John carried Dean into the motel room and kicked the door shut behind him. Brushing past a wide-eyed Sam, he laid Dean down on one of the beds, then went to the kitchenette and dug a half-full bottle of bourbon out from under the sink.

"Dean!" Sam hovered over his brother, relieved beyond words to see the steady rise and fall of his brother's chest.

"He'll be fine. Just took a hard knock to the head." John took a deep gulp and sank wearily onto the other bed. "Hunt was a fucking train wreck."

When it was clear after a few seconds that no further explanation would be forthcoming, Sam, mouth tight, examined the ugly bruise on the side of his brother's head. Then he gently eased off Dean's boots and coat, and maneuvered him under the bed covers.

John put the cap back on the now nearly-empty bottle and fumbled it onto the bedside table. "Gotta sleep," he mumbled, lying down. "Wake me in a couple hours."

Sam didn't answer.

When the room was silent except for the sound of John's snoring, Sam toed off his boots and lay down beside his brother. He was trying very hard not to think of anything beyond the fact that his brother was back.

Safe, and mostly sound. Alive.

After a while, Dean muttered, stirred. Sam raised up on an elbow and stared down at him. "Dean?"

Dean's eyes creaked open. He stared at Sam, clearly confused, for a long moment. "Sammy?" His voice was raspy. He tried to sit up, then sank back with a faint groan.

"Lie still," Sam said anxiously. "You need to rest."

"Dad. . ."

"He's fine." Sam's lip curled. "He's sleeping."

"Oh." Dean grimaced. "Damn, Sammy, my head. . .

Sam quickly got some aspirin from the bathroom and Dean downed them with a few sips of water. Laying back against the pillow, he looked up at Sam with tired green eyes.

"I'm cold, baby. . ."

Shooting a glance at John, Sam slipped under the covers and snuggled up next to his brother.

"That's better," Dean mumbled, closing his eyes. "You know, Sammy, one day, you and me, we're gonna chase the sun."

"Florida." Sam agreed softly, smiling. "California."

"Hmm." Dean yawned. "Maybe Mexico. Just you and me."

With a contented sigh, Sam pressed a kiss under his brother's jaw. "Just you and me."