Chapter 3

Bobby was standing in one of the bay doors of the garage enjoying the sunshine and looked toward the house when he heard the familiar rumble of a car engine pulling up the driveway to the front of the house. He finished wiping his hands and strolled in that direction to greet his adopted sons. He frowned when only one body appeared getting out of the Impala.

"Hey Bobby," Dean greeted the older hunter. His voice was laced with sadness and despair.

"Hello son," Bobby replied, stopping for a moment as he glanced into the car. "Where's your brother? And what the hell happened to you?"

Dean hung his head in sorrow as he leaned against the Impala for a moment before pushing away and answering.

"I need a drink. Can we go inside?"

"Doors open. You know where I keep it."

Dean kept his head down as he trudged toward the steps and took them one at a time and opened the door. He headed straight for the kitchen and opened a cabinet to fish out a bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses. After dropping into a chair, Dean uncapped the bottle and poured a double shot for himself and single for Bobby. With one quick motion, he gulped half the glass in one breath and coughed lightly as it burned all the way down. Before the sensation was gone, he swallowed the rest and grimaced when the alcohol got into the cut on his lip.

Bobby took a small sip of his drink as he kept an eye on Dean. "Think you need another one?" he questioned when Dean started to pour another double shot but stopped at Bobby's words. "Wanna tell me what's going on?"

"I may have lost Sammy," Dean mumbled staring at the amber liquid before pouring more into his glass.

"You wanna elaborate on that for me?"

"He's going after Lilith."

"I figured as much."

"It's what he's doing that's so wrong. He teamed up with a demon. A demon Bobby!" Dean emphasized loudly. "She…She…Damn it! He can't see what he's doing is so wrong…" Dean stood up so fast the chair fell backwards crashing to the floor.

"Calm down boy," Bobby cautioned him. He hadn't seen Dean like this since his dad had died saving his life.

Dean stopped at the sink and ran some water so he could wipe his face to hide the tears that leaked from his eyes. He grabbed a towel to wipe the wetness away and stared out the window for a moment before slowly turning around.

"Now sit back down and tell me everything," Bobby encouraged him. He reached and righted the chair for him and waited for him to do it.

"Sorry Bobby," Dean sighed softly. His shoulders slumped and he leaned on the table eyeing the bottle trying to decide if Bobby would let him have another shot.

"I don't think so," Bobby informed him moving the bottle from his reach. "I think you need a level head right now and I want to know where Sam is."

"I don't know. I confronted him, we argued, he wouldn't listen to me, we had a fight…And he left me," Dean got out, being as brief as possible.

"So, what did you confront him about? This demon or something else?"

"Both. I…I saw Sammy…God Bobby, he was draining a demon of his blood so he could drink it. He's got himself hooked on demon blood."

Bobby paused in mid drink as he stared hard at Dean, not sure he heard him right.

"Wanna run that by me again?"

"That bitch got Sammy addicted to demon blood. He says it makes him stronger so he can kill Lilith, but I'm not buying it."

"Why did he leave you?"

"He said I had changed after coming back from Hell and was weak," Dean sneered in anger. "He says I don't have the stomach to do what needs to be done. But he's wrong. That demon bitch won't be manipulating Sammy anymore."

"Why is that?"

"I killed her."

"So, Sam is hunting Lilith on his own."

"Yeah, looks like it. But I'm not giving up that easily. I'm going to find him and beat some sense into that hard head of his."

"You sure that's the right path to take. Look how it turned out this time."

"I'm not giving up on him."

"I didn't say give up dumb ass, just go about it in a different way."

"Can I stay here while I search for my brother?"

"You don't even need to ask son. You know you're welcome here if you need a place to stay."

"Thanks Bobby," Dean whispered trying to give him a half smile. "I'm going to see if I can track his cell phone, but I'm sure he ditched it so I couldn't do that."

"It's worth a shot. I'll get the word out to trusted hunters to be on the lookout for Sam and contact me if they see him."

"Be sure they know not to approach him."

"I will."

Dean got up and wandered toward the office to use the computer deciding he needed to keep busy doing something. He sat at the desk for a moment to gather his thoughts before turning on the desktop computer and letting it boot up. After logging on, he went online and found the tracking program Sam had installed years ago. Once he typed in the phone number, Dean sat back and let it run. He cursed under his breath when it came back with no results.

He snorted and pinched his lips together as he tried to decide his next move. An idea came to mind, and he picked up the phone to dial a number.

"Roadhouse," a female voice answered.

"Hey Ellen, it's Dean Winchester," Dean greeted her.

"Dean! It's been a long time. How are you and your brother?"

"Okay. I need to talk to Ash."

"Sure, hold on I'll get him."

Dean listened to the background noise as the phone was laid down on the bar. If anyone could find Sammy it would be Ash. He was a computer whiz kid who helped hunters when needed. Ash had showed up at the Roadhouse one day and never left. Ellen gave him a room in the back, and he helped in the bar when needed.

"Dr. Bad Ass at your service," Ash greeted Dean.

"Hey Ash, it's Dean. I need your computer expertise."

"Sure thing Dean. What do you need."

"I need you to track Sam. Find out where he is and let me know. He was last seen in Knoxville, Iowa, two days ago."

"How could you lose your brother? He does kind of stick out in a crowd," Ash commented.

"Never mind that. Can you search for him?" Dean snipped in irritation.

"No problem, dude. I'll get right on it."

"I'm at Bobby's in Sioux Falls. Call me with anything you find. And Ash, look for demon signs too."

"Will do."

"Beers are on me next time I come through."

"Now you're talking. Later dude."

Dean hung up and sat back in the desk chair letting out a long breath. He tried to determine what else he could do to locate Sam. He knew Bobby had location spells, but did he have anything of Sam's that would have his DNA. After pushing away from the desk, he headed upstairs to see what he could find. With any luck, he might find an old toothbrush or comb with hair in it. That could be the last thing they try if nothing else pans out. He didn't know if it would work, since he knew Sam was smart and would probably ward himself so he couldn't be found.

Sam was a hunter and knew how to fly under the radar and disappear. Dean hoped that he might make a mistake, and Ash could find him or maybe any demon signs would lead him to his brother. He knew Sam would need a new source for the blood he thought he needed since Ruby wasn't in the picture anymore. Dean didn't know how long it would take Sam to figure out she wasn't around to juice him up.

After looking through all the drawers in the bathroom, he found an old brush that had dark hair in it and cheered silently. This would work for the spell. He took it downstairs and found a plastic bag to put it in.

"Okay Dean," Bobby said. "I've put the word out to hunters I trust to keep an eye out for Sam."

"Thanks Bobby. I called the Roadhouse and got Ash on it too. Hopefully between them someone will see him."

"Why don't you go take a nap son? You look ready to drop," Bobby suggested. "Have you slept at all?"

"Not since Sammy walked out on me," Dean admitted.

"Go on now. You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of your brother."

"Maybe for just a few minutes," Dean sighed sitting on the couch. He stretched out and turned his back to Bobby as he buried his head in a pillow. Everything was catching up with him and the burdens he was carrying were weighing him down. He closed his eyes and let himself fall into the abyss.

A/N: Thanks for coming with me on this ride. I do like reviews/comments. NC