The afternoon dragged on, and Dean found himself killing the time by cat napping and watching crappy TV on the little set that the nurse brought him. After lunch, he'd convinced Cas that he needed to go home and check on Jack. He'd also made him promise to tell Mom that he was fine and that she should come visit tomorrow rather than make the drive back today. Being alone gave him the opportunity to steal a pair of scissors from the nurse's pocket. They weren't the sharpest, but they would get the job done. After he'd hidden the little scissors in his cast, he felt better knowing that he'd be joining Sam before the morning. Dean even let them give him some more painkillers with his dinner to take the edge off, and so he spent the early hours of the evening blissfully numb as he waited out the end of visiting hours and listened to the hospital quieting down for the night.

As the clock on the monitor by his bed flicked slowly, inexorably towards midnight, Dean must have drifted off for a bit. When he awoke, the room was dark, but his hunter senses told him he was not alone. Scoping out the space, he spotted a figure in a gloomy corner.

"Who's there?" he demanded roughly, feeling very vulnerable and trapped in his broken body.

"No need to worry, it's just me." Rowena drifted out from the shadows and into the light that spilled from the hallway through the half open door.

"What are you doing here, Rowena?" Dean wasn't in the mood for her games.

"I can't pop in for a wee visit?" she asked in mock hurt. "After all, it's not everyday I get to see Dean Winchester in his knickers." Giving him a lascivious waggle of her perfectly groomed eyebrows, Dean found himself wanting to smile despite himself, but the moment of levity was short lived.

"Rowena," he sighed. "You're up to something." It wasn't a question. If she was here in the middle of the night, there was a reason. She moved closer to the bed and frowned.

"Och, that angel of yours is handsome, but not very good with emotions, is he?" Dean just stared at her, unwilling to be baited. "He told me that you were feeling a little...depressed. So, I thought I would come and remind you of just how lucky you are."

"Lucky," Dean scoffed. "How on earth do you figure that?"

"Ah well, let's see." She began to tick items off on her manicured fingertips. "You've got your mother back alive from an alternative universe, young Jack has killed both Lucifer and Michael - your two most powerful enemies, in a day or two the lad will cure you of your infirmities, oh and you have me on your side." She gave him a wicked grin and spread her arms expansively, "The most powerful witch in the world." Laughing lightly at her own joke, she perched on the side of the bed and patted his blanket-covered leg. He couldn't feel it of course, but he recognized the gesture as a kindly one.

"Besides," she said quietly, giving him a look far more compassionate than Dean would have considered her capable, "Death has me keeping Samuel's body in stasis. Now why would she do that if she were taking him away permanently?" She finished her monologue softly with a wry smile.

Hope flashed through Dean like a bolt of lightning. Was it possible that Sam wasn't really gone for good? The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Rowena had a point. If Billie had wanted Sam dead, either to toss him into the Empty, or to send him to some other kind of hell or afterlife, she certainly didn't need Rowena to do it. So why have the witch maintain Sam's body in good condition? Even if she wanted Sammy walking around soulless, she could have just brought his body back to life right away and left them to deal with creepy RoboSam 2.0. Death didn't do anything without a strategy. Suddenly he felt stupid. Maybe he should shelve his plan for now? At least until he could get a straight answer out of Billie.

Once he had made the decision not to kill himself tonight, he felt some of the tension ease from his neck and shoulders. Rowena had been watching his face intently as his thoughts churned and seemed to guess his conclusion. She leaned over him and nimbly plucked the scissors from the edge of his cast where he had hidden them. With a tiny gesture and a murmured word, they winked out of existence.

"You won't be needing those, I think." He couldn't meet her eyes. How could she have known what he had been planning? Almost as if she could hear his thoughts, she answered his unspoken question.

"I've seen how you and your brother are with each other. It doesn't take a genius to know what you were thinking. Aye, but how furious would Sam be if you were gone when he is resurrected?" Now she'd given him a second idea to think about, and it troubled him. If there was even a chance that Sammy could come back, then it made sense that Dean had to stick around to help make it happen.

"Well now that we have that sorted, we both need our beauty sleep." Before he could protest, she booped his nose, laughing at his sour expression. Suddenly she blew some sort of powdered concoction into his face. Before Dean had a chance to be alarmed, his limbs grew relaxed and heavy, and his eyes closed. Slumber pulled him under like sinking into a warm feather bed.

xxxxxx

Rowena sat on the bed for a long while, watching the peaceful rise and fall of his chest. Thank goodness Castiel had mentioned his concerns about Dean's state of mind. It hadn't taken much to put two and two together and suss out Dean's plan. She sighed. It made her cold wizened heart ache to think how close she had come to losing him. Although she believed what she'd said, it had taken a toll on her to watch over one dead brother, she was not about to lose the other.

Damn these heroic Winchesters, making her all sentimental and foolish. Emboldened by the darkness, she brushed a stray lock from Dean's forehead. The poor lad always took things too much to heart. She tucked a tiny sachet full of healing and protection into the sling on his left arm.

"Sleep well, my boy," she whispered.

xxxxxx

The headlights of an oncoming car swept across the road and Sam ducked farther into the brush at the side of the ditch. Walking in the scrub was a lot more strenuous in his present size and the three or so miles to town was taking a lot longer to walk than he had anticipated. Still, it wouldn't do for a car to see him.

Sam wasn't concerned about walking through the woods in the dark, even weaponless. He had spent most of his life stalking a variety of monsters in places much worse than this. The problem now was that a passing driver would see a pale, sweaty 10-year-old and not a confident hunter of 35. Some good Samaritan might call the cops on him, and he couldn't let that happen. If he got picked up, he had no doubt that the local police would just return him to the Farlows. The punishment for that transgression would make this morning's endurance trial seem like a picnic. Plus, it would be one thing to risk getting disciplined himself, but he had Leah to think about. Her parents were just fanatical enough to somehow blame her for his infraction too.

Fortunately, the moon was bright enough that seeing wasn't much of a problem even in the shadow of the light fringe of trees. He had to parallel the road because without a map he didn't dare try to take a more direct route. As he walked, he was free to ruminate over his long list of worries. Sam was worried about Dean. The scenarios his imagination provided got more and more horrible the longer he went without getting in touch with his brother. Everything from Dean being conned by whomever was currently wearing Sam's body, to the heart stopping fear that Dean had died from the injuries the archangels had delivered.

He was also tossing around what to do about Leah. The religious group her parents belonged to was no fit place for the girl. Normally he tended to live and let live when it came to religion. Many people found comfort in their faith, even if his experiences with God, Amara and the host of Heaven had been disillusioning. But Sam had a great deal of concern with any group that wanted to arrange a child marriage. And to be honest, Sam had problems with a lot of the cruel and misogynistic teachings he'd seen so far. Leah deserved a chance to make her own choices instead of being indoctrinated into what felt like a nascent cult.

Even as he thought about these worries, Sam grew more concerned about finding the town. The teen who had bragged about his knowledge of the area could have been lying about the distance he needed to cover, and if that was the case, then Sam was screwed. Before he'd snuck out of his assigned tent, he had stuffed his sleeping bag to make it look like he was there in case someone took a head count. But judging by the moon it was well after midnight now and he needed to find a phone, connect with Dean or someone back home, and get back to the compound before anyone noticed he was gone.

Just when he started to have doubts about his plan or the distance still to cover, he rounded a corner and found himself at the end of a cul-du-sac. There were only a few homes, spread far apart, but it was distinctly the edge of the actual community and not just the scattered farmhouses he'd seen on the way. One block over, Sam found what he had been looking for, the main drag of Elden. The street consisted of a couple of stores, a post office with a tired looking flag on a pole outside, and a tiny park with a rustic war monument. At this end of the road was St. James Episcopal Church and at the far end was a sports bar. Overall, there wasn't much to distinguish Elden from a thousand other small townships he'd been to across America.

Keeping to the shadows, he crept along the street. Everything was closed of course, except for the bar, but since he was trying diligently to avoid people, Sam didn't even consider going there. Instead, he made his way to the back of the darkened church. The days of leaving churches unlocked all the time were sadly long gone, so he was forced to look around for something he could use to pick the lock on the back door. He found some broken wire in the scruffy alley between Al's Barber shop and Thompson & Son's Hardware store.

The lock wasn't difficult, and he was able to edge into the church. Not bothering to look in the nave, he stealthily explored until he found an office with a phone. Sitting down to rest his sore legs, he slumped against the desk. First, he dialed Dean's number, but again couldn't do more than leave a message. He tried Dean's back up lines too but got the same result. The anxiety he'd tried so doggedly to shrug off, refused to be set aside any longer and swept through him, making his heart pound and his hands sweat. Next, he dialed Cas's phone, but couldn't reach him either. Where the hell was everyone?

He was going to try Mom next, but she had just got a new phone since returning to this world and he wasn't sure of her number.

"Think Sam," he scolded himself. There had to be someone he could call. Man, he was tired. How nice would it be to just lay down on the comfy looking sofa and sleep? The answer came to him like a lightbulb turning on and he shook away the pleasant fantasy. It was a hail Mary attempt, but it just might work. Looking at the clock on the desk, it was just after 2:00 am. Silently he apologized as he dialed.

xxxxxx

Jody's cell phone warbled for a second time, dragging her from a truly lovely dream. But as Sheriff, being woken up in the middle of the night happened more often than she would like. And it was never for something good. Slapping a hand against the night table, she groaned, fumbling for the device. One arm thrown over her eyes, she brought the phone to her ear.

"Sheriff Mills." Okay, at least she didn't sound too groggy.

"Hi Sheriff." The voice on the line was the high-pitched tone of a kid. If this was some kind of prank call…

"Who is this?" she demanded roughly. Switching on the bedside lamp she shuffled off the covers to perch on the edge of the mattress. It was 2:12 am, so this had better be a friggin' emergency. Putting the phone on speaker, she rubbed at her eyes in the too bright light. She didn't recognize the phone number.

"Um, Jody? It's Sam Winchester." Now that name was the very last one she expected some kid to know.

"Uh, huh, and I'm Dolly Parton," she sniped.

"Don't hang up! It's me - really, it's me. It's Sam. I know I don't sound like myself but there's a good explanation. Well, maybe not good but… I can prove who I am." The kid sounded almost as tired as she did, not like some smart-ass prankster, so she gave him a chance to explain. The kid took a deep breath before scrambling on.

"I uh...remember when Dean got pulled into 1944 by Chronos and, uh, we found that whiskey in Bobby's things. It was a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue, and it had a note on it that said…"

"'Fine, you ass. You win for once. Enjoy. R.,'" she mouthed along with him. The only other person who had been in that abandoned house was Sam. "Sam? Why do you sound like a pre-teen? What's going on."

Sam let out a gusty sigh. "Thank god I got through to you. I've been trying to get Dean or Cas, but I can't reach either of them and I need some help."

"Well, you know I'm always happy to lend a hand, Sam, but maybe you could explain a little more." Propping the phone up on the edge of the dresser, Jody began to get dressed.

"It's a little complicated to explain, but I'm in someone else's body." Sam began to unfold the events of the past few days as Jody moved quietly into the den and flicked on the computer. Alex was still at the hospital, Patience was a sound sleeper, and Claire was out, so Jody didn't need to worry about waking the girls. As Sam talked, she began to look up Elton, Idaho.

"If this religious group is as bad as you say, why don't you just stay put until I can get you some help?" The web page for the local police force showed a police Chief Fisher. She could call the station, ask them to pick up Sam and then make arrangements from there.

"I can't. I left someone behind, and I need to get back before I'm missed. She's just a kid, Jody, and I'm nervous about what will happen to her if I'm not there." Sam provided her with a little more information. He was in the body of a boy named Noah Farlow, parents Abraham and Damaris. He gave her the license plate of their van and some idea of where they were currently staying.

"Okay Sam, let me make a few calls. I'll get you out of there." Her brain was already racing ahead, making plans and lists. She'd have to cash in some favours to get things done out of her jurisdiction, but professional courtesy went a long way. And if push came to shove, she would drive out there to get him herself.

"Thanks Jody. Um, Dean doesn't know where I am and I'm sure he's freaking out." Jody had to smirk at that understatement. "Could you keep trying until you get him? Or Cas or somebody? I'm a little worried about everyone. Before I ended up here, things were getting pretty bad." For Sam to consider a situation "pretty bad" it had to have been 100% FUBAR.

"Of course, Sam. You just stay safe while I work this out. I'll let Dean know that you're okay for now."

"Thanks Jody. Well, I'd better go. I've got a long walk back. I owe you one." She bid Sam goodbye. It felt weird to imagine Sam's six-foot five frame with this little kid's voice. Leave it to the Winchesters to get into this sort of crazy mess.

Before she researched anything more about how to extract Sam, she dialed Dean's number, but only got his voicemail. She didn't bother to leave a message. Thumbing through her contacts, she called Castiel. She'd only spoken to him directly a handful of times, but she knew that he also was a reliable ally. Hanging up after the call went unanswered, she scrolled through her contacts again. The new listing Dean had sent her for Mary was right there, but she paused to think.

When they first met, Jody had really liked Mary Winchester. Other than Donna, there were not a lot of women in the hunting world that she knew. Plus, knowing how much Mary meant to the boys, Jody had been delighted to get to know the woman a bit better. However, things had been awkward between them ever since the other woman had tried to kill her. Now, to be fair, Mary was brainwashed at the time, but it was kind of difficult to have a friendly chat with that kind of history hanging over you. Then she had been trapped in an alternate universe for a year, so they weren't exactly close. Still, she would likely know where Dean was. Jody pressed the call button and rolled her shoulders trying to ease some of the tension she felt.

"Hello?" Mary answered after only one ring, which considering the time, was not a good sign.

"Uh, Mary? It's Jody Mills. I'm sorry to call so late." There was a long pause and for a second Jody thought she'd been hung up on.

"Hi Jody. What can I do for you?" Okay then, straight to business.

"I'm looking for Dean, but I can't reach him. Any chance he's around?" Jody wasn't above keeping it cool either, but Mary surprised her with a choked sob. Jody's heart dropped. "Mary, what's going on?

"I'm sorry Jody. He's okay. It's just that…" she sniffed, surely sorting through her thoughts and reigning in her emotions. "Dean's actually in the hospital right now. The doctors say he's paralysed." Jody couldn't suppress a gasp. Sam either didn't know or left that detail out.

"He'll be fine, at least physically. Jack will heal him once he's, uh, rested up. But it's Dean's mental state I'm most worried about. You see, Sam is," Mary paused again, and Jody could hear her take a deep breath. "Sam is dead. We're pretty sure it's temporary, but…" Mary sighed deeply, "Dean's not taking it very well. You know how they are."

She did know. Jody had never seen people who loved and cared about each other as much as Sam and Dean. They were like two halves of the same whole. Not that they were completely alike, in fact they were very different in many ways, but together they were an unstoppable force. They were in sync in a way that went beyond training or experience. But apart...well, Jody was glad that she was calling with news that might help Dean.

"Well, that's what I'm calling about. I just spoke to Sam."

"What? Where is he? Is he okay?" Mary's words tumbled together in her relief. Jody explained what Sam had told her the best she could. She was shy on a few of the details, but at least she could reassure Mary that her son was alive, even if he wasn't currently in his body. And how weird was that to think about?

"So, I tried both Dean and Cas, but their phones went to voicemail." Jody understood now why Dean didn't pick up, being in the hospital.

"Wait, hold on, Cas is here." Mary's voice got muffled and Jody assumed she was talking to the angel. Funny how eight years ago knowing an actual angel, killing monsters, and dealing with resurrections would have sounded like the plot of a bad movie. Now it was her life.

"Hi Jody. Cas thinks that when Jack killed Lucifer and Michael, it somehow fried his phone, and probably Dean's too. So, uh, I'll keep mine on so that you can keep us updated." Jody agreed to let Mary know as soon as she had a plan to get Sam. She needed to get into the station so that she could do a little more research, so she offered her good-byes. Just before she broke the connection, Mary called her name.

"Jody? Thanks for calling. It was really good to hear from you. Maybe once this situation with the boys is fixed, we can talk again?" That was an olive branch if she ever heard one and Jody wasn't one to hold grudges.

"Absolutely, I'd like that. I'll keep you informed." When Jody disconnected, she had a smile on her face. Things might still be crazy, but maybe something good had come out of this so far.