The Supernatural characters belong to Kripke Enterprises and the CW. No money is being made from this story. It is for entertainment only.

Sliding Off the Edge of the World

Chapter One

Shelter from the Storm

The heavy black car drove through the night, aimed directly at the swollen moon riding the edge of the horizon. It was late October just short of Halloween and the wind carried the promise of snow to come. The pregnant clouds threatened rain. It had been a quiet night for driving but now the sky warned of trouble coming.

The car's passenger pawed hopefully through the maps littering the floor looking for a place for them to hide. "Nothing up ahead, Sam?" Dean asked.

"Doesn't look like it. There's no town closer than Glasserville and it's a solid twenty miles away." Sam answered his brother. He looked up from the unhelpful map on his lap to scan the dark masses over his head.

"Where the hell did this storm come from?" Sam moaned. "It was supposed to be clear all night.

"Ahh, Sam," Dean sneered. "You've been trusting the weather channel again, haven't you? You know they lie."

"Not helping, Dean. "Sam answered back. "We can just keep going and hope for the best; maybe we'll hit a roadside motel. I don't know what else to tell you." They drove on in the dark, engine humming and drowning out the wind. Then lightning flashed and hit an inoffensive tree at the top the hill they were climbing. The tree teetered for a while, wiping back and forth in the breeze and then of course, fell in the road.

"Crap," Dean shouted and stood on the brake. "That's just freaking perfect, now what Mr. Navigator?" He turned to Sam hoping for an answer. Unfortunately Sam was as struck as the tree. Neither of them had any answers.

"Well, first of all," Sam started slowly. "I really would not recommend pulling off the pavement. These fields look like they have been recently plowed under. We'll sink into the dirt right up to the undercarriage."

"I wasn't planning on it, little brother." Dean replied and leaned back, looking over his shoulder. He stretched a hand along the back of the seat, kept his head turned and started driving backwards down the hill.

They were almost back to flat ground again when another spear of lightning struck, lighting up the country side. Barely seconds later thunder rolled through, shaking the car and scaring the hell out of the brothers.

There was a rude rattling sound on the roof of the car. "That's not rain, Dean." Sam said and rolled down his window.

He stuck his head out and flipped it back into the car immediately. "That's hail,' Sam shouted over the steadily rising noise. "We're caught in a weather front. We need to get undercover."

"Crappety, crap, crap!" Dean barked out. "That's going to ding my paint up good."

Sam shouted and pointed out the window. "I think I see a barn. Do you see it?"

"Yeah, yeah, " Dean muttered and wrestled the car over to the side of the road far enough to turn around. He then took off heading for the ramshackle structure he could barely make out in the increasingly heavy wind and hail.

Luckily he hit a graveled road and drove right up to the barn door. Sam leaped out of the car with his jacket pulled over his head and tugged the large sliding door open. As soon as there was room Dean pulled in with his headlights glowing. They lit up a large and very empty space.

Shutting the car off Dean got out. "You OK, Sam?" He asked.

"I'm alright. I just got pinged a few times. Thank God for this barn. That wind is flinging those hail stones like rocks. You should take a look at the car. I hope there's not a lot of damage."

Sam stood and shook out his jacket. His pant legs were pretty wet and he was shivering. The air temperature was dropping fast with the wind. The hail stones were pelting the old barn and the noise was incredible. The two Winchesters had to shout to hear each other.

Dean ran his hand over the roof of the car. "Hey giraffe legs!" he shouted at Sam. "Can you tell how bad the roof got hit?"

Sam came over and stood beside the shorter Winchester, snickering, "Certainly, Princess. Just let me take a look now. Do we have a flashlight nearby? I would turn off the lights before you drain your battery. This storm sounds like it's settling in."

Dean dived back into the car and soon the only light was the flashlight he found in the glove compartment. He handed it off to Sam.

Sam held the light obliquely over the roof of the Impala. "Yeah, you have some minor damage here. I can't tell if it can be buffed out or if you're going to need a paint job. You can look in the morning."

There was a scurrying noise and Sam pointed the light around the open space. "Not the best motel we've ever had but it looks like the roof is good. At least I don't see raining dripping through. But I'm afraid we have room mates."

"Shit," Dean exclaimed. "I guess we can sleep in the car."

"That's alright for you, Shorty." Sam complained. "You know what that back seat does to my back."

He pointed the light upward. "Look, there's a hay loft. Let's go see what it's like." He located the ladder and began to climb. Once up on top Sam peered back down at his brother from the edge.

"Not too bad," he said. "It's dry and there is some clean looking straw left. I can stretch out here. Grab the blankets and come on up.

When Dean climbed the ladder with the blankets he found Sam had opened the hayloft door and was sitting on a bale watching the storm rage outside. The loft was facing away from the wind and the air was swirling with small bits of straw. The atmosphere was chilly but fresh and Dean came over and sat down next to Sam.

One blanket he draped over their shoulders and the other over their legs. They sat together and watched the sky. The clouds were scudding in front of the watery moon and the lightning flashes outlined the trees like a strobe. The thunder roared and shook the barn but it was better than television and possibly more interesting.

The brothers were warm and comfortable. Dean leaned into Sam and Sam wrapped a long arm around Dean's waist. Dean rubbed his face against Sam's bicep and Sam responded by kissing the top of his brother's head.

There were no cars on the road, no noises other than the storm. They could have been the sole survivors of some biblical catastrophe. The world fell away and they were at peace.

TBC

A/N-This story is done by two different writers, we alternate chapters and neither has a clue what the other one is going to write. We leave a little cherry bomb at the end and the other picks it up and guide it in any direction they wish. It's like a little contest and a lot of fun. Enjoy.