Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.

A special thanks to AlElizabeth for beta'ing my story.

Summary: What really happened to why John Winchester had a falling out with Daniel Elkins.

Tag: Season One: 'Dead Man's Blood'

"You came all the way here for this Elkins guy?"

"Yeah. He... he was a good man."

"You've never told us about him."

"We kinda had a falling-out."

A Night in Colorado

Throughout the entire conversations Dean hadn't said one word. John knew why he wasn't talking, but Sam didn't. It seemed that whatever this was, it was one of the many things that John and Dean filed away as 'never talking about it again, ever' column.

Dean remembered that particular falling-out. It was actually the first time they had met Bobby. Dean looked back at his father and then at his baby brother, hoping that Sam wouldn't try to bring up why Dad had had the 'falling out' with Daniel Elkins. Dean knows. John knows. Sammy was too young to remember.

John was new to the hunting game. Mary had died three months earlier and now he was a widower with two small boys, living out of his '67 Impala. The small family had stopped at the local diner in Colorado. John usually didn't have a location in mind. He would just drive, but this time he was meeting someone that could help him find out how to track down what happened to his Mary. The ride, like usual, seemed to calm his sons, as they hardly cried. Dean was six and Sammy was just turning two. John would look at them through the rear view mirror and see his sons, Dean, would be playing with his Scooby-Doo Mystery Van and Sam was standing in the seat looking out of the back. John knew it probably wasn't the safest way to leave him, but since they were just about to park, Dean had just let the strap open on the chair for Sammy.

Since John was meeting this Elkins character for the first time, he decided to leave the boys in the car. He'd rather they stay safe in the car than them getting into something while he talked with the guy.

John parked the car and turned around in the seat.

"Dean," John said. "I want you to stay in here with your brother."

Dean, not looking up from his Mystery Machine van, "Okay, Daddy."

John got out of the car and made sure the doors were locked. It wasn't a hot day, or even a really cold day for that matter, so leaving the windows cracked would be enough to keep it comfortable for his sons.

The meeting with Elkins went without a hitch. John learned a great deal from the man. As the days passed, he began to feel like he could trust the man. There were plenty of times that Elkins talked about how he and a few other hunters having their own places, trying to get John to settle down and not have the boys traveling across the country. John of course didn't agree with that. He had a home, but his wife died in that home, and he just couldn't see them staying in one place for long. John knew that it was only a matter of time before they would have to stay in one place for a while, when the boys started school, but for right now, he was going to continue to move about.

John was learning more and more under the tutelage of Elkins as well as other hunters. This particular night, John had the boys in a small hotel room right outside Colorado. There was a hunt in the next town over, a small nest of vampires. Elkins called and asked for him to come and help. John was out getting intel at the local bar about the supposed nest. Both Sam and Dean were at the hotel in the bed, asleep. John had made all the precautions that he thought was needed before leaving the boys alone.

A soft click from the door woke Dean up from his sleep. He looked over at his brother, who was curled up against him but Sam was still asleep. Dean stayed still on the bed, thinking that it was just their Dad coming back. Though Dean did not move, so he would not wake his brother, he listened to the footsteps of someone walking in, closing the door, and coming closer towards the other bed. Not turning around to see, Dean thinking that it was really their Dad, started to fall back asleep.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Dean's neck started to rise. He's eyes snapped open when a hand came across his mouth.

"Shhh," came the soft hiss of someone in Dean's ear, trying to calm him down. "You don't want to wake your brother."

Fear enveloped the small child as he was frozen in that one spot on the bed.

"Let go of your brother," whispered the voice in Dean's ear. Dean could hear the slurring of the man's words and the strange stench of something awful on his breath.

Instinctively, Dean's hands tightened around his baby brother. The small child realized that as long as he and Sam were together nothing seemed like it would happen to them. The man behind Dean had other plans. Pulling the cover off of just Dean with his free hand he quickly wrapped his arm around the small child's waist and pulled him off the bed and in one swift motion Dean was sitting on the man's lap.

With the man's hand still over his mouth and the other arm wrapped around his waist Dean was trapped on the man's lap with his back against the man's chest. Dean could feel the man breathing in his hair. It sent shivers down the small child's spine. Still not knowing who it was that had him, Dean kept his eyes on his baby brother. Sammy still looked like he was asleep and Dean prayed that he would stay asleep.

The man buried his face in the child's hair, breathing in the small child's scent. Tears began to pool Dean's eyes. He was so scared. Dean tried to get out of the man's grip, but the more the child struggled the tighter the man held him.

John left the bar with little information to go on. It had seemed like a big waste of time and he was tired from the long drive. All he could think about was the bed next to his sons' and falling asleep. As he pulled up to the hotel, he saw Elkins' truck in the parking lot.

That's strange, John thought. Elkins wasn't due to come over until the next morning.

Putting that strange occurrence out of his mind and deciding that maybe he didn't really hear Elkins right over the phone, John speculated; perhaps he had said he was coming over this night and not in the morning.

Getting out of the car, John walked towards the room. Unlocking the door and turning on the light, several things became shockingly aware in that moment. Elkins was sitting on the bed with Dean in his lap and Dean was struggling to get off of him. It took a moment to register what he was seeing. It didn't take long for the rage and anger to bubble up inside of John's gut. It was even faster for John to reach Elkins and his son on the bed. In one swift movement, John was at their side with one hand prying his son out of the pervert's hands and the other yanking said pervert off of the bed.

Dean scrambled to the bed picking up his baby brother on one swift motion, getting towards the corner out of the way. Sammy, wrapped up in the cover like a small burrito, started to wake, but the soothing words of his big brother coaxing him back to sleep, Sam was back asleep.

Once Dean was away from Elkins, John, gripping the man's collar, not saying one word began moving him towards the door. Nothing was said. John just knew that he had to get him away from his boys. Once they were at the door, John released Elkins. The silent dismissal was apparent in the air. Elkins turned towards the door, but just before walking out, he turned back to John as if to say something. Not wanting to hear any excuses from the bastard, John punched the man in the mouth before a sound could come out. Elkins fell through the doorway and John closed the door. He rushed over towards his sons picking both of them up. He sat down on the bed, taking both his sons on his knees; he looked at his oldest son seeing tear stains tracks on his cheeks.

"Did he touch you, son?" John's voice was thick with emotion.

New tears began pooling in Dean's eyes and he shook his head. John pulled his son to his chest and just held him.

"I'm so sorry, Dean," John cried as he awkwardly held his two babies in his arms.

A short time later that night, the small family of three packed up the '67 Impala and drove out of town.

"I wonder why Dad never said anything about this Elkins guy?" Sam asked as he and Dean walked into their hotel room with his duffel bag over his shoulder.

Dean looked over at his brother while grabbing his duffel bag and walking towards the door.

"You know Dad," Dean answered, unlocking the motel room door. "Always rubbing people the wrong way."

Sam nodded as he walked into the room. Dean walked in behind him closing and locking the door. Sam didn't remember that night and Dean was going to keep it that way.

THE END

A/N: I just want to take the time to say thank you. The support that I received from the entire site for the passing of my husband has been nothing short of amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being understanding.

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