Carrying their duffel bags and Sam's laptop case, Dean stepped onto Bobby's front porch. With the way Sam was staring blankly at the door, Dean was pretty sure his brother had not knocked. Reaching past Sam, Dean rapped his knuckles against the wooden door. A few seconds later the later the door opened, alerting Dean to the fact that Bobby had been waiting nearby.
"Sam, Dean, It's good to see you boys." Bobby was happy to have the Winchesters at his house. He just wished it was under better circumstances.
Looking down at Bobby, Dean silently wondered if it would ever stop feeling weird to see Bobby in that chair. "Hey, Bobby."
"Come on in." Bobby wheeled his chair out of the way to make room for Dean and Sam to enter the house.
Bobby gave the youngest Winchester a once as he entered the house. He took note of the way he stumble slightly as he walked through the door. The boy looked exhausted. When he looked in Sam's eyes, something wasn't right. There was an unrestrained fear in them that he'd never seen before. He'd hunted with Sam, seen the youngest Winchester face down ghosts. He'd been there when an eight year old Sam had to get ten stitches and a tetanus shot after cutting his foot on a rusty piece of metal in the salvage yard. Yet in none of those times did Bobby see fear in Sam's eyes, not like he did now. Bobby's heart broke at the sight.
"Hey, Sam," said Bobby, not surprised when he didn't receive a response. "Supper should be ready soon. How does pot roast sound?"
"Sounds delicious," replied Dean, suddenly feeling ravenous.
"Good. Why don't you put your things way. The spare bedroom upstairs is all ready for you two."
"Bedroom? What, no sleeping on the couch?" joked Dean knowing that Bobby wouldn't have made Sam, in his current condition, sleep on the couch.
"Well, since my insurance company insists on paying for a home aide that I don't need, I figured I'd put her to good use. Told her my nephews were stopping by for a visit and she made up the beds with clean sheets. Also, there's plenty of clean towels."
"Thanks, Bobby." Turning to Sam, Dean spoke, "Why don't you go rest on the sofa while I take our bags upstairs."
Sam just stood there moment before heading into the family room. His backside was throbbing from sitting in the car for so long that laying down was a relief. However, tired as he was Sam kept his eyes open afraid to fall asleep.
"Sammy, why don't you try and get some sleep. I'll wake you when supper's ready." Seeing the uncertainty in Sam's eyes he added, "I promise, I'll be here when you wake."
SNSNSNSN
Dean gave a small smile at the sight that greeted him when he came back downstairs, Sam stretched out on the sofa asleep. Seeing Sam looking so relaxed for the first time in days, cemented for him that going to Bobby's was a good idea. Grabbing a blanket from the back of an empty chair, he gently draped it over Sam.
Quietly, Dean slipped out of the room and into the kitchen making sure to stay where he could see Sam. He made a promise to his brother and he intended to keep it.
"Need any help, Bobby?"
"Nope. Everything's done. I'm just waiting for it to finish cooking."
"Okay," said Dean with a small nod of the head. Seeing a pot of recently brewed coffee on the counter, Dean helped himself to a cup.
It was quiet in the kitchen for a few minutes as Dean sipped his coffee and Bobby occasionally peeked at the roast in the oven. Then Bobby decided to address the elephant in the room. "Dean, what happened?"
When Dean had called Bobby from the hospital, he had told the older what happened. However, it was really just a brief overview. Now it was time to give the full details. It wouldn't be easy, but Dean felt safe talking to Bobby, who over the years had become like a second father to him. "I don't know, Bobby. I had finished my hunt and was just about to head out of town when I got Sam's phone call. I thought he wanted to let me know that he had arrived at your house. I didn't realize how much time had passed since we previously talked. He should have been at your house for a while already. Like I told you before, Sam was pleading for me to come get him."
Taking a deep shuddering breathe, Dean pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and sat down, making sure that he still had a good view of Dean. "The phone call got cut off, but within a few seconds my phone was ringing again. I was glad to see that it was Sam."
When Dean fell silent, Bobby gently urged him on.
"I could, um, I could hear him. I could hear that bastard raping Sam."
"Dear God!" exclaimed Bobby. Dean hadn't told him about the second phone call when they talked previously.
"Sam was crying and that bastard kept telling him to say how much he liked it." Dean swiped at his eyes, wiping away tears that had barely begun to fall.
"Oh, Dean." Bobby didn't know quite what to say. There were no words that would take away the memory of that horrific phone call from Dean.
"I called the phone company and tracked down Sam's location." Dean took a deep breath. "I was able to find the motel that Sam said he was at. When I went inside, I found Sam face down on the bed, both arms were cuffed to the bed and he wasn't wearing any clothes."
"What about the bastard who raped Sam?"
"I don't know where he was. Sam was alone when I found him." An image of how Sam looked when Dean found him flashed through his mind. "God, Bobby, he didn't even recognize me at first. He thought I was that bastard come back for more. Once Sam realized it was me, I got him out of there and to the hospital."
"Thank God, you were able to get him out of there."
"I know."
"So what happened next?" asked Bobby. "Were the police called in?"
At Bobby's mention of the police, Dean gave a scowl.
"What?"
Dean mumbled something about a certain detective being dick of the millennium before he proceeded to tell Bobby about the police dismissing the possibility that there was a serial rapist on the loose.
"Wait a minute, the police don't believe these men were raped by the same guy?"
"Yeah. One poor guy had to have surgery to repair the damage, but because he's gay, the police refuse to believe he was raped."
"That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."
Dean couldn't help, but nod in agreement. "You know, Sam's doctor knew what motel I found him in without me mentioning it. I'm thinking that it must be where the other victims were raped. The reason we left is that I wanted to get Sam away from there before that a-hole of a detective could question him. It would have done way more harm than good."
Feeling overwhelmed from relieving the whole ordeal, Dean fell silent.
Reaching out, Bobby gave Dean's arm a light squeeze. "Dean, I want you to know that you and Sam can stay here as long as you want. If you need anything, just ask."
"Thanks, Bobby." Dean felt a little lighter after talking to Bobby. Coming to here was definitely the right decision to make.
A silence fell over the room once again only to be broken a moment later when the oven timer sounded. While Bobby removed the roast, Dean busied himself with setting the table. When everything was ready, he went to wake his brother.
SNSNSNSN
"Sam, it's dinner time," said Dean as he walked into the family room. Hearing the soft pleading that was coming from Sam had Dean rushing to his side. He gave Sam's shoulder a gentle tug, pulling him from his slumber.
There was a look of pure fear that flashed through Sam's eyes when he opened them. It went away as he took in his surroundings and he realized he was at Bobby's. Sagging back against the sofa, relief spread through Sam. He was safe, at Bobby's, and Dean was there as promised.
More to Come
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