Disclaimer: I do not own anything Supernaturally related.

Dean heard Sam walk out the door and his eyes flew open as his heart began to thud painfully in his chest. God, since when had he become so clingy and co-dependent? He spent the majority of the past few years alone, either holding down the fort until his father returned or going out on a few solo hunts John thought he'd be able to handle without backup.

He had been left on his own for weeks at a time, using credit card scams, poker, and pool to keep himself afloat while he waited for John's call saying he was on his way back to the motel.

That's how things had been since Sammy left for college. That's what Dean had gotten used to, until that one fateful day when John's call never came. Dean waited a few extra days, made some phone calls of his own to hunters he knew were in the area and who might have knowledge of John's whereabouts… but there was nothing. John had simply vanished, and he left Dean behind. Worse than that, his abandonment had been intentional if the journal was anything to go by.

Dean was pulled from his thoughts when the door creaked back open again. He quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep, once he saw that it really was just Sam and not a potential threat. But he didn't quite close his eyes fast enough.

"Dean? Come on, man. I know you're awake. I saw you watchin' the door."

Dean didn't move, hoping his brother would get the hint and just leave him alone. He was working on getting his breathing back under control when a hand rested on his shoulder and made him jump. Crap! How had Sam made it across the room so quietly? Pain in the ass…

"Dean? You alright?" There was that damn concern again…

"Jesus, Sammy… Don't sneak up on a guy like that. Especially not a hunter! That's a good way to get yourself killed!"

"No offense, man, but I'm pretty sure I could take you right now."

"In your dreams…"

Though Sam had only meant the comment as a joke, it stung a bit when Dean realized that his brother was probably right. Dean was supposed to be the big protector, but he couldn't even do that right lately.

He had dragged Sam back into a life that the kid hated because Dean was too afraid to look for his father alone, he wasn't in time to save Jessica, he hadn't been able to find John yet, and he recently put a handful of lives in danger thanks to his lack of concentration and sleep.

His father would be so ashamed.

Dean broke out into a cold sweat, shivering and trying to curl up and hide from his own criticizing mind. His heart was still hammering in his chest and it was starting to hurt. He clenched his fingers into the comforter, desperate to regain control.

"Dean? Hey. Calm down, bro. You're gonna hyperventilate." Sam placed the back of his hand against Dean's forehead, feeling the heat coming off of his skin as well as the clamminess just above his brow. "Damn it…"

Sam strode into the bathroom again to rewet the facecloth, then returned to his brother's side. He folded the cloth, then held it against the back of Dean's neck.

"You really look like shit, Dean."

"B-bite me."

Sam sighed. He had a plan, but it wasn't a very good one. He needed to get Dean talking but he still had no idea what the topic was that needed to be discussed. Piece of cake… So he had to call Dean's bluff and hope to hell he folded.

"Look, Dean… Bobby told me what was goin' on with you."

Panic flashed through Dean's fevered eyes as they shot over to his little brother's, wondering if he had accidentally let something slip while talking to the older hunter. He replayed the conversation in his head, then quickly schooled his features.

"N-no he d-didn't, Sammy. I didn't t-tell him anyth-thin'."

"Oh no? He seems to think you're makin' yourself sick. Not on purpose," he hurried on when Dean glared at him, "but because you're bottlin' up too much and your body can't take the stress."

Though Dean's shivering eased off as his temperature evened out once again, his grip on the comforter tightened and his jaw clenched. He wanted to say something snarky about never having complaints from the ladies as far as his body was concerned, but he was afraid to open his mouth again, knowing how high his fever must be now. He didn't want to risk letting something slip.

Sam pressed on, hoping the fever would help loosen Dean's tongue. "Is it cause you're worried about dad? And what don't I know? Why're you keepin' things from me, man?"

Dean squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out his brother's presence and words. If he had the strength to block his ears and scream "la la la la la!" at the top of his lungs, he would have.

Sam knew he could take a jackhammer to Dean's mental wall for days without putting a chip in it, so he moved on to his last resort with a heavy heart and a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Fine, Dean. You want to lay here and get sick enough to die, I can't stop you. But I'm not gonna sit around and watch it happen either. Keep your secrets if they mean so much to you, but I'm leavin'."

TBC

Spoiler: The big chick flick moment of truth is coming up in the next chapter! So stay tuned, and please review!