A/N: The guys take a few down days and are off to another hunt before heading on to Bobby's. Sam hopes to meet up with Dom and take him to visit Bobby. Thanks for taking this journey with me. Reviews would be great. NC

Chapter 3

"Can I borrow the car to go into town?" Sam asked the next morning after breakfast. "I want to do a little shopping."

"Sure, but no scratches or I'll have your ass," Dean stated nodding toward the keys.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. Park away from other cars, no speeding, and…"

"No heavy foot on the brakes," Dean ended his sentence. "Make sure you're armed."

"I am," Sam noted pulling his handgun from his bag and settling it in the small of his back. He picked up the car keys from the dresser and his jacket before heading out the door.

"How 'bout bringing some lunch back with you?" Dean called after him.

"Alright." Sam continued to the Impala and unlocked it dropping into the driver's seat and cranking Dean's Baby. He pulled from the parking lot and made his way toward the nearby town.

Sam wanted to see if they had a used bookstore and maybe some thrift stores to find some clothes to replace the ones he had to trash after a hunt. He knew Dean did not like shopping and would check for him too. Sam did not mind doing it for them, since he had more patience. Dean still did not like being around so many people after his stint in Purgatory but was getting better about it.

After finding a central and safe parking lot, Sam locked the Impala and wandered down the street toward the business section to find the stores he wanted. He went into the thrift store first and wandered through the racks and tables of second hand clothes. He found a couple pairs of jeans, shirts for him and Dean, a hoodie, and some T-shirts. He looked at the books lining the shelves but did not find anything to his liking. After paying for his purchases, Sam dropped them off at the car and strolled toward the used bookstore set back off the main street on a side street.

A bell rang over Sam's head as he pushed open the door and stepped into an inviting atmosphere. The large room was lit with bright lights that shone on displays of books and on shelves that lined the walls. He noted the categories hanging from signs suspended from the ceiling and found what interested him.

"Good morning," a friendly male voice called to him. "If you need any help just let me know."

"Thanks, I will," Sam replied looking toward an older man that had stepped from the back room of the store. He began to scan the titles of the books, occasionally pulling one out to read the summary to see if it interested him. He took his time and lost track of how long he was in the store as he searched the books for ones he wanted to buy. He still searched for books on psychic powers so he could learn more about the powers he found out he had and any on serial killers or history. Sam made sure to check the sale tables before deciding on other books. He had to watch his money, but indulged himself with books, still wanting to learn all he could.

A cell pinged and Sam dug his out of his jacket pocket to read the text message. It was from Dean checking to be sure he was okay. Sam looked at the time and swore under his breath when he saw it was lunchtime. He typed a quick message back and took the books he wanted to buy to the cashier. Sam paid for them and hurried from the store trying to decide what to get for lunch.

Sam froze when a scream pierced the air and he searched for the source. He saw a woman hurrying from between two cars toward the street. He shifted his gaze and saw the blonde head of a boy around five running into traffic. He did not think, instinct took over, and he reacted when he saw a truck heading for the kid.

After dropping his bag on the sidewalk, Sam launched himself into the street, throwing out his hand to veer the truck away from them as he scooped the boy into his arms, hugging him to his chest, and fell toward the sidewalk, landing hard on his back with the boy cuddled protectively in his arms. It took a moment for Sam to get his breath as the mother ran to him and dropped down by his side.

"Davey, Davey, sweetie, are you okay?" she cried pulling her child from Sam's arms.

"Momma," Davey whined as he buried his head into her chest and cried.

"Thank you, thank you so much," she praised Sam as he pushed himself from the sidewalk.

"It was nothing, I was at the right place at the right time is all," Sam told her. He looked around as more people stopped to see what was going on. "I'm glad he's okay." It did not look like anyone saw Sam deflect the truck and was glad. Sam quickly limped away and retrieved his bag before heading for the Impala. He did not want to hang around and be questioned or get involved any further. He glanced to the truck that had smashed into a lamp pole, to see the driver of the truck was okay.

Once he was in the Impala, he gingerly rubbed the back of his head and felt a knot coming up and winced as a dull ache started. He looked at his fingers and was happy there was no blood. He rolled his shoulders carefully feeling an ache go down his back but could tell it was nothing serious, only minor bruising. He cranked the car and pulled from the parking lot deciding on the diner near the motel to get food and headed back that way.

spn

Dean looked up when he heard that familiar rumble of his Baby pull up outside. He got up and headed for the door to let Sam in.

"About time you got back," he chastised Sam. "Did you get lost?"

"No, I lost track of time," Sam grunted carrying his purchases into the room. He could not stop the soft moan that escaped from between his lips as he sat the food on the table and let the other bags drop to the floor.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked sensing Sam's pain and quickly looking him over for blood but did not see any. "Did you get hurt?"

"Saved a kid from getting hit by a truck," Sam told him. "Got a little banged up but nothing serious."

"Where does it hurt?"

"Really Dean, I'm fine. I'll take some Tylenol and I'll be okay. I'll probably have a few bruises," insisted Sam holding his hand up to stop his brother from stepping toward him. "Let's eat before it gets cold."

"Alright, but if you feel worse, you need to tell me."

"I will bro, relax." Sam found the drugs and shook two pills into his hand to take. He popped them in his mouth and washed them down with some of his drink.

"Did you look at every book in the store?" Dean teased, knowing how Sam was when he went into a bookstore.

"No! Only part of them," Sam retorted with a snort.

"Hope you got something good to eat, I'm starved."

"I got your usual."

"You better have gotten pie for making me wait."

"Yes, I got you pie," Sam sighed, rolling his eyes at him.

"I knew you were a good brother," Dean praised him as he opened the bags and started pulling out food to divide between them.

Sam went to wash his hands and came back to take a seat at the table. He pulled his food toward him and tweaked a smile as Dean started devouring his food. He knew his brother's tastes and usually got what he liked. He stopped trying to change his eating habits a long time ago. Dean was who he was and that was not going to change.

"So, did you find us a hunt?" Dean asked partway through their meal.

"Maybe," Sam replied after wiping his mouth.

"Well?" Dean prompted around a mouth of burger.

"Dude! Chew and swallow before talking," Sam chastised him as he gave him a disgusting grimace.

"Whatever," Dean grunted, giving a loud burp before looking at his brother. "Did you find something?"

"There's a town in Tennessee called Dyersburg that are having some unusual deaths that I thought we might check out. It's on the way west toward Sioux Falls."

"Okay, I figure we'll head out in the morning. How far is this town?"

"About five or six hours, depending on how often we stop."

"Bet I can do less than five."

"No need chancing a speeding ticket bro. We don't need any run in with the cops."

"Wimp."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"I'm going out to the pool to read," Sam stated getting up to throw away his trash. "Got you a couple of shirts from the thrift store."

"Thanks. Don't stay out there too long in the sun or at least sit under an umbrella and put some lotion on your face so you don't burn."

"Yes Mom," Sam grunted getting up to snag his cut offs and headed for the bathroom. Once he had changed his pants and smeared his face with sunscreen, he dug out one of the books he had bought and headed for the door. He wanted to enjoy a few more hours by the pool reading and relaxing before they headed out the next day. It felt good to do normal things once and a while.

spn

"Do you have everything?" Dean asked the next morning as he put the last of his clothes into his duffle and close it. "You doing okay after yesterday's fun?"

"Yeah, let's go," Sam nodded stowing his laptop and picking up his bag. "My head is still sore in the back, but the headache is gone and my shoulder is a little stiff. I'll be fine."

"Good. Did you plot the route to take?"

"Yes, we can pick up Interstate 24 West about forty miles from here and take it toward Nashville to pick up 40 West and then highway 412 will take us directly to Dyersbury."

"Good, let's rock and roll." Dean unlocked the Impala and opened the trunk so they could sit their bags in it before getting into the car. He cranked his Baby and pulled from the parking lot to head west to their next possible case.

Traffic was moving at a steady pace as Dean merged onto the highway and found a spot to his liking. He turned on the radio and found a station playing his favorite music to fill the quiet in the car. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the tune as he settled down to drive.

Sam slumped in the passenger seat as he randomly stared out the side window at the passing scenery. He thought about Dom and wondered how his last hunt went. Sam had tried to call him, but only got voicemail and left a message. He suggested meeting up if he was free and thought about taking him to meet Bobby. They had discussed it but were never near Sioux Falls when they met up with him.

Dean stopped once on their trip to Tennessee to fill up and grab an early lunch. He wanted to get by the local police station that afternoon to see what they could find out about the killings. He knew they could not check in to a motel until mid-afternoon and wanted to get ahead of the game to see if this was a possible case.

The brothers had not talked much during the drive and Sam sat up straighter when they pulled into the town limits and stopped at a gas station to change clothes since they were posing as FBI agents, they had to look the part. Both grabbed their suit bags and went inside to find the restrooms. Sam let Dean go in first and waited outside as he changed. He let his eyes wander checking out the place and the patrons while he waited his turn. It was second nature to him now as he let his powers aid him in checking for any danger.

"Your turn Sammy," Dean announced fifteen minutes later as he opened the restroom door with his dress pants, shirt, and tie on and carrying his jacket. "Meet you at the car."

"Okay," Sam nodded stepping into the restroom to change.

Dean headed into the main part of the store to snag a drink before heading back to the Impala to wait on Sam. He thought he looked better after having a few down days. Dean was still going to keep a watchful eye on him to be sure there were no other warning signs that something might be wrong with Sam.