On This Battlefield No One Wins

“This is the place.” Sam said to his older brother as their car pulled up into the driveway of an old-style, renovated church. “18 Gallows Hill.”

Dean just nodded. He wasn't too thrilled about having to show up here, especially with Sam in the car. It had been almost two years since he'd been there last. One of the last times he'd gone on a hunt with his dad. “Looks like it. There's Artemis in the driveway.” He showed him, pointing in the direction of the pitch black GTO in the garage.

“Artemis?” Sam asked. “I thought Jimmy had named his car Harriet.” Sam countered.

“He did.” Dean explained, sliding from the driver's seat and heading for the large oak doors of the church. “But when he kicked it, Reilly changed the name to Artemis.”

Sam nodded. “How do you know that?”

Dean knocked on the door. “I ran into 'em a couple times, Sammy.” He told his brother vaguely.

Reilly opened the door, her hair up in a ponytail and her fingernails a shimmering black. “Sorry, Epione Investigations is closed for holy Hades what are you doing here?” She blurted, her eyes wide.

“You left before we could thank you.” Sam told her, staring at her like she was a glass of water in the Sahara.

“You're welcome. Now go.” She said, making to close the door on them.

Dean reached out and stopped her. “Rei, come on. Don't be so rude. We're just here on a social call.”

She looked behind her, then at them. “Okay. The call is over. Please go.”

“If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted to keep something from us.” Dean told her, smirking a sly wink in her direction that Sam didn't catch.

She glared at him. “I might have company over, did you ever think of that Rudeness?” She berated, stepping aside to let them in.

Dean strolled in first, patting her shoulder. “Yep. I wanna meet him. You know you're like a sister to me.”

She grumbled something and almost accidentally slammed the door on Sam's head. “Shit.. Sorry.” She told him.

He shrugged. “It's okay. Hey.. the threshold.. brick dust and rock salt?” He asked, stepping over.

She nodded. “Plexiglass boxes coated in salt water. Brick dust in the inside to stop those who wish to do us harm and rock salt for the obvious reasons. They're in every doorway and all of the windowsills.”

He nodded as he listened, impressed. “Smart idea.”

“Yeah, well, me and Katt made a lot of enemies.” She muttered, heading toward the back, just as a short blur passed by her leg.

“Uncle Dean!” Sammy cried, jumping into Dean's outstretched arms.

“Hey, kiddo! Man you've grown. Breakin' hearts yet?” He asked, hugging the little boy.

Sam watched the encounter, confused and wary of the small child.

“Nuh uh. Girls icky. Mommy said no girls 'til I fity. Uncle Dean's age!”

Dean made a face at Reilly, who just smirked momentarily, walking out of the room.

“Who dat, Uncle Dean? Dat your boyfend?” He asked, pointing at Sam.

Dean looked over at his brother. “No, kiddo. That's Uncle Dean's brother.” He told him.

“Oh. My uncle?” He questioned innocently.

Dean didn't touch that one. “Ask your mom. Let's go. I smell spaghetti.” He tossed the little boy over his shoulder and headed for the kitchen in the small offset from the church to the right of the main room.

Sam walked after them, looking at the boy curiously.

Dean set the kid down on a chair at the table and went to poke around the stove where Reilly was stirring a tomato sauce.

Sam sat next to the kid. “Hello. My name's Sam. What's yours?”

The little boy turned to him. “Sammy. Mommy name me affer daddy.” He reached over and grabbed a crayon from the pile in front of him and started coloring in his Power Rangers coloring book.

Reilly looked over at Dean. “Winchester.. Where's my son?” She asked.

He stuck a spoon in the sauce and licked some off. “Over there at the table with Sam.”

She smacked him upside the head and turned, just in time for Sam to catch her eye with a look of hatred.

Sam shook his head and set his jaw, looking down at the little boy and his eyes swam. He stood and walked out of the room, his shoulders set in what Dean liked to call his 'brooding and thoughtful shoulders' setting.

Reilly glared at Dean and went over to Sammy.

“Mommy, why Sam go way? He sad?” Sammy asked her, looking up with the sky blue gaze she saw every day in the mirror.

She forced a smile. “Yes, sweetie. He's sad.”

The little boy held up the paper he was drawing on. It was a bunch of brightly colored scribbles. “He like dis? It make him feel bedur?”

Reilly kissed his forehead. “I'm sure he'd love it, baby. We'll give it to him later. Right now we eat.”

Katt came in from the back yard, sliding her aviators onto the top of her head. “What the fu--” She caught sight of the child in the room and scowled a little “Fuh-rench toast are you doing here, Winchester?”

Dean looked up at her. “We need to talk. Me, you, Sam, and Reilly.”

Katt scoffed andshed her muddy boots and the oversized dirty jeans she was in, leaving her in basketball shorts and a tank top. “Whatever it is, we don't want a part of it. So just take your shiiipwreck of a car and get the h.....alitosis out of here.” She said, looking pained, like the replacement words she had to use burned her.

Reilly remained quiet, but the faintest hint of a smirk tugged at her lips while she plated the spaghetti for everyone.

Dean chuckled. “I'm so afraid, Katt. Lemme tell ya. Those replacement words sure as... halitosis scared the ship out of me.” He told her, bursting out into laughter.

She glared and picked up the nearest heavy object, one of her boots, and hurled it across the room, the heel getting him in the left side of his forehead, knocking him unconscious.

Sammy laughed. “Uncle Dean sleepy.”

Reilly almost threw the plates down and ran over. “Katt! The Olympians be shamed! Why did you do that?!”

“The Olympians didn't have much to do with that, Rei. Unless Apollo wanted me to hit him.” She picked up her plate and started eating. “Just put some ice on his head. He's as tough as nails and sharp as a bowling ball. He'll be fine.”

She sighed and helped him into a chair, fixing Sammy's plate and an pack of frozen peas for Dean's head. “I don't have the emotional capability to handle this, Katt.”

Katt raised an eyebrow. “You're just freaking out because Sam found out about Sammy. Calm down.”

“How can I calm down, Katt! This is a very serious situation!” She plopped down into the hard, cedar dining room chair next to her son.

“I know that, but sending your blood pressure to magma-like heights isn't going to aid the situation any.” Katt stated calmly.

Reilly scowled and stabbed angrily at the pasta in front of her as Sam walked back in.

“What happened to Dean?” He asked, looking at Katt directly.

“He had an unfortunate accident involving a boot and his forehead.” She said shrugging.

Sam checked on his brother to make sure he was alive and sat at the table, ignoring Sammy and Reilly, though he was seated next to the little boy.

Sammy reached over and tugged on Sam's shirt sleeve. “Missur Sam.”

The older Sam turned to him. “Yeah, buddy?” He asked, his tone soft.

Sammy held out the paper, now smudged with spaghetti sauce. “I drew dis for ju.”

Sam took the paper and smiled sadly. “Thanks, Sammy.”

Sammy smiled and went back to coating his face in red sauce.

“Sam, I--” Reilly started, closing her mouth. “Are you hungry?”

He nodded, looking at Dean who started to stir, his eyes glassy and unfocused.

“I think he has a concussion.” Sam said, looking into his brother's eyes.

“Serves him right. The as—peration.” Katt said, sighing. “I'm gonna go to my office.” She picked up her plate and walked out.

Reilly set a large serving of spaghetti and garlic bread in front of Sam and Dean and picked up Sammy. “I'm gonna give him a bath. You two make yourself at home.” She muttered, walking out of the room with her three year-old.

Sammy waved over Reilly's shoulders. “Goo'bye!” He called, disappearing through the doorway.

Sam sighed and turned to Dean. “You knew about him, didn't you?” He asked his brother angrily.

“Hey, man. That's between you and Reilly.” He told him, holding the peas to his head.

“Like hell it is, Dean! That kid is most likely my son and you've known about him!”

Dean looked over, his eyes narrowed angrily. “Look. I didn't see you for two years. Reilly hadn't seen you in three. It never came up so I didn't really think about it. Dad's the one that found out about him in the first place.”

Sam scrunched up his face the way he usually did when when he was upset. “So.. Everyone knew but me? That's just great! The most important thing in my life and I didn't know.”

“What about Jessica?”

“Jessica was important, but this is... monumental, Dean. This is so much different.” He told him, rubbing his face. “I need some air.” He stood and walked out of the back door that Katt had come through earlier.

Dean looked at Sam's plate of spaghetti and slid it over to himself. “No sense in letting it go to waste.”