On the road.

A few hours later.

Jennifer was pushing sixty in her Honda Accord on some unfamiliar back road when her cell phone rang. She reached for the device, which was resting conveniently in her cup holder. Removing her eyes from the traffic-free highway for just a moment, she checked the caller ID.

Dean Cell.

She swallowed hard and turned down her stereo, quieting the sounds of Boston. She flipped open her RAZR. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Dean." Jennifer heard him cringe as he said, "Please tell me your mom had just walked up."

She heaved a sigh. "Not exactly."

"What happened?"

"You mean after you ran for the hills like a coward?"

"No," Dean said. "After I ran for the hills like a smart person."

Jennifer sighed again. "She kicked me out."

"What? Where are you now?"

"I don't know. Somewhere in Louisiana."

"Louisiana?" Dean repeated. "What the hell are you doing there?"

"Driving. Hoping my stupid psychic crap will lead me to someone I can help."

"And just how do you expect to help them?"

"By using everything I've learned. What Brother Frank taught me. What you and Sam taught me," she said. "I'll manage."

"I'm sure you will." That sounded a bit sarcastic. "You could have at least said goodbye."

She frowned. "Why? You wouldn't have let me go alone. But you wouldn't have let me go with you either. You didn't want my blood on your hands. Now, this way, if anything happens to me, it's my own fault."

"That's the truth."

Her frown deepened.

"So, what, you're just gonna live in your car?" Dean wanted to know.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do. I guess I'll just find my own cheap motel with questionable sheet stains to stay in. At least until my money runs out."

"That's insane."

"I've got nowhere else to go, Dean," Jennifer admitted, keeping her eyes on the dimly lit road ahead. "No apartment. No friends. No family. This is all I've got." She gulped. "Look, I know how hard the job is. I've seen how dangerous it can get. I know the risks you have to take, and I know the consequences of taking them. These past couple of months, I've seen all of that first hand." She paused. "I know it's insane. But this is what I've gotta do."

The line went silent. After a few seconds passed, she heard Dean draw in a deep breath. "Well," he started, "Just promise me…please…that you'll be careful."

She was touched by the fact that he cared. "Okay. I will."

"And try not to get into too much trouble. Because I'm for damn sure not comin' to save your ass."

Jennifer smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"But you know…" Dean cleared his throat. "For what it's worth, I, uh, well, me and Sam both, we didn't mind havin' you around. After all these years of doing this together, you know, he and I kinda have our own way of doing things. Of getting the job done. But somehow, we made it work with you. And honestly…you were a big help. So…uh…yeah." He cleared his throat a second time. "If you need us, call us. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you."

"No problem."

Silence.

"Well, uh, you and Sam," Jennifer said, trying to swallow the lump that was growing in her pharynx, "you two be careful, too."

"We will."

"And call me, some time, you know, to let me know how you're doing."

"Of course."

More silence.

Out of habit or nervousness or a combination of the two, Dean cleared his throat again. "Take care of yourself, Jennifer."

She just nodded, only somewhat aware that he couldn't hear her response.

There was a click as Dean hung up his end.

Jennifer closed her flip phone and placed it back inside the cup holder. With a weary sigh, she relaxed in her seat and stared at the asphalt stretching out before her, wondering where in the world it would take her. And if it would ever lead her back to the Winchesters.

She increased pressure on the accelerator and drove onward into the unknown.

A dark hallway.

Sam journeyed down a dark hallway. Or tunnel. A dark tunnel. That was a better way to describe the blackness that enclosed him. He moved along cautiously, listening as a deep voice originating from unseen lips taunted him.

"You are mine, Sam."

The voice grew louder as Sam took two steps forward.

"You belong to me."

He felt his heart pounding inside him.

"Come to me, Sam. You're mine."

Sam swallowed.

"Don't make me come to you, Sam."

Suddenly, the darkness shifted, and a pair of gleaming yellow eyes appeared before him. Those familiar, menacing eyes that were so ironically the color of sunshine and warmth and happiness.

"Join me, Sammy."

Sam's eyes popped open. He sat straight up in bed, terrified from the nightmare. Frantically, he glanced around the motel room, expecting to find the Yellow Eyed Demon lurking in the corner, waiting to strike. But he saw nothing threatening. The place was still. Dean was sleeping soundly across the room. The only noise was the soft hum of the air conditioner.

Sam was safe. For now.

It didn't take him long to realize that he wasn't going to fall asleep again anytime soon.

He didn't want to.

So, to keep himself from drifting off into his nightmare again, Sam quietly rose from his bed, being careful not to wake his sleeping brother. He pulled on some clothes, exited the motel room, and went for a walk. Just as he had done every single night for the past three weeks without his brother's knowledge.