Chapter 3

Bobby Singer was in the kitchen when his home phone started ringing in his office. He grumbled to himself as he made his way to the other room and picked up the phone.

"Singer Salvage," he growled into the phone.

"Will you accept a collect call from…" the automated voice started and paused.

"Dean," Dean supplied his name.

"Say yes if you agree to accept the charges."

"Yes," Bobby replied already knowing something must be wrong for Dean to contact him.

"Go ahead sir."

"Uncle Bobby," Dean's young voice spoke cautiously.

"Dean, son what's going on? Are you and your brother okay?"

"We're okay but we have a problem," Dean started explaining.

"Go on. Where's your Daddy?"

"He's on a hunt and we were at a motel. He was supposed to be back yesterday and didn't show. There were some strangers that showed up at the motel and Sammy and me ran. I think they were looking for us."

"Did you know them?"

"No, but I think they might have been hunters or very bad men."

"Where are you now?"

"At a convenience store in Iowa off 380. The sign that I can see says exit 43."

"Alright son, I want you to stay there, and I'll come and get you. It's going to take me about five hours to get there," he figured in his head. "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, we'll find somewhere to stay until you can get here. Thanks Uncle Bobby." Dean sighed with relief glad that help was on the way, and they would be okay.

"I told you if you ever needed help, I'd be there. I'll be heading out in about ten minutes."

"Okay., we'll be looking for you." Dean hung up and hurried back to Sammy. "Uncle Bobby is coming to get us."

"Where are we going to stay until he gets here?"

Dean looked around the area trying to decide what to do. They couldn't stay inside the store for fear someone might call the cops on them since they were alone. He decided to head into a small patch of trees by the store and hunker down until Bobby got there. He found a spot that would give him a view of the parking lot so he could see when Bobby got there. He made sure there were no creatures hidden in the small cubby he stomped down for them.

"Put your blanket around you to stay warm," Dean told him as he pulled his own blanket off his pack. They were lucky the ground was dry but there were storm clouds in the distance that might get there before Bobby. At least they were partly protected from the cool wind blowing in the trees.

"Okay," Sammy nodded doing as he was told. He got comfortable beside Dean and leaned into his side.

It was going to be a long wait, but at least help was coming and there was no way the bad ones after them would be able to find them. At least he hoped they couldn't be tracked there. Once they got still and quiet, Sammy drifted off to sleep. Dean put his blanket around Sammy too and pulled him closer to keep him warm. He watched the sun begin to sink toward the horizon and looked at his watch to see the time and approximately how long before Bobby would get there. Dean knew he couldn't sleep for fear of missing him. He also kept a sharp eye on the storm clouds that were moving closer.

Spn

Dean could feel Sammy shiver now that the sun had gone down, and the wind had picked up. He started moving as he woke up.

"How long before Uncle Bobby gets here?" Sammy asked when he was awake enough. "I'm so cold."

"He should be here real soon," Dean replied trying not to shiver too.

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Okay, we'll go back inside for a bit since there's been a change of shift. Fold your blanket back up." Dean stood up slowly and stretched his stiff, cold body as he shook off his blanket. Once they were ready, they headed back into the store and went to the restroom.

When they came out, Dean went to the coffee machine and poured a cup. He saw hot chocolate and mixed Sammy a cup, adding a couple of ice cubes to cool it. He took their purchases to the front and paid for the drinks noticing he only had a few coins left. They moved to the side of the store near the front doors so they could watch for Bobby. Both drank the hot liquid hoping it would warm them on the inside. Dean kept an eye on the clerk to be sure he wasn't interested in them in case they needed to leave.

It was fifteen minutes later when a beat-up Chevy Chevelle pulled into the parking lot and drove slowly to the doors. Bobby parked and got out looking around for the brothers. He saw them through the window and headed inside.

"Uncle Bobby," Sammy cried out hugging him tightly.

"Boys, are you ready to leave?"

"Yeah," Dean told him smiling happily.

"You boys go get in the car and let me use the restroom."

"Okay, c'mon Sammy," Dean told him. He led them outside to the car and got Sammy settled in the back while he took the passenger seat. He locked his door and watched intensely for Bobby to come back. It wasn't long before he came back outside and got in the driver's seat.

"I need to get gas and we'll head home," Bobby told them looking them over. He glanced back at Sammy and saw he was shaking uncontrollably. "I'll get the heat on after I get gas."

"Okay," Sammy said as his teeth chattered.

Bobby pulled to the pumps and got out to get gas. After the car was full, he got back in and cranked the car deciding to stop at a fast-food joint nearby since he figured the boys hadn't eaten much. He turned the heat on and as high as it would go to warm the inside of the car. Dean held his hands to one of the vents to warm them.

"I should've tried to call Dad again to let him know where we are," Dean huffed, upset he didn't think of it.

"We'll call when we get back to the salvage yard," Bobby told him. "Are you two hungry?"

"Yes!" Sammy popped up from the back seat. "Please," he added remembering his manners.

Bobby pulled into the drive through and ordered a kid's meal for Sammy and a hamburger combo for Dean. He got a cup of coffee for himself. After getting the food and handing it out, Bobby got back on the highway for home.

"Why would those strangers be looking for us?" Dean asked in between bites of his food. He tried not to wolf it down so he wouldn't get sick.

"I don't know son. I don't know," he sighed. Bobby wondered if John had pissed someone off bad enough that they would take it out on the boys. He wouldn't say that out loud since he didn't want to upset them.

"Can I turn on the radio?" Dean asked.

"Sorry Dean, the radio doesn't work."

"Alright," he sighed wiggling around in the seat to get comfortable and warm. It wasn't long before both boys were asleep now that they had a full stomach and were warm.

The drive back was uneventful, and it was late when Bobby pulled through the gate of the salvage yard. He drove around the driveway to the front of the house and stopped.

"Boys, wake up, we're home," he called to them, shaking Dean's shoulder making him jerk awake ready to fight. "Easy Sport, wanna get your brother up?"

"Okay," Dean mumbled leaning over the seat to shake Sammy awake. "C'mon Sammy, we're at Bobby's."

"I'm up," Sammy slurred as he tried to look around. He was still more asleep than awake and was on autopilot as he got out shuffling along after Dean, dragging his pack on the ground.

"You boys go on upstairs and go to bed," Bobby told them as he let them in the house. He could see they were both weary and half asleep and knew they needed rest first before anything else.

"Okay Uncle Bobby," Dean told him grabbing Sammy's arm and steering him for the stairs. He took him upstairs and down to their room dropping their packs by the beds. "Let me help you get your boots off." Dean pulled the covers back on Sammy's bed and got him to sit down. He untied and pulled Sammy's boots off, tossing them to the side. "I'll get you a pair of sweats to put on, okay? Go ahead and get out of those clothes." He dumped Sammy's pack and searched for his sweats.

Sam didn't say anything as he did what Dean asked and took off his jeans and outer shirt and left on his T-shirt. He took the offered sweats and slipped them on before sliding between the sheets.

"Sweet dreams bro," Dean whispered tucking Sammy in and running a hand over his head.

Dean went to the other bed and turned it down before kicking off his boots and stripping down to his briefs and T-shirt. Since it was cold, he emptied his pack and found his sweats to put on too. He crawled into the bed and settled down letting his body relax into the familiar mattress. He listened to the sounds around him and knew they were safe. He knew Bobby would take care of them until their Dad came for them.

A little later, Bobby came up to check on the boys and saw the dirty clothes piled on the floor. He gathered them, along with the others sticking out of their packs and took them downstairs to wash. He chuckled as he emptied the pockets of their clothes before tossing them into the washer. Boys had a habit of saving the silliest things. He laid aside the items for the boys.

He did some research while waiting for the washer to finish and put the clothes in the dryer. Once they were done, he took the clothes upstairs and laid them on the dressers so the boys would have clean clothes. Bobby stepped to the bed to check on the brothers, gently caressing their tussled hair. He silently cussed John Winchester for leaving them alone like that. There were so many things that could have gone wrong, even though he knew Dean was trained, there were some things he couldn't handle.

A/N: Thank you for coming along on this journey. I do like reviews/comments. NC