Summary: Sam and Kevin are still healing, there's been no word on Cas, and Dean has to figure it all out while dealing with Sam's unexpected Trial traumas. Apparently the hunting community is asking questions as well and awaiting responses.

Warnings: Mild language. Fluff. OOC-ness in regards to Dean at the end of the chapter. Some spoilers for various episodes and seasons, mostly Season 4 and Season 5.

Author's Note: Dean is out of character at the end of this chapter but I like to think in their situation he'd be a little different. He might be a little more open, particularly with Sam to help him. Please review :)

Responsive & Unresponsive

"Hey, you guys went up against Samhain? Like, for real?" Kevin said, looking up from the journal Dean had kept on his and Sam's experiences with the supernatural. While he had no interest or desire to become a hunter, Kevin was interested in the things the Winchesters had faced. Besides, Dean had given Kevin his journal and the journal of John Winchester so Kevin assumed he was allowed to ask questions.

He was sitting in the living area that was attached to the kitchen with Sam while Dean made sandwiches. Sam was off bed rest now and had been for four days. He was still extremely weak, however, and could not walk anywhere without help. So it was never surprising to see Dean glued to Sam's side or not far away.

He looked over at Sam who was curled up on one of the sofas, huddled under a large, fluffy blanket as he flipped through TV channels. He couldn't help but compare this Sam to the Sam he had met back in his room when all he was was an advanced placement student in high school. That Sam had stood tall, strong, powerful, and confident. That Sam had been so...intimidating yet counteracted his appearance with his quiet, kind words and poorly concealed amusement at Kevin's initial reaction to the brothers and Dean's reaction to Kevin. The guy was huge and one of the best hunters in the world and had literally been the chew toy and punching bag for the Devil, yet sometimes he was nothing more than a young man wanting to fit in and find friends and make his big brother proud.

This Sam was still all of those things but in different ways. He tried to stand tall and Kevin knew he would if the trials hadn't weakened him so. This Sam was strong and powerful because he had taken on the freakin' Trials of God, had stopped the final trial, and had survived. This Sam was strong and powerful because he was still fighting to stay alive and, from what Sam had said, was bailing on the Angels and Demons when it should be an impossible thing to do. This Sam was confident, confident he would survive, could get his relationship with Dean back, could get out of the world of Angels and Demons, could move on from all that had happened to him, could help his friends.

Maybe there wasn't much to compare. This Sam and that Sam...they were still all Sam.

"Samhain?" Dean said and Kevin looked over at the oldest Winchester. "Wow, that was...how long ago was that, Sammy?"

"The year you came back from Hell," Sam said. "When we met Cas."

"Right," Dean said. "So about five years ago, maybe close to six. That was when Cas was a dick like the rest of the Angels. He and his buddy Uriel had apparently been given orders to wipe the town off the map to stop Samhain from rising."

"Why?" Kevin said.

"The summoning of Samhain was one of the Sixty-Six Seals that Lilith was breaking to release Lucifer," Sam said quietly.

Kevin blinked at the absurdity. "There are so many things in that sentence that should not be mentioned in normal, civilized conversation."

Sam chuckled and then turned into his blanket as he coughed. Kevin watched worriedly.

"Sam?" Dean said when the coughing died down a little.

"Fine," Sam said, clearing his throat. "I'm fine. No blood, no pain."

"Good," Dean said. "Anyways, we convinced—or we thought we convinced—Cas and Uriel to let us deal with the witch that was going to summon Samhain. We failed to stop him rising but we did stop him even if it was too late. The seal had been broken already."

"How did you stop him?" Kevin asked.

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "I, uh, I was hopped up on demon blood at the time and using my psychic powers. I exorcised him and sent him back to Hell."

Kevin bit his lip. He hadn't heard much about those days, the year Dean returned from Hell, they met Cas, tried to stop Lilith, and the whole Ruby-Sam relationship. He knew the basics. Sam and Dean's relationship had been nearly destroyed because of Sam's dealings with Ruby and his demon blood addiction and Dean's lies about Hell. Dean had turned to Cas as he and Sam grew further apart. They were led to believe that killing Lilith would stop the rise of Lucifer but Ruby had lied and manipulated Sam into completing the breaking of the 66 Seals, releasing Lucifer from the Cage.

From what Kevin understood, it had been one of their worst years, filled with nothing but lies, fights, and anger.

Looking at them now, five years later, it was almost impossible to tell that they had gone through such hardships in their relationship. They looked like brothers again that were leaning on each other because they had no one else. They didn't look like they had both almost destroyed their brotherhood at one time or another and Kevin was glad for it.

"You guys have insane stories," Kevin said and the brothers laughed. He turned back to the journal, just smiling at Dean when he was handed a regular ham and cheese sandwich. Dean sat on the sofa with Sam, talking to him quietly before turning to the TV as well.

It was quiet except for the TV and the turning of pages. Kevin read through the information and story Dean had written on Rawheads and he cringed. He glanced at Dean as though he needed to reassure himself that Dean had not, in fact, succumbed to the injuries gained from his fight with the Rawhead. He couldn't help but grin a little at Dean's note at the bottom of the page.

Do not use taser while standing in water!

He took a bite of his sandwich and turned the page to read about Tricksters.

"What's the story behind the Trickster?" Kevin said and raised an eyebrow when Sam and Dean laughed again.

"We eventually found out that it wasn't actually a Trickster," Sam said. "It was actually Gabriel, the Archangel. He took a...liking to us."

"Maybe to you," Dean said. "I'm the one he killed over and over for a hundred Tuesdays."

"I'm the one who had to watch you die over and over for a hundred Tuesdays. You don't even remember it," Sam said.

"What?" Kevin said, completely confused.

Sam chuckled again. "The first time we faced him, he played us against each other. Did little things that we blamed on each other and made us fight so we wouldn't actually be able to work on the case. Bobby helped us figure it out."

"Then he put us, well, Sam in a time loop," Dean said. "It was forever Tuesday and I continuously died."

"What the hell kind of prank is that?" Kevin said, horrified.

"It was supposed to be a lesson," Sam said. "It was before Dean went to Hell and it was supposed to teach me that I couldn't save him and trying as hard as I was to save him would only kill me. Even when I got him to stop the time loop, Dean died except for good. He was dead for six months and then I found the Trickster again and made him turn it all back."

"Good God," Kevin muttered. "What an ass."

"Y'think?" Dean said. "The next time he stuck us in TV Land. We had to go through all these cheesy roles on sitcoms and cop dramas and commercials. This was during the Apocalypse year and it was supposed to teach us to step up and play the role destiny set for us. We told him to suck it."

"That's also when we found out he wasn't a Trickster. Cas figured it out, said the guy had too much power for a Trickster," Sam said. "We trapped him and he told us he was Gabriel."

"Another dick with wings," Dean said, finishing off his sandwich.

"You know, despite everything he did, he wasn't as bad as some of the Angels we've dealt with. He was kind of decent," Sam said and Dean snorted. "He did die saving our lives and trying to stop his brother."

"I like to think his bad outweighed his good," Dean said petulantly and Sam smiled, shaking his head.

"The guy died for us, dude, after something you told him," Sam said. "You're the one who told him to stand up to his family and he did to try and help us."

"Sam, shut up. I want to stick to my belief that he was a dick with wings," Dean said.

Sam huffed in amusement and looked at Kevin. "We've never dealt with a real Trickster but all that information is right. Our Trickster just happened to be an Archangel with too much time on his hands. He wasn't the worst Angel we dealt with. I think Zachariah was actually the worst, even worse than Raphael, Michael, and Lucifer."

"Now he was a massive dick with wings," Dean said. "It made me very happy to stab him in the face."

"You had told him you would," Sam said, smiling at Dean's pleased expression.

"The moron didn't believe me," Dean said, shaking his head as though it was a shame Zachariah hadn't believed his threat.

Kevin shook his head. It was certainly never boring with the Winchesters around and their stories were extremely interesting and usually amusing.

"So, um, Cas," Kevin said awkwardly. "Do-do you think he's, uh, you know..."

Sam and Dean sighed.

"It's possible," Sam said. "We're hoping not, of course, but it is possible."

"How are we supposed to find him if he is alive?" Kevin said.

"We have no idea," Dean said. "For all we know he's on Earth and human or in Heaven and the new God again along with Metatron. We just have to keep trying. No matter what's happened or what he's done, he's still Cas, he's still family."

Dean snatched his phone from the counter next to the stove. He raised an eyebrow in surprise at the caller ID and answered, putting his phone between his ear and shoulder.

"Garth?" he said.

"Dean!" the young hunter said excitedly and loudly, making Dean wince a little.

"Yeah, hi, Garth. What's going on?" Dean said, stirring the boiling pasta.

"Kinda hopin' you could fill me in. Hunting community's been stirred up with all the supernatural activity. Demon activity has increased and the entire hunting community knows about the Fall of the Angels," Garth said and Dean sighed.

"It has a name now?"

"The Fall of the Angels. Got a nice ring, don't it?"

Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I don't know what to tell you, Garth. There's not much to tell. Cas went rogue—again—and took the Angel Tablet, gave it to Metatron who used it to lock Heaven and kick out the Angels. Sam aborted the third trial and nearly died. We have no idea what happened to Crowley since we just left him behind to save Sam's life and the Gates of Hell remain wide open."

There was a brief moment of silence which Dean used to season the pasta.

"Okay, so what's happening now?"

"Sam, Kevin, and I are hanging out at home recovering and will continue to do so until we are recovered. Well, those two anyways, I'm fine."

"Well, what do you have on this Angel situation? I need something, Dean. I've got hunters demanding answers."

"Then tell them to find some because we have nothing," Dean said and then sighed again. "Look, we're recovering. Sam is alive but is not even close to being better. And, I know you want answers and want our help, but, Garth, we're done. We're not dealing with the Angels and Demons anymore. We don't care what's happening with them because it's not up to us to solve it. It's their problem. Tell the hunters to back off and if they want to talk, they can call me directly."

"You...you guys are retiring?" Garth said, sounding young and almost scared.

"No, not retiring. We're still going to be hunters but we're going back to just taking cases. You know, hunting the Wendigos and vampires of the world. No more Angels and Demons."

"I can't help but think this idea of yours won't work," Garth said. "Every Angel in existence is on Earth and Demons are free to come and go from Hell while Crowley and Abaddon battle for the reign of Hell. You can't just leave this stuff behind and pretend it's not happening."

"We are well aware it's happening but we're also well aware that we are not the only hunters in the world," Dean said, straining the pasta in the sink. "Garth, don't you think we've done enough? Don't you think Sam's done enough? The kid already threw himself into Lucifer's Cage, has wandered around soulless, has gone crazy, and has now almost died trying to close Hell. I've been to Hell, a crappy ass Heaven, Purgatory, and watched my little brother go crazy and die. I think we've done more than enough for this world in regards to the Angels and Demons. We will keep helping people with their ghosts and ghouls and werewolves, but that's it. If we come across an Angel or Demon, we'll deal with it, but we are not being their soldiers anymore. They're on their own."

He heard Garth sigh on the other end of the line. "You're right, man. You guys deserve it. All right, I'll let the hunters know that you guys don't know anything and try keep them off of you. If they demand, I'll give them your number."

"You do that," Dean said, pulling bowls out of a cupboard and putting them on the counter.

"Dean...how's Sam? And Kevin?"

"Sam's okay. He's not better by any means and it's going to be a while before he is, but he's getting there. Getting a little bit better every day. Kevin's a lot better. We've had him put the Demon Tablet away so now he's sleeping and eating, actually taking care of himself. We're all getting there. Right now we're ignoring the outside world and just focusing on getting better."

"Good idea. It's a mess out here."

"Don't tell me anything, please. I really don't want to have to care," Dean said and Garth chuckled.

"Right-o. I'll let you go then. Say 'hey' to Sam and Kev for me. I'll visit when I can."

"We'll be here," Dean said, ladling sauce over the pasta.

"Wait!"

Dean jumped at the shout. "What?" he said, annoyed. The kid may have grown on him but he was still irritating.

"What's up with Cas?"

"I also don't have an answer for that either," Dean said. "He was with Metatron in Heaven the last I knew. So here are the options. One, he's up there ruling with Metatron or as a hostage. Two, he Fell with the rest of the Angels and is now human, partially human, or still full on Angel. Or, three, he's dead. Pick one of the above or give me another option."

"You're a joy, aren't you?" Garth said and Dean glared at his spaghetti as though it was a substitute for the hunter that had taken over for Bobby. "Calm down, just sayin'. I'll keep an eye out for our Angel buddy then and let you know if I get anything, all right?"

"Fine," Dean said and then blew out a breath. "Thanks, Garth, really. Come by whenever you want."

"Will do, man. Talk to you again!"

"Yeah, right," Dean said and hung up the phone, shaking his head as he tossed it back on the counter and then returned to preparing dinner. He couldn't help but be secretly glad that Garth had called. It let him know that nothing had happened to the kid in the Fall of the Angels. Maybe he should call Charlie, too, just to make sure nothing had happened to her.

Garth irritated him and Charlie was an excitable nerd but he wanted them at the bunker. He wanted to be able to know they were okay without having to hope they would answer a phone.

And what a girl he was becoming.

He rolled his eyes at himself and pushed the bowls of spaghetti to the seats at the island.

"Kevin!" he called. "Wake Sam up and come out here. Supper's ready."

"Finally!" Kevin shouted back and Dean chuckled.

He grabbed three glasses from another cupboard and poured milk for the three of them. He also sprinkled parmesan cheese on the spaghetti and dropped forks next to each bowl. He opened the oven and pulled out the garlic bread that had finished cooking and was now just being kept warm. He put the salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese in reach in case anyone wanted more. He put a lid on the pots of spaghetti pasta and sauce, turned off the elements, and went around the island to sit down for the meal.

He was just doing the customary folding and stirring of the noodles that usually took place before the first bite when his stomach dropped.

"Dean! It's Sam! He won't wake up!" Kevin yelled and Dean was running towards Sam's bedroom.

He couldn't help but curse. The past couple days had gone by so well. Sam hadn't had any trouble at all. He'd coughed a little but no major coughing fits or pain or blood. He hadn't spiked any kind of fever. He hadn't even had a nightmare.

So what was happening now?

He slid into Sam's bedroom and rushed to his bedside. Sam was lying exactly where Dean recalled last seeing him. After his lunchtime meds and meal, Sam had gone to take a nap. Dean had checked on him a couple of times and he had seemed to be resting peacefully so he had left his brother alone.

Sam was on his back, his head on the pillow and turned slightly to the right. His eyes were moving behind his eyelids, indicating he was dreaming. He was completely still except for his hidden eyes and his steadily rising and falling chest. He looked absolutely fine so why wasn't he waking up?

"Sam? Sam, wake up," Dean said, putting his hands on Sam's shoulders and shaking lightly. "Sam, wake up. Come on, get up." He shook a little harder but Sam didn't even twitch.

Dean looked at Kevin whose expression was that of complete concern as he watched Dean fail to wake up the younger hunter. He turned back to Sam and put a hand on Sam's cheek. He flinched and pulled back. Sam's skin was ice cold.

"Kevin, get the thermometer out of the first aid kit," Dean said. Kevin tore through the kit that was sitting on the floor near Dean's makeshift bed until he found the small glass and plastic rod. He handed it to Dean who carefully slid it under Sam's lax tongue. They waited in silence, Kevin hovering nervously and Dean running his fingers through Sam's hair. The thermometer beeped and Dean took it out, looking at the temperature. He frowned.

"What is it?" Kevin asked quietly.

"His temperature is perfectly normal. Not even half a degree above or below normal," Dean said, chucking the thermometer aside. He felt Sam's skin again. It was still freezing. He didn't understand. What could be making Sam's skin be so cold but not change his temperature? Was it tied to Sam's unresponsiveness? "Sam? Sammy, come on, it's time to wake up. I've got supper all ready."

Kevin started chewing on his fingernail as he stared at Sam's blank face. If it wasn't for his chest moving, Sam would look dead. It was extremely disconcerting. He had really come to like the Winchester brothers and Sam had reassured him he had a home at the bunker. But it wouldn't be home if Sam wasn't there! Sam couldn't die. His death would cause such chaos. If Sam died, Dean would be done...gone, and Kevin would be on his own again. He wanted to make the bunker home. He didn't intend to leave which meant neither Sam nor Dean could leave either. And then they would find Cas and he'd have a chance to really get to know the Angel when said Angel wasn't crazy.

"Dean? What are we supposed to do?" Kevin asked hesitantly.

"I'm not sure, Kev. I don't even know what's wrong," Dean said and Kevin spotted the man's shaking hands as they physically examined Sam. "Get my phone. It's in the kitchen."

Kevin nodded and ran out, snatching the iPhone the minute he was close enough. He held it out and Dean took it, immediately unlocking it and scrolling through his contacts. He eventually stopped on one and hit 'call', putting it on speaker as he waited for an answer.

"Dr. Maki's office, how can I help you?" a young woman's voice said.

"I need to talk to Dr. Maki right now," Dean said.

"Can I ask who's calling?"

"Dean Winchester. He treated my brother, Sam," Dean said, feeling Sam's pulse again to find it perfectly normal. What the hell was wrong with his brother?

"I'm sorry, Mr. Winchester, but Dr. Maki is not in right now. Can I take a message?"

"How can I get a hold of him?" Dean said, ignoring her message offer.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Winchester, but he is off-duty today. He took a personal day and has requested he not be bothered."

"Well, you better bother him because something is wrong with my brother and it is, yet again, something else he did not warn us about," Dean said and Kevin could hear the anger and concern in the hunter's voice.

"I'm very sorry, sir, but the doctor cannot be reached. I can take a message and have him call you when he is avail..."

Dean hung up and threw his phone down on the blankets that made up his bed on the floor. He stared at his little brother in worry. He tried to ignore how cold Sam was, tried to ignore the memories the cold skin evoked. He gently lifted one of Sam's eyelids and watched the pupil dilate like it should. There was absolutely nothing wrong. His breathing was normal, his heart rate was normal, his temperature was normal, his pupils were dilating, there was no blood anywhere. Yet Sam's skin was like ice and he was unresponsive.

"Look, go eat, Kevin," Dean said. "I don't think there's anything severely wrong. Eat before it gets cold."

"Are you sure?" Kevin said.

Dean nodded. "Go. You're still recovering, too, so you need to eat."

Kevin was still hesitant but eventually agreed. "Okay. Tell me if he gets better or worse?"

"I will," Dean said with a small smile. "Go."

Dean watched the kid leave and then returned his attention to Sam. He sighed as he brushed back Sam's hair again and watched his little brother in concern.

Dean blinked slowly, realizing he had fallen asleep at some point. He had been keeping watch over Sam through the night, waiting for him to wake up. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, his attention going straight to Sam's bed.

Sam's empty bed.

He jumped to his feet, anxiety crushing his heart. He spun around as though Sam was just hiding in one of the room's corners and he had just missed the giant kid. He felt irrational fear take hold when he didn't see his brother.

"Sam?" he called, listening intently for a response. "Sam!"

He ran from the bedroom, sliding into the hall, shouting for his brother.

"Sammy, you had better answer me right now! Sam!"

"Dean! Hey, man, calm down."

Dean grabbed the door frame before he could rush through to the computer control room. He spun and found Sam standing in the doorway to Kevin's bedroom. He was leaning on the door frame, watching Dean with a frown. He was pale and sweating slightly but seemed fine otherwise.

"Sam. What. The. Hell?" Dean ground out, stepping towards his little brother.

"Dean, I'm fine," Sam said. "I took my meds when I woke up. I went to the bathroom and heard Kevin. He wanted some company so I joined him."

"You walked by yourself?" Dean said quietly and Sam rolled his eyes.

"It was just the bathroom and down the hall," Sam said. "I leaned on the wall the whole time and I took my time. I stopped when I felt winded and I haven't moved until now. I've been in here with Kevin for about three hours. We've been sitting on his bed."

"Sam, what happened?" Dean said. "Yesterday, you were a freakin' ice cube and wouldn't wake up. Today, you're awake, talking, and walking."

"I don't know, Dean. I had some pretty intense dreams last night but that's it," Sam said with a slight shrug. "It must've been something to do with the trials."

Standing in front of Sam now, Dean reached out and put a hand on the side of Sam's neck. His skin was back to normal, the perfect temperature.

"Come on, let's sit and finish talking," Dean said and gently pushed Sam to return to Kevin's room. Kevin looked up from a book he had sitting on his lap. Dean noticed the red eyes but didn't comment. "Morning, Kev. Doing okay?"

Kevin nodded. "I'm alright. Sam's been keeping me company. I told him to go back to bed but, obviously, he didn't listen."

"Obviously," Dean said, guiding Sam to sit back on the bed beside Kevin. "Nightmares?" he said to the Prophet and Kevin nodded, dropping his eyes back to the book that Dean realized was a photo album. "I think it's time for a little sharing and caring this morning."

Sam and Kevin stared at him, their eyebrows raised. He rolled his eyes and sat at the foot of the bed, stretching out so his legs were between Sam's and Kevin's, leaning back on his elbows.

"I think last night was a nightmare kind of night for all of us," Dean said. "Let's share, shall we?"

"Dean, are you okay?" Sam said.

"I'm fine, Sammy," Dean said. "I mean it with this. We've all been through so much crap, it's no surprise we're having nightmares. I realize I'm a hard ass but I think it'd be a good idea to at least share some of our nightmares. Maybe find...comfort in the shared visions."

Sam gave a small, soft smile while Kevin's other eyebrow just joined the first.

"I'll start," Dean said, silently wondering what the hell he was doing. Sharing and caring? Since when was this a voluntary action? "Hell. Alastair in particular. He had the two of you. He had Cas. Also dreamed about watching Cas Fall and die." He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked anywhere but at Kevin and Sam. He had no idea what he was doing. Why was he sharing his dreams? What was wrong with him? He wouldn't be surprised if Sam and Kevin started testing him to be some kind of supernatural monster. He didn't react when he felt Sam's hand land on his shin. Maybe there was something wrong with him. He was initiating a chick flick after all.

Kevin ran his hand over the cover of the photo album he held. He had convinced Garth to get it for him while staying on the hunter's boat and had brought it with him to the bunker. He wasn't sure he wanted to participate in this 'sharing and caring' session if just because it was beyond weird that Dean was suggesting it. He didn't want to talk about her...but maybe it would help. Sam and Dean had lost their own mother to the supernatural and their father as well. They had lost pretty much everyone they had ever considered friend or family to the supernatural. Surely they could sympathize and empathize and understand. He took a deep breath.

"Dreamed 'bout Mom. Some memories, some thoughts on what might've happened to her. Woke up, thought I'd try forget what might've happened," he said, gesturing to the photo album. "Guess Sam heard and he came in. We went through this, talked about her a bit. I like it here, I do, but I miss her."

"You'll never stop missing her," Dean said. "Just means you'll never stop loving her."

Kevin glanced at him and nodded, swallowing thickly as he held back tears. He sniffed and hugged the photo album to his chest when Sam touched his shoulder.

"Sammy?" Dean said, nudging Sam's feet. "What happened during your beauty sleep?"

Sam nudged his brother back, making him grin. "I didn't really have nightmares, not really. I think I dreamed of Lucifer but I don't know. I dreamed of my trip to Purgatory a little. Mostly it was a dream about Cas and...Gabriel and Crowley. It was really weird. They were trying to find us, they needed help. I really don't understand it."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Got something to tell us, Sammy?"

Sam huffed and kicked Dean, making contact with his hip. Dean grunted but laughed with Kevin. "Jerk," he said.

"Bitch," Dean said automatically. "Guess last night was a crap night all around."

Sam and Kevin nodded.

"Do-do you think we'll ever find Cas?" Kevin asked after a few moments of silence.

Dean sighed while Sam looked down sadly.

"I hope we do," Dean said. "We'll keep looking until we find him. Even Garth is keeping an eye out. We have no idea what part he had in the Fall, though, so it makes it hard to know where to look and what to look for."

"We'll find him," Sam said quietly.

Kevin looked down at his photo album again as he said, "In what condition?"

To Be Continued...