Blood Sport

-1-

Brothers

Summary: Dean said that he hadn't bothered Sam in two years, and Sam was--if my math is correct--in his last year of college…so what happened two years before the pilot episode. Dean hasn't bothered his brother in two years but he can't do this hunt alone. This hunt is the one that will change everything.

Note: I know that Kripke said that it was just a mathematical inconsistency, but I just couldn't help myself, and was begun when boredom set in on a dull weekend with a sprained ankle that prevented me from doing anything but fanfic…so uh pre-series…no other warning I can think of, and I'm pretty sure its spolier-less. Hope you enjoy!

Dean Winchester did not want to be here. He wanted to be anywhere aside from the parking lot outside of the Stanford University dormitories.

In two years, he hadn't so much as spoken to his younger brother. He'd checked up on him, he'd checked up on him often, but the time had passed where they could just stop and chat. It wasn't their style. Especially not with the way that Sam disappeared like that without barely a word of explanation of why they were all so terrible that the had to run away and escape from them. He didn't want to do this, but what other option did he have…he needed Sam's help.

With a bit of Dean Winchester patented charm, he had easily wheedled the student secretary into giving him a copy of his brother's schedule. For such a nice place, they weren't as secure as he thought they'd be. His dad sometimes told people with pride that he had a son that went to Stanford…Dean wondered what Sam would think if he knew that. Sam never understood that their dad loved them so much, just in his own way. Dean was proud of his brother for doing so well, but he was also angry. How could Sam desert him? How could he desert their family? You only get one family, and Dean had spent so long struggling to keep them together…he never thought Sam would be the one to make it all fall apart.

Dean stood outside of a lecture hall. According to the schedule, it was a calculus course and it would be letting out in a few minutes…and then he would talk to his brother.

Dean still couldn't believe how much things changed in the two years since Sam had been away at school. His dad had changed so much, and he rarely saw him.

He did more hunts on his own than he did with John. It was something that had started to happen gradually. John would come home less, and less, he just didn't seem to think it was necessary with Sam out of the house and Dean an adult.

He had considered calling Sam and asking him but...after all this time, he wanted to do this in person. He wanted ask Sam to help him, and he wanted to apologize, and that he couldn't do over the phone. As angry as he'd been, he shouldn't of stopped talking to his brother. As much as Sam might want to deny it sometimes, they all needed each other, they were all each other had and Dean wasn't ready to give up on his brother and his family. And this hunt would be the one that was going to change it all.

Then he saw Sam. He didn't ever recall seeing Sam so carefree and happy as he did right now. With his friends, laughing, his arm around a pretty blonde...

He'd do this one alone. Dean slipped into the crowd easily blending in with the other students. Dean couldn't bring himself to shatter his brother's happiness, and normalcy. It was the one thing that got him, how normal Sam looked...and happier, happier than he'd ever been before he left for Stanford. That was why he was going to do it alone, if this was what made Sam happy...all Dean wanted was for his brother to be happy.

--

"Does anyone else feel like they really need a drink after Andrews' class?" Mike asked.

Sam laughed along with his friends, Mike always felt like a drink.

"Its a bit early for happy hour isn't it?" Sam asked.

"Oh, its never early for happy hour Sammy boy." Mike grinned happily.

"Sam." He corrected with a frown. He hated that nickname. He hadn't heard it in years though, Dean was the only one who called him Sammy aside from the occasional friend, but he corrected them quickly and they never called him Sammy again.

"How about coffee?" Jessica asked, looking to Sam with a smile.

He slipped his arm around his waist, things were new with Jess but they were good. Even though they'd only been together a few months he could see her as 'the girl'. She was everything he ever wanted in a girlfriend, beautiful, sweet, intelligent, and most importantly, never pressing him for more.

Maybe one day he could explain his family to her, but not yet.

"Coffee, guys?" Sam asked them all.

"Make mine an Irish." Mike joked wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

Everyone laughed, but Mike's girlfriend, Karen, chastised him. "If you're drunk for chem lab and light the place on fire again you're gonna be in trouble."

"No, I won't." He said cockily. "Dad'll just make some donation to some dumb school foundation or something...Stanford gets to name something after an old dead guy...I get a warning...and we all have fun! Win-win scenario guys."

Jessica frowned, "You're such an ass sometimes, Mike."

"But I'm a cute ass, right?" He said, "Am I right? Sam, aren't I cute?"

Sam rolled his eyes, "You're downright adorable man."

"See," Mike said to Jess, "You're just jealous 'cos Sam thinks I'm prettier than you."

"Jess." Karen said tugging her friend over to her. She whispered something in her ear, and both boys struggled to overhear.

Jess laughed, whatever was said was clearly quite funny.

Karen pulled her close and gave her a kiss that nearly knocked both boys over.

"Sam, you're not so pretty anymore." Mike mumbled, still a bit thrown by the girls' little joke.

"Now who's jealous?" Jessica laughed, smiling in her boyfriend's direction.

Sam pulled her back over to him.

"Me." he said, giving her a kiss. Yes, he was just about certain that Jess could be the right girl.

--

Sam had just taken a sip of his latte when his phone rang.

He glanced at the called id and Jessica looked at him questioningly. "Who is it?"

"Private number. "He said, as he answered it, wondering fleetingly if it was maybe his brother or dad, but Dean hadn't called him since he'd left for school, he actually doubted his brother would ever talk to him willingly again; Dean really took it personally when he left for school. As for his dad...he called once a year, on his birthday and it still shocked Sam that his dad even remembered as obsessed with hunting as he was. But it wasn't his birthday, and hell hadn't frozen over so it couldn't be Dean.

"Hello?" Sam flipped it open and held it up to his ear.

"This is Dr. Sheila MacArthur at San Francisco General Hospital, I'm terribly sorry to bother you but are you familiar with a Dean Winchester?"

Sam was up, out of his seat from the moment he heard hospital, by the time he heard his brother's name he felt panicked. Why were they calling him? What was going on? Was his brother hurt?

"Yes. He's my brother." Sam threw his coat on and walked away, and Jess ran after him. It wasn't like Sam to just vanish without a word like that.

"You were the only number we could find on your brother's phone Mr. Winchester. You seem to be the most recent call that was made from his phone" The doctor said. "It seems that he was attacked by a dog or wolf of some sort, and it's our protocol to inform and try to find the family when such an injury occurs."

"Is my brother okay?" Sam asked, worry apparent on his face. Dean had called him? He didn't even have a message from Dean. He didn't even think his brother had his phone number. Dean had to be okay, he couldn't even think about the alternative.

"We had to take him for emergency surgery...he's lost a lot of blood. If its possible, I think it would be good if someone was here for him when he gets out of surgery."

"I'm leaving now." Sam said. "Thank you so much Doctor. If his condition changes, please, let me know?"

"We'll do our best." She said.

Sam slipped his phone back into his pocket. "I have to go." He told Jessica, "My brother's in the hospital in San Francisco...he's...I just have to go."

"Sam. Sam, wait." What was up with him, he seemed so...vague, like he was hiding something. "When will you be back? Finals are in a week."

"I'll deal with it when I get back." Sam told her, "Jess, I'm sorry, and I'll explain later, but I really have to go...he's my brother."

Sam walked away, digging through his bag for his keys.

"Be careful!" She called out to him.

Sam barely heard her, his concern for his brother overshadowing everything.