Finally, at long last, here is the first chapter of the next story in the Missing Piece verse. The reason this took so long to post was the decision to wait until the story was complete to begin posting it. I am very glad, because there were a lot of things I changed along the way in writing this and plot holes that I was able to go back and fix without confusing the readers. Since this story is complete and not a WIP, updates are going to come regularly every week until the story is finished. There won't be any waiting for long periods of time in this story.

Most importantly, this story is co-written and beta'ed by my very good friend, Gabi2305. She did an amazing job helping me with this and made the story come out much better, writing amazing scenes and large parts of chapters. If she had never asked to beta my first Missing Piece story, I don't think the series ever would have gotten this far, and it certainly wouldn't have been as good. I want to thank her for sticking with me through this and encouraging me even when I would get stressed out. Gabi is an amazing writer, and has helped me improve so much, I can't thank her enough. :)

It might also be important to note that the first story, "The Missing Piece" has been completely gone over by Gabi. She fixed all those silly mistakes and a lot of errors. She also re-wrote the entire last chapter (we had to split it into two chapters now) to make it fit in with the story better and add more realistic suspense. Check it out if you want!

Now, onto this story. This takes place a few weeks after the last one, "More Than Meets the Eye", ends. It is very helpful to read the entire series first so everything will make sense. But if you haven't, you just need to know that Sam is paralyzed and that this story begins with Dean having a broken leg, carried on from the last story. The stories in this verse are listed in my profile page.

Summary: A trip to visit Jess ends up with more than Sam had bargained for. He will have to fight some unexpected demons, figuratively and literally, in a battle that will test his inner strength. Will Dean be able to help his brother, or is this something even he can't protect Sam from? Lots of friendship and with John as a good father. 4th installment in my Missing Piece verse where Sam is in a wheelchair.

Gabi and I hope everyone enjoys! Thanks for reading! :)

Chapter 1

The smell of fresh brewed coffee awoke Sam from his dream. It had been a strange one about him visiting Jess in Stanford and deciding to stay and study law. Sam snorted at the thought of taking up law as a school major, how boring was that? Especially after a life of hunting why would even his dream-self take up such a boring and uninteresting major? Still, it brought thoughts of Jess. During their conversations on the phone lately she had been asking when he would come and visit now that the school year started. He really did want to go see her, even if the thought of being on a college campus was a bit intimidating. Jess had a few that she shared the on-campus apartment with and no matter how much Jess assured him that the two girls would accept him, he had his doubts. Still, he missed Jess and he figured he'd ask John if he could stop by and visit her soon, coming back to Bobby's when Dean would get his cast off in two weeks and then they could hit the road again.

Sam pulled himself up into a sitting position and glanced over to the other double bed in Bobby's first floor bedroom that he and Dean shared while they were here. Dean was still out cold. Sam snickered at that, Dean had been sleeping so much these past four weeks since he broke his leg but along with that Dean also seemed very happy. Sam couldn't ever remember seeing Dean so relaxed and carefree in...well, the nearly nine years he'd known him. His brother's mood was also contagious as Sam and even Bobby and John seemed happier as well, the whole mood in the junkyard was peaceful. This had been a really nice break and Sam was so glad that Dean finally seemed to turn the corner and really accept himself and like the person he was.

Getting himself out of bed, Sam wheeled out of their bedroom and into Bobby's living room. Bobby had often joked that it was a good thing that Sam came into their lives. Otherwise his house would have looked like a hoarder's. Sam couldn't imagine Bobby's clean and organized house looking like that, but both Dean and John assured him it was a huge mess for the longest time. Once Sam came into their lives Bobby knew he had to clean up all the books on the ground and upgrade the poor layout of his house. Sam felt bad at first and didn't want Bobby to go through the hassle of changing up his house just so Sam could get around. However Bobby had assured him that he had a lot of fun doing it and had even found many misplaced items he thought he had lost forever. He said it was like a big exciting project for him and fixing up the house wasn't just for Sam's benefit but for everyone that ever stepped foot into the house.

It always made Sam happy knowing that Bobby had done this for him and so easily accepted him as part of their family. The whole house was easily navigable for a wheelchair to move through with ease and Bobby had equipped his bathroom to be handicap accessible. Sure, Sam never had a problem in the handicap motel rooms but there was something different about Bobby's house. It was the love that was put into every adjustment made, from the lower counter-tops Bobby had built to the low bookshelves that contained not only hunting research books, but Sam's favorite fiction novels. This house was the closest place they had to a home and it just felt so much more comfortable to be here than in a motel room that had been built by construction workers.

Sam made his way into the kitchen and saw that either Bobby or John had already made pancakes that were sitting there for Sam to grab. His mouth watered from the sight of the delicious looking breakfast and he really hoped these were Bobby's creation. Bobby was such a better cook than his dad, not that Sam would ever admit that to John. Sam grabbed a plate from the easily reachable cabinets and filled it with more than his average helping of pancakes. He placed the food on his lap and positioned himself at his spot at Bobby's kitchen table, the spot that Bobby always left without a dining chair, even if they weren't going to be visiting for a long period of time.

Moving the plate carefully onto the table, Sam grabbed the maple syrup and was busy slathering his pancakes with the sticky sweet goo when both Bobby and John came in from outside, bickering.

"Way to go John, now we're going to have to spend at least an extra four hours fixing up that car, because we just had to go with your brilliant idea."

"If you would have let me handle it, it would have gone smoothly. It's not my fault you can't follow my directions properly."

Bobby rolled his eyes when he spotted Sam sitting at the kitchen table. "Look, you just made us look like a bunch of idjits in front of your boy, how does that feel?"

Sam grinned at the two friends. "What'd I miss?" he asked as he took a bite of his breakfast.

"Nothing you'd want to hear about." John laughed.

"Only that now we have to hurry up and get this project done before the thunderstorm rolls in," Bobby growled and Sam had to really concentrate on not laughing.

"Whatever." Now it was John's turn to roll his eyes as he sat down opposite of Sam. "You found your way to Bobby's pancakes, I see."

Sam took another bite and swallowed before answering. "Actually, it was the coffee that woke me up, though the pancakes smell delicious too."

"That's because I make the best breakfast, a lot better than your father," Bobby mumbled, but he was smiling now. "You want some coffee Sam? It's just about done."

Sam made a face. "Ugh, no. I'm getting sick of just plain coffee, even when I drown it with cream and sugar. It's just still so bitter. I think when Dean wakes up I'll ask if he wants to head to the Starbucks up in town. Now that he's quit smoking and can actually taste correctly, I'm going to try and get him to drink a latté."

There was a few thumping noises and then Dean was standing in the doorway, hair disheveled but otherwise looking well-rested. "I heard that," he grumbled as he limped his way into the kitchen. "I don't want any of your girly mocha frappe lattéchino crap."

"They're called lattés," Sam shot back. "And with all the sugary sweet stuff you eat, I really think you'll like them. You'll be thanking me later today."

"Looks like I don't have a way out of this one." Dean sighed before he eyed the breakfast on the counter. "Awesome! Bobby's pancakes! You really need to make them more while we're here."

"What is so special about Bobby and his cooking?" John asked.

"It's because I actually take the time and labor into making food, I just don't throw random ingredients down as quickly as possible, Johnny."

"Okay, I'm going to interrupt before you two tear each other's heads off. You're so much worse than me and Sammy." Dean smirked. "I'm going to go eat outside at the picnic table, anyone want to join me?"

"I'll join you boy. Maybe you can help me out by taking a look at this car your father ruined," Bobby said as he walked outside with Dean.

John sighed at Bobby's remark and helped himself to another stack of pancakes. "These things are good, I'll give him that."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I think I can actually eat these just as fast as Dean eats food on a regular basis."

"No, I think Dean's got you beat. You brother shovels away food like he's a garbage disposal."

"What makes that statement even truer is that he really does eat garbage food." Sam smiled and John let out a loud laugh before quickly going quiet and looking around the room anxiously.

"Whoops. We should probably be quieter. You know how good your brother can hear."

Sam remembered the many times Sam and John would be joking about Dean, knowing that he was a few rooms over, only for Dean to yell "I heard that!" just like he had this morning. It was like Dean had some kind of super-hearing ability when it came to people talking about him.

Thinking about this morning though brought back Sam's thoughts of Jess and he figured he'd ask his father what he thought of Sam's idea to visit her.

"Anyway Dad...I wanted to ask your opinion of something."

"Yeah, of course Sammy, what is it?"

Sam didn't know why he felt embarrassed talking to his father about Jess. It was much easier to talk to Dean about girls, even with his brother's constant joking. But he needed his father's input on his idea. "It's about Jess. I was thinking of going to visit her," he blurted out quickly, blushing slightly afterwards and immediately started playing around with the food on his plate.

John laughed at his son's reaction. "No need to get embarrassed Sammy. I'm your father; you should feel comfortable telling me about anything."

Sam continued to stare at his plate as he moved a piece of pancake in circles around the plate. "Yeah, I know. I just felt awkward asking you about it. I mean...I've never, you know...had a girlfriend and I don't know how things exactly work...wait I didn't exactly mean that, I just..."

John saved Sam from his awkwardness. "Of course you can visit her Sammy; you shouldn't have to ask me that."

"Well I figured I should. I just can't bail on a hunt, but we're not hunting right now. Dean will get his cast off in two weeks so I thought maybe I could leave in a few days, spend a week up at Stanford and then come back right before Dean's set to get the cast off. Then I'll be back in time for our next hunt."

It saddened John to think that Sam thought he had to rush seeing his girlfriend in-between hunts. It hurt even more knowing that Sam thought John wouldn't allow them to take some time off in order for him to see Jess. He didn't want his boys to think that way. The hunt was important sure, but Sam and Dean were more important to John than the mission. Ever since Dean found Sam John had realized the importance of his boys' wellbeing and feelings. John knew that they had to come first, even if it meant getting behind on tracking down the demon that had killed Mary.

Sam was a very independent person, there was no doubting that. But John didn't like the idea of Sam going anywhere on his own, he didn't even like the idea of Dean doing the same thing either. With all the evil out there they needed to stick together, or Sam and Dean needed to stick together at the least. Call it being an over-protective father but John couldn't help it. Sure, his boys were in their twenties now with Dean verging on twenty-seven in four months. Most boys...no most men that age weren't living, let alone traveling everywhere with their father. John considered himself spoiled and lucky to still have his boys with him and not on their own. He just couldn't imagine letting them go, and it wasn't just because of the lifestyle but because he would truly miss their company.

From the looks of it, Sam didn't want to go alone either if it could be avoided. John knew that Sam didn't like leaving his brother, especially because Dean was injured. It was only a broken leg but for goodness sake these boys fretted over each other non-stop about the littlest things. At least that was a good trait compared to how they could have hated each other and been constantly at each other's throats like some siblings. And also John didn't think Sam had the confidence to go by himself to an apartment full of girls. He'd need the support of someone he knew, who better than his brother, the ultimate Sammy-confidence booster?

"There's no reason we can't take a few weeks off after Dean is better Sammy," John said and Sam looked up, surprised. "I'm sure Dean would like to see Jess again too, she is his friend. How about you boys head up there after Dean gets his cast off and just relax, no need to hurry back."

Honestly, John wanted to go up to the college as well but he wasn't sure Sam would want his old father to come along. It was one thing for Sam to be stuck with Dean 24/7; the two liked to bicker and at times would get on each other's nerves from always being together. But really, the truth was that they basically always got along. They were best friends, two young men close in age who could relate to one another.

It was an all together different thing though to be stuck with your father all of the time. Apart from John's stint at Bobby's back in the summer with the demon incident, the boys hadn't been apart from him a lot. They probably wanted time away from their dad, so that they could talk about stuff that guys their age do without fear of their nosy father butting in, or even better...so they could complain about John. He laughed silently at the thought. But in truth, Sam would probably want John to sit this trip out and go with his brother.

"Really Dad? That would be awesome." Sam was smiling though he looked a little upset. "But you wouldn't want to come too?"

After all that thinking, John was shocked by the offer. Maybe his boys weren't as sick of him as he thought. Or even better, maybe they thought of him as a cool dad, someone they wouldn't be embarrassed introducing their girlfriends and friends to.

"I'd love to go Sammy. I just thought you'd want your old man to stay back and not ruin your fun with whatever you...hip young people do."

Sam laughed out loud at that, holding his chest. "Dad! You're ridiculous. Of course I want you to come, and you're not that old. I want you to get to know Jess better. I really wanted you and Dean to come too. Hey, one day how about we all go out to eat? Me, you, Dean and Jess?"

John smiled at his boy. "I'd really like that Sammy."

"Good." Sam grinned. "Jess has been telling me she wants to formally meet you. You know, without you sneaking up on us kissing."

A few hours later Sam announced that he and Dean were indeed heading over to Starbucks so Dean could finally try a latte. Dean joined Sam and John in the living room by wheeling into the room in Sam's old wheelchair that they kept at Bobby's.

"Dean! Would you get out of that already?" Sam sighed. Dean had taken up using the wheelchair most of the time when he had still needed crutches to get around. Now he had a walking cast on and could limp around without support, but his leg still hurt him and he couldn't walk for long. So instead of picking up his crutches again, he went for the wheelchair. Sam rolled his eyes whenever he saw Dean in it but John knew that his boy found it funny and even endearing that his brother was truthfully that comfortable sitting beside Sam all day. It really showed just how much Dean saw the wheelchair as not defining Sam, but a part of him. John could even see that Sam secretly liked how he would be eye-to-eye with his brother instead of having to look up all the time.

"Why do I have to? This is much more comfortable."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had to sit in one twenty-four seven."

"Come on Sammy!"

"I'll never understand why you would want to when you can walk."

"Uh-uh. My leg is broken," Dean pouted.

"You're in a walking cast! You can limp perfectly fine."

Dean rolled his eyes and slowly stood up. "Geeze, since when have you gotten so bossy?"

"Since we'd look ridiculous if we both came in wheelchairs. Besides, why in the world would we go through the extra hassle?"

Dean smirked. "Because I wanted to race you to the Impala."

"Dude! You lost every single race we've had! I almost felt sorry leaving your slow ass behind in the dust." Sam laughed, referring to all the wheelchair races the two of them had on lazy days in Bobby's yard.

"Alright boys." John shook his head with a smile. He did enjoy his boys' banters but there was a limit to how much he could handle. "Time to take off, you two. Bring me back some pastry or something."

"Alright Dad," both boys said in sync causing Dean to punch Sam in the shoulder and Sam to sneer right back.

"And be careful," John called out as his boys headed for the door. "It's going to storm any minute now so drive safe."

"I will Dad." Sam sighed. "Do you know how many thunderstorms we've driven through?"

John chose to drop it and watched his sons make their way through Bobby's yard. He watched as Dean seemed to have some trouble walking and chose to lean on Sam's wheelchair as a use of support. He only made it a few steps before he had Sam at his throat.

"Why don't you just grab the crutches?"

"Because we're only walking to the car and then into the Starbucks. Can't I just use your chair to lean on?"

"No! You know how slow I have to go with you leaning on me? Plus if you're doing that when we're walking into Starbucks people are going to think you're pushing me and..."

"I know, I know! You hate being pushed and you hate people seeing you get pushed even worse." John could practically see Dean rolling his eyes.

"Sorry that I don't want to look like an invalid because my brother was too lazy to grab his crutches."

The rest of the conversation John luckily couldn't hear as Sam and Dean became too far from his earshot. With a shake of his head, John headed out Bobby's back door. Maybe he could help fix the car he had "destroyed."