Supernatural does not belong to me, although I wish it did. I am simply playing in Kirpke's sandbox for a bit. All rights and ownership are the property of Kripke and the CW network. I am not making any money from this; it is for my own personal pleasure.

Synopsis: Set at the start of Season One, Dean had been in a wheelchair since his father disappeared more than a year ago and he finally has to tell Sam… There'd been an accident that night and Dean had paid a very high price….one he still doesn't understand. The story will have some hunts from season one and possibly into season two…the brothers will continue their search for their father…there will be alterations to the hunts to accommodate Dean's new situation. I have every intention of returning Dean to good health before this ends…but getting there is going to be bumpy.

Please keep in mind that I do not have a Beta, so any and all grammatical errors are my own. Not Slash. Brotherly love and Angst only…

Please Review: They make me feel guilty and write faster...although this week does not reflect that due to 'life' getting in the way... Thank you to any 'guest reviewers' since I can't PM you guys.

Chapter 14

The Hunt for the Colt begins

Dean was sitting in his chair staring at the sunset…it was beautiful. Golden light filtering through wispy white clouds and soft purple rays were sifting into the setting sun. He shifted in his chair as he looked out at the light, his mind filtering through what he had learned over the last few weeks. Thoughts of Sam and their father fighting for his attention as he tried to put what they had learned into perspective; the addition of Bobby to their fight would hopefully give them an advantage, but who knew. For the past year all he could think about was trying to deal with this disability and how he could try and fix it…now…he just wanted 'them' to be okay…him and Sam…and maybe even their father if they could find him. A part of Dean desperately wanted to feel the Impala rumble beneath him and…god…did he want to walk up to Sam and give him a hug from a standing position… Dean didn't want to feel like an imposition whenever he went anywhere…and most of all he wanted to be normal again. He wanted to walk into a bar and hit on a pretty girl and not wonder if she was only talking to him because she felt sorry. And…if he was really honest with himself…he wondered if that was why Sam was staying…with him. Because he felt sorry for Dean…

Dean was so drawn into his own thoughts that he didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching…not until a hand rested gently on his shoulder. His initial reaction was to jump, but without the response of his leg muscles all he could manage was a slight shift above his hips. Every time this happened it simply reminded him that he was indeed handicapped and that really just…sucked. He finally glanced over and was surprised to see Bobby looking off into the distance with him. "You okay kid?" he asked softly.

Dean inhaled deeply and then reached down and turned his chair so that he was looking in the older hunter's direction. "No…not really…I mean…I don't know…I'm worried."

Bobby nodded. "About which part?" He asked as he stared at Dean quietly.

Dean chuckled without a trace of humor in the action. "Which part?... Seriously Bobby…? All of it…everything! I don't know what to think about this entire thing. What's gonna happen to Sam? He's not evil Bobby…and he's not ever gonna turn evil…" Dean finished strongly; his sparking green eyes watching Bobby carefully, almost like he was daring the older hunter to disagree with him.

"You really think I doubt that Dean?" He said steadily as he turned and looked pointedly at the worried man in the wheelchair. It bothered him that Dean thought that he might be concerned about where Sam's heart truly resided…that maybe he thought Sam was a bad guy…just waiting to get out…and that maybe the youngest Winchester would become some sort of evil incarnation of himself…and Bobby wasn't worried about that…not at all. He knew that Sam was a good man with more of a conscience than most of the priests and ministers that he had met over his many years as a hunter.

Dean eyed him and then nodded when he didn't see any further evidence that the other hunter thought his baby brother was one of the bad guys. Dean would do anything to ensure that Sam was taken care of and that included taking him away from here if he thought for a second that his little brother was being profiled. Luckily the other hunter seemed to understand that just because this dick demon thought that they could turn Sam…didn't mean that they would succeed. Dean would lay odds every time that Sammy was stronger than whatever they could throw at him. There was still a small part of him that wondered just what their father had had to do with the demon in the first place. And he still wanted that information, but not at the expense of Sam's sanity…that just wasn't' worth it in his opinion. Hell, as much as he wanted to walk again, if it meant putting Sam in danger then it simply wasn't worth the risk. He looked down at his legs, they were leaned against the left side of the chair, his feet settled on the metal plates and twisted slightly to the inside. He narrowed his eyes at the thin useless limbs…and then turned his attention elsewhere. This wasn't something that he could change right now…and it might simply be a part of his future…but now there was a part of him that hoped and prayed that Sammy would be too…and if he could have that…then he could live with this.

XXXX

Sam woke up to a quiet house. He hadn't realized just how tired he was…his eyes were slightly blurry and he slowly pulled himself into a seated position on the couch. "Dean?" He called out…his only answer the silence of the house and a slight squeak from the floor as he shifted. He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and running his hands through his too long hair as he took a moment before pulling himself tiredly to his feet. He still had a slight headache from the nightmare vision that he'd had the night before. He couldn't erase the image of Dean on the floor of that warehouse and he couldn't forget the cries of pain as the demons had torn his brother to shreds and he had been helpless to stop it. Sam now understood that there was an agenda here…he and Dean were part of something so much bigger than themselves and they needed to slow down and do some research.

And yet they also needed to find these witches so that they could fix Dean. Sam knew that their father had somehow put Dean in this position and that unless they were able to fix that…there was a good chance that whatever the man had set into motion…would kill Dean. The idea of losing Dean to something like that demon…well…it simply was not going to happen on Sam's watch. He was not losing his brother…sure they'd had their disagreements before, but the simple fact that Dean hadn't thought that he could call Sam when all this crap had happened…that needed to be fixed. His brother needed to know that he could contact Sam about anything and that Sam would expect him to. He walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, he had just about down the whole bottle when new levels of pain sliced through his skull and sent him to his knees. The water bottle forgotten and slipping from his lax fingers only to spill the remainder of its contents all over the floor of Bobby's kitchen.

Sam was walking next to Dean, he was rolling along in his chair and he was talking animatedly about something…but Sam was having a hard time understanding him. He was looking at the area, they were headed down a long stretch of highway and there were no cars anywhere in sight. It was just the black highway and them…the Impala wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Sam? Are you even listening to me?" Dean complained from his left. His brother smacking him in the leg with his fist, to ensure that he got his little brother's full attention.

"Ouch…yes Dean, I'm listening." He lied quickly. Sam tried to remember what his older brother had been talking about…but he was drawing a complete blank…he soooo had not been listening.

Dean huffed and then continued with his commentary. "So this guy Elkins has a gun that can kill demons…or so Bobby thought." They slowed as a driveway appeared from nowhere…it was well hidden in the trees and they would have definitely missed it in the Impala. Which was what Dean had been worried about, so they had hidden the car about a half mile back, Sam had been worried about Dean and his chair. But his stubborn older brother had said that he was 'just fine, thank-you-very-much, and that if Sam could make it walking then he could totally make it rolling.'

Dean rolled along the paved road; Sam was walking just slightly behind him, reading a text message from the older hunter. Bobby had told them that if they could find this Elkin's guy, then they stood a decent chance of getting out of whatever crap their father had gotten them into. The gun would go a long ways toward keeping the demons off their tail. Plus, they could start searching for the witches for real at that point. The only thing that the older Winchester knew so far was that they were not 'allowed' to go to Chicago. So instead they had taken off for Colorado with the understanding that this guy could help them. But as they approached the small cabin-like home, he began to wonder just how good this idea had been, it was currently dark with nothing to indicate that there was anyone living there at this point. He glanced over at Sam and was surprised to see Sam paying close attention to the darkened windows and the slightly ajar front door.

Sam glanced at Dean and realized instantly that his brother couldn't maneuver up the stairs, there was no ramp and he knew his independent brother wasn't going to allow Sam to carry him up those steps. "Dean, wait here." Sam whispered without waiting for a response and quietly ascended the stairs.

"Sam….no." Dean whispered back loudly. But he wasn't quick enough to grab his brother's jacket before he was out of Dean's arm reach. "Shit." Dean said as he moved so he could see a little better.

Sam slipped inside the house and looked at the damage that had been done; it was obvious that there had been a struggle here. The desk was over turned and there were papers thrown around the room, almost as though someone was looking for something that they hadn't found. He threaded his way through the dark room and finally found an open safe in the floor boards. Whatever had been there…it was long gone now. Chances were good that it was the pistol that they had come here to retrieve.

Dean watched Sam's shadow move from room to room, the hair on the back of his neck stood up and he heard a rustle of leaves behind him before he felt an arm slip around his neck and his air was suddenly being cut off. He struggled with the person that was currently trying to strangle him, his legs flipping this way and that as he tried desperately to shift his weight and get the upper hand. Finally he felt his vision start to blacken from lack of oxygen and he was pulled from his chair and tossed to the ground. As he looked at the fading image he was able to gasp out one word before the world crashed into darkness… "Dad?"

XXXX

Sam was leaning heavily against the door of the refrigerator, his knees sore from hitting the ground and then staying in that awkward position for far longer than was healthy. White hot pain was slashing through his head as he tried to control the rolling nausea that was threatening to climb his throat and make an unscheduled appearance on Bobby's floor. Sam's hands were clutched into his hair as he heard the door squeak open and the now familiar sound of rubber that reflected the tires of Dean's wheelchair as his brother rolled through the porch and into the kitchen. Sam made an effort to rise from the floor, but his head and the rumble of his stomach made that a bad idea.

"Sam!" Dean said, his surprise masked by the concern that colored his voice as he rolled to a stop next to Sam, gently placing his hands on his brother's broad back. "Sammy?! What happened…you okay?" Dean asked through the strain of his worry as he looked at the pale visage of Sam and the pain that was obviously pasted on his little brother's face.

Sam gulped in air and cast his face in his older brother's direction as he looked to Dean with blood shot eyes, shaking his head and holding up a hand, asking silently for a moment. He turned form his brother so that he could collect his thoughts and try and think around the pounding percussions going on inside his head. "Vision…" Sam managed as he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled slightly as he covered the few steps to the kitchen table, slowly sinking into one of the sturdy chairs. Dean rolled immediately to his side and leaned down a bit so that he was looking Sam directly in the eyes.

"Another vision?...what was it this time Sam?" he asked quietly. His green eyes were wide and worried as he waited for Sam's answer. Dean was dreading just what the hell Sam would have seen this time. By now he had come to the conclusion that his little brother's visions seemed to involve him and that they were also revealing parts of the past that Dean had no desire for Sam to know. He hope that this wasn't one of those visions… But there was another part of him that wanted to know just what the hell was happening with Sam…because the whole vision thing…well it was freaking the shit out of him.

"Dad…Dean I saw dad." Sam mumbled. His own blue-green gaze crashing into Dean's worried expression. He watched as his older brother's whole physical reaction changed instantly. He stiffened and then looked at the floor before hauling his gaze back to Sam's and nodding slightly.

"Okay…was it bad? Like last time?" Dean's eyes were narrowed and he was looking pointedly into Sam's own gaze. He was looking for anything that might help him decipher what exactly Sam was seeing and why.

Sam shook his head carefully. "Not as bad…really…I mean he kinda knocked you out. But I didn't see anything else." Sam wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that…their father had chocked Dean out…damn-it he and John were having one hell of a discussion about this shitty treatment of the middle Winchester. Sam wondered how many times a person could be knocked out before there was permanent damage.

Dean raised his eyebrows at that. "Where were we? And why were we there?" His voice was shallow and raspy as he asked his brother about the dream. He knew that it hurt Sam to recount those vision-dreams, but he couldn't help his little brother if he didn't have all the facts. And right now…he had no facts.

Sam took a deep breath before continuing. "We were in Colorado, looking for a guy named Elkins, and a gun that can kill demons…some kind of Colt." Dean's expression took on a surprised look at he took that in…a gun that could kill demons. Yeah, that would be pretty damn useful at this point. He thought.

"Wait…a gun that can kill demons? Like send them back to hell…kill them?" Dean asked quickly. His eyes were wide and confused as he tried to understand just what it was that Sam was saying.

"Yes." Sam answered through the pain clenched teeth and the hands that were currently resting against his closed eyes.

"That's kinda big…Sam." Dean said quietly. He looked away as he wondered if that meant that they could undo whatever their father had done. Or was there a chance that dad had been possessed when all that stuff had gone down between me and dad…? He wondered silently.

Sam snorted and immediately regretted the action. The pain shot through his head like a stampede of cattle and he groaned as he felt the bile flutter up his throat. He clamped a hand over his mouth and surged to his feet, sprinting for the bathroom with a worried Dean following as quickly as his wheels could turn. "Sammy?!" he called as he heard his brother slam the door of the bathroom and the immediate sounds of retching that came from the other side. "Sam…you okay?" Dean called through the wooden door. He leaned forward and rested his head against the cool dark wood and closed his eyes as he listened to his brother empty the contents of his stomach. This had to stop…Sam couldn't keep going like this, whatever was causing these dreams needed to be dealt with…and soon. They couldn't keep having their lives messed with by the supernatural…well not to this extent. He supposed that it was different when they were the hunters…but right now…he felt more like the hunted.

TBC…

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to get out, life really got in the way this week. I will have the next chapter out ASAP, and it will have the boys back on the road as they search for Elkins, their father, and the colt.

Please Review: It's like leaving breadcrumbs for my muse…she loves them.