Chapter 17

Sam had been back on post a couple of days when he was summoned to the Captain's office. He quickly made his way to the building and went inside. After letting the captain's assistant know he was there, he sat in the outer office to wait to be seen.

"The captain will see you now," the assistant relayed to Sam fifteen minutes later.

"Thank you," Sam nodded and got up adjusting his uniform before going to the door and knocking, waiting to be summoned.

"Enter," a deep male voice answered his knock.

Sam stepped into the Captain's office and stopped in front of the desk at attention. He saluted and waited.

"At ease."

"You wished to see me sir."

"Yes, I'm afraid I have some bad news. The police have contacted us in regard to your family."

"My family sir?" Sam questioned with a frown.

"A Mr. Bobby Singer was in touch with them. Your father and brother have gone missing, and the local authorities have not found them as of the conversation I had with them. A video conference has been set up for this afternoon at 3pm so they can interview you. They want to see if you know anything about their disappearance."

Sam's mind began to spin with the news as he let it sink if for a moment. He needed to get home, was his first thought. An uneasy feeling settled into his mind that would not go away.

"Sir, my tour will be up in a few months, and I have enough leave saved up to process out early. If I may, I'd like to apply for early discharge so I can go home and help search for my family."

"You have been a very good Marine and have an excellent mission record. I hate to lose you, but I understand your concerns. Go ahead and start the process. I will push it through and get you home."

"Thank you sir and I will be available at three for the call." Sam quickly stood to attention and saluted him before turning to leave. He hurried to the administration offices to get the paperwork going for his discharge. After that, Sam was going to try and call Bobby to let him know he was coming home as soon as possible.

This was a bad thing that happened at a good time, it turned out. Tango Company was on the way to being disbanded. Chaos' tour had ended three weeks ago and Doc's two, so they were already in the states. Spark and Hawkeye would be leaving in the next month to head home too.

This just meant Sam was going home a little earlier than expected.

Spn

Bobby stood among the other people waiting to meet family and friends that were disembarking from the arriving flights. He knew Sam's flight was on time and couldn't wait to see him. The four years he had been gone seemed like a lifetime.

The tall figure dressed in military garb made his way down the tunnel and into the terminal. He looked both ways looking for signs that would tell him where the exit was. People glanced his way with interest, but Sam didn't notice. He had learned to tune out distractions and moved with a mission. A smile broke out on his face when he saw the older family friend waiting on him.

"Bobby, good to see you," Sam greeted him, giving him a hug.

"Boy, it's good to see you too. Let me look at you," Bobby replied happily. He stepped back and looked him over amazed at the change in the young man.

"Why don't we get out of here and you can tell me about Dad and Dean," Sam said.

They made their way out of the airport into the bright sunlight. Bobby led them through the parking lot to his car and opened the trunk for Sam to deposit his duffle. Sam got in on the passenger side and settled back picking up the familiar smells that brought back fond memories.

"Why don't we stop somewhere and get something to eat?"

"That would be nice. I've missed American food."

Bobby pulled from the lot and slowly made his way to the main road to head home. He planned on stopping at the diner in town for their meal. He wanted Sam to relax a little before getting into the details of his family's disappearance.

The diner wasn't crowded, and they got their food quickly. Sam didn't say much as he devoured his food, not realizing Bobby was watching him closely. He didn't say anything about it as he finished his meal. Sam sat looking at a piece of pie sitting in front of him, lost in his thoughts.

"Dean loves pie," Sam whispered absently.

"That he did son. Would you prefer to take it with us and eat it later?" Bobby asked kindly.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Sam got the waitress' attention and asked for a carton for the pie.

Bobby paid for their meal, and they left for the salvage yard. Sam looked out the side window as familiar scenery rushed by making him feel happy but also sad, worried, upset, and on edge. He wanted to get started in his search for his family.

Spn

"Well, might as well show you what I've found and what the authorities have shown me so far," Bobby sighed after Sam dropped his duffle by the stairs. He could feel how anxious Sam was and wanted to ease his pain. They went into his office and took seats. "You can start with this," Bobby told Sam handing him a folder.

Sam accepted the folder and looked at it for a moment before flipping it open to find typed and handwritten pages. He began to skim through all the information once and then took his time a second time. Looking around on Bobby's desk, he found a pen so he could mark sections and make notes for himself.

"Dean called me to tell me he got a letter from you and that your daddy had gotten a lead on the leader who ordered your mama to be killed. The official bounty is still active, and you know John wouldn't pass up the chance to bring him to justice. He was going with him of course. Dean's car is at your house; they took John's truck. As stated in the report, the truck was found abandoned in a mall in a town in Texas. Both windows were broken and once the police started checking it out, they found blood inside the cab."

"I'm going to go over all this again and do my own research," Sam told him. He got up to leave but paused and turned back to Bobby. "Bobby, who was that weird guy that Dad knew who knew computers?"

"Oh, you mean Ash. He lives at the Road House, the bar owned by Bill and Ellen Harvelle."

"Yes. Do you think he'd help me if I asked?"

"I'm sure he would. John used him several times with his cases. Why don't you call him after you've studied everything and see what he can do."

"I think I will. Thanks for this Bobby and for letting me stay here."

"This is your second home son; I'd be upset if didn't want to stay."

Sam nodded his thanks and detoured to the kitchen for something to drink before heading upstairs to the bedroom he shared with Dean when they had stayed there over the years. He stopped in the doorway and let his eyes roam over the room. He took in the twin beds with quilted covers, two dressers, an overstuffed chair sitting by the window, and a nightstand separating the beds with a lamp.

Taking in a deep breath, he stepped into the room and laid his duffle on the bed that was Dean's. He dropped onto his bed and just sat there letting everything sink in. He was exhausted and jet lagged and knew he needed some sleep but felt guilty about that. Sam needed to be working on finding his family. His mind was muddled and foggy as he lay back on the bed, thinking maybe just a quick nap and then he'd get back to work.

A/N: Sam rushes back home when his family goes missing. Will he be able to find them in time? Reviews/Comments would be great. NC