Still a little short but definitely a fast update, right? I'll try to write a longer chapter next time, I promise!

Susanne

The only thing Dean was aware of was pain burning through his legs all the way up to his hips. It felt like his legs were on fire as he shifted, trying to get away. Hands caught hold of him, holding him in the flames. Grunting, Dean tried again only to find that he didn't have the strength. The pain continued unabated and then it intensified to the point where his body couldn't take any more and his mind shut down.

Small groans escaped from the elder Winchester's mouth as the two Legacy members struggled to clean his wounds. Gritting his teeth, Nick dabbed at the larger of the gashes, trying to get down to healthy flesh. What Dean really needed was to have his wounds debrided. The venom had caused the cells along the gashes to die. The last time they'd cleaned Dean's legs the extent of the damage hadn't been obvious. Now, Nick's stomach heaved as he rinsed the cloth in the now pinky-brown water.

"Is it as bad as it looks?" Sam asked. To give Derek and Nick some more room, he'd been moved over to the chair. Sam was sitting forward to protect his own wounds on his back. If he had the strength, the youngest Winchester would have been pacing the room. The damage was beyond his wildest imaginings. The smell alone was enough to turn Sam's stomach. He couldn't see as well as he'd like. It killed Sam to allow anyone else fix his brother, even Nick.

"It's not good," Nick replied. Beside him Derek was using an antiseptic wash on the wounds that he'd managed to get clean. The whole process was going to take a lot longer than he'd hoped. Still unconscious, Dean tried to pull his leg away from their ministrations. It didn't take much to keep it in place but it certainly didn't help them.

"Here," Jonas said. He'd stayed at the doorway, ignoring his own stomach's reaction to the sights and smells. Sitting on the bed, he positioned himself to hold Dean's legs so the other two could work.

"Thanks," Nick said. He paused in his ministrations long enough to wipe a trembling hand across his mouth and then his forehead. Then he turned his attention back to his patient.

"We're going to need more bandages and clean water," Derek said. This was much worse than he'd anticipated. Where were Alex and Rachel when you needed them? While he worked, the precept compiled a list of the nearest houses in his head. They needed help that didn't involve regular channels. A regularly trained doctor wouldn't have a clue how to treat these wounds much less how to save the man's life and soul.

"Is there any anti-venom available?" Nick asked. It was a long shot even if they could find it in time. As he looked down at the back of Dean's head, he saw trails of sweat running through his hair. They needed to get his temperature down. Now.

Without explaining, Nick climbed off the bed and headed for the bathroom. The security chief plugged the drain and then turned the cold water on. Back to the room and he stripped off all of Dean's clothes except his boxers.

"What are you doing?" Sam demanded as he tried to gain his feet.

"He's burning up. There's no use cleaning the wounds if his mind fries first," Nick explained as he tried to pull Dean off the bed. All he managed to do was get Dean rolled onto his back and into a sitting position before his own injured leg threatened to give out. Then a hand caught hold of both him and Dean.

Jonas set Nick on the bed so he could regain his balance. He pulled Dean the rest of the way up and carried him fireman style to the bathroom. He knew enough about field medicine that the easiest way to get down a high body temperature was to submerse the person in water. The sound of running water kind of tipped him off as well.

As carefully as he could manage, Jonas dumped the younger man into the water. Turning the tap off, he made sure that Dean wasn't going to drown before leaving to make room for Nick and Derek.

"Thanks," Nick said as he slipped by. If he was functioning at a hundred percent, he could have done that as well. Or at least he liked to think so. Settling on the closed toilet, Nick grabbed a wash cloth and soaked Dean's head.

"There is no anti-venom," Derek said as he stood at the doorway and watched Nick work. "Demon venom continues to change its properties the entire time it's in the prey. No anti-venom is possible."

"Great," Nick growled as he continued to wet down Dean's head. The water was cool but not ice cold which was probably a good thing. The last thing they needed was to send the man into cardiac arrest. "Can you go keep an eye on Sam? This bathroom is starting to feel a little claustrophobic."

"Sure," Derek replied. The scene playing out before him seemed somewhat surreal. He never thought he'd see the day when Nick would adopt someone with having known him for so little time. As he left the bathroom, Derek looked through the bedroom door so see Sam still trying valiantly to get to his feet. He hated being separated from his brother, even by a few feet.

Derek managed to catch hold of Sam and keep him from finding the floor as the taller, younger man finally reached his feet and promptly collapsed.

"Whoa," the San Francisco Precept said as he gently moved Sam back over to the bed. The short time the youngest Winchester had been vertical had wore him out completely. Derek could feel the younger man shaking with fatigue as he laid him down and put his legs back under the covers.

"How's Dean?" Sam croaked as he tried to push himself up onto his elbows, without success.

"Nick's trying to get his temperature down. He'll bring your brother back when he can," Derek assured him as he pulled the blankets over the rest of Sam's body. It all felt vaguely paternal to him. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Odd.

"Please," Sam begged as he caught hold of the older man's hand. "Dean's all I've got left. Please don't let him die on me."

Shushing the boy, Derek gently pushed stray hairs out of Sam's eyes. "We're doing everything we can. Taking him to a hospital with these roads and the nature of his injuries would be a death sentence for him and for you. In case you forget, you're injured too."

"I'm fine," Sam muttered as his eyes fluttered shut. He desperately wanted to stay awake, to make sure Dean was okay but his body wasn't cooperating. His shoulders were starting to ache, a deep down, mind numbing ache that radiated toward his chest and he was as weak as a kitten. Oblivion took him before he could put up more of a fight.

In the bathroom, the water was turning a slight pink color from the wounds on Dean's legs. The senior Winchester was starting to struggle a little as the cold permeated his unconscious brain. Nick had no trouble keeping him mostly submerged but the struggles were causing the water to splash over the tub's edge and his own legs were soon soaked through. Ignoring it, Nick continued to run water over Dean's head, trying to at least keep his brain a few degrees cooler. If he hadn't been so distracted, the security officer would have thought about his own wounded leg, his own open wound and the venom that was present in the water. If he had been paying attention, he might have thought to change his pants and reduce his risk of infection. If.