I've had the idea for this story running around in my head for a while, it originally started off as an idea for another fandom, but I thought it worked better with Sam and Dean. I hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know what you think; reviews are always welcome :)

Disclaimer: Does not belong to me, I just borrow.

What Lies Beneath

A Supernatural Fanfic

Chapter One

Sam groaned as his alarm clock beeped, heralding his wake up time. He swung his arm around to smack it roughly before rolling onto his back to cover his eyes with an arm.

"What did that alarm clock do to you, Sammy?" Dean asked from the other side of the room, rustling around to get ready. Sam could hear him grinning, but refused to look at him.

"Shut up."

"You're gonna miss school if you don't get up and shower now," his older brother reminded him annoyingly. Sam just groaned again.

"Man, usually you're so eager to get to school. Maybe you're finally getting some sanity into that geek-boy noggin' of yours."

"Go 'way," Sam ground out, not in the mood for Dean's teasing at all that morning.

"Have it your way."

Sam gasped as Dean suddenly grabbed his ankle and yanked him off the bed to tumble into a tangled pile of blankets. He finally looked up to see Dean already dressed and laughing, his hands planted firmly on his hips. Sam glowered at him.

"Dude, you need to get laid if you wake up with that kind of face," Dean said, never knowing when to shut up.

Sam kicked him and Dean reached down to grab him in a headlock, rubbing his knuckles roughly against the top of his head.

"Dean, stop!" Sam growled, trying to get away. Dean just laughed harder and squeezed Sam's side where he was ticklish. Sam gritted his teeth against the pain that action caused, pain he was not going to show to his brother, and finally wiggled loose as the door to their room opened and their father stood there sternly.

"Stop fooling around, boys, we've got work to do. I need you, Dean."

"Yes, sir," Dean said, instantly sobering and releasing Sam.

"Sam, fifteen minutes. Dean and I need to get out of here, and if you want a ride to school you need to be ready by then," John added.

"Yes, sir," Sam replied tiredly. He reached into the drawer that held his clothes and pulled out a fresh outfit before heading to the shower. Once he was behind the closed door, he sagged, leaning against the wall to even out his breathing. He started the shower and then gingerly pulled off his sleep shirt, wincing as he did so. He looked down at the collection of bruises he had gotten Friday that mottled his ribs and stomach. He closed his eyes, thinking back to it:

"We'll teach you a lesson, Winchester!" Paul, the ringleader, promised him, shoving him hard in the chest so that he fell back against the other two boys who grabbed one of his arms each. Paul still sported the black eye Sam had given him the day before in retribution to his tripping Sam's friend in the hall. Apparently Paul wasn't quite the coward Sam had thought him.

Paul screwed up his fist. He was far bigger than Sam who was still small and wiry, no matter how much training his dad had him do to get him to bulk up. He knew that on skill alone, he could take Paul by himself easy, but he had cronies, and they were pretty strong themselves.

"I'll give you a nice shiner too, see if the girls think you're a handsome hero then!" Paul threatened and Sam turned his face aside in anticipation for the blow.

"Paul, wait," one of the boys cut in, a bit nervously.

"What?" the bully growled.

"Maybe it's best we don't mark up his face, you know?" the boy ventured. "I mean, if his brother saw the bruises he'd tear us new ones. That guy's mental."

Paul stopped to consider this as Sam smiled, annoyed and proud at the same moment that his big brother struck such fear into these schoolyard bullies.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Paul finally agreed. "But he's still gonna get what's coming to him."

Sam hadn't really known what to expect. He figured they'd throw a couple punches and be done, but Paul seemed pretty serious and after the first three fists he took to his gut, the other boys threw him to the ground where Paul leveled a foot into his side several times. Sam was left curled up and gasping for breath afterward, his ribs and stomach aching. Paul kicked him onto his back and pressed a foot in the middle of his chest.

"That's a warning! You think about punching me in front of everyone again, and I won't go so easy next time."

Sam growled at him. "Well, maybe you should think about who you bother, Paul. No one messes with my friends."

Paul's face clouded over and he kicked Sam in the side again, harder than before. "Run home, Winchester. Don't let me see your sorry ass again. If you try anything Monday, I will bust you up."

Sam drug himself to his feet and cast only one look back at the bullies before making his way home, deciding right then not to tell Dean about what had happened.

He wasn't sure if it was the best idea not to tell Dean, and was actually rather surprised that his big brother hadn't mentioned anything. Usually he could see right through him. But there were good things about Dean no longer being in school. This was one of them. Sam could have his secrets, and he didn't think Paul would really try to take him down again, so once the bruises healed, that would be it and he could go on with his life. It wasn't the worst beating he had taken, surely. He'd had worse from training with his dad and Dean. He would live and it would all be forgotten soon enough.

But then again, Sam wasn't sure Paul would stop bothering his friends, and if he decided to beat them like he did Sam, then that wasn't going to fly with the younger Winchester. The other kids hadn't grown up in a tough environment like he had and they didn't know how to take a punch. But maybe he was overreacting. He was too paranoid from his dad's lessons. Paul was just a schoolyard bully and nothing more; not some monster they needed to gank. Really a coward at heart, and there was nothing dangerous about him and no reason Sam should feel the trepidation he did thinking of going to school again.

"Sammy, come on!" Dean said, pounding on the bathroom door, and with a start, Sam realized he had been standing there for several minutes, just lost in thought. This was so not a good start to the school week what with the tests coming up that Friday. He quickly jumped into the shower after telling Dean he would be right out, and scrubbed as quickly as possible before toweling his hair into some semblance and throwing his clothes on, racing out the door just as his dad was starting to get impatient.

"Come on, kiddo," Dean said to Sam, tossing his backpack to him on their way out the door. "Dad and I need to get to that poltergeist before it totally trashes that family's house."

"Sorry," Sam grunted, ducking his head. He would skip breakfast, he guessed, since there didn't seem to be time for it. John was already out in the Impala and Sam and Dean ran out to jump into the car as their father started it up and drove as fast as legally possible toward the school.

"Have a good hunt," Sam told them as he grabbed his bag.

"You stay safe, Sam, you know the rules," John told him, tossing him the keys to the apartment they were renting.

"Yeah, Dad," Sam replied. "I'll be fine."

"See you in a couple days, Sammy," Dean told him with a grin. "Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

"Well that's a long and sordid list," Sam muttered sarcastically, unable to help smiling at his brother's longsuffering face before he slid out of the car and watched his family drive away.

"Sam, hey!"

Sam started slightly, spinning around at the shout, before he realized it was his friend Jeremy. The red-haired boy gave him a quizzical look.

"Hey, you all right? You look a little jumpy."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam said as they started to walk toward the school. "Just tired. Didn't sleep real well last night."

"Hey, um, about last week," Jeremy said, lowering his voice. "With Paul, you know? I don't think I thanked you for that, but it was really awesome what you did. No one's ever stood up for me like that before. Everyone's just either picked on me or not cared enough to do anything. And I guess I've just gotten used to it, I don't really care anymore." He smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, me too," Sam said. "That's why I learned to stand up to them."

"Well, thanks again. Even though it kind of made me look like a damsel in distress." He stuck his tongue out, punching Sam lightly in the shoulder. "Maybe you can teach me some of those moves? I saw the way the girls looked at you after you 'rescued' me. I could totally dig that. Maybe then, Laura Reilly would actually consider going to prom with me."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, I could show you some stuff."

Jeremy grinned. "Awesome! Where'd you learn anyway?"

"My brother taught me," Sam said with some pride.

"Dean?" Jeremy asked almost wistfully. "He's pretty awesome you know? I would give anything to have a big brother like that. He's just so sure of himself and he gets all the hot chicks. I wish I could be like that."

Sam chuckled, rolling his eyes, thinking how telling Dean what Jeremy thought would only make him more bigheaded than he already was. "I'll let him know."

They reached the lockers and stowed the books they wouldn't need until later. As Sam was turning away, he caught sight of Paul standing with his shadows and the big boy gave him a slow smile. Sam glared back at him, holding his gaze to show him he wasn't intimidated, even as his heart was pounding against his ribs. Paul drew a finger across his throat in the universal sign of 'you're a dead man'.

"Sam?" Jeremy sounded worried and Sam snapped out of his trance, turning away from Paul to his friend again.

"Yeah?" he asked, forcing a smile.

"Dude, did Paul tear you a new one for what you did?" the redhead asked quietly. "His girlfriend was watching and I think he got detention for a day when he wouldn't say who gave him the shiner. I've seen him beat up kids before for less."

Sam shrugged, trying to stay nonchalant, as they headed toward their first class. "A few words were exchanged. No big deal though. I'm sure he'll have forgotten about it by next week."

Jeremy was silent and Sam felt the worry exuding from him, and he seemed like he wanted to say something when the bell rang and they had to hurry to make it to the other side of the school in time for their history class.

Thankfully, Paul wasn't in any of his classes until after lunch period, so Sam was able to concentrate on his work and took notes for the test that would be at the end of the week. He had been pleased to get an A on his essay about the Civil War and felt confident that he could pass the test easily. Dean had even promised to buy him ice cream if he did and take him to see any movie he wanted to. Sam smiled just thinking about the possibilities of what he could make Dean sit through as the bell rang and he and Jeremy hurried to the next class.

By the time lunch came around, Sam was beginning to feel better, not so jumpy and had mostly forgotten about Paul and his threats that morning. That was, until one of Paul's cronies bumped into Jeremy at the lunch line and made him spill half his food off his tray.

"Watch it looser," the boy said oh-so-cleverly before giving a stupid snorting laugh. Jeremy sighed, but Sam boiled, his fists clenching as he turned to the boy who he thought was named Dave.

"Hey, you watch it," he said in a low voice.

Dave made a face, pretending to look affronted. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it? Freak."

Sam flinched. He had been called a lot of things, but that one always hurt the most. And he didn't even really know why. It was only that he lived such a strange life, that he only ever hoped for normal. Something that he really only got at school, and he knew the bully couldn't have known how much Sam hated the word freak but it still burned in his chest, making him turn aside instantly.

"What's the matter, Winchester, don't want to fight anymore? I guess Paul's lesson finally got through your thick head." He laughed and shouldered roughly past Jeremy again, nearly knocking the boy down. He grabbed Sam's jacket as he passed him and leaned close. "Let that be a warning, freak. If you think of crossing Paul again, he's gonna give you more than just a few bruises."

Sam jerked away from him and grabbed Jeremy's sleeve, pulling him away from Dave, going to find their usual table.

"Dude," Jeremy said as they sat down, looking a little pale. "You really managed to get on Paul's bad side. What was he talking about, though? What lesson?"

Sam kept his eyes on his food, jabbing with his fork but not feeling very hungry all of a sudden. "I told you; he had a talk with me Friday. It was nothing."

Jeremy looked at him, unbelieving. "Don't lie to me, man. I know Paul. I grew up around him and he's always been mean, and he's just gotten worse. I have seen him beat up kids before. He's never gotten caught though, and no one's ever fought back. That's why I'm worried about what he might do to you."

Sam sighed. "Fine, he hit me a couple times, but it's nothing. I've…it wasn't bad." He didn't think saying 'I've had worse' would be a good idea. Jeremy might get the wrong idea about him and his family in general. His dad would have the skin off his backside if the suspicion that Sam was abused ended up circulating. No one would understand that the injuries he took were from hunting, and it wasn't like they could tell the truth anyway. They tried to keep away from as much attention as possible.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Jeremy asked, his eyes wide.

Sam forced a smile for his friend's benefit. "Yeah, sure. He doesn't hit that hard anyway."

Jeremy shook his head. "Dude, you are a dead man walking. I hope he's done with you because he might not go so easy next time."

"What's his problem anyway?" Sam asked, trying to change the subject.

Jeremy shrugged. "Like I said, he's always been like that for as long as I can remember. Just bad tempered. I think it's mostly due to his older brother though. He's eighteen and a jock—like, top player in the football team. But he's a nasty piece of work. He's really mean, not just a bully like Paul. Last year a couple of the players from a rival team were beaten pretty badly, like, hospital bad. No one was able to prove who did it, but we all knew it was Chris. Rumor has it they had been playing around and tried to mess things up for our school's team and caused them to lose, like pinned something on them or whatever; so Chris went and taught them a lesson. It was wrong on both sides, but still. It was pretty intense."

"So Paul wants to take after his big brother," Sam said, frowning at the thought of what this Chris guy had done.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Jeremy said with a dry chuckle. "Chris might be a piece of work, but he's popular. If you like controlling, evil tyrants, that is. All I'm saying is just be careful. I'm worried Paul might take after his brother more than we think."

Sam was silent, thinking it over as he finished his lunch. Finally the bell rang and they got back to their lockers to get to their final classes. Math was next, and Paul was in the same class as Sam, and worse, he sat behind him. Sam could feel his eyes boring into him through the whole hour of class, making it hard to concentrate. His teacher called on him once and he had no idea what the answer to her question was. That had never happened before, and several of the kids snickered at him, Paul instigating them.

"Sam, are you feeling well?" the teacher asked him.

"Yes, ma'am, just didn't sleep real well last night, sorry."

"Well, get your head in the game. The test is Friday, and you'll need to be sharp."

Sam nodded and tried to concentrate despite Paul's renewed attack. Now that he knew it was bothering Sam, he deliberately stared at the back of his head for the rest of class. Sam could almost feel his satisfied smirk.

Only two more classes to go that Sam somehow survived, and then he hurried to his locker to grab his stuff and beat a hasty retreat.

He just barely reached his locker before Paul gripped his shoulder and slammed him back against the door, putting his face right into Sam's.

"So, Winchester, did you learn your lesson Friday, or am I gonna have to teach you again?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Paul, I'm just wondering whether you've got it into your thick skull yet not to bother my friends," Sam said, unable to help himself.

The big boy glared at him, shoving his back hard against the locker. "You think you can talk big, but you're just a skinny freak and I know I can wipe the floor with you. And your big brother isn't here to save you either. I know. I heard you talking to him this morning when you got here. You're all alone, Winchester."

"Paul!" Dave was suddenly there, gripping the big boy's shoulder. "Teacher!"

Paul instantly pulled back, letting go of Sam as the teacher passed. Then he turned back to the smaller boy and resumed his threatening stare. "We'll resume this later. Keep that in mind." Then he hurried off.

Sam breathed a deep sigh and turned to get his stuff from his locker. Jeremy was suddenly beside him, pale.

"Dude, that was close. You should stay in populated areas from now on."

"I can handle him," Sam said, though he wasn't so sure anymore. He seemed to have again underestimated Paul. That kid had a lot of anger, or something, to prove and he was far more serious than Sam had originally thought. He didn't want to have to hurt him, but he would if that was the only way to get Paul to back off.

"Hey, you wanna come over to my house and study this afternoon?" Jeremy asked. "I could really use your help. You're way better at history and stuff than I am, and I'm totally gonna fail the test if I don't get some serious cramming done. Unless you have to do something with Dean this afternoon?"

Sam shook his head, smiling. "Nah, Dean and my dad are gonna be gone for a few days actually so I'm free."

Jeremy brightened. "Cool! My mom can give you a ride home afterward. Maybe you can stay for dinner."

They walked out of the school and down the street to Jeremy's house that was only about a fifteen minute walk away from the school. Sam normally would have relished the thought of spending the afternoon with his friend studying and having a real dinner like a normal teenager, but he couldn't stop thinking about Paul and his brother and how he felt something really bad might be about to happen. He only hoped he was wrong.