Thanks again to LovinJackson, she was able to beta chapter 2 and 3 together.


It's late morning of the next day by the time Dean finds himself walking towards Stanford's campus looking for the adult version of his nine year old brother. It's turning out to be an impossible task. The image of his nine year old brother, arms full of books, and an X-men backpack refuses to shake loose from his mind. The image makes him smile. He's not at all surprised that Sammy made it into one of the best schools in the country. His little brother has always been too smart for his own good. Geek boy.

The road entering campus is flanked by tall palm trees and the crisp green lawn is well manicured. The site is a bit overwhelming. Most of his life has been lived out of motel rooms and the Impala. He's seen a lot of the country, but so much of his memories of those places have been sullied and ruined by hunts. Everything in front of him looks clean and neat. Dad rarely took them to the west coast and California in particular is too crowded for his dad's taste. And different. Maybe that had been Sammy's deciding factor on where to go. Different.

He stops walking for and looks around. The school is huge and he feels ridiculous for thinking that he could just walk straight onto campus and find his brother. Sammy could be living off campus in Palo Alto for all he knows. And if Sam is living off campus, then he's got little hope of finding his brother at all. But…he's got an idea. After all, Sammy's not the only smart Winchester in the family. There's a group of girls sitting in the grass, books open in front of them. Yahtzee. He makes his way over to them, adjusting his backpack and putting on one of his best smiles.

He doesn't know where his brother lives or what his number is, but he does know the one place that Sammy can't resist.

"Hi. I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to the library."

~~~~~~~~~~JR~~~~~~~~~~

It's the pen that's the problem. Constitutional Law is his favorite class this semester and by far his most challenging. Dr. Larson is not only his adviser but she also wrote him a glowing endorsement to accompany his law school applications and he want to nail his final is tomorrow morning. So concentrating is a must, but that pen is going to be the end of him.

Jess is sitting across from him at their kitchen table with her legs crossed and her psychology book open on her lap. Her legs are tanned from the California sun and her tank top is drifting dangerously lower. It's distracting, but it's not the problem. The problem is that he can't take his eyes off of her mouth. She's got the fucking pen in her mouth again and it drives him crazy watching the way the tip indents her bottom lip.

It only takes him a moment to move to the other side of the table and pull the book out of her lap. She puts the pen down on the table and he drags her over to his chair and onto his lap. He's got one hand moving through her long blonde curls while his other hand moves from her slim waste to her hips and then travels a little further. Her hair is still damp from their shower this morning, her skin smells like vanilla and her lips taste like cherry.

She pulls back for a moment. "I thought that you had studying to do."

"It can wait." He pulls her back in for another kiss. In the background, he can hear his cell phone vibrating against the table but he's not interested in whatever anyone has to say at the moment. He pulls her closer and he feels the corner of her lips turn up into a smile right before she pulls back away. She gets up off of his lap and starts heading towards their bedroom and calls back over her shoulder to him.

"The pen gets you every time, counselor. You better watch that distractibility in court."

A moment later he's following her into the bedroom leaving behind his books and phone.

~~~~~~~~~~JR~~~~~~~~~~

"Has your father booked his flight, or will he be taking Cullen's jet?" Jim asks from his desk as he sorts the stacks of papers he'll need for the upcoming funeral. The death of one of Jim's longtime parishioners had been sudden and had unfortunately allowed Dean an even greater opportunity to get away unnoticed.

"He's flying straight into California. The pilots are filing the flight plan as we speak so he should be arriving just a couple hours after us." We should be there right now, he thinks to himself. We could be there right now. He's pacing back and forth but it's not helping with the cagy feeling that's seeped into his bones. He desperately needs to be in action but they have to wait for John.

"Stop your scowling Caleb. John will be here soon and then we'll be on our flight."

"Reading minds now Jim?"

"No, I for one believe that one's own thoughts should remain just that, their own."

"You're missing out. And John should be here by now. I called him first."

It had been dusk by the time he'd driven up the long drive leading to the farmhouse. The house had been silent and dark as he had made his way up the porch and into the front room. He reached out psychically, trying to feel Dean's presence. He pushed beyond the house and the pond to the limit of his abilities. He had felt nothing.

Taking a flashlight he had walked north towards the property line. He had to be sure that Dean wasn't there, had to see it with his own eyes that the teen wasn't hurt and alone. When he reached the property line, he found Dean's tent and supplies hastily discarded off to the side. The fence was untouched and the teen was gone. He'd called the Triad right away but saved his dad for last. They needed to figure out what object would allow Mac to find this younger Dean.

"We know what flight he was on and how much of a head start he has on us. We also know exactly where he's going. We'll find him Caleb. Were you able to get in touch with Samuel?"

"He's not answering. I left a message for him to call me."

"Well, I'm sure he'll call just as soon as he can."

He opens his mouth to respond when an all too familiar pressure grips his head. It's all the warning he gets before his vision slides sideways and the pain erupts sending him to his knees.

He's standing on a trail, surrounded by trees. Ten feet in front of him he can see Dean, sitting on the ground, leaning heavily against large tree.

A man approaches Dean from behind. Time skips along and now there's blood matted in Dean's hair and the man has one hand fisted in the teen's

shirt while the other is pulling out a long knife. The last thing he sees is Dean's face frozen in fear.

As the vision releases him from its hold, he feels his stomach rebel against him and bile creeping up his throat. He starts crawling towards the wastebasket but he doesn't have to go far. Pastor Jim brings it the rest of the way and his strong hands steady him as he wretches. It takes a few minutes for his stomach to settle but when it does he pulls away from Jim and leans up against the office wall.

"We have to go now, Jim. We don't have time to wait for John." He tries to stand but Jim stops him.

"You need to take a moment, Caleb."

"We don't have a moment! Dean's in trouble." He should have left on his own. He knows where the kid went and he could have headed this entire mess off at the pass, but he'd waited on the Triad instead.

Jim nods. "We have the next flight out Caleb. If you leave now you'll just be waiting at the airport. Calm down and tell me what you saw. You know John is going to want to know all the details of what you saw."

"I don't give much of a damn what John wants. This is his fault." He spits out.

Jim sighs heavily and leans back against the wall next to him. "John owns his fair share of responsibility in this, but so do the rest of us, Dean included."

"You're blaming Dean for this?"

"We've all made poor decisions Caleb. None of us have been as welcoming and supportive as we could have been. But yes, Dean has a responsibility in this as well. He may be a child, but he's making bad choices. Running away is something he's done before and it's as bad of a solution now as it was then, no matter how good his intentions were or are. You need to put aside your anger at John and focus on your vision. Now, tell me what you saw."

Jim gets up and pours him a glass of water while he recounts the details of his vision. It's frustrating, the lack of identifying features to help guide them along. Trees and a trail are hardly enough to go off of. By the time he's done he doesn't feel as though he's made any progress. At this point all they know is that Dean is in trouble. In the woods. Jim gets back on the phone with John and Mac while he goes to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face and clean out the wastebasket. Helplessness is a feeling that he's never gotten used to and he hates that he feels that way right now.

He also hates that Jim is right. They're all culpable, even him. He wants to make it right, but he doesn't mean it the way he meant it before. He's not willing to sacrifice this Dean who does exist for the Dean who may never exist again. He wants the kid back where he can see him and know that he's protected. He wants to know that Dean is safe. And when Dean is safe again, after he's saved the kid from being murdered yet again, he's going to kick his ass into next week.

~~~~~~~~~~JR~~~~~~~~~~

As it turns out, Stanford has more than one library. His brother must love it here. Since he can't stake them all out, he chooses the largest one. The way he sees it, the higher number of books directly correlates to the higher chance that his brother will show. So he's been sitting on the fountain outside of Green Library for nearly three and a half hours studying each face that passes him by. He considers, very briefly, giving up and leaving but he's got nowhere to go and he's come so far.

His luck finally shifts for the better. He would have let Sam walk right past him if it hadn't been for another student yelling out his name.

"Hey Winchester!" Blonde guy yells.

The other guy is coming from the opposite side of the fountain from Sam. Sammy, his brother, turns around and…suddenly, the entire situation feels like some sort of cosmic joke. It had been a bit ridiculous for him to be expecting his nine year old brother, but this guy was enormous. Sasquatch sized even. This Sam was huge and he was…walking right passed him.

"Brady, what's up?" His brother asks. Huge Sam looks very serious. It's difficult to reconcile the image in front of him and the image of the brother he knows. This Sam looks like a stranger.

"We're still meeting up later right?" Brady wants to know. His brother's friend looks like the sort of kid that hated and made fun of him in school. He kind of reminds him of Josh.

"Yeah, I'll meet you guys there tonight." The conversation proceeds and is painfully boring. Brady teases Sam about being at the library too much and Sam teases Brady back that he should be spending more time there. He thanks God when they finally part ways a few minutes later. He's glad when Brady leaves, since the guy bugs him. Sam is turning back towards the library and his window of opportunity is closing. It's now or never, he thinks.

"Sam." He jumps down off of the fountain and steps forward.

His brother turns around and looks down at him. Sammy looks unsure of what to say and looks around like he's been set up. "Uh, yeah, I'm Sam."

He feels unsure now.

Run away from the farm. Check.

Cross country without being caught. Check.

Find Sammy. Check.

And wow, he hadn't really planned anything beyond that. Awesome. He'd been hoping that Sam would recognize him but instead his brother is looking at him like he's a total stranger. Which, to be fair, he sort of is so he doesn't blame Sam. No way was his hulking little brother planning on seeing his estranged twenty-six year old brother as a thirteen year old.

He should say something more because Sam is beginning to look at him like he's grown a second head. His brother shifts his plain black not X-Men backpack and looks like he's about put an end to this awkward situation by saying something when a pretty blond comes up and hooks her arms around Sam's stomach. A smile sweeps over Sam's face and he finally sees his brother in this older man. Those deep dimples and wide grin that he's missed seeing so much are now present and his brother relaxes into the girl's embrace. Her hair is long and curly and she reminds him of his mother. He wonders if Sam has ever made the connection.

His brother turns his lead slightly and swings one long arm around the girl's shoulder pulling her close to his side. And then…gross, they're kissing. Not that he minds kissing. He's done it plenty of times. But in a million years he never needed to see his little brother's tongue in some chick's mouth. He looks away for a moment to let them finish up since it seems he's been forgotten, an outsider in Sam and Blondie's moment. They're murmuring something to each other that he can't quite make out but when he looks back over his brother looks happy and relaxed and he thinks he finally gets why his dad didn't want him here.

Sam just doesn't look happy, he is happy. Happy and out of the hunting world. He has friends and a school that he doesn't have to worry about moving away from. He's got his normal. And here comes his big brother to screw it up for him. He came here to take his brother away from the palm trees, the ocean and a leggy blond that doesn't mind his brother's tongue in her mouth. And maybe he didn't plan on taking Sam physically away from here, but watching out for a thirteen year old would upend his brother's life and he finds that he can't do it anymore. As much as he wants and needs to see Sammy, he can't wreak havoc on his little brother's life like that. Sammy deserves this. And he's always tried to be a good big brother and there's no reason to stop now. He turns to go when Sam's voice calls out to him.

"Hey kid, did you need something?"

He doesn't turn all the way back around to answer. "Nah, you just remind me of my brother. I haven't seen him in a while and you look a lot like him. You know what it's like to miss a brother."

He adjusts his bag on his shoulder and starts to walk away. Behind him he hears Sam and the girl talking again but he can't hear them anymore.

He keeps walking, letting his brother disappear back into a world where older brothers don't exist to pull little brothers back into a life they want nothing to do with. He almost wishes that he hadn't come here, that he'd chosen anywhere in the world to go besides here. But then he remembers how happy his brother looked wrapped up in that girl's arms and he's glad that he got to see that. Because at least now he can leave with the knowledge that Sam is safe and happy.

He's not sure where to go next so he starts walking west. Maybe he'll walk far enough to see the ocean. A half of an hour passes by and he finds himself walking on a small wooded path. The afternoon is nice and breezy, a welcome departure from the Kentucky heat he had been in only yesterday. He's still miles off from the ocean but he can already smell a hint of salt-water in the air. A smaller and less defined path juts off of the main passage to the right and he stops to consider which direction to take. The path less traveled looks pretty damn good to him at the moment so he veers off to the right. A couple of minutes later the path widens and he decides to sit down for a break.

He thinks he'll head to Arizona after this. He's always wanted to see the Grand Canyon and now would be the perfect time. Maybe he'll just go sightseeing for the summer. He can pretend like he's backpacking across the country like some of Caleb's rich classmates did. Except, they had gone to Europe. Oh well, biggest ball of twine here he comes.

"Beautiful day."

The voice startles Dean from his thoughts. He stands up quickly and grabs his bag. He's not in the mood for company or small talk. He turns away and starts back toward the path.

"I said it's a beautiful a beautiful day." The man repeats. "Dean."

"Oh, that's such a bad sign." He mutters to himself. He turns and faces the man. The guy is short and shockingly pale. Sweat is dripping down the guy's face and his dark curly hair is greasy and slicked back against his head. He can't believe he didn't smell the guy coming up on him. "Sorry pal, but I'm not who you think I am."

The guy takes a step closer and smiles.

"I think what you mean, is that you're not who you're supposed to be. Sorry about that. That would be my girlfriend's fault. Those pesky little spells are so touchy. You get one small word or ingredient wrong and instead of a dead hunter you get an age regressed little prick. I'd kill her, but I love the little witch. So I suppose I'll just have to take care of you myself."

"Sounds like maybe you should find yourself a girlfriend who's not a total fuckup." He bends over pretending to check his shoelaces and to pull out his knife only to remember that it's not there. Fuck.

"Now now, it's partly my responsibility as well. Daddy always did say that you can't rely on others to do important jobs for you. And she was pretty close to killing you."

"Yeah, well my dad always told me that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, dickwad, so maybe you should have taken your daddy's advice."

The man's eyes turn pitch black. "Oh, you have no clue what daddy's got in store."

He sucks in a deep breath, turns and starts to run back towards the main path. He doesn't make it far before he feels himself being lifted and thrown into a tree. His head connects hard but he manages to stay conscious as his attacker, demon his mind screams at him, approaches. He struggles to move away but his body refuses to cooperate and he only manages to strike out weakly with one fist, trying to slow the attack but the demon easily dodges his defenses and knocks his arm away.

His body is being lifted up against his will and the sudden change in elevation makes his stomach lurch. There's a wetness dripping down his neck but his addled mind can't figure out what it is. One of the demon's hands is fisted in his shirt but he can't see the other.

"I have something to show you sweetheart. I'm gonna make you scream."

Out of the corner of his eye he sees a glint of metal and he turns his head to get a better view. He doesn't like what he sees. He looks back up, staring into the demon's black eyes and then his entire body is on fire from the inside out as he's sent into darkness.

TBC...


I apologize for the ending. Chapter 4 is in the works and I do have a lot of it written, but I have to put it all together since at the moment it's all random bits here and there. I hope you all are still enjoying the ride. There's still a little left to go.