Chapter 1 – Normal Life, Safe Life
"Dean, I'm sure Dad is fine." Kate moaned from the back of the Impala. She ran a hand through her messy brown hair. "We're used to him being gone anyway." It was half past eleven and Dean had accidently woken her up while trying to leave the motel they were temporally living in. Kate yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her icy blue eyes.
"He's never been gone for this long, you know that, Kate." Dean sped up, rushing past the few cars that were on the highway. "He said he'd be gone for a week or two. It's been more than that and the job he was on was simple."
Kate quietened down, sighing. He was right, but their dad knew how to look after himself. She stared out of the window, watching as they flew past the cars. "Where are we going anyway, at half 11 at night, might I add? If we're finding Dad, can't it wait till morning?"
"We're going to Stanford. I need to tell Sam, he'll help." Dean furrowed his eyebrows, "We'll be there soon anyway, and we only have half a mile left." Kate pinched her nose, groaning. She knew Sam wasn't going to be happy about this. "You have me; I'm as good as Sammy." She knew how much Stanford meant to Sam. "He doesn't want to get back into the family business, he has a normal life. Or at least, as normal as it can get."
Dean contemplated the thought for a while, before shaking his head and turning a corner into Stanford's car park. He turned off the car and turned around to Kate. "You're the youngest. Sure, you're good with the incantations and the guns but Sammy's had more experience." He turned back around and stepped out of the Impala, starting to walk towards the building.
Kate frowned in annoyance and jumped out. She quickly caught up with the older Winchester. "I'm only five months younger than Sam, dumbass. I'm still as good as him." She punched Dean's arm as he chuckled under his breath.
"Right, right. Whatever you say, now shut up. We'll need to go through the window." Dean whispered as he began to climb up the side of the college dorms. Kate stayed down on the ground, looking for anyone that come by, but quickly hoisted herself up when she heard a crash. "Dean, what's happening? I heard a crash and- oh." She gave a cocky grin and waved at Sam and Jess. Kate chuckled, "Hey, Sammy. Surprised you still have Jessica, I wonder what she sees in you."
Jess laughed a little and gave a short wave back. Whereas Sam was frowning, his gaze set on Dean, said person staring back. "I was just about to tell Sam how Dad hasn't been home in a few days." Kate gave a short 'ohh' before looking at Sam.
"So he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later." The taller Winchester shrugged, not fazed by the fact. Kate was going to say something but Dean cut in.
"Dad's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days."
Sam's expression didn't change, but he turned to Jess. "Go back to bed; I need to talk to my brother and sister outside." Jessica nodded, waving again at Kate who did the same, and walked back into the bedroom. Dean and Kate wait for Sam to get dressed and they all walk out of Stanford.
"Dean, you can't just break into my dorm at twelve o'clock at night and expect me to hit the road with you. I have an interview this Monday." Sam sighs, following the two to the Impala. Dean opens the boot of the car and opens the spare tire compartment filled with his hunting equipment. He props up a shotgun to hold it up as he shuffles through some papers.
"You're not hearing me, Dad's missing. Kate and I need your help getting him back." Dean found the papers he was looking for and put the rest down. Kate turned to Sam, thinking carefully. "Dean's right. Sure, we're used to Dad being gone for a few weeks at least but not for this long." She glanced at her brother, "So, are you going to help us?"
Sam shook his head. "I'm not." Dean turned to him, papers in hand. "And why not?" He frowned. Sam gave an exasperated sigh and rolled a hand through his hair, "I swore that I gave up hunting for good." He saw that Dean was going to say something and cut him off instantly, "And don't give me any of that bullshit that it wasn't easy but it wasn't bad, because it was, Dean. Remember when I was nine and I was afraid that there might be monsters under my bed? When I told Dad he gave me a 45."
Kate spoke up, "What was he supposed to do, Sammy? It's not like he could say don't be afraid of the dark, because we know what's out there. Dad was trying to protect us, in a weird way yes, but still. After the thing that killed Mom, Dad tried his hardest to keep us safe."
Sam frowned, thinking of something to retort back. "We grew up like warriors. Melting silver into bullets, the weapon training, killing everything in our paths, would Mom have wanted that? I left the hunting behind to live a safe life; I was just going to college. It was Dad who told me that I should stay gone."
Dean shoved one of the papers into Sam's hands. "Yeah, well, Dad's in trouble. And he needs our help, if he's not already dead. Like I said, Kate and I can't do it alone; we need your help as well." Sam sighs, "You can both do it by yourselves. You don't need me."
Kate bit her lip, "But I, no, we want you to come." She looked at Sam, her eyes pleading for him to help. He sighed in defeat, "Fine. What was he hunting anyway?" His eyes scanned the sheet of paper in his hands. "He was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California." Dean replied, "And round about a month back this guy vanished. They found his car but not him."
Sam looked up, an eyebrow raised. "So maybe he was kidnapped." Kate shook her head, as Dean through down each article of the Jericho Herald as Kate lists the years. "There was another in April, another in December. Then oh' four, oh' three, 'ninety-eight, 'ninety-two. Ten deaths in the past twenty years."
Dean took the article from Sam's hands, picks up the rest and puts them back in the boot of the Impala. "They were all men, in the same five-mile stretch of road." Dean said as he dug out a bag from another part of the arsenal. "It started happening more often so Dad went to go check it out, now that was about three weeks ago. We haven't heard from his since which is bad enough."
Kate reaches into the bag and takes out a handheld tape recorder, "Then Dean got this voicemail yesterday." She presses play, the noise that comes out is mainly static and the signal was obviously breaking up, but you could still faintly hear John's words. "Dean, something big… starting to happen… I need to try… figure out what's going on. It may… Be careful, Dean… Look after Kate… We're all in danger." The voicemail then cuts off as Kate presses stop.
Sam frowns, "You know there's EVP on that, right?" Dean nods, "I slowed it down, ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss and this is what I got." He looks over at Kate to play it, and she does.
"I can never go home…"
Kate presses stop once more. "Never go home." Sam mutters, repeating what the eerie woman had said. Kate puts the recorder back in and Dean putts down the shotgun, and shuts the boot lid down. He leans against it and looks back at Sam. "You know, it's almost been two years and we haven't asked you for a thing or bothered you."
Sam stares at the ground and sighs, "Alright, alright, I'll go." Kate jumps in the air, pleased with Sam's decision while Dean grins and nods. "But, I still have to be here by Monday. Wait here while I go get my things."
Dean and Kate stay quiet when Sam is gone. Kate is the first to speak up, "He's done well for trying to have a normal life, hasn't he?" She gives Dean a small smile, "Do you ever wonder if you could do the same? You know, try to leave the monsters behind, find someone you love, marry them and have children. Live a life with no worries… It sounds nice."
Her brother chuckled, "You sound like someone from a chick flick. And you hate chick flicks more than I do." He smiles, "I know what you mean though. But who would want to stop kicking as much demon ass as possible?" Kate laughs along with Dean, nodding. They slide of the back of the car and take their seats as Sam runs back to the Impala. "Let's go." He says as he slides into the front seat of the car. Dean nods and starts up the Impala and starts the long trip to Jericho.