"Where is everyone?" Ric asked Damon when he arrived back at the Donovan house.

"The bedrooms and just scattered around, why?" Damon asked.

"I gotta tell you something." Ric said turning the kitchen radio on.

"What?"

"I saw Sam and Ruby while I was out." he said.

"What? No way."

"Damon I know what I saw, alright. They were in her car in the parking lot of the grille." Ric explained.

"Ok. So? She wasn't out just wreaking havoc, so what's the big deal?" Damon questioned.

"It's what they were doing."

"Ok."

"Listen to me, alright. After I tell you this, you're going to have to tell Dean." Ric said.

"Why the hell would I tell him anything?" Damon questioned indignantly.

"He's gonna need someone who knows what he's going through."

"What?"

"I saw Sam drinking blood." Ric rushed out.

"What? What are you talking about?" Damon inquired. "I think we would have figured out by now if he was vampire."

"Damon shut up." Ric said in an annoyed tone. "Not human blood. Not even animal blood."

"I don't follow."

"Demon."

"What?" Damon asked shocked.

"I saw him drinking demon blood."

"When?"

"Not thirty minutes ago."

"What did you see?" Damon questioned. "Exactly."

"Sam cut Ruby's neck, licked the blood from her neck and then sucked the wound." Ric stated.

"Fuck."

"Right."

"Well, how do you think he's going to handle that kind of information?" Damon asked.

"Badly." Ric said flatly.

"Fuck."

"I think that's why he's been so different."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been different since their last trip here." Ric said. "When he pushed me and he yelled at you and got into that fight with Dean, and he and Caroline fought. The first time they were here he was nothing like that."

"What am I supposed to say? Oh hey Dean. How you doing? Did you know you're brother is drinking demon blood and it's making him into a giant freak?" Damon asked with a quirk of his lips. "Yeah, how do you see that going over?"

"Look, handle it. You've got experience with this kind of thing." Ric said turning the radio off. Damon let out a deep breath, rolled his eyes and went in search of Dean.

X X X X

"Dean, can I talk to you?" Damon asked entering into Matt's room and closing the door behind him.

"About what?" Dean asked looking up from his bag.

"Sam."

"What about him?"

"Well, I don't know him that well, but on this being your what third visit to Mystic Falls, he seems different." Damon explained.

"Different how?" Dean questioned.

"He's belligerent, loud, he's sneaking out of the house."

"Sam's an adult. How can he be sneaking out?"

"Don't be an ass."

"He's not different. He's just...going through some shit." Dean said, moving things in his bag.

"Yes he is and you know it." Damon said slightly annoyed.

"What's with the tone?" Dean asked straightening his back.

"Stop trying to pick a fight with me Dean." Damon said narrowing his eyes. "This isn't about us."

"Whatever Damon. You couldn't fight with me about Bonnie so you just figured out a way to get under my skin." Dean said almost shouting.

"I'm actually trying to help you." Damon yelled. "So stop being a dick and let me."

"Pass."

"Does Sam talk about how he's not different? Or does he look sick but says he's fine?" Damon questioned taking a few steps toward the bed. "There's a reason for that Dean."

"And you think you know why that is?" Dean yelled.

"I know I know." Damon yelled back.

"Damon, I don't want to hear your bullshit."

"So your brother possibly being in trouble is bullshit?" Damon shouted. "You're brother of the year."

"Fuck you, Damon!" Dean yelled as he pushed the older Salvatore against the wall. "You don't get to talk about me and Sam. You don't know shit about our lives!" he screamed as he elbowed Damon in the face repeatedly. Damon shoved Dean away and the fight ensued. After knocking a dresser over and nearly breaking Matt's desk, Dean got pulled off of Damon.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Matt yelled standing between the dueling older brothers.

"I was trying to help that dick and he hit me." Damon said wiping the trickle of blood from his bottom lip.

"He was being a fucking douche." Dean said angrily.

"Damon, get out of my room." Matt said turning to him.

"What?"

"My house and I said get out of my room." the blonde said pulling himself to his full height. "I'm not asking." Damon started to protest but just shook his head and left the room. "You ok?"

"Yeah." Dean answered quietly.

"What were you and Damon fighting about?" Matt asked. Dean was silent. "You can tell me." He looked at Matt and could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"What's your biggest fear?" Dean asked.

"I don't have one." Matt answered.

"Everyone says that. Hell, I say that but it's not the truth."

"I know."

"So, what's your biggest fear?" Dean questioned.

"I don't have one." Matt said clenching his jaw. "I was punched in the face with my biggest fear."

"Oh. Well, what was your biggest fear?"

"Losing my little sister." he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. That was my biggest fear but with that came hundreds of smaller fears." Matt explained.

"Like?" Dean asked.

"Like was there something I could have done to save her? Was there something I could have done to keep her from going down the path that she did? Was I just a terrible big brother? Shit like that."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So what about you? What's your biggest fear?"

"Fuck." Dean muttered.

"You really can tell me." Matt said as he got up and turned his radio on.

"The same as yours." Dean said looking him in the eye. "Sam's my family and I can't lose him."

"He's your brother. If you think there's a risk that you might lose him, then you have to do whatever it takes to save him. Even if it hurts him." Matt said his eyes glued on Dean's "Listen Dean, I know you don't want to hear this but what if what Damon was telling you or trying to tell you is the truth."

"What?"

"I overheard him and Ric in the kitchen."

"What'd you hear?" Dean inquired.

"Look, I'm just the messenger and I want to help you if I can, but I really do think that Stefan or Damon can help you better." Matt said taking a seat beside Dean.

"Just tell me."

"Ric said that he saw Sam drinking demon blood." Matt said slowly.

"What?! That's a lie!" Dean shouted getting to his feet.

"Why would Ric lie?" Matt asked, when Dean went to speak, he held up his hand. "Seriously, Dean. What reason would Ric have to lie?" The Winchester was silent. His mind was swirling.

"Can that really be true?" Dean thought to himself. "Could Sam have really gone off the deep end? Is he really...a...monster?"

"Dean?" Matt's voice said in the distance. "Dean? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Uh, I know that this may come out wrong, but I have a job to do and right now I can't worry about Sam." Dean stated.

"But Dean..."

"Sam's an adult and right now I've got work to do." Dean said before he stormed out of the room.