Chapter Two.
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The motel he'd chosen wasn't far from Lisa's. Dean couldn't quite bring himself to leave the area until he was sure she and Ben were adjusting to his absence.
It didn't make any difference where he was anyway, and he'd become familiar with the little city and its facilities.
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One of the two beds was covered with the books Dean had brought with him. He swore he wasn't going to leave this place until he had Sam riding shotgun in the Impala again.
But as the days passed and nothing new was forthcoming, Dean began to give in to despair.
What if he never succeeded?
If Sam never got out of the Cage then when Dean died, he'd be on his own, no shared heaven or shared hell. Dean wasn't too picky where they ended up, as long as Sam was with him.
But for all the progress he was making, Dean was looking to be alone for all eternity, with Sammy remaining Lucidfer's chew-toy for the same time-period!
He needed a break, he needed a shower, he needed caffeine but most of all he needed Sam.
Dean didn't know it then, but sometimes the universe does answer one's prayers!
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Adequately caffeinated and with his stomach full of hamburger, Dean pointed the Impala towards Lisa's. He'd kept one of the spare keys in case he'd forgotten something; which he had.
The book he'd been reading the night before he'd left for good had remained in the bedroom.
The house would be empty at this hour, early afternoon. He'd rush in, get the book and shag ass before Lisa or Ben came home.
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A car was sitting at the side-walk when he approached. It looked familiar though he couldn't place it.
As he drew nearer to the house, the car roared into life and took off as if it had the devil on its tail
"Huh," Dean murmured to himself, his mind rapidly running though the cars owned by Lisa's acquaintances but he couldn't recall any of then owning a run-down Honda.
Then he remembered.
It had shot by him once, on the day he'd left Lisa, when he thought the driver had seemed familiar.
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He watched as the Honda turned the corner out of sight, and no-one was more surprised than himself when his foot pushed down on the gas pedal and speeded after it.
The driver obviously knew his way around. As the car made its way though the town Dean almost lost sight of it a couple of times
He got the feeling Honda-dude knew he was being followed and was trying to lose him.
Well, two could play at that game.
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Dean dropped back letting a few cars overtake him, until the yellow Honda was just a speck in the distance.
He brought up a map of the streets in his mind.
They were on the outskirts of the city, in one of the seedier neighbourhoods, filled with low-level bars and take-aways.
By this time he'd lost sight of the Honda but something told him this area was where it had been heading. He'd cruise the surrounding streets and unless the car had been stashed in a garage, he might get lucky.
:
After a fruitless search of the shabby neighbourhood he was ready to give up.
"The search for what?" he grunted out loud, annoyed with himself. " I'm wasting my 'effin' time looking for a car I've no idea why the hell I should be looking for in the first place!"
That was when he spoted it, tucked away in a side-alley outside a bar.
"Gottcha! " Dean said gleefully.
He wondered at himself, getting a rise out of following some crappy car when he should be researching, but maybe it was the fact that his research was at a complete standstill that made wasting his time with a Honda, of all things, seem exciting.
:
Maybe it was time for him to get back to hunting.
He hadn't made contact with anyone from that world, not even Bobby since that terrible day in Stull Cemetery but perhaps others might notice some detail he was missing.
At this point he was willing to take suggestions from anyone to get Sam back.
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Castiel had disappeared too. Probably back to heaven.
Not that Dean cared; he was royally pissed off at the angel. Someone had seen fit to bring Castiel back to life while no-one had stepped in to rescue his baby brother from Lucifer's clutches.
Friggin' angels! He never thought he could hate anything more than demons, but at least you knew what to expect from them.
Angels were the true dicks of Creation, each with their own little agenda that they studiously kept from you, just to fuck you over!
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He cruised past and parked a few blocks down the street, then made his way back to the Honda.
Whoever the owner was, he sure had bad taste in cars.
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He examined it briefly before walking to the run-down bar that stood a few doors on.
There were a couple of guys leaning against the wall, they barely glanced at him, their eyes blood-shot with god knows what crap they'd sniffed along with the liquor he could smell coming off them.
He pushed against the door and went inside where he was greeted by a haze of smoke.
If there was a no smoking law, it certainly wasn't respected in this place. That said, it looked clean enough, better than the outside would have you expect.
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He looked around before strolling up to the counter, aware of the eyes watching him as he passed. He even heard a whistle directed his way!
The skinny guy behind the counter gave him an appreciative once over. "What can I do for you, handsome? " he cooed.
Dean raised an eye-brow.
"Uh. A beer is all I need plus some information," he added with a smile, sliding a twenty across the surprisingly well scrubbed wooden top.
"Well I can surely help you with one," the guy simpered, placing a bottle of beer in front of him. "As for the other….."
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"Uh, right, " Dean said feeling stupid. Just because the Honda was parked nearby, didn't mean this guy knew who the owner was.
"You wouldn't know who belongs to the Honda parked down the street, would you?"
The man's eyes flickered. He knew all right.
"Who wants to know? " the barman asked in a less friendly tone. "You the law?"
"The law!" Dean laughed. " No way, man! I'm about the furthest thing from the law as you can imagine."
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The man's face relaxed a little. "Didn't think you were. You don't give off the vibe, but I had to check."
Dean tilted his head.
"I get it, dude. No problemo! I've had to check more than once myself," he said leaning forward with a wink.
The guy winked back.
"Okay. You're not the law, so why do you want t'know who the car belongs to?"
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Dean served up the first lie that came to mind.
"I braked at a red light and the Honda grazed my back bumper. Driver didn't stop, so I followed. I wondered if he had insurance, if not maybe he could pay me the repair out of his own pocket."
Skinny guy snorted. "I doubt anyone around here has car insurance and if you want your car fixed you're gonna have to fork out on your own, cos the owner doesn't have more than the clothes he stands up in. Guy can barely pay the rent."
"So you know who he is?"
"Yeah, but I'm not sayin'. I like the kid. Don't want to make any trouble for him."
"Okay, maybe if I could talk to him, we might manage to work something out…." Dean said, stopping when skinny guy looked past him to the door.
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Dean turned, just in time to get an eye-full of the man whose face had been occupying his every waking and sleeping moment since Stull Cemetery.
He saw the recognition dawn in the moss-green eyes before the kid turned and headed back out, with Dean close on his heels.
"Sam," he cried out desperately. "Sammy! Come back here!"
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To be cont.
