Sam smiled as he stared down at Jessica’s sleeping features. She was so beautiful that he really didn’t want to leave but his Father wanted him to handle something up north. The fact that his Father had agreed to him attending College and even letting him date Jessica....he would do as asked. He didn’t know why his Father wanted him to go to Jericho when he had many others who could but maybe Sam was simply the closest. He sighed and settled back down to sleep for the rest of the night.

He told her he had to go away for a few days the next morning and she was understandably upset.

“But what about your interview?” She argued.

“It’s not till Monday and I’ll be back before then, I promise. It’s just a little job for my Dad, everything will be okay.”

“When do I get to meet this mysterious Dad of yours, you’ve met my family Sam.”

“Soon Jess, promise. Everything will be okay Jess.” He promised, leaning down to kiss her as he finished packing a bag.

“I love you.” She whispered and he smiled.

“Love you too. Now go have girl fun for the weekend.” He said and she laughed but when to call up a few of her girlfriends as Sam picked up his bag and left the apartment.

--------------------------------
Sam smiled softly as he approached the apartment, paying no notice to the black classic car parked nearby. He jogged up the stairs and unlocked the door.

“Jess? You here? I’m back.” Sam called out, smiling as he found a plate of his favourite cookies on the table. He picked one up and took a bite, smiling at Jess’ thoughtfulness and then froze. He closed his eyes, searching with his senses and then smiled. His Dad obviously wanted to hear how the trip had gone.
“Father?” he called but once again there was no answer. With a feeling of dread beginning to grow he headed towards the bedroom, readying his powers only to freeze in horror as his eyes locked on the ceiling over their bed.
“No....no Jess....NO!” He screamed, lashing out with his powers to try and free her but her body remained stuck to the ceiling. Her eyes were wide with terror as blood soaked into her dress. He choked back a sob as her mouth moved, forming his name without sound. He watched as the life fled her eyes and then flames exploded from around her, the force of it knocking Sam to the floor.
“No!” He screamed again, not hearing the sound of the door being broken in. He screamed, fighting as strong hands grabbed him and pulled him from the apartment and then down the stairs.

“Hey! Damn it stop fighting me kid.” A voice called and Sam snarled, pulling free and spinning to face the one that had dared take him from her. The man was a few years older than him and shorter though well built and there was something....

“Winchester.” Sam stated and green eyes widened in shock before narrowing in suspicion. Sam just sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his gaze going to the burning apartment.

“How do you know that?” the man demanded and Sam looked away, pain tearing through him at the betrayal.

“Not here please. Wherever you want just not here.” Sam asked and the Winchester stared at him before nodding, grabbing hold of his arm and leading Sam over to a sleek black car. Sam let himself be pushed into the passenger seat and sat silently, fighting tears, as the hunter got in and drove away. Sam stayed hunched in the seat the whole trip, ignoring the glances sent his way as he grieved for his love and the betrayal of his Father.

“We’re here.” The hunter said eventually and Sam blinked, looking around to find they were at a motel. He clumsily got out and this time the hunters grip had to steady him as they made their way into a room. Sam shivered as he crossed a salt line and then he came to a sudden stop as he hit an invisible barrier. The hunter quickly moved away from him and Sam let himself crumple to the floor, tears flowing freely.
“Demon.” The hunter sneered and Sam flinched.

“My name’s Sam.” He said, looking up at the hunter.

“The name of the poor kid you’re riding maybe.” The hunter shot back and Sam shook his head.

“You can do an exorcism if you want. This is me, Samuel Jacobs.”

“Yeah right. You’re just another filthy demon.”

“Half-demon.” Sam corrected and the hunter frowned.

“What?”

“I’m half-demon half-human. I crossed your salt lines fine enough and I’ve been to church a few times, mostly cause Je....” he trailed off in pain at the thought of her.

“There’s no such thing as a half-demon.” The hunter snarled and Sam looked up at him.

“Doesn’t matter anyway. Go ahead, kill me. There’s nothing left for me anymore. My own Father just killed the only one I’ve ever loved.” Sam muttered, drying his face with a sleeve.
“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.” The hunter stopped as Sam screamed, curling up and clutching his stomach, eyes yellow and tears falling from his eyes.

“Please don’t, it hurts.” Sam begged. The hunter started the chant again only to stare in shock when all that happened was Sam’s screams gaining volume.
“Please, I’ll tell you anything you want just stop!” Tear filled yellow eyes met green and the hunter bit his lip but nodded. He looked around and then found a cup; he went to the bathroom and filled it with water before placing it on the floor and gently pushing it into the trap.

“Drink, its normal water, not Holy.” he said and Sam picked the glass up shakily, sipping slowly.
“How did you know who I am?”

“Everyone knows the Winchesters. Don’t know your first name.” Sam admitted and the hunter stared at him before sighing and sitting down next to the trap.

“Dean, my name’s Dean.” He said and Sam smiled slightly at that.

“Nice to meet you I guess.” Sam said and then pushed the empty cup back to the edge of the trap.

“So what are you doing here? Killing college students or something?” Dean asked and Sam shook his head.

“I am a college student. I was studying law but I won’t go back now, there’s nothing left for me here.” Sam admitted.

“Okay I’m confused.” Dean admitted and Sam laughed softly.

“Sorry. It’s….I don’t know where to start.”

“How about with how being half-demon’s even possible?” Dean said and Sam nodded.

“Don’t suppose you’d let me out? It’s just….got caught in one of these for a week once. Won’t try anything, promise.” Sam asked and Dean stared at him.

“You can cross salt and I never trust strangers, not even human ones.” Dean shot back and Sam went back to staring at the floor.

“So use iron chains or something, anything’s better than this. Please!” Sam begged and Dean frowned but eventually got up and went back out to his car. When he came back he had a set of engraved iron manacles. He attached one to the bed and then moved cautiously to the trap. Sam stood slowly and held his hands out. Dean broke the trap and Sam moved slowly over to the bed, holding out a wrist for the manacle. Dean slipped it around Sam’s wrist and locked it. Sam closed his eyes and swayed slightly as he felt his strength being sapped. He moved back on the bed, leaning against the pillows as Dean watched.
“Ask away.” He said once he was comfortable.

“So like I asked, how can you be half-demon. I’ve never heard of anything like that before.” Dean said, sitting nearby but out of reach.

“The demon Azazel possessed Mark Jacobs and used him to conceive me. When I was a baby he returned and fed me his blood. I know that Mark Jacobs died before I was born in a car accident. My….my mother died when I was two, I barely remember her.” Sam answered softly and Dean felt a flash of sympathy for him.
“After that I was raised by various people, all of whom worked for Azazel, it wasn’t a bad childhood or anything and I was mostly happy but I wanted to be around people so I asked permission to attend college and Azazel agreed. He even seemed….happy for me when I said I was dating Jess. I don’t understand Dean…why would he kill her?” Sam asked and Dean frowned.

“How do you know he was the demon that did it? There are what? Thousands of demons out there?” Dean asked, unable to believe he was trying to comfort Sam.

“I felt him in the apartment and….Jess’ death, it’s his trademark. It’s…it’s the same way he killed your Mom.” Sam admitted and Dean froze.

“My Mom…..how could you know that?” Dean demanded, grabbing Sam’s shirt.

“Because he was proud of it, pissed that your Dad took to hunting, but proud of her death. If you’re going to ask why she died….I don’t know, he never said. I’m sorry.” Sam said and Dean let him go, walking over to the window and staring out of it.
“Dean?” Sam called timidly and the hunter turned back to him, all emotion hidden.

“I’m taking you to Bobby.” Dean said and Sam tilted his head to the side.

“Who’s Bobby?” Sam asked nervously.

“A hunter and expert on demons. He’ll know if what you’re saying is possible.” Dean answered and Sam nodded.

“Okay.” Sam answered softly and Dean sighed, looking at him and seeing for the first time since Sam had tripped the trap a tired, ash covered young man.

“I’ll go get some food, you do eat right?”

“Yeah. No red meat though, please.” Sam answered and Dean nodded, grabbing his keys.

“Sit tight.” Dean left to get the food and Sam let himself doze while he was gone. He only opened his eyes again when the door opened, relaxing when Dean walked in with some bags. He tossed one and a bottle of juice to Sam who caught them and smiled in thanks. They ate in silence and then Dean walked over to him.
“You’ll draw attention if you’re that much of a mess. I’ll unchain you but I’ll put a trap outside the bathroom door. Have a shower, do what you need to for the night and then come out. I’ll re-chain you and then break the trap. Don’t try anything.” Dean said and Sam nodded.

“I won’t.” Sam answered and Dean unchained him. Sam moved slowly over to the bathroom and stepped through the door. As soon as he was clear Dean set about drawing out the trap, Sam watching him.
“Um….I don’t have any clothes or anything. These reek of smoke.” Sam pointed out and Dean went over to his duffle, tossing Sam some cloth. Sam unfolded the pants and shirt and smiled.
“Thanks.” He closed the door and stripped off, wincing as he discovered some bruises from the apartment. He stood under the hot water, soaking as long as he dared before getting out and drying off. The pants were too short and loose around the waist but the shirt wasn’t a bad fit. He cleaned his teeth, used the toilet and then took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping into the trap. Dean walked over and attached the manacle to Sam’s wrist; Sam docilely followed him back over to the bed and let himself be chained to it. He crawled under the covers and lay facing the wall, listening to Dean move around until he too went to bed.

TBC….

Dean glanced at the demon from the corner of his eye as he drove. He didn’t know what to think about the kid, demon, whatever he was. He seemed sincere but demons were very good liars but there was a part of him that wanted to believe that the kid was telling the truth. That didn’t mean he was going to unchain Sam though. Sam wore the iron manacles while they were in the car and when they stopped at motels for the night. They only came off when Sam needed to use the bathroom or when they were both out in public. When that happened Dean stayed close, a knife in hand, just in case. But Sam had done nothing and was completely obedient when Dean told him to do something.

They’d be at Bobby’s in a few hours and he’d finally have his answers so he could finally know whether he could trust him or would have to kill him. He hoped Bobby would have answers, if Bobby didn’t know then who would? He tensed slightly as Sam shifted in his seat but he relaxed as Sam just laid his head against the window. Dean checked again and found Sam staring blankly out the window.

“You okay over there?” Dean asked and Sam blinked before looking over at him and nodding before stretching.

“We stopping for the night or?”

“We’ll be there soon.” Dean answered and Sam nodded.

“So what’s this Bobby like?”

“Like any hunter. Paranoid, suspicious....how do you react to Holy Water?” Dean asked and Sam let his head slam into the window.

“This is gonna be fun.” Sam grumbled and Dean couldn’t help but chuckle.

“That bad?” He asked and Sam shrugged awkwardly thanks to the manacles.

“Not as bad as a demon but it hurts.” Sam admitted softly and Dean chewed his bottom lip absently.

“He makes everyone drink.....but I’ll see if I can get him not to give you any. His house is covered in traps though.” Dean explained and Sam sighed.

“Yep, fun.” Sam mumbled and Dean flipped the radio on. Sam nearly jumped but then relaxed again, actually humming alone to one of the songs.

---------------------------------------------
Bobby looked up and smiled as he heard a familiar car pull into his yard. He got up and grabbed the holy water plus his shot gun, just in case. He looked out the window to see Dean get out and then go to the passenger side. He frowned as Dean opened the door and then reached down, pulling someone out but not roughly. Bobby’s frown deepened when he saw the gangly kid and the manacles attached to his wrists. Dean guided the younger male towards Bobby’s house, the kid looking around curiously. He watched as the kid said something and Dean answered, what the hell was going on? Bobby opened the door and Dean smiled at him.

“Hey Bobby.” Dean called out and Bobby nodded, tossing the flask to him. Dean opened it and downed a mouthful before tossing it back.

“What about him?” Bobby called and Dean shrugged.

“Already know it’ll hurt so what’s the point?” Dean answered and Bobby tensed.

“You want to tell me what the hell’s going on boy?” He demanded and Dean sighed.

“Inside please?” Dean asked and Bobby nodded, motioning them in. Dean walked in easily and the kid suddenly stopped. Bobby raised his shotgun and the kid lowered his head, hunching in on himself.
“Bobby...”

“Dean why did you bring a demon here?!” Bobby demanded and Dean sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Long story Bobby. Show him Sam.” Dean said and the now-named kid raised his head. Bobby’s eyes went wide when Sam’s eyes changed to yellow instead of the usual black. Yellow eyes....

“Dean....”

“Yeah. Meet Sam Jacobs, son of the demon that killed Mom.” Dean stated tightly and Bobby stared in shock.

“And you haven’t exorcised him? Damn it Dean, there’s a kid locked in there.” Bobby snarled, surprised when he saw the demon flinch out of the corner of his eye.

“I tried Bobby; all it did was make him scream in agony. He can cross salt without a problem but gets stuck in traps. Those manacles you gave me work too.” Dean explained and Bobby moved closer to the trap, studying the kid. Now hazel eyes met his hesitantly.

“So what are you?” He demanded and the kid swallowed.

“Half-human, half-demon.” Was the quiet answer and Bobby frowned in suspicion. He’d only come across references to such things once; apparently they were extremely rare and most didn’t survive or ended up human but with some physic abilities.

“Bobby?” Dean asked and he sighed.

“I’ve read of some, most don’t survive or if they do end up human but psychic.” Bobby answered.

“Is there some sort of way to prove it?” Dean asked and he nodded.

“I’ll need to get a few things. Manacles work?” He asked and Dean nodded slowly. Bobby grabbed a broom and used it to rub a break in the trap. Sam smiled shakily at him and edged out of the circle, staying closer to Dean than Bobby. It made sense though if Sam had been travelling with Dean the last few days then Dean was a known danger and Bobby wasn’t.
“There’s a clear path to the couch, try not to get caught in another trap.” Bobby said and Dean led Sam to the couch where Sam curled up. Dean stood nearby, not sure whether or not he should sit with the kid or not.

“See, Bobby knows all.” Dean said quietly and Sam nodded.
“Hungry? Thirsty?”

“A bit thirsty.” Sam admitted and Dean nodded.

“I’ll get you something un-tampered with.” Dean told him, heading to the kitchen. He scrounged around and grinned when he found some unopened bottles of juice.
“These clean Bobby?” He called and the older hunter emerged from his back room, stared at them and then nodded.
“Thanks.” Bobby vanished and Dean headed back in to the living room, tossing a bottle to Sam who managed to catch it despite the manacles. He took the cap off and then took a hesitant sip before drinking deeply.

“Thanks.” Sam said and Dean nodded.

They waited in silence for hours, Dean eventually sitting beside Sam, until Bobby finally emerged from his books and supplies. By then Sam had nodded off, his head falling to rest on Dean’s shoulder and Dean’s head had fallen back to rest on the back of the couch as he dozed. Bobby froze in the doorway for a second as he saw them, not sure whether to be amused by the position or worried. Since he didn’t need them right then he decided to let them sleep as he set everything up. He froze when he felt eyes on him nearly twenty minutes later and turned to find curious hazel watching him, Sam was awake. Sam merely watched him silently as he finished preparing.

“Ready.” Bobby stated and Sam nodded before looking at Dean, as if uncertain whether he should wake him.
“He’ll feel better if he sees this for himself.” Bobby said and Sam nodded.

“Dean? Bobby’s ready.” Sam called softly and Dean snapped awake.

“Huh?” Dean mumbled and Sam smiled, making Bobby frown slightly.

“He’s ready.” Sam repeated and Dean nodded, yawning as he sat up.

“Unfortunately for this to work we have to take the manacles off. You gonna try anything?” Bobby demanded and Sam shook his head.

“No sir.” Sam answered and Bobby nodded, looking to Dean who removed the manacles. Sam slowly reached up to rub his wrists, the skin red and raw despite Dean having removed them several times a day.
“What next?”

“You lie in the circle and don’t move. And drink this, no holy water or anything in it.” Bobby held out the cup and Sam wrinkled his nose as he took it, the smell was rather nasty. Sam looked at them both before taking a deep breath and downing the liquid. He gagged but managed to swallow it all and then he frowned as the room began to spin.

“De.....” He slurred and then slumped, Dean barely catching him.

“Bobby?” Dean called and the older hunter moved to get Sam’s feet.

“It’s meant to do that.” He answered as he started to lift. Dean got the hint and lifted Sam’s torso. They got Sam into the circle and then stepped out.

“Could have warned me.” Dean grumbled.
“Now what?”

“Hold this.” Bobby pushed a bowl into his arms and Dean looked down at the contents, not recognising most.
“When I tell you to dump it on the kid’s chest.” Dean nodded in answer and Bobby began reading a chant or something from a very old book. He went on for several minutes before nodding to Dean who upended the bowl over Sam. Dean watching in awe as Sam began to almost glow with a mix of black and green light. The two lights seemed to fight each other before settling down in equal amounts.

“Bobby?” Dean asked as the man fell silent.

“He’s telling the truth, he’s half and half. Doesn’t mean he’s on humanities side though. How did you find him?” He asked as he started cleaning up.

“Dad sent me to Stanford due to demonic omens. I hung around for a few days and was thinking of leaving, was gonna give it one more night. I was sitting in the car when an apartment window blew out. Went upstairs and busted the door down to find Sam on the ground, screaming and a body on the ceiling. Dragged him out and he knew I was a Winchester. Took him back to the motel wanting answers and he got stuck in the trap. He spun a story I didn’t believe so I tried an exorcism only to have him writhe and scream but no smoke. He....he was petrified of being in the trap, that’s why I used the manacles. Made travel easier too.” Dean told him.

“And his family? Why was he at Stanford? Did he kill the person in the apartment?” Bobby pushed and Dean sat down on the couch.

“I researched him to back up what he told me. Samuel Jacobs, twenty-two, born in San Francisco to Mark and Rachel Jacobs. Father died in a car accident three months before Sam was born, mother died just before his second birthday. Raised by various foster families and home schooled. Accepted to Stanford at age eighteen, model student, pre-law. Moved into an off campus apartment just over a year ago with one Jessica Moore.” Dean recited and then leant back in his seat.
“Adding in what Sam himself told me, Mark was possessed when Sam was conceived and then the demon visited again when Sam was a baby to feed him more blood. The people who raised him were all tied to his ‘demon’ father, named Azazel. Sam asked permission to attend college and it was given, apparently his Dad even appeared happy when Sam started dating Jessica. Sam’s convinced it was his Dad that caused the fire and killed her because he sensed him and the kill bore his signature........the way my Mom died. Sam said his Dad’s the one that killed my Mom.” Dean finished quietly and Bobby sighed. Explained why Dean had brought the kid to him, if he was telling the truth.....they’d gone over twenty years with no new intel on what had killed Mary Winchester, if Sam was its son and was willing to talk....

A low groan made them look at the floor and then Dean crouched by Sam’s side. He lifted Sam’s head off the floor and held him still.

“Any side effects?” Dean asked and Bobby shook his head.

“He might be a bit groggy for a while though.” Bobby answered and then fell silent as Sam’s eyes fluttered open.

“Morning sunshine.” Dean greeted and Sam groaned but slowly focused on him.

“Wha’ happ?” Sam slurred, blinking rapidly.

“Bobby’s little test knocked you out but you’ll be okay. Proved you were telling the truth about what you are at least.” Dean explained and Sam sort of nodded.
“Think you can stand?” He asked and Sam struggled to sit up. Dean stood and pulled him up, Sam swaying dangerously but he managed to stay upright as Dean helped him back over to the couch. Dean looked at the manacles and then Bobby, unsure. Bobby shrugged and Dean decided to leave them off, for now.

“Wanna he’p you.” Sam murmured sleepily and Dean grabbed a rug, putting it over him.

“Just sleep it off kid. We’ll talk later.” Dean muttered and Sam’s eyes slid shut. Bobby cleaned off the floor and then headed into the kitchen and Dean followed him.

“If he’s telling the truth the kid could be a big help.” Bobby stated and Dean nodded.

“Do you think he is?’ Dean asked and Bobby shrugged.

“Hard to lie when you’re mostly out like he was, for a human at least.” Bobby admitted and Dean nodded.
“You left the chains off?”

“You’ve got so many traps and wards around and...he hasn’t tried anything yet when I’ve taken them off. You should have seen him when I pulled him from the fire Bobby. I think he was going to lay there and let it take him too. He fought me when I was trying to get him out, screaming for the girl the whole time. Whatever else, I think he really did love her Bobby.”

“Then maybe he’s telling the truth.”

TBC...

Sam looked around groggily as he opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at a wooden ceiling. He slowly sat up and looked around, frowning, until he remembered what had happened. Whatever Bobby had made him drink had been foul and had apparently knocked him out. He groaned and rubbed at his eyes before his head snapped up at feeling someone approach, he relaxed when he saw Dean entering the room with a tray in his hands.

“Bout time you woke up. Feeling okay?” Dean asked as he handed the tray over. Sam reached for it and then stared in shock at his naked wrists before looking up at Dean who shrugged.
“You were telling the truth and this place is pretty heavily protected.” He answered and Sam nodded as he carefully took a bite of toast. That was all it took for his stomach to remind him that it hadn’t been fed for a while and he dove in, getting an amused look from Dean.

“So what happens now?” Sam asked once he’d finished eating. Dean sat on the seat opposite him and just stared at him. Sam forced himself not to fidget, he’d been stared at before and by beings he liked a lot less than Dean. Finally Dean sighed and slouched.

“Not sure. Whose side are you on in all this?” Dean asked and Sam looked down at the floor, ashamed for the first time about the ‘favours’ he had done for his father.

“I’ve managed to mostly stay neutral, Da...Azazel never really pushed me to take a side. I did the occasional odd job for him but I never hurt anyone. I...he was my Dad you know? And even if I didn’t understand why he did what he did....” Sam trailed off but was surprised to see Dean nodding.

“You wanted him to be proud of you, to love you.” The hunter said softly and Sam nodded.
“And now?”

“Now...if he dies I’ll throw the party.” Sam stated flatly, closing his eyes against the memories of seeing Jess.

“Will you help us?” Dean asked, leaning forward and Sam looked at him, slowly smiling.

“I’ll help you.” Sam promised.

``````````````````````````````````````````
Bobby looked up as Sam joined him in the kitchen. He looked the young half breed over, noticing that his wrists were all but healed already.

“Thanks for marking the safe areas for me.” Sam said and Bobby nodded. He’d marked out where all the traps were so Sam could move around without getting stuck in them since it was a pain to break them and then redraw them.

“So you’re gonna stay with Dean?” Bobby asked and Sam nodded.

“He saved my life....even if I didn’t really want to live. I owe him.”

“And you want revenge.” Bobby stated and Sam shrugged.

“He killed her, after saying he was happy for me and I don’t understand why. I can never forgive him for that. I loved her.” The last was a whisper and Bobby nodded.

“Dean has a habit of getting into trouble so look after him for me.” He ordered and Sam nodded.

“Yes sir.”

“Also, be careful if you run into Dean’s Dad, John. He’s not the most open minded when it has to do with your Dad.”

“He’ll think I’m going to hurt Dean, won’t he?” Sam asked and Bobby nodded, glad the kid was so perceptive.
“I won’t, you have to believe that.” Sam pleaded.

“I know, it’s weird but I don’t think you’re a danger to any of us. Just don’t prove me wrong.” Bobby said and Sam smiled almost shyly at him.

“Thanks.” Sam said and Bobby nodded before handing him a plate with a sandwich.
“So um...how did you find out about well people like me? Didn’t think we were very common.” Sam finally asked and Bobby sighed.

“You’re not. According to all the sources most like you die in the womb or very young, the few who survive are usually human but psychic. The fact that you survived....you’re one In a billion Sam. The lore about half breeds is rare but I do my best to have info on anything to do with demons.” Bobby explained and Sam stared at him in shock...he should have died before he was born or as a baby....that made things look a lot different. No wonder he could remember so many medical exams when he was little.

“I never knew that.” Sam whispered tightly.

“It’s not exactly something you find in most demonology books.” Bobby said with a shrug.

```````````````````````````````````````
“So what now?” Bobby asked and Dean shrugged.

“Guess we hit the road, try to track Azazel down and kill whatever comes our way.” Dean said and Sam bit his lip.

“We?” He asked cautiously and Dean gave him a small smirk.

“You don’t want to come?” He asked and Sam’s eyes went wide before he smiled and nodded.

“You really want me to come with you...why?” Sam asked and Dean shrugged.

“You’ve got info at least; I’m guessing you have some skills?” Dean asked and Sam nodded.

“I’m telekinetic and pyrokinetic and I do know how to fight.” Sam told him and Dean grinned.

“Cool. We do this are we gonna run into anyone you’ll have problems taking out?”

“You don’t kill humans?” Sam asked and Dean shook his head.
“Then no.” Sam told him and Dean relaxed.

TBC...

Dean shot upward at the sound of a scream. He scrambled up and over to the second bed, seeing Sam thrashing in his sleep. They’d been on the road for over a week and so far Sam had slept through the night and Dean had wondered when everything would really hit him. Apparently this was the night.

“Sam. Come on Sam wake up, it’s just a nightmare.” Dean called softly but it didn’t work. He reached out and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder.

“Jess!” Sam screamed, bolting upright. Dean got a glimpse of yellow eyes before he was flung back into the wall. Sam panted for breath, one hand raised in defence before he fully woke up and looked around the room.
“Wha.....Dean!” Sam yelled, scrambling out of his bed and over to Dean’s side. Dean couldn’t help the instinctive flinch away and Sam looked down at the floor before trying to move closer again. This time Dean stayed still and Sam gently checked him over.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Please be okay.” Sam whispered and Dean stared at him groggily. He’d been tossed around by demons, ghosts, pretty much anything supernatural before but none had ever apologised for doing it. Hell he could practically see the tears gathering in Sam’s now hazel eyes. Dean smiled at him and reached out to clasp Sam’s shoulder, feeling the younger male tense under his touch.

“It’s okay Sam, I’m alright.” Dean told him and Sam nodded.
“Hey, look at me; I know you didn’t mean it. I sleep with a knife under my pillow so it could have just as easily have been you trying to wake me and getting cut. Next time I’ll just toss something at you to wake you up. Okay?” Dean asked softly and Sam looked at him hesitantly before nodding.

“Is your head okay?” Sam asked quietly and Dean nodded before wincing.

“I’ll be alright. Come on; let’s try to get some more sleep.” Dean offered and Sam helped him up.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sam asked again and Dean rolled his eyes. He could tell Sam was scared that he would be mad but he wasn’t, he did understand.

“I’m fine Sammy.” The nickname just slipped out and Sam’s eyes went wide before he grinned slightly.

“Okay.” Sam said and then got back into his bed, lying so he was facing Dean. Dean grumbled half-heartedly but got resettled in bed, keeping one ear out for any more nightmares.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“Morning Daddy.” She kissed him on the cheek and went over to the fridge.

“Morning sweetheart.” Was the answer.

“All these workouts Soph—I don’t know. Guys don’t like buff girls.” Her brother teased and she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah well, girls don’t like guys who still live at home.” She shot back.

“Ha ha ha.”

“Ha ha.” She opened the door to leave.

“Be careful.” Her dad called and she smiled at him.

“I will.” Sophie headed down to the lake and dove in. hearing what sounded like whispering she came up and looked around. Not seeing anyone she continued swimming. She tried to scream as something grabbed her but her mouth filled with water as she was pulled beneath the surface, thrashing wildly.

``````````````````````````````````````````
Dean was circling pictures in the newspaper while he ate, waiting for Sam to get back from the bathroom. Sam had been withdrawn for the last few days, ever since his nightmare. Dean had been woken by muffled crying several times but he knew Sam wanted to mourn alone so he stayed quiet but always made sure there were tissues and a glass of water besides Sam’s bed.

“Can I get you anything else?” The waitress asked, smiling flirtatiously and Dean managed a smile for her.

“Just the check, please.” Dean told her as Sam slid into his side of the booth.

“Okay.” She said, smiling at Sam.

“Here, take a look at this, I think I got a hunt, Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn’t walk out. Authorities dragged the water—Nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago.” Dean said, showing Sam the article. He figured whatever it was it should be a fairly easy hunt to ease Sam into the life style, and no demons to make Sam think about his Dad.

“A funeral?” Sam asked in confusion and Dean nodded.

“They buried an empty coffin. For uh, a closure or whatever.” Dean tried to explain, realizing then how careful Sam’s upbringing had been. Poor kid must have been completely lost when he started college.

“A closure? What closure? People don’t just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them.” Sam said and Dean frowned.

Sam? Something you want to tell me?” Dean asked but Sam refused to look at him and Dean sighed.

“All right, Lake Manitoc. How far?” Sam asked, smiling hesitantly and Dean grinned.

`````````````````````````````````````````
“Now, I’m sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?” The question made Sam frown and glance at Dean.

“You sure it’s accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister.” Sam asked when Dean stayed quiet.

“Like what? Here sit please. There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake. There’s nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness monster.” Jake joked and Dean laughed.

“Yeah…right.” Dean agreed.

“Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still, we dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep just to be sure, and there was nothing down there.” The sheriff explained.

“That’s weird though I mean that’s…that’s the third missing body this year.” Dean pushed a bit and Sam stayed quiet, wanting to learn.

“I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about.”

“I know.” Dean sympathized.

“Anyway, all this—It won’t be a problem much longer.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked.

“Well the dam, of course.”

“Of course…the dam. It’s uh…sprung a leak.” Dean tried to cover and Sam felt a flash of guilt, had he blown their cover?

“It’s falling apart, and the feds won’t give us the grant to repair it, so they’ve opened the spillway. In another six months there won’t be much of a lake. There won’t be much of a town either. But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that.”

“Exactly.” Dean agreed. They all looked at the door as someone tapped on it.

“Sorry, am I interrupting? I can come back later.” She said.

“Gentlemen, this is my daughter.” Jake informed them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dean.” Dean told her, shaking her hand.

“Andrea Bar. Hi.”

“Hi.” Sam returned nervously.

“They’re from the Wildlife Service about the lake.” Jake told his daughter.

“Oh.” She said just as a boy walked in as well.

“ Oh hey there. What’s your name?” Dean leant down with a smile for the kid who simply walked away without saying a word, Andrea following him.

“His name is Lucas.” Jake said sadly, watching them go.

“Is he okay?” Sam asked softly.

“My grandson’s been through a lot. We all have. Well if there’s anything else I can do for you, please let me know.” The sheriff said as they left his office.

“Thanks. You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced hotel.” Dean asked.

“Lakefront motel, go around the corner, it’s about two blocks south.” Andrea answered for her father.

“Two—Would you mind showing us?” Dean asked, wanting to ask her more about what was happening since he had the feeling they’d gotten everything out of Jake they could. Andrea laughed at him.

“You want me to walk you two blocks?” She asked in disbelief.

“Not if it’s any trouble.”

“I’m headed that way anyway. I’ll be back to pick up Lucas at three. We’ll go to the park, okay sweetie?” She asked Lucas and then kissed him on the head. Dean waved as they left and Sam smiled, Jake nodded at them in return.

``````````````````````````````````````````

“You’re doing great Sam.” Dean said once they were alone in their room and Sam just looked at him.
“Honest. I’ve been doing this my whole life and even I mess up a cover by asking something the authorities would know. No harm done.” Dean assured him. Sam had gone from suicidal to quit obedience to wanting to please Dean but showing some independence. Dean figured it was progress at least. Better than the kid lying in a burning building and waiting to die at least. But every time Sam thought he’d done something to displease Dean he just sort of shut down and it worried him. He doubted it was healthy for Sam to depend on him the way the younger male did but he didn’t know what to do about it. He knew that if Sam was left alone the kid would end up in a suicidal confrontation with Azazel and Dean couldn’t live with that. So Sam needed to be taught to hunt, that way he’d stand more of a chance against his Dad when they eventually found him. Sam just shrugged and Dean knew he needed to give him something to keep busy with so he dug out the laptop and handed it over. Sam sat down and immediately went to work on something.

“So there’s the three drowning victims this year.” Sam eventually said and Dean smiled slightly, apparently Sam liked researching.

“Any before that?” He asked and Sam frowned before scrolling down.

“Uh yeah…six more spread out over the past 35 years. Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it’s picking up its pace.” Sam told him worriedly.

“So what, we got a lake monster on a binge?” Dean asked, wanting to hear Sam’s thoughts on the matter.

“This whole lake monster thing—It, It just bugs me.” Sam admitted and Dean felt a spike of happiness.

“Why?”

“Loch Ness, uh Lake Champlain—There are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts, but here, almost nothing. Whatever it is out there, no one’s living to talk about it.” Sam explained and Dean nodded, moving over to look at the page too.

“Wait, Bar, Christopher Bar. Where have I heard that name before?”

“Christopher Bar, the victim in May. Oh…Christopher Bar was Andrea’s husband. Lucas’ father. Apparently, he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned, two hours before the kid got rescued. Maybe we have an eyewitness after all.” Sam answered and Dean felt a pang of sympathy for the kid.

“No wonder that kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn’t something you just get over.”

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“So, I think it’s safe to say we can rule out Nessie.” Dean called as he walked into their room and Sam looked up instantly.

“What do you mean?”

“I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead.” Dean told him and Sam frowned.

“He drowned?”

“Yep, in the sink.” Dean explained and Sam’s eyes went wide.

“What the hell? How can you drown in the sink?” Sam asked and Dean shrugged.
“So definitely not some kind of creature.”

“Yeah, but what?”

“I don’t know. A water wraith maybe? Some kind of demon, not a demon like Azazel but something demonic? I mean, something that controls water…water that comes from the same source.” Sam tried, thinking out loud.
“The lake.” He suddenly realized and Dean nodded, grinning at him.

“Yeah.”

“Which would explain why it’s upping the body count. The lake is draining. It’ll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it’s running out of time.” Sam smiled, excited to have worked it out.

“And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere. This is gonna happen again soon. And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton.” Dean added.

“Yeah, it took both his kids.”

“And I’ve been asking around. Lucas’ dad, Chris—Bill Carlton’s godson. So let’s go pay Mr. Carlton a visit.” Dean finished, grabbing his keys. Sam got his jacket and they headed out. Dean got in the driver’s side and they headed back to the lake. Dean glanced at Sam and noticed the way he watched the people around town.

“So…..did you not get out much before Stanford?” He finally asked and Sam looked at him, blinking in surprise.

“What?” Sam asked, puzzled.

“Sorry, it’s just the way you watch people, the way you interact with strangers…..it’s like you don’t really know what you’re doing a lot of the time.” Dean admitted and Sam took a deep breath.

“I…they were always very careful of who I was with. I guess I never really noticed it growing up but I was never allowed to just go to the mall and hag out like other kids. Jess….she taught me so much. She just sat next to me in class one day and started talking; she never made fun of me when I didn’t know something I should have.” Sam answered quietly and Dean felt guilty for asking when Sam mentioned Jess. The rest of the drive was silent and then they got out and headed onto the dock.

“Mr. Carlton…we’d like to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind.” Dean called out as they approached.

“We’re from the Department…” Sam started.

“I don’t care who you’re with. I’ve answered enough questions today.”

“Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there? Mr. Carlton, Sophie’s drowning and Will’s death—We think there might be a connection to you or your family.” Sam kept trying and Dean let him, happy he hadn’t withdrawn after their talk.

“My children are gone. It’s…it’s worse than dying. Go away…please.” Bill said and they exchanged looks before walking away.

“What do you think?” Sam asked.

“Aw, I think the poor guy’s been through hell. I also think he’s not telling us something.” Dean answered.

“What is it?” Sam asked, confused.

“Huh. Maybe Bill’s not the only one who knows something.” Dean said, pulling out the picture Lucas had drawn for him.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Dean and Sam looked around as Dean drove; trying to spot the scene Lucas had drawn them, so far without any luck.

“Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died.”

“There are cases going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies.” Sam informed him and then blushed when Dean just stared at him.

“Whatever’s out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow? I mean it’s only a matter of time before somebody else drowns. If you got a better lead, please.” Dean told him, still amused by the babbled information. Apparently Sam really knew his stuff when it came to psychic abilities though was it really that surprising considering?

“All right…we got another house to find.”

“The only problem is there’s about a thousand yellow two-stories in this county alone.” Dean grumbled and Sam looked at the picture again.

“See this church? I bet there’s less than a thousand of those around here.” Sam pointed out and Dean nodded before deciding to tease Sam a little.

“Oh, college boy thinks he’s so smart.” Sam stared at him in shock before realizing Dean was playing and then he was smiling back at Dean. They drove in silence for a while before Sam spotted something just off from the road.

“There Dean.” Dean parked and they got out, walking up to a white church, just like in the picture. Sure enough there was also a yellow house. They walked up and Dean knocked on the door.

“We’re sorry to bother you ma’am, but does a little boy live here, by chance? He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle.” Dean asked the elderly woman who answered.

“No sir. Not for a very long time. Peter’s been gone for 35 years now. The police never—I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared. Losing him…You know, it’s…It’s worse than dying.” She explained even as Sam pointed out the toys still lying around.

“Did he disappear from here—I mean, from this house?”

“He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up.”

“Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, 1970.” Dean muttered as he looked over a picture that had been on the table.

“Thank you for your time Ma’am.” Sam said, smiling at her and she waved as they left. They got back in the Impala and headed for the lake.
“Okay this little boy, Peter Sweeney, vanishes, and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow.”

“Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?”

“And Bill—The people he loves—Are all getting punished.” Sam muttered and Dean nodded.

“So what if Bill did something to Peter?”

“What if Bill killed him?” Sam asked, sure he knew a little about ghosts but not that much, his education had been more about demons and actual physical creatures.

“Then Peter’s spirit would be furious. It’d want revenge. It’s possible.” Dean explained as they parked and headed for the Carlton house.

“Mister Carlton!?” Sam called but there was no answer….except for the sound of an engine. Turning they saw Bill going out onto the lake in his boat.

“Hey, check it out.” They ran for the end of the dock and began to yell.

“Mister Carlton! You need to come back! Come out of the water! Turn the boat around!” They yelled and then Dean looked at Sam.

“Can you yank him back here or something?” He demanded and Sam closed his eyes, struggling.

“He’s too far away.” Sam gasped and then they stared in shock as the water rose up and flipped the boat upside down.

`````````````````````````````````````````````
“Are you sure about this? It’s pretty late.” Sam said as Dean rang the doorbell. They both stepped back as Lucas flung the door open, panting for air.

“Lucas!? Lucas?!” Dean called as the boy took off, they followed him to the upstairs bathroom where Lucas began to pound on the door. Dean grabbed him and gently tossed him to Sam who put Lucas behind him as Dean kicked the door in. Lucas then latched onto Dean as Sam ran into the bathroom, plunging his arms into the water. Hazel eyes turned yellow as Sam pulled not only with his arms but with his powers. He groaned as he tried to pull up Andrea, and finally her head emerged. Her face was still shoved back in the water, but Sam kept pulling and grunting until she finally came completely out of the bathtub. The sudden release of pressure sent them both tumbling to the floor, Sam automatically protecting her from the cold tiles with his own body as she began to cough up water.

It was nearly an hour before she was dried, dressed and settled on the couch with a mug of tea. Sam sat across from her while Dean browsed the bookshelves.

“Can you tell me?” Sam asked gently.

“No. It doesn’t make any sense.” She began to cry.
“I’m going crazy.”

“No, you’re not. Tell me what happened—everything.” Sam urged and she took a deep breath.

“I heard…I thought I heard…there was this voice.”

“What did it say?”

“It said…it said “Come play with me.” What’s happening?” She asked even as Dean placed a scrapbook in front of her with a picture of a Boy Scout troop.

“Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?” Dean asked.

“What? Um…Um, no. I mean, except that’s my dad right there. He must have been about 12 in these pictures.”

“Chris Bar’s drowning--The connection wasn’t to Bill Carlton. It must have been to sheriff.” Dean said and Sam looked up at him.

“Bill and the sheriff—they were both involved with Peter.” Sam whispered and Andrea looked at them.

“What about Chris? My dad—what are you talking about?” She demanded.

“Lucas? Lucas, what is it?” Dean suddenly asked, noticing the boy staring out the window. Lucas opened the door and walked outside, the other three following him.

“Lucas, honey?” Andrea called as Lucas stopped and looked from the ground to Dean.

“You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?” Dean ordered and Andrea pulled Lucas back towards the house.
“Looks like we need the shovels.”

“I can…”

“Sam?”

“I can pull whatever’s down there up.” Sam offered and Dean nodded. Sam closed his eyes and concentrated. Dean watched as the soil moved, something rising up from below. In the end a dirty red bicycle was lying on the ground.
“Peter’s bike.” Sam breathed, eyes fading to hazel.

“Who are you?” they both turned to find Jake behind them, his gun aimed at them. Sam reached out, ready to pull the gun away if it looked like he was going to shoot.

“Put the gun down, Jake.” Sam urged and Jake glared at him.

“How did you know that was there?”

“What happened—You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike? You can’t bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried.” Dean pushed.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Jake denied.

“You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney 35 years ago. That’s what the hell I’m talking about.” Dean spat back and Sam saw Jake’s finger begin to tighten on the trigger. There was no way he’d let that man hurt Dean, he’d sworn to protect the hunter from anything he could.

“Dad!” Andrea screamed as she ran up to them.

“And now you got one seriously pissed off spirit.” Dean continued.

“It’s gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It’s gonna drown them. And it’s gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter’s mom felt. And then, after that, it’s gonna take you, and it’s not gonna stop until it does.” Sam explained.

“Yeah, and how do you know that?” Jake snapped.

“Because that’s exactly what it did to Bill Carlton.” Sam answered calmly.

“Listen to yourselves, both of you. You’re insane.”

“I don’t really give a rat’s ass what you think of us. But if we’re gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn’t just let him go in the lake.”

“Dad, is any of this true?” Andrea demanded shakily.

“No. Don’t listen to them, they’re liars and they’re dangerous.”

“Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me.” Jake’s eyes shifted to his daughter.
“Tell me you—you didn’t kill anyone.” She pleaded and he looked away.
“Oh my God.” She whispered in shock.

“Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time…it got rough. We were holding his head under the water, we didn’t mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank. Oh Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some ghost…it’s not rational.” Jake explained.

“All right listen to me, all of you. We need to get you away from this lake as far as we can right now.” Dean stated only to be interrupted as Andrea gasped in fear. She pointed and they turned to see Lucas vanishing in the direction of the lake.

“Lucas!” Jake screamed and they all ran towards the lake, seeing Lucas on the dock, reaching into the water with his hand.

“Come play with me.” A voice called.

“Lucas!” Dean shouted, trying to get some more speed.

“Lucas! Baby stay where you are!” Andrea yelled but it was too late as a hand came up out of the water and pulled Lucas into the water. They reached the edge of the lake and Jake froze as he saw Peter’s face for a second. Dean and Sam dove off the dock and into the lake.

“Oh my God!” Andrea gasped, starting to take off her jacket. Sam saw her as he surfaced for air.

“Andrea, stay there.” He told her.

“No, Lucas!”

“We’ll get him just stay on the dock.” Sam commanded and then he dove back down. Dean came up and Sam followed soon after. Dean looked at Sam who shook his head, water plastering his hair to his face and then they both dove again.

“Lucas where are you?” Andrea called from shore as she tried to spot her son. With the two hunters beneath the surface Jake stripped off his jacket and began to wade into the lake.

“Peter, if you can here me. Please Peter, I’m sorry. I’m so—I’m so sorry.” He called and Andrea turned to him in horror.

“Daddy, no.”

“Peter. Lucas—He’s just a little boy. Please, it’s not his fault, it’s mine. Please take me.” Jake pleaded as Dean came up again and saw him.

“Jake, no!” He yelled even as Peter came up from the bottom of the lake.

“Just let it be over!” Jake yelled and he didn’t struggle as he was dragged under.

“Daddy! Daddy! No!” She screamed and Dean was about to dive again when Sam surfaced, cradling Lucas in his arms. He headed quickly for the shore, Dean close by his side. Andrea dropped to her knees and pulled Lucas into her arms as soon as they were on land. The kid was soaked and shivering badly but seemed okay. Dean looked at Sam and grinned, making Sam smile in return. It felt very good to be the one saving people.

“So are you part fish too?” Dean teased and Sam laughed.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“Sam, Dean.” Andrea called and they both turned from the car to see her and Lucas headed their way.

“Hey.” Dean called out to them.

“We’re glad we caught you. We just um, we made you lunch for the road. Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself.” Andrea told them, indicating the tray her son was carrying.

“Can I give it to them now?” Lucas asked and both hunters grinned at hearing him talk.

“Of course.” Andrea told him and Dean grinned at him.

“Come on Lucas; let’s load this into the car.” Dean said and they went to put the food in the car while Sam moved closer to Andrea.

“How you holding up?” He asked gently and she sighed.

“It’s just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?”

“Andrea, I’m sorry.”

“You saved my son. I can’t ask for more than that. Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that.” She said and Sam nodded in understanding.

“All right, if you’re gonna be talking now, this is a very important phrase, so I want you to repeat it one more time.” Dean said as he finished putting the food in the car and Lucas smiled at him.

“Zeppelin rules!” Lucas stated.

“That’s right. Up high.” Dean held his hand up for a high five.
“You take care of your mom, okay?”

“All right.” Lucas said and Andrea came up, kissing Dean on the cheek.

“Thank you.” He nodded and got in the car.

“Sam, move your ass. We’re gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road.” He called and Sam got in the car, smiling as Lucas and Andrea waved goodbye until they were out of sight.

“Not bad for your first ghost hunt.” Dean praised and Sam smiled as he settled into the seat.

“Thanks.”

TBC….

Dean watched as Sam tossed and turned, murmuring in his sleep. At least he wasn’t screaming…yet. He wished he could do more to help the kid but he didn’t know what. It was obvious Sam didn’t want to talk about it and Dean didn’t want to make him. He’d even called Bobby about it since his Dad was once again not answering his phone, having apparently gotten a new number. He watched as Sam became more and more restless before glancing at the clock and deciding it was late enough to wake him.

“Sam!” He called, tossing his pillow at the other bed. The poor pillow slammed into the wall as Sam jolted upright.

“Huh?”

“Rise and shine Sammy.” Dean called and Sam blinked before noticing the pillow and blushing slightly.
“Come on, I want to hit the road early.” Dean told him as he got up and stretched. Sam nodded and got up only to sway dangerously. Dean lunged, grabbing him as Sam’s hands went to his head.
“Easy Sam, deep breaths.” Dean urged as he lowered Sam back to the bed. Sam moaned slightly in pain and Dean frowned when he saw Sam’s eyes were yellow.
“Sam? Come on talk to me. What’s wrong?” Dean asked and Sam seemed to struggle to focus on him.
“Sam?”

“De….”

“Yeah Sam, I’ve got you.” Dean soothed, checking Sam’s forehead for fever but his skin was cool.
“Stay awake Sam, I need you to talk to me.” He pushed.

“Need….” Sam moaned, and Dean gave him his hand to clutch, wincing at the strength in his grip.

“What do you need Sam?” Dean asked, worried for Sam since it was obviously something to do with his being a hybrid.
“Come on Sammy, tell me what to do.” Dean pleaded and yellow eyes slowly seemed to focus on him. Sam squeezed Dean’s hand and swallowed.

“En…energy, need energy.” Sam breathed and Dean frowned, making Sam wince.

“How Sam? Sugary food? What?” Dean asked and Sam’s fingers brushed along Dean’s wrist vein.
“Blood?” Dean asked and Sam closed his eyes but nodded listlessly.
“You’re not a vampire though.”

“Energy…through blood.” Sam answered and Dean nodded.

Dean grabbed his knife from under his own pillow and then sat on Sam’s bed, gently tugging him into his arms. He took a deep breath and then made a shallow cut on his forearm, careful to stay away from the main veins. He then put the wound to Sam’s lips but Sam was pretty much out cold so he put his finger on the wound to get blood and then slipped his finger into Sam’s mouth. He kept repeating the action until Sam’s lips moved so he pressed his arm against them, fighting down a shiver when he felt Sam’s tongue work at the cut, searching out more blood. Dean just leant back against the wall, holding Sam close as he fed. They’d been on the road together for three months now, had Sam been hiding his deteriorating health that whole time or did he simply not need it very often? At least he hadn’t made too deep of a cut or made it near anything vital since Sam seemed too out of it to stop if he had.

“That’s it Sam, you’re gonna be okay.” Dean whispered as Sam sipped at the blood. Sam moaned and his eyes fluttered open, rolling around before seeming to focus on him. Dean smiled at him, reaching down to tuck some stray hair behind Sam’s ear. Sam blinked sleepily and then noticed what he was doing, eyes going wide as he stared up at Dean.
“It’s okay; I can do this for you.” Dean whispered and Sam removed his mouth from the cut, licking his lips to clean them of blood.

“What happened?” Sam whispered and Dean reached for the glass of water he’d left beside the bed for Sam, putting it to Sam’s lips. Sam took a few mouthfuls before nodding that he was done.

“What do you remember?” Dean asked and Sam frowned, trying to remember what had happened.

“You threw a pillow at me…..my head.” Sam murmured and Dean nodded.

“You scared me half to death kid. One minute you seemed fine and then the next you collapsed, could barely keep your eyes open or even talk. Managed to wake you up enough to understand that you needed energy and you could get it from blood. So I cut my arm away from anything vital but you were pretty much out cold so I ended up sort of feeding you by putting blood on a finger and then into your mouth until you started…sucking on your own. Then you started to wake up so obviously it worked.” Dean explained and Sam shut his eyes, ashamed and scared that Dean would kick him out now.

Sure, Dean knew what Sam was, that it gave him powers, but it was different to know that to keep on living Sam needed something other than normal food. Demons took energy from people when they possessed them, it was part of the reason the person ended up in bad shape when the demon left, Sam didn’t have that option. He’d started feeding off his keepers when he was ten but he hadn’t fed since shortly before Jess’ death, he’d been ignoring the need, not wanting Dean to know.

“Sam? Come on, talk to me. You’re okay now, right?” Dean asked, sounding scared and Sam looked up at him again, noticing that Dean was still holding him, hadn’t pushed him away in disgust. In fact Dean looked really worried for him.

“M’sorry.” Sam whispered and Dean frowned.

“For what?” Dean asked gently and Sam shifted in his arms. Dean didn’t tighten or loosen his grip, letting Sam know it was okay but that he could move if he wanted to, Sam settled, gradually relaxing.

“This.” Sam answered, letting his finger rest beside the cut. Dean winced slightly and Sam put his hand over the wound, concentrating. When he removed his hand the cut was scabbed over as if several days old. Dean blinked and then looked at Sam who smiled nervously.

“Thanks. So I guess you’re feeling a lot better.” Dean commented and Sam nodded.
“Sam I just want to know how to help you. I figured you’d have some quirks kid, its okay. Donating a little blood isn’t bad.” Dean assured him and Sam looked down.

“I’m sorry, should have told you. I’ll leave.” Sam whispered and Dean sighed, rubbing Sam’s back in an effort to sooth him.

“Hey, did I say anything about you leaving? It doesn’t bother me Sam.” Dean promised and Sam stared up at him in shock so Dean smiled at him and Sam slowly relaxed.

“I….do you know why most people you have been possessed are in such bad shape after the demon leaves?” Sam asked softly and Dean shrugged.

“Always figured they just don’t take care of the bodies, run them ragged then you add the exorcism….” Dean answered and Sam nodded.

“Partially right. Demons…..feed off the person’s energy when they possess them. When I was ten I started feeling weak and sick…..took a while to figure out why and since I can’t and wouldn’t even if I could, possess someone they had to find another way for me to get the energy. So they gave me blood, had to be from a person, not a bag, energy not flowing when it’s in a bag. It worked, I got better.” Sam admitted softly and Dean nodded, squeezing Sam’s shoulder gently.

“How often do you need it?” Dean asked and Sam shrugged.

“It’s not on a timetable, depends on what I’ve been doing. The more I use my abilities the more frequent I need to….”

“And you’ve been using your abilities pretty frequently on our hunts. Damn it Sam, we’re partners, you have to tell me stuff like this. What if this had happened in the middle of a hunt? You could have been killed!” Dean practically yelled at him and Sam flinched, making Dean sigh and then hugged Sam.
“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to yell at you. But this job Sam, it’s dangerous. We both have to be at one hundred percent so I need you to tell me when you’re not feeling well, okay?” Dean asked and Sam nodded.

“Promise, I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Okay. How about breakfast? Don’t know about you but I’m starved.” Dean said to lighten the mood and Sam’s stomach growled, making Sam blush and Dean laugh.
“Come on.” Dean sat up, removing his arms from around Sam and the kid got up. Now that he knew Dean could see the difference in the way Sam was moving, it was more fluid and energetic than it had ever been. They got dressed in silence, Sam shooting looks at him when he thought Dean wasn’t looking and the hunter sighed.
“Sam we’re fine. You’re my friend and partner, okay? This isn’t gonna change that.” Dean promised him and Sam nodded before they left to get breakfast.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Dean groaned as his phone started ringing, reaching out for it blindly.

“Dean?” Sam mumbled from the other bed, cracking open an eye and Dean felt a flash of guilt, the one night Sam actually managed to sleep all the way through and his phone wakes them up at…Dean raised his head and groaned….five thirty in the morning. He smiled when it moved to hover by his pillow, Sam glaring at it. Dean took it and Sam buried his head under his pillow.

“Hello?”

“Dean, its Jerry Panowski. You and your dad helped me out a couple years back.” Came the reply and Dean frowned before remembering the case.

“Oh, right, yeah, up in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, the poltergeist thing. It's not back, is it?” Dean asked, sitting up. Sam shifted the pillow enough to watch him.

“No, no. Thank God, no. But it's something else, and, well, I think it could be a lot worse.”

“What is it?”

“Can we talk in person?”

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“You've been in there forever.” Sam commented as Dean finally emerged from the store and Dean smirked, holding up the fake ids.

“You can't rush perfection.” He told Sam who frowned as he read them.

“Homeland Security? Isn’t that pretty illegal?”

“Yeah, well, it's somethin' new, you know? People haven't seen it a thousand times.” Dean told him as they got in the car.
“All right, so, what do you got?”

“Well, there's definitely EVP on the cockpit voice recorder.” Sam told him, putting the laptop in his lap as Dean started driving.

“Yeah?”

“Listen.” Sam hit play and they listened until they heard the words ‘no survivors’.

“’No survivors’? What's that supposed to mean? There were seven survivors.” Dean frowned and Sam shrugged.

“Got me. So, what are you thinkin'? A haunted flight?” Sam asked curiously.

“There's a long history of spirits and death omens on planes and ships, like phantom travellers.” Dean explained, having earnt that Sam knew just about everything about demons but not much about the other things out there.
“Or, remember Flight 401?” He asked, wondering if Sam had heard of it and Sam frowned but then his eyes widened.

“Right the one that crashed, then the airline salvaged some of its parts, put it in other planes, and then things happened on them?” Sam asked and Dean grinned.

“Yeah, the spirit of the pilot and co-pilot haunted those flights. Maybe we've got a similar deal.” Dean offered, holding up the list of survivors.
“All right, so, survivors which one do you wanna talk to first?”

“Third on the list Max Jaffey.” Sam answered, pointing at it and Dean glanced at him.

“Why him?”

“Well, for one, he's from around here. And two, if anyone saw anything weird, he did.” Sam answered.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I spoke to his mother, and she told me where to find him.” Sam told him.

````````````````````````````````````````
Sam frowned and looked around, getting Dean’s attention. He tensed, looking around for what could have gotten Sam’s attention like that but saw nothing.

“Sam?” He called out and Sam nearly jumped before seeing it was Dean.
“What is it?” Dean asked in concern and Sam shrugged.
“Sammy?” He asked, using the nickname that usually made him smile.

“I….it’s nothing Dean. Just thought I saw someone I knew.” Sam admitted and Dean looked around.

“Knew what, from college or as in someone who works for him?” Dean asked and Sam looked away.

“The second.” He admitted and Dean nodded, moving closer.

“Still here or gone?” Dean asked, hand resting where his gun was hidden.

“Gone.”

“Good, come on let’s go check out the plane.” Dean coaxed and Sam nodded, sticking close to his side.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“What is that?” Sam asked as they walked amongst the wreckage.

“It's an EMF meter reads electromagnetic frequencies.” Dean explained and then frowned as it reacted….to Sam.

“Sorry, it’s not gonna be much use around me. Why does that one look like a busted-up Walkman anyway?”

“'Cause that's what I made it out of. It's homemade.” Dean smiled proudly and Sam stared at him in surprise.

“I can see that. Good work.” Sam answered and Dean frowned in hurt before realising that Sam was serious, he thought Dean had done a good job with it, so he smiled at Sam who smiled back.

“Check out the emergency door handle.” Dean said as the meter went off, away from Sam. There was something on it so Dean scrapped some off.
“What is this stuff?” He asked and Sam leant in, sniffing it.

“Sulphur.” Sam answered and then he turned to the door.

“Sam?”

“People coming.” Sam stated so they quickly left by the back entrance, walking calmly until an alarm started blaring. They ran for it, Dean throwing his suit jacket over the fence to protect their skin as they scrambled over it.

“Huh. These monkey suits do come in handy.” He commented and Sam laughed as they ran back to the car.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“How’d you know it was sulphur?” Dean asked as he put the suit away but he turned to look at Sam when there was no answer.
“Sam?” Dean asked, worried about the look on Sam’s face. The kid got up and walked towards him, taking Dean’s hand. Sam frowned in concentration and then removed his hand from Dean’s. Dean stared in shock at the residue on his hand. He lifted his hand to his nose and found the same smell that had been on the door handle.
“Sulphur….” Dean murmured and Sam went back to the bed, sitting down.
“But I haven’t found it anywhere else.” Dean said, staring at Sam who shrugged.

“Sulphur is caused by demons. I do actually leave more around then you’d think but in such minute amounts that it’s undetectable. I, um, had to clean the apartment regularly cause it’d build up and Jess didn’t know. You keep the Impala clean enough you haven’t noticed.” Sam explained and Dean nodded, sitting beside him.

“So to get the amount we found on the handle?”

“Demonic possession, explains how he opened the door with that much pressure. I could probably manage it in an emergency but it would seriously drain me.”

“Why bring down planes though?” Dean asked and Sam thought it over.

“Demons have been known to cause natural disasters…..shipwrecks….ones moved with the times, decided to up the body count by moving to planes.” Sam explained.

“It’s going after everyone who survived that first flight.” Dean worked out and Sam nodded.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“Really? Well, thank you for taking our survey, and if you do plan to fly, please don't forget your friends at United Britannia Airlines. Thanks.” Sam hung and looked over at Dean who was driving.
“All right, that takes care of Blaine Sanderson and Dennis Holloway. They're not flyin' anytime soon.”

“So, our only wildcard is the flight attendant, Amanda Walker.” Dean commented and Sam nodded, looking at some papers in his lap.

“Right. Her sister, Karen, said her flight leaves Indianapolis at 8 PM. It's her first night back on the job.”

“That sounds like just our luck.” Dean grumbled and Sam looked at the map.

“Dean, this is a five-hour drive. Even with you behind the wheel.” Sam commented, he’d learnt pretty quickly how Dean drove on a normal day.

“Why don't you call Amanda's cell phone again see if we can't head her off at the pass.” Dean asked and Sam shook his head.

“I've already left her three voice messages. She must have turned her cell phone off. God, we're never gonna make it.” Sam finished with a whispered and Dean grimaced.

“Oh, we'll make it.” Dean snapped, stepping on the gas, watching as the speedometer slowly crept upwards and ignoring Sam clinging to the bar above his window.

````````````````````````````````
They rushed into the building and looked at the flight schedule on the screen. Sam pointed at the screen.

“Right there. They're boarding in thirty minutes.” He told Dean who nodded and looked around.

“Okay. We still have some cards to play. We need to find a phone.” They finally found a courtesy phone and Dean picked it up.
“Hi. Gate 13? I'm trying to contact an Amanda Walker. She's a flight attendant on Flight, um...”

“424.” Sam told him.

“Flight 424.” Dean finished.

“Amanda Walker, Amanda Walker. You have a phone call at the white courtesy phone, Gate 13.” The operator called over the loudspeaker.

“Come on...” Dean mumbled, feeling Sam standing at his shoulder.

“This is Amanda Walker.” A female voice finally said.

“Miss Walker. Hi, this is Dr. James Headfield from St. Francis Memorial Hospital. We have a Karen Walker here.” Dean lied.

“Karen?”

“Nothing serious just a minor car accident. But she was injured, so…”

“Wait, that's impossible. I just got off the phone with her.” Amanda said and Dean mentally swore.

“You what?” he asked nervously.

“Five minutes ago. She's at her house, cramming for a final. Who is this?” She demanded.

“Uh, well... there must be some mistake.” Dean fumbled, trying to figure out what to do.

“And how would you even know I was here? Is this one of Vince's friends?”

“Guilty as charged.” Dean chuckled nervously since he had no clue who Vince was.

“Wow. This is unbelievable.”

“He's really sorry.” Dean tried.

“Well, you tell him to mind his own business and stay out of my life, okay?”

“Yes, but he really needs to see you tonight, so?” He tried again.

“No, I'm sorry. It's too late.”

“Don't be like that. Come on, the guy's a mess, really... it's pathetic.” Dean tried again.

“Really?” She asked sadly and Dean felt a sliver of hope.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Look, I've gotta go. Tell him to call me when I land.”

“No, no, wait, Amanda.” Dean called and growled when she hung up.
“Amanda?” He called out but she was definitely gone so he hung up to.
“Damn it! So close.” He snarled and Sam nodded.

“All right, it's time for Plan B. We're getting on that plane.”

“Now, just hold on a second.”

“Dean, that plane is leaving with over a hundred passengers on board, and if we're right, that plane is gonna crash.” Sam argued, not like he was looking forward to it.

“I know!”

“We're getting on the plane, we need to find that demon, and exorcise it. Look, I'll get the tickets. You just go and get whatever you can out of the trunk, whatever will make it through security. Meet me back here in five minutes.” Sam told him but Dean didn’t move.
“Are you okay?” He asked, seeing that Dean looked a little pale……and was he shaking?

“No, not really.” Dean answered hesitantly.

“What? What's wrong?” Sam asked, he’d never seen Dean as anything but strong.

“Well, I kind of have this problem with, uh...” Dean trailed off and sighed and Sam realised the problem.

“Flying?” Sam offered and Dean shrugged.

“It's never really been an issue until now.” The hunter admitted and Sam just stared at him.

“You're joking, right?” Sam asked, hoping he was.

“Do I look like I'm joking? Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?” Dean demanded, almost panting for breath.

“All right. Uh, I'll go.” Sam offered despite not wanting to face a demon alone.

“What?” Dean demanded.

“I'll do this one on my own.” Sam explained and Dean just stared at him for a few seconds.

“What are you, nuts? You said it yourself, the plane's gonna crash.” Dean argued.

“Look, Dean, we can do it together, or I can do this one by myself. I'm not seeing a third option here.” Sam tried and Dean bit his lip.

“Come on! Really?” He asked and then finally sighed, defeated.
“Man.”

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“Just try to relax.” Sam soothed, seeing the death grip Dean had on the arm rests and the way he was breathing.

“Just try to shut up.” Dean snapped but Sam didn’t take it personally, he knew Dean was honestly scared. As the plane began to take off Dean tightened his seatbelt and leant back, really starting to panic as they left the ground and Sam reached over to place a hand on his arm, trying to offer support. Dean started humming, trying to relax and Sam leant in to hear it.

“Are you humming Metallica?” He asked to try and get Dean’s mind off it.

“It calms me down.” Dean mumbled and Sam sighed.

“Look, man, I get you're nervous, all right? But you've got to stay focused.” He offered and Dean nodded.

“Okay.”

“I mean, we've got thirty-two minutes and counting to track this thing down, or whoever it's possessing, anyway, and perform a full-on exorcism.” Sam told him, dreading the actually exorcism because he knew it wasn’t going to just hurt the demon.

“Yeah, on a crowded plane, that's gonna be easy.” Dean admitted.

“Just take it one step at a time, all right? Now, who is it possessing?” Sam asked to keep him focused on the case.

“Well, it's usually gonna be somebody with some sort of weakness, you know, a chink in the armour that the demon can worm through, somebody with an addiction or some sort of emotional distress.” Dean offered and Sam nodded.

“Well, this is Amanda's first flight after the crash. If I were her, I'd be pretty messed up.”

“Mm-hmm.” Dean answered, seeing a flight attendant approaching.
“Excuse me. Are you Amanda?” He asked her.

“No, I'm not.” She answered.

“Oh, my mistake.”

“Mm-hmm.” She walked away. Dean turned and saw another woman at the back near the restrooms.

“All right, well, that's got to be Amanda back there, so... I'll go talk to her and, uh, I'll get a read on her mental state.”

“What if she's already possessed?” Sam asked, he should do it, he wasn’t as vulnerable after all.

“There's ways to test that.” Dean stated, reaching into his bag and pulling out a bottle of water.
“I brought holy water.” Dean grinned and Sam took the bottle from him.

“No, I think we can go more subtle. If she's possessed, she'll flinch at the name of God.” Sam offered and Dean nodded.

“Oh. Nice.” He got up.

“Hey.” Sam called him back.

“What?” Dean snapped.

“Say it in Latin.” Sam reminded him and Dean nodded.

“I know.” Dean headed towards Amanda and Sam closed his eyes, trying to find the demon himself.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“All right, well, she's got to be the most well-adjusted person on the planet.” Dean grumbled as he sat back down.

“You said it?” Sam asked and Dean nodded.

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“There's no demon in her. There's no demon getting in her.” Dean answered.

“So, if it's on the plane, it can be anyone... anywhere.” Sam said, sagging a little in his seat. The plane started to rumble and shake and Dean tensed.

“Come on! That can't be normal!” He started breathing hard and Sam looked at him.

“Hey, hey, it's just a little turbulence.” He tried to calm Dean down.

“Sam, this plane is going to crash, okay? So quit treatin' me like I'm friggin' four!” Dean snarled and Sam turned to him, grabbing his arm.

“You need to calm down.” Sam ordered, eyes flickering yellow.

“Well, I'm sorry, I can't!” Dean argued, voice going up in pitch.

“Yes, you can.” Sam whispered calmly and Dean glared.

“Dude, stow the touchy-feely, self-help yoga crap, it's not helping!”

“Listen, if you're panicked, you're wide open to demonic possession, so you need to calm yourself down right now.” Sam whispered gently and Dean stared at him with wide, panicked eyes before he slowly let out a long breath.
“Good. That’s it, just calm down.” Sam soothed.
“ I think the ritual Romano should work and your Dad has it in his journal.” Sam told him, handing the journal over.

“What do we have to do?” Dean asked.

“It's two parts. The first part expels the demon from the victim's body. It makes it manifest, which actually makes it more powerful.”

“More powerful?” Dean gulped.

“Yeah.” Sam admitted.

“How?”

“Well, it doesn't need to possess someone anymore. It can just wreak havoc on its own.” Sam explained and Dean looked at him as if he was crazy.

“Oh, and why is that a good thing?” He demanded.

“Well, because the second part sends the bastard back to hell, once and for all.” Sam answered and Dean nodded.

“First thing's first we've got to find it.” Sam admitted and Dean nodded, digging out his walkman turned EMF. He got up and put the earphones in, walking the aisle.

“Oh! Don't do that!” Dean yelped as Sam touched his arm, making the EMF go off.

“Anything?”

“Other than you? Nope. How much time we got?” Dean asked and Sam checked his watch.

“Fifteen minutes. Maybe we missed somebody.”

“Maybe the thing's just not on the plane.’

“No it’s here, I can feel it I just can’t pinpoint it.” Sam admitted and Dean nodded. The EMF suddenly went wild, and it wasn’t pointed at Sam. They looked up as the co-pilot exited the restroom. He stared at Sam and smiled, making Sam glare.

“Cristo.” Dean whispered and the mans eyes went black as he went back into the cockpit. Beside him Sam winced and swayed slightly.
“Sorry.” Dean whispered, taking Sam’s arm and blocking him from view until the yellow faded from his eyes.
“How the hell are we gonna do this? You can’t be anywhere near that exorcism without screaming in pain.” Dean said and Sam closed his eyes.

“You do the exorcism and I’ll hold him down. I can focus past the pain enough to do that.” Sam told him and Dean nodded. They went back to their seats to grab the holy water and journal before heading towards the back of the plane.
“She's not gonna believe this.”

“Twelve minutes, dude.” Dean answered as they entered the curtained off area where Amanda was still standing.

“Oh, hi. Flight's not too bumpy for you, I hope.” She commented and Dean shrugged.

“Actually, that's kind of what we need to talk to you about.” Dean told her as Sam shut the curtain.

“Um, okay. What can I do for you?” She asked hesitantly.

“All right, this is gonna sound nuts, but we just don't have time for the whole "The truth is out there" speech right now.” Dean started.

“All right, look, we know you were on Flight 2485.” Sam told her and she backed away form them.

“Who are you guys?”

“We've spoken to some of the other survivors. We know something brought down that plane, and it wasn't mechanical failure.” Sam explained gently.

“And we need your help because we need to stop it from happening again, here, now.” Dean continued.

“I-I'm sorry, I'm very busy.” She tried to leave but Dean stopped her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? But listen to me the pilot from 2485, Chuck Lambert, he's dead.” Dean explained and she paled.

“Wait, what? Chuck is dead?”

“He died in a plane crash. Now, that's two plane crashes in two months. That doesn't strike you as strange?” Dean asked.

“Look, there was something wrong with 2485. Now, maybe you sensed it, and maybe you didn't, but there's something wrong with this flight, too.” Sam explained.

“Amanda, you have to believe us.” Dena pleaded intently and she looked at them.

“On... on 2485, there was this man. He... had these eyes.” She admitted and Sam nodded.

“Yes, that's exactly what we're talking about.” He agreed.

“But I don't understand. What are you asking me to do?” Amanda asked.

“Get the co-pilot. We need you to bring him back here.” Dean explained.

“Why? What does he have to do with anything?” She demanded.

“Don't have time to explain. We just need to talk to him, okay?”

“But how am I supposed to go into the cockpit and get the co-pilot?” She asked as Sam opened the curtain for her.

“Whatever it takes. Do whatever it takes. Tell him there's something broken back here. Whatever will get him out of that cockpit.” Sam told her.

“Do you know that I could lose my job if?” She argued.

“You're gonna lose a lot more than that if you don't help us out.” Dean snapped and she sighed.

“Okay.” She left and they watched through the curtain as she knocked on the cockpit door. The co-pilot emerged and after a few minutes of talking they headed back towards where the boys were waiting. Dean gripped the open journal and Sam unscrewed the cap on the water bottle, careful not to splash himself in the process. As soon as the man entered Dean punched him and tossed him to the ground, covering his mouth with a piece of duct tape.
“What are you doing? You said you were just gonna talk to him!”

“We are gonna talk to him.” Dean told her as Sam splashed him, the holy water began to burn and sizzle through his uniform.

“Oh, my God, what's wrong with him?” Amanda demanded.

“We need you calm. We need you outside the curtain. Don't let anybody in, okay? Can you do that?” Sam asked but she stayed silent.
“Amanda?” He called and she nodded, a bit panicky.

“Okay. Okay.” She answered, leaving the area.

“Hurry up, Sam. I don't know how much longer I can hold him.” Dean grumbled and Sma quickly took his place, his own eyes turning yellow as he tapped his abilities to help him old the full demon down. Dean began reading the exorcism and Sam swallowed, feeling it dig into him. Unfortunately it was enough for the demon to throw him off and rip the tape off.

“I know what happened to your girlfriend! She must have died screaming! Even now, she's burning!” It taunted and Sam stared in shock even as Dean tried to hold the demon down.

“Sam!” Dean yelled and Sam nodded, throwing himself back onto the demon as Dean went back to reading. Tears fell from Sam’s eyes but he refused to scream. The demon kicked the journal from Dean’s hands and then opened his mouth, leaving the body as a haze of black mist, seeping into the air vent.
“Where'd it go?” Dean demanded.

“It's in the plane. Hurry up, we've got to finish it.” Sam told him, getting off the stunned man below. Sam went after the journal even as the plane began to fall. Dean was thrown against a wall, screaming. Sam tried to reach the journal but he couldn’t. Sam looked around and then shut his eyes, fully opening himself to his demonic heritage.

Dean watched as the air around Sam almost seemed to warp, the kid doubling over as if in pain. He clutched at the wall as the plane continued its dive, he didn’t know what Sam was doing but if it didn’t work…Sam suddenly screamed as an electric white light flowed through and then out of the plane. Sam crumpled to the floor as the plane levelled off. Dean scrambled up and to Sam’s side, wrapping an arm around his waist. Sam managed to raise his head, eyes glazed and breath coming in exhausted pants.

“You did it Sammy, its over. Come on, let’s get you sitting down.” Dean urged, helping Sam back to their seats. Amanda rushed over to them, worried.
“He’s okay. How’s the co-pilot?” Dean asked as he got Sam’s belt on.

“Groggy.” She said as the pilot came on, saying they were going to make an emergency landing due to the trouble.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````
Dean held still as Sam sucked on the wound, slowly becoming more aware the more blood he got. Dean was just happy he was waking up, Sam had pretty much been unconscious since he’d gotten rid of the demon and it had started to scare Dean. He let Sam take as much as he needed, not surprised when Sam fell asleep as soon as he was done. Dean made him comfortable then headed into the bathroom to take a shower before going to bed himself.

``````````````````````````````````````````
“Nobody knows what you guys did, but I do. A lot of people could have been killed.” Jerry told them, shaking their hands.
“Your dad's gonna be real proud Dean.”

“We'll see you around, Jerry.” Sam told him, knowing John was a sensitive subject for Dean at the moment since the man’s number had been disconnected. Jerry waved and started walking back to the building.

“You know, Jerry?” Dean called out and the man turned back to them.

“Yeah?”

“I meant to ask you, how did you get my cell phone number, anyway? I've only had it for, like, six months.” Dean asked.

“Your dad gave it to me.”

“What?” Dean demanded.
“When did you talk to him?”

“Well, I didn't exactly talk to him, but I called his number, and his voice message said to give you a call.” Dean nodded at the answer.
“Thanks again, guys.”

They headed back tot eh Impala and Dean pulled out his phone, dialling John’s number.

“This doesn't make any sense, man. I've called Dad's number, like, fifty times. It's been out of service.” Dean told Sam before holding the phone out so Sam could hear as well.

“This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean at 866-907-3235. He can help.” Dean hung up and got into the car, Sam follow a few moments later, knowing Dean didn’t want to talk about it.

TBC…

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 6

Dean grinned as he saw Sam come out of the store, he couldn’t believe how long Sam had managed to hide what he needed, the difference in Sam since he’d started feeding from Dean was amazing. Sam spotted him and gave him a brilliant smile, waving the bag he was holding as he waited to cross the street. Sam joined him and they got in the Impala, heading back to their motel. When they got there Sam transferred his stuff from the shopping bag to his duffle and then lay back on his bed, surfing for a case online. Dean watched him as he cleaned the weapons, happy that Sam seemed to be dealing with his girlfriends death better these days. He was sleeping better too so that probably helped. Sam looked up at him curiously and Dean went back to cleaning the current gun.

```````````````````````````````````````
“So any idea what’s causing this?” Sam asked as they headed up to the old house.

“Could be a few things. Just stay on guard Sam.”

“Okay.” Sam answered as Dean picked the lock and they slipped inside. They split up to search but then Sam bolted as he heard Dean cry out in pain. He entered the kitchen only to be slammed into a wall; dropping the gun Dean had finally let him start carrying. Sam grimaced but pulled his head up to stare at the demon.

“Sam, Sam, Sam. You’re really in trouble boy. Daddy’s pissed.” The demon taunted and Sam’s eyes flashed, the demon flying into the opposite wall as Sam slipped free, stalking towards it.

“Then he should have left Jess alone. As far as I’m concerned both my parents are dead, killing the thing that possessed my Dad is something I will gladly do.” Sam snarled and held up his hand. The demon began convulsing as Sam focused. Dean opened his eyes blearily to see white light flashing through the demon before it collapsed, dead. Sam took a deep breath and then looked around, darting over to Dean.
“Dean? Hey, you’re okay.” Sam mumbled as he gently checked him over. Dean moaned in pain and Sam gently lifted him up, carrying him out of the house and to the Impala. Sam got him back to the motel and into his bed, grabbing the first aid kit to patch him up. Dean’s eyes fluttered open and Sam smiled at him.
“It’s okay, you’re safe.” Sam whispered.

“S’mmy.” Dean mumbled and Sam nodded.

“Its okay, gonna patch you up. Juts lie still. I got the demon, you’re okay.” Sam assured him, watching as Dean’s eyes shut again. Sam stayed beside him, keeping an eye on him as Dean slept. Seeing the demon with Dean….it had scared him. Other than Jess, Dean was the only person Sam had ever really let get close to him. He’d already lost Jessica, he couldn’t lose Dean too. Dean was the best friend, the closest thing to a brother Sam had ever had. Losing him would break Sam; he knew it which meant so did Azazel. Sam had made Dean even more of a target than he’d already been.

````````````````````````````````````````````````
Dean watched as Sam tried to hide the fact he was hovering. Something had changed since their confrontation with that demon. Sam was…..overprotective of him, to an almost ridiculous level. At first Dean had just assumed it had been the scare of a demon attacking them but now he wasn’t so sure. Then again is was sort of nice to have someone so concerned for him, not like his Dad ever showed that much unless Dean was near death or something. And it was great having a partner near his age who he could relate to. His Dad tried sometimes but it wasn’t the same as having a friend.

“Hey Sam lets go hustle some locals.” Dean called out and Sam smiled, grabbing his jacket.

`````````````````````````````````````
Dean lunged aside but knew it wasn’t going to make any difference as the werewolf pounced towards him. Dean braced himself only to hear a pained grunt from in front of him and then a warm body slammed into him. Dean opened his eyes to find Sam slumped in front of him, bloody claw marks ripped through his shirt. Dean stared in horror for a second before scooping up his dropped gun and shooting the werewolf through the heart. He ignored the corpse as he gently rolled Sam from his side onto his back, shakily checking for a pulse. He relaxed a bit when he found one and gently tapped Sam’s cheek, trying to wake him up. Trying to carry Sam back to the car would not be easy without Sam awake to try and help.

“Sam? Come on kid, wake up.” He called and was finally rewarded when Sam moaned.
“That’s it, I know it hurts but you need to wake up.” Dean urged and unfocused hazel finally opened.

“D’n.” Sam moaned and Dean nodded.

“Yeah, I’m here idiot. What were you thinking?” Dean grumbled, gently pushing Sam’s hair off his face.
“We need to get out of here okay? I need you to try and help. I know it hurts but there’s nothing I can do till we get back to the motel.” Dean told him and Sam whimpered but slowly raised his arms. It took a lot of work but Dean finally got them both upright, Sam leaning very heavily on him.
“That’s it, nice and slow.” Dean encouraged as they staggered back to the car. Dean grabbed the first aid kit and bandaged the wounds roughly before driving back to the motel, keeping one eye on Sam as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

When Sam really woke up he found himself staring up at what had to be a motel ceiling. He tried to move only to feel stitches pull and relaxed back with a pained moan. He heard movement and lifted his head enough to see Dean walking towards him, looking relieved.

“Hey Sam, bought time you woke up. How’re you feeling?” Dean asked as he sta on the edge of the mattress.


“Sore.” Sam croaked and Dean helped him with a water bottle.

“Considering that werewolf pretty much sliced your chest to ribbons I’m not surprised. Why did you jump in front of me Sam?” Dean demanded and Sam looked away.
“Sam!”

“I couldn’t let you get hurt. Demons are gonna be after you cause of me.” Sam mumbled and Dean sighed.

“Sam you can’t just throw yourself between me and danger, it doesn’t work like that. We’re partners, that means we watch each others backs. I watch out for you and you watch out for me. I don’t want to be stuck having to salt and burn your corpse cause you did something dumb. Understand?” Dean argued and Sam nodded sullenly.
“Good. Now you have a lot of stitches in there, sorry I’m not the neatest but I wasn’t sure about taking you to a hospital. I was gonna risk it if you hadn’t woken up properly by tonight.” Dean explained and Sam nodded.

“Hospitals bad.” Sam agreed groggily.

“Hey, you okay? Do you need to feed?” Dean asked and Sam grimaced but nodded, knowing the extra energy would speed up his healing. He watched as Dean cut his arm and then shifted around to lean against the headboard, placing the cut in front of Sam’s mouth. Sam began to suck at the wound, relaxing at the energy began to flow into him.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````
Dean gaped in awe for a second before rushing to Sam’s side, barely catching him before he slumped to his knees amongst the shattered glass. He slung Sam’s arm over his shoulder, looking up into Sam’ face to see the blood coming from his eyes.

“Sam!” He yelled and then relaxed as Sam cracked his eyes open, proving that Bloody Mary hadn’t managed to do too much damage before Sam had lashed out and shattered every bit of glass in the building.
“It’s okay Sammy, you’re gonna be okay. You got the bitch.” Dean assured him as he started manoeuvring them towards the entrance. He knew there was a reason he had hated Sam’s plan, he loathed seeing the kid hurt. He got Sam back to the motel and smiled when Charlie rushed over to help him get Sam over to the bed.

“Is it over?” She asked and Dean nodded.

“Yeah, Sam got her. You’re safe now.”

“Thank you.” She whispered, kissing Sam’s cheek and Sam nodded, keeping his eyes shut.
“Are….are you okay?” She asked and Sam smiled shakily.

“Will be, just sore and tired.” Sam told her.

“Okay, I hope you feel better soon and thanks again.”

“Need a lift home?” Dean asked and she shook her head.

“Take care of him, I’ll be fine now.” Charlie told him as she left. Dean turned back to Sam and began checking him for other injuries.

“Okay I need to get a cloth for your face, back in a sec.” Dean told him and then went into the bathroom. He sat on the bed and began gently cleaning the blood off Sam’s face. Sam sighed and started to relax, reaching out blindly towards Dean who gently grabbed his hand.
“Can you see?” He asked nervously and Sam gingerly cracked his eyes open before groaning.

“Blurry, hurts.” Sam whispered and Dean nodded.

“Okay. Doesn’t look bad. Try and sleep it off, if you’re not better by morning we’ll have to try a hospital.” Dean told him and Sam nodded, settling in but not releasing Dean’s hand and Dean found he didn’t mind. With his sight compromised it wasn’t surprising Sam needed touch to ground him so Dean moved around until he was lying beside Sam on the bed.

TBC…..

Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 7

Dean woke at the sound of pained whimpers and sat up; he gently rubbed the younger males back. “Shh Sam, you’re alright.” He whispered and Sam started. “Easy Sam, it’s just me. Calm down.” Dean soothed and Sam reached blindly for him so Dean took his hand.

“Dean.” Sam whispered.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Dean assured him, turning the lamp on. “You in pain?”

“My eyes, burning.” Sam whimpered.

“It’s alright, I’m gonna get a cool cloth for them.” Dean told him and got up to go into the bathroom, coming back with a damp cloth and a glass of water. He sat Sam up to drink and then put the cloth over his eyes and Sam settled down, gripping Dean’s hand tightly.

“Don’t leave me.” Sam whispered and Dean rubbed his back.

“I’m not going anywhere Sammy, you just rest.” He whispered and Sam soon settled, falling asleep again. Dean stayed awake, watching over him as he slept, making sure the cloth over his eyes stayed nice and cool to help. He prayed that any damage Bloody Mary had caused was only temporary.

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Dean gently helped Sam into the Impala; happy that he was no longer in pain even is his sight was still very blurry. Sam sighed as he sank into the seat and Dean chuckled but got into the driver’s seat and headed for the highway, both glad to be leaving. Dean picked a random direction and drove, stopping for lunch but other than that just driving. They stopped for the night at a small motel and Dean helped Sam to the room with only one bed since Sam was a lot calmer when he could touch Dean. Sam sat on the bed while Dean set everything up and then sat beside him, Sam immediately clasping his hand. “Hey, you’re gonna be fine.” Dean assured him gently and then smiled slightly when Sam leant against him.

“I hate this.”

“I know. You’re lucky you’re alive and still have your eyes Sam. You’re healing, just give it time.” Dean stroked his hair gently, feeling Sam relax. “You hungry?” Dean asked and Sam sighed but nodded so Dean rolled up his sleeve and made a shallow cut, placing the wound to Sam’s lips. Sam latched on and Dean closed his eyes as Sam licked and sucked at the wound. Dean shifted to lean against the headboard as Sam fed off his blood. When he was done Sam curled against him and Dean relaxed, stroking his hair. Sitting in silence with Sam just felt….comfortable and right. With Sam he could be himself and not be judged, unlike with his Dad. Sam never expected him to be anything other than himself and it felt great. Sam cuddled closer, nuzzling into him and Dean blinked in surprise but kept up the gentle stroking, with compromised vision Sam was simply seeking comfort and reassurance. “You want food?” Dean asked softly and Sam made a soft negative noise so Dean nodded and closed his eyes. Sam curled up practically on top of him and Dean held him in place as the young half demon drifted off to sleep. Dean knew the more Sam fed and slept the faster he’d heal so he let him rest.

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Dean led Sam towards the house and Bobby frowned in confusion. “Boys?” He called, seeing the way Sam leant into Dean.

“Hey Bobby, is it okay if we stay for a bit?” Dean asked.

“Sure. What happened?” He asked, seeing that Sam’s eyes weren’t really focused.

“Had a run in with Bloody Mary.” Dean answered and Bobby’s eyes went wide in shock.

“Sam?”

“I’m okay, it’s just….my visions a bit….”

“It’s coming back but too slowly to be safe on the road.” Dean finished softly.

“You know where the guestroom is Dean.” Bobby answered and Dean grinned at him.

“Thanks.” He led Sam through the house and upstairs. He helped Sam find the bed and watched as the younger male curled up. “Hey, it’ll be okay, your sights getting better everyday.” Dean assured him and Sam nodded miserably. He sat down and rubbed Sam’s back gently, smiling when Sam relaxed. “Get some sleep, I’m gonna help Bobby with dinner.” Dean whispered after a while and Sam nodded again.

TBC…