Down the Rabbit Hole

The Stuff of Heroes Part 2

As dawn broke the Impala turned into a clearing and came to a stop. There were other cars scattered around and as they emerged from the car, so did the other hunters. As everyone gathered around Samuel Lacey shivered. Dean put an arm around her, pulling her close to his chest.
"Cold, sweetheart?" He asked quietly. Lacey shook her head.
"There's something in the air, it's just creepy." As if he had heard her comment Samuel began to speak.
"The house is just over the hill. About a dozen vamps and the Alpha. We got one shot at this son of a bitch." He paused to look around at them. "Christian take flank, the rest of you with me and Sam. Dean, Lacey and Gwen, hang back, sweep any stragglers we flush out." Dean pulled a face. "Problem, Dean?"
"No, sir." Dean bit his tongue. Lacey raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm in the rear with the rejects." Gwen complained. Samuel ignored her.
"All right, let's go." As the group began to depart Dean grabbed Sam's arm, stopping him.
"Don't worry, it's fine." Sam reassured him.
"No, nothing's fine, you're not fine." Dean sighed, letting go of his arm. "Go, go." He nodded in defeat. Sam nodded and re-joined the group.
"Sorry about the rejects thing." Gwen shrugged as she came to stand beside them.
"Ah, I've been called worse." Dean waved her off.
"It makes a change from abomination, nice to see you're mixing it up." Gwen smiled at her.
"Just get sick of getting left behind. Think it's probably 'cause I remind him of his daughter or something. Laceys eyes travelled to Dean but all he said was;
"Well you do speak your mind."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should." Dean smiled. The moment was broken at the sound of heavy footfalls and branches breaking. They turned as a vamp crashed through the brush and into the clearing. Dean and Gwen unsheathed machetes and headed towards the vamp. Lacey raised her hand and the ground beneath the vamps feet turned to ice and he slid to the ground as he took a step forward. Dean reached him as he fell and took off his head with the machete. At the sound of shouts and screams further into the woods Dean took off, Lacey hot on his heels.
"We're supposed to wait here!" Gwen called after them. As they headed closer to the screams Dean put his hand out signalling Lacey not to move. As they peered through the trees they saw Sam and Samuel walking towards a black van. There was another person between them, bound at the wrists and with a black bag over the head.
"The Alpha." Lacey breathed as they watched it get bundled into the van. As the van drove off the two of them stepped out of the bushes. Samuel turned as they approached giving them the once over.
"Where were you?" Gwen asked as she jogged up behind them.
"Everything all right here?" Samuel asked, looking between the three of them.
"Just uh, chopped up a runner, no big deal." Gwen explained. "How'd it go?"
"Rough, but one Alpha down." Samuel said as he headed for the cars. Dean and Lacey exchanged a look.
"Where is it?" Dean asked. "Want to pay my last respects."
"Well, bring marshmallows, already on the pyre."

Lacey lay stretched out on the back seat of the Impala. They had hung around for the rest of the day before Dean had decided it was time to head off. Lacey had retreated to the Impala a few hours before, tired from staying up the previous night and wanting to get away from the staring eyes. They either looked at her with complete distrust or like she was some sort of curiosity to be studied. The front doors of the Impala opened and Sam and Dean got in.
"Things go ok back there?" Dean asked. Sam shrugged.
"Fine."
"Nothing weird?" Dean prodded. Sam shrugged again and Dean sighed. "I saw you walk that Alpha out the door, Sam. Now call me crazy but that seems weird."
"Oh." Sam sounded disappointed.
"Oh." Dean mimicked back at him.
"You weren't supposed to know about that."
"Know what?" Dean asked, getting exasperated.
"It's just something Samuels been doing. Catching things, taking them somewhere, grilling them for info."
"What?" Sam jumped a little as Lacey sat up in the back seat.
"Grill. Torture, right?" Dean clarified. "And not telling us, that was his idea?"
"No, it was mine." Sam told him.
"Why?"
"Honestly? Cause you'd mess it up. You shoot first, ask questions later, and we needed to ask questions."
"Just FYI, that is so not cool." Lacey said, glaring at Sam.
"You know I don't care if you've got soullessness or the freaking mumps man, you know better than this! Do you even want your soul back?" Dean burst out. Sam looked at him, confused.
"How does that have anything to do with..."
"Have you been to the place where Samuel takes them?" Dean interrupted. "I mean, have you been in on these interrogations?"
"No, but I hear..."
"And why?" Dean interrupted again. "And did it ever occur to you that this is really shady?"
"He's our grandfather." Sam reasoned.
"Yeah. Yeah a guy who talks a great game. But you can't assume that family means the same thing to him as it does to us. He's not Dad. Wow. You don't see it do you?" Dean studied Sam's face.
"What?"
"You've got no instinct. I mean you are seriously messed up."
"Thanks." Sam said drily.
"I'm not kidding man. Nobody's forcing you to work with us, ok? But if we do this, I drive the bus, I call the shots, and you tell us everything, whether you think it's important or not, because trust me you can't tell the difference. Or you know what go with Samuel, see how that goes. It's up to you." Lacey stared at him in surprise.