Disclaimer: I used to own supernatural, the boys, the Impala and everything else on the show. But then, the men in white gave me my meds and I had to take them.

Summary: Burdens are for shoulders strong enough to carry them. And Dean was prepared to take on all the burdens for his brother's sake. But what if he couldn't bear them after all? Who, then, would be there to pick up the pieces? Set from 6x11, onwards.

A/N: Finally, I'm starting this new story. As most you must have noticed, there is a pattern to my stories. Dean is used emotionally till he has finally had enough and then Sam realizes his mistake and scrambles to make up for it. This one will follow more or less the same idea. But I'm sure I'd be able to do that in new and interesting ways. Hopefully, I'll finish this before Supernatural restarts. This will be AU since Christian will be around in this fic as well. I hate the guy too much to simply kill him off.

Chapter 1.

"Are you crazy?" Dean shouted, nearly swerving the Impala into a ditch. "Please, tell me this is your idea of a joke."

"I'm not joking." Sam replied, completely serious.

"Are you even hearing yourself?" Dean asked. "Going to them for help, of all people?"

"They are good hunters, Dean."

"They sold us out." Dean countered.

Dean wondered if Death had pulled a fast one over them. If all that light and fireworks had actually only been light and fireworks. Sam had seemed sane, alright, all guilt and remorse over his acts as a soulless person. And the few hunts they had been on since then, Sam had seemed almost exactly like his old self, gentle with witnesses, courteous to women and fiercely protective of his brother. And then, out of the blue, he said something like that.

"Samuel lied to us the whole time." Dean said, as if explaining complex logic to a five-year old. "He knew about Crowley. He knew about purgatory. He didn't tell us any of that. He lied to me more than he lied to you. He hid both the fact that you were alive and that he was capturing monsters from me. And he threw us to the wolves. We cannot trust him after all that, Sam."

"Most of that was me." Sam said. "And I'm not asking you to trust him. Just give him a chance, dude. And don't say you already have, because I saw the way you talked to them. You were like, Mr. Paranoia."

"With good reason." Dean replied. "Jesus, Sam, Bobby can help us on this case, if you think we need help that badly."

"We don't." Sam agreed. "But it wouldn't be the end of the world if we gave them a second chance. Dean, I know the way you feel about them, the way you have felt ever since you've met them, but the truth is, I'd like to give them a second chance."

"Why?"

"Why? Because they are family." Sam answered. "They are blood."

"Being blood does not make them family." Dean replied.

"Dean, something big is coming, we both know that." Sam said. "We are on verge of something, Death said that. It would be nice to have some people we could count on."

"We do have people we can count on. Or are you forgetting Cas and Bobby?"

"Cas is busy in his own war." Sam replied. "And Bobby is just one man. We can't always dump our crap on his lap. And let's face it." Sam added with a hint of a smile. "It's better to have someone else on your side other than a has-been hunter."

"Bobby is not a has-been hunter, Sam." Dean defended quickly.

"Actually, I was talking about you." Sam said, with a full-blown grin.

Dean glared at his brother angrily and Sam held up his hands in a placating manner.

"I'm kidding. Jeez, you used to know how to take a joke." He said. "But really Dean, don't you think it would be better to have more backup than just Bobby?"

"What is this really about, Sam?" Dean asked, evading the question. "We have never needed anyone else."

Sam sighed. He had hoped to be able to convince Dean without him dissecting his motives. For a moment he thought about lying to his brother, tell him how family was important to him, because he knew that the truth would bring up some ugly old scars. Then he decided against it. After all, everything bad that had happened to them had started with his lies.

"It's just, I think I really could've connected with them." Sam explained. "In the year I hunted with them, I know that if I had a soul, I could have learned to care for them like I care for you. They really had my back, Dean, and I used them in return, what with being soulless and all. And I feel that I owe it to them to make up for it."

"You owe them nothing, Sam." Dean said. "Not after what they did."

"That's just it. They didn't do anything." Sam replied. "It was Samuel who decided to work for Crowley and he strong-armed the rest of them. Gwen didn't even know about any of it. And Samuel was just trying to bring Mom back. I'm sure that if anyone could sympathize with that, it would be you."

"I didn't get anyone killed to get you back." Dean defended.

"And technically, neither did Samuel." Sam replied. "Selling us out wasn't part of the plan, Dean. We forced him to choose sides. All he was doing until then was hunting monsters like he'd always done. Are you telling me that if Crowley had made you the same offer, you wouldn't have done it?"

"Maybe, but I'm sorry Sam, that reason just isn't enough for me."

Sam sighed again. He had been desperately hoping to avoid the next part of the conversation.

"Dean, I think we really owe them more than that." He said. "They saved our lives a bunch of times. Mine more than yours. And the truth is, they were there for me. During the year when you weren't around, it was just the Campbells and me. I know, I know." Sam held up is hand when he saw his brother turn angrily towards him. "That was my fault and not yours. It was my decision not to come to you and I'm confident that if I had, you'd have dropped everything for me. But the fact is they were my family for a time. And I don't want to just give up on them."

Dean shot his brother another angry glare and just grunted in response. Sam took it as a sign that his brother was ready to fold.

"I have done a lot of bad things to you." Sam said. "Way worse than they have done to us. And you forgave me. Why can't we give them a second chance too? They have done a lot more than I have to deserve it. Please Dean, for my sake."

"Fine. We will make up with them." Dean surrendered. "But I'm not trusting them too much. And neither are you. You got that?"

"Yeah."

"And as soon as this thing hunt is over, we are doing my thing." Dean added, smiling. "We clear on that as well?"

"You mean the road-trip to the Canyon? You still on about that?" Sam asked. "Dean, we don't have time for vacationing. Not when people's lives are at stake."

Dean looked sternly at his brother.

"Okay, fine. We'll do it." Sam capitulated.

Dean sighed contentedly and leaned back in his seat. This family reunion was going to be difficult, not to mention awkward as hell. But that was what Sam wanted. And what Sam wanted, he got.

The reunion had not gone well. Well, on Dean's part mostly. Sam had been welcomed back like the prodigal son he was. He didn't know for sure, but maybe that had something to do with the surly attitude Dean had been exhibiting ever since he entered the compound. In his defense, they had been met with nothing but doubt and suspicion ever since they entered the room, which Sam seemed oblivious to. And then Christian had made the unfortunate remark.

"How could you even think about forgiving them after what they did?" He had said, in no doubt what he had thought was a whisper to Samuel but could be heard all over the room.

"Excuse me?" Dean had been outraged.

Dean's anger was responded to in kind, accompanied with accusations of destroying everything they had worked for, for more than a year. And then Dean's bitter response were stopped in track by a quiet "Dean, please" from Sam. Desperate and pleading, like every time he had needed his brother to let him have his way. Dean was sure he'd regret it but he'd let it go.

"Whatever." Was the reply Dean gave. "I'll be waiting in the car."

Dean hadn't made it inside the car, choosing instead to sit on the hood with a beer. And that was how Gwen found him, when she came out twenty minutes later.

"Not a big fan of family reunions?" She asked, completely unaffected by Dean's cold demeanor.

That was a strange thing about Gwen, Dean thought. While Christian was outright adversarial, Gwen seemed oblivious to the thoughts or feelings of others. Sam had often said that Dean was the same way, but he had always been aware of what others were thinking.

"Not exactly my scene." Dean grunted in response. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing." She replied. "Just getting fresh air."

So Samuel had sent her to check on him. He wasn't worried about Dean, that much was certain. So that meant he had suspected that this whole reunion thing was some sort of a ploy to sneak into his camp and snoop around. Gwen was here to keep an eye on him.

"Well, you can go and tell gramps that 'fresh air' is not trying to sneak behind any of his closed doors." Dean said acridly.

Gwen had the decency to look embarrassed at being caught.

"You got some attitude, you know that?" Gwen said. "You better watch that if you wanna work with us."

"Who says I wanna work with you guys?"

"Why else would you be here?"

"We are here because Sam wants to make up with his family." Dean replied.

"Really? Is that what he told you?" Gwen smirked. "Well, clearly you don't know Sam."

"No, you don't know Sam." Dean replied. "You just knew a soulless creature who walked around using you and innocent civilians and you didn't even notice."

Gwen had no reply to that and Dean felt a perverse sense of satisfaction in having gotten one over her.

"Maybe that's true." Gwen conceded. "But Sam knows you. And he told us a lot of stuff about you when he was hunting with us. Giving you a chance at normal life, that wasn't the only reason he kept coming back a secret from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just little things, here and there." Gwen replied. "Like how Dean wouldn't have thought of that. Or how Dean wouldn't have been able to do this. Basically, he said that you had gone soft. And that we were much better hunting partners for him."

"You are kidding me, right?" Dean laughed. "I mean, c'mon, you guys were working for a demon for more than a year and you didn't know about that. Crowley had regular meetings with Samuel and was taking creatures as prisoners and you never thought of even investigating it? Hell, one of you was possessed for months and you didn't know. I mean, do you guys even salt you doors and just invite the demons in?"

Gwen stiffened, her face clouding over with anger and once again Dean felt satisfied at having gotten under her skin.

"Samuel runs a tight ship around here." She said stiffly. "He wouldn't take flak like that, not even from you."

Dean's reply was interrupted by Sam finally coming out of the building. He sighed in relief. Spending time with his cousin wasn't the best experience and he felt grateful to Sam for, in a way, rescuing him.

"You ready to hit the road Sam?" He asked, getting off the hood. "Find out what we are dealing with yet?"

"Yeah, about that." Sam replied, looking uncomfortable. "I think we should let Samuel handle that one. He said he had seen something like this before."

"You are kidding right." Dean said, ignoring the smirk Gwen was giving him.

"Dean, it just makes sense to let him handle it." Sam replied. "Look, I'll explain later. We got a case right now."

"I thought you said - "

"A different one, Dean." Sam said. "Samuel gave this to me. He said it was right up our alley."

Grumbling, Dean got in the car and drove out of the camp, with Sam sitting guiltily beside him. Once they were far enough, Dean started up again.

"What's going on, Sam?" Dean asked angrily. "That was our hunt. Our case. I found it. And you are just letting him take over, just like that?"

"Dean, they are accepting us back." Sam replied. "Surely we can make some sacrifices."

"Why the hell do we have to make sacrifices?" Dean asked. "Why the hell do I?"

"Samuel said - "

"I don't wanna hear what that old fraud had to say, okay." Dean shouted. Then, visibly, calmed himself down. "So, where to now?"

"New York."

"New York?" Dean repeated. "That's in the opposite direction to the Grand Canyon. Sam, you promised we were heading there after this case."

"A couple of hunts actually." Sam said, cringing. "He gave me a whole folder."

"Sam - "

"Dean, please try to understand." Sam pleaded. "I really need to do this."

"Okay. Alright." Dean calmed himself once more. "So, what's the first hunt?"

"A salt and burn."

"You have got to be kidding me." Dean felt his anger flare up again. "We gave up the hunt for an unknown, exotic monster for a simple salt and burn? That's all that Samuel thinks we are capable of? Is that what you think too?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you think that I'm not good enough as a hunter?" Dean said. "Like I'm losing my touch or something?"

"Ofcourse not." Sam replied. "Why would you even think that?"

"Then why do you feel the sudden need to have expert hunters on our side?" Dean continued. "Why do we have to take on some piss-ant spirit while they get the good ones?"

"It's not that, I promise you." Sam said. "It's just, this hunt is kind of personal."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Sam - ."

"I killed the guy, okay." Sam answered. "Well, not exactly, but I used him as bait and that got him killed. And now he has come back as a spirit. So excuse me if I think that I should take care of this before I go after some imported monster."

Dean looked hard at his brother, as if trying to judge if he was being sincere. Sam did look very guilty. Well, Dean guessed that being re-souled and remembering your soulless acts wasn't a picnic. Kind of like that vampire from Buffy. His brother needed this, he still felt like he needed to redeem himself. And Dean would give him that much, atleast.

"The other cases have something to do with your screw-ups as well?" Dean asked.

"Not sure." Sam replied. "Even the Campbells don't know everything that I've done."

"Fine. We'll go on those hunts. But afterwards, we are going on a vacation."

Watching one's brother have nightmares was never easy. Knowing that your brother was dreaming of hell was even worse. And knowing that the nightmares were back now, after things had been going so well between them, well, he just hit the trifecta, didn't he? The nightmare ended abruptly as his brother shot up in the bed and started looking around in a panicked manner, as if trying to make sure that he wasn't in hell anymore.

"Another nightmare?"

"Yes." Came the groggy reply.

"You still dream about hell? Even after all this time?"

Dean looked up abruptly, suddenly wide awake, as if he didn't know what Sam was talking about. A moment later though, his face cleared.

"I guess these things never go away." Dean replied.

"I'm not an idiot, Dean." Sam said. "You have been doing pretty well for quite some time. I know you had nightmares, but they were getting better. Less violent and less frequent. And then suddenly, you have been having them almost every night. What's going on with you? Is there something I should know about?"

"No." Dean replied, rubbing his eyes.

"No as in nothing's going on or as in I shouldn't know about it?" Sam countered.

"Both, okay." Dean sighed. "Maybe I just really need a vacation."

"We are on a case right now, Dean." Sam said. "I promise, we'll go on one as soon as this one's over."

"Yeah, you've been saying that for the last three hunts." Dean replied. "Sam, I can still get it when something's not gonna happen."

Sam just smiled sadly in reply.

"But you have been very devoted to hunting for a few days." Dean said, suspiciously. "Sam you haven't been scratching at the wall, have you? You haven't been trying to remember anything, right?"

"I'm not the one waking up screaming." Sam replied. "No, Dean, I haven't. I'm not an idiot."

He wasn't and Dean knew that as well. But Dean also knew how his mind worked. Seeing Dean suffer would undoubtedly make him feel guilty about not.

"Just, promise me you'll never try to remember." Dean said. "Even if you feel the urge to."

"I won't." Sam smiled back. "I mean, if I ended up like you, who's gonna take care of us."

Whatever sarcastic reply Dean was going to give was interrupted by their phone ringing. Both boys looked puzzled at each-other and a little worried. There were only a handful of people in the world who'd call them at three in the morning and it never meant good news.

"It's Bobby." Dean said, confirming what Sam had suspected. "Hey, Bobby. What's up?"

Bobby's loud, "Get your asses here right now" was heard even by Sam who was sitting across the room. Dean had to hold the phone a foot away from his ear until Bobby seemed to calm down.

"What's wrong, Bobby? What's going on?" Dean asked, worried over the phone. Sam couldn't hear the reply anymore but whatever it was, astounded Dean. "What? What are you talking about? – Are you sure it's - ? Yeah, I know, but it's not possible. – Yeah, okay, got it. We'll be there as soon as possible."

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, hurrying over to his brother side as Dean hung up the phone. "Is everything alright? Is Bobby okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, Sam." Dean answered. "It's – Adam. He's back."

"What?" Sam asked nonplussed.

"Adam's alive again." Dean said a little louder. "Well, I guess, again – again. He just showed up at Bobby's doorstep."

"That's not – It has got to be - " Sam stuttered.

"I know." Dean agreed. "Either way, we better get there as fast as we can."

Adam was stronger than he looked. He might seem frail, but there was a lot of wiry strength in his lean body, Sam thought as he was enveloped in a crushing bear-hug as soon as he entered Bobby's house.

"I'm so glad you are okay Sam." Adam said, his voice muffling against Sam's shoulder.

"Yeah, you too." Sam answered, returning the hug.

Stepping back, but not letting go of his grip on Sam's biceps, Adam looked up to his brother, grinning brightly. That was, until, Dean cleared his throat.

"Hate to break your love-fest." Dean said. "But we need to work this out before we start with the celebrations."

"Well, hello to you too, Dean." Adam replied, his smile fading a little. "And work what out?"

"For starters, how the hell are you out again?" Dean asked. "And how do we know that you really are Adam?"

"Dean." Sam hissed. He couldn't believe his brother. He had always known that his brother was insensitive, but this was taking it too far.

"Well, he ain't any of your usual suspects." Bobby said from behind Adam. "He passed all the tests. As far as I can tell, he's human. How 'bout you two get your asses inside before you start interrogating the poor boy."

Nodding in agreement, the three of them made their way into Bobby's study. But as soon as they were all settled in, Dean started again.

"So, what happened?" He asked. "Who pulled you out?"

"I don't know." Adam replied. "One moment Michael and Lucifer were whaling on me, the next I was standing in the Stull cemetery. That was three days ago. I don't know who brought me back or why. I didn't have anywhere to go and I didn't have any way to contact you guys. So, I hitch-hiked my way here. Whoever pulled me out has been staying quiet so far."

"Okay, that's a little hard to swallow." Sam said.

"C'mon Sam. You have got to know that it's me." Adam said, vehemently. "After everything we've been through, how can you even doubt me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sam, we were in hell together for I don't know how long. You were all I had down there." Adam replied.

"Woah, woah, hold on a second." Dean interrupted. "You are saying you remember hell?"

"Yeah."

"And you are alright?" He asked, surprised. "You don't feel like, I don't know, start screaming your head off or curl up in a corner and die."

"No. Why would I?" Adam replied.

The other occupants of the room looked at each-other, the same thing going through their minds. What if Adam had come back without a soul as well?

"You haven't had panic attacks or nightmares since you came back?" Sam asked, cautiously. "Have you been able to sleep?"

"Yeah, I slept like a baby." Adam replied. "What's going on guys?"

"Adam, you came back from hell, apparently healthy and whole." Dean explained. "You don't think that's strange?"

"Well, it wasn't that bad, really." Adam said. "They mostly left me alone. Sam, tell them."

"Tell them what?" Sam asked. "I don't remember hell. When I was brought back, they had to put a block in my mind to keep me from remembering."

"Oh, that's good, I guess." Adam said, thinking it over. "Well, I wasn't tortured much in hell. Not really."

"That's ridiculous Adam." Sam said.

"You really don't remember? Sam you protected me down there." Adam explained. "Why do you think I was so happy to see you? When we went to hell, you drew all their fire. Granted that Michael and Lucifer were majorly pissed at you. And Michael wasn't much interested in me to begin with, since I had been doing as he asked. But every time it looked like they would get bored of hurting you and turn to me, you always said something or did something to make them mad again. It was only after you got out for good, did they turn to me. And that wasn't for long either. I just had to put up with it for a few months before something pulled me out as well."

Sam and Dean looked cautiously at each other. Adam's story did make sense. It was definitely like Sam to try everything to protect his younger brother. But even then, Adam had been tortured for a few months. Ever since Sam came back.

"It still doesn't add up." Dean said. "We got Sam out almost a month ago. That means your few months were close to ten years."

"Really? I guess I kind of lost the sense of time down there." Adam replied. "But really Dean, even then they didn't go at me like they did with Sam. I guess after a hundred years, they were getting bored with torture as a way to amuse themselves. And like I said, neither of them actually had a grudge against me."

"Still. I mean – I was in hell for forty years and I was tortured for thirty. And I came back with some major issues." Dean said. "That kind of thing leaves scars on your soul."

"I guess my soul is stronger than yours, then." Adam replied. "I don't know what to tell you Dean. Yeah, I have memories and they are horrible. But right now, all I can think is how happy I am to see my brother again."

Brothers, Dean corrected mentally, but didn't say anything. Adam's slip up went unnoticed by the others in the room as well.

"So you are feeling something?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I feel like I'm over the moon." Adam replied, grinning madly again.

He looked like that too. Adam spent the rest of the day at Bobby's, cheerfully going around from room to room, helping the old hunter in the kitchen or helping Sam find the next hunt. He smiled in a way that lit up the room every time he looked at Sam and Dean felt a stab of jealousy run through him every time it happened. It was only natural that Adam should feel close to Sam. They had been through hell together and even though Sam didn't remember it, he seemed to reciprocate the bond Adam felt with him. Though it might be a little different once Adam got to know him a little better.

But Adam had shown no interest in Dean. Even though he spent all his day following Sam around like a puppy, for some reason, when Dean was in the room, his smile waned and he interacted with Dean as little as possible.

"You boys think we should get him checked?" Bobby asked the moment they were left alone for a bit. Adam had gone upstairs to take a shower and all three of them thought that this was the perfect time to discuss the new development.

"How?" Sam asked. "There isn't exactly a clinic for those just back from hell."

"No. But there is a doctor." Bobby replied. "Castiel. Maybe we should call him down here to give Adam a once over."

Sam looked puzzled, trying to understand what the older hunter was saying.

"To check if his soul is intact." Bobby explained.

"No. His soul is fine." Sam replied immediately. "Trust me Bobby, I've spent the entire day with him. I can tell from the way he talks. He has his soul."

"Sam, I spent the entire year with you and I didn't notice." Bobby argued. "And let's face it, you don't remember your time in hell and apart from that, the only time you have spent with the boy before was just one day."

"Yeah, I know all the arguments." Sam replied. "But he's not acting like a soulless guy. He really seems happy to be back and you can't actually feel happy if you don't have a soul. Besides, he sleeping normally, isn't he?"

"And you don't think that's strange?" Bobby countered. "Dean had nightmares every night for weeks when he came back."

"He still does actually." Sam murmured.

"What was that?"

"I'm saying I see your point Bobby. Dean has been having nightmares of hell again for a last few days." Sam said.

"Well, there you go then." Bobby replied. "What harm is there in just asking Castiel to check?"

"The harm is in the method of checking." Sam replied. "Have you ever had an angel stick his hand in you? Because I have and trust me Bobby, it's one of the most painful experiences I've ever known. I'd rather go through the blood withdrawal again."

"Maybe Adam can take it." Bobby said. "If he's handling hell this good, he can't exactly be weak, can he?"

"Are you listening to yourself?" Sam said, outraged. "He has been through hell. Years of torture. And you want to put him through some more?"

"Dean, feel free to jump in anytime, boy." Bobby said, turning to the elder Winchester.

Dean had been sitting quietly, pondering over the arguments raised by both sides. Both of them were right, in his opinion. There was no definite proof that there was something wrong with Adam, but there was no proof that there wasn't either. Him being okay might be suspicious, but that might actually be the case of Adam being stronger than him. Or maybe he was just in denial of the pain. Or maybe he was riding the high of getting out of hell and they would have to deal with his pain once he got down.

"He hasn't done anything weird yet." Dean said, finally making a decision. "There is no reason to put him through more pain, not unless he does something to warrant it."

"You sure, Dean?" Bobby said, accepting that he'd been outvoted. "It's always best to know for certain."

"Not at this cost. We'll check if he does something suspicious, but right now, there is no reason to ask Castiel to do that."

"Ask me to do what?"

It was a testament to how accustomed they all had become to Castiel's sudden appearances that none of them did more than stiffen a bit in their seats. Calmly all three of them tuned around to greet the new arrival. Something must be going on, Dean thought. Castiel never came down unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Hey Cas." Dean greeted the angel. "I guess you know by now that Adam is back from the cage."

"Yes." Castiel replied, sarcastically. "And not that you would worry about such things, but Michael and Lucifer are still in there."

"Good to know." Sam said. "We were just discussing if Adam came back alright or not. I mean, he seems alright, but so did I."

"And I suppose you were discussing if he came back without his soul? Like Sam?" They all nodded. "Well, atleast I can reassure you on that front. Adam is full possession of his soul."

"You are sure? Absolutely positive?" Dean asked. "You don't have to check him or anything?"

"Yes, Dean, I'm certain." Castiel replied. "Why? Has he done anything suspicious?"

"Dean just can't believe that I'm alright after hell while he still has nightmares." Adam replied, walking into the room. Fresh out of the shower and with his hair still drying, Adam looked younger and more innocent than ever. Or maybe that was just the blinding smile he gave Sam.

"I could check your soul, if you like." Castiel said, raising his arm.

"No." Sam immediately got up, putting himself in between the angel and his brother.

"Don't worry, Sam. It won't hurt." Castiel assured. "I may have to go deep inside to search for a soul, but I can sense it on the surface. If it is there, ofcourse."

"Sam, it's okay." Adam said, gently pushing his brother to the side. "I can handle it."

Everyone looked on in a little trepidation as Castiel put his hand on Adam's chest, right over his heart. Thankfully, the palm stayed over the shirt and didn't go any deeper. Castiel closed his eyes for some time, psychically studying Adam's soul, while the others waited with baited breath.

"Your soul is present." Castiel said, finally opening his eyes and taking his hand off. "It's alright."

"There, Satisfied now?" Adam said, turning to Dean, who looked at Castiel for confirmation.

"You can rest easy, Dean." Castiel reassured. "It's quite a miracle. I can't explain it actually."

"Explain what?" Four voices asked simultaneously.

"Well, his soul is undamaged." Castiel explained. "It's odd. It has survived in the cage for more than a hundred years with Michael and Lucifer. Before that he was Michael's vessel. Things like that tend to leave wounds on a soul. Even if he wasn't tortured there should be scars. But somehow, his resurrection has left him completely healed. It's like, not only his body was remade, but his soul was as well."

"Wait, you are saying that whoever brought him back healed his soul as well?" Dean asked, getting up. "Could we have done the same thing with Sam?"

"I do not believe so." Castiel replied. "Even if it was in his power to do that, he is not the kind of person to do such a thing."

"He?" Dean said, surprised. "Cas, do you know who brought Adam back?"

"Yes." Castiel answered. "Raphael."

"Raphael? The archangel?"

"I don't know of any other."

"Great." Dean said. "You couldn't have told us that sooner? Like when you popped in?"

"You didn't ask, Dean." Castiel replied. "I came here as soon as I found out."

"Why?" Sam asked. "Why would Raphael bring Adam back and then just let him go? What does he want with him?"

"Nothing." Castiel replied, getting a little frustrated. "I better explain from the beginning. Sometime ago Raphael got his hands on a very powerful artifact."

"What artifact?" Dean asked.

"It has no name in the spoken language." Castiel replied. "Besides, it's name is irrelevant. What it can do, is summon any person or any thing. And it is not as simple as just calling out the name of the person. The summoning ritual is very complicated, requiring a part of the physical manifestation of that person."

"You mean some body part? Like DNA?" Sam asked.

"In a sense. Raphael collected the blood you'd spilt while Zachariah was torturing you." Castiel told Adam. "It had dried and had to be scraped from the floor, but it sufficed for the purpose of summoning."

"But why bring me back, at all?" Adam asked.

"Like I said, it was a mistake. He was trying to bring back Michael. Since you were Michael's vessel, he presumed that your blood would bring him back." Castiel explained. "It would have worked to, if the blood had been spilt after you had been possessed by Michael. Since it was before, it served to bring you back instead."

"You are saying that I'm here because of an angel's screw-up?"

"Yes."

"Wait. So if Raphael manages to get some DNA off some vessel, he can still bring Michael back?" Dean asked.

"It's not that easy, Dean. The DNA needs to be from the time while the Vessel is being possessed." Castiel answered. "Michael has no vessel currently."

"So we are safe for now?"

"For now." Castiel confirmed.

The room seemed to relax for the first time since the Raphael revelation had unfolded.

"But maybe not for long." Castiel added, making everyone tense again. "Things are not well upstairs. Raphael is on the verge of winning the war."

Everyone looked around worriedly. They all knew what that meant.

"Anything we can do, Cas?" Sam asked.

"Yes actually." Castiel replied. "I came down here now to tell you about Adam because the last time I stayed silent, Dean was very angry with me. But I also wanted to ask you for help."

"Anything you need." Dean said. "There another heavenly weapon going around?"

"Lots." Castiel said. "And I need you to find me one of them. One that will help me defeat Raphael."

"Alright. Which one?"

"I don't know." Castiel replied. "I have no knowledge of any specific weapon that will work against an arch-angel. I know that none available can kill him, but maybe they can weaken him a bit to give me a chance at defeating him. But I have no specific knowledge of that either. So I just need you all to keep your eyes and ears open and find something. Anything. Because as of this moment, I'm desperate."

"We get it, Cas." Dean said. "We'll help you."

Nodding in gratitude, Castiel disappeared in a flutter of his wings. The Winchesters looked around at each-other. It looked like they had their new job.

"Jesus, Adam. Just sit down and help us do research." Dean shouted

Adam was a curious one. While the others sat researching the ancient texts or the internet, he was snooping around Bobby's stuff, looking through books and artifacts alike and asking questions about them.

"Says the guy who is researching naked Asians." Adam smirked in reply.

"It's a fact of life Adam." Sam said, laughing. "Dean can't concentrate on research on the internet for more than half an hour. He needs to log on to Busty Asian Beauties to unwind."

"Yeah, well, not all of us get off on researching, freak." Dean replied.

"Boy, if you get a virus on my computer again, I swear I'm gonna neuter you myself." Bobby grumbled from his seat, joining in the banter.

"Hey, Bobby, what's this?" Adam asked, holding up a bracelet.

It was clearly an old artifact. Darkened brass metal disc with black leather straps.

"Stop going through my stuff, kid." Bobby shouted. "That thing is priceless."

"What is it?" Sam asked, now feeling curious himself.

"It's one of the very rare and precious items that if you break, you will pay for." Bobby replied.

"Really?" Dean said. "Looks like a piece of junk to me."

"It's a soul-link, okay?" Bobby sighed. "It can bind your soul to earth in case you die or something."

"You care elaborating on that?"

"Okay. You know that spirits are attached to their physical human remains. Well, in that case the remains act like a soul-link. Something that binds them to earth. They can't exist here if that link is destroyed." Bobby explained. "And sometimes, they can attach themselves to other objects. Things that mattered to them in their life. Well, this thing is something like that. You need a spell to bind your soul to that thing and when you die, it becomes your link to this world, even if your bones are burnt."

"So, why do you have it?" Dean asked.

"It can come in handy sometime." Bobby replied. "If a hunter ever wants to go to the land of the dead and make sure he comes back, he can use this thing for insurance. I'd have given this to you when you went to meet death, but you never told me you were going."

"I've seen this thing before." Adam said, cutting Dean's reply off. "Dad had one of these. He was wearing one when he came to take me to a baseball game."

"Yeah. Your dad got it from me for a job." Bobby grumbled. "That bastard never returned it."

"Dad went on a journey to the afterlife?" Sam said, surprised.

"What, you boys think you are the only ones who went jaywalking in the astral world?" Bobby asked. "Plenty of hunters have done it before you."

"Hey, you guys think Dad still has this in the storage?" Adam asked, excited at the prospect of finding something of their father's.

"No, Adam. We checked all of Dad's storage lockers and took care of most of things." Sam replied. "Now only a few cursed, indestructible things are left there."

"What about the one in Windom?" Adam said. "He mentioned it to me once. He said that he used visiting the locker as an excuse to come visit me."

"There is no storage locker in Windom." Dean replied. "Dad left some info about every one of his lockers in his journal. There was no mention of any being in Minnesota."

"Yeah, but those pages were missing, remember?" Sam said. "Dad had torn out those pages. Maybe there still is a locker out there that we haven't checked."

"Great." Adam said, clapping his hands together. "Can we check it out? If Dad was as great a hunter as you guys told me, maybe he had some clue to beating Raphael."

Sam looked questioningly at Dean, who shrugged in reply.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to check it out."

"Awesome." Adam said. "This road-trip is gonna be great."

"This road-trip sucks." Adam mumbled, looking out of the window. "Do we have to stay at seediest motel in town?"

Dean smirked. For the last couple of days he had felt like he'd been on a losing streak in the brotherly banter. It had been even sailing when he only had Sam, but now that Adam was here, the scales were firmly tipped in Sam's favor. Adam never seemed to take his side in an argument. Hell, even when he butted in an argument of their own, either Sam or Adam immediately switched sides. Two college-boys vs. one GED, as they had never failed to remind him ever since Adam found out about it. It just wasn't fair.

"What's the matter?" Dean asked. "Accommodations not up to you standards, you highness?"

"Screw you." Adam grunted in reply.

Dean lay back comfortably on the bed, enjoying his little victory. They were in Windom and Sam had gone out to get some information about Dad's locker and some food, leaving Dean and Adam alone in their motel room.

"Maybe I should try and get my Mom's SUV." Adam said, suddenly. "If they haven't already sold it off in an estate auction, that is."

"What for?"

"Well, going around in the backseat of the Impala isn't exactly comfortable." Adam replied. "And I'm sure Sam would prefer that car too. It has more leg-space in the front, it gives better mileage and it's more environment-friendly."

"Hey, we don't need another car." Dean said with finality. "Not as long as my baby's up and running."

"What's wrong with using two cars?"

"You shouldn't be using two cars if you are so worried about the environment." Dean replied, using Adam's own argument against him.

"Okay, then maybe we can use the SUV and give up the Impala." Adam countered.

"Bite your tongue, heathen." Dean replied in an outraged voice. "What is your problem with my car any way?"

"It's just, why do I have to ride in the back all the time?" Adam asked.

"Hey, I let you drive my car on the way over here for some time." Dean replied. "And it's not like you were cooped in the back the whole time. I remember you riding shotgun."

"Yeah, but when I was in the front, Sam was in the back. And it's more difficult for him because he's so big." Adam argued. "You were always either driving or riding shotgun. Why can't you get in the back for once?"

"Because it's my car." Dean replied, settling the subject. "My car, my rules. And that means that I don't get in the back seat unless I'm near death or there is a chick with me. And don't even start on the music. I don't care how much Sammy brainwashes you, Jason Manns is not coming back inside my car again."

Adam coughed out something under his breath, but Dean caught it all the same, like he was supposed to.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'typical'." Adam replied. "That's the typical blue-collar attitude you have there. Thinking only about banging chicks and driving hunks of metal that should be extinct by now."

"Wow, long insult from the college boy." Dean said, feeling uncomfortable but not backing down.

"You know, just because you weren't smart enough to graduate, that's no reason to look down on us." Adam replied.

Okay, that had gone too far, Dean thought. Adam had crossed the line from standing up to Dean to being outright hostile. Dean could understand Adam's devotion to Sam, but what had he done to deserve this much acrimony?

"What's going on?" Dean asked, confused. "You have some sort of problem with me?"

"No." Adam answered, in a voice that said 'yes'.

"Is this about you getting in this mess because I refused Michael?" Dean asked.

"Look, I was pissed about that at first." Adam replied. "I had to say yes because you kept saying no. And because of that, I went to hell instead of you. But that's not exactly your fault. I made my own bed when I said yes."

"Then what is it?" Dean asked. "You can tell me Adam, we're brothers."

"Would you just cut the crap." Adam replied. "We might be blood but we are not brothers. We hardly know each-other. Sam is my brother. He is the one who has been there for me. You have no place in my life."

"And I'm trying to make a place." Dean argued back. "You are not exactly giving me a chance here."

Adam huffed at that and turned around towards the window. Dean, even though hurt by the rejection he saw in his brother's eyes, reached out to him.

"Adam please. I'm really trying here." Dean said, laying a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I – I really care about you."

That seemed to push Adam over the edge. Whirling around, he backhanded Dean across the face. Stunned by the force of the blow, Dean fell to the ground. Immediately Adam jumped on his prone form, trapping his arms under his knees and laying punch after punch on his face.

It wasn't fair, Dean thought. A kid as small and untrained as Adam should not be able to get the upper hand on him so easily. And why the hell was he so weak? Why wasn't he able to buck up and dislodge Adam? He had been getting weaker for the past few weeks, Dean knew that. In two of the last three hunts Sam had to save his ass from the opponents he should have been able to handle. Still, he hadn't thought it had become this bad.

"Adam – please." Dean begged pathetically.

"Don't say you care about me you son of a bitch." Adam said, grabbing his collar and slamming his head back on the floor. "You left me to rot down there. When Death came to get Sam, I begged him to take me with him. But he told me that you had only asked for Sam."

"Adam - ." Dean tried to explain, but was cut off as the punches started again. His vision was getting blurry. He didn't know how long he'd been lying there, just taking it, but after some time he felt another presence in the room dragging a still livid Adam off him.

"Adam, stop it right now." Sam shouted, pulling Adam away. "Jesus, what the hell is going on here, Dean?"

As close to unconsciousness he was, Dean didn't miss the slight accusation in Sam's tone. As if all this had been his fault. Maybe, in some way, it was, Dean thought guiltily.

"He didn't try to get me out." Adam shouted in response. "He left me to rot in there."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, turning his brother around to face him.

"When Death got you out of hell, he told me that Dean didn't ask him to get me out." Adam replied, calming down a little.

"That's not true." Sam said. "Adam, Dean asked Death to bring us both back. Death just asked him to pick one."

"What?" Adam asked, confused.

"Dean had to make a choice between us, Adam." Sam explained. "And I was a raging psychopath up here so Dean chose me. Trust me, if Dean had found a sure fire way to get you out, he would have."

"Oh." Adam said slowly as the horror of his actions dawned upon him. "Oh – Jesus – Dean - ."

"Save it kid." Dean replied, cutting him off. "I guess I would have reacted pretty much the same way."

"But - ."

"Adam, why don't you give us some time?" Sam said. "Go get a soda or something."

Nodding and with a last regretful look towards Dean, Adam walked out of the room. Sam walked up to his brother, helped him to his feet and to the bed. Without another word, he brought out their first-aid kit and started cleaning Dean's face up. Blood was pouring out of his nose and cut lips and Dean would have a spectacular set of shiners the next day, but nothing seemed to be broken.

"The kid packs quite a punch." Dean said, wincing a little as the antiseptic came in contact with the wounds. "He'll make hell of a fighter someday."

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "What worries me though is how he was able to get the drop on you? I mean, he totally kicked your ass Dean."

"Sam there is no way I was gonna fight him for real." Dean said.

"True, but you should have been able to overpower him easily." Sam replied. "What's going on, Dean?"

"I don't know." Dean replied. "I don't know why I wasn't able to fight back. I mean, I tried, but I just couldn't do anything. Trust me Sam, he's stronger than he looks. Besides, he had a good reason to be mad at me."

"Yeah, maybe."

"You agree with me?" Dean asked, surprised.

"Well – I mean, ofcourse I'd have asked you to pick him over me." Sam explained. "He didn't deserve to go to hell. I guess you will say that I didn't either and you would be right, but he still deserved it less than me."

Dean shrugged in reply. Then another thought occurred to him. Though he knew that he shouldn't ask Sam that, because really, there was no correct answer to this, still, against his better judgment, Dean did.

"Sam, who would you have picked?" He asked. "If me and Adam were down there and you could only get one of out, who would you have chosen?"

Sam's face clouded over at the question.

"That's a stupid question, Dean." Sam replied. "It's like Sophie's Choice. Hell, it is Sophie's Choice. There is no way I could pick between the two of you. You both are my brothers."

"Wait, you are saying you love him as much as me?" Dean asked. "Sam, you hardly know him. You don't remember any of the time you spent with him."

"It's difficult to explain, but I feel like I do. I feel a connection to him."

"What?"

"Dean you know how Adam remembers his time in hell but it doesn't affect him? Like he has all the memories but none of the associated emotions?" Sam explained. "Well, it's the opposite with me. I don't remember spending time with him, but there is a definite connection. I know it sounds sappy, but I love him as much as I love you. So don't ask me to choose between the two of you, Dean, because I don't know which one I'd choose."

He wouldn't ask again, Dean thought to himself. He wouldn't ask because he already knew the answer. And Sam might claim not to, but he suspected that Sam knew as well.

Dean tried to concentrate the best he could in the meager light provided by the flashlight. It was made more difficult by the fact that both of his eyes were almost completely shut due to the swelling. Nevertheless, he was here doing this because he was the only person for the job.

"Dean, would you hurry up?" Sam shouted from outside.

"Would you shut up?" Dean replied and went back to work.

They had found their Dad's storage and gotten the key to it pretty easily. And knowing their Dad, they both knew that the place would be booby-trapped to hell. So they had started opening the door as slowly as they could and stopped the minute they felt a little resistance. The door in the gap hadn't been big enough for Sam to get in and Adam had no experience in disarming explosives, so it had fallen to Dean to slip in. And that was how he had ended up there, kneeling on the dusty ground and trying to detach the trip-wire from the shotgun without setting it off.

"There. All done." Dean shouted to his brothers outside. "You guys can come in now."

Sam and Adam flung the door open and stepped in, going past all the devil's traps and salt lines lying about.

"Took you long enough." Sam said, jokingly.

Dean just grunted in reply and tossed the shotgun to Sam, who caught it awkwardly.

"Jesus, Dean, be careful." Sam shouted. "This thing is loaded."

"You can handle it." Dean replied. "Alright. Let's take in the inventory. Cursed boxes, over here. Sam, take a look and see if you can identify any specific symbols. I'll take the guns and the ammo and see if any of it can be salvaged. Adam, take a look around and for God's sake don't touch anything carelessly. Dad might still have booby traps around."

They all got to their respective jobs, collecting the items to be taken to the centre of the room. Their father had collected quite a few things over the years but unfortunately had never bothered to properly label or categorize them.

"Hey guys, Come look at this." Sam said, bringing one of the wrought iron boxes to the middle. "Recognize this symbol?"

"Yeah." Adam replied. "It was on the bracelet that Bobby showed us."

"Lose the box, Sam." Dean ordered. "That thing was safe for work. Or so Bobby said. We need to lessen the load as much as possible."

Nodding in agreement, Sam opened the box and took the bracelet out of it. Throwing the box aside in the pile that was supposed to be junk, they all studied the artifact for a few seconds, after which Sam carelessly threw it in the middle of the pile to take with them.

"Took you boys long enough."

To say that the voice startled them was an understatement. As used to as the Winchester brother's had gotten to the sudden appearance of angels, demons and all sorts of assorted creatures amidst them, it never failed to throw them into a panic mode. This was a good thing, because their first reaction was to whirl around towards the voice and bring out their weapons and flashlights towards the newcomer. Sam, who had until now held the shotgun loosely at his side, trained it in the direction of the voice and let loose a shot. A figure that had been standing at some distance vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Was that – was that a ghost?" Adam asked, pale faced. The kid might want to be a hunter, Dean thought, but he had never actually been on a hunt. To find one here of all places, with a rookie between them, that was unlucky.

"Not sure, Maybe." Dean answered. "Sam, did – did that thing sound like - ?"

"Jesus, Sam, really?" The voice said once again, from behind them this time. "I know we had our differences, son, but shooting your father is not the answer."

The three Winchester brothers turned around in shock. Slowly, the shimmering yet solid form of John Winchester walked into the full view.

Alright, first chapter is done. Few comments on this. First of all, this chapter might seem a little rushed. Too much happening in too short a time, still nothing significant happening either. Well, I was going to put more stuff in it which I decided to leave for the next chapter. The thing is, the real fun is going to start from the third, so I wanted to set the base of the story really quickly.

Second, Dean might seem a bit OOC here. Well, I'm showing him as weak, to be sure. Bear with it. There is a good reason. All will be revealed.

A few words on Adam. He's not coming off as the most sympathetic character in the story and he's not meant to. I've read a lot of fics where Adam comes back to life and joins the brothers on the road, becoming the best little brother in the world from the outset. They show him as some sort of a woobie. This will most definitely not be one of those fics. My stories have always been about Sam and Dean as will be this one. I guess in the end Adam will end up having some sort of relationship with both of them, but they will always come first with each-other.

Lastly, about John. In the last fic, I brought him back because I felt that Dean had a lot of unresolved issues with the guy. This time, it's for Sam's sake. Don't worry, I don't plan to have all the Winchesters united in the end and spend their lives as a big happy family. The reason I'm giving back so many of the loved ones is because when Sam makes the choice to pick Dean above all else, I don't want all else to just be hunting. That being said, I will not be bringing Jessica back. Firstly because then that story would become about Sam feeling guilty for her death. Secondly, the show didn't flesh out her character enough to tell us if she'd have stayed with Sam if she knew about his real life. Any info we have about her apart from pilot and the djinn episode, might be skewed from Sam's perspective.

Oh and FYI, Jason Manns was playing in the car when Dean got back from hell and saw the ipod. Clearly Dean didn't like him.

Okay, I hope I didn't give up too much of the plot in this big author's note. Reviews and suggestions would keep me writing. So go ahead and click on the little blue button below.