Fic, A New Direction, Part Two
Go Back
The lecturer at the front of the hall clicked onto his next slide, continuing to speak while Adam drew another star on the note-free page in front of him. As much as he wanted to be a doctor, he wasn’t in the mood to learn today. He’d tuned out two minutes into the lecture, unable to find it within himself to care about anatomy when there was a demon out there with a grudge against him and a whole group of people - some of them in the same room as him - who thought he was a killer.
He winced as he felt his cell phone buzz against his leg. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at his watch when he read the message from Sam, asking him how much longer he was going to be. There was still half an hour of the lecture left. He hit off a quick reply, hoping that Sam was just bored and that there was nothing wrong. He felt the phone buzz again almost immediately, though, and opened the message.
We’ve got to go. Now.
Glad that he had grabbed a seat on the end of a row, he picked up his notebook and stood up, trying to walk out as quietly and inconspicuously as possible. He felt the gaze of the lecturer and other students all the way to the door but no-one said anything. Maybe they didn’t want to risk confronting the guy who had possibly killed James. As soon as he closed the door, Sam was there, hand on his shoulder guiding him out of the building.
“What’s happening?” His eyes widened as an idea hit him. “Has someone been hurt? Dad? Dean?”
“No. They’re fine. It’s the cops.” Sam stopped walking, sighed. “They turned up at your place looking for you - they’ve got a warrant for your arrest.”
“We’re running?” He’d known it was a possibility for three days now but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon.
“We’re running. Dean got the stuff you packed when they left and we’re meeting them at the diner right now. ”
“Right.”
Thumping him on the back, Sam started walking again. “You sure about this, Adam? Because if you want to go hand yourself in, then there’s a chance it’ll work out.”
“But it most likely won’t?”
“The police don’t have any suspects, you were literally found with his blood on your hands. It doesn’t look good.”
He nodded. “The demon’s still out there too.”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’m coming with you.” He pulled his bag further up on his shoulder and quickened his pace, aware that it wouldn’t be hard for the police coming to arrest him to find out which class he’d been in. They could arrive at any time. “If that’s okay?”
Sam reached out to rest his hand on Adam’s shoulder again as they crossed the street that would take them off the campus. “Course it is. You’re family.”
Pushing any thoughts of his Mom out of his head for now - he could deal with that when he wasn’t about to be arrested - he managed to shoot a smile in Sam’s direction. At least if he had to go on the run, he wasn’t going to be alone.
He jumped at the sound of a siren and, when he turned to look, saw the police parking up outside of the building they had just left. He stumbled as Sam grabbed hold of his top and pulled him along faster.
“Don’t look back. It’ll take them a few minutes to realise you’re not there. We’ll be in the car on our way by then.”
Man, he really hoped Sam was right.
~~
From the way both of his brothers had calmed down once they’d hit the road, Adam guessed this wasn’t the first time they’d had to make a quick getaway. In the truck behind them, Adam knew, his Dad was in the middle of a call to his Mom, trying to explain things without really explaining things.
“Adam?” Sam twisted around in his seat to look at him. “How’re you doing?”
He shrugged. “Well, I’m not behind bars.”
“That’s the spirit.” Dean met his gaze in the mirror. “You’re going to be fine. You made the right choice.”
He leaned forwards. “You think?”
“Yeah, I do. Chances were you’d have gone down for murder and even if they didn’t manage to charge you, you’d have been in one place on your own, easy for the demon to find you.”
Nodding, Adam sat back in his seat and looked out the window. The scenery was less familiar now - they’d driven in the opposite direction to home - and it made him realise just how little of the state he’d seen. In the front of the car, Sam was examining a well-worn map, looking for the quickest route to wherever they were heading. It was just another difference between him and his brothers; they were well-travelled, he’d hardly been anywhere other than the place he’d been born in. He’d made his decision, though, and this was it now. A life on the road with people that, really, he barely even knew.
Sam cleared his throat. “Have you been on many road trips?”
Adam shook his head. “A few of us took a trip to the coast after high school graduation but that’s about it.”
“Yeah, this isn’t going to be as glamorous as that.” Dean snorted. “It’s all crappy motels and second-rate diners from now on, kid.”
“Well, that’s better than a prison cell and an orange jumpsuit, right?”
“Of course it is.” Sam answered, speaking over the top of Dean. “As long as you avoid meatloaf in the second-rate diners, you’ll be okay.”
He nodded and turned to look back at the truck behind them; his Dad was no longer holding his cell and Adam wondered what was happening in Windom right now. If he knew his Mom, she was probably still holding the phone, trying to process what she’d just been told. He hoped she’d stay there, listen to John, stay away from Wisconsin. As long as his Mom was safe, he’d put up with as many crappy motels as life threw at him.
~~
Adam waited in the corridor outside the motel room they were going to be spending the night in, watching through the open door as his Dad walked around checking for any signs of danger. When John motioned to him that it was okay, he walked inside and pushed the door shut behind him. It felt good to stretch his legs - they’d driven for hours, getting further than he thought they’d been able to in a day - but he was so tired he didn’t think he’d stay standing for long. Apparently, being a fugitive took it out of a person.
“You take the bed nearest the window.” John threw his bag down on the other bed and headed towards the bathroom, tossing back a “The boys’ll be back soon with some food” before going inside and closing the door.
Alone for the first time all day, Adam dropped down onto the bed he’d been allocated - lumpy mattress but at least there wasn’t a draft coming in through the window - and tried to make sense of what was happening. Not long ago, he’d thought his Dad was dead or didn’t care but he’d been at college, living a normal life. Now, he had his Dad back - and two older brothers, too - but he was a fugitive and he didn’t have a clue when he’d be able to even speak to his Mom again. It was a strange, confusing trade-off.
He glanced out of the window as he heard the unmistakable sound of the Impala’s engine; even if he hadn’t spent the whole day being driven around in it, he’d have known the car anywhere. As he watched his brothers climb out of the car, Dean said something that made Sam laugh, both of them looking almost carefree. Adam didn’t know how they could do it, act like nothing was wrong, crack jokes and trade banter like their whole life hadn’t been straight out of a horror movie. He wondered whether he’d ever be able to act like that, whether he even wanted to.
“Is that your brothers back?”
“Yeah.”
John walked over to stand by the window. “Good, I’m hungry.”
“Me too.” Lunch - a stop at a service station - had been cut short when a police patrol car had pulled in for gas. “Tired, as well.”
“Think we’ll all be getting an early night, kid.”
Sighing, he let his head fall back against the wall and closed his eyes. “Can you stop doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“Calling me ‘kid’ - I don’t like it.”
There was a knock at the door but John didn’t move to answer it. “Okay, no more calling you kid.”
“Simple as that?” He opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah.” John clapped him on the shoulder before going to open the door for Sam and Dean. “What, you thought I’d keep calling you it even when you don’t like it?”
“One word.” Sam interrupted before Adam could speak. “Sammy.”
“That’s different.” Dean grinned, punching Sam in the arm. “You do actually like being called Sammy and don’t try and pretend you don’t. What are we not calling Adam, now?”
John took the pizza boxes out of Dean’s hands. “Kid. Because he isn’t one and he doesn’t like it.”
“Sounds fair enough to me.” Sam looked pointedly at Dean. “You’ll have to stop that too.”
Feeling a little embarrassed at having caused a fuss, Adam gestured towards the pizza and changed the subject. “Tell me you got pineapple on one of them.”
“Pineapple has no place on a pizza.” Dean scowled.
“Yeah, it does.” Grinning, Sam held out one of the boxes. “Ham and pineapple - enjoy.”
Shaking his head, Dean sat down on the end of Adam’s bed. “Freaks.”
John cleared his throat and waited until they were all looking at him until speaking. “Okay, here’s the plan. We stay here for the night and set off first thing in the morning, I want to put a bit more distance between us and Wisconsin.”
“Where are we heading?” Dean spoke around a mouthful of pizza.
“Usually, I’d have headed for Bobby’s but it’s too close for comfort until things around Adam have quietened down a little. We’ll drive towards Pennsylvania way, take it from there.”
“Who’s Bobby? Is he another hunter?”
“A friend of ours.” The corner of John’s lips quirked. “Good friend and a good hunter. You’ll meet him sometime soon, I’m sure.”
He nodded, swallowed; there was so much he didn’t know about the Winchesters’ lives, a whole history of friends and events and hunts that was always going to mean he was the new guy, the outsider. Pushing the thought away, he told himself to get a grip; at least he was going to be alive.
“What did my Mom say?” He blurted the question out; it had been on his mind all day but he’d been waiting for John to bring it up first, something that apparently wasn’t going to happen.
“She said to be careful and she said she believes you and she,” John coughed, “she loves you. And then she called me a stupid son of a bitch for helping you run.”
That definitely sounded like his Mom; Adam allowed himself to grin a little, more restrained than Dean who just outright laughed at his Dad.
“She believed you, though? When you said I didn’t do it?”
“Course she did, ki - son.” Reaching out to pat Adam’s ankle, John looked him straight in the eye. “You’re her boy, she knows you.”
“But everyone thinks that - no-one ever says ‘yeah, that’s my son -I knew he’d be a killer’ do they?”
“But you’re not a killer and she knows it.” John sighed. “Look, she told me to take you back there, let you hand yourself in because she believes in you and she thinks you’ll be found innocent.”
Dean snorted. “Well, that’s a naïve outlook of the justice system.”
“Actually, faith in the police is pretty normal.” Sam shrugged when Dean and John turned to look at him “For people other than us. Of a certain age, anyway.”
“Never let my Mom hear you say she’s of a certain age.” Smirking, Adam reached for another slice of pizza. “But yeah, Sam’s right. I mean, I thought the cops would believe me at first. It’s all new to my Mom and she’s not - she doesn’t know about the whole demon thing.”
“It’s safer that way.” John said.
“I know.” Adam had never been able to protect his Mom from financial hardship or from the looks she sometimes got when she told people she was a single parent. But this, a life spent looking over her shoulder scared of the things in the dark, was something he could protect her from. After everything she’d done for him, he owed her.
He wished hecould tell her, though. She was his Mom; she’d know how to make it better.
~~
There was a crack in the curtains, letting light filter into the room earlier than Adam would have normally liked to wake up. Today, though, he’d already been awake for an hour, his Dad still snoring in the bed next to him even though it had been John who’d said they’d have to leave early. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Adam stood up and padded across the room towards where he’d left his duffel bag. He knelt down next to it and unzipped it as quietly as he could, pulling out the letter - his university acceptance letter - he’d tucked into the side pocket.
It was starting to sink in: he was never going to be a doctor. He was never going to get his degree and work in a hospital and help people in that way. Sighing, he shoved the letter back into the bag and yanked the zip shut. Dwelling on what he couldn’t have wasn’t going to make anything any easier.
Through the walls he could hear his brothers murmuring - they hadn’t been kidding when they’d said motel walls were thin - and he wondered whether he should wake his Dad. Figuring that Sam and Dean would come and knock if that was necessary, he twisted on his knees and leaned back against the wall. He still couldn’t make out the words his brothers were saying but they sounded calm, as though they weren’t worried about demons or cops or anything else, and listening to that was better than listening to the doubts that were shouting at him in his own head.
He wasn’t really sure how long he’d been sitting there for when his Dad said his name, softly but still making him jump.
“Morning.” Pushing himself up off the floor. “Have I got time for a shower before we leave?”
“Sure thing.” John stood up, stretching. “When you’re done we’ll hit the road for a few hours then stop somewhere for breakfast.”
“Okay.”
“And we need to check the news - see just how underground we need to go to avoid you getting spotted.”
He nodded, already on his way towards the bathroom and then stopped, turned to look at his Dad. “How likely is it that that’ll happen?”
“Not likely. We just need to stay under the radar and, lucky for you, we’re pretty good at that.”
That, he could believe.
~~
It hadn’t taken long for the Winchesters to find a hunt, even when they hadn’t been actively looking for one. Three days on the road and, despite the threat of the demon still hanging over them, they were all in Maine on the trail of a vampire. An evil one because apparently, as Sam had said with a pointed look at Dean, some vampires were actually okay. And Adam, Adam was stuck in a motel room surrounded by rings of salt and flasks of holy water, instructed to call for help at the slightest sign of anything out of the ordinary. Because, yeah, being protected by condiments was totally normal.
He was bored out of his mind.
When he’d packed his emergency bag, it had been just that: emergency. Things that meant something to him; photos of his Mom, the science trophy he’d won when he was twelve - Dean had smirked at that one - and essential clothes to live in. He’d not thought to pack any books and now he was reduced to watching crappy cable tv that he had no interest in because the only other thing to do was stare at the walls.
His brothers and John had been gone for almost fourteen hours, had left at the crack of dawn and now it was dark outside and Adam still hadn’t eaten anything other than leftover pizza for lunch because his Dad had said not to leave the room under any circumstances other than danger. Sam had called around six hours ago to check he was okay but had hung up before Adam could even ask how much longer they’d be.
Adam had been trying to fight sleep but his eyes were starting to close despite his efforts when the knock came. He waited until he’d heard three knocks - as instructed - and his Dad’s voice calling out before getting up to go and open the door.
“Everything okay here?” John stalked inside, heading straight towards the salt lines to check them for any breaks, as though Adam couldn’t do even do that by himself.
He nodded, closing the door when he realised Sam and Dean must have already gone into their own room. “Sure. Apart from being hungry. And bored.”
“I’ll send Dean out for something as soon as - as soon as we’re all cleaned up.”
“What happened?” He hadn’t missed the slip, knew there must be a reason his brothers hadn’t joined them.
John turned to look at him, sighing. “Nothing to worry about. Sam got a bit banged up - cut on his head, some punches to his stomach. It’s nothing big, there’s just a lot of blood because head wounds-”
“Bleed a lot, I know.”
“Yeah, well, Dean’s getting him sorted out now and he’ll be fine.”
Adam decided it probably wasn’t the best time to ask just how much medical training his eldest brother had; he didn’t think it would go down all that well. “Did you get it, though?”
John nodded. “The bastard’s dead. We can move on tomorrow, settling in one place for too long just makes us easier targets for the demon.” He frowned. “We probably shouldn’t have even stopped for this hunt but there was no-one else near enough to get here before the vamp killed someone else.”
“Right. I-” he broke off as the door opened again and Dean walked in. “Hey.”
“Hey, kid.” Dean clapped him on the shoulder then turned to look at their Dad. “Sam’s fine, just resting. Want me to go out for food?”
“Yeah, I - no.” John shook his head. “No, I’ll go - you stay here with Adam.”
“Awesome, babysitting duties.” Dean threw himself down on top of Adam’s bed, not bothering to take off his muddy boots.
Adam scowled. “That’s not funny.”
“No, it’s not.” On his way to the door, John pointed at Dean. “Don’t be patronising. I won’t be long.”
Sitting down on the edge of the bed his Dad had been using, Adam watched his brother. Hands tucked behind his head, eyes closed, Dean looked more like he’d spent the day relaxing than hunting a vampire.
“I didn’t mean anything by that.” Opening his eyes, Dean looked right at him. “Babysitting, I mean. You’re my brother - I don’t mind hanging with you.”
“Sure.” It was stupid, really, but even though he’d been around Dean plenty over the last week, he still felt awkward when he was alone with him, as though his brother didn’t really want him there, despite what he said.
“You, uh, aren’t used to big brothers, huh?”
He shrugged, not needing to confirm the obvious.
“Okay.” Huffing out a breath of air, Dean shifted on the bed so that he was sitting opposite Adam. “Here’s how it is. I’m probably going to say stuff like that all the time, make fun of you way more than you’d like and generally annoy you.”
Adam snorted.
“But it’s because you’re my little brother that I’ll do it, okay? I treat Sam like that all the time.”
“I’m not Sam.”
“No, you’re not.” Dean smirked, knocking his knee against Adam’s. “You’re way cooler than he is.”
He couldn’t help but smile at that. “I’ll tell him-”
“You tell him I said that, I’ll kick your ass.”
“Fair enough.” That scenario was one Adam was pretty sure he’d come out worse in. “Can I ask something?”
Dean nodded. “As long as you don’t want a chick-flick moment because I don’t really do those.”
“Me neither. I just wanted to ask if you’d take your boots off. They’re, uh, muddy and on my bed.”
Laughing, Dean pulled his boots off. “Nag, nag. Maybe you’re more like Sam than I thought.”
~~
They left, just like John had said, the next morning. Sam had emerged from his room looking much the same as he did every morning - more awake than everyone else - and Adam had been glad to see that he really was okay. For the first time since they’d driven away from Wisconsin, Sam was riding in the truck with John which meant that Adam had been able to move from his delegated spot in the backseat to the front of the Impala. From the way Dean had been grinning when he’d told Adam the news, he had a feeling it was his brothers’ way of apologising for leaving him for so long the day before.
“Change the music will you? Tapes are in the glove box.”
Adam rolled his eyes. “I still can’t believe you still use cassette tapes.” All the same, he reached into the glove box and started sorting through the tapes.
“Dude, she’s a classic car.” Dean glanced at him, looking horrified. “I’m not douching her up.”
“Fair enough, I guess.” He picked out an AC/DC compilation -one he could remember listening to with his Dad when he was younger - and put it in. “This okay?”
“Adam, it’s AC/DC - of course it is.”
He relaxed back in his seat, eyes focused on the road ahead to try and stay awake. It was still early enough in the morning that his Dad’s truck behind them was the only other vehicle in sight. No matter what John had said, Adam still wasn’t sure the extra distance gained from this time on the road was a good enough trade-off for the sleep he’d lost by leaving so early.
“Catch some rest if you want.” Dean nudged him on the arm. “I don’t mind.”
“It’s fine. I, uh, don’t really sleep well in cars anyway.”
“It’s something you might want to get used to - we do a hell of a lot of driving.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to get that.” Adam smirked, wondering how far he could push his luck. “Any chance I’ll be doing some of that driving soon? I mean, I do appreciate a classic car.”
Dean snorted. “Nice try but no, not until I know for sure you can drive and even then, only in an emergency.”
“I can drive. I’ve had my license for ages.”
“Having your license doesn’t mean you can drive.”
He shrugged, raising his eyebrows at Dean.
Dean sighed. “Look, Dad’ll probably let you drive the truck if you ask. That’s something, right?”
“Oh, yay, the truck.”
“Dude, I’d give up now. You think I didn’t have this same conversation with Sam like a hundred times over the years?”
“That’s not-”
“I swear, if you say that’s not fair I’ll make you ride with Dad for the next month.” There’d been a soft edge to Dean’s voice as he spoke and he smirked, shaking his head. “Man, I can’t even be irritated at you for being an annoying little brother.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Yeah. All right, here we go.” Dean pulled over to the side of the road.
“What?” Adam knew they’d not had a stop planned.
“There’s a phone right here, go call your Mom.”
His head snapped around to look at Dean. “Really?”
“Sure. It’s been long enough now, just don’t mention any details - where you are, who you’re with - in case the cops are listening.”
“Have you got-” he broke off as Dean pressed some change into his hands. “Thanks.”
Climbing out of the car, he took his time walking towards the phone. He’d been thinking about his Mom pretty much non-stop since they’d hit the road but now he was going to speak to her, he had absolutely no idea what to say.
The phone had only rung twice when she picked it up and he tried to convince himself it was just luck, that she hadn’t been waiting for a call.
“Yes, this is-”
“Mom, it’s me.”
“Come home.”
“What?”
“Come home, baby. Hand yourself in, okay? You’re innocent and I just want you to be safe so tell-”
Adam knew what she was about to say -details, no details - and spoke before she could finish. “I can’t.” He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. “God, I wish I could but I can’t. Mom, they think I did it. They have no other suspects. I have to - it has to be this way.”
“Okay.” She paused. “No, it’s not okay. But you’re not going to let me talk you out of this, are you?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“Okay, then. You have to promise me you’ll stay safe.”
“I will.” Lying to his Mom had always been hard but this was important; there was no way he could tell her about the thing that was after him. “I promise.”
“Good. Good, I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.” Running a hand over his forehead, he glanced back towards the car where Dean was leaning against the side, talking to Sam and John. “I should go.”
“Adam, you just called.”
“I know. But you’ll get into trouble - I don’t want you getting into trouble.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do, though. Look after yourself.” He hung up before she could reply; there was nothing else to say - this wasn’t goodbye. After taking a few deep, shaky, breaths he turned and walked back towards the Winchesters.
Sam met him halfway. “Are you okay?”
He looked away down the road instead of at his brother. “I hate hurting her like this.”
“You’re keeping her safe, same way as Dad kept you safe by not telling you. One day, she’ll understand that.”
“It’s not the same. Besides, I’m still pissed with him about that so it’s not the best analogy.”
Sam reached out to grip him on the shoulder. “Look, Adam, it isn’t easy. I know it isn’t but honestly, the way to keep people who don’t know safe is to keep them in the dark. Believe me, I know that better than anyone.”
He twisted back around to face Sam. “How come?”
Sam’s eyes darted down to the ground before he looked back up, meeting Adam’s eyes. “I tried to live the normal life, went to college, got a girlfriend. Then I watched her burn to death on a ceiling. Believe me, now you know, the best thing you can do for everyone you used to know is keep moving on the road, maintain your distance. There’s no being normal for our family. We’re just this.”
Sensing that he’d just been let in on something his brother didn’t talk to many people about, Adam wasn’t sure how to react for a moment and he just stood there, processing, while Sam glanced away awkwardly.
“I’m sorry, Sam.” And then, deciding that risking getting punched was worth it, Adam took a step forward and wrapped his arms around his older brother, hugging him for the first time. Sam tensed up for a moment before embracing him back, arms tight around him.
“Thanks, Adam. It’s okay, really. I mean, I miss her but I’ve come to terms with it. I just - I needed you to know so you’ll understand how important it is to keep your Mom in the dark, no matter how hard it is.” Sam sighed next to his ear. “I don’t want you to have to lose her too.”
Pulling back, he nodded. “I get it. Thank you - for trusting me with that.”
“Yeah, sure.” Pressing a hand against Adam’s back, Sam shoved him gently back in the direction of the car. “Come on, let’s hit the road.”
Adam wasn’t surprised when neither his Dad nor Dean said anything as they reached the cars. Dragging out moments like that wasn’t the Winchester way.
~~
“You’re taking another job?” Lifting his head up from the magazine he was reading, Adam watched as his Dad started to pack up the guns he’d been cleaning. “You just got done with the werewolf.”
John nodded. “These things don’t wait for us to have a break before they start killing things.”
“I know that.” He’d seen the Winchesters prepare for enough hunts over the last three weeks to realise just how many monsters there were in the dark. “But surely you guys need a break.”
“We’ll take a break when there’s nothing on our radar, not before.”
“So, what?” He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “I’m just meant to stay here again all day, or all weekend, until you guys come back?”
“That’s exactly what you’re going to do, Adam.”
“I want to learn how to do this stuff.”
“No.” John looked up from the duffel he was packing and shook his head. “Absolutely, one hundred per cent no.”
“Why the hell not?” He pushed himself up off the bed, fixing his Dad with a glare.
“Because I don’t want that life for you.”
“Newsflash, Dad, I’m already living it.” He gestured around the room at the salt rings. “I’m sick of just sitting around in motel rooms while you guys go out. I want to help, I want to be able to defend myself.”
“Sam and Dean trained for years to get as good as they are - I’m not risking your life any more than necessary. You haven’t been brought up in this life.”
“Neither were you, though.”
John was silent for a moment and then he crossed over to stand in front of Adam. “How do you know that?”
“It doesn’t-”
“How, Adam?”
“Dean told me but don’t be mad at him.” Adam scowled and raised his voice. “I asked him about you. You know, because I don’t actually know any fucking thing about anything apparently.”
“Watch your mouth. I don’t want to hear-”
“I’m an adult - I can say whatever the hell I like.”
“You might be over eighteen but you’re still-” John broke off at a knock on the door and, still glaring at Adam, crossed over to answer it. “Why the hell did you tell Adam I wasn’t brought up a hunter?”
Holding up his hands, Dean walked into the room. “I didn’t know it was a secret. You two are going to get us thrown out if you don’t quiet down - me and Sam can hear you from the parking lot.”
“It’s fine.” John moved back to his duffel and began to pack it again. “We’re done anyway. Discussion over.”
Adam snorted. “That wasn’t a discussion, that was-”
“Shut it. Now.” Pointing at him, John took a few calming breaths before continuing. “You are going to wait here same as always while we go on this hunt and I don’t want to have this fight with you again. Dean, I’ll meet you outside.” Grabbing his bag, John left the room without giving Adam a chance to retaliate.
“Want to tell me what that was about?” Dean sounded pretty unsurprised about what he’d just witnessed, making Adam wonder how often fights like that occurred between the three hunters.
“He won’t let me learn how to help you guys.”
Dean’s expression turned less amused, more serious. “He wants to keep you safe.”
“How can I be safe if I don’t know how to beat these things?” Adam shrugged and dropped down onto the edge of his bed.
“I hear you, I really do. And I agree - you need to be prepared for things.” Dean paused, scratching at the back of his neck. “You just need to give him time. He needs to know you can handle this, that he can trust you with all of the things we know.”
“He can.”
Dean nodded and sat down next to Adam, nudging him in the side. “I know. And he knows too, really. Look at it this way, he spent most of your life trying to protect you from this and now you’ve ended up in this position anyway. It’s just going to take him some time to get his head around that.”
“Will you teach me some stuff?”
“No. Sorry, kid. I can’t do that until Dad gives the go ahead.”
“It was worth a try.” He shrugged. “Thanks anyway.”
“No worries. Look, I’ll ask Dad if this job really needs three of us. If not, Sammy can stay behind, keep you company. How does that sound?”
“Like a start.”
“Good.” Dean patted Adam’s knee. “Give me five minutes.”
Ten minutes later, when Sam walked into the room carrying his laptop in one hand and beer in the other, Adam made a mental note to find some way to thank Dean later.
Next