Typical Disclaimer: This story has the typical violence you'll see in the show along with all the angst. I try not to get too off character or too violent, but I'm giving it a mature rating just to be on the safe side.

I of course own nothing and get nothing but the satisfaction of writing the story and hopefully making it enjoyable for others as well. Comments are always welcome, good or bad. Thank you to everyone and I hope you have been enjoying it.

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John and Dean had buried a mostly empty coffin next to Mary. Sarah had made all the plans and arrangements for the funeral. Most of John's hunting contacts had come to pay their respects if they could. Missouri said a few words of comfort for everyone around the grave site. Everyone had eventually left, leaving John, Dean, Sarah, and Missouri looking down at the hole in the ground where the coffin had been lowered. When the men had arrived to move the dirt into the hole, Missouri had taken John's arm and led him away. Dean moved out of the way but didn't leave. Sarah did the same, but after the men had started to pour the dirt she couldn't stay any longer and walked quietly crying to her car and headed to her motel before heading back home tomorrow.

Dean stood and watched the dirt as it piled in and eventually left a mound. They wouldn't place the headstone for a few more days because they were still engraving it. Dean pulled out the flask that Bobby had given him a while back and took a drink. Once the men left, he walked over to the grave and squatted down beside it. Sam's words ran through his mind, "what closure? People don't just disappear Dean; other people just stop looking for them." Only the coffin they buried wasn't completely empty. Small fragment remains that the coroner assumed were Sam's had been placed in there. He took another drink and then laid it down. "Sorry Sammy. I was supposed to protect you. I was supposed to keep you safe. I screwed up and I'm sorry." He took a deep breath, stood, and walked away.

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Sam ran through the trees until they opened up into a large clearing. He stopped behind a tree and glanced around listening for anyone that might be pursuing. In the clearing there was a large house on one side and a barn on the other. Everything seemed to be well kept. The main portion of the clearing contained a garden area. On the opposite side of him in the far center there were several tables, wall-less tents, lots of chairs, and people milling around like it was some type of celebration. A quick glance over at the house revealed very few cars though. It didn't matter, any car he could hot-wire would do. He hated stealing anything, but this was definitely a good time to do it.

Sam followed the tree line towards the house hoping no one in the group noticed anything. He heard crashing coming through the trees from the direction he ran and knew that Chuck and Bob were probably coming after him. He hurried faster to the house and cut across the drive towards the cars once the house was blocking his view of the people. Picking the last car in the drive he quickly ran over and checked it. Luckily it was unlocked. He quickly opened the door and ducked under the dash pulling out the wires he needed. A few clicks and the engine cranked. Quickly he got in to the car, put it in reverse, and started pulling down the driveway. He turned the car around as soon as he had an open area and then floored the gas sending bits of gravel and dirt into the air.

In the rear view mirror he saw Bob break through the tree line a second or two before Chuck did. Relief swept over Sam in a wave as he raced towards the end of the driveway and what he believed was freedom. As he neared the end he hit the brakes to make the turn. Before he could make the turn the car slammed to a complete halt. Because he wasn't wearing a seat belt, his chest hit the steering wheel hard and knocked the breath from his chest. He was pretty sure he heard several ribs cracking. As he looked up groggily, he saw another car sitting out on the road. He watched as Karen stepped out of the car and began walking in his direction.

Sam floored the gas, but the car didn't move. He put it in reverse, but still couldn't get it to move anywhere. In the rear view mirror he saw Bob and Chuck come jogging down the drive. Sam got out of the car and prepared himself for Karen's attack. Instead, she turned away as Bob and Chuck caught up and took their frustrations out on him.

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Missouri was providing a reading for a customer. She had asked several questions and listened to the gentleman as he explained the situation he was having at work. The sensation swept over her so fast her breath caught in her chest and she couldn't inhale or scream as she wanted to do. The sense of fear, despair, and desire to just lay down and give up hit her like a sledge hammer. The customer she was with jumped up and ran to her side asking her if she was okay and picked up his cell phone to call 911. She quickly regained herself and stopped him from making the call.

"I'm okay honey, honestly. Just have a seat for just a minute while I get myself some water." Missouri quickly got up and headed for the kitchen. When she returned the gentleman was still sitting nervously in his chair. She smiled sweetly at him, "don't you worry about a thing honey, that wasn't about you at all. But I do have to ask for you to reschedule, I have something very important that I must attend to right now." She quickly ushered him out the door and raced back to the phone. She dialed the number, it rang several times, and she came very close to cursing when the inevitable voice mail started on John Winchester's cell phone. Instead of leaving a message, she hung up and quickly dialed another number. It rang several times before the voice picked up on the other side."

"Hello," the voice said in a soft tone filled with too much grief and she almost didn't recognize it was him.

"Dean? I need to speak to you and your father. Quickly. Is your father with you?" Missouri could feel the deep depression coming from Dean and it made her eyes water.

"No. He should be back in a day or so though. What's wrong?" Dean tried to sound interested.

"Well, I don't know how exactly to tell you this," she drew a deep breath, "but I think your brother is still alive."

There was a deafening silence on the other end, then she heard Dean take a shallow breath, "Missouri, please don't do this. If you have any doubts…"

"Dean Winchester," she snapped into the phone, "I do not doubt my abilities and I am telling you that in one form or another, I have felt Sam." She took a deep breath, regaining her composure and knowing how despairing Dean felt on the other end of the line, "oh honey, I'm sorry. I know … well … please, I need you and your father to come and see me."

Dean responded in the positive and began packing up his things as soon as he'd hung up the phone. He knew his dad was either on a hunt or drinking it up at some bar again and wouldn't be back for a few days, but that didn't mean he had to sit at the motel and wait. He called his dad's cell phone and got the usual voice mail, so he left a message telling him what Missouri had said and that he was heading to her place. Dean took all his belongings, threw them into the Impala, and hit the road for Missouri's.

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The first sensation Sam felt was pain. He was use to it, but this time it was a throbbing pain that hit most of the nerves of his body. Just taking in shallow breaths caused pain. He felt something cool on his forehead but even the light pressure caused him to wince. It was immediately removed and he could feel someone shifting on the bed next to him. At least he was pretty sure he was on a bed; he still hadn't opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was Chuck and Bob tackling him and after the four or fifth punch and kick, he'd blacked out.

He tried to open his eyes and found that movement hurt just as much as breathing did. He was able to open his left, but when his right eye lids wouldn't cooperate he assumed they were swollen shut. His vision was a bit blurry and his left eye lids were swollen a bit too. He heard the sound of dripping water near him and the cool towel came back to his forehead. He didn't flinch this time, the cool cloth felt good even if it did cause the throbbing to intensify slightly.

A soft female voice spoke next to him, "it's good to see you finally waking up, Sam." She dabbed the cloth lightly before removing it again. It was not Karen's voice though. He turned his head to see her with his left eye. She was standing next to the bed wringing out the towel again. She had long blond hair pulled back into a long braid. When she turned to gently touch the towel to his lips and eyes he noticed that she had sharp crystal blue eyes. "We were beginning to get a little worried that you wouldn't be coming back. You've been asleep for a couple of days."

"Where am I," his voice croaked through his dry throat. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was just as dry.

She brought him a small cup of water and held his head as he took careful sips. She smiled at him, "you're at the training camp."

Sam coughed a little, "training camp?"

"Yes. Karen brought you over here to get better and to work on your abilities. I'll be your mentor, so to speak."

That didn't comfort him very much and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He glanced over at the girl and saw her frown.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" she scowled.

"Mind reader, huh?" Sam whispered before relaxing back on the pillow and closing his eye.

"You shouldn't be here until you're ready to accept the path. I will not be a babysitter for some cry baby who's home sick." She stood angrily from the bed and moved the table holding the water bowl and towel to the wall, causing the water to splash out.

Sam could feel her looking at him, so he shifted his thoughts away from there and just thought about Jess, Dean, his dad, and Sarah. After a moment or two, he heard the woman leave the room, closing the door hard behind her. Sam just smiled, at least as much as his swollen lips would let him.