This is my take on the episode 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'.

"We found El in an alley," Bobby explains now that Sam is laid out on the bare-bones cot in the middle of the panic room floor. Lizzy is sitting in a chair by Sam's side, her hand locked in his out of sheer concern. Dean stands by closely, his eyes splitting his focus between Sammy asleep in his infant seat on the desk and Sam passed out on the barebones bed. "She'd been worked over good."

"Worked over by Crowley?" Dean asks as Bobby stands on the opposite side of Sam.

"Partially."

"Cass?" Lizzy asks, knowing she's already right.

"He got her to talk," Bobby tells them. "They know how to get into Purgatory."

"Damn it!" Dean harshes out, the disappointment huge with this.

"And that's not all Cass did," Bobby says, glancing at Sam's unconscious form.

Dean glares at Bobby. "The hell did he do to him?"

"You know what he did to Sam," Bobby knowingly says. He sighs with the weight of it.

"He broke the wall," Lizzy says with sheer devastation, her eyes never leaving Sam's face as her hand tightens on his.

"The dam inside Sam's head is gone and all hell's spillin' loose," Bobby clarifies. "We don't know what's goin' on inside."

"Shit," Lizzy whispers when he realizes what this means. They'd all been warned about what could happen if the wall ever fell. It was dyer every time, the news never bright or happy. It was always devastating. "Why? Why would Cass do this to him?"

When Lizzy looks up to him with tearful eyes Bobby's heart sinks a little lower. "He said back off. If we do then he'll put Sam back together once he's finished his insane plan."

"And if Cass doesn't survive it!?" Lizzy nearly yells out with the fear in her heart and all Bobby can do is shrug. "Oh God." She lets go and cries for good, the idea of dealing with Sam leaving them yet again just crushing for her.

"I can't just sit by and watch this happen," Dean comments with frustration.

"There's nothing you can do…" Bobby starts to say but Dean cuts him off.

"We have to do something!" Dean shouts when the panic starts to fully grip him. His brother is in his own head, possibly locked back into the Cage permanently, and he's standing there helpless.

"Right now we probably got little time until they pop Purgatory so we need to focus on one thing at a time," Bobby tells Dean, trying to get the man to focus in.

"We're a man down," Dean points out.

"Then we make up for that by working harder and fixing this right for our man down," Bobby tries to amp him up a bit. "Don't you dare let Cass win after what he just did to your brother. If you gotta work on vengeance this time then you do it. You owe Sam that much"

Dean looks down at his brother as he lies there, unmoving. He can hear the quiet sobs of fear from Lizzy as she worries about him and has to wonder how he's going to get through all this.

"This is exactly what Cass wanted, isn't it?" Lizzy says in her sad voice as she looks up at her men. "Us to fall apart?"

"Most likely," Bobby agree completely.

"Definitely," Dean darkly adds.

"Ok… then… fuck Castiel," Lizzy says with growing anger while wiping her face. "Fuck him right in his feathery ass for not listening to us or trusting us. We go after him and we stop him. That's what Sam would do."

"Find Cass," Dean says to Bobby with renewed determination. "I'm not letting that dick ruin everything we've worked for our whole lives. I'm not letting him destroy the world my son is gonna have to live in."

They got the address from Balthazar. They packed up everything they needed. They were ready to go, the eclipse just hours away… and Sam has yet to wake.

"He move around again?" Dean asks Lizzy as he joins her in the panic room.

"Nothing," she answers from her post by his side. They hoped he would have improved after that seizure or whatever it was he had hours ago but he's been motionless since. "Just been still."

When she looks up at him with such sadness it make it physically hurt to have to leave now.

"Time's up," Dean lets her know as he looks her over in the wooden chair with Sammy asleep, his head on her shoulder. "We gotta go."

"I should be coming," she tells him with sheer upset that she's been sidelined for this one.

"You know you have to be here, L."

"But if he won't listen to you… I'm the only one left that he might, just maybe give the time of day to."

"He's too far gone for that," Dean denies her thought. "None of us are gonna get through to him if he was willing to break Sam's wall like this. You know that."

"I know," she says, her eyes welling up again. She sighs hard. "I just want our Cass back."

Dean nods, completely understanding this one. He doesn't respond to that thought though. He needs to prepare for whatever he has to do to stop the angel, no matter what he might have once meant to them all.

"You watch them both, huh?" Dean says to her, his tone sad. He knows how scary the situation he's about to walk into is so he tries to keep it simple and not too heavy.

Lizzy just gives him one very sorrowful look. "I really liked this past week." She lets her tears fall as she rubs her sleeping son's back. "You were here. And Sammy was… he was happy. He was a normal little boy and Sam's wall was good…" She starts to cry full out. "Why can't it ever stay that way? Why do you have to leave? I mean, I know why…. I just…."

"I know," Dean lets her off the hook and crouches down next to her, a hand on her cheek. "And I'll be back. We'll figure it all out once we take care of everything."

She smiles at him through the sadness. "Same story, new day."

Dean leans in and kisses her good, making sure she remembers why he still has to do all these things. He does it for her, for their family.

"I love you," Dean reminds her. "And I'll see you tomorrow when this is all over."

She just nods and takes his word for it, as much as she isn't sure she can.

Dean kisses her forehead before focusing in on Sammy. Placing his hand very lightly on the sleeping baby's head, he smiles a bit. He knows he'll come back this time. He's just met his son. There's no way he's going down this soon after he's been born.

A very uncharacteristic kiss to the top of Sammy's head and Dean stands up. He walks around the cot and peers at Sam real quick.

"You feel like getting your lazy ass up to help… feel free," he says to his brother, patting his hand a couple times before he glances at Lizzy one last time and leaves the panic room, ready to stop the cracking of Purgatory.

Sitting for four hours straight in the panic room, watching over Sam closely with nothing but silent fear surrounding her in the quiet house, she sees Sammy drifting off for the second time as he rests his head on her shoulder, his face towards her. She's fed him twice since she got down there and did it without moving from that same wooden chair next to Sam's cot. She wasn't willing to walk away from the man she cares so much about, not when he needed someone to have his back.

But when Sammy's eyes close Lizzy has an internal struggle. Does she bring Sammy to his crib? Is it safe to leave Sam alone down here with all he's going through right now? It's just a few flights of stairs away and Sam hasn't moved in hours.

"Alright, sweetie," Lizzy decides finally as she stands up from her chair, stretching her limbs for a bit as she holds her son. "Getting you to your real bed this time."

She then looks over at Sam with worry but leaves anyways, moving a little faster than normal in order to get back sooner.

The moment she's up the basement staircase is when Sam starts to seize again. His limbs flail and his body twists with distress. It doesn't last long, a minute at most, and as the final piece of the Sam puzzle is put back together within his mind he finally quiets, lying still as he eyes flutter open.

With serious confusion, Sam looks around himself without getting up. Iron walls, the damp air, the big fan above him slowly turning… he's in the panic room. How the fuck did he end up in the panic room?

And then it all truly starts to come together. Flashes of the Cage start to attack his mind right away.

Pain. Blood. Horror. Severe anguish. Burning. Flames. Utter fear.

He holds his head for a second as it comes at him harshly. And then it stops as soon as it starts.

Completely caught off guard, Sam lies there. His head just assaulted him with everything he's had hidden behind the wall since he's been back on Earth. How he survived the things he now re-encounters he'll never quite understand. This should have ruined even the strongest willed of men.

Sitting up slowly once composed as much as he can he looks at the piece of paper in his hand. The small, folded yellow square was clearly torn from a larger sheet and he unfolds it. Immediately he knows Dean left this for him. He knows the handwriting.

It's an address.

And it all comes together when he can hear Lizzy talking.

There you go. All comfy… and out cold already. You pass out as quickly as your dad.

He's picking up her voice through the baby monitor on the desk. The empty chair next to him makes him realize she's probably been keeping a close eye on him. It feels like he's been out of it for a while.

He'll come back. Don't you worry about that dad of yours. He won't let us down.

Dean left. He went to go stop Castiel. He must be at the address in his hand.

Hell, he's not allowed to let us down. He has to come back. Uh. What a fucking world you've been dropped into, kiddo. I know I say it a lot but I'm sorry. You deserve better than this…

As she speaks to the baby Sam bolts up out of the cot. Dean needs him. He needs backup.

The sound of Lucifer's laughing echoes off in the distance, making his skin crawl with hatred. He's a mess, cracked right in half, but he needs to help. He has to stop Cass and help his brother.

Digging into a duffel by the desk Sam grabs the angel blade they had stashed in it and heads out of the house, only pausing with fear when scenes of his own skin being stripped off crash into his mind. As quickly as he can he shoves that thought away, huffing with the strength it takes to keep it together.

He can't tell Lizzy he's leaving because she'd absolutely try to stop him. He can't have that. He just has to get to Dean and help him stop it all.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"So if you feel like waking up in the near future I have left over beef stew," Lizzy says lightly as she walks into the panic room, bowl for herself in hand. It's been a long day and even if she's not exactly hungry she does need to eat. "Better get down on it before Dean…"

She stops short when she sees the empty cot.

"Sam?" she asks, looking around the room, it being empty. "Sam!?"

No response until she hears an old junker start up outside the house.

"Shit! SAM!" she yells out as she drops the bowl on the concrete floor and bolts it up the stairs. She yanks open the side door and steps outside just in time to catch the crappy Oldsmobile peel its way out of the driveway of Singer Salvage Yard with the driver's shadow barely visible. All she needed to see was how close that person's head is to the roof to know what happened.

"Sam! Don't!" she yells after him, the car swerving as she runs to catch it foolishly.

The car disappears onto the road and she's left alone out in the gravel driveway, Sam long gone. He was her one duty right now, the one she really couldn't fail and she could handle doing while caring for her newborn son… and she failed.

"Fuck…" she complains and pulls her cell phone out of her jeans pocket. "Fuck. Sam… why did you have to do this shit to me right now…"

She dials up Dean and immediately gets his voicemail. It's just about show time. He's not looking at his phone.

She buries her face in her hands as she worries horribly. Everyone is gone. She's alone to wait this one out in unknowing solitude.

Shaky steps leading the way, Lizzy heads back for the house. Her son is still in there and he's tucked away in his room. She might have let Sam down but she'll be damned if she lets Sammy down.

One step into making her way up the few brick steps leading up to the door and she's knocked over with an unseen force that she couldn't have seen coming. Lizzy's shoved back a good five feet before being driven to the frozen February ground, her back hitting the earth with such force that the wind is completely knocked out of her. She's stuck there as she can feel the invisible attack continue, an unseen power pressing into her chest and pinning her down completely. It lasts what feels like forever, the constant pressure on her ribs as the force drives into her.

She yells out with the sheer strength of the assault, the feeling nothing like anything she's experienced before.

And then it stops. It all stops and she's left trying to catch her breath while lying on the ground.

"No," Lizzy sighs with complete, all-consuming terror. "Cass. Oh no…"

The pain lingers in her chest. A pressure sits there, heavy and burdensome, and she knows what this means.

Dean didn't get through to him in time.

Purgatory is open and Castiel is containing all of its inhabitants.

The stupid fucking angel did it.

And they're screwed.

*The Next Day*

"Come on!" Dean grunts out with sheer frustration, using all the strength he has in his legs to push the hood of his severely damaged Impala back up while lying across the front bench seat. The metal groans with the slight movement it makes but it's not nearly enough. The hood is still caved in after having been flipped over. "Come on, Baby!"

"Are you trying to fix her or just caveman-styled scream at her?"

When Dean looks out of the doorless opening he can see Lizzy standing there, Sammy in his carrier seat with his eyes wide open and looking around in the bright, sunlit day.

"Apparently I'm just caveman screaming," Dean tells her as he gets out of the car, sweat and grease on his exposed forearms and face. His girl isn't exactly cooperating with him.

"And ruining a perfectly good blue shirt while you're at it," she says, putting the baby carrier down on the hood of the nearest junker before reaching out to him. She wiggles her index finger through the hole he made just above the breast pocket and she eyes the black smudges all over the blue fabric.

Dean just shrugs it away. He loses clothes all the time to the life so what's one more, right?

With a lifted eyebrow Lizzy hands over a cold beer.

"Ah, thanks," he says with a small yet grateful smile as he quickly pops it open and takes a sip. "How's Sam?"

"He's still sleeping. But he's alive." Lizzy looks up at him as her hands land on his hips.

"Yeah?" Dean checks, her free hand coming to her cheek.

"Shockingly," she responds, pressing up on her tip toes. Dean leans down the extra space and kisses her once.

"And what's the news about God part deux?"

"You mean Cass or Sammy?"

His face drops.

"Too soon?" Lizzy asks, challenging him to just lighten up this once. Their lives are so twisted that she thought the joke was off-color but pretty damn funny. Not so much if one were to ask Dean. Lizzy sighs. "Bobby has all kinds of feelers out. So far… jack with a big side of squat on Cass."

"And what exactly is he looking for?"

"Exactly the problem. What? I mean… miracles? Mass visions? Trench coat on a tortilla? We don't know what we're lookin' for."

"Yeah, well," Dean looks over to his son sitting calmly and contently in his infant seat. "He'll surface."

"Ok…" Lizzy trails off as Dean walks over to Sammy, putting his beer down next to the baby carrier he's in and reaching for him. "So say we do find him, flush him out..."

"Yeah?" Dean asks with a wide smile aimed at Sammy, something goofy in his expression as he lifts the small boy and pulls him into himself. "Hey, dude." He's still listening to Lizzy but he splits his attention, letting Sammy grab onto his index finger once he's comfortably tucked into him.

"The hell can we even do about it?" She watches him closely, Dean one second yelling and swearing at his demolished car and the next being so sweet as he holds their son, his attitude completely different. She knew this child would be good for him.

"I don't know, L," Dean says, locking eyes with Sammy as his small head rests on his much bigger shoulder. "I got no more of a clue than you do. This ain't in a book and if you stick your neck out Cass steps on it. So… you know what I'm gonna do?"

"What are you gonna do?" Lizzy asks lightly right back in the hopes of lessening the severity of his life.

"I'm gonna fix this car," he says, nodding at the pile of metal that has become his Baby. "And I'm gonna raise my son with my wife. Because that's what I can do. I can work on Baby 'til she's mint and I can make sure Sammy has his family. And when Sam wakes up, no matter what shape he's in, we'll glue him back together too. We owe him that."

Lizzy smiles slightly, walking closer to her husband. "I'm with you," she tells him, rubbing Sammy's back and looking at him at the same time as Dean. "But I think you knew that."

Dean looks at her, her face turned upwards and smiling at him in the sun. Her bright brown eyes light up and he ducks down to kiss her again. Thankfully he still has his Lizzy.

"We'll get through it," Lizzy reminds him, speaking mostly of Sam at this point. "We always do. And Sam has always found a way to surprise us even through the worst of the worst."

"That's true," Dean nods but he's still not quite ready to accept that everything is going to look good with Sam. This is a huge one.

"Hey, we named our little man after him for a reason," she keeps trying, hearing the uncertainty within him. "Why would I name our badass after someone not bad ass?"

"Solid point," Dean smiles just a little.

Lizzy watches on a little more as Dean holds Sammy, the love in his eyes brighter than it's ever been. It's been quite amazing watching the two of them over the course of the over a week at home. There's a bond there instantly which is odd for an infant and father so early on. Women get the more involved role usually but there's something there, something strong and tight as can be. Sammy's calmer in Dean's arms than anyone else's, even hers sometimes, and she feels nothing but giddy happiness over that. It's beautiful.

"So, um… I didn't just come out here to bring you a beer and a baby," Lizzy tells him finally, playing with the winter suit she put Sammy in for the quick trek outside into the cold winter air to make sure it covers him completely. It's freezing in the Dakotas in February.

"Oh no?" Dean asks, pulling the hood of Sammy's snow suit over his head for the added warmth.

"No. I, uh… I think you were right."

"About?"

"Saying goodbye. To our furry Cass," she tells him. "I haven't been able to before but I know I have to. He was a really good dog. I loved him and if I'm being honest… he's the reason we got through a good amount of… everything, after Sam's swan dive."

Dean just nods as he looks her over, her body language screaming of how uncomfortable she is with her arms crossed and feet shifting. "You want me to come with you?"

"Kinda," Lizzy says with embarrassment. Usually she's just so damn independent that she never asks for support even when she knows she could use it. But then her son was born and a lot of things changed in her outlook. Things like too much pride or looking weak in front of her husband didn't seem so important anymore. She's getting past it.

The way she looks up at him after asking for his help he knows he's never seen this version of Lizzy before. No way.

"Ok, I can leave this for a bit," Dean nods and hooks Sammy's baby carrier in his arm, not pulling the child back in it as he wants to hold him. He's been outside for hours and needed his Sammy fix anyways. "Let's go."

Lizzy nods and takes a deep breath before walking, Dean right by her side.

When they make it to the clearing out back, the one with the rusted out pickup and the wide open grassy area, Lizzy gets nervous. She knew she had to do this but she just didn't want to. Her default is avoidance when something so terrible happens. It's easier to ignore the issue than to plow right through it emotionally.

Spotting the makeshift wooden cross Sam made for Cass when he buried the dog out in his favorite part of the salvage yard, Lizzy pauses and looks up at Dean. Her expression is already devastated.

"You can do this," Dean says to her with the confidence that she doesn't have.

"I'm… I'm so tired," Lizzy says, her eyes already watering over. Sure, she's up all hours of the night for over a week straight with Sammy but Dean knows that isn't what she's talking about. After all she's been through these past two weeks she just doesn't have anything left. She's never been this broken down before. Right now she has no strength left to deal with yet another tragedy.

"I know you are," Dean says, putting the baby seat onto the truck bed and turning to her. He pulls her in with his one free arm and she hugs him hard. "But I'm right here. So is Sammy. We got your back."

She smiles sadly at him and looks at her little boy that will never meet the dog that already loved him before he was even born.

Lizzy pulls away from Dean and takes a deep, steadying breath. She then walks towards Cass' grave. When she reaches it she stands over it silently, just looking at the old two-by-fours nailed together that mark his final resting place.

She can't help but think that when she married Dean she might have taken on the Winchester family curse. For all intents and purposes Cass was her dog. And she got him killed. That sweet, loving animal just wanted to love her and be her friend. He protected her when something came after her and this is what he got in return for that loyalty.

Tears rolling slowly down her face Lizzy sits down onto the ground, crossing her legs Indian-style as she wipes her eyes. "I should have never taken you home."

It was selfish. Even back then when she assumed she'd be out of hunting for good she knew deep down at any point something could show up at her front door. She never thought it'd be Sam but still, the life came back for her. She should have known better.

Pulling the handheld garden shovel out of her back jeans pocket, she starts digging a small hole.

Dean, confused by this, keeps quiet as he watches her. Sammy squirms in his arm and he holds onto one of his tiny hands as he bounces him, looking to hold off any fussing he might be ready to do. Now's not the time.

Once she has the small hole dug she pulls out a ratty, dirt-stained tennis ball from her coat pocket. It's the same one they've been playing with together from the day she picked Cass up from the shelter. It was his favorite. It didn't matter what she bought him; rawhide chews, bones, squeaky rubber toys, stuffed animals… Cass always wanted that simple, easy tennis ball over them all. It was the item that bonded her to him.

"I love you, puppy," Lizzy tells him as she drops it in and starts to cover it back over. "You were such a good dog. You helped us more than you could ever understand." She sighs and her eyes water over. "You saved us."

When she's done she stands back up and turns to Dean. She walks right up to him and hugs him tight around his middle as she cries, letting it all go once and for all.

"I wanted him to be around for Sammy," she sobs into his dirty shirt, it hurting to think the two will never be the best friends she knows they would have been.

"He would've been good for him," Dean nods, rubbing her back as she cries. "They would've loved each other."

Lizzy just nods and lets herself finally feel the loss.

"We're never getting it back," Lizzy says to him, her cheek to his shirt as she looks at her son and recognizes what this all really means. Cass was the last remaining piece of their normal lives. Sammy may never know what that feels like. "You were right. There's always something. We're gonna live like this until we die."

"Now's not the time to start thinking like that," Dean says with a head shake, backing away enough for him to look at her. "Not now."

"Why not?" Lizzy has to ask.

"I'll give you one good reason," Dean says, shifting Sammy in his arms before holding him out for her to take.

With her hormones still readjusting, just the sight of Dean handing their son to her in such a way makes her cry harder. She takes him and pulls him close before hugging him gently and kissing his tiny face.

"I don't want this for him," Lizzy says with a hand to the back of Sammy's head, tears making her cheeks shine in the sun. "He can't live like this. He's just so little and helpless…"

"We'll get out," Dean gives her false hope without thinking. He's been wavering the same as her, sometimes thinking that they won't get their son out of this, but he can't have her think that way. Lizzy can't think like that. She's the optimistic one and without hope Lizzy can't survive. She looks up at him with a yeah-right expression and he tries harder. "You gonna tell me that now that he's here, now that you've had days with him and have become completely obsessive over him… that now you wouldn't do anything to get us out of this mess and give Sammy the world he should live in more than ever?"

"I'd do absolutely anything for him," she says, looking at Sammy with adoration through her tears.

"Then we'll be ok," Dean tells her, kissing her cheek. "You forget how strong you are, momma. No one can do this better than you."

"I'm glad at least you think so," she says with a sigh, kissing his lips once.

"I know so, and I know you," Dean assures her.

"But what if Cass comes?" Lizzy airs her serious concern for the immediate threat on them. "He's so pissed at you for trying to stop him. What if he feels the need to get vengeful?"

"I don't know who that guy is right now…"

"He's God," Lizzy spits right out with fear, holding her son a little tighter.

"But he still loves you," Dean assures her. "If he comes for me then I'll deal with him. But if he comes for you it won't be to hurt you or Sammy. You didn't stab him in the back… literally."

"But I was behind the decision to do it," Lizzy says, her tears calming as she looks at Sammy, his nose flaring a bit.

"Cass doesn't know that," Dean rebuts. "Like I said, he shows up then he isn't here to do anything bad to you or our boy. Not at all. You're safe." He shares a small smile with her. "Shit, I bet if you were the one there, stabbing him in the back, he'd still not be mad at you."

"Why do you think that?"

"If Sammy tried to kill you could you turn around and hurt him?"

"God no," Lizzy assures immediately, no thought needed.

"Then you're safe," Dean makes his point clear.

"But Sammy would never do anything bad like that," Lizzy tells her husband as she kisses Sammy's cheek while he scrunches his face up, getting fussy. "He'll never do anything bad ever."

"Oh yeah, never," Dean says with sheer sarcasm. "Sammy's our kid, remember? He's gonna get himself into enough trouble with just that fact alone. He's gonna be a handful."

"No," Lizzy denies, knowing she's just being a new mother. "He's a saint. He'll always be sweet and adorable and he'll never do anything wrong."

"Setting yourself up for some disappointment, L," Dean laughs as Sammy starts to make some noise, his body twisting in her hold. "Lunch time?"

"Yeah… and diaper time," she tells him. "I'm gonna take him in."

"I'll come with," Dean says, grabbing the baby seat and walking with her into Bobby's house.

"What about the car?" Lizzy questions, surprised he'd abandon such an important project right now.

"I'll come back out later." He looks over at Sammy in his mom's arms and knows he wants to go in with them. Baby needs to share her time with him these days, even if she's a damn mess.

"Does that mean you wanna change a dirty diaper?" Lizzy looks up at him with hope as they make their way, Dean's arm coming around her.

"Whatever you want, dear," he jokes and presses a kiss to the side of her head.

She laughs a little at the joking. "Thanks for trying to make this all as normal as possible. I know that's what you're doing."

"Am I that obvious?" he asks with a grin, knowing he's been doing just as she says. He's been working hard to make her life what it would be without hunting. He stays close, helps her out with Sammy as much as he can, and keeps as happy a tone as he can manage at Bobby's place, even despite his own brother's cracking. Sam would never want him to slow down or focus too hard on him right now. Sammy needs a life that doesn't suck and they all understand that quite clearly.

"So obvious," Lizzy smiles and enjoys the quiet, normal moment.

Fresh diaper on and now Sammy's camped out under a blanket as he gets his second lunch of the day while Lizzy sits with him at the kitchen table.

"He's getting better at this whole eating thing," Lizzy tells her husband as he reaches into the refrigerator for another beer.

"Like he was ever gonna have a long-term problem with that…" Dean comments as he cracks open the bottle and looks at her with a smirk.

"Good point," Lizzy agrees, both of them quite the eaters.

"You want anything?"

"Water would be good," Lizzy answers.

"H2O it is," Dean smiles right back and opens the refrigerator again. "You gonna be back to drinking anytime soon?"

"Not while breastfeeding," Lizzy reminds him. "But I could probably swing a night out at some point… or just a night off while staying in. But then again, who's gonna watch Sammy if we both get fucked up?"

Dean immediately opens his mouth to answer that Sam will but with his cracked wall he knows he can't ask his brother to do that. He can't trust that he won't lose it midway through babysitting. He doesn't even know when Sam will wake up again at this point.

"Bobby," Dean finally answers.

"You think he'd be up for that?"

"Why not?"

"He's older than us," Lizzy laughs. "I think, to be fair, we need to get Sammy to sleep more through the night before we ask people to watch him for us."

"Uh, that'll be forever…"

"Hey, guys."

Lizzy and Dean snap their focus to the doorway between the kitchen and study to find Sam standing there looking rested and well.

"You're walking and talking," Dean states, his voice showing his surprise.

"Yeah," Sam's arms fly out from his sides a little, also surprised. "I, uh, put on my own socks, the whole nine." He smiles slightly, walking into the room a few steps as he knows he's being scrutinized at the moment.

"Wow," Lizzy says, looking up at him with disbelief. "That's not what we expected."

"Me neither," Sam huffs an awkward laugh as he sits across from her, seeing the blanket she has slung over her shoulder. Sammy's eating.

"Sam-I-Am, are you sure you're okay?"

Sam wants to smile with her concern. "Yeah, I'm ok, Lizzy. My head hurts a little, but... basically…"

"Seriously?" Dean asks with his bullshit meter setting off hard.

"Look, I'm as surprised as you both are but, yeah, I swear," Sam tells the truth. Since waking up from his quite long night of sleep he's been clear minded and Cage-free. Not a single memory of his time down under has come to attack him.

"Good!" Dean cheers with sheer happiness. "No reason putting a gift horse under a microscope, right?"

"Yeah," Sam says, willing to go with it if Dean is. "So what happened with Cass?"

"Why don't you come help me with the car," Dean suggests, still looking to get as much done as he can before nightfall. "She's a wreck and then some. I'll fill you in."

"Ok," Sam agrees and heads to grab his coat by the door while Dean looks at Lizzy.

"You got him?" he nods to the hidden Sammy.

"I'll do what I can to keep him from running away," she jokes. "He's so easy. I'm good. Go put your girlfriend on the side back together."

Dean smiles at her and leaves the room.

As Sam puts his arms through his heavy jacket he pauses when he hears the faint sound of chains clinking in the distance. He nervously looks around with that far too familiar sound, one he'd heard constantly for nearly two-hundred years.

"Sam?" Lizzy calls out to him, making Sam jerk towards her with slight concern in his face. "What's going on?"

Sam shakes his head as if he has no idea what she's talking about.

"Don't lie," Lizzy says to him as warmly as she can. She's not willing to just assume all is well like Dean is. They don't get that lucky ever. "If there's anything wrong you know you just need to tell us…"

"Lizzy," Sam says with a smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry so much."

Before she can respond he's out the door.

Now, living with the Winchesters has not been all be fun and games. They're angry, short fused, emotionally stunted, and, worst of all, they tend to be stubborn liars. They used to be good at lying right to her but that was far before she figured out the poker faces.

Sam is completely lying.

In the middle of the night, somewhere around three in the morning, Lizzy shuffles her tired feet down the stairs. She just pumped an extra bottle during this last meal time so the next time Sammy wakes up in a few hours she can make Dean do it while she sleeps. It's absolutely his turn.

Making her way into the kitchen, fresh bottle in hand, she catches the sight of a large man hunched over a book at the kitchen table. She eyes Sam over while walking to the refrigerator, thinking he looks so young while asleep. He's so peaceful and relaxed, a lot like that five year old she met when he was attacked and made young again by a spell. He was so full of life back then. She still kind of misses that little guy sometimes.

With her back turned to him while she leans forward to place the bottle into the refrigerator Lizzy hears Sam's voice. With worry, she looks back at him once the door is closed to see his body twitch in his sleep before his voice starts coming out choked.

"What the fuck…?" Lizzy asks to no one as she walks over to him, his movements getting sharper and bigger….

The chain suddenly around his neck yanks him up to the ceiling in Bobby's kitchen. He chokes out and tries to yell for help, or even just breathe, but he can't. His feet kicking in the air he struggles to get free but the chain won't budge.

"Sam!"

He inhales hard once and looks around ready to attack if need be.

"Hey, whoa!" Lizzy calmly says to him with her hands reaching out to him but Sam's fight response keeps him going.

He takes a swing without thinking, feeling the panic still running through him, and Lizzy just barely ducks out of the way.

"Sam! Stop!" Lizzy yells at him and grabs his face, forcing him to look at her. "Look at me!"

Sam fights against her hold for a second more before realizing Lizzy is the one grabbing him.

"Yeah, it's me, jackass," Lizzy says with anger. "You with me?"

Eyes darting all over Sam realizes he's in Bobby's kitchen. He looks up to the ceiling and doesn't see a chain there. He's safe.

"Yeah… yeah, uh," Sam starts to say, catching his breath. "Shit."

And then she punches him in the arm.

"Ow!"

"You almost decked me!" Lizzy says angrily. "I haven't been in a fight in almost a damn year! You're lucky or else I might have dropped you!"

"I'm sorry," Sam says, the hurt on his face when he sees what he did.

"Ok," Lizzy nods, backing away from him a step. "Now, you wanna tell me what the fuck just happened?"

"Just, ah… a bad dream," Sam tells her. Technically he isn't lying. It was a bad dream.

"Hell of a dream," Lizzy comments, sitting across from him at the table. "Is it possible that it might have been more than a dream?"

Sam just looks at her with a guilty face.

Lizzy just smile once. "I knew it. You've been lying."

"I haven't be lying…"

"Really?" she questions, her voice challenging him. "You're still going to deny it? Don't you think I know you well enough after all this time to know for sure when you're bluffing?" She stares at him with a smug smile and a cocked eyebrow.

Sam sighs and nods sadly. "I've been… experiencing things."

"What kind of things?" Lizzy asks of him.

"Cage things," Sam admits and honestly it feels good to let someone know. "I know Dean and Bobby have enough on their plates, you do too… I didn't want to add yet another thing."

"Sam, you're mental wellness is not just another thing. It's the thing," Lizzy assures him. "We all want to help you but we can't do that if you hide stuff from us."

"There's nothing you can do to cure me, Lizzy," Sam points out. "You can't just… put up some drywall for me. It's gone and there's not a damn thing anyone can do to fix."

"I never said fix. I said help," Lizzy clarifies. "I'm not gonna bullshit you. This is not good. You've got Hell literally breaking loose in your skull. I can't heal that and I know it. But I can help."

"How?" he challenges, not seeing any way this can be helped.

"What happens when Hell comes at you?"

"I… I see it. Or hear it," Sam explains. "Feel it."

"What happened just now?"

"I was strung up on the ceiling," he says without looking at her.

"This ceiling!?" Lizzy keeps prying.

"Yeah. A chain locked around my neck and yanked me up there."

"Jesus…" She wrinkles her face with the horrid nature of it all.

"Lizzy… that was nothing," Sam says with sadness and fear. "What I went through down there… I'm just scared to think about what could be coming next time it shows up."

She stays quiet when she realizes how horrible this all was for him. She always knew Hell was an unfathomable ordeal for those that haven't experienced it themselves but the fear in Sam's eyes right now lets her know all she needs to. It takes everything to get Sam to be this scared.

"And sometimes… it's hard to tell."

"Tell what?" Lizzy pries with confusion.

"Where I am."

"What does that mean?"

"If I'm here or down there… it's not always clear," it pains him to explain. When he sees the horror in Lizzy's eyes he knows he might have just said too much.

"Shit, Sam-I-Am. No matter how bad it gets, it isn't real," Lizzy reminds him. "You gotta remember that. It can't actually hurt you anymore, Sam. You're out."

"Yeah, I know that."

"Are you sure about that?" Lizzy question. "You know that you're here? You're back for good?"

"I think so…"

"You need to know so," she drives home. "Sam, you're here. You're home."

"Actually, being around you guys… it's the only thing keeping me from cracking down the middle right now." It's a big confession but it's true.

"Good. Don't you dare forget that," Lizzy says with a smile, reaching across the table to drop her hand on top of his. "Because you're not allowed to crack, Sam. No fucking way. I need you around too much."

Sam holds eye contact with her for a few seconds, absorbing the love she gives him without question.

"You just need babysitting services," Sam says with levity as he grins lopsided at her.

"When did I get that transparent?" Lizzy jokes right back.

"You're like a window," Sam says as he pulls his hand back and rubs at his eyes. "I gotta keep reading."

"And I gotta catch about two hours of sleep before Sammy's up and ready to chow again," Lizzy says to him and stands up.

"Um, could… could you maybe not tell Dean about this yet?" Sam requests of her. "I need to… sort this out a little more before I do. And I need to get ready for the overbearing bullshit he's gonna put on me the second he knows."

"Sam, you know I can't keep things like this from him," Lizzy wrinkles her brow. "He's my husband… and you're brother."

"I know, and I will tell him. I just need time. Just a couple days."

Lizzy sighs, knowing already that she's going to let him have his way even if she disagrees. "A couple days and that's it. You tell him. And if you don't I will."

"Thank you." He sighs with relief.

"You owe me one now, you know that?" Lizzy smiles slightly.

"Good night," Sam says to her, head already back into his book to cut her blackmailing off.

As Lizzy starts to walk past him towards the stairs she stops. As Sam reads on he can feel her lips land on his cheek quickly before she parts with him for the night.

"Keep it together, Uncle Sam."

He huffs a laugh as she leaves the room. Uncle Sam. His new title. He loves that name, as corny as it is, and he loves that nephew of his. For that reason alone he's trying his hardest not to slip into the insanity in his brain as hard as it has been already.