AN: For those upset that there's been a lack of humor in the previous chapter, I have to apologize for this one in advance... although I'm hoping the next one will make up for it so please bear with me until then.


The cloud cover reflected the feelings of the occupants of the lone vehicle that had just pulled off the side of the road. With a feeling of both excitement and dread the two men exited the vehicle and began calling for the missing member of their family.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled as he rushed to the tree line and kept a sharp eye out for any movement. He was hoping that they hadn't been too late, that the near miss that his puppy brother had earlier hadn't happened again, this time with deadlier results.

"Relax Dean, if Sam got hit there'd be signs on the road." Bobby said gruffly, knowing that even though what he said was true, it didn't help them with their situation. Right now they had a missing pup who just happened to have classic Winchester luck. "We'll find him, ok?"

Dean stopped and tried hard not to lose his temper, but as with dealing with Sammy and his issues, dealing with Bobby and his subtle 'daddy complex' was wearing thin but he needed to push it down because he had more important things to worry about – like finding his little brother. Nodding, he pushed past the older man and tried to concentrate on anything that would show that it had been Sammy in the area.

The rain began to taper off and the sun was starting to peak out between the clouds before Dean and Bobby had to admit that the only sign of animals were the ones that were beginning to peak from their hidey holes to see what all the commotion was about. It took another hour before the residents of the wooded area began to go about their normal, all thanks to the removal of the strangers who had searched high and low for a stranger among them.

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Sandy shook her head in amusement at the antics the latest resident of the shelter. Although the pup was a bit underfed, he acted like a normal happy puppy who seemed to go out of his way to make other people happy. As she watched, the black pup rolled on his back and whined until someone rubbed his belly before suddenly jumping up and licking the unsuspecting persons face until he fell on his side and did it all over again. She didn't know where the animal came from but it was obvious that he hadn't really been mistreated, especially if the makeshift collar that had been attached to his neck was any indication. Sure, it was made from a thin rope, but it hadn't been severely tied nor was it knotted in a way that the pup would have been uncomfortable – no, whoever had taken the extra few minutes to work the rope in such a way had obviously done it with care.

'Who do you belong to buddy?' she thought as she watched the local vet begin his examination of the now very unhappy puppy.

"Hey Sandy, mind giving me a hand here?" Dr. Reynolds asked as he once again tried to take a sample from the pup in front of him in the effort to test for worms.

Laughing, Sandy smiled and reached over to calm the animal even as the pup began to lick her hand. "Yeah, you're a sweetheart aren't you? What in the world were you doing out in the rain, huh?"

Dr. Reynolds finished the exam before looking back up at Sandy, "I've seen the calmest animals go completely insane when a storm begins to brew, and I know for a fact that the weathermen weren't expecting what blew in last night. In fact, I'm surprised we don't have more strays at the moment, that's usually the way it goes."

Nodding, Sandy had to agree with her mentor, the rate of strays did usually go up after a thunderstorm. She just wished this particular one had a tag on him. Their kennels were full as it was and their normal two week period of keeping the animal and hopefully adopting it out or finding the owners had been decreased to a week which depressed her to the point that she was seriously thinking about changing her major from Veterinary Medicine to Business.

"Ok, this little guy's ready to go into the back. You know… you might put him in the front kennels – I bet he'd get picked out pretty quick."

Sighing, Sandy had to agree… the pup would be picked out quickly, but she wanted to try to find his owner first.

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Bobby sat back and watched as Dean continued to work on the Impala with a frustrated frenzy that made him worry that by the time the kid was done there wouldn't be a car left to fix properly. He'd tried to help, but quickly retreated back to the house to try and figure out how to find the missing brother. It didn't go unnoticed by him that the elder brother kept close to a certain brown jacket that somehow found its way next to the car. Turning from the window he was trying to figure out what it was they were missing and feeling as if he was letting both boys down as he walked towards his library to try to figure out what was niggling as the back of his brain.

The only sound coming from the yard was the occasional clanking of tool against part as well as the occasional cussing coming from underneath the classic Chevy. Dean had no idea why he was even bothering at the moment since his mind was obviously not into his work, and to his frustration was actually making things worse if the grease, oil, and dirt he now wore was any indication. It didn't help that he couldn't get his brother's face out of his head… how Sammy looked as lost as he felt and damn if that didn't set poorly with him. Sighing, he wiped his face once again, trying to put together what they knew and what they didn't – hoping that whatever it was that they were missing would make itself known so they had an idea where to look for his brother next.

Suddenly, he stopped in mid-motion and couldn't believe that he didn't think of it sooner. Just as he pushed himself out from under his precious baby, he began yelling for Bobby just as Bobby burst through the door calling out his name.

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There wasn't much of a crowd to see the new adoptees today, giving Sandy a chance to take a break for lunch out instead of a quick trip to the vending machines like she normally did. Before leaving though she made sure to take a peek in to see how the new pup she's dubbed "Buddy" was doing. Satisfied that he wasn't in any distress as he was chasing particles of dust around his kennel, she reminded the others that he wasn't adoptable just yet because they haven't had time to check for his owners and made her way to the parking lot to her small car anxious to get away for the half hour she was allotted for lunch.

Little Tanya Matthews had been looking for a new puppy every day for the last month and was driving her parents more than a little batty with her pickiness in finding the 'right one' as the replacement for her once beloved Boo-Boo who passed away a couple months before due to a snake bite in the yard. The shelter was full of animals, some small, some large, but nothing seemed to catch the little girl's interest… until today. As she walked along, she saw the happy puppy that seemed to be content in entertaining himself while the others around him seemed happy to ignore him.

"That one Daddy, I want that one!" Tanya yelled as she raced to the cage to pet her new puppy. Feeling the puppy lick her hand happily she looked at her parents and insisted once again, "See Daddy, he likes me!"

Turning towards the caretaker on duty Mr. Matthews shrugged and nodded, knowing that even though they had to go through the motions of putting both the pup and his daughter together to make sure they interacted well, he was sure that this was the day they'd been waiting for – maybe now his baby girl would go through a night without crying herself to sleep.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but there's a note on his file that…"

"That what… he's here, we're here, if his owners really gave a damn don't you think that this would have been the first place they'd look? Tell you what, let me talk to your manager and I'm sure we can get this straightened out… meanwhile, you and my wife can take care of all the 'necessities.' Tanya, be careful with him, he doesn't know you yet so don't make him nervous."

Laughing, Tanya nodded while petting the black puppy through the caging and allowed him to lick her happily. "Ok Daddy. Can we take him home though? Can we?"

Having already gone through the background check and being on the Approved List as well as being first in line to adopt any animal available, it was easy enough to convince the shelter's manager to forgo the normal amount of time that was policy to attempt to find the owner of the puppy in question. The only issue now was if the vet was still in house and if so, would he be willing to do the neutering that day instead of waiting for morning.

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The sound of heavy running footsteps echoed through the lobby of the animal shelter, making those close by look up and stare in horror at the sight in front of them. While the older man just looked like he'd been working in the yard, the younger was covered in grime and looked shocking with his greased hair spiking everywhere and the oil practically oozing down his arms, face and clothes.

"I'm looking for my bro…"

"Dog! Our dog got loose last night and we've looked everywhere… he's a black German Shepherd puppy and…"

"…he likes to chase flies and will lick you death and..."

"…has a makeshift collar that I…"

"Braided, right?" Sandy asked as she walked in behind the two scruffy looking guys who seemed downright panicked that they lost their pet. "Sure, we found him today. In fact he was settling in nicely in the back and his examination came back clear for worms and such. Tell you what, come with me and we'll go see him together, ok?"

"Uh, Sandy… we have a problem." A middle aged woman called out and motioned for the younger woman over. After whispering frantically and glancing over to the other men she finally got her story told even knowing what the reaction would be.

"They did what!?!" Sandy exclaimed as she stood there in disbelief. "How the hell? Nevermind!" she yelled as she raced down the hall sensing the two men following close. "Dr. Reynolds, stop!"

Not knowing who the hell Dr. Reynolds was or why the woman in front of them was screaming down the hall, Dean had a feeling that he needed to get to their destination fast.

Bursting through a door marked 'Surgery', all three people froze at the sight of the vet standing over a sleeping pup with scalpel in hand.