Please see prologue for disclaimers/warnings

Many thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, or put this story on their alerts list. Thanks also to everyone who took the time to read it. Concrit is always appreciated if you are able to give it... :)

Part 1

If Crazy Larry and Dirty Mary were demons, or anything else freaky or supernatural, Sam could not tell. His recent ability to know the difference seemed somewhat muted as of late. Either that, or Larry and Mary really were just crazy and... dirty, he supposed. Larry had introduced them and Sam had ignored him hoping they would go away. They hadn't obliged yet. Mary seemed irritated with her nickname, but Larry kept using it all the same, frequently, each time ogling her with wide eyes that showed white all around dark brown irises and almost seemed to spin in their sockets. Whatever else he was, Larry was definitely crazy.

Sam and Castiel met them at a petting zoo near Seattle of all places. Sam had insisted on going there after mumbling something about 'making up for lost time.' He gently pet the small goats and chickens that clustered around him, a look of child-like wonder on his face, while Castiel stood stiffly nearby. Larry and Mary, dressed like a couple of middle-aged hippies from the sixties, had gravitated to them. Apparently Sam and Castiel were a couple of 'strange' magnets. Make that electromagnets.

"Plates say you're from Canada," Larry said. "You don't sound Canadian."

Sam continued to ignore him, wondering exactly how Larry could tell when Sam had barely spoken since he and Mary had accosted him. Then it was Mary's turn.

"You gotta watch out for the llamas," Mary was telling Sam in a stage whisper, hand falling on his shoulder in a way too familiar gesture. "They'll spit at ya."

Sam realized this was true from some Animal Planet show he had watched a lifetime ago. Although it didn't seem to matter since he hadn't noticed any llamas here anyway. He continued to pet the small pony at his knee without looking at her.

"Only when they're annoyed," Castiel supplied helpfully.

Sam closed his eyes, dropped his head, and sighed. He had really hoped ignoring them might make this strange couple go away, but instead...

"Hey," Mary said turning to look at Castiel, hands falling to clasp in front of her, absently rubbing together, "you two together?"

"Yes." Castiel's blank look never changed. "We are."

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He could see the direction this conversation was headed, and apparently Castiel was still a little naive regarding human situations, especially odd ones like this. He opened his mouth to say something, but Mary continued.

"Well, since you boys are visitors around here, you're welcome to come bunk with us tonight if you need a place to stay," she said.

Castiel's head tilted in its patented way. "That's very kind of you..." he said.

Then Sam was suddenly next to him conspicuously kicking the side of Castiel's leg.

"...but completely unnecessary," Castiel finished, chin tipping slightly upward. Then he glanced accusingly at Sam as if he had been planning to refuse Mary's hospitality all along.

"We got a big trailer," Mary kept prattling along. "Lots of extra room. We can set up the extra bed. You'll have your privacy... mostly."

Mary's eyebrows waggled while Larry grinned and ogled her with his crazy, spinning eyeballs.

Okay, so that's why she's called Dirty Mary, Sam thought.

"Mary and I love having company for dinner," Larry said, the corners of his overly large mouth almost seeming to disappear around the sides of his face. "We're very friendly."

Finally, unable to take any more, Sam hastily excused them, took Castiel's sleeve none too gently, and tugged him toward the corral gate. Sam could feel Crazy Larry and Dirty Mary's eyes on their backs. They made him nervous. Maybe they were demons.

"Sam," Castiel said sharply, "be careful of the feces!" He was watching the ground cautiously trying to avoid the clods of animal droppings mixed with hay that lay in their escape route.

"Jeez, Cas," Sam said, amazed at the angel's priorities, "if we step in it, you can always use your angelic cleaning, right?"

"I'd rather not have to, so... just please be careful, okay?"

"Whatever, Cas."

Then Sam noticed that Larry and Mary were following them. The friendly smiles previously plastered on their faces were gone. He shoved Castiel a little roughly out the corral door and pulled him into a run, hand tightly gripping the arm of the angel's trench coat. Then, suddenly, they were in front of their motel room... and Sam slammed face-first into the door, hard.

"Cas," Sam said as calmly as he could, peeling himself away from the door. "A little warning with the insta-travel, huh? It's, um... disconcerting." Sam rubbed his face gingerly. "And dangerous."

"Sorry, it seemed the expedient thing to do." Castiel shook his head slightly.

There was a long pause as Sam just glared at him.

"Okay," Castiel said appeasingly, eyes rolling in a very human expression. "Next time I'll land us farther away from solid objects."

"Thank you," Sam said. "I would really appreciate that. And what were you doing talking to those weirdos anyway."

"I was being polite."

"Some people just really need to be ignored," Sam said. "And dude, those two totally thought we were together."

"We are."

"No, I mean they thought we were together."

"But... we are." Castiel tipped his head, eyes narrowing slightly in confusion. "Aren't we?"

"No... I mean, they thought I was your boyfriend. Why do people always think stuff like that?"

"Well, You are my friend, Sam. Right?"

"We're not having sex together Cas," Sam said bluntly. "That's what they thought."

Castiel's eyes widened minutely. "I understand," he said, then shook his head. "But it's not important. They were after all 'crazy' and 'dirty' if I understood their introductions correctly."

Sam grunted in agreement as he fumbled for the motel keys. He sighed deeply. That conversation had taken a lot more work than he had bargained for. All things considered, he was beginning to think he needed a vacation from his vacation.

{{{{}}}}

A short time later Sam and Castiel stood in the familiar motel room. Not that they had been here before, except to bring their stuff from the car, but Sam had seen a million like it. The two twin beds, the ubiquitous room divider separating the sleeping area from the eating area, this time with a seagull motif. The door swung shut behind them compliments of gravity and off-level construction, and Sam opened the musty smelling mini-fridge in the corner.

"Want a beer?" he asked, shoving a bottle in Castiel's direction.

Castiel looked at the drink noncommittally, then finally accepted it and made himself comfortable standing next to the desk. Sam flopped in a nearby chair and drank his beer, then another, and another.

"You know," Sam said, breaking a particularly long stretch of silence, "it's not like I thought it would be at all."

Sam was still sprawled in the chair, perhaps sinking a little closer to the floor, while Castiel had loosened up and was leaning against the desk instead of just standing next to it.

Realizing that Sam was staring at him expectantly, Castiel finally responded.

"What did you think it would be like?" he asked.

"When I was ten years old, we went on this trip down the coast. You know, Dad, Dean, me. It was an epic road trip. I wanted nothing more than to see the sights and have fun, you know? Like other kids did on summer vacation."

"But what did we do? Do you know what the standard of every Winchester family vacation was?" Sam looked at Castiel who shook his head obligingly, even though he probably did know.

"We hunted," Sam continued. "We exorcised some poltergeists, beheaded a few vampires, even looked into a Big Foot sighting that turned out to be some rogue grizzly bear that almost had me for lunch. We basically salted and burned our way down the coast. What kind of a childhood memory is that, huh?"

Sam tipped the remaining contents of his latest beer into his mouth, swallowed and continued.

"Well, I want it back. The way it was supposed to be. I want it all back if it's the last thing I do. And, uh...I guess it will be. I sure hope it picks up a little though, 'cause this isn't at all what I expected. There are demons everywhere, and thank God for sending you, at least the angels are off my back. I just want to forget about all of them. No offense Cas." He took another swig of his latest beer and fell silent.

"None taken," Castiel replied.

"I kinda wish Dean were here," Sam said finally. "I wonder how he's doing."

"I haven't seen him either," Castiel said. "Not since... shortly after we lost you."

"Good," Sam said, a little too emphatically, and Castiel tipped his head, confused. "I mean, it's good you left him alone... with Lisa and Ben. It's better for him. He needs that, after the life he's had. Our life... it hasn't been easy you know. He needs this."

"Perhaps he needs a connection with his previous life too," Castiel reasoned. "Human bonds of family and friendship are not easily broken. Especially for Dean."

"He has a new family now," Sam said, then with a hint of irritation, "What makes you think you know so much about Dean anyway?"

"I put his soul back into his body, remember," Castiel said. "I think I may have some small understanding of these things."

"I get it, Cas," Sam said, suddenly unbearably weary. "And maybe that's the way it should work, but from a human perspective... I just... I can tell you this is for the best. Dean will much happier without you... or me... reminding him of everything that's gone wrong in his life."

"I understand, Sam," Castiel conceded. "I"m sorry. I won't speak of it anymore."

Sam closed his eyes and soon felt what he assumed was supposed to be a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I promise you this," Castiel said slowly, solemnly. "Everything will be okay."

"No it won't."

"Yes it will."

Sam didn't feel like arguing anymore, so he just kept quiet. He had no interest in or patience for empty promises. Lies really. He knew where he was headed. He knew his days were numbered. And there was nothing anybody could do about it. Not anybody. Not even an angel of the Lord. At least Dean would be still be okay when this was all over.

{{{{}}}}