this is me trying, spn [ 3 ]

049. auctions

Larissa wakes up, turning to her other side, finding Sam still in bed.

"Sammy?" She groggily asks. She props herself up on her elbow and sees the clock reading 7:03. "What're you still doing in bed?" Sam doesn't really answer, a troubled look on his face. "Sammy?" She pokes his cheek.

Larissa looks over when the door opens, Athena stepping in.

"Hey, baby." Larissa gets out of bed.

"I had an accident." Athena tells her mom.

"Okay. Okay, that's all right, sweetie. Come on." Larissa holds Athena's hand, the two walking out.

~ ~ ~

After putting Athena's bedding in the washer and giving her a quick bath, both she and Larissa are dressed. Sam still didn't talk while Larissa got ready despite her trying to get him to.

Larissa walks into the kitchen where everybody else is eating and Dean is still making some more pancakes.

"He's still not out of bed?" Dean asks and Larissa shakes her head.

~ ~ ~

It's a little after 10:00 when Sam finally walks into the kitchen, still in his pajamas.

"Ho, ho, ho. There he is." Dean checks the time. "Saved you a short stack." Dean points to the plate of pancakes on the counter.

"Hey, Donna, I'm with everybody else. I'm gonna put you on speaker." Sam says before doing so. "Uh, why don't you tell them what you told me?"

"Oh. It's my niece. She's gone missing. And the local cops don't-- I know it's not your normal thing, but--"

"Text us the address. We're on our way." Dean says.

"Thank you." Donna hangs up.

+++

They get to the address Donna sent them and get out.

"How are you holding up?" Dean asks.

"Oh, you know... not great." Donna says.

"Yeah." Dean says.

"I'm sorry for calling you guys, but Jody's got her hands full with the girls." Donna says.

"Hey, never apologize for calling us." Dean says.

"How's Claire?" Nathan asks.

"She's, uh... doing a teeny bit better. Basically the same as when you guys left." Donna sadly smiles and Nathan nods.

"So, what do we know?" Sam asks.

"Uh, staties found her car side of the road. Signs of a struggle." Donna says.

"And what was she doing out here?" Sam asks.

"She was taking a gap year. It's like this thing where--"

"Take a year off, run wild before you go to college." Dean says.

"Billy was gonna do that." Daphne says. "Until our lives went to total shit and he's now being held captive in a different world." She smiles.

The other exchange glances.

"Um... so, your-- your niece?" Natalie turns her attention back to Donna. "Gap year."

"Mm-hmm. Yeah. I used to tell her about how much fun I had when I did it. Well, she thought that sounded like an adventure. She thought--"

"Donna, hey. Whatever happened, it's not your fault." Dean says.

"That's what Doug keeps telling me, but... I can't help but think--"

"Just focus on the case." Sam tells her and she nods.