The occupants of the one-room motel struggled to get up and around the next morning. Eyes red from lack of sleep and begging for more, Sam sat in bed for as long as he could while his family got up around the same time. Curled up under his thick comforter, Sam watched Jim be the first one to rise. He stumbled over to the kitchenette, and put on a cinnamon-smelling pot of coffee. Next was Caleb. Sam could not help but focus on him as he took a glance around the room, before going over to join Jim at the table. They were having a conversation, but Sam could not hear it.

Flipping over on his back, his thoughts ran wild as he imagined meeting this mysterious woman that promised to do what she could for them. At the top of Sam's list of questions for her, was if the demon was really coming for him or not. From the vivid detail he had garnered from his dreams, the demon was planning something that had to do with him and people like him. That was scary all by itself, but then Sam factored in the other reason they were paying Missouri a visit. His powers, which appeared out of nowhere, and seemed to be tied to moments of stress or great danger. They had been assured that she was an expert, and he hoped his family had not been lied to.

With those thoughts swarming through his mind, Sam hesitantly sat up and moved out of the bed he was sharing with Dean. Not to his shock, his big brother was still out cold. Stumbling over to his family, his legs adjusting to the sudden feel of being up and around, he was enveloped in Jim's warm embrace while Caleb immediately started making him breakfast. From the sweet smell that drifted into his nostrils, he was heating up left over French Toast. Breathing in the coffee scent that Jim exuded, he tried to let go of the unnatural fear that assaulted his heart. Ever since he first began to have powers, and then Caleb's arrest, a fear had gripped Sam's heart that he could not shake.

Trying for the moment to let go of it, he moved over to a seat when Caleb set the plate down. Sneaking a glance at him when he thought Caleb was not looking, he noted the purple rings around his eyes and the way he downed his large mug of coffee in nothing flat. Over the ensuing months, he had come to associate those with signs that Caleb had not slept well. Unsure what to think about that, he fiddled with the fork that dangled from his fingers. The smooth feel of it distracted him from the other pressing issue he had that had to do with the dream. This was the first time he had gotten the name of the girl that was in it with him, and what the demon was planning.

Distracted from his thoughts by the kiss that Jim pressed to the top of his head, he took a bite of the sweet treat and looked down at his dangling feet. His heart was thudding, and he knew why it was, too.

"Something on your mind, Sammy boy?" Caleb pressed, sitting between him and Jim. His soft eyes showed nothing but concern for the child next to him.

Sam shrugged, biting his lip. "I...I had a dream."

Jim nodded slowly, glancing over at Caleb. "He had one of his 'visits' last night."

"Y-Yeah." Sam exhaled deeply, twisting his hands around the other. "A Yellow-eyes one."

"Did you see him?" Caleb's eyes had flashed with anger, before he seemed to bring it back under control.

Sam shook his head. "Just...just Serenity. She's a girl I've met."

Caleb nodded slowly. "Was it the same place? Or a new location?"

One of the items on their to-do list was find the location of Sam's nightmare. If it was a physical location, it would narrow down the search quite significantly.

"Same place."

Jim rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess it's a good thing we're going to see Missouri, huh? Too much, too soon."

Sam tried to stifle the beating of his heart as the car traveled through rural parts of Kansas he had never seen before. Not that he remembered since the last time he had been in Kansas he was only a baby. Drinking in all the sights of his birth state was a strange kaleidoscope of memory that was teetering on the edge of his brain. It was lost to him, but still existed. Tossing that idea around his head, Sam wondered about the lives his parents led there, and what they liked to do. Did they like to explore the town? Did they stay home a lot? And did they see the huge cowboy statue that was now in front of him?

Smiling at it, Sam knew he would like to own one of those statues someday. It was just too cool. Glancing at Dean, he saw a very different reaction from his brother. Instead of drinking in the sights of home, Dean was determinedly staring down at his Walkman and choosing tapes to play. It did not take a genius to know Dean did not share in the warm feelings he did about being back. Not that Sam knew, since Dean avoided talking about it like this plague. There were some lines Sam learned early on not to cross, and that was one of them. Settling back in the seat, Sam was content to sit and observe all the sights that were different from Minnesota.

Crossing under a covered bridge that had vines snaking along the sides, a queasy feeling that passed through Sam let him know they were close. Up front, Jim and Caleb were silent while they paid attention to the map spread out on the dashboard. The trip was stressful for all of them, but especially the adults who were charged with protecting the two kids in the backseat. Leaning forward in his seat when they turned into a street lined with different businesses and homes, his eyes scanned the different places, wondering which one it was.

A quiet sigh from beside him let him know that Dean was fully aware of where they were, and was preparing himself as much as possible. Giving him a bracing look, Sam teasingly socked him in the shoulder just as Dean had done to him when he was under stress. It had the desired effect, and Dean seemed to loosen up enough to reciprocate his brother's actions. Squirming out of the way, a hush fell over the two brothers when Jim pulled into a cracked driveway that led to a two-story home with a homely feel to it. Gulping back the wave of unease that passed over him, Sam got out and stuck close to his brother. Dean immediately went to Caleb's side, needing the assurance he would never vocalize.

The porch steps creaked when the small family walked up them. With the front door concealing whoever was inside, it left an air of mystery Sam was hard-pressed to ignore. Slipping his hand through Caleb's, he was just about to suggest they knock when the door was thrown open. Taking a step back, his eyes took a minute to adjust to the dim surroundings of the foyer they were stepping into. A disgruntled man was on his way out, walking past them with unintelligible words streaming from his mouth. Looking away from him, Sam focused forward when a woman emerged from the sitting room.

Her eyes were amused, her mouth pulled tight into a sympathetic grimace for the man she had just talked to. "Poor dumb fool." She shook her head, wordlessly gesturing for them to follow. "Seems to think he could hide his love affair from the wife."

For the first time, Dean smiled. "Why did he come if he didn't want the truth?"

"People don't come for the truth. They come to get their ego stroked." Missouri, who had been leading them back to the same sitting area, turned suddenly and positively beamed at Sam and Dean. "Sam..." her long fingers caressed his cheek. "Dean..." she refrained from touching him. "I can't believe I'm seeing you two kids again."

Something snapped into place in Sam's mind as Dean reacted to her words faster than he did. "You...you've seen us before? How?" Dean was verbalizing what Sam was struggling to catch up with.

"Well...your daddy came to see me. It was shortly after the fire. You can say I pulled back the curtain and exposed what was behind it."

"What...what did you tell him?" Jim voiced, his face ashen as he took a seat on the sofa she pointed to.

"I...I gave him information on the demon. It was a demon, but I could never get quite as good of a read as I can now."

Sam sat between his family, unsure what to make of her statement. Every part of him was burning with questions, but he held his tongue. Judging from the look of incredulity on Caleb's face, he knew he would be the one to interrogate her. Dean was silent as he processed all that Missouri had just revealed to them, which was so unlike him that Sam knew he was struggling with what to say.

"You can get a read now?" Caleb demanded, his voice tight as his hand reflexively settled on Sam and Dean.

"I can. It's been quiet for so long, but lately there has been rumblings and disappearances that are hard to pinpoint."

A sick feeling was coiling around Sam's heart. It made him think of the little girl that was a frequent visitor to his dreams. Was she one of the ones Missouri was referring to? Finding his voice was hard, but eventually he forced the words out. "Is one of the people named Serenity?"

The woman did not even have to verbally respond. From the look on her face, a little girl by that name had gone missing. What was this demon's end game that it was kidnapping children and invading the dreams of others? And why would it want to take a kid in the first place?

"Serenity Adams. Taken March 22nd from around here."

"These...these powers Sam is having," Dean began, rubbing his temple. "What do they mean?"

"The demon, Yellow-Eyes, he's been recruiting lately. All these disappearances are not random. They each have a meaning, and each child serves a purpose. A certain power, or anything, really."

"But why?" Caleb pressed. "Why a child?"

"It's a risk, for sure, but the demon wants a boy or girl he can easily manipulate. I'm not talking about the person, but the powers. If he can get these kids while they're still getting used to their new abilities, he can harness them for his gain. And while these powers are still new, they can also be stronger."

A deafening silence had fallen over the room. Sam thought of himself as pretty smart, but he was struggling to understand what the demon wanted with a child. Was it for a war? Or for something else? Serenity mentioned the area as being a training ground. Was that even true?

"Why is the demon planning this?" Jim voiced.

"For a war."

AN:

Big reveal there. The demon is definitely planning something, and Missouri just shed some huge light on it. Now what?