Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters and am not making any money on this…I'm still just having fun!

Heart of the Protector

Chapter 2 – Rescued

Sam was in a clearing, watching as an old hunter was taking aim on a buck. He could see the excitement on the man's face as his finger began to pull on the trigger. Sam wanted to stop the man; he never understood the fascination of hunting for the sake of killing. But before he could say anything, the man yelled and was pulled backwards into the brush; the gun discharging harmlessly into the air.

Sam watched as the buck turned to flee. He was glad the deer got away, but was concerned about what had happened to the hunter. Walking forward, Sam followed the trail. Soon he heard a thrashing sound ahead of him. Sam quickened his pace, running towards the sound. He watched in horror as the man burst out of the brush, a large bear following closely behind. The bear grabbed the man and knocked his to the ground. Sam watched helplessly as the bear tore the man to shreds right before his eyes.

Sam felt sick to his stomach, there was almost nothing left of the man by the time the bear finished. Realizing that he did not have a weapon, Sam began to back slowly back into the forest. Unfortunately the bear heard him and turning it's head towards Sam, it charged. Sam began to run, but once again the bear was too quick. Sam felt the claws hit him in the back. He rolled over trying to push the bear off of him, but the bear was too strong. Sam watched as the bear prepared to strike the fatal blow, he looked up and saw the bears eyes…they were yellow.

"NO!" Sam screamed as he jerked awake. It took a few moments for Sam to catch his breath, his head was pounding as he lurched forward, emptying his stomach into the nearby brush. Sam sat back, shaking his head. He could still feel the hot breath of the bear on his face. Looking fearfully into the woods, Sam couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on here than just a possessed wolf.

Sam groaned as he stood on unsteady legs. He had to get to Dean; he had to get him out of the cave before dark. Sam had a feeling that time was running out for both of them.

Dean woke with a start, his teeth chattering as the cold and dampness of the cave began to seep into his bones. Groaning, Dean stood up and began to pace within the small confines of the cave. He could tell by the amount of light that it was getting to be late in the day. Dean's worry about Sam was close to reaching panic. He figured that Sam should have been here by now. Any number of things could have happened to his brother. For all he knew, Sam could have been attacked again by the wolf.

"Damn it Sam!" Dean yelled, knowing that his brother couldn't hear him, but needing to break the silence. Dean once again looked at the walls of his prison. He still couldn't find any hand holds or see any way of him to climb out. Sitting down again, Dean hung his head. How could he protect Sam when he was down here in this stinking hole?

Dean once again examined the constant war within himself. He wanted his brother with him, he knew that Sam was an experienced hunter with skills to rival his own and yet his need to have his brother with him was always at war with his need to protect his younger brother. On days like this, he could feel himself being torn apart by the conflicting needs. He knew that Sam would never be happy to be kept on the sidelines…he had said so more than once. Dean also knew that Sam would never be safe on his own because of his special abilities…he was like a beacon to the supernatural element they hunted. Case in point, the wolf could have attacked him, but chose Sam instead…just once, he wished that he would be the one being sought. Dean sighed as he realized that there was not solution for his problem.

Once again, Dean looked up at the opening in the cave above, worried as he noticed that night would be falling again soon. Sam should have been back by now. "Sammy…Sam…damn it where are you?" Dean shook his head feeling foolish. As he turned to go back to his perch, he heard a very soft voice. "Dean?"

Sam had spent more time falling than walking. The pain from his wounds along with the lingering headache was draining his precious reserve of energy. By the time Sam reached the site of the cave, he didn't know if he would have the strength to pull his brother out. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. He secured one end of the rope to a nearby tree. Grabbing the rope, Sam moved towards the opening. He couldn't see Dean, but he thought he heard movement below…he called, but his voice was only a whisper.

Dean's head jerked up, he could see a dark shape in the opening above. "Sammy…it took you long enough…are you ok?" Dean could see that Sam was staggering as if he were drunk.

"M'kay…here is the rope, tie it around yourself and I'll haul you out of there. We need to hurry, it will be dark soon." Sam dropped the rope down to Dean and reaching with his good arm, got ready to help pull his brother to safety.

Dean grabbed the rope and looking up at his brother's sweat filled face, realized that Sam would not have the strength to pull him up. "Sammy…look, it's ok. I can climb the rope…do you hear me Sam…back away from the opening before…" Dean watched in horror as Sam took a step too close to the edge, Sam began to fall into the cave. He heard his brother's cry as he tried to catch himself, but couldn't due to his broken arm. "Sammy!" Dean yelled as he heard the sickening thud of his brother's body falling next to him.

Dean knelt beside Sam, trying to determine how badly his brother was hurt. He didn't like the heat he felt on his brother's skin…a sure sign of fever. Dean rolled Sam over and gently tapped him on the cheek. "Sammy, come on bro'…I need you to wake up for me. Can you hear me Sammy?"

Sam groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He could see the worried look on his brother's face. "How? Ah…where are we?" Sam asked as he tried to focus, he grimaced as he felt the new bruises on his already sore body.

"I told you to watch that first step!" Dean chided as he helped Sam sit up. He could tell his brother was in pretty bad shape. "So are you ready to get out of here?"

Sam shook his head "Yeah, Dean…we need to get back to the cabin…I think there are more possessed animals in the forest…we need to get under cover."

Dean looked at Sam and noticed that he was rubbing his temples. "Vision?"

"Yeah…but I think the poor guy in my vision is already dead…I think I may have seen it as it happened…but then I was…I don't know, but we have to get out of here Dean and right now!" Sam had a feeling that if they didn't get out soon, they wouldn't be getting out of here at all.

Dean knew that Sam was holding something back, but he would deal with that once he had gotten them to safety. "Ok, let me tie this rope around you. Then I'll climb up and haul you out of here…it might hurt a little Sam, but I can't see any other way to get you out." Dean placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

Dean quickly climbed out of the hole, thankful that Sam had had the presence of mind to tie the other end of the rope off before he fell. As he prepared to lift Sam from the hole, he felt a change in the air…something wasn't right. "Ok Sammy, hold on while I pull you out!"

Dean began to pull Sam from the cave, grunting as he felt the dead weight on the other end. He figured that Sam must have passed out again. In a way, that was probably a good thing as he knew that this would be causing his brother a great deal of pain. "Argh…Dude, you gotta loose a few pounds if you want me to keep pulling your ass out of these scrapes!" Dean pulled Sam to safety, gasping as the damage to his brother's body became more apparent in the waning daylight. "Aw Sammy…what have you done to yourself?" Dean gently picked his brother up in a fireman's carry and prepared to head back to the cabin.

As Dean turned, he stopped as he came face to face with a pair of yellow eyes.

TBC

Raven524: Sorry about the lag between chapters…unfortunately life intercedes. I hope you all like the newest chapter. Next update will probably be later today or tomorrow at the latest. Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing so far.