A/N:

Thanks to Gayle and Guest for the reviews!

Banter aside, the trip was laced with tension as they made their way through the dark forest. Owls hooted in the darkness, and bats squeaked high overhead as they wheeled around looking for insects. The trees rustled in the night breeze, unseen by the three unless Jacob's light swept over it. Bowman was glad to have a perch. Even the nighttime predators wouldn't mess with a couple of giants.

Eventually, Jacob could make out the faintest orange glow of a campfire here and there. Soft voices drifted in the air as the last few campers left awake chatted in their tents or asked each other where to find a bucket to put out their fires.

"Bowman, stay hidden," Jacob warned as he led them in an arc around the area. "Just in case someone's walking around. Dean, is your car parked close to the others or...?"

"It's uh…" Dean waved his hand towards the cars, and felt himself waver on his feet as the world spun around him. The exhaustion from the case, being out so early in the morning and not stopping to rest for about the entire day, never mind the actual broken arm, all came rushing down on him at once. He covered his face with his hand, concentrating on his footing and trying to force the world to make sense again. This wasn't his first injury. He couldn't collapse so close to the goal.

The dizzy spell passed, and he did what he could to focus on Jacob's question. "I'm parked in the back, away from the other cars. Didn't… didn't want anyone messin' with the Impala while I'm out trekkin' through the backend of nowhere…"

Jacob nodded, leading them along at the best pace he could. On one hand, he didn't want to make Dean walk around so much any more than he had to. On the other, he couldn't rush him, especially if he was getting dizzy. Hopefully Bowman would keep up his task of keeping Dean awake while they walked.

Luckily, he didn't have to ask which car was Dean's, when they finally reached the general area. There weren't many, and only one sat as far back as Dean described.

There was no mistaking this car for some camping trip family car, despite its size. It was gleaming in the dark even before Jacob's flashlight beam swept over it, black-and-chrome finish reflecting the moon and stars from above. Jacob let out an appreciative breath at the sight of the huge car. About a foot or two longer than his own, somehow it conveyed a lot more size and ferocity. It looked like it could practically rear up and fight as much as Dean did.

Bowman had his own appreciation for the car, but his eyes were wide for entirely different reasons. He also looked behind them at the other vehicles, the arrangement of tents, everything about the human campsite that he could see. "This is what a car looks like?" he muttered, barely refraining from swooping off Dean's shoulder to circle the big, shiny black beast. "And you're sure it's safe?"

"This is what my car looks like," Dean said with a hint of pride lurking in his voice. He finally managed to amble up to his baby and leaned on her, one hand stretched out over the roof to let the world stop spinning around him. This, more than anywhere else, was home, and that helped anchor him. "Damn it's good to see you, baby."

When he was finally able to stand without help, he pushed himself away from the car. "The Impala is one of the safest places you can find," he bragged to the air, brushing the chrome frame with a hand. "You won't have to worry about a thing once we're in. She's been mine ever since I was sixteen, and Sam and I grew up inside. This car's been in the family since before I was born, and she'll never let me down."

To his surprise, he found himself telling them more than he might normally reveal, but brushed that off. Bowman was family, after all. He had a right to know about their lives more than anyone else. He'd grown up with Sam by his side, just like Dean. It might take getting used to, but Dean wouldn't turn family away.

Bowman nodded along, still staring at the car with curiosity in every one of his few inches. Jacob walked around to the other side of it while Dean waited, and before Bowman could ask what he was doing, there was a faint jingle of metal and a noticeable click from the car itself. Bowman watched with a shocked look as Dean opened up a panel of metal bigger than several sprite homes to admit himself to the inner chamber of the car.

Bowman slipped off Dean's shoulder and caught himself on quiet wings, gliding into the interior of the car. Despite his worry, curiosity filled him from wingtip to wingtip. He landed on the back of the wide seat to stare up at the ceiling, then flew across to a surface underneath a wide glass window.

"More corners and squares in here, of course," he commented. He saw Jacob settling down in front of a wide round hoop, and inched closer to stare at the thing. "Is Impala her name? I thought cars were machines," he asked, pausing to cross his arms at Jacob accusingly.

Jacob smiled faintly. "It's just ... it's a human thing, to refer to some vehicles as 'she'," he explained. Bowman's face looked remarkably scolding in the dark.

"Impala is a type of car," Dean said as he leaned in to see the sprite. "There's a lot of different cars." Once he knew he was clear, he sat heavily in the seat and let out a sigh of relief to be off his feet. Even sitting still, his arm pained him and would serve to keep him from sleep.

His eyelids fluttered and he realized that it might not even be enough now that he was on the edge of exhaustion. It took force to keep his eyes open, focusing on the strange sight of a tiny person crouched on the dashboard. It was unavoidably fascinating, especially the way those leafy green wings looked, shifting and twitching and just as expressive as Bowman's tiny face. Dean had to wonder if he'd be just as fascinated by Sam after they got him back. Imagining the tiny knight exploring the car was enough to tease Dean's mouth with a hidden smile that fled before it appeared. They'd give Sam that chance, no matter what. He was out there, in hiding. Waiting for help the way someone should if they got lost.

"Just treat her right, and she'll do the same right back," Dean mumbled in Bowman's general direction. He let himself sink into the leather seat, barely clinging to consciousness. "So not a scratch. Trust me, I'll know." The last part was directed towards Jacob through half-lidded eyes.

"Dude, I got this," Jacob answered back gently, trying to placate the worn, injured hunter. Bowman watched them both before glancing around at the interior of the car some more. Every part of it was beyond what his world had prepared him for. Jacob noted that even Bowman's usual levels of snark were subdued.

Then again, that could be due to Sam's unknown status.

Jacob pursed his lips, newly focused on their real goal out there. They needed to get Dean fixed up and ready to help with tracking down Sam and Scar. He was a hunter.He should be able to provide at least some insight on the matter, and they'd all seen how determined he could be. But right now he was hurt and tired and emotionally drained, and if they didn't get him help, he would be of no use to anyone.

Jacob gripped the key and shoved it into the ignition, starting the Impala with a loud, rumbling roar that spoke of lots of care given to the engine. Jacob wouldn't be surprised if it was in better shape than when the Chevy techs inspected it after it rolled off the line.

Bowman was not so appreciative of the sound. His wings flared up in alarm and he scrambled off the dash, flapping his wings rapidly to get himself across to the back of the bench seat. He nearly tumbled himself right over it to the backseat, but managed to catch himself just in time, wings still partially open. "You made her mad poking with that little metal bit."

Even deep levels of exhaustion and worry couldn't keep Dean from laughing at that one. Or maybe that was precisely why he laughed so hard. It was a much needed stress reliever after a day of having his world shattered in different ways. Finding Sam and discovering there was an entire family out in the forest that had practically adopted Dean before he ever knew they existed, fighting the demon wearing Jacob's face and getting his arm broken …

Losing Sam all over again.

For a moment all of that fled at the sight of Bowman almost tumbling off the side of the seat. "Dude, cars don't get mad at that," Dean chuckled, shifting so he could watch the sprite with curious eyes. "That's her key. You put it in and it turns the engine on."

Bowman frowned when he realized that both humans were laughing at him. Even Jacob paused what he was doing to glance aside at his displayed wings, so Bowman folded them with a huff and sat himself down on the back of the seat with his arms crossed. "Well ... it sounded like a growl," he defended himself. "Right under my boots, thank you very much for the warning, Jacob."

Jacob let out his chuckles. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted. "I shoulda let you know. Like now, I'm going to make the Impala move. Cars can go pretty fast, and since it's dark, I need to watch in front." He pointed out the windshield. "No flying in front of me or I could get in a wreck and Dean would kick my ass."

Bowman watched Jacob curiously as he shifted one of his feet and then moved a lever near the steering wheel, and then suddenly the entire car jolted to life. Bowman's wings flared open again and promptly settled down on his perch, acting to help balance him.

Dean continued to stare at the wings as Jacob pulled the car out of the camping grounds parking lot. Watching them shift to keep balance as Jacob turned onto the road was mesmerizing. They were like little bat-wings or dragon-wings. Dean found himself deciding internally that they were closer to dragon wings. Way more badass. Bats were more fluffy than dangerous.

Those wings reminded Dean of the wingsuit Sam had been wearing. "Did Sam make that suit he uses to glide with so he could keep up with you?" Dean asked while the car cut effortlessly through the dark night. The distraction kept him from being a backseat driver, for Jacob's sake. Considering the teenager was currently in charge of the car he'd put his blood, sweat and tears into for his entire life, he tended to be as protective of her as anything else in his life.

Bowman grinned proudly. His pride was for himself, but also largely for Sam. No one would have thought a kid with no wings could have followed a sprite into the sky, but Sam had done it. He kept pace with Bowman pretty well, too. "That and his glider," he answered. "The suit is a fallback in case something happens to the glider and I can't get to it."

He tried to turn himself on his perch, his wings shifting and curling slightly to try to keep some kind of grasp on his seat. "We work together a lot when he's flying, since he can't turn as fast as me. I use the handles on the top to help him if he needs it and I can feel shifts in air pressure with my wings, so I can guide him to better updrafts." Bowman sighed, glancing out the front window as the car picked up some speed. Jacob maneuvered it fluidly through the night, the bright beams of light in front cutting through the dark.

"I was really glad when Sam finally finished his glider and could come flying with me for real," Bowman said, quieter. "We're gonna have to show you our moves once we find him."

"You'll have to show me everything," Dean agreed, remembering the shocks he'd already had with the glider and the wingsuit. Sam landing on his head, jumping carelessly off a hand from feet up in the air…

Effecting a pinpoint landing on Jacob's knee.

"I can't wait for Sam to show me how he designed his glider," Dean went on, his eyes flashing with curiosity. "That thing is badass." The taste he'd gotten while helping Sam out earlier in the day hadn't been enough. He wanted to know more. How it was designed, all the prototypes Dean had seen sketched out on the garage walls. "Who knows. I might be a little too big to help out, but I might be able to streamline the design a little. I've been designing weapons and fixing cars long before Sam vanished."

Bowman tilted his head, intrigued. He might not know a thing about the car that carried them away from the forest as they spoke, but he knew plenty about flying. It occupied almost every waking thought, at least in the background. He could not imagine being unable to fly, and thought that it was no wonder he was so restless when he was a nestling.

"Well, maybe," he said. "The shape is already based off a sprite's wings."

"Your wings, right?" Jacob cut in, glancing aside for only a second before returning his eyes to the road. He was extra conscious of his driving, with the protective owner of the car right there.

"I was getting to that," Bowman shot back. "He used to drag me into his workshop and have me just spread out a wing," he opened up a wing like he was resting it across a workbench to demonstrate. "Poked and prodded at it, inked out some notes, then poked it some more. Maybe you could add to the design without all the poking."

"Maybe," Dean said, his voice growing quieter as his mind began to drift. He couldn't help but admit to himself that he wouldn't mind a look at Bowman's wings himself if he got the chance. How often did someone with bonafide dragon wings show up and decide you're part of their family? And the sprite was a fast little flier. No wonder Sam had taken the chance to base his glider off those wings.

At first, Dean didn't even notice when his eyes fluttered closed completely. He was leaning on his side in the seat so he could talk to Bowman. This was normally an awkward position but it kept his broken arm well away from brushing against the door or the seat. "You'll have to give me a tour of your home," Dean said with a yawn as his mind faded away.

Bowman's eyebrows arched. Before he even had time to consider an answer, Dean drifted into sleep. The human barely had a chance to finish his suggestion before exhaustion finally claimed him. Bowman glanced at Dean's arm in its sling. It didn't take much to figure out why Dean was so tired. Dealing with that much pain took it out of a body.

Instead, he looked over to Jacob. "He's sleeping. Think he'll be alright?"

Jacob smiled faintly and kept his eyes on the road. "Yeah, he'll be fine. He's had a lot happen today."

Bowman nodded and looked down at his legs and the way they barely reached over the curve of the huge bench seat. "Yeah, big day," he agreed quietly. His decision to leave the forest had come so abruptly. He realized with a heavy guilt that he hadn't even told Candara or Larxe what was going on.

After a few more minutes of no sound but the road beneath the Impala's tires and Dean's slow breathing, Jacob spoke up again. "And ... you're doing fine, right, Bowman? I, um..." I squeezed you pretty hard back there.

Bowman shrugged. "My legs hurt but they're just bruised. That demon was taking its time I guess."

Jacob sighed and nodded. He could still remember the entire fight, thanks to the demon taunting him with it. Making him watch his own hands hurt his friends.

That demon had wanted him to crush Bowman out of existence. Jacob still felt the remnants of the headache that had caused. Fighting it seemed to do nothing. It was only the exorcism that saved Bowman back there.

"We'll have to fix the mess it made, one step at a time," he determined, while the Impala drove on towards a hospital for her owner.

When Jacob finally found a parking spot in the lot near the emergency room doors, he let the Impala idle while he took stock of everything. Bowman was down on the seat, having become too tired to balance up on the back. He looked extra small there, with two humans on either side, but he didn't seem to mind. He was squinting in the light from the huge red and white Emergency sign barely thirty feet away from the car.

"Bowman, you're gonna need to stay in here, I think," Jacob decided. "It's too likely they'll see you in there and we don't want that kinda trouble."

Bowman glanced around the interior of the car and frowned. "Fine, I suppose," he grumbled, his wings twitching half-heartedly. Being awake for so long after sundown was wearing him out. "But you better make sure they hurry."

"I will," Jacob assured him with a small smile, before finally looking over at Dean. "Hey ... Dean," he said, wary of reaching out in case Dean had a startle reaction. "Dude, we're here. Time to get your arm fixed."

"Hmm, whu...?" Dean heard his name and managed to crack his eyes open. "Awesome, it wasn't a dream," he muttered to himself as his eyes landed on the sprite sitting down on the seat. That had to be one of the stranger sights of his life, right in his car. Sitting not far from him, as a matter of fact.

Dean's mind slowly started to catch up with the rest of the sights outside and it filtered into his mind that they'd reached the emergency room. "Great," he muttered as he sat back up, pinching his nose between two fingers. "My favorite place."

The arm burned with pain even with that small shift and he hissed with pain. "Can't wait to just get it all over with. I hate broken bones."

"They pretty much suck," Jacob agreed. At least, thanks to being in a smaller town, the hospital wasn't flooded with emergency patients, especially at this time of night. They could probably get in and out of there before the sun even thought of rising in the morning, if enough people were on staff.

"Let's get it over with. See if they'll give you something for the pain, too."

Bowman stood on the seat and stretched his arms over his head while his wings spread out to the sides. "Get that bone set, Dean. When we get back sometime Cerul and Rischa can do the healing touch for it."

Dean pushed himself up. "Right…" He trailed off as the words sunk into his head, realizing that he wasn't quite sure what Bowman was talking about.

At the rate he was going, Dean might end up needing a translator for some of the things the sprites said that sounded common place. He wondered if he'd need a translator for Sam, too, or if his little brother remembered what was normal for humans and what was normal for sprites.

"Wait, what? What the hell's the 'healing touch?' "

Bowman looked up in surprise to find both humans looking at him curiously, and realized his mistake. Of course they didn't know what the healing touch was. They didn't Pray to the Spirit. Bowman remembered learning from Sam that humans didn't even know what the Spirits were, at least in relation to the sprites.

"It's a Prayer," he explained, thinking back to what Sam had asked way back when. Now, Sam understood all of it as well as any resident of Wellwood. But at one point, he'd been as in the dark as Dean and Jacob.

"Basically we borrow magic. Rischa and Cerul are the best at it because they have a stronger connection to the Spirit ..." he trailed off, realizing there was a bit more nuance to the explanation than he'd given it. "The Spirits made the sprites. Ours is the Lady of Life, so a good connection to Her lets some perform the healing touch Prayer and it just ... heals things faster."

"Ah… okay," Dean said in reply, still confused about the entire thing. And more than a little shocked to hear that Rischa, the tiny little sprite girl he'd found in the forest was one of the strongest. She had been innocently making the flowers glow when he'd found her, snatching her from the ground inside of a fist. His first reaction at seeing what he'd grabbed was shock, and then worry. Supernatural or not, he'd never hurt a kid, especially such an innocent one like her. "First time I heard of magic like that. You'll have to fill me in more later… when we have more time."

It took a moment of fumbling for the door handle, but Dean managed to get it open. Having his right arm out of commission made everything frustratingly difficult, even opening a stupid car door. "Don't let anyone see you," Dean shot over his shoulder with a look of caution for Bowman. "I'll be out of this place as soon as possible."

"I definitely won't," Bowman boasted with his usual confidence in his ability to hide. Even so, once the huge metal doors closed with twin slams that rang in his ears, he felt odd. There was no green in the car, save for Bowman himself. His camouflage was suited for a canopy of leaves high above the ground. Now, he felt so low and unable to hide himself effectively. It was eerie, and the humans were already walking away from him. Their looming shadows vanished into the night.

Bowman suppressed a shudder, one that came from his deep-seated instincts. Instincts that kept prey creatures like himself alive by telling him to always be on the lookout for a predator. Even knowing he was alone in the car couldn't stop them.

"Oh, blast it to ashes," he muttered, stalking towards the edge of the seat. With a hop and a quiet rustle of his wings, Bowman made his way to the floor of the Impala, and huddled down just beneath the seat.

A/N:

Gotta get Dean taken care of so they can start searching for Sam and Scar!

Next: March 4th, 2020 at 9pm EST.