Chapter 2

Dean pulled into the bus station and parked the Impala nearby. He got out and headed for the ticket office to see if Sam was anywhere around. He scanned the people waiting outside and didn't see him, so he headed inside. Sam wasn't sitting on any bench or in the restrooms and headed for the ticket agent.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm looking for my brother. He may have bought a ticket within the past hour," Dean told the agent.

"I've sold a lot of tickets sir. You can't expect me to remember everyone," she replied in a snippy voice.

"Please Marge," Dean asked again, reading her nametag. "He's my little brother and he had a fight with our Dad. I really need to find him. He's my responsibility. Has been since he was brought home from the hospital and put into my arms."

"What does he look like?" she asked her demur softening from Dean's pleas.

"He's taller than me with shaggy, brown hair, slim, and would be carrying a couple of bags."

"I do remember a young man coming in that fits that description. He wanted a ticket for the next bus that was leaving. He didn't have a specific destination in mind."

"Great! Has the bus left?"

"I'm sorry, but it has. It was ahead of schedule and left about thirty minutes ago."

"Where was it heading?" he asked thinking he could head back to get his things from the motel and go after the bus.

"It was heading for Savannah, Georgia with stops along the way."

"Thank you Marge. You're a love," Dean told her giving her a warm smile.

"I hope you find your brother."

Dean hurried to the Impala and got in, cranking her to head back to the motel. He was going to find his little brother and hoped he could talk some sense into that hard head of his.

Spn

John looked up as he heard the key in the lock of the doorknob as it was being opened. His oldest son stepped into the room and began to gather his things without casting one glance at his father.

"What's going on Dean?" John asked as he straightened up and sat the glass of whiskey on the table. He watched Dean stuff clothes into his duffle before heading into the bathroom for his bag.

"I'm going to find Sammy," Dean spat at John finally glaring angrily at him.

"We haven't finished the hunt we're on yet," John stated not breaking eye contact with his son. "Once that is done, then you can go look for Sam. Deal?"

Dean drew in a long breath and let it out as he considered what John had said. They were close to finding the vengeful spirit that had been killing people and thought it might only take a day or two at the most. He was torn between loyalty to his father and the need to find his brother.

"Fine! But then I'm going after Sammy," Dean finally conceded dropping his bag on the bed. "What did you find out from the relatives?"

John didn't show his relief that Dean decided to stay, instead he pulled out a folder and handed it to Dean. He sat back down at the table and rubbed a hand down his face before picking up what was left of his drink and taking a sip. He watched Dean decide to take a seat across from him and began to read the pages. John just looked at his oldest son and saw so much of Mary in him. Sometimes it hurt more than he would admit, but he kept all that buried deep down in his mind.

"Why don't you heat your sandwich in the microwave and eat?" John asked Dean.

Dean stopped reading and looked over at John for a moment before getting up and taking his wrapped sandwich to the microwave and nuking it for a minute. He returned to the table and continued going through the file as he absently ate his food, not really tasting any of it.

"So, we need to find this pocket watch and destroy it?" Dean surmised as he closed the file folder.

"My thoughts too," John replied. "There's no body to salt and burn and it's the only thing I could find that Elliot treasured."

"Any idea where it is or who has it?"

"The ones I talked to remembers the pocket watch, but it wasn't found on Elliot when the body was discovered."

"You think whoever killed him took it?"

"Logical explanation. We'll check the pawn shops in the morning and see if it was pawned."

"Okay," Dean mumbled wadding the empty wrappers up and tossing them in the trash. "I'm going out."

John watched his son get up and grab his car keys and room key but didn't say anything. He knew Dean was pissed at him for not letting him go after his brother. He knew Sam could take care of himself and figured he wouldn't have gone far anyway. Sam needed to blow off some steam and get his head in the game.

Spn

Sam jerked awake as the motion of the bus changed and looked around. He saw they were pulling into a station in some random town to gas up and pick up any additional passengers. He gathered his bags and waited as the air brakes hissed and the bus jerked to a stop. After everyone else had gotten off, Sam made his way down the aisle and stepped from the bus.

He looked around and headed for the building to find the restrooms. There was a small café to the side of the ticket office that was open and wandered that way deciding to grab something to drink and maybe a snack. He had to check to see how much money he had and how long it was going to last him.

After taking care of his needs and getting something to drink and eat, Sam found a place to sit where he could watch the bus. They had an hour layover here and didn't want to miss it. He picked up a newspaper that someone had left on a table and began to read it.

An article caught his attention on the second page about people going missing in the town nearby. It piqued his interest, and he skimmed it one time and then read it slowly a second time. According to the article the local cops were no closer to solving the disappearances and no bodies had been found yet. He sat back in his chair and mulled over the article thinking this might be a possible case.

Sam looked at the bus when an announcement was made that it would be leaving in ten minutes. Two entities fought inside of him on whether he should stay and check it out or just get back on the bus and leave. He could text Dean about it but that would let him know where he was, and he wasn't ready to join up with them yet. Knowing he couldn't leave without checking it out, he gathered his bags and headed for the town limits.

A/N: Dean goes looking for his brother but is too late. He agrees to finish the hunt and then go after Sam. Sam thinks he might have found a possible case and decides to check it out. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. Reviews/Comments would be great. NC