Author's notes: The reviews that I got for last chapter were really great. They motivated me and inspired me, while making my day...all in one! So thanks a lot everyone! A few of you all said "wow" and that you're thinking about what could happen, so :).

Thanks 'clubby' for your review! I can't tell you if Sam will be okay, but anyone can be certain that Dean will do anything to save him! Thanks 'Megan' for your reviews! You are by far my most ...whats the word...enthusiastic? fan...and you've given me lots of motivation so thankyou. Thanks 'sammy's girl' you think they're getting better and better? WOW, thanks!! That sure did make my day! Thanks 'tuff man' for your review! Yeah, this is probably the first ep that i've left with a really big cliffhanger, but it's not the only one! And if you thought that one was moving...wait til ya read this one!

This chapter does include flashback scenes as well (identified by the ittalics as well, but also should be clearly worded so you don't get confused or whatever! :P.

I hope this ep is heartfelt because I aimed it to be, and the flashbacks are fitting. I am a little concerned about this ep though, so please, could you all let me know what you think once you've read it? Thanks! Note: There is another trailer at the end...as always :P

11 Pray

Toledo, Ohio

The waiting room was calm and quiet. A few people sat around reading newspapers and looked up every once in awhile. The clock read 7:00am and those seated really did not want to be there. Meanwhile, over at the emergency section, the doors burst open and a rush of nurses and ambulance personnel pushed a bed down the hallway, trying to stabilize the patient.

'What have we got?' Dr Brennen rushed over once he saw them.

'Male, roughly 25 years of age! Severe stab wound to chest, possibly broken ribs and looks like he was attacked' an ambulance personnel announced as they pushed the bed into a room and shone lights down upon Sam.

'Is he stabilized?' Dr Brennen asked but didn't think he was, in fact he looked rather dead to him.

'No' a nurse replied and then attached Sam up to some machines, which started making noises right away.

A few more doctors rushed in and they cut off Sam's jackets and shirts. They knew he was most likely suffering with broken ribs but if they didn't start up his heart now then the ribs would be the least of his problems.

'1…2…3...clear!' a doctor said loudly and pressed the machine to Sam's chest, making his body jerk.

'No good' Dr Brennen said.

'1…2…3...clear!' they tried again.

Dean staggered into the waiting room, joining the bored people reading magazines but he did not acknowledge their presence. He felt numb, and empty. Like his soul had been ripped from him but his body went on without it. His little brother was gripping to his life right now and all Dean could do was sit in a plastic chair and stare numbly at the hospital floor.

'Sammy' he choked out but kept his tears under control but his emotions ran wild inside him. What if he never saw his brother again? What if this was how he lost his little brother once and for all?

'It's my fault' Dean said to no one, but too softly for anyone to hear him. None of them cared anyway; they had their own business to keep to.

'I couldn't protect him…again' Dean sniffed. Flashes of Sam dying back before he made his deal, and then flashes of all the moments when he thought he was going to lose Sam again. A particular moment came to Dean's mind, one that had nothing to do with demons or crossroads…but of a time when Sam went to his first kid's party without Dean by his side. Sure, Sam must've been, what? Maybe…nine?

'Yeah' Dean sighed and glanced down at the pile of magazines sitting on a small table in front of him…

Queens, New York. 1992…

Thirteen-year-old Dean turned another page in the cars magazine he was flipping through as he sat in the hospital waiting room. He sniggered at some of the cars as they looked stupid and then raised his eyebrows at the Ferrari. He knew what he wanted for his next birthday…

'Dean?' A tired voice spoke to him.

Dean's head jerked up and he tossed the magazine away, jumping up from his seat.

'Dad? Is Sammy okay?' he asked, grabbing his father's arm panickly.

'Sam will be fine' John gave a relieved smile. 'Just a broken arm and he'll need to wear a cast for a few weeks'

'But…he was out cold!' Dean said; confused that a broken arm was all that came from the situation that put him and his father through Hell and back.

'I know, but it seems he's fine now' John replied, putting a hand on his eldest son's shoulder. 'You can go see him if you like'

'Really?' Dean grinned as John nodded. He then rushed down the hall and skidded to a stop outside Sam's room.

Sam was lying in a bed with a plastered left arm, poking it miserably.

'Heya Sammy' Dean grinned and gave his brother a quick hug, not wanting to get all "girlie" on him though.

'Hey Dean' Sam smiled a bit weakly.

'You okay bro?' Dean wondered. 'What happened?'

'Fat kid hit me and I fell' Sam frowned. 'He stood on my arm' Sam recalled.

'Bastard' Dean cursed.

'Don't swear! I'll tell' Sam said, and then smirked a bit. He loved telling on Dean when he swore; it was funny.

'You're lucky you have a broken arm' Dean glared but was secretly relieved.

'Yeah?' Sam asked. 'Hey? Where's Dad? He hasn't come to see me yet'

'I dunno, has stuff to do I guess' Dean replied. 'I'm glad you're okay Sammy, I need my trusty sidekick'

Sam shrugged. 'Of course I'm okay. I'm always okay' he grinned. 'Besides, aren't you the one that said: If someone pushes me over I gotta get back up and kick him in the nads?'

'Yeah, and did you?' Dean asked.

'You bet I did' Sam said proudly.

'Dean?' someone spoke his name and he wished it was the same tired voice of his dad that he remembered. The one that told him Sammy was okay; that it was just a broken arm.

'Hm?' Dean jolted back into reality and leapt up from his seat faster than lightning. 'Yes? Is Sam okay?' he asked, panic rising to his throat again at the discouraging look on Dr Brennen's face.

'Your brother has a fractured left rib and a few bruises, but they have been attended to. We also found his lung is slightly punctured but have taken care of it…The stab wound was very deep and he has lost a shocking amount of blood so we'll need a transfusion from you, if possible' he said in an even tone.

Dean nodded and knew there was more. 'What else?' he asked. 'Is he awake?'

'Um, your brother is in a coma, Dean' the doctors sighed. 'He is doing good considering, but his chances look slim' he sighed.

'Doing good? How is being in a coma good?' Dean snapped angrily.

'Considering the state he was brought in here as…he is very lucky to be alive' Dr Brennen said. 'The blood loss is the main cause of his unconscious state, so if we could do the transfusion as quickly as possible, he should be stabilized'

Bobby awoke with a start. He reached over and grabbed his phone and hoped that whoever was calling had a damn good reason for doing so at his hour.

'Mhm?' he grunted but sat upright as he heard Dean's pained voice on the other line. 'Dean?'

'Bobby, Sam…he…' Dean tried to get himself together again and imagined Sam with a broken arm, and only that. 'We were tracking down that vampire nest and they got to Sam. I was knocked out but Sam wasn't turned or anything. They beat the crap out of him and stabbed him. We're in Toledo Hospital right now'

'How bad is it?' Bobby asked, now very concerned if Sam was committed to a hospital and Dean's voice was emotionally all over the place.

'Fractured rib and punctured lung too, but he's lost a lot of blood. They did the transfusion with my blood but he still hasn't woken up' Dean said, wiping his face and continued to pace the hallway outside of Sam's room. 'I don't know what to do!'

'Okay, hang in there, son…I'll be up as soon as I can' Bobby said and waited a moment before he hung up.

Dean pocketed Sam's cell phone and stared at the closed door. He'd called Bobby for support but he also used it as a way to put off going in to see Sam. He didn't like the thought of seeing his little brother relying on machines to breathe and being in a motionless, un-awaking state. Dean sighed and hung his head. He reached out and gripped the doorknob tightly, turning it carefully as though it would break otherwise.

Dean's heart stopped beating for a second as he saw Sam in that bed. He shut the door and made his way over to the bed, sitting in a chair beside it.

'Sammy?' he sniffed and looked at his brother sadly. 'This isn't right' he said, seeing the tube that was inserted through Sam's mouth and the stupid hospital clothes they had him wearing. The room was quite small but there was enough room for people to crowd around the bed if they had to. Dean hated how white the room was and that there was no TV. He watched the machine that showed Sam's heart rate and beats for a moment before turning his attention back to Sam's face.

'Sammy' he said again and wiped a stray tear. His brother's face was very pale but looked so peaceful, like he was calm and everything was okay. The tube in his mouth, the split lip and deathly pale colouring said otherwise though and could not be ignored.

Dean reached over and placed his hand over Sam's. A machine beeped and Dean looked up at it hopefully but then everything was normal again.

'You're gonna be okay, Sammy' Dean sniffed. 'But I'm sorry bro' he sighed. 'I should've been more alert. I shouldn't have let them knock me out like that. If I had…then maybe…maybe, we'd be stitching up wounds, or…or asleep in out motel rooms. Yeah, I could kill for some sleep right now. But I'm not going to sleep, not until you wake up' Dean nodded and removed his hand. 'Cuz you're gonna wake up'

Bobby saw the Impala parked at a slightly odd angle and then drove his truck beside it. He checked in at the desk as Sam's uncle and went to find the room. Bobby knocked softly and opened the door slightly, seeing Dean sitting on the floor against a far wall. He was just staring at Sam's still form, unblinking and he looked…broken.

'Dean?' Bobby spoke and Dean hardly moved his gaze. Bobby shut the door and walked towards Sam, hating the sight he saw.

Dean got up off the cold, hard floor and came over as well.

'No change' Dean said, his voice a bit croaky.

'Give him time' Bobby nodded. 'He's your brother, if anything…he'll be fine' Bobby nodded, knowing Dean needed someone to tell him it was okay, that Sam was going to pull through as always. Bobby wasn't feeling that; to him Sam looked like he was hanging on life's edge. But Dean needed someone to be stronger than him. He needed…a father figure.

'Look at him Bobby' Dean said, voice rising a bit.

'He'll be fine' Bobby replied, using all the convincing methods he knew. 'He's Sam, he knows you'll kick his ass or go do something stupid if he doesn't pull through'

'Yeah' Dean gave a short laugh. 'Yeah' he inhaled and then sat back at the seat beside Sam's bed.

The door opened again and there stood a familiar face to Dean. He was shocked and jumped up from his chair as though it was burning hot.

'Missouri?' he gasped. 'I don't believe it'

'Well believe it' she replied, but her tone held no anger. She was looking at Sam's still form and she had a look of sadness that beat Dean's own expression.

'Oh, ah…this is our friend Missouri' Dean introduced her once he saw Bobby's confused face.

'I see' Bobby nodded. 'Didn't we meet once?' he asked.

'We did' Missouri nodded. 'You hated my cat' she glared at him.

'You have a cat?' Dean asked, glad for the distraction.

'Not anymore' Missouri said, giving Bobby a look that suggested he had something to do with that.

'Why are you here?' Dean asked but then rethought that. 'I mean, we haven't seen you in ages and…'

'I had a feeling you boys were here' she said. 'And Sam needs my help'

'Feeling? Oh right…psychic' Dean remembered. 'Help Sam? How?' he asked rushing over to her, filled with a new sense of hope.

'There is a possible cure' Missouri explained. 'It may take some time and there is something I need'

'What do you need?' Dean asked.

'It's an amulet, a very rare one' Missouri explained. 'It's attached to a black chain and on the end hangs the jewel of Amaranth' she explained and held out a picture of a red stone that had a blue symbol engraved on it and was attached to a black chain. 'I have no idea where you can get it…but it's probably Sam's only hope'

'Oh, I'll get it' Dean nodded and handed Sam's cell phone to Bobby. 'Call me with any changes…any' he said and rushed from the room.

Bobby frowned as Dean left him with Missouri; he wasn't the biggest fan of her at all.

'Don't you cuss at me!' she snapped at him, glaring.

Dean drove the Impala out of the hospital car park and sped down the road, heading for Queens, New York.

His expression was nothing more than sheer determination. He was going to save his brother and if it meant killing Bela…then that was perfectly fine with him.

'Bela?' he said once she picked up on second ring.

'Dean? What-'

'I hope you're taking house calls' he said and his voice clearly meant trouble. He then hung up on her and pressed his foot harder on the accelerator, ignoring the rain the pelted the windscreen.

Queens, New York. 1992…

'You sure you're okay?' Dean glanced over as Sam tried to pour himself a glass of milk but the cast on his arm made it difficult.

'Okay, move it' Dean rolled his eyes as the cup slipped and milk went everywhere.

Sam rolled his eyes but moved out of the way. 'I hate this stupid thing' he growled, referring to the cast.

'Yeah well, you should've kicked the guy sooner' Dean said as he wiped up the milk and then poured a new glass for Sam. 'You want me to feed you too?' he then joked.

'Shut up' Sam frowned and grabbed the cup, taking a sip.

Dean sniggered and glanced out the window as it was raining hard outside. He sighed and went back over to the TV.

'When's dad getting back?' Sam then wondered and proceeded to try and butter a sandwich.

'How should I know? Later' Dean shrugged. 'Why?'

'Cuz being stuck with you sucks' Sam replied.

'I'm not that bad' Dean said in his defense, turning away from the screen.

'Yeah. You are' Sam rolled his eyes.

'Hey, let's play a game' Dean jumped over the back of the couch.

'What?' Sam asked. 'You said games are for babies'

'They are…but not this one' he smirked. 'Just close your eyes and count to a million…if you can'

'Why? What are you gonna do?' Sam raised an eyebrow.

'Nothing, my show should be over by then' Dean smirked.

'Jerk' Sam growled and rolled his eyes again, turning back to his "sandwich".

Missouri had been talking to the doctors but as she came back into Sam's room, Bobby saw the disturbed look upon her face.
'What?' he asked nervously.

'I can sense something' she frowned. 'There's a strange presence here…it's here for Sam' Missouri went over to Sam. 'Yeah, I think it's a…reaper'
The moment Bobby heard that he jolted up from his seat and rushed to over Sam's side.

'How do we stop it?' he thought aloud since reapers weren't the type of beings that could be stopped.

Missouri reached into her pocket and pulled out a small sack. She placed it under Sam's pillow and muttered a few words of protection.

Bela was already standing there in the room as Dean reached her. He clearly had his hand tensed and prepared to grip a gun.

'Dean? What a surprise' she said, and everything about her face told her she was very confused and also a bit tense. No doubt she had a gun in reach too.

Dean didn't say anything, he just held out the picture of the amulet.

Bela's eyebrows raised in surprise the moment she saw it.

'The embedded Amulet of Amaranth?' she asked. 'This is really rare, and valuable…how did you find out about it?' she said, raising her own gun to be lined up with his.

'Doesn't matter' Dean replied. 'Sam's dying and he needs it' he snapped. 'So you either give it to me or I blow your brains out' he took his gun off safety because if Bela said the amulet was valuable…she wasn't going to be giving it up easily.

'You can't be serious?' she asked, clearly not in a charitable mood.

'You're willing to bust Sam out of jail…but not save his life? How low are you?' Dean snapped.

'Dean, this is one of my most valuable objects and I have several possible buyers lined up already, each offering well over 20 million for it' she said.

'If I have to shoot you to get it…I will' Dean told her seriously.

'I'm aware' Bela nodded, but not overly convinced. 'And if I have to shoot you to keep it…I will'

'Is that damn thing really worth dying over?' he snapped again.

'I could ask you the same thing' Bela stated. 'Look, you should know as well as anyone that I don't response well to threats or being held at gunpoint' she sighed. 'But make me a deal...'

'Yeah I get it' Dean growled. 'Look Bela' he sighed as he knew he could not outbid the buyers. 'Sam was attacked by vampires okay? He's in hospital…in a coma and it doesn't look good. A friend of ours said she can save him but we need that damn amulet'

'And?' Bela asked, not giving in.

'You're a heartless bitch, you know that?' Dean snapped. 'You care more about 20 million dollars than the life of someone that has saved your own ass a few times' he knew it was a losing battle but he was seriously considering shooting her. 'Killing you, no loss' he added.

'This is merely a replica' Bela sighed. 'I have already sold the real one' she told him.

'Liar' Dean replied, not wanting to believe that was true.

Bela shrugged. 'Then kill me' she said. 'Grab the fake and give Sam my farewells' she said and Dean was about to shoot her but instead stormed from the room. Dean got back outside to his Impala and called Sam's phone.

'Bobby' his friend answered on third ring.

'She won't give it up' Dean snapped, rubbing his face with a hand and continued chatting, unaware Bela was watching him through a window.

She pulled the amulet out of her pocket and looked at it carefully. She walked over to a desk and pulled open a drawer. She took out a photo frame and looked down at the photo of a beautiful woman, where the amulet was seen to be around her neck. Bela shoved it back away and slammed the drawer shut. She saw Dean outside and knew he really wanted to save Sam and by the looks of it…she'd crushed his last shred of hope.

Bela glanced back to the drawer for a moment and then went outside to where Dean was.

Dean watched as the front door opened and Bela approached him.

Bela stood in front of him and then grabbed his hand. She placed the amulet onto his palm and sighed.

'It was my mother's' she shrugged and glanced away.

Dean nodded but couldn't care less right now. He had what he needed to Save Sam. Dean got into the Impala quickly and started the engine. He looked over at Bela and saw she looked thoroughly pissed off at herself but also what he would describe as something similar to being concerned, but with Bela...it was a weird expression.

'Ah, thanks' he shrugged and sped off.

Bobby was standing outside the room when Dean raced back there later that night.

'Why…?' Dean asked, wondering why Bobby was outside the room, looking a bit worried. 'What happened? Is Sam okay?'

'Nah' Bobby grunted. 'She kicked me out. And Dean, a reaper's hot on Sam's trail and her little sack of whatever is running out…You got it?' Bobby asked and Dean pulled the amulet out of his jacket pocket.

'Damn right I did' he nodded and went into the room.

Missouri looked up and saw the amulet in his hands, his face turned stone cold serious again once he saw Sam as still as he'd left him.

Missouri had told Dean to wait outside while she performed the ritual.

After two hours, she came back out. She gave Dean a whack of the head though.

'What…?' he gasped in pain.

'I took as long as necessary, don't cuss at me' she glared. 'And Sam should be fine soon enough and his body will start to heal, but there are no guarantees'

'No…guarantees?' Dean replied and his hopes weakened again.

Missouri placed a hand on Dean's cheek sadly and then gave him a hug, which made him choke at first.

She released him and smiled. 'You have hope Dean' she nodded.

'I'll never give up on my brother' Dean told her.

'I know' Missouri smiled. 'He's lucky to have you' she whispered and started to walk away. 'Don't hang on too tight though' she added and Dean did not like the way she'd said that. 'Don't be strangers' she said and then was gone from sight.

'I'll in the waiting room, with coffee' Bobby said, understanding Dean needed time with his brother. It was well past visiting hours but the doctors have let them all stay on Missouri's reasoning.

Dean shut Sam's door behind him and took a seat in that chair again. He gave Sam a quick glance and then stared at the machines for a moment, frowning.

He glanced back and only then he noticed that the tube that was in Sam's mouth was gone and he seemed to be breathing on his own, that gave him a lot of hope.

'Hey Sammy, you should be awake now' he sighed, placing a hand on Sam's again. 'Bela gave up this amulet for you' he pocketed the amulet that had been resting beside Sam. 'Can you believe it?' he smirked and then cleared his throat, desperately wanting Sam to just open his eyes. 'Remember that time when you broke your arm?' he asked and sniffed, his brother wasn't waking up and was still very comatose. 'I got so worried about you but it was just a stupid broken arm' Dean rolled his eyes. 'But you remember what I told you?' Dean asked, desperately just wanting to hear something. If Sam woke up and punched him, he'd have felt awesome.

'Come on Sammy' he pleaded. 'Don't leave me' he sniffed and tried to keep calm. 'What did I tell you?' he sighed and gave up on the talking thing. Dean just sat there for a moment and sighed, staring out the window.

'If…' Sam choked out and then coughed. 'If…' he tried again and Dean looked at him, pure relief washing over him like a tidal wave.

'If someone pushes me over…I gotta get back up…and kick him in the…nads' Sam gasped out and looked weakly at Dean as his brother quickly wiped his tears away, acting as though they weren't there.

'And did you?' Dean questioned, trying to sound serious.

'No' Sam winced and tried to sit up, feeling a pain in his chest. 'What happened?' he asked.

'Ah, not sure…vampires stabbed you or something' Dean replied. 'What do you remember?'

'Ah…' Sam thought about it for a moment. 'We were in the cabin…I got dragged off and then Baron tied me to a chair and…he beat the crap outta me' he frowned. 'Then Darren came in and there was another, sharper pain in my chest…' he said and then coughed.

'Yeah, you got stabbed' Dean told him. 'Doctor said you lost a lot of blood…and something about a punctured lung and fractured rib'

'Wow' Sam sighed. 'No wonder it hurt'

'But you don't feel anything now?'

Sam paused for a moment. 'Nuh' he shook his head.

'No pain anywhere, nothing?' Dean asked again.

'No, I'm fine' Sam shrugged and Dean hit him. 'Ow!'

'How about now?' Dean frowned.

Bobby came into the room then once he'd heard Sam's yelp.

'Sam, good to see you awake' he smiled and glanced at Dean frowning, but relieved face. 'So it worked?'

'Guess so' Dean sighed.

'What worked?' Sam wondered, looking from Dean to Bobby.

'Ah Missouri was here, saved your sorry ass' Dean replied. 'Anyway ah…I'm going to find a motel. I'm wrecked' he yawned and left the room.

Sam and Bobby just watched him leave and then turned to talk.

Dean stood outside the room and breathed a sigh of relief.

'Everything's okay' he grinned and walked down the hallway, glancing at the clock in the waiting room that showed it was 9:30…

Queens, New York, 1992…

Dean watched the clock and saw it was 2:30. He sighed and went into the bedroom to find Sam looking his once-broken arm over carefully.

'You finally got that thing off?' Dean asked, referring to the cast.

'Yeah, it was itchy' Sam replied with a shrug. 'Hey Dean? Are we alright?'

'Why wouldn't we be alright?' Dean wondered, eating a packet of chips.

'I dunno' Sam gave another shrug. 'But are we?'

'Yeah bro, we're alright' Dean smirked. 'Now get your lazy ass out here' he jerked a thumb towards the other room.

'Jerk' Sam rolled his eyes and Dean left the room.

Dean turned back and watched Sam through the open door and gave a small smile.

'We're alright bro' he whispered with a slight nod.

Ever heard a saying…

'I'm not going to like this…am I?' Sam sighed in defeat.

'I thought it was just a legend?' Dean said.

What comes around

Goes around…

'There are no cracks on any footpaths' Monica jumped in. 'I can't see any ladders, no one has cats…it's just so weird. Kinda freaky if you ask me'

'You're not from around here, are you?'

But there is more to this town than just karma…

'It was yellow-eyes, Dean! I know what I saw!'

'Sam, you're drunk' Dean reminded him

'Dude, that is so fake' he rolled his eyes but then a knife flew past his ear and dug into the wall. 'What the f-' Dean jumped off his bed and shoved Sam over the side of his

In this rather friendly neighborhood…

Nothing is what it seems…

'Sam and Dean Winchester!' he grinned in excitement. 'Oh I have waited so long to finally meet you guys!' he came closer. 'But really, this was such a happy little town and you tried to ruin it…for that, I gotta kill ya'

Coming soon…