A/N: I am sorry for the long ...long time between postings. My son said I should apologize on bended knee begging for mercy. He is right of course. Thank you for everyone who is still reading after all this time. I should have another chapter out in a couple days.( crossing fingers)

The door opened and closed but Sam did not look up from the laptop. When he left with John it was with the understanding that they were looking for Dean and he would drop him back at Stanford Sunday night. Now here, Saturday was half over and they were stuck in a small town taking care of a woman in white case. Sam had resolved to keep his temper in check which was becoming harder by the hour.

"What have you found?" John asked as he dropped a greasy bag of fast food on the table in front of his youngest. He pulled up a chair and started pulling food from the bag and divided it between the two of him.

Sam looked at the hamburger in front of him and thought about how it was Dean's food and not his which caused his temper to flair again. "Obviously not Dean, dad. Why are we here? We're supposed to be out there looking for Dean, remember."

John stopped chewing and swallowed. When he spoke there was a hardness in his voice Sam remembered from that last year before leaving. "I remember what we are here for. You've taken four years off boy and I need to know you haven't forgotten everything I taught you."

"So we are wasting time with this case so I can prove myself to you? I came to help you find Dean not hunt monsters."

"I am not going into something until I know that you can still get the job done. And if you don't want to help find your brother then you can just leave."

Sam scoffed. Of course he couldn't leave and his father knew that. Oh sure he could hitchhike back to Stanford but he wouldn't make it in time for the interview. He took a deep breath and blew it back out all at once . "I don't want to fight. I want to find Dean and sitting here in this rundown motel room isn't going to help us."

"Look Sammy ... Sam, I don't want to fight with you either. I just want to make sure your safe."

Sam smirked. "Just because I haven't been hunting with you and Dean doesn't mean I let myself go." He rubbed his temple with two fingers and tried to rub the nagging sensation that he just missed something important. "Look we finish the woman in white. We just have to dig up her..."

"No Sam. She has to confront her children or don't you remember any thing I taught you?" John said exasperated.

"Your unbelievable you know that. I was trying to meet you half way..." Sam exploded. He stood up and slammed his laptop closed. He crossed the floor and grabbed the backpack and started to shove his computer inside. "Just once, one time, you could do the same. You take care of your woman in white. I'm going back to Stanford."

John slammed his fist down on the table and stood up knocking the chair he'd been sitting in moments before. "Your leaving again. Your running out on your family again. What about Dean?"

"What about him dad? You seem more worried about the case than you do about your missing son. What you lost one solider and thought you could get me to step in and replace him?"

For a moment there was something on John's face that he couldn't place but it was gone as the older man crossed the floor with a snarl on his face. "Don't you dare suggest that I would just replace Dean like he was some wore out piece of clothes. I came and got you so you could help me find him and all I have heard out of you is whining."

Sam moved closer to the older man so their faces were mere inches away from each other and yelled back. " Whined, I don't whine. I question. I actually have a mind of my own and I use it. Don't expect me to fall into line and be a good little solider. I am not Dean."

"You don't have to remind me of something that is very clear." John snarled allowing spittle to hit Sam in the face.

Anything that Sam might have said was interrupted by the banging on the door. Both men turned to the door and simultaneously yelled "what." Sam stepped away from his father to answer the door.

The two men looked expectantly at the middle aged man glaring at them. "Look dudes, I have kids trying to take a nap next door and your scaring them. Can you keep it down. I don't want to have to go to the manager."

Sam's pushed his anger with his father to the side for the moment and looked contrite. "Hey man, I'm sorry. Don't worry about it we will be quieter. Didn't mean to wake or keep the kids up."

"No worries," the man said looking back and forth between the Winchesters. He turned around and walked to his room next door.

Sam looked at the floor for a moment and then crossed the floor, picked his backpack up and slung it over his shoulder. "Look dad. I want to find Dean too. I'm going to go back to Stanford and have my interview and then I will look for him on my own. This...us... we're not working."

John clenched his jaw and looked at his youngest and cursed. "Nice to know you have your priorities in order."

Sam shook his head and scoffed. "My priorities dad. Who is the one dealing with the woman in white while he is supposed to be looking for his oldest."

Sam did not wait for the man but turned around and stomped out the door. He had crossed the parking lot before he heard the motel door slam behind him. For a moment he stopped and looked back across the parking lot at the now closed door and sighed. Already he was second guessing himself. If Dean was missing he needed to help find him but his father just wanted to start over where they had left off.

He was tempted to take one of the cars in the parking lot. Just because he hadn't done it in years didn't mean he did not remember how. Right now getting back to Stanford was the most important thing and then he would worry about Dean.

He found the most non descript car, a sedan that looked like it had never had a bath and decided that that was the perfect choice. He looked around the parking lot and nonchalantly tried the door.

Cursing as he didn't have any of his tools with him and nothing he could make work this time Sam hitched the bag back up on his shoulder and thought about his father watching out the window and wondering if John could be any more disgusted with his youngest.

Sam hadn't been walking more than fifteen minutes when he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He thought about not answering it just in case it was his father but the possibility it was Jess had him pulling it out of his pocket and looking at the id screen. He frowned not recognizing the number.

He went to put it away and thought better of it. He flipped the phone opened and answered it.

"Hello"

"Hello"

"Is this Sam Winchester?"

Sam pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it again. He returned it to his ear and said, "who's asking?"

There was silence on the other in for what Sam thought was forever and he was tempted to hang up when the speaker finally answered.

"Your looking for your brother. I know where he is and why John Winchester doesn't want to find him."

It was Sam's turn to be silent for several moments but when he did find his tongue to speak all he heard was a dial tone.