"Sammy!" Dean all but fell down the ditch and scrambled to the drivers side of the Impala. Sam was hunched over the steering wheel, and when Dean saw that he wasn't moving, he felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He threw the door open hard and the hinge creaked in protest. Sam's head shot up and Dean nearly cried as a wave of relief washed over him.

Sam looked terrible. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot and his cheeks were damp. Dean could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Dean" Sam moaned desperately. He was scared and cold and incredibly relieved to see his brother suddenly by his side. He didn't question how Dean had found him. He was too tired and drunk to think about anything anymore.

A deer had ran out into the road and he was pretty sure he hit it. The car had spun and ended up facing the wrong direction. He wasn't hurt, but he was almost in shock when the car stopped moving. Everything was a blur and he couldn't think straight so he had rested his head on the steering wheel and waited for his mind to stop spinning. Next thing he knew, Dean was staring at him, his face pale and his eyes wide.

"Sonovabitch" Dean breathed as he pulled Sammy out of the car and crushed him against his chest. He blinked to fight back the tears forming in his eyes as he tried to chase away the images of his brother lying dead and bloody on the side of the road.

Sam clung to Dean for a few moments, concentrating solely on the fact that Dean was there. He tried to take a few deep breath, feeling relieved that he was safe and Dean would take care of him.

"Are you hurt?" Dean asked as he quickly pulled away from the younger man. He kept his hands on Sam's shoulders and tried to visually check for injuries in the dim light.

"No. I-I don't think so" Sam said shakily. Dean lifted Sam's jacket and shirt and the blast of cold air on Sam's skin made him shiver.

Dean didn't see any bruising, but he pushed on several spots on his brother's torso and ran his hands over his back, wanting to be sure that there wasn't any broken ribs or internal damage.

"Dean, I'm fine" Sam said as he pulled his shirt back down. Dean's hands were really cold.

"Good" Dean said. He quickly spun Sam around and pinned him against the Impala. He brought his hand down fast and hard on Sam's backside before spinning him back around to face him.

"What the hell were you thinking, huh?" Dean yelled mere inches from Sam's face, keeping a tight grip on Sam's arms. As soon as he was satisfied that Sammy wasn't hurt, all the panic and worry was replaced with anger of near epic proportions.

Sam couldn't think, partially because of the alcohol and partly because Dean's demeanor had changed so quickly. He looked at Dean. He could see the anger in his brother's eyes and he started to remember that he was blaming Dean for the whole ordeal. If Dean would have let him go to Palo Alto to begin with, he wouldn't have ended up in such a mess.

Sam was about to tell Dean exactly what he was thinking, but Dean didn't allow Sam to answer. He roughly guided him into the backseat and and buckled him in. Sam winced as Dean tightened the seatbelt a little too tightly. He wanted to demand an explanation as to why he was in the backseat, like a child, but the murderous look on Dean's face made him think twice. Dean slammed the door so hard it made Sam jump. He got into the front seat and slammed his door just as hard.

"You better hope the engine starts" Dean growled.