Dean and I called everyone we knew to see if they'd seen Sam. I was on the phone with Bobby, explaining to him that Sam had disappeared from my house during the night; Dean was talking to Ellen to see if Sam had for some reason showed up at the Roadhouse. Everyone we called said they hadn't seen him but would contact us if they did. It was irritating. Baby was still parked outside so we were pretty sure he had left on foot. How far could someone get by walking without being seen by someone, anyone?

After going out to get a bite to eat, we returned to the house to search for any clues as to why he left and where he would go. I had no idea what was going through the boy's mind. Why did he just leave without telling me, or even his brother. I knew they were close; I've watched them become closer in the few months I've been hunting with them. Since the accident that took their father's life. Almost losing his big brother, the one who practically raised him, opened Sam's eyes and he became more open and honest with him. And I had thought Sam and I were getting close. I see him as the brother I never had. So, this vanishing act was totally out of left field.

"Dean," I turn to him as he walks back into the kitchen. "Yesterday, when I was asleep and you and Sam were out of the car, I might have heard something. Could this have anything to do with that?" I ask timidly.

Dean swipes his hand down his face. "Probably. Some truths were told and I don't think he took them well."
"What truths? Dean, what did you say to him?"

Dean crosses the room and sits at the table next to me. "When we had the accident and Dad and I were in the hospital, he told me something before he died. Something about Sammy."

"What?" I ask, taken aback. "What did John tell you that would make Sam run off?"

"Right before he died, he told me to watch out for Sammy. Told me to save him. That if I couldn't save him, I'd have to..." Dean pauses to suck in a ragged breath. "He told me if I couldn't save him, I'd have to kill him." Tears are caught in his eyelashes as he looks at me. "Nic, how could he? How the fuck could he ask me to do that? That's my brother, dammit!" He slams his fist on the table, startling me. But that doesn't shock me as much as Dean's confession of what John put on his shoulders.

"He told you that? Who the hell does he think he is?" I shriek. "Telling you that you might have to kill your own brother? Who does that? Who fucking does that?" Standing up from my chair, I begin pacing the kitchen. I am beyond livid at John Winchester. To know that the whole time his children was growing up he was gone, leaving Dean to be a father, mother and brother to Sam and then just turn around and say 'Oh yea, and you might have to kill the one person you raised'. I feel like punching something, preferably John's face, but that was impossible so I ball my fist and slammed it into the refrigerator, denting the door. I hear a chair scrape the floor and next thing I know, Dean's arms wrap tightly around me and he pulls me to him. "NIc, it's okay. We'll figure this shit out. No way in hell I'm ending my brother. No matter how darkside he goes. We will work together, me and you, and solve this all." Dean kisses the crown of my head. "You with me?"

I lift my head from his chest and look into his eyes. "Wouldn't be anywhere else."

"Good," he smiles at me and leans in to kiss me when his phone rings.

"It's Ellen."

"Hello?"

"Yea, have you heard from Sam?"

"Come on, Ellen, please. Something bad could be going on here, and I swore I'd look after that kid."

"Thanks."

Dean looks at me as he hangs up and slips his phone back into his pocket. "He's in Lafayette, Indiana."

I don't say anything, I just grab the keys to the house and walk upstairs to grab our bags. Dean meets me at the bottom of the stairs, taking the bags and heads outside to load up Baby. I lock up the house, get into the Impala's passenger seat and we take off east toward Indiana.

We get to Lafayette and Dean stops and makes a phone call to find out if Sam used a credit card to secure a hotel room. His inquiry leads us to the Blue Rose Motel. The parking lot is half filled with cars and we easily find one with Oregon plates in front of room 14. Looking out the window of the Impala, we can see into the room. Sm is standing there with his back to us, but with the height and hair length, we know it's him."Oh thank God you're okay." Dean mumbles.

Sam steps to the side and we see a petite, brown haired woman standing there.

"Oh, you're better than okay. Sam, you sly dog!" Dean laughs. I slap him across his chest. "Ow! What was that for?"

Before I can respond we hear the sound of shattering glass and both see that the window we just saw Sam in has been busted. Sam and the girl are no longer in our view. Dean jumps out of the Impala and I follow behind. A gunshot fills the air and Dean and I both look to the place the sound came from. A silhouette of a man on his stomach can be seen on top of the building across the way.

"You go check on Sam and the girl," Dean tells me as he turns toward the shooter's hiding place. "I'll take care of this and be there shortly."

"Ok," I tell him. "Dean? Be safe."

"Always," he says, smirking at me. "Now go!" I watch him take off and turn to head toward Sam's room, afraid of what I'm going to find. Thankfully, Sam and the girl are fine, just shaken. Sam is not surprised to see me and introduces me to his friend, Ava.

"Where's Dean?" he asks me.

"Gone after the shooter. He'll be here soon, I hope."

"What is going on?" Ava asked, freaking out. "Why is someone shooting at us?"

"I don't know," Sam tells her. I keep looking through the broken window, hoping to see Dean. After 15 minutes, Sam and I decide to go see if we can find him.

"Wait! I'm not staying here alone," Ava tells us and follows Sam and I across the street.

Once we get to the roof of the building, I point out where we had seen the shooter and Sam walks over. Bending down, he picks up a discarded shell. He looks up at me. "These are .223 caliber. Subsonic rounds. The guy must have put a suppressor on the rifle."

"Dude, who are you guys?" Ava asks, looking between me and Sam. I can tell she is slowly beginning to lose control.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," I tell her and look back at Sam. "Who could it be? What could it be?"

"I don't know," Sam answers honestly.

"Shouldn't we be talking to the cops?" Ava asks, seeming to have calmed down a bit.

"Trust me, that wouldn't do us much good," Sam tells her and I nod in agreement.

"Sam, try calling Dean. Maybe he'll answer." I tell him.

Sam pulls out his phone and dials. Ava walks up to me; her face is pale and I can tell that she is about at the end of her rope with all this. "Who is he calling?"

"His brother," I explain. "We came here looking for him and Dean went after the shooter while I came to check on you guys. Now he's missing."

I turn to Sam as he hangs up the phone. I can see the worry etched on his face. "What is it?" I ask cautiously.

"He's in trouble," Sam says, his brow furrowed.

"What?" I can feel the fear slowly grabbing hold.

"He gave me a codeword. "

"Codeword?" Ava asks, clearly confused.

"Yeah. Uh, well he thought of it. It's kind of a long story." He explains to her then turns to me and says one word, "Funkytown."

"Someone's got a gun on him," I confirm. Oh god, this can't be happening. Who the hell was shooting at Sam and now is holding Dean hostage. I try to consider everyone, humans and demons included, that we have come across within the last little bit that we could have pissed off but no one comes to mind.

Sam and I escort Ave to her vehicle. "I don't think I should leave," Ava says once approach her car.

"I want you out of harm's way, Ava," Sam tells her.

"What about you two?

"Harm's way doesn't really bother me," I tell her, pasting a smile on my face.

"We'll be fine," Sam says.

"No, but you are walking right into my vision. I mean, this is how you die," she pleads.

"Doesn't matter. It's my brother," Sam explains. " 'Sides Nic wasn't in your vision."

"Maybe I could help!" She suddenly bursts out with energy.

"You've done all you can. Just, just go back to your fiance. "

"Are you sure?" She eyes us curiously.

"Yes, we're sure. Go home, Ava. You'll be safe there," I say to her and watch her get into her car and drive away.

"What are we going to do Sam?"

"Dean gave me an address to meet him at. Whoever has him, I don't think they know you're here too."

"So we use that as an advantage."

Sam and I stand in front of 5637 Monroe Street. It's a old, dilapidated building with some of it's siding gone and most of the windows missing and boarded up. It has been decided that I go in front to cause distraction while Sam sneaks around back and comes in to try and rescue Dean. I have no idea what I'm walking into so I take a cleansing breath, look at Sam and nod. He returns it and I walk toward the porch while he stalks around the side, heading to the rear. As I walk up to the door, I catch a glimpse of Dean through one of the boards on the window. He is sitting in a chair, wrists tied to the arms and ankles tied to the legs. A rolled-up bandana is tied around his head, covering his mouth. He looks to his right and I see Gordon Walker walk into view. 'Gordon fucking Walker,' I think to myself. That asshole was hellbent on killing everything in sight when we ran across a few weeks ago. After saving a harmless vamp from his clutches, we left him trussed up inside the house for days.

I turn the knob and slowly open the door, just far enough to squeeze my way in. Hopefully Sam has as much ease as I do getting in through the back. Gordon's back is to me but as soon as Dean sees me, his eyes widen and I can barely make out him screaming "Nic, run!" through his gag. Gordon turns and sees me standing there. "Well, well, if it isn't the Winchester whore. Come to save your boyfriends? Yea, I know Sam is out back working his way in. I got provisions in place to make sure he doesn't get in too far. Don't worry, I'm sure you and Dean here will be able to mourn Sammy's death together."

I stand there and listen to him ramble on. I worry about what he has in place for Sam and my eyes meet Dean's as we hear a lock click through the building. The fear in his eyes are mirrored in mine.

"You hear him? Here he comes," Gordon sings.

An explosion goes off toward the rear and I feel tears slide down my cheeks. "Oh don't cry yet, little NIkki. Not yet. Just wait and see. "

A second explosion rocks the building and I fall to my hands and knees, sobbing loudly. Dean is trying with all his might to break his binds, to no avail. Gordon picks up his rifle and warily walks toward where the explosions took place. I pull myself together enough to get up and run to Dean to get him loose. As I finally get the wrist binds untied and go to work on the ones on his ankles, Dean pulls the gag off his mouth. We hear a gunshot and we both freeze. Sam appears from the room Gordon had entered just minutes before. Dean jumps up, almost knocking me over and grabs Sam into a bear hug. I watch from the floor as Dean pulls back and looks over Sam's injuries. He takes off toward Gordon.

"That son of a ..."

"Dean. No."

"I let him live once. I'm not making the same mistake twice.," Dean tells his brother, venom dripping in his voice.

"Trust me. Gordon's taken care of," Sam assures.

Dean and I help Sam back to the Impala and get him settled on the passenger side. I lean in and get the first aid kit from under the seat. Dean pulls his phone out and walks around the car while I go about cleaning Sam's wounds.

"Well, who else knows about Sam, huh?" Dean turns to look at Sam and me through the windshield. "I mean, you must have been talking to somebody."

"Yeah, well he almost killed us both because somebody over there can't keep their friggin' mouth shut!"

"Gordon said he had Roadhouse connections, Ellen."

Dean hangs up and comes around to the driver's side. "Ellen says no one there could've said anything."

We head out of Indiana; Sam in the passenger seat and I'm in my usual spot behind Dean. Sam takes his phone out and dials.

"Hey, Ava, it's Sam. Again. Um, call me when you get this, just want to make sure you got home okay. Alright. Bye. "

"Everything all right?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, I hope so. "

"Dude, you ever take off like that again..."

"What? You'll kill me?" Sam looks at his brother and chuckles.

"That is so not funny," Dean scowls at him.

Sam laughs. "All right. All right. So where to next, then?"

"One word: Amsterdam."

"Dean!" Sam

"Come on, man, I hear the coffeeshops don't even serve coffee."

"I'll not serve you coffee anytime," I say seductively as I slide forward, wrapping my arms around Dean's shoulder. His eyes meet mine in the rear view mirror; there is a sparkle in them.

"Guys," Sam whines, shuddering. "I'm not just gonna ditch the job."

I slide my arms off Dean's shoulders and slide back against the leather seat.

"Screw the job. Screw it, man, I'm sick of the job anyway," Dean protests. "I mean, we don't get paid, we don't get thanked. The only thing we get's bad luck."

"Well, come on, dude, you're a hunter. I mean, it's what you were meant to do.

"Ah, I wasn't meant to do anything," Dean continues to protest. "I don't believe in that destiny crap."

"You mean you don't believe in my destiny," Sam corrects his brother.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Look, Dean, I've tried running before. I mean, I ran all the way to California and look what happened. You can't run from this. And you can't protect me."

Dean takes his eyes off the road long enough to look over at Sam.

"I can try."

"Thanks for that," Sam says, quietly.

Dean nods, concentrating on the drive.

"Look, Dean, I'm gonna keep hunting," Sam says. "I mean, whatever is coming, I'm taking it head-on, so if you really want to watch my back, then I guess you're gonna have to stick around."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

"Assholes," I join in.

"Hey!" They both retort, grinning and then Sam frowns and picks up his phone again.

"You calling that Ava girl again? You sweet on her or something?"

"She's engaged, Dean."

"So? What's the point in saving the world if you can't get a little nookie once in a while, huh?" I reach up and slap the back of Dean's head. "What? I meant, for him!"

Sam ignores us as he hangs up the phone after only reaching Ava's voicemail once again.

"Just a feeling," Sam says. "How far is it to Peoria?"

We pull up outside Ava's house and I notice her car is in the driveway, so at least she made it home. The boys get to work unlocking the door and I follow them in. It's dark and quiet, almost creepy. We all turn our flashlights on and make it through to the bedroom. A man, presumably Ava's fiance, is lying in bed covered in blood. I check his pulse and slowly nod to the boys; he's dead. Dean walks over to an open window while Sam is investigating the rest of the room.

"Guys," Dean says holding up two closed fingers. "Sulfur."

Sam goes to step toward him but stops and squats down, picking something up. Holding up his discovery, I can see it is the ring that Ava was wearing on her left ring finger, her engagement ring.

"Oh no," I whisper.

We leave Ava's house the way we found it and get back into the Impala.

"I'm sorry Sam. I know she was your friend," I tell him. "She seemed nice."

"Thanks Nic."

The next day, Bobby calls and tells us of a case in close to us. An inn ran by a single mom recently had two strange, unexplained deaths. We tell him we will take it and Sam, Dean and I load up in the black muscle car ready for the 14 hour trek to Connecticut.