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Helena Public Library
Saturday, 11th April, 1998
The coffee was warm in their hand and bitter in their nose even as they made their way back into the library. Dad and Dean were counting on them, however, so they had to just deal with it.
Kitsunes. Murdering their way across Montana.
But Sam’s gonna stop them.
They drink their coffee and make their way back into the stacks. There’s a girl there...definitely a girl, but...Sam can’t tell if she’s an alpha or an omega. Which is weird this far west. The east coast has a lot of places where it's hard to tell. Scent cancelling soaps, scent blocking deodorants, and perfumes are really popular there. But in Montana?
Sam turns away from that curiosity and fucuses on their research.
Kitsunes.
They kill in order to get to a human’s pituitary gland. They need to eat them to survive, which...ew, but interesting. It also fits the patterns of the killings that’s been happening. One death per town, each off the highway.
The Kitsune is moving through Montana to...they blink as the pattern comes together. With a jolt, they take out their phone and call Dean.
As they are rattling off the information, they notice the girl again. She’s staring at them with a small smile. Sam blushes.
“So...uh, yeah. You gotta stab it in the heart.”
Sam nods to what Dean’s saying and then, “uh...” they clear their throat. “So...um, Dean. Uh...how do I...um, how do I talktoagirl?” The last bit is all rushed together.
There’s a bit of a pause while Dean sorts through their mangled words, and then chuckles softly. Sam nods, glances over at the girl, nods again and then huffs in exasperation even as they roll their eyes.
“Jerk.”
They smile at the response and then hang up their phone.
Gathering their things together, Sam makes their way over to the girl. They glance down quickly and see a pretty moon shaped amulet handing from her neck. Then they look back up and smile.
“Uh...hi. I’m Sam.”
She blushes a bit, but then steps back. “You need to go away. I’m...I’m not allowed to talk with alphas.”
Then she turns and quickly makes her way out of the library. With a sigh, Sam turns and leaves the stacks too. As they’re pushing out the front doors, they see the girl again. Only now she’s being followed by a pair of alphas.
Walking down the steps, they have a good angle to both see and hear as the two alphas start harassing the girl. Sam hates bullies and they especially hate alphas that like to bully and abuse omegas.
Not that Sam is sure the girl is an omega.
Then she’s shoved and Sam rushes over and takes the two alphas down in a series of moves they’ve practiced with Dean over and over again. They hadn’t appreciated the training at the time, but it’s paying off now.
When the two alphas are moaning in pain on the ground, she steps up closer and smiles shyly.
“I’m Amy.”
Before they know it, Amy is leading them to her house and sets them into a chair before cleaning up their bloody knuckles. She’s not as practiced at it as Sam’s family, but she’s gentler. There’s a long moment, full of tension and they aren’t sure what to do, but then Amy breaks it.
“My mother...she’s not here. I...she...she’s on the road a lot.”
Sam nods. “Yeah. Um...my dad’s the same way. He, uh...he’s rarely around it seems.”
Amy frowns.
“I...it’s lonely.” She glances up at him for a moment, and then turns to start putting the first aid kit back together. “Being alone a lot, I mean. And we move around so much that making friends...well, it’s hard sometimes.”
Sam’s nodding their head. “I get it.”
Her frown deepens, so Sam explains. “The longest I’ve been at the same school was two months. Most of the time, I don’t even bother trying to makes friends. I mean...” Sam shrugs, “what’s the point.”
Amy finally puts away the first aid kit and returns with drinks. She stands a little too close. “That...that sucks. You’re too nice to not have friends.”
Sam shakes their head. “Naw...I’m a freak.”
Amy jerks her head up to look at Sam with an odd intensity, but then relaxes and nods. “Yeah. You are. But then,...so am I.” She smirks. “All the coolest people are freaks.”
Sam leans forward and kisses her.
It’s good, and wet, and warm. But weird. So... weird. She has no scent. No earthy musk of alpha and no sweet spiciness of omega. She’s...like a young child. Neutral dynamic.
Sam likes it in that there is no pressure for them to be alpha. To be aggressive and dominate and in charge. They can just be...Sam.
Sam doesn’t really like it in that there is no spark, no insistent tug on their hormones and instincts.
Good, but...
Sam pulls away from the kiss and then accidently knocks over their soda. Amy flinches and then starts to clean up the mess. “I...my mother. She’s...well, she’s not exactly a, um...a good person.”
Sam feels kinda awkward and helpless. They don’t want to get her in trouble for a spilled soda. They know all about getting blamed for things they didn’t do or couldn’t control. Dad...well, dad got pissed at them and Dean a lot over things that no teenager should be yelled at for.
“Sometimes I wonder if I’ll grow up to be like her. I don’t want...I want to be a good person.”
And this, this Sam can do. They’ve trained for this.
“You are.”
Amy looks up at him, sadness in her eyes.
“You are a good person, Amy.” Sam smiles. “I know good when I see it. Trust me.”
They reach out and take hold of Amy’s hand, ready to continue their pep talk when Amy blurts out, “My mother has a plan.”
A deep shuddering breath, and then Amy continues, “My mother has a plan and if we follow it, I’ll be just like her. And I don’t want to.”
Sam nods, “I get it. My dad...he...he gets tunnel vision sometimes,” Sam shrugs, “of the way he thinks life should be or go...and he’s dragging my older brother and me along in his wake. And sometimes, I just want it all to stop. I just want to wake up and get ready for a normal day, living a normal life, and going around knowing the names of all these normal faces that I recognize.”
There is a long thoughtful pause and then they both look at each other and say, “I don’t want to be like her.” “I don’t want to be like him.” simultaneously.
They share an understanding smile.
A car engine rumbles into the driveway and shuts off. A look of horrified panic washes over Amy’s face and before they know it, she’s dragging them over to a closet. She opens the door and shoves them inside. “Hide.” she hisses.
Sam doesn’t mind the dark, but they're a little freaked out about having to hide. It’s not a good sign of a happy life, and they would know. They try to be quiet because while the closet muffles sound, it’s not sound proof. They can sorta hear what’s happening out there. Footsteps. Then a woman’s voice.
“We need to pack up and move.”
“Mom...no. Please.
“Now Amy. Those two men in the Impala...they’ve caught up to us. Again.”
For a brief moment, Sam doesn’t put two and two together. When they do, Sam has trouble believing it could be true. They don’t want to believe it. They hear Amy’s mom leave, saying she was going to go get more gas and for Amy to finishing packing.
Sam pushes out of the closet, “I have to go...” they trail off. There, on the table, is a jar with a human brain inside it. All the little things that have been swirling in their head click together.
Amy and her mother are the Kitsunes they’ve been looking for. Amy doesn’t have a dynamic scent because unlike primates and humans, foxes aren’t dynamic. They don’t separate into alpha and omega. That’s why Kitsunes need the pituitary glands...their own bodies can’t produce the hormones to regulate their sexual growth and development. And if they transform without those hormones...they die.
Sam looks over at Amy.
“You’re a monster.” She shakes her head no in silent denial. “Those two men in the Impala are my dad and my brother.”
Amy hisses softly, “You’re a hunter.” Tears shimmer in her eyes. “So...are we supposed to kill each other now?”
Sam pulls out a knife and steps towards her, sorrow and regret filling their heart. They don’t want to, but their duty is clear.
“Sam, no... please.” Amy holds up her hands in front of her and steps back. “I... I’ve never killed anyone. I don’t want to...and I don’t want to hurt you. You’re...you’re my friend.”
Sam steps closer to her and she steps back again. “Do...do you really want to hurt me?”
Sam’s head is shaking no before they even answer. “No, of course I don’t. But just because you haven’t killed, doesn’t mean you won’t.”
Amy shakes her head. “Not true. I...I can find a way. Just...run away. Leave. I promise...I won’t kill. Even if it means I die, I won’t kill.”
Sam looks deeply into her eyes and sees...the truth. Slowly, they tuck their knife away and step back. Once. Twice. Then they turn to leave.
Amy’s mother slams through the door unexpectedly. She glares at Amy.
“How dare you! You led hunters right to us!”
Amy steps towards them, “Mom, no. You don’t understand. Sam’s leaving. He’s leaving right now.”
“No!” She slaps Amy hard enough to knock her sideways, then turns towards Sam. Her hands shift, changing to deadly looking claws. “I’m going to enjoy eating your brain, little hunter.”
Sam tries to escape backwards, but there’s furniture everywhere in their way and they trip. Then, suddenly, Amy is there, standing between them and an angry Kitsune. There’s a horrible wet tearing noise and the metallic scent of blood.
Amy stumbles back, “oh god...what have I done?”
Her mom crumples slowly to the ground and Sam can finally see it, the knife sticking out of her chest. The knife Amy killed her own mother with...to save Sam.
Amy takes a shuddery breath that’s half sob, tears streaming down her cheeks. She’s a hairs breadth away from hysterics and Sam needs to stop that before it even starts.
“Amy. You need to gather up all of your things and all the money you can find.” They push themselves back to their feet and walk over to her. They reach out and shake Amy lightly by the shoulders. “You need to get your things and go to the bus station. Buy a ticket to the farthest destination you can find, and then start over again.”
She’s still shaking slightly, but has visibly pulled away from the edge of a breakdown.
“I’ll...I’ll stay here and take care of her body.”
Amy flinches at that and tries to look down at her mother, but Sam won’t let her.
“You just need to go.”
She shakes her head. “Come with me. We...we can run off together. Be freaks together.” She offers a wobbly smile. “You don’t have to be a hunter.”
Sam is tempted for one long moment. To leave a life of violence and constant uncertainty. To build a home...a real life. To leave their dad’s eternal unending mission of vengeance behind.
But that would mean leaving Dean as well. And Sam didn’t want that. It would also mean a life with Amy, and they did like her...but maybe not in the way she liked them. They didn’t think they could ever be more than friends with a dynamic-less monster.
“No.” Sam shook their head. “You need to go. Now. And I need to stay. My dad will be here soon. I can say that I killed her and lie and say she was alone. That’ll give you time to escape. To hide.”
A tiny sob leaves her lips, but then she nods. “Yeah...yeah, okay.”
They help her pack up and gather all the money they can find. At the door, they pull her into a hug.
“I’ll wait an hour before making the call. Then, it’ll probably take them two to three hours to get here.” They give her a pointed look, “Be on a bus to anywhere by then.”
Amy nods, “I will.” She looks lost for a moment, then gives them a tiny smile. “Bye Sam.”
And then, Amy Pond is gone and out of their life.
END