With his heart beating almost as fast and loud as the camp alarm was ringing, Dean's body prepped for attack while his mind was in that cave, killing every last vamp in absentia, bringing Sammy back, bringing him home.

And then Sam walked into the compound and Dean's heart felt like it stopped beating altogether. Sammy, the kid who just couldn't stay down. Dean was going to hug him then whack him across the back of the head then hug him again then –

Then evil strolled in behind and Sam's tired smile died, replaced with disgust, exhaustion, and shame. That answered how he was alive, didn't it? Sam didn't move, he stood rooted as though leashed somehow to his tormentor. Dean wasn't having that. He hurried to his brother.

"Sammy."

"I'm sorry." Sam barely lifted his head. "Dean, I'm sorry."

So much shame.

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up." Dean wanted to hug Sam, check him up and down for injuries, pull his arm over his shoulders and walk him to the cabin, but he wouldn't do that in front of everyone. In front of anyone. Especially not in front of –

"He brought me back," Sam whispered.

"We'll talk about it later, okay? Let's get you inside. C'mon." Dean put his hand around Sam's elbow for strength, for encouragement, for a connection that didn't make Sam look sick to his stomach.

The cabin was twenty feet away and Sam made it all the way there and all the way through the door and inside. Dean shut the door, shut out the tense confrontation unfolding in the clearing, shut out Cas and Jack and Mom and didn't even feel bad about it. He took a step toward Sam and Sam took that step back away from him and Dean wasn't having that.

"He brought me back," Sam whispered again.

"I don't care. I don't care how you got back. You're back". Dean moved toward Sam again and Sam backed up until his legs his a bunk and he couldn't back away any farther and Dean didn't stop until he had his arms around his shaking, shaken, devastated little brother. After a choked hesitation, Sam returned the hug, sagging tiredly against Dean. "I got you back, Sammy. I got you back."

The End.