Chapter Ten

Kevin frowned as he listened to the voice mail messages Dean Winchester had left on his phone.

How could Dean be alive? He'd been blown up when he stabbed Dick Roman, hadn't he?

Maybe it was a trick, a trap, of Crowley's to lure him back to the warehouse?

No, the teen shook his head as he listened to Dean's increasingly panicked voice, if it was a trap, wouldn't he ask Kevin to come himself and not just call him?

Try as the teen might, he couldn't forget Sam, the sight of him curled in on himself in that room, and he couldn't help but feel guilty that he hadn't even attempted any sort of rescue.

The decision to call Dean back was harder then Kevin expected it would be, the teen telling himself that if the older Winchester was truly back from the dead then he would go and get Sam back from Crowley.

If Sam was still alive.

The teen cringed at the thought. It had been weeks since he'd created that bomb the tablet had described and slipped out of the warehouse. When Kevin had seen Sam, the older man had appeared very ill and the teen wasn't sure the hunter was going to make it if he was honest with himself.

Let Dean deal with that, Kevin told himself; just call him back and tell him where Sam is. He can kill Crowley while he's at it.

Taking a deep breath, the teen pushed his plate away- he had stopped at a tiny diner to eat- and pulled out his brand new cell phone.

Typing in Dean's number, Kevin held his breath and waited for an answer.

The teen didn't have to wait long, after two rings, the phone was answered and Kevin heard Dean's cautious, anxious voice greet him.

"Hello?"

Here goes nothing, the prophet thought and told Dean where his brother was.

SPN

Sam froze when the door was opened and the light turned on. The young man curled tightly in on himself, terrified of what Crowley was going to do to him now.

Please, Sam begged silently, no more… no more…

"Sammy!" A voice- a familiar voice- choked and Sam shrank even further inward, raising his arms to put his hands over his ears.

Please, Sam whimpered, not again… not him…

Sam heard the fake Dean- the thing that looked so much like him- breathe his name and the younger Winchester forced himself not to look back. He couldn't, he wouldn't fall for that trick again.

Crowley's voice spoke up, causing Sam to shake fearfully, wishing he could vanish completely, "Sammy, I've got a surprise for you."

No, no please… no… no more…

"Sammy," he heard the thing pretending to his brother call out, "It's okay… I'm here."

Sam closed his eyes as tears began to pool in them.

"Don't tell me you don't even recognize your own brother when he's right in front of you?" Crowley mocked.

Wasn't Dean… Wasn't really Dean…

But Dean's voice- the thing's voice- sounded different than before. It didn't sound happy, not at all. This Dean wasn't glad to see him but sad.

Cautiously, Sam peered over his shoulder.

…And there stood Dean.

Sam took in his brother's combat boots, blue jeans, and grey long-sleeved shirt beneath his ever-present leather jacket. Ruby's knife was held tightly in one hand. Dean's face was haggard, his hazel eyes shining wearily as he looked right back at Sam.

It had to be Dean… it just had to be. It just looked too much like Sam's brother not to be the real thing. Not even Crowley and his imposter could pull that off. There was no smile now, instead, Dean's eyes were wet with unshed tears and his mouth was pulled down in a frown.

Slowly, carefully, Sam uncurled himself from the fetal position he'd been in and sat up on his knees, hoping and praying that it really was Dean standing before him.

Sam watched in shock as his brother turned quickly to the side, pulling his fist back and punched Crowley right in the mouth. The demon fished a handkerchief out of his breast pocket and dabbed delicately at the blood at the corner of his mouth, eyeing Dean.

"I guess in your opinion I deserved that," Crowley said but Dean wasn't listening, he was moving towards Sam.

The younger hunter began to shuffle forward on his knees, too weak to stand up, certain now that this really was his brother- the imposter would never hit Crowley- but was stopped when he reached the end of the chain shackling him to the bed.

No! No! Sam thought frantically, Dean!

"D'n!" Sam rasped, reaching out as far as he could, hands shaking, tears welling up in his eyes.

Dean jumped as though he'd been shocked and stared, stunned at the air before him. Sam saw him try and continue moving forward but he couldn't.

Dean turned angrily to Crowley.

"D'n!" Sam cried, struggling to reach his brother, not even listening to their conversation, "D'n!"

Sam froze as the demon stopped talking to Dean and began walking towards him. Terrified, Sam curled in on himself, holding his hands over his head in a futile act of protection.

"No," Sam moaned, his heart pounding in his chest, "No… please… don't…"

Crowley said something to Dean but Sam couldn't hear the demon over his blood pounding in his ears.

The young man gasped when Crowley grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head up. Sam's tears of fear overflowed and spilled down his cheeks.

He saw Dean struggling against the invisible barrier, pressing against it to try and break through.

"Don't hurt him!" Sam's brother shouted and for one amazing second the king of Hell let go of Sam.

The young man began to curl in on himself again when he saw Crowley flick a hand towards him from the corner of his eye.

Pain exploded in Sam's abdomen as something inside him broke and he cried out, blood spraying from his mouth.

Dean shouted something but Sam didn't hear, crimson liquid continued to dribble from the young man's mouth and struggled to draw in enough air-

As suddenly as it had started, the pain vanished. Sam sank to the concrete floor, panting for air but no longer hurt. Hot tears poured from Sam's eyes as he lifted a hand to wipe the blood away from his mouth. The hunter closed his eyes, his breath rasping in his chest as Crowley and Dean continued talking.

Dean… Sam thought, please… Dean…

The younger Winchester listened to the two sets of raised voices; not focusing on either when suddenly only Dean's voice remained.

"Sammy!" he heard his brother cry out and within seconds Dean was right beside him.

Sam couldn't help the whimper that escaped him as he grabbed his brother's shirt and buried his face in the soft material, trembling as he breathed in Dean's familiar and comforting scent.

"Hey," Dean cooed, laying his hands gently on his head, "It's okay now. I'm here, Sammy. I've got ya."

Sam heard a new voice in the room and he stiffened when the owner of that voice came close.

"Can you help me get this off him?" Dean asked the owner of the new voice and Sam carefully peered up at his brother with one eye, face pressed against his sibling's shirt.

"It's okay, Sammy," Dean assured him, stroking his filthy hair, "I've got ya."

The younger man remained as still as possible- knowing that Dean wouldn't let anyone hurt him- as the owner of the new voice… that sounded oddly familiar… to unlock the shackle from around his ankle.

"Alright Sammy," Dean murmured to him softly, "I'm going to help you stand up, okay?"

Sam didn't want to move. He just wanted to lay curled up with his head buried in his brother's shirt but he didn't protest. Dean gripped his arms, gently but firmly and pulled him up as he stood.

Sam whimpered in pain and his legs almost collapsed beneath him but Dean quickly put one of his younger brother's arms across his shoulder so he wouldn't fall.

"Garth," Sam heard Dean say, "Can you grab his other arm?"

A hunter… that's who it was… now Sam remembered… Sam allowed Garth to take his other arm and drape it across his shoulder so that he was supported between him and Dean.

Slowly, the three made their way out of the room, Sam's heart pounding fearfully in his chest but they met no other demons in the maze of hallways coursing through the warehouse.

Exhausted, Sam collapsed as soon as they stepped outside, the young man raising a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunshine.

"I'll get the car," Garth suggested and Dean nodded, pulling the keys from his pocket and handing them to the wiry hunter.

Sam listed to one side, shaky and tired, but Dean wrapped his arms around him instead and drew him close.

"I've got ya, Sammy," Dean murmured to him, "I've got ya now."

W

The familiar growl of the Impala drew closer and closer to the brothers before Garth parked. Sam looked up at the classic Chevy and felt tears well up in his eyes again.

"C'mon Sammy," Dean said gently to him and helped him stand while the other hunter opened the back door of the car.

"You need-" Garth began to ask but Dean shook his head, "I've got it."

Sam clambered into the Impala's backseat and sank down against its leather bench seat, mildly surprised when Dean sat beside him. Sam smiled tiredly and leaned heavily against Dean, reaching out to grip his brother's coat.

"Hey," Sam's brother murmured and put a comforting arm around his thin shoulders, "I'm not going anywhere, Sammy. I'm staying right here."

Sam nodded and closed his eyes, falling into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in almost a year, lulled by his brother's presence and the rhythmic sound of the Chevy's tires on the road.

SPN

"What are you going to do now?" Garth asked as Dean murmured comfortingly to his brother, one hand absent-mindedly stroking Sam's hair.

The older Winchester shrugged and looked around the motel room.

"Go back to Rufus' cabin," he decided, "Rest there for a while, and give Sammy time to heal."

Garth nodded, "No hunting?"

Dean made a face, "No… at least not for a bit."

The older brother glanced down again at his younger sibling for a moment before looking back at Garth.

"Thanks, by the way," Dean muttered, "For helping me rescue Sam. I'm not sure I could have done it on my own."

The wiry hunter waved a hand, dismissing Dean's thanks, "Sam's my friend. If I'd known where he was… I would have gotten him out."

The older brother nodded, biting his lip.

"I thought he'd abandoned me," Dean muttered, "I thought he didn't care."

Garth frowned, a confused look on his face and he clearly wanted to know where Dean had been the past year but he didn't ask, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Dean looked up at Garth, his hazel eyes welling with tears, "I should have known better. I should have known Sam would never have given up on me."

The smaller hunter nodded, "He's your brother. You've gotta stick close."

The elder Winchester smiled.

Garth was right. It was only he and Sam, Dean and his baby brother against the world. If they didn't have each other they didn't have anything.

Standing up carefully, not wanting to startle his sibling, Dean peered down at Sam, his heart swelling in his chest.

Leaning over the bed, Dean brushed Sam's long bangs away from his brow, causing his brother to smile in his sleep.

"I love you, Sammy," Dean whispered quietly so Garth wouldn't hear, "No matter where I am."

Author's Note:

Thanks to BranchSuper, ktdog1, cammie, Trucklady53, Kas3y, Cheryl, Rivermoon1970, Jkf340, elliereynolds777, jannyverveer, sammysmissingshoe, SamDeanLover28, Souldarkalone, L.A.H.H, need2no, and babyreaper for reviewing.

Well ladies and gents, that's the end. I hope you enjoyed reading this fic and will join me in my future projects.

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