"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE MY DAUGHTER IS!?" Dean roared. The brotherly reunion hadn't gone so well. First there was the fact that SAM HADN'T LOOKED FOR HIM, then there was Kevin, and now this?

He'd tried to put off asking for a bit because it was late at night. Maybe she was at the motel asleep. Or studying. He'd grasped at straws, but less than ten minutes in, he'd had to ask, "So. Where's my daughter?"

And Sam didn't know. His face had gotten that sad puppy look, almost sheepish but more guilty than anything. "I'm…not really sure about that, Dean."

"I mean, I don't know. She took off." Sam shuffled his feet. He was trying to look casual, but he looked exasperated and worried to Dean's practiced eye. "Ran away in the middle of the night."

"And when was this?" Dean sputtered. "Just how long ago did you LOSE my CHILD?"

Sam sighed. "About…maybe two months after you vanished."

"And you did what?" Dean bit. "Just decided she was like all the cases you abandoned? Not your problem?"

"No, Dean. It wasn't like that. She left the house in the middle of the night. She didn't take her cell phone or laptop. She packed light, all of her stuff was still in the bedroom when I woke up the next morning. She left a note on the table, but that was it. There was no trace of her. I called the police, I called other hunters. I did look for her, Dean. But she was gone. I haven't seen or heard from her since."

"And you didn't think to look a little harder? She was a child!"

"She was sixteen, Dean. We were on our own most of the time long before that. She knew how to take care of herself and she didn't have any interest in my helping her. She was already pretty messed up by Bobby dying, you know that. And so seeing both you and Cas vanish…she didn't take it very well. She lost something of herself. Stopped trying in school, stopped training. Stopped caring. Ran off and left with no warning. I tried to find her, Dean, but she's your kid. She didn't want to be found, so she wasn't. I didn't get a choice."

Dean decided it would be a great idea to punch Sam. Because really WHO THE FUCK lost their brother's only daughter two months after he disappeared into Purgatory? But his body didn't seem to agree with his mind and his legs buckled underneath him, sending his butt flying against the sofa. His lips quivered. "Adri…" he said softly.

Eight years ago…

"Daddy where are we going?" Adrian's tiny voice was tired and impatient.

Dean spared her a glance in the rearview mirror, despite knowing what would happen. True to what he knew would happen, Dean winced at her small, exhausted face. It was too early, he knew that. She was still half asleep, having been completely out when he picked her up and carried her to the car less than ten minutes before. He'd woken early to her tucked under his arm, curled into his side like a puppy, slowly and carefully extricated himself from her tiny grip, and had packed their belongings all without waking her. He'd even nearly made it to the car with her still asleep, but he'd tripped over the damn curb and the jostling had woken her. "To go see Uncle Sammy," he said.

Adrian perked up at bit at that. "Uncle Sammy?" Her small voice quivered with barely contained excitement. She'd only been about seven when Sam had taken off, but she still remembered him. He'd been the fun uncle, the one who snuck her lollipops and taught her to write her letters and spell her name. He'd watched Teletubbies with her on every crappy motel TV they happened upon. Then he'd up and left and Adrian had never really understood what happened.

"Yeah, kiddo. But it's a long drive, so how about you go back to sleep. Get some more shut-eye, and then we'll stop for a break when you wake up. Okay sweetheart?" Dean said. He popped a cassette tape of some of Zeppelin's mellower music in. Stairway to Heaven played, indicating that he was near the end of Side A of Zeppelin IV. He was glad it was stopped there, because otherwise he would have had to search for it on the pleadings of Adrian.

"Okay, Daddy," the little girl said, leaning her head on the other seat, resting it on one of Dean's shirts that had ended up back there instead of in his bag. She reached down and pulled the blanket on the floor up and pulled it over herself. She was still small enough to fit across the seats, so she squirmed until she was comfortable and closed her eyes.

The next three hours were silent as his little girl slept the sunrise and drive away. However, by seven her little head was peaking up over the seats. "Daddy? I'm hungry."

They ate donuts from a drive-through shop and kept going until he had to stop for gas at lunch time. He bought her a burger and taught her to play pinball at the machine in the back of the Ma-and-Pa roadside diner they'd stopped at. It cleared out his change, so any payphone-level emergencies would be a big problem, but it was worth it to see her face light up.

They crossed into California near dinner and the first stop they made was at Carl's Junior. He knew that their next would have to be Del Taco, but there would be time for both. Adrian was asleep again by the time they got to Sam's place.

PRESENT

The jukebox that sat in the back corner of the dusty, crowded bar was playing Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' version of the song "I Love Rock & Roll." At the bar, the sole survivor of a mass slaughter in a fraternity was hung over his third glass of straight tequila, hazy eyed and too far gone to care that he was nearly out of his stool.

A young woman watched him from the opposite end of the bar for several minutes before approaching the counter. Sashaying her hips a bit, she swaggered up to a slightly-less wasted young man and laid a hand on his arm. "Hey," she murmured. "Buy me a drink?" She stared at him with the practiced gaze of someone who knew exactly what was under a man's clothes and smirked.

The college student raised his hand and gestured to her clumsily. "Whatever the lady wants."

"Coke, no rum. I have to drive tonight," the sixteen year old said. She flashed the bartender a smile.

He looked her over suspiciously, but since she hadn't asked for alcohol he nodded and turned around to fix her drink. "So what's your name?"

"Jordan," the young man mumbled.

Adrian smiled sweetly. "Well hey Jordan. I'm Brody."

"Like Brody Dalle," the guy muttered.

"Yep. Just a coincidence, though," she said. She thanked the bartender when he handed her the coke. "So what's with that guy over there?"

Jordan looked to his left. "That's Mark Simps. His fraternity kicked the bucket while he was in the ER with a sprained ankle."

"His whole fraternity?" Adrian made her eyes go wide. "What happened?"

Jordan shrugged. "Nobody knows. They were all joking about hearing noises at night though. Everyone is saying that this kid they hazed is haunting them." He took another sip of his drink. "Everyone thinks that they killed him. James Foster. You know, they roughed him up pretty bad but then he disappeared. No one knows what happened, but lots of people say he died there. Probably drinking that piss they call The Mixer. They really just dump in whatever they want. One time they made a kid drink it with actual piss in it."

Adrian gasped, pretending to be horrified. "My god. And people really think they killed him?"

"Yeah. And buried his body in their basement." His eyebrows furrowed. "Hey…do you go to school here? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Sure do." She kissed his cheek. "I'll call you sometime."

"Yeah, okay," he muttered, turning back to his beer. "Hey, wait. I didn't-" But by the time he realized he hadn't given the unfamiliar coed his number, she was gone.

Outside, a young man leaned casually against a truck. "It's definitely that kid's ghost. Now can we please get out of here? Jen and Baker are waiting."

Mitchell opened his mouth to speak, but just sighed and shook his head, a wry, amused smile on his lips. He opened the door to the truck and started the ignition. Adrian got in the truck and flipped the stereo on, Korn spilling out of the speakers before Mitchell could get a word in. They drove back to the motel and parked the vehicle. Adrian hopped out before he'd even cut the engine and was already inside with a can of diet coke in one hand, digging through a duffel bag for pajamas by the time he got to the room.

Baker handed him a bottle of water as soon as he got in, pulling him to the side. "She okay?"

"Migraine."

Without a word, Adrian went to the bathroom and flicked on the dimmer of the two lights.

"Poor girl. Does she need anything?" Jen looked back at the bathroom door with worried eyes. Baker crossed the room and sat with his girlfriend, who swung her legs across his lap. "I might have some aspirin in my purse."

"I'll check," Mitchell said. He opened the door to the bathroom. "Baby? Do you want some aspirin?"

Adrian shook her head. "Can you get the Excedrin out of my bag and leave it on the counter?"

"Sure," he said.

"You guys going to burn the bones now?"

"Yeah. You want me to pick up anything for you?"

Adrian shook her head. "I'm not really up to eating right now. But I ordered you a pizza when I came in. I'll have Jen pick it up soon so you'll have food when you get back."

Mitchell leaned in and kissed her temple. "Okay. Yo, Baker. Let's roll," he called. "We need to get back as quickly as possible so we can get some shuteye. There's an interesting case in Colorado by the looks of it."

Adrian started the shower. "Hello darling," a voice said.

Adrian turned around. "What do you want, Crowley?"

He looked her over with a practiced eye. "You've certainly grown into yourself this year. Nearly seventeen now, aren't you?"

"What do you want?" she pressed. "I'd like to shower, if you don't mind. I feel pretty shitty right now."

"Just wanted to drop off some information." Crowley shrugged. "Your daddy's gone topside again. Thought you'd like to know."

Adrian kept her eyes from going wide. "Pardon?"

"He's back on Earth."

"Why tell me?" Adrian demanded.

"He's got something of mine I'd like back. So do be a dear and carry that message for me." Then he was gone and Adrian was able to peacefully take her shower.

Instead she opened the door. "Hey, Jen?" she called.

"Yeah?" The blond shouted, TV blaring next to her.

"Pizza is ready and we're out of soap. Mind running to grab some and getting the food?" The place was right across the street, so she knew the girl wouldn't mind.

"No problem," Jen said. "I'll pick up some more icepacks while I'm out, too." She turned the TV off and grabbed her purse. Adrian heard the door open and shut.

She flipped the water off and practically ran to the hotel phone. Sat down and refrained from gripping her head even though it was pounding like it was being prison raped with a shotgun. Dialed the last of her uncle's active numbers with shaking hands. Waited for the ringing to start while anxiously counting her breaths to make sure her voice didn't shake as much as her traitorous body did.

"Hello?" the gruff voice she had missed so much.

Her voice sounded as wet as her face was when she tasted salt on her lips. "Daddy?"