"Dean, are you really okay?" Sam asked as the two were getting ready for bed.

"Of course, Sammy. You know me! Nothing's gonna get me down!" Dean reassured his little brother.

"Why did Nat attack you? Is she a monster?"

Dean threw his head back and laughed at the innocence of the question. "No, Sammy, she's not a monster. We just had a disagreement, and as always, your big bro came out on top!"

Sam gave Dean his ever-powerful bitch face. "She knocked you flat on your butt."

"I meant in the argument, you little shit!" The teen threw a pillow at his giggling brother. "Plus, Nat would give even dad a run for his money. That girl's scary."

Sam suddenly went quiet. "Dean? Do you think dad's still gonna come for us?"

Dean's smile fell. "What do you mean? He always comes back for us, right? What makes this time any different?"

"It's been two years, Dean. What if–what if he doesn't want us anymore?" Sam was focusing intently on the pillow in his hands, gripping it so tightly Dean could see the boy's knuckles start to go white.

"Hey, hey!" Dean walked over to Sam and pulled his little brother into a crushing hug. "I know you and dad had your differences, but he loves you. He would never not want you. Hell, Sammy, every adult you even smile at loves you!"

Sam took a deep breath and pushed Dean away.

"Thanks, Dean, I guess I'm just worried. I'm gonna go to bed now. Good night."

"Do you need me to sit with you until you fall asleep?" he offered, knowing that the boy wasn't even close to okay.

"No. I'll be fine." Sam crawled into bed and pulled the covers over himself. "Turn the light off, will you?"

Dean's heart hurt, watching his little brother in pain. "Yeah, Sammy. Of course." He switched off the light then got into his own bed. "I'm sure dad's gonna come for us any day now," he spoke to the dark room.

Sam didn't respond.

Dean couldn't sleep, not with leaving things like that with Sam. He listened for the boy's breathing to confirm he was, indeed, asleep, then quietly threw off his covers, grabbed his phone, and went to the bathroom.

Once in the privacy of the bathroom, Dean dialled one of the two numbers he knew by heart.

"Come on, Bobby, pick up," he whispered as he brought the phone to his ear. Dean figured that if anyone knew where their dad was, it was Bobby. However, the phone didn't even have a chance to ring. Instead, an automated voice could be heard saying that the number was "no longer in service," and to try again. So he did. And he tried again. And again. And again.

Dean started to panic. Bobby's number never changed. Ever. He always said that he was the one constant in the hunting world, that anyone who needed help could get it if they phoned his number.

But the number changed.

The teen took a deep breath to calm himself, pushing away the immediate worry that something bad happened to the man they called their uncle. He started to come up with a plan.

He needed to get Bobby's new number, and to do that, he needed to talk to someone actively in the hunting world.

Dr. Mills? No, she said she only hunted what came near her town, so she probably wouldn't be a part of the network.

Pastor Jim? Dean didn't know his number either.

Then Dean remembered the emergency phone that would connect him to Mr. Coulson. It was sitting in his desk drawer. But no. This wasn't an emergency, and there was no guarantee that the man even knew Bobby.

Dean tried to think of another option, but only one came to mind. Leaving the bathroom, Dean grabbed his laptop from his desk and settled in to do some research.

He had it all planned out. The next morning, while packing his bag for school, he put in a few extra supplies. Along with his textbooks, Dean's backpack now held a container of salt, the exorcism ritual, the rosary, a water bottle full of holy water, and the one knife he'd been allowed to keep. Thank god it was silver.

Dean figured that if he couldn't phone a hunter to get Bobby's new number, he'd find one instead.

He went looking for potential hunts in the nearby area, but unfortunately, there was nothing in New York City. If Dean had to guess, that was Mr. Coulson's doing.

He finally found a hunt half an hour away in Jersey City. It was obviously a werewolf case; there were reports of wild animal attacks in which the victims' hearts were missing. The killings had gone on long enough for hunters to catch wind of the situation, and nothing indicated that the carnage had stopped, so it was the perfect time and place to stake out some hunters!

"Dean, that backpack looks heavier than usual today. Got any big projects due?" Steve asked as everyone climbed into the vehicle to start the morning commute.

"Yeah, stupid science," was Dean's response, which got the reaction he was hoping for when both Sam and Bruce took offense and started to explain why science wasn't 'stupid, it's the building blocks of life! How can that not be fascinating?'

This continued until Steve dropped Sam and Clint off at the middle school, the boys offering cheerful farewells before racing to the school's entrance. He then drove the short distance to the connected high school where Nat and Dean hopped out, both only throwing up a hand in farewell.

"Dean!" Steve called from the car. The teenager sighed and turned around to see the man gesturing for him to come back.

"What?"

"Now that everyone's had a chance to calm down, I think we should talk a little more about what happened yesterday when you get home." The man looked over Dean for a moment then said, "You don't need to worry, nothing bad is going to happen. I just want to make sure you're okay. Okay?"

Dean nodded, eyeing his shoes while stuffing his hands in his pockets.

With a discouraged sigh, Steve sent the boy off with a cheerful "Have a good day," and Dean ran off towards the front door.

The teen knew he was lucky that Tony donated a ton of money to the school, or he probably would've been suspended after the stunt he pulled yesterday. He only hoped that would save him from another punishment after he skipped class today.

Once he saw Steve drive off to NYU with Bruce and Thor, Dean pulled out his phone and called a cab. Thank god for the allowance money Steve and Tony gave him every week. With the amount he'd saved up, Dean had more than enough to get to New Jersey and back.

Now he just had to find the hunters.