After a quick stop at a drive-thru, Sam and Dean were sitting the Impala, settled in for a long night of waiting for Jeff to get off work. They hoped their plan would work and Jeff would lead them straight to Danny
"Dean, what do you remember about that night?" asked Sam.
"The night Dad was shot? Well I remember you screaming like a banshee. Nothing Pastor Jim or I did would calm you down. I didn't understand why. I mean when you were little you didn't like Dad being away on a hunt, but you were never that upset." Dean paused for a moment. This was not a pleasant trip down memory lane for him.
Knowing how hard remembering all this must be for Dean, Sam didn't say anything. He let Dean set the pace.
"You finally fell asleep after a couple of hours, I think you were just to exhausted from all that crying to stay awake anymore. I was sitting on the sofa with your head in my lap, wondering when Dad was going to call. I should have known something was wrong because Dad would have called the second that he talked to Josh. Then Pastor Jim told me what happened to Dad. God, I was afraid that…" Dean suddenly became quiet.
"It's okay, Dean, you don't have to say anything else," said Sam knowing that his brother was not one for sharing.
"I thought that Dad was going to be taken away from us like Mom was. Pastor Jim kept telling me that Dad was going to be just fine, but it wasn't until I saw Dad at the hospital that I let myself believe that." Dean furiously wiped at his eyes. He was not crying. He just had something in his eyes.
"Dean, are you alright?" asked Sam, his voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine Sammy, but you know who's not going to be fine when I get through with them," hissed Dean.
"Jeff and Danny." Normally Sam was against violence, but after watching his dad die for the second time he was beginning to rethink his view.
oooooOOOOooooo
Jeff was having a hard time concentrating on his job. His heart was racing a mile a minute. There's no way they could know he thought. They were only here because I worked at the store back then. Yeah that's it Jeff told himself. He tried calling Danny again, but kept getting his voicemail.
Jeff was making his nightly rounds at the plant. He loved his job because it paid way better than the previous dead end jobs he'd had over the years since he quit the mini-mart. He had made enough to buy his dream car, the shiny red mustang sitting in the parking lot. Cheryl Thompson, the hottest waitress at Marla's, had agreed to go out with him. She loved his new car. Best of all, he was finally able to move out of his mom's basement into his own apartment. Now all of that could go away because of something that happened years ago. Why did the family have to start an investigation now, its not like the guy died.
oooooOOOOooooo
Sam looked at his watch. It was almost two in the morning and Jeff's shift would be over soon. He glanced over at his brother in the driver's seat. Dean was asleep. Sam would have liked to join him in slumber, but every time he closed his eyes he saw his dad lying on the floor dying. He also knew that one of them had to keep eye out for Jeff.
Something was bothering him. He was wondering why he didn't tell anybody about his nightmare when it first happened. Growing up Sam always told Dean everything. They never had any secrets between them until Sam applied to Stanford without telling anyone. Maybe things would be different if he had spoken up back then. Light spilling from the plant as the door to the employee entrance was opened pulled Sam out of his thoughts.
"Dean, wake up," Sam nudged his brother in the shoulder.
"Huh, what?" Dean opened his eyes and shook his head slightly.
"Jeff just came out." Sam pointed towards a dark figure moving towards the Mustang.
"Well let's see where he goes. Hopefully he'll take us straight to Danny," said Dean as he started the Impala.
Dean followed the red Mustang out of the parking lot staying far enough away so Jeff wouldn't know he was being followed. Jeff stopped off at the diner to grab a bite to eat and see Cheryl. Afterwards he drove straight home to his apartment.
Dean parked in the lot in a spot far away from where Jeff parked, but not to far that he couldn't see the Mustang.
"So what now?" asked Sam.
"Well we could go back to the motel and catch some sleep or we could wait here and see what Jeff does next." Dean didn't really want to go back to the motel with is pink everything, but would if his brother wanted to.
"I'm fine with waiting here if you are." Fear of having that nightmare again made Sam not want to go back to the motel and sleep.
It was decided. They would stay and keep watch on Danny's apartment, sleeping in shifts. Sam let Dean sleep first. After four hours they switched.
oooooOOOOooooo
Jeff woke up in bed drenched with sweat. His slumber had been anything, but restful. After checking his phone, only to find no messages, he decided to head over to Danny's. He needed to let him know what was going on. Jeff kept trying to convince himself that there was no way Sam and Dean could know anything, but he was still scared.
oooooOOOOooooo
As soon as Dean saw Jeff come out of his apartment, he woke up Sam. They watched him get in his Mustang and drive off. Dean started the Impala and followed behind at a safe distance. As they drove the scenery changed from nice houses and condos to run down apartment buildings and houses that were little more than shacks. They were now in the proverbial wrong side of the tracks.
Jeff stopped his car in front of a small one-story house that looked like it was constructed out of cinderblocks. There was a run down blue Chevy Cavalier in the driveway and the grass, which was in dire need of mowing, was more weeds than grass. As he got out of his car he turned on the alarm and said a silent prayer that nobody touched his it. He quickly walked up to front door of the house and began banging loudly on the door.
oooooOOOOooooo
Danny had been sleeping soundly when he was woken by somebody banging loudly on the front door. He got out of bed and grabbed his tattered red bathrobe and hastily threw it on. He quickly shuffled to the front door.
"Hold your horses, I'm coming," shouted Danny.
Danny opened the door to see Jeff standing there in a near state of panic. He pushed past Danny and walked into the house.
"Why don't you come in, Jeff," said Danny rather sarcastically.
"Danny, do you ever check your voicemail?" asked Jeff.
"What's going on Jeff? I haven't heard from you in months and now you show up banging on my door. What do you want?" Danny was still annoyed about being roused from his sleep before noon.
"If you checked your messages you would know. Two guys stopped by the plant last night. They're investigating the robbery," said Jeff.
"You mean the robbery Hal's?" Jeff hadn't thought about that in years.
"Yes. They were hired by the family of that guy you shot. Joe somebody or was it Jed? Something with a j," Jeff couldn't remember John's name.
"So what did you tell them?" asked Danny
"Same thing I told the cops. I didn't get a good look at the guy," answered Jeff.
"See there's nothing to worry about. As long as you keep your mouth shut." Danny glared at him for emphasis.
"Nothing to worry about, What if they dig up something?" Jeff was becoming more worried by the minute.
"What's there to dig up? It was so long ago, its not like there is any evidence floating around out there. Anyways, that guy didn't remember anything. I don't see the big deal." Jeff can get himself worked up all he wants, but not me thought Danny.
"Yeah well the family wants justice," said Jeff echoing Sam's words to him earlier.
oooooOOOOooooo
Sam had seen Danny when he opened the front door. He looked older with dark hair that was longer and greasier than it had been eighteen years ago, but he recognized him immediately. That's the scumbag who shot his dad.
"Dean, that's him. That's Danny," hissed Sam.
Dean didn't bother asking Sam if he was sure. Sam said that guy was Danny and that was good enough for him.
"Well let's go. I think these bastards have gotten away long enough with what they did to Dad." Dean didn't want to wait a minute longer.
"Dean, do you still have your mini tape recorder?" asked Sam.
"Yeah it's in the glove box." Dean exited the car and went around to open the trunk.
Sam opened the box and took out the tape recorder. He slipped it into his jacket pocket and exited the car. Dean had grabbed one of their guns loaded with rock salt. It wouldn't kill the bastards, but he knew from past experience that getting shot with it hurt like hell.
oooooOOOOooooo
"What about the gun?" asked Jeff.
"I pawned that thing years ago. Now if you're so worried about these investigators figuring out something then I suggest you leave now and don't come back. Not that you come around here much anymore," said Danny.
"You know work has been busy for me and…" Before Jeff could finish his sentence Danny was already pushing him towards the door.
"I don't want to hear your excuses, now get going." Danny opened the door to find the Winchester standing on his porch.
"Who are you and what the hell do you want?" growled Danny.
"It's them," whispered Jeff.
"Danny, I'm sure Jeff told you all about us," said Sam.
Danny rounded on Jeff. "You bastard, you told them about me!"
"I didn't say anything. I swear," said Jeff
"Then how do they know my name?" asked Danny.
While Danny and Jeff were arguing, Sam and Dean pushed their way into the house.
"I didn't say anything. I don't know how they found us," Jeff was still trying to convince Danny that he didn't spill the beans about what they did all those years ago.
"I think we need to have a little chat fellas. What do you think Dean?" Sam glanced over at his brother to find Dean's face a mask of pure anger.
"Look I don't know what's going on, but I hadn't nothing to do with the robbery at Hal's," said Danny smugly. His confidence was only betrayed by the butterflies swirling around in his stomach.
"Who said anything about a robbery? All I said was we need to have a talk." Sam reached into his pocket and turned on the tape recorder.
"Jeff said you were investigating the robbery," replied Danny.
"Why would Jeff come here to tell you that if you had nothing to do with it?" asked Sam calmly.
"I don't know. Jeff's kinda crazy that way," Danny said.
"I'm not the crazy one. If anything its you that's crazy, Danny." Jeff and Danny quickly regressed into arguing once again.
"Shut up!" yelled Dean. Once they were quiet, he started asking questions. "So Danny, what did you do with the money you got? Did you put it up your nose or jab it in your vein?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," hissed Danny.
"What about you, Jeff? What did you do with your share? Did you blow it on drugs too?" asked Sam.
"I didn't spend it on drugs. Wait, I didn't spend it at all. That not what I meant. I wasn't involved with the robbery," said a very flustered Jeff.
"Jeff, shut your fat mouth before you tell them anything else we did," yelled Danny.
"I should go grab my shovel. You can use it to dig yourself in even deeper." If he hasn't so pissed, Dean would have laughed at the two idiots standing before him.
"Why don't you stop with all your pathetic lies. We know you two planned the robbery together," growled Sam.
"Who are you?" asked Jeff, now starting to wonder whom Sam and Dean really were.
"I told you we're investigators looking into the robbery on behalf of the family," said Dean.
"Why isn't that guy Joe here if he's so interested?" asked Danny.
"His name was John and he died recently," hissed Dean.
"Well then what does it really matter? I mean, if the guy's already dead, what does it matter?" Danny would regret making that particular statement.
Dean lost it at that exact moment at let loose his anger on Danny. He punched him across his right cheek.
"It matters you bastard. It matters to his kids. It mattered to a five year old boy waiting for his daddy to return to him." Dean was thinking about that his little brother crying for John that night eighteen years ago.
"It mattered to young boy who already lost his mother and was scared that he would lose his father too," added Sam.
Seeing what Dean did to his friend made Jeff afraid that Sam was going hit him, so he started talking as fast as he could. He hoped that it would stop Sam from hurting him.
"Danny shot him. I didn't want him to bring a gun in the first place, but he insisted. Nobody was supposed to get hurt. Joe shouldn't have been there in the first place. But it was Danny that shot him not me. I wanted to call an ambulance," rambled Jeff
"His name was John and you didn't call an ambulance. You just left him to die. You left him on that dirty floor bleeding to death." John's face as he breathed his last breath popped into Sam's head at that moment and he moved closer to Jeff.
"But he didn't die," whimpered Jeff.
"No thanks to you," hissed Sam.
Sam shut off the tape recorder. Thanks to Jeff, he had what he needed. He turned around to see Dean holding the gun loaded with rock salt on Danny.
"Well what should we do with these two?" asked Dean..
"I say we deliver them to the police," Sam reached into his pocket as he said that.
"Sammy, they'll just deny everything. Its not like we can stick around to tell the cops what Jeff just told us," Dean pointed out.
"We don't need to stick around." Sam pushed play on the tape recorder and Jeff's voice floated out into the air. Danny shot him.
Danny began swearing as he heard that. He knew it was all over.
"That's my boy," said Dean as he patted Sam on the back.
oooooOOOOooooo
When Detective Jack Oliver arrived at the police station to begin his shift, he found Jeff and Danny at the entrance to the police station. They were tied up back to back to back and they were arguing furiously over who was at fault for their current predicament. There was a cassette tape attached to Jeff's shirt with a note that said play me. After listening to what was on the tape, he arrested Jeff and Danny for attempted murder. Both would wind up serving long sentences in the state penitentiary.
oooooOOOOooooo
Dean was more than ready to get back out on the road. He hoped that he never stepped foot in this small town again.
"Dean, why didn't I say anything about my nightmare. Why didn't I tell you or Pastor Jim what I saw?" asked Sam.
"I don't know, Sammy." Dean didn't like where this conversation was headed. "Come on let's hit the road." He hoped Sam would just let it drop.
"I mean because if I had said something, maybe thing would have been different. I would not have forgotten. I would have believed those dreams I had about Jess and she'd still be alive," said Sam sadly.
"You don't know that. Elliott said that he tried to talk to his parents about what he saw and they didn't understand," replied Dean.
"Yeah, but that's different. They didn't know about the things that Dad and Pastor Jim knew about. I mean if I told Pastor Jim that night what I saw I think he would have figured something out, don't you?" asked Sam.
"Don't do this to yourself, Sam. You were just a kid. I mean, you saved Dad's life. Be grateful for that. I know I sure am," responded Dean.
"I guess you're right," said Sam with a resigned sigh.
"Of course I'm right. I am the older brother after all," Dean had to duck to avoid being hit by the pillow Sam threw at him.
"I think I'll call Elliott once we're on the road and fill him in on what's happened," said Sam as he finished packing.
Four Months Later
"Still no answer?" asked Dean.
"No and he hasn't answered the email I sent him," said a worried Sam. The brothers had kept in touch with Elliott talking to him at least once a week and Sam received emails from him several times a week until recently.
"That doesn't mean anything. Maybe he can't get any reception on his phone right now. He could be someplace that has no wi-fi," Dean tried to reassure his brother.
"Ava said something about how people keep showing up in groups of two and three. You don't think Elliott could have been one of them and that Ava killed him?" asked Sam, his voice thick with worry and concern.
"I hope not, Sammy. I really hope not," said Dean as he put his foot on the gas.
The Impala roared on into the night, its passengers headed out to on their next hunt to save more lives. Doing what their father taught them.
The End
A/N: I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my story. You guys are awesome. I must send a HUGE thanks out to everyone wrote me a review. I really appreciate it!!!