Disclaimer: I made a wish on a shooting star AND when I blew the candles out on my birthday cake, but I still don't own anything Winchester. And, alas, I am still poor.

A/N: This one is short, but the final chapter is right on its heels. Sort of…

The Storm

Chapter 2

John was sitting behind the wheel of his truck when Sam parked in the spot next to his. While waiting for his son, he drove toward Granville and had only just gotten back. Even from a distance, John could see that Sam was pale.

"Sam," John hugged him, feeling something in Sam's embrace before pulling away. "You need a haircut, Son."

Sam brushed the bangs from his eyes. "Dad –"

"Come on, let's go inside. Looks like you could use some food."

"Dad, no. We have to look for Dean."

"We will. But all I've had is too much coffee and I bet the same is true for you. We're not going to do him any good if we pass out before we find him."

Reluctantly, Sam followed his father into the diner. They ordered cold sandwiches and more coffee. Sam quickly drank the water the waitress brought when they sat down.

"I drove back toward Granville after looking at today's newspaper. There were no stories in there about missing people; I asked a few questions and no one else appears to be missing. I didn't see anything, but I didn't have time to get all the way there and back."

"So we do that after we eat and maybe with two sets of eyes, we'll see something." Sam said hopefully.

OOOOoOOOOO

"I don't understand this." Sam said after they had driven the same stretch of road twice. "There's nowhere to turn off; not even any dirt roads. Where the hell is he?"

John pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine. "I don't know. He was in Granville, but apparently didn't make it to the next town. So, something had to have happened on this road."

Sam looked around. "Unless he never made it out of Granville."

"What do you mean?"

"The gas station attendant said he stopped for gas and then kept going, but how do we know that for sure?"

"Damnit." John growled as he started the engine and headed to the gas station where Dean was last seen.

"Dad?" Sam began a few minutes later.

John glanced at him.

"We're going to find him, right?"

John looked at his younger son again. He seemed more like a scared teenager than he did a twenty-six year old law student. Just as John was proud of his sons' closeness, he sometimes wondered what would happen to one if … Sam interrupted his thought.

"I mean, because after everything we've been through, I can't lose him to something so stupid as this. We destroyed the demon, the demon, and – he called last night; he was probably trying to tell me he needed help –"

John reached out and laid a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Sam, don't do this. We're going to find him."

Sam turned quiet and stared out of the window intently as his father drove toward Granville, looking for anything they might have missed before. He wanted to believe his father, but something was nagging at him. He hoped it was just normal anxiety and not a premonition. They didn't always come as dreams or visions, sometimes all he had was a feeling about something.

OOOOoOOOOO

Dean opened his eyes to find he was still in a small, concrete room. There was only one window, near the top of one wall, and it was barred. Even if he had the strength, he wouldn't have been able to reach it. His head still hurt, but there wasn't the same pounding as the first time he woke up. He had no idea how long ago that was, or how long he'd been trapped in this room.

The last thing he remembered was stopping at a gas station; he didn't know the name of the town it was in. The attendant pumped the gas, while making light conversation. Normally, Dean shied away from that kind of contract with strangers, but he was excited to be seeing his brother soon and spending time with his father, so he answered the man's questions.

He recalled the man's warning to get off the road soon because a big storm was coming in from the coast, but Dean wanted to get as close to where he was going to meet Sam as he could. He hoped he would make it to the motel before the storm got too intense. He didn't remember getting into his car and couldn't help but wonder if the attendant had done something to him.

Despite his anxiety, Dean's stomach growled. He idly wondered how long it had been since he ate. He sat up on the small cot slowly, taking an inventory of the aches and pains he felt. Nothing appeared broken, but he was stiff. He wasn't surprised to find his watch and cell phone missing. The silver ring he wore on his right hand was still intact as was the charm around his neck. He wasn't happy at staggering across the room, or having to wait for a bought of dizziness to pass before he could examine the door, but he expected to find it locked anyway.

Sitting back on the cot, he looked toward the window. There was light filtering in and he could see a bit of blue sky. Obviously the storm had passed. He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes briefly. He didn't feel well at all and thought he might have been drugged. Before he knew it, he was asleep again.

OOOOoOOOOO

John parked at the gas station and walked inside the small store, Sam close on his heels. The same man was behind the counter.

"Well, hello there." he smiled. "Have you found that young man you were looking for?"

"No, I haven't. I thought maybe I could ask you a few more questions."

The smile froze on his face, but his tone revealed nothing. "Of course, but I don't know what else I can tell you."

"Did you see him drive off?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I did. Like I said, I told him to get off the road for the night, but he insisted on going on."

"And what direction did he go?"

"East; toward Lakeview. Said he had quite a ways to go to meet someone." he smiled at Sam. "You who he was meeting?"

Sam nodded. "He's my brother."

"Ah. That make you his daddy?" he asked, turning to John.

"Yeah. So, is there any place around here he might have turned off the main road?"

"No. You must have seen there's not a whole lot between here and there. I suppose he could have turned around and come back without me seeing him. Maybe he decided to get a room after all."

"Maybe so." John said, feigning a pleasant tone. He had no doubt that as soon as they left the gas station, Sam would express his distrust for the man. Before ending the conversation, John asked a few more innocent sounding questions. He had a bad feeling about the man.

"Dad –" Sam said anxiously as they walked toward John's truck.

John waved a hand. "I know."

"We're not just going to leave –"

"We are for now."

"Dad –"

"Get in the truck, Son."

Sam saw the serious look on his father's face and opened the passenger side door.

OOOOoOOOOO

"Marilee, where are you?"

"In the kitchen, Honey."

He walked into the kitchen where his wife was frosting a cake. "Who's watching the station?"

"I locked up for a few minutes. Honey, is there something you want to tell me?"

She glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"I think you know what I mean. Did you do it again?"

She put down the knife she was using for the frosting and looked at him. She was smiling, but there was no humor behind it. "What are you saying, Alan? What is it you think I've done?"

He stood his ground. "He has people looking for him, Marilee. His father and his brother; they're not going to give up."

Her smile broadened. "You worry too much."

TBC