Disclaimer: Here come the Hottie McHots, served up on a plate and ready to be EATEN! Sadly, I have to get permission to eat them because I don't own either of them...

ENJOY! And review, chums, yall are slacking! I'm disappointed in you... jk. : )

Chapter Five: To Bethel

Sam stared out of backseat window, watching the sidewalks, trees, and shrubberies fly past. His thoughts were wandering near and far, and he wasn't able to pull them into check. He remembered the odd moment of suspended blackness as he had lost consciousness back on Lafayette… The strange blanket that had slid slowly off of his mind as he had awakened on the basement couch… It all seemed so surreal, so unreal.

"You ok?" Dean asked, turning around in the front seat to look at Sam. "You're looking pale again."

"I'm ok," Sam said, a little quietly—it was a lie. The same exact coldness that had seeped through his body on the mountain was now tingling in his legs, moving much slower than it had before, but definitely moving upward.

Dean took a deep breath. "I don't want you to think about it too much, ok? We're going to get rid of this thing, I promise."

"I know."

Dean glanced at Gavin. "We almost there?"

Gavin checked his watch and bit his lip, thinking. "Yeah. If I gun it over sixty, we'll probably be there in two hours, or so."

"In two hours, I could have three heart attacks and Sammy could slip into a coma."

"Not Sammy, it's Sam, Dean," Sam protested weakly, knowing it was his brother's prized tradition to ignore that request.

The roads weren't too slippery, considering the recent snow fall which had left about two inches of powder soft snow along the banks of the highway and on the pavement's surface. Gavin slowed a little and the small Jetta curved smoothly off the highway and onto Exit 13, to Topsham and Bethel. It would only be a few minutes now.

Sam gasped softly in the back seat, and Dean looked at him again. His younger brother's eyes were closed and he was leaning back against his seat, one fist clenched around the shoulder strap of his seat belt and the other opening and closing around the sleeve of his jacket.

"Sam?"

"It's coming again, but don't stop the car," Sam said shakily. "I'll be fine, I was fine last time."

"Shit! Gavin, speed up."

Sam squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself to block the panic that was once more inching its way up his spine. Dean unclasped his seat belt, climbed determinedly into the back seat, and landed with a thump beside Sam. "It's ok, bro," Dean said in his best attempt at calm control. "You've been through it once before, you can handle it."

Sam nodded without opening his eyes. The frosty coldness had reached his lower stomach. He winced, squirming where he sat and pushing harder against the back of the seat.

"Remember what happens?" Dean said, trying to keep Sam coherent as long as he could. "You remember, right? You have a little trouble breathing, and then you fall asleep, that's all. You'll be absolutely fine."

"I'll be fine…" The coldness gripped his ribs.

"Sam, just keep listening to me, ok? We're almost to Bethel, just an hour, or so. Just keep listening to me, don't forget I'm right beside you."

"It's so cold—my chest—I can't get enough air, Dean"—

"I know, I do, Sammy, you're going to be fine"—

Dean took Sam through the agonizing experience for the second time that day, quickly providing his own lap as a pillow for Sam when the boy finally fell unconscious. As his hand felt the cold sweat on Sam's forehead, he couldn't help thinking, if I talk to this scientist and it really was him that started this situation, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands. I don't give a damn whether or not he meant to do it. "Speed the Hell up, Gavin, why the fuck are we slowing down!" They were on a road that wound through thick trees, and the scarce light that shone from the moon overhead was blocked by them. The headlights only provided vision of the area directly ahead.

"Why do you think?" Gavin asked, shooting a frustrated glance back at Dean.

Dean turned his eyes to the road. An SUV was parked broadside to the traffic lanes, blocking both directions. Dean clenched his fists in anger. "Run off the road, go around him! We don't have time for this!" Sam's head and shoulders were resting across Dean's lap and he looked peaceful—but Dean knew that wasn't the way of it.

Gavin was peering intently through the windshield glass, a scrutinizing expression on his face. Slowly, something dawned on him and his face relaxed. "Thank God."

"What!"

"That's my brother Tom's car. He met us half way."

((Inside Tom Hanson's SUV))

"When we get back to Goldridge you're going straight to bed."

"That's not your decision, Daddy."

"You shouldn't have come with me."

"You agreed. Besides, I wanted to see what was more important than your own daughter."

Hanson took a steadying breath and then opened the driver's side door, clambering out onto the freezing, snowy pavement. His hope to stop Roger and the two young researchers on this road had been successful. Ashley followed him, eyeing the small, red Jetta with skepticism as they walked briskly across the space between the two vehicles.

I'm DEATHLY sorry it's so short, chummie mc chums. I guess you'll have to find something to do to pass the time between now and Chapter Six...Oh, here's an idea... REVIEW! Love you. Muah!