Chapter 38

2016

He usually loved hunting werewolves. They weren't overly complicated; they turned on the full moon, silver to the heart kills them. He's always loved hunting them, even after they almost killed him and his brother when they were hunting on their own. The girl werewolf, Kate, she had made him think twice about just killing them, but he'd liked the video that she had left for them. And he'd always like Garth. That guy was hilarious.

Now, he didn't want to hunt another werewolf for a very long time, if ever again.

He saw Uncle Sam go down, smashing a table, the werewolf following him down. Dad was fighting his own werewolf, so he couldn't get to Uncle Sam, but luckily, Uncle Sam was still holding his own. He'd go help either his Dad or his Uncle, but he wasn't going to leave Ben.

His brother had been the first inside, and he'd immediately gone to the two people who were strung up, their arms tied above their heads, hanging from the ceiling. He'd thought they were dead at first glance, but Ben was convinced they could be ok. He'd moved too slow to intervene when the first werewolf plowed into his brother, taking him down. He hated that he'd only clipped the werewolf before it raked its claws down his brother's chest.

Ben's cry of pain tore through him, and he moved without thinking. He tackled the werewolf that was on his brother, easily slipped a knife into his hand to stab down into the wolf's chest. He went back to his brother, pressing hard against his chest as soon as the wolf was dead. "Everything's ok," he said to his brother. There was too much blood. He shrugged out of his jacket and overshirt, and the pressed the overshirt to his brother's chest. The fabric was almost instantly soaked, but he kept pressure, hating the pained groan that slipped past Ben's lips. He just had to get the bleeding stopped.

He looked around for his Dad, and that was when he saw Uncle Sam go down. His parents were busy fighting their own werewolves, so he was on his own until they finished them off. "Ben, hey, look at me," he said, trying to get his brother's attention. Ben's pain-filled green eyes slowly met his, and he tried to smile encouragingly at his brother. "Stay awake, ok?"

"Dad…"

"He's busy, but he'll be here soon," he said. "Just stay with me, ok?" He had to duck suddenly, but he wasn't fast enough again. Dad was thrown into him, and they both crashed into a glass cabinet. He gasped as pain sliced through his side. Dad quickly got off of him, giving him an apologetic look before he had to run to get a werewolf away from Ben. He painfully pushed himself up, and then went back to Ben. "This is so not our hunt," he said, feeling better when Ben was able to smile just a little bit. "Who knew this tiny little werewolf hunt would suck so bad, right?"

"Right," Ben breathed. He automatically looked up when he heard a gunshot, but his heart dropped when he saw Uncle Sam drop down to his knees. He couldn't see where he was hit, but he wasn't getting back up. Dad quickly killed the werewolf that had just shot Uncle Sam before he went to help him. "What hap-happened?" Ben asked.

"Just hold still. I gotta stop your bleeding…" he said, splitting his attention between his brother and his Uncle.

"Alec…"

"Hey, I need you to hold still," he said, focusing on Ben again.

"Just tell me," Ben said.

"Uncle Sam got shot. I can't tell how bad it is," he said. Ben started to say something else, but he cut him off, "And before you tell me to go check on him, forget it. I'm not leaving you."

"Alec, how ya doin', kiddo," Dad called out.

"I can't get the bleeding to stop," he said. Dad ran over with the first aid kit, dropping a couple pressure bandages and some antiseptic. "How bad?"

"Shot in the stomach," Dad said. "I gotta get the bullet."

He nodded, and then focused on his brother again. He ripped apart the rest of Ben's shirt, but it didn't make him feel any better to see the deep scratches across his brother's chest. He could see some of Ben's collarbone, and it made his stomach turn. He forced himself to smile a little and try to reassure his brother. "It's not that bad," he said. "You've definitely had worse before." He could hear Dad talking to Uncle Sam, but he just focused on his brother.

He breathed out in relief when the bleeding finally slowed. Ben was deathly pale, and his breathing was shallow, so he still needed to hurry. His brother was going to go into shock soon. He quickly bandaged Ben's chest before he put his jacket over him. He wiped his hands on his jeans, trying to get Ben's blood off his skin, but it wasn't working.

"Alec…"

"Yeah?" he asked, easily forgetting about the blood on his hands.

"'M cold," Ben slurred.

"I know," he said. "I'm gonna find you a blanket." Ben nodded, so he reluctantly got up and started looking around the cabin. He searched the dead werewolves, taking their jackets just in case he couldn't find a blanket. He found some keys on one of the wolves and figured out they went to the cuffs.

"Hey, are you gonna get us down?" the guy asked.

"In a minute," he muttered. He searched the other werewolf, but this one didn't have much on him. He took the jackets back over to Ben and laid one over his own jacket, and then used the other as a makeshift pillow.

"Alec, keys," Dad said. He tossed the keys he'd found to his Dad, grateful that he could stay with his brother while Dad got the two people down. "Ben, you doin' ok, buddy?"

"I-I'm ok," Ben whispered.

"W-what were they?" the woman asked.

"Werewolves," Dad said.

"Told you they were monsters," the lady said to the man.

"That's right, Michelle, you called it," the man gently replied. They must be dating or married.

"I thought werewolves needed nighttime, a full moon?" Michelle said. "We've been here for days. These guys…they can change any time."

"Yeah, that's 'cause they were probably purebloods. And they can change any time they want," Dad said.

He glanced over to his Uncle and saw that he was trying to bandage himself while Dad got the victims down. He gently squeezed Ben's shoulder, and then ran over to Uncle Sam. "You should've told me you were doing this," he grumbled.

"Ben ok?" Uncle Sam asked instead of giving him a good reason.

"This is pretty bad…" he said. He pushed Uncle Sam's hands away and pressed harder against his wound. Uncle Sam groaned, but he didn't let up on the pressure.

Uncle Sam let out a pained chuckled, "Where'd your…b-bedside man-manner go?"

"Must be back at the bunker," he said. "I think next time me and Ben say we don't wanna go because we hate camping…I think you should listen to us."

"Good to know," Uncle Sam breathed.

He bandaged Uncle Sam's bullet wound, and then drug him over to Ben, trying his best to ignore his Uncle's pained breathing at being moved. But he couldn't watch both of them if they were on opposite sides of the room. He grabbed Uncle Sam's hand and forced him to press down on his wound. "You have to keep pressure," he said. "Uncle Sam, focus." He snapped in front of his Uncle's face a few times to try to get him to focus again.

"Check on your brother," Uncle Sam said.

"Hey, there's no sleeping on a hunt," he said, shaking Ben a little until he woke up again.

"Here you go," Dad said to the guy, handing him some bandages. The two people looked a little beat up, but they were in better shape than Uncle Sam and Ben. "Wrap those up," Dad said, pointing to Michelle's wrists. They looked torn up and infected from being strung up in cuffs for a few days. "Is there a landline in here?"

"You don't have a cellphone?" the guy asked.

"There's no service," Dad said. "I had a signal back at the car a couple miles back." Dad thought about it for a few seconds, and then looked at him. "I'm gonna go for a signal, ok? Then we'll get them to a real doctor. They're gonna be fine."

"I know," he said, trusting his Dad.

Dad started to leave, but the guy stopped him, "Hey, we're coming!"

"No, no, no," Dad said, shaking his head. Those two would only slow him down. It would be better if Dad went and got help, and then brought the help to them.

"Oh, no, we can't stay here," the man said. "Not with the others still out there."

"Dammit," he breathed.

"Alec," Uncle Sam weakly chastised.

"How many others?" Dad asked.

"I can stay. We'll be fine," he said. "I still have ammo and knives I can use if they come here."

"How many?" Dad asked again.

"I don't know," the guy said.

"I'm not leaving you here without backup," Dad said.

"I can't carry them both," he admitted.

"I can walk," Uncle Sam said, already trying to push himself up.

Dad ran forward and helped Uncle Sam get to his feet, and then supported him when he swayed. "If you can get Ben, we'll get them out of here."

"We should stay," he said.

"Alec, no," Dad said, using his tone that meant no amount of arguing would get him to change his mind. But he still had to try.

"Ben shouldn't be moved," he said. "Uncle Sam shouldn't be either. If I pick Ben up, he's just gonna start bleeding again." Dad just looked at him, so he sighed, shrugged back into his jacket, got Ben in one of the other jackets, and then carefully got Ben over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, brother," he whispered when Ben groaned in pain. "I gotcha. We'll be outta here in no time."

"I-I hate c-camping," Ben whispered.

"Me too," he said. "Next time, I'm throwing the biggest fit." Ben let out a weak laugh, so he said, "Oh, you think you've seen me throw a fit. You have no idea, brother."

He started falling behind once they were outside, but he didn't want to go too fast and hurt his brother. Ben weakly groaned when he stumbled over a tree root. He managed to catch himself, and not drop Ben, but he knew he hurt his brother more.

"I'm sorry, Ben," he said miserably.

"I'm ok," Ben weakly reassured.

"We're probably gonna need to swap some blood," he said to try to distract Ben. "I owe you anyway from when you gave me blood. Remember that?"

"H-hard to f-forget…" Ben breathed.

"Abaddon nearly gutted me," he said. "That whole thing was a mess." He used to wonder if things had happened differently, would Dad have needed Gadreel's help to save Uncle Sam? Maybe if he and Ben had still been at that church, maybe they could have helped. But he'd been in the wrong spot at the wrong time, and Abaddon had taken her shot at him. Ben had practically carried him out of that church, and then taken him somewhere to patch him up. He didn't remember much since he'd been pretty out of it. He remembered Ben worrying that he should be in a hospital, but he'd lost a lot of blood.

Dad had come to get them a few days later after checking in with Ben while he'd been out. He'd still been feeling weak and out of it, so they hadn't been allowed to go on the next hunt. That was when Ben had asked him who Jo was. Apparently in his delirium he'd rambled on about Ellen and Jo, Bobby, and Rufus. Ben knew he wasn't good at dealing with people dying, but his brother hadn't been there when Ellen and Jo had died. He still thought he could have helped.

"B-blood brothers," Ben whispered.

"That's right," he easily agreed. "As soon as we get outta these woods, I'm gonna patch you up. I'll find a better shack than you did."

"You're t-too c-competitive," Ben muttered.

"Hey, as the youngest, I have to really compete to be the best," he said. He couldn't see Dad or Uncle Sam, or the man and woman, he really should try to catch up again, but Ben seemed to do ok at this speed, so Dad would just have to come find him if he needed him.

"Alec…I-I'm sorry," Ben whispered.

"Everything's ok," he reassured. Or it would be as soon as he could get Ben stitched up and give him some blood. He wasn't going to lose his brother.

He nearly breathed out in relief when he saw a flickering light in the distance. He knew they weren't even close to the road yet, but Dad must have found another cabin or something. They were still pretty far away from the cabin, but at least there was somewhere they could stop for a few minutes.

"Alec!" Dad called out.

"Dad was worried about those other werewolves, but now he's yelling for us out in the woods," he muttered.

"Going t-too…sl-slow," Ben breathed.

He rolled his eyes, but he didn't argue with Ben. He couldn't go faster because he didn't want to hurt Ben. But he must have really fallen behind since Dad was out looking for them.

"Alec!" Dad yelled again. He was closer now, and he was going in the right direction, so he didn't say anything. "Hey, you ok?" Dad asked, finally spotting them.

"Yeah…just had to go slow," he said. He was breathing harder than he'd like to admit, but he'd be able to let Ben rest in a few minutes, which meant he could rest for a few minutes.

"We found a cabin, but there's still no service," Dad said. "We can rest for a few minutes, I'm gonna try to figure out a way to help Sam the rest of the way, and then we'll keep going." He just nodded, staying focused on keeping his brother on his shoulders. "Alec, stop," Dad breathed, pulling him closer until they were behind a big tree. Ben groaned softly at the quick movement, but he spotted the headlights that his Dad must have noticed.

"Think they saw us?" he asked.

"I don't think so, but we've gotta move," Dad said. Dad started to reach for Ben to help him, but he accidentally growled. He knew Dad wasn't going to hurt Ben, but his instincts kicked in. He was supposed to protect Ben. "Alright, alright," Dad placated. "But you gotta go a little faster, ok kiddo?"

He nodded even though he didn't want to go faster since that would hurt his brother. Dad stayed next to them, trying to get him to go faster, until they were finally at the cabin. "We're still a ways from the car…you ok?" he whispered to Ben as Dad went inside the cabin.

"Yeah," Ben breathed.

"I'll get you some happy drugs once we get to the hospital," he said.

"You shouldn't steal," Ben mumbled.

"What if I put down some cash? Would that make it better?" he asked. He really didn't care about stealing, in fact, he liked stealing, and he usually did it more when he knew it would get on Ben's nerves. But he wanted to make his brother feel better, and if giving up some of his cash would make Ben feel better, he could live with that. He just wanted to make sure Ben had something to help with the pain.

"O-ok," Ben whispered.

He looked to the cabin door, impatient to keep going. Ben wasn't exactly light, and he wanted to get his brother to the hospital as fast as possible. He wouldn't let Ben go inside the hospital, but they could stay in the Impala, or Dad could drop Ben off at the hotel until he could get what they needed from the hospital. Or, even better, he could drive the Impala to the hospital, and then to the motel.

He finally just gave up and went into the cabin. But he froze as soon as he was inside. Uncle Sam was on the floor, and Dad was trying to get him to wake up. He felt like he couldn't breathe because Uncle Sam wasn't waking up.

"Sammy?" Dad said softly, his voice thick with tears.

He carefully put Ben down, needing to do something or else he was going to completely shut down. He couldn't shut down. He had to carry Ben through the woods and get him to a hospital. He couldn't break down. Not yet.

Dad looked up at the sound of a vehicle a little ways from the cabin. It wasn't to them yet, but it would be there soon. He really wanted to fight, but he was also worried about Ben. If they stayed to fight, then Ben could get hurt worse, or even die. He couldn't handle losing Ben. Dad looked like he wanted to fight too, but then he looked at him and Ben.

"Hey, hey, you can't stay here," the guy said, noticing Dad was hesitating. "You fight, you die. And so do we, and so do your kids. Look…he's gone. I'm sorry, but he's gone. Help us. Please." He growled at the guy for even thinking that they could leave Uncle Sam here, dead or not. Uncle Sam was coming with them.

Dad's eyes filled with tears, and then he knelt next to Uncle Sam again. "I'm gonna come back for you, ok? I promise…"

"What?" he breathed. That wasn't right. He must have heard his Dad wrong. They couldn't leave Uncle Sam here.

"C'mon kiddo, we gotta go," Dad said, quickly wiping a tear away.

"No!" he shouted, unable to keep it in. "We can't leave him! He can't stay here!"

Dad ran over to him and put his hands on his shoulder to try to calm him down. "Alec, we can't stay here. We have to move fast to stay away from the werewolves. Sam's gone. We have to go."

"No," he whispered, taking a step back from his Dad. This wasn't right.

"Alec, listen to me," Dad said, forcing him to look at him again. "Ben's hurt, and Uncle Sam's gone. I'm coming back for him, but we have to get Ben to the hospital."

"We can't just leave him," he said, ignoring the tears streaming down his face.

"I'm coming back," Dad said. "You're gonna have to move faster than you were. Just focus on Ben, and I'll come back for Uncle Sam as soon as I get you back to the car."

"Alec," Ben breathed.

He hiccupped and tried to take a deep breath. He had to focus on Ben.

He carefully got his brother over his shoulder again, refusing to look at his Uncle's body. This wasn't ok, but Dad was going to come back. If they could just get to the car, then he could take Ben to the hospital and Dad could come back. Ben needed help.

"This is gonna hurt a lot more," he said. "But I'm gonna get you to the hospital."

Ben patted his back, silently telling him that he was ok. He followed his Dad from the cabin, trying to think of anything else besides his Uncle's body laying in the cabin behind him. He didn't care about the two people they had saved, or the werewolves that were still after them. His Uncle was dead, and his brother was hurt. Focus on Ben.

Ben was silent as he walked. He knew he was hurting his brother more, but he had to get him patched up. He could tell that Ben was starting to fade. He was losing too much blood, and it was taking forever to walk through these stupid woods. He wanted to punch something so badly.

It was starting to get light out when they finally made it to the road. Dad kept trying to get a signal to call for help, but there was still nothing. He took a few deep breaths, trying to keep up his strength. Ben was heavy, and he'd been carrying him for a long time, trekking through the woods for hours. He needed a break, but he knew Ben couldn't afford to take a break.

"Oh, whoa, whoa," Dad yelled as he ran out to try to stop the car that was speeding by. "Hey! Hey! Wait!" The care just kept going, but luckily there was another car coming up behind the first one. Dad ran out to be practically in the road, forcing the car to stop. He internally groaned when he saw that it was a Sheriff's car. Hopefully Dad wouldn't get printed…then they'd be screwed. "Alec, c'mon kiddo," Dad said, motioning him forward. The two people they'd rescued ran past him to get into the Sheriff's car first.

"Geez. Come on," the sheriff said. "What'd you all get into?"

"She needs medical attention right away," Dad said, motioning to Michelle, who was already getting into the car. Dad stepped away as soon as he said that, and then walked over to him. "Take care of your brother, ok? I'll be back as soon as I can, alright kiddo?"

"Ok," he whispered.

Dad kissed his forehead, and then gently put his hand on Ben's shoulder. "Ben, you hold on, ok buddy? Alec's gonna take care of you."

"Ok," Ben breathed.

"Hey, hold up," the sheriff said when Dad started to leave.

"No, no, just take them to the hospital," Dad said. He could hear the slight break in his Dad's voice, so he knew Dad was barely hanging on. He wanted to help, but he couldn't. Uncle Sam was dead, and there was nothing he could do to make that better. "I gotta get back to my car…back to my brother."

"Hey, first, everyone is gonna settle down and tell me what the hell is going on," the sheriff demanded. He growled low in his throat, wanting to take the guy out for trying to stop his Dad.

"Officer, I don't have the time," Dad said, sounding way more respectful than he usual did when he wasn't getting what he wanted.

Dad started to turn away, so the sheriff reached out and grabbed Dad's shoulder as he said, "Hey! You'll make the time." Dad was at his limit though because he turned and swung at the sheriff, punching him hard across the face.

"Dad!" he called out in warning when the sheriff raised his taser. But he was too late, and Dad fell to the ground, unconscious. He started to shake slightly, trying to decide what he should do. They couldn't leave Uncle Sam out here, but the sheriff had just made everything so much more difficult.

"Don't," Ben warned, his voice low. "Get…in the car…Alec."

He knew Ben was right. The sheriff was already looking at him, just daring him to try to challenge him. He swallowed hard and got into the car, claiming the front seat for him and his brother since he didn't have very many options. But he left Ben in the front seat, and then ran to get his Dad before the sheriff could touch him.

He glared at the sheriff as he got his Dad in the backseat next to Michelle. She gave him a pitying look, which he hated, so he glared at her. But he felt bad when she quickly looked away from him. Whatever, he had a lot going on right now. He wasn't going to apologize for being rude when he wasn't that sorry.

He held Ben close as the sheriff drove them to the hospital. The guy tried to get him to talk, but this guy had no idea how stubborn he could be. He wasn't good around people who thought they could order him around. Especially if that person had already hurt his Dad and forced them to abandon his Uncle. So, go ahead and try Mr. Sheriff, nothing he said was going to make him talk.

It was tricky once they got to the hospital. There were people out there waiting for them to help them out of the car, but he needed to sneak Ben away from everything. They could have ordinary blood, but it was better if they avoided it. Ben would heal faster if he could avoid it, and he would be less likely to get an infection or have seizures. And he hated it when doctors were close to his brother. It reminded him too much of Manticore.

He waited until all the medical people were busy with the man and woman, and even his Dad, before he slipped away with Ben. His brother was pretty much unconscious now, so he had to hurry. He immediately went to the basement since he knew how hospitals worked. He'd been in enough of them over the years to know that the basement was rarely visited. He'd have enough time to patch Ben up, give him some blood, and then hide him somewhere with fluids going. He had a lot to do, and not much time to do it.

He carefully put Ben down in a secluded corner of a supply closet, and then quickly stocked up on what he needed. He got Ben out of the dead werewolf's jacket, took off the gauze and pressure bandages, and then started cleaning out the deep cuts that were across Ben's chest.

He was quiet as he worked, making sure each stitch was perfect before he moved onto the next one. He wanted to break down and start sobbing, but he had to make sure the stitches were perfect. He didn't want to scar Ben. He knew their blood would make it so he wouldn't scar, but he wanted to make sure.

His fingers were numb, and his back was killing him by the time he was done, but Ben was all stitched up, so at least step one was done. He wrapped Ben up with gauze, and then put his jacket on him. He grabbed more supplies before he set up the blood transfusion. He wrapped a band around his bicep, and then carefully put the needle in the vein in the crook of his elbow. He did the same for Ben but waited until his blood was dripping through the needle from the small tube before he put the needle in Ben's arm.

He sat down next to his brother, and then gently settled his head on his leg as a makeshift pillow. He leaned his head back against the wall and just tried not to think about everything that had happened. "Don't worry," he said, just so he didn't have to sit in silence. Silence meant he was going to have to think about things. If he wasn't doing anything, then it was going to be impossible not to think about his Uncle that they abandoned. "I won't give too much. I have a lot to do still, so I'm gonna have to be able to walk. But don't get your panties in a twist, I'm not gonna do anything dangerous. I've gotta check on Dad and make sure he's ok, and then I'm going back to get Uncle Sam. We…we can't just leave him…"

He swallowed hard, but it was too much. He needed Ben to be awake, so he had something else to focus on. He couldn't stop the tears that flooded down his cheeks. He tried not to shake too hard with his sobs, but his chest hurt from how much he already missed his Uncle.

He hadn't been able to function when Dad died, but his Uncle dying hit him just as hard. He'd already lost his Uncle once, but at least this time he wasn't being tortured by Lucifer. But he still couldn't handle this. Uncle Sam had taken care of him when Dad and Ben had been sucked into Purgatory. And Uncle Sam had always taken care of them when he could. He tried to give them a normal life. He couldn't be gone.

"Re-remember when…Uncle Sam tried to teach you how to ride a bike?" he said, fighting through the sobs. He laughed and cried at the same time and said, "You were too nice to tell him that you already knew how to do it. And I think you secretly wanted Uncle Sam to pay attention to you."

"So pissed…when you came out there…" Ben suddenly breathed.

"Ben?!" he asked in surprise.

"You just…had to blow it…" Ben said, still struggling for breath.

"You know Uncle Sam's face was hilarious when I told him that you already knew how to ride a bike," he said.

"Grumpy face," Ben said. His brother's eyes slowly opened, and then he tried to reach up.

"You ok?" he said, grabbing Ben's hand.

"Hurts," Ben admitted.

"I'll find some painkillers in a few minutes," he said.

"What's…the plan?" Ben said. Ben's eyes closed again since he was too tired to keep them open for long.

"I'm gonna find somewhere for you to stay until I get back," he hedged.

"What's the part…I'm not gonna like," Ben guessed.

"I'm gonna go get Uncle Sam," he stated.

"Alec…" Ben said with a sigh.

"I know there are werewolves out there still, and I know I don't have any backup, but I can't leave him out there," he said, already know what Ben was going to say. Or, at least, what he would say if he had enough energy.

"Bad idea," Ben said.

"I know," he said. But he didn't care.

He ended up going out to find some pillows and blankets, and then brought them back to his brother. He got him as comfortable as possible, started some fluids, and made sure he still had his phone in case he needed something. "If you need anything, call the hospital and have someone come down here to find you," he said. "I'll be back in a few hours…"

"Alec…don't go," Ben said, grabbing his hand before he could get very far.

"I can't leave him out there," he said.

"Alec…"

"I'll be back," he said.

He forced himself to get up and leave his brother. He hated leaving Ben alone, especially while he was hurt, but he'd patched Ben up, so now he needed to get his Uncle before those werewolves did something to his body. He ran back upstairs and found Dad in another room, handcuffed to the bed.

"Is he ok?" he asked the female doctor that was in the room.

"Who are you?" the doctor asked sternly.

"I'm his kid," he said.

"He's got a couple broken ribs and a concussion," she said.

"But he'll be ok?" he asked just to make sure.

"He should be. If he rests," she said.

"When he wakes up, tell him I'll be back," he said, turning to leave the room.

"Wait, are you hurt?" the doctor asked.

"No," he said. He left before she could ask him anything else.

The parking lot to the hospital didn't have a ton of options to choose from for a car he could borrow, but at least there was something. He quickly broke into the car and hotwired it before flooring it back to the highway. He drove to the place where the sheriff had picked them up, hoping that would be the fastest way back to the cabin.

He abandoned the stolen car, taking off through the woods again. He wasn't carrying his brother this time, so he was able to go a lot faster. He just hoped he got there before the werewolves took his Uncle somewhere. He was already tired, but he pushed himself to go faster. He still had to stop a few times to catch his breath before he could keep going, but he was going to get his Uncle back no matter what.

He had to clutch his side at one point since it hurt so much to breathe, but he could keep going. He wasn't at the point where he was going to collapse…yet. He almost breathed out in relief when he finally spotted the cabin, but his heart did an unhealthy flip when he spotted the truck parked out front. They were already here. They might already have his Uncle. He needed to think for a minute before he just barged in there. Dad and Ben would be pissed if he got hurt doing this, so he needed to think.

If there was more than one werewolf, which there probably was, then it would be stupid to go in there. He was by himself, out in the middle of nowhere. If he got hurt, then he was screwed. But these monsters already killed his Uncle, he wasn't going to let them take him away completely.

He was just starting to consider that he should wait until they left to ambush them, but then he heard a crash from inside the cabin. Unless these werewolves were extremely clumsy, there was someone else inside that cabin. Maybe another hiker or camper, but they wouldn't be able to handle werewolves.

He ran into the cabin with his silver knife already out and ready. He saw a female at the top of some stairs, and she spun around as soon as he ran inside. He wanted to just throw his knife at her as soon as he saw her, but he hesitated since he wasn't 100% sure she was a werewolf. There were too many scents in the cabin to be able to pick out if she was a werewolf or not.

Until she snarled at him. He started to throw his knife at her but stopped as soon as she started to move. He couldn't miss since it would take him too long to get his spare knife from his boot. Instead, he waited until she charged at him, tackling him to the ground. What she didn't know, was that he was a transgenic, and not just an ordinary human. He easily kept her from biting him and flipped her onto her back. He stabbed his knife straight into her chest as soon as she was on her back, getting the blade right into her heart.

He was definitely breathing hard just from that little fight, but he quickly yanked the knife out of the werewolf's chest when he heard someone slowly coming up the stairs. He saw a hand covered in blood grab onto the doorframe, and then everything seemed to freeze.

His mouth dropped open in shock and tears filled his eyes when his Uncle appeared in the doorway. He actually thought he was seeing a ghost for a few seconds, but then his Uncle gave him a pained smiled. "Finally…shocked you…into silence," Uncle Sam said, choking out a pained laugh.

As soon as his Uncle laughed a little, he jumped into motion. He ran over to him and took on most of his weight. "What…" He couldn't even focus to get one question out with all the thoughts going on in his head.

"Where's…your Dad?" Uncle Sam asked. Tears started falling since he didn't want to tell his Uncle that they had abandoned him. Uncle Sam somehow pulled him closer and held on tight. "Alec…where's Dean and Ben?" Uncle Sam asked.

"The hospital," he finally said, forcing himself to get it together. Uncle Sam was still bleeding, so he needed to get him to the hospital to get him taken care of. "We…we thought you were dead…Dad said…I mean, you were! You were dead! We didn't want to leave you, but Ben needed help!"

"Hey, hey, it's ok," Uncle Sam said. "It's ok…let's just…get outta here."

"How are you even alive?" he asked.

"I'm not sure…I just woke up, and you all were gone," Uncle Sam said. "Wait…is Corbin at the hospital too?"

"Is that the guy?" he asked. He had no idea who Corbin was, but he was guessing it was Michelle's boyfriend, or whoever the guy was that they'd rescued.

"Yeah," Uncle Sam said.

"Yeah, he was there. I'm not sure where he was when I left, but he went to the hospital with us," he said with a shrug. "Why?"

Uncle Sam looked at him for a few seconds, but then said, "We just need to get back…" It was obvious that Uncle Sam was keeping something from him, which he didn't like, but he wasn't going to push it. He was just thankful that Uncle Sam was somehow still alive.

"You're bleeding more," he said, looking his Uncle over while he held him up.

"Had a little…run in with a wolf downstairs…" Uncle Sam said. His Uncle was seriously a badass. He smiled a little since his Uncle was so cool. He was pretty sure Dad and Uncle Sam were the only people on Earth who could take on a werewolf after getting shot and practically dying. Ok…he and Ben could probably do it too, but they were transgenics, so his Uncle was really impressive.

"At least we won't have to walk through the woods anymore," he said, managing to give his Uncle a small smile. Uncle Sam gave him a curious look, so he carefully led him outside, where the werewolves' truck was waiting for them. "It'll be a lot faster…which is good. Maybe we can get there before Dad wakes up…"

"What happened?" Uncle Sam forced out. The pain from moving was obvious, but he had to get him to the truck, and then he'd get to the Impala. Dad was going to be pissed if they got blood on the seats, but at least they wouldn't have to come back to the woods.

"We made it to the road, and Dad waved down the sheriff. But Dad didn't get along well with him and got tased," he said. "He was unconscious when I left."

"Ben ok?" Uncle Sam asked. He helped get his Uncle into the passenger seat of the truck before he ran around and started it up.

"He's ok," he said. "I patched him up and hid him in a supply closet. I gave him some blood too, so he'll bounce back pretty fast."

"You're in…big trouble," Uncle Sam said once he started driving. He scowled at his Uncle, unsure why saving the day meant he was in trouble. "Comin' out here…without backup…after giving blood? Bad move."

"Saved your ass," he grumbled. He smiled though when Uncle Sam reached over and messed up his hair. And then the tears started again. He couldn't believe his Uncle was alive.

He kept looking from the bumpy road to his Uncle, until his Uncle said, "Eyes on the road…kiddo."

"I just can't believe you're alive," he admitted. "I really thought you were dead…and…I can't lose you…"

"I'm ok," Uncle Sam breathed.

He still shot glances to his Uncle every few seconds just to make sure he was still there, and still breathing. It took a while to get back to the road where they had parked the Impala, but at least they didn't have to walk this time.

He helped Uncle Sam out of the truck, and then into the passenger seat of the Impala. He handed Uncle Sam his phone, silently telling him to call Dad. He wasn't going to be able to keep it together if he had to tell Dad that Uncle Sam was alive.

"Is there any service?" he asked when Uncle Sam just looked at his phone.

"One bar," Uncle Sam said with a nod.

"Uncle Sam…we really thought…We would have never left you, I swear," he said, fearing his Uncle was mad at him. "Dad was gonna come back right when we got to the road, and that's when the sheriff tased him. I-"

"Alec, it's ok," Uncle Sam whispered. "I'm just…worried he did something stupid…"

"He was unconscious when I left. How much trouble could he really get into in that short amount of time?" he asked.

"You're his kid…you find trouble in an empty room," Uncle Sam teased. He shrugged and nodded since that was totally true.

Uncle Sam finally called Dad, who was very much awake now. "Alec, you are in so much trouble! You better be ok, or I swear…"

"Dean, it's me," Uncle Sam said.

"Sammy?" Dad breathed in shock.

"Yeah," Uncle Sam said.

"Oh, God. I…what happened?" Dad asked.

"Alec isn't in as much trouble as he was," Uncle Sam breathed. "But we're heading to you." Uncle Sam took a few steadying breaths, "Dean…is Corbin with you?"

"Sam?!" Dad asked.

He heard static and groaned. Uncle Sam wouldn't ask about Corbin if it wasn't serious, but of course now Dad wouldn't be able to hear them. "Dean!" Uncle Sam cursed as the connection was lost.

"Uncle Sam…what's Corbin got to do with this?" he asked. He wasn't going to let Uncle Sam dodge his question anymore. He needed to know what was going on. Why was Uncle Sam so concerned about Corbin?

"He was bit," Uncle Sam said.

The blood drained from his face since Dad and Ben were both in danger and he'd left them vulnerable. But if he hadn't come for his Uncle, then he might actually be dead now. He knew his Uncle was a badass, but he'd been shot. Anything could have happened, so he had to leave his Dad and brother at the hospital.

But he could still do something. Uncle Sam needed to be in the hospital, and Dad and Ben were already there, so he just had to get there as fast as possible. He wasn't sure if his Dad would be pissed at him or proud of him for how fast he pushed the Impala. Uncle Sam was holding onto the door with a death-grip, desperately holding on as he made some impossible turns. But he loved the Impala. The Impala knew his family was in danger, and she was going to get them there faster.

Uncle Sam didn't even tell him to slow down, which meant he was just as scared about Dad and Ben being at the hospital while they were hurt. And he knew he was hurting Uncle Sam by driving like this, but he couldn't let up on the gas.

He tore into the parking lot, and he wanted to run straight into the hospital, but he couldn't just leave Uncle Sam in the car to fend for himself. He helped Uncle Sam up, and tried to get him into the hospital as fast as he could without hurting him more.

"Go find your brother," Uncle Sam breathed in pain, pushing away from him to lean heavily against the hospital wall. "Alec, go," Uncle Sam urged when he didn't move. He stayed right where he was until Uncle Sam held up a gun to tell him he'd be ok.

He didn't want to leave Uncle Sam, but Ben was defenseless. He couldn't leave his brother alone when he was hurt like he was. He hated himself enough already, but if something happened to his brother, then he didn't think he'd survive it. He took off down the hallway, heading for the basement, but then his blood ran cold when he heard a gunshot.

He skidded to a stop and quickly ran back the way he came. It took him a minute to find his Uncle since he wasn't where he'd left him. He stopped completely when he found Uncle Sam standing at one end of the corridor, and Dad was on the floor, pushing the dead guy to the side. The woman that they had rescued was sobbing, but it was pretty obvious that the werewolf had been about to kill his Dad.

"It took you long enough," Dad breathed.

Uncle Sam swayed suddenly, so he blurred forward and caught him before he could hit the floor. He felt completely overwhelmed now that everything was over, but he didn't want to fall apart in front of his Dad and Uncle. They had too much to worry about right now, so he didn't want to add to it. Dad helped him ease Uncle Sam to the ground since he was a little out of it now, and he didn't want him to fall.

"I'm gonna go get Ben," he whispered once Uncle Sam was safely on the ground.

"Alec," Dad said, catching his arm before he could get far. He looked back at his Dad and nearly lost it. Dad pulled him in close and held him. "You ok?" Dad asked, holding him back slightly to look him over. He quickly wiped away a tear that escaped and nodded. Dad looked like he knew he wasn't ok, but he really hoped he wouldn't say anything. He didn't want to fall apart here. "Ok…go get Ben, but come find me in a little, ok?"

"Ok," he said, nodding again.

Dad kissed his forehead and tried to brush his hair back, but he immediately messed up his hair, making his Dad smile a little. He looked back at Uncle Sam, but Dad reassured, "Don't worry, I'll get him checked out."

He forced himself to leave, but as soon as he turned the corner, he took off running. He had to make sure Ben was ok. He felt like he was able to breathe again as soon as he got to the closet where he'd left Ben, and his brother looked over at him once he was inside.

"Alec," Ben breathed in relief. "Are you ok?"

"You look better than you did," he said with a small smile.

"What happened? Did you get him?" Ben asked. "Did you see the other werewolves?"

"Uncle Sam's alive," he said, walking over to sit next to his brother. Ben's eyes widened in shock, so he said, "I'm not sure how I missed it…I should've been able to hear his heartbeat still…but I just left him there."

"Alec, I didn't hear his heartbeat either," Ben said. "There was a lot going on…and I'm sure Uncle Sam isn't gonna blame us for leaving him."

"Ben, you were practically unconscious. I was fine. I should've at least argued with Dad more about just leaving him…" he muttered. "He could've actually died…those werewolves were trying to kill him when I got there."

"Are you ok?" Ben asked as he struggled to sit up.

"I'm fine," he said. "Just got a cut from the first fight, but it'll be fine."

"Let me see," Ben demanded. He lifted his shirt, hating how stiff the fabric was since it was covered with Ben's blood and Uncle Sam's. Ben carefully skimmed his finger over the cut. "You need stitches," Ben stated. "How'd you even get this?"

"I think it was a piece of glass," he said with a shrug. He got up and grabbed more supplies before he sat next to Ben again. "Are your hands even steady enough to do this?" he teased.

"Shut up," Ben grumbled. "At least help me up."

"This will go a while lot faster if I just do it," he said.

"Alec…" He rolled his eyes since he couldn't say no to Ben, and gently eased him up. He lost the little bit of color that he'd gained from the blood transfusion, but he stayed conscious, so that was good. "You shouldn't have given me any blood," Ben said as he cleaned out the cut.

"You needed it," he said.

"Is Uncle Sam going to be ok?" Ben asked.

"Dad said he'd get him taken care of," he said, taking in a sharp breath at the burn of the antiseptic.

"Sorry," Ben muttered.

"I'm ok," he said. Ben finished patching him up, and was just about to lay down again, but he stopped him. "You're not staying here. This was just supposed to be temporary."

"Where are we going?" Ben asked, sounding exhausted again.

"Maybe Dad will give me some money for a motel," he said. "If not, I'll find somewhere. But first, I gotta get you to the car."

He helped Ben up, taking on most of his weight when he started to sag. "You got the car?" Ben asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, been a busy day, brother," he said.

"You're awesome," Ben said with a smile.

He had to hide his own smile since he liked it when Ben thought he was awesome. He got Ben to the car before he ran back and grabbed the stolen pillows and blankets and brought them out to his brother. "You stay here," he said as he got Ben more comfortable. "I'll go get some cash, and then I'll be right back."

He found his Dad in the hospital hallway, sitting next to Michelle. He was so tired, he nearly collapsed into the chair next to his Dad. "Hey kiddo," Dad said, pulling him closer.

"Can I have some money for a room? Ben's in the car," he said.

"We're gonna head out as soon as Sam's patched up," Dad said. "Think Ben can wait just a few?"

"Yeah, he's probably already asleep," he said. He leaned against his Dad's shoulder, too tired to hold his head up anymore. "Are you mad at me?" he asked softly. He knew Dad was pissed when he found out he took off, but he brought Uncle Sam back, so maybe he wasn't in trouble? He just didn't want his Dad to be mad at him.

"I'm not mad at you," Dad said, leaning over to kiss the top of his head. "I'm so proud of you."

"I guess you woke up while I was gone?" he asked.

"Yeah…the doc told me you took off," Dad said. "Didn't know where you went, and had no idea there were two of you when I asked where your brother was, but I was mad for a bit. I knew you went back to get Uncle Sam…but as soon as he started talking to me…I'm not mad, kiddo."

"Did you do anything stupid while I was gone?" he asked. He'd been worried about leaving his Dad alone. His Dad was a little reckless when it came to them, and losing Uncle Sam would have really hurt him. He'd hoped that Dad would just stay unconscious the whole time he was gone, so he wouldn't do something dumb and reckless.

Dad hesitated, "Nah, nothing too stupid." He didn't believe him for a second, but he knew his Dad wouldn't tell him what really happened. "You're filthy, you know that?" Dad teased, changing the subject.

"Yeah, well, someone made me trek through the woods," he said sarcastically. He was pretty filthy right now. His shirt was covered in blood, it was ripped, his jeans and boots were caked in mud, and he knew his face, hands, and hair was covered in a mix of blood and dirt. "No more camping trips," he said tiredly.

"No more camping trips," Dad agreed.

He jumped up as soon as Uncle Sam slowly started down the long hallway. He ran over to his Uncle and helped him walk, refusing to be shaken off. "Are you ok?" he asked worriedly.

"All stitched up," Uncle Sam said. "And a bit more blood. Where's your brother?"

"He's in the car," he said.

"You're a mess," Uncle Sam said, frowning as he looked him over.

He rolled his eyes and helped his Uncle further down the hallway. He really didn't want to let go of him since he still thought he was going to lose him. "So, that's it, huh?" Dad asked, slowly standing up to meet them. "Two quarts O-neg and you're good to go?"

Uncle Sam laughed and nodded as they left the hospital. "How is she?" Uncle Sam asked, nodding back to where they'd left Michelle.

"She's strong. She'll be alright," Dad said. "Those stiches gonna hold?"

"Oh yeah…professional grade," Uncle Sam said, slightly breathless now. "Couple days of antibiotics and some bed rest, and I'm, uh, back to normal." He made sure Uncle Sam was steady against the side of the Impala before he got the passenger door open. He helped ease Uncle Sam down into the seat, and he was tempted to sit between his Dad and Uncle, but he was worried about Ben falling off the backseat. "You'll be proud to hear, your son terrified me with his driving skills."

"That's my boy," Dad said with a smile.

He blushed and got into the back, carefully moving Ben around until his head was resting in his lap. "Terrifying," Uncle Sam repeated. "I think he could almost out-drive you…"

"Then he's on the right track," Dad said as he started the car.

He fell asleep as soon as Dad got back onto the road, exhausted from everything that had happened, and the emotional rollercoaster he'd been on recently. He definitely didn't want to ever go through something like this ever again. And he would flat out refuse to go camping.

Present

He held Alec's hand, desperately wishing his brother would just wake up. He didn't think he could go one more day without hearing his brother's voice. But Alec was still lifeless on the bed, and the scientists hadn't found anything to help him. He wasn't sure there was anything to help his brother.

Dad came in with his dinner, and then went through Alec's exercises while he ate. The food tasted like mush, but he didn't want to give his Dad anything else to worry about. He would keep eating and sleeping, even though he felt sick just thinking about food and he had nightmares every night.

"Did you talk to Claire today?" Dad asked. He nodded since his mouth was stuffed with food. Alec would have automatically answered, even with his mouth full. He missed his brother so much. "You two have been hanging out a lot…"

"I like her," he whispered.

Dad chuckled, "I know that much. And I know your brother likes Max."

"Max likes him too," he said.

"She comes down here a lot," Dad said.

"Alec's going to really like our new room. That's where I usually go when I'm not here," he said.

"That window seat's gonna get a lot of use," Dad said as he moved Alec's arm around. He wasn't sure if these exercises were something Dad already knew how to do, or if he had Vincent teach him some things to help Alec, but he hoped it actually helped. His brother was down enough on himself as it was; he didn't need anything on top of what he already thought about. And if he couldn't move, then that was definitely going to cause more negative thinking for his brother.

Alec hated being a burden on anyone, and he thought he ruined everything, which was just crazy, but he was trying to work on his brother. It was funny since Alec was actually the optimistic twin, while he was more pessimistic, but Alec was so negative about himself when he thought his brother was the greatest person in the universe. He knew Alec had issues, but he cared more about other people than himself, which was just like Dad.

"Are the exercises going to make sure he can move when he wakes up?" he asked just to double check.

"They'll help," Dad said. "He's still gonna be pretty weak for a while, so we'll have to work on his morale."

He nodded, smiling just a little since he'd been thinking the same exact thing. His smile fell though when all the machines keeping Alec going started going haywire. His heartrate started going faster and faster, and he was starting to think maybe there was something wrong with the machines. But then all the scientists came running in and checking Alec's stats, and they definitely looked worried.

He didn't even notice that Dad was next to him or that they were away from Alec's bed now, until he tried to run to his brother, and his Dad grabbed him. He felt his own heart stop when Alec suddenly flatlined. He was going to lose his brother. He tried to fight against his Dad since he had to get to his brother. He had to help him somehow! He couldn't lose him!

The scientists were trying to bring Alec back, but he could tell they didn't think he was going to make it. They shocked him a few times, but his heart wasn't starting again. He knew his Dad was trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear anything over the loud, continuous beep that signaled that he was losing the person who was most important to him in the entire world.

He screamed and sobbed when the scientists turned off the heart monitor and stepped away from Alec, acting like they were going to let him go. Dad was the only thing that kept him on his feet, but he felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. This couldn't be happening. Alec couldn't be gone.

He was suddenly on his knees on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. He could hear his Dad yelling at the scientists to do something to save his brother, but Vincent was telling Dad that Alec was gone. He clutched at his chest, feeling like a part of him was gone now. He couldn't do this without his brother.

Everything went silent, and it felt like there was electricity in the air right before there was a blinding flash of light. He had to shield his eyes, and he couldn't see for a few seconds because of the flash. He couldn't really comprehend what he was seeing once he was actually able to see again.

Jack was here. Jack had just appeared out of nowhere after being gone for so long. He looked pretty much the same, except his eyes looked older than before, and he had some worn-out looking clothes on, and his hair was messed up. Jack looked around the room but stopped when his eyes landed on Alec's lifeless form.

Jack walked over to Alec and put his fingers at his temples. He didn't think anything was going to happen, but then Alec gasped and choked on the tube that was down his throat.

Jack had come out of nowhere and had brought his brother back to life.

More soon...