Summary - What if Sam wasn't the only one who was around Dean the last three months before his deal was up? What if there was someone else? This story follows Sam, Dean, and Applemy original character as they try to get Dean out of his deal; though Apple doesn't exactly know about Dean's deal until it's almost too late. What happens if they can't save him? Is Dean really gone forever?

Author's Note - This follows the last six episodes of season three, I just added my own character into the mix and a few more things. I don't own any of the characters or the episodes, just Apple and the plot following the last episode. Let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome. I'd also appreciate reviews, or anything just so I know how I'm doing with this. My first SPN fanfic, so yeah, I'd like to know what you guys think.

Where'd You Go? I Miss You So.

Chapter Five

Neither Sam nor Apple could believe Dean was actually gone. They both expected to wake up and there Dean would be, with them, alive, safe. They drove for days and killed anything that needed to be killed, helped anyone who needed to be helped; all the while they searched for the trickster. They knew he could bring Dean back, he was the only one who could. They tried to keep tabs on him but he continued to slip from the grasps.

Sam spoke often of a man named Bobby who continued to call Sam, he told her Bobby congratulaed him on one hunt or another. He informed Apple that he was a close family friend, he'd been with them ever since the disappearance of their father, and then after he had died.

"Sam. Hold still." Apple ordered as she took a pair of tweezers to a bullet wound in Sam's abdomen. "Almost got it." She whispered as she dug around yet tried to be gentle all the same. "There." Apple took the bullet from the wound and looked at it before she dropped it in a glass of alcohol. She cleaned the wound and bandaged it up.

"Thanks Apple."

"No problem Sam. You alright?"

"I guess. I just want my brother back."

Apple sighed as she took a seat next to him on bed, she rubbed his back comfortingly. "I know Sam. I want Dean back too. We'll find the trickster, together."

"Thanks for everything though. Not just this. I don't know what'd I'd do without you, you've helped to kill some of the pain. You've been a good friend Apple, and a good hunter; despite what your family says."

Apple smiled at him slightly. "Thanks Sam. Means a lot. Come on, we should probably get some rest."

"I'm gonna go brush my teeth."

Apple laid down on her bed, and stared up at the ceiling. They had to find the trickster, they had to get Dean back. Sam had tried to hand the loss of his brother as well as he could, even if he did remain stoic most of the time. She supposed that was just the way he dealt with things, everyone had their own ways. She listened to Sam as he brushed his teeth. Another sound mingled with that though, she tried to follow the sound, and found herself stopped by Sam's discarded pair of jeans.

She dug through his front pockets and pulled out his phone. "Sam! There's another voice mail from Bobby."

Sam was at her side in a few seconds, he quickly punched in the code to access his voice mail, and put the phone to his ear. "He found him. Bobby says he found the trickster."

- - - - -

Apple looked over at Sam as they entered Brower County. She took a deep breath, it felt strange to be back. The images of what had happened played over and over in both of their heads.

"You think this will work?"

"I'm sure. You'll just have to play along." He informed her before he turned to look back at the road.

It took little time for them to reach the Mystery Spot. Apple shuddered as she stepped out of the Impala, she thought about how this was where Dean had first been killed. She followed Sam in to the building. Mentally, she prepared herself for what was to come next, and hoped to God that it would turn out alright.

As they entered the building they came face to face with an older man, who she assumed was Bobby. She was sure he couldn't be anyone but. Sam and Apple stood a bit away from Bobby, they watched as he lit one last candle, Bobby must have sensed their presence because he was up off the ground in no time.

"It's good to see you, boy." he said before he pulled Sam into a hug; Sam stood still, he made no move at all to hug him back. "And you must be Apple Delaney." He turned to face her next, a smile on his face.

Apple politely held her hand out. "Nice to finally meet you Bobby." He took her hand and pulled her into a semi tight hug, as to not suffocate the girl.

"Thank you for watching over Sam these last few months."

"It was no problem," she assured him.

"What are we doing here, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"It's the last place the trickster was known to have worked his magic. I found a summoning ritual to bring him here." Bobby informed them.

"What do we need?" Apple asked, as she looked over the set up Bobby had made. There was a symbol marked on the floor along with multiple candles and a book.

"Blood."

"How much?"

"About a gallon. Ritual says it's gotta be fresh too."

"Meaning we bleed a person dry." Sam said strongly. Apple looked up at him, she wondered it they were truly going to go through with this. She didn't see another option, and she was sure Sam didn't see one either.

"And it's gotta be tonight," Bobby paused as he looked away from the ritual set up, and toward Sam and Apple. "Or not for another fifty years."

"Then let's go get some." Sam said. He turned away from Bobby and looked at Apple, a serious expression on his face. She let out a soft sigh as she made to walk out of the building with Sam.

"You break my heart, kid. I'm not going to let either of you murder an innocent man."

At this, the pair turned around to face the older man. "Then why did you bring us here?"

"Why? 'Cause it's the only way you'd see me. 'Cause I wanted to knock some sense into you. 'Cause I thought you'd back down from killing a man!"

"Well you thought wrong."

Apple shuddered at the tone of voice Sam had used. She'd never heard him sound so serious, so deadly. She wondered for a moment if he would really kill someone to try to bring his brother back. Then again, she thought she might have wanted to do the same thing if someone she loved was taken from her like Dean was taken away from Sam. But would she actually have the willpower to do that?

"Leave all the stuff, I'll do it myself." Sam finished coldly.

"I told you, I'm not gonna let you kill an innocent."

"It's none of your damn business what I do!" Sam shouted. He felt Apple jump beside him and momentarily felt bad for scaring her, but she did know what was going to happen.

"You want your brother back so bad," Bobby bent down and picked up a knife before he turned back to look at Sam and Apple. "Fine."

"What are you talking about?" Apple asked as she cocked her head slightly.

"Better me than a civilian." Bobby tossed the knife at Sam, who caught it, before he spoke again. "I'm an old man, I'm coming to the end of my trail. You're young Sam, you can keep going, keep saving people. You're the closest thing I've ever had to family, and I can give you Dean back. I want to." He explained before he turned around and closed his eyes.

Apple pulled the stake out from her jacket and handed it to Sam. She touched his hand tentatively before he turned back around. She really hoped this was going to work.

"Make it quick." Bobby said, hands clenchded tightly into fists. "Do it, son."

"Yeah okay, Bobby." He got behind Bobby, the knife poised at his back. "But you wanna know why? Because you're not Bobby." He said quietly before he plunged the stake into his back.

Sam got up and took a few steps back until he was level with Apple. They watched the body for a few seconds. "Bobby?" Apple questioned, but nothing seemed to happen. "Sam, maybe that really was Bobby!" Apple started to panic, maybe they really had killed Bobby.

"Bobby?" Sam tried. He prayed they hadn't actually killed the real Bobby.

Apple grabbed onto Sam's arm as the body suddenly disappeared and the stake whizzed through the air. The boy and girl turned around, the trickster had appeared behind them. They watched as he hit his hand lightly with the stake and observed the pair with a wicked grin.

"You two were right. I was just screwing with ya. Pretty good though Sam, Apple. Smart. Let me tell you, whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one, has never seen you with a sharp object in your hands. Whoa, full metal jacket." The trickster drawled on.

"Bring him back." Sammy whispered tiredly. He just wanted his brother back already, why couldn't he just bring Dean back? Everyone knew he could, so why wouldn't he?

"Who? Dean? Dean's dead, and his soul is downstairs doing the hell fire rumba as we speak."

"Just take us back to the Tues-" Apple shook her head as she corrected herself, "Wednesday, when it all started."

"I dunno if I should." He replied, a smirk crossed his features. "Don't you see Sam, there's a lesson here. This obsession with saving Dean? The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood, and pain. Dean's your weakness. Bad guys know it, too. It's gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes, you just gotta let people go."

"He's my brother." Sam said. His voice sounded raw and just too tired. He just wanted his brother back! Dean still had time to live, he needed his brother back.

"Yup. And like it or not, this is how life's gonna be without him."

"Please. Just... please." Apple tried, her voice sounded just as bad as Sam's.

"I swear. Talking to you two is like talking to a brick wall. Okay, look. This all stopped being fun months again. I'm over it."

"Meaning what?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." The trickster replied before he snapped his fingers.

- - - - -

Sam and Apple shot up at the familiar sound of Huey Lewis and the News. They looked at each other before they turned to Dean.

"What're you two gonna do, sleep all day?" Dean asked as he brushed his teeth. "I know, no Asia. This station sucks."

"It's Wednesday." Apple said in shock. Both her and Sam turned to look at the clock, small smiles graced their faces.

"Yeah. Which usually follows Tuesday. Turn that thing off."

Apple slid out of bed and walked to stand before Dean, she hugged him tight. She'd never been so happy to see him. He seemed a little surprised at her actions, then again, why wouldn't he be? After Apple had let go and turned to get clothes out of her bag, Sam approached him and hugged him just as tight as Apple had.

"Dude, how many Tuesdays did you guys have?"

"Enough." Sam and Apple said at the same time.

"Wait, what do you remember?" Sam asked as both men watched Apple walk to the bathroom and close the door.

"I remember the both of you were pretty whacked out yesterday. And I remember catching up with the trickster. That's about it."

"Let's go." Sam said. He threw on a shirt and a pair of jeans. "Apple, come on."

Apple exited the bathroom and threw her things into her bag before she zipped it up. "We leaving?"

"Definitely."

"No breakfast?"

"No breakfast." Sam confirmed. He smiled slightly at Dean's usual behavior. He had missed that so much.

"I'll pack the car." Dean offered.

"NO! You're not going anywhere without me and Apple." Sam said. He shook his head and started to pack his bag.

"It's just the parking lot, Sam."

"Just trust us, alright?"

Sam and Apple looked around the room once more, they thought about everything they'd gone through. Apple turned to look at Dean as he opened the door, ready to get to the Impala and leave. She quickly joined him and watched Sam.

"Hey, you don't look so good. Something else happen?" Dean asked as he watched his brother stand still in the middle of the room.

"I just had a really weird dream."

Dean nodded his head. "Clowns or midgets?" He asked. He smiled brightly at his little brother.

Apple elbowed him lightly in the chest. "Seriously, Dean?" He playfully glared at her before he shrugged his shoulders. Sam smiled back at the pair weakly before he turned to join them.

They made their to the Impala, Apple slid in the backseat as Sam took his position in the passenger seat. Dean looked around before he slid into his rightful place in the driver's seat.

"So I'm seriously hungry. Breakfast?" He asked hopefully.

"After we get out of town Dean."

Sam and Apple chuckled as they listened to Dean grumble about being hungry and wanting food now, not later. This was going to be an interesting drive.

+chapter title: where'd you go - fort minor