And I Hope That You'll Remember Me (SPN Fanfic)

Family Remains

"What are you doing?" Sam's tired voice roused her from her light sleep.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Dean asked.

Alex looked over to see him sitting in the driver's seat, a pile of papers in his lap. A small flashlight was held in his teeth, illuminating the words on the page. He took the flashlight out of his mouth, holding it in his left hand.

"Like you're looking for a job."

"Yahtzee."

Sam groaned, sitting up. "We just finished a job, like, two hours ago."

"Adrenaline still pumping, I guess. So, what do you think? Cedar Rapids, Tulsa, or Chi-Town?"

"I'm all for hunting," Sam began. "I really am, but you've had us working cases nonstop for like a month now. We need sleep."

Alex grunted, resting her head on the back of the seat.

"Yeah, we can sleep when you're dead," Dean shot back lightly.

"You're exhausted, Dean."

"I'm good," Dean protested.

"No, you're not. You're running on fumes, and you can't run forever."

"And what am I running from?" Dean didn't look back at his brother. Instead, he kept shuffling through the papers.

"From . . ." Sam glanced at Alex. She said nothing. He lowered his voice. "From what you told me. Or are we pretending that never happened?"

"Stratton, Nebraska. Farm town." Dean held up a piece of paper. "A man gets hacked to death in a locked room inside a locked house. No signs of forced entry."

Sam and Alex exchanged worried glances. "Sounds like a ghost," Sam reluctantly said.

"Yeah, it does."

Sam sighed loudly and laid back down in the backseat. Dean started the car, flicked on the lights, and drove off.

...

They spent the night at a different motel outside of town. Then, they started driving the next day. Dean drove the Impala through a hilly town. The snow has stopped, and the air was warmer than the days behind.

Suddenly they stopped moving. "Dammit!" Dean cursed, trying to accelerate. Alex looked out the window. They were trying to go up a large hill, but, by the looks of it, they were stuck. "Damn," Dean swore again.

Alex chuckled. "We're stuck, aren't we."

"Yeah." Dean glanced at his brother. "Get out and push."

Sam rolled his eyes and let out an amused noise, but did as his brother asked. Alex got out as well. She circled around to the back of the car, planting her hands firmly on the trunk. Sam helped. They started pushing. Alex felt like she was doing very little, her feet slipping on the icy road. Dean slowly pushed on the accelerator, and the wheels spun. Alex kept pushing, and the car moved slightly. Then it stopped. Sam used his shoulder, trying to find a firm stance on the slippery ground.

They tried for five minutes. Dean refused to let Alex drive, even though he was much stronger than her. Finally he gave up. "Get in the car," he called.

Alex looked around. The street was pretty much deserted, and she found herself confused. However, she did what he asked.

They got into the car. "What are we doing?" Alex asked.

In response, Dean threw the car into reverse. He glanced over his shoulder and drove the car backwards down the hill. "Screw this hill," he said. "We'll just go around."