AN: Since chapter 12 and 13 are fairly short I thought I'd post them both!

Most likely the little room that they were tucked into had been designed to be as comforting for children as an institutional space with no budget could be. Sitting on the child-height table was a plate of packaged cookies and some warm juice boxes. The sparse furniture was in soothing green tones and there was a shelf of worn books and toys along one wall. On the floor, the rug had a pattern of teddy bears on it that had probably been cute when it was new. However, the whole effect was marred by the chipped paint on the cinder block walls and the security bars on the two small windows. Still, Sam had been in worse places and this had to be safer than staying with the Farlows.

At the restaurant, the police had quickly turned him and Leah over to child protective services once he'd shown them the black and blue bruising on his torso and arms. The last he'd seen of Abraham was the reproachful look the man had given him through the back window of a police car. It was funny in a way. For his whole childhood CPS had been like the ultimate boogeyman, far scarier than the monsters his father hunted. A vengeful spirit or a Chupacabra might kill you, but CPS would take him away from his Dad, and more importantly Dean. No matter how bad things had gotten, or how hungry or cold he had been, the idea of losing Dean was a fate far scarier than any monster. Now ironically, CPS was the first step to going home to his brother. If only they would let him make a call.

When they'd first arrived, Leah had thrown a fit until the social worker had let them stay together. He'd even had to stand on the other side of the curtain when the staff doctor had taken a quick look at her, drawn some blood and taken some fingerprints. His own exam was slightly more detailed, but apparently the bruises and his cracked ribs were more than enough for them to open a case for now. Then they had been questioned and thank goodness Leah had clung to him like a barnacle because Sam had no idea how to answer some of the agent's questions. He tried to play a traumatized child, saying as little as possible while still cooperating, but Leah had supplied a lot of details about the Farlows over the past few years. According to her, Abraham and Damaris lived an itinerant lifestyle that made even Sam's childhood seem stable. They drove from tent revival to cult clubhouse as Abraham tried to make a name for himself as an "alternative" preacher.

Finally, the two were left alone in this room. Leah was sitting on the saggy couch flipping through a storybook while Sam paced. Intellectually he knew this was for the best, but emotionally his ingrained fears made sitting still impossible. Eventually he knew that he'd get an opportunity to break out and get away, but he didn't have a plan on how to help Leah. He didn't want to leave her to an uncertain fate in the foster care system, but he couldn't exactly take her with him. Chuckling softly, he imagined what Dean would think if he showed up at the bunker with a little girl in tow. Jody was pretty tied up with Alex, Claire and now Patience, but maybe they could work something out.

"Noah, what's this word?" Leah held out her book to him, finger pointing below a scene of a friendly looking octopus. Sam sat beside her and skimmed the text. She snuggled against his good side.

"That says tentacle. See, the octopus has eight of them." Well technically an octopus had arms, not tentacles, but for the purpose of the story, it hardly mattered to an eight-year-old. She gazed up at him with one of those strange, puzzled looks.

"You're not really Noah, are you?" The question surprised him. How on earth could this girl know that he wasn't really her brother?

"Why would you say that?" Sam had hoped to edge away from the question, but instead she climbed on her knees to face him and answered seriously.

"Because you're so different now. Back in the hospital, when the doctor said that you were dead, I was sad even though you're mean to me sometimes. But ever since you came back to life you just seem…" She shrugged, looking for words to describe a concept that was obviously confusing to her. "Is it because you're a miracle like Father says? Did God make you nicer?"

Sam had to laugh. He'd wondered how he'd ended up in this body. A witch seemed unlikely and there were only so many supernatural beings that had the juice to do something like that. But he sincerely doubted that it was God or Amara who'd placed his soul into Noah's body. His money was on Billie since Death was the only entity he could think of that was powerful enough to manipulate souls. He had no idea why she would save him in this way, but Sam tucked that question away to think about later. For now, there was a little girl who was looking to him for some reassurance. He opened his mouth to lie to her but couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't her brother and sooner than later he wouldn't be around to look out for her. The last thing he wanted her to believe is that she'd been abandoned by her flesh and blood. He set the book aside and twisted to face her, taking both of her hands in his.

"Uh, you're right Leah. I'm not Noah. My name is Sam." He expected more questions, shocked denial or even tears, but she just nodded to herself as if acknowledging something she had already known.

"Is Noah dead?" she asked. Sam struggled with that. If Billie had been the one responsible for his predicament, it was likely, but he really didn't know.

"I don't know what happened to Noah. I'm sorry." He watched her closely as her thoughts chased across her face.

"Okay," she said after a lingering pause. Looking up at him with big dark eyes, she tentatively leaned in and hugged him, careful of his ribs. Surprisingly, tears sprang to Sam's eyes at the genuine human contact. He had grown to care for Leah somehow, and she was more to him than just a child for whom he felt responsible. He hugged her back, relishing the warmth and solace of her affection for just a moment. What was going to happen to this sweet child? She pulled away and smiled at him. "I'm glad I met you Sam."

There was a light rap on the door and one of the agents who had been questioning them poked her head in.

"Noah, Leah, there is someone here who I think you'll be happy to see."

xxxxxx

Hansen catered to a lot of tourists headed to or from the Grand Canyon, so the local police department worked hard to keep the town a safe and pleasant place to visit. The police chief, Dave Peterson, was a popular man, a local who had grown up here and had a reputation for being fair and compassionate. What he didn't have a reputation for was punctuality thought Jody as she waited in his office. Glancing at her watch, he was already 15 minutes past the time they had agreed to meet but she took a deep breath and tried not to get frustrated. Sam could be anywhere in town or the surrounding area, so she needed the Chief's help if she was going to find him. Just when her patience grew thin enough to snap, the man she had been waiting for walked into his office.

"I'm so sorry Sheriff. Didn't mean to keep you waiting." He perched on the side of his desk and held out his hand. Jody stood to shake it and he gave her a broad grin. "But I think you'll be happy that I did. It seems that we have the child you're looking for already in our custody."

"Really? How?" When she had called to ask for this meeting, she had outlined why, but only told him the bare bones.

"Earlier this morning, a good Samaritan called us about a child who was asking for help to escape an abuser. The boy and his sister were taken to CPS, and I was just getting an update." The man sat down behind his computer and jiggled his mouse. A few clicks later, he swung his screen around. "Is this the boy you're looking for?" The picture was of a thin boy of about 10, brown eyes and light brown hair. The kid was wearing what looked like a rumpled homespun linen shirt and was sporting a fresh shiner. Of course, he didn't look like Sam and in fact the child could be anybody, but Jody thought she detected something in the child's eyes that reminded her of the youngest Winchester.

"Yeah, that's him." Jody was willing to go with her hunch on this, she pointed at the bruising on his face. "Is he hurt?" Spinning the screen around, Chief Peterson pulled up a different page and skimmed it with a frown.

"Noah Farlow, age 10. Looks like the kid's dad beat him up pretty good, but the preliminary medical report says he'll be fine. And no signs of sexual abuse." That thought hadn't even crossed Jody's mind, but a shiver of relief ran through her anyway. As an imposing badass hunter, Sam could more than protect himself, but as a vulnerable pre-teen...anything could have happened.

"Thank goodness. Can I see him?" she asked. Jody just wanted to lay eyes on the kid and confirm for herself that it really was Sam. The Chief gave her an assessing look.

"Noah hasn't had much to say yet. Can you give me a bit of background about how you got involved in this case, Sheriff?" The question wasn't really a surprise and Jody had prepared what she hoped was a good enough cover story. She just had to trust that nothing Sam had said would contradict the fake paper trail she had concocted before she left Sioux Falls.

"Of course. My good friend Mary is his aunt. He called her to let her know that he and his sister were in trouble, and she reached out to me for help. I know I'm way out of my territory, but I've known Mary since college, and she's been so worried." Pulling out a thin file from her bag, she handed it over to the man behind the desk. The faux police report from one Mary Campbell was as official looking as she could get it without entering it into her own system, and the case notations were authentic, even if some of the dates and names were not. Much to her relief, the chief hardly glanced at it before handing it back.

"I get it. When kids are involved, you go the extra mile for a friend. C'mon, I'll take you to them now." She followed the chief in her sweltering car for a few blocks before he parked next to a nondescript brick building. To the casual observer, it looked like any other municipal building, but she spotted a few windows with bars that suggested otherwise. He held the door for her as they entered and showed her badge and I.D. when requested at the main desk. Then a second pant-suited woman walked them down a hall. She paused in front of a door.

"So, as you can imagine, the children are a little traumatized. Poor Leah won't leave her brother for an instant. We've left them alone for a bit to relax but let me see if they're up for visitors." With that she poked her head in the door. Suddenly nervous, Jody straightened her sweaty shirt. Now that Sam was so close, she had to come up with some way to get him released to her custody. Assuming the room wasn't monitored, maybe they could formulate a plan together.

xxxxxx

The door swung open and there was Sheriff Mills. A wave of relief so strong that it weakened his knees swept over Sam. This was finally going to be over. Jody stepped into the room and the other two people hovered by the open door.

"Jody," Sam sighed and rushed over. She wrapped her arms around him for a minute. As adults he would have been embarrassed at such a display, but he hoped she would cut him some slack and maybe chalk a bit of this extra emotion up as acting. Then he remembered Leah. Pulling away from Jody, he gestured to the girl who had hung back in the face of these strangers.

"Leah, you remember Jody?" he tried to put a message into his look, begging her to play along. Jody crouched down, keeping one hand around him.

"Hi Leah. I'm a friend of your Aunt Mary's." Sam didn't know whether Leah understood how important it was to keep up the charade or whether she just trusted his judgement, but when she flung herself at Jody, it was completely believable. The sheriff just embraced them both and over the slope of her shoulder Sam saw the CPS agent and the police officer smile at what from their perspective looked like a loving reunion.

"Why don't we let you all reconnect for a little bit? The Chief and I have some things to talk about, okay?" They backed out of the room, closing the door behind them, and once they were alone Sam led Jody over to the sofa.

"Damn Sheriff, it is really good to see you." She laughed and gave him a sweeping look.

"Language young man," she joked before her gaze grew serious. "Sam, uh, I mean Noah..." He waved off her correction.

"I checked the room and it isn't bugged. And Leah already knows who I am." Well, that wasn't entirely true. Leah knew that he was Sam and not Noah, but she probably had no idea that she'd been hanging out with a 35-year-old, seasoned hunter who had been dumped into her brother after he'd been killed by an archangel. That was probably for the best.

"Well Sam, it's good to see you too." Her attention turned to the little girl who was watching their interactions intently. "Leah, it's nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand to shake one of Leah's small ones. "Thank you for taking care of my friend Sam." Leah beamed at the compliment, but it reminded Sam of their dilemma.

"Jody, how are you going to get us out of here?" His subtle emphasis on "us" had Jody raising her eyebrows, but he hoped she wouldn't try and argue.

"I haven't figured that out yet Sam. I've told them that Mary is your aunt and that she has been looking for you. With any luck, they'll release you both to my custody and I can take you home."

Home. That word was like a balm to Sam's soul. Home meant the familiar safety of the bunker, and his library of books and Jack and Cas and Mom. But mostly home meant Dean. He was almost afraid to ask, but he had to know.

"Jody, how is Dean?" A shadow crossed Jody's face and Sam found himself holding his breath.

"I don't know much, Sam. I only spoke to your mom briefly, but last I talked to her, Dean was in the hospital." Sam hissed at that, dragging a hand over his face and began to pace.

"How bad?" The need to get back to his brother grew impossibly stronger. Jody's hesitation did nothing to ease his stress.

"Uh, he's pretty beat up and he's uh, currently paralyzed from the waist down." Some of his shock must have shown on his face in alarming fashion because she was quick to continue. "Mary says that Jack is going to fix him. Mostly he's worried about you." She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, but although he appreciated it, Sam shrugged it off to go back to pacing. Damn it. Dean needed him and he was stuck halfway across the country, dependent on their friend to get him home to his brother.

"Who's Dean?" Leah asked tugging on his sleeve to stop him. What a question! Dean was everything to Sam, brother, father, mother, mentor, best friend, saviour, partner in crime. What he felt in his heart was far too complicated to explain to anyone, so he shook his head as he answered.

"Dean is my big brother," he said simply.