You guys have no idea how hard I've been working to get as much of this story done and posted before I get super busy again at work! The busy time starts tomorrow so really wanted to get chapter 10 out before that so I wouldn't leave you with that horrible cliffy for a month! LOL So, once again, thank you all so much for taking time to comment on the chapter. You know I appreciate it! Okay then...onto chapter 10 :o)

Cindy

"NOOOOOOOO!" both Dean and Daniel screamed as the spirit turned with lightning speed and thrust Sam away from it, the young man giving a startled yelp as his body crashed through the window and disappeared as he plummeted toward the ground.

Daniel and Dean couldn't believe what had just happened. They both stood still, their bodies unable to move as shock and horror washed over them. The spirit had thrown Sam through the window two stories high then had blinked out with a loud screech. Where the spirit had gone to they could only guess, but at that moment they didn't really care. They had just lost their brother…the most important thing in their lives and nothing else mattered anymore. Finally, after what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a few seconds, the two hunters were able to move. They ran to the window, both with tears streaming down their cheeks as they just knew that Sam couldn't have survived the fall. They peered out and gasped at the still form that lay sprawled below them.

"No…no, no, no! This can't be happening!" Daniel cried out as he staggered back from the window, his hand pressed over his mouth holding in the sob that wanted to break free.

Dean stood at the window, his eyes wide and full of tears. He knew Sam was dead, that he had failed him once again. He had let the spirit snatch his brother from his grip and now Sam was dead. "My fault," he whispered over and over as he continued to stare down at Sam. He couldn't see any blood, but he knew that the back of Sam's head had to be crushed from the fall…knew there would be shattered bones, most likely a broken spine and who knew what other injuries a fall like that would have inflicted. There was no cushioning grass or bushes, just dirt and rock and suddenly it was too much for the young hunter to bear. He couldn't look at Sam anymore, broken and still and…dead. He gripped the window edge with a shaky hand and began to push back when suddenly he thought he saw the fingers on Sam's hand move. His eyes widened as he leaned back out the window. He watched and then gasped as he saw the fingers move again. Sam was alive! He didn't know how it was possible, but Sam had moved and that meant that he wasn't dead.

Dean jerked his head back inside and swung around to see that Daniel had slid down the wall of the hallway and seemed to be in total shock. He rushed to his brother's side and dragged him to his feet. When Daniel didn't acknowledge him, he gave his face a firm slap. The slap did what it was intended to do as Daniel turned wide, dark eyes on his brother. "Wh-what was that for?" he sputtered, his voice breaking out in a sob.

"We gotta get down there…Sam's alive!" Dean shouted as he began to run down the hall dragging his older brother with him.

"What? He…he couldn't be!" Daniel cried, but even the thought that Sam could still be alive made him pick up his feet and run.

"I saw him move! He's alive!"

Daniel stared at the back of Dean's head, his dark eyes wide with hope. He picked up his speed and caught up with Dean as he reached the top of the staircase. They both flew down the stairs two at a time and ran for the front door. They couldn't spare a second searching for the way out the back, so they rushed through the front door, down the stairs and ran at full speed around the house. They found Sam and immediately dropped down on either side of him. He looked dead and Dean thought for a second that maybe he had imagined seeing Sam move his fingers. He reached out a shaky hand and gently touched Sam's cheek. A soft moan was his reward and he nearly burst out laughing with joy. Daniel pressed his fingers against Sam's neck and blew out a breath as he found a pulse.

"Oh my God," Daniel whispered as he leaned down and pressed a grateful kiss to Sam's forehead. He glanced up when Dean spoke.

"We have to get him out of here, Danny…away from this house."

Daniel shook his head as he straightened up, his and moving to rest on Sam's shoulder. "We can't move him, Dean…not until we know he hasn't injured his neck or spine. He may be breathing now, but that was a hell of a fall and I…I don't know how he even survived," he said.

Dean looked down at his baby brother and nodded. "I don't either," he said softly in reply.

Another moan brought both brothers attention fully back to their baby brother. Sam slowly rolled his head to one side then the other as his eyelids fluttered then opened to slits.

"Come on, Sam…that's it…open your eyes all the way," Dean encouraged as he took Sam's hand in his.

Sam moaned again as Daniel placed his palm against Sam's cheek. Sam turned into the touch and Daniel smiled wide as he leaned over. "Open those eyes, Sam. We need to see how many marbles were shook free," he coaxed.

Finally, after much coaxing Sam opened his eyes and stared with confusion up at his brothers. "Wh-what happened?" he asked, his voice barely over a whisper.

"You took quite a tumble out the window, Sammy. That freak ass magician threw you out when he realized he wasn't going to get what he wanted," Dean answered.

Sam's eyes widened as he stared up at the broken window high above them. "I remember. I…I should be dead," he whispered with awe in his voice.

"Yeah, well you're not…thankfully," Daniel said.

"But…how? I don't understand."

"Don't know, kiddo, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. You're alive and by the way you're moving your legs and arms, I'd say your back is in one piece too," Dean said gratefully as he watched Sam fidgeting in the dirt.

"Do you remember anything about the fall, Sam?" Daniel asked.

Sam looked up at him and pursed his lips. He closed his eyes for a second then opened them once again. "I…I remember feeling like I was falling and then…it doesn't make any sense…"

"What doesn't make any sense?" Daniel asked when Sam's voice fell off into silence.

"It…it felt like something caught me…slowed me down so I didn't hit the ground so hard. But…how could that be?" Sam answered.

Dean and Daniel shared a glance then both looked around the dark lot and at that moment realized they had left their shot guns in the hallway in their haste to get to Sam. "Do you think the magician stopped his fall?" Dean asked as he met Daniel's gaze again.

"I don't know…I wouldn't think so. It didn't sound like he wanted him to survive the fall," Daniel answered.

"Can you help me up now?" Sam suddenly asked as he began to push himself up.

Dean and Daniel gently, but firmly pressed him back down onto the ground. "Stay still, kiddo. We need to check you out first. You were unconscious so at the least you probably have a concussion," Daniel said. The brothers began their triage, poking and prodding every square inch, stopping when Sam would hiss or groan when they came to a sore spot. They found a nice sized goose egg on the back of his head, but only a small cut accompanied it. After several painstaking minutes, they determined that yes, Sam had a mild concussion, but by whatever miracle had happened, he had no broken bones. The cuts on his chest still bled, but not nearly as bad as they had when they first found him tied to the table.

"We need to get him to the car so we can get him cleaned up," Daniel said, the elder brother smiling softly as he watched Sam's eyes blink tiredly. "Before he passes out again," he added.

Dean nodded and together they helped Sam to his feet. It took some time, but they finally reached the Impala. They laid Sam out on the back seat then Daniel retrieved the first aid kit from the trunk. Somewhere along the line, Sam had fallen asleep, blood loss and exhaustion making it impossible for him to stay awake. The brother's thought it was probably for the best as they cleaned the wounds on his chest, having to resort to stitching some of the deeper ones.

"He's gonna have more scars," Dean whispered sadly as he stared down at Sam's now bandaged chest.

Daniel followed Dean's gaze and nodded. "Yeah, but most of them should heal without leaving a scar…hopefully," he said in reply.

Daniel retrieved a blanket from the trunk and helped Dean cover their sleeping sibling. Sam's head was pillowed on Dean's lap and Daniel smiled with affection at his two younger brothers. He stood up outside of the open back door and glanced over the roof at the house. He sucked in a quick breath when he thought he saw someone standing to the side of the house just at the stand of dead trees and weeds that lined the east side. It was a shock to see someone there seemingly watching them, but the biggest shock to Daniel was that he knew who the someone was.

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John Winchester was growing frustrated and ever more fearful as the search for the magician's bones continued. He and Caleb had been searching frantically ever since they had reached the basement. They had wanted to run up the stairs with Daniel and Dean, the screams of their youngest ripping through them like swords, but they knew the best way for them to save Sam was to find the bones of the magician and torch them. They both stopped their search when they heard the faint sound of a shot gun blast, then started up again, even more urgently than before. They heard more blasts as they searched, but when the blasts ended, that's when panic had taken over and they had nearly left the basement in search of the three brothers. The spirit of the magician had other plans though as it appeared at the foot of the wooden steps. It laughed as it floated there, cutting them off from the house above.

"You waste your time…the boy is dead," the entity hissed as it moved slowly into the dark room.

John snarled as he lifted his shotgun and aimed it at the spirit. "You lie," he hissed.

"Do I? When I realized what you were doing I had to make a choice…I knew if I left you alone and continued to pursue my property, you would find and destroy me. I decided that if I can't have the boy, nobody can."

"You're lying! Sam is the only way for you to gain what you want! You wouldn't dare kill him!" John shouted in rage.

"No, not the only way. I can always find another. I wanted Samuel because I wanted to make him pay for taking my dream from me. He tried to escape…he killed me. He should have been honored to sacrifice himself for me, but he was selfish! I may not be able to use him as the sacrifice, but I did get my revenge none the less. He pushed me down the stairs so I threw him out a window." The spirit laughed then glided forward again.

"Nooooooooo!" John screamed as he pulled the trigger and blasted the dark figure with rock salt.

He spun around, his dark eyes wild, when a hand grasped his shoulder. "Johnny, it is probably lying," Caleb said, though his eyes betrayed the pain he felt at the idea of losing his young friend. "It must have sensed what we were doing and knew it had to take us out first," he added, as much to convince himself as to convince John.

The pain of loss didn't leave John's eyes, but a spark of something else, something almost primal was there too. He grabbed up his shovel and with Caleb watching his back, shot gun at the ready for the spirit's inevitable return, John began his search again. There was fire in his blood as he pounded the shovel along the walls, looking for any sign that a body could be hidden there, but so far all of the walls were infuriatingly solid. John spun his head around at the sound of the shot gun just in time to see the spirit explode in a flash of light. He nodded to Caleb then returned to his search. There was another shot gun blast a few minutes later as John worked his way through the cluttered basement. He came to a corner where the dirt had been dug away under the foundation of the house and dusty, antique crates and furniture had been shoved up in what looked like an effort to hide the tunnel. John began to drag the furniture and crates away, but stopped when Caleb cried out in surprise and pain. He spun around to see his friend sprawled on the dirt floor, not unconscious, but close. The spirit hissed as it moved past Caleb toward John. The hunter instinctively knew that he was close, but he had too much junk to move before he could see into the tunnel. The spirit had him cutoff, but John had his shot gun with him. All he needed to do was crouch down and grab it before the approaching spirit could reach him. The spirit had other plans and before John could reach his weapon, the dark form was upon him.

John gasped in pain as the spirit gripped him around the throat and lifted him into the air. It smashed him against a wooden beam, it's hold cutting off his air supply as it moved its head to within inches of his face. The spirit did not speak, just squeezed harder on John's throat until the hunter saw dark spots before his eyes. Any attempt to claw at the hand holding him was in vain as his fingers went right through the dark shape. His feet kicked at the support beam, but he was not strong enough to break the spirit's hold. As he began to lose consciousness he cursed his weakness and begged his Mary for forgiveness for failing their sons. A sudden boom sounded and without warning, John dropped like a stone to the dirt floor below. He thought absently that Caleb must have shot the spirit, but the face that appeared above him wasn't Caleb.

"Danny?" John gasped as he rolled to his side and began to cough.

"Dad! Are you okay?" Daniel cried as he crouched down at his father's side.

"Sammy…Sammy's dead," John cried softly, his dark eyes staring forlornly up at his eldest son.

"No, Dad…Sammy's alive," Daniel said.

"But..but the spirit…it said…"

"I'll explain later…just know that Sammy is alive."

With those words, John's strength seemed to return to him and he rolled onto his hands and knees in order to push himself up. Dizziness washed over him however and he nearly fell back to the ground. "Over there…behind those crates…I think the bones are there! Hurry, Danny…end this thing now!" he cried as he sat back on his hind end and leaned against the beam. Daniel nodded then handed his shot gun to John before rushing toward the crates. John nodded as he watched Daniel tear into the crates and furniture then he turned his attention to Caleb who was pushing his way to his feet. Caleb pulled his shot gun up and together the hunters waited for the spirit's return. They didn't have to wait long as the magician materialized with a screech of rage between the two hunters. John fired, sending the spirit away, only for it the reappear a few seconds later. The spirit was getting stronger, most likely out of desperation knowing they were getting close and John knew that Daniel would be its target. He would not allow it to hurt another of his sons. Caleb shot it this time, allowing John the time to get to his feet before it once again appeared, more furious than ever. It made a move toward Daniel, but John lunged forward and put himself between it and his son.

The spirit screeched and lifted its arms and suddenly the basement was filled with near gale force wind. Dirt from the floor filled the air, making it impossible to see, or too keep on ones feet. John squinted his eyes and pulled off another shot, hitting the spirit despite not being able to see. The wind died down long enough for John to reload more salt shells into the gun, but within seconds the spirit was back and intent on getting to Daniel. Together, John and Caleb kept blasting away until finally Daniel called out in triumph.

"I found them…they're here!"

John spun his head around and called to his son. "My pockets! Everything you need is in my pockets! Hurry, Danny!"

Daniel raced to his father just as the spirit reappeared. Its arm shot out and Daniel was thrown to the side where he hit the dirt floor with a dull thud. The spirit descended upon the downed hunter, picking him up and tossing him again. Caleb blasted the dark form as John raced to the tunnel and peered inside. He could just make out a pair of boots with dark pants so he pulled out his flashlight and shone it into the tunnel. The skeleton of the magician appeared in the beam of the light and it was apparent that the dead man had been shoved as far back as possible and scrunched into the small space. John hurried to empty the lighter fluid and salt onto the bones as the sounds of the struggle continued behind him. Finally, he lit a match, turned to look just as the spirit launched itself at him, then tossed the match onto the bones, relishing the euphoria of watching the spirit go up in flames before his eyes. It took a few moments for the screams of the spirit do fade away and the dust to clear enough for John to be able to see his friend helping Daniel to his feet. The elder Winchester pulled himself from the tunnel and rushed to his son's side.

"Danny…are you okay!?" John cried as he took Daniel's face in his hands.

"I'm fine, Dad," Daniel answered in a breathless whisper.

"Sounds like you got the wind knocked out of you," Caleb said with a slight grin.

"Yeah, being thrown across the room will do that to you," Daniel quipped.

"Been there, done that." Caleb glanced over at John and smiled, relief evident in his eyes. "Now, shall we get our asses out of this dirt hole or are we gonna spend the entire night here?" he asked.

"I vote for getting out of here," Daniel offered as he leaned over to retrieve his shot gun from where John had dropped it.

"Where's Sam and Dean?" John asked, his dark eyes watching his son's every move just to be certain the young man was okay.

"They're in the Impala. We patched Sammy up and then I left him with Dean to come help you," Daniel answered.

"Patch Sam up? What happened to him, Danny?" John asked worriedly.

Daniel looked at his father with sad eyes and sighed. "That son of a bitch had him tied up on a table in a room upstairs…completely naked and…and it carved up his chest pretty bad, Dad," he answered softly.

John swore under his breath after hearing what Daniel said, the father knowing that Sam would be reminded of his time with both of the Wilcox men. Rage and sorrow filled him at the thought of his baby boy being traumatized that way again and for an instant he wished the magician was back just so he could kill it again. He glanced up at Daniel when he remembered what the spirit had said to him.

"The spirit said that Sammy was dead…that he threw him out a window…"

Daniel paled at the memory and had to grab the banister to steady himself. "It did. We got Sam free and were taking him down the hall, but the spirit was able to get Sam away from us. It seemed like it all of the sudden sensed you and Caleb so it flung Sammy out the window and…and when we looked outside, he looked…he…"

John reached up and gripped Daniel's arm. "You said he's alive…that's all that matters," he said.

"But…he shouldn't be. There's no way he should've survived…we couldn't figure out how he escaped with only a bump on the head and some scratches and bruises, but then I…after we got him to the car and we patched him up I saw…I saw something and I knew how," Daniel said, fear in his dark eyes.

John stepped up beside his son and gently pulled him around to face him. "What did you see, Danny?"

"He was there…standing in the dead trees, watching us," Daniel replied.

"Who was watching you?" Caleb asked.

Daniel swallowed then took a deep breath. "The yellow eyed man…it was the yellow eyed man," he answered with a shaky voice.

Well, at least I didn't leave a cliffy! LOL I truly hope this will hold you for a bit because I won't have time to write again until later this month. Thank you all for reading!

Cindy