Chapter One
Sam left Garber, Oklahoma without looking back. He bought a ticket for the earliest bus out of town, not caring what its destination was. As Sam stared out the window of the Greyhound, he tried not to think of his brother's last words to him. He tried not to dwell on his brother's anger.
Sam had called Dean; seeking help, consolation, sympathy and instead his brother had made him feel even worse than before. Dean had acted as though it was Sam's fault he was Lucifer's true vessel.
Pick a hemisphere.
Dean's words echoed in Sam's head, drowning out the sounds of the other passengers on the bus.
Dean didn't want Sam around anymore, didn't want Sam to be anywhere near him; so Sam would do just as his brother advised: He'd go as far away as possible, become invisible and maybe then Dean would be happy.
W
"Next stop, Fort Worth," the driver's voice startled Sam awake. He peered out the bus widow with gritty eyes and yawned loudly.
Sam sighed sadly and rubbed a hand over his face. He was exhausted. Between the fight in the bar with Tim and Reggie, Lucifer's late-night revelation, and the disastrous call to his brother, Sam hadn't managed to get much sleep the night before.
Sam tried stretching in the confines of the bus seat and decided that he would get off at the next city, take stock of the situation, maybe even rent a motel room and sleep for a few hours before heading south again. South seemed like a good direction to go in as any, at least it was warm, and Sam had never been to South America before.
Pick a hemisphere.
Sam grimaced as Dean's words rang in his ears once more.
Resting his head against the window, Sam watched the streets zoom past, his eyes hot with unshed tears of sadness and anger.
W
Sam stepped down from the bus along with a handful of other passengers. He stood with his duffle bag on his shoulder for a moment, breathing in the dusty, arid air and looked around at the men and women waiting for their own buses to enter the terminal.
Shifting the duffle into a more comfortable position, Sam strolled through the crowd and into the air conditioned bus depot. Weaving in between groups of fellow travelers, Sam spotted a display case full of brochures and maps. Making a beeline toward the pamphlets, Sam paused when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket.
Fishing his phone out, Sam checked the Caller ID, saw it was Bobby and decided to at least let the old hunter know he was still this side of the grass.
"Sam! Damn boy, where the hell are you?" Bobby snapped worriedly when Sam greeted him.
"In the south," Sam said vaguely, eyes actively pursuing the maps of Fort Worth and the surrounding area.
"Are you alright? Dean told me about Lucifer," Bobby asked.
"I'm sure he did," Sam answered, "Did he tell you he pretty much told me to stay as far away from him as possible?"
"Sam," Bobby chastised, "We both know Dean and we both know he says some real stupid things when he's angry. He doesn't mean them, you know. I'm worried about you. Why don't you come up to my place and we can figure this whole mess out?"
Sam declined the offer, "I can't Bobby; Dean made it clear he doesn't want me around anymore."
"Boy, stop being an idjit and come on home!" Bobby begged and Sam sucked in a deep breath. He wanted nothing more than to just turn around now and take the next bus all the way up to Sioux Falls but he couldn't do that. Not with his brother hating him and Lucifer chasing him. No, it was best if he was alone.
"I'm sorry Bobby," Sam apologized, feeling a lump of emotion grow in his throat, "Maybe we'll see each other around sometime."
"Sam, don't-" The old hunter protested but Sam closed his phone, breaking the connection.
Sam gathered up a selection of pamphlets and headed back outside, intent on finding a cheap motel so he could rest for a few hours.
SPN
Bobby stared at his cell phone for a moment before cursing. What the hell was that boy thinking?
Grumbling, the old hunter rolled himself into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.
Bobby loved Sam and Dean like they were his own sons but sometimes he really wanted to kill them.
"Those idjits are going to be the death of me," Bobby sighed and set his beer aside unopened.
He rubbed his face with one hand and picked up his phone again. He tried dialing Sam's number but it just went straight to voicemail.
"C'mon," Bobby hissed, "You know you can't do this alone, boy."
Giving up, Bobby dialed Dean's number instead and to his surprise, received an answer.
"What's up, Bobby?" Dean said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"What's up? You tell me what's up Dean Winchester! Were you dropped on your head as a baby?" Bobby barked, angry that the eldest Winchester had driven his brother away.
"What are you talking about, Bobby?" Dean asked. Bobby could hear the screeching of the wind on the other end of the phone and wondered where Dean was going.
"Sam," Bobby growled, "I'm talking about Sam. You hurt him Dean, badly and I think you should call him and apologize for whatever you said to him!"
"Sorry Bobby," Dean answered, "No can do. Sam was the one who left in the first place; he was the one who wanted out. I'm not going to go on some wild goose chase to try and find him."
Bobby's grip on the phone tightened incrementally, "You know you could find Sam if you really wanted to. Don't act like you're the only one that this is hurting."
"Sam's a big boy, he can take care of himself," Dean argued.
"You know Sam takes things to heart too much," Bobby tried but Dean snorted with derision.
"And how is that my problem, Bobby? Sam didn't want to be a hunter anymore so I let him go," Dean explained, "Who am I to stop him from chasing his dream of having a normal life?"
"You know that's not what I'm talking about, Dean," Bobby said in a dangerous voice.
"Ooooh so you're talking about the Lucifer thing," Dean said as if the realization had just suddenly dawned on him.
"Tell him what he's won, Johnny," Bobby snarled sarcastically.
"Sam brought this on himself, Bobby, you know he did and this time I'm not going to be the one to clean up his mess," Dean growled back at the older hunter.
"I told Sam time and again that he was going down a dangerous slope but did he listen to me? Nooooo, why would Sam care what I had to say when Ruby was so much more interesting?" Dean lamented angrily.
"Get over it!" Bobby shouted, "Yes, Sam made some mistakes and he messed up but that's because he's human for Christ's sake! He's human just like you, Dean. Don't act all high and mighty because Sam stepped out of line! You're brother needs you Dean, now more than ever. What happened to the Sam and Dean I used to know, huh? What happened to the brothers who would do anything for each other, forgive each other no matter what? Dean Winchester, if I had my legs I'd put my boot so far up your ass you'd be tasting leather for a month!"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Bobby," Dean said quietly, his anger still simmering, "Sam went beyond the point of no return. He started the Apocalypse! The world is going to fucking end because of him! And you think having a chick-flick moment with him is going to make it all better?"
Bobby gritted his teeth in frustration, "Look Dean, you and Sam have always been better as a team. So Sam is Lucifer's true vessel, so what? You're Michael's meat-suit. If you're so worried about your brother saying the big 'yes', than why don't you get your ass in gear and find him to make sure he doesn't say the magic word, huh?"
"We are safer if we stay away from each other," Dean explained, "The bad guys always manage to use us against one another and I can't let that happen anymore. This is better for everyone in the end."
"Just think about what I've said," Bobby pleaded, "At least do that."
"Sure," Dean muttered, the two hunters not even bothering to say goodbye to one another before breaking the connection.
Bobby set the phone aside and stared at his unopened beer can for a moment.
"I'm gonna need something a little stronger than a brew," He muttered before wheeling himself over to his liquor cabinet and pulling out a bottle of Jim Beam.
Author's Note:
1. Thanks to AlxM for helping me out with this story.
2. Please leave a review!