Not having time to write this summer was killing me so I put off some stuff I really should be doing to take time to do this but good grief, I feel like I'm getting rusty already! This takes place in the space of about three to five minutes at the end of the season finale so that's one reason it's so short. I couldn't get what Dean said to Sammy out of my head and wondered how many times he may have uttered those exact words to his brother in the past and that's how this was born.

Sammy, close your eyes.

Four words…..just four small words…but the weight on his heart is almost unbearable. As the Darkness races toward them, Sam calls his name. Dean reaches for his brother almost hesitantly….not because he doesn't want to protect him but because he thinks maybe he no longer has that right. He was going to sacrifice his little brother…..for the greater good, Death had argued…..but Sam had brought him back from the edge. Even as the Mark on his arm had been begging for him to lay claim to the same legacy as Cain, Sam had made Dean realize what the greater good really is….what the greater good had always been.

Sammy, close your eyes.

Memories flood Dean's mind as the Darkness floods the land.

Dean cradles his squalling baby brother in his arms as he waits in the backseat of the Impala. He can see Dad talking to a police officer as their house burns in the distance. Sammy continues to cry. Mom would know what to do. Where is Mom? He tightens his grip on his baby brother and begins to rock back and forth, humming the song Mom always sings to him. He doesn't know all the words but he knows the tune. Sam stops crying and stares up at him. Dean smiles. "Sammy, close your eyes." He continues to hum….

Dean grasps Sam's arm, no longer caring if he still has the right.

Dean awakens to find Sammy curled up next to him on the bed. "Sammy, what are you doing?"

"I can't sleep." Sam's face is streaked with tears.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a monster in the closet."

"Sammy, Dad said…."

"I know what Dad said, Dean."

"Where's the gun he gave you?"

"I don't want a gun."

Dean sighs heavily and pulls back the blankets. Sam scoots underneath the covers and nestles close to his brother.

"Keep your cold feet off me."

"I promise."

Dean can hear the fear in Sammy's voice and it makes his heart ache. His little brother is just learning about what's really out there. He wishes he could protect him from the truth but he knows he can't. He will keep him safe though, if it's the last thing he ever does. Dean presses his face against the top of his brother's head, Sam's unruly mop of hair tickling his nose.

"Sammy, close your eyes."

Dean's grasp tightens on Sam's arm as the Darkness hurtles toward them.

Dean lies in the dark, knowing Sam is just as awake as he is even though he pretended to fall asleep as soon as they made it back to the motel. Sam is exhausted. Dean knows his brother is trying hard to be strong but it's been three days since his girlfriend died. Three days of hell for Sam. Dean doesn't know what to do for him. He doesn't know how to protect him from this pain.

A sob from the next bed spurs Dean into action. He doesn't know what to do but he can't let Sammy bear this alone. He moves to his brother's bed and sits cross-legged beside him. He just wants Sam to know he's there, to know he's not alone. After a few minutes Sam reaches for Dean's hand, grasping it, almost desperately, and begins to cry. Dean murmurs comforting words, words he won't even remember later but they come easily at the time and Sam eventually grows quiet. Dean continues to hold his brother's hand and finally Sam whispers: "Thank you."

Dean tightens his grip on Sam's hand. "You should get some sleep."

"I can't….."

"Yes, you can. I'll be right here. Sammy, close your eyes."

"Dean?" Sam is clutching at him, fear in his eyes.

Dean tries to smile and fails. Tears cloud his vision. He has to say this now…..before the Darkness comes…..

"You're the greater good, Sammy. You…..my family…it's you."

Sam gives him a confused look and eyes the Darkness as it looms closer.

Tears spill down his cheeks but Dean makes no attempt to wipe them away. "You're the reason I fight. You saved me. I'm sorry, Sammy. I'm so damn sorry."

"Dean, you're my brother. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"I was going to kill you, Sammy." The memory tears at his heart.

"No, you weren't, Dean. I know you. You would never hurt me." Sam manages a smile through tears of his own. "But if I had to die for you, I would."

From the corner of his eye, Dean sees the Darkness approaching and does the only thing he has time to do. He throws his arms around his brother, pushing him lower in the car, shielding him from whatever is about to come and whispers: "Sammy, close your eyes."

Thanks for reading! Comments are always welcome!