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Dreams and Nightmares - Chapter Five
Chapter Five
John’s POV
John wakes up to the feeling of hammers in his head trying to break his skull. He gasps in shock as the memories filter back from last night. He was intoxicated: had difficulty standing up, staggering, and swaying, as he picked the lock to his sons’ room. He found Dean alone and yelled and screamed at him for Sam leaving and taking off. It had to be something Dean did – John knew in his heart and soul Dean would not let anything happen to Sam. Dean loved Sam more than words could describe, and John didn’t know how to describe the close bond they shared with one another.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, nausea and regret rise in full force and he’s running to the bathroom to hurl in the toilet. Stomach emptied, John sits in front of the toilet, and he starts thinking about Dean and what must be running through his son’s mind. The son that has been following his god damn orders for years without question. The son that never questions his place in the family business or his role of protecting Sam at all costs. Dean who doesn’t know who he is. John wishes he knew how to help Dean find a way to discover his true identity, rather than being the hard ass copy of John himself.
John never wanted this life for his boys, yet here he is bringing Dean down along with him. He mentally kicks himself for thinking Dean couldn’t handle things in his own fashion when Sam even handles himself quite well away from John.
John splashes water on his face and takes a long hard look at himself in the mirror. He sees his eyes are flat, eyebrows pinched, downturned mouth, and a stooped posture that he can’t control his anger and need for revenge for the death of their mother. That’s hard enough, let alone having their mother being ripped away from his boys at a young age. It pains him to see how Dean struggles within this world and he has no clue what to do about it. John doesn’t know how to change it or make it better for his oldest. He regrets treating the boys differently but tells himself he did the best he could.
He thinks about how he will face Dean this morning when they head for breakfast and discuss the hunt. He hopes that Dean will be okay and not ask questions, even though sometimes he wishes he would speak up and express what is running through his mind.
The knock on the door jerks him awake from his thoughts. He sighs and opens the door to find Dean standing there with a big black and blue mark on his left eye.
“Morning, Dad. Breakfast? Discuss the case? Or find Sam?” He asks nervously while shifting from one foot to the other.
“Morning, Dean. Breakfast and discuss the case. As for Sam, let him come to us since he knows where we’ll be for the week.” He tells him.
The sigh of relief coming from Dean is music to his ears. John wouldn’t have been surprised if Dean had gone looking for Sam. Like always, he would have taken the blame for actions that never really was the cause of Sam leaving. John was pretty damn sure Dean wasn’t the reason why Sam left. He looked down at his feet as he closed the door behind them and walked the block down to the diner. He didn’t want to consider who may have been the reason.
~*~*~
They finished their meal and the tension within the air was felt throughout the entire diner. John felt guilty for hurting his son in the manner he did, but the fear for Sam’s safety spoke louder than the reasons behind Sam leaving. Blaming Dean for it was wrong and he should have known from the start that Dean would never do anything to harm Sam in any way. But he didn’t have another way to react.
“Dad?” Dean asks guarded.
“Yeah, Dean.” John says as he looks up at his son.
“So, about the case? What the plan?” He obviously hopes they can put the Sam incident behind them. John can sense the panic coming from his son, and it makes him hate himself even more. Dean never deserved to be treated like that whether or not he was drunk or not. John shakes his tight fists and slams them down on the table.
Dean jumps at the unexpected noise and pushes his body closer to the window and away from him.
John quickly gathers his emotions and puts them in check. Last night must have been worse than he thought. He can’t believe that he scared Dean enough to jump on the spot.
“I’m sorry, Dean. I’m angry with your brother. I’m sorry for taking it out on you.” He tells Dean, knows his son hears the sorrow in his voice. Dean nods, accepting the apology, like always.
“It is fine, Dad. So about the case?” He asks hastily.
“We need to take a look at the bodies and the skin of this creature. I was thinking you could take a look at the victims and the skin while I do the interviews.” He tells Dean, confident Dean can handle the job.
Dean tilts his head to the side and he relaxes. He’s comfortable like this, used to discussing the case. The color returns to his face and he has that stupid mischievous grin on his face. The one he uses when he gets to go on a hunt. It warms John’s heart at the change, even as it hurts to know that he was the cause of it.
“What do you want to me check out specifically with the creature skin?” Dean asks.
“See if you can take a piece so we know exactly what it looks like. And see what the doctors think about the skin and if they know what it could be from.”
“And I’ll head out and talk with the police. See what I can find out. Dean, please be safe. As for Sam, I’m sure he’ll find you when he’s ready.” John says.
“Okay, I will head there now. See what I can find out. Be safe, Dad. If I hear anything about Sam I’ll call you.” Dean says with respect and military style. He heads out the diner and starts the mission he was handed.
John pays for their meal and heads to the police station. He asks to see the Chief of Police and follows the officer who escorts him to the Chief’s office.
“Chief Johnson? I’m John Carter and I’m from the FBI. I’m here investigating the victims dying from acting out their worst nightmares. I was wondering if you could share any information about the case with me.” He speaks to the Chief with confidence and respect.
“Have a seat, John. Coffee?”
John shakes his head, as the Chief continues, “The victims that we have been dealing with have feared suicide or murder. The first victim had a twin sister, and in his nightmares he feared that he would kill her. Not long after, the family called saying he killed himself. The second victim thought her boyfriend was cheating on her, and if she caught him than she would kill her herself by hanging. The last victim feared something would happen to his child after getting custody and he kills himself to protect his son.” The Chief says, reading from his notes on the conversations he had with the families.
“So each victim was terrorized by their nightmares and killed to protect their loved ones?” John wants to be sure he understands.
“Yes. This is exactly the case. At each site, we found a large chunk of skin lying next to the victim’s bodies. We think this mystery skin has a connection with all the victims, although I don’t know what the connection would be. Maybe you can figure it out?” He tells John and hands him a sample of the skin.
“Thanks for the information. I will analyze the skin. I will find the connection. And I’m going to help prevent this from happening again.”
John hadn’t expected it to be so easy.
~*~*~
John heads back to the hotel and takes a seat at the table. He pulls the plastic bag out of his pocket to look at the skin he was given by the Chief. Taking the skin out of the bag, he holds it in his hands. It feels like rubber and it stretches; it really is like the skin of a person, but somehow completely different. It’s the texture and thickness. He rubs his thumb over the skin and a shiver runs down his spine, and his blood seems to pulse strongly, as if it was on fire. John drops the skin on the table, quickly grabs a bottle of water which he gulps down.
He sits back down at the table and carefully places the skin back into the plastic bag. John jumps as he hears heavy footsteps outside the room, the door squeaks open.
“Dad?” Dean asks, slipping his hands into his pockets.
“Dean! You’re back. How did things go for you?” He asks jolted.
“Well, it’s like we thought. All the victims killed themselves due to their worst fears. One victim feared they would kill their sister and he killed himself. It’s the same with the other two victims, same mo. I did see the piece of skin they collected from the cases, Dad. It has a weird texture, different and similar to human skin. It must be a creature that can turn from a monster into a human being and vice versa.”
“Nice work, Dean. I have a piece of the skin here too. It is weird and very similar to human skin. I hope we can figure out who it is and take care of business.” He tells Dean.
John notices the blush spread across Dean’s face. He wonders at its presence, then realizes it is being complimented on his hard work for the case. It brings a little peace to his soul, knowing there is something he can do to heal the damage he caused his son. He never should have hit him in the manner he did.
There’s a knock on the door and John looked at Dean, who just shrugged. John tip-toes towards the door while he pulls his gun out from his waistband. He opens the door to take a look, and sees that it’s Sam, and John throws the door open wide.
“Sam?” John asks.
“Yeah, Dad. It’s me. I’m back. I’m sorry. I – I had to get away.” He says, glancing at his feet.
“Come inside, Sam. We were just talking about the case. You’re back now. Let’s get to work.” John says. John can hear the sigh and eye roll coming from Dean, and when he turns to look at Dean, it’s written on his face.
The first compliment from him towards his eldest son ended once Sam was back in the picture. John mentally kicked himself for being an idiot. Before he can do anything, Sam steps inside and takes along hard look at Dean. A sheen film of sweat covers Sam’s face as he comes and stands right in front of his brother.
“Dean, what happened to you?”
“Nothing, Sammy. I just got into a bar fight. It was my fault.”
Dean’s posture is racked with guilt, and John felt nauseous at the thought. Dean blames himself for Sam leaving, even though it wasn’t his fault to begin with. And now the need to seek approval from his own brother speaks loud and clear at the insecurities Dean deals with. Watching his boys interact with each other breaks his heart. He sees Sam reach up and Dean relaxes. John knows deep within him that they need each other in their lives.
“Dean, are you sure you’re okay?” Sam asks again while his large hands cup Dean’s face. His thumbs tracing along Dean’s cheek bones and Dean relaxes, leaning into Sam’s gentle touch.
“I’m fine Sam. I got away. It’s all that matters, right?” He says with a small grin upon his face. “Though, you should see the other guy.”
They stand there for several long minutes until Dean mildly wraps his hands around Sam’s wrists and removes his brother’s hand from his body. The pain of removing the touch from him looks like it hurts more than John can say. He turns around to give his boys a moment, while using the mirror to watch their interactions.
“Dean, are you sure? It looks bad.” Sam says, in a pained stare and cups Dean’s face again.
John notices the moment Dean looks up at Sam and shakes his head from side to side and softly whispers, “No.” John has to close his eyes and control his breathing.
“Where else does it hurt?”
John snaps opens his eyes and holds his breath as Dean bashfully lifts his shirt up to reveal the multiple bruises that color his pale chest.
“Shit, Dean! What was this fight about?” Sam asks, already knowing the answer, the only answer Dean can give to Sam.
“A stupid blonde chick.” Dean says with his head down and shoulders slumped forward.
Sam shakes his head, annoyed at the thought, and pulls Dean in for a hug. This is quite new between them, and as Dean allows it, a smile forms on Sam’s face from ear to ear.
Glad to know his boys are over the fact that Sam left, John turns around to ask them about dinner when Dean whispers to Sam, “I’m sorry for being a jackass.” The tears form in Dean’s eyes and he closes them and holds on that much tighter to Sam. Dean has never shown his emotional side or let his walls down and its clear to John that Dean would protect Sam for life.
~*~*~
They head to the diner and John brings Sam up to speed about the case and what they have found so far.
John notices Sam constantly shoots glances at his brother, keeping an eye out on him, while Dean stares out the window. He looks up at Sam and wonders what happened while he was gone to find himself.
“Sam. Where did you go?” John asks.
“Um. I went on a bus ride. Cleared my mind.” Sam replies.
“Did you clear your mind, Sam?” John asks, trying for calmness between them. They fight for no reason and half the time neither one of them knows what the fight is really about in the first place. John is the father, he needs to make the effort to change things between him and his sons.
Sam glances at Dean and he has doubts about his brother’s story and injuries. John watches Sam focus on Dean for a period of time like, he wants to ask him something. He even opens his mouth before he changes his mind. John can see the tense rigid posture Dean has. He sits upright, head and shoulders angled towards the window, and his body plastered as far away from Sam as he can get.
Sam shakes his head and his eyes with concern, briefly meets John’s eyes. “Yeah, Dad. I cleared my mind.” He glances back at Dean and sees the shakes that now rattle his brother’s body.
Dean excuses himself to take a piss. It gives Sam the opportunity to speak with their Dad.
“Dad. Is Dean, okay? Was it a bar fight? He looks freaked out. I’ve never seen him like this before.” Sam whispers across the table leaning in towards his father.
John shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. Keeping his voice low, he replies. “No, Sam. I don’t think he is. I’m not sure about the bar; I had a few drinks last night. I found him like that this morning.” He cringes at the thought that he just lied to his son about Dean’s situation. John could never come out and state that he harmed Dean over something stupid, that he let it happen in the first place.
Dean returns and slides in the booth.
He glances over at Dean and relaxes a little when Sam starts to tell them about the creature, and Dean starts to respond. Since he had researched on his journey to clear his head.
“Well, I heard that the winged-creature can be seen in the victim’s nightmares. It looks like a human bat.” Sam says.
Dean chokes on his soda. “A human bat? What does that even look like? How are we gonna kill it?”
“You okay, Dean?” John asks, thumping him on the back before Dean shoots a daggered look towards him, and okay, he’s never asked before, but John knows he needs to change. Sam coughs uncomfortably, feeling the tension in the air around them.
Looking up, John sees Sam’s hazel eyes wide open with an unreadable expression. He’s analyzing the interaction that happened in front of him.
John shrugs it off as nothing and waits eagerly for Sam to continue.
“Yeah, Dean. A human bat. It can be killed like a Wendigo with a flair gun.” Sam says.
“Nice. So how do we find it?” Dean asks with a grin.
“Well, the victim touches a piece of the skin from the creature and then feels a sensation like fire pulse through their body. Once this happens, we wait for the person to fall asleep and dream. The person sees their worst nightmare of a family member, and a different family member gets the victims dreams.”
John gasps and looks at Sam deeply. There’s very little doubt that he will become the next victim. God, whose dreams would he see? And who would see his? He doesn’t even want to think about it at the moment.
“Dad? Are you okay?” Dean’s hand is on John’s shoulder shaking him into reality.
“I’m fine, Dean. Only taking in the information.” He says looking at his son reassuring him with a grin plastered to his face. John watches Dean nod and then looks back up at Sam to hear more about their case.
“Sam, how do you know all this?” John asks wondering.
“I met this girl on the bus, and she told me that her best friend was afraid that she would be taken away and tortured by her kidnapper. Well her best friend kidnapped this girl and tortured her until help came. She killed herself in the jail cell. The girl mentioned her friend talking about some winged creature she saw in her dream.” Sam tells them. He keeps looking back and forth between his father and brother. John can’t help but not notice the concern for Dean is evident on his face, and he wonders about the real story behind it.
“So what should we do about it, Sammy?” Dean asks, eyebrows drown together.
Taking a deep breath in, Sam begins, “Well, I thought if we could get a piece of the skin and touch it, maybe we can solve the case before we have the urge to fulfill the nightmare.” He tenses up, feeling the glares being aimed at him for the suggestion.
“Sam! You must be joking right?” Dean grits his teeth.
“Dean, I think it’s the only way.” Sam catches sight of an expression Dean never releases: his face turns white with the hint of confusion.
“Okay. So if that’s the case, if we do touch the skin, whose dreams will they get?” Dean asks, looking worriedly between his father and brother.
John has the sense that Dean hopes it’s not him. He doesn’t blame him, he wouldn’t want his dreams on show either. It would leave him wide open with no way to hide his secrets whether he liked it or not.
John has to hide his smile behind his hand because this would be the best time to really discover who Dean is. Whether it’s shown to Sam or himself. Or maybe he doesn’t want to see. Dean was a boy who loved his family and baby brother. Once the house fire came and John handed Sam to Dean it was like a light had been switched; it was a moment that defined Dean to his core, the simple act of saving Sam from the fire. It was answered in the manner of protecting Sam for life and help him achieve his dreams, the way he told Sam, I can wait for mine to come at the right moment. At this time, it is highly unlikely that Dean will get to follow his dreams. But John still secretly hopes for more for Dean than a life of putting Sam first.
And Dean deserves it, not recriminations and violence because he blames the older son for the actions of the younger one. Not that he would know John thought that, because beating your son up and thinking the worst in him isn’t actually encouraging. John hates that he could think of his child in this manner, and at the same time wants Dean to be able to stand up and fight for what he wants despite the message being handed to him at a young age. He doesn’t even think that he may have beat it out of him.
“Dean. Don’t worry about it. Your dreams are full of porn.” Sam says with a chuckle.
“Sam! What the hell?! I don’t just think about porn. I have dreams too you know.” Dean says with a clenched fist and slams it against the table. His posture is tense and the anger radiates off him in waves is overwhelming to say the least.
“Boys! Enough.” John yells at the boys with a stern face. He isn’t looking forward to this. “It will most likely be Sam and I. We are quite a pair – whether we like to admit it or not.”
Chapter Six
John’s POV
John wakes up to the feeling of hammers in his head trying to break his skull. He gasps in shock as the memories filter back from last night. He was intoxicated: had difficulty standing up, staggering, and swaying, as he picked the lock to his sons’ room. He found Dean alone and yelled and screamed at him for Sam leaving and taking off. It had to be something Dean did – John knew in his heart and soul Dean would not let anything happen to Sam. Dean loved Sam more than words could describe, and John didn’t know how to describe the close bond they shared with one another.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, nausea and regret rise in full force and he’s running to the bathroom to hurl in the toilet. Stomach emptied, John sits in front of the toilet, and he starts thinking about Dean and what must be running through his son’s mind. The son that has been following his god damn orders for years without question. The son that never questions his place in the family business or his role of protecting Sam at all costs. Dean who doesn’t know who he is. John wishes he knew how to help Dean find a way to discover his true identity, rather than being the hard ass copy of John himself.
John never wanted this life for his boys, yet here he is bringing Dean down along with him. He mentally kicks himself for thinking Dean couldn’t handle things in his own fashion when Sam even handles himself quite well away from John.
John splashes water on his face and takes a long hard look at himself in the mirror. He sees his eyes are flat, eyebrows pinched, downturned mouth, and a stooped posture that he can’t control his anger and need for revenge for the death of their mother. That’s hard enough, let alone having their mother being ripped away from his boys at a young age. It pains him to see how Dean struggles within this world and he has no clue what to do about it. John doesn’t know how to change it or make it better for his oldest. He regrets treating the boys differently but tells himself he did the best he could.
He thinks about how he will face Dean this morning when they head for breakfast and discuss the hunt. He hopes that Dean will be okay and not ask questions, even though sometimes he wishes he would speak up and express what is running through his mind.
The knock on the door jerks him awake from his thoughts. He sighs and opens the door to find Dean standing there with a big black and blue mark on his left eye.
“Morning, Dad. Breakfast? Discuss the case? Or find Sam?” He asks nervously while shifting from one foot to the other.
“Morning, Dean. Breakfast and discuss the case. As for Sam, let him come to us since he knows where we’ll be for the week.” He tells him.
The sigh of relief coming from Dean is music to his ears. John wouldn’t have been surprised if Dean had gone looking for Sam. Like always, he would have taken the blame for actions that never really was the cause of Sam leaving. John was pretty damn sure Dean wasn’t the reason why Sam left. He looked down at his feet as he closed the door behind them and walked the block down to the diner. He didn’t want to consider who may have been the reason.
~*~*~
They finished their meal and the tension within the air was felt throughout the entire diner. John felt guilty for hurting his son in the manner he did, but the fear for Sam’s safety spoke louder than the reasons behind Sam leaving. Blaming Dean for it was wrong and he should have known from the start that Dean would never do anything to harm Sam in any way. But he didn’t have another way to react.
“Dad?” Dean asks guarded.
“Yeah, Dean.” John says as he looks up at his son.
“So, about the case? What the plan?” He obviously hopes they can put the Sam incident behind them. John can sense the panic coming from his son, and it makes him hate himself even more. Dean never deserved to be treated like that whether or not he was drunk or not. John shakes his tight fists and slams them down on the table.
Dean jumps at the unexpected noise and pushes his body closer to the window and away from him.
John quickly gathers his emotions and puts them in check. Last night must have been worse than he thought. He can’t believe that he scared Dean enough to jump on the spot.
“I’m sorry, Dean. I’m angry with your brother. I’m sorry for taking it out on you.” He tells Dean, knows his son hears the sorrow in his voice. Dean nods, accepting the apology, like always.
“It is fine, Dad. So about the case?” He asks hastily.
“We need to take a look at the bodies and the skin of this creature. I was thinking you could take a look at the victims and the skin while I do the interviews.” He tells Dean, confident Dean can handle the job.
Dean tilts his head to the side and he relaxes. He’s comfortable like this, used to discussing the case. The color returns to his face and he has that stupid mischievous grin on his face. The one he uses when he gets to go on a hunt. It warms John’s heart at the change, even as it hurts to know that he was the cause of it.
“What do you want to me check out specifically with the creature skin?” Dean asks.
“See if you can take a piece so we know exactly what it looks like. And see what the doctors think about the skin and if they know what it could be from.”
“And I’ll head out and talk with the police. See what I can find out. Dean, please be safe. As for Sam, I’m sure he’ll find you when he’s ready.” John says.
“Okay, I will head there now. See what I can find out. Be safe, Dad. If I hear anything about Sam I’ll call you.” Dean says with respect and military style. He heads out the diner and starts the mission he was handed.
John pays for their meal and heads to the police station. He asks to see the Chief of Police and follows the officer who escorts him to the Chief’s office.
“Chief Johnson? I’m John Carter and I’m from the FBI. I’m here investigating the victims dying from acting out their worst nightmares. I was wondering if you could share any information about the case with me.” He speaks to the Chief with confidence and respect.
“Have a seat, John. Coffee?”
John shakes his head, as the Chief continues, “The victims that we have been dealing with have feared suicide or murder. The first victim had a twin sister, and in his nightmares he feared that he would kill her. Not long after, the family called saying he killed himself. The second victim thought her boyfriend was cheating on her, and if she caught him than she would kill her herself by hanging. The last victim feared something would happen to his child after getting custody and he kills himself to protect his son.” The Chief says, reading from his notes on the conversations he had with the families.
“So each victim was terrorized by their nightmares and killed to protect their loved ones?” John wants to be sure he understands.
“Yes. This is exactly the case. At each site, we found a large chunk of skin lying next to the victim’s bodies. We think this mystery skin has a connection with all the victims, although I don’t know what the connection would be. Maybe you can figure it out?” He tells John and hands him a sample of the skin.
“Thanks for the information. I will analyze the skin. I will find the connection. And I’m going to help prevent this from happening again.”
John hadn’t expected it to be so easy.
~*~*~
John heads back to the hotel and takes a seat at the table. He pulls the plastic bag out of his pocket to look at the skin he was given by the Chief. Taking the skin out of the bag, he holds it in his hands. It feels like rubber and it stretches; it really is like the skin of a person, but somehow completely different. It’s the texture and thickness. He rubs his thumb over the skin and a shiver runs down his spine, and his blood seems to pulse strongly, as if it was on fire. John drops the skin on the table, quickly grabs a bottle of water which he gulps down.
He sits back down at the table and carefully places the skin back into the plastic bag. John jumps as he hears heavy footsteps outside the room, the door squeaks open.
“Dad?” Dean asks, slipping his hands into his pockets.
“Dean! You’re back. How did things go for you?” He asks jolted.
“Well, it’s like we thought. All the victims killed themselves due to their worst fears. One victim feared they would kill their sister and he killed himself. It’s the same with the other two victims, same mo. I did see the piece of skin they collected from the cases, Dad. It has a weird texture, different and similar to human skin. It must be a creature that can turn from a monster into a human being and vice versa.”
“Nice work, Dean. I have a piece of the skin here too. It is weird and very similar to human skin. I hope we can figure out who it is and take care of business.” He tells Dean.
John notices the blush spread across Dean’s face. He wonders at its presence, then realizes it is being complimented on his hard work for the case. It brings a little peace to his soul, knowing there is something he can do to heal the damage he caused his son. He never should have hit him in the manner he did.
There’s a knock on the door and John looked at Dean, who just shrugged. John tip-toes towards the door while he pulls his gun out from his waistband. He opens the door to take a look, and sees that it’s Sam, and John throws the door open wide.
“Sam?” John asks.
“Yeah, Dad. It’s me. I’m back. I’m sorry. I – I had to get away.” He says, glancing at his feet.
“Come inside, Sam. We were just talking about the case. You’re back now. Let’s get to work.” John says. John can hear the sigh and eye roll coming from Dean, and when he turns to look at Dean, it’s written on his face.
The first compliment from him towards his eldest son ended once Sam was back in the picture. John mentally kicked himself for being an idiot. Before he can do anything, Sam steps inside and takes along hard look at Dean. A sheen film of sweat covers Sam’s face as he comes and stands right in front of his brother.
“Dean, what happened to you?”
“Nothing, Sammy. I just got into a bar fight. It was my fault.”
Dean’s posture is racked with guilt, and John felt nauseous at the thought. Dean blames himself for Sam leaving, even though it wasn’t his fault to begin with. And now the need to seek approval from his own brother speaks loud and clear at the insecurities Dean deals with. Watching his boys interact with each other breaks his heart. He sees Sam reach up and Dean relaxes. John knows deep within him that they need each other in their lives.
“Dean, are you sure you’re okay?” Sam asks again while his large hands cup Dean’s face. His thumbs tracing along Dean’s cheek bones and Dean relaxes, leaning into Sam’s gentle touch.
“I’m fine Sam. I got away. It’s all that matters, right?” He says with a small grin upon his face. “Though, you should see the other guy.”
They stand there for several long minutes until Dean mildly wraps his hands around Sam’s wrists and removes his brother’s hand from his body. The pain of removing the touch from him looks like it hurts more than John can say. He turns around to give his boys a moment, while using the mirror to watch their interactions.
“Dean, are you sure? It looks bad.” Sam says, in a pained stare and cups Dean’s face again.
John notices the moment Dean looks up at Sam and shakes his head from side to side and softly whispers, “No.” John has to close his eyes and control his breathing.
“Where else does it hurt?”
John snaps opens his eyes and holds his breath as Dean bashfully lifts his shirt up to reveal the multiple bruises that color his pale chest.
“Shit, Dean! What was this fight about?” Sam asks, already knowing the answer, the only answer Dean can give to Sam.
“A stupid blonde chick.” Dean says with his head down and shoulders slumped forward.
Sam shakes his head, annoyed at the thought, and pulls Dean in for a hug. This is quite new between them, and as Dean allows it, a smile forms on Sam’s face from ear to ear.
Glad to know his boys are over the fact that Sam left, John turns around to ask them about dinner when Dean whispers to Sam, “I’m sorry for being a jackass.” The tears form in Dean’s eyes and he closes them and holds on that much tighter to Sam. Dean has never shown his emotional side or let his walls down and its clear to John that Dean would protect Sam for life.
~*~*~
They head to the diner and John brings Sam up to speed about the case and what they have found so far.
John notices Sam constantly shoots glances at his brother, keeping an eye out on him, while Dean stares out the window. He looks up at Sam and wonders what happened while he was gone to find himself.
“Sam. Where did you go?” John asks.
“Um. I went on a bus ride. Cleared my mind.” Sam replies.
“Did you clear your mind, Sam?” John asks, trying for calmness between them. They fight for no reason and half the time neither one of them knows what the fight is really about in the first place. John is the father, he needs to make the effort to change things between him and his sons.
Sam glances at Dean and he has doubts about his brother’s story and injuries. John watches Sam focus on Dean for a period of time like, he wants to ask him something. He even opens his mouth before he changes his mind. John can see the tense rigid posture Dean has. He sits upright, head and shoulders angled towards the window, and his body plastered as far away from Sam as he can get.
Sam shakes his head and his eyes with concern, briefly meets John’s eyes. “Yeah, Dad. I cleared my mind.” He glances back at Dean and sees the shakes that now rattle his brother’s body.
Dean excuses himself to take a piss. It gives Sam the opportunity to speak with their Dad.
“Dad. Is Dean, okay? Was it a bar fight? He looks freaked out. I’ve never seen him like this before.” Sam whispers across the table leaning in towards his father.
John shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. Keeping his voice low, he replies. “No, Sam. I don’t think he is. I’m not sure about the bar; I had a few drinks last night. I found him like that this morning.” He cringes at the thought that he just lied to his son about Dean’s situation. John could never come out and state that he harmed Dean over something stupid, that he let it happen in the first place.
Dean returns and slides in the booth.
He glances over at Dean and relaxes a little when Sam starts to tell them about the creature, and Dean starts to respond. Since he had researched on his journey to clear his head.
“Well, I heard that the winged-creature can be seen in the victim’s nightmares. It looks like a human bat.” Sam says.
Dean chokes on his soda. “A human bat? What does that even look like? How are we gonna kill it?”
“You okay, Dean?” John asks, thumping him on the back before Dean shoots a daggered look towards him, and okay, he’s never asked before, but John knows he needs to change. Sam coughs uncomfortably, feeling the tension in the air around them.
Looking up, John sees Sam’s hazel eyes wide open with an unreadable expression. He’s analyzing the interaction that happened in front of him.
John shrugs it off as nothing and waits eagerly for Sam to continue.
“Yeah, Dean. A human bat. It can be killed like a Wendigo with a flair gun.” Sam says.
“Nice. So how do we find it?” Dean asks with a grin.
“Well, the victim touches a piece of the skin from the creature and then feels a sensation like fire pulse through their body. Once this happens, we wait for the person to fall asleep and dream. The person sees their worst nightmare of a family member, and a different family member gets the victims dreams.”
John gasps and looks at Sam deeply. There’s very little doubt that he will become the next victim. God, whose dreams would he see? And who would see his? He doesn’t even want to think about it at the moment.
“Dad? Are you okay?” Dean’s hand is on John’s shoulder shaking him into reality.
“I’m fine, Dean. Only taking in the information.” He says looking at his son reassuring him with a grin plastered to his face. John watches Dean nod and then looks back up at Sam to hear more about their case.
“Sam, how do you know all this?” John asks wondering.
“I met this girl on the bus, and she told me that her best friend was afraid that she would be taken away and tortured by her kidnapper. Well her best friend kidnapped this girl and tortured her until help came. She killed herself in the jail cell. The girl mentioned her friend talking about some winged creature she saw in her dream.” Sam tells them. He keeps looking back and forth between his father and brother. John can’t help but not notice the concern for Dean is evident on his face, and he wonders about the real story behind it.
“So what should we do about it, Sammy?” Dean asks, eyebrows drown together.
Taking a deep breath in, Sam begins, “Well, I thought if we could get a piece of the skin and touch it, maybe we can solve the case before we have the urge to fulfill the nightmare.” He tenses up, feeling the glares being aimed at him for the suggestion.
“Sam! You must be joking right?” Dean grits his teeth.
“Dean, I think it’s the only way.” Sam catches sight of an expression Dean never releases: his face turns white with the hint of confusion.
“Okay. So if that’s the case, if we do touch the skin, whose dreams will they get?” Dean asks, looking worriedly between his father and brother.
John has the sense that Dean hopes it’s not him. He doesn’t blame him, he wouldn’t want his dreams on show either. It would leave him wide open with no way to hide his secrets whether he liked it or not.
John has to hide his smile behind his hand because this would be the best time to really discover who Dean is. Whether it’s shown to Sam or himself. Or maybe he doesn’t want to see. Dean was a boy who loved his family and baby brother. Once the house fire came and John handed Sam to Dean it was like a light had been switched; it was a moment that defined Dean to his core, the simple act of saving Sam from the fire. It was answered in the manner of protecting Sam for life and help him achieve his dreams, the way he told Sam, I can wait for mine to come at the right moment. At this time, it is highly unlikely that Dean will get to follow his dreams. But John still secretly hopes for more for Dean than a life of putting Sam first.
And Dean deserves it, not recriminations and violence because he blames the older son for the actions of the younger one. Not that he would know John thought that, because beating your son up and thinking the worst in him isn’t actually encouraging. John hates that he could think of his child in this manner, and at the same time wants Dean to be able to stand up and fight for what he wants despite the message being handed to him at a young age. He doesn’t even think that he may have beat it out of him.
“Dean. Don’t worry about it. Your dreams are full of porn.” Sam says with a chuckle.
“Sam! What the hell?! I don’t just think about porn. I have dreams too you know.” Dean says with a clenched fist and slams it against the table. His posture is tense and the anger radiates off him in waves is overwhelming to say the least.
“Boys! Enough.” John yells at the boys with a stern face. He isn’t looking forward to this. “It will most likely be Sam and I. We are quite a pair – whether we like to admit it or not.”
Chapter Six