Here is the next chapter as promised. Just more gooey sweetness for you all. You may need tissues for this one too.

Cindy.

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The Same Night-Dean's POV

Dean woke suddenly, his groggy mind trying to pinpoint what had brought him out of his slumber. He sat up, his eyes searching the darkened room for anything out of place. His gaze fell upon Sam's bed and he jerked fully awake, fear knotting his stomach when all he saw was crumpled sheets and blankets. He forced himself to calm down, reasoning with himself that Sam had probably just gone to the bathroom. He decided to give his brother five minutes before he would look for him.

Dean knew he was being ridiculous but he couldn't help it. The past month or so, capped off with the events of earlier that evening had him perpetually on edge. Seeing Sam with the monster who killed their mother and not being able to do anything to help him had cut Dean to the core. He didn't know if he would ever feel comfortable again when Sam wasn't within sight.

Five minutes passed and still Sam hadn't returned to the bedroom. Dean swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, then headed across the floor to the door. He entered the hallway and crept to the bathroom, immediately noting the darkened room was empty. He strode further down the hall to the livingroom, stopping when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He neared the kitchen and stood next to the wall, relaxing when he recognized both John's and Sam's voices.

Dean stood there, hidden in the shadows and listened to the conversation taking place. His heart broke as he listened to his brother speak. Sam had no idea how much he meant to his family, couldn't seem to comprehend how much he was loved. Dean wanted nothing more than to rush in and make Sam believe what he was being told but this was John's moment with him and Dean would not interfere. He couldn't help but think that it was about time John opened up to Sam and let the kid know that he was indeed proud of him and that he let him know just how much he loved him.

When he heard his father and brother rise, Dean took that as his cue to head back to bed. He hurried back to his and Sam's room and crawled beneath the covers, leaving them pooled around his waist. When he heard John and Sam enter a few minutes later, he closed his eyes, not wanting them to know he was awake. He listened as Sam got into bed, heard John tell Sam he loved him, and then heard Sam return the sentiment. He lay still as John neared his bed and pulled his blankets up over his chest then listened to him leave.

Dean heard Sam shuffle slightly in his bed and knew without looking that the kid's eyes were on him. A moment later he heard Sam's soft, warm whisper.

"I love you Dean."

Then came the sound of Sam rolling over and sighing before his breathing evened out in exhausted sleep. Dean opened his eyes and gazed lovingly at his baby brother, the moon sending soft glowing light over his shaggy head. Dean smiled softly and whispered his reply before closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep.

"I love you too Sammy. I love you too."

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Sam entered the kitchen, his sleepy eyes taking in the forms of his father, brothers and Caleb all huddled around the table, coffee mugs steaming as the men started their day. Daniel looked up first, a smile breaking out at the sight of his messy haired, sleepy eyed baby brother.

"Hey! Mornin' sunshine!" Daniel chirped as he rose from his chair and went to the oven. "Sit down Sam. We already ate but I kept a plate warm for you."

Daniel pulled a plate from the oven and set it on the table in front of Sam. It was piled with scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and bacon plus a big, fluffy bisquit to top it off. Sam eyed the plate and smiled warmly at his oldest brother.

"Thanks Dan. I'm not really that hungry though," he said as he took a sip of the orange juice that Daniel placed before him.

"You need to eat Sam. You need to get your strength up," John instructed, giving Sam a look that said there would be no arguing.

"'kay Dad. Sorry," Sam mumbled, grabbing a piece of bacon and taking a nibble.

"I talked to the principal at your school this morning and they are not going to require you to make up your missing assignments due to your grades being so good, but you do have to go back in next week and take the final exams you missed," John stated, glancing at his youngest.

"They're going to let me do finals even though school's out?" Sam asked excitedly.

"Yep. I let them know about your car accident and long recovery and they said as long as you can pass your exams, you'll be passed ahead," John said, smiling at his son's excitement.

"Geez Sammy, gettin' all excited about taking tests? Could you be any more of a geek?" Dean teased, chuckling before taking a gulp of coffee.

"If it means not having to go to summer school, then yeah!" Sam replied.

"That's if you pass your exams geekboy...Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you're going to pass your exams. You're the mighty geekboy!"

"Wow Dean, that was...I mean...you came up with that all on your own?" Daniel quipped.

"Hey! He's the geek, not me! I do the best I can," Dean shot back.

Caleb and John sat back, watching the boys with amusement. Even Sam was chuckling, his bright smile making an appearance after being absent for way too long. It made the other hunters hearts swell to see that smile after everything they had all been through.

Caleb leaned forward, his eyes on Sam. Sam looked up, arching his eyebrows when he caught Caleb staring.

"What? Is something wrong Caleb?" Sam asked self consciously.

"Uh...well...I was wonderin'. Are you gonna call that pretty little thing you took out last night?" Caleb said, a bright grin on his face.

Sam's smile faded and he pushed his plate away, suddenly very interested in some crumbs that had collected on the table. The other men eyed him, curious of the reaction.

"Sam? You okay?" John asked his youngest.

"Huh? Uh...yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied softly.

"So, are you going to answer Caleb?" Daniel asked his brother.

Sam looked up, the sadness having returned to his eyes. "There's no reason to call her."

"What? Why not? She's really into you Sammy. You should call her," Dean said emphatically.

"And say what? Sorry I freaked out on you last night and all, but your touch reminded me of the man who tried to rape me? She'd run screaming for the hills," Sam cried.

"Sam..." John started.

"No. She probably hates me now anyway. I went wacko on her and left her at the theater by herself. She definitely isn't gonna want to hear from me."

"I think you're wrong Sam. I think she likes you way to much to just drop you over one little thing," Daniel said.

"One little thing? You weren't there Daniel. You didn't see me completely lose it. It definitely wasn't a little thing!" Sam cried.

"Still Sam. I think you should at least call her," Daniel replied.

"No, I'm not gonna call her! Besides, we'll probably be moving soon anyway. What's the point?"

"Sam...come on..." Dean started.

"I'm not hungry. I'm just gonna go to my room. I have tests to study for," Sam said flatly, then rose and shuffled from the room.

The four older hunters stared after him, the happiness from just a few minutes ago dissapating as the sullen boy disappeared from view. They glanced at each other, shaking their heads sadly before each went his separate way, wanting to get started on the days tasks.

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Sam lay on his bed, books spread around him haphazardly. He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts running circles in his head. He desperately wanted to call Alisa, but knew he couldn't face her after last night. He was certain she would tell him to screw off. Well, it didn't matter anyway he thought, as they probably wouldn't be sticking around for much longer. Sam's eyelids became heavy and he slowly fell asleep, thoughts of his failures still fresh in his mind.

Sam was awakened a few hours later by a knock on his bedroom door. He opened his eyes and glanced at the door to see Daniel peering through the opening at him, a smile spread across his handsome face.

"What Daniel?" Sam asked sleepily.

"Uh...you have a visitor kiddo," Daniel replied.

"What? Who is it?" Sam asked as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed.

"Just hurry and make yourself presentable," Daniel quipped before closing the door.

Sam sat for a moment trying to figure out who would be there to see him. No one came to mind as no one knew where he lived. He came to the conclusion that his brother was trying to play a trick on him. Sam contemplated just lying back down and going back to sleep, but curiosity got the better of him and he stood, slipping his feet into his sneakers before crossing the floor and opening the door. He strode into the livingroom where his father, brothers and Caleb were all gathered. They all looked at him when he came into the room, Dean's face breaking out in a huge grin.

"So, where's this visitor?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Out on the porch," Dean said, nodding his head toward the front door.

Sam turned his eyes toward the door and made his way to it, stopping to peer through the curtain. His breath hitched when he saw who waited for him there. He turned to his family, his eyes wide.

"It's Alisa! What's she doing here?" he cried as he tried to straighten his unruly hair.

Dean chuckled then walked up to this brother, fixing a few wayward tufts of wavy hair then brushing his hands over Sam's rumpled tee shirt.

"Why don't you go find out Sherlock," he quipped as he opened the door and gently pushed Sam through the screen door.

Alisa turned, a warm smile crossing her face when she saw Sam come toward her.

"Hi Sam. How are you doing?" she asked the confused boy before her.

"Uh...hi Alisa. I-I'm okay," Sam stuttered in reply.

"Sam? Can we talk?" Alisa asked as she took Sam's arm and pulled him to the top step, sitting down on the step and pulling Sam down with her.

"Yeah...sure. I...I didn't think you'd want to talk to me anymore after last night," Sam replied, swallowing convulsively.

"Sam? What happened last night? I was so worried about you when you ran out of there," Alisa said with concern in her voice.

"I...uh...it's hard to talk about Alisa," Sam whispered softly.

Alisa reached out, her fingertips gently pulling Sam's face around until their eyes met. Her eyes were filled with concern as she gazed at Sam.

"Did...did something happen to you in Arizona Sam?" she asked softly.

Sam's breath caught in his throat and his heart thudded heavily in his chest. He turned his head away, his eyes falling to his feet. Sweat broke out on his brow and Sam reached up with a shaky hand to wipe it away. He crossed his arms across his body, hunching over and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Sam, you can tell me."

"I can't Alisa. You should probably just go," Sam whispered, his head hung low, his chin resting on his chest.

"Sam, please talk to me. I want to help. Please?"

"Alisa...I...I'm okay. I just got sick. I'm sorry I ran out, but...it's nothing."

"That wasn't nothing Sam. You were terrified. It was like you weren't even seeing me. I was so scared for you. Please Sam, I want to help. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Why do you want to know anyway?"

"I care about you Sam. I don't like to see you hurting."

"You barely know me Alisa. You shouldn't waste your time with me. I'm not worth it."

Alisa reached over, grasping Sam's hand in hers and pulling it to her. Sam turned his head toward her, his sad eyes breaking her heart.

"You are more than worth it Sam. I can see something is tearing you up inside and I want to help. Let me help you."

Sam peered at the girl and saw the concern and sincerity in her eyes. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly. He began to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. Alisa inched closer to his side, draping her arm across his back and leaning her head on his shoulder. Sam relayed the events that unfolded in Arizona, leaving out certain aspects of the story that related to the supernatural. By the time he was done, both teenagers were in tears. Alisa pulled Sam closer, wrapping her other arm around him. Sam buried his face in her neck, crying softly as she tried her best to comfort him.

"Shhh. It's okay Sam. Everything will be okay," she whispered softy in his ear.

Sam pulled away, reaching up and wiping the tears away, embarrassment flushing his face. His eyes fell to his feet once more, his hands clasping and unclasping nervously.

"Sam? Look at me, please?" Alisa said as she gazed at the teenager with concern.

Sam turned his eyes slowly Alisa's way and she smiled warmly at him.

"You can go now Alisa. You don't have to stay and feel sorry for me anymore," Sam said sadly.

"Why would I go Sam? You're my guy aren't you?" Alisa asked.

Sam stared at Alisa with surprise. Why would she still want to hang around him? He was damaged and she could have anyone she wanted. Why was she bothering with him?

"Sam? If you want me to go, I will. But I really want to stay. Don't you want me to be your girl?"

"Alisa, you can be with anyone. Why me? And now that you know...uh...I just don't get it," Sam said softly.

Alisa didn't say a word. She reached her hand over and pulled Sam's face to hers. She softly kissed him, her other hand coming up and brushing through his hair. Sam hesitated a moment, then gave in to the kiss. His hand cupped Alisa's cheek and the kiss deepened. A moment later Sam pulled away, gazing in Alisa's eyes. He lent his forehead against hers and the two sat this way for a moment before pulling apart.

"So...am I your girl Sam?" Alisa asked sweetly.

"Are you sure you want to be?" Sam asked, smiling warmly at the girl beside him.

She leaned in again and kissed him softly, then answered. "More than anything Sam."

Sam smiled and wrapped his arm around Alisa's shoulders, pulling her close. They leaned into each other and just sat, staring off across the street, content just to be next to each other. Sam closed his eyes, sighing as he leaned further in to Alisa, the scent of her hair relaxing him. He smiled to himself, a little more weight lifting from his shoulders.

Unbeknownst to the two teenagers, four pairs of eyes watched from behind curtained windows, and four broken hearts mended just a little bit. It would take a lot more than a stolen kiss on the front porch to heal their most precious family member, but the four men knew that he was on his way. The men turned away, smiles on their faces, and left the two lovebirds to cuddle on the step in peace.

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Well....one chapter to go. I will have a brief description of the sequel at the end of the next chapter. Reviews are love!

Cindy.