Coyote and Wolf - part two
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Sam’s head whipped up as he heard footsteps on the ground. Turning, he stood to protect Dean from whatever was coming. Sam stared surprised to see their father.
“Dad?” He hated how he sounded like a three-year-old but the last time he had seen Dad they had parted on bad terms, with horrible words said between them and ending with his dad telling him to never come back. Before this change, he had been half sure that the reason that John was not available for them had to do with him. He had never felt that he was good enough at anything in his father’s eyes to be worthy of the name Winchester.
“Sam?” Dad’s voice was questioning, and something in it sent off alarm bells in Sam’s head. He used the same tone when he was hunting.
John stepped into the moonlight and Sam saw the revolver in his hand pointed at Dean. Sam threw himself between them. “No Dad! It’s Dean.” Sam was angry. Hadn’t Dean told him what was going on?
“What the fuck is this?” John asked and lowered the gun, though he kept his finger on the trigger. Deciding that he had a chance to get dressed, Sam took it. Grabbing the jeans and t-shirt out of the duffel that Dean had set nearby, Sam slipped into them more quickly than he had thought possible.
“This,” Sam said, “is what we’ve been trying to talk to you about.”
John looked confused for a moment. “What about the demon?”
Sam thought that Dad was talking about that bitch Meg that he had managed to trap and exorcise months ago. She had some interesting things to say about him and Jess’s death, hinting that she knew more about his life than he did. She had said something about their father, but Sam ignored her and finished the ritual. “She’s been taken care of.”
“She?” John sounded as confused as Sam now felt.
“Wait, what are you talking about?” Sam asked.
“The demon that killed your mom and Jess.”
So Meg hadn’t been lying about that. Maybe she hadn’t been lying about the rest either. Sam felt his legs get weak.
“You did know that’s what I’ve been hunting, right? Anyway,” Dad didn’t even wait for an answer, “what the hell is up with you and your brother?”
“You know what? Fuck you, Dad. You don’t answer your damn phone. You never returned any of our calls. We needed you, and you were gone.” Sam looked down as Dean began to stir. He needed to calm down or Dean might attack Dad and one of them, maybe both of them, would end up hurt or dead. Taking a few deep breaths, he squatted next to Dean and began their story, leaving off the part where Sam kissed Dean and Dean had kissed him back.
“So, I’m a coyote by day and Dean is a wolf at night. Makes hunting not so easy.”
“But you boys still have. I’m proud of you Sam. You’ve done more than I ever suspected I was asking of you, both of you have.” John’s voice was filled with pride.
“So what exactly are you doing here?” Sam asked and looked at the gun that was still in John’s hand wondering at how pleased he was that his father had complimented him. “Please put that away, this is Dean. Not a werewolf. . . Dean.”
“Do you have any guesses who cursed you?” John asked him.
Sam shook his head. “Wanna take this back to our hotel room?” Sam pulled the key and directions to the place out of his pocket. He and Dean had found ways to cope.
“Sure,” John said, and got into the back seat after Dean jumped into the front. “He’s beautiful,” John said as he held his hand out to let Dean sniff it on the ride back to the motel.
Sam ran a hand through Dean’s thick fur. “I know.” He couldn’t tell his dad that he missed Dean like the other half of him. Couldn’t explain how he longed for Dean’s touch. That the brief moments at dawn and dusk when he thought he could feel Dean’s arms around him were what he lived for.
Stopping by the post office, John got his truck and followed Sam back to their motel. Getting Dean out of the Impala and into their room went smoothly, because they had done it so many times. Dad came in behind him and shut the door. Sam flipped open the laptop as Dean settled on the bed watching Dad.
“One bed?” John asked.
Sam shrugged. “Saves money and Dean doesn’t snore for the most part.” John just looked over at the wolf taking up half of the bed. Dean had left some notes about Elkins’ house. Sam asked his dad what the letter said as he watched him flip the thing over and over in his hands; the envelope making a scraping noise as it rasped across John’s palms.
John seemed to shake himself out of something as he broke eye contact with Dean, who gave a satisfied huff and closed his eyes.
“Just ignore him. He tries to get all dominant, but he knows who the boss is when he’s like this,” Sam said dismissively. He watched as Dad looked at the envelope in his hands.
“He was my friend, once,” John said as he turned the letter over again, this time opening it. “Taught me a lot about hunting, but we had a falling out. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”
“Is that why you’re here? He was your friend?” Sam’s tone implied that his friend was more important than they were.
“Jesus,” John said as he read the note. “That son of a bitch; he had it the whole time.”
“Dad, what?” Sam asked.
“Damn, I need to get back to Elkins’ place. It would be easier if you had searched it. I don’t suppose. . .” John’s voice trailed off.
“What?” Sam repeated.
“You remember what happens when you are. . . changed?”
“No, but Dean took notes. What did you want to know?” Sam clicked back to his brother’s note.
“Did he see an old gun, an antique colt revolver?” John asked.
Sam scanned the page. “He says he found an old case and that I was interested in it, but it was empty.”
“Then they must have it.” John’s voice was flat.
“You mean whatever killed Elkins?” Sam asked.
“We’ve got to pick up the trail.” John said with conviction.
“Wait, you want us to come with you?” Sam couldn’t believe after all this time that he just expected them to come along. “Because of a gun?”
“Yes,” John said short and to the point.
“Why?” Sam asked.
“If the gun is what he said it was, we need to get it,” John said clearly uncomfortable with having to explain himself.
“Dad, we don’t even know what we’re fighting.”
“They are what Daniel Elkins killed best - vampires. Come on,” John’s said, his patience wearing thin.
“I thought there was no such thing? You never even mentioned them, Dad,” Sam said, clicking the laptop shut.
Turning to his father, he made himself calm down because he could see what being upset was doing to Dean. Scooting the chair closer to the bed, he laid his hand on Dean’s neck, feeling the leather collar on it.
Walking over to a chair, John sat and started telling Sam about vampires. About how he had assumed they were extinct, that men like Elkins and others had wiped them out; that was why he had never said anything to the boys about it.
John informed Sam that most vampire lore was crap, that a cross wouldn’t repel them, sunlight wouldn’t kill them and neither would a stake to the heart. They were once humans, so they look like humans. The blood lust was true; they need fresh blood to survive. After telling Sam all of this he settled down and they listened to a scanner because if there were vampires there were going to be disappearances.
It must have been five hours to sunrise when Sam followed Dad’s truck in the Impala, Dean nearly sitting on his lap. Even in his wolf form he was trying to play the peacemaker. If it hadn’t been for his need to be calm, Sam wondered as he drove what would have happened if he and Dean hadn’t been like this. Just hearing Dad barking orders at him made him want to scream, but he was the one who needed to keep the peace, so he just swallowed his anger and did what dad said.
Finding a tooth at the scene where a couple had disappeared, John figured out more or less where the nest must be. Sam had to admit his dad was good. They stopped, pulling off the road onto an old, unused driveway. Dad asked Sam about the change, about when it happened, how it happened. Sam, his fingers curled on top of Dean’s head as the wolf sat panting next to him, thought about the answer.
“Doesn’t hurt; hasn’t since the first time.” Sam thought about the change and if it was noisy. “It’s quiet, but Dean’ll be naked and confused if we change out here. However, he’s quick,” Sam shrugged. “Will you tell me about the Colt now? Why is this gun so special?”
John surprised Sam and did just that. Explaining it had been a myth, and that until he had read Daniel’s letter he hadn’t really believed it existed. This gun with the bullets - originally thirteen now only six -could kill anything. Sam picked up on why his dad wanted this gun so much. “The demon, the one that killed mom and Jess, you’re going to kill it.”
“That’s the plan son, but first we need to get the gun.” He nodded toward the west, where Sam could just make out the top of a barn. “My question for you is, should we do this now? Or wait for morning? They sleep during the day. Sunlight doesn’t kill them, but it burns them; they avoid it.”
Dad was asking him. Sam was speechless for a while, until Dean nudged his hand because he had stopped petting him. “Dean would be useful, this way.” Sam looked down at the ground. “I’m not sure how much help a coyote would be.”
John looked at Sam and Dean. “I’m sure you’re a great help, Sam. It’s your nature.”
First asking for his opinion and then a compliment; Sam wasn’t sure if he had slipped into an alternate reality while driving.
“But in this case, you’re right. Wolves hate vampires; at least, that’s the lore,” John said.
“So, what’s the plan? Do you really think the couple they took is still alive?” Sam asked.
“Sometimes they’ll keep them for days, draining them.”
Sam was worried about Dean. If wolves hated vampires, he wouldn’t be able to control him. If there were too many vampires, Dean could end up dead. He had a thought and asked a question. “What if Dean bites them, swallows their blood? Would he turn into a vampire?”
He could see his dad think about it and finally shrug, uncertain. “Then we’re not doing this, not this way. Wait for the sunrise and tell Dean what’s going on. Dean’ll keep me from biting anyone,” Sam told him.
“You’re thinking, I’m proud of you Sam. Let’s get everything ready for the morning then.” Sam nodded, digging the machete out of the trunk. Looking over at Dad he was just about to offer him one when John pulled out a nice, sleek machete that looked razor sharp.
There was a couple of hours till sunrise so Sam grabbed a blanket and Dean’s clothes. Sliding to the ground beside the Impala, Sam watched as Dad settled across from him. Dean curled up halfway around him and laid his head on Sam’s lap.
“We’ll figure this out son, I promise,” John said, and Sam just nodded in his direction. He kept his hand on Dean as he fell asleep and didn’t wake up until it was almost dawn; the sky was light and there was a golden glow on the eastern horizon.
Sam slid out from under Dean’s head and quickly stripped in the cold pre dawn air, ignoring his father. Sam wasn’t even sure he was awake. Holding his hand against Dean’s paw, he could feel somewhere deep in his soul that millisecond that he and Dean touched as people, and then he knew nothing.
Dean told him about the nest. Sam had stopped Dean from waking up one girl who had been tied up, but let him release the other captives. They got outside and apparently, for once, things went as planned. Dad had been fairly sure the vampires would come after them. They did that night and it got nasty; apparently wolves really don’t like vampires.
Dean went crazy as they approached a road block and jumped out of the car as soon as Sam started to open his door. He had streaked off into the woods.
Sam watched as the vampires sent someone after Dean. Then Sam heard howling and looked away from the vampires for a second. He was captured apparently the guy wanted the Colt back and Dad pulled it out and shot the thing in the forehead. Just then Dean returned with five other wolves and they attacked the remaining vampires.
It was nasty and gory, but the wolves seemed to know that the vampires needed to be decapitated. Sam got into the mess when he saw Dean go down for a moment before he was in there swinging his machete. After it was done, Sam didn’t pay any attention to the gore around him, looking only at Dean. The wolves circled them for a moment; then with a short bark they left, disappearing back into the woods.
The wolf that was Dean walked over to the side of the road and with a heaving, gagging sound he threw up all the blood he had swallowed. Then Dad was there with a bottle of water.
“Help me clean the blood out of his mouth.”
And Sam did. Dean didn’t growl once as Sam opened his mouth and then pulled his lips back to bare his teeth. Sam knew they needed to get out of there. “Motel?” he asked his dad and got a nod. Watching Dad going around making sure all the vampires were dead kind of turned his stomach. This is what they did, killed supernatural things that killed people, but these ones looked so human.
After they had cleaned up the mess and burnt the bodies, Sam got Dean back to the car and followed their father to a different town. Before leaving Sam cleaned up as much as possible. It wouldn’t be good for them to be seen all bloody.
Dad got them a room and Sam got inside with Dean as quickly as he could. Stripping before the door was shut, Sam headed for the shower. Standing under the water, Sam tried his best to just not think, but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was blood, all he could smell was blood. Scrubbing down, Sam rinsed off and stepped out of the shower and there sat Dean, waiting for him. Sam didn’t put Dean in the shower but he did wipe him off.
Dean whined as Sam wrapped his arms around him and dug his fingers into Dean’s fur. He had almost lost Dean and Sam felt tears on his face as he buried it in Dean’s neck. Sam pulled back as he heard Dad in the other room. Letting go of Dean and grabbing a towel, he went out to get some clean clothes.
There was a little bit of time before sunrise and Sam sat down to talk to Dad. “You’re going after it. Leaving us behind again.” It wasn’t a question. “We’re stronger together Dad, can’t you see that?”
“You know why I was so angry when you wanted to leave for college?” John asked and Sam shook his head, a bit confused as to why Dad was brining this up now. “I knew you were going to be out there alone, that we,” he nodded towards one of the beds where Dean lay, sprawled out and panting, “wouldn’t be there to protect you. I was scared and it made me mad that you couldn’t see what kind of danger you might be in.”
“But why?” Sam started to ask when his dad asked him another weird question.
“Did I ever tell you that I started a savings account for you when you were born? I had one for Dean, too. Every month I would put a hundred dollars in each of them. They were supposed to be college funds.”
Sam looked up at him. He had never known that.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I never wanted this life for you boys. After your mom died, all I could think of was keeping you boys safe.” He huffed a half laugh. “Great job I’ve done of it.”
“We are both still alive, Dad. That’s something. This demon that killed Mom and Jess. . .. Let us come with you.”
John was quiet for a long moment and then he said, “After we figure out what’s going on with you two then we’ll go after the damn thing together.”
Sam gave a weary sigh of relief and lay next to Dean on one of the beds. Dawn would be coming soon and he hoped that fighting the vampires hadn’t done anything to Dean. Sam ran his fingers through Dean’s fur and felt his eyes closing. He never wondered about it, but he always felt better when he was touching Dean. Feeling safe, knowing that Dad was watching over the both of them, Sam fell asleep.
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When Dean woke up, Dad was sitting in a chair watching him. Looking over, he ran a hand across Sam who was sprawled out next to him, smoothing down his fur. Grabbing some clothes, he started to get dressed, but Dad made him come over so that he could inspect him.
“What happened?” Dean asked as John looked him over for wounds. Dean didn’t have a scratch on him.
“The vampires,” John said flatly, and Dean’s head whipped around to look at Sam. “He’s fine; it’s you we’re worried about,” he admitted.
“Why?”
“Because you bit some vampires,” John said quietly. “You really have no memory of it?”
Dean started to shake his head, but then he stopped. He did have a vague memory of running with other wolves, and then attacking something so wrong it made his head hurt to remember it. “There were other wolves?” he asked John.
John nodded and Dean put his hand up to his head. “I remember some things, but the whole thing is kinda fuzzy.”
Handing Dean his shirt, John told him he was good - no wounds. Dean nodded and finished getting dressed. He had gotten so used to waking up naked it didn’t even phase him anymore.
“Why do you boys strip before the change?” his dad asked him, and Dean put on his socks and boots while he answered.
“The clothes go somewhere. Lost a few outfits until we figured it out. So what’s the plan? Are you staying with us or leaving even though. . .” Dean didn’t finish his sentence studying the wall rather than looking at his father.
“I told your brother and I’m telling you. We’ll fight this thing together. But first, we need to go see Bobby. If anyone can figure out what’s going on, it’ll be him. It’s about an eight hour drive if we don’t stop. Hurry up and get ready to go; if we’re lucky we’ll make it there before sunset.”
“Yes, sir,” Dean said standing up and tossing his and Sam’s clothes in a pile. “Bobby’s place, hmm?” he said as he moved around the room. “Didn’t he run you off with a shotgun last time?”
“Yeah, but he’ll understand about this. Let’s go.”
Dean drove, watching his dad’s taillights with Sam curled up next to him, sleeping. Usually he liked to be up and moving as Dean drove and it drove Dean crazy, but he must be exhausted after last night because Dean got him in the car and he had curled up pressed up against Dean’s side, falling asleep.
Four hours later Dean pulled over because Sam was making it clear he needed out. John pulled over as Dean did and came back and started to yell at him, something about making time, but Dean ignored him. Snapping the leash on Sam, Dean let him out and he headed for the nearest bush. John shut up.
“I’d rather he didn’t piss in the car Dad,” Dean spoke quietly to his dad. “I made him wait as it was.”
John huffed in annoyance. “Well, let’s go.”
Pulling up to Bobby’s wrecking yard, John decided that Dean should go up first. Looking at the sky, he decided he had a good hour before the change. Dean left Sam with Dad in case Bobby had got dogs since the last time he had been here.
He was glad he did when a large Rottweiler came barking at him. Dean stood his ground and he held eye contact. Then Bobby was there yelling for Rumsfeld and the dog backed off.
“Dean,” Bobby said. “Why didn’t you call and say you were coming?” He grabbed the dog’s collar. “Sam with you?”
“Kinda, he’s back at the car with dad.”
“John’s here?” Dean could hear the menace in his voice.
“Bobby,” Dean looked at the sun, they still had some time, “we need your help. Dad’s the one who brought us here.”
Bobby looked closely at Dean. “Is Sam okay?”
“Kind of,” Dean said again, “but we’ve got trouble, big trouble. Will you help us?” Dean was willing to beg for this. “Please Bobby.”
“You go get your brother and that father of yours, tell him to keep his damn mouth shut, though,” Bobby told him. Dean nodded and took off running down the driveway. Telling his dad what Bobby had said, John nodded tightly; he had known Bobby wouldn’t be happy to have him here. “He’s got a dog. I’ll take Sammy.”
“I can protect my son,” John snapped at him and Dean sighed. They were quickly running out of time.
“I know you can, but he listens to me. Can we just do this? The sun will be setting soon and I’d like to have a chance to explain to Bobby what’s going to happen.”
John looked at the sky and nodded at Dean. Getting Sam back into the Impala, Dean drove down Bobby’s driveway and snapped the leash on Sam. Dean gave his dad a look and then led Sam inside, past Bobby’s dog.
Rumsfeld might outweigh him, but Sam was ready to take him on. John followed Dean and Sam inside with a look at Bobby, but he didn’t say anything. Shutting his dog outside, Bobby turned to them. “Where’s Sam? And why do you have a coyote on a leash?”
Dean didn’t want to have this conversation in the entryway. Moving into Bobby’s living room, he sat on an empty space on a couch and Sam settled at his feet. “This is Sam,” he confessed, pointing to the coyote on the floor.
Bobby snorted and looked at John. “This was the best you could come up with? If you wanted to apologize, you didn’t need to bring the boys into it. Now where’s Sam?”
“Damn it Bobby, this is Sam. You will see in a few minutes, but no matter what happens you can’t shoot them, either of them,” John told his old friend.
Bobby looked thoughtful. Dean knew that Dad didn’t ask this kind of thing from his friends. Handing Sam’s leash to Dad, Dean ran outside to grab the duffel from the car. Rumsfeld caught him and Dean watched as the sun grew closer and closer to the horizon; he looked the dog in the eyes and bared his teeth. He needed to be inside now, damn it.
Sam started howling from inside and the dog turned and ran to the door barking. Dean moved quickly, pushing past the dog and getting inside. He could feel the sun setting; he had been through enough of these changes to know that is was nearly time. He tossed the duffel down and took Sam’s collar off as he jumped around trying to lick Dean’s face.
“Down, you idiot,” Dean said. “I didn’t go far. Just to get your sorry butt some clothes.” Sam quieted quickly and sat on the floor. Dean spared a glance at Bobby and he hoped that Bobby wouldn’t try to kill him or Sam. Stripping and ignoring Bobby’s questions, Dean rested his hand on Sam’s head and that millisecond of everyday that he lived for happened; he felt Sam’s hair under his fingers and then nothing.
three