Sorry it's so short. I haven't had time this week to update anything. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Susanne

Sam was talking in his sleep. At least that's what Nick hoped was going on. The last thing the young man needed was to develop a full blown fever. Nervously, he leaned in to hear what the younger man was saying. He wasn't sure if it was just curiosity or the need to know what the two boys have seen.

Most of it was gibberish, as far as Nick could tell. But one word sent shivers down his soul. 'Azazel'. Damn. Not a name he wanted to hear associated with the Winchester brothers. Standing back with a sigh, Nick replaced the now dry cloth with a new one. Why had he let Derek leave without making sure he had some way of contacting him?

When Dean stepped into the shed he was expecting exactly that, a shed. No such luck. Once his eyes adjusted to the dark he discovered that the she was barely a shell but it hid a large hole that led into the ground. Exhaling quickly, the eldest Winchester placed a hand over his nose. Despite all his hunting experience the smell of sulphur was so thick in the air that Dean barely managed to keep from gagging. The powdery substance completely ringed the entrance.

"Yeah, that would be it," Dean breathed. Derek was leading the way. The older man didn't seem to be affected at all by the aroma. Well, smell was one of the first senses to go, right?

"I'm not that old, Mr. Winchester," Derek said over his shoulder as he turned a flashlight on and made to climb into the hole.

"Whoa," Dean muttered under his breath. Then he added in a louder voice, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Inside, we need to make sure there aren't any other exits before we seal this one," Derek stated matter of factly. He hoisted his backpack into place and made sure it was properly strapped before he lowered himself to his knees. The entrance wasn't big enough for them to walk. They were going to have to crawl.

"You've got to be kidding," Dean muttered as he watched the older man disappear into the hole. Grumbling under his breath, he thumbed the switch on his own flashlight and crouched. "This is nuts."

"How is he doing?" Bob asked. The military man had become concerned by Nick's continued absence. With a determination he'd had to rely on more in his life than he'd like, Bob had struggled his way up the stairs. Breathing heavily, the taller man leaned against the door jamb while he waited for the pain in his knee and shoulder to subside.

"He's better now that Derek's cleaned the gashes properly but he's not still completely out of the woods," Nick replied. He'd moved a wooden chair beside Sam so that he could try to hear anything else the insensate young man might say about the demon. The last thing Nick needed was for the military man to hear what Sam was saying. His words were a little clearer, at least to him.

"How are you doing?" Nick asked, trying to distract the taller man. Beside him, Sam shifted under the blankets and moaned quietly. His face was screwed up in pain or fear, it was hard to tell. Nick was suddenly struck again by just how young the man looked while he was sleeping. Nick felt old. He shifted his own leg to a more comfortable position.

A self-deprecating grin spread over the tall man's face as he ducked his head. "I'll live," Bob said quietly. He hated being injured and feeling as weak as he did. He wanted to be out there with the rest of his team finding the senator and getting rid of the demons that were plaguing the area. Demons, did he really just think that?

"There's another bed in the room down the hall. Why don't you go lay down. Unfortunately there isn't anything for us to do right now," Nick suggested as he replaced the cloth on Sam's forehead again. It was really all he could do for the man. Derek was the real medic when it came to the supernatural. There were always complications when it came to venom and other excretions.

"I don't really feel much like sleeping right now," Bob admitted. He could hear the younger man speaking under his breath but it didn't really make any sense to him. But then, not a lot of this did.

"The kitchen is fully stocked. How good are you at cooking?" Nick asked. He wasn't really hungry but they needed to keep their strength up. He wasn't sure when the last time he'd had a complete meal had been. Now seemed as good a time as any provided Bob could cook. Nick hoped so. He really didn't like his own mediocre abilities.

"Sure," Bob replied, not really sure he could. He was willing to try anything once. "Anything in particular you'd like?"

"Surprise me." Sam was getting louder. Nick just wanted the other man gone for the moment.

"Now I know what a gopher feels like," Dean groused. It felt like it had been hours since they'd climbed down the hole. In all actuality, it was more like an hour, hour and a half, tops. The demons were nowhere to be found. That fact concerned Dean. If they weren't here, where were they?

"If it makes you feel any better, Dean. The tunnel is widening up ahead," Derek said back quietly over his shoulder. The older man's knees and hands were sore from all the crawling. He was just as eager as Dean to have this all over. He wanted to check on the injured at the cabin and make sure that everyone in the area was safe.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Dean responded as he continued to shuffle forward. If the tunnel was getting larger that could mean that they were coming to a junction, not a good thing, or a cave, also not a good thing. Personally, Dean hoped for a cave. They could trap the demons inside the cave but first they'd have to make sure there were no more accesses. Not a thrilling thought. Somehow Dean figured the little creatures wouldn't be too welcoming.

"Neither right now," Derek called back. The sulphur smell was getting worse, if that was possible. The closer they got to the cave the warmer it was getting. If this wasn't a doorway to hell, Derek wasn't sure what else it could be.

The San Francisco Precept inched his way forward, his flashlight turned off. He didn't want to disturb the demons any more than necessary. It was still daylight above so they should be sleeping. Should be. He could feel the younger man's impatience burning at his back. Dean wanted to get back to his brother but first they had to deal with this.

Beyond the darkness in front of Derek's face he began to sense more depth and shades. There was a light source nearby. It wasn't very bright but it was enough that he was beginning to see the outline of the tunnel entrance. They were coming up on a cave. Derek could feel the sense of space just a few feet ahead. He didn't want to risk making any more noise than they all ready were so he chose to continue forward until he was just inside the entrance and could get a better appreciation of what they faced.

Damn, he thought as Derek took in the vaulted ceiling and football field sized room. There were thousands of the creatures sleeping on the ground, curled up like cats. The mere sight of it sent a shiver down his spine. Steeling himself, Derek took a deep breath and slipped out the hole. They were going to get this done or die trying.