Sam lazily kicked his feet against the back of Jim's seat as the car sped down the freeway. They had been on the road since early morning, and the sun was just beginning to fall. Not used to these types of drives without warning, Sam sighed and reached for the animal cookies wedged next to him. Munching on one, the only sound that met his ears was the best of Dean's music blasting through his headphones. They had remained in place for hours, apart from when he dozed off. In that instance, Sam teasingly swiped them off Dean's ears, and enjoyed the look of complete shock when he could not find them.

Smiling at the memory, Sam took a long drink from his juice box and fixed his gaze on Caleb. Out of everyone in his family, Sam had the hardest time figuring out what was happening to his guardian. Certain sounds and moments seemed to trigger a reaction from him that ranged from mild to crying in a single second. This was not normal, and while he had been told what it was, he still could not grasp it. PTSD. The word sounded fancy, but it was anything but. Leaning his head around his seat, he captured Caleb's soft gaze in his curious one. Today was a good day; that was obvious. He had woken in a good mood, and some of the bags under his eyes were gone.

Giggling when Caleb suddenly whipped his hand around to tickle his knee, he squirmed out of the way and focused on holding his hand. For as long as he could remember, he had craved the physical touch more than the words Caleb offered him. There was something about it that afforded him a rare moment to be still. Carefully inspecting Caleb's wedding ring, he let his fingers roam over the hardness of it while his eyes moved to the front of the car. Endless highway stretched ahead of them, but there was a toll road coming up ahead. Beyond that was their first stop. A tiny motel for the night.

The stay would be a first for the eight-year-old, who did not hold any memories of his brief time on the road with his father and brother. From what he had been told, he would be sharing a bed with Dean. Jim would take the couch, and Caleb would sleep on the bed. That part did not bother Sam. What caused him some sweat was the truth Dean let slip to him: they were on this route to avoid running into demons. Sam's nightmares had ebbed and flowed like the sun that was unsure where it wanted to go. With that, the family was putting safety as their top priority.

Squirming a little, Sam hoped they would not run into anything bad. They had all been through too much as it was. Shifting his gaze to Jim, there was nothing but the same resoluteness that he always knew about his guardian. If Jim was worried, he did not let his face betray it. Settling down in the seat, the child let his thoughts wander as the toll station came up, and they quickly passed through it. Now came the last stage of the trip. They would settle in the motel before heading off in the early morning to speak with the one person they had come all that way for. A woman with connections to Ash Fuller, demon expert. She had the same knowledge, but also a unique insight into his family.

Missouri Moseley.

A fleeting sense of expectation passed through Sam while he watched Jim pull off the highway and onto "normal road", as Sam called it. They would be able to rest after driving since late the previous night. Even Dean slipped off his music, and stared around the new change of scenery. Overcome with excitement at being able to get out and stretch his legs, Sam could feel his every muscle bunch in anticipation.

"Something rattling around in that noggin?" Dean ventured, glancing at Sam with his eyebrows high.

Sam shrugged, lifting one shoulder while his hands slowly wound around Caleb's neck. The hunter did not stiffen, which he had been known to do when an unexpected touch met him, but allowed it with his trademark smile. "Just thinking. About Missouri."

After his dreams had continued past a week or so, and with varying degrees of detail, the guys made the choice that it was time to act. Backed with the endorsement of Ash, Jim and Caleb decided to take a chance and see what she could offer in terms of her expertise. Still, it was not hard to feel the tension that clung in the air as Jim passed by several small businesses in search of the one.

"She might be able to figure out what's going on in that weirdo head of yours." Dean's comment was teasing, but Sam was not feeling the mood.

"You think so? I mean, can she find the demon? Yellow-eyes?"

Caleb nodded, bending down to get his things ready when the motel came in sight. "I think so. She's...sensitive to the readings a spirit gives off."

Jim nodded, making a sharp turn into the cracked parking lot. "Where we use EMF to detect a spirit, she uses her mind."

Sam scrunched his nose the way he did when he was confused. "What's EMF?"

Dean thought about it for a minute. "Kinda like getting a jumpstart on the Shining."

"That'd be cool."

Quieting down when the doors were opened, Sam waited for Caleb to give him the thumbs up to get out. One of the things he had been taught when he learned about hunting, was to always obey the direction of his guardians. Doing that now was strange when he took in his new surroundings. The motel was clean enough, but with paint strips peeling off the sides. The windows were foggy, but otherwise clean. Studying them curiously as he ascended the steep steps, he stayed behind his brother as Caleb unlocked the door.

Jim was in the office finishing up reservations. Taking a second to adjust his eyes to the room that met his gaze, he took in a retro-style room with outlandish wallpaper, and a calmer bedroom area. Carelessly jumping on the bouncy bed, Sam set his eyes on his guardian and brother while they meticulously inspected the room, guns out. Holding his breath without even realizing it, Sam hugged his knees to his chest while they finished the room tour. Once Caleb directed a subtle nod in his direction, he relaxed the stance he had been holding.

Next came the process of carefully salting the door and window in the room. Jim had come back from the main office, and had settled into a familiar routine of helping his family accomplish the well-known ritual. Sam did not know what the night would bring, but he was assured that he would at least be safe. Settling back against the hard pillows, he fought sleep to the best of his ability as his family got ready for bed. The sun had slipped below the clouds, blanketing the small room in a cozy darkness.

Just about to fall under the spell of sleep after Dean had joined him and was fiddling with his music, a sharp intake of breath jolted him out of the reverie that he had been sucked into. Opening his eyes, this first thing he noticed was Caleb. He was sitting bolt upright in bed, and was staring at the thin covers with mingled confusion and fear. Glancing at Dean, he noticed that he was frozen in place, recognition flitting across his face as he hesitantly rose to his feet to attend his guardian. Not as versed in what was happening, Sam chose to stay where he was.

"Caleb?" Dean hedged, taking his time to sit next to him. "What...what's going on?"

When Sam focused only on Caleb, he witnessed something he had never seen before: terror. He was trying his best to silence it before it grew, but there was nothing he could do when it hit him so suddenly. Caleb was staring at the blanket that he was moving away from as though it was on fire. Getting control over his movements, Sam got up and moved to Caleb's other side. Laying his head on his shoulder, he was stunned to find him trembling from head to toe.

"The...the blanket." Caleb gulped, swiping sweat off his brow. "It's the same one-the same the jail u-used."

"But it's not," Dean reminded him, getting into Caleb's line of vision. "This is Kansas, Toto, and this is not that piece of crap cell."

Caleb nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. He fought to retain control as he swallowed convulsively. "Just...just get it out of here. Please."

Jim nodded slowly, placing a gentle (but firm) hand on Caleb's shoulder. "Alright. I can go to the car and get our stuff. Or go down to the office."

That seemed to suffice. Sam numbly watched as Dean stripped the blanket off the bed and threw it into a corner. Caleb was still in the throes of the panic attack that was a result of the PTSD, but he was coming down from it. Taking that as his cue to snuggle in again, Sam did just that while Dean grabbed a water bottle. Bringing the covers over him and his guardian, Sam listened to the high beat of Caleb's heart. It was pounding much faster than he had ever heard it before. His face was still soaked in sweat, but was getting better. The covers Jim brought back were from home, and seemed to do the trick in settling him down. Dean was sitting on Caleb's other side, keeping a close watch on him as he decompressed.

Jim had taken his place on the sofa. Instead of indulging in his reading material he normally brought on any trip, he was deep in thought. Sam could only assume it had to do with Caleb. This was the first incident in a few weeks that Caleb had gone through. Foolishly, Sam naively thought that meant he was cured from his torment.

"What...what did you see?" Sam asked, reaching down to hold Caleb's hand.

Caleb did not answer for the moment as the two boys took their place on either side of him. A protective stance against anything coming for their guardian. "The cot. It was rickety. It felt like it would give at any time." He laughed humorlessly. "I was...I was lying t-there the night John died."

"Kinda like your mind is replaying the greatest hits," Dean murmured.

Caleb nodded, squeezing Dean's hand. "I had kicked that blanket off. It was too damn itchy. And then...the blood ended up going under my door. It...it got all over the blanket."

"Did the guards come?" Sam wondered.

"Once both our cells were covered in blood."

Sam fell into an uneasy silence. His mind was in shambles as he considered what Caleb had let on. It seemed to come in bits and pieces when his brain decided to torment him. As much as Sam was confused about what Caleb was enduring, he could not imagine being in Caleb's shoes. Shaking off those thoughts, he flipped off the bed and returned to his own. Dean was still with Caleb, and he doubted he would be moving anytime soon.

Curling up under the covers, he did not truly fall into sleep until Caleb turned the light off. Once the room was bathed in darkness, sleep came easily enough. Tucking his hand under his chin, Sam caressed the edge of the scratchy comforter until his fingers grew heavy and limp with being drowsy.

At first, his brain had gone blank. That was until his mind plopped him in the last place he ever expected to be that night. After not being in that place for weeks, it took him a second to realize where he was. Swiveling his head in every way, the first thing he saw was the epitome of a kid's dream land set in the wild country. Resisting the urge to try the lollipops growing out of the dirt, he took a tentative step forward. A cool rush of air blew by him, causing a frosty chill to descend in his heart until he saw something that caused his heart to stumble.

The same girl he had seen before in this place. She was dirty, and had mud caked in her dark hair. However, her face lit up when she placed Sam as the kid she had befriended the last time she had seen him. "Hey, Sam."

"What...what is this?"

She played with her hair nervously. "He's here."

"Who?"

"Yellow-Eyes."