Sam turned in his bed, opening his eyes. He paid attention and listened. Yes, muffled sobs and cries were heard from the bedroom of Dean, .. again.
Unfortunately, the fact that Dean suffered from nightmares was not unusual.
He always did, though he never confessed it.
"My older brother always strong and stubborn," Sam thought as he ran his hands over his face in a bid to cleared his mind from sleep.
But since Dean had become a teenager, his nightmares were more frequent, more vivid. And now it seemed that it cost more to get out of them, and Dean acted as if nothing happened.

Actually it was not unusual now … his brother Dean, who hates "chick-flick" moments, he would desperately embrace Sam to calm down and go back to sleep. To the point that many days, both brothers had woken in his bed together.

But the following morning, Dean blushing when realized that his brother was sleeping beside him, was the only sign of what happened last night.

Dean did not mention the subject. He eluded questions from Sam, and if his brother insisted on knowing that happened in his nightmares, Dean would disappear into his room covering Sam's questions with headphones and music that was too loud in his ears.

Sam had used the Internet for information on the situation, and he had already implemented advices to treat adolescent nightmares:

Sam prevented him from playing games or seeing movies too violent before bedtime (Yes, maybe it was absurd when violence was part of their lives, but he thought it was worth a try). Sam prepared a light dinner, and he gave Dean a glass of warm milk to go to bed.

He had even offered some tranquilizer tea, but neither extortion nor pie had gotten Dean to take it. Dean said the calming tea smelled and tasted like "cat pee".

So Sam thought the next possible step, would be talk to Dean about his bad dreams, before trying to he will see a psychologist. A battle that Sam did not want to fight with him, because he knew that Dean would never agree to go to a psychologist, unless he was bound and gagged, of course.

Sam sat up, leaving his warm bed, and put on his slippers, he put a shirt over the sleep clothes and went to the bedroom of Dean. He opened the door and saw the boy. It was amazing how small and helpless Dean now appeared in his bed. More when he sobbed and writhed, pleading desperately:

"No, no, ... let me. Please no, no ... do not. I have to come back with Sammy, Let go. No, no, ... Sammy is alone. You're hurting me ... No, not that, ..."

Dean waved his arms as if trying to fend off someone or something that had him prisoned. Sam recalled the recent case with stringa and how close they had been Dean of being violated, and how affected Dean had been when Sam had been rescued him. He thought that incident could possibly be causing Dean's nightmares. Not unlikely, something like that could have impacted the boy.

Although, "I have to come back with Sammy",... did not seem to go with what occurred much. But in dreams, things randomly mix ... Anyway he would uncover it.

So now Sam was going to try another tactic.
Instead of entering in the dark and try to calm Dean softly, hugging him and whispering that it was just a nightmare, that he was there and nothing is happening... until the child was able to return to sleep. Sam turned on the light and he grabbed at Dean hard:

"Dean, Dean wakes up! What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"No, do not touch me! I do not want... No, noooo!" Dean screams even as he continue sleeping while fighting the grip of his brother.
Sam grabbed stronger.
"Dean answer me! What's wrong?"
"That man, .. I do not want ... no,..." Dean was slowly emerging from his dream.
" ... Sam? ... Sam!"

His face covered with tears, Dean turned him to his brother and he buried his head in Sam's chest. He sobbed quietly. Sam hugged him and stroked his head.
"What do you dream? What frightens you? Tell me, Dean."
But Dean just pressed himself harder against him, trying to calm down and gradually his sobs were diminishing.

"You dream with that the sthriga did to you, right?"

"No, it was not the sthriga ... were ... the others."

Dean's voice was shaky and barely audible, and he pressed his face against his brother's chest.
"Which others, Dean?" Sam sais, finding it strange.
"Tell me what happened in your dream? Who were they? Were they monsters? ..."

But the boy did not speak again and he did not respond to more questions from Sam. So he gave up, for now. Sam cradled his "little older brother" in his arms until he fell asleep. Carefully he leaned back and tried to return to his bed, but Dean's hand clung tightly to his shirt and the boy protested for the distance to his brother, between dreams. Sam sighed and he resigned to spend another uncomfortable night in the Dean's bed. Sam lay beside his brother, he trying to accommodate his big body in space that was left free, without waking Dean.

Dean turned to him, pressing his body against his brother and moving his arm over him, as if he feared losing the warmth and comfort that the proximity of Sam gave him.

"Yes, it will be a long night," thought Sam "This has to go back to normal."
Sam did not feel prepared to deal with all this, the caring for his teenage brother, the constantly worry about him.
It was too much responsibility for him .. Sam needed the "Dean of always" back at his side.

A busy angel had made a quick break to check as his friends were doing it, especially Dean in his new situation of be a teenager,

Castiel saw them sleeping together, and he smiled at the tender image.
He was about to go back to heaven, when thoughts of Sam slipped into his mind.
Castiel frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. Something about Sam's thoughts did please the angel. Sam was wrong.
Castiel decided to return as soon as possible and discuss the matter with Sam.
He heard voices of his brothers angels who called for him and with a whisper of wings he disappeared.

To be continued...