I pulled off the main road into a rutted dirt driveway and checked in the rearview again that the boys were keeping up. I slowed down, both because the ruts were deep and irregular, and because I knew the Impala would be going super-slow to not get one single scratch on it. Sam was driving the car and it was a sign just how sick Dean was feeling that he let his eighteen year old brother behind the wheel at all.

We were driving back-country roads for three hours or so and I could picture that every minute of those three hours had been filled with Dean telling Sam every single thing he was doing wrong, and reassuring him that he was doing a good job.

The driveway led to a darkened cabin. I parked the truck on the gravel pad near the porch and Sam pulled in next to me. By the time we both got out and grabbed our gear, Dean was still getting out of the car. In the not-quite-dark-yet, I could see the fever on his face. He was coughing only when he couldn't stop it, and he kept a hand pressed to his chest.

"Sammy, grab Dean's bag too."

"Got it."

"What place is this?" Dean asked and it cost him a deep breath to ask it.

"Friend of mine, another hunter. I called her on the way here, she's out on a job but she said we're welcome to anything we need."

"'Her'?" Leave it to Dean to pick up on that.

"Yeah. Bambi Benderson -."

"Bambi?" Dean asked before I barely got her whole name out. His voice was a croak and a squeak but that didn't stop him. "You know a hunter named Bambi? Dad, you been holding out on me man."

That didn't really require an answer, it was mostly Dean trying to ignore the pain in his chest.

I found the key in its hidden spot, unlocked the front door and switched on the lights. The place was just a couple of rooms and a couple of modern conveniences. There was a double bed, a table and chairs, and a woodstove in the front room, and a kitchen and bathroom in the back.

Dean dropped himself face down on the bed. Sam dropped the two duffels on the floor and went to get a fire going in the woodstove, moving stiff and slow from his bad back. I double-checked Bambi's salt lines then went in search of supplies to take care of my boys. Bambi's well-stocked with survival provisions and a propane stove and by the time the woodstove was warming the cabin, I had two bowls of ramen noodle soup ready.

"Sam - eat." I put his bowl on the table. "Dean, sit up."

"I'd rather you just shot me." Dean said into the blankets and pillows.

"Be a waste of ammo." Sam said, code for 'stop whining, you'll be okay.' He tossed a smile my way and I tossed one back and Dean moved enough to flip his brother off.

"Dean - sit up." I said again, and I tapped a chair to remind Sam he was supposed to be eating too. With a lot of mumbling and grumbling Dean maneuvered into sitting and took the bowl of soup.

I grabbed some rice out of Bambi's stores, grabbed a flannel shirt and sewing kit out of my duffel and sat down at the table with Sam to get to work.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" He asked. He was almost done with his soup already.

"Soon as I get a few things done. The water'll still be hot out there, get yourself some more soup."

"Yessir."

I cut the sleeves off my shirt and sewed them up into rice-filled packs, then set them on the woodstove.

"Homemade heating pads." I said to answer Sam's puzzled look. "I couldn't find any of the real kind." That didn't quite clear the puzzled look but Sam nodded and got himself some more soup. I turned the rice packs over a few times until they were good and hot, and brought one over to Dean.

"How're you doing kiddo?"

"N-n-never b-b-better." He was shivering so hard, soup was splashing out of the bowl.

"Here, you take this, give me that."

He handed me the bowl and I gave him one of the packs. He hugged the heat to his chest and I pulled the blanket up and sat down next to him with the soup.

"Aww Dad."

"Don't 'aw Dad' me. You need to eat. Open up." Behind me, I heard Sam chuckle.

"Laugh it up Sasquatch." Dean croaked at him weakly. "You're gonna catch this cold then it'll be your turn to -."

I took advantage and slipped a spoonful of soup in while he was ranting. He scowled at me but knew better than to backtalk me. He swallowed the soup and let me feed him until the bowl was empty.

"Go to sleep." I told him, but before he slid down into the bed he gestured with his head over my shoulder. I turned to watch Sam carrying his bowl back to the kitchen. His gait was slow and his movements were stiff. I nodded to Dean that I was aware and left him to get settled.

"Your turn now." I said to Sam as he came out of the kitchen.

"Me? What?"

"You think I can't tell your back is killing you?"

"I'm fine."

I gave him my 'stop bullshitting me and do as I say' look. Being Sammy, he stood his ground and I re-confirmed my order.

"Lay down and I'll put the other heating pad under your back."

"But Dad you haven't slept in almost twenty-four hours. You haven't even eaten yet. Take care of yourself first. I can keep watch."

"You're just as tired as I am."

"I slept in the car." He said it so quick and earnestly I would've believed him - except for one little thing.

"You mean that car you were just driving?"

Dean would've made a crack about multi-tasking or stammered out some lame backtrack of what he just said. Sam only held my gaze. He looks so much like his mother.

"You need to take care of yourself too." He said.

"You boys first. Now go on, take off your jacket and lay down next to your brother. The sooner I take care of you, the sooner I take care of myself."

Dean would've grumbled loudly, but he would've gone immediately. Sam turned, looked back at me, walked toward the bed and looked back over his shoulder at me again. That look works on Dean, the way Dean has looks that work on Sam, but their looks only work on me when I want them to.

"C'mon Sammy, let's cuddle." Dean patted the mattress.

"Shut up." Sam sat on the bed like he was going to snap in half from the pain. He kept a blank face trying to pull his jacket off. Before I could go to help him, Dean pushed himself up to slide it off for him.

"I can do it."

"Yeah, I can see that."

Sam shot him a dirty look and Dean came back with one of his looks - head slightly down, eyebrows slightly raised, 'you think so?' stare. The look that always makes Sam cave.

"Thanks."

I've got looks that make Sam do what I want, but none of them have ever inspired him to thank me.

I carried his heating pack over and laid it down on the mattress and Sam levered himself down on top of it.

"It's in the right position?" I asked and he nodded. Just as I was about to pull the blanket over him and move around to check Dean, Sam came flying off the mattress.

"Dad." He grabbed hold of my arm to keep himself upright. "It's hot."

"All right, hang on." I put one arm around him to hold him steady while I folded the remains of my shirt with the other hand and laid it over the heating pack. Just as I was about to ease him back onto the mattress, Sam relaxed against me and I put my other arm around him and held onto him a little bit longer than I needed to. It'd been a few years since I got a full on hug from Sam, and it was probably going to be a few more years at least until I got another one, so yeah, I took advantage of the moment.

Dean smirked, but then he smiled like he always did whenever he caught me and Sam in a 'chick flick' moment. He knew how much those moments meant to me. I hoped they meant something to Sammy too. Maybe they did because he didn't push away from me, he rested against me longer than he needed to, just like I held him longer than I needed to, and I finally let him go only because he needed to lie down and have that heat on his back.

"Okay. I think you should be okay now to lay back. Come on, let me do the work."

I carried his weight down to the bed, waited until I knew he wouldn't get scorched again, then pulled the blankets over him.

"Sleep." I told him, and he nodded. First time all day he'd agreed to do what I wanted on the first go.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Dean asked me, and I pointed over my shoulder to the chair in front of the woodstove. "We can scrunch together Dad, you can lay down here."

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "We'll put Dean in the middle, it'll help keep him warm."

"I'll keep watch."

"I can do that." Sam tried again.

"After you sleep."

"Yessir." He sighed in resignation. Either his back hurt too much to put up a fuss, or it was starting to feel. He watched me though, even when I wasn't looking at him, I could feel his eyes on me.

I heated up the water again and made myself some ramen soup and took it to my chair in front of the woodstove. Then everything was quiet, just some rain on the roof and the boys breathing, Dean sounding less congested and Sammy sounding asleep.

My boys were fed, warm, and sleeping. Life was as good it could be for a little while.