Typical Disclaimer: This story has the typical violence you'll see in the show along with all the angst. I try not to get too off character or too violent, but I'm giving it a mature rating just to be on the safe side. I of course own nothing and get no money or payments of any kind from anyone for writing the story.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reads. Reviewing lets me know if you're enjoying it and encourages me to write more:-)

Unknown Deals

Sam held onto Dean tightly as his brother gasped and coughed blood. Sam scrambled in his jacket pocket for his phone, but he knew Dean wasn't going to make it until the ambulance could arrive. Dean lay on the ground, one of Sam's legs under his back, and his head resting on Sam's stomach. Sam's phone beeped "No Signal" at him and he cursed audibly. "How can there be no signal?!" he screamed to no one in particular.

He felt Dean's body stiffen and a hoarse whisper floated up from his brother, "they're coming Sammy. I can hear the hellhounds coming for me…"

----

Dean was 19 years old and felt like he was 40. Almost every muscle in his body ached, but his heart hurt more than any pain he'd ever known. He sat next to Sam's still frame, even at 15 he was tall and took up most of the hospital bed. The life-support machines keeping his body working beyond the time it wanted to. But the doctor had said his brain was showing signs of activity, that he wasn't brain dead, so there was hope.

It was dark in the room, but Dean could see every movement of Sam's body. But it was only the artificial push of air into his lungs that caused his chest to rise and fall. "I screwed up Sammy. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Dean put his head down into his hands and allowed himself only a couple of tears before berating himself that he didn't deserve to release his pain. He deserved to feel this pain because it was his fault. He was supposed to keep Sam safe and he'd failed to do it.

How could he not have known they were running onto a lake? How could he have not known that they were too heavy for the ice? A black dog is much lighter and it ran easily over the lake's frozen surface to the other side. He'd been so desperate to catch it, to not let his dad down that he ran a little further after hearing the crash and Sam's cry. It was only a second, but that second had been enough for him to lose Sam. Once he'd gotten back to the spot where Sam went down the ice was cracked and he broke through as well. He still couldn't remember all the details on how he'd made it out. He remembered needing to get to Sam, needing to get out, being so cold. He doesn't remember calling 911, but remembers the paramedics arriving and pushing him away from Sam while he was doing CPR.

Now he sat in a hospital room watching his brother cling to life. He didn't know where his dad was, but he'd left a shaky voice mail. He expected his dad to burst into the room at any moment screaming about how he'd failed to do his job; how he'd failed to keep Sammy safe.

"I'm so sorry Sammy. I'd give anything to take it back, to trade places with you, to just keep you alive. Please Sammy, please don't leave me," Dean whispered to his sleeping brother. "I'll give anything if you'll just be ok and get better."

"Be careful what you wish for Hun." Dean started as small nurse entered the room with a clipboard and walked quietly to Dean's side. "You never know who might be listening and take you up on that offer," she whispered to him as she checked the machines. Dean looked into her deep blue eyes that sparkled with a kindness he hadn't seen since his mom had died.

"I would though," Dean whispered forcefully as he turned back to Sam.

"Would what?" She cooed.

"Give anything to have him back."

The nurse touched Dean on the shoulder; her hand was warm and gentle. "Well then, I guess he should be glad to have such a devoted brother like you." The nurse moved around to the other side of the bed and gently laid her hand on Sam's head and smiled. When she met Dean's gaze, he couldn't help but shiver lightly, but her eyes were warm and loving. "Don't worry Dean, you're brother's going to be fine." Dean swallowed hard.

The nurse stood and made a few notes on her clipboard. "His vitals are strong and he's showing improvements." She looked up at him and winked, "he just needs a little time to heal, but I'm sure he's going to be just fine." She smiled kindly and left the room.

Dean watched her go and swallowed hard again. Did something just happen? His guts started to twist a little and he started to get up to go talk to the nurse but the machines next to Sam started to beep and the breathing machine began making strange clicking noises. Moments later there were nurses and Sam's doctor for this shift in his room all around his bed. Dean tried to find out what was happening and one of the nurses pushed him back and said, "it's ok, he's trying to breath on his own and he's fighting the machine. It's going to be ok, just let the doctor take care of him."

----

The poltergeist was meaner than any they had come up with before. They were trying to follow the instructions that Missouri had given them a couple of years earlier but it was tough and it kept throwing things at them, even throwing them occasionally. As Dean placed the last pouch in its place he felt fire burn through his back. He jerked and turned only find himself staring down at a large kitchen knife that just imbedded itself into the right side of his chest. He stumbled and fell to his left side as his knees buckled.

Sam ran into the kitchen and with horror looked down on his brother. One large knife protruded from his front and another from his back. "Dean!" Sam ran to his brother's side and pulled him from the house through the back kitchen door and into the back yard, leaving their duffel bag near the back door. Sam took off his shirt and tried to stem the flow of blood. He knew taking the knives out would make him bleed worse, so he pulled Dean up onto one of his legs, keeping the knife's handle from hitting the ground and rested Dean's head onto his stomach. He quickly fished into his pocket for his cell phone to call for help, but it told him there was no signal. "How can there be no signal?!" he screamed to no one in particular.

He felt Dean's body stiffen and a hoarse whisper floated up from his brother, "they're coming Sammy. I can hear the hellhounds coming for me."

"What?!" Sam looked down at Dean, "Dean, what the hell are you talking about?"

Dean gave a light chuckled that turned into a cough spewing blood from his mouth. "Hell. I'm talking about Hell for sure."

"Dean?"

"I did it Sam. I made the deal. I saved Dad's soul. I thought I'd have time to figure a way to break the deal or fix it somehow maybe. I had to save Dad." Dean's eyelids began to droop.

Sam rolled Dean off his leg and onto his side and then ran to the duffel bag, pulling out the container of salt. He quickly poured a wide ring around then and resumed his position with Dean. "Dean, open your eyes, man. Stay with me here!"

Dean looked up at him, "Sorry Sammy."

Several claw marks began appearing the dirt around the circle. Dean flinched in his arms and Sam knew he could hear them and if he'd open his eyes Sam knew he'd see them too. Sam put his hand on Dean's forehead, making sure a couple of his fingers covered Dean's eyes. "Don't look at them Dean, I'll think of something."

A lithe woman walked into the Sam's line of sight. She was slim, tall, and had beautiful waving blond hair. She reminded Sam of Jessica at first, but the red eyes let him know that this was no kind or loving woman. She smiled at Sam and looked down at the salt ring. "He made a deal Sam. He's dying and it's time for him to come with me."

"No!"

She smiled, "would you like to offer something else to replace him?"

The bright lights of a vehicle pulling into the driveway distracted them briefly as a dark blue minivan pulled up next to them. Sam expected the woman inside to look at them in horror and scream. Maybe she would call the police and Sam could get the help he needed for Dean. Instead she just looked over at them and casually stepped out of the van.

Sam looked at her in confusion, "help me, please, my brother needs an ambulance!"

The woman didn't even look at him. She was heavy set with shoulder length brown hair. She glanced down at Dean and then walked towards the other woman.

The lithe blonde snarled at her, "He's mine. We made a deal."

"He made a deal with me first. A long time ago."

"What?"

The shorter woman smiled, "he made a deal with me a long time ago. What he offered you was no longer his to give."

Sam saw the dirt churn as he was sure the hellhounds were going to attack the brown-haired woman and tear her apart. Instead he watched as she opened her palm out behind her and her other palm opened out towards a space near the blond. Where Sam had been sure the hellhound was standing, four puffs of flame and smoke appeared and then dissipated into the night. He could have sworn he heard the yelp of a dog. The same happened near the blond woman and she jumped to the side, a shocked look on her face as she glanced back at the other woman.

"Leave." The short woman stated, without venom or a threatening tone. But the other woman looked as if her very life depended on her doing what she'd just been told. Maybe it did. The blond huffed and turned and walked away.

The shorter heavy set woman began walking towards Sam and Dean. Sam drew his pistol and pointed it at her, "stay back!" The woman stopped at the salt line and Sam hoped it would keep her at bay until he could get help. He almost shot her when she reached into a small pouch on her side, thinking she had a weapon, instead it was just a phone.

He almost shot her again as she stepped over the salt line and moved to sit next to Dean, but there was something in her eyes. Deep blue with a warmth he'd only know in one other person. He watched as she placed her hand on his forehead and dialed the phone. She kept looking at him and he felt at peace; he let his tears for his brother fall. She smiled and moved her hand from Dean's forehead to gently wipe them with the back of her hand. Her hand was so warm and comforting. She returned her hand to Dean's forehead as she spoke in the phone.

"I need an ambulance at 355 Northshire Blvd., in the back yard. Two men have been attacked by a local gang. One's badly hurt."

----

Sam's mind was a blur. The woman had walked away, got into her minivan and driven away before the police and paramedics had ever arrived. They'd gotten Dean to the hospital, performed surgery to get the knives removed and patch him up. They kept saying it was a miracle that he'd survived

Sam sat quietly trying to process the whole night. Dean had made not one, but two deals? Dean had given himself for their dad and never told him, never trusted him to help find a loophole or way out, never said a thing about their dad being saved? Yet he couldn't find any anger. He couldn't find the emotions to berate his brother. He just sat in the chair next to his brother's bed and watched him sleep. He was tired, but he needed to stay awake for when Dean woke up.

A nurse walked quietly into the room and began checking over Dean's vitals, "how are you holding up, Sam?"

"I'm ok. How's Dean?"

"Oh, he's going to be just fine. He just needs a little time for his body to heal up."

Sam nodded. She walked by him and placed her hand on his shoulder gently, "you should get some rest." Her hand was warm and comforting. He was tired and his eyes drooped. He blinked a couple of times lazily and watched as the nurse left. As his eyes slid closed for the last time before he drifted off into a comfortable and peaceful sleep he noticed her deep blue eyes sparkling back at him.