So another new chappy...thanks for sticking with the story and for all the awesome reviews... bambers;)

Chapter Fifty

Sam drove throughout the night and early on into the next morning before he finally stopped to fill up his gas tank. He had thought to go inside to get something to eat, but as he neared the front door of convenient store, a wave of panic overwhelmed him. As he glanced inside the window and saw a bald-headed man behind the register, he began to tremble uncontrollably.

He's just a regular guy. He's not one of Dominic's men. He repeated the mantra over and over again inside his head as he reached out to open the door, and then hesitated. But what if he is? What if he's just like those guys from the elevator?

Cold sweat prickled at the nape of his neck as his stomach began to churn. He wavered for a few more moments before he abruptly turned in his heel and hurried back to the safety of his car. Once inside, a drew in several quick, gasping breaths as he tried to calm his jittering nerves. Every breath he took seem to drain him of his strength. His lungs felt heavy inside his chest, his heart clenching painfully as his fears overtook him.

"Damn it!" He slammed his hand down hard against the steering wheel as tears welled in his eyes. "I'm a goddamn hunter for Christ's sake. I shouldn't be afraid to walk into a freakin' convenient store."

Dean, where the hell are you? I really need you here with me . . . don't know if I can do this on my own.

Sudden intense pain exploded behind his eyes, and squeezing them close, he cried out as the feeling grew. Pressing his fingertips into his temples, he rubbed them trying to ease away the ache, but it only intensified as distorted images flashed behind his closed eyelids.

"Sam . . . Sammy! Damn it answer me!" Dean screamed out to him, but the image wasn't clear enough to make out where he was. Sam could feel his brother's heartbeat quicken, slamming hard against his chest as he waited for Sam to respond.

Another cry burst from Sam's lips as Dean's fear grew. The distorted image of what looked like an old basement flashed through Sam's mind, but it wasn't clear enough to make out any details that might be helpful in finding Dean.

"Damn it, Dean, focus an' give me somethin' to work with here."

"Come on, little brother, wake up for me."

Sam heard his brother beg, and Sam's head fell back onto his shoulders as he felt Dean do the same. Prying his eyes open, Sam saw the darkened image of splintered floorboards above his head and then looked down to see himself lying in his brother's arms.

"I fell through the floor," Sam uttered in a breathless rush. "I almost died . . . my heart stopped twice in the hospital." The image slowly ebbed and faded away. Sam smiled."I know where you are, Dean."

Cursing under his breath, Sam started the engine, turned around and headed back in the direction in which he had come. When he had left Bobby's house, he headed toward California, but now he knew his older brother was in New York. Even if he drove non-stop, it would still take him several days to get there.

"Sonuvabitch." Sam slammed his hand against the steering wheel again. "What if he's hurt . . . what if he's dyin' an' I don't get there in time?" He pressed the gas pedal to the floor and sped up, weaving in and out of traffic as he headed East.

XxXxXxXxXxX

John had just finished loading their gear in his truck when Rumsfeld began to bark wildly. Immediately sensing that something was wrong, he grabbed his gun and cautiously made his way back toward the house. From the doorway he called out to his longtime friend. "Bobby?" When several moments past without the older hunter responding, he tried again. "Damn it, Bobby, answer me."

Within a heartbeat, all the lights inside and outside the house went out, casting the entire house into complete darkness. From outside he heard Bobby's dog yelp as if in pain and then there was total silence.

"Sonuvabitch," he swore under his breath as he raised his gun and slowly entered the house. Whoever had Bobby was definitely human or they wouldn't have made it beyond the traps the older hunter had set in place to stop demons or evil spirits. And from the look of things, there had to be more than one person inside his friend's home.

John eased his way into the living room, careful not to knock over any of the stacks of books Bobby always had lying around and give his position away. From the moonlight streaming through the windows, he was able to see clearly enough to maneuver through his friend's home with little difficulty. Within a matter of moments he had traveled through the living room, and had headed into the kitchen, but still couldn't find Bobby anywhere. Turning on his heel, he traveled back through the living room and down the hallway toward the bedrooms. A glimmer of light coming from beneath Bobby's bedroom door caught John's attention, and he slowly eased the door open. Unearthly light bathed the room in a warm golden glow making it easy for John to spot Bobby laying sprawled on the floor beside the bed. He rushed to Bobby's side, dropped to the ground, and placed two fingers at the side of his friend's throat to check if he was still alive, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he detected a strong pulse. Quickly checking the older man for any apparent injuries, John furrowed a brow in confusion when he couldn't find any.

"What the hell?"

"John," came a breathless whisper from directly behind him, and his heart clenched painfully as he recognized the feminine voice he hadn't heard in twenty-two years.

"Mary?" John turned abruptly, and his jaw dropped open as he stared into his wife's beautiful grayish-blue eyes. A soft golden glow surrounded Mary, and as she trailed her fingertips down his cheek he was instantly filled with a warmth that he hadn't felt since she had died. "How is this. . . are you real? I mean, really real?"

"You an' the boys are in so much pain, John, that I just had to be with you." Mary took a hold of his trembling hand, and placed it against her chest, and he swallowed hard against the tight knot that had formed in his throat as tears filled his eyes.

"An' Bobby?" John questioned as he eyed his friend laying on the ground unconscious. "What happened to him?"

"He'll be fine," Mary promised. "But only you, Sam and Dean are allowed to see me. It was one of the conditions I agreed to when they allowed me to come."

Feeling as if his shaky legs would give out on him at any given moment, John dropped down onto the bed, and pulled Mary into his arms. "Why now? Why after all this time . . . I've needed you so damn much . . . an' I prayed every damn day that I would see you again."

"I know you have, an' I've watched you try so hard to be a good father." Mary shifted in John's lap to look him in the eyes. "But now both our boys are broken and suffering, and I need to be here for them."

"I did the best I could," John lowered his head, not able to meet her steady gaze as he knew he had failed both their sons. "But I was so wrapped up in going after that damn demon, I just . . . Sam, he called me so many damn times, an' I – "

Mary gently placed a hand over his mouth to stop him from speaking. "I'm not blaming you, John. I can see how much you're hurting inside, an' I know you would do anything to protect our boys."

"An' Dean . . . I can see it in his eyes," John went on to say before he lost his courage, "he hates me, Mary, an' I don't know how to deal with that." Scrubbing a hand across his face, he wiped away the tears slipping down his cheeks. "An' he's the one person I've always counted on . . . the one person who I knew in my heart would always be there for me no matter what."

"He still loves you, John," Mary assured as she placed her hand under his chin and lifted his head so they were once again looking each other in the eyes. "He just needs a little time to figure that out for himself."

"But what if he doesn't?" A wry smile briefly flitted across his features as he thought of how much Dean was like Mary. She had never been able to stay mad at him for any real length of time, and neither had Dean until he had been abducted by Dominic. "What if this is the one time he just can't find it in himself to forgive me for not being there when he needed me?"

"I think you need to have a little more faith in him. He's just hurting really bad right now."

"How am I supposed to reach him an' Sam when they both want nothing to do with me?"

"That's why I'm here, John." Mary smiled as she clasped a hold of his hand. "I came back to take care of my boys, an' I need you to just let 'em go for now."

"What are you talkin' about?" A puzzled frown furrowed John's brow as he looked once again to Bobby, and then refocused his attention on her. "Dominic's men are still out there, and I'm pretty damn sure they haven't given up on getting revenge against Dean and Sam. So I can't just leave them unprotected."

"I'm not about to let anyone hurt my boys again," Mary uttered in a strong commanding voice, her eyes alighting with fierce determination. "Please, John, all I'm asking for is just a little time and a chance to help them. You've always been there for them, but this time I need to be the one who picks them up after they've fallen."

"So you want me to let them go?"

"Just for a little while." Mary caressed his cheek and then leaned in to kiss him lightly on the lips. "An' I swear to you, no one will hurt them while I'm around."

"Alright, Mary," John conceded with a nod. "You always knew I could never deny you anything."

Mary leaned in and whispered, "I've always love you, John, an' nothing will ever change that." John closed his eyes as she lightly brushed her lips against his, and when he opened them again she was gone.