DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Dark Castle Entertainment, Eric Kripke, and the CW. I only own the plot. Couldn't resist throwin' in a line from House Of Wax and a variation of a line from "All Hell Breaks Loose".

"Come again?" Dean asked.

"Ambrose. It was in Ambrose," Sam whispered hoarsely. "Bobby got wind of a potential hunt, thought it was a Wendigo or a werewolf, not…" He let out a pained grunt.

"Easy, brother. We're right here," Nick whispered comfortingly.

"Deep breaths, remember? Deep breaths," Carly coached.

"Sammy, what happened?" Dean asked with a concerned expression upon his face.

"It was stupid. I made a rookie mistake and went in the place alone," Sam replied. Sam was walking when all of a sudden, he felt something snip his right heel. With a cry of pain, he fell to the ground. He quickly hobbled away before he could get attacked again. Carly felt her face drain as she heard how her ex had been so mercilessly attacked. Not that Bo had been any better, but…still. Sam let out a wry chuckle.

"Yeah, he got me good. But I got him back," he stated. From his hiding place, Sam banged some pots around. Then, he waited until he heard footsteps approaching. Once he was close enough, Sam jammed his knife into his leg. The man cried out.

"'He'? You said 'he' as in a human?" Dean queried.

"What? You thought the Benders were my first run-in with psycho humans?" Sam questioned bitterly.

"But, dude…you survived. That's all that matters," Dean told him. Why was this hauntin' him so bad?

"I didn't save Paige, or Dalton, or Blake. I let them get killed. Do you know what that feels like, Dean? To know that you have blood on your hands?" Sam shot back. Dean looked at his brother sympathetically.

"You know we can't save everyone, Sammy," he reminded.

"If I had just figured it out sooner…" Sam's voice trailed off. Nick and Carly stared at their friend in shock. They hadn't known that he felt like this.

"What are you talking about, man? That wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known," Nick told him.

"Yeah. You were expecting one kind of monster and ran into another," Carly added.

"I got your best friends killed," Sam insisted.

"Dude, just stop right there. You did what you could. You saved Carly's life. Hell, you saved my life. Even after the way I bitched on you," Nick said firmly.

"It's just---sometimes---I see them. 'Why Sam?' 'Why didn't you save us?' 'You knew'," Sam whispered.

"Oh, brother," Nick murmured, squeezing Sam's wrist as Carly soothingly ran her fingers through his hair. Of course he'd feel just a bit guiltier than them. They hadn't been raised to be alert. They were just regular kids, and from what the siblings knew of what their friend from what he had told them, he had been raised to fight and to be prepared. They all felt guilty about their friends, but Sam's guilt level was higher.

"It wasn't your fault," Carly murmured. Dean felt something in his throat tighten. His baby brother had been attacked. He had been attacked and nearly killed, and he had never known about it.

"When---when did it happen?" he asked.

"My first year of college. Before I met---Jess," the other Winchester answered, stealing a nervous peek at the girl on his right.

"Well, of course you'd have another girlfriend. You were moving on. That's good," she told him.

"That's what I always liked about you. You're so understanding," he stated.

"Oh, is that all you liked about me?" she wondered.

"No," he answered seriously. Then, with a grin very much like his older brothers', "You look great in a mini." She let out an exclamation and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Dude! That's my sister!" Nick scolded at the same time, whapping him in the chest.

"Hey, hey! Injured man here! Injured man!" Sam protested with a laugh.

"Yeah, and you would've been a dead man if we didn't know you were joking," Nick reminded him with a smile. Dean had to chuckle. Now that's my boy, he approved. He had taught the kid the art of lightening the mood well. Then, Nick's face grew serious.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"The people that were here. How'd they know? I---I mean---the little girl---she like---got inside my head. How could she do that?" Nick wondered.

"And what was that black smoke coming from the people's bodies when Sam was looking at them like that?" Carly added.

"They had been possessed by demons," Sam answered.

"Wha---demons?" Nick asked.

"Whoa," Carly said at the same time.

"You guys all right?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, just give us a few minutes while we process this," Nick requested. That actually makes sense. I mean---how else could that girl Lilith find out about Dad? he thought to himself. He blew out a breath.

"Take your time," Sam stated. The twins fell silent and Dean, Sam, and Bobby stared at them. It was Nick who broke the silence.

"These things---these demons---will they come back?" he questioned.

"Oh, yeah," his friend answered.

"Then let's go out fighting," he declared. His sister nodded her consent.

"Yeah! That's my boy!" the younger hunter approved. Then, they all went out to the Impala where Dean popped the trunk.

"Damn! We coulda used this stuff in Ambrose," Nick stated.

"I hear that," Sam agreed. Then, "Here. Try this out." Nick expertly caught the dagger Sam threw him.

"Yeah. This feels about right," he approved.

"Carly, you want anything?" Sam questioned.

"No, thanks. I'm fine with this," Carly answered, holding up the knife.

"Okay," Sam agreed. Along with the weapons, the hunters also got rock salt and holy water and then went inside.

"So wait, you're telling me that salt is a weapon?" Nick questioned as they got ready.

"Yeah, I know. It boggles the mind," Sam chuckled. Soon, there were lines of salt and holy water had been dumped everywhere but the front door as well as a symbol in one part of the house that the hunters told the siblings that they'd have to wait and see what it was. Dean held an iron rod in his hand. Just then, the lights started flickering.

"Here they come," Dean warned. The small group tensed and waited.