A/N: Welcome dear readers to another short case fic with the Winchester Brothers. I hope you enjoy the read and are ready for the adventure. I want to thank VegasGranny for her input and ideas. She keeps me on track. I do like reviews/comments. NC

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of SPN, and this is my own creation. All errors are mine.

Chapter 1

It was after eleven pm when Gloria stepped from the diner and locked the door behind her. She smiled to herself because Ralph, her boss, had taken a chance on her and hired her about eight months ago. Being new to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, she knew finding a job might be tricky. She wasn't a college graduate, and didn't have a lot of work experience, but she was a hard worker and learned quickly.

Ralph was doubtful when he hired her, but she proved him wrong. He saw she was responsible, reliable, determined, and a hard worker. Gloria was always on time and did anything asked of her. She had never worked as a waitress before but picked it up quickly and became one of his best waitresses. It helped that Louise, an older woman and the oldest waitress Ralph had, took Gloria under her wing and showed her the ropes. She was hoping to retire in another year and thought Gloria was a good replacement.

As time went on and Ralph saw how smart Gloria was, he started giving her more small jobs to do to ease his load and giving her more hours because he knew she needed the money. He couldn't help but grin broadly when he gave Gloria a set of keys for the diner and started letting her close a few nights a week. Gloria was overjoyed and promised she'd be sure everything was taken care of before she locked up.

Tonight was like any other night as Gloria locked the doors, turned from the diner, and began to walk across the parking lot, heading for a small studio apartment she was renting that was located about five blocks away. It was only two rooms and luckily had some basic furnishings, a couch, lamps, bed, stove, fridge, and dresser. It was all she could afford right now and suited her needs.

When Gloria had enough money saved, she wanted to get a little bigger place maybe closer to the diner. She didn't have a car because she couldn't afford one and used the bus or walked wherever she needed to go.

The cool breeze blew down the street making Gloria hug her light jacket closer to her body. The moon was only half full and cast the world around her in darkness with deep shadows. A chill ran up her back and she looked around when an eerie screech echoed from an alleyway. Gloria's senses flared, and she started walking faster.

Her head was on a swivel as she tried to look in the shadows for any danger. She gripped her bag tighter and kept trudging down the sidewalk. Gloria turned around when she thought she heard footsteps behind her but didn't see anyone following her. She saw headlights a street over as a few cars drove down the main street of the town. There were no cars around her, and she knew she could be an easy target for a mugger.

When Ralph learned she was walking to work, he got her a small canister of mace to carry in her bag and an alarm she could pull that would emit a high-pitched wail to scare anyone off. As the feeling of uneasiness got stronger, Gloria pulled the mace from her bag and flipped the top, so it was ready to use.

Gloria breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her apartment building up ahead of her. She was almost there and would be safe. Without thinking about it, she let her guard down and didn't see the attacker until it was too late.

Spn

Sam looked over at his brother's pale face as he leaned against the side window with his eyes shut. He was driving because Dean couldn't do it. Their last hunt had gone sideways, and Dean had been thrown into a rock wall, several times, knocking him out and bruising his back and ribs. Once the monster was taken care of by Sam, he got his brother into the Impala and took him to the emergency room to be checked out.

Dean had protested he was okay, but Sam wouldn't listen to him and since he was the only one able to drive and think coherently, he made the decision for Dean. He thought he had a concussion and wanted to be sure his other injuries weren't serious. After spending four hours in the ER, Dean signed himself out, determined not to be admitted to the hospital, so they were heading for Sioux Falls.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Sam asked his brother. He knew Dean needed to be checked every hour due to the concussion.

"I'm fine," Dean slurred in a grunt. He didn't bother moving since the cold glass felt good on his pounding head.

"The Impala needs gas, so I'm going to stop up ahead," Sam told him when he saw the sign for a truck stop about ten miles further down the highway.

"Mmmm…" Dean responded, since he didn't catch all that Sam said. The drum banging in his head was not letting him process much and the dull ache in his back and left side made it hard to breathe easily. He tried to shift in the seat and grimaced in pain, letting out a soft grunt.

"You are due some pain meds when we stop." Sam glanced over at Dean when he didn't respond and saw the pinched look on his face and wished he had insisted on him staying at least the night in the hospital, but his brother could be very persuasive and hide how serious he was hurt. He looked back to the highway and pressed a little harder on the gas wanting to get to the truck stop.

Spn

Dean felt the change in the motion of his Baby and forced his eyes open into slits but squeezed them shut as the bright lights of the truck stop glared through the windows. He heard the engine being cut off and fumbled for the door handle to get out.

"Can you make it inside or do I need to help you?" Sam asked when he saw Dean waver and sway.

"I'm not helpless," Dean growled in disgust as he straightened as much as he could. He drew in a deep breath before slowly making his way to the front doors of the truck stop. Sharp pain shot down his side as he pushed open the door and he grabbed a shelf to keep from falling.

Once Dean found the sign for the restrooms, he made his way through the store to the back and walked into the men's restroom. He relieved himself first before going to the sink and splashing cold water on his face, almost throwing up. Dean wouldn't look at his reflection in the mirror because he knew how bad off he was. After drying his face, he headed back into the main part of the truck stop to get something to drink.

Not really paying attention, Dean grabbed a couple of drinks, chips, and peanut M 's. He wasn't hungry but knew he needed food in his stomach to take the pain meds so he wouldn't get sick. Sam was coming from the restroom as he stumbled slightly while making his way to the door. He didn't see the worried look on Sam's face as he looked for the Impala. Once he found it, Dean headed for it and got in on the passenger side. He knew he wasn't safe to drive and didn't complain about Sam driving his Baby this time.

"How far are we from Bobby's?" Dean asked Sam when he dropped into the driver's seat.

"Couple more hours if there's no delays," Sam answered. "Here, take a couple of pain pills," he told Dean pulling the bottle out and shaking a couple into his hand. He offered them to Dean and watched as he threw them in his mouth and sipped a drink to wash them down. "Here's some crackers," he offered. "Thought they would be easy on your stomach."

"Thanks," Dean mumbled reaching for the pack and tearing it open. He crunched one in his mouth and chewed slowly before sipping more drink.

Sam cranked the Impala and was startled when Dean grunted loudly as he rubbed his forehead from the noise.

"Sorry," Sam said. He pulled from the truck stop and picked up the highway to finish the last leg to Sioux Falls. He opened his drink and sipped it to quench his thirst before opening a pack of dried fruit to eat.

The traffic was moving at a steady pace, and he hoped they wouldn't hit any delays along the way. Sam wanted to get Dean in bed so he could rest and start healing. He was tired too but did his best not to show it so Dean wouldn't complain about him driving.

Dean turned on the radio and found a station to his liking before settling in the passenger seat hoping the pain meds would kick in soon. He ate another cracker deciding that was all he wanted. After a couple more sips of drink, Dean closed the bottle and set it by his side.

"Go on and try to sleep," Sam whispered to his brother, patting his arm to let him know he was there. It was his turn to look after his big brother instead of the other way around. This didn't happen often, and he planned on doing a good job of it. He turned back to the highway and concentrated on the traffic around him knowing there wasn't anything else he could do for his brother right now.