John knew he shouldn't have favorites, but at the moment as he watched his boys he couldn't help himself. Dean at sixteen had filled out and bulked up to the point that he couldn't walk down the street without girls tripping over themselves to talk to him. Add that to the drive to hunt and John couldn't help but feel a kindred spirit, a real chip off the old block. Sammy however had gone from a long lean eleven year old to a chubby, if not almost dumpy, preadolescent twelve year old boy who participated in the hunts, but seemed to wear out faster than he had months previous; no matter how many extra training sessions he put them through.
Looking down at his notes he knew that he had a decision to make, and it wasn't going to be a popular one, but he didn't see any other way. Although his youngest may not be like his older brother, it didn't mean that he didn't love him, and this hunt was going to be dangerous. Now he just had to figure out how he was going to tell the boys that Sammy wasn't going with them, that instead he'd sit this one out at Pastor Jim's.
Dean looked over at his little brother and started to worry. A couple of months ago Sammy would have been able to keep up without breaking too much of a sweat, now though it looked like the kid was going to pass out. "Sammy, you ok over there?"
Nodding, Sammy could barely breathe, but he wasn't going to admit that. His dad had been riding him hard lately to lose the 'baby fat' and he'd been trying, God had he been trying. No matter how little he ate though, he just couldn't seem to get rid of the pudge had been sprouting around him the last couple of months. Mrs. Davies, their neighbor at their last place, said that he was just going through a growth spurt and there was nothing wrong with a 'healthy' looking boy. If he had more energy he would have laughed, because he felt anything but healthy at the moment. In fact, if he didn't know better he would have thought he was dying.
Pastor Jim Murphy watched from his small garden as John put his boys through their paces, and he had to admit that he never thought he'd see the day when Sam would have trouble keeping up with Dean. He had asked if there was something wrong with the boy, concerned that maybe he had been sick or injured and had actually gained too much weight during his recovery, but John had waved his concern away saying 'The only thing wrong with that boy is too much junk food.' Sighing, he walked back into his house and started lunch; he had a feeling that it was going to be a very stressful meal.
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Sammy couldn't sleep, the conversation he had with his brother still echoed through his brain, and he wanted nothing more than to erase it; unfortunately he knew that would never happen.
"Sammy, you just need to try harder. Dad isn't being this way to be mean, but you have to admit you've been packing on the weight lately; it's not healthy dude."
"Dean, I'm not eating any more than you are. It's not fair!"
Smiling, Dean looked at his little brother, "Hey, can I help it if I got all the good genes?"
"I just don't see why Dad had to be so mean about it. If running five miles a day isn't speeding me up or helping me slim down, I don't see how running eight is going to do anything either."
Tired of the same conversation, Dean just wanted to relax a little before having to get up before dawn to train some more. "Look Sammy, just stay away from the junk, do what Dad says and quit complaining about it. He knows what he's doing."
Now as he started down the stairs to get a glass of water he realized he wasn't the only one awake, and what he heard made his stomach plummet.
"John, you're being too hard on the boy. It's not that he isn't trying…"
"I know that Jim, but right now he's too much of a liability. I can't go after this damn thing and watch to make sure he doesn't have a heart attack at the same time."
"Oh for the love of… do you even know he has high blood pressure? No. You've just got it in your head that he's like this to spite you. Get over yourself, he's got more problems that wondering how to mess with you."
"Damn it Jim, will you look after him while Dean and I go after this thing, or do I have to find a way to keep him in a motel room while we're gone?"
There was a long pause and Sammy wasn't sure what was going on, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.
"John, if you do this now, you will regret it for the rest of your life. You cannot treat him like some toy, to be put up somewhere until you're ready to play with him." Jim let out a long sigh, "Of course he can stay, just make sure I have all the necessary paperwork for emergencies and you had better check in regularly. I won't have him thinking that his family has completely abandoned him."
"A little melodramatic there, are we Jim? It's just a hunt; we'll be back before Sammy can even miss us. I appreciate this, really I do."
Any other part of the conversation was lost on Sammy as he silently made his way back up the stairs. There was something in his dad's voice that told him he lied to Pastor Jim, this wasn't just for one hunt; he was being left behind for good.
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Dean knew something was up as soon as he woke up. For starters, he woke up before his dad had come in to get them for their morning workout, then there was the fact that Sammy was sitting at the small desk looking out the window at nothing. He was about to ask what was wrong when his little brother's voice broke the silence.
"You won't forget about me, will you Dean?" Sammy asked, praying he was wrong, but knowing he was right.
He had no idea what his little brother was talking about, and even suspected that Sammy was sleepwalking or something, but he'd answer anyway; anything to get back to sleep. "Sammy, of course I…"
"Good, you're up. Dean get ready, we're leaving in ten. Sammy, come downstairs, I want to talk to you." John said in the doorway.
Shocked, Dean looked at Sammy who refused to even glance his way as he made his way to the door. "I won't forget you Dean, ever." Sammy said quietly, leaving Dean to wonder what the hell had just happened.
By the time he got ready and down the stairs, his dad and Jim were finishing up a conversation and Sammy was nowhere in sight. "Hey Dad, can we spare a minute, I need to talk to Sammy…"
"Dean, we need to go. Sammy's already been informed about what's going on; we'll see him when we get back. Now get in the car, I'll be right there." When Dean didn't move immediately, John barked, "Now Dean, go!"
Not feeling right about leaving Sammy behind, Dean was determined to get to the bottom of things, but by the time John slid into the driver's seat Dean had drifted off to sleep again.
Sammy watched as the only real home he'd ever known drove away and left him behind just like he somehow knew it would. Turning around he started his training, hoping that maybe one day he'd be good enough to join the family again.
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Dean wasn't sure what had gotten into his dad, but he was really starting to worry about his sanity. The Wendigo they got rid of had been a nasty one, it had taken them twice as long to find the lair as what they thought, then they had run out of flare guns while trying to kill the fugly bastard. To top it off, when he had mentioned how good it was going to be to see Sammy again, his dad got a funny look on his face and said that there had been a change of plans and they needed to get rid of a Rawhead that was close by.
It had been almost a month since he'd seen his little brother and it was really starting to piss him off. Every time they would end one hunt, there would be a couple more to take its place, making him wonder if his dad hadn't sent out a bulletin to every supernatural creature out there that it was time to come out and play. It didn't help that when they were able to call Pastor Jim's, Sammy sounded so tired, as if he'd given up. No matter how many times he had tried to convince his dad that there was something wrong, he'd just get the brush off and told that 'Sammy's just sulking 'cause he couldn't come. He'll get over it.'
"Hey Dad! How about we swing towards Minnesota, maybe check on Sammy…"
"Dean, we have things to do and there's no point backtracking." Seeing the horrified look on his son's face he relented, "There's a witch whose killing people that have spoke out against her. Let's take care of her first, then we'll go back and see Sammy for awhile."
Smiling, Dean was anxious to get it over and done with so they could get back to his annoying geek boy brother. He couldn't wait to tell him all the things that he and their dad had done while they were gone, Sammy was going to be so jealous!
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It had taken two days to find out exactly who this witch was and where it was believed that she was, and then another day and half to hike in and find her true location. After actually meeting her they both quickly realized that it was a demon and not a witch making them more than just a little unprepared for what they were dealing with.
Securing themselves in their campsite, they were going over what they found out and making a list of the things they would need before they confronted her again when they heard something approaching fast. Motioning for Dean to grab his gun, they both readied themselves for attack. When two faces appeared, both men sighed in relief until one of them spoke.
"Hurry up, we have to go. Sammy's sick and the docs don't think he's going to make it."
AN: Well, let me know what you think!