Chapter Seven: Missing In Action
Present day…
Main POV
Groaning, I rolled over in the crisp sheets, looking at the angry red matchstick numbers on the oak bedside table. Figures. One minute before my regular morning alarm. Well, what if I needed that extra minute? Fuck me I guess. Sighing, I willed myself upright in my queen, slowly making my way to the edge, feet dangling as I tried to wake myself up. The alarm sounded, irritating beeping rattling through my skull. Slamming my hand down on the button for the stupid digital clock, I pushed up on the floor, walking to the edge of my bedroom and grabbing my robe off the door. Walking down the hall, I rapped my knuckles across the wood on the door just before the stairs, calling out to the occupant. Nothing in this house creaked, it was all well maintained and it didn't matter how long Lex and I had been living here, I still found it unsettling. The floorboards stayed where they were supposed to be, the walls hadn't shifted, all the paint was fresh and unpeeled. Disgusting.
''Lex, up and at 'em, it's a school day!'' I yelled through the locked door. I knew fine he had his little girlfriend over, he thought he hid it so well, but the truth was, I let him do it. I'd wanted him to get close to people his own age, have teenage experiences, what, was I going to stop him? Absolutely not.
Continuing on my path down the stairs, I tried not to trip on the carpeted runner in the centre as I headed for the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. It was secured down, but after years of ghost hunting and watching cartoons, I didn't trust rugs of any kind. The three of us would want a cup before I headed to the shop, plus, coffee was a good bait to lure Lex out of his bedroom. So like me. José would swing by in thirty, picking me up so that Lex could have the car, and I'd go back to the very repetitive, and not all it was cracked up to be day job. At least with hunting there was some variety. There was some movement from Lex's room just as the scent of coffee started wafting up the stairs, and there were two sets of hurried footsteps coming down my way. Deliberately turning my back, I let Carmen walk to the front door, slip out it and wait a few moments before Lex walked past me, offering me a kiss on the cheek, as was our morning custom. How they still thought they were getting away with this, I had no idea.
''Morning mom,'' he said, and then the doorbell sounded. He cocked his head, trying his best to look surprised, as he did every morning, and glanced in the direction of the white door. ''Huh, I wonder who that could be.''
''Yeah I wonder,'' I muttered dryly, shaking my head as he went to answer the front door for Carmen and let her back into the house. Honestly, did he forget who raised him? It was me.
''Uh… mom? You should come see this,'' Lex called and I raised an eyebrow, turning over my shoulder to look towards the front door. He was standing by the white frame, holding the exterior door so it covered our visitor, a confused look on his face.
Walking over across the hardwood floors, I made my way to the interior doormat, bare feet touching the dense carpeted fibres. Looking up as I did, I spotted Dean standing in the doorway, duffle bag over his shoulder and grinning at me. Carmen looked at him with confusion and slight shock, as did Lex. Smiling at him, I opened the front door further, shoving Lex out of the way as he continued to stand there.
''Hey baby,'' I greeted simply, walking back towards the kitchen straight after. ''Coffee's on.''
''Dean?'' Lex spluttered, watching as stood still, Dean walking past to join me inside. Lex was already dressed for the morning, wearing a simple t-shirt and straight cut jeans. It was interesting, how his style had shifted from skinny jeans and all black, but it was welcome. He could be anyone he wanted to be, so long as he was happy, and didn't hurt anyone.
''Nice place you guys got here,'' he said and I smirked, looking over at him.
''Got it cheap, someone died in it, which isn't really a deal breaker for me,'' I said and he laughed, taking a seat at the table after he dumped his duffle on the arm of the couch. Handing him a mug, I sat down beside him with my own. I hadn't seen Dean since we'd parted ways last year, not since I got stabbed, but here he was, visiting. He wasn't the type for a social call, booty call maybe, but it was more than likely business. ''So, what's the job?''
''Dad's on a solo job, hasn't been home in a few days, no contact,'' he told me and I nodded. John gone without a trace? Bad news.
''I'll call in sick,'' I said, picking up my cell from where it was charging on the kitchen bench. It rung a few times before José picked up. I relaxed into the backrest of my chair, sheepish smile already starting to form on my face. Hopefully he wasn't already on the way to mine.
''Corazoncita, I know, I know, I'm running a little late, but I'll be there, don't worry. Mi hija, está enferma, I'm just dropping her at her abuelita's,'' he told me and I smiled genuinely this time, shaking my head at the man.
''Don't worry, José, I'm also feeling a little under the weather, I was just calling to let you know you don't need to pick me up,'' I lied smoothly. Still got it.
''Ahh, corazoncita, you're a lifesaver, if I was late again the boss would kill me, you know. There must be something going around, you want me to drop you anything? I can come by after work with some caldo de pollo, or some sopa de fideo if you want? It's my kids favourite, I'm making some anyway,'' he said and I smiled again, he was so sweet. There was nothing like family hospitality, even if I hadn't really experienced it much myself. I hoped Lex would take to it, get properly comfortable here.
''No, thank you but I'm not really feeling up to any visitors, even if you ring the bell and run, and let me know if there's anything I can do for your daughter, yeah?'' I said and he agreed.
''I will corazoncita, adios,'' he signed off and hung up, probably because he was on the phone while driving again. For some reason they really loved cracking down on him and him specifically. He had fines coming out of his ears at this point. The cops even tried booking him once when I was on the phone, but I managed to talk them down.
''So, who's José? Sure has you smiling a lot,'' Dean asked, a cheery smile on his face as he sipped coffee. I rolled my eyes.
''Don't be jealous,'' I replied, giving him a knowing look. Men were so obvious it wasn't funny. Did they really think they were subtle? ''He's my ride to work, we both work in the shop together.''
''So you went with being a car chick afterall, huh?'' he said and I nodded. It had been my fantasy, but as with all dreams, hadn't been kind in the reality. Nevertheless, he still seemed impressed. ''That's so hot.''
''So, what's first?'' I said and he put his mug down, going into business mode. His shift from goofy and teasing to serious and focused was hot. I'd always liked seeing him like that.
''First, I gotta go to Stanford, pick up Sammy,'' he told me I raised both my brows, looking at him in shock. Those two hadn't spoken since Sam was eighteen, and while he knew he was in college, and where, I didn't expect him to get involved. Although, he was family I suppose. ''Boy is he going to be surprised to see us.''
''You more so than me, I think, Dean,'' I replied, pushing up off the chair and heading up the stairs to where Carmen and Lex were pretending to do last minute studying. ''Lex,'' I called through the door, interrupting the wet sounds of teenagers making out. ''I gotta go out of town for a few days, no skipping school, you text me when you get home every night, no matter what time, okay? I wanna know you're safe, I need to hear from you once a day, alright? And make sure you and Carmen don't just eat crap while I'm gone okay, at least one vegetable per meal.''
''Okay, go away now!'' Lex called back and I got dressed, throwing a few things in my duffle before going into the walk in closet. First thing I did when we moved here was build a false back to the wardrobe, unhooking the latches, I opened the fake wall to reveal all my hunting gear. Tossing what I thought I'd need in the bag, I closed up again and headed down the stairs to meet Dean.
''Aw, I kinda liked that robe, it was cute,'' Dean said, making me roll my eyes again. Then he smirked again. ''Short too.''
''You act like you haven't seen my ass before,'' I said, necking the last mouthful of my coffee and dumping the cup down on the table. ''Should we go?''
''In a minute, I haven't seen you in a year,'' he replied, standing and towering over me once again. Sliding his arms around me and down my back, he pulled me into a deep kiss. Jumping, I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he spun us, dropping me down on the couch and propping himself above me, never once breaking the kiss. I ran my leg up and down his back as I wrapped my thighs around his hips, feeling his jeans rub against my crotch. Already pretty stimulated, it was hard not to moan. There was just something about bad boy Dean Winchester that always got me so hot.
''Gross,'' I heard Lex exclaim, and I poked my head up over the backrest of the couch after separating from Dean's hot mouth.
''Digging the jacket, Lex,'' Dean said and the teen simply rolled his eyes again, heading out the door with Carmen, off to school for the day. He'd gotten a dark brown leather jacket just like Dean's from a thrift store when we first started looking in the area for houses, and refused to take it off. ''When did he start calling you mom?''
''It was a slow transition over the last year, and became a permanent thing the last three months or so,'' I explained and he nodded, glancing back towards the front door. The troublesome two had left, and in their wake was a closed hardwood door.
''And the haircut? The school make him do that?'' he asked and I shook my head with a small smile. He truly had no idea the hold he had over people.
''He asked Bobby to do that a few days after you left, he really seems to like you, Dean, you've made an impression on him,'' I said, thinking about how much he'd been emulating him over the past year. How he'd gone from being a sullen emo kid who hated Dean to wanting to be his perfect double, I'd never understand, but at least he was cool about it. He'd gone back to his natural blonde, a shade or two darker than mine, and very close to Dean's. Gone were the days he'd dye it red and black and grow it out all long. ''A lot's changed.''
''I can see that, you're living in suburbia,'' he said, shaking his head. He leaned down to kiss me again, soft lips pushing against mine, a lot less frantic than our usual encounters, I guess he wanted to make it last. ''Are you sure staying in one place is a good idea?''
''No,'' I replied with a shrug. ''I'm just tired of living on the run, the house has its precautions. I did some serious renovations when I bought the place, made sure there were no ghosts hanging about the place, found the person who died here's grave, preemptively salted and burned the bones. Walls are filled with iron, making the whole thing a giant faraday cage as well as spook proofing it, protective runes all over the place, salt in all the paint around the windows and doors, nothing's getting in here.''
''You really went all out,'' he said and then went straight back to kissing me, his deft tongue stroking the roof of my mouth as he did. ''That's so awesome.''
One of his hands slipped under me, working the clasp of my bra through my t-shirt and I laughed, separating from him for a moment so I could remove my top half completely. He moved his mouth to my jaw, and then neck, biting and sucking at the flesh until I was so worked up I could have cum before he'd even really touched me. Dean was an expert at foreplay, and it used to bother the competitive side of me, but now I relished in it. He could do whatever he wanted to me, and I'd happily let him. It was about time someone looked after me properly, and Dean knew the job, he knew my whole life. This was easy, and good. Real good.
He moved his mouth over to my breasts, not going straight for the nipples like a lot of guys tended to do. Running his tongue over the flesh, he flicked at them gently, bringing in his teeth occasionally to nip and suck there too. By the time he did make it to my nipples, I let out a rather pathetic whimper, my stomach doing backflips underneath him. My legs trembled a little, especially when he sucked hard on a nipple, bringing it between his teeth only to lightly bite down. Crying out, I threw my hands into my hair.
''Dean!'' I said desperately, bucking my hips forwards into him. ''Dean, I'm close, so close.''
''Already? Fuck yeah,'' he said, going back to diligently woking my breasts into pliable putty. Whining out again, I let the white hot wave of heat wash over me and he worked me through before moving further down my torso. He licked, nipped, and sucked the skin of my abdomen, twisting his head slightly as he sunk his teeth in, pulling back at the same time. My body was on fire, and he hadn't even taken my pants off. My skin was on fire, and I just itched for my clothes to be taken off. I wanted to be completely naked and ready for whatever he wanted to do to me.
''Dean,'' I said, feeling the desperation to be touched, really touched, growing evermore. Reaching for the fasteners on my jeans, I yanked them and my panties down my legs, leaving myself naked beneath him.
''Fuck you're eager,'' he said, smirking down at me as he opened my legs. There was a wet sounding click as he pried my knees apart and he hissed, stroking his fingers up my folds. ''So wet for me.''
''Please!'' I cried out, desperate to be taken care of. Leaving no more room for anticipation, Dean slid his fingers inside my wet and needy cunt, thrusting them in and out roughly. As if he was making up for lost time, he kept his fingers at a fast pace, having me rocking on them and begging to cum again in minutes. There was just something about the way he touched me that had me going easily. ''Fuck, I'm so close, baby I think I'm gonna…''
''It's okay sweetheart, be a good girl for me and cum,'' he soothed and I could feel something else building inside me. Paling instantly, I sat upright, his fingers reaching a new depth in consequence. I put my hands on his shoulders, gripping somewhat tightly.
''Wait, stop,'' I said and he paused, looking up at me in confusion. ''Sorry I uh… I thought I was about to squirt.''
''I thought I told you I thought it was hot, it's alright Katie,'' he said, running a hand gently up and down my thighs. His action to soothe me meant a lot, Dean wasn't exactly the kind of person to be tender, his inbuilt defences usually saw to that. ''It really is, I'm not lying to you.''
''No, I know it's just… Dean I just bought this sofa,'' I explained and he quirked a brow. He really wasn't expecting that to be my objection, and to be fair, neither was I. Not really. ''I know it sounds silly but… it's new. It's brand new, not as in 'new to me'. And I bought it with my own money, money I earned fairly and paid tax on. I didn't get it fraudulently, or second hand, I bought this with money I earned…''
''And you don't wanna ruin it,'' he said, nodding. I felt bad for stopping him, I didn't want him to think he wasn't worth it, it's just… this was mine. Actually mine. I'd never really had stuff before, the closest I came to owning anything was the bike my stepdad got me when I was little and taught me how to take it apart and put it back together so we could fit it in the car with all our gear, and my car. I'd saved up money for that, bought it as a hunk of junk and built it during my stays with Bobby. It was mine. This new sofa, that was the closest thing I had to really having a home. ''Okay, hang on.''
He stood up, sliding his hands under my thighs and lifting me off the sofa before he turned and dropped me down on the second hand coffee table I'd picked up off the side of the road one day and refurbished. I was looking for one for a while, and my crow instincts kicked in, I saw the shiny, and added it to the nest. I almost wanted to laugh. Who would have thought I'd be someone to care about a piece of furniture, but here we were. He knelt in front of me and pulled off his shirt, tossing it to the side.
''I'm sorry, but it's just, they're not overbleached motel sheets I don't own, and I…'' I started, trying to further explain myself. I still felt a pang of guilt that I'd stopped him. He accepted every part of me, wanted to give me pleasure and I'd stopped him because of an attachment to a material object.
''Katie, I get it, I understand,'' he told me, cutting me off. ''Now, we're not on the couch anymore, is this coffee table new too?''
''No,'' I replied, shaking my head. He smirked.
''Good,'' he said, slipping his sticky fingers back up inside me. They glided in easily and I moaned instantly, much to his amusement. ''Then I want you to squirt all over me. As much as you can, I wanna lick it up.''
''Fucking hell,'' I muttered, watching him delve forwards to attack my clit with his tongue.
His fingers kept up their rough pace from earlier, and with his tongue flicking intensely against my clit I was very close to doing exactly that. The white hot fire I'd been feeling before returned, flushing through my veins like an angry wave and I whined. Painless pins and needles tingles started in my feet that were resting on the edge of the coffee table and then spread up my calves. There was a rope coiling tightly in my belly, pulling tighter and tighter until it eventually snapped and I screamed out, feeling a hot liquid gushing out of me.
''Fuck,'' Dean hissed, delving further down as he continued his rough fingering. Peeking down over my stomach and the edge of the coffee table I saw him animatedly licking up all the juices I'd shot out, his face wet with my ejaculate. He groaned, continuing to work me over as I jerked and twitched, letting out a pathetic whimper as I did.
He kept going and it all became a bit too much, I felt my head lolling backwards and my legs slip out from underneath me. My socks came off the edge of the table, feet sliding over his shoulders and down his back so he had my knees by his ears. The muscles of my arching back gave way and I felt myself falling briefly before I slammed into the wood of the table below, head bouncing off the edge. The table's contents flew off the side as well, scattering all over the floor with a loud clatter. Sorry Lex, I'll pick up your CDs, magazines, and stationery later. Chest heaving, I took deep panting breaths as I tried to steady my overworked heart. Dean's hands slid up my thighs, running gentle circles over the plush flesh.
''So, how's about you show me that bedroom of yours, if you're up to it,'' he suggested, grinning boyishly up at me. Letting my legs fall off his shoulders, I used my elbows to push myself up. I nodded at him, ready to share this with him, even if it meant throwing a towel down first. Taking my first step up, I felt my knees buckle and I was floorbound until one of his strong arms came around me, catching me by my waist. ''Easy, I got you.''
''Sorry,'' I murmured, feeling him hoist me up and hold me by his chest. Wrapping an arm around behind his neck, I felt him head for the stairs. I tapped him on the shoulder, making him pause by the linen cupboard halfway down the upstairs hallway. ''Towel,'' I explained and he chuckled.
''That good?'' he asked, watching me pull open the door as he held me. I grabbed one of the lighter coloured towels, my pH balance gave me a tendency to bleach things, and I wasn't ruining one of my new bath sheets because I couldn't be trusted not to cum explosively. They were only from Target, and they'd been on a final clearance sale, but they were mine.
''I take it you want the first driving shift,'' I said and he stared down at me, perplexed, as he headed down the hall to the room overlooking the street. ''Because after this, you're gonna have me sleeping for a week.''
''Yeah, if you want. I'll take care of you extra good, make sure to tire you out completely,'' he promised, and I believed him.
He threw the towel down on the bed before he dropped me down on top of it with a bounce. Reaching over for the stereo system on my nightstand, I pressed play. Dean hummed in appreciation at the electric guitar that sounded through the bedroom, standing by the bedside as he slowly unbuckled his belt. His head nodded to the beat and I bit my lip with the anticipation he was building. I was ready for more, and dying for him to drop those jeans to the floor, boxers along with them. His belt hit the floorboards with a clank and he stepped out of the coarse fabric that pooled at his feet, diving on top of me in an instant.
''Scorpions, hmm? I knew I liked you for a reason,'' he said teasingly, lips going between my neck and shoulder to nip at my skin. ''I promise I'll rock you like a hurricane.''
''You better,'' I said with a giggle, shaking my head at his cheesiness. Everything with Dean was easy, it's what I adored about him so much.
He slid in easily, taking care to make his first thrust gentle. He settled himself, manoeuvred us into a position he was satisfied with before he built up an intense pace. Forget taking the first driving shift, I didn't even think I'd be walking to the car. At least not without a limp or in a pathetic hobble. Arching my back, I pressed my head into the pillows, crying out at regular intervals. With my legs wrapped tightly around Dean's waist, it was hard to see why he wasn't complaining that I was squeezing him like a vice, that my heels were digging into his back as I held them crossed. He panted above me, slipping his hands in the tight space between our sweaty bodies to circle my clit, a silent signal he was close to his end. Couldn't blame him, poor guy had really put in the work.
Screaming out, I did exactly as I feared I would, and came explosively all over the both of us. He gave out a breathy chuckle, working me through as I felt a heat spilling into the condom protecting me from all the other girls he'd slept with along the way. Dropping my legs back down to the bed, one either side of his hips, I felt my whole body relax and turn to lead. My mediocre sleep last night and the early morning workout having caught up with me, I found myself in dire need of a nap. But we ought to be hitting the road. I couldn't dare fall asleep, not when something so important was at stake.
''It's alright,'' he said above me, sweaty palm coming up to swipe wet hair off my equally as sweaty forehead. He pressed a soft kiss to my temple before he rolled off of me and onto his back. ''I drove all night, I could use a nap too.''
''You don't wanna get going?'' I asked and he shook his head as he shifted to his side.
''No, few hours of shut eye, a shower, and we'll hit the road, Sammy's probably got classes anyway,'' he explained and I nodded softly. He'd given me an excuse to succumb to this feeling, and I'd easily take it. I was tired, and for the first time in a long time, sleep would take me easily.
He rolled completely over then, resting on his stomach and falling easily asleep. Tilting my head, I watched him gently slumbering away, and smiled to myself. His arm shifted in his sleep, resting over the top of my chest, the other arm nestled under his pillow, as if he was holding that knife he usually slept with. Pulling the towel out from under my ass, I tossed it to the floor, and shimmied the sheets up a little more before I completely relaxed into his hold and fell dreamlessly asleep.
A few hours later I awoke, finding Dean watching me out of sleepy, half lidded eyes. As soon as I did, though, he was up and straight into mission mode, getting up and heading for the bathroom. Following after him thanks to his invitation to share, "saving water where we can" I climbed into the warm spray. There was a built-in shelf in the shower about hip height, and very quickly he swiped all the plastic bottles to the floor and hoisted me up by my thighs to sit on it. He really was excited at seeing me again for the first time in a year, although I suspect it had something to do with me no longer screaming at him for no reason like I did when we were teenagers. And I was actually somewhat helpful on jobs. But when he wasn't bouncing me off the wet tiles, I found myself wondering what seeing Sam again would be like after all this time. I hadn't seen him since he was a sullen child. According to Dean, despite all of his praise and pride, he hadn't much changed. Maybe he'd be just like Lex. Hopefully one day I could persuade him to help me convince Alex to at least look at colleges.
It was only four hours to where Sam was, so I didn't actually have to take a shift at driving. I simply sat as a passenger, one of his arms over my shoulders as he drove well over the speed limit to Stanford. He seemed to already know where his brother was staying, and we stayed out the house before for a little while. It was late when we saw him return, almost the first of November when he finally walked into his place, pretty blonde on his arm. Dean was dozing when I saw them, and I waited a while before I woke him. If he didn't know this girl, I didn't want to interrupt him in the act. Elbowing Dean lightly in the side, he jerked awake and looked confusedly at me.
''He returned maybe an hour ago with a chick, she hasn't left yet, but that should be enough time, right?'' I asked and watched a slow, proud smile spread across his face. He nodded.
''Wait here in the car, I should probably go see him myself first,'' he said and I agreed easily.
''Whatever you want, call me up if you need backup with the girl,'' I said and he laughed, climbing out of the driver's seat and heading inside. It was a while before there was any sign he was coming back, I found myself growing bored. It was like a stakeout, and there was a lot of my job that was research, or action, but not a lot of sitting around doing nothing. And stakeouts were exactly that.
There was a metallic bang and creek jolting me out of my daydreaming, almost giving me a shock as two tall figures came into view. The doorway to the building came out a few feet lower than the parking lot, and so there was a small set of steps immediately out the door. One of the figures I knew well enough to make out was Dean, and the other by process of elimination had to be Sam.
''The weapon training, and melting the silver into bullets?'' Sam said, getting a step or two lead on his brother. They approached the car and I wondered what exactly they were talking about. Although, it didn't take a genius to guess. Dean managed to get around Sam, taking the leading spot as they closed the short distance to the rear end of the car. ''Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors.''
''So what are you gonna do? You're just gonna live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?'' Dean returned and the two of them came to a halt behind the trunk. Sam shook his head.
''No. Not normal. Safe,'' he said firmly.
''And that's why you ran away,'' he asked, scoffing shortly after, as if he couldn't believe his own brother's words. He looked away for a moment, gazing off in the distance over the roof of the car. Shifting quietly in my seat, I peered through the rear view mirror to watch them as I listened, while also making sure to not get caught eavesdropping.
''I was just going to college. It was Dad who said if I was gonna go I should stay gone,'' Sam replied, and Dean rolled his head back around to look at his brother. Pressing my lips together in a thin line, I thought about how it was a similar argument poking holes in my family bond. Although rather than a direct parallel to the brothers, Lex and I stood on opposite sides of that fight. ''And that's what I'm doing.''
''Yeah, well, Dad's in real trouble right now. If he's not dead already. I can feel it,'' Dean said bitterly, with the intent to wound. Sam stayed silent, and a brief moment of what looked like guilt flashed across his face in the darkness. Or perhaps it was worry. It was only natural to care for someone, even if you were that angry. ''I can't do this alone,'' Dean tried more optimistically.
''Yes you can,'' Sam said softly. Dean tilted his head from side to side, considering.
''Yeah, well, I don't want to,'' he said simply. Sam looked away irritatedly, pausing when he looked in my direction and did a double take. An expression of even greater annoyance spread across his features. He pointed at me, and I suddenly felt like I'd become a part of this argument, when all I wanted to do was listen in. Curiosity always gets the better of you…
''Wait, who the hell is that?'' He said loudly, sounding for the most part unimpressed, and secondarily outraged. ''Did you pick up a chick before you came here?! How worried can you be if you're trying to score along the way?''
''That's Katie, she's a hunter like us. Comes from a family like ours, we actually met her when we were kids,'' Dean explained, trailing off when he realised Sam was not interested in our shared family history, nor my personal resumé.
''Well if she's here, I don't see why I have to be. You don't need an army of us to track down Dad,'' Sam said defiantly and I sighed, reaching for the door handle. Letting myself out of the Impala, I walked in a few short strides over to the boys.
''I've met your dad, but I don't know your dad. Not like you do. I'm not here to hunt him down,'' I explained and he turned to me in greater anger.
''Well, why are you here then? Just felt like a road trip?'' he huffed, shaking his head at me. Man, Dean's brother was a bratty one.
''Because when someone shows up at your door and says they need help, you don't ask questions. You pack a bag and you get in the car,'' I said with both a simple sincerity, and a firmness that left no room for argument. Something I'd had rather a lot of practice with with my son. Sam sighed, looking at the ground and thought for a moment before he looked up, a changed expression on his face. He seemed resigned to his fate, even if he wanted to argue more.
''What was he hunting?'' Sam asked. Dean glanced up at him for a moment before he popped the trunk, and I grew more serious. I hadn't had the chance to find this out either, and if I meant to be a help in any capacity on this job, I had to listen in. In the spare tire compartment Dean revealed the personal arsenal I knew well. Propping the lid up with a sawed off shotgun, he dug through the clutter.
''All right, let's see, where the hell did I put that thing?'' Dean muttered to himself. Sam leaned over the trunk, resting his palms on the body of the Impala.
''So when Dad left, why didn't you go with him?'' he asked.
''I was working my own gig. This, uh, voodoo thing, down in New Orleans,'' Dean explained and I raised an eyebrow. This was the first I'd heard. I hated voodoo, and all who messed with it. There was just something about the ancient art that gave me the wig, just like witchcraft.
''Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?'' Sam asked, surprised. Dean looked affronted, looking up at his brother to defend his honour, likely before me.
''I'm twenty-six, dude,'' Dean said with gentle offence. He found a manilla folder, producing it from the mess that was his rear compartment and pulled out some papers. ''All right, here we go. So Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy.'' Sam scanned the paper as Dean continued to talk. ''They found his car, but he vanished. Completely MIA.''
The paper is a printout of an article from the Jericho Herald, headlined "Centennial Highway Disappearance" and dated September 19th 2005. It had a man's picture, captioned "Andrew Carey MISSING". Sam glanced up again, not looking completely convinced this piece of evidence made a strong case.
''So maybe he was kidnapped,'' he suggested causally.
''Yeah. Well, here's another one in April,'' Dean said, tossing down another Jericho Herald article for the next date, and continued putting paper upon paper. ''Another one in December oh-four, oh-three, ninety-eight, ninety-two, ten of them over the past twenty years.'' He took the article in Sam's grasp back and then picked up the rest of the stack, sliding them neatly back into the folder. ''All men, all the same five-mile stretch of road.'' He pulled out a bag from his gear. ''It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough.'' He grabbed a handheld tape recorder. ''Then I get this voicemail yesterday.''
Pressing play, we all heard the voicemail, listening to the recording with anxiety. Or at least I was. The recording was static-y and the signal was clearly breaking up. It sounded like it was a call from the road, and one with very poor reception.
''Dean...something big is starting to happen...I need to try and figure out what's going on. It may... Be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger.''
''You know there's EVP on that?'' Sam said.
''Not bad, Sammy. Kinda like riding a bike, isn't it?'' Dean said proudly to which Sam simply shook his head. ''All right. I slowed the message down, I ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got.'' He pressed play again and I bit my lip.
''I can never go home…'' a woman's voice said, almost as clear as day. There was still some interference in the recording, but the voice and her message were unmistakable. He pressed stop again.
''Never go home,'' Sam echoed thoughtfully, nodding gently to himself. Dean dropped the recorder back into the trunk, put the shotgun back in place and stood up straight before shutting the trunk. He leaned back on it, and without really thinking, I followed suit, shoulders almost touching.
''You know, in almost four years I've never bothered you, never asked you for a thing,'' Dean said, sounding very much like he was going to start with the emotional blackmail, if only to justify his call to cause. Sam looked away again, sighing before he looked back at us.
''All right. I'll go. I'll help you find him,'' Sam said in resignation. Poor guy, his whole little life he'd set up for himself blowing up just after he got comfortable. Dean nodded, not showing his happiness at roping his brother back into the family business. ''But I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here.'' Sam turned to go back to the apartment, starting across the blacktop before Dean thought to question.
''What's first thing Monday?'' Dean called and Sam looked back at him awkwardly.
''I have this...I have an interview,'' he explained, equally as awkwardly.
''What, a job interview? Skip it,'' Dean brushed off and I discreetly elbowed him in the arm.
''It's a law school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate,'' Sam explained.
''Law school?'' Dean said, smirking unabashedly.
''So we got a deal or not?'' Sam pressed. Dean didn't say anything, so I nodded for him and Sam took that as his cue to go. He turned on his heel without another word and headed inside.
Pushing off the back of the car, I moved round the same side as Dean, meaning to take the backseat. While I didn't really want to be there, I didn't want Sam to feel like he had no place on this hunt, nor did I want him to think me some kind of usurper. Dean pulled open the driver's side door and just as I reached for the handle to my door, I felt a palm cross my knuckles. Looking briefly at the hand on top of mine, and then over to Dean, I tried to get a read on his face. He silently jerked his head towards the wheel, and I raised an eyebrow at him. Closing his fingers around my hand, he tugged me towards him via my arm, pulling me away from the backseat.
''I took the first shift,'' he explained simply and I furrowed my brow.
''It was only four hours, you and I both know you could drive much longer than that, and have,'' I said and he shrugged.
''So, it's your turn,'' he said, and I was surprised. He wasn't really one to share driving, not if he could help it, nor was I. In fact, he only let me do it last year because I was worried about Lex and it was the only way he could keep my mind from running the hundred metre hurdles.
''Dean…'' I said and he cut me off.
''Why do you care? You prefer driving,'' he said and I felt one side of my mouth prick up. I nodded at him.
''I do, but I also know you.'' I explained. ''Dean, you're just like me, we prefer to be the one driving because in a situation that's so completely out of control, it's the one thing we have hold over. With everything that's on your mind right now, don't you need this more than I do?''
''Is this the first time you've left Lex on his own?'' he asked plainly and I nodded with a sigh. Looking at my feet, I considered the approaching vulnerability. He'd seen every side of me so far, and while he wasn't a fan of the warm squishy talk, it seemed fair to answer him.
''Even when we were on a job, I never left town, he was always reachable, except for the one time we left him and he ran away. I don't think for a second he'll do it again, there's nowhere for him to run to, no one, but it's still the farthest I've ever been from him in his life,'' I agreed. My chest gave a pang.
''So you need to drive, I know my dad, if he's in trouble, and I think he is, he's strong, smart,'' Dean explained and I nodded. ''While he might need our help, I know he can hold out till we get there. The kind of worry you have… I don't know exactly but…''
''It's not easy, no,'' I said in understanding. ''I hate leaving him, but he's going to be an adult in just a few years. I can't keep him captive forever, even if I think it's what'll keep him safe.''
Saying nothing more, he handed me the keys, metal falling gently in my open palm. He slid into the car, taking up residence in the centre of the bench before he outstretched an arm over the back of the chair. Ducking under the roof, I climbed in beside him and started the engine, preparing for the figure I saw approaching the exterior stairs. Smiling to myself, I remembered when I'd last seen Sam, he was just a kid then, barely even a teenager.
''Aww Sammy, look at you,'' I said as he climbed into the backseat, sliding his bag in beside him. He looked at me with an irritated expression, only making me smile. ''You got so tall, grew up into such a handsome young man. Still just as ill tempered though.''
''Just drive,'' he said with a sigh, ignoring my teasing for the most part.
''You know, you remind me so much of my own little brother,'' I said, making sure without expressly telling him, that Dean was not to mention Lex was actually my son. It wasn't that I didn't trust Sam, I just didn't want too many people, especially in this line of work, to know his true lineage. Too many people already did, and that wasn't even factoring in the townsfolk where we lived.