Thank you so much to everyone who has come along for the ride, and especially those who have left such wonderful reviews. This chapter's a bit short, I admit, but it'll equal out on some further chapters that seem to go on and on and on...kind of like this author's note. I'll shut up now. Enjoy!!

A Mother's Love

Dean gently guided the black Impala through the tree-lined streets. He squinted as the bright sunlight reflected off the sideview mirror of the car in front of him. Gunning the classic car's powerful engine, he quickly sped around the slower moving sedan. With the open road stretched out before him, he turned his attention to Sam.

Sam had his cell phone cradled against his shoulder as he scribbled furiously on the paper in his lap. Dean craned his neck to see what was being written. His lips moved silently as he attempted to decipher Sam's chicken scratch.

"Ok. Yes, thank you very much. Ok, bye." Sam ended the call and threw his pen into the backseat. He gently massaged his temples in an attempt to head off the headache he could feel lurking behind his eyes.

"Next time you do the calling." Sam griped. His ear still rang from the hour and a half he'd spent on the phone tracking down leads for their newest job.

Dean gave a one-armed shrug. "I'm the boss, you're the secretary. That's just the way it works."

Sam gave an annoyed sideways glance but didn't say anything. Dean reached over and snatched the paper from Sam's lap. He held it against the wheel.

"'Elaine is unclog swatter wants?'" Dean turned the paper upside down and back again.

"'Elaine is under suicide watch.'" Sam corrected loudly. "You mind keeping your eyes on the road?" Sam grabbed the paper back as Dean guided the Impala back in between the dotted white lines.

Dean frowned. "I guess that leaves her out of the picture. No way are we getting in to see her. What about the other one? Uh, Wendy?"

"There we caught a break. She's in the psych ward of the local hospital. Should be a bit of a challenge getting in, but nothing we can't handle."

Dean nodded. "What else were you able to find out?"

"Um, right." Sam turned the paper over and looked over the notes he'd jotted down. "As far as I can tell, there's no connection between the two women, and no common traits. Elaine's a stay at home mom. She and her husband have been married for almost ten years and have two kids, four year old Steve and seven year old Jenna. Wendy's a single mom who had full custody of her daughter. Dad lives out of state and hasn't seen Becky since she was a baby."

"What about social groups? PTA, church, stuff like that?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't get that far."

Dean rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How about the kids? Any connections there?"

"I couldn't dig up anything on them. Although I suppose it's possible they knew each other through Elaine's daughter, Jenna. She and Becky are...were...in the same grade." Sam winced when he made the correction.

"Well then, I guess we're stuck until we get to Trinity. How much further?" Although Dean was never more at home then when he was behind the wheel of the Impala, he was eager to get to work.

"Not far. We should be there in about an hour." Sam said.

"Good." Dean smiled over at Sam. The younger man settled back in his seat and shut his eyes.

Dean turned up the volume and took a deep breath. The Impala gave a growl of pleasure as Dean pushed his foot a little harder on the accelerator. It was time to give the classic car a little work-out.

Forty-five minutes later Sam and Dean had checked into the one and only motel in Trinity, Pennsylvania. Dean threw his bag onto the bed and smirked at Sam.

"One hour my ass!"

Dean's persistent good mood had spread to Sam, who found himself copying the grin. He paused in the doorway; turning his back on the quaint sky blue room he filled his lungs with the fresh pine scented air. Nestled in the midst of a vast forest, the little hamlet was just the sort of town Sam had pictured himself escaping to one day. While their travels had brought them through many tiny villages, this was the first time he'd ever actually been in a real one stoplight town.

He took a step back outside and looked further down the road to where The Thirsty Turtle stood. The look on Dean's face as they passed the sign for Trinity's one and only bar was by far the highlight of Sam's week. The neon turtle seemed to offer a toast to the brothers as it poked it's head out of it's shell to take a swig from the oversized mug. While the cheesy sign had made Sam smile, Dean's appalled, "You have got to be kidding!" had made Sam laugh out loud.

Sam walked back into the room and dropped his bags on the small wooden table near the window. Keeping his expression neutral, Sam couldn't resist poking a little fun at his brother. "Hey, Dean. When this is over we should head over to the bar and grab a few beers." He paused a beat before continuing. "Maybe some pond water."

Dean stopped his unpacking long enough to give Sam a dirty look. "Cute."

Sam put his hands on his hips and tried his best to look concerned. "Seriously, man, we might have a problem here."

Dean rolled his head towards the ceiling and sighed. "Ok, let's hear it."

Sam shook his head with false pity. "I'm just not sure how many fast women you're going to find in a place called The Thirsty Turtle."

Dean walked over and snatched one of the duffle bags from the table. He raised an eyebrow at his smirking sibling. "Done?"

Sam finally let his laughter ring out in the small room. "For now."

Sam opened up his bag and pulled out his laptop. "Ok, it's three o'clock. Let's get cleaned up and then head out. You go see Wendy and I'll take Elaine's family." He continued to outline his plan as he set up the computer. "I'll drop you off at the hospital and pick you up when I'm done."

Dean's eyes widened. "Excuse me? You're taking the car? Explain to me how that's going to happen." Dean folded his arms in defiance.

Dean's tough-guy act did little to intimidate Sam. "Fine, we can switch. You drop me off at the hospital, and you can do family time at the Donovans'. I know how much you love kids." Sam smiled innocently at Dean. Dean had showed his hidden soft side when they'd encountered little Lucas Barr, and Sam was still getting as much mileage out of it as he could.

"No, it's not that--" Dean began.

"Good, then it's settled. I'm going to see what I can dig up on the families while you take your shower. Oh, and Dean?" Sam walked over to the bag Dean had grabbed and pulled out a wrinkled ball of tan clothing. "Hang this up while you're showering so the wrinkles can steam out." he said as he tossed the wad over to Dean.

Dean caught the clothing and blinked at it, confused. His jaw hung slack as he tried to sort out exactly when he'd relinquished control. Since when did Sam finalize the plans? Somehow Dean had gone from calling the shots to becoming Sam's laundry boy. And just how did he lose the Impala?

Dean began to argue, but trailed off as he looked at his brother. The kid had been through so much these past few months. The least Dean could do is let him win this one. Dean rolled his eyes in submission. "Fine, but you're buying lunch!"

Sam grinned at Dean, his eyes sparkling like fireworks proclaiming victory. Dean grumbled as he turned his back on a smirking Sam. "Little brothers are a bitch."

Don't worry...Dean isn't giving up the Impala quite as easily as it seems. I will touch on that in the next (longer) chapter. Thanks for reading!