Chapter 13

Dean walked into the kitchen and found Missouri fixing dinner. He stood to the side and watched her for a moment before gathering his thoughts to speak.

"What is it child?" Missouri asked in her soft lyrical voice. She looked up at the boy with gentle eyes waiting for him to speak. "Is your brother still upstairs?"

"Yes, he's doing crossword puzzles. Is Sammy going to be okay?" Dean asked in a low, uncertain voice.

"I see no reason why he shouldn't be honey. Nothing has really changed with him, he's still your brother."

"I know that, and I love him just the same. Sammy's not going to…You know…Be changed in a bad way by any of this will he?"

"I know you're worried about young Samuel, child. The best thing you can do is not treat him any differently just because he had a vision. There's no test or way of knowing if he'll have another one. If you think about it, if he hadn't had his vision you boys might have been taken. We have no idea why someone would want to kidnap you."

"That's true. I guess I haven't thought of it like that," Dean surmised with a sigh. "I don't think Dad should be told anything about this."

"That is up to you and your brother. I won't say anything to anyone and I'm sure Bobby will back you on that."

"I just don't know how he would react is all. He doesn't have much use for anyone who isn't a normal human, he calls them freaks…Including psychics. That is besides you," he quickly added.

"I understand Dean. Why don't you take your brother something to drink? Dinner will be ready in about an hour."

"Okay. I should check on him anyway." Dean went to the fridge to get a tray of ice and a pitcher of water. He added ice to a glass before pouring water to take upstairs to his brother. He took the stairs at a slow pace and walked down to the bedroom. "Hey," Dean called to his brother. "I brought you some water."

"Thanks," Sam mumbled glancing up and accepting the glass. He continued to read as he took a sip and then sat it on the nightstand.

"Missouri said dinner would be ready in about an hour," Dean continued.

"Okay."

Dean plopped down on his bed and picked up his car magazine and began to look through it again. He occasionally looked over at his brother who was intently working a puzzle. Dean was relieved that Sammy didn't seem upset or bothered about all this. He could be very closed off about things when he wanted to be. He guessed he could worry enough for the both of them.

Spn

Dean got Sam moving when he thought it was time for them to head downstairs for dinner. They stopped by the bathroom to wash their hands and then headed downstairs. They found Missouri in the kitchen filling bowls with hot food.

"Can we do anything to help?" Dean asked.

"Samuel, why don't you finish setting the table and Dean, you can put the bowls on the table and fix glasses of tea for us."

"Okay, Sammy table," Dean ordered him.

"I heard Missouri," Sammy snipped back and stepped to the table to put the plates and silverware out on the placemats. He lined everything up perfectly before stepping back to check it out.

"Your OCD is showing bro," Dean grunted butting into Sammy's shoulder, teasing him.

"Screw you," Sam hissed softly hoping Missouri didn't hear him.

"Now Dean, stop teasing your brother," Missouri chastised him. "Let's take a seat and eat while it's hot."

"Yes ma'am," they replied as they sat in the chairs.

"Shall we say grace?" Missouri questioned bowing her head and waiting for the brothers to do the same. "Bless this food we are about to partake of and keep the ones we love safe. Amen."

Sam and Dean looked up at Missouri and waited for her to serve herself before doing the same. They filled their plates and began to eat.

"Missouri, have you heard anything from Bobby?" Sam asked partway through the meal.

"No child, not yet" she replied. "I'm sure he will contact us when he has some information."

"Okay," he mumbled softly looking down at his plate.

"There's no need to fret child. You know Bobby will do everything he can to find your father. He's one of the best hunters out there."

"Missouri's right Sammy," Dean added. "If anyone can find Dad it's Bobby." He hoped he sounded reassuring for his brother's sake as he battled with his own doubts and anxiety. The longer Bobby was gone, the more he worried that when he did come back or called, it would be with bad news.

When they finished the meal, Dean volunteered him and Sammy to clean up and wash the dishes so Missouri could rest. Sammy washed and Dean dried and put the dishes away. Dean wiped the counters, stove, and table before stopping and they joined Missouri in the living room.

Music was playing softly in the room and Missouri was in her recliner crocheting when the brothers joined her. They sat on the couch and listened to the music. Dean drummed his fingers to the beat and nodded his head. It wasn't the kind of music he usually listened to, but he liked it. Time passed and Dean got antsy since he wasn't one to sit still for very long.

"Missouri, I saw a couple of the knobs on your cabinets were loose. If you tell me where your tools are, I'll fix them," Dean offered wanting something to do. "And if there's anything else I can fix while I'm here, I will."

"Thank you child. There's a toolbox under the sink," she replied.

"Okay," Dean nodded, getting up and going into the kitchen to find the toolbox. He started on one side of the kitchen and checked every cabinet and drawer, tightening those that needed it. He found one cabinet door loose and fixed it too. Dean still listened to the music flowing in from the other room. When he was done, he headed back into the living room. Sammy was curled in the corner of the couch almost asleep.

"Sammy, why don't you go on to bed," Dean told him shaking his leg. "I'll be up shortly."

"Mmmm…" Sammy whined as he stumbled off the couch and headed for the stairs. "Nite," he mumbled before disappearing.

"Good night Samuel, sweet dreams," Missouri told him.

"I'll give Sammy time to use the bathroom, settle in bed, and head on up too," Dean said suppressing a yawn. "Thanks for all the good food you've made for us, especially the pies."

"Why you're welcome child. It's nice to have someone to cook for besides myself and to have young people in the house again."

"I'm hope we're not too much trouble."

"I wouldn't have agreed to take care of you if there was a problem child," Missouri assured him. "I try to help where I can and when I can."

"We appreciate all you're doing for us. Guess I've given Sammy long enough, I'm going to head up to bed too. Good night Missouri, we'll see you in the morning."

"Good night Dean. And don't worry so about your father or your brother. Things will work out the way they should."

"Okay," Dean whispered as he got up and made his way out of the room and upstairs. He stopped in the bathroom first to do his nightly routine before quietly walking into the bedroom to check on his brother first and then got ready for bed. He slipped between the covers and settled into the mattress and let Sammy's soft snoring lull him to sleep.

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