Hidden.

Summary. . . . . . . "I'm fine Dean!" It was their motto after all, hide the hurts, suck up the pains, tell a few white lies; but this time will those white lies come back to haunt them. As they take on a hunt, with multiple spirits, will Sam's failing health become an issue, as he hides the truth from his brother?

Disclaimer. . . . . . . Still not mine, but I have my fingers and toes crossed. Until then I'll just continue to play with Kripkies toys.

A.N. . . . . . . . . . Sorry about the wait for this chapter, I swore to myself that I would never attempt to write two stories at once ever again, and what have I done? Started four! For anyone reading Visions, I will return to that one just as soon as I get this fic, The Plantation House, and Bleeding Love out of the way. Anyway enough with that, on with the show, settle down and enjoy chapter 10. Peanut x

Sam stood for a long while, after Dean and Joshua had left, rooted to the spot in his shock. His eyes brimmed with unshed tears, and blazed with an anger so intense his whole body shook from it. He couldn't believe that Dean had sidelined him, that his brother had gone off with Joshua to complete the hunt. He hoped that he was wrong, but he wasn't stupid, as much as he would like to believe Dean would come back for him, he knew that this wouldn't be the case; that Dean thought he was a liability, and had chosen to finish this without him. He couldn't believe the sense of hurt and betrayal Dean's actions had caused him; couldn't believe that after everything Dean would dump his ass in this crummy motel room with it's nausea inducing décor and carpets; couldn't believe, as he looked through the window and noticed the Impala missing, that his brother had allowed someone else to ride shotgun with him. He moved as the anger grew, making his way to the small table and chairs the room provided, easing his weary and aching frame into one of the futuristic space chairs and placing his head in his hands as the tears began to flow, mingling with the fresh blood that dripped from his nose as the pounding in his head returned for a repeat performance, igniting within him with such agony he embraced the darkness as it drew near, anything to get away from the pain.

Dean was quiet as he and Joshua rode towards the library, the look of hurt he had witnessed on his brother's face before he had left him at the motel, burnt deep into his vision, and guilt for his decision to leave Sam behind eating away at his insides. He hadn't thought, as he opened the Impala's doors, just how much the simple action of taking his car would increase the hurting of his brother, his actions just routine and normal. As he pulled the bid beast into an available spot, he killed the engine and proceeded to get out, ignoring the look Joshua was sending his way, and the unasked questions he knew were eager to leave the older hunter mouth, choosing instead to stomp his way angrily towards the library, determined now to get this damn hunt over and done with so he could get back to Sam and make sure he was okay; maybe then they could start to mend the broken bridges between them. Pulling open the heavy oak and glass door he stepped inside, his heart plummeting as he took in the enormous room before him. He turned, as he heard Joshua stop beside him, and spoke. "I don't suppose you know where to start?"

"Not my specialty sorry. Give me a gun or a knife and I'll be fine, but don't ever shove a book in front of me." Joshua paused, his mind already bracing itself for the backlash he knew he was about to receive, before adding. "Isn't this Sam's field of excellence though? Just go back and get him." He watched as Dean turned, his friends eyes darkening as he did so, and despite his superior height and weight advantage took a step backwards away from the wrath that emanated from them. "Okay, okay, I was just suggesting." He replied, not understanding why they had left the youngest Winchester back at the hotel, when he was their resident book worm. "But you have to admit this would go much quicker if he was here."

"No Josh! We can do this. I had to do this on my own after he took off for Stanford, and you research for yourself all the time, we can do this without Sam's help." Turning back away from Josh, Dean started walking towards the desk, not allowing his friend to see just how much he was dreading this task himself. Seeing a young brunette typing away on a keyboard he smiled, maybe if he used some of the Dean Winchester charm they could get some help? That thought looking all the more brighter as she looked up and returned his smile.

Three hours later, and even with the assistants help, Dean and Josh were no nearer to figuring anything out than they were when they first came in, both men were tired and hungry, and the constant movement of the microfiche was beginning to give them both headaches to boot. The young girl jumped behind her counter as Joshua stood his chair scraping noisily across the wooden floor. His nerves frayed from hours of trawling through useless information, he turned Dean's way ready to beat some sense into the younger man, ready to insist that they return and get Sam to help out, his words catching in his throat as Dean let out a triumphant yell that brought mutters of protests from all the other patrons. "Tell me you found it? Please tell me you found something so that we can leave this damn place?"

"I think I know where they are all buried." Dean replied, his eyes never leaving the screen as he continued to devour ever morsel of fact he could find that would help them in their quest. "It's gonna be tough though Josh, they're buried at different places, spread over a two mile plot of land. It says that the settlers refused to allow the natives to be laid to rest anywhere near their own dead for fear of tainting their souls, sounds like an early case of racism to me, so they separated them burying their dead individually just outside a copse of trees three miles outside of what was to be their town, the natives didn't receive such respect they were buried within a mass grave two miles further south in land that has been barren ever since, no vegetation ever growing there." Dean ignored Joshua's profanities, and threats of death to all who had disrespected his kin, choosing instead to turn back and read some more. As the words began to repeat themselves he went to turn the machine off, stopping as he glanced at a picture, enlarging the image to take a closer look. "Son of a bitch!" He exclaimed as his eyes glued to the person it was taken off.

"What?" Joshua asked, his mind wondering what Dean had seen.

"Take a look. I believe this is why Sam was targeted." Dean replied, moving out of the way so that Joshua could see what he had found.

"Well I'll be damned. He looks just like Sam."

"Josh, we need to finish this. We need to finish this now."

"Okay then, lets get back to the motel and get Sam, then we'll head over there and. . . . . . . . . . . ." He trailed off as he watched Dean's reaction to his words. "You're not going back for Sam, are you?"

"You've seen the resemblance, Sam being there would be a liability. We have to finish this alone. I can't risk Sam getting hurt."

"He's gonna be pissed Dean."

"I don't care! He'll be alive." Dean closed down the microfiche before adding. "Come on, we have work to do."

A.N. . . . . . . . . Okay well that's it for now, sorry again for the wait, I'll try and cut down the time until the next installment. Hope that you enjoyed, Peanut x