Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.

Summary: Spoiler for the seventh season finale summary inside. Dean comes back from purgatory and Sam is hiding something. I'm bad at summaries please read it anyways.

Dean was absorbed by a shroud of darkness and it stung like hell. Even though he had been in purgatory for many years at this point, this had never happened before. After several moments, the darkness started to clear as did the pain. The first thing he saw was Sam smiling at him. Soon after, he got swept up in a hug, which lasted a little while before Sam broke it. Sam was staring at him and Dean looked at his surroundings and saw a bunch of symbols and signs and ritualistic crap on the floor. Suddenly Dean was filled with dread.

"Sam, what did you do?" Sam didn't look away, he kept Dean's gaze the whole time.

"What I had to," he said calmly and Dean really didn't like the way he had said that.

"What did you do?" Dean demanded this time.

"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow," he said unnaturally calm.

"You tell right the hell now!" Dean demanded.

"No, I'm going to tell you tomorrow," Sam said in that eerily calm voice that was sending shivers of dread down his spine.

"Please, at least tell me that you didn't do anything stupid," Dean pleaded.

"I'll tell you everything, everything you want to know, tomorrow." Why tomorrow? Why not now? What difference would it make?

"Come on, we should get going, get you some better clothes." Dean looked down at himself the clothes he had gone to purgatory with a while ago were long shredded and while it had been suitable for Purgatory it wouldn't be suitable up here. He started moving and then glanced around.

"Hey, where's Cas?"

"I couldn't get him out this time, but I have a plan to save him as well."

"What plan?" Dean asked really not like being left in the dark.

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Or, you know, you could just tell me now," Dean tried again.

"Or I could tell you tomorrow, like I said I would." Sam looked at him again, gave him a stay motion and left the room. Dean wasn't a dog and really didn't like being told to stay. He really didn't like that Sam wasn't telling him how he had gotten him out of purgatory, and he really didn't like the look of all the symbols and ritualistic crap on the floor. Sam came back into the room and tossed some clean clothes at him. The room he was in had a window, but it was small, the sun was shining directly on the symbols. He moved to where he wouldn't be seen by any passerby, assuming they were on a ground level. He worked his old clothes off and put on new clean clothes. He gave his old shredded clothes to Sam.

"Alright, let's head back to the hotel, so you can get some rest." Sam said then started walking off, Dean grabbed his shoulder.

"You're really not going to tell me until tomorrow?" Dean scowled.

"No, I'm not, it's not that long you can wait." Sam said then started moving off again. This time, Dean followed him through the hallways of what appeared to be a warehouse. The further he got from the ritual room, the more disgusting it looked.

"Sam, you know I've never really been the patient type." he tried again.

"Well there's a first time for everything." Sam said without looking back and then they came to a door which Sam opened. Dean looked out the door into a parking lot but it was so much more to him. It was sunshine, the likes of which he hadn't seen in years, he stood in it soaking it all up. After a few minutes of just soaking up the sun, he looked around the parking lot. The only car in the parking lot was an old light blue junker.

"Where's my baby?" he asked.

"Leviathan numbers are greatly diminished, but I didn't want to risk it, but she's safe and I got her fixed after Meg crashed her."

"Where is Meg?"

"Crowley's got her." Dean saw a little bit of anger there, good at least he wasn't totally creepily calm. Dean found himself at Sam's car and waited for Sam to get in and unlock the door. He sat in the passenger's seat without complaint, Dean was tired, he had been tired for a long time but purgatory wasn't somewhere you could sleep easy, or at all really. Sam seemed to pick up on this because he said.

"It's okay Dean, you can sleep. It's only about 20 drive till our hotel, but you can sleep." Dean put his head against the window once Sam started up the engine. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as sleeping in the Impala, but he was glad he could just close his eyes and know that his brother would protect him from anything.

He woke up a little while later and looked around and didn't see Sam, he panicked, until he heard the trunk pop open and someone taking things from the back. Dean turned around in his seat and saw the trunk was open. He saw the trunk close a little while later and Sam holding a single duffel bag. Dean got out of the passenger's seat a little groggily.

"What room do we have?" he asked Sam.

"Room 115." Sam handed him a key card and the two of them made their way to the room. It was like most places they stayed in, maybe a little nicer. It had two beds and Dean flopped on the one closest to the door as Sam closed the door. It was so nice to be on a bed again, it was so soft. Sam moved to the table next to his bed and took a phone out of his jacket.

"Here's a phone, if you go anywhere take it," Sam said very seriously as he handed it over. Why was he so serious? And why was it giving him such a bad feeling?

"Okay."

"Dean, I just got you back, I'm not losing you again not before..." he trailed off and looked down at the ground. So he did show emotion when Sam was talking about how he got Dean out and how he planned to get Cas out.

"Before what?" He knew there was something wrong with this picture but Sam wouldn't tell him.

"I'll tell you tomorrow." Sam said then he had a smile on his face but he knew his brother, it was a fake smile.

"So what do you want to do tonight?"

"Anything?"

"You just got back from purgatory, anything you want to do is fine with me, so long as it's not talking about what the plan is to get Cas or or how I got you out." Dean bit his lip trying to think of what he wanted to do on his first day out of purgatory." I want to eat a lot," he said first.

"Okay, then what?"

"Where are we?" Dean asked.

"Lawrence."

"Kansas? Why are we here?" This deepened the feeling of dread.

"It's part of the plan," Sam said.

"The plan you won't talk about."

"Not until tomorrow," Sam said with a slight smile, a very annoying smile.

"How about we wing it?" Dean said.

"Okay, fine with me."

Dean woke up feeling a little sunburned. Well, they had spent most of the day yesterday outside, and he hadn't really ever got around to putting sunblock on. Dean looked over at Sam who was still sleeping. Totally unfair, it was tomorrow, he should have his answers now. He set about getting ready for the day and was about to go out to get breakfast when he saw Sam's eyes blinking at him.

"So you're awake, finally." Sam pulled himself in a sitting position and looked at him for a while.

"Seriously dude, stop staring at me, it's a little creepy." Sam's eyes went off him and he pulled himself out of bed and made his way into the bathroom. Dean figured he might as well get some food while Sammy was primping. He made sure he had the phone Sam gave him yesterday, in case he didn't get back before Sam was done. He remembered seeing a food place nearby but that didn't mean he wasn't going to take the car.

He was gone for about 10 minutes when Sam called him.

"Dean, where are you?" he sounded worried.

"Chill, I just went to go get food, I'll be back in a minute."

"Alright," Sam said then hung up.

"Freak,"Dean said with a shake of his head, even though he knew what Sam was going through. When Sam had gotten back from hell, he had wanted to be with him to make sure he was safe, until his soulless body had told him that he had been back for a year then he had been angry and hurt. But when Sam came back, the real authentic Sam, he had wanted to be there for him. It didn't take him much longer to make it to the room. He opened the door with his key card and put the food down on the table and closed the door.

"I don't know about you but I'm starving." Dean sat down at the table and started digging into the breakfast sandwiches he got. Sam sat across from him and took one of the coffees and one of the sandwiches as well and started in on them. Dean scarfed down a few sandwiches and then waited for Sam to finish his first one.

"You done eating?" Dean asked Sam who nodded, way too seriously for his liking.

"Alright then, it's tomorrow. Now are you going to tell me?" Dean demanded impatiently.

"Yes," Sam said simply.

"How did you get me out of purgatory?"

"I used a spell and my powers." Dean's eyes widened and he shouted.

"Sam! You kept on saying you wouldn't do that again, that you knew better!"

"Well, I couldn't leave you in Purgatory, and this was the only way I could get you out, and just so you know, I haven't been drinking demon blood this time around."

"Sam, you know using those powers are a slippery slope, and because you used those powers the apocalypse started!"

"I know, but that won't be the case this time." Dean really didn't like the sound of that.

"What are you talking about?"

"The problem has always been us. If we weren't so codependent on each other, the apocalypse would have never started." Sam was way too calm, he wanted his brother to be mad, or sad, or something other than calm.

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have gotten me out of purgatory!"

"It's too late for that now, but there is a way to fix it."

"Sam, you can't fix it, it already happened!"

"Yes it has, but I'm going to stop it."

"How?"Dean asked.

"These powers of mine, and a spell."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to change it all. Make it so that the apocalypse never happened or if it still does that it's not our fault."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I'm going back in time."

"Sam! You can't stop the apocalypse!"

"Yes I can," Sam said, still in that irritatingly calm voice.

"How?" Dean asked.

"I'm going to take myself out of the equation."

"You're going to kill yourself!" Dean said angrily and worried. He needed his brother, his brother was everything to him.

'No of course not, if I did that the angels would just bring me back, I'm going to steal myself and bring myself to the present time. "

"Sam that's crazy!" Dean realized that sometime during the conversation he had stood up and had moved towards Sam.

"Maybe, but it will keep us apart."

"Exactly, I don't want to grow up without you." He didn't, his identity was wrapped up in being Sam's big brother, his protector. if Sam somehow could do that then that would change and who would he be then?

"I know, I don't either, but it for the greater of humanity."

"I don't care!" Dean screamed.

"Yes you do. You really think you want me? Over Dad, Mom, Ellen, Joe, Bobby. Pastor Jim, and Caleb?"

"You can't change things Sam, you'll probably just make things worse. You can't change what already has happened!"

"I can, if I'm not there then Mom isn't in my nursery on the night of the fire and she doesn't die. Dad doesn't become a hunter because of the grief and he won't raise you to be a hunter."

"Then what about all the people our family has saved over the years, they'll die!"

"Some of them will but think of how many people died during the apocalypse and the people who died because of the Leviathans. This way Cas will still be an angel, a douche but at least he won't try to become god. The number outweighs the people we've saved over the years."

"You can't do this Sam! What am I supposed to do without you?"

"You'll hardly remember me. You'll remember me as much as you do Mom, maybe even less. It's better this way."

"Sam, please don't do this. You're everything to me."

"And you're everything to me and that's why the demons, the angels always win. This way you'll get to be normal."

"I don't want to be normal! Especially if it means not having you!"

"You won't have to go to hell, because you won't have to sell your soul for me and you won't have to go to Purgatory because you won't be a hunter. Maybe in this new life you'll meet Lisa under different circumstances and you guys can be a real family." he said everything still in that eerily calm voice.

"Why save me from purgatory if none of it will happen?"

"Because I will remember. I will be the only one who remembers what happened, and I wanted to say goodbye."

"So you'll get to remember and I won't! Sam you can't do this!"

"I can and I'm going to."

"How are you so calm about this?!"

"Because I've thought about this for a while and I've decided it's the best course of action...and because if I get too much into my emotions it will make it harder for me to do this," he said for the first time showing another emotion then calm, sorrow.

"Then don't it Sam," Dean outright pleaded.

"I have to, I'll miss you Dean." Sam said then Dean found himself pinned against the wall frozen.

"I can't have you, stopping me, not this time, and it's for the best you'll see." Sam's eyes were glassy, at least he was feeling something over this, but apparently not enough because he was still going through with it.

"Sam!" Dean shouted but Sam didn't turn around although he did stop.

"Bye Dean, I'll miss you more than you'll ever know." he left closing the door behind him. Dean struggled against the invisible force holding him until suddenly he could move again. He dashed to the door only to see that Sam was gone. Where would Sam go? Where would Sam go? He had no idea! Maybe that warehouse? Only he had fallen asleep in the car on the way back and had no idea where that damn warehouse was. He slammed his fist into the nearest object which happened to be a lamp, which flew into the wall and broke into a hundred pieces. Still he couldn't give up, he got out of the hotel room and picked a car out of the parking lot which seemed the best to hot wire. If he was going out, then he was not doing it without a fight.

Dean was right. Sam was in the same warehouse but in another room. Sam knew he didn't have forever, Dean was smart and he would eventually find him he needed to be in the past by then, where Dean couldn't get to him. He had a couple of Angel traps in case the Angels had figured out what he was trying to do and tried to stop him. Sam got himself ready for the ceremony, he had waited to tell Dean today because after he got Dean out of Purgatory yesterday he knew he wouldn't have enough juice until he slept for awhile. He got started chanting in Latin and doing the parts of the ceremony he was supposed to do. He was almost done with the door blew open and Dean was standing there.

"So you did find me." Sam said with a sad smile.

"Don't go Sam, I need you."

"I need you too, but this is for the best."

"Shouldn't I get a say in it! I mean I'm part of this equation!"

"Dean, it's too late." he chanted some words in Latin and a dark light started to envelope him.

"No Sam don't go!" he started for the circle and got about half way when he heard Sam say.

"Bye Dean." then he was gone and Dean was too late.

"Dammit Sam." Dean would normally hold back the tears he had in his eyes but if Sam accomplished what he was trying it wouldn't matter anyways. He crumpled to the floor and stared at the spot Sam had been just seconds ago, and now he wouldn't even know Sam from someone else off the street, his whole life would change, he wouldn't be him anymore and he wouldn't have Sam.

Sam felt himself form he looked around and saw he was in the backyard. Good, everything seemed to be going according to plan so far.

He'd been peering into the past for awhile now and he had picked this night because his Dad wouldn't be home, only his mother would be. Although since his mother was a hunter she wouldn't be easy to get past either. He walked to the back door of the house and slid it open as quietly as he could and closed it just as quietly. He looked at the house and remembered it faintly from when he had come here. He had been only hunting again for a few months at the time and it had been his second vision. But the women and his children didn't live here now his family did. It was late, that was another reason why he had picked this particular day, because his mom was asleep and Dad wasn't home so hopefully there wouldn't be any interruptions.

He crept to his bedroom and stopped at another door. Sam knew this one wasn't his bedroom, but part of him wanted to see his Mom or Dean. He had almost picked Dean to steal because then he would still have his brother, but he figured of the two of them Dean deserved to have Mom and Dad more than the brother who had done all the bad stuff.

He hesitated at the door, he wanted to go to see them one last time, he reached his hand out for the knob then dropped it. It was best not to interact with them, let them think he was stolen in the night by a mad man. He smiled a little to himself; it wasn't far off from the truth. He made his way to his door, opened it and crept inside, little Sammy was asleep. He was so small, so tiny. How could such a little baby grow up to become him and cause the apocalypse? Then when of course he stepped on a toy which started playing a song. No! This wasn't supposed to happen, he bent down and tried to get the toy to turn off but it was dark and he couldn't see what it was. He rushed over and turned on the light and finally found it and turned it off. Right as he was turning it off, little Sammy started crying, just what he needed right now. His mom was going to hear it judging from the baby monitor. He was going to have to go now. He gathered up little Sammy into his arms and opened his mouth to say the incantation when his Mom stepped into the room.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing with my son?" She had a knife pointed at him. He considered lying but since it was all going to change anyways what was the point? He wanted to be honest, completely honest.

"Hi mom, it's me Sam."

"Put my son down." She said not reacting to what he had said at all.

"Sorry Mom I can't."

"Put him down!"

"I'm not going to hurt him, I'm going to save him and Dean, all he has to do is come with me and everything will be better."

"No! I'm not going to let you take him. Now put him down!"

"Things will be better this way, you'll see. You remember Dean? That hunter who was there when your Mom, Dad and John was killed? That's my older brother Dean and me and him had a whole life of crap from the beginning. I want to give Dean and myself some happiness, but the only way to do that is take little Sammy here."

"I don't believe you and I'm not letting him go." Sam used his telekinesis to take the knife out of her hand and pointed it at little Sammy, her eyes widened.

"So you'll agree to let a demon bleed into my mouth to keep Dad alive, but you won't agree to let me make my life better?" he said a little bitterly.

"How did you know about that? And how did you do that?"

"Azazel is coming for Sam in less than a month. I'm the only one who can save him from what he's planning."

"Azazel?"

"The yellow-eyed demon," Sam clarified, "You know Mom, I never got to see you grow up. You died when I was 6 months old, couldn't stay out of the nursery."

"What if I promise to stay out of the nursery? Will you leave Sammy be?"

"Dean tried that before, it didn't work. No, drastic times call for drastic measures."

"If you really are my son why are you doing this? Taking him away from his family?"

"It's either him or you and a lot of other people, good people who didn't deserve to die because of me." She looked over at the baby in his arms and Sam could see she loved him and he smiled slightly.

"I really am sorry Mom, but because of me, both Dean and Dad die and you. And I wouldn't have grown up normal anyways. Not the way you wanted me to. Not the way I wanted to, Dad gets us into hunting."

"What?"

"He had no clue you were a hunter and... this is all just wasting time isn't it? John is going to be home soon and you think that he can startle me and you can get the drop on me don't you?" Sam said as the thought occurred to him. "Which means I have to get going. You know the angels wiped your memories of when we came here before and it's not a bad idea...I can't have you knowing all this can I?" in a deep voice " Forget all of this. You slept through the entire thing and Sammy didn't make a peep and no matter what Dad or Dean or anyone says you will not feel guilty because you know if you had heard anything that you would have stopped it." He looked into her eyes, "Now go back to bed." His mother nodded and made her way out of the room.

"Alright little guy, we've got to get going. We're already going to make a big splash as it is, we don't want to make it any bigger by staying longer." He chanted and did the ritual and then suddenly they were back in the warehouse with no Dean.

"Do you think it worked Sammy?" he asked the little baby, who predictably said nothing.