Sam stared at the note, perplexed. How did they know Jess was going to call him? How did they know about the nightmares? He swallowed, taking a deep breath and keeping his gun at the ready. There had been sulphur. That meant demons. But why would a demon show up in a vampire's nest? An empty nest. Sam stuffed the note in his pocket, analyzing the options. Basically, it all came down to the fact that he was being followed. But how could a demon know about a dream he had? And what had the demon meant by "Aren't you glad you didn't answer your phone?" Was something wrong with Jess?
Sam was about to reach for his cell.
"It's empty. Nothing and no one is here." Dean busted through the door angrily. "They must have got wind that we were coming."
"Must have." Sam nodded. "Hey Dean…"Sam cleared his throat. " There's something that…"
"What?"
Sam hesitated. He didn't know why, but he want to say anything about the note. It wasn't that he wasn't afraid. He was. But for some reason, Sam thought he should deal with this himself.
The ride home was uncomfortable. John sat shotgun, and Sam sat in the back itching to check his messages but unable to with his father and Dean in the car. He eventually did a quick scan and saw that Jess hadn't left any voicemail or text. Dean sat quietly and blared AC/DC on the stereo, fuming about missing the hunt. Any time John looked at Sam, he seemed to me analyzing him. Stop looking at me like that.
"So what now?" Sam questioned to break the ice."Dono…"Dean shrugged. " Hunt 'em down I guess."
John gave Sam that searching look again.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sam's eyebrows met.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm fine." He shrugged. "Just pissed about the hunt, that's all."
"Well you don't look fine." John argued. "You've been acting weird all day."
"Have I?" Sam replied half-heartedly. "Just comes with being the freak of the family I guess."
"Guys…"Dean moaned. " Don't do this again."
"Don't try to turn this around on me," John ignored his son. "You just show up here and pretend that nothing happened and that you never abandoned us."
"I was just trying to go to college! You were the one who kicked me out."
"Because I couldn't watch you throw your life away!" John argued back.
"Dad! Sam!" Dean honked the horn loudly a couple times.
"I don't need to be dependent on you for every little thing. I wanted my own life," Sam ignored Dean's protests.
"And you think the people there can help you do that?" John shook his head angrily. "Are you even happy there?"
"I'm not a kid! I don't need you to approve my friends, or any of the other people in my life."
"Obviously not, because you can throw your life away without my help now, can't you! So much for caring about your family!"
"I followed you around at this job for twenty years! I wanted to start my own life. I worked my ass off to go to Stanford, and you shoot me down. That is not caring about family!"
Dean pulled the Impala over at the side of the road, and turned around to John and Sam. "Shut up, both of you!" He glared at both of them in turn. "Sam, stop blaming the whole fight on dad. You were involved too. And dad," he turned to John. "Sam has a pretty decent life at Stanford. So stop acting like he sold himself to slavery or something."
The three men glared at each other for a few seconds before Sam's phone rang. "You going to get that?" John asked eventually, angry but subdued.
Sam swallowed. Maybe that was the demon. Should he answer it? He pulled it out of his jacket pocket, leaving the car. He walked a far enough to be well out of earshot. "Hello?"
"Sam…"A voice cried from the other end. It was Jess.
"Jess what's wrong?" Sam tried not to sound too worried, even though he was.
Dean and John got out of the car behind him, watching Sam from afar and wondering what was going on.
"I went in for screening this morning…"Jess sniffled. " I called but you didn't pick up."
"I'm sorry. I was busy. I didn't know when you were going to call." Sam looked to Dean, who raised an eyebrow. Dean knew whom Sam was talking to. "How did it go?"
"How do you think?"
Sam didn't say anything. "Well… it can't be that bad can it? I know the doctors said there was risk, but" –
"There's no risk, Sam," Jess let out a muffled sob from the other end of the phone. "It's too late."
"What?"
"I lost the baby Sam."
