WARNING: Spoilers for the Pilot episode. (Episode 1x01)

Author's Note: So this is basically my take on how Dean ended up showing up in time to pull Sam out of his burning dorm room during the Pilot episode. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.

Dean watched Sam head back to his dorm, a heavy feeling in his chest. Because saying goodbye flat out sucked, and he'd give anything to not be watching Sam walk away again.

He opened his mouth to call out to his brother, wanting to tell him that he'd missed him. Wanting to tell Sam he was impressed that he was going to be a lawyer, because it meant his little brother was insanely smart.

He wanted to tell him he'd always known Sam was crazy smart anyway, and pat him on the back for doing something with his life that wasn't potentially deadly. For being the one person in what was left of their family to get out of "the life".

Instead when he opened his mouth, all that came out was, "Hey. We made one hell of a team back there…"

Dean kicked himself internally. Damn his inability to open up even when it was just to his own brother!

Sam said something along the lines of "yeah, we did" in return, and then smiled and walked away.

Dean smiled too, turned his head toward the road, and then put his foot down on Baby's petal.

He needed to get away. No looking back at all, because watching Sam leave again was a lot harder than he'd expected. It actually hurt. And Dean Winchester didn't do 'hurt'.

He had come here to get his brother back, and instead he ended up getting a weekend with him that only made saying goodbye that much harder. And they hadn't even found their dad, and now Dean was alone in the search for a man he wouldn't let himself believe could be dead.

He wished Sam had chosen to stay with him. He needed his brother now, possibly more than ever.

Dean couldn't help it.

He had to glance up, just once in his rear-view mirror. Even though he knew Sam was probably inside already… Yup.

So Dean's eyes strayed to the window on the third floor. It was open, and Dean could just make out the figure of his brother entering his bedroom through that window.

"Ok, knock it off stalker." Dean scolded himself, trying to cover the sadness he felt.

But then he saw something that made his blood run cold. Something just in the upper edge of the view the open window provided.

A girl lying down.

Only she wasn't lying down on the floor, or the bed. She was lying down on the freaking ceiling.

Dean's heart began trying to break through his chest, and I nly one coherent thought formed in his mind.

Not again.

He slammed on the breaks, took the key out of the ignition, and left his car right there in the street. He sprinted down the block, into the dorm building, and up three flights of stairs in an amount of time so small it would probably have been considered humanly impossible.

When he reached his brother's door he didn't hesitate before kicking it in.

Sam was lying on his bed, fire engulfing the world around and above him.

"No! Jess, no!" his brother was screaming, frozen in shock.

Dean rushed in and pulled his brother off the bed and out of the inferno. Sam fought him, struggling to get to the woman he loved. Dean turned to see if there was any hope, but the flames had now taken the entire room. There was definitely no hope, and Dean was left to do the only thing he could think of…

He held his brother tightly and dragged Sam even further away from the fire that was burning away his love, his happiness, and his future.

And then he held Sam as his little brother broke down and cried.

Although Sam wouldn't notice, a few tears slipped away from Dean's own eyes as well, because he didn't want his brother back like this. Never like this.

In that moment, Dean would've said goodbye to Sam a million times over if it meant Sam could have his life back. He would've given anything to protect his little brother from this.

Dean stayed right with Sam until the fire department arrived, the whole time with a heavy feeling in his chest.

Secondary Author's Note: Thanks for reading! :)