Chapter 7

Bobby walked into the living room. "Grubs on the table." Bobby walked back into the dining room, and everyone else slowly followed. Ellen picked up her phone and saw that Mary wasn't on the other line, so Ellen pocketed her phone as she walked to the dining room. She glanced over at Dean and Cas as she saw how Dean was acting around Cas; the only person that Ellen had ever seen Dean that gentle with was with Sam.

Dean shook Cas until his eyes fluttered open. "Hey, there you are."

"Food ready?" Cas muttered.

"Yup." Dean helped Cas sit up and get to his feet. Dean pulled Cas along, and Cas stumbled into Dean trying to catch his balance. Dean caught him, and Dean's hands rested on Cas' hips as he guided Cas to the dining table. Dean placed Cas in a chair and sat neck to him. Bobby had all of the plate made and sitting on the table. Bobby always prepared the plates when he made stew; he put mashed potatoes on the plate, then he ladled the gravy and vegetables on top with the meat on top of it all.

Bobby had set the table so the plates had the right amount for everyone. "There is more in the kitchen if anyone wants more, and you can have more if you want more. I hate leftovers, anyway. Who wants to say grace?"

"I will." Ellen folded her hands and everyone followed suit. "Dear God, I thank you for this food, and the people that have somehow made their way to sit and eat at my table. I am thankful that my boys are safe, and my daughter too. I am thankful that you have brought me to my amazing husband and that you keep him safe from the unknown and the complete known. I hope that you bring my sister home safely to our boys, and that every day that she is away from them will eventually bring her back to them. Thank you, lord. Amen. Dig in." Ellen unfolded her hands and started eating. Cas picked up his fork and started eating.

Cas leaned over to Dean and asked, "Where is your mom, and why does Ellen call you our boys? Where's your father?" Cas whispered as he talked to Dean.

"Not here, later. Okay?" Dean whispered back to Cas, and Cas just nodded his head. "Hey, Ellen. Can Sammy stay here tonight? It's day five, and I don't know how he's going to be when I get home. You know how he can get."

"Yeah, that's fine. Does he have clothes for school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I always keep a bag in the trunk. I'll go grab it after dinner. Thanks, Ellen."

"No need, sweetie. You and Sam are always welcome here. I would feel safer if you stayed to, Dean. I don't like it when you are in that apartment alone with John. He isn't reasonable when he's drinking, and your mother knows that; you know I lie to her when you leave Sam here I always say you're here too. Dean, I don't like lying to her, because she doesn't like it when either of you are alone with him," Ellen expressed.

"Ellen, not right now. Can we talk about this later?"

"Dean, you need to stop this. Your father is dangerous, and I just want you safe because last time I underestimated him Sam got hurt. Do you not remember what he did, Dean?"

"Not now, Ellen." Dean pushed away from the table, and he stormed out of the house and to the Impala. Everyone heard the Impala start up and peel away from the curb.

"Damn that boy."

Ellen was about to push her seat away from the table, when Bobby shouted at her. "Ellen, sit down. He just needs to cool down. You need to give him a break and not spill parts of his life out at the dinner table. You know how he gets, and you did it in front of his friend, dear. Let the boy cool off," Bobby stated. "I apologize, our family dinners aren't usually this heated. The boys' father is an alcoholic, and a long time ago he caused some serious damage to Sam and Dean in different ways but he hurt them both none the less. So I'm sorry that you had to witness that. Sam, can I talk to you in the other room?"

Sam looked up from his plate and up at Bobby. "Sure." Sam pushed back his chair and walked up the stairs to one of the spare bedrooms that they stay in when they do stay over.

"Why did he go upstairs if you want to talk to him?" Gabriel question.

"Sam doesn't like it when we talk about Dean in front of people, especially when it comes to certain things that the boys don't like to go public. Especially when I want to talk about their father. Excuse me." Bobby pushed away from table and walked up the stairs to talk to Sam. Their eyes followed Bobby up the stairs. Ellen sat quietly just staring at her plate, and they sat there for a while, when they all heard the Impala pull up and then squealing tires and a crash. Ellen stood and rushed to the window, and she heard pounding like someone was running down stairs and then a bang of the front door and all she heard was screaming.

Ellen couldn't breathe, and all she could think about was Dean: did she just get him killed? Was he alright? Did the car even hit him? What was the crashing noise? Ellen just played the questions on repeat in her head, but she couldn't move from the spot by the window that she was standing by. She could hear Sam's screams in her head, but she wasn't sure if it was actually happening or if she was just bringing that scream out her memory and just hearing it like it was real.

Sam came running into the house with Dean in tow, but Ellen could still hear the screaming in her head. She wanted the screaming to stop; she was in shock as if anything were to happen to either of the boys, Mary would kill her. She already let her sister down once, and she couldn't do it again. Dean rested his hand on Ellen's shoulder and turned her around pulling her in for a hug.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, but you know how I feel about him. Just the mention of him sets me off, and I didn't mean to yell at you, Aunt Ellen," Dean whispered into her ear.

"What do you want, Dean?" Ellen asked.

"He's in jail; he called me while I was in the car. I don't have the money to get him out, because if I don't get him out you know what he will do, and I can't take it anymore, Ellen. Not tonight. Ellen, can you just bail him out, please," Dean begged her; Dean stepped away from her, and he stumbled and slipped, hitting the floor.

"Dean?" Ellen screamed. "Dean, what happened?"

"Ellen, please." Dean leaned his back against the wall and just looked up at Ellen. "I'm tired, Ellen. I just want to sleep. Can I sleep, Ellen?"

"Jo take him up to his room, and help him into the tub. I hate that man, and I'm going to let him sit in jail for the night for doing this to his son again." Sam helped Dean up and helped Jo take him up the stair. Ellen walked over to the table and said, "I'm sorry to cut our dinner short, but people shouldn't be around Dean when he gets this way; it isn't the prettiest side of him. I can give you containers to put your food in if you want to take it with you. I am sorry." Ellen gathered up the plates of her family members and took them to the kitchen. She rustle around in the kitchen as Ellen hurried around taking care of the food that was sitting in the kitchen. She brought out a couple of containers and handed them to the Novak's. "If you want the food you can take it, and if you don't that's okay when you leave can you leave the dishes on the table. Again I'm sorry, that I had to do this."

Ellen walked way and raced up the stairs, and the Novak's heard banging around upstairs as Ellen tried to find medical supplies for Dean. Gabriel scooped all of the food into the container, and he handed the container to Anna while he helped Cas out of the chair and out to the car, and he drove them home. Meanwhile, at the Harvelle/Singer residence, Ellen found the supplies that she needed and stripped Dean down and set him in the bath tub and let him soak in the cold water. Dean bolted out of the tub as the cold water soaked into his skin waking him up.

"Ellen, what happened? Ah, why do my ribs hurt so much, and my head for that matter?"

"John. John happened, Dean. I told you, Dean; I keep telling you that he is dangerous. Dean Michael, you are going to get yourself killed at the expense of trying to protect your little brother as you call it, but Dean, you can't keep doing this to yourself. I am not allowing you to see him again, Dean, because I am not going to be breaking the news to your mother if he ends up killing you. Your ribs are bruised again and you probably have a nice concussion." Dean pulled himself out of the tub and pulled on the pair of sweatpants and walked out of the bathroom.

"Ellen, if I don't he will find me, and he will kill me anyway. I will be fine, there is nothing he can do to me that he hasn't already done, because the man can't kill me, because then who would bail him out of jail when he needs to be bailed out. If he kills me none of you are going to even talk to him if he does. Hell! He wouldn't even have Sammy, because you would lock Sammy away from him, and then he will be worse off than he is now."

Dean pulled a shirt out of the dresser that he has in the spare bedroom, and he grabbed his wallet. Dean pulled on his shoes, and he headed for the door. "I'm bailing him out, Ellen. I don't just do this to protect Sammy, Ellen. I do it to protect the family that I have, because if I don't, the first person he would go after would be Sammy, and then Jo, then Bobby, and then you, and he would finish off with Mom. Mom would be last because she is the one that he hates the most, and then all I would have would be him, Ellen and I can't live with that. I can't live with all of you dead, Ellen; all of you dead, and it be all my fault. Do you want to know how I know this, Ellen? Because he told me! He told me that he would do it if I didn't do this for him. Because he blames me for how his life had turned out. Practically wifeless. His best friend won't talk to him, and he married his wife's sister, with her bastard child that is dating his pathetic son that ruined his life. He told me how he would start with Sammy, because Sammy means the most to me. Sammy is the reason that I ruined his life. Sammy is the one that I would protect until the end of the world if it meant that I could save him. Sammy is the reason that I keep risking my life to do whatever John wants me to. I can't let him ever touch Sammy again, Ellen. I would kill myself if he hurt Sam again. He knows that Sam is his biggest leverage against me, and he knows that as long as Sam is alive I will do whatever he wants me to, because I love my baby brother, and that is all the leverage that he needs to keep me exactly where he has me. Do you see now, why I do everything that he wants? It's not because it's the only thing that is keeping him happy, it's because it's the only thing keeping Sammy alive, Ellen. Until Sam is eighteen. I will do everything I can to protect him. Until I get Sam off to Stanford, I will do what John wants, because then Sam will be safe. Forever!" Dean shouted the words as they echoed throughout the house.

"He's threatened to kill Sam?"

"Yes, and I can't be the reason that Sam is dead, Ellen. I couldn't live with that."

"I'm calling Jody. She can keep him locked up forever, Dean. Then Sam will be safe."

"Until you can guarantee that Sam is safe, forever. I can't risk it, Ellen. I'm going." Dean ran out of the house before anyone could move to stop him. Dean jumped in the Impala and drove to the sheriff's office to bail John out. When he got there he walked over and pulled out his wallet. "How much to bail John Winchester out?"

"I'm sorry, Dean, but you won't be able to bail him out." Dean spun around, and he saw the sheriff.

"What do you mean I can't bail him out? I've got money. I bail him out all the time. Why is this time any different?" He stared her down.

"Dean, Ellen called. I can't let him out. Not if he's threatening to kill Sam, that and your brother is here. He told me about the abuse, Dean. He can go to prison for a while if you tell me the truth." Jody Mills said as Sam stepped out from behind her.

"Sammy, what did you do? He's going to kill us. Prison isn't going to hold him forever. You aren't safe, Sammy. Please just let me do this." Dean pleaded with his little brother.

"Dean, I'm sorry, but it's my turn to save you. You've done enough for me, let me save you this time. Please, Dean. Let me save you." Sam responded as he walked up and wrapped his arms around his big brother. "I didn't get to do it properly when we were kids, but I can do this. I can't let you do this to yourself anymore, because you should be happy too, Dean."

"Alright, Sammy. For you, I'll do anything for you. Always." Dean crumbled to the ground as the adrenaline ran out again. Sam caught him in his arms and looked up at Jody.

"I need an ambulance, please. I need him to be okay." Jody rushed over to Dean's side and yelled for someone to call for an ambulance and to put a rush on it. Sam could hear Dean's phone going off, and he knew who was calling. Hey Jude was always their mother's ring tone. Sam reached into Dean's pocket and picked up the phone as the paramedics came for Dean. "Mom?" Sam cried into the phone as he rushed to the ambulance beside Dean.

"Sammy? Where's Dean? Is everything alright?"

"Mommy, he needs to go away this time. I can't let him do this to Dean anymore." Sam cried into the phone as the ambulance doors were slammed shut.

"Sam, what has happened to your brother? Let me talk to Dean. Now."

"He's not going to do much talking, Mom. I'm in an ambulance with him right now, and he's unconscious. I don't know what John did, but Dean's really hurt this time. Please, mommy. Can you come home? I need you to come home. Please." Sam begged.

Mary couldn't stand to hear the sadness in her youngest son's voice after hearing the laughter that rang from it earlier in the night. "I will be home as soon as I can. I promise. Where's Ellen? Can I speak with her?" Mary asked hoping that her sister is there in the ambulance with her boys.

"No, you're going to have to call her, Mommy. He has to be alright, mom. He can't die, because I need him, mom."

"Dean's not going to go anywhere, Baby. He will always be there for you. As long as you are okay he is going to be alright. He always stays strong for you, always. You know what Dean always says right before he leaves. Always and forever, no matter what I'll be there for you. Dean will pull through, Baby, just like he always does, for you. I need to call Ellen, now, are you going to be alright, my precious baby boy?"

"Yeah, thank you, Mom. I love you."

"Yeah, I know, baby. I love you, too. See you soon." Mary hung up the phone, and Sam reached for his brother's hand and held onto the anchor that has always been there for him. Hanging on to Dean's hand was all that Sam needed to have hope, because the limp hand's fingers curled around his as soon as he pulled the hand into his own.

"Hang in there, Dean. I need you to hang in there, please. This isn't what I meant by letting me save you. Please, Dean." Sam begged his big brother's limp body not even sure if he could hear him, but that was all that Dean could hear was his little brother's voice echo through his head. Dean focused on that voice and only that voice and he pulled himself out of the darkness with it. Sammy needed him and he wasn't going to give up, yet. Dean Winchester had the will to live and he was going to do everything in his power to get back to his little brother. To protect his little brother from the monster in their life.