Dean woke to Sam mumbling and twitching in his sleep. He sighed and tossed an arm around his brother's waist, gently kissing the back of his neck. Nightmares weren't an unusual occurrence for either of them, and so they knew exactly how to bring each other out of one. Dean began to rub his brother's arm up and down in a soothing manner. Before he could do anything more, though, Sam jerked and woke with a start. Dean propped himself up on one arm and looked down at his panting brother worriedly.

"Sammy?" he asked, still stroking his arm.

Sam jerked away as if he'd been stung. He scrambled out of bed. "It's nothing, Dean," he said in a wavering voice, waving his brother's worries away with a shaking hand. He escaped into the bathroom, shutting the door quickly behind him.

Once inside, Sam fell against the wall, sliding down until he hit the floor. He let out a shaky sob, burying his hands in his hair. He pressed his face against his knees as the voices from his dream echoed in his head.

Freak… Monster…. Everyone around you dies… Worthless little brat…

Just like Jessica, the voice whispered. She'd still be alive if she hadn't met you. And Amy… If you'd just left her alone, Dean wouldn't have found her. It's your fault she's dead.

"No," Sam whispered. "That's not true."

You know it's true, the voice hissed. You could see the bloodstains on him when he got back. There's nowhere else he could have been. You killed her! Just like you kill everyone. Like your mother. You couldn't even walk and you got her killed. What kind of monster does that make you?

"Stop," Sam whimpered, pressing his hands to his ears. "Please stop."

They're all dead, Sam, and it's all your fault. Your mother, your father, your fiancée. Pretty soon, Dean will be gone too. You'll be all alone. And nothing will change that.

Sam whimpered again and curled into himself. The voice continued.

Dean began to get worried. Sam had been in the bathroom for a while now, and while he could understand the need to be alone for a bit after a nightmare, this was ridiculous. Dean rolled out of bed and padded over to the door. He eased it open, catching sight of his little brother curled up on the floor. He was by his side immediately, pulling him into a tight embrace. Sam, startled, tried to pull away, but Dean only held him tighter.

Sam suddenly gave in, clinging to Dean like a lifeline. He wrapped his arms around his brother's torso, burying his face in his shoulder, sobbing. Dean gently stroked his back, whispering soothing words as he trembled.

Sam's shaking gradually subsided, and he stopped sobbing on Dean's shoulder. He pulled away, wiping his eyes. Dean reached up and grabbed a washcloth, wetting it with cool water. He ran the cloth over his brother's face, washing away the tear streaks and soothing the heated skin. It was a sign of how exhausted he was that Sam actually allowed him to do it.

Dean tossed the washcloth into the bathtub and wrapped an arm under his brother's shoulders. He eased them both up and led them to bed, where Sam fell gracelessly onto the mattress. Dean crawled in next to him, flipping the covers up and over them both. Sam curled into him, throwing an arm across his chest and pulling him close. Dean felt Sam's breathing slowly even out as he drifted off. He was about to do the same when Sam suddenly spoke. "Dean?"

Dean's voice was husky with sleep as he responded. "Yeah, Sammy?" He looked at his brother, seeing his liquid hazel eyes nearly glowing in the darkness as they gazed at him pleadingly.

"Don't leave me alone." Sam tightened his grip on him. "Please don't leave me alone."

Dean moved forward to kiss him chastely. When he pulled back, he stared into his little brother's eyes. "I'll never leave you alone," he said seriously. "You hear me? Never."

He saw a smile ghost across Sam's face as his eyes drifted shut. He fell asleep quickly, snoring softly. Dean watched him, marveling at how quickly his brother could go from desperate and pleading to totally relaxed and asleep with just a few words. He shoved the thought away as he settled in, eyes closing as he drifted off. He'd ask Sam about the dream that had shaken him up so badly tomorrow. Tonight, he just wanted to sleep. And, wrapped in his brother's arms, he did just that.