Comfort Crowd Δ SPN [ 1 ]

007. St. LOUIS

Dean pulls up to a gas station, parking next to a gas pump.

"Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight." Dean says, looking over at Sam who doesn't respond. "Sam wears women's underwear." He says making Ophelia giggle.

"I've been listenin'. I'm just busy." Sam says, not looking away from his phone.

"Busy doin' what?" Dean asks.

"Reading e-mails." Sam states as Dean gets out and starts to fill the car with gas.

"E-mails from who?" Dean asks.

"From my friends at Stanford." Sam says.

"You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?" Dean asks.

"Why not?" Sam shrugs.

"Well, what exactly do you tell 'em? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doin'?" Dean asks.

"I tell 'em I'm on a road trip with my big brother, niece, and daughter. I tell 'em I needed some time off after Jess." Sam says.

"Oh, so you lie to 'em."

"No. I just don't tell 'em... everything."

"Yeah, that's called lying. I mean, hey, man, I get it, tellin' the truth is far worse."

"So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?" Sam asks receiving a shrug from Dean. "You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people, period." Dean says.

"You're kind of anti-social, you know that?" Sam says.

"Yeah, whatever." Dean says.

"God..." Sam mutters after reading an e-mail.

"What?" Dean asks.

"In this e-mail from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine." Sam says.

"Is she hot?" Dean asks.

"I went to school with her and her brother, Zack. She says Zack's been charged with murder. He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case." Sam says.

"Dude, what kind of people are you hanging' out with?" Dean asks.

"No, man, I know Zack. He's no killer." Sam says.

"Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you."

"They're in St. Louis. We're going."

"Look, sorry about your buddy, okay? But this one does not sound like our kind of problem."

"It is our problem. They're my friends."

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam."

Dean looks at Sam, seeing the younger's puppy dog eyes.

+++

They get to Rebecca's house and walk up, Sam holding Libby and Dean is holding Ophelia's hand. Sam knocks on the door and it soon opens to reveal Rebecca.

"Oh my God, Sam! And Libby!" Rebecca grins, waving to the toddler who shyly smiles back, not completely remembering her as it's been a few months.

"Well, if it isn't little Becky." Sam smiles.

"You know what you can do with that little Becky crap." Rebecca says, hugging him. "Hi, Libby. Remember me?"

The toddler softly shrugs, pressing herself closer to her dad, letting the woman rub her back a little. "Didn't her birthday pass last month?"