DISCLAIMER: Yeah, baby!!! I bought about twenty Scratch 'N Win lotto tickets and hit it big on every one of them! FINALLY I have enough money to buy Supernatural! Yep, just look at these babies, they're…(glances)…GONE?!?! No, I only put them down for a second! Just ask the girl with the accent, she…why that…what a b----!!!

SPOILERS: Anything from the Pilot through Hollywood Babylon, fair warning!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

My Strongest Weakness

PREVIOUSLY: "By George, I think he's got it," Odessa grinned back and patted Dracon on the shoulder. "Cyrill, Leon, we're going!" The three men waited for Odessa as she bent down and lifted Sam into her arms. "Come on, Sammy…it's time to see your new home."

Chapter 14

"Want it on your tab, Rollins?"

"You got it, babe!"

"Fine, tab it is. And don't call me 'babe', bastard!" Ellen Harvelle shot back good-naturedly at one of her regular customers. She had been in the barmaid business for plenty of years, but unlike most others, she ran a roadhouse that attracted quite an unusual array of patrons. Well, unusual to the outside world, at least. Not to her. Not only could Ellen say that some of her best friends were hunters of the supernatural, but her own late husband, Bill, had been as well. Through him, she had been introduced to the typically rough and tumble crowd and had made many lasting connections.

Lately, the Winchester family was on top of that list. She and John Winchester had not parted on the best of terms, as she still held him responsible for Bill's death during a hunt on which the two men had gone together. But despite the resentment that still remained, she felt like she had forgiven John through the connection she had made with his sons, Sam and Dean, over the past few months. She always knew they were good kids and now they were turning out to be damn good hunters as well. And while Ellen couldn't deny that she had given Dean hell a few months back for daring to take her daughter, Jo, out on a hunt without her permission, she had for the most part forgiven him too, even though she had barely talked to him since then. But it wasn't because she was still angry; if anything, it was that Dean seemed to be avoiding her and her place.

She surmised that this had a lot to do with keeping his brother safe, and though it stung a little to know that Dean thought contact with the Roadhouse might be a danger to Sam, she knew the thought didn't come without reasoning. One of her frequent visitors, Gordon Walker, had not too long ago hunted Sam down like his typical supernatural prey after finding out that Sam had psychic abilities. He had gone to jail for it – thank God – but almost as disturbing to Ellen as the fact that Sam was nearly killed was Dean having told her that Gordon had claimed someone from her own roadhouse leaked Sam's secret to him. She understood – no matter how much she disapproved – that many hunters thought in black and white and, just as Gordon had, would also see Sam as something evil rather than someone good. But she knew without a doubt that Sam was the latter and feared for the boy's safety. Therefore, even as often as she thought about them, she kept the Winchester name quiet around the rest of her patrons.

"Harvelle's Roadhouse," she greeted after picking up the ringing phone, finding herself instantly taken aback to hear the voice of one of the objects of her reflection on the other end. "Dean? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Honey, how have you and Sam been? Been forever since I've talked to either one of ya." She noted with dismay that Dean's voice sounded weary and upset, and what he said next made her heart sink.

"Sam's gone, he…he's been taken."

Ellen caught her breath and composed herself. "Taken? As in kidnapped?" He quietly confirmed her question. "Oh my God…" Not again… "When? Do you know who did it?" she inquired fearfully as the horrible scenario of another closed-minded hunter having tracked Sam down played through her mind. She remembered that Sam had pulled a sudden disappearing act that had lasted for weeks sometime after the Gordon incident, but Dean had only called to tell her that he had gotten Sam back safely, leaving out any details of what had happened. God, like that boy isn't already in enough danger from his abilities…

She knew that Sam was indeed special, but to her, it had nothing to do with his abilities. Ellen had seen many hunters come and go over the years, but she had never known one like Sam. Because despite all the boy had been through and lost, despite the fact that the supernatural seemed drawn to him like flies to honey, despite the fact that he faced an uncertain future and people who possibly wouldn't be willing to let him live to see it, Sam somehow still possessed a gentle, compassionate heart and an innocent nature that she previously hadn't even thought possible for a hunter. She certainly understood why Dean fought so hard for him and protected him with such ferocity. Sam was a light in a world full of darkness. Definitely something worth fighting for… Dean's somber voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"He's been gone only a few hours, but…it was this creature, Odessa. She's this thing called a familiar that I wounded when I was a teenager. She says she's gonna kill Sam unless I destroy the only weapons in the world that can kill her kind, and that's come down to being a pair of spears. I've got one, I need to know who has the other."

Ellen needed no further prompt. "ASH!" she called through the closed door with a sign that read "The Badass is IN" hanging on it. "Get your badass out here!" The door opened a few seconds later and a groggy-eyed Ash stepped out scratching absentmindedly at his mullet.

"Yes ma'am?" he said with a smirk and a salute as he sauntered up to Ellen.

"Get serious before I give you a different kind of salute. It's Dean," she whispered. Ash's eyebrow quirked. "He needs our help, more specifically, yours. Make sure you use your inside voice."

"Gotcha, m'lady!" Ash cheerily exclaimed and then shrank back at the glare he got from Ellen. "Right, sorry…quiet-like…" He took the phone from her and lowered his voice. "Hey, Dean-o, what's the haps?"

"Ash, I need you to do some research for me. I've got some issues with these creatures called familiars, humanoid familiars… only thing that can kill 'em is a specially-made spear that there's only two of left in existence. I've got one—"

"Need to know who has the other, right?"

"Uh…yeah, exactly."

"'Kay, humanoid familiars…spears…owners, yep. I'm on it, dude, gimme…thirty-seven minutes. I'll ring ya back."

"Thanks, man. I'll owe ya another PBR, I'm guessin'."

"I'll just have Ellen put it on your tab," Ash said with a grin and hung up. He had work to do.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Thirty-seven minutes… Dean slammed his hand on the steering wheel in frustration. Thirty-seven minutes wasn't a long time, he knew that. But with his Sammy in the clutches of an evil bitch and her thugs who were even now doing God only knows what to the kid, thirty-seven minutes would seem like an eternity. Just as the 'few hours' that Sam had been gone had already been feeling like. After recovering from his encounter with Odessa in the motel room, Dean had hit the road in a forlorn search for the dark red possible Ford Taurus that bore a plate matching the letters and numbers Dusty had written down for him. He had been searching for about an hour and a half now with no results. Dean felt like he was back in Hibbing, Minnesota where the Benders had resided, only this time, there would be no friendly cop to help him find his brother as he had thankfully found in Officer Kathleen Hudak. Now, thanks to the shape-shifter that had posed as Dean and the perpetual meddling of Special Agent Henricksen, both boys were wanted by the FBI and had to lay low from the long arm of the law.

Dean also knew that even if he happened upon the car of his search, and through it, found Sam, there wouldn't be much of anything – if anything – that he could do. He could surprise one of the freaks with a spear in the back, but unless the spear happened to impale the other three along with the original, any one of them would likely immediately kill Sam in retaliation. He was almost sorry that he was virtually immune from attacks by familiars because it put a non-immune Sam in that much more danger. But Dean knew that had he not had that immunity, he and Sam both would've likely been dead already...hell, he might not have even made it past fifteen and his first familiar-hunt with his father. Although none of these thoughts probably mattered anyway – he wasn't going to find that car. He'd just have to hope that Ash would come through for him.

He sadly glanced over at the empty passenger seat beside him – the seat that was normally filled by Sam. Whether he was bantering with Dean, laughing goofily, complaining about the music that Dean believed he secretly liked, deep in thought, or leaning his head against the window looking so young and innocent in sleep like he always did, the Impala just wasn't complete without Sam in the seat right beside Dean. Because as much as Dean loved his baby, he loved his baby brother more. More than anything and anyone else in the world. And he was going to get said baby brother back if it was the last thing he did…

Dean jumped as the phone that lay in the empty passenger seat he had been musing about suddenly blared out one of the 'greatest hits of mullet rock' that Dean loved to listen to. He realized now that yet again he hadn't even been listening to any music but there was no time to dwell on the reasons why. Ash was calling. Have I been brooding for a full thirty-seven minutes…? I may have just rivaled Sammy's record! Dean snatched the phone. "Hello?"

"Dean, it's Ash. Got your desired info a little sooner than I thought…'parently this guy ain't too secretive on the whole spear-ownership deal."

"Huh. Good to hear, though. So who's our mystery man?" Ash's tinny voice came over the receiver in reply and the name he spoke caused Dean to slam on the brakes in shock. "Son of a BITCH!"

"Dean? Dean, you okay, man? Tell me your girl ain't scrap metal with you still in it!"

"No…no, I'm good, I'm fine. Just…tell me one more time what the guy's name is?" Ash repeated his answer. "Dammit," Dean grunted.

"You need his address? Cuz if ya do, I—"

"No thanks, Ash, I'll take it from here. Tell Ellen I'll call her once I get my brother back safe."

"Get your…wha?! Dean? What's goin'—"

"Talk to Ellen, I gotta go!" Dean spat and then pushed the 'END' button. He tossed the phone into the passenger seat and adeptly but quickly maneuvered the Impala into a complete 180, then floored it in back in the direction from which he came. Mind completely focused, Dean picked up the phone again. He had another call to make.

TBC…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: LOL, okay, if you're like my LLS, you are going crazy to know who Dean is calling and screaming "Who, who, WHO?!?!?!?!" LOL. Sorry for the cliffie! You'll find out soon enough! The usual thanks to my LLS for the beta and everyone who's reading/reviewing! And now...it's time to announce the results of the name game! The answer to the question is….

Meteors! To be more specific, meteorites (Odessa, Pribram, Ivuna, Harleton) and meteoroids (Draconid, Cyrillid, Leonid, Arietid…sans the '-id') Now, a big congrats to Phx for getting the answer correct in only two tries! Way to go! And yeah, my LLS also got it correct…after about ten or so hints! LOL. Yep, I had her begging for them…hehe. Special mention also to Colby's girl and TammiTam for coming very close with their guesses. :-)

All righty, 'til next chapter, folks…enjoy Sin City tonight! And I don't mean Vegas! LOL.