TITLE: Tremors
BY: Daibhi
PAIRING: Sam/Dean eventually OMC
RATING: NC-17
DISCLAIMER: The boys are owned by themselves, lucky them, Kripke owns story rights and program stuff, I'm just playing with characters not wanting to make a red cent off it.
WARNING: Incest
SUMMARY: AU story of what could'a happened just as easily. Sam takes a fall and everything changes.

***

Another bar, another town, another hunt, that was Sam and Dean Winchester's world; but for the moment it was on hold. As one of the Winchester brothers fought for his life through an agent not of an external force. It began in truth many months previous and worked continually until this present day.  Dean was usually the one who took the worst of the hits, the falls, the damage.  But it was falling out of a second story window that set Sam on a precarious path.

 

Two weeks prior to the events that Sam was currently undergoing they were on a hunt in Houston, Texas. It was a reality straight forward case of a poltergeist action and it didn't take them long to corner the beastie. Sam had his back to a window in a bedroom when Dean broke the hold the poltergeist was attempting to weave about them, and he flicked the holy water in the direction of the presence when the presence in the death throes lashed out and smacked Sam squarely in the chest, throwing him through the second story window.  Dean made sure that the critter was under control and gone, and then hurried over to the window, he saw Sam lying unconscious near a small garden area. 

 

"Sam! Sammy! Hold on I'll be right down!"  He ran by the grateful family who was in the living room having taken orders to remain there while they worked this out. Out in the yard however, his blood turned to ice in his veins, he started to life Sam's head when he felt the warmth and wetness that was blood, then he saw the quartz rock that was part of the gardens border and saw blood on the tip.

 

The father, Harry Complin, ran over and looked at the scene then whipped out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.  Dean felt for a pulse and detecting one breathed a silent prayer of thanks, then he noticed his brother was still breathing, raggedly, but breathing on his own.  "Hang in there son,"  Harry commented, "Ambulance is on the way. And my insurance'll take care of this situation. Hell that's why I'm paying that shyster all that blood money."

Dean barely heard the man; he was concentrating, willing his energy into Sam.  It seemed like eternity but actually was only about 9 minutes, that he heard the strident sound of a siren coming down the street, the crew came running up with their kit boxes and examined the scene after getting Dean to give them some room.

 

"Neck splint and backboard." One EMT said to the other who ran back to the ambulance to retrieve the items. There was more talk and assurances, finally Sam was loaded up in the ambulance and taken away with Dean riding shotgun, and the Complin household following close.

 

Once at the hospital the team immediately took Sam into treatment and pointed the direction to the nurse's station where the required information was to be given.  Dean wasn't thinking too much at all about administrative detail until the nurse gently called him to the present. "Mr. Winters, your brother's in good hands, now please we need some insurance information. With that Harry Complin who had managed to get back to the station handed her a card.

 

"The boy's riding on my ticket." He said nodding to a grateful Dean. In moments the nurse returned the card to Harry who excused himself. 

 

Dean sat there giving other information including Bobby Singer's address as their home address. She got to profession and he said "We're hunters."

 

"Hunters? Okay, that's a first for me. "She said good humouredly trying to get Dean to lighten up a little. "Okay that's all the information we need for the present, you can go into the waiting room and we'll notify you as soon as we have some information available. With that he was being escorted, gently to the front of the Emergency Room area to a set of double doors and out into a crowded waiting room.  He saw Harry, Edie, and Tommy Complin almost immediately. Harry was waving him over. 

 

"Any word yet?" Harry asked.

"Not yet, they got him in trauma care and said they'd come get me as soon as they knew something."

"Well we sure are sorry that you have to have this kind of trouble on you after all the good work you did. Shoot, I'm tickled to have a clean house now. We could tell a difference almost immediately." Edie Complin commented.

"Say Mister Winters, did ya send that thing to hell like ya said you's gonna?" Tommy asked excitedly.

"Well son, we sent it packing that's for sure and certain." Dean replied with a ghost of a smile.  "Oh you're going to want to dig a trench around the perimeter of the house, just a few inches deep, fill it with salt and cover it well. "

 

"Won't that kill the grass?" Harry asked concerned.

"Yup it'll kill off some of it, but it'll also give y'all a barrier to prevent any future poltergeists, demons or what have you from getting in." Dean said pragmatically falling into the habit of working to relieve stress. "The sooner you get that done the better." He advised.

"Well you damn well earned your fee, and then some." Harry said smiling. Then thinking, "What am I thinking of, we got plenty of daylight left let's get back and finish the job."

Dean sighed gratefully inside, he needed some alone time right now and all things considered it wouldn't be a bad idea if the family went to do some of the additional work that they'd have to do.

Harry passed Dean an envelope of some thickness, "$2000 in there just like you said. Plus a little extra for your assistance and good work.  Now you got our number, you be sure to give us a call when Sam comes out of emergency and we'll see what happens." Dean nodded numbly and watched as they left.

 

Then he did the hardest thing in the world for himself and that was to sit down and wait.  The first thing he did upon sitting down was to call up Bobby's number, it rang several times then the voice mail kicked in, when the beep sounded Dean tried to sound upbeat about the situation but the concern crept into his voice and would not go away.

 

"Bobby, when you get this, give me a call, we're at Houston Memorial Hospital, Sam's took a bad fall, I'm sure exactly what we are looking at but I can guess we're going to be off the trail for a while. Call me back soon man." With that he hung up and sat waiting.

 

It was twenty minutes later that Dean was asked to come back into the ER area to a small conference room, there he met the doctor who was tending to Sam. "Mr. Winters, you're brother is being prepped for emergency surgery. It seems that the fall has resulted in both a hairline fracture of the skull and a progressive hematoma on the brain. We are going to have to go in immediately if we're going to save him."

 

"So why are you wasting time standing here talking with me instead of working on Sam?!" Dean said slightly stridently.

 

The Doctor used to all kinds of patients looked at Dean and said calmly, "There's some paperwork you'll need to sign first. A medical directive, and permission to proceed."

 

"Where's the papers, I'll sign now, just get back in there and save my brother." Dean yelped.  After several more minutes he had signed the appropriate paperwork and directed to a waiting area away from the Emergency Room where he could wait in comfort.  He lay back in the recliner watch the news program on the television in the room and ready to spring at a moment's notice.

 

Dean was laying there mentally going through the morning routine for them now.  His mind reached back and in moments he was back in their motel room, rolling out of the bed and heading for the bathroom, standing in there in front of the toilet he called to Sam, "Wake up boneless. We got work to do."

 

"I got your boneless." Sam said standing at the door to the bathroom and smiling lopsidedly. "I got you a boner too." With that Sam half turned to reveal his fully charged up and erect specimen of manhood.  "Baby wants to play."

"Baby played like hell last night, I'd think you would be wanting a break this morning." Dean said as he flushed  then turned to Sam giving him a good morning kiss. Which resulted in several such kisses until Dean broke the moment.  "Come on sexy britches, sooner we get this poltergeist sorted out the sooner we can be back here for some play time."

"Promise?" Sam asked with a slight fake pout on his lips.

"Aw Sam, it's seven o'clock, puppy dog eyes aren't working for me just yet." Dean said grabbing Sam's still erect penis. "But if you're in that much need,  I can stand for a milkshake this morning." Dean said with a devilish smile, sitting down on the toilet and pulling Sam closer until his uncut cock was inches from Dean's mouth.  Opening gratefully Dean took it all and enjoyed himself immensely, he teased, nibbled, and sucked his way to glory as he would say and was glad of it.  He was about three minutes into the best part of the blowjob for him which was when Sam would pick up the pace and feed him as much as he could of that 7 inch monster he felt the head of Sam's cock balloon momentarily and twitch, and then explode in a wonderful series of jets which filled his mouth with what Sam called "demon seed."  Dean didn't see much of a joke in that but laughed along for the ride.

 

Now he was tensely waiting in a very cozy waiting room for surgical patients with about five others. Three of which were kicked back in their recliners asleep. Another who was busy trying to work a Soduku puzzle, and the last pensively looking at the door.  Dean moved over and sat in the recliner next to him. He was a young man in his late twenties, who was quite well dressed, but had the look of being uncomfortable. 

"Don't you just  hate the waiting?" Dean offered to the young man who nodded slightly but distantly.

"I'm Dean by the way, Dean Winters."

 

"Cary Olstein," The other said somewhat non committally. 

"Got someone special in there?" Dean asked.

"Yeah a uh friend of mine." Cary said quietly looking around with that fight or flight syndrome just under the surface.

"Yeah, my partner's back there, he fell out of a second story window this morning cracked his gourd." Dean said trying to ease the young man and suddenly the man turned to Dean.

"Your partner, as in work or domestic?" He asked.'

"Both." Dean answered to which the young man relaxed as if he were a balloon someone had just let the air out of.

 

"Thank God, I was thinking that I was by myself in this mess of a hospital. Todd, that's my partner's name, he's had a bout of pneumonia on and there's something wrong with his lungs." Cary said solemnly.

 

"So we're both in the same boat," Dean said sadly, then leaned in conspiratorially, "Two fags waiting on words."  Cary spun a look at Dean then saw the playful glint in his eyes laughed.

"There are times I feel like we are the only gay couple in this town.  But then I'll meet someone like you and it's not so bad."  Cary said with a warm smile.

 

"No problem man, we gotta stick together."  Dean replied as a nurse looked in and asked of Cary Olstein.

The boy practically leapt from his seat all nerves. "It's all right Mr. Olstein he's out of danger and we can move him into a room pretty soon, why don't you come on back and see him, he's asking for you."  The nurse said kindly.

 

Cary started to leave then remembered Dean and bent down and kissed him on the cheek,  "Give that to your partner, for making me laugh this morning, thank you so much." Tears glinted in his eyes as he hurried away with the nurse leaving Dean to stew alone.

 

Nine hours later the charge nurse stepped into the room and called for Dean. Dean rocketed up from the recliner and stepped into the hall with her. "You're brothers out of danger Mr. Winters, he's in the ICU and I'll take you in in just a minute so you can visit, I just wanted to prepare you, sometimes it's a bit of a shock seeing your loved ones in situations like this. His head will be swathed in bandaging with a tube out one side for drainage. He's on a ventilator for right now, and there are several IV fluids going into him. So like I said it may be a bit of a shock but he's going to be fine." 

 

The nurse then led him back through a wing then into a brightly lit area which was surrounded by small cubicles that were opened to the main wing of the room but did have a privacy curtain available. It was another moment that Dean saw Sam, his head swathed just like the nurse said with tubes running to his arms, a ventilator running to his mouth and subsequently his lungs.  The nurse guided him to a chair near the bed and seeing Dean's fragile state for the moment, pulled the curtain on the cubicle, patting Dean on the shoulder.

 

 Dean nodded but couldn't take his eyes off Sam, his playful, serious, demonically obsessed and sometimes possessed, kid brother.  He started to reach out and then drew back, the he reached out again resting his arm on Sam's, then staring at his brother for a long moment, he suddenly burst into a battery of silent sobs, he leaned his head against the bed and Sam's arm letting all the poisonous sorrow, angst, tension, every emotion he was wrapped up with pour out of his body.

 

 He could not even begin to calculate how long he'd been in that position, but when he pulled back he did have a crick in his neck, the sheet and Sam's arm was pretty wet with his tears, and his throat felt like it was going to seize up with the agony of it all. It was about then that the nurse stepped around the curtain with a box of tissues in one hand and a glass of water in the other.  Dean nodded his silent thanks the tears still flowing unchecked by the fact that he seemed pretty much himself again.

 

It was then he felt a slight stirring against his hand and looked up to see Sam staring back at him, unable to speak for the moment, but responsive.  "Sam, Sammy!" He said overjoyed, at that he broke out in a fresh spate of tears and tried to get some semblance of control. "Hey you shit, I'm not the one who's  supposed to be girly and look at me. I'm a wreck." He said sitting the water glass to the side and pushing the curtain open with his free hand. "Nurse…" He called. One of the staff nurses came over and gladly checked over Sam's vitals, his IV tree, and the ventilator.

 

She patted Sam's shoulder, "I know that ventilator's uncomfortable, we're going to try to get you off that contraption tonight. For now just rest easy."  She then looked at Dean, "You can stay with him as long as you'd like but we like to encourage family members to get up and walk around a bit, go out for a bite to eat, anything. "

 

Dean took a sip of the water not trusting himself to speak without some semblance of order back in his life.  "Ma'am I'm the only family he has here right now, I'm not leaving."

 

"Okay, I understand, the restrooms just across the way, there's snack machines across from them, but come his bed time you'll want to go back out to the waiting room to at least get some rest in one of the recliners." She said with a motherly tone, Dean appreciated that, and appreciated what they were attempting to do at putting him to ease, but he wasn't that easily dissuaded.

 

"Thank you ma'am, I appreciate that." He turned his full attention back to Sam and leaned over, brushing the bangs out of his eyes he bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.  "I guess you're sleepy, maybe a little bit?"

 

Sam nodded very slightly and winced, "Go to sleep my handsome prince, I'll be right here."  With that Sam smiled slightly around the regulator of the ventilator and closed his eyes.  He remembered his promise and dialed the Complin's number on his cell phone, "Hey, just wanted to let you know Sam's in ICU, he's out of surgery, no complications yet, he seems to be doing okay.  Yeah me too, thanks for the quick assist back there. Yeah I will, I'll let you know how he's doing. Okay. Thanks, bye." With that he clipped his cell phone shut and shoved it into his pocket.  Sitting back down he leaned over onto the bed his head just touching Sam's arm, and promptly fell into a doze.

 

He knew he was dreaming, how could it be anything else, he had seen his brother fall out of the window, he rushed over to the shattered framework and stared out at Sam standing on the lawn waving at him then he collapsed in a heap, then suddenly sprang back up again. He laughed slightly and then felt a slight shake as he was being gently wakened.  The nurse smiled at him, "Sorry to wake you, you must've been having a good dream, you were smiling." She said with that motherly charm again.

 

 

 

"What time is it?" He asked knowing that they'd come in at 3:00pm and it definitely felt later, especially as sore as he neck felt.

 

"It's just now going on five in the morning. We are going to try to take the ventilator off him so if you'll give us some room to work."

 

With that Dean jumped up and gave them adequate room to get to the head of the hospital bed, without him getting out of touching distance. He took Sam's free hand and squeezed slightly. Sam returned the squeeze but he could see that his brother was still in the grasps of Morpheus.

 

The nurse and doctor unhooked the ventilator from the tracheal tube the slowly eased the tube from his throat.  Dean cringed as Sam sputtered and coughed for a moment then took a ragged breath on his own, then another, and another, soon he was breathing in pretty much his normal rhythm with some hitches now and then.  The nurse and doctor praised him soundly.

 

"It's a good thing you're as healthy as you are, you did a hell of a number on your noggin. Try to be more careful okay."

"Yeah." Sam croaked.

 

The nurse left and came back with a cup of crushed ice which he fed some to Sam then gave the cup to Dean. "This will give you something to do, "then she turned her attentions back to Sam, "You're going to have a sore throat for a while." The doctor came around the bed while the nurse explained what was happening.  He cornered Dean outside the curtain.

"Mr. Winters, I'd be lying if I said he was completely out of the woods." The doctor started.

"What are talking about?" Dean demanded sharply

"Well there's the chance, the off chance with some patients that they will experience seizures for a while after such traumatic surgery. We're going to monitor him closely, but if it looks like that's the case we'll get him taken care of in that department." The doctor explained.

 

Back in the unit with Sam who was having his lips moistened with a wash cloth, and his face gently washed.  Dean beamed as he saw his brother with that heartbreaker of a smile.  "May I?" Dean asked reaching out for the washcloth.  The nurse gladly passed it over to him.

 

Sam lay there feeling better now that he'd had something like a drink and at least his face washed.  He looked at Dean and mouthed in a whisper, "Sorry." He said as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

 

"You've got nothing to be sorry about you big lug. I'm just glad that stupid stone didn't do worse to your head."  Dean said actually grateful for the conversation.

Sam indicated all the equipment with his eyes, "How're we, no insurance." Sam rasped.

 

"Complin's homeowner policy is covering it. Don't you worry, just concentrate on getting better." Dean leaned over not caring for who saw him and gave his brother a lingering kiss on the lips.  "I'm just glad you're alive."

 

Sam gave him a look like ‘what else would I be?'

 

"After all I just got you broken in; I'd hate to have to look after another partner with you all cripped up somewhere."

 

Sam laughed lightly, wincing slightly at the pain, and then his eyes got that heavy look again. "Go to sleep. I'll be real close if you need me I promise."

Sam then drifted back off to sleep gratefully; Dean in the meantime blinked more tears from his eyes. Then as he stood and stretched hearing his back pop in a couple of places he felt a hand on his arm, it was the charge nurse.

 

"Sir there's a gentleman out in the waiting area who would like to speak with you." The nurse told Dean. Dean gave Sam another careful glance, bent down and kissed his forehead and left the cubicle to go to the waiting area.

 

"Dean! How's Sam."  Bobby said coming over to Dean as he came out of the ICU unit.  He reached out to brace up Dean's shoulders as he was visibly sagging.

"Holding his own right now. He's off the ventilator and awake, well awake off and on. Doc's drained the hematoma and … Bobby I'm scared shitless. Gunshots I can handle, broken bones, no problem, hell even stabbings and cuts we can deal with. But this is totally out of the ball park for me."  Dean said in a rambling rush to the man who was like another father to him.  Bobby grabbed him in a hug and held on while Dean grasped him desperately in a hug. 

 

When they broke the hug, Bobby grabbed him by the arm, "Come on son, let's go down to the cafeteria and grab a hot cup, get some breakfast into you."

"Not hungry." Dean said automatically.

"You will be now shut up and come on; the nurses will page you if there's a problem." Bobby ordered. Dean followed numbly.

 

Over breakfast Dean outlined the accident for Bobby, "and that was when he was shoved through the window.  I wish I had that poltergeist in hand just to banish the fucker again.  This time the hard way."

 

Bobby nodded and just sat there listening to him.  Dean managed to get a little breakfast in him then looked around the room as if seeing the cafeteria was an entirely new experience for him then he started to get up from the table. Bobby grabbed his arm to steady him and guide him back into his seat.

 

"Dean, Sam will be fine, he's in good hands up there, you gotta calm down a bit and relax or you won't be any good for him." Bobby told him. Dean listened and reacted reluctantly to the commanding voice.

 

Just then Dean's cell phone rang off, he answered, "Hello, yeah, oh hi, pretty good, he's resting right now, no I'm being a good boy and having breakfast. No that's fine, we're doing good. Yeah I'll definitely call if we need anything, thanks again!"  Clipping the cell phone shut he stuffed back into his pocket.

 

"That was the Complin's they're checking in with me regularly to see how Sam's doing.  So aside from visiting us, you on a hunt down here?"

 

"Well yeah, there's a wendigo that's messing around in the woods just outside of Houston, I thought I'd give that a go."

 

"You're gonna take on a wendigo by yourself?!"  Dean said shocked.

"Sure shake and bake no problem." Bobby answered.

"The hell you say."

"Well you could come with me."  Bobby offered.

For the moment Dean was torn in wanting to help their friend, and wanting to stay by Sam. Finally he nodded and said, "I'll talk to Sam about this, you'll have my answer in as soon as it takes me to rouse him up."

 

Back in the ICU ward, Dean and Bobby stood by Sam's bedside with Sam actually awake and a little talkative.

 

"So what're you doing here with me instead of out helping Bobby?"  Sam said crossly.

"Sam, I was just thinking about you. That's all."

"And I'm glad you are, but you're not going to help me by sitting here worrying yourself sick when there's work to be done." Sam said weakly.

"Easy Sam, you're not as strong as you think."  Dean warned.

"Well son, he's told ya what you need to do. Give the nurses your cell phone number and come on. Sam you get some sleep boy, and get that damn wig-wam off your noggin, you look like a girl." Bobby said good naturedly.  Sam smiled and nodded slowly.

 

Dean turned and walked over to the charge nurses desk, "May I help you?" ‘Jolene Baker' at least   according to her name tag said pleasantly.

"I'm going to need to be away from the Hospital for a few hours, you have my cell number in case anything occurs?"

She perused Sam's chart, "Got it right here honey, you go on and take care of business, we'll take care of your Sam."

"Thanks." Dean replied, and thought ‘damn do all nurses sound like my mother.'

 

He walked back over to Sam and looked at Bobby with a "give us a private moment," look, Bobby taking the hint, smiled, patted Sam's shoulder, and told him, "Get yer ass outta that bed so you can join us on a hunt. Damn lazybones."

 

Sam grinned at the words and told Bobby in a weak voice, "I'm working on it ya old bastard."

"Bitch."  Bobby replied then he squeezed Sam's shoulder slightly and left the cubicle. "I'll be waiting out in the hall. Hurry up and say your goodbyes."

 

After Bobby was gone Sam looked up at Dean, "Go, I'll be fine, I feel like shit, but at least I'm in a hospital." 

 

Dean's voice choked up a bit as he spoke, "We'll get this wendigo situation sorted out as quick as we can and I'll be back here with you. I'll probably be in the woods tonight, but should be available come morning." With that he bent down and gave his brother a kiss on the forehead then one on the lips.  "I love you bro."

 

"You too." Sam replied sleepily.  "Go on ya damn queer bait before Bobby has a fit in the waiting room."

Dean let his hand rest briefly cupping his brother's face; Sam leaned into the caress and nodded.

 

In the waiting room Dean and Bobby caught up and headed to the parking deck. At the old beat up Ford Fairlane, Bobby motioned for him to get in, Dean eyed the car suspiciously.

 

"Man will this thing even run?"

"Got me down here, now come on ya damn galoot." Bobby ordered.

An hour later found them in a bit of private property on the outskirts of town, they followed the logging road that was cut into the property back about two miles in, then they climbed out of the car and went around to the trunk. "Made these up special for this trip." Bobby said passing Dean a contraption built on a gun stock.

 

"Simple enough thing to work with, the sparkplug is fired off by a small battery in the grip, the propane will ignite, and if you squeeze the trigger the fire will go from pilot light to full burn in nothing flat."

 

"And just where did you find the plans for this, Better Homes and Firearms!" Dean asked grinning a bit.

"Don't worry yer pretty little head, already field tested them and they work great." Bobby said reassuringly.  "Now come on, let‘s find the site where the loggers were at last, should be just off the road here about a quarter mile in."

 

The woods were compacted with sparse trails except for the swath cut out by the loggers. "Basically the logging crew was cutting into this critters territory and it got pissed off a bit." Bobby said his voice practically booming.  Dean looked around nervously and then saw the circle that Bobby had already created with the appropriate symbology to keep the thing at bay. Plus as an extra temptation there was a haunch of beef lying just outside the circle. 

 

They sat in the circle keeping watch and talking a bit, "So tell me about this hunt y'all got lined up next." Bobby asked.

"Combination act of a trio of ghosts and a poltergeist haunting an industrial plant over in Pittsburgh.  We were going up there to take care of that when this one came in, we didn't think too much about it until the man offered a $2000 reward for the one who could get rid of this poltergeist.  Evidently they liked the house too much to move." Dean said then continued after a breath, "We're supposed to be in Pittsburgh by next Saturday."

 

"Don't worry about it, I'll catch up with another hunter in Philly and we'll go over and sort this out." Bobby told him trying to put him at ease. "You're going to have your hands full enough with …" Suddenly everything got still, the birds that were singing stilled their birdsong, the tree frogs that were croaking for rain hushed and there was a rustling in the brush.  Suddenly a blur came out of the forest and was moving towards their circle with purpose. It stopped at the edge and could not move forward any further, Dean and Bobby aimed and let loose with their flamethrowers.  The creature burned and that was that. At least that's what they thought, suddenly there were at least three other bush rustlings. Then a concerted trail going north.

 

Bobby stood up and motioned to Dean, "We got em on the run come on."  With that he and Dean started tracking the wendigo that were in the woods. "Cover my six." Bobby ordered as they stopped for a moment in the deep wood.  The rustling had stopped as well and there was a sound of wind being stirred as the wendigo were circling and coming in for a kill. They waited carefully until they could hear the nearest brush rustling, Dean turned slightly and unleashed a barrage of fire and swept it across the area. He heard a scream and saw on flaming up and turning to ash. With that the sounds of the hunt around them started to turn nasty as they were being circled.

 

"Careful son…their pissed off right now."

"Oh you think!" Dean said his voice slightly strident.

 

Suddenly a rush from Bobby's left, and then his right, firing first to the left, Dean whirled and fired off to the right, catching another one in midst run.

 

"That's one left." Bobby said as he heard the brush rustling away from them, quickly they followed as a shower broke out over them.  "Don't worry I tried these babies out in a full downpour they will still fire up fine." Bobby reassured Dean. It wasn't long until they'd lost the trail of the one they were tracking and were about to give up when they came upon a huge fallen tree that was hollowed out, inside were stacks of human bone remains. And a rustling in the back the both let loose and managed to fry the third one easy enough.

 

Breathing a sigh of relief they followed their back trail out of the wood, their clothing plastered to their skin with the rain and hair blown by the wind.  Once in the car they headed to a motel where Bobby had booked him a room.

 

"Man I'd rather get over to the hospital." Dean said slightly tense.

"First thing is you're going to change out of them duds, you're soaked to the skin and you'll catch worse that a cold if you don't , second after you dry your hair a bit, we're going to grab a bite of lunch or supper or whatever THEN we'll head over to the hospital." Bobby pointed to his bag, "Brought some of your stuff from the house."

 

They both stripped down and dried off and then got dressed rapidly, Dean was growing more anxious for some unknown reason when his cell phone went off. "Yeah, Dean Winters here, yeah, oh shit when? Okay I'll be right there, oh he is, and, okay…call me if there's a change. Thanks."  He turned to Bobby his face pinched. "Hospital called, they had to rush Sam back into surgery, more fluid pocketed to the side of where they first drained. He's got a fever as well, so they're icing him down, said that he'll be out of surgery in about six hours and that was an estimate." Dean collapsed on the end of one of the beds with his head in his hands.

 

Then he looked up to Bobby who was standing by, "Okay let's get some chow and then back over there."

"You got it. Come on this hotel at least has a halfway decent diner. That way we don't have to get out in traffic right now."

Dean tried to stand and failed, then tried again. He looked up at Bobby, "I'm drained I feel whacked."

 

"Look you stay here, lay down for a bit, I'll go get us a couple of hamburgers and be right back." Bobby offered to which Dean's reply was to fall back on the bed, and try to relax.

 

Bobby returned to the room about a half hour later to find Dean still on the bed and snoring. Bobby sat the food to the side, ate his share and sat back to wait on Dean to wake to get some food into him.

 

It was a bit of a wait, Bobby kicked back and was watching TV turned down low when Dean mumbled and rolled slightly. His eyes opened and seeing Bobby he sat up slowly.

 

"Sorry, fell out there. How long was I out of it?" Dean asked.

"Didn't kill ya." Bobby noted then looked at his watch, "You've been out for about an hour. Now get up and get some food in ya." Bobby ordered. 

 

After eating they made their way back to the hospital where they found the charge nurse in ICU waiting for Dean's call.  "Mr. Winters, your brother is still in surgery, but we heard from the doctor about a half hour ago and they say he's holding up fine.  We'll give you a call as soon as he is out of surgery and in recovery."

 

"Thank you. Thank you much." Dean muttered.  Then turning to Bobby, "Well they know a little but that's better than nothing.  Sam's still in surgery but's holding his own.  Got any more hunts that you're planning on scoping out while you're up here or you on your own time now?"

 

"Pretty sure that there's something around here I could turn up if I tried, but no, I've got nothing in particular right now." Then in almost an embarrassed whisper he muttered, "I've missed you boys, I tell ya right now when you said that Sam was back you could've knocked me over with a handful of feathers. I was fully expecting the call about something you'd run into that was a little out of your league."

 

"Hey I'm not that bad of a hunter." Dean said grousing.

"No you're not, but you're also just like your daddy, you'll jump into the middle of a firefight to rescue a kitten." Bobby noted.

 

They continued bantering like this for the next hour until at last they decided to call a halt to it and settled back to watch some mind-numbing television while they waited.

 

It was well on twilight going into the silky blackness of night when the phone in the waiting room rang and it was the charge nurse.

 

"Hello?"  A young girl who was there waiting as well said as she picked up the receiver hoping for news of a patient dear to her. "Oh okay, Winters, anyone here with the Winters' family."

 

Dean was on his feet in a flash taking the proffered receiver, "Dean Winters here."

"If you will come through to room 11 Dr. Bandicroft will see you and fill you in on your brother." The nurse said warmly.

Dean wasted no time and basically dragged Bobby along as well. "You're family, so shut up and let's go."

In the small reception room they waited for a few minutes until the door opened admitting a short, balding British doctor.

 

"Well got your mate out of surgery about a half hour past.  He's doing well as can be expected, the swelling has been managed and the spot we had to work on was drained. It looks like we've managed to get the worst part of the situation taken care of." Dr. Bandicroft said jovially.

"I hear a ‘but' hanging in the air." Dean noticed.

 

"Well, he's going to be dealing with some cognitive impairment for a short while as he brain settles down, it's highly probable that he will also have a bit of a seizure disorder to deal with as well. That we can treat with medication. He'll be in rehab during the early part of his recuperation." The doctor nodded to Bobby, "You're a family friend I take it?"

"More like a daddy to these boys." Bobby said proudly.

 

"Good, they‘re going to need some family support for the next few weeks. Mr. Winters, I'm not sure of your living arrangements, I understand you and your brother are from out of town, but there is a nice boarding motel about a mile down the road that can put you up relatively inexpensively as your brother…"

"Partner…" Dean said firmly.

"Excuse me?" The doctor asked puzzled.

"He is my brother, he's also my partner. It's difficult to explain." Dean said quickly.

"Domestic or professional?" The doctor asked.

"Shit, I get tired of that question." Dean grumped, "Both.  Okay, we're domestic as well as professional partners." He turned to Bobby who grimaced a bit at that.

 

"Well to make it a short run, the motel can put you up with a letter from the hospital for $250 a month is my understanding." Dr. Bandicroft said now back on track. "Your brother's lucky to be of what seems to be strong stock; he came through a surgical procedure that most I've operated on recently have had some major complications with. You see the swelling was pressing on the brain stem, too much pressure and any number of complications could erupt. "

 

"When can I see him?" Dean asked.

"He's being moved from recovery back to his room here in the ICU, you should be able to see him in a few minutes." The doctor replied.  "Do you have any further questions?" He waited, "No, all right then, you see to your brother, and I'm going to finish up my report on the surgery then catch a few winks."

"Thank you doctor." Dean said gladly as they all stood.

"Thank you Mr. Winters." The doctor said.

 

In the ICU area they walked over to Sam's room to find that yes he had been reinstalled there.  With an extra visitor who was basically being ignored by the staff.  The familiar figure of Adam looked up from his seated position by the bed.

 

"Good I've been waiting for you." Adam said smiling. "Don't worry about Sam, I've given his recovery a bit of a push."

"Oh so we're talking to Michael then."  Dean started, and Bobby looked just a mite taken aback by the whole situation.

"Yes I'm sorry that I've intruded but we got word that your brother had taken a nasty tumble and while yes we can reach out and touch him and heal him completely, there are some things which he is going to have to endure to make him stronger for the battle ahead."

 

"What battle are you talking about?" Bobby asked in a low tense voice.

Adam/Michael sighed long, "Unfortunately it's a battle between the demons and the angels. Those who were released on Earth number still about a two hundred and they are very very upset with you two, well I should say us three.  Especially considering I was the one who was ultimately responsible for taking down Sam into the Devil trap."

 

"Well there is that to consider." Bobby said still pitching his voice low.

"Don't worry I've shielded us and this conversation from the Nurses, they can only hear what is chosen for them to hear. And they'll not recognize the fact that I was here. I'll be in contact later when Sam is awake and coherent. For now keep a close guard on yourselves. I'd also advise you to keep this with you at all times." With that Adam /Michael reached out and clasped the little pendant on the necklace that Dean wore, it grew briefly lighter and then when released Dean found that it was almost uncomfortably warm.

 

"That will afford you some protection, as much as is allowed." Adam/Michael said smiling then he stood, "I must be gone now, either myself or Castiel will be checking in with you from time to time. Be well." And with that he was gone.

"Damn, I wish they'd quit meddling in our lives." Dean said his voice intent.

"We'll talk about that in a minute. Back there with the doc you mentioned that you and Sam are more than just brothers basically, okay that I can deal with, hell I've already dealt with it." He looked around nervously. "But are you sure it's the best thing making it as public as you are."

 

"I'm not going to hide anymore Bobby.  That's not going to happen, folk will know what they need to know, but if letting the doctor and staff here know that I care for Sammy on more than one level they'll be that much more careful to see that his recovery comes along quicker."  Dean explained.

 

"Not saying for you to hide, just cautioning you. That's all. Look why don't we go down and see to setting you up with a room at that motel, then you can sit and go over a plan I've got that might keep you a bit busy until Sam is in a plain room." Bobby noted. Dean looked at his brother who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He was not best pleased with the idea of leaving him for any period of time.

 

"I can get the room later, for now, I'm staying right here."

"Damn it, you're just like John." Bobby grumped.

"Thanks." Dean answered.

"That wasn't necessarily a compliment wise guy." Bobby said.

"Hey you gotta take what you can get." Dean replied.

 

"Hey you two wanna fight take it to the hall." A tired mumble came from the bed which got both men's attention.

"Sammy!"

"Sam!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm awake, been fighting this damn drug since recovery…again. This is getting old fast."  Sam said crossly.

"He's feeling better, he's bitchy." Dean said with a smile.

"Well you like like two miles of rough road boy.  But damn I'm glad to see you awake after that scare."  Bobby said not totally convinced that all was well but pleased to see Sam conscious all the same.

"Got a headache that's coming on." Sam mentioned, the nurses were on him immediately pushing Dean and Bobby out of the way.

 

"Well your temp is slightly elevated, but that's probably post-operative. I'll get you something for the pain." Nurse Tolbert said warmly.

"Will it knock me out?" Sam asked.

"It will make you drowsy." She said curiously.

"Could we hold a few on that at least until I have a chance to touch base with my brother and uncle."

"Sure honey, y'all just buzz me when you're ready." Nurse Tolbert withdrew with the loaded syringe.

 

"Dean what you're going to do is just what Bobby said, go get you that room taken care of, you need a real place to crash and this hospital is good but I need you 100% just like you need me. Bobby you go with and y'all work some cases around here. I'm going to be fine, hell I'm not going anywhere." Sam said plainly.

 

"And they know we are partners, domestic and business." Dean said to warn him off a bit and maybe put him at ease, instead his eyes popped open and he looked quickly to Bobby.

"Oh hell boy, I've known or at least suspected something like this would happen eventually, happens to nearly all hunters. You develop a bond that's stronger than just a professional relationship. Hell I don't care, it just means that you'll watch out for each other's back that much more." Bobby said then added, "Of course John's probably doing 360's in his grave right now."

"Huh, he's probably giving the devils hell." Dean said smartly.

 

"Okay, nuff of that, sweetie I need you to take care of yourself, not be a martyr to a cause. Surely not be a Florence Nightingale. You need to hunt, it'll help keep your edge on and the boredom off. I'll get a private room soon enough and we'll see what happens from there."

"Okay Sammy, I get the point, you don't need me around here, so I better get my ass cracking and get some real work done."

Sam reached out and snagged Dean's hand, "I'll always need you, but I need you working and getting stronger, with or without me around. Hell that's what I did while you were in hell."  Dean bent down and kissed him fondly then stood back up not meeting Bobby's slightly pop-eyed look.

 

"Let's go get that room killer." Dean said to Bobby, one of the nurses came back over with the loaded syringe and a paper in hand.

"Dr. Bandicroft just had this delivered to you, he knew you'd want to stay close, this is your authorization to get reduced rates at the Econo-lodge just down the block." Then she turned to Sam, "Ready to rest for a bit? You've been talking quite a while."

"Please, my head is pretty sore, and could I have a drink of water please?"

"Sure sweetie, just give me a moment." She inserted the needle into the port on the IV line and pushed the drug into his system. Then giving Dean and Bobby that motherly look shooed them out of the unit.

 

It didn't take long for Dean to get settled into the room, which was a lot nicer than any room he'd stayed in for a bit. At least this one was relatively tastefully decorated. Ready with two queen sized beds and all the toiletries he'd need for a day or two. Dean kicked off his boots and stretched out on the bed nearest the door. He was anxious to do something and didn't know what was happening. 

A knock at the door interrupted his revelry and he got up, checked the door, and let Bobby into the room.  "Okay son, this is what we've got on the plate." Bobby said plunking his bag down and sitting on the opposite bed.  "We've got a bonified haunting in West Houston, a poltergeist in Mid-Dallas/Ft Worth area.  There's supposed to be a ghoul on the loose down in Bozeman.  So which are you game for, I mean as it stands Texas should be crawling with hunters pretty soon, but for now it's us."

 

Dean thought for a long moment, nodded, "The ghoul, it's been a while since I messed with one of them and I'm ready to be doing something useful."

 

"Okay you take the ghoul, I'll take the haunting and then we'll both that on the poltergeist.  Agreed?"  Bobby said with some finality.

 

Dean nodded and started going through his duffel and equipment bag making sure he was lined up for the kill.  "So you are ready to go off on your grand adventures again?" A voice said behind him. He jumped visibly as did Bobby.

 

"Shit, next time give some warning." Bobby said grumping.

"Well Cas, what brings you out into this neck of the wood? Going with us on this hunt?" Dean asked.

"This time I'm staying behind, I'm a friend of the family who is going to keep an eye on Sam while you are in transit on your job." Castiel said simply.

 

"Thanks Cas." Dean said understanding the import and his gratitude palpable.  "So what do you think his chances are?"

 

"You're worried about your brother so much you will endanger yourself, you need to go into this job convinced that he'll be in good hands.  Dean, Sam will quite literally have a guardian angel sitting by."

The argument and statement that Castiel made was simple enough still Dean couldn't help worrying the topic slightly.

 

"You didn't answer my question." Dean observed.

"The only thing I can tell you for certain is that he will live, he will have a slight impairment, Dean you've already been told all this, why make me be repetitious? Go do whatever you must do on this hunt and do it in the quiet assurance that your brother is being cared for."  Castiel admonished then as quickly as he had come he was gone.

 

Bobby shook his head but agreed that the advice was sound, "You're acting like a mother hen after her brood. Dean, Sam'll be fine, it's you I'm worried for. You're going to be facing down a ghoul, I know you've done this before, but you're going to have be more careful, a helluva lot more careful."

 

Dean sat down on the foot of the bed and started breaking down his pistol and checking it over, then checked his packing.  Everything seemed in order, so he went to the front desk and let them know he'd be away for a couple of days getting some business taken care of. They agreed to hold his room  for him.

 

Satisfied he walked back to the room in some peace, and as he and Bobby turned in for the night, Dean couldn't help but again notice how much of the bed was left without Sam there to sprawl in it. With some fitful tossing he soon fell asleep.  He dreamed, dreams that would make a teenager blush with pride or shame depending on how he felt at the moment. He was dreaming of a motel they were in during a hunt in Virginia. The room looked out on one of the majestic ranges and was a change from their usual venues.  Sam had welcomed Dean into the bed with joyous abandon and they made out for about an hour just hugging, kissing, stroking each other's fires,  and in general relaxing from a job well done. Dean was always pumped up after a successful hunt and this one was mega successful in that they didn't only bring down a "closet monster" as the child called it, but a few creepy crawlers in the basement as well.

 

Dean pulled back from the foreplay and looked at his brother in relief, they'd had some close calls on the case but were glad to have it done. "Don't you ever put yourself between me and the critters like that again." Dean ordered.

"Well I wasn't planning to." Sam admonished. "Come here and show me that you really care."

"Shit, let me break out the toy box and I'll show you care." Dean said shucking off his underwear the last morsel of clothing he was wearing, much like Sam.

"No toys, use yourself." Sam said high on life at the moment.

With that Dean proceeded to body kiss his brother, starting with each toe and working up his legs and thighs, around his crotch but not on it. His stomach was targeted for a little bit of nibbling and tickling play, then the nipples, Dean's second favourite part of his brother's anatomy.  He worked his way back down with agonizing slowness and flipped his hips around in a 69 position.  Sam didn't waste any time he immediately dove onto Dean's cock sending his brother into wide eyed wonder as he always did with the way he used his tongue and teeth.  He sucked and nibbled, sucking on the foreskin, and tasting every morsel of his crotch before concentrating on giving his the blowjob.

Dean was in much the same position with Sam as he proceeded to nibble his way to glory. He luxuriated in the satiny feel of Sam's cock head on his tongue, delighting in the taste that was Sam alone. Moving one arm while he worked on his brother's cock, he sent a finger probing into his anus, diving in slowly and methodically. Rimming him for all he was worth.  Dean left the cock for a moment and lifted Sam's leg to spear the anal ring with his tongue, he worked this way for about five minutes or more then came back to the cock, spearing the ring with his spit slicked finger, he reached in deep and found that walnut nugget sized gland that was Sam's prostate. Sam groaned mightily around Dean's cock as Dean started to slowly massage and tease that gland sending Sam into paroxysms of joy from just the play.  It was about then that Dean felt his cock twitch with the unmistakable sensation of an impending orgasm. He sucked and played with Sam in earnest now wanting them to come at the same moment. Sam knew what he was about and released all control to Dean and within moments they were both spasming in the throes of some massive orgasms. 

 

Afterward they lay there a tangled mess of arms and legs until Sam, still playfully sucking on Dean's orgasmed tender and sensitive cock, managed to work him back up to another boner. Dean wasted no time in applying this erection to the soul purposed of fucking the living daylights out of his brother. He loved doing this because after an orgasm, he was ultra sensitive but at the same time ready to play even more. And the best thing was the staying power he had after that first rush.  He fucked his brother in three separate positions having Sam finally in a position they loved with Dean on top with Sam's legs on each shoulder.  Dean plunged in deeply, ready to come and knowing what it would take to send him over the top.

 

He started massaging Sam's stomach and then his balls and finally started power stroking his cock. Sam couldn't hold out for long as he came again and again crying out in joy, pain, and pleasure. The spasms that were gripping Dean were enough to send Dean over the edge as well.

 

Dean woke after these dreams to find that he was not only soaked in pre-come, but in an ejaculation as well.  He smiled to himself and rolled into his pillow fighting the urge to cry out Sam's name.                                                                        

 

Dean was true to his word, leaving on that Friday he'd returned to the room Monday morning to find that Bobby still had not returned from his hunt.  Dean's was so straightforward as to be elementary school work. He was a bit put out that the locals didn't try to deal with this one.  Maintaining a semblance of cool he showered and changed, changed a dressing on a wound he got at the hands of that creature. Then drove over to the hospital, in the ICU wing they notified him that his brother was progressing nicely and had been moved to a room in the main hospital, room 631.

 

Dean walked the halls and found the room, upon entering he saw Sam and Castiel engaged in a game of poker.  "Deal me in." Dean said off handedly.

 

Sam looked up and grinned broadly.  "Dean!" His appearance was much improved, his head was bald where they had to shave for the surgery, but the tubes were removed and simple dressings on the wounds. 

 

Dean walked over in a saunter fighting the urge to leap into the bed with his brother.  Then he shook himself chagrined to think that he was considering acting ‘girly' in his book. He grinned back at his brother and walked over heedless of Castiel and proceeded to give Sam a massive hug and a kiss.

 

"Damn but you look a hell of a lot better than you did three days ago." Dean commented.

"Pfft!" Sam made a sound like air escaping from a balloon,  "Woke up the next morning after the surgery feeling much better. Dizzy headed, but the nurses have already let me up from bed to walk around the floor and I can sit up for about an hour at a time before I start feeling it."

 

Dean smiled again blinking away tears that were furiously attempting to form, he swallowed a massive lump and looked over as Castiel.  "Thanks for looking out for him for me."

 

Castiel waved the comment away then asked, "Your hunt was successful I take it."

"Yeah, the ghoul practically handed me his own head on a silver platter.  I mean I staked out a likely haunt the sucker showed up and I plastered him. It was almost too easy. I mean I'm glad it wasn't a massive problem, but hell, it felt going in like it should've been more." Dean opined.

 

"Don't bitch about an easy job, God knows we've had our share of hard ones." Sam noted. Dean only nodded then sat down on the bed with Sam. He couldn't take his eyes off his brother as he was told about his situation in the hospital over the past two days.

 

"By the way Dean," Sam was suddenly serious now and Dean felt a punch in the gut coming, "they got me on Tegretol, for seizures. "

 

"How bad?" Dean asked not really understanding just what was expected now, "I mean do they happen all the time."

 

"Well the doc said I could expect to have them for about a month off and on.  I'm sorry." Sam said looking at Dean, gauging him.

 

"We'll deal with it. That's the main thing, it's just good seeing you up in bed and actually doing something other than scaring the bejeezus out of me."  Dean mockingly griped.

 

Castiel rose from his seat, "Well I hate to break up this little reunion but I've received some news which you both should know about."

 

"And that is?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"You've got a demon tracking you, that was one main reason that hunt went so well, it generated the events in one end of the state taking Bobby off to the other end separating you two for days.  It pretty much knows where you are, but refuses to attempt to try anything on this turf as it were."

"Well damn ain't that just peachy." Dean said sarcastically.

 

"Okay, so we got one on your tail, will it come into the hospital?" Sam said quietly.

"I fully expect it too, in fact I expect to have a confrontation with the creature tonight."  Castiel sighed volumously and then looked at the brothers. "My hope is that Bobby will return soon to give you Sam the extra protection, for now. I've imprinted a demon trap over the doorway into your room, and Dean, I expect you to salt the windows immediately."

 

"On it." Dean disappeared to go to the car for supplies. 

 

Castiel looked back at Sam, "Do your best not to use your psychic talents against this creature, it will be expecting just that, but in the condition you are in right now, it could be fatal."

 

"Great, the one weapon that I know would work and I can't fire the gun for fear of having it blow up in my face."

"That's about it Sam, I'm sorry, but just in case it turns out to be an angel I had this made for you." Castiel reached into his pocket and pulled out a charm cast in silver, with the Enochain symbology for the angel dispersion spell.  "All it needs is a drop of your blood to activate it.  Then you clap it between your hands and any angel within a few feet of you will be dispersed.  Just one thing, please wait until I'm out of the zone before you use it if you don't mind."

Sam smiled and gratefully hung the medallion around his neck.

"Why do you think an angel would be involved?"

"Not all of your enemies are demons, there are a few angels who are rather sore about what you did to their General. When you took Michael into the pit with you a few months back, you proceeded to cause a major stir in Heaven and Hell. Hell was pitching a fit because their master was locked back in his cell but with an archangel. Heaven of course because their leading archangel was locked up with you and Lucifer in the pit."

 

Sam lay back considering the ramifications. "Is there anyone we've not managed to piss off?"

"Yes, God." Castiel said with a ghost of a smile. "He is definitely favoring you boys right now.  Something he has not done in a millennium, but you are His chosen right now."

 

The door opened as Bobby entered the room in a rush, "I saw Dean down on the parking deck his packing for bear and told me to salt your windows. What's up?"

 

"Hello to you to Bobby." Sam said with a smile. "Looks like we're popular with the demon team again."

"Well I've got something better than just salt. Housekeeping might come in and sweep it away accidentally or on purpose. With that he pulled a small tub out of the small bag he was carrying. Then reached into the tub taking out a handful of what looked like biscuit dough. Then rolling it into a long snake like shape, he proceeded to press it into the caulking that was around the windows edge.

 

"Salt impregnated window putty."

"Smooth." Sam said thinking now his turned back to Castiel, "You said you expect a confrontation here tonight, here as in this room of in this hospital?"

"The latter I'm afraid. This creature will attempt to take as many civilian casualties as possible before getting to you. This demon is akin to a reaper but is cognitive and reasoning whereas a simple reaper is concerned about merely taking life, this one plans out its movements."

"Oh this is just peachy." Bobby said with due sarcasm. "By the way, you look good boy. Better'n you did a few days ago."

"I feel better. Now if I could just get a reasonable salad up here I'd be on cloud nine."

 

"Here," Dean said reentering the room with his own overnighter bag. He handed Sam a white foam tray. "Got that downstairs, knew they'd probably try to keep you on a restricted diet, and the last thing you need is lime jello." Dean said as he sat his bag in the corner.  Sam opened the tray to find a full chef's salad complete with his favorite dressing.

"Aw man I love ya." Sam said digging into the greens.

"Oh don't start that shit." Bobby said sarcastically grumphing.

"You're just jealous." Sam sniped playfully.

"You wish." Bobby retorted. Then looked around the room, "Okay the windows salted, you said there was a demon trap in here." He indicated Castiel who nodded. "So I guess we just wait and follow the screaming."

"That, Bobby, is unfortunately any of us can do. I can't predict where the demon will enter I just know it's coming. And to quote you, he's pissed."

"Oh that's just fucking great." Bobby hissed.

 

Dean looked around, "Hey could y'all give us like a little private time? I mean the shits gonna romp here in a little while anyway, please?"

Bobby looked down a moment and Castiel focused on the wall for a moment.

"Look I'm asking nicely. Just a few minutes, I promise to come out into the hall and let you know it's safe and we have our clothes on."

"Oh Jesus." Bobby said turning red and leaving.

Castiel had that enigmatic smile of his as he left the room.

 

"I thought we'd never get a minutes peace." Dean said grinning.

"You'd think they were chaperones." Sam said with a look at Dean.  They shared the look for a moment then Dean grabbed his brother in a hug his brother returning the hug with equal force. "God I missed you."

"I was only gone two days."  Dean said quickly.

"Yeah and that was two days that I really could've … no I'm not going there." Sam said finally then looked at Dean again, "You're here now that's all that matters."

"two days that I really could've used you here." Dean finished his previous statement. "That's what you meant wasn't it."

"Dean please, let's not fight, not now of all times." Sam said trying to force a smile around his frown of sadness.  "I was just being selfish that's all." Sam said shaking his head. "That's me all over."

 

"You are not selfish. If anything you are the most selfless guy I know, hell it would do you good to be selfish once in a while." Dean said kissing Sam on the forehead, then the nose, and finally smothering him in a long welcomed kiss on the lips.  "For what it's worth, there wasn't a minute on that friggin trip I wasn't thinking about you."  Dean said when they broke the kiss.

 

"Too bad we got so much shit coming down on us, because I'd love nothing better than to show you how much I missed you." Dean said with a smile that turned into suggestion.  Sam laughed, and shook his head slowly.

 

"Not right now you don't  not unless you want to give me a sponge bath first,  I feel like I'm carrying around a ton of dirt, not a decent shower since I got here. These little wipes don't cut it."  Sam griped.

 

"First order of business after all this is over is that I give you a long suggestively indecent sponge bath." Dean offered.

"You're on." Sam said smiling. "I've missed that too,"

"What?" Dean asked.

"Oh seeing your smiles like that. Just seeing your smile this evening has been worth the wait." For that Sam got another soul kiss.

"I've missed your smiles too, something about those dimples that just get my juices flowing every time." Dean said grinning mischievously.

 

Just then the lights in the room flickered. "Oh shit, Guess what's coming to dinner." Dean said quickly looking out into the hall and signaling Bobby and Castiel. "I take it that power flutter wasn't just a coincidence."

 

"He's here." Castiel said quickly. I'm going down to cover pediatrics, Ariel is covering Infants and Bethamel is covering the Trauma Center.  It's up to you and Bobby to handle anything here."  With that Castiel simply vanished.

"Three angels, there are three of them on duty here. Just what did you boys do while I've been gone that makes you rate three angels?" Bobby asked looking around nervously.

"Oh the usual, Sam took on Lucifer and nearly lost, you got killed then revived, I got the shit beat out of me and was healed and I watched Sam and Adam disappear down the rabbits hole."

"Will you talk sense." Bobby said his tone strident with the situation.

Dean sighed as if explaining something to a child. "I got the shit knocked out of me, the Sammy came back into play and took the rings, opening the gateway, he was about to jump in when Adam or rather the archangel Michael plowed into him trying to haul him away from the trap, Sam pulled him into it."

 

"And for that you deserve a great deal of retribution." A voice from the doorway announced.  They looked and saw a man, a simple man, about six feet tall standing there looking at them mockingly. "I've got some of my kin keeping the angels busy, I wanted a little private time with you before taking you back."

"Well you won't have a better time to try it than now. We're not defenseless but we are in a tight space here. Come on in and join the party."

"Come now Dean, you think I'm that much of a simpleton not to know where there might be a trap set, I can smell the salt." The demon said quickly,  "and I can feel the emanations of what can only be a demon trap. So nope I'm going to stay right here and wait for you to come out to me. Oh and to make it a bit more interesting, Sammy…look at me."

Sam was compelled by the voice as much as he tried to fight and had to stare the demon in the eyes. Suddenly the eyes started flashing like strobes, red beacons of light that penetrated the darkened room now that the power had fluctuated to near instability. Sam's eyes locked, then his right arm and hand started shaking, followed by a pulling look to his body then he flexed backward on the bed and convulsed in a seizure.  Bobby seized the bite stick on the headboard and shoved it between his chattering teeth  that suddenly locked on the inanimate object.

"Come on out and play with me Dean." The demon taunted.

"Go, do your worst with him." Then in an undertone, "give me a chance to set up something here."

Dean in a fit of rage lunged through the door with a strangle hold meant for the demon that easily evaded his touch and proceeded to punch him solidly in the gut. Dean slid back several feet on his ass  as the demon strode forward flicking his foot nonchalantly and kicking Dean in the jaw. 

Lightning fast Dean whipped his arm around and swept the demon's free leg out from under him sitting him on his ass, Dean was back on his feet in a heartbeat as was the demon. 

"I love a good fisticuff Dean, it's so refreshing to feel the breaking of bones and cartilage."

"I hope you love the feeling as much." Dean said pummeling at the demon and striking home on several blows only to have the demon look back at him and shake an admonitory finger.

"My turn." Dean tried his best to block the lightning punches of the demon but he felt the strikes hitting home, and then the demon had him down on the floor choking him. Dean reached his waist band and whipped out his demon knife and slashed at the midriff of the demon causing him to leap back in serious pain.  Bobby then standing in the doorway threw some powder  on the demon causing small sparks to break out and flare up and convulsing the demon on the floor. Dean then stepped in quickly and not thinking drove the knife straight into the demons right eye socket and driving him back on the floor, the thing convulsed several times then went still, then dissipated into a human shaped mound of ash. The nurses and staff in the meantime were busy at the other end of the hallway helping those. Dean ran back into the room and hit the emergency call button. In moments a nurse was in the doorway with a medicine tray in hand. She assessed the situation and quickly administered an injection into Sam's right arm.

The room was basically untouched but the hallway was a wreck.

"I have no idea what's going on here, but I don't like it one little bit." She said crossly, she then looked at Dean, "Your brother will be sleeping shortly, and I'll call Dr. Bandicroft as he might want to see him immediately."  With that she left the room, "My word what is that!" She said pointing to the mound of ash in the hall.

 

Dean was still getting over the fight, "Don't know ma'am, and haven't got a clue." He said breathlessly. With that he collapsed against the bed rocking Sam slightly.

Sam moaned around the bite stick and then weakly tried to pull it from his mouth. Dean reached over weakly and pulled it out for him. Bobby was pushing his tool bag back into the corner hiding the sawed off shotgun in the process.

"Sam…Sammy." Dean called.  To Sam it seemed to him as if coming from a great distance.

"…ean?"  Sam said incoherently.

"Rest baby brother you had a seizure. Doc's on his way."

 

It was actually about thirty minutes later that Dr. Bandicroft arrived at the room, Castiel was back with them and was glad to see that as little damage as had been done was done. Bandicroft entered the room then froze in place.  He couldn't move forward or back. Tiredly he sighed, "Would one of you mind releasing this trap, I can't help Sam while locked up."

 

"Uh hello…demon…I'm not so sure I want that help."

Castiel stepped around the bed and Bandicroft held up hands, "Hold on a minute angel boy.  I was asked to do this by my boss. I was actually supposed to look out for him. I mean not all of us demons are sad that Lucifer's back in his trap."

"Who's your boss?" Dean asked.

"Crowley. He said you could summon him if need be to prove the case."

 

Dean walked over to hospital tray and spread some salt out in an even layer. Castiel looked disapprovingly. "Hey Cas I'm not worried, Crowley may be a demon but he's helped us out a lot recently."  With that he drew the sigil with his finger tip in the salt then pressed his palm in the center of it.

 

"Well I was wondering when something like this would happen."  Crowley said coming into the light from the shadows in one corner of the room.  "How's Sam?" Crowley asked.

"Sleeping right now, do you want to explain this?" Dean asked pointing to Bandicroft.

"Yes, he's working for me, I already knew he had medical experience so I assigned him to look in on your brother, he was to keep his demon profile buried deep so as not to alert anyone. Especially those who wouldn't understand the treaty I have with you boys."

"Treaty?" Castiel said his eyebrows arching. "This is something you failed to mention."

"Sorry, in all the excitement I guess remembering every little detail was something I left out." Dean walked over standing on tiptoe he scratched at a place on a ceiling tile with his knife freeing Dr. Bandicroft who immediately went to Sam's side checking him over carefully.

 

"By the way good work on the reaper, he was a bit of an advanced model but obviously not the brightest crayon in the box. I'm sorry he put you through all this." Crowley said meaning it. "Well I see that Bandicroft has things in hand so I'll leave you to it. By the way lads," including Bobby,  "you're not half bad when you work together." With that he was gone. Bandicroft looked abashed as he checked over Sam.

 

"I really am sorry to have kept myself hidden like that, but well I couldn't risk suspicion or detection yet.  I'm leaving soon and all that the staff will remember is an intern named Bandicroft, not the brilliant surgeon. "

 

"Hey for what it's worth, thanks." Dean said nodded to him.

"No need to thank me, I was just filling a position, but I was glad to help. Your brother is doing much better now, he'll sleep for a few hours, and then wake, when he does he'll probably feel remorse and disorientation. Indulge him and work with him. That'll help him the most." Bandicroft stepped back from the bed and nodded to them. "Gentlemen it's been a rare privilege and an honor." With that he was gone and the door opened as another Doctor stepped through the portal.

 

"How's he doing, I heard he'd had a seizure." 

"He seems to be resting well now." Then the doctor turned slightly in the light and Dean could make out the name on the identification card on his jacket. 

"Doc. Robertson, how much longer do you think he'll be in here?" Dean asked.

"Hard to say, he's responding well to treatment, if he continues to respond this well, he should be able to travel in about a week or so."

 

"Good that's real good news." Bobby said smiling. 

"Well the Ativan is taking effect so I'll leave him to rest, no damage to his incision sites, and no signs of increased trauma."  He nodded to Dean, Bobby and Castiel. "I would really prefer it however that he have as few as possible here when he wakes." The doctor said by way of a broad hint.

"Well I need to get back to the office." Castiel said nodding to them "Call me if anything develops." He said to Dean in particular.

"You bet. " With that Castiel stepped into the hallway and vanished. 

Bobby looked at Dean, "Want to toss for the first watch."

Dean responded, "Nah, I'll stay over the night, just in case he does wake up. But if you can relieve me about 9 that'd help me."

"Well now that's decided." The doctor said nodding. "I going to say Good night and I'm going to hit the road."

 

The room was quickly emptied of everyone except Dean and Sam, Dean walked up to the head of Sam's bed and gently brushed his bangs out of his eyes. Sam cracked his eyes open sleepily.

"Love you." He said in a hoarse rasp.

"Love you more." Dean said with a smile. "Get some sleep bro."

 

The morning broke with Sam still sleeping, thankfully a peaceful sleep, Dean noted that his face looked less pinched so he guessed that some of the pain was subsiding.  Sam woke up once during the night with Dean waking up himself as the sheets rustled.

 

"Sammy?"

Sam rolled his head to face Dean and smiled, "Glad I got you for a big brother." He said in what would have been a drunken stupor if he'd been drinking.

"Glad to have you for my little brother, go back to sleep."

"k" Sam muttered closing his eyes.

And with that there were no further disturbances during the night. The nurses came in on their regular rounds to check his vitals but everything was peaceful during the night. 

 

It was just a few minutes till 9 when Bobby showed up in the room.  Dean looked at his through sleep hazed eyes.  "Hey boy, did you get any sleep last night?"

"Some, nurses kept waking me up."

"We need to talk." Bobby said simply.

"No." Dean said.

"You don't even know what I was going to say." Bobby said irritated.

"You were going to try and argue a case for taking Sam off the road." Dean said quietly.

"Only for a little while until we make sure this seizure this is either under control or better yet it disappears altogether." Bobby reasoned.

"Bobby I'm just not ready to have this talk yet." Dean said.

"Well you may as well get ready cause I have a stake in this as well." Sam said waking. "Morning guys."

Dean sprung to his feet then stumbled slightly, "Damn leg fell asleep."

"Probably cause you been poised like a cat all night." Bobby noted.

Sam looked up at Dean fondly but with pain in his eyes. "Dean I'm not good to you in the shape I'm in, and you know it."

"Shut up Sam."

"No," Sam ordered, "this time you don't get your way about it cause I know what I'm facing and just how big of a hazard I would be in the field right now. Hell, as soon as I am fit to go back into the field with you I'm going to have to put up with your watching out more for my ass now."

 

They talked over options and plans for the next hour coming to no clear conclusion. The main argument Dean had was emotionally based and he was not about to make an attempt to hide that. He basically was not ready to think of himself in the hunt alone. Then Bobby came up with a plan.

 

"Look this is what makes sense to me. I sell off that 15 acres of timber on that land I've got out on Highway 5, we use the money to get Sam set up financially to keep him at the house while you and I go on the hunts. We'll keep the hunts local until we're sure that Sam will be all right, and when he's able to go back on the road with you fine. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

 

Dean had to agree that the idea made sense but he was still remorse to consider not being on the road with Sam. They'd been that way for over 10 years total, and now he was going to have to give it up again, but this time not for college but something more serious. Sam's life.

 

"Hell you can stay in the house until you're ready then you can move back into that trailer I gave you boys.  Leastwise that way you're not left alone." Bobby said quietly.

 

Finally Sam agreed that Bobby did have a good idea and even Dean had to admit Sam was right. Though it saddened him greatly to think of the missed time they'd have to endure.  Then  Dean shook himself, ‘Damn I'm getting more like Sam every day.'

 

"Okay I'll agree to this with some reservations. First you dear Sammy will not be left alone until we are sure you have some idea that you can control yourself with these seizures. Second, I'll be checking in regularly, so you'll just have to deal with that. Last, I'm going to ask Castiel to keep an eye on you." Dean said plainly.

 

Sam threw up his hands in a ‘why me' gesture and nodded slowly, "Ok if that will make you happy, by all means."

 

"Damn it Sam, I'm doing this because I love you and am worried about you." Dean said exasperatedly.

Sam nodded smiling fondly, "I know and I'm glad you are, but you got to remember I'm a big boy now. I may have some problems but we'll deal with that." Dean bent down and kissed him tenderly. "And as soon as I'm well enough I'm going to break out every toy in the box on your ass so be ready!" Sam warned.

 

"Oh Christ." Bobby said gruffly. "I would say get  a room you two but you got one, just not one that the housekeeping staff would appreciate you tearing out your "toys" in."

A knock at the door caught their attention and as the door opened they were relieved to see it was Dr. Robertson. 

"Morning gentlemen, how's the patient this morning?"  He asked indicating Sam.

"He's fine, giving me fits but he's fine." Dean said sitting back down.

"Do me a favor and roll on your side facing your brother okay?" Sam complied winking at Dean who smiled.  The doctor checked the dressings and satisfied pulled him back over on his back.  He checked his vitals and was content. "You're looking a lot better this morning, that seizure last night rattled your cage a little but you don't look the worse for wear."

 

"I feel fine, hungry but fine." Sam said watching the Doctor.

"Hold up your hands for me." Sam complied, He then led Sam through a series of neurological dexterity tests which for the biggest part, Sam sort of passed. 

"Well I'll check your blood work and then get on to see some patients who are really sick." The doctor said with a smile patting Sam's shoulder, "You'll be out of here in no time if you keep healing like this."

"Thanks doc." Sam said gladly.  Then he turned to Dean, "Go get you some breakfast then go to the motel and get some real sleep."

"Okay okay, I can take a hint." Dean said good humouredly. He stood and walked around the bed and kissed his brother again, "See ya this evening."

"Get outta here." Sam said grinning. Dean was on the verge of leaving when he turned around and nearly plowed into Castiel.

 

"Good morning to you too." Castiel said with a small grin. He looked at Sam, "You're looking better, good, I'm going to see that your brother makes it home all right, we need to talk over a possible hunt that he is needed on, and well, recognizing your need to be reassured Dean," Castiel reached over and took Sam's hand caressing the gold and silver ring on his ring finger, and said "There, you start to have a seizure and an angel will be notified to assist.

 

"I know I've said this before but I gotta ask again. Why us?"

"We are deeply indebted to you both for the actions you played in stopping the apocalypse.  Even though at the same time you caused it to be born." Castiel sighed, "You're important to us, that should be enough to satisfy. Now come Dean, you need some breakfast and we need to talk."

 

With that Dean permitted himself to be pulled from the room.  Sam shook his head in wonder. "Well that's something I thought I'd never see."
"What?" Bobby asked.

"Dean Winchester being bodily, voluntarily dragged away by an angel." Sam said with a chuckle. "Come on a deal the cards while we're waiting on the breakfast cart to get around."

 

It was over breakfast that Castiel revealed his plan.  "Dean, that reaper that was sent after you last night was subtle and smart, that's what worries me, and these demons know your tactics now and are waiting to use them against you."

 

"Well I can't just lay down and wait for them to pounce can I?" Dean said resigned.

"No, I'm not saying that you should, I'm saying that you're going to have be that much more careful on your hunts."

"Great I have to look over my shoulder for the thing coming as well as look out in front for the thing I'm chasing. That's just fucking peachy." 

"You'll get used to it, you've already spent some time in that mode, just use some of the wiles that Alastair taught you in Hell." Castiel said quietly.

"You would have to bring that up. You know I spend most nights trying to forget that little period of time."

"The horrors of it,  yes I agree you should work on forgetting, but there are a multitude of ideas I'm sure that Alastair taught you in interrogation and the hell hunt, that you could put into play here."

"Damn it Cas." Dean started angrily now, "I don't want to be that kind of hunter, I don't want to be that ruthless and uncaring."

 

"You may not have a choice. At least in the short run." Castiel acknowledged.  "I'm sorry to have to bring this news to you but better you be prepared for what's out there, than run blindly into the night."

 

Castiel sipped on a cup of coffee as they spoke, it was the first time outside of the event with famine that he could remember seeing Castiel eat or drink anything.  He nudged the cup, "Can't help it this is a weakness of mine, a plain cup of black coffee." He said noticing Dean's attention on the cup suddenly.

"Just looks strange seeing you with anything like that in your hands."

"There are times when I have to indulge, to keep this…meat suit…functional."  Castiel said with a smile.

 

Dean sighed long and deep before continuing. "What do I need to do?" 

They spent the next two hours going over strategy before Castiel even broached the subject of the hunt that he was directed to send Dean on. It was straightforward and simple enough, he would be sending a ghost onwards from a home he was haunting, the only thing was it was Castiel's hosts home. 

"The spirit has been tormenting them for about a year now, the only reason that the wife does not sell and move on is that the market for housing has somewhat crashed. She can't get the house sold and that's playing heavy on her sanity. There's a fear that if we do not act soon she'll be driven to despair and possibly suicide. Should that happen my host would reject me totally and I'd have to find another."

"So y'all don't play for keeps." Dean noticed.

Castiel shook his head sadly, "No we don't possess a body that ultimately doesn't want us there. That's too much like what the other side does."

"When should I get on the road for this case?" Dean asked.

"Within a day at least." Castiel said quietly.

"A day! A day! With Sam in the shape he's in and you want me on a hunt in a day!?"  Dean said exasperatedly.

"Dean I don't plan the game, but I have to play by the rules. Sam will be fine, and this will work to help strengthen you for the road ahead when you do have to take to the hunt without Sam for a while." Castiel commented.  "The positive side with this case is that you can be completely truthful with Jean Bartlett. She's expecting you."

"How?" Dean started the stopped, "You already told her I was coming didn't you?"

"In a dream yes, she knows help is on the way."

"Why don't you just step in and take care of this yourself?" Dean asked.

"Like I said I don't plan the game, I just got to play by the rules."

"Still say it sucks." Dean grumped.

"I agree." Castiel said quietly.

 

That evening, after Dean had had a chance to sleep and then shower he was back over at the hospital. He was not overjoyed to have to tell Sam this, especially as Sam was now conscious and more himself.

"You're going on a hunt." Sam said to Dean more of a statement of fact that anything else.

"I've got to, otherwise Cas's meat suit will have to deal with either a crazy wife out there somewhere, or worse, a wife who's offed herself."

"Ouch." Bobby said.

"Yeah, Sam I'm not really kicked up about this y'know. I mean I wanted us to have some quality time together."

"And we will, I promise you Dean we will, Bobby and I have been talking, we can come off the road for a month, live at the trailer or in the house for that matter.  We can take each day  as it comes for a while then when I'm better we get back on the road. Only one thing…" Sam demanded, "You've got to treat me as your Sammy, not as a baby brother who constantly needs his nose wiped. You've got to treat me as an equal and not mother hen me to death, are we good with that?"

"Sam, I…"

"Are with good with that?" Sam reiterated.

"We're good, not that I like it but yeah we're good. But you picked a helluva time to become Mr. Independent."

"Oh I'm not totally independent, I'm still going to rely on you from time to time, and I expect the same back.  We got to support each other, not prop each other up."

"Okay I think I'm okay with that." Dean said haltingly the Bobby stood walked over to the bed and peeled off two twenties from a wad in his pocket and gave them to Sam.

"You bet on what I'd do!" Dean said incensed.

"Yep, may as well have something fun to do." Bobby sniped earning him a sour look in return.

"You've got to go and you've got to go now." Castiel said appearing beside Dean.

"Whoa! Dude I wish sometimes you was like Samantha in ‘Bewitched' at least when she popped around there were sound effects to warn you she was coming." Dean said recovering from the momentary shock. Castiel gave Dean a look that would have withered new flowers.  "All right so what's the rush, this afternoon you said that leaving today or tomorrow would be fine. What's changed."

"She's making preparations to kill herself now." Castiel said clearly disturbed.

"Oh shit." Dean's voice was resigned. "Okay so I'll go."

"No, this time you go my way though I'm loath to have to use this method of travel but stand up." Dean obeyed, Castiel held out his arm, bared to the elbow, "Take hold and don't let go."  Dean did and time seemed to compress around them then a pop and he was stumbling in place as they stood in front of a plain house with a small fence bordering the front yard.  "Go…now." Castiel urged.  Dean waved him down and walked quickly up the steps then knocked on the door.

Ms. Bartlett! Ms. Bartlett." Dean called.  He walked across the front porch looking in the living room window to see the lady of the house downing a handful of pills.  With that he rushed back to the door and hammered it in.  "Ms. Bartlett, Jean! It's Dean Winchester, you were told I was coming."

She was collapsed in a chair in the living room, and looked up as Dean entered.  She laughed dryly, "Heh, you're too late, don't try to stop it. I can't live with this anymore."  Dean walked over and did the only thing he could think of and that was to shove his finger down her throat, thankfully the gag reflex worked bringing up what appeared to be over a dozen small yellow tablets that appeared about half dissolved.  She barked a dry laugh at him while throwing up. "Leave me alone, I can't stand this life any longer."

With one hand he supported Jean while with the other he dialed 9-1-1. "Yeah I'm at 542 Carriage House Road, Jean Bartlett just tried to overdose on…" He fumbled around and found the bottle, "Zanax. Yeah I'm sure the bottle is right here in my hand. Thanks" Dean said and clicked his cell phone shut cutting the call off. "Just hang in there, help's on the way. Now tell me what caused you to do this."

"Tom's spirit, it's been appearing to me in the house, so I know he's dead."  She said crying now.

"No he's not, his body is still very much alive which means his spirit is fine." Dean interjected.

"He's lying you know." A disembodied voice sounded from behind him.

"Look I don't know who the hell you are, but you're not her husband." Dean said reaching in his pocket and grabbing a silver medallion then tossing it between the spirits feet. "Well now I'm glad that I went to the trouble of having me about a dozen of these made up."

"What have you done?"  The spirit that looked like Castiel/Tom Bartlett said.

"Pinned you in place for starters, Castiel is still around, which means, you're not Bartlett's spirit, now just who are you buddy?"

The face dissolved and the body changed into the same demon that Dean had fought in the hallway at the hospital.

"You're little demon trap may hold me for now, but soon enough I'll find a chink and break through."

"Maybe so, but I've got a little extra protection this time." With that, Dean pushed Jean back into the chair, then stood pouring the contents of a small bag in his coat pocket over the demon. Then he crossed the air in front of the demon and started up in a loud voice. "Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis, et in noimine Jesu Christi Filii ejus, Domini et Judicis nostri, et in virtute Spiritus Sancti, ut descedas ab hoc plasmate Dei, quod Dominus noster ad templum sanctum suum vocare dignatus est, ut fiat templum Dei vivi, et Spiritus Sanctus habitet in eo. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum, qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos, et saeculum per ignem." The demon convulsed then dissolved this time into the fine black smoke he knew so well.

 

The ambulance could be heard in the distance and he stepped out on the front porch to hail them down just in case. The ambulance and a police car arrived on the scene and questioned Dean briefly about his whereabouts and why he was there. 

 

"Look I was out for an evening stroll and I was going to look in on Jean, we go to the same church, I didn't get an answer at the door and I saw the living room light on. I know she's been feeling a bit down lately and so I looked in to make sure that she was all right. That's when I saw her down a handful of those pills."

"Fine" the officer said, "You'll just need to stop by the station tonight to make a formal statement and we'll be done."

"Not a problem officer." Dean said, "not a chance." He thought.

"Well she was lucky to have you walk by like that," One of the paramedics said coming out with a stretcher. "Now Bob don't go harassing this guy, I wish we had more people in this town like him. Make our job a helluva lot easier."

"Well thank you for your statement Mr. uh." He looked at Dean askance and Dean produced his driver's license, well at least one of them. "Winters, thank you Mr. Winters."  Dean pointed to the house, "Do you want me to lock up, I mean Jean would have a fit going off and leaving her door unlocked."

"Sure, go ahead." The officer said as Dean reentered the house. He went to the kitchen and found a carton of kosher salt, and one of standard table salt. He proceeded to go through and salt all the windows, and door sills.  Then he left a note for her, and put her key under a pot on the porch.  Locking the house he turned around and into Castiel.

"Thank you." Castiel said content.

"Okay you want to whisk us back to the hospital?" Dean asked.

"No can do, I wasn't even supposed to bring you here like that. But here, this I can do." He produced a bus ticket from New York City to Houston, Texas.

"Okay not exactly my favorite mode of travel but it'll do." He stepped down to the curb and looked around for the nearest main thoroughfare.  Castiel helped by pointing North.

"That way about ten blocks and you'll come to the depot, there's a bus pulling out at midnight, you've a good hour head start so walk." Castiel said.

"You can be a real bitch sometimes."

"That comes with the job description." Castiel told Dean.

 

Once on the bus and headed back to Houston, Dean called Bobby's cell phone and spoke briefly with him telling him that he was on a bus and should be back in town in a day or so as it was an express. "You'd think the way he snatched you out of here, he could at least bring you back the same way." Bobby griped.

"No  thanks, once was enough for this old boy. Hey let me talk to Sam for a minute."

"No problem, he's beating the pants off me in this hand of poker."

"Now there's a sick mental image." Dean said in his usual smartass tone.

"Bite me. Here's Sam." He passed the cell phone to Sam.

"Dean!"

"Sam are you all right?"

"Fine, just playing some more poker with Bobby."

"Well I'm on an express for Houston, should be there sometime the day after tomorrow evening, according to the schedule."

"Oooh too bad I'm not with you, always wanted to do it on a Greyhound."

"Your twisted." Dean said at the same time he heard Bobby in the background say, "I'm gonna step out for a cup of coffee."

Back on the phone, "Dean I'll be okay. I'm a big boy now."

"Yeah that's what my ass keeps telling me." Dean piped back at him.

"Smartass, how'd you like it if I held it back."

"As horny as you stay, not likely. Well let's not run our cell batteries down any further than they are."

"Yeah, I want to talk to you later."

"What, is something up?"

"Just me." Sam said quickly.

"Now that's a mental picture I'll be able to sleep with. See ya tomorrow baby."

"You too."

With that Sam and Dean pretty much clicked their phones shut at the same moment.

 

Dean rode through the night, sleeping in an uncomfortable bus seat, while he knew his brother was sleeping on an equally uncomfortable hospital mattress to know they were equally uncomfortable didn't set well with Dean but he knew that he would hate having comfort while his brother lacked. So reclining he seat on the nearly empty bus he quickly fell asleep.  He knew he was asleep and that at the same time he was bound up in his dreams. Quite literally bound up as he dreamed that Sam had him tied wrist and ankles to the bed face down. They'd often had sex play like this but for some reason this time he felt panic. It was then that the shade of his brother melted revealing that ever calm exterior of the hospital demon.  

"I owe you for what you did to me. I can't reform for at least three centuries, but I can make your life torment for a while." With that the demon uncoiled a long whip snapping it uncomfortably close to Dean's back , "Oh don't worry I'm not going to use something so mundane as a common whip, I just used this to get us started. You like it rough you're going to get it just that way, very rough. With that he produced a put plug that was at least 6 inches long, but as fat as a babies forearm.  With no preparation at all, the demon placed the tip against Dean's anus and shoved hard. Dean bridged up wards and screamed in pain and agony as he felt like his insides were being ripped apart. Then the demon produced a multi laced cat-o-nine-tails, though this looked like 29 tails. But something was strange the tails were crawling and wriggling, they were alive and they were snakes. Knowing one of Dean's secret fears the demon trailed the snake whip down his back, pausing to let them slither over him momentarily.  Dean cried out shamelessly in terror as he felt them wriggling over his back, then the demon snapped the whip and they became leather thongs, each frayed at the tip. Dean lost count as 25 lashes, he was beyond coherent thought in his dream.  The torture seemed to last for ages when at last there was a pause, then the demon ripped the butt plug loose, causing Dean another mind-numbing scream, Dean was sobbing in agony by now, his guts on fire and his back in agony, he knew inwardly that the demon was not going to kill him but leave him alive to repeat the incident again and again until he succeeded in driving Dean Winchester mad. The Demon then laid the whip aside as well as the butt plug and bent down and kissed Dean on the nape of the neck, and then Dean awoke sweating a cold sweat looking around and noticing the other patrons were looking at him in wonder. "Sorry very bad dream." He told the group apologetically and then slumped into his seat dejected and worn out.

 

He tried to doze off again and woke himself up only to arrive at the bus station in Houston, bloodshot of eye, rings under same, and very exhausted. He'd had presence of mind to call Bobby when they got into the city limits of Houston to have him meet him at the station.  "Bobby I need your help." He said without preamble.

"What up son?" Bobby said recognizing the thread that Dean was hanging by. Dean explained the dream in detail and then told Bobby, let's go to the motel, the moment that dream starts you start the exorcism.  The bastard can't take physical form, but he's able to project mental images, if I keep having them like I had last night, I'll be a raving nutcase in short order."

They got to the motel and Bobby laid the salt lines fresh on the property, then had Dean strip to his shorts, he then took an eyebrow pencil and drew a sigil on Dean's chest.

T his time Dean fell asleep almost immediately, he was in REM sleep within moments which gave Bobby a scare, then in the depths of Dean's psyche he was visited by the demon.

"You didn't think something that simple would keep me out did you." He told the bound and hanging form of Dean.

"Oh I knew it wouldn't keep you out, I just know it won't let you out either." The demon tried to disperse and found that he couldn't. Suddenly he started writhing as Dean realized that in the waking world Bobby was reciting the exorcism ritual.

"You can't to do so now would utterly destroy me."  The demon nearly pleaded.

"And I'm supposed to be sorry about that?" Dean said maliciously.

"Well let's just give this a little push along shall we." Castiel said stepping up to the demon, "I smite you in the name of the Lord God on high, He who is the sun next to the cinder of your master. " With that Castiel placed his palm on the demon's forehead causing it to burst into flames. Castiel wasted no time in cutting Dean free of the bonds. Dean gratefully stood there for a moment then grasped Castiel up in a hug, and planted a kiss right on the Angel's lips.  When they parted Dean was actually embarrassed.  "Sorry about that." Dean said apologetically.

Castiel shook his head, "Don't worry about it. You're needed by Sam right now. Wake and go to him."

With that Dean exactly what was suggested, with Bobby driving, as he certainly didn't trust his own driving. In the hospital they found a couple of nurses in Sam's room making him comfortable again.

"Shh, he's sleeping right now, seizure, grand mal type, he'll be fine, just  disoriented."  Dean nodded to the charge nurse and sat down by the bedside, taking Sam's free hand in his. He then leaned into the cool hand and broke down in heartrending sobs.

 

"Hey hey , Dean, come on, it's not that bad." Bobby said uncomfortable with catching Dean vulnerable like this. Dean looked up at Bobby his cheeks wet with tears, his voice choked, he was also shaking uncontrollably. 

"I don't want to sound ya know, girly about this." Dean started choking slightly on the emotion of the moment.  "But I don't know how much more I can take Bobby."  Dean said between gasping sobs, "I mean I've held on for months now, hell years while we've fought this shit, then a poltergeist nails Sam, Sam ends up in here, then the demon attack here in the hospital, the job I had to do for Castiel, and then those dreams, one was bad enough, but the thought of a repeat was too much."  He turned and grabbed Bobby's hand, "I ‘m no wuss, you know that and so do I, but I'm tired Bobby, I'm tired and I need a break."

 

Castiel appeared behind Bobby and walked around him taking Dean's hand in his own. Then pushing the reclining chair back until the foot rest popped out he brushed Dean's tears and looked at them curiously.

 

"God knows of your pain Dean, He sends this gift of peace to you." With that Castiel brushed Dean's forehead with his fingers and Dean's head lolled.

"What'd you do to him." Bobby said irritated.

"Gave him a chance to have a peaceful sleep, something which he has denied himself for some time."

"So when he wakes he'll be okay?"  Bobby asked.

"He'll be rested, that's what he needs most right now, we've taxed him too much and for that I apologize, I'm going to have a guardian angel put on his, all of yours case."  Castiel took a deep breath, "He's young, eager, and willing to assist them."

 

Dean's dream this time was somewhat polarized to the one he'd had earlier. The scene was a tropical setting, a beach of white sand, no one around, their own private cove, the sun was at mid-day, the water crystal clear and a magnificent blue.  He and Sam were lying on the sand, just lying there thinking about nothing, Dean was resting his head on Sam's shoulder and was totally relaxed. He looked up from his position to Sam's features which were quietly relaxed. He sighed and leaned into the embrace.

 

"Happy?" Sam asked.

"Deliriously." He rolled off Sam to take a beer from a nearby tub of ice. "Want one?"

Sam reached over and grabbed Dean's forearm, "No I want you." Dean grinned and pushed the long neck bottle back into the ice, then he rolled to Sam.

"You got me. Now question is how do you want me?" Dean asked with a wicked glint to his eye.

Sam grabbed him around the neck and pulled him down. "This works. No toys, no pretense, no long drawn out requirements, just like this." With that Sam pulled Dean over and had him laying halfway on top of him. They kissed, long and deep, none of the frantic urgency  that they'd long been used to but just a long relaxed kiss of tenderness and peace. 

 

"Can we enjoy this vacation for a while?" Dean asked compliant.

"However long you want, we can make things happen and we can make do. The main thing is that we take some time off the road and just relax for a change, none of that hurried packing and moving on, none of that grabbing sex when we could get it between jobs, none of that choking down cold hamburgers or warm salads." Sam said smiling.

Dean ran his fingers through Sam's hair which was about as long as his own. "Well it's starting to come back."

"Hey don't make fun of my fur."

"Of your fur never, of your head hair well that's another matter."

With that they proceeded to kiss, hug, and roll in the sand, not caring at all, just happy with the way things were. Finally they stopped rolling with Dean on top of Sam their bodies pressed together in a deliciously languorous manner.  Sam kissed Dean's forehead, each closed eye, the tip of his nose and the full lips which Dean seemed to be wonderfully endowed with.  They just kissed and held each other, in no rush to get to the finish line, just glad for the company of the other.

The scene altered slightly then with the sun westering and the waters highlighted in the glow. They were both naked now and were delighting in the touch of their bodies, flesh on flesh.

Sam laughed when Dean reached down and fondled him.

 

"What's so funny?" Dean asked pulling back. Sam grabbed his hand and put it right back where it was.

"You, I mean twice is nice you wanna go for three times."

"I want to go for as many times as we can while in this paradise.  I just want you." Dean said caressing him gently, his calloused fingers working over Sam's length making it strong and hard yet again.

"My insatiable little satyr." Sam said reached down to return the favor to Dean. Then the dream scene changed yet again and this time, Sam was being slowly ridden by Dean, it wasn't fucking as much as it was truly making love. Dean was pursuing Sam with the slowness and carefulness as if he were a fine bottle of wine.  He loved each stroke of their lovemaking and lovetaking.  Sam welcomed each touch, caress, kiss, and sensation that he was receiving from his brother.  Then suddenly Dean started to pick up his pace ever so slightly, pushing deeper into Sam, staying in longer, and groaning wonderfully at each long stroke, until at last with a cry of utter relief he came yet once again collapsing on Sam. 

 

"Can we stay like this forever?" Dean asked contentedly.

"Afraid not, we've got work to do, but nothing that will spoil if we take some time for us." Sam said quietly, enjoying the musky smells of their sex mixed with the clean smells of the ocean.  Even that was intoxicating.

 

Then it seemed to Dean that the dream was fading and he was suddenly terrified and feeling hopelessly abandoned until he felt a kiss from Sam and the fading words, "I'll love you always."

Dean woke from his sleep relaxed and at peace with himself for a change.  He felt the raw edge of tension and stress lurking in the background but he could keep a handle on this stress. It didn't feel as debilitating as it once had.  His cracked open eyes and saw that the sun was just peeking in through the closed curtains.  It was then he saw Bobby sitting his chair across from him, propped up watching him. Sam was sleeping now, the gentle soft snores his signature of being at peace. He looked at Bobby who had a funny expression on his face.

 

"Something funny?" Dean asked quickly.

"You, don't worry, you didn't say anything, it was just  seeing you sleep with a smile for a change. God knows you boys, hell all of us, have had our fair share of shit come down the pike.  Sam's been sleeping right on with you, he stirred at one point and started to wake then changed his mind and fell back asleep."  Dean looked at Bobby with some chagrin.

"I guess you're beat, here let's switch chairs, this ain't the most comfortable recliner in the world but at least you can get some shut-eye for a while." Dean said rising, Bobby made no pretense at being gallant he gladly took the recliner, leaned back and closed his eyes and fell into a near immediate slumber.

 

Dean sat looking through the slitted curtain at the brightening world outside. It was about 7:30am and the morning shift would be changing at any moment, breakfast would be served, and the world would spin happily on. Dean could vividly recall the dream he'd been having and was surprised to hear Sam lightly calling his name.

He turned from the window and looked at his brother who was smiling that same goofy smile he usually reserved for after sex or before his morning coffee. Dean got up from his seat near the window and walked around to the opposite side of the bed.

 

"Morning." He said softly. "Bobby took the comfy chair and he'll probably be snoring any minute now."

"Umm morning to you too." Dean leaned down and kissed him, glad to have their lives starting with simple pleasures for a change. "I had the most beautiful dream, I hated to wake up."

"You did too huh?"

"What was yours? You and me on a hunt in which we lay down in the woods in the middle of and fuck like bunnies?" Sam asked smiling.

"No actually we were on a beach,"

"In the middle of nowhere particular,"

"and we were just …what the fuck." Dean said.

"Bro, I think it's safe to say we had the same dream."  Sam said curiously pondering the situation.

"You think that Cas set it up like that." Dean wondered aloud.

"Wouldn't surprise me any if he did. Oh well, it was still a wonderful dream." Sam said quietly.

"Umm hmm. Maybe that's a hint that we should take some time off and go to the Bahamas." Dean wondered.

"We'd have to fly." Sam said knowing one of Dean's weaknesses.

"We could go by boat."

"Or we could do one of those gay cruises around the Cayman's." Sam offered.

"Now you're talking." Dean said smiling again.  "But truth be told I'd be happy to be back at our trailer at Bobby's, at least there we could have some peace and quiet for a while anyways."

"Yeah I know." Sam said somewhat sadly.

"You've both some time off coming up, starting now and lasting however long it takes you." Castiel said stepping into the room proper.  He looked over in Bobby's direction, "Good he's resting."

"Yeah please don't wake him." Sam asked. Castiel shook his head.

"He'll sleep through my visit I promise you that. He needs rest as much as you two. I just brought along an associate of mine to introduce to you." He half turned and motioned to the shadows in the doorway, a young man stepped into the light, about 5' tall, sandy blonde hair, eyes of a forest green, skinny with what Sam would call a ‘runner's physique' and as beautiful as most men could come at being.  He smiled tentatively and waved at them.

"Uh hi, I'm Theodorious, you can call me Theo." He said with a somewhat shy smile.

"This is Theo's first direct interaction with humans but he is an experienced Angel. He will be your houseguest for the next few months while we get this situation with the demon world sorted out."

"I promise to stay out of you guys way." He said self-consciously.

"Uh how old are you Theo?" Sam asked,

"I'll be 984 next month, why? I mean I know I'm just a kid, but I've been trained by the best."

"Just a kid, at 984!" Dean said silently whistling.

"You've got to remember that most angels predate the creation of this world. Some new angels are created occasionally.  Theo is one of those few." Castiel explained.

Dean turned fully facing the new angel, "Well step up here into the light so we can see who we're dealing with better."

Theo did as requested and Sam and Dean exchanged looks, then nodded, "A distant cousin." Sam said approvingly.

"Excuse me?" Theo said quietly.

"When you come to stay with us you'll need a cover story, humans and angels don't interact on the same level they did 2000 years ago. " Sam explained.

"Oh gotcha." Theo offered, then looked at Sam and Dean and nodded. "I promise not to get in your way" He said again.

"What makes you think you'll be in the way?" Dean asked curiously.

"Well you two are a couple aren't you?" Theo asked frankly.

"Yes they are Theo, and humans are somewhat sensitive about how that is approached in public as well, listen to them and follow their lead."

"Yes sir." He said reassuringly.

"You remember those talks we've had about how to skirt the truth, well now you get to put them into action." Castiel nodded to them. Just then the door opened to admit the morning nurse to check Sam's vitals.

"Excuse me gentlemen, " She said walking to the bedside.  Castiel looked at Sam and Dean and smiled a relieved smile.

"Well, we will be taking off, I'll take Theo down for breakfast then we'll go out to Bobby's to see to getting the trailer set up." Castiel offered. Dean nodded then added.

"Good seeing ya Theo, catch ya later."

"K, Uncle Dean, see ya later Uncle Sam." Everyone in the room who was awake got a snicker out of that last. Castiel promised to explain it over breakfast as they left.

"Well, that's better, we don't mind you having company, we just don't want to hamper your recuperation."  She said brightly.

 

Sam looked at the nurse as she was finishing the checkup and asked plaintively, "Can I have some water for a sponge bath?"

"Sugar, you can get in the shower if you want."

"I want!" Sam said gladly.

"Okay hon, let me get a nurse Rick to stand by in case you need help." The nurse said.

Sam caught her sleeve, and pointed to Dean, if my partner joins me in the shower would that work instead of bothering one of them orderlies?" Sam gave her his best smile with all the dimples.

"Well I suppose that would be all right. But Rick will still be standing by, legal stuff and all that.  Let me just get you a shower cap to cover the dressings." She left the room and behind her back Dean held up his hand palm out for a high five. 

 

Bobby stretched in the recliner and blinked owlishly and saw that Sam was sitting up.

"What gives?" Bobby  asked.

"I get to shower finally." Sam said smiling at the idea of such a simple pleasure.

"Don't worry I'll be with him." Dean said winking at Bobby.

Bobby just stared at them,  "I guess I can go down for another cup of coffee."  He said starting to rise from his seat. Dean motioned him to sit back down.

"Look all we're going to do is take a shower together, no hanky panky, hell he's still on such much medication I wonder if his hanky could panky." Dean said wryly.

"Don't give me up yet smartass."

The door to his room opened again and an orderly stepped into the room carrying a shower cap and other shower items. 

"Ok let's get you out of that bed." The nurse Rick said helping Sam sit up. "Slow and easy."

"Dude this is the first shower I've had since I been in here, I've had some pretty serious surgery, I ain't gonna run a footrace."

"That's good, because there are a few nurses on this floor that would have a fit if you tried." He said untying the nightie that Sam was wearing. Dean came around the bed and got between the orderly and his brother.

"I'll take it from here thank you." Dean said quietly.

"Ok but I've got to stay in the room at least."

"Good you can keep our uncle entertained, he's looking for the best nightspots on this side of town." Dean said with a conspiratorial wink to Bobby.

 

In the bathroom Dean helped Sam out of the nightie, then helped him get the shower cap on and his dressings covered.  "How're you doing?"

"Dean, I feel fine, I promise I'll let you know if anything is going to happen."

Dean gave him a deep kiss now unencumbered by the bed, "Oh something's going to happen all right." Dean said with a wicked grin. He turned on the hot and cold water adjusting it to a good temperature. Dean stripped off his clothing and then they both stepped into the spray.  Sam practically crooned and arched his back slightly as the spray beat down on him. He proceeded to start to lather up but Dean stopped him and gave him another kiss then started lathering him up and down. Sam giggled slightly.

 

"You know I could get used to this?"

"What being in a hospital?" Dean said.

"Nope being tended literally hand and foot."

"Well don't get too comfortable me lord, we're going to work on getting you up and at em." Dean said firmly, "And speaking of up and at em." He started soaping Sam's penis, stroking it and massaging his balls and lathering the crack of his ass and then back again. Sam got immediately hard.

"No fair, I've not jacked off or anything for thr—three oh shit." With that he came is hard, strong spurts.

It seemed like forever for him to come down from the orgasmic high, he brought Dean up to face level and gave him the most thorough kiss and hug that he was able to.

"We gotta try that a little more often, give you about three days between shooting and see what kind of fun we can have then." Dean grinned. They finished their shower then toweled off each other. Dean got redressed quickly and Sam put on a new gown and then Dean reintroduced him to his hospital room.

 

The nurse stood, in the middle of a rather animated conversation with Bobby, "Yeah, down on Broker and Hood, there's a real cool country bar. Oh good, well now that you are out of bed and cleaned up how about a walk up and down the hall before breakfast?"

"Sure." Sam agreed.

"Well Bobby did you get some pointers?" Bobby was pocketing a list of clubs that the orderly recommended.  "I guess you did. Coming with?"

"Hell yeah, feels like my ass has grown to this seat." Bobby said levering himself up to a standing posture and groaning slightly from having sat so long.

They did walk up and down the hall and tiredly Sam was grateful to see his bed again. He sat on the edge the orderly concerned over his flushed appearance.  Sam waved him off. "I'll be fine, that was my first time all the way down and back. I didn't realize how much it would take out of me."

"You'll find your strength will come back in time, just be patient and don't try to rush it. That's what screws up a lot of recoveries, the patients think they can just blow off the advice of their doctors and nurses."  He smiled at Sam, "You're doing great.  Oh by the way gents our charge nurse went ahead and put in an order for 3 trays for this room today, that way y'all don't have to go down unless you just want to."

"Why is today different?" Dean asked.

The nurse looked at the non-plused, "Well today Sam, you are scheduled for an MRI and a CT scan so the doc can see if his work is holding up or if there is another well to drill."

"Shut up" Sam said playfully.

"Lay down junior, breakfast will be here in a minute." Rick said.

Dean and Bobby laughed at that and Sam complied, actually relieved to be laying back down. The walk had drained him a bit more than he wanted to admit.

 

"Seriously Bobby did he find some clubs that tweak your trigger?" Dean asked

"A few, mostly Country places, with an old time rock n roll place about a block and a half from the motel, I've got us a prospect list of about 12 places."

"Cool, between you and me we oughta be able to hustle up some bucks pretty quick."

"Hell yeah." Bobby agreed.

"Not gone through that wad Complin gave us have you?" Sam asked concerned.

"No, just getting some extra padding, we're going to need it, even with that timber sale." Bobby noted.

And with that breakfast trays were brought in and the three had eating conversation while plowing through their respective trays.

 

"Doc what are some of the side effects from Tegretol?" Sam asked his doctor who entered about an hour after breakfast.

"The usual, upset stomach, some liver functions we have to monitor, and possible sexual dysfunctions, but that only happens in like less than 2% of all cases. Why do you ask?"

"This is the first time since I was a kid I've been on prescribed meds. I personally don't like them."

"I understand, really I do." The doctor told Sam, "Plus you're going to have to be careful, we're going to be doing three tests today, an MRI and CT scan to get a picture of your brain, then an EEG to get a picture of your brain patterns right now and to see if you are photosensitive." Dr. Robertson said.

"If I'm what?" Sam asked.

"Some folk who have a seizure disorder can be triggered by flashing lights. We've got to find that out now."  Robertson said.

Sam looked at Dean and Bobby, "Well there's nothing for you two to do here, I mean I'll be in and out all day, plus I may possibly have a seizure during the EEG. Why not check some of those places out." Sam said to Dean.

***

Next part of Tremors.

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