Chapter 27

It was mid-afternoon before Sam finally started to wake. He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and tried to figure out where he was when suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks. He was at Rufus' cabin and he had found Dean, but it was not Dean, or was it? He lay there a few minutes trying to decide what he needed to do. He could smell the stink on him and decided the first thing would be get a shower, but that meant getting up and going to the car for his bag and that would mean seeing his brother again. Sam did not know if he was up to that just yet. Anxiety began to build, but he knew he could not put it off any longer.

He sighed as he sat up and saw his bag sitting by the door. He thought Dean must have brought it in while he slept. With that problem solved, Sam pushed the blankets back onto the bed and got up. He picked up his bag and opened the door enough to look out but did not see his brother anywhere. He used the wall to keep his balance, since he was still tired and woozy, and went into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. There were clean towels laid out by the sink for him and he knew it was Dean taking care of him like he always did. This made his heart ache and brought back the memories of their youth and how Dean was always there for him, being as much a father or more, than their own Dad had been.

He stripped out of his clothes and turned the water on, adjusting the temperature. When it felt good, Sam stepped under the spray and let it beat on his face for a moment before wiping his hands over his eyes to get the water off. He winced when the water hit his arm and looked at it frowning, and then he saw two scratches on his lower arm that were not deep, but the hot water made them burn. His knees almost buckled when he realized where they came from. Dean had tried to grab him in the basement, and he put his arm up to protect himself. It sunk in at how close he came to being hurt by his brother. He knew Dean did not mean it, he was not himself and he could not hold this against him. Sam took the soap and washed the scratches good to be sure they would not get infected.

He turned and wet his hair to shampoo it before washing his body and rinsing. He shivered slightly, still not feeling warm after the bone deep cold from the shock he experienced last night. He shut the water off and reached for a fresh towel to dry with. He scrubbed his head for a moment to towel dry his wet hair before stepping out and hanging the towel over the rod. Sam found some cream and put it on the scratches to be on the safe side.

Sam dug around finding clothes and decided to slip a hoodie on, hoping it would help warm his cool body. He brushed his teeth and frowned when his stomach growled loudly wanting to be fed. He grimaced and rubbed it knowing he had to face his brother sooner or later. He nervously rubbed his hands down his jeans, out of habit, and picked up his bag to drop off in the other bedroom. He was not surprised that the bed had been made and was ready for him to use. He sat his bag on the bed and wandered toward the front of the house looking for Dean.

He found the living room and kitchen empty and looked toward the door to the basement. The cabinet had been moved back to where it belonged and the door was closed, but not locked. He faltered as he started to reach for the knob to turn it. Sam was not sure he was ready to go down there again and turned away. A piece of paper propped up against a coffee cup got his attention. He picked it up and saw his brother's handwriting and read it.

'Sammy,

Gone for a short hike, make yourself at home.

Dean'

Sam looked around and heard his stomach again grumbling it needed food. He went to the fridge to see what he could find to eat and stood there for a moment. There was not much to choose from, so he pulled out eggs and milk, sitting them to the side. He picked up a white plastic bowl, wondering what was in it, and pulled the lid off to look. Sam sucked in a sharp breath when he saw several hearts nestled in a small pool of blood. When the smell of blood hit him, he gagged and slammed the lid shut and quickly threw it back into the fridge, pushing the door shut. He stumbled to the sink and gripped the counter as he drew in some cleansing breaths, thoughts of eating gone now. He jerked around when the backdoor opened and Dean stepped into the kitchen.

"Sammy," Dean greeted him, staying where he was as he took in Sam's pale face and rapid breathing. He could almost hear his pounding heart and frowned. "What's wrong bro?" Dean asked.

"Fridge," Sam wheezed out as he worked on calming his breathing.

Dean looked toward the fridge as his brow creased. He saw eggs and milk sitting on the counter and looked at the fridge again not making a connection. He looked back at Sam with a puzzled look and waited for him to continue.

"Bowl," Sam said. His color was starting to come back slowly as he focused on breathing slower.

It dawned on Dean what he was talking about now. There was a bowl in the fridge with beef hearts in it and Sam must have opened it looking for something to eat. He sighed and looked down at the floor for a moment, not sure what to say.

"Sorry Sammy, I didn't think about…" Dean started. "That," he finished. He stared to step toward Sam but stopped when Sam moved away from him. He looked away so Sam would not see the upset and wounded look in his eyes. "Why don't you take a seat and I'll fix you some eggs and toast?" He moved away from Sam keeping his distance, as he went to the stove and pulled out a frying pan to use.

Sam watched Dean warily as he started to step toward him and could not stop himself from sliding away before he got too close. He felt bad when Dean quickly looked away, but not before Sam saw the hurt in his eyes. He was not sure why he did it; it was a reflex he could not stop.

"Okay," Sam mumbled moving to the table and taking a seat as he watched Dean move around the kitchen making him some eggs and toast. He fought his rolling stomach and coughed and cleared his throat.

"Do you want coffee or water? Don't think you need a beer yet. And it is still early."

"Coffee is good," Sam replied trying to make his voice sound normal and not uptight.

Dean plated the eggs and toast first and sat them in front of Sam with a fork and napkin. He went to the coffee pot, still mostly full from brewing much earlier, poured a cup and popped it in the microwave to heat up. He added milk and sugar like Sam liked it and sat it near his elbow.

"Careful, it's hot," Dean cautioned him. He watched Sam fiddled with his eggs and spoke. "Want me to leave so you can eat?"

"No!" Sam said too quickly and kicked himself for it. "It's fine," he added trying to cover his rudeness and awkwardness.

"Are you feeling better?" Dean asked taking a seat at the table as far away from Sam as he could. He could tell he was not comfortable with him too close and could not blame him after what happened last night. Dean had gotten a water from the fridge and was peeling the label off as he tried to decide how to proceed. He was not sure Sam was ready for their talk yet and the afternoon was slowly ticking away. "Sammy, after you eat, why don't you head into town and get a room for a couple of nights. You can come back in the morning and stay the day."

Sam froze with a fork of eggs hovering at his mouth and looked up at Dean who was staring hard at his water. He frowned and tried to find the reasoning behind his statement.

"Why?" Sam asked finally breaking the silence.

"Because the full moon cycle has two more nights before it's over, and…." Dean faltered at the end. "You shouldn't be here when I..."

Sam straightened up in the chair and glared at Dean.

"I'm not leaving," he stated strongly, his mind already made up. Dean had shut him out of what was going on with him and he was not going to let him be alone anymore.

Dean looked up into Sam's angry face and his darkened to match it as he bristled.

"Yes, you are," he retorted, emphasizing the words.

Sam pinched his lips into a thin line as he stared his brother down. They had a staring contest, neither one wanting to give in. Sam finally looked down at his plate as he poked angrily at his eggs and put the bite in his mouth, chewing quickly. He sipped on his coffee and pushed the plate away, not hungry anymore.

"I'm serious Sammy. I don't want you here tonight."

"I should be here Dean. I'm your brother."

"I'm not going to argue about it," Dean stated firmly. He got up and rounded the table making Sam get up quickly and try to step away.

Dean grabbed his bicep and pulled him toward the front door. Sam tried to get away, but Dean's grip was like steel and he could not break it. Sam started sputtering and stuttering when he found himself suddenly pushed out the door and it slammed in his face. He heard the door being locked and chained as he stood on the stoop with his mouth hanging open, not believing Dean had done that. A few minutes later, as Sam paced from one end of the porch to the other, the door opened, and Dean put Sam's bag on the porch and re-locked the door without a word.

"I'm not leaving!" Sam yelled through the door as his anger flared. He could not believe Dean just threw him out of the cabin. He huffed madly and balled his hands into fists. "Dean! Let me in!" Sam called through the door as he banged on it. He listened but did not hear Dean moving around inside. "I'm not leaving, and you can't make me!" Sam stepped to a rocking chair sitting on the front porch and dropped into it crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. He absently pushed his foot making the rocker go back and forth as he fumed.

Dean stood inside the cabin as he listened to his brother pounding on the door and yelling at him. He did not answer, thinking he would give up and go into town and get a room. He should have known better, Sam was a Winchester, and had a stubborn streak just like him. He glanced out the side window and saw Sam had sat down in one of the rockers on the porch, rocking gently.

He went back to the kitchen to clean the dishes and put them away. He wiped the stove, table, and counters down before glancing around making sure everything was clean. Dean went to the bathroom and gathered the dirty towels and stopped by his bedroom to get his dirty clothes. He was going to do a load of laundry to keep busy while he waited for night to come. He went downstairs to clean up the mess Sam had made the night before and to get it ready for tonight. He needed to reinforce the side door again so if he got loose, he could not get out.

Dean was not sure what he would do if Sam did not give up and leave. He did not want to leave him outside all night, but he did not want to let him stay either. The risk was too great, and it sickened him to think he might accidently hurt Sam. Dean had not quiet mastered the beast yet and was not sure he could stop him from attacking Sam. The medicine Mason had given him to spike his meat had worked well last night. He knew the pills did not take long to take affect and knocked him out after ten or fifteen minutes once he ate them.

With the basement back in order again and the door fixed, Dean trudged up the stairs and went into the living room to peak out the window and saw Sam's head over the back of the rocking chair. It had been several hours now since Dean had locked him out. He was not moving now, and Dean did not know if he was asleep or not. He looked at the time and saw he had a couple more hours before the moon came up and fought internally with himself on what to do about Sam. He could not leave him out there all night, could he? He really would not be any safer out there than inside. Dean huffed a sigh as he shook his head, deciding he might as well give in. The only way to get Sam to leave was knock him out and drive him out of here, which Dean knew would not go over very well with him.

He went to the door and unlocked it and stepped out onto the porch to let Sam back in, but there would be some rules he had to obey.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the reunion. Thank you to all my readers for hanging in there for it. Gotta say Winchesters can be stubborn. I wanted Sam to go to a motel, but he refused, so, we will see what happens on the second change in the next chapter. He's found his brother and he's not leaving him. Thank you to any guest who left reviews. Reviews do make my day. NC