Thank you for all the love and support guys, so, today sucked, I am tired again, and by tired I mean can't even speak well cos it comes out in slurs...so much for revision...bblllaaahhhh!!! I don't even have the energy to panic...not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...bbooohooo! On a happier note...I hope you like this chapter!

Side kick-Bia1007

Beta- Eggylaine

What you don't know you can feel it somehow

"Hello this is the school nurse at-"

"What's wrong with Sammy?!"

"Young man if you would please-"

"Tell him I'm on my way!" Dean yelled slamming the phone down to go get his shoes back on. It didn't take long to find some sort of keys and lock up. It took longer for him to try and remember which direction the school was but he thought back to the few times he'd been there and found the entrance within 15 minutes.

He jumped up the steps and ran inside following the rather poor directions to the nurse's office.

"Sam? Sam?!" he yelled when he opened the door with a bang in his worry.

"M'fine..." a groggy voice mumbled back and when Dean stopped to actually look in front of him, he saw the kid on the hospital like examining table. He would have said Sam was half asleep, but it seemed more like only a quarter awake. He was bent over, almost falling off the table, his eyes were dark and the kid seemed to have aged years in the last few days, he truly looked like crap!

"What's wrong?" Dean asked rushing to the kid, not sure what to do but he couldn't stand around like some lemon.

"Jus' fell'sleep," Sam mumbled leaning further and further to the side until Dean caught him and before either of them knew it, Sam's head was resting on Dean's shoulder and Dean had his arm around the young boy.

"Sam you passed out, not fell asleep," the nurse corrected, hands on her hips looking at them both with too much accusation for her own good. "Now, young man what are you doing here?"

"You called me," Dean stopped himself from saying much more than that, he was talking sarcastically, that wasn't really good was it?

"No, I called looking for Sam's parents, what relation are you to him?"

"I'm..." Dean couldn't find the word...what was he to Sam? House guest? Far family relative? Friend? No...they weren't really good titles, especially for this woman. "I'm his brother," Dean announced with some pride.

"His brother? And why did you answer the call instead of being at school yourself?"

"Long story...one I'm not telling you," Dean said, with no attitude, just strength in his words. "Look just call his mom's work, tell her I can take Sam home. She'll let me, I swear," Dean handed over a slip of paper Mary handed him weeks ago with all the phone numbers on he might need in case of emergencies like this.

The nurse sighed taking the list, saw how close the boys were, how much Sam obviously trusted his 'brother' now he was resting his head and actually relaxing, he was so restless and out of it when he was brought in by Mr. Cox, she thought about calling the hospital more than once.

"I'll call your mother's work, if she agrees are you sure you can get Sam home in the state he's in?"

"Trust me, he's not exactly heavy if I end up carrying him. I can handle it...it's my job."

She nodded then went in the back office for the phone.

"Sam what happened?" Dean pushed nudging the kid on his shoulder.

"Jus' really tired...Mr. Small Cock wouldn't leave m'lone...m'tired Dean."

"Yeah and you got a fever, what did I say about no sleep will make you sick?" Dean lectured and almost laughed when Sam groaned, obviously irritated by Dean's nagging. "Well I hate to say I told you so."

"Jerk."

"So you have enough energy to insult me? Bitch."

"Can'wego'ome?" Sam slurred, clearly still out of it.

"Alright, Mrs Winchester is trusting you to get Sam home safe and she said she'll be there in half an hour. Are you absolutely sure you can get him home?"

"I'm positive, after a vampire, a psycho uncle, a bully and a killer fish, taking him home will be a breeze ma'am," Dean worked his charming yet cocky smile he'd now grown to like thanks to Sam. He ignored the strange look from the nurse then helped the swaying kid off the table and out the door, his arms wrapped around Sam's waist just in case he was to fall at any time. "Sam, one foot in front of the other, can you do that for me kid?"

"Mmm'hhh," Sam nodded, doing just that as Dean held most of his weight and they walked out the school and back home.

"Okay, just a little further Sammy, you can do it, then you can be in a nice comfy bed and sleep for a week." Dean regretted saying the stuff about a bed when Sam's knees gave out. "Whoa, not just yet Sam, come on..."

Sam shook his head and a few tears left his closed eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong? You want me to call your mom?" Dean rushed trying to check Sam over whilst keeping him upright and off the pavement.

"M'tired...wanna sleep...." Sam mumbled so Dean sighed, he could call Mary, he could tell her to come and meet them, but that would just take longer, it would be quicker if he just got Sam home and in bed without any more stops.

"Okay....okay, I'm gonna carry you cos there's no way you can walk anymore. You need to hold onto me or you're gonna fall face first into the concrete, you understand Sam?" when he got nothing, Dean tapped Sam's cheek a little to get his attention, "Sam? Hold on? Do you understand?" Dean asked slowly and Sam thankfully nodded and tightened his arms around Dean's neck and held on with whatever he had left. "Up we go..." Dean grunted as he pulled Sam up and into his arms in one swoop. "Alright, not long now Sammy..." he promised as he carried on walking with the extra weight.

It wasn't long before they made it to the house, Dean now knew where he was going, and he could speed up his walking because he didn't have to wait up for Sam as he was in his arms.

He warned Sam before setting his feet on the ground and holding the kid with just one hand as he had to unlock the door with the other. Once it was open and Sam was back in his arms he kicked the door shut behind him and made his way to the kid's bedroom. He considered putting Sam in his own bed, mostly because that was just normal, then he thought back to last night and decided to put the kid in his own double. He tucked him in tight then closed the curtains and watched him sleep while listening for Mary coming in.

SPN

"Is he okay?" were Mary's first words as she came in Dean's bedroom, at first she went to Sam's room, naturally, then noticed the dark gloom creeping under the bottom of the door in Dean's room and thought maybe they were in there...she was right.

"No," Dean answered back, his tone cold, angry even as he watched Mary run her hand through Sam's hair as he slept on.

"Can you come downstairs for a sec honey?" she whispered, thankful when he followed her out of the room and down the steps. "Dean I...thank you...for getting my little boy home...I-I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here to answer the call...what Sammy would have done...."

Dean didn't speak, his head was low and his face was hard.

"And also...for the cleaning...it's amazing sweetheart thank you."

Dean shrugged, and kind of wished he had never bothered now with what happened to Sam today.

Mary sensed the mood Dean was in so she knew today she had to tread carefully, especially with Sam upstairs sick and Dean obviously worried and angry at something, maybe it was her?

"How about next week we go out somewhere as a family, the park or maybe somewhere you like going. How's that?"

"It's okay...you don't owe me anything," Dean mumbled with his head low, now he was insulted, even though Mary was clearly trying to make it sound like she wasn't giving him some sort of pay out for the cleaning.

"Come on, every boy likes kicking a football around in the park or-"

"I said I don't want anything!" Dean yelled catching Mary off guard.

"Honey, what's wrong? I know you're worried about Sam and-"

"It's your damn fault! He passed out today cos you two wouldn't listen to him! He can't sleep so he passed out! Now he's sick and it's all your fault! You sent him to school and you didn't even notice your own damn son was hurting!"

"Dean I-"

"What?! What could you possible say to make up for that?!"

"You're right …Sammy's sick and...I didn't see...and I'm happy you did...I'm sorry."

"What?! Sorry?! That's all you got?! SORRY?!! You thought more about me than you did your own flesh and blood and all you got to say is sorry!!"

"Dean is that was you're angry about? That we've been looking out for you?"

"You took me to the hospital cos of a scratch and Sam hasn't been able to sleep right for weeks now and you didn't even see!!"

"You're angry at us for making you our top priority these last few weeks?" Mary asked knowing it was true, she had tried so hard to make them equal but truth be told, she thought Sam was okay...that's why they had seen more of Dean being upset or hurt...because they thought Sam was fine.

"Yes! I'm not supposed to be the top priority; I never have been so why start now?! You should be looking after Sam, not me! Sam!"

"Could you stop yelling? I'm trying to sleep..." a tired voice said from the doorway and Dean felt instantly guilty when he looked over his shoulder.

"Sammy, how are you feeling baby?"

"M'tired...but don't think you haven't been looking after me. Dean you're wrong okay, I know my parents, and they know me, I don't care, I want them to look after you..."

"Sam-"

"Dean just trust me...you're not worthless or whatever other word you can come up with today. Now can I go to bed if you two stop yelling?"

"We're sorry honey."

"Yeah...sorry Sam, come on, you need help upstairs?" Dean asked, moving to help Sam, make himself useful.

Sam managed to make it back to Dean's bed without incident but Dean still hovered close behind the whole way just in case.

"You want anything? Food? Drink? You warm enough or you want another blanket? Or-"

"Dean, I'm fine, just tired," Sam smiled a little stopping the mother hen rant.

"Yeah well, you didn't look 'just tired' a few hours ago."

"Why? How did I even get here anyway?"

To save the kid embarrassment Dean just gently offered, "long story, now go to sleep."

"...don't yell anymore okay?"

Dean nodded quick, "night Sammy."

"Night Dean..."

After picking Sam's clothes up he took off when he got home and folding them over the end of the bed, Dean went back to sitting in silence in the chair he set by the bed as Sam snored away within minutes.

SPN

It was 17 minutes through dinner when someone finally talked.

"Hey kiddo, thanks for the yard, it's 1000 times better than I could have made it."

Dean shrugged as he ate the last mouthful he cared to manage then set his fork down.

"Sammy okay up there?" Dean nodded, only once...but at least John kinda told Sam to get some sleep...unlike Mary...she practically yelled at poor Sam that day Sam tried to get out of school.

"Dean-"

"Can I be excused?" Dean asked before they could start with the heart to heart I'm sorry's again.

"No, you're going to sit and talk to us," John said, in a fatherly 'do as you're told' tone.

"I'm not the one you need to talk to, try Sam, you know, the kid upstairs, the one you've been ignoring for weeks now, your fucking son."

"That language is uncalled for Dean."

"John don't-"

"What? Mary, Sam could have told us he wasn't feeling well-"

"He did, he told you lots of times, I even fucking told you! You're meant to be his parents! You're meant to love him and take care of him!! You fucking abandoned him!" it seemed only Dean himself knew he was talking about his own parents now...

"Dean! Watch your damn tone!!" at that order he flinched, his heart rate sped up and then he knew it was too good to be true, they had to hit him some time right? He had done more than enough to deserve it, he yelled, he screamed, he cried, he hit people, he was disrespectful and now he was blaming these two amazing parents for something he caused in the first place!

"But Uncle Ron I swear I've practised! Why won't you believe me?"

"You better watch your damn tone with me boy! 20 laps round the field!"

"But Uncle Ron it's like over 5 miles!"

"NOW!" Dean felt the rough hand smack him square in the jaw, just like all those years ago and it stung so much he thought he really must have been hit.

"Honey?" Mary asked carefully snapping him out of his thoughts, so to speak.

"Dean, you with us?" John asked, placing a hand on the kid's shoulder making him spring back and hit the floor hard on his back that was now burning once again.

He tried to back up on the floor, crawling on his elbows as John jumped from his chair, crouched on the floor and leaned over him, grabbing his shoulders trying to comfort him, only thing was, Dean didn't see John nor did he feel the comfort, he felt Ron's hands on him, nails digging into his shoulder blades and Ron's alcoholic breath clouding his eyes.

"Hey hey hey, Dean, Dean look at me, come on look at me, sshhh, it's okay, it's okay, I didn't mean to yell, come on son snap out of it, we gotcha, it's okay, it's okay..."

In his blind panic Dean cried out when something was wrapped round him, holding his arms down, keeping him from fighting back...not that he could, but still...he didn't like being so pinned down.

"You sick freak...you think they're gonna want you after what you've done to Sam now? As if you needed another reason to be kicked out on the street..." someone hissed in his ear, almost laughing at him.

"L-let me go...I swear I'm sorry...please don't hurt me please...I'm sorry for Sam..." he tried to break free from the restrains but it was no use, so he just let himself fall further back into them. It was only when he let himself lean back a little that he realised he was leaning on John, the sounds in his ear were John's quiet words of comfort and the things wrapped round him were John's arms. John was hugging him?

"Dean, you're scaring us, come on baby just calm down, it's okay, we're sorry, it's okay."

Leaning over to see the kids face, John saw Dean was back with them. "You with us kiddo?"

"S-sorry..." he breathed, this time it wasn't a plea to be left alone, not to be hurt anymore, it was a quiet apology for acting so insane just then...he hoped it was only temporary.

"What was that?" John asked, not moving an inch for the kid's sake, the one still shaking in his arms on the kitchen floor.

"N-nothing...ah!" Dean yelped when he tried to move and his back stung like a mother.

"Hey, hey is it your back? Let me look kiddo," John pleaded when he saw Dean winced and the tears form in his eyes. He helped the kid slowly sit forward where he carefully pulled up Dean's t-shirt. "Oooh that looks like it's sore champ, how long has this been hurting?" John asked when he saw the throbbing red scars that littered the kid's upper back.

"W-what?"

"I said how long have they been hurting, they look pretty painful Dean," John winced once again feeling the heat from Dean's old and new scars.

'They didn't before...it hurt yeah but there was nothing there!'

"We'll talk tomorrow, come on we're putting some cream on that then you're going to bed as well. You okay sharing with Sam again?" John asked as he helped Dean to his feet carefully then led the kid back to the chair.

Mary passed her husband some sort of white tube Dean tried to get a look at.

"It's just burn cream, that okay?" Mary asked when she saw him trying to see what it was.

Dean nodded, back to his old silent self again much to Mary and John's regret, just when they thought he was getting better.

He was still angry at them, he wanted to yell so bad, even more now they were rushing around him like he might break, but if he started yelling at them, it might make him have another one of those flashback pain vision things...and he really didn't want that to happen.

"We are so sorry Dean," Mary cooed cupping his cheek, tears stinging her eyes when he flinched and pulled back, much like all those weeks ago, but somehow worse this time round.

Looking at the shy...embarrassed, shame coated, self loathing mess of a young boy in front of him, John sighed. He knew he needed to get Dean's t-shirt off, but he just couldn't make Dean anymore embarrassed today.

"Let's do this upstairs," he said quietly before he nodded for Dean to go on up. The kid was helped when he stood, but brushed off the aiding hands feeling like he didn't deserve them, then winced his way out of the kitchen, through the living room and up the stairs. Trying not to cry on the way being one of the hardest things he's ever done...but he managed.

Dean heard the toaster go on when he was half way up, he stopped, then listened in on the quiet conversation...

"We've really screwed up this time haven't we?" he heard Mary ask her husband, her voice unmistakably holding back tears.

"Maybe he does need to be with a family that knows more about kids like him...one without a dad that yells all the time."

"One without a mother that can't even look after one child never mind the other..."

"Hey, you're a great mother, don't talk like that...I'm gonna go put Dean back together, see how Sammy is...then I'm coming down here and having a nice quiet evening with my beautiful wife..."

"Okay, now I know you've either got mud on my cream carpet or you want something."

"Love you too babe...be right back." He heard John give Mary an obvious kiss on the lips then ran upstairs as silent as he could to his room making it seem like he had been there that whole conversation.

So...this perfect family did have its problems too...

"Alright, you wanna take your t-shirt off now there are no girls around?" John whispered as he left the door open so bulbs from the hall could light the room a little.

Dean nodded, not so ridged as he was minutes go, he took his top off only wincing a few times as it pulled on his stinging back.

John set a plate of toast down on the bedside table then made his way to the eldest kid in the room, lowering himself to his knees as Dean took a seat and turned so John could reach his back.

"This might be cold," John warned before he dabbed a little of the cream over his red marks, at first Dean tensed up again, thinking it was going to hurt, but surprisingly it wasn't anything more than a little chilly. "You okay sleeping on your side tonight? I think that might be-"

"It's fine...I do anyway," Dean told John much to the man's shock, maybe they hadn't screwed up as much as they thought.

"You sure you're okay with everything else? Nothing hurting anywhere other than your back?"

"No s-, no...John."

"Good, that's good," John smiled, happy, relieved mostly. He went round to the other side of the bed as Dean went out to the bathroom to wash up for the night. "Sammy? Hey can you wake up for your old man?"

"Wha...? Dad when did you get home?"

"It's past 7, how long do you want me to work for?" John joked.

Sam laughed a little then waited for what his dad wanted. He felt a hand on his forehead then grumbled when the quilt was taken off him.

"Don't you dare put that back on," John warned with a little humour, Sam was a little too warm and he didn't want his son getting any hotter. "You hungry?"

"Nope, not really...got a headache," Sam then saw the plate of toast and pulled a face. "You're gonna make me eat aren't you?"

"Yup, get that down you, I'll be right back."

"Thanks dad."

After smiling at his son, he went downstairs and got a glass of water for both boys along with some pills and the trusty thermometer.

"But I thought you said you couldn't feel anything," he heard Sam ask, Dean was back in the bedroom getting interrogated then.

"Yeah well...I guess someone thought they needed to prove me wrong, but I'm fine Sam, don't worry about it."

"Do you worry about me?"

"Yeah."

"So I worry about you, it's a two way street."

"Not in my experience."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, look just eat your supper okay?"

"Boys you okay in here?" John asked, announcing his return as he walked into the room.

"Dad, is Dean okay?" Sam asked making a 'ner ner' face at Dean.

"He's fine, old scars just hurt for no reason sometimes, he'll be fine after a good night's sleep, and so will you, so get that down you and shush."

Sam pulled his nose up at them both but went back to eating as instructed.

"Dean, can I check your temperature?" John asked before he pointed a finger at Sam, he felt like he was telling a puppy to down boy, hell, Sam had the eyes for it.

Dean nodded and held out his hand telling John he could do it himself.

"Dad I thought you said-"

"Sammy, stop worrying tiger, I'm just making sure."

Sam nodded and sat in silence starting at his now empty plate.

When the thermometer bleeped Dean handed it over. "Not great but not too bad, is your back still sore?"

Dean considered shaking his head and lying, but when he got a stern look from John he nodded at the question then took the offered pill and water willingly.

"Good boy," John praised, just like his dad used to do.

God he missed that fatherly bossy down the nose look, the one his dad gave him when he played too far away from the house that time. It was kinda nice John looking at him like that and for him not be scared or expect a beating.

"You're next Sammy," John said sticking the little machine under Sam's armpit, when it bleeped it showed Sam's wasn't much better than Dean's temp so he handed his kid a pill and glass of water of his own.

Once that was done, he instructed Dean to get in bed, laid the sheet over them and told them both to leave the quilt off.

"Okay, night then kiddo's, be good."

"Night dad."

"Night John," Dean whispered as well...shocking everyone but Sam, he seemed happy more than shocked at that simple phrase.

John left the room, closing the door gently, he waited by the door, making sure they didn't chat tonight, neither of them were fit for that this evening. He smiled when he heard the sounds of 2 boys snoring not 10 minutes later.

TBC...