s parents all that much, but even so she didn’t seem the piss poor hunter type.

And if she was a hunter why wouldn’t she tell Sam? Dean remembered Sam telling him how his mom told him stories about how to kill monsters, but the younger boy only thought they were stories, not real. Sam didn’t know how to fight, not even to take care of a ‘bully’ like Lancaster.

Yeah, being a hunter sometimes sucked. But what if something supernatural went after Sam? The younger boy wouldn’t have a chance. How could she just not tell Sam the truth? Then again, had Dean told Sam anything about what he was? No. He hadn’t wanted to tell Sam he was a hunter… because he hadn’t wanted Sam to think he was some kind of freak. Dean had even lied about yellow eyes… ok, so maybe he couldn’t really blame her for keeping Sam in the dark.

Dean was silent for a long time, debating whether or not to ask.

“Were you the one who told him about Yellow Eyes?”

Her brow lifted at the mention of Yellow Eyes. "I've told him nothing about the yellow eyes he sees sometimes in his dreams. He rarely elaborates. Heat. Orange glow. Screaming, and sometimes a yellow-eyed dark figure. He doesn't seem to remember much most time. I try to make certain any monster movie we watch doesn't have something with yellow eyes. It usually brings on one of his night terrors. When he uses the dream bag, he can usually sleep through the night."

She glanced at the watch Dean had on. Her son's watch. "I see he thinks you need protection," she said, indicating the watch. "I'll have to get his new one out and give it to him. I don't like him being without it." She sighed. "I do wish it helped against human monsters. If I could even begin to pretend that bastard was possessed I'd happily cut him in half. Then exorcise him. Can't blame an old hunter for getting the sequence mixed up, you know." she smirked. "Or I wish I knew a witch that owed me a favor. Ah, but any that did wouldn't curse Eric like he deserves to be cursed. Like having his dick shrivel up and fall off."

She tilted her head and looked at Dean. "So what do you know about Yellow Eyes?" She was surprised her son had even spoken of it to Dean.

Her words didn’t reassure Dean, not one bit. He had rather hoped that what he’d told Sam was true, at least for Sam. That he must have just seen yellow eyes in some monster movie and that’s why he had nightmares of the yellow eyed man. Or, knowing that Sam’s mom used to be a hunter, maybe the yellow eyed demon had been one of the stories she had told him as a boy…

Dean looked down at his wrist when she mentioned Sam’s watch. He’d honestly forgotten he was still wearing it. Protection? Dean hadn’t taken it off or examined the watch since Sam had put it on him, but knowing what he knew now, he wasn’t all that surprised that apparently there was some kind of protection on it. His mother must have told Sam it was for protection… and Sam had given it to him. That thought made Dean smile a little.

Though her words regarding Eric made Dean snort softly in amusement even though he knew she was being completely serious. He didn’t blame her, considering he’d been having much the same thoughts. If there was a chance he’d get away with it Dean would be all too happy to do the honors of castrating the mother fucker for what he’s done to Sam. Maybe Bobby would know some kind of spell though that would work just as well…

When she asked him how he knew about Yellow Eyes Dean looked up from his wrist to meet her eyes again. He debated whether or not to tell her. She was a hunter. She wouldn’t call him crazy. But he’d been reluctant to even tell Bobby… but if Sam had actually seen Yellow Eyes at some point…

“Bobby thinks it’s a demon. I saw it… when I was four. It killed my parents.”

Keiko straightened at Dean's words. "A demon?" Concern crossed her face.

When they had adopted Sam, she knew he had been orphaned, but the agency they went through told them little else, other than the baby was something of a handful and the agency wasn't sure it was a good match, this being their first child and all. After some serious discussion she and Jim agreed to take Sam anyhow. Really, he wasn't a handful except for his nightmares and the strangest things would set him to crying. She remembered once she had nicked her thumb cutting up some vegetables and had stuck it in her mouth to suck off the blood that has welled up until she could get to the sink. The child had reacted horribly, and though only two, wouldn't let Keiko or Jim near him for the rest of the day, not without screaming and fighting them. He had finally worn himself out and fell asleep in the corner with his blanket. He was better the next day, but whenever he saw the bandaid on her hand, would get upset. And then there were his nightmares that didn't ease until she made the dream-bag for him. He loved playschool and often tried to latch on to the coattails of boys a few years older than himself wanting hugs and kisses and to play with them. There had been one young boy who had a little brother about Sam's age and was tolerant of Sammy's needs. If an older boy pushed him away, he would sulk and cry and hide. Yes, she supposed he had been something of a handful in retrospect but he just had his idiosyncrasies that surely any child had.

Sammy was about two when he talked of the yellows eyes he saw in his nightmares. After about five, he stopped mentioning them for the most part. Though he would say that sometimes he felt like someone was watching him when he slept. That was when Keiko gave him the silver stiletto of keep at his bedside. She had also gotten him a new bed. One that had an iron frame to support the mattress and box spring and she had used iron wire to close any gaps. The hunter in her didn't know what might be haunting her boy, if anything real, but silver and iron was the best she would do. The iron pipe and salt in the attic should have been enough to ease her mind, but attacks on her boy? She had decided to go the extra yard in hopes it would help.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Keiko said, though she was careful to keep sympathy out of her voice. A hunter didn't want sympathy and it generally just pissed them off. "I can't imagine coming face to face with something like that, especially at such a young age. And yellow eyes means an upper level demon. Quite a way to push you into hunting. But we all have our reasons for why we hunt. Sam doesn't talk about the details of his nightmares much anymore. Just usually he's quite upset and says it’s the same old thing. Is he still having nightmares of the yellow eyes?"

Dean frowned slightly at her reply, not so much what the Japanese woman said but what she didn’t say. The expressions he saw flicker across her face, all too expressive, much like her son’s. He could see she was alarmed that they suspected Yellow Eyes was a demon, but there was something else too. Something that stretched during the length of silence… that made him think she might be intentionally keeping something from him. Something important, about Sam…

Like maybe she knew, or at least had some kind of an idea, why Sam was having dreams about a demon, she just wasn’t telling him. Maybe she, or her family, had pissed the demon off some time when she’d been a hunter and now it was looking for Sam for revenge or something. The idea that a demon, a ‘high level’ demon at that, the same one that had killed his parents and destroyed his life, might be gunning for Sam fucking terrified him, but she seemed remarkably calm about the whole thing.

Yeah, they all had their reasons they started hunting, something that happened to open their eyes to what was lurking in the dark. Most of the time it involved the death of someone they loved, the last thing Dean wanted was for that demon to be the reason Sam’s eyes got opened.

Then again, maybe it was nothing. Maybe they were just ordinary dreams. Maybe Dean was just overreacting and the worst Sam had to worry about was that bastard Eric, and not some demon coming after him.

Dean finally shrugged, poking at his cooling food on the plate but not really interested in eating anymore.

“We didn’t talk much about it.” He replied. When Sam had mentioned the yellow eyes in the restaurant, Dean had done his best to change the topic quickly. Now he wished he hadn’t.

Keiko wanted to push him but could already see it had upset him. "Please, eat. Demons, monsters, they'll still all be there if your stomach is full or empty. Apparently my burgers don't match up to yours. You'll have to tell me your secret ingredient that makes Sam rave about them."

"I knew there was a hunter in the area. I didn't realize there were two. Of course, with the things I've heard, it wasn't hard to guess it was Bobby." She laughed. "Confuses the hell out of people when he shows up at church and then has long conversations with the priest there and that they're obviously friends. So are you Bobby's nephew or god son? If you don't mind me asking. If you do, then forget I did."

Dean snorted softly at her words. He supposed she had a point. Besides, there wasn’t much he could do about it right now, considering he couldn’t even get up to take a piss by himself. So he started eating again, even if it was slightly less enthusiastic than before. When she mentioned Sam raving about his hamburgers, Dean couldn’t help but smile a little. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to tell her his ‘secret ingredient’. The way Sam went on about his mother’s cooking, Dean kind of liked that he could produce at least one thing that the younger boy liked better.

When she mentioned how it wasn’t hard to guess that there was a hunter in town and that it was Bobby, Dean gave a nod. She had a point. Any other hunter would have picked up the signs that another hunter was in the area. Given the rumors about Bobby and him, no, it wasn’t very hard to guess. If you were a hunter… if you weren’t, then Bobby was just a crazy, devil worshiping, drunk that lived out at the junkyard.

So, yeah, he supposed it was kind of strange given all the rumors, especially the devil worshiping crap, that Bobby went to church. Dean didn’t particularly like going to church, he definitely wasn’t the praying type at all, but the priest there had helped him with his Latin and teaching him to make holy water. Even though he could do both now, Bobby still dragged him along to church every once in a while, to Dean’s displeasure.

Dean was a little bit surprised why she asked how he and Bobby were related. Why did she want to know? What did it matter? Well, wasn’t like it was a state secret anyway. Most people already knew, at the school at least, that Bobby was only his guardian. Then of course there were the rumors of how Dean had killed his real parents… but she already knew that wasn’t true.

“Neither. I ran away from my last foster home when I was thirteen. I lived on the streets a while after that, moving from place to place. I hid out in Bobby’s junk yard for a little over a week before he found me, he took me in.” Dean finally replied, giving a small shrug. “He’s got a soft spot for hard luck cases.”

Orphaned. Seeing his parents killed by a demon. Last foster home implied he had more than one and that didn't surprise Keiko, not on a couple levels. If the young boy told anyone a demon, or even a 'thing,' killed his parents, well, they'd probably send him to a shrink and medicate him. Until he was 'stable,' it was unlikely he would even be put up for adoption. So a troubled kid that no one would listen to, who suffered a trauma that was probably never properly dealt with because they wouldn't believe some thing did kill his parents, yes that added up to a mess. If Dean were a little younger, Keiko would want to just sweep him into her arms and hold him and tell him he wasn't crazy and everything would be okay. But she figured Dean was a little old for mothering that way. Dean had been taught to hunt and channeled his anger and frustration into something useful. Unless he had to come to a family picnic of course. She almost chuckled at that. And the memory of him trying to avoid her in the salvage yard. Yeah, he was pretty rough around the edges, and not someone she would want to run into in a dark alley, but he seemed to care a lot about her son. He was probably just a 'diamond in the rough' as they say.

Since mothering him and any sort of sympathy were definitely out, she decided treating him as an equal would probably work best. Yeah, he was young, but a hunter was a hunter and obviously he had seen hard times and grown up faster than any child should have to. Well, she might have to mother him a little bit but that was just the way she was.

"Nothing worse than everyone thinking you're nuts," Keiko said with a shake of her head. "People are such idiots. Glad you found Bobby. And glad he takes in hard luck cases. I imagine that soft spot probably helped save Sam and I think that soft spot must be contagious since you've taken to looking after Sam like he was family."

Not wanting to make Dean feel awkward she changed the subject. "So not going to 'fess up about your secret ingredient huh?" she teased him. "Hmmm, maybe I'll try to bribe it out of you with some chocolate cake or something. Ice cream is Sam's Kryptonite. So cake? Pudding? Ice Cream? Pie? I figure Sam will probably like some comfort sweets tonight after being at that damned school all day. So let's hear it. What dessert would you like to have with dinner tonight? I thought lasagna might be good for dinner if you like lasagna?"

Dean was again surprised by her reply and laughed softly even though it was less in amusement than agreement. Yeah, Dean knew exactly what it felt like everyone thinking you were crazy. Too bad he didn’t understand the consequences of that when he was a child. If he’d known they would take his brother away from him because he was ‘crazy’ and ‘dangerous’ to the younger boy… Dean sighed heavily, losing his appetite again, this time for good. Yeah, sharing and caring time was definitely over.

Though Dean couldn’t help but wonder how much of him wanting to help Sam had been because of Bobby’s tendency to take in strays rubbing off on him… or maybe something else. Maybe Sam kind of reminded him of his baby brother? Which was just dumb because he hadn’t seen his brother since Sammy was a baby, but still they shared the same name and Sam was a few years younger than him… and he dreamed about yellow eyes…

No, it had to be just a coincidence. The odds were just too damned astronomical. Hell, the odds of him and Sam getting together in the first place were astronomical. If Eric hadn’t tried to… rape… Sam that day, if Sam hadn’t been able to get away from the bastard, if Bobby hadn’t been on his way home from a drop off that day, if Sam hadn’t been on the road hitchhiking home at that exact time, if Bobby hadn’t seen Sam, if Sam hadn’t tried to flag Bobby down, if Bobby hadn’t stopped and picked Sam up… if Dean hadn’t decided to help Sam… So many damned if’s. Besides… Sam couldn’t be his brother, Sam had a family of his own…

Yeah, Dean had a lot of reasons to be glad that Bobby had a soft spot a mile wide for hard luck cases.

Feeling a little bit awkward where the direction of their conversation had gone he was glad when Sam’s mom decided to change the subject. Only giving the Japanese woman a smirk when she complained about him not sharing his ‘secret ingredient’ with her, though when she mentioned bribery he raised an eyebrow. Ok, he was curious. When she mentioned pie, Dean couldn’t deny he was tempted. She was actually going to make a pie? Dean didn’t think he’d ever had a homemade pie before.

When she asked if he liked lasagna, Dean shrugged.

“Never had it. Pie sounds good though.” He admitted.

Keiko sensed that she was handling Dean correctly. He was beginning to smile and laugh and lighten up a little instead looking at her like she was the enemy. She knew that flat out had to do with the fact she was a former hunter. There was a kindred spirit that hunters had. Yeah they tended to be leery of each other at times, but once respect was won, it was kept.

Dean was a handsome young man and it seemed such a shame his world was so entrenched with darkness and sadness. Bobby, she had to admit, she liked, liked a lot. He was fun to talk to and he understood Japanese, and he was, well, just a nice guy. He and Jim had hit if off extremely well, which pleased her even more. Even though she was out of hunting, she couldn't deny she wouldn't mind talking 'shop' with Bobby or Dean. It was her job, after all, to ensure hunters of her family had all the information they might need that she had access to. She also had to admit, she didn't think she would mind expanding that "family" to include the two hunters. There was a lot of American lore she didn't know or have access to and if Bobby were to give her access to some of his books, she could enhance and expand the knowledge that might someday help her family. In a world grown smaller with ease of travel, some supernatural creatures could potentially migrate across continents. It made sense to befriend hunters in America though she had never tried to seek any out, since the ancestors seemed determined to wrap the two families together, then it must be for a reason. A logical reason was that they should be exchanging information.

She gasped at Dean's answer. "Never had lasagna? Never had lasagna! Oh, I will have to speak to Bobby about that atrocity, that crime to the taste buds. Then we are definitely having lasagna tonight. And pie. Easy enough. I should have plenty of apples to make some pie and I'll have Jim pick up some vanilla ice cream on his way home. Hmm, might even do some dutch apple pie. That sounds good for a change. Fattening beyond fattening, but," she laughed, "so's lasagna. If you're going to do it, do it right I always say."

She pushed herself to her feet. " Incidentally the watch is blessed and prevents demon possession. It's engraved with St Benedict, though the script "may the holy cross by my light" on the cross is there, the other part is left off since it says "may the dragon never be my guide." The Gold Dragon is sacred to my family. Just so you know what you're wearing and what it offers. The outer ring holding the watch crystal in place is high quality silver, too. Not enough to do any damage, but it will make something pull back so you at least know you're dealing with something evil. Okay, so what would you like to do to while away the hours? Clean and sharpen weapons or watch movies, or something else?

Dean couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at her disbelief that he’d never had lasagna, and wondered if she really was going to say something to Bobby about it. No, probably not, but it was still kind of amusing all the same.

It wasn’t that Bobby didn’t feed him well. In fact, Dean didn’t have any complaints about Bobby’s cooking. It was just they were both so damned busy most of the stuff they made at home was quick and easy and while they were on the road hunting they ate at diners and fast food. Dean certainly never felt like he went without or was missing anything just because he’d never had lasagna before.

Apple pie easy? Really? Huh… Well, Dean couldn’t deny he could get used to this too. Even if it meant he’d probably have to work out twice as much to make sure he didn’t get out of shape.

Dean found himself looking down at the watch again when Sam’s mom started explaining to him the protection it offered. Sam obviously had no idea what kind of a gift he’d given him… he really should give it back to the younger boy. Especially now that he knew it wasn’t just a watch but offered powerful protection against evil. Dean didn’t want Sam to be without it.

“Might as well clean and sharpen.” Dean replied, looking back up at Sam’s mom when she asked him what he wanted to do. Yeah, movies were ok, but he had spent enough time sitting on his ass doing nothing. If he had to keep sitting on his ass he might as well do something useful.

"Clean and sharpen, check," she said. She retrieved her gun from her bedroom along with the cleaning supplied and newspapers, then got the throwing knives and sharpening stones. Lastly, she retrieved her katana and tanto, a knife that went with the sword. With them she brought in her case of sharpening and polishing tools.

The katana and tanto she tended to every couple week, making certain they were oiled and kept free of rust, but she didn't always take the time to check the edge and polish them. While she knew the edge was fine, it wasn't as perfect as she would like it to be and hadn't sat down to add the finesse she had been wanting to. She unsheathed the sword reverently, bowing to it, then opened up the case.

"You won't be able to do this first part, but I can show you how to do it," she told Dean. She laid out a mat and put a few blocks of wood on it, then placed a fine grit natural stone on it. She slowly and carefully began sharpening the blade, pulling it toward her, sliding it over the stone in motions Dean would be unable to make with his injured side. She explained the various stones used, the powders and polishing tools involved, skipping any history lesson and keeping to the method and technique only. This stone was the finest before the polish because it really only needed some minor touchups. After that, she went through the examples of the series of polishing stones that the blade needed.

"If you feel up to it, you are welcome to polish the blade. The matching knife, the 'tanto', needs the same work as the katana," she pointed to the sharpening stone on the floor, "but I'm not sure that won't hurt your side." She picked up the stone and set it in with the polishing stones and tools that she then set on the bed. "You can try if you like, maybe be able to do it in your lap. All swords and knives are of course sharp, but the Japanese steel tends to be sharper than most realize. So I know, a needless caution, but handle with care. And don't fret about screwing anything up during the polish. These are well used training and hunting weapons. I've shown you all the polishing techniques if you want to shine the blade to show its folds, but really only the finishing polish of the edge is needed. I'll leave you to work. Give a shout if you need anything, water, snack, whatever." She picked up the tray of dirty dishes and headed toward the door.

While Sam’s mom was gone Dean finished off a bit more of his lunch, figuring she’d scold him or something if he didn’t, then put the dishes aside on the end table. He was a bit surprised with all the crap she returned with. He never would have imagined it took so much to sharpen a sword. It certainly didn’t take that much to sharpen the knives he had at home.

Then she removed the sword from its sheath… and ok… maybe Dean could see the point in having so many tools to sharpen the sword. Even now the blade looked sharp enough it could probably literally split hairs.

In spite of himself Dean couldn’t help but watch in rapt interest as she went about sharpening the blade. He couldn’t deny he was a bit disappointed when she said he couldn’t do this part, but he understood why once he saw the technique. Yeah, probably would hurt like a motherfucker with his side all fucked up. Still, he tried to commit the motions and everything she was telling him about the different stones, powders, and other tools used to memory. Maybe he would get the chance to try it out later on one of his own blades or something. Given the wicked edge to the katana, there had to be something to the method. Dean could imagine going up against a vampire with a blade like that, it would probably cut through flesh and bone like butter.

When she said he could try the technique out on the tanto that went with the sword, Dean nodded. Maybe the shorter blade would be easier to work with. He was eager to give it a try. When the Japanese woman left with the dishes, Dean went to work. Not surprisingly his first few attempts were rather pathetically clumsy. Even though he’d paid attention, it wasn’t easy figuring out the right way to hold the blade and move in a way that wouldn’t hurt his side too much. But after a while the motion became more familiar and he thought he was doing better, even if it wasn’t perfect. It would take a hell of a lot more practice before he was perfect at it.

Once he figured he’d sharpened the blade about as well as he could, Dean went about polishing both the tanto and katana the way he’d been shown. Curious, he checked the sharpness of the sword against his own thumb and he was right it probably would split hairs. Dean barely touched the blade and it had nicked open his skin. He stuck his thumb in his mouth for a few moments to slow the bleeding before he continued.

Finishing with the katana and tanto Dean sheathed the blades and set them aside, turning his attention then to the more familiar weapons. Since he was already in the ‘groove’ he started on the knives first. They were a good set of throwing knives. Well balanced and well maintained. It didn’t take long for Dean to hone them to a wicked edge. Then he went to work on the gun. Extracting the clip and removing each bullet, alternating silver and iron rounds, nice. He then went to work taking apart the gun and carefully cleaning each piece.

Keiko was pleased with the amount of work she got down. So often she was out on the road taking photographs of weddings and advertisements and whatever else came up, that getting all the paperwork done often kept her busy later than she would have liked. She had a chance to get paperwork caught up and edit pictures and arrange albums for the clients and handle email and organize her calendar. She might have to start doing this once every couple weeks. Try to get a day 'off' working from home to get everything caught up instead of pulling extra hours after all the photo shoots. If things kept going so well though, she might be able to actually open her own studio within the next year or so. Of course then she'd probably be working even more hours. Still she would talk to her boss about getting a day off to get everything caught up. She felt like she was doing a better job on all the layouts and albums that she had had a chance to do in far too long. Her boss was the type that would push until you pushed back. Maybe it was time to push back.

Looking up at the clock she gasped. How had it gotten so late already?

Since Sam would be home within the hour, Keiko thought she better go check on Dean. She brought him in a cold Coke and small bowl of potato chips, along with some wet wipes to clean his hands and a towel to dry them off. "You all worn out or would feel up to peeling some apples?' she asked as she checked over his handwork, nodding in definite approval of the blades. For a first time job on the tanto he did pretty good. It could use a bit more polishing here and there, but that was only for show, not for practicality, so it wasn't really important. She suspected that Dean might enjoy learning how to make the blade show off the waves of the layered metal. Maybe tomorrow if he was interested.

Dean looked up when he heard Sam’s mom come into the living room. Only realizing after he happened to glance at the time on the VCR at the same time how long he’d been working. He was just finishing up with the handgun, clicking the last piece in place and returning the rounds to the clip. Good timing. He found he was a little thirsty too, so he gave a small nod of thanks for the soda and snack.

He snapped the clip back into the gun and took the offered wipes and towel first to wash the oil from his hands. Considering chips and gun oil didn’t sound all that appealing. However when she asked if he wanted to peel some apples now if he wasn’t worn out Dean couldn’t stop from making a slight face.

Was he worn out? Well… not really… but his side would probably feel better if he laid down for a while now. He had been sitting up for a pretty long time now.

“I think I’m gonna lay down for a while.” Dean replied as he wiped off his hands on the towel.

Keiko nodded. He had been up for quite awhile. "You're overdue for one of your vicodin, too," she said with a jerk of her chin toward the pill bottles. She first returning the gun and cleaning supplies to their location in the bedroom. She couldn't help but do a double check of the clip before placing the gun in the night stand. She came back for the throwing knives and regular sharpening equipment and put them up, then carefully gathered the katana and tanto, doing a final check on them out of habit, made sure everything was secure in the toolcase, and carried them out. She came back a final time. Dean had resettle himself so he was lying down and she suspected he would be out like a light in no time. He had the remote in reach and seemed to have everything he needed. She gathered the dirty wetwipes but left the towel. "You need anything, just give a shout," she told him as she left the den.

With Dean handled, she got dinner started. Everything should be ready about the time Jim got in, thought the pie would probably have a good half hour of baking left.

*
Sam got out of Jeff's car and gave him a nod of thanks.

"I'll be here Monday to pick you up unless Winchester calls and tells me otherwise," Jeff told him. "And Sam, that's really one fucked up school."

Sam gave a soft snort. "Yeah, tell me about it. I think I get why it's such a big deal to have on your records. You have to be out of your mind to go there and actually survive those assholes."

"Amen," Jeff said and gave him a final wave before pulling away from the curb. Sam sighed and headed into the house. As soon as he walked in the front door he could smell the lingering scent of cooked hamburger. He dropped his stuff on the couch and walked out to the kitchen.

"How's the day go, Sam?" Keiko asked as she was spreading the pie dough into the pan.

"Okay I guess. I only get tripped a couple times and an elbow in my rib once. One of them slammed the locker on me so I have a nice bruise on my back. Jeff nailed the guy in the chest with his elbow, so I think the guy will have a worse bruise than me. How's Dean?"

"He's doing fine. Probably asleep by now."

"What's for dinner?"

"Lasagna. Can you believe Dean's never had it before? Garlic bread, salad, and dutch apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Unless you're not hungry."

Sam's mouth was watering as soon as she said lasagna. He was going to get a snack, but not with that dinner looming in his very near future. "Oh, very hungry," Sam assured her.

"Go check on Dean. I would appreciate some help with the salad in about a half hour."

"You bet. Just yell at me."

Keiko nodded and watched her son disappear into the other room.