Kick in the Head
It was not unusual for the brothers to suffer some serious injuries in their line of work; generally, it was just what happened when you fought vengeful ghosts, evil demons and blood sucking Vampires. But, Sam thought, he had never seen his brother like this.
Dean was sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala, giggling like a school girl as he gazed around at his own beloved car, asking Sam inane questions about what certain buttons did.
Sam, although not a fast driver, was now driving with a speed he had never been responsible for, towards the scrap yard that belonged to Bobby Singer, thanking god that the last job had been close to the man who would – Sam hoped – know what to do.
"Hey dude," Sam glanced at Dean as he spoke. "Where we going?"
"To see Bobby." Sam replied, whirling the wheel, the car skidding dangerously as he turned.
"Bobby?" The name seemed to register in Dean's head, but his stare was blank. "Bobby..."
"Dean. Think you can sleep?"
"I don't wanna." Sam glanced at his brother, pouting like a child about to throw a tantrum.
"OK. Think you can be quiet for a bit?"
"Don't wanna." Another outbreak of childish giggling, Sam rolling his eyes as he looked at his brother.
Dean was the older brother, the one who had vowed to protect Sam and keep him safe. It wasn't meant to be like this; Sam wasn't meant to be the one keeping an eye on Dean. That just wasn't how it worked.
"Alright Dean, what do you want?"
Dean's expression became thoughtful, for just a split second. "Cheeseburger."
"Tell you what Dean, we'll play a game. Whoever stays quiet the longest, gets a cheeseburger, yeah?"
His brother's face contorted, relaxed, and he nodded.
For once, the car was deathly quiet. Sam couldn't remember when his brother's rock music wasn't playing from the speakers, or when the pair of them were bickering or discussing the next – or last – job.
Finally, the car pulled into the scrap yard, and Sam was relieved to see Bobby running from the house towards them as he stopped the car.
"What happened?" Bobby opened Sam's door, as Sam turned to look at Dean.
"The demon it..."
Another fit of giggles from Dean. "I won!" He yelled, raising his hands up. "Yes! Where's my cheeseburger dude?"
"Inside." Sam muttered, and before anyone could say another word, Dean and wrenched open the door of his Impala, slamming it against the side, causing both Bobby and Sam to wince. He ran into the house, as Bobby moved to the side.
"If he gets back to normal, he's going to go nuts about this."
Sam followed Bobby around to the side of the car, staring at the long scratch now indented on the Impala. "When he gets back to normal." He muttered, glancing at Bobby as the older hunter sighed.
"When." He agreed, before they heard a shout coming from the house.
"Hey!" Dean's voice echoed around them. "Where's the cheeseburger?"
Bobby made both boys drink a bottle of beer – Dean spat it out, asking why it had been watered down, whilst Sam downed his almost in one go.
"Drink Dean. Don't get your cheeseburger if you don't."
His brother again did his childish pout before taking a big gulp of the drink. He swallowed and let out a refreshed sigh, as Bobby micro waved a burger and handed it to the hunter.
The burger was gone within seconds, and Dean's moaning was replaced by tapping on the table. "Bored!" He exclaimed, eyes searching around the room. "Dude, I'm bored."
It hurt Sam every time his brother called him dude, because it reminded him that, in the current state, Dean didn't have a clue who his brother was.
Suddenly, a yawn broke the temporary silence. Both Sam and Bobby looked at Dean, whose head lolled onto his shoulder. Another childish exclamation of "tired" and Bobby stood up, leading Dean upstairs to one of the bedrooms.
"Sleeping like a baby." Bobby announces when he returns, and Sam nods slowly. "Alright Sam, so tell me, what happened back there?"
'Back there' meant the small backwater town of Aisloados, a fitting name, translated into English as isolated, Aisloados had a long history; starting with the very first Spanish settlers who had crossed over and pushed the Native Americans away from the area.
A couple of demons had decided to wreck havoc on the small town, preferring to trick and play with the people living there than kill them outright. It was, to them, a source of entertainment.
When Dean and Sam had arrived in the town, they'd found that one in thirty of the town's 3,000 inhabitants had lost their minds. The rest had been weary of the brother's presence, despite the fact that, to them, Dean and Sam were Dr Mock and Dr Williams, specialists in the field of psychology.
It didn't take them long to realise what the demons – three of them – were doing; they'd find a vulnerable person, with a lot of pent up emotions, draw these emotions out and watch as the person lashed out at the world around them, causing in them being locked up.
They'd been there for three days, and the numbers of the crazies were rising, as well as the deaths; three in thirty mentally unstable, five in thirty dead.
Then, they'd found the first demon; a weak demon following orders from a stronger one, he soon gave up the location and appearance of one of his accomplices. Both of them had been exorcised, then came the last one.
They had been unable to trap him, and it had been up to Dean to fight, tooth and nail, while Sam yelled out the words of the exorcism.
"Sam!" Dean yelled out, trying to block the punch that had just been thrown his way. "Hurry the hell up!"
"I'm trying!" Sam glanced at the demon, glad to see the beast was growing weary. The exorcism was working, between blows the demon was wrenching, body twisting in agony, but he wasn't about to let Dean get away.
Dean dove to the floor, avoiding a hefty punch, and that was when it happened.
The boot connected with his head, as the demon gave one more almighty shriek. Dean lay still for a few seconds, the body of the man crumpled to the floor, and suddenly he lifted his head.
"What happened?" He asked, staring at Sam. "Who...who are you?"
"A friend." Sam whispered, as he fell to his knees beside his brother. "Dean? Dean are you alright?"
A sigh of relief from the younger hunter as the eyes of his brother snapped open, twinkling mysteriously.
He sat up, looking around as the man, previously possessed, sat in scared silence. Dean looked confused for a moment, before he leapt up and proclaimed "Dude, I'm hungry."
Sam nodded, happiness lifting his heart for just a second. "Alright Dean, we'll get something to eat and then..."
Sam didn't know what they would do then, because at that moment he noticed Dean's eyes were glassy, his stare wasn't fixed, and he was gazing around in wonder.
"Dude, where are we?"
"Dean, do you know who I am?"
His brother didn't answer, just kept gazing around. The happiness disappeared and Sam's heart sank.
It was then he phoned Bobby, then that he had dragged Dean towards the Impala. When his brother saw the car, Sam expected a spark of recognition, but instead Dean had just called him dude again, and exclaimed that he had an awesome car.
As they drove out of the town, Dean had just stared out of the window, catching sight of a couple of girls and informing Sam that they were hot.
Bobby looked thoughtful as Sam spoke, listening to the young hunter. He could hear how much it pained him to see his brother acting like a child, how much the thought of having lost of his brother forever hurt the boy. They were all they had; it was the Winchester brothers, not the Winchester boys. Hell, even when Sam was in college, those hunters that knew John still referred to his sons as 'the brothers', together the demons were scared of them, alone it was a separate story.
"He's still in there Sam."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because he was hungry when he woke up. Because he calls you dude, and he said the car was...awesome, I believe was the word he used? And as you drove..."
"He was checking out girls." Sam muttered, catching on.
"Right."
"But...Bobby, he doesn't know who I am. I don't think he even knows he's a hunter."
"Then he's lost the two things he loves most." A sigh from Bobby, glancing towards the staircase. "Honestly Sam, I don't know what we can do."
Eyes flicker open, look around, wonder where the hell he is.
"How the hell did I get here?" He mutters, rubbing his head where there is a strong pounding, a headache. "Jesus." He hisses under his breath, before he recognises the room as one he and Sammy had stayed in more than once when his dad went on a hunt and left them with Bobby.
Slowly he stands and makes his way downstairs, where he can hear Bobby and Sam talking in hushed voices. He makes his entrance, grinning at the pair.
"Dude! What the hell?"
Sam turned his head towards him, and Dean felt his heart sink when he saw the pain in his brother's eyes, the wide sadness in them was too much.
"Sammy? What's wrong?"
"Dean?" He had never seen his brother change from pure desperation to joy so quick, and Dean found himself stepping back as Sam leapt up and threw his arms around his older brother. "Oh god Dean you're Ok, you're back I..."
"I thought I told you no chick flick moments." He pushed himself out of his brother's grip, stepping back and looking at Bobby. "What is with him Bobby?"
Sam looked sheepish as he grinned at Bobby.
"We'll tell you later." He muttered, turning away from his brother. Bobby saw Sam trying to tone down his happiness, his relief as Dean rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, I'm starving. You got any cheeseburgers Bob?"
With that, both Bobby and Sam burst out laughing, leaving Dean looking very confused, wondering if any of this had something to do with the extremely bad headache now forming.