Chapter 3 - New Puzzles

Dean got up eventually, he still felt groggy and thought a shower would do him good, so he found the bathroom and climbed inside, he leant against the tiles as the water trickled down his body from the power-shower, he chuckled to himself remembering when just after he and Sam started to look for their missing father years ago, they'd squatted in a house with a power shower within which Dean had pretty much lived.

He sighed as he climbed out, rubbing the back of his head slightly. After he'd dried off he went to the wardrobe and opened it, inside he found plain shirts, dark blue overalls with stains on them, faded jeans and a new leather jacket. He smirked when he saw it, and read the tag that was clipped onto the zipper.

"'Dean, I hope this makes a good birthday present, I remember how much you loved the one dad gave you years ago and thought you deserved a new one, from Sam.'" he read aloud to himself, "Ah wow," he added, taking it off the hanger and looking at it, "Thanks Sammy," he said and then got dressed.

As he walked into the kitchen he opened the refrigerator and grimaced at the food; salads, fruit and low-fat yoghurt, he looked into the pockets on the door and grimaced again, Lite Beer.

"Damnit Jade, what the hell?" he asked.

It suddenly dawned on him; his head had been so groggy he hadn't paid attention to it, Jade has said John…he definitely wasn't at Bobby's now, Jade was a police officer and he worked at a garage and Sam had bought him a leather jacket. What was going on here? He paused before moving again and then left the apartment, going down to find his baby, parked outside on the quiet street.

He climbed into the car and sat still for a second, memories flashing forward in his mind; mom and dad laughing when he was young, Sam's reaction to John's disappearance, then Jessica's death….Jessica…if Mary was alive was Jessica? And why weren't they together instead of Sam and Jordan?

Dean frowned and started the car, while he drove a memory flashed forward; the cottage. Followed closely by another; reading a file on two people, then looking around the house, and then the noises he'd heard while in the kitchen, and finally a distorted memory he couldn't fully make out.

He hit the steering wheel in frustration and cried out, frowning angrily.

He didn't know where he was driving, his mind was elsewhere, but his basic functions registered his surroundings and drove for him. Soon he found himself parked outside his childhood house, where he assumed his parents still lived. He swallowed and slowly got out of the car, staring at the house. The curtains were pulled back, allowing the sunlight to flow through, net curtains were strung up to hide the interior of the house from outsiders. Dean walked across the road and up to the front door and rang the doorbell. No answer. He rang it again, keeping his finger pressed on the button.

"Mornin' Dean!" said a cheery voice, snapping Dean out of his thoughts.

"Morning," Dean said with a smile towards the older man, who wore a blue tartan vest over a white t-shirt and beige pants; the stereotypical old neighbourly man.

"You're folks have gone to work, son," the man said, leaning a hand on the fence.

Dean's mouth twitched down in a frown, mainly at the fact he'd missed seeing his parents in the flesh in years, but partly because of the man's voice…he had that voice that belongs on a golf course in films.

"Thanks" Dean said, walking back to the car. I don't like this , Dean said in his head as he sat in the Impala again.

He frowned and restarted the engine, and felt his phone vibrating.

"Hello?" he asked without even glancing at the I.D.

"Hey baby," Jade's voice said.

"Oh hey," Dean said with a smile.

"Are you out of bed?"

"Yeah I'm driving around, clearing my head." Dean said, half lying.

"Okay, just reminding you to pick up your parents anniversary present for tonight," she said.

Dean's face went blank and he swallowed.

"The present? At the, um..?" Dean said.

"The flower shop in town, Dean," Jade said with a weird tone of voice, "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should see a doctor…"

"I'll be fine, I really just need some air and some food,"

"You could've had a salad or something before you left."Dean grimaced.

"I'll have it later," he forced himself to say, "Seeya,"

She hung up and frowned, meanwhile, Dean drove off towards the town.