Chapter Six
Dean stared at the rambling saloon sitting in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by pale, dry grass, appearing to crouch on the edge of the dusty road. Its wooden exterior was rough and silvered by the wind and sun, a hand-painted sign, slightly off-kilter proclaimed the building to be none other than 'Harvelle's Roadhouse'. The parking lot was nothing more than a square of crushed vegetation outlined with fist-sized rocks beside the Roadhouse.
John pulled the Impala into the lot and killed the engine. Besides a rusting blue minivan, the classic Chevy was the only other vehicle.
Dean unbuckled his seatbelt and put a hand on the door handle, more than ready to meet this mysterious person who could help them find his brother. He had tried to ask his father about him (or her, he reminded himself) during the fourteen-hour long ride but John had been as tight-lipped as ever. It seemed that even now, the name of Sam's would-be savior was under a need-to-know basis.
John reached out and put a restraining hand on Dean's knee, preventing him from leaving the car.
"Dad? What are you doing?" Dean asked, annoyed.
"Stay here a minute," John said quietly and Dean sat back.
"Dad, what is it?" he asked, suddenly worried for his father.
"I just need you to be quiet for a second," John answered and Dean frowned. It wasn't like he'd been a chatterbox the entire drive here.
Dean impatiently checked his watch and looked at the door of the Roadhouse. No one was coming out to greet them. Dean wasn't sure if that was a bad sign or not. He had an idea that whoever his father had been talking to on the phone last night, they weren't a fan of John Winchester.
Taking a deep breath, John unfastened his own seatbelt and opened his door. Dean scrambled out of the car; one hand wrapped around the straps of his brother's duffel, and followed his father up the rickety wooden porch.
John didn't even pause to knock and stepped inside the bar's cool interior. The first thing Dean noticed was the smell- stale beer and sawdust and greasy food- that was not wholly unpleasant. The second thing he noticed was the middle-aged woman pointing a shotgun at his father's head.
"Hello Ellen," John said calmly, one hand splayed against Dean's chest to prevent him from pulling his own weapon.
"John," she replied and lowered the shotgun, reluctantly.
The three stood silently, awkwardly for a moment before Ellen Harvelle spoke again.
"This must be Dean," she asked and the young man nodded and held his hand out for her to shake.
At first Dean didn't think Ellen was going to take the offer but then she did, pumping his hand twice before letting go. Dean was surprised by her strong grip.
"I'm sorry about what happened to Sam," she continued, "I'll help any way I can."
Ellen turned to the bar and stowed the shotgun under the counter before grabbing three beers.
The trio sat down at one of the wooden tables and after a healthy swig of brew, John told the woman everything they knew about Sam's kidnapping.
Ellen frowned once John was finished, "Black market, eh?"
Dean nodded, "That's what the FBI thinks."
"I think I know the very person who can help you," Ellen smiled a little- at Dean, she didn't look at John- and stood.
"Wait, you mean you can't help us?" Dean asked dejectedly.
"I just run a roadside saloon," Ellen said, "But I do have some tricks up my sleeve."
Both Winchesters watched as she made her way back toward the bar and down a hallway that led deeper into the Roadhouse.
Dean heard a blare of music- Muse, he recognized- coming from somewhere in the recesses of the building and then footsteps and the occasional grumble that was cut off sharply.
Dean nearly laughed when he saw the young man accompanying Ellen into the main room. He was thin and tall- though not as tall as Sam, Dean noticed- and wore brown construction boots, old blue jeans with the knees torn out of them and a sleeveless red and black plaid shirt. He had a laptop computer under one arm and one of the best mullets Dean had ever seen.
"Him?" John asked incredulously, "He's going to help us find Sam? He looks like a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie!"
"Don't hate," the hillbilly said and sat down in Ellen's vacated chair.
"Meet Ash," Ellen introduced them.
Dean shook the young man's hand and decided that he liked the guy right away.
"Ellen told me that you're looking for someone selling organs illegally online," Ash said and looked to the Winchesters for confirmation.
"The police think they kidnapped my brother," Dean said and John nodded.
"Hmm," Ash opened his laptop and logged in, "This is going to be tricky, they'll keep their sites hidden from 'normal' folks."
"Can you do it though?" Dean leaned over the table, nearly knocking over his bottle of beer.
"Oh, I can do it alright," Ash said, "I'll find your brother but it will take many hours and many cups of coffee, amigo."
Dean gritted his teeth but nodded. He knew that they wouldn't just magically find Sam but that didn't make the wait any less difficult.
The younger Winchester anxiously sucked down the rest of his beer while John stood and went to talk quietly with Ellen by the bar. Dean didn't try and listen into the conversation even though he would have liked to know why the Harvelle woman seemed so cold toward his father; his thoughts were too focused on his brother. Dean set Sam's duffel in his lap and grasped both straps as he watched Ash frown in concentration over his computer screen.
SPN
Sam looked up tiredly when the door to his room opened and two orderlies entered. Sitting up, Sam allowed the men to grab hold of his arms and pull him up. His knees wobbled dangerously but he didn't fall.
"Where are we going?" Sam asked in a whispery voice. He received no answer.
"Do I finally get to go home today?" Sam asked and smiled. He knew there was no way Bates was going to let him leave but the idea of going home made him feel a little better.
Again Sam was all but ignored.
They walked down the familiar hallway and stepped into the elevator. Sam's stomach somersaulted when the lift went down and he gagged, trying not to puke.
Sam's heart fell when the elevator doors opened and he saw that they were heading toward the operating room.
"Please," he cried, "Don't do this; I can't take anymore. No! Let me go!"
Sam began to struggle and thrash as the orderlies led him toward the double doors.
Tears sprang out in Sam's eyes and fell down his face unheeded, "Let me go! Please! Get off me!"
The orderlies shoved him through the doorway and Sam looked to the mad doctor.
"Not again," Sam begged, "Please… please."
Bates ignored him, told the orderlies to get Sam onto the table, and began to prepare for surgery with the help of the nurse.
Sam struggled against the straps holding him down but his movements were weak. He knew it wouldn't do him any good.
The last thing Sam saw before passing out was Bates' grinning face above him.
SPN
Dean lifted his head tiredly from the table when he felt someone flick his ear.
"Hey! What the he-" Dean stopped when he saw a girl standing beside him. She was slim and blonde with blue eyes and a scowl to match her mother's.
She planted a hand on her hip and stared at Dean as though he was a rawhead or some equally unpleasant monster.
"Who are you?" she rapped out, tapping one foot clad in a ballerina-style shoe.
"Dean Winchester and you?"
The girl huffed as if that was the world stupidest question, "Jo."
Dean smiled, "Well Jo, you don't look old enough to drink so make myself scarce if I were you before my parents found me in here."
Jo rolled her eyes, "My mom already knows I'm here."
"Huh," Dean shrugged and was about to close his eyes again when the teen grabbed Sam's duffel off his knees.
"What's in here?" she asked and began rummaging through the bag.
"Give that back!" Dean exclaimed, ready to reclaim the duffel by any means possible.
Jo smiled and pulled the bag out of Dean's grasp.
"Oh," she mocked, "Is there something in here I shouldn't see?"
"You little bitch! Give me that!" Dean snapped; all his stress and worry over his brother coming through.
The girl looked slightly shocked at Dean's language and raced towards the bar. She ducked behind the counter and Dean lunged after her.
With nowhere to run, Jo kicked out at Dean, catching him in the stomach.
"Son of a bitch!" Dean growled and grabbed the sleeve of Jo's shirt.
The girl let out a bloodcurdling scream and within seconds footsteps were sounding toward the two fighting kids.
"Dean! What in God's name are you doing?" John's shocked voice brought the struggle to a standstill.
Dean looked over his shoulder to see his father and Ellen standing in the entrance to the bar, looking nearly horrified.
Dean immediately released Jo and held his hands up, "I wasn't going to do anything! She stole Sam's duffel!"
John peered at the girl and saw that she indeed was holding onto his youngest son's duffel bag.
"Why did you bring it in here in the first place, Dean? It belongs in the car!" John snapped angrily and Dean felt his eyes prick with tears.
"Joanna Beth Harvelle," Ellen scolded, "You know better than that!"
The teen lowered her head, "Sorry Mama."
"What floors me is why you two were fighting like a couple of wild animals," Ellen continued, glaring particularly at Dean.
"She wouldn't give Sam's duffel back," Dean answered lamely.
John crossed his arms over his chest, "Dean, she's sixteen. You be the mature one."
"Jo, give Dean back the bag," Ellen told her daughter, "And apologize."
"Sorry Dean," the girl said and actually blushed. She shoved the duffel in Dean's direction. He grabbed it up and held it to his chest as though the bag was actually his baby brother.
As the two youngsters extracted themselves from behind the bar John shook his head, "Dean's usually better than that, I swear. Maybe we should call it a night, get some sleep. We passed a motel on our way in."
Ellen nodded, "That's probably a good idea. I'll call you if Ash finds anything."
W
John didn't say anything more to his son as the checked into the small motel down the road from the Roadhouse. He noticed that Dean kept his brother's duffel close by but thought better of telling his son to put it in the trunk. John just hoped that that bag wouldn't be their last connection to Sam; he didn't think that Dean would be able to handle it if his brother never came back.
Dean didn't even bother brushing his teeth; he just slipped off his jacket and boots, set Sam's duffel on top of the sheets beside him- even though they were older now Sam and he would often have to share a bed so John could have his own- and went to sleep.
John sat down on his bed and watched his son for a long moment.
Please God, let us find Sam; he prayed to a God he didn't even believe in but sometimes when things got tough, John couldn't help it. It somehow made him feel better to talk to someone, even if they didn't really exist.
W
Dean stared at his half-finished bottle of beer with disinterest. They had been at the Roadhouse for four days and Ash was no closer to finding Sam.
Despite the techie's warning that it would take some time, Dean was beginning to wonder if his brother was lost forever.
After their initial bad meeting, Jo and Dean managed to get along. She talked a lot about the hunters that came into the Roadhouse and since Dean wasn't in the mood to chat, he listened.
Jo tried to be supportive, "Don't worry, Ash is the best. He'll find your brother in no time."
Dean just grunted in response.
The girl scuffed the toe of her shoe against the hardwood floor, "I am really sorry about earlier. I didn't know the bag belonged to your brother."
Dean didn't say anything but took a gulp of beer.
"We don't get too many kids in here, you know," she continued, twirling a strand of her blonde hair, "I was just curious."
Dean smirked, "Curiosity killed the cat, you know."
Jo huffed, "You want another beer?"
Dean nodded, "Keep 'em coming."
Jo shook her head and chuckled. She knew how Dean felt. She'd lost her Dad when she was little and though it wasn't quite the same, she could sympathize.
I hope you find his little brother, Ash; Jo thought, he's not right without him.
Author's Note:
1. Thanks to Samstruck, LotRia, Sylvie91, mandancie, cold kagome, MysteryMadchen, Souless666, SPN Mum, SamDeanLover28, L.A.H.H, pottyandweezlbe89, DianaLadris802, sammynanci, doyleshuny, BranchSuper, Sparkiebunny, judyann and Guests for reviewing.
2. Thanks to everyone who has alerted, favourited or is following this story!
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