Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to Kripke and them other people. Obviously.

A/N: This is based around early season 1/2 due to the fact that's when I wrote it, I found that fic recently and decided I'd rewrite it. Hence you reading it now. It was probably meant to be a drabble, but that was back when I was incapable of writing them. Lightly implied slash, if you want it it's there for the taking, if you don't it's not. Suit yourself. Hope you like, reviews are love, even if they only tell me it's bad :)

Jess was smiling and laughing as she spoke, the dappled afternoon sunlight was glorious on her skin. Sam drank in the sight of her, the lake and gardens were nothing compared to her beauty. It was a Sunday afternoon and they had been enjoying a quiet afternoon down by the water.

Although he was listening, Sam couldn't seem to catch any of what Jess was saying. He tried to move closer and only found himself to be further away. His brow furrowed and he began to feel uneasy.

A man's voice was suddenly in his ear, "Bye-bye Jess..."

Sam whipped around; he knew who that voice belonged to, and his uneasiness grew. The yellow-eyed demon was standing before him, positively grinning with delight. Sam was about to attack when he heard Jess cry out. He turned back to her and fell to his knees, overwhelmed.

She was pinned to their bedroom ceiling and blue flames were enveloping her body.

He screamed and screamed her name. Somebody gripped his arms and he thrashed madly, trying to force them to let him go.

His arms and legs had become tangled in his sheets and Dean yelled, "Sam, stop!"

"Dean?" Sam gasped out between heaving breaths.

"Yes, it's me. Now settle down, it's over Sammy. It's over."

Dean had a firm hold on both of Sam's arms, and was sitting beside him on the bed. Sam had been yelling in his sleep and when Dean woke up and saw his brother's distress, he attempted to drag him out of the nightmare. He received a few punches in the face before he managed to grip both of Sam's flailing arms.

"I... She... I couldn't..." Sam tried to say.

"It's alright Sammy, it's over now." Dean said soothingly as he untangled them both from the sheets and moved to get up. Sam's frantic cry of "Dean!" made him pause.

He exhaled deeply and reclined, settling himself in Sam's bed. Sam was shuddering slightly. Dean hesitated for a moment and then gripped Sam's shoulders and pulled him closer.

"It's alright. I'm not going anywhere Sammy. Shh..." he said quietly.

Sam let his head fall back onto Dean's chest and Dean wrapped his arm around Sam's neck, resting his hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"It's okay Sammy." He murmured again.

Dean could feel the rise and fall of Sam's chest underneath his arm, his breathing was still rapid and uneven. He gently stroked Sam's forehead, running his fingers through his sweat-drenched hair, murmuring to him every few minutes.

Eventually, Sam's breathing returned to normal and after a few hours he fell asleep. Dean stayed awake until dawn, keeping watch over his little brother.

When sunlight began to stream into the small hotel room, Sam woke up. He felt more rested than he had felt for a very long time. He could feel Dean's chest rising and falling beneath his cheek. He carefully removed himself from Dean's arms and headed for the bathroom.

Dean woke up when the shower started and rolled over, groaning into Sam's pillow. He breathed in Sam's scent and after a few minutes was asleep again. When he next woke up, Sam was gone.

He made his way to the bathroom, yawning, and turned on the hot water. When he emerged from the bathroom, he was greeted by the smell of a hot breakfast.

Sam had cleared the small table and laid a breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages, fruit, coffee and orange juice across it. Dean inhaled deeply, they hadn't had a proper breakfast for a long time, and it smelt delicious.

"I wasn't sure what you'd feel like..." Sam said, tentatively.

Dean just grinned and began helping himself to a bit of everything. They ate in silence. Sam felt awkward, and he was sure that Dean did too, though he showed no sign of it. Sam had no idea what he should say.

Finally, he opened his mouth and said "Dean, listen..."

Dean waved away his words with a bacon loaded fork and said through a mouthful of eggs, "Sam, it's fine."

Dean turned back to his eggs and bacon and his body language didn't invite further discussion. Sam was grateful, but also a little hurt, he needed to talk about it.

When they had finished eating, Dean flicked on the television and turned his full attention to channel flicking. Sam took a few minutes to observe his brother. He looked tired, and, if Sam wasn't mistaken, a tiny bit sad.

Sam had thought he was being surreptitious until Dean asked him if he would like to take a picture. Sam was unsure how to respond. Dean turned the tv off and turned to face him.

"You're gonna be weird about this until we talk about it, aren't you? You had a nightmare, I comforted you – end of story."

Sam hesitated and then, very quietly, said "But, you were so tender"

Dean turned away and replied, "Yeah, well... Don't think I don't owe you a punch in the mouth."

That night, Dean was sprawled across his bed, almost drifting off to sleep when he felt a slight weight press down on his mattress. He half turned and looked at Sam sitting on the very edge of his bed, clearly unsure if Dean would permit this for a second night. Dean rolled over without saying a word, and there was just enough room for Sam. Dean closed his eyes as he felt Sam's weight snuggle in behind him.

In the morning, neither of them mentioned it.

In the afternoon, Bobby rang with a job nearby. They headed off, and after a few days of solid travel reached their destination. Sam was asleep in the car when they reached a hotel. Dean went into Reception and checked into a room. He brought their gear inside and went to wake Sam.

Sam groggily followed Dean into the room, and was surprised when he saw that it only had one bed. He stood gaping at it. Dean laughed at his face and said, "If we're going to be sleeping together, it makes more sense to get a king."

Sam blushed at Dean's words. Dean noticed but didn't say anything, he was aware that he could have worded it differently, but didn't feel the need to.

Sam no longer had nightmares, and Dean could no longer imagine sleeping alone. They were used to each other's scent, shape and warmth. They no longer felt awkward when they woke up, entangled in one another's arms.

No longer did they feel the loneliness of a long night, because always, they had each other.

Reviews? Pretty please? *does Sammy's puppy eyes*