SHUTTING DOWN

The phone call came at noon on a Friday. Sam was on his way to meet Jess for lunch. He didn't recognise the number. "Hello?"

But he sure recognised the voice. "There you are. You're needed."

Sam sighed wearily. "Bobby, I'm not. They made that damn clear when -"

"Your brother's in the hospital."

"Fine, Dad can-"

"Nobody can raise him. Nobody knows where he is."

Sam felt his hand clench the phone. "Seriously?"

"He even left his precious journal behind."

Sam gasped. This was serious, then. "What's wrong with Dean?"

He saw Jess walking up and held up a finger, pointing at the phone. She nodded and stood a few feet from him, waiting silently.

"Wasn't payin' attention and got hit by a car. Wasn't goin' fast, he's just scraped and bruised some ribs. But mentally - he's not too good right now."

Sam gripped his nose in a 'give me strength' gesture. "He's not told anybody about himself, has he?"

"No, and they're having a hell of a time finding meds that will work right on him."

"Where are you?"

"Little town in Oregon." He gave the name.

"I'll be there by morning. Keep him calm, tell him I'm comin'." Sam hung up and looked at Jess. "My brother's in the hospital. Got hit by a car, but he'll be fine."

"When do we leave?"

He blinked at her. "Jess, I can't ask you to-"

"You're not askin'. I wanna meet him."

"Let's go pack and let me turn in my leave-of-absence forms. It may be a few days."

SPN DWA SPN DWA SPN

Dean was just laying there, staring out the window. He was not responding to anyone or anything beyond a few gestures.

Bobby came into the room. "Mornin', Dean."

The familiar voice made a smile twitch Dean's lips, but he didn't move.

Bobby blew the air out of his cheeks. "He's withdrawn a little more each day." Who was he talking to?

"I thought it wasn't autism," a woman's voice. He'd never heard it before.

"It's a version of it. He's definitely on the spectrum." That voice was very familiar.

Dean's head snapped around, his eyes huge with disbelief.

But there he was - Sammy. Taller, thinner - what the hell did they feed you at college? - but that smile and that voice and that stupid haircut were unmistakeable. "Hey, Dean. Back with us?"

"What...what are you doin' here?" Shock making him slip up with his words.

"You think I'd stay away when I heard you were here and had gotten yourself in trouble and were withdrawin'?" He put his fists on his hips like he used to when he was little. "You need me. I'm here. End of story."

Dean blinked, his gaze focused behind her.

Sam smiled. "This is Jess. She's my girlfriend."

He waved at the stranger, and to his joy, she just smiled and waved back.

"So tell me," Sam said, drawing his attention back to his - wow, hugely tall - little brother. "When are you out of here?"

A trip to the doctor revealed that Dean was on pain meds - now that they found one that wouldn't make his heart race or make him fuzzy-headed. "More like they finally listened to me," Dean growled. "Like I don't know how my own body works."

Dean was going to be released the next morning. They wanted to finish out the observation period and make certain he was going to be all right.

But Dean was beginning to get fidgety and cranky and wanted to go home.

Jess pulled Sam aside. "Is this normal?" She'd been asking that a lot lately, since finding out about Dean's 'difference'.

"For him, it is. And stop acting like he's some kind of mutant. He's got Asperger's, he's not from outer space!"

Jess sighed. "But he's autistic..."

"Very high-functioning. And-" Then it clicked. "You've never met an autistic adult before - just kids." She fidgeted and he chuckled. "He's normal, Jess. He can feel and learn and he's frighteningly bright. He just has trouble processing things and is a little awkward around a lot of people and new situations."

"That must be hell on a hunt."

Sam smiled at her, delighted that she had taken the truth about their lives so well. "Well, it's not really all that bad. Hunting is what we grew up knowing. So it's part of him. We very rarely go in without having researched it all, so he's usually pretty well-prepared."

His smile vanished as he looked back in at a restlessly sleeping Dean. "But he can't stand being alone. He can take care of himself, don't get me wrong, but he has never been able to stand being alone for protracted periods of time."

"And with you at Stanford and your dad God knows where..."

"He's alone. And based on the fact that he wasn't paying attention crossing the damned street, that shows me that he's been alone so long he's getting distracted by it."

Jess put her hand on his arm. "What are we going to do?"

"We?"

"We."

He studied her, then asked her a question in a halting voice.

Her answer made him smile even as tears filled his eyes.

SPN DWA SPN DWA SPN

"Good news, brother mine!" Sam announced as he dropped a duffel on Dean's bed. "You can get changed! We're blowin' this popstand!"

Dean's smile bloomed in pure joy and he changed into jeans and a t-shirt, his amulet swinging from his neck at last as he pulled on his favourite soft flannel shirt. His smile faded as his eyes skittered off of Sam and focused on the duffel. "So... when are you and Jess leaving?"

"As soon as we walk out that door."

"Oh."

"And you're coming with us."

Dean's head snapped up, eyes huge and confused. "But...Dad..."

"I've taken care of it. I've called his phone and left a message. Bobby knows where we are. We're going to head back to Stanford and let me finish out the last two weeks of the semester. Then we're going over summer break to find Dad."

"Jess..."

"Is fully on board. With everything."

"But - does she know about-"

"The life? Yes. She's scared, I mean who wouldn't be? But she accepts it as part of us."

"And...about..."

"You?" Dean looked down and Sam cupped his cheek, holding it until those large green eyes were looking back at him. "And she loves you because you're my brother."

"Your autistic brother."

"My brother."

Dean's arms flashed around him and they just stood there, hugging. "I can't go," he said at last.

"Why not?"

"I haven't got my boots on."

Sam burst out laughing. "Jerk!"

"Bitch," Dean said with a warm smile and put on his boots.

Then they walked out to the waiting Impala - which pointed toward Palo Alto less than fifteen minutes later.

Taking the trio home.

END