Prologue
"Enough Dean! That's the last I want to hear about it! We're going! Plus, your brother's birthday is tomorrow and I don't know where else to spend it." John Winchester said sternly to his eldest son who had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
"I don't know...maybe we could actually celebrate it instead of pretending to while we work a job." Dean replied with a little too much attitude.
John was silent, and for a few minutes you could hear nothing but the tires racing against the blacktop of the street and the sound of the raging transmission as they drove faster. John finally took a deep breath and directed his attention to Dean for a few seconds, who refused to look at him, before looking back at the empty stretch of road. He licked his lips and sighed as he finally spoke in a softer tone than before.
"Dean...I know how much you care about your brother, and I know you want what's best for him, but this place needs to be investigated. Children have gone missing in this place. This is serious." He paused, letting the quietness envelope them again for a few seconds. "I want you to look after your brother while we're there. You don't need to help me this time." John concluded.
With confusion evident on his face, Dean turned to his father. "What do you mean? You always want me to help."
John didn't reply. He only focused on the far stretch of dark road ahead of them. He briefly glanced at his rear mirror and made sure his younger son was asleep in the back. Sure enough, the youngest Winchester was fast asleep on the leather seats of the Impala. Of course, he had been asleep the whole time. John just wanted reassurance that his son was in fact still in the car with them. After he was satisfied, John turned his eyes back to the road.
Dean, of course, had thought the conversation long since ended, and had settled on looking out the window into the black night. He followed the dark trees as they passed by as much as he could. It helped him fall asleep. He was starting to drift off when the sound of his fathers voice caught his attention once more.
"The reason I want you to follow Sam around this time is because...well, it's because..." John had trouble getting the words out, as he was afraid of the outcome of the next day. "...Because the kids who have gone missing...are around Sam's age...and if this kidnapper decided to take more children..." He pauses, sighs, and rubs some of the tiredness and worry out of his eyes. "I just want to make sure that Sam is okay. I don't want anything happening to him."
Dean stared at his father for a moment, analyzing his face. " You're afraid the kidnapper will take Sammy...aren't you?" Dean stated more than asked.
Again, John looked toward his eldest son and nodded his head a few times before looking back at the road. "I'm always afraid something will happen. I'm afraid something so bad will happen...to both of you...but that's what happens when you bring your family on a hunt. There's always that chance they could get hurt...there's always a chance that something could happen." John says as he tightens his grip on the steering wheel.
Dean continued to stare at his father for another minute. "Nothing has happened yet."
"That doesn't mean something won't happen." John replied without looking at his son.
Dean tore his gaze from his father and looked to the back seat which contained a young Sammy Winchester. Dean stared at his little brother's sleeping form until his concentration was, again, interrupted by his father.
"Get some sleep, son. We'll be in town soon."
Dean shifted his body so that his head was able to rest on the window comfortably. He then started to watch the trees again. After a few minutes, Dean decided to voice his thoughts. "Dad, what will you do if something does happen?"
"Enough, Dean...I don't want to talk about it anymore. Go to sleep boy." John said with finality.
Dean did as he was told and directed his concentration on following the trees as they passed by, but that night he would not sleep; he was too worried about this job. Too many thoughts clouded his mind; Too many unanswered questions were crowding his mind to let sleep come to him. So, he just continued to watch as the trees went by, thinking about what was to come.