-1How Sam Saved Dean…. Again

Dean awoke and smiled softly toward the figure sleeping next to him in the small hotel bed, he was working a case in Omaha Nebraska currently, and the young brunette next to him was his current 'object of momentary affection'… It wasn't that he didn't want a long term beauty, a girl to come home to at night, make love to, and spend his life with… It was just that his current job forbid such normalcy.

Or at least that was the excuse he used when anyone questioned him about his escapades. He didn't mean to hurt them, going into these one night stands, he made sure that the girl, whoever she was, was completely aware that it was a one time… ok sometimes maybe two times… thing.

Stretching with a yawn the now 24 year old Winchester brother brought his hand down to her long dark hair and ran his fingers through it to rouse her, tickling the back of her neck softly…

Her light green eyes opened as she tilted her head toward him and smiled the morning sun bathing their sheet clad bodies as she herself let out a petite yawn before speaking… "Morning sunshine." she whispered and brought her arm up resting a hand on his bare chest and fiddling with the necklace placed there.

Dean looked down at her, and smiled rubbing the silky soft flesh of her arm gently. "M-M-M-M…." Dean's brows furrowed and he swallowed as she looked up at him…

"Dean?" Her voice was more than a little confused, her eyes concerned as she studied his face…

This could not be happening, there was no way… He exhaled and tried again "M-M-M-M"

"Ar-are you alright?" She asked sitting up and leaving her hand on his chest, she knew they were drunk the previous night when they did… whatever it was they did,… But she would have noticed this… And the look on the muscular man's face, the surprise written there… Told her that he was just as confused as she was…

Dean grunted and shook his head closing his eyes as he sat up, what in the hell was going on? What in the world was happening here? He climbed from the bed and slid his boxers on before making his way across the room to retrieve his cell phone from his jacket pocket.

Leaving the young woman whose name was Shannon, speechless plopped like a rag doll in the middle of the hotel bed, he stepped outside and closed the door behind himself.

He looked down at the small contraption in his grasp and scrolled through his numbers, finding the one that read Sam, his finger ran over the send button, he needed to call him, he needed help…. He needed his little brother… He needed… Answers…

He stood there for a minute drawing his lip into his mouth the cold morning air biting bitterly at his nearly naked flesh, his head shook back and forth again and he snapped the phone shut before he headed back inside and grabbed his pants throwing them on, the phone was useless, he couldn't spit out a damn word, what good was the phone going to do?

He then grabbed his jacket and his duffel bag working around the young woman still sitting there lost, never acknowledging her with so much as a nod. He needed to get going, he needed to get to his brother, and that was the only thing on his mind right now.

He stopped once everything was ready, and scribbled down a note on a piece of paper:

Sorry Dad…. Something came up…. Call you soon.

What else could he say? He folded the note and on his way to the Impala he stuck it in the windshield wiper of his father's overly sized black truck.

It was going to take him almost a full day to drive from his current location to Stanford, twenty three hours and forty-six minutes to be exact. All of which his mind was going to be racing….

The radio was off. The windows were up. And Dean was scared out of his mind. A combination of very un-Dean like things for Dean to be doing and feeling…

There was just, no way… Taking a deep breath the road ahead of him, he opened his mouth remembering part of the riddle his brother had made up for him, alone there in his car….He thought he would give it a try….

His muscles tensed just as they used to, his head already throbbing… "T-T-T-T-T" He growled and swallowed his thoughts spinning in a whirlwind so big it took everything he had to keep his eyes on the road as he pounded mercilessly on the wheel in front of him in frustration…

He pounded and pounded for a good three miles before a tear found it's way from his eye down his cheek followed by another, then another… he swallowed hard, he hated to cry… he never cried. He was a fighter… A warrior, and they were not allowed to shed tears….

Even when he was alone, he never cried…. But he was crying now…. Frustration and fear had consumed him so deeply that he allowed the tears to come, in fact he welcomed them…

Hours and hours of them…

Before finally he found himself sitting in the parking lot of Stanford University, the clock on the dashboard reading 6:55 Am. He had made it in less than twenty-one hours…

Climbing out of the car and stretching his legs he groaned, his body and his mind were so overly exhausted that he thought he couldn't take another step….He couldn't move another inch…. But his fear kept his body moving.

He knew that his brother's dorm was in the West Hall, but that was all he knew, he hadn't thought to ever ask… And he had never once made it to visit like he had been promising for the last three and a half years…

A decision he now regretted.

Sticking his keys into his pocket he sucked his bottom lip once more into his mouth and made his way into the building…

It was just as he had seen in the movies, the polished wood, the nerds with glasses, the books lining the walls… Everything was just so typical…

The large desk on the far end of the room against the wall with the INFORMATION CENTER sign above it, dean guessed was the first place he needed to go.

There was a young man, who must've been about Sam's age standing behind it his fingers typing away quickly on a computer keyboard.

Dean cleared his throat and tapped his fingers on the desktop.

"How might I be able to help you?" The redheaded youngster asked, his glasses resting on the tip of his pointy nose as he looked up, the perfect accent to his green and red plaid vest…. Yikes… Dean found himself thinking a smirk coming to his lips… Welcome to nerdville

"W-W-W-WNNNN…" Dean growled and swallowed, shit what the hell do I do now? He thought his eyes scanning the desk for a pencil, and much to his surprise and dismay not finding one…

"Excuse me?" the boy asked a smirk coming to his own lips as it was obvious he fought to keep from laughing.

Dean's face grew furious and he cleared his throat…. Little punk, I should kick your ass and use it to wipe that my shit don't stink grin off your face…

But he simply tried again… "W-W-W-W-W…" He closed his eyes and tilted his head back his hand still resting on the desk balling into a fist, his stutter not only seemed to have returned, but it appeared to be worse than he remembered…

"I'm sorry…I don't understand" The young man was obviously growing short on patients and manners as a snicker came to his voice and he tried to cover it by clearing his throat.

Dean's violent side was rising to the surface and when his eyes opened again they burned with disapproval… "W-W-W-W " He tried to take in a deep breath but had to settle for two shallow ones instead.

"I don't understand…" The man repeated as one of his many fellow students walked by, "He Joe, you know who this guy belongs to??" He asked turning to the tall darker skinned man who just shook his head in response.

"Why? What's the matter with him can't he tell you himself?"

"He's retarded or something…" The red head said without thinking…

Dean's eyes immediately widened, "I can't understand a thing he's trying to say…"

Before he could even blink the nerdy young man found himself hoisted up against the cold hard wood of the wall behind his desk his feet dangling off the ground…. The slightly shorter yet obviously stronger man's hand was around his neck and his eyes were set on fire with fury…

Dean was really not in the mood for this, and he sure as hell was not retarded, he held fast to the scrawny man's neck holding him there tightly and planning to not let go until the little bastard understood what he wanted and told him where he could find his brother…. His hazel orbs were burning into the man's freckle covered face.

"Woah, dude…" The young dark skinned guy approached the desk his own eyes wide, "It's really alright…. I'll-I'll help you, just please put Bill back down…."

Bill, that was this assholes name, yeah he looked like a Bill, considering the only other Bill that came to Dean's mind at that moment was Bill gates, the richest nerd of all time,….

Before to long there was a crowd of people surrounding the help desk in the back of the room, and Dean made no attempt to let go of Bill the longer he held him there, the angrier he got, the angrier he got the longer he held him there, it was a vicious , vicious cycle. He wasn't squeezing hard or anything, at least he didn't think so… Just enough to scare the little shit…

Sam Winchester closed the door to his dorm room and slid his theology text book under his arm as he took the steps two at a time down into the main lobby, he had plenty of time to kill before the class actually started, but the earlier he arrived the further in the back he could sit….

As he reached the bottom of the stairs his head cocked to the side a little and he squinted noting the crowd of people toward the back of the room surrounding the help desk, "What the hell is going on?" He asked softly to himself, the hunter, the helper in him, forcing him to go check it out.

As he approached though pushing his way through the mass of bodies, Sam's face froze at what… who he saw before him….

There was his brother, pinning his resident advisor to the wall… Dean's face was furious, pain filled, and Sam wondered what in the hell was going on…

Dropping the book he was holding to the floor he stepped into the small space unoccupied close to his brother, "DEAN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" His voice was angry.

Hearing his brother's voice caused Dean to relax a little, but still he was not sure he wanted to let go as he cocked his head to the side as if to contemplate the matter, nobody laughs at Dean Winchester you nerdy son-of-a-bitch! He found his head screaming the hand around Bill's neck tightening just a little as a surge of fury ran through Dean's body….

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Sam ordered his voice taking on a tone similar to their fathers, when he was barking orders at them. He put a hard, disapproving hand on Dean's shoulder and tugged heavily. "DEAN…. Come on man what's this about huh?"

Dean finally did as he was asked and let his hand fall from Bill's chest watching satisfied as he stumbled when his feet touched the ground again, fear evident in his eyes as he looked from Dean to Sam clutching his throat in purely over dramatic fashion, "Th-This retard belongs to you?!?!"

Sam had to act quickly putting his hand to his brothers chest and holding him back, his older brother making an attempt to lunge once more toward the ballsey yet stupid resident advisor…

"Watch your mouth Williams or I'll let him go…" Sam snarled trying to keep his cool, the crowd around them growing larger and larger by the minute.

"He's not even worth it…" Sam whispered venomously looking from Bill to Dean who was still being held back by his arm, face masked and spilling over with pain… anger and even a little fear…

Sam's grip on his brothers shoulder was tight as he practically pulled Dean away from and out of the crowd by the arm, a confused look still on his face as they made there way to the other end of the room away from wandering eyes and ears, the group of college kids who had been surrounding them now dwindling, a few of them now huddling around Bill listening to him tell an overly traumatized version of the events leading up to his 'attack'…

"So…" Sam exhaled running a hand through his hair, "Let me ask you this again…"

Sam noticed Dean was to busy watching the young man he had just probably literally scared the shit out of over his shoulder and paying no attention to him…

"Hey…" He pulled on Dean's chin and forced his face to shift, "I'm over here, now why are you here Dean…"

The older brother's eyes closed and he swallowed fighting to concentrate..

"Is it Dad, did something happen to Dad?" Sam's heart stopped beating in his chest and he held his breath in until he saw his brother's head shake back in forth in an obvious no motion.

"Well then what is it man, talk to me….."

Dean's eyes opened again and this time Sam swore he saw tears just below the surface as his mouth opened and his jaw trembled… "H-H-H-H-H-H-HEEEEEE" Dean swallowed repeatedly his nerves shot frustration written across his entire face.

Sam's face scrunched a little growing even more confused by the second he frowned, "What?"

Dean's hand's came up and he began motioning with them as though he were trying to spit the words out.. "HHH-H-H-H….SSSSSSS-S-S-S-S-S." His attempt was fallowed by a long and pain filled growl.

"It's back…" Sam whispered putting a heavy hand on Dean's shoulder, not to sure what to make of this himself…

Now that he looked deeper, he saw how tired, how run down his brother appeared and he knew he must have been driving all night and all morning, he knew what kind of state he must have currently been in….

"Just ummm… Just try to relax alright." He glanced toward his watch, trying to keep his cool "I'm gonna blow off class today, we can go back up to my room and try to figure this out…"

Dean swallowed hard at the response his brother was giving. He was hoping praying, for the answers that Sam obviously didn't have. He nodded his head almost numbly and followed his baby brother back up the steps toward his dorm room.

As soon as they we safe inside his room the door closed behind them Sam took a seat on the bed and looked up at his brother, "Did I demon do this?"

Dean shook his head.

"A witch?"

Again with the head shaking.

"Anything supernatural?" Sam was silently hoping for a nod, something that they could fight, something that could be defeated and magically allow life to return back to normal.

But his hopes were quickly broken with a final shaking of his brothers head.

"You mean to tell me that after over three years, you just woke up… and it was back again…"

Dean swallowed, "sssssss-sssssss-…." He grunted and Sam watched his face tense up again his jaw clenching as his adam's apple bobbed,…"sss-s-s-s-st-stron-stronger!" the word finally came out.

"I can tell…" Sam frowned slightly and ran his hand over his face clearing his throat. "This is just… weird-" Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Sam's cell phone.

He reached into his pocket and pulled it out looking at the caller I.D it was a number he didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Sam… It's your father…."

"Dad,…Hey…."

Dean's face froze and he swallowed watching, he knew that his brother could not lie to his father for him..Sam was never much of a fibber that was always Dean's department…

"Hey, is your uh, is your brother there with you? I got this weird note from him this morning, and it's well… its not like him to just run off like this."

"He's here." Sam replied shortly.

"What's he doing there."

"He just uh, he needed some time away is all…" Sam lied sighing softly,

"Time away, is that what he told you?"

"Yeah…."

"Can I talk to him?"

"He's um, he's sleeping right now, I don't want to wake him, he just uh, he just got here about an hour or so ago…"

"Sam."

"I promise I'll have him call you as soon as he gets up alright?"

"I guess that's going to have to do…"

"Dad?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is that the only reason you called, to find out where dean was?" Sam couldn't help but sound more than a little hurt, this was the first time his father had called him since he had arrived at Stanford, and the only thing he wanted to know about was Dean?

"Is there something you need?"

"No..I just you know thought you might have wanted to talk or something…." He cleared his throat, "But- never mind we'll call you later alright?"

"Okay son. And Sam…"

"Yeah Dad?"

"You take care of yourself okay?"

"You too…" Sam hung the phone up and glared in his worried brothers direction, Dean's face studying him intensely as he chewed hard on his bottom lip.

"You didn't tell him you were coming here?"

Dean shook his head…

"Why the hell not…. He has a right to know what is going on with you, You're not going to be able to hide this from him you do know that don't you?"

Sam watched as Dean's hands flew up in the air in response to all the questions being hurled his way. He hated not being able to answer them, but at the same time it was a slight relief not to have to.

"terrific." Sam grumbled.

And it was acknowledged with the same apologetic look he used to receive when he was roused in the middle of the night to relay a message between Dean and their father, a look that meant I'm really sorry about this but what else can I do….

"I know… I know, you're sorry…" Sam rose to his feet and began pacing the small room they were in, "Have you tried the exercises we used to do?"

Dean's glare intensified.

"Stupid question I guess…" The younger brother rubbed his slightly unshaven chin, "I just… I'm not sure what's causing this… Let alone how to help you with it…but… we'll figure it out."

That was not the most promising thing Dean had ever heard come from his brother's lips, in fact it wasn't promising at all… He didn't want to go back to how things were before, he knew he couldn't live like that now that he'd been given a taste of freedom from the prison he had been locked in for so many years….

He couldn't go back to that.

Out of the corner of his eyes Sam saw his brother's face fill with even more pain, more fear if that was even possible and he took a step closer to him putting a hand on his shoulder his tone strong. "It's gonna be alright… We'll figure this out…"

But Dean gave no acknowledgement to the encouraging words, he just kept his gaze straight a head…

"I mean it Dean…" He tried again emotionally pressing a little harder, hating seeing the current state Dean was in.

Flustered. That was the correct word Dean's eyes shot up, "N-N-N-N…A-A-A-A…." He resisted the urge to hit something, anything his chest heaving out breath after breath in a panic sort of state…

"hey… calm down." Sam warned, "You're not helping anything by getting yourself all worked up like this, there's no way your going to be able to get a word out…"

Dean settled again for an icy glare to relay his feelings.

"I'm serious." Sam drew in a breath and exhaled, "Just like when we were younger, Deep calming breaths, I know it's hard but you have to relax…."

Dean's lip sneered in disapproval before he finally caved and imitated his brother's deep lung filling breath and exhaling.

"Good. Now, there's a specialist here on campus, maybe I could get you an appointment with him?"

"mmm…mmm"

"You've got to see someone about this…."

"n-n-n-no!"

"Alright… Alright, I'll just uh, I'll go talk to him this afternoon and see what he can come up with for you to try…. In the mean time, you need to get some rest… You look like shit man, I'll search the net and see if I can come up with anything else to try…."

Dean couldn't help but stare directly at his brothers lips, he envy he had felt so long ago returning like a bolt of lightening striking through his heart, his brother had everything he ever wanted…. Brains…. A life, and even a normal speech pattern…

Meanwhile Dean had nothing, only hunting, hotels, hunting, guns, and oh yes more hunting….

He nodded in the taller man's direction not in the mood, nor having the strength to argue he kicked his shoes off and allowed himself to fall back on the soft mattress of his brother's bed… Sleep yes sleep would be good, then he would be free of the thoughts flying through his brain, at least for a little while anyway.

- It was hours later when Dean finally awoke, before blinking his eyes heavily and looking down at his watch. 2:15 pm he had been asleep for somewhere around seven hours, well that was a start. The now rested man's face wrinkled a little in confusion as he sat up and looked around running a hand through his messy dirty blonde locks.

Sam was no where around….

It took him a few minutes to spot the small piece of paper sitting on top of his brothers solid oak desk near the door, rising to his feet he headed over and read it quickly.

Dean,

I had an appointment with the specialist at 1:45, and after that I have a test in my last class I nearly forgot about so I be back somewhere around 6 I promise, just hang out here until then.

Sam

P.S. Oh and Dean, don't go getting yourself into any trouble alright?

Dean's lips turned into a smirk and he shook his head at the small p.s. at the bottom of the note, when had he ever been the one getting into trouble? It was always, always, always Sam who needed the bailing out, even when they were younger, that was what he spent more than half his life doing, helping Sam out of one jam or another, whether it was during a hunt, with a girl, or even a few bullies…

Although Dean doubted Sam got picked on anymore by the size of him, he still remembered the days when he did, since little Sammy was almost always the newest kid in town. And Dean would neve3r have to say a word, he would just pound the punks face in until he had beat an apology out of the little twerp, and his brother would be a happy camper again…

Pulling himself back to present day, the rested, but now restless Winchester fished for his keys in his jacket pocket, he was in a college town… and college town meant hot momma's and great bars… He didn't have to talk to enjoy the scenery… Besides it would do him a little good to loosen up some, just have a few drinks and forget about things for a little while.

It wasn't like he was going to get drunk or anything, he never did, just a few beers to calm the nerves…

Sam would never even know he was gone.

- "Dean, Sorry I'm late I…" Sam frowned as he pushed the door to his room open and found it empty inside, his brother was no where to be found, and it was nearly seven thirty p.m. Where in hell was Dean.

Opening is cell he put his books down and with his phone to his ear slid his shirt off before going to his closet to find another one, already knowing he was going to have to go out searching for his big brother,

"Hey this is Dean… If you need me leave a message and I'll get back to you, if this is a wrong number then hang up you moron and don't bother wasting my time."

"damn-it." The young man growled and closed the phone putting it into his pocket.

He knew where his brother had gone, Dean was definitely a drinker, which Sam had never understood really, with the life they had grown up with, their father always slightly plastered and hardly ever fully sober,… How could Dean want that life for himself?

So yes, Sam knew where he was going to find his brother, he just didn't know which one, this being a college town and all there were bars on nearly every corner…. "I'm gonna kill him." He mumbled to himself as he stepped back out the door and slammed it in frustration….

He knew that his brother was upset, he knew that he was lost right now, confused and even a little scared, but that didn't mean he needed to do what Sam knew he was out there doing… This was going to be a long night….

Six bars and about three hundred drunk people later, at just after 8:45 Sam stepped through the doors of the Firehouse and a sigh of relief and exhaustion crossed his lips, seeing as how he had been on foot in search of his older brother.

There he sat head slumped forward slightly half hoisted on to the stool, the stealth hunter qualities he possessed nearly non-existent as Sam watched his head tilt back and a small glass of amber liquid was poured down his throat.

"Fabulous." He frowned watching as the big breasted petite blonde waitress leaned over the counter, and dean's finger came sloppily up into the air pointing at another bottle close by and nodding, before sliding a few bills between her cleavage….

Clearing his throat Sam closed the distance between the two of them and placed a hand on Dean's shoulder from behind… "Hey there big brother…." His voice was loud in an attempt to be heard over the horrid Achey-Brakey Heart blaring from the jukebox mixing with the sounds of drunken chatter.

Dean's head was heavy as he forced it to shift up and his glassed over red orbs took in the sight of his baby brother, in fact at the moment he seemed to have two…. No three…. No two, baby brothers looking down at him with glares of disapproval. "hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ssssssssssmmmmmmm,"

It was a good thing Sam spoke drunken stutter as his frown simply deepened, when his brothers intoxication met it's peek, his sounds would come out easier, but they were still broken and now slurred, "Can you stand up?" He asked uncrossing his arms from his chest and shaking his head in the direction of the waitress who was headed there was a new shot glass and fresh beer in her grasp. "He's all done for tonight thank you"

"I think that's up to him… Isn't it sugar britches…" She smiled in Dean's direction.

The drunken man nodded looking at his brother with a sloppy half grin. "f-f-ffffffnnnnn s-s-s-s-sssssssssmmmmm"

"No- no you're not fine, you're drunker than shit, now get the hell up, we are leaving." He was growing increasingly angry the longer he stood there, looking down at the pathetic sight before him of his drunken brother.

Dean could hear the sound of disapproval in his brother's voice and frowned to himself, he was just trying to have a little fun, just trying to forget, and he wasn't even that drunk….

He rose to his feet and immediately staggered to the side his feet unsteady breath reeking of beer and whiskey the same combination of poison their father preferred.

"Woah…" Sam reached out and placed a heavy and sturdy hand on the shorter man's upper arm gripping it hard and balancing him, "Fine my ass…" He mumbled leading both of them toward the exit… Dean's feet stumbling and tripping him the whole way as he was being drug out of the bar.

"I-I don't understand why you do this to yourself, you know? I mean I really have no freakin idea Dean, what it is that makes you want to be like Dad, you were there as much as I was, the drinking, the hangovers the tip toeing, you saw it all with me and I just don't understand it….." Sam was furious as they stood outside of the bar the cold night air he was hoping would help sober his brother enough to navigate his own feet.

Dean felt nauseated as he leaned against a large telephone pole and looked in the direction of his brother, this was the first time he had been up right since his drinking escapade had begun about six hours or so ago. He had started out slow at first… a few easy drinks, but the more the night progressed the more his alcohol intake did as well… It felt good… to Drowned like he was… to feel free and at ease with everything…

Everything of course except for the look of anger and pain that was burning through him from his brothers eyes at the current moment…

"s-s-s-ssssssssssssssmmmmmmm" He blinked and swallowed,

"I don't wanna hear it right now Dean." Sam spoke through gritted teeth, putting his hand out. "Give me your keys man."

Dean nodded and reached for them in his pocket before listlessly dangling them out in Sam's direction and watching as they fell from his grasp before his brother could grip them clanking against the side walk…

On unsteady feet he leaned down and felt the concrete come in contact with his head "mmmmm" he growled and felt the vomit rise in his throat his feet underneath him giving way at the same instant

Sam thought for a split second about letting him just hit the ground and vomit all over himself, about just leaving him there in his own mess he had created. But he couldn't do that… he didn't have it in him…. As he leaned forward and gripped the close to heaving man around the waist holding him upright and kicking the keys out of the way from where Dean was about to get sick.

"I gottcha" He mumbled half heartedly…

Second half to come soon, you guys wanted this and that is the reason I wrote it so I hope you enjoyed it and as always let me know what your thinking, the good the bad and everything in between.