Forks Motel

Sam paused for a moment as thoughts and possibilities raced through him. "They don't exactly get a lot of sun around here. Maybe the guy's sick. We should ask around. People probably know him if he looks so friendly."

He glanced at the lists again. "But, Dean, if this really is that thing, then what's he doing posing as someone in a small town. And it would be a big co-incidence with that other red haired woman."

Of course, that would explain the unhealthy pallor of the demon's skin. The place from what he had seen never seemed to get good weather, and while he had been in the town with his dad it had always rained. There would hardly be a chance for his skin to darken at all if there was no sunlight to allow it to.

"It might have been the same one that possessed the red head possessed that man," Dean said, tilting his head to the side, as he continued looking at the picture, "And yeah, we should definitely ask around. Looks like we're going to have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

Something else didn't fit either. Dean was trying to fit everything as he wanted. Maybe it was something else - they could hardly tell from looking at a few images online.

"The random animal attacks and killings? It doesn't explain that."

Sam had a point. It wasn't typical of a demon to be involved in animal attacks, though it wouldn't be surprising for them to be involved in the missing persons thing.

"Could be some sort of ritual," Dean frowned, and looked at their dads journal, trying to see how it could all possibly link together, "Maybe it's witchcraft or something. The demon fella could be involved in that."

"Okay." Sam closed the computer. "There's nothing else we can do tonight. We should get some sleep and then go to the hospital in the morning."

He hoped Dean would see sense, and go to bed this time.

"Yeah, we should," Dean agreed, rubbing at his eyes. They had found all that could be found tonight, and they could continue their research in the morning. He had after all been about to go to bed before Sam had his nightmare. Hopefully Sam would sleep better this time so they could both get some sleep.

As much as Sam didn't mind going back to sleep, he knew Dean would probably be watching. He was trying to act like it wasn't creeping him out, but it was. Although, Dean wouldn't give in, no matter what Sam said to make him go away. He had to sleep sometime...

So when he got back to bed, he didn't face Dean, hoping that he wouldn't watch him like at the other motel they had stayed the night before.

After looking at the notes in the journal one more time, he went to his own bed. Sam was facing the other way, and it was obviously deliberate, not that he could blame Sam for still feeling a little awkward. He'd have probably been the same if their positions were swapped.

When he got into his own bed he layed on his back, sneaking glances over in Sam's direction every now and then. Hopefully tonights would be the last of his nightmares.

Dean went to bed, and then there was silence. It wasn't a peaceful silence, or one of those creepy ones where a spirit usually comes out from the shadows. It was just plain awkward silence, and it wasn't nice.

Sam had to fill it in. He just couldn't stand lying in the dark with Dean probably awake in the next bed. It was too weird. "So have you... met anyone?" ...It was the first thing that came into his head.

Dean frowned, that seemed a bit out of the blue, Sam knew he had never really done the whole relationship thing, it had always been one night stands for him. He could never really have a proper relationship with the job and all. It would never work out, and it was not like he had ever really wanted the whole apple pie, white picket fence thing. That had always been Sam's dream.

"What, me? No, you know me," Dean grinned, shaking his head a little self depracatingly, "Never been into the whole commitment thing."

Nobody. Of course. What a conversation starter, Sam. He tried again. "Do you think about it?" he asked, not really sure where he was going with this but hey.

Maybe Dean would change his mind? They had to be some hunters out there who weren't always going around without someone. Dean could always end up with someone who was as close as family - who could become family, like how their dad and Dean were going around together fighting monsters.

"No," Dean answered firmly. He already had his family, he did not need a significant other to put in danger because of his lifestyle. Hunting and long term relationships just did not go hand in hand. It was easy for Sam, seeing as he had left it all behind, but for someone like Dean it would not work out. He had no reason to think over it.

"What about you and Jess?" Dean asked, keen to change the subjects, "What you got going on there?"

Sam paused for a moment, while Dean just came out with the straight answer. He'd got used to taking orders over time from their dad, and he only gave straight answers.

"I love her." he said without even thinking about it.

"You love her?" Dean frowned, that sounded pretty deep. He had not really realized how deep Sam's feelings went for the girl he had only seen briefly during Stanford. "Good for you, man," he said, and he was genuinely pleased that Sam had found someone. If Jess made him happy, then who was he to question that? Maybe Sam was right, leaving for college all those years ago. He had never been happy as a hunter, during their childhood, and if college was what it took for him to be happy, then that was fair enough. Sure, he had never wanted him to go, had wanted them to all stay together as a family, still wanted that, but it was Sam's choice.

"I wanna get married." he said, staring at the ceiling.

Now that he thought about it, Sam couldn't believe the simplicity of it. Was this really it? Go to college, become a lawyer, get married to Jess. And then there was that other dark side of his family with his dad and Dean hunting demons and spirits and god knows what, while Sam stayed with Jess forever. He had wanted to get to this point his whole life and it felt so right, but at the same time something was telling him it was wrong. He ignored the feeling.

Sam wanted to get married? He really was going for this whole normal thing. College was one thing, but marriage was taking it to a whole new level, as if he were cementing the rejection of his old lifestyle for good. It felt oddly final. This really would mean that Sam would be gone for good. He was probably planning on having a family, a house, becoming a lawyer, distancing himself from before.

"That's great," though Dean didn't truly believe it to be so. His little brother was essentially cutting him out of his life. "When are you going to ask her?"

Dean put on a good face, but he sounded hurt. Maybe it was the whole Sam trying to be normal thing that was throwing him off. Sure, he had gone to college, but neither of them had expected for him to get as far as falling in love and marriage.

"When I get back," Sam replied. "I was gunna buy a ring."

Looked like Sam had it all planned out. The thing between him and Jess must have been pretty serious, but it all did seem awfully quick. How long had he been with her for exactly?

Dean was tempted to ask if him or their dad would be invited, but he didn't. He knew what the answer would be. Sam wanted them gone from his life, and for them to be their on his wedding day... it just wouldn't fit in with Sam's idea of normal.

"She must be one lucky girl, then," Dean replied, after a bit of an awkward pause, "looks like the whole college things worked out pretty well for you after all."

"Dude," Sam laughed. "She hasn't even said yes yet."

Dean had never liked the whole idea of him trying to be normal - going to college and having a normal life... It was probably that Dean had never once thought about actually doing something like that - he wanted to follow in their father's footsteps, and that was fine. Sam just wanted something different.

"Yeah..." Dean's voice trailed off. Chances were she probably would. If Sam had fallen for her that hard, then it seemed likely that she felt the same way back. Not that he really knew anything about his brother and Jess. It all seemed kind of bittersweet to him. He preferred it when they were all together, a family, but Sam was happier like this. It was a shame that both of Sam's lives couldn't coexist.

He looked up at the ceiling, contemplating. It all seemed so much simpler back when they were kids. Before Sam had even considered living the normal life he had come to want so much. Dean wished it could all be so straightforward now.

Sam turned over back on his side, finally deciding to go to sleep. Maybe things would always be like this - him and Dean just being distant... annoying as hell, but just not around. Thing would have been so different if that demon hadn't killed their mom. If that demon hadn't come into their lives and destroyed their family.

Dean looked back down at Sam, who had turned to face the other way, presumably with the intent of falling asleep. It had been a long day for both of them, with way too much driving. No wonder Sam was tired, especially as he was no longer used to it.

Dean glanced back at the ceiling. His eyelids began to droop, the days events finally catching up on him. He fell into a dreamless sleep, his last waking thoughts on how this would probably be the last time that Sam hunted with him again, before normality sucked him away.

Morning came and Sam awoke earlier than Dean since he had been sleeping throughout their journey. Seeing Dean asleep, he didn't want to disturb him so he slipped out of bed, put on his shoes, and headed out of the motel, intending the go to the library to do some more research.

Dean wasn't good at research. He wasn't really very good at thinking either when it came to it, so it just left Sam.

Dean woke up a couple of hours later. Gradually, everything started to come back to him. Sam, the nightmares, their dad, Sam. Where was Sam? He turned on his side, "Sammy? You awake?" he called, through half lidded eyes. When he got no answer he opened them, looking over at Sam's bed that had a distinct lack of Sam.

He bolted upright. "Sam? Crap," this was not good. Sam missing in the place Dad went missing. Now he'd lost both of them. This kept getting better and better. He leaned across to the bedside table, phoning Sam who was on speed dial.

While Sam was walking to the library he heard his cell phone go off and when he pulled it out and saw the caller ID he bit back a curse. It was a bit reckless of him to just walk straight out of there while Dean was asleep, without even leaving a note. He must have been more tired than he thought.

"Dean, Sorry, I should have left a note." he said, answering it.