Their pace was slow and agonizing. They only got half of the way down the path before Sam started to shake in the knees.

"I think we should make camp. You little jerks have been camping before," Bobby said, breaking the suspense in Dean's eyes, as he looked on at his little brother's ailing health in horror.

Sam nodded, for once not arguing. When Bobby made a call, Sam rarely argued with him. Unlike with their Dad, who he would sometimes argue with just for the sake of arguing. Dean frowned, realizing that Sam probably felt safer with Bobby than with his own family at this moment in their messed up life. How had it gotten to that point?

Bobby built a fire and lined their camp with rock salt. Dean set up the tents. Sam stood guard, swearing that he would be the best one to keep an eye out as his "brain was on fire."

Finally, the boys sat down in front of the fire. Bobby sat Sam down directly in front of Dean, forcing them to be face to face. He sat next to Dean throughout their little dinner of hotdogs packed last minute in a mess kit. Bobby had also remembered some beers in their truck, which he'd hauled down the path in the gear packs, down in the bottom of an insulated cool sack.

When supper was eaten, Bobby stood up slowly.

"I think it's my turn to keep watch, sport. You look like you got walked over with an iron baseball bat." Bobby nodded at Sam who smiled, failing to protest. He went to the edge of the woods, just where the salt ring stood as the thin line between them and everything out there in the dark.

Dean shifted where he sat. Sam stared exhaustedly into the fire.

Neither spoke for a long time.

"You said the thing dragged you into the church..."Dean's voice surprised himself because it was incredibly tender. Dean could be quite snappy, especially with Sam, for getting himself into stupidly dangerous situations, but now he was talking to him with the same tone he'd used when he was a little kid. Sam looked up, brow curled in surprise. He was looking Dean in the eyes for the first time since they'd been back together, and he'd been back in his right mind.

"Yellow Eyes...you said he dragged you by a chain. Where did he start to drag you? If you know the path then..."Dean got choked up a little bit. Sam smiled patiently.

"We reappeared from our little vanishing act about the same place where I had you park the car. That's how I knew we were in the right place. He hauled me by the shoulder from the treeline, and then he...uh...he wrapped me in a chain and dragged me the rest of the way." Sam nodded.

Dean gasped.

"So...So um...so you mean, he dragged you down this...the thorns, the sharp rocks, all of that?" Dean winced.

Sam tilted his head.

"Yeah. Uh, but it was like my body was repairing itself as it got torn apart...I don't know. It felt like we passed through everything. Yeah, it uh...It hurt like Hell at the time, but I'm okay." Sam smiled, sheepishly.

There was silence. Dean realized he was probably visibly upset because of the puppy dog eyes look he got.

"Are you..are you okay?" Sam asked at length.

Dean coughed.

"Mm, I still have some questions?"

Sam bowed his head.

"Shoot." He nodded. He owed Dean this.

"Were...were you gonna call me after you came to on that road? Or...Did you...did you just think you were gonna wander back to school, and it would all be good?" Dean frowned. His tone was a little bit harsher that time. He'd lost Sam. He dropped his gaze.

Sam winced.

"I...I um...Well...I don't know...I wasn't really in my right head when he...ah... He was gone before I realized where I was. I didn't know exactly how close or how far away I was from the spot I'd been taken until I woke up in the road and counted by the mile markers I was nearest to..." Sam swallowed.

"So,...um, I'd like to think that I would warn you after, if that makes you feel better, I just...I can't really answer the question because I ran into you before I was fully back on earth if you understand." Sam shifted, staring into the fire again.

Dean felt his body go cold. He shouldn't have snapped at him. That wasn't going to help their situation.

"I'm sorry."

Sam looked up, confused again, by how desperately tender Dean was being.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like such an ass just then...You...you scared the hell outta me, man..."Dean frowned.

Sam nodded.

"I see what you're doing...You don't have to. If you're pissed at me still, I get it. I deserve it." Sam looked away.

What?

"Hang on, what are you saying?" Dean felt anger and horror at the same time.

"I'm the one who left. I deserve it if you're still mad at me. It's not like you asked me to come crashing back into your life." Sam sounded like a kicked puppy as he spoke.

"I never wanted you out of my life in the first place!" Dean blurted.

Sam stared at him like he'd been slapped. Because they both knew it was true, but still to hear it said like that hurt.

Dean eased himself up to standing. He took a heavy breath. Sam looked hurt like he expected Dean to march off, and part of Dean wanted to. But he also knew that he had come pretty close to losing the kid for good, and it was time to make this right, this minute.

"What happened...? With you and Dad?... I'm not the one who said that to you. I'm not the one who didn't want you to come back. If you needed your space, I could respect that. When you never picked up the phone..."Dean frowned.

Sam winced.

"You...you thought that...Oh..." Sam looked away.

"Oh, God! I'm...I'm so sorry..." Sam had tears pricking at his eyes now.

Dean crept to him and sat down next to him on the log he was sitting on.

"Look at me."

Sam did finally, God help him.

Dean nodded and smiled.

"There he is..."He laughed, trying to make this less awkward.

Sam smiled.

"Whatever happened we can't do anything about it now, okay? What do you say? You think you could work with me again to find out what the hell is happening to our family now?" Dean smiled.

Sam swallowed hard. Then, he slowly nodded.

Dean reached over and pulled him into his arms. This time, Sam was lucid, and so he was aware of what was happening. He went tense. This was was the first time Dean had hugged him in a long, long time, as far as he was aware, and he, with all the baggage he had carried, hadn't been ready for it.

Dean reached and manhandled Sam's arms until they were around his waist. Then, he pushed his head to his shoulder.

"That's how you do that." He teased, shaking him softly. Sam chuckled, and Dean could hear in his voice that he was crying now. He then felt him hug him back, hard, expressing all of the loneliness of the last two years completely on his own. Dean's grip tightened around him, and he felt a stone roll through his chest, as he was relieved of two years of guilt, anger, and sadness at losing his kid brother.

"You know, it's a two-way street, dude. I'm sorry I didn't call you either..." Dean gulped.

"I guess it was just a colossal misunderstanding..." Sam choked out.

"Yeah," Dean put his face in Sam's hair, taking the opportunity to feel him over once again and be dead certain he wasn't hurt after being dragged down this awful path.

"I really am okay..." Sam whispered.

"I know, but humor me..."Dean teased, feeling along for broken bones until he was at last satisfied that he was probably going to live. Then, he eased back and palmed his tears off his cheeks.

"Okay...Why don't you get some sleep? Me and Bobby can keep watch for the spooks for a little while."

Sam looked terrified.

"I don't think I um...I don't think I'm gonna be sleeping for a while...after...I still..." Sam looked around anxiously.

Dean nodded.

"It's okay, Sammy, I get it. Just chill out. We can all keep watch, or you can just kinda hang here by the fire, and me and Bobby will keep a lookout." With that, Dean stood up, smiling. Sam nodded. He stood up then and produced his little shotgun, and silently joined Dean in the watch.