"You need a bath, sir." Ellis touched her nose to Dean's playfully.

He smiled, full of cheek and it was breathtakingly adorable. "You gonna help me?"

"Maaaaaybe. Don't you want Sam to?"

"Yeah. Hot chick or my brother. Super hard decision."

She laughed. "You're feeling better." He still looked so pale, the freckles stark against his nose, and a little more gaunt than usual, the planes if his face just a little sharper than when he had his weight on.

He gave a weak smile.

Ellis ruffled his hair and he leaned into it, eyes closed. "Who am I fooling? You're still feeling like crap but you can't help your mouth making promises that body can't keep."

"My body can do everything just fine," he grumped.

"Of course," she said, checking his bandage. "Except like walk and eat and bathe yourself alone."

"Technicalities." He mumbled.

"How is the pain?"

He cleared his throat, winced with the movement. "Not so bad right now. Sore though."

"Where?"

"Every freakin where."

She looked at him appraisingly. "How much do you remember the last few days?"

Dean's brow furrowed. "All of it?"

"That's unlikely."

One brow remained raised. "I remember getting shot and Sam takin me here. And..." his eyes lost focus for a moment as he tried to recollect what had happened. "You diggin the bullet out." He winced. "So not fucking cool, by the way."

"I'm sorry." Ellis smoothed the bedsheet.

"You barbarians never heard of whiskey."

"Too dangerous to give you at that point, hun."

He furrowed his brow. "...wait." he focused on a point behind Ellis, then drew his gaze to her face, green eyes searching. "Was...Bobby here?"

"Yes, he was."

"Where'd he go?"

"Back home once he knew you weren't going to die on us."

There was a hush where he seemed to be processing something. He started to speak and then reined it in and his mouth opened silently for a second before he closed it.

"What?" Ellis cocked her head.

Dean gave a crooked half grin to cover his embarrassment and dropped his eyes. "Nothing."

"It's not nothing."

"Almost asked if Dad was here. Kept thinking I saw him." He looked at her, his eyes sweeping her features. "Did Sam tell you? Do you know?"

She bit her lower lip, keeping her voice steady. "I know."

Dean gave a mirthless almost chuckle. "Sucks. Kept waking up thinkin' he was here."

She nodded, her hair over one shoulder. "You had a very high fever. Dangerously high."

Dean blinked.

Ellis pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "Still feel a bit warm but nothing like you were."

She sat down on the edge of the bed, propped another pillow behind Dean so he was able to sit up a little further. He winced.

"Do you remember any of the spell?"

"Spell?" Dean looked genuinely surprised. "You used a spell on me?"

"Nevermind."

Dean gave her a rakish grin. "Was it a porn cure? Did you have to get me naked and oiled?"

She laughed despite herself and shook her head.

"Fine." he quipped. "Go ahead and save those for Sam. See if I care."

She batted him fondly on the shoulder, then stared straight ahead for a minute, stifling tears.

Dean face grew concerned. "What? What'd I say?"

She shook her head.

Her tears had completely taken the wind out of his sails. He looked guilty. "It's dad, isn't it?"

She dashed the tears away with the heel of her hand and nodded.

Dean's face closed off. "Yeah." He shifted to try to get up and winced, completely stuck.

Ellis turned and threw her arms around him. Dean raised an eyebrow and sat where he was. After a second he put his arm around her and nosed her hair.

"I... I loved him, Dean." She breathed into his collar bone.

"Yeah." He said into the top of her head.

She laughed into his chest suddenly. "God, you're as eloquent as he was."

There was a long pause and then Dean replied, "Yeah."

Ellis looked at the young man lying on the couch. She wondered if he'd made it there himself. Some of his color had returned. His short hair was tousled, a little more disheveled than when he usually styled it. His spatter in of freckles across his nose was just barely visible in the light along with his high cheekbones and the line of his jaw.

He looked up at her through his long dark lashes, blinking lazily.

"Do you have any clue how handsome you are?" She asked.

His lips reflexively twitched into an almost smile at the compliment. "I'm awesome."

She leaned over and kissed his hairline. "Yes. Yes. You are, sweetheart."

"What's a guy gotta do to be called baby?"

"Get shot in the stomach."

Dean snorted. "Yeah. Fuck that. Nevermind. Hey Sammy...Ellis thinks I'm handsome."

There was a huff from the corner of the room where Sam was hunched over his laptop. "Tell her I'm sorry about her terrible taste in men."

"You're just jealous because I'm the hot one and you know it."

Sam let the gibe roll off his shoulders in a way a girl never would have. "Well I can walk to the bathroom by myself. I win."

Dean scowled at him. "Shut up, Sam."

"Don't make enemies of me or I will never escort you to the toilet again." He replied without looking up.

Dean frowned. "Hey...That's...blackmail...or something."

Ellis snorted, shook her head at the exchange. "Honey, can you eat something for me?"

Dean nodded. "I'm friggin hungry."

She ruffled his hair and left him alone with Sam.

Dean was only quiet for a minute before boredom prompted him to pester his brother. "What are you doing."

"Research."

He perked up a little. "A case?"

"No." Sam said, sparing him a glance. "On keeping your wound cared for. There's a lot of information about it."

Dean shifted. "I gotta take a piss."

Sam flipped the laptop shut and walked over to offer Dean his arm. Dean took it with ill grace and dragged himself up with a grunt. It left him breathless. "This friggin sucks."

Sam helped steady him and Dean batted at the offending hand. "Get off. M fine."

"Dean, you're not fine which is why I'm helping you out here in the first place. So do us both a favor and cooperate."

An expression crossed Dean's features that said that he didn't like that logic at all.

Sam saw it and gave a huff and a shake of his head as he swung Dean's arm over his shoulder. Dean yanked the arm away after a few steps. "Dude. Give it a rest."

Sam threw his arms up. "Fine. Face plant. See if I care. You won't be the pretty one after you knock put your front teeth and break your nose on the wood floor."

Dean shot him an affronted look and kept limping toward his destination. He felt Sam take a firm grip on the back of his shirt, opened his mouth to protest and felt his knees almost buckle. He swayed and Sam caught him. Dean regained his equilibrium and pushed off him. "Why am I so pathetic right now?"

"Umm I don't know..." Sam let out one of hid annoyed huffs. "You were shot in the stomach, almost bled out, got a massive infection in two different wounds. Have barely eaten anything in like 4 days. Had a horrible fever and almost died."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Almost died, huh?"

"Yes. Yes you almost did." Sam shot back a little emotionally.

"Okay. Easy." Dean patted his back with a casual affection. "I didn't, okay."

"No, Dean it's not okay."

Dean set his jaw. "Well I'll make sure that I don't inconvenience you with the scare next time. Cause it was a friggin' picnic for me!"

Sam's nostrils flared and he took a deep breath. "You scared me."

Dean waved him off and stumbled into the bathroom, closed the door.

Sam sighed and leaned up against the wall. Unable to shake some feeling that he had a hard road ahead of him. That they both had a hard road, one with twists and turns they hadn't even seen yet.

Dean's voice floated to him from the other side of the door. "Sam, stop hovering like a weirdo out there. Let a man piss in peace."

Taco stalked over with a casual air and wound around Sam's feet. His ears flicked to listen to Dean's voice with fascination. He abandoned Sam's ankles, wandered to the bathroom door and stuck a paw under it.

Sam laughed.

"I hate that cat." Came floating from the other side of the door.

"Well it loves you," Sam replied, watching the haunches shift and land sideways as Taco flung himself to the ground like an errant toddler. He reached his paw under the door as far as it would go.

Dean opened the door looking a little pale and Taco got up and bolted.

Sam raised his brows. "Are you alright?"

Dean nodded. "Just feel kinda weak," he said, leaning against the door way.

Sam offered him his shoulder and Dean begrudgingly took the silent offer to help.

"I'm not doing this again. Not taking any more bullets."

"Please don't," Sam agreed.

Dean shuffled forward, eyes half closed. "Feel like shit."

"Yeah. I get it." Sam said.

"Shower sounds so good right now."

"I think you're going to face plant in the shower, dude."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. He looked to Sam and went quiet.

"What?" The younger asked.

"I scared you, huh?"

Sam nodded, his face went tight.

Dean gave him a look that told Sam there was more he wasn't saying.

Thank you for the reviews! Dom DW, I wokeup, Rimeko, Kirsten, Lizzy, Minion, Michele!, Fanpire, Sallyannerenee, MarbleWolf, Jackileigh, , mckyd, shadowhuntingdd... I love you all. Thanks for reading and letting me know what you think.