A/n: Alright another holiday is here and once again, I don't have a holiday story this year. So, I decided to post another chapter.

Thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, follows, and/or favorites this story. A special thank you to hectatess, Souless666, and LilyBolt for your recent reviews.

Chapter 5

The trench coated angel named Castiel had been less than helpful when it came to Dean locating his brother, but he had at least been right not only that Bobby Singer would wake not long after he had said so, but also to have given the hunter an angelic K.O. in the first place. Almost immediately upon opening his eyes and seeing the elder Winchester's face, he sprung into action and tried to attack him.

"Bobby, stop!" He yelled raising his hands up to show he meant no harm. "It's me," he assured him lowering his voice "I'm really Dean. No demon or ghost or whatever the hell else. Just Dean." The older man froze and stared at the young man before him. He didn't make a move towards him, he just kept his eyes unwavering and alert on him. Dean did the same, trying to determine if he needed a plan B in case Bobby tried to kill him again. Finally the wrinkles on the hunter's brow disappeared and a softer look showed on his face. Dean couldn't help but notice the large purple bags under his eyes or how he had wrinkles that didn't go away when the others had. His hair and facial hair looked a bit longer and scragglier then the last time he saw him and possibly even had more grey flecks salted in with his natural brown.

"Dean?" His voice sounded small and incredulous.

"Yeah," Dean's own wasn't much bigger. "Bobby, it's me." Before the man could react, Bobby had his arms wrapped around him. He was a friend, that much was true, but the gesture seemed almost alarming and a bit uncalled for in the elder Winchester's opinion. That didn't mean he wasn't thrilled to see a familiar face, especially one he trusted, so he placed one of his own hands on his friend's back and gave it a few pats. The hunter pulled away and did his best to keep his voice steady.

"Don't get me wrong, it's good to see you boy but, how're you here right now?"

"Actually I uh, was hoping you might know," Dean answered sheepishly.

"Haven't the foggiest. In fact I'm still havin' a hard time believein' yer actually you," the older man confessed. "I saw you with yer brains decoratin' the cemetery ground. I helped yer brother bury you and yer mother." He looked around as though he were expecting to see someone else in the room. "Is she back too?"

Dean shook his head sadly. "I don't think so. Her gravesite looked pretty intact. Bobby, where's Sam?"

Now it was the hunter's turn to shake his head as his dark blue eyes had a hard time staying on the elder Winchester's green.

"I wish I knew."

"What? What do you mean 'you wish you knew?'"

"I mean once you died, and we buried you, the kid just took off." The older man's eyes finally met with Dean's again who's were large at the information. "I wanted to salt'n burn you like a proper hunter's funeral so that you didn't go through what Sam's wife had gone through, but yer brother insisted we bury you and Mary."

"You let my brother just take off?!" The elder Winchester asked raising his voice. "What the hell were you thinking Bobby?!"

"I was thinkin' the boy needed some space!" The man countered defensively. "He watched his family die, Dean! The kid deserved at least some time to grieve alone." It was as though Dean choked on whatever words had wanted to find their way out to chew his friend out further. "Listen," Bobby continued, "after we buried you two and before he took off he mentioned something to me."

"Which was?"

"He said he was gonna find a way to bring you and yer mom back. I told him there was nothing we could do and he told me he'd find someone who would help and that's when he disappeared."

The elder Winchester scrubbed a hand down his face and he let out a long sigh.

"Damnit Sam," he muttered under his breath. "Well," he picked up his voice again so that Bobby could hear him "it looks like my brother was true to his word. At least partially. Here I am, back from the dead."

"You think Sam's why yer back?"

"Isn't it obvious? He must've found someone or some way to do it. The question now is how and where the fuck is he?"

"Well I don't know about you but my brain generally works better when it's not operatin' with an empty stomach. I would imagine you must be pretty damn hungry?"

"Actually, I'm starving," Dean answered putting a hand on his stomach with a scowl. "And thirsty. You got a beer?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods?" Was the older man's response.

"Great, I could use one or three." Noticing the scowl on the hunter's face he added, "it's been a wild ride back topside."

"Well, while I get us some grub goin', you can fill me in on yer 'wild ride' Mr. Toad. That is, if yer feelin' up to it?"

The elder Winchester told the hunter all about his fight to free himself from the coffin, the struggle on earth, his time locked away in Gordon's prison, and the angel Castiel saving him.

Bobby whistled. "Boy, you weren't kiddin'. I'm real sorry about the whole wooden box thing. Had I known you weren't gonna stay dead, I wouldn'tve put you in damn thing. I've met Gordon Walker a few three times. He's a damn good hunter, but somethin' was always a bit off. He's a few cards short of a full deck. I could be wrong, but, I think you nipped that devil business in the bud when you killed the Yellow Eyed Demon a year ago. As for the 'angel' Castiel...I've never heard of angels bein' real, but I suppose if demons are talkin' about Lucifer, it's not as far fetched as I'd thought."

"Tell me about it. There's no way that- wait...a year? I've been gone a whole year?"

"A bit over actually. Maybe now you understand why I didn't believe it was you on my front porch." Bobby placed a bowl of fresh chili and a freshly opened So Sol down in front Dean who had been sitting at the chair stationed next to the computer.

"Thanks," he said picking up his utensil and taking a big bite. His mouthful of his meal tasted unexpectedly delicious for something that had come from a can, and it become very clear to him that he hadn't had anything to eat in a very long time. He quickly shoved another helping into his mouth followed by another.

"Slow down there Speedy Gonzalez. I know it's the first thing you've had in a long time, but you just crawled yer way back up a few days ago. Let's not send you back so soon."

Dean lowered his spoon and looked up at the hunter with a childlike expression and chili on his chin. "Sorry," he apologized as he took a napkin and wiped his face quickly followed by a huge chug of beer. "Have you tried calling Sam?"

"Tried? I musta left that boy a hundred messages."

"He never picked up?"

"Not once. I feel responsible in way. If I'd told him I'd help him, maybe things woulda been different."

Dean finished up the last of his meal and shook his head. "It's not your fault. You were right to tell him no. You told him the same thing when Jessica was the subject matter. The kid's as stubborn as a horse. He'dve found some way around it. I just hope whatever he did he's ok."

"That makes two of us."

"I found this paper with Sam's name on it on your corkboard." The elder Winchester handed the hunter the piece of paper that had caught his eye earlier. "What does it mean?"

Bobby shook his head and sighed. "A whole lotta nothin'. I thought I might've had a lead on where he was, turns out I was wrong. Or at the very least, he's not there anymore."

"Or he is and you just didn't look in the right place."

"Either way, I wrote that months ago. Trust me, if he was in Pontiac, he's not now."

Dean buried his face in his hands then slid them up so that they gripped and held onto his hair.

"It's been a long day. What doya say you get cleaned up and settled down fer the night? I may have some old clothes that will do until we can get you some new ones."

"Thanks, but I can't. I have to find my brother. With that psychopath looking for him and who knows what else, I've gotta get to him. He could already be in danger for all I know. Or worse."

"I know yer worried, I am too. But it won't do us any good without bein' well rested. We don't even know where to look for him. Let's just call it a night and we'll pick up where we left off in the mornin'."

Dean didn't like the idea and he wasn't sure just how much sleep he'd be able to get knowing that his sibling was out there but not knowing where he was or if he was ok, however he didn't see that he had much of a choice. His friend was right when he said they didn't have any idea where Sam was and although he was fine with exhausting himself and staying up however late he needed to to figure it out, he knew Bobby's idea was a better one.

"Yeah. You're right," he sighed deeply defeated. The hunter placed his hand on Dean's shoulder.

"We'll find Sam, don't worry. We won't stop till we do." The elder Winchester smiled up at the older man.

"Thanks Bobby. For everything."

"Anytime." His smile faded "now get yer ass in the shower already. Yer stinkin' up my house." Dean scoffed by brought himself to get up, put his bowl in the sink, polish off the rest of his beer, and get into the shower after Bobby handed him some clothes. Before he entered he turned to look at himself in the mirror.

It had been so long, since he felt like he'd seen his reflection. He leaned in closer and examined the eyes staring back which had indeed been his very own green and not those haunting inhuman yellow they had been before. But even though they were his, he almost didn't recognize them. He could make out his own dark bags under his own eyes which had no doubt been from exhaustion and constant worrying. Although he was still considered a young man, he didn't feel as youthful as he had before he had been possessed. The face that stared back, no matter how long he looked at it, didn't look fully like himself. He moved his gaze and tilted his head to the side to get a better look. Fully intact which made sense since no one who saw him was freaking out, but at the same time didn't make any sense being that he knew he had shot and killed himself. Having no desire to look at his reflection any longer, he pulled back the curtain, twisted the knobs to the preferred temperature, activated the water, stripped, and climbed in.

The water felt refreshing as he stood under the shower head with his eyes closed just letting the hot water wash over him. Even after having been magical healed and the dirt removed from him, he still felt as though his friend was right and he was in desperate need of a shower. Finishing up, he took the towel he had been given, dried himself off, and put on the borrowed clothes. Although Dean wasn't as tall or built as his brother was, he was still 6'1" and in good shape. Bobby was shorter than him and unfortunately that was reflected in the clothes, but for tonight the too short sweats that fell a little bellow Bobby's ankle and a few inches above Dean's and the longsleeve shirt that was baggy on the hunter in the arms and almost constricting to the elder Winchester, would have to do.

The younger man finished up by brushing his teeth and washing his hands and face. As he ran his hands together through the sink water, he found himself staring at them. Turning them over and over lightly became a harder rub at them as though he were trying desperately to get something that was particularly difficult to wash clean off of them. The image of his mom at the cemetery came back again along with him snapping his fingers, and by doing so, her neck. He tried to close his eyes but it was still there playing over and over again. Unable to hide from it, Dean looked at his reflection in the mirror and then with a yell, he drove his fist into the glass. It broke where he made contact and spiderwebbed it's way outward creating an almost ring. He found himself panting as he stood not moving from his spot. Blood was running down his knuckles and had spotted the mirror where he had smashed into it. He brought his fist back and ran it through the water clearing any shards that may have been left, then exited the bathroom. Having been fed, hydrated, showered, and clothed in clean clothes, he headed for the couch in hopes that sleep would find him and he'd have a dreamless night.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!