A/N Am I the only one who keeps getting an error message when trying to edit a story? Anyway, site willing, here's the next chapter. I'm sorry for the evil cliffie last chapter and I hope I didn't leave you waiting too long. Thanks again to all who have read and reviewed. A special thanks to those who have given me such kind words of comfort. It means a lot to me.

For those who are like me and need to know these things, I know I said in chapter one that this could be set in pretty much any season, but now that I think about it, it kinda has to be set in season 2. I don't know, it might not matter but even though I may not directly refer to any particular storyarc in the series, I think it helps to know where the brothers are and where they have been. Of course, that might just be me.

Anyway, without further ado,

Enjoy!

The air was chilly and a light breeze and gentle flurries bit at Sam's cheeks as he walked the short distance to the diner next door to the hotel. On the way he pulled out his phone to try calling Bobby again and frowned when it cut to the digital announcement that his inbox was full. He shivered once, nearly slipping on some ice before heading inside musing quietly to himself that while it might almost be spring, it sure still felt like winter.

As he walked in the bell on the door announced his presence and the waitress, Vivian, looked up and flashed him a bright smile. "Hi Sam! How are you doing today?" she greeted warmly, grabbing a menu from the stand by the cashier counter.

Sam grinned and returned the greeting as he sat down in a booth.

"So, where's your brother hun?" Vivian asked, placing the menu down in front of him, glancing at the door with anticipation even as she tried not to look too interested in seeing him.

Sam saw the expectant look and chuckled, knowing how much Dean managed to charm the woman when they first pulled into town. He had the middle aged waitress blushing and giggling like a school girl during that first visit to the diner and managed to charm lots of information out of her—more than they expected. She used to be a member of this cult they were after, but she had quit a few months ago because she didn't like the changes they had made and still had no idea of how dangerous the group had become. She had scoffed at Dean's suggestion that it was a cult, unable to, or unwilling to accept that it was a possibility. But with a cool smirk and a few placating words topped off with a flattering compliment Dean had her eating out of his hand again.

Before he got sick Sam had teased him about being cougar bait to which Dean had replied that no woman could resist his charms. When Sam started listing the women he could think of that weren't enamoured by his charming self, Dean had abruptly ended the conversation and had unknowingly created more fodder for future teasing.

"He's back at the motel," Sam replied, "he's got the flu or something."

Her face fell a moment and Sam couldn't help but be amused by that and then she quickly recovered, "Well, that's too bad. You know, I thought he looked a little under the weather the other day."

For some reason Sam couldn't quite explain Sam took offence to that, probably because he hadn't noticed until yesterday when there was no hiding it and here a relative stranger apparently noticed? "You thought so?" he frowned.

"Honey, I've got three kids, you start to get an inkling for that sort of thing," she pat him on the shoulder. "Now, what can I start you off with?"

"Coffee," Sam replied, glancing out the window at the hotel, worry for his brother creeping into his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. Dean was in bad shape when he left, and no matter how much Dean had tried to downplay it lest he make Sam worry, Sam knew it was bad. Just, how bad he wasn't quite sure but definitely bad enough to warrant a doctor's visit which said a lot considering how risky it was for them with their lifestyle and wanted status. Whether Dean liked it or not, Dean was his brother so Sam couldn't help but worry. "Uh, could you make that to go?" he asked, deciding that with Dean as sick as he was, he didn't want to be separated from him any longer than he needed to.

"Sure thing hun," Vivian said, also looking out the window for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face. She quickly perked up, her posture straightening and a smile crossing her lips.

"And maybe some orange juice," Sam added, "For my brother."

"Of course," Vivian nodded, "I'll get one for you too. You could probably also use the vitamin C, don't want you to get sick too, right?"

Sam smiled, "No ma'am, uh, thanks."

"Do you know what you want yet?"

"Do you have chicken noodle soup?"

Vivian shook her head, "No, but we do have chicken and wild rice."

"OK, I'll order that for Dean. To go."

"Of course. Do you need another minute to decide for yourself?"

Sam looked out the window again and frowned, an uneasy feeling gnawing at his gut, "I think I'll have a BLT with fries."

"White or whole wheat?"

"Whole wheat please. Do you think you could put a rush on that?"

"Sure thing, hun," Vivian smiled brightly. "Worried about your brother, huh?"

Sam nodded.

Vivian patted his shoulder, "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." With that she grabbed his menu and headed for the cash register. Sam watched her a moment as she entered his order into the computer. The diner phone rang and she picked up the phone, turning her back to him.

Idly Sam pulled out his phone and looked out the window again. A large semi pulled into the lot, blocking his view of the hotel and for some reason that caused the uneasiness growing inside him to spike for a moment before he took a deep breath and reminded himself that Dean would be fine on his own for fifteen minutes. It helped, but not by much. Living the life of a hunter taught him many things, and one of them was that anything could happen in fifteen minutes. Sam sometimes resented the paranoia that all hunters seemed to possess, but it had saved his life on more than one occasion.

He glanced up at Vivian who was still on the phone, her back to him; she briefly turned her head towards him. They made eye contact for a split second before she startled slightly and smiled at him, quickly turning away again. Sam narrowed his eyes and tilted his head in curiosity, wondering about her change in demeanour. But when she hung up the phone she smiled at him again, returning with the coffee pot. She poured it into the ceramic mug on the table and Sam nodded in thanks before he realized it was the wrong cup.

"I ordered it to go," Sam corrected her.

"Oh. Right. Sorry," Vivian smiled, looking a little distracted, "I'll take care of that when your food is ready. How's that?"

"Sure," Sam said about to ask if she was OK when she quickly left to take care of other customers.

Holding his phone in his hand Sam tried to call Bobby again. No answer. He cursed under his breath but nearly jumped when his phone suddenly rang. The display said that it was Bobby calling and Sam rolled his eyes, sighing with relief as he answered.

"Bobby! Hey."

"Hi Sam, saw you've been trying to call me. What's going on?"

"How's it going, Bobby?" Sam asked, feeling his anxiety melt away at the sound of the older man's voice.

"Fine," Bobby said carefully, "You?"

"Uh…"

Sam heard a long suffering sigh before Bobby spoke, "What kind of trouble did you idjits get into this time?"

Sam couldn't help but snort in amusement, he could practically hear Bobby's eyes rolling, "None yet. Well… OK actually uh… it's Dean…"

"What's wrong?"

"He can't talk."

"So what'd he do? Piss off a witch? Or did a witch owe you a favour?" Bobby asked, sensing the worry in Sam's voice, despite the fact he sounded fine.

Sam chuckled quietly, "Maybe the latter, I'm not sure. I think he's got laryngitis or something, I don't know…either way he's really sick. Are you busy right now? Because we're on this hunt and I really could use the help right now since Dean's a little out of commission."

"Sure, you know I'm always on standby ready to be your one man b-team," Bobby joked, "that's me, on call for the Winchesters, 24/7."

"I get it, I get it," Sam chuckled, "sorry I know we've been bugging you a lot lately…"

"Sam," Bobby's voice was serious this time, "I kid but you know I'm always here for you two idjits. Someone needs to look out for you two. I've actually just wrapped up a hunt right now. Just tell me where you are and I'll get there as soon as I can."

Sam told him and quickly and quietly debriefed him on the cult they were investigating and the timeline they were dealing with.

"The Equinox is just a couple of days away," Bobby mused. Sam could hear him thinking the way he breathed wearily, "I'll try to be there by tomorrow night. It's a long drive."

"Thanks man, I owe ya one," Sam said.

"Just one huh?"

"OK so our I.O.U.'s are piling up, but you know what I mean," Sam snorted. "Take care and drive safe. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep. Oh and Sam, you should probably be taking some echinacea and vitamin C or something," Bobby said, "I do not want to get there and find two sick Winchesters on my hands."

"One step ahead of you," Sam snickered, "Dean's enough of a handful as it is."

"That bad huh?"

Sam let out a breath. "He's in rough shape. I had to force feed him his meds and he didn't even have it in him to put up a fight," Sam told him quietly.

"Damn, that is bad. You get him to a doctor yet?" Bobby asked, knowing that if Dean wasn't fighting his brother's mother-henning then it was bad enough that he needed one.

"Tomorrow, whether he likes it or not. I might take him in tonight if his fever goes up or if any of his symptoms get worse," Sam sighed worriedly. "To be honest, I'm beginning to think whatever this is is starting to turn into pneumonia or something."

"Your brother doesn't do anything half way, does he?"

"No he doesn't," Sam murmured in response. He glanced up at Vivian who was helping another table. She looked his way and there was an expression on her face that seemed off. Of course Sam only knew her for a few days, but it was a look he hadn't seen before on her. Fear. It was hidden behind her friendly smile but he could see it, his training as a hunter made it clear as day. Suddenly Sam's uneasiness slammed back into him despite the reassuring presence of Bobby on the phone.

"If I were you, I'd take him to see a doctor tonight. From what you're telling me and what we know about Dean, you really should, even if you have to drag him kicking and screaming. I know it's a risk for you boys but if you need to, use my last name," Bobby offered.

"Thanks Bobby, I think I will," Sam replied distantly.

Bobby could hear a change in Sam's voice, "Sam? You OK?"

"Yeah," Sam said, "I'm fine. Uh, I should go. I'll call you later, keep you updated."

"Sounds good, Sam," Bobby said.

"Oh and empty your voicemail," Sam added, watching Vivian carefully. She scribbled something on the note pad in her apron pocket, glancing his way again as she took the other table's order. It was the first time Sam had seen the waitress using the note pad to take an order. An experienced waitress like Vivian didn't need one, certainly not for a table of two.

"Hey, it's not my fault I've been where there was no service for a week and apparently everyone and their dog wanted to get a hold of me," Bobby said in mock defence. His tone sobered, "Take care, Sam. And take care of that idjit brother of yours. I'll talk to you later and see you tomorrow."

"Thanks Bobby," Sam said, ending the phone call, watching Vivian head behind the counter and pour his coffee into a styrofoam cup.

"So who were you talking to?" Vivian asked politely, handing him his coffee and a napkin on the table in front of him, her hands trembling slightly.

"Just a friend," Sam replied. Vivian's eyes moved to the napkin and then looked pointedly at him, her smile never fading. Sam looked down and saw a note lying on top of it.

Act normal, the note said, I think we're being watched. You're in danger. They want me to stall you. Get out of here.

Sam's eyes darted up to meet hers, "Thanks," Sam said, his voice and demeanour never wavering despite his sudden panic, "Hey, hold on to these, I left my uh, wallet at the motel. I'll be back."

"That's all right," Vivian said shakily, "I can start a tab for you if you'd like."

"No thanks," Sam smiled at her, "I'd rather get it over with. Thank you." He stood up and brushed past her as he headed out the door.

"Wait!" She called, but Sam ignored her, knowing he needed to, knowing that she was only calling him back because she was supposed to. He didn't know what was going on or what she knew, but he wasn't about to argue. He'd talk to her later, when it was apparently safe. He jogged outside, the cold air biting at his cheeks. He ran around the semi that had blocked his view and as soon as he saw the motel he reached into the waistband of his jeans and pulled out his gun at the sight that greeted him.

There was a black car parked in front of their motel room door which was wide open. Two figures stood by the door and a third came out, a limp figure slung over his shoulder.

"Dean," Sam whispered, he ran towards them, aiming his gun at the one holding his unconscious brother, "Let him go!" he demanded.

The three men seemed undeterred by Sam and the gun that was aimed at them. Other than sparing him a glance, they seemed to ignore him.

"What did you do to him?" Sam hissed.

The one holding Dean's unconscious body over his shoulder opened the trunk and casually tossed him in as though he weighed nothing before slamming the trunk door shut. Sam adjusted his aim and was about to shoot when the gun was pulled from Sam's grip, flying into the man's awaiting hand as his eyes flashed black.

"We didn't do anything to him, Sam," he said with a smile, "he barely even began to put up a fight before he fainted like a girl. He did that on his own."

"H-how? How did you do that?" one of the others asked, pointing at the gun that had flown into the demon's hand.

"The gods have graced me with a gift, and soon you too will be blessed," the man said, his eyes returning to their normal colour as he turned to his follower, placing his free hand on the other man's head.

"When?"

"Patience, Brother Stephan. Have faith, follow the commands as it was written and prove your worth. If you pass the test and prove your faithfulness, the gods will reward you."

Sam charged at them angrily, "Let my brother go!"

The demon raised his hand and Sam was flung against the wall. He grunted in pain as the wind was knocked out of him and his head slammed against the brick wall.

"What do you want with us? With my brother?"

The demon walked up to him leaned in close and smiled, "You, you come here, asking questions, spreading lies. You seek to destroy us but you do not understand. But soon, you will see. You of little faith, take comfort, for your brother's sacrifice will be your reward and a blessing to us all."

Sam's eyes widened, "You bastard! If you hurt a hair on his head I will kill you. All of you!"

Stephan approached him earnestly, "Don't you see? Your brother has been blessed. He has been chosen. The gods have seen his suffering, his disease and have chosen him! It has been written that his suffering will bring the end to ours; his blood will enrich the land and give us peace and prosperity. The gods will reward his suffering and sacrifice with riches beyond our imagination in the hereafter! It is an honour and a gift to be chosen for such a task."

"Are you nuts?" Sam hissed, "You really believe that?"

"It has been written," the demon smirked.

"Where?" Sam demanded angrily, glancing at the other two, "Just listen to what you're saying! Think about what you're doing! Do you really believe this guy?"

"We have seen with our own eyes the blessing the gods have bestowed upon our elders," the other one said. "How can you not believe when you too have seen the powers the gods have given our brother? You cannot move for he is using them on you as we speak."

"He's possessed you idiot!" Sam snapped. "He's a fucking demon!"

"You of little faith," the demon grinned, "my brothers, get in the car and give thanks to the gods for leading us to the chosen one and for giving me the strength to protect us from our enemy. I'll be there shortly."

The others nodded and climbed into the car.

The demon turned to Sam who struggled against his invisible bonds, his smile changed into something sinister, "I should like to tear your guts out for that," he hissed, "let you see what your insides look like before you die."

Sam held his ground as he struggled, determined not to show the demon any fear.

"Lucky for you, those fools don't believe you and are open to believing anything that comes out of my mouth. Besides, my boss has special plans for you Sam," he added.

"What plans?" Sam demanded.

The demon tilted his head, "Apparently, you're 'special' and I am not allowed to kill you. However, I can't have you following me and getting in my way either."

"What are you talking a—Ahhh!" Sam screamed as a searing pain suddenly tore through his skull. The pain was intense and would've brought him to his knees if the demon wasn't still holding him up. It was like he was having a vision, only the pain was much, much worse. Stars flashed behind his eyes and he could feel blood trickle down his nose as his eyes began to roll in the back of his head.

Sam fought to remain conscious as the demon released his hold and Sam collapsed, his body hitting the cold, icy sidewalk and instinctively curling into a foetal position. His hands flew to his head as he writhed on the ground, crying out in agony.

The demon knelt over him, "Pleasant dreams, Sam." He placed his hand on Sam's forehead and the pain in his head spiked with an intensity so fierce that Sam let out another agonizing scream as he abruptly fell into unconsciousness.

A/N Sorry for yet another cliffie. I'm evil that way. This story will take a somewhat darker turn from here on out, but hopefully not too dark. I'm trying to stay with the spirit of the show and I hope I'll succeed. Anyway, thanks for reading, now please let me know what you think. I'm trying to be the best writer I can be and I'm always trying to improve my writing so I crave the constructive criticism. To those who have read and reviewed, thank you so much. I'm sorry that I don't always reply but know that I cherish each and every one of your comments. To those who have alerted/favorited my story, thanks a bunch but if it's not too much to ask, please leave a comment. Same goes for all you lurkers out there. Anyone who has posted a story on this site knows how wonderful it is to get a review. I know it means a lot to me to get feedback. But still, it is nice to know that there are people out there who are reading this and apparently enjoying it enought to come back for more. I'll try to update again very soon. Site willing.