A/N: A chapter for your weekend read. Enjoy... NC

Chapter 8

Dean was driving the last leg of their journey toward Guymon and following Sam's directions to a motel he had found and reserved rooms for them. The Quality Inn Express was located on the west side of Guymon and offered several restaurants and gas stations nearby. Dean pulled into the lot and stopped at the front where the office sign was posted, and the open neon sign was glowing red.

"I'll go in and register," Sam told Dean as he got out. He looked to the side as Lucian and Timon parked and got out of their cars.

"Sam, Timon and I spoke, and we are paying for your room since you are kind enough to help us out," Lucian addressed Sam. "It's the least we can do as payment."

"Gee, that's nice of you but it's not necessary," Sam replied surprised by the offer. This made him respect the two creatures even more.

"We insist. You are offering your expertise to help us find out loved ones. That was something you didn't have to do and for that we are grateful." Lucian bowed his head slightly to Sam to show he was sincere.

"Yes, I agree with him," Timon added. "I would not have had any idea how to find my Esme, and you have given me hope."

"Okay then. I've reserved three rooms for us and ask that they be close together." Sam led the way inside and the others followed him. It didn't take them long to register and get room keys and head back out to move their cars around the building.

"What was that about?" Dean asked when Sam dropped back into the passenger seat. He had seen Lucian stop Sam to speak with him before heading inside.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"Your talk with them before going inside."

"Oh, it wasn't anything really. They're paying for our room since we're helping them," Sam shrugged.

"Now I didn't see that coming. About time we got something out of doing our job," Dean nodded steering the Impala the way Sam was pointing. "I'm starting to like them more all the time." He parked in front of a room and Lucian and Timon parked on either side of the Impala.

"Ours is the middle room and they have a room on either side of us," Sam let him know.

"Good, we can use our room as a base and go over what we have with them," Dean said getting out and going to the trunk, and opening it so they could get their bags. "You guys settle in and join us in our room in thirty minutes," Dean instructed Lucian and Timon.

"Sounds good," Lucian replied.

"Alright," Timon replied.

Sam opened the door to their room and stepped inside taking in the mute tones and nice appearance. It had two queen beds against one wall, small table and chairs near the window, long dresser with coffee maker, mini fridge, and television sitting on it and a decent size bathroom.

"Not bad Sammy," Dean told him dropping his bag on the bed closest to the door.

"I chose this one since it has a free continental breakfast."

"Now you're talking," Dean beamed. "I knew I kept you around for a reason," he teased.

Sam looked up at Dean seeing the mischief in his eyes and gave him a halfway bitch face, pleased he was acting normal toward him at last. He ducked his head not wanting Dean to see the tears that gathered in his eyes. It was hard for Sam to keep his emotions in check when he felt vulnerable.

"Why don't you get set up at the table and I'm going to grab some drinks from the gas station next door?" Dean suggested sensing Sam's feelings.

"Alright, get me a green tea please," Sam replied placing his things on the free bed. He headed for the bathroom first while Dean left to run his errand. He came out and grabbed his laptop, the pages he printed out, and settled at the table. Sam arranged the pages in an orderly fashion before opening his laptop and booting it up so he could connect to the Wi-Fi.

Sam looked up from his typing when the door opened, and Dean stepped inside carrying a bag. He tossed the room key on the dresser and opened the fridge to sit some drinks in it, leaving two out for them.

"Here you go Sammy," Dean told him sitting a green tea near his hand.

"Thanks. I've been looking at a map of the area and compared it to what Charlie sent me. I'm almost certain it's one of the two places I chose."

"Well, alright then. We'll tell the others and head out early in the morning to check them out."

"Maybe we'll be lucky," Sam shrugged.

"Don't jinx us," Dean chastised him giving him a light tap to the back of the head.

Before Sam could come back with a snide remark there was a strong knock at the door. The brothers looked toward it and stiffen slightly before Dean got up to answer it and let Lucian and Timon into the room. He watched them separate when after they entered, both grimacing and frowning like they smelled something rotten.

"Okay, Sammy since you're the geek around here, want to enlighten the others on what we've got?"

Sam gave Dean a bitchy frown before picking up a couple of pages and motioned for Lucian and Timon to have a seat at the table. Dean remained standing nearby as Sam began to go over everything.

"I went through all the data Charlie sent me and have come up with two likely places that could be where your families are being held. Dean and I will take one of you and go check these places out early in the morning and see if either looks feasible. Tomorrow is a reconnaissance mission only. We get the lay of the land and meet back here to devise a plan to breach the place and get them back."

"And if neither are the place?" Lucian questioned.

"I go back and look for another location. I know it's in this area somewhere."

"Sounds good to me," Timon offered. "It's more than I had before."

"We'll meet back here at seven in the morning. There's free breakfast in the office that starts at six," Dean stated as all eyes turned toward him. "The locations are about an hour from here, one west of here and the other in Texas. Timon, you'll go with Sammy and Lucian you're with me. That's it for now, get some rest and we'll see you in the am."

"Until tomorrow then," Lucian nodded getting up from the table.

"Tomorrow," Timon agreed following suit.

Dean watched them leave to go to their separate rooms. He would let them take care of their own food needs. After they were gone, he sat down across from Sam and let out a long breath before sipping on his drink.

"How 'bout ordering in for dinner tonight?" Dean inquired, letting his shoulders sag slightly now that the others were gone. He was tired from the long drive, even though Sam had driven some of it.

Sam could sense Dean's weariness and saw it etched on his face.

"Why don't I order some pizza," Sam suggested getting up to look at the papers on the nightstand and finding takeout restaurants. He pulled out his cell not bothering to wait for Dean's answer and dialed the number to place an order.

"Good idea," Dean finally answered with a sigh slumping more in his chair. He was glad Sam didn't want to go back out because he didn't want to deal with the public. He reached and unlaced his boots, kicking the off and to the side so he could wiggle his toes and stretch his feet. "I think I'll get a shower before the food gets here," he commented with a grunt as he pushed up from the chair.

"Okay," Sam replied grabbing his bag to pull out some sweats. He wanted to get comfortable and after Dean took his bag into the bathroom and closed the door, he changed clothes and pulled some money from his jeans pocket to pay for the pizza. Sam moved the pillows on his bed so he could lean back against the headboard and snagged the remote to turn the television on. He flipped through the channels until he found a documentary that looked interesting and started watching it.

Sam looked toward the bathroom door later as it opened allowing a cloud of steam to escape when Dean stepped from the room. He dropped his duffle on the floor and flopped down on his bed to see what Sam was watching on the tube.

"Isn't there something interesting on?" he whined making a face.

"It is interesting to me," Sam pouted knowing Dean would say that.

"You were always…" Dean started but didn't finish when a knocking sounded at the door.

"I got it," Sam mumbled in an irritated voice. He got up and grabbed the money he had laid out and went to the door. He stood to the side and opened it a crack to see a guy standing there with two pizza boxes.

"Pizza," the guy said holding the boxes up.

"Right, thanks," Sam replied opening the door wider and handing him the money with a tip and accepted the boxes. He closed and locked the door behind him and took the boxes to the table.

"Great, food, I'm starved," Dean grunted moving from the bed to join Sam at the table. "Did you get one with meats on it and not just your rabbit food?"

"Yes, and it's all yours," Sam replied pushing a box toward Dean.

"Come to papa," Dean cooed opening the box and taking in the enticing aroma. He picked up a slice and took a huge bit, humming his delight. "This is good Sammy," Dean mumbled around the food in his mouth.

"Really," Sam complained, making a face. "Chew and swallow please."

Dean grinned showing half eaten pizza in his mouth just to mess with him. He knew his brother was so easy to rile up.

"How are we even related," Sam scoffed rolling his eyes toward the ceiling in disgust.

"You were just lucky," Dean stated with pride before continuing to eat his pizza. "There's gotta be something better than this on," Dean insisted getting up to get the remote and flip through the channels stopping on another program. "Now that's more like it."

"Jerk," Sam mumbled under his breath as he glared at Dean.

"Don't think I didn't hear that, bitch," Dean told him grabbing his pizza box and making himself comfortable on his bed to watch television while he finished eating.

Sam looked to see what Dean was watching when sexy moans filled the room, and he shook his head and snorted. Of course, he would find something like that to watch, Sam mused.

spn

The shower shut off and Sam heard his brother's voice through the door telling him to hurry up so they could get some breakfast.

"I'll be out in a minute," Sam called back as he grabbed a towel to dry with. He ran the towel over his wet body and then through his hair before grabbing his clothes to dress. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair before stepping to the door and opening it.

Dean was pacing the room as he looked at his watch, giving Sam an annoyed look while pointing to his wrist.

"We have plenty of time," Sam fussed before grabbing his jacket and slipping it on as he hurried to follow Dean out the door.

They walked across the parking lot to the office and found a room to the left from the desk that had a long table filled with breakfast foods and drinks. Sam went to get coffee and Dean saw a warming tray filled with bacon and headed for it licking his lips.

Sam saw what Dean saw and headed the other way like he didn't know him. He split a bagel and dropped it into a toaster to brown and filled a cup with cut up mixed fruit. He snagged a banana and apple, putting them in his pockets. Once the bagel was done, he spread cream cheese across the top before dropping it into a bowl. After picking out a cereal and carton of milk, Sam headed out, leaving Dean still filling a plate to head back to their room.

Sam was eating his food when Dean showed up ten minutes later with a plate loaded with food and a large cup of coffee. He sat down and began to dig in moaning and humming as he devoured it. Sam huffed and continued to eat his food at a slow even pace. He saved the fruit for later and ate the cereal with milk. When he was done, Sam went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and use it.

As Dean finished his last biscuit sandwich, a knocking sounded at their door. Sam was stepping from the bathroom and went to answer it. He stepped back to let Lucian and Timon into the room. They glanced around as Dean got up to throw away his trash.

"I'll be ready in a minute," he told them stepping into the bathroom.

"I wrote out directions for you and Dean," Sam told Lucian handing him the paper.

"Thank you," Lucian said politely accepting the paper.

It wasn't long before Dean joined them in the main room and grabbed his jacket and key card for the room.

"Alright, this is a scouting mission only, don't engage the enemy," Dean told everyone as they stood around the room. "Sammy, you be careful and don't do anything stupid."

"I got it," Sam answered frowning for a moment at Dean. "Timon, do you want to drive, or should we take Bobby's car?"

"I am fine to drive. You can navigate," Timon told him.

"Okay, once we have scoped each place out, we head back here to compare notes and decide our next moves," Dean instructed them. "Any questions?"

The others shook their heads no and made ready to leave.

"Okay gang, let's rock and roll." Dean led the way out the door to the cars and he got in and reached across the seat to unlock the other door for Lucian. He pinched his lips together, thinking he wasn't the one that belonged in that seat, but shoved his feelings aside as he cranked his Baby and let her idle for a moment to smooth out. He gave Sam a wave before pulling out and going one way as Sam and Timon headed in the other direction.

spn

"We're getting close," Sam noted looking at the map and his directions. "We'll need to find a place to leave the SUV and go in on foot. No need to alert anyone if this is the right place."

"Alright, I'll keep an eye out for a pull off," Timon nodded as he started looking on both sides of the two-lane road they were traveling. A few miles ahead he spotted what looked like a dirt side road and slowed to pull off onto it. "I think this might do."

"Yeah, pull far enough down it to be out of sight of the main road," Sam instructed. "The facility is maybe a mile through those trees from the map. We should be able to get a good look at it from the tree line."

"I trust you, Sam Winchester. I will follow your lead," Timon assured him as he slowed to a stop among some bushes to hide the vehicle. He stopped and killed the engine before getting out on his side as Sam got out on the passenger side.

"We have to be quiet and careful," Sam told him. "Here, do you know how to use this?" he asked handing him the extra gun he had brought. "Just in case."

"Yes, I am proficient with a handgun," Timon nodded taking the gun, looking at it, checking the chamber to see if it had a bullet, and then slipped it into the waistband of his jeans.

"Stay behind me and we'll need to watch for any booby traps when we get closer. If this is the place, I'm sure they have the place protected someway."

"Got it," Timon replied letting Sam take the lead. He kept pace with the hunter as he entered the trees and headed in a straight line toward where he thought the facility was located. It took them about twenty minutes of steady hiking before the trees began to thin and Sam could see a fence through them. He grabbed Timon before he set off a trap and squatted to follow the wire to an explosive device. After disarming it, they continued to the edge of the trees. He stopped for a moment and scoped the surrounding area out before slowly easing forward.

Sam moved parallel with the road that ran by the fence until he saw a guard house and opened gate. They saw cars driving through the gate into the place and others leaving. It wasn't long before the traffic ceased, and the gate was closed. Sam took out his cell to take photos of the place. He watched as heavily armed guards patrolled behind the fence, walking around the building.

"Let's see if we can get around on the other side of the place and see if there's another entrance," Sam whispered storing his cell and moving on through the trees away from the guardhouse. When he thought they were far enough away, Sam eased to the edge of the trees and looked up and down the road before motioning for Timon to follow him. He ran for the trees on the other side and ducked into them with Timon on his heels. Sam stopped and looked back to be sure no one saw them and sounded an alarm.

"You think this is the place?" Timon mumbled.

"Yes. Why would they need that type of security armed to the hilt?" Sam replied. "Let's see if we can get around the fence. There might be another entrance." Sam moved a little deeper into the trees and began to move through them, keeping the fence in sight.

Sam continued moving until he found a corner of the fence as it made a ninety-degree angle and headed down the back of the facility. He nodded to Timon and moved to follow the fence behind the facility. Sam decided to chance it and went to the fence to check it out. He tossed a stick to be sure it wasn't electrified and checked for any cameras, seeing them attacked to the corner of the building. Sam made sure to stay in the blind spots to avoid being seen. He saw several metal doors leading from the building that looked impossible to breach. He took more photos before hurrying back into the trees.

"Okay, let's follow the fence around to the front," Sam instructed him. They continued and were almost back around to the front when Sam tripped a motion detector without knowing it and before they started back toward their vehicle, four guards ran to the gate and waited for it to open. They rushed through the gate and headed in Sam and Timon's direction.

"Sam, I think we have trouble," Timon told him, pointing to the guards.

Sam froze and quickly pulled his cell, wallet, and gun from his pockets and shoved it into Timon's hands. If he was caught, he didn't want those to be used by the guards. He ignored Dean's orders knowing they both couldn't get caught. It was better for him to be captured than Timon, and he needed to give him a chance to get away and back to Dean.

"Get this to Dean, I'll lead them away from you, stay here and hide," he insisted before turning and running to the road where the guards could see him. He turned and ran down the road far enough away from Timon before veering into the trees hoping to lose the guards. He could hear shouts and running steps behind him until he entered the forest where their steps were muffled. Sam dodged trees and didn't know the guards were trying to flank him. The last thing he remembered was a prick of something sharp on his neck and everything went black.

A/N: Sam's recon mission didn't go as planned and now he's caught too. Dean's not going to be happy when he finds out. Can Sam break free and find the others? Will Dean and troops be able to save them? Thanks for coming along on this journey. I do like reviews/comments. NC