Chapter 9

The next morning dawned overcast with a hint of rain in the air. Dean was the first up and grabbed a shower before waking Sam to get him moving. He noticed Sam was moving at a snail's pace and still seemed tired but chalked it to being under the siren's influence longer than he had been himself. He called Dom to let him know they would be ready to leave shortly. Once their bags were packed and the room given a quick once over to be sure nothing was left behind, Dean headed out the door with Sam close behind. They found Dom standing by his car that he had moved closer to the Impala.

"Hey kid," Dean greeted him. "So, we're about twelve hours or so from Sioux Falls and since there's no rush, I figured we'd drive around seven hours and get a room for the night. No need to kill ourselves getting there."

"I can help with that. I have some family that live near Kansas City, Missouri I can contact, and we can stay with them. Save on money and we can get a home cooked meal," Dom offered. "Plus, I'm sure my cousins would love to meet two good looking single guys."

"You sure it will be okay?"

"Yes, we are a giving family and help each other out when needed. Might as well take advantage of it."

"Okay then, let's head out. Sammy, did you look up a route to take?"

"Yeah, easiest is head north on Interstate 55 and pick up Interstate 70 west toward Kansas City."

"I'll take the lead for a while and let you have it when we get close so you can guide us," Dean told Dom.

"That is fine. I'll send a text for them to be expecting us."

"I hope you can keep up, Dean does get a little heavy footed on the open road," Sam said trying to keep a straight face.

He got a serious look from Dean for a moment and could not help but smirk at him. It was not many times that Sam could get the best of Dean.

"My car may not look like much, but she's stoked under the hood. I'll be sure to hold back, so I don't run you over," Dom played along.

Dean turned his gaze to Dom thinking they were ganging up on him. He snorted before dropping behind the wheel of the Impala and cranking her up.

"Glad you're riding with him," Dom whispered in Sam's head as he snickered.

"He'll get over it," Sam replied as he went around and got in on the passenger side.

Dom got into his car and waited for Dean to pull out so he could follow him across town to the interstate. He punched in a number on his cell and put it on speaker so he could talk. His extended family was happy to be of assistance and looked forward to seeing him and his friends. They would prepare rooms and food for when they arrived. With that taken care of, Dom gave his full attention to driving and keeping the Impala within sight. He fell in behind Dean, keeping a safe distance from the traffic around him.

spn

A bright streak of lightening shot across the sky, followed by another one and the rumble of thunder in front of the Impala making Dean squint for a moment as he concentrated on the cars around him. The storm had hit about three hours into their drive, and it looked like they were going to run through the worst of it. He checked in the rearview mirror to be sure Dom was still behind them.

"My Baby is going to need gas soon, but I was hoping we'd get past this storm before stopping," Dean commented, glancing over at Sam who was staring randomly out the windshield. He noticed his breathing was shallow and his chest was hardly moving. "Hey, you with me?" he questioned when he saw a glazed look in Sam's eyes.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine," Sam rushed when he realized Dean was talking to him.

"Why don't you call Dom and let him know we'll be stopping soon for gas and maybe some food if there's a decent place to eat."

"Okay," Sam nodded pulling his cell out to make the call. He spoke to Dom for a few minutes before hanging up. "Dom says that is fine."

"Where were you Sammy?"

"What do you mean?"

"A second ago, it was like your mind had left and your body was here."

"It was nothing, just day dreaming is all," Sam replied looking out the side window so Dean would not see the shame in his eyes about lying to him. He did not want to tell Dean that he was thinking about what the siren had done to him and how much he liked it. Sam knew he was under her spell, but that seemed so real, it bothered him that he was not strong enough to resist her hold on him. He was still upset that she made them fight and if Dom had not showed up, he wondered how it would have turned out. Who would have won, he thought?

"Whatever," Dean huffed knowing Sam was not going to talk about it and let it drop. There was no need pushing him when he got like this, it only made Sam more closed off about things. He started watching the road signs looking for a truck stop or a good exit that had gas and food. They had made good time until running into the storm and decided it would not hurt to stop and eat when they got gas.

It was twenty minutes later Dean spotted a sign for a truck stop a few miles ahead and decided it would do. He had never been disappointed with the food at any of the truck stops he had stopped at over the years. Dean moved over a lane and glanced in the mirror to see Dom do the same.

The storm was not letting up as Dean exited from the interstate and stopped at the red light. He looked to the truck stop seeing there were only a few cars parked in front of the place. He signaled his intentions and drove slowly across the bridge over the interstate. Dean found two parking places near the front doors and took one of them. He glanced to the side as Dom stopped beside him and cut his engine.

"Make a run for it Sammy," Dean told him as he turned the collar of his jacket up and made ready to follow him.

Sam jogged to the door and stepped inside shaking his jacket, and pushing his wet, dripping hair out of his face. He looked around and saw the signs for the restrooms at the back. Sam did not wait for the others as he headed that way wanting to use the restroom and try to dry off some.

"Damn! It's a monsoon out there," Dean complained stepping into the restroom with Dom behind him. He was shaking his jacket to rid it of the drops of rain.

"Hopefully, it'll slack up when we get ready to leave," Sam replied as he washed his hands. He waved his hand over the towel holder several times making paper towels spit out from the bottom. After tearing the stripe off, he ran it over his head to try and get what water he could from his hair. He ran his fingers through it and washed his hands before stepping from the room. He headed to the restaurant part of the truck stop and got a table at the windows.

Dean and Dom paused in the archway glancing around until they spotted Sam and headed his way. They took a seat at the table and picked up menus to decide what to order.

"Hello gentlemen, I'm Katie your waitress. What can I get you to drink?" a young woman asked posed with her pad ready to write.

"Large coffee," Dean replied.

"Sweet tea," Sam continued.

"Coffee and water," Dom finished.

"Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks and get your orders." Katie hurried off to the drink station to fill their order and stopped at the warming station to fill a basket with hot rolls. She sat a drink in front of each of them and the rolls in the middle of the table.

"Are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?" she asked.

"We're ready. I'll have a bacon, double cheeseburger with steak fries, and a large slice of pecan pie," Dean told her. "Oh, and could you have to cook throw some sautéed onions on the burger?"

"Sure thing," she nodded scribbling on her pad and gave Dean another sly glance, liking what she saw. She would not turn any of the three down if asked, but she did love his dreamy green eyes.

"I'll take a Cobb salad with ranch dressing on the side," Sam said. He stacked his menu on top of Dean's and sipped on his tea.

"And for you?" she asked Dom.

"I'll have a grilled chicken sandwich, sweet potato fries, and a slice of apple pie," Dom recited handing her his menu.

"Okay, I'll get this in to the cook," Katie told them and hurried off.

"So, how much farther do you think?" Dean asked Dom as he buttered a roll before taking a bite.

"I'd say another three hours, depends on weather and traffic."

"That should put us there late afternoon then."

"There about. My aunts and cousins are preparing a meal for us and I'm sure most of the family will be there, so there will be plenty of food and drink."

"Man, your family knows how to treat a guest."

"That they do. It's always been like that. We take care of our own."

"Sweet."

They had light conversation while waiting on their food. It was not long before Katie came back carrying a large tray and unfolded a holder to sit it on.

"Here we go, grilled chicken sandwich for you, Cobb salad for you and a double cheeseburger with sautéed onions for you," she said, lingering longer with Dean than the others. She sat the rest of their food on the table and picked up the empty tray. "Is there anything else you need? Anything at all?"

"I think we're good," Dean told her, winking at Katie, and making her blush slightly.

"Alright then, enjoy your food. If you do need anything else, let me know." Katie headed back toward the kitchen a bounce in her step.

"Come to papa," Dean cooed picking up his burger to take a bite and humming with delight. He squirted ketchup on his plate and dipped a French fry in it before popping it in his mouth. "I gotta say, it can't get any better than this."

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean as he salted and peppered his salad before pouring the dressing over it. He mixed it before taking a bite and chewing slowly. Sometimes Dean's love of food went a little too far, but he took it in stride since he knew there was no changing him.

"I have to say, the food is good here," Dom commented after sampling his food. "The sweet potato fries are exceptional."

"You usually won't go wrong stopping at a truck stop like this. I've ate at a bunch of them over the years and haven't been disappointed yet. Wait 'til you taste the pie."

Sam sat quietly eating his salad as he listened to Dean and Dom talk about random things and pointers on hunting. He was not in the mood to join in the conversation and let them talk. He did not see Dean give him a concerned look when he was not looking. He pushed his salad around in the bowl to make it look like he was eating more than he was. He took another bite of a roll and looked out the window at the driving rain as it beat against the glass. He looked off in the distance and noticed it looked like the sky was clearing the way they were heading.

"What did I tell you?" Dean nodded as Dom took a bite of his pie and smiled his approval.

"Almost as good as my Aunt Zee's pies."

"Looks like the storm's passing over, finish up Sammy so we can fill up and head out."

"I'm done," Sam replied, pushing his plate aside. "I'm going to use the restroom before we go."

"You want me to get you a drink to go?"

"Maybe a water."

"Okay, meet you outside." Dean pulled his wallet out and looked at the bill. He pulled money out being sure to add enough for a tip.

"Here you go, my part," Dom told him passing some bills to him.

"I got it," Dean insisted. "You can get the next one."

"You sure?" Dom asked standing when Dean did.

"Yep. Let's go fill the cars so we can finish the drive."

"Right behind you."

Dean stopped in the convenience part of the truck stop to pick up a couple of waters for the remainder of the trip. They went to their separate cars and pulled them to the pumps to gas them. Dean looked up when Sam jogged toward him but stopped before reaching him. He watched Sam stare off in the distance and tried to see what he was looking at. Off in the distance, a double rainbow stretched across the sky in a picture perfect scene.

"Nice ain't it, Sammy?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't see many double ones." He pulled out his cell and snapped a couple of pictures before getting into the car.

"You want to lead the rest of the way?" Dean called to Dom as he hung the hose up and replaced the gas cap on the Impala.

"Sure, I'll keep it at a reasonable speed so you can keep up," Dom teased before getting in his car and cranking it.

Dean laughed and dropped into the driver's seat to start the Impala. He waited for Dom to pull out and fell in behind him as he led them back to the interstate heading west.

A/N: We will get to meet more of Dom's extended family before getting to Bobby's. We are getting close to the end of this story, but not the end of the journey. Reviews would be great. NC