Hey, thanks for the reviews, I am glad that you are enjoying the story and here is the next chapter as promised, sorry it took a while but life is hectic!

Just as a quick note from the last chapter, plasters are band aids (apparently that's what you call them in America, that is my fact of the day now XD ).

They are a little older now, Dean is 11, Sam is 7. Yay for lots of Dean angst! Sorry Jensen!

"It is to Sammy."

"Is not Dean!" The youngest Winchester, having just turned 7, seemed to believe that with age came wisdom and was insistent that he was right about whether or not Norse folk laws were true or not. Dean, who had pretty much seen it all in his short eleven years, knew for a fact that most things believed to be fake, were real and he was insistent that he was correct. And that his little brother was being an idiot.

"You're stupid."

"You're stupider."

"You're mean."

"Am not."

"If you're mean to me again I'll tell Bobby!"

"Don't be a snitch, bitch. Anyway, no you won't. And, I'm right because I'm oldest so there."

"I will too call him."

"Won't."

"I will, he'll side with me because he loves me most."

"No he won't Sammy, he loves me more, he called me his favorite little boy and I knew him first. He loves me most, so ha." Sammy's eyes welled up with hears and he let out a small whimper before screaming out at the top of his lungs.

"BOBBY! DEANS BEING MEAN TO ME!"

"LIAR. I AM NOT, SAM'S BEING A BRAT." After a small pause a tired looking Bobby entered the room. John was off hunting a werewolf and had deemed the task too dangerous for his sons, a fact that Bobby was very thankful for. At least it seemed that the man was gaining some responsibility with age.

"What are you idjits going on about, can't a man get any peace and quiet around here. "Can't even hear myself think. Why are you arguin?"

Sam looked up at the older hunter with wide eyes and asked him a simple, yet devastating question.

"Bobby, who do you prefer, me or Dean?" Before Bobby even had the chance to formulate some kind of answer that wouldn't offend either boy, Dean had interjected.

"You prefer me don't you! You love me the most."

"No he doesn't, Don't lie."

"You're the liar. Bobby!"

"he prefers me ok. You do don't you!" Dean was pouting a little now, with his arms tightly crossed in a perfect imitation of his Daddy.

"No, I…" Love you both, more than anything in the world. I cant choose, I jsutcant.

Before Bobby had a chance to explain himself or finish his answer, Sam's tiny face had lit up in triumph, his puppy dog eyes turning into eyes full of victory.

"Told you so Dean. He loves me most." The look of hurt in Dean's usually bright eyes was like a slap in the face to Bobby and at that moment in time he felt like the world's biggest jerk. Period.

"You are such a bitch." Dean's voice hitched a little and Bobby could see that his emerald green eyes had welled up with tears, but the stubborn boy was not about to let the tears fall. He was a tough little lad, the beginnings of the perfect soldier that John was trying to raise, although Bobby could still see that the boy was more loving and sensitive than he often let on. That was a fact confirmed by the way that he had turned his head away and had roughly wiped his eyes.

"Well, you're such a jerk. So there." Dean, unable to think of another comeback turned and ran out of the room, shooting both Sam and Bobby the dirtiest look he could muster.

"Dean! Dean come back here…" Dean didn't return and Bobby could hear him crashing upstairs and slamming a door. He had shut himself in his and Sam's shared bedroom. The bedroom which locked from the inside. Damn it.

"DEAN, COME BACK DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT. THAT'S AN ORDER." Bobby knew it was a low blow, but it was the option that would most likely make Dean come scurrying back downstairs so Bobby could talk to him and comfort him. Make the boy feel as if he was loved, something that Bobby feared John neglected to do very often.

After three minutes of waiting Bobby knew that the boy had no intention of coming down, so he made his way upstairs, grabbed a chair from his own bedroom and set it down outside Dean's door. He could hear muffled sniffles coming from the other side of that plank of wood and part of him wished he was a ghost just so that he could get through to Dean and be close to him when the boy clearly needed comfort. Of course, kicking down the door was always an option but Bobby didn't want to make Dean feel pressurized into talking or threatened. And besides, he would then have to buy or make a new door and fit it and he just didn't have the time, money or patience. It took a lot our of him to look after the two young boys, who were constantly running around playing, being boisterous, getting into trouble or arguing.

"Dean, please come out of there, I want to talk to you."

"No!"

"Please!"

"GO AWAY. I don't want to talk to you." Bobby heard Dean letout a muffled sob and his heart broke into a million little pieces. Maybe he wasn't cut out for the fathering thing, he'd have to stop giving John such a hard time for beign a bad parent. It was a lot harder than it looked.

"Dean. You know I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that I love you both. I can't choose between you both. I love you more than anything. You boys are my world."

"Don't lie to me. You can choose. Everyone does. And everyone chooses Sam. Even me. It's always Sammy this, Sammy that, Sammy wants this…Dean can you just do this for Sammy? Help Sammy with his homework. I'M SICK OF IT. IT'S NOT FAIR. I don't know why I bother; no matter what I do everyone loves Sam more than me. Dad does, he always has. Sammy's always been his baby boy, the one he always hugs and plays with. He just makes me do his research or kill things for him…No matter what I do it is never good enough. He makes me train all day and shouts at me if I don't run fast enough, or miss a target in shooting practice. I can never do anything right. Just because Sammy gets better grades than me and is a geek means that Dad loves him more. I always do what I am told and help dad with the hunting and look after Sammy without complaining but he still loves Sam more. Sam never does as he's told and always argues but he never gets in trouble. I always get the blame for everything, or take the blame so he doesn't have to and It's not fair that nobody likes me." Dean seemed to come to the end of his tirade and Bobby could now clearly hear that he was sobbing, tiny hitches of breaths escaping from the child's mouth, reverberating under the door and traveling up into Bobby's ears, making the man feel like his heart was being stabbed with a thousand pins.

"Dean that's not true. You're Daddy loves you just as much as he loves Sam. You know he loves you; you are the apple of his eye. He is so proud of you and so am I. We both love you so much."

"GO AWAY. I don't want to talk to you."

"Dean!"

"Shut up! I hate you; I don't give a crap about what you say."

"Dean! Language!" Bobby knew that it was a hunter's trademark to swear like a sailor, but he still wanted to keep Dean out of the habit for as long as possible, and besides, he didn't want little Sammy to pick up on it. Bobby jumped a little when he heard Dean punch the door as hard as he could and could only listen to Dean's sobs, which had now intensified. Poor kid had probably just busted a knuckle or two judging by the force of the blow, but Bobby knew that Dean wasn't about to open the door.

"Fine, Dean I'm going downstairs. If you need anything or want me to look at your hand, just call or come down." Bobby knew damn well that the stubborn Winchester would not come downstairs but it was worth a try.

Dean sat slumped on his bed, nursing his sore hand in the other and biting his lip in an attempt to stop the tears from falling. He hated being such a wimp and vowed that he would never cry again, especially not in front of Bobby. It just wasn't fair. He was always the one that got in trouble. With a small sigh Dean shifted into a comfortable position and closed his eyes, willing sleep to come and numb the throbbing pain in his hand.

He didn't even bother to acknowledge when Bobby knocked on the door and announced that he was leaving a burger outside Dean's door for dinner. Part of Bobby had hoped that Dean's love of fast food would see to the boy leaving his room, but the other part knew that he would never be that lucky and that Dean was too stubborn to give in that easily. He had no other choice but to leave Dean to stew in his own rage a while longer.

Bobby felt like he had only been asleep for a few minutes when he heard a muffled scream of pain in the middle of the night. Blearily he stumbled out of bed and fumbled for the light switch, having already grabbed the gun from his bedtime table. A quick glance at his light up alarm clock revealed that it was 4 in the morning. SHIT.

Bobby would have recognized that cry of pain anywhere, although Dean very rarely expressed his pain, the tone of the boy's voice revealed all. In a desperate attempt to locate the boy, having stumbled out of his bedroom, Bobby began to call out.

"Dean, where are you Dean?" Bobby noted that Dean's bedroom door was slightly ajar and he did a cursory sweep of the spare bedroom. Dean wasn't in there.

"Dean? Can you hear me Dean? What's wrong?" Bobby heard another shriek of pain and realized that the sound was coming from outside. What the hell?

Bobby stumbled downstairs, stepped into his slippers and was halfway out of the door when he heard a creaking sound on the landing above him.

"Bobby!"

"Sam are you ok?"

"Bobby what's happening? Where's Dean?" Sam sounded as terrified as Bobby felt and the older hunter did everything he could to assure the boy.

"I don't know Sammy, I'm sure he's fine. Go back to bed, I will come and get you in a minute."

"No way!" Sam came running down the stairs in his blue and white stripy pajamas and looked as if he was about to burst into tears.

"Sam, back to bed. NOW."

"NO!"

"Please stay inside. I don't know what's out there!" Sam shook his head and stood in front of Bobby, looking up at the hunter with wide, puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, I don't have time to argue."

Bobby grabbed a spare gun from a drawer and handed it to Sam, knowing the boy was more than capable of handling a firearm despite his age.

"DEAN!" Bobby was running in the general direction that he thought Dean's cries had come from, but with only one pathetic torch on his person it was almost impossible to make anything out.

"DEAN! Where are you Dean? I'm sorry I called you a jerk, where are you. Please come out!" Bobby could hear that Sam was now openly crying but there was nothing he could do about it at that point in time.
"DEAN!"

"DEAN!"

"DEAN KIDDO, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"DEAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" The sound of Sammy screaming his name seemed to elicit some sort of response from Dean, as Bobby heard a muffled call that could have been 'Sammy!'

"Dean!" Bobby pointed his torch around wildly, searching for Dean. He couldn't be far away, his voice definitely sounded louder. Weak, but louder.

"Where are you Dean?"

"I-I don't k-know. S'mmy! B'bby! HELP, IT H'RTS." Bobby realized that Dean's calls were coming from the area of land where he kept all of his trucks and cars. The ones that he convinced himself he would fix up at some point, but there always seemed to be a CIA phone call to fake or a body to dispose of, or of course, a Winchester or more to help out.

"Ok Dean, I'm coming." Bobby felt a shudder of relief flow over him when he saw the outline of Dean, but then the relief diminished faster than it had come. Bobby felt as if he was the one who had been hit by a truck when he saw the state that the young boy was in, not Dean who was currently pinned under a white pickup truck.

One of Bobby's cars, which had been suspended by a miniature crane seemed to have fallen on top of the child, pinning him to the ground. The sight of red splatters on the car's paintwork made Bobby's head spin and for a moment he was sure he was about to throw up. But he didn't. Dean needed him.

Bobby carefully kneeled down next to the boy, who was shaking violently on his side, curled up in a ball lying in a dark puddle. Bobby didn't allow himself to think about what the puddle was. He could deal with that later, right now he needed to asses the injuries, and he could take in the gory details later.

It was clear that Bobby had to get the truck off of Dean's arm, which would involve trying to scoop it back up with the crane.

"Dean?" Sam, who had hung back, paralyzed with fear, seemed to come to his senses and he hurried over to his brother.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm so, so sorry Dean. Please forgive me!" Dean managed to open his eyes a few millimeters and twitched his lips in Sam's direction, letting his baby brother know that he had been forgiven long ago before his emerald green eyes rolled into the back of his head and all tension left Dean's body. He looked like a rag doll that a small child had dropped and forgotten about.

"Sam, I need you to stay with Dean, I'm gonna get this thing off him."

"won't you hurt him?"

"Probably, but it's my only choice." With that Bobby began to hook up the truck and climbed into the seat of the miniature crane, praying to every single god out there that this would work. He wasn't sure why the truck had dropped in the first place, and there was a chance that it would do so again, but he needed to do something. Wincing as he did so, Bobby began to maneuver the leaver and let out a gasp of relief when the truck lifted off Dean's arm and began to move to the right, away from both of John's boys. He briefly allowed himself to consider what would have happened if Dean had been to the left a little, but banished the thought. It was too terrible to even consider. There was no way Dean would have survived if his whole body had been trapped under the truck.

Lowering the truck to the ground Bobby turned of the crane and hurried out of it, almost slipping down the two steps that led to the driver's seat.

"Sam, is he alright?" Bobby was answered by a low groan of pain, and then a muffled choking sound. Dean had woken up again, the pain from the pressure being removed so suddenly sending sparks of pain flooding through his body.

"It's ok Dean, I'm sorry but I had to do it. You're alright now. Breathe deeply for me. In, out, in and out. Good boy, you're doing great kiddo."

Bobby took a look at Dean's arm using the torch and saw that it was bent into a stomach churning angle. If Bobby didn't know the truth, he would never have realized that the twisted, malformed lump was Dean's limb.

"Ok kiddo, it's not that bad. You'll be fine." Bobby lied through his teeth. God that had to hurt.

Dean wasn't even able to give warning before he found himself being sick, he was trembling violently and the pain was beyond anything he had ever experienced in his life, even his broken ankle when he had been 4, or when he had been slashed apart by a Wendigo.

"Ok, I've got you." Bobby supported Dean as he dry heaved and Sam cuddled his brother tight, begging Dean to open his eyes again.

There was sweat trickling down Dean's got you. Sam threw down at dean's side and lifted him up, cuddling him close. His brother's skin appeared gray in the torchlight and Sam hoped that it was just because it was so dark but something told him that Dean's gray, clammy, cold skin was being caused by the severity of his injury.

Bobby quickly checked Dean's pulse and swore when he felt how rapid it was.

"Balls. Sorry Dean." Knowing he had no other option Bobby slipped a hand under Dean's knees and another around his back, lifting the child up and hurrying him inside, ignoring Dean's muffled protests.

"S'okay Dean. Breathe, why don't you talk to Sammy." Sam looked blank and asked what to say, Bobby's reply that he could say anything was not at all helpful.

"Dean? Dean, you know that math homework you helped me with the other day, I got full marks. And I got the highest grade in class for the test; I wouldn't have done it without you. You are the best big brother ever." Nonsensical words seemed to flow out of Sam's mouth, but all Dean did was stare up at him weakly with vacant eyes.

Bobby lifted Dean's legs, elevating them on some pillows to make it easier for his heart to pump blood around his shaking body. Then he called an ambulance, it was too dangerous for him to try and move Dean any further.

When the ambulance crew finally arrived Dean was unconscious, Sam was hyperventilating and Bobby felt as if he was going to have a heart attack. He had managed to stem the bleeding but Dean had already lost far too much blood, Bobby's sofa was sporting a large red puddle now and there were smears all across the fabric from where Dean had been thrashing feebly.

"Weak pulse, his blood pressure is far too low."

"Dean? Can you hear me? Don't be afraid, my name's Harvey, I'm here to help you." Dean stared in confusion at the strangers face above him and began twisting away from his touch, although he was too weak to pull away properly.

"Just relax sweetie." It was a female's voice this time, but Dean did not register it. He wanted Sammy, Dad and Bobby, not some random woman.

"He's cold to touch; we need to get him to hospital, now." Harvey grabbed the stretcher that he and his assistant Lauren had carried in and very gently slid Dean onto it, although the boy did put up a good struggle, kicking out with what little energy he had left. His breathing was rapid and beads of sweat were trickling down his forehead.

When Dean was in the ambulance he felt himself being wired up to a heart monitor and tried to pull away, the pain was blinding and the irregular, rapid bleeps were doing nothing to comfort him. Dean felt another rush of nausea rush over him and vomited into a kidney bowl which Lauren held under his face, supporting his forehead with a hand that felt far too hot against Dean's clammy skin. Dean finally managed to locate Sam and Bobby, who were both now by his side, bobby rubbing his shoulder and Sam holding his hand, but before Dean could speak his vision started to swim and everything went black.

"Bobby! What's happening?"

"He's just unconscious Sammy, he's lost a lot of blood. He will be fine." Bobby was proved wrong when a long, drawn out beep pierced his skull.

"No, do something." Bobby pulled backwards, dragging Sam with him and pressing eht boy's head into his side so that Sam couldn't see what was happening. The youngest Winchester fought with all his might but Bobby did not let go.

Bobby watched in horror as some sort of pads were attached to Dean's chest, and he blanched when Dean's body jolted when his heart was shocked, again, and again, and again.

Sam was now sobbing uncontrollably, Bobby wouldn't let go of him and had pulled him into a hug so that his feet were dangling from the ground. Instinctively Sammy wrapped his legs around Bobby's waist and Bobby allowed the boy to bury his head in his neck, stroking Sam's hair as the boy shook and cried in distress.

"It's ok Sam. It's going to be ok." Bobby knew that wasn't true. He had done enough medieval research to know that Dean had gone into hypovlemic shock; the boy had lost even more blood than Bobby had first expected. It wasn't just Dean's arm that was bleeding; there was also a deep gash in his abdomen and a tear that ran down his right cheek. Bobby cursed. How had he missed that? It had been so dark and he had been so worried about Dean's arm that he had failed to prevent blood loss from other areas. A fact which could lead to tiny, innocent, loving Dean to loose his life.

Tears began to flow down Bobby's cheek and he held his breath when Harvey put down the defibrillator.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING."

"Sir, please calm down. I'm so sorry, there is nothing else we can do, he's gone."

"YOU PICK THAT FUCKIGN THING RIGHT BACK UP AND BRING HIM BACK." Bobby was fuming. How could they give up that easily?

"Sir…"

"IF YOU SIR ME AGAIN I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL SHOOT YOUR ASS SO MANY TIMES THAT YOU BEG FOR YOUR MUMMY." The paramedic gave a slight nod and picked up the defibrillator, pressing it to the young boys chest, trying a further two times. Nothing happened.

"It isn't going to work."

Bobby snarled, placed Sam on the floor and grabbed the machine from Harvey, pressing it to Dean's chest and shocking the boy again and again, crying out every time Dean's body jerked.

When Bobby was finally about to give up he heard a strange gargling sound and saw that Dean had moved his head marginally. There was blood oozing out of his mouth, but the machine had started to beep regularly again.

"Oh my God! It's … it's a miracle!" Bobby let out a sob of relief and collapsed onto the side of Dean's bed, his legs nom longer strong enough to keep him up.

Harvey and Lauren looked more shocked that Dean, but they immediately set about fiddling with IV drips and inserting a tube down Dena's throat to help him breathe through the blood. Dean gargled a little more but his eyes remained closed. Sam, who had curled up against the wall when Bobby let go of him, tentatively sat on the edge of Dean's bed and hugged his brother, crying openly and refusing to let go until they were in the hospital and Dean was being wheeled into surgery.

It was four, long, tense hours later that Bobby and Sam finally received some news.

"Mr Sheridan, you'll be pleased to know that your nephew is out of surgery. He has been given a blood transfusion, his arm has been fitted with screws and plates and his chest has been treated for severe burns from the defibrillator, but the doctors think he has a good chance of making it through without any lasting damage. The cuts to his abdomen and cheek have both been stitched up and will probably scar and he will always have to be careful of his arm, but he is one little tough cookie."

"Thank God! You hear that Sammy, your brother's going to be fine." Sam looked up at Bobby, his puppy dog eyes red, puffy and swollen with a million different emotions swimming in them. Fear, terror, pain, hope… He couldn't make sense of how he was feelings, all he knew was that he needed to be by Dean's side, right that instant.

"Can we see him?"

"Yes, of course. This way." The red headed nurse showed Bobby and Sam over to the pediatrics unit, where they found Dean in a single bedded-room, fast asleep. He would have looked peaceful if the deep gash in his cheek hadn't been present. His arm and body had been covered in a light blanket and bobby was thankful that he couldn't see the extent of the damage that his truck had caused. It was all his fault.

"I'm so sorry Dean." Bobby gently rubbed soothing circles on Dean's shoulder and watched the heartbreaking sight of Sam trying to speak to his brother and wake him up.

"Sam, try and get some rest, I will wake you up if Dean wakes, ok?" Sam shook his head miserably but exhaustion soon won out and he found himself drifting off, resting his head on the good side of Dean's abdomen.

"Sam, Sammy wake up lad." Sam peeled open his eyes and saw that Dean was sitting up and that he himself had been shifted onto another hospital bed to get some sleep.

"Dean!" Sam stumbled out of bed and hurried over to his older brother, who looked pale and tired, but alive.

"Hey Sammy. You ok?" Trust Dean to think of Sam first when he was the one who just underwent surgery and a blood transfusion!

"I'm fine Dean. I'm sorry I was mean to you. You were right, you are always right."

"I know I am Sammy, I'm awesome, but it's ok. It was just a dumb argument." Dean lifted his good arm up enough to stroke his brother's hair and then he shuffled over so that Sam could slide into bed next to him. With a grunt of effort Dean wrapped his arm around his younger brother, pulling him into a gentle hug before falling back asleep again.

The next time Dean woke Bobby decided that he would have a talk with Dean.

"Dean? You with me?"

"Yeah." Dean kept his voice as a whisper so that he wouldn't wake his little brother up.

"Why were you out there Dean? What on earth were you doing? It was 4 in the morning!"

"I-I didn't want to be a burden any more so I thought I would just…leave for a bit."

"Oh Dean, you little idjit. I love you so much, you aren't a burden. Hasn't your Daddy told you how dangerous it is to go outside in the dark?!"

"I know." Dean turned away ashamed and closed his eyes, hoping that Bobby would leave him be. However, he was glad that Bobby didn't when Bobby pulled him up into a gentle hug, being careful of his injuries.

"I love you Dean."

"Love you too Bobby." Dean closed his eyes and drifted off, breathing in the familiar, musky scent of Bobby's shirt.

When he next awoke Dean saw his father's concerned eyes peering down at him.

"Daddy?"

"Hey there champ, I came as soon as I heard what had happened. How are you feeling kiddo?"

"I'm fine Dad. Can we go home now?"

"How are you really feeling Dean?"

"…a little sick."

"That's the meds son, are you in any pain at all?"

"My cheek and tummy sting and my arm kind of aches but it isn't too bad."

"Ok son." John called for the nurse, knowing that Dean was in more pain than he was letting on. Soon Dean was fast asleep again and it was Sam who he turned his attention to.

"Sammy, how ya holding up?"

"I was so scared Daddy. I thought…I thought. He…he…died. It was my fault, I was…I was mean to him."

"It wasn't your fault Sam, Dean shouldn't have gone out. But you should be less hard on him, he loves you more than anything in the world. I need to be to, how about we take a little holiday when Dean is better…how does Disney World sound?"

Sam's eyes lit up and grew comically wide and John knew he had made the right decision in booking flights to Florida for the next month.

"Good. How about you go down to the canteen with Bobby?"

"Ok." Sam slid out of Dean's bed and headed off to the canteen, accompanied by one of the nurses who had a soft spot for both of the Winchester boys. They were so dependent on each other and it was far too cute to see them both looking after each other.

John stroked some hair out of Dean's face and kissed his son on the forehead, it may have been chick-flick but he didn't care. After all, he was doing whatever he could to become a better father to both of his sons, one step at a time.

The End

I hope you all liked it! Please review, it means the world xxx

A small chance of another short chapter but I haven't had time to write it or plan it out. Let me know if you want more :)