Title: Death from Within

Author: Disasteriffic Kaz

Info: The Monster of the Week turns out to be more than the boys bargained for within an abandoned hotel in the Nevada desert. post 1x09 "Home" hurt/comfort/awesome!Sam/Dean

Author's Note: Last one! This was certainly a fun little romp! :D Keep an eye out. The 4th Edition of the Reader's Special will be coming soon! Sometime in the next couple weeks probably so get ready to prompt!

Beta'd by the Always Awesome JaniceC678 - Friend and Muse's co-conspirator

**Follow me on Facebook as "Disasteriffic Kaz" for frequent fic updates or just to chat!
~Reviews are Love~

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Sam watched fearfully as Dean turned his flashlight off and slipped out of the door. He didn't realize just how much he'd tensed up until Ellie's hand landed on his elbow. "Thirty seconds," he whispered to her and took a step nearer the door to be ready.

Dean blinked furiously in the gloomy darkness and kept his left hand just behind him so he knew where the wall was. He took careful, measured steps and ignored the still burning pain in his back with each one. He nodded to himself when he reached the corner and soundlessly changed direction. In his head, he was counting and hit thirty at the same moment that the beam of a flashlight shone out of the pool door again and he heard his brother's voice. Dean kept his eyes away from the light and to his left where he knew the door was. He heard Sam's heavy step purposefully making noise as he stepped out of the door into the open and cursed his little brother's stubbornness, putting himself in danger, as he heard something move in the nearby door. Dean heard the sound of a heavy breath. He smelled the faint odor of sulfur and readied himself when the nukelavee emerged with its eyes fixed across the room on Sam.

Chapter 8

Sam felt like his nerves were going to shake him apart as he walked out of the door and made sure to bang his feet into the floor. His often-ignored instinct for self-preservation shouted at him that he was making himself a juicy target and, if the creature didn't kill him, Dean likely would for putting himself out there when he was just supposed to draw its attention from the door. Sam, however, didn't trust that the nukelavee was stupid enough take the bait. It had spent two days waiting for Ellie to come out of there. He didn't think a little noise and light would make it careless. Having a nice tasty human in its sights, though…Sam started whistling and tried to make sure he didn't turn his head toward where he knew the creature and his brother should be.

Ellie watched from inside the pool room as Sam made himself a target and marveled at the courage it took to do that…not to mention the level of complete trust he must have in his brother. She didn't think she'd have it in her. She kept her head toward Sam but allowed her eyes to stray to the left, and, in the meager amount of light from Sam's flashlight that reached the other side of the room, she saw when the darkly glistening monster emerged without a sound. She wanted to shout out and warn him, but she bit her lip instead. They knew what they were doing…she hoped.

Sam could almost feel the thing without even having to see it; its presence was that malevolent. His skin crawled and he tightened his grip on his gun. He had purposefully chosen a path that put the gaping hole in the floor between them as his line of defense. He waited until he was directly across the widest portion and then spun. He brought the flashlight up along with his gun and found the nukelavee almost to the other side of the hole. Sam sucked in a surprised breath and fired into the horse's chest. He shot again, hitting it in the head, and then aimed for the other head riding high above while it roared in anger and pain.

Dean pulled his machete free of its sheathe and made for the nukelavee's unprotected back as Sam opened fire. He raced up behind it, and just as he was about to leap up onto its back, the creature executed an impossible standing jump, sailing over the hole in the floor and toward his brother on the other side. "SAM!"

Sam was frozen for just a second in shock as the nukelavee soared over the gap toward him. He shook off the paralysis and threw himself to the side. It crashed to the floor behind him, and Sam felt it shake unsteadily beneath him. He rolled quickly to his back with a bitten off moan for the renewed pain in his chest and stomach and fired up into the underside of the horse's head when it rose over him. His flashlight rolled beside him, and a second beam cut through the darkness from the door to the pool room and backlit the horrible creature above him. He emptied the clip into the monster as it raised a leg up over his chest poised to deliver a crushing blow and knew he didn't have the time to get away.

"NO!" Dean bellowed it as he rounded the hole. He slapped his hands into the rump of the horse with a grimace for the feel of the skinless, bloody flesh under his hands and propelled himself up behind the torso of its rider. The nukelavee reared back and spun, trying to throw him off, but Dean clamped his left hand on the thing's shoulder. He swung his machete up and stabbed it through the creature's neck below its human head while the unnaturally long arms bent up to try and grasp at him with those clawed fingers.

Dean ducked their grasp, feeling them catch on the sleeves of his jacket. "Come on!" he shouted and twisted the blade, feeling muscles sever as he pulled and wiggled the blade. He couldn't exactly get leverage for a clean swing from his position, but he was determined to get the beast's head off before it had another go at his brother.

Sam scrambled back as quickly as he could away from the stomping feet of the nukelavee while its attention was focused on his brother. He popped the empty clip out of the gun and felt in his pocket for a spare, groaning when he realized he didn't have one. "Dammit!" He dropped the gun and pulled his machete instead. He steeled himself against the pain from his stomach and swung hard at the horse's head. The blade sliced through its jaw and the horse screamed, pulling its head to the side away from him.

Dean sawed his machete back and forth through the neck and pulled his head back, holding his breath as it opened its jaws to scream sulfurous air into his face. He gagged and let go of the nukelavee's shoulder to grip the other end of his machete for added leverage, trying to hold it carefully and not slice his hand in half. Dean yelled with effort as he shoved the machete through muscle and bone.

"Dean?" Sam called and lunged in along the nukelavee's body to stab his machete into the horse's chest, trying to find the heart and pierce it. Dark blood gushed over his hands and he grimaced.

"Almost!" Dean shouted and pulled harder on the blade. He clenched his teeth together, feeling the bite of the blunt side of the blade into his left palm and gave a last, harsh pull. The blade sliced through the last of the thing's spine, and Dean turned his head away from the sudden spray of black blood. He lost his seat and fell backwards off the horse while it screamed and the man's head tumbled down to the floor and rolled through the hole into the room below.

Sam ducked a swing of the horse's head and watched it fall to its knees and then over onto its side. "Dean!" He staggered around the hole to his brother, concerned when Dean just stayed on his back in the beam from Ellie's light.

"Ow," Dean groaned softly and raised his left hand up to take a look at it and the deep cut running across his palm. "Sam?"

"Right here." Sam knelt stiffly next to his brother and looked over at the pool door and Ellie's wide eyes peering out behind her flashlight. "It's safe now. You can come out."

Ellie aimed her light at the now motionless body of the nukelavee and took a tentative step out. "You sure?"

"Probably," Dean said and sat up with a groan and help from his brother. "Seein' as his head's one floor down, I think we're ok for now." He pulled a knee in to stand and then hunched over with a soft, pain-filled moan. "Ok, really. Ow."

Sam waved Ellie over and pulled the back of Dean's jacket up. He hissed between his teeth when he saw the fresh blood saturating the bandages. "Just stay down for a minute, Dean. I'll finish this. I need the bag, Ellie."

Ellie nodded and knelt on Dean's other side as she handed the bag across to Sam. "Dean? Are you really alright?"

"Yeah, more or less." Dean rested his head on his bent knee, still not ready to try straightening his back again.

"Here." Sam handed Ellie a roll of gauze and the almost empty canteen of holy water. "Clean his hand for me." He took out the can of lighter fluid and a Zippo and got slowly back to his feet. "I'm gonna go make sure that thing doesn't come back to life."

"Hey, no." Dean raised his head up at that to glare at his brother.

"Dean, it's fine." Sam smiled and waved at the dead body. "Soon as I get the head burnt, we'll all be safe. Just let Ellie fix your hand." He didn't give Dean time to argue and headed for the stairs, scooping up his flashlight as he went.

"Stubborn son of a…I'm fine," Dean said defensively when Ellie grabbed his left hand.

"Of course you are," Ellie smiled and rolled her eyes. "You're fine. Sam's fine. Hell, I'm fine too. Now let me see it."

Dean chuckled and uncurled his fingers slowly for her. Meanwhile, his eyes followed his brother's progress until he vanished down the stairs, and it was all Dean could do to stop himself trying to follow once he was out of sight. He looked down at his hand when Ellie put the light on it and grimaced. "Sam's gonna have to stitch that up later," he grumbled. "Hate stitches in my hand. They always itch like hell."

Ellie bit her bottom lip as she unscrewed the cap on the canteen and held it up. "I…is this going to be like when Sam cleaned your back?"

Dean sighed. "Only one way to find out." He smiled for her. "Go ahead. It's ok."

Ellie took a deep breath and poured the last of the holy water over Dean's hand. It washed away red blood and the darker black blood of the creature, but, thankfully, it didn't bubble and hiss and she blew out a breath with a smile. "Oh, thank goodness."

Dean let his own breath out and sagged in relief. "I'll second that. Guess it's only the claws and teeth you gotta worry about." He angled his head to see the hole in the floor around Ellie's shoulder and frowned. "Sam?" He yelled and smiled when he heard his brother's voice come up to them.

Sam aimed his light up through the hole above him for a second. "I'm good! Got the head!" He looked back down at the creature's head and shuddered. Its face was like a skinless death mask, and flesh and muscle hung jaggedly from where Dean had sawed it off. Sam opened the lighter fluid and started squirting it over the macabre face. He gasped and stepped back when the lipless mouth opened with a hiss to show rows of sharp teeth.

"Shit!" Sam backed away one more step and saturated the head. He grabbed the Zippo from his pocket, flicked it to life, and tossed it down. He watched with satisfaction as the flames burst to life, sending a warm, orange glow to fill the room while the nukelavee's head hissed and finally went silent. "It's toast!" Sam shouted up and then allowed himself the luxury of curling over himself to his knees a few feet from the cheerfully burning head. The burn of pain in his stomach was slowly becoming a pressure in his chest, constricting his breathing. "Dean," Sam gasped and closed his eyes to try and get a big enough breath to shout up for his brother.

"You rang?"

Sam jerked his head around in surprise and saw his brother and Ellie standing in the door. He smiled wearily and dropped his head. "Hey."

Dean sighed and walked over to Sam to kneel next to him. He put a hand on his shoulder to steady himself. "Run outta gas finally?"

Sam nodded and unconsciously leaned into the touch while he let his eyes close again. "Just…finding my second wind."

"More like your fifth, dude," Dean said ruefully. He used his other hand to tip his brother's head up and frowned. Sam seemed to be paling while he watched, and the lines on his forehead spoke of pain. "Gimme the truth, Sammy. Motel bad or get-the-doc's-card-outta-my-pocket bad?"

Sam considered it seriously for once instead of just giving the knee-jerk response that he was fine. He let himself feel the pain and how hard it was to catch his breath, and he slumped even further. "Card."

Dean's worry spiked with the candid admission. If Sam was actually asking for a doctor…Dean did not want to even consider the implications of that. He slid his arm over his brother's shoulders. "Ok, we're gonna stand up now, buddy."

Sam nodded and smiled gratefully when Ellie appeared on his other side. He let them both help him up and then took most of his own weight, knowing that Dean, too, was in far more pain than he was letting on. "Still have to burn the body."

Dean snorted. "Dude, look up."

"Huh?" Sam turned his head up toward the hole in the ceiling and realized a fire was burning somewhere above with the way light and shadows were dancing through the darkness.

"Ellie's first salt and burn," Dean said with a small amount of pride as he glanced over at her and then narrowed his eyes. "And her last."

"Oh, don't worry. I am so not going to go looking for this freaky shit." Ellie shook her head. "No way. I'm just gonna pretend I live in blissful ignorance from now on."

"Good." Sam squeezed her shoulder and then started heading for the door. He wasn't sure just how much strength he had left, but he knew he didn't want to make his brother carry him. There was no way Dean could manage that with his back, and that meant reaching the car as quickly as possible.

"Let's blow this pop stand." Dean sent a parting kick to the smoldering remains of the nukelavee's head and then caught up with Sam, pulling an arm over his shoulder. Dean had to work to stay calm as they made their way out of the Goldfield. He could feel Sam shaking and couldn't help but hear his ever-increasingly labored breaths in his ear, but Sam kept walking, kept pushing through for reserves of strength that Dean wouldn't have credited him with after the last couple days.

Sam held his own all the way out of the hotel and down two blocks to the Impala before his get up and go finally got up and went the hell away. He groaned softly when his legs gave out and sank to his knees beside the passenger door. "Sorry," he gasped.

"No problem. You're good." Dean said it like a prayer as he opened the door and met Ellie's concerned eyes. Together, they got Sam up and into the passenger seat. Dean already had his cell phone out as he rounded the car while Ellie climbed in the back. He dug Dr. Simons' card out of his pocket and dialed as he started the engine and looked over at his brother. "Sammy, you stay awake. You hear me?"

Sam nodded and opened his eyes, rolling his head on the seat so he could see his brother. "I'm here."

"Doc?" Dean said and eased the Impala out of her hiding spot onto the road. "We need ya. It's Sam."

Ellie leaned up over the back seat and pressed a hand into Sam's shoulder while Dean told someone on the phone what his brother's condition was. "You're not allowed to give up now, Sam. Ellie's orders."

Sam snorted a soft, weak laugh and nodded. "Yes…yes, ma'am."

"Stop talkin'," Dean ordered, pocketed his phone and reached a hand over; resting it on Sam's chest over his heart so he could feel it beating while he drove. "Doc's gonna meet us at the clinic." He pushed the Impala to the breakneck speed he'd used to save Ellie's friend but this time with even more precious cargo. In his mind, every strained, gasping breath his brother took was a condemnation that he should have finished the damn job on his own or left it until Sam was better. Dean shook his head and looked at Ellie's concerned face in the rearview mirror while she spoke softly to his brother. If he'd waited, she'd be dead; and if he'd gone in alone, well…

"St…stop," Sam pulled a hand up to his chest and wrapped it around Dean's wrist, holding him in place. He could tell just by the lack of expression on Dean's face that he was kicking himself for Sam's condition and it wasn't his fault.

"Dude," Dean groaned and rolled his eyes affectionately. "Stay outta my head already."

Sam smiled and closed his eyes, letting his head roll to the back of the seat. "Sometimes there just are NO good options, Dean," he murmured, feeling his strength draining away as he sank into the welcoming darkness.

"Sammy?" Dean asked with rising panic. "Sam! Open your eyes!"

"Sam?" Ellie put a careful hand to the side of Sam's face and looked over to Dean. "I think he's unconscious."

"Well, of course he is. Dammit!" Dean said angrily and urged the Impala even faster toward Vegas. He wasn't angry at Sam. He was scared.

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Dean sat on the edge of the bed Dr. Simons had forced him into on their arrival and stared at the door, silently willing his brother to reappear. The doctor had done one, quick check of Sam and then started yelling orders while they put him on a gurney and wheeled him out of sight. Ellie's quiet presence was the only thing that kept Dean from tearing the place apart hour after hour with no word on his brother.

"He'll be fine, Dean," Ellie said again for maybe the dozenth time. They'd been in the clinic for close to five hours. Dawn had come and orange light washed into the little room through the wide window, but Dean seemed oblivious to it.

"Longer it takes, the worse it is," Dean said darkly in response and shook his head. "Knew we should have waited."

Ellie stood from the uncomfortable chair she'd been sitting in and tossed an empty sandwich wrapper toward the trashcan, her third. She went to Dean and leaned against his arm. A nurse had helped her wrestle Dean's coat off when Ellie had cheerfully informed them that Dean was injured as well. She smirked. The snarl he'd given her would have been frightening if she didn't know him so well already. "If you'd waited, I'd probably be dead. I'm not. I get to live because of you, and so will Sam. There's always hope." Ellie knew she could have left, probably should have. She wanted to find Matt and see how he really was. Dean was being cagey about something, but she didn't think either brother had lied to her about Matt being alive. She desperately wanted to see him, but…she felt an obligation to these two men who had risked so much to save her and kill that…that monster. So she would wait with Dean until they both knew Sam was going to be alright. She knew Matt would understand.

"Dean." Dr. Simons opened the door to the room and pulled a green scrub cap off his head.

"Doc." Dean shoved himself off the bed and only barely stopped from taking hold of the man's shoulders and shaking him. "Tell me he's alright."

"He's going to be just fine, Dean. Sit back down." Dr. Simons gave Dean a gentle push back to the bed and smiled at both him and the woman. "I won't lie. One of the bruises did tear and he was bleeding into his abdominal cavity. It was depressing his ability to take a full breath which is why he lost consciousness in the car. It was a small tear, however. I've patched him up and, THIS time, when I say he needs to spend the next two weeks taking it easy, I damn well mean it." He finished the last on a glare for Dean. "I notice your brother has all new bruises on his back, and the nurse was only too happy to tell me how you seem to have gotten yourself clawed by…something."

"Uh…I can explain." Dean raised a hand and rolled his eyes when Dr. Simons went around behind him. Dean met Ellie's questioning eyes and gave a small shake of his head. He'd made it clear to her that telling anyone what had really happened would only get them in trouble or institutionalized. "They're not claw marks. I fell through the damn floor along with Sam."

"Uh huh." Dr. Simons pulled the back of Dean's scrub top to get a look at the marks and shook his head. Did they really think he was that stupid? "You need better lies, Dean."

"Hey!" Dean said and turned to glare at the man. "I have great lies!"

Dr. Simons was surprised into a chuckle and pulled the top back down to walk around in front of him again. "You'll both be staying here tonight." He raised a hand when Dean opened his mouth. "No arguments. I said I fixed the tear. I didn't say Sam was out of the woods yet. I need to monitor him for the next twenty-four hours to be sure, and you're going to let me."

"Or?" Dean raised a brow and bristled at the tone of ultimatum in the doctor's voice.

"I haven't called the authorities yet. I could." Dr. Simons hated playing this game. He liked both boys, but he didn't feel he had a choice. "I will do whatever it takes to make sure my patient is well before he leaves my clinic again."

Dean deflated like a stuck balloon and sighed unhappily. "Fine. But trust me - when he wakes up, I'm not the one you're gonna be arguing with."

Dr. Simons nodded with an understanding smile. "I remember." He sobered and put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Dean, I…I don't know exactly what it is that did these things to you and your brother, and normally the police would have been my first call. But something tells me you boys were doing something good." He turned to look at the sincerity shining out of Ellie's eyes. "They saved you, didn't they?" Ellie opened her mouth and then looked to Dean. "It's alright. You don't have to tell me. I've been reliably informed by both men that I don't actually want to know."

Ellie looked at him, and he watched as a shadow crossed her face, and, for a moment, a haunted look came into her eyes. She shook her head slightly and shivered. "They're right. You really don't."

The brief moment passed, and Dean smiled and nodded his gratitude for the man not pushing it. "Thanks, Doc. For me and for Sam."

Dr. Simons looked over his shoulder as the door opened again and grinned. "And it looks like your brother's ride is here."

Dean slid off the bed again and was at Sam's side before the nurse even had the gurney in place. "Sammy?" Dean put a hand to his brother's shoulder and felt another kick of guilt in the gut when he saw how pale and small he looked in the bed.

"The anesthesia should be wearing off anytime now." Dr. Simons took the chart the nurse handed him and looked it over with a happy nod. "His vitals are all where I want them to be. He's doing very well. Don't overtax him when he wakes, and for the love of God, THIS time don't let him move. He stays in that bed." Dr. Simons pointed an imperious finger at Sam.

Dean chuckled and raised a hand. "Promise, doc. He ain't goin' anywhere 'til you say." He meant it. "Hey, doc. Ellie here needs to get to Vegas General. Her boyfriend's there. He, uh…he took a little fall through the floor, too, a couple days ago."

Doctor Simons rolled his eyes and waved a hand. "I'm not even going to ask. I'll get a shuttle, dear," he told Ellie with a smile.

"Thank you." Ellie said gratefully.

"Find me at the desk out front when you're ready." Dr. Simons went to the door and stopped for a last glance back. "I mean it, Dean. He doesn't move from that bed or I'll tie you both down."

Dean laughed while the doctor let the door close behind him and eased a hip up onto Sam's bed. He looked over at Ellie and decided to come clean. "Ellie, about Matt…"

"He was hurt worse than you made out," Ellie said and nodded with a sad smile. "I kind of figured that out."

"Yeah." Dean reached out and put a hand on her shoulder to bring her closer. "That creature, it…he lost an arm. Maybe a leg too." Ellie's hands flew up to her mouth in horror as she stared at him. "He was alive when we left him there, and the doctors that took him seemed pretty sure that he was going to make it."

"Oh, my God," Ellie breathed and closed her eyes. "My poor Matt." Tears escaped to run down her face and she shook her head. "He saved me. That thing came for me first. He shoved me out of the way and put himself in its way so I could escape. He did that for me." She looked up to Dean with a watery smile. "He punched it in the head."

Dean smiled. "I knew I liked the guy. Look, you may not need it, but you should have that shuttle stop at a church and pick up some holy water." He squeezed her shoulder more firmly. "We didn't see any bite marks on him, but whatever made us sick might be inside him too. You know what to do?"

Ellie took her hands from her face and nodded surely. "Pour it over the wounds until it runs clear." She smiled again. "I can handle it."

"I know you can," Dean told her proudly and then whipped his head back to his brother when he felt Sam's chest hitch in a breath under his hand. "Sammy?" He took his hand back from Ellie and put it to the side of Sam's neck, once again wrapped in white gauze. He watched Sam's eyes flutter and open slowly and smiled down at him. "Welcome back. How you feelin'?"

Sam frowned and tried to orient his thoughts. The last thing he remembered was being in the car. "Where?"

"Clinic," Dean told him with another smile.

Sam's eyes widened a little with fear as he looked up at his brother. "M'alright?"

Dean nodded, still smiling. "The doc laid down the law. Your ass ain't movin' from this bed until he says so." His smile faded. "It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but you were bleeding internally, Sam. The doc says you're stuck here until he's sure you're alright, and then we're takin' a couple weeks off. Period."

"Hey, Sam." Ellie smiled and brought over a cup of water with a straw from the table. She held it for him and let him have a few sips before she set it aside. "I just wanted to say thank you before I left. I'm going to see Matt."

"Hope he's alright," Sam said sincerely. He smiled and blushed when Ellie bent and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"I can't ever thank you two enough," Ellie grabbed Dean's head and pulled it down to put another kiss to his head. "Thank you seems inadequate."

"It's enough," Dean told her and gave her a one-armed hug. "More than we usually get, believe me. You take care of yourself, Ellie."

"I will. Thank you, guys." Ellie smiled at them both and then left the room before she burst into tears.

"She's…she's sweet," Sam said softly and smiled, letting his tired eyes fall closed.

"Dude, she was kinda awesome." Dean chuckled. He patted his hand lightly on his brother's chest and let some of the fear he'd been holding onto since the hotel leave him. "You alright, Sammy?"

Sam nodded slowly. "S'alright." He smirked. "Painkillers…room's spin…spinning."

Dean chuckled and gave Sam's chest a last pat before he stood and went back to his own bed. "Get some sleep. We've earned it." He rolled onto his own bed and tugged the light blanket up over him.

Sam rolled his head over, following his brother's voice. "Dean?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"We…we do good?"

Dean smiled and nodded even though Sam's eyes were still closed. "Yeah, Sammy. We did good. Killed the dragon and saved the damsel in distress."

Sam snorted softly as he started to slip back into sleep. "We get a…" he frowned in confusion. "Forgot what I was gon…gonna say."

"Go to sleep already," Dean laughed and closed his eyes.

"Dean?"

"What?" Dean groaned, amused and looked over at his little brother again. He waited and when Sam didn't say anything, Dean sat up to look at him. He snorted when he saw that Sam had fallen asleep with one arm dangling off the side of the bed toward him and his mouth hanging open while he started to snore softly. "Bitch," Dean said fondly and thumped back into his bed. He started making plans in his head of how to keep Sam on his back for two weeks and wondered how much whining he'd have to put up with when Sam found out they were going to stay in Vegas. Dean grinned as he fell asleep to the sound of his brother's soft, even snores.

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The End.