[Sorry about the big wait! Had to work lots, but here it is. Not all that much action, but I thought I'd tackle the four years/two years discrepancy haha!]

The Kid's Are Alright

One year later and John still hadn't spoken to Bobby. Of course Bobby had promised to aim his shotgun square at John's chest if he showed up on Bobby's doorstep again. It wasn't good. It was one less safe-house for John and Dean. One less person they could trust. One less person who could help them.

Yet they kept going. Kept trawling the country for cases. A witch in St Louis, spirits in Memphis, demonic omens in Kansas City, Omaha and Louisville. But John came no closer to finding the yellow-eyed demon that had killed Mary. And it was getting to him. If the first year without Sam saw John get less violent towards Dean, the second year was the complete opposite. It started up slowly again, but it escalated nonetheless and soon Dean was starting to wonder whether he'd survive if he kept on going with his father.

"Okay, found something," Dean said, leaning back in the rickety metal motel room chair. He'd been going through obits online trying desperately to find a case. They'd been stranded without one for far too long and John was getting restless. Which meant more trips to the bar and less patience with his son.

"What is it?" John said. He got up and walked over to Dean and stood behind him almost making Dean shiver.

"Well two things actually," Dean replied. He clicked open an article and then a second one. "Crop failure and electrical storms in Napa and a house in San Fran filled with spirits."

"Let me look," John said, roughly grabbing Dean's shoulder and pulling him from the chair. Dean didn't make a fuss just moved away so his father could sit down. He sat down on his bed and started to field-strip his gun so he could clean it.

"Finally," John grumbled. "We got a case. We'll leave in the morning." John grabbed the motel room keys.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked. John spun around.

"Don't you take that tone with me, boy," he snapped.

"Sorry…sir. I just was curious is all," Dean replied softly.

"Out is where I'm going. Stay here."

The door slammed shut making Dean flinch. Once he heard his father start the engine in his truck and drive down the road he pulled his phone out. He silently debated whether or not he should call Sam. Finally he pressed 'call'.

The phone rang out and Sam's familiar voice told him to leave a message. "Hey Sammy, it's uh…it's me…listen…me and Dad are coming out your way soon…there's a case in San Fran and one in Napa, so if…I get a free moment away from Dad, I'll come find you alright…say hi…we're in Spokane at the moment so…we should be there in two"-

The phone beeped when the time ran out and Dean sighed. "Days," he finished.

Sam unlocked the front door of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend Jessica Moore and dropped the keys in the bowl on the side table. They'd moved in together a month ago and Sam was loving every minute of it. He turned on the living room light and dumped his satchel on the coffee table. He pulled out one of his textbooks when he heard his phone ring. He hurriedly tried to dig through his bag to find it and when he finally got his hands on it, it went to answer phone.

"Damnit," he muttered. Then he looked at the caller I.D. and frowned. He listened to the voice mail and his frown grew deeper with each passing second. He exhaled the breath he'd been holding when Dean's voice cut out. "Damnit," he repeated. "Two days or two weeks?" Sam sighed. "God I don't even want Dad here in the first place," he said under his breath.

"Baby? Is that you?"

"Yeah it's me," Sam called back. "Did I wake you?"

"No it's okay. Just trying to get an early night, got that flight to Dallas/Fort Worth in the morning," Jess replied.

Sam turned off the light in the living room and went into the bedroom. "That's right. How long are you going to be away again?"

"Three weeks," Jess replied, a sad look on her face.

"How am I going to survive?" Sam said, laying back on the bed.

"That's exactly what I'm wondering," Jess laughed.

Sam laughed as well, but inside he was sincerely hoping that Dean didn't come looking for him.

Two days later and John's truck and Dean's Impala cruised into the Red Heart Motel in Oakland, an easy drive to both the demonic omens in Napa and the spirits in San Francisco. Once John had them booked in they started research. John took the truck to Napa, told Dean he would be a couple days at most.

Meanwhile, Dean met the owners of the house in South San Francisco. The elderly couple explained that they'd started renovations a month ago and all of a sudden, pots and pans were banging in the middle of the night, cupboard doors would fly open, lights would go on and off and woman dressed in a long black dress had been seen.

It didn't take long for Dean to figure out it was the ghost of Marie O'Connell, the original owner of the house. He tracked down her gravesite to the Eternal Rest Cemetery and waited for nightfall. Then he dug up her coffin and salted and burned her bones. Afterwards, he went back to the house and told the older couple he would be staying in town for the rest of the week and if anything happened to call him.

Then he jumped in the Impala and drove south. Towards Palo Alto.

He found Sam having a quiet beer in a sleepy bar near the University. He would always recognize his brother's tall, lanky frame but he seemed to have let his hair go a little long.

"Hey Sammy."

Sam turned around and almost did a double-take. "Uh, Dean…how did you know I'd be here?"

"Give me some credit here," Dean said, taking a seat on the barstool next to his brother. "It was pretty easy. I found your apartment cause you're listed in the telephone book and then I asked your neighbour where you might be."

"Goddamn Joey, can't keep his mouth shut," Sam replied with only a hint of humour.

"The damn phonebook Sam?" Dean repeated. His voice was steady. "I had to find you in the phonebook cause you couldn't even pick up the phone. I haven't seen you in two years. Two years. And I've only bothered you once on the phone in all that time." Dean finally caught the attention of the bartender and ordered a cold one.

"Dean, where's Dad?"

"Not here, okay?" Dean sighed exasperatedly. For sure he'd bring their father here.

"Where?"

"Napa. Demonic omens. There was a haunting in South San Fran, so I told him I'd look at that if he wanted to go to Napa. So that's where he is alright? Now, can I please just catch up with you? How's college?"

"It's…fine. Dean, how are you?"

"Hey, I get to ask the questions," Dean replied playfully as his beer was set down in front of him. "Got a girlfriend? Your neighbour mentioned a 'Jess'?"

"Yeah, me and Jess have been together for almost a year now. We moved in together about a month ago."

"Hey, man, that's great! Is she smokin'?" Dean asked, jabbing his brother in the ribs.

"I think so," Sam laughed. This felt good. They were falling back into their old ways together. Like brothers should.

"Hey, is the food good here?" Dean asked. "I could definitely go a burger."

Sam nodded and Dean ordered two burgers, one without fries and the other with extra onions.

"So, Dean, how are you?" Sam asked, suddenly getting all serious.

"I'm fine, Sammy, you know me, give me a burger, a cold beer, a blonde and something that goes bump in the night and I'm just peachy," Dean replied with his trademark grin.

"Come on, seriously. How's Dad?"

"Dad's…driven," Dean replied, his smile fading. "He wants to find that demon more than ever. He got a bit antsy last couple of weeks cause there was a drought in cases."

"And by antsy you mean…?"

"Just a bit frustrated you know," Dean replied, trying to skirt the issue.

"And by frustrated you mean he takes his anger out on you?"

Dean looked up at Sam sharply and then, realising he'd given himself away he sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"So he hasn't stopped then?"

Dean shook his head no. He went to change the subject but Sam spoke again.

"Did you ever get a chance to speak with Bobby about it?"

Dean stifled a short, humourless laugh. "Yeah, actually I did."

Sam leaned forward. "And?"

"And that was the last time we went to Bobby's," Dean replied calmly. "Look can we just talk about other things please? I'm alive, I'm okay, Dad's not here. Let's just talk. Tell me about this girl of yours?"

Sam paused studying his brother's face. Finally he answered. They spoke for another two hours until Dean got a text from John saying he was on his back, the omens in Napa were a bust. The two brothers walked outside into the bright California sunshine and Sam smiled when he saw the Impala.

"Huh, thought you would've wrecked it by now. What with your driving," Sam said.

"What? I would never hurt my baby!" Dean replied, stroking the front fender. He turned back to his brother. "Hey, it was good to see you, stay out of trouble alright?"

"Yeah, you too. Stay safe," Sam said, but he wasn't talking about the ghosts and monsters that Dean and John hunted. "If you ever really need me, you can come round. But only if you really need me okay?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Guess you like it here huh?"

"Sure do. But just, if you want, you can, you know, call sometime."

"Sure thing Sammy."

Dean opened the Impala's driver's side door with a creak and climbed in. He turned the key in the ignition and watched his brother shrink smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. Once he got on the highway though, he gunned the engine. Didn't want to be late for his father.

[Hope you like it! Review if you did! Any suggestions/criticism is always welcome]