Firstly a huge apology for the enormous delay in updating anything in ages but I have been ill and the muse just wasn't in the mood to let me write. Better now but still not 100% so I will be updating but there will be delays - so thank you for bearing with me until I get my act together again.

Mary x

Bobby came out to help the minute the car pulled up outside the house. Sam shot him a grateful smile and eased open the passenger door, hand reaching out to steady his brother as he came with it. Dean was still out cold, his breathing was shallow and uneven and Sam was still in two minds whether or not he should be tripping to the hospital with him instead of pulling him out and taking him indoors.

"Where's Lisa?," he asked as he gently roused his brother, frowning as Dean took just that little bit too long to open his eyes and then promptly shut them again. Sighing Sam started to ease Dean out from the car glad that his brother appeared to at least be making some effort to help although his head stayed down.

"She's inside with Ben, trying to settle him." The older hunter's eyes shifted to the sheets in the rear of the car. "Rufus?," he asked needlessly.

A shake of the head was all Sam could manage.

"Stupid old son of a bitch. What happened to him?" Bobby took Dean's weight as Sam closed the passenger door.

"I killed him," Dean slurred out.

"Sure it ain't as simple as that." Bobby exchanged a look with Sam and then helped Dean off the car so that Sam could get in to get a grip too. "Let's get you indoors, see to you." Sam took Dean's other shoulder and together the two men walked him into the house.

Lisa was coming down the stairs when they entered the front hall. Her hand flew to her mouth, concern flooding her face as they brought Dean in and laid him out gently on the couch. Lisa's worry spiked Sam's own. His elder brother was still too quiet and compliant for his sibling's liking, just falling down onto the couch with a soft groan but never fully opening his eyes.

Bobby touched Sam's shoulder. "I'll see to Rufus, you tend to your brother." He turned to Lisa. "Your garage empty?" She nodded. "Good. I need the keys."

Lisa walked over to the hall table and lifted a small set of keys from a bowl there. "Should I ask?," she said as she put them into the old hunter's hand.

"Rufus didn't make it." Bobby turned at that and went to see to his old friend's corpse not waiting for her to reply.

"Gerroffme," Dean moaned as Sam worked his t-shirt free and then brought his hand down to the wound on Dean's side. He tried to push Sam's hands away. " 's fine, just a scratch." He peeled his head off the cushion and cracked an eye open though when Sam prodded at the cut again. "Jesus Sammy, go easy would you."

"Sorry, and it's not a scratch. I'm not even sure that it should be me that's stitching it and not some doctor at the local ER." He looked away from his brother's scowl. "I'm gonna stitch it," he continued with a huff and a familiar eye roll that almost made Dean smile a little on the inside, "didn't say I wouldn't, said I shouldn't. You want anything before I start?"

"No." Dean let his head nestle back into the cushion and then blinked both eyes opened as he felt the touch of Lisa's hand on his head. "Not as bad as it looks," he managed out before Sam started to clean the wound wiping away his ability to speak with each pass of the cloth. "Shit." He ground the word out and closed his eyes again.

"I'm sorry." Both Sam and Lisa echoed the sentiment exchanging a look, the latter settling in at Dean's head, her hand gently carding through his hair as he lay there. Silently she watched Sam work, wondering how many times before he'd done this, his movements so sure and precise. Automatic. Like it was the most natural thing in the world to be sitting at your brother's side stitching knife wounds. It hit her then, made her kick herself for being so slow. This was their normal. Fighting evil. Getting hurt. Getting patched up. Rinse and repeat. Dean wasn't even making a noise anymore, just the odd tick in his face, as Sam's skilfully sowed his side and then moved onto his arm. Lisa knew that he was awake, could tell by his breathing but he just lay there quietly and let Sam patch him up. "He's a little warm," she offered to Sam as her hand moved down to wipe the little teardrops of sweat from his brow.

"The wound on his arm's a little swollen, might be an infection. There's antibiotics in my car, my kit's in the trunk. Could you get them and we can see if we can get him to take them?" Sam flicked his eyes briefly up to her, smiling and then dropped them down to his task again.

"Sure." Lisa gave Dean a gentle kiss on the head and then went to fetch Sam's bag.

"Him is right here you know," Dean snarked and opened an eye.

"So how bad is it really?," Sam asked as he heard the front door close. "Scale of one to ten."

"Fifteen." Dean groaned out. "Shoulder hurts like a bitch." He opened his eyes and Sam frowned at the glassy look in them. Feverish Dean was not the most manageable nor his favourite version of his big brother.

"Lisa's gone to get my kit, there's painkillers in there too." Sam finished his task and sat back.

"The good stuff?," Dean enquired.

Sam nodded.

"Shit messes with my head," the elder brother complained, raising his good arm and resting it across his eyes, blowing a gentle breath out as he did.

"Infection's probably gonna do that first anyway." Sam reached for the thermometer. "Open."

His brother obeyed and they both sat quietly until it beeped.

"100," Sam frowned at the piece of plastic in his hand as he spoke. "Need to keep an eye on it."

"Great."

Dean let his eyes drift close but opened them again as Sam nudged his good side. "No sleeping until you get the pills in you."

It was his turn to do the eye roll, "yeah, mom. Whatever."

Lisa appeared back with the first aid kit from Sam's car and he routed around in it finding the meds he needed as she fetched a glass of water from the kitchen. Dean scowled as they both hovered over him but he accepted Sam's help to gingerly ease himself into a sitting position and take the offered pills. He scowled more as they went to take an arm each and pull him to his feet. "I'm fine here."

"Nope." It was Lisa this time. "You are going upstairs and you are going to rest." She held up a hand before the expected complaint came. "I could use some down time too, you can keep me company."

Sam barked a little laugh at the skilful manoeuvre and at his brother's face which got him a look that sobered him instantly. "You're beat man, admit it and go and lie down," he offered. "Bobby and I have got this for now. Rufus ain't going anywhere. We can see to him when you've got some rest." He moved closer, lowered his voice. "Lisa seems a little shook up, she could do with having you beside her for a bit."

Press ganged from both sides Dean sighed. "Yeah. Okay. I can manage the bedroom on my own though and I want to check on Ben first." He pulled free and used his good arm for support as he climbed the stairs slowly and stiffly, drawing matching unseen looks of worry on his brother's and his girl's faces. "I've got him." Lisa turned and hugged Sam. "Thank you for coming back. Without you god knows what more she might have done to him. To us. Go help Bobby and then come up and get some rest yourself, you and Bobby. You both must be tired." She stepped back and wiped at her face, eyes glistening a little as she did. "It's been a long day. For all of us."

Sam watched as she climbed the stairs after Dean and then he headed out to the garage.

Dean was sitting on their bed when Lisa got upstairs.

"How's Ben?," she asked even though she'd popped her head in to check before she'd come looking for Dean. Lisa knelt down as she asked and started to loosen his boots.

"Sleeping."

"That's good." She looked at the blood soaked jeans he was wearing. "So how are we getting these off?"

"Slowly." Dean loosened the belt and the zipper and eased the fabric carefully away from his skin, hissing as it pulled on it and in turn on his stitches. Lisa rested her hand on the bandage that Sam had applied over the cut and gently peeled the rest off before working them down his legs and free. She repeated the process with his underwear and then fetched a towel and a damp cloth from the bathroom as he lay back against the pillows. Tucking the towel against his side she wiped the blood away from his hip and thigh and then dried him, fetching a clean pair of boxers and helping him into them. Dean gripped her hand as she went to stand pulling her to him and brushing her lips with his. "Thanks." He deepened the touch to a sweet, tender kiss and then let her go, lifting his hand to brush the hair back from her face. "Are you sure you're okay? She didn't hurt you did she?"

Lisa smiled and kissed him back. "A few cuts and bruises. Nothing I can't handle. It wasn't Ben and I she wanted Dean. What you did…..it was so stupid." She dropped her gaze and ran her fingers round the bandages on his wrists.

"Like you said, it wasn't you she wanted," he relaxed into the pillows, closed his eyes. "Didn't you say something about joining me here?" A little smile played on his lips.

"You, are injured," she chided him, slipping out of her overshirt and jeans as she did and sliding in beside him in her underwear and t-shirt.

"Rain check," he muttered, breathing deepening already.

"Rain check." Lisa snuggled in against him and rested her arm lightly over his chest. Then she closed her eyes too.

Sam cleaned the Impala's back seat while Bobby cleaned and attended to both Rufus and the poor girl that Meg had worn. When they had finished they moved the cars around, backing Bobby's van into the driveway and gently resting the two corpses in the rear. They brought the Impala in to rest against the van and parked Lisa's car across the drive. Sam looked at the car he'd stolen and sighed. "Better go ditch this somewhere, just in case a cop goes by and the Winchester luck raises it's damn ugly head again." He started forward but Bobby's hand to his shoulder stopped him.

"You've had a long day, go rest, I can get rid of this and then I can come back and catch a few Zs on the couch."

Sam was too tired to protest, the length and stress of the day finally getting the chance to catch up with him. He stood until Bobby pulled away from the kerb and then he turned towards the house, thankful that he had some place to rest his head. Still he paused on the stoop and then circled to Bobby's van, finding the item that he needed. Sam walked back to the door and stepped inside, laying the salt lines just the way his brother had taught him years before, ensuring that every door and window was done that he could find. He paused outside the room that his brother and Lisa were sleeping in, drawn between not wanting to disturb them and making sure that they were all safe. Caution won and he stepped in quietly, pausing slightly to take in the peaceful scene of his brother and Lisa resting on the bed, the 'what ifs' of him and Jessica briefly surfacing as he did. Shaking them off he headed to the window and poured a generous amount of salt along the sill.

"What you doing?" Dean's quiet voice made him turn.

"Just locking up for the night."

Dean smiled at the words he used to use to his brother when Sam was little and had watched him do the salt lines. "You do Ben's too?"

"Door as well, nothing's getting near him again tonight." Sam walked over and placed his hand on Dean's shoulder. "Get some rest."

"You gonna take your own advice?"

"Bed's calling as I stand here."

"Better not keep it waiting." Lisa shifted beside Dean and Sam watched as his brother unconsciously dipped his head and kissed hers, waiting until she had settled down again before he lay back with a sigh. "Night Sam," he muttered gently as he relaxed back.

"Night Dean." Sam was almost at the door when Dean spoke again.

"Where do we go from here?" Dean had turned to face him his fingers absently stroking the skin of Lisa's arm that was still draped over his chest. Green eyes watched intently as Sam hesitated, searching for an answer.

"We'll figure it out Dean. That's what we do isn't it?"

His brother gave him a little half grin. "Yeah. I suppose it is."

Dean lay there for a while and smiled wryly as the thought hit him. He was back at the damned crossroads again. Same deal, same choice. Give up his life to keep his brother or let him go. He looked down at Lisa and sighed. This time he had no idea if he could do either.

TBC