"Seriously? That's the solution?"

Dean had spent all day and night trying to be calm so that Sam would be able to at least somewhat function. He was more than willing to fight any and everything in order to get Evy back, and he knew that Sam and Bobby were too.

His own demise was, as always, at the forefront of his mind. For the last few hours, he'd been able to put it away, to focus all his attention on getting his precious baby sister back. The thought that Sam might be left alone, losing both him and Evy, was too much for him to even consider. It wouldn't happen, no matter what Dean had to do.

Though the thought made him sick to his stomach, he'd make another demon deal and go to hell early if he had to.

But what Bobby had just proposed? It made no sense. Evy had been missing now for a little over ten hours. All the lore, however, pointed to the same thing. They had to keep an eye on where it was Evy had gone missing, presumably where her jacket had been found, and the portal would open itself up again. They'd have only a few minutes of their time to find Evy and bring her back.

That was the bad news. The good news was, with the way time passed on the other side of the portal, they wouldn't have to drag Evy kicking and screaming back to their world. They'd have time to convince her to come back. And even Dean had come to the realization that bringing Evy back willingly would be a struggle.

Sam had done the math and reported to Dean and Bobby that, if time worked on the other side of the portal as the lore said it did, sixty years would have passed for Evy. Dean had seen a lot of things in his short years as a hunter, but the thought that anyone in this life might actually make it to sixty, much less beyond, seemed impossible. Sure, Bobby had gotten there, but his life was nowhere near happy. The only real family he had was Sam, Dean, and Evy, who came and went, sometimes for long stretches of time. He drank too much and was haunted by the ghosts of people he'd been unable to save.

Was that the life Evy had been cursed to live wherever she had landed?

Or had the opposite happened? Had she become convinced after a while that her brothers weren't coming for her, and built herself a life? Had she met someone, gotten married, and had children or grandchildren? If that was the case, was it even fair to make her come back if she didn't want to?

Whatever he had to do, Dean would bring her back. Her life in the other…dimension, portal, whatever the hell it was…wasn't real. This was her real life, and this was where she was needed.

Sam was having the same thoughts. He didn't want to force Evy to do something she didn't want to do, but the idea that he would be all alone if she didn't come back was simply too much to bear. He had actually been grateful when he found the information that would give him a reason to force her to come back.

Stories have abounded throughout the centuries of humans travelling to other worlds through these portals. No one knows what makes them travel there, though theories suggest that something supernatural is attracted to these people and the portals are a way of protecting them from what might happen to them in their normal world. One thing seems to be consistent throughout these stories, however. If the person who stepped through the portal to another world stays there, the balance of the universe will slowly be thrown off. No one can predict how long it will take, but eventually, both worlds will be thrown into chaos.

In other words, if Evy didn't come back, the world could eventually end.

The hours passed slowly for Sam. Too slowly. He wanted to get to Evy and bring her home now. But the only solution was waiting for the portal to open again and going though.

Doubts were flying through Sam's mind at a speed he couldn't control. What if they didn't see the portal open and missed their opportunity? What if they were too slow and couldn't make it through? What if…?

Bobby talking to him and telling him it was time to go broke Sam out of his cycle of doubt, at least for a moment. Going through the what ifs was destructive, Sam knew, and he had to focus on the task in front of him or he'd never make it.

We're coming, Cricket. We're almost there.

Finally, something started to happen. A bright light surrounded them and he and Dean were suddenly pulled…somewhere.

Bobby was nowhere in sight, but Sam and Dean were more concerned with figuring out where they were. They had landed in some thick woods, and there was snow all around. Up ahead, they could hear a few vehicles moving, though they couldn't quite see a town.

"Sammy, you all right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Come on, let's go."

The two of them took off, walking towards the sounds of the cars they heard ahead. They stumbled on a small town, one that looked as if it had come straight out, in Dean's opinion, a horror movie. There were a couple of stores, some houses, a somewhat large hospital up ahead, a school where kids could be heard outside playing, and some other buildings that Dean couldn't quite identify right away. There were a few of the cars that he and Sam had heard out in the woods, but most people seemed to be walking to their destinations. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, and he and Sam stuck out amidst the crowd.

Sam suddenly stopped, grabbed Dean's arm, and pointed. In front of them was a slightly rundown building called Ryan's Tavern and General Store. People were milling in and out of the place, waving to the lady running the counter inside. Dean made a quip about it not being a good time to stop for a drink, only to be rewarded with a cuff to the head from Sam.

"Look."

Sam was pointing to the side of the door. There was a notice there saying HELP WANTED, a sign with the business hours, and what finally caught Dean's attention, a photograph. The photo looked decades old, but there was no mistaking it. It was Evy. Underneath the help wanted sign and the photo was another sign that made Dean's mouth drop open.

Owner and General Manager, Evelyn James.

"James?" Dean said under his breath, but Sam was already heading inside.

There were a few older men sitting at the bar, chatting about whatever it was that old men chatted about, but Dean wasn't paying attention to that. His eyes were on the young girl at the cash register. He could see that Sam's eyes were drawn there too. The girl was the spitting image of Evy. Dean had pictured her as being an old lady when they arrived, but she looked exactly the same. The girl handed a woman going out the door some change, wished her a good day, then wiped her hands on a rag that was behind the counter and turned to Sam and Dean with a smile.

"Can I help you guys with something?"

Sam was standing frozen, unable to believe what he was seeing. After an awkward silence, he spoke.

"Cricket?"

The young girl looked puzzled and asked, "Excuse me?"

"We're looking for Evelyn James." Dean said, hoping to salvage the situation.

The girl smiled. "Oh. That's my grandma. Are you here about the job?"

Sam and Dean stared at each other for a second, their minds both swirling around the mention of Evy as a grandmother. It seemed so foreign to both of them. But before the girl could say anything about their odd reaction, she was calling into the back of the store.

"Nana! There's another couple guys out here looking for a job!"

If the young girl at the counter had been a shock, the old woman that walked out nearly made Sam and Dean both collapse. She was easily in her eighties, with long and flowing silver hair, and a slightly hunched over back. She smiled at the young girl and thanked her, then turned her eyes to Sam and Dean. Her smile immediately fell, and time stood still for everyone there. After a moment, she recovered and asked them,

"Are you two here about the job?"

"Um, yes…" Dean said, noting that Sam was too choked up to respond.

"Well, come on in the back then. Let's talk."

"Nana, you want me to come back with you?"

"I'll be fine, Gracie honey. You stay out here."

"You sure? No offense to these gentlemen, but I don't really like you being alone with a strange man."

Evy chuckled and turned to Sam and Dean. "My car was stolen by someone passing through town about a year ago, and ever since then my granddaughter here's been worried sick about me. I'll be fine, honey. If they try anything, I'll holler."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Nana. At least let one of the guys go back there with you, please."

The four gentlemen that had been sitting at the bar were now eyeing Sam and Dean with suspicion, just like Gracie was. They were all nodding slightly, telling Evy that any of them were willing to sit with her as she interviewed them.

"Now I said no and I meant it, Gracie. Get back to work now."

Grace frowned and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Evy smiled and kissed Grace's cheek. "I'll be alright, honey. Just give me a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay."

"You're such a good girl."

The compliment made Grace smile, and she turned back to offer the men some coffee. Evy led Sam and Dean to a back room with a small office. She closed the door behind her and found herself being swept into a bone crushing hug from Sam. She accepted it but pulled away and looked at them both with a bitterness and anger that looked out of place on her. What she asked them next left them even more surprised than when she'd initially walked out to greet them.

"What are you two doing here?"