Dean could see the sunset in the review mirror. He was glad that they were almost at Bobby's. It had been a long drive. This break from hunting was well-deserved. They needed time to regain their strength and allow their bodies to heal.
"Welcome home, boys," Bobby was on the porch when they arrived. He couldn't help but notice that they were moving strangely and slow as they grabbed their duffels. Their smiles were still just as bright as before.
"Hey, Bobby! Thanks for putting us up for awhile," Dean greeted him.
"Your place looks good, Bobby. Did you sell some of the cars?" Sam asked.
"A couple of them were past repairing and I didn't have any use for them after I took all their usable parts from them. Had to make room for my new treasures, you know," Bobby laughed.
Dean and Sam put their bags upstairs and came back down.
"I have some chili on the stove for you. I wasn't sure when you would be pulling in."
"We weren't sure when we'd be here," Dean replied. "The Impala needs some minor repairs. We didn't have time to fix her properly before we left. We just wanted to get here."
"Looks like you boys could use some fixing of your own. What happened?"
"Just too many hunts too close together," Sam replied. "We didn't have time to heal from one before starting another. It compounded the problems. We just need some time to recuperate."
"Need me to stitch up or look at anything?" Bobby asked.
"No, it's mostly sore muscles and sprains. Aspirin, ice and rest should take care of it," Dean explained.
"It looks like it'll be supper, hot showers and right to bed for you two. I'll grab some Ace bandages for the sprains."
After they weren't able to lie in bed anymore without going crazy, Dean went to repair the Impala and Sam buried himself in the library. Bobby just watched what they were doing. He was making sure they hadn't jumped back into activities too fast.
Dean was in heaven having a garage to work on his baby in. He not only fixed the problem, he did some routine maintenance and fixed other little issues that he'd just let slide before.
Sam took full advantage of the time he had in the library. He looked up supernatural beings that he wasn't too familiar with and took notes on them and the rituals to get rid of them. His notebook began to fill with information.
"How's it going out here?" Bobby sauntered over to Dean. "Anything major?"
"No. Just doing some basic tune up right now. Along with the little things that I've let slide since I didn't have enough time or the right tools. Wish I had a spread like yours, Bobby."
"You can come here anytime, Dean, not just when you're hurting or need to use the garage."
Dean nodded. "We're just getting used to being on our own after Dad. Could be that we threw ourselves back into hunting too soon. We'll find our pace soon. Then, we'll be able to avoid the aches and pains that got us here."
"No one will ever blame you if you slow down. Neither of you need to work yourself into a early grave. Your body is the only one you'll get. You need to take care of it, Dean, at least as good as you take care of this car of yours."
"I will, Bobby. It's just hard to keep from running to jobs when there is so much evil out there."
"We're never going to get it all. For every evil being that you kill, there are many more."
Dean nodded sadly from where he bent over the Impala.
"Finding what you need?" Bobby asked from the doorway.
"Yeah. Thanks for letting me loose in here. How's Dean doing on the car?"
"You know Dean."
"Yeah, he's like a kid in a candy store out there, isn't he?"
"Just like you are when you get your hands on my library, Sam."
"I guess," Sam chuckled.
"Figured your boys would be needing one of these of your own," Bobby handed Sam a leather journal like their father's. "I know you carry around John's, but you have enough hunts to make your own entries."
"Thanks, Bobby. You didn't have to," Sam said as he opened the cover and flipped through the pages.
"I know I didn't," Bobby replied. "I wanted you two to have something that was your own."
"We appreciate it."
"I know ya do."
Bobby walked away knowing that he was only going to see Dean and Sam when they made themselves take some downtime due to injuries. Like their father, not much else slowed them down. Bobby knew the determination all too well.
