bigdamnprincipal | 16 Unicorn Street, Tuesday Evening

Zoe still wasn't pleased that John had gone on his recon mission, even if it did give her some hope that he'd get his hands on that gun he'd been talking about. Focusing her attention on Grace made for a great distraction though, and she tried to keep herself calm with the thought that John was just traveling, and things didn't have to go wrong every time he left.

	Now that classes were pretty much over for the summer, Sam was reminded that he wanted to talk to his dad about what he'd be teaching in the fall, to see if he needed a TA. Of course, he was going to offer Dean up first, but he still figured it would put him on his dad's good side to ask in general. When he got to the house, he knocked on the door before letting himself inside. "Hello? Anyone home?"
	Zoe looked up from where she was playing with Grace and her blocks, and smiled softly. "Hey there," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
	"I'm looking for Dad," Sam said. "Is he around?"
	When John left, Zoe had hoped that he would at least leave a message for the boys, but she had the sudden feeling that hadn't happened. "No, he's not here. I can tell him you stopped by when he gets back though."
	"Where is he? If he's going to be back soon, I can just wait," Sam replied.
	"He's not going to be back for a few days," Zoe said, focusing on stacking the blocks up in front of Grace so she wouldn't have to look at Sam. "He had to go out of town."
	Sam frowned and came inside fully, shutting the door behind himself. "Where did he go? Is everything okay?"
	"Everything's fine," Zoe replied, despite how she was making a mental note to withhold sex from John for a few hours as retribution for making her deal with this. She stood up and moved away from Grace, lowering her voice a little. "There was a hunter friend of your dad's, Daniel Elkins. He died a few days ago, so your dad had to go to where he lived in Colorado to deal with some things."
	"Dad doesn't have friends, he has people who tolerate him without wanting to shoot him," Sam replied. "Do you know what happened to the guy?"
	"Not exactly. That's something your dad went to try to figure out," Zoe said, smiling gently and hoping it looked sincere. "It's nothing you have to worry about."
	Sam nodded, but that didn't stop him from watching Zoe and trying to read her expression. "I always worry when Dad's gone. Why didn't he say anything to me and Dean?"
	"He didn't want to worry you," Zoe explained. "It's simple enough that he can go on his own, and you boys still have classes to finish."
	The idea that his dad would put finishing classes ahead of an investigation set off enough warning bells in Sam's head that he gave Zoe a more serious look. "Why did he have to go to Colorado? What is it you're not telling me?"
	Zoe just barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes at Sam. "Nothing, Sam. Don't worry, all right? He'll be back in a few days."
	"No, I'm not going to just sit here and not worry," Sam said. "You know, it's bad enough when I don't get answers out of Dad. I thought you were different. I thought you'd be more honest with me and Dean than he is."
	Withholding sex was on its way to being upgraded to strangling on Zoe's mental list. "I meant it when I said I don't want you to worry. If you really want to know, it's possible that Daniel Elkins owned something your dad's been looking for."
	"What kind of something?"
	"A gun," Zoe said. "A special kind of gun."
	"What gun?" Sam asked, trying to keep himself from sounding as angry as he was starting to feel. "Wait, you mean the gun he thinks can kill the demon? He went to get the gun, and he didn't tell me and Dean?"
	Zoe grabbed Sam by the arm and pulled him further away from Grace when he started getting louder. "I'm starting to wonder if I should have told you," she said. "Maybe he knew you'd act like this if he talked to you."
	"I'm like this because he didn't talk to me. He never tells me anything!" Sam yelled. "He laid out his whole plan for you though, didn't he? He didn't even tell me and Dean he was leaving town! How is that fair?!"
	Zoe was so used to seeing the boys be responsible and mature that it was almost strange to see Sam acting his age for once. Strange and annoying, to be honest. "You and I are different, you know that," she said. "If something happens to your father - which it won't, but if it does - it's my responsibility to deal with whatever happens next, not yours, and not Dean's. Your responsibility is to stay safe--"
	"And stay out of the way. Yeah, I get that loud and clear. God, you are just like Dad," Sam snapped, shaking his head. He fell quiet for a moment before glancing back at Zoe again. "You said this guy was in Colorado?"
	"That's what your dad said. Why?" Zoe asked, giving Sam a concerned look.
	"Because I'm old enough to not get shucked to the sidelines anymore," Sam said. "If this really does have to do with stopping the demon, then I have a right to be there with Dad. I have to go and find him."
	"Sam, you can't leave," Zoe said.
	"You think I won't find him? I will, don't worry," Sam said, heading for the door.
	Zoe managed to move faster than Sam, and went to stand between him and the door. "You can't leave. If he didn't say anything to you when he left, then he clearly wants you to stay here."
	"Screw what he wants! I'm going to find him!"
	"No you will not. I'm giving you an order, Sam. Don't you dare leave town."
	There were few things that Sam hated more than getting an order from his father, and hearing Zoe sound so much like him was enough to make him snap. "You can't give me an order, Zoe, you're not really my mother."
	Everything else that Zoe had thought of to say went away in an instant as she stared at Sam. "What did you just say to me?"
	The knot in Sam's stomach was a familiar sensation from fighting with his dad. It went along with the knowledge that he'd stepped past a boundary and couldn't go back. "I'm going to find Dad," he said quietly.
	For a minute, Zoe did nothing but stare Sam down, searching for something to say that wouldn't come out with a string of language she'd sworn she'd never use in front of Grace or the boys. When she couldn't come up with anything, she looked away, and moved out of his way as well. "Go on then. Get out."
	All of Sam's thoughts of apologizing were overshadowed by his anger, so with nothing else to say, he let himself out of the house, slamming the door behind himself.
	Between the yelling and the door slamming, Zoe wasn't surprised when Grace started wailing. She ran to her side and picked her up, rubbing small circles over her back, and wishing like hell that soothing Grace would calm herself down too.