Sam was ten miles outside of Pierre, his stomach still groaning from the breakfast Bobby had made for him. Suddenly he was startled by a flash of light from the trees ahead. Frowning, he slowed down and watched as the flash came again and again. His eyes carefully scanned the trees until he found a narrow path leading off the highway.
The Charger bounced over the heavily rutted trail which finally ended in a small clearing. A van sat there, a clothesline strung from one window to the nearby trees.
Instantly suspicious, Sam grabbed his pistol from under the seat and slipped it in his pocket before exiting the car.
"Hello?"
An aged bald man stepped out from behind the van. "Hello, Sam."
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"I'm your grandfather, Sam." As he stepped closer Sam kept backing away. "It's all right, I'm not going to hurt you. I've been looking for you and your brother for a while now."
"No, you're dead. What kind of trick is this?"
"I heard you were dead, too. Looks like we were both wrong. Come on, let's have a drink and talk about this."
Still on his guard, Sam followed the man around to the back of the van, where the doors were thrown wide open. A pretty black-haired woman poured him a glass of whiskey.
The old man sat on the floor of the van, legs dangling outside the doors. "That's your cousin. Mighty fine hunter."
Now Sam knew he was lying. "I don't have any cousins."
The other man chuckled. "You've got more than you think. So why aren't you in Hell?"
"I don't know. One moment I was there and the next – I wasn't." He gulped at the drink in his hand, the burning of the liquor soothing him.
"Yep, same as me, only I was in Heaven. Something strange is going on, son." He paused. "Girl, get me those photos."
"Sure thing, grandpop."
She handed him a battered old photo album and the man thrust it into Sam's hands. "Look at this and tell me I'm lying."
Sam studied the pages. There was his mom, and his dad, and a little boy that looked like Dean holding a blanket-swaddled infant. In all of the pictures appeared a younger version of the man now before him. He stared at him in awe.
"Told you. Now, you going to join us, boy?"
"Join you in what?"
"Hunting. It's the family business, after all."
Sam slowly nodded his head.
