Chapter 2
"Sam?" Dean exclaimed. Sam was struggling to breathe in the older man's arms and Dean's heart pounded in his chest.
"It's okay. You're okay, just take it easy. Breathe, Sammy, c'mon, you're fine." Dean mumbled words of comfort in his little brother's ear as he eased the young man gently to the floor and sat next to him, supporting the youngest Winchester against his shoulder.
Sam struggled to regain his breath and push the blinding pain in his head away. Breathing wasn't supposed to hurt, but it did. His chest felt like it was caught in a belt that was only tightening. He coughed; trying to force breath past his constricted airway and felt the rim of a glass brush gently against his lips.
"Take a drink, Sammy." Dean replied softly. The younger obeyed and swallowed the cold liquid. His breath slowly returned, but his face was pale and his he shook in both exhaustion and anxiety.
"Tell me what you saw." Dean replied soothingly, still holding the younger against him.
"The mirror…something in the mirror." Sam said. His voice sounded afraid and he coughed as his breath hitched in his chest.
"Easy. Take your time, tell me when you're ready, okay? Don't rush." Dean whispered.
This wasn't like Sam. Sam was never this afraid after a vision. Whatever he had seen had sent him into a panic, and it was so out of character for him. He watched Sam nod and draw in shaky breaths. Some of the colour returned to his face, but his eyes were still afraid.
They sat on the floor against the wall outside the bathroom for a good fifteen minutes before Sam felt ready to talk. He gently pushed away from Dean, looking embarrassed at the situation, but still thankful for his brother's presence. Dean smiled, also embarrassed, but he didn't regret what he'd just done. It was his duty to protect Sam and make him feel safe. It was his job to be there for the younger, incase he was needed. Just like when they were kids and Sam had had a nightmare, Dean had been there to offer the little one comfort. He'd lay with him until the younger fell asleep and then he'd slowly slip away from the room.
"Okay?" Dean questioned timidly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." Sam replied.
"No problem. Now, do you want to tell me what happened?" Dean questioned, back to business.
He pushed himself off of the floor and Sam followed, avoiding the mirror as he passed to sit on the edge of one of the beds. Dean sat across from him and locked eyes with his brother.
"I saw something in the mirror. It's like what I saw earlier in my dream, only more real." Sam replied, rubbing his forehead idly.
Dean dug into the first aid kit for a bottle of painkillers, shook two of the pills into his hand and handed them to Sam, along with the bottle of water he'd gotten him.
"Thanks." Sam replied, looking up temporarily. He swallowed the pills and set the water bottle aside.
"There were two men, well, one man and some sort of demon. The demon killed the other one, but I felt like it was killing me. I could feel the man dying, it's like we were connected or something."
"Is this another of those creepy connection things?" Dean asked nervously, thinking of what had happened with Max the last time Sam felt connected.
"No, it wasn't. It was different, way different. I don't even know how to explain it."
"Try." Dean replied simply.
Sam thought about all the possible ways to explain what had happened, but no matter what he thought of, it didn't quite seem to explain it fully. It always seemed as though something was missing.
"I can't, Dean. The demon killed him and I felt it. I saw the man die, but I felt like I was dying too. That demon is still out there, Dean." Sam spoke.
"Do you have a location?" Dean questioned.
Sam shook his head. "No."
"Then there isn't anything we can do about it."
"I know." Sam replied, feeling the effects of the painkillers he took finally setting in. The headache was dulling, and his eyelids felt heavy.
"I thought these were non-drowsy." Sam replied, rubbing his eyes.
"They are, I read it myself when I picked them up." Dean replied, he picked up the bottle and read through the side panel.
"Acts quickly to provide temporary relief of headaches, arthritis pain, muscular aches and sprains, fever and menstrual cramps. It isn't that time of the month for ya, is it little brother?" Dean teased, trying to lighten the dark mood. Sam glared.
"Never mind. It says it's unlikely to cause stomach upset or gastric irritation. Well, there's some good news, you're not gonna be running to the bathroom twelve times in an hour at least." Dean grinned at the look Sam shot him.
"Dosage: Adults (12 years and older). Take one to two tablets every four hours or as needed. It is hazardous to exceed eight tablets per day. Y'hear that, Sammy, I don't want ya popping any more than eight of these buggers a day, got that?" Dean replied with a smile. Sam stayed silent.
"Listen here, side effects may include allergic reactions, such as rash or itching, dizziness, or dro…oh, wait…drowsiness. I must've missed that part, sorry Sammy. It's bed time anyway." Dean replied simply. He kept his eyes on the panel and his eyes glistened with amusement.
"Pregnant women should consult a physician before taking this or any other pain medication for risk of harming the child. You're not hiding something from me, are ya little brother?" Dean grinned and dodged a pillow that was tossed his way.
"Shut up, Dean." Sam replied, but his tone wasn't scolding, it was relieved at the lightened mood in the room.
"So, it's not time to break out the booties and call me uncle Dean?" Dean asked through a smile. Another pillow was tossed at him. He caught it at his chest, lay back on the bed and put it under his head. He reached for the remote control and turned the television on.
Sam smiled, pushed himself from the mattress, and went about preparing for bed while Dean watched TV in the other room. He avoided looking in the mirror at all times, dressed quickly, washed up and then made his way back to the bed, pillows still missing.
"Dean, gimme the pillows." Sam replied, his gaze drifting to the eldest Winchester.
"I didn't hear the magic word. Did you leave your manners at the door? If so, you'd better go out and pick 'em up." Dean teased.
"Gimme the pillows, jerk." Sam teased.
"Tsk, tsk, are you sure it's not that time of the month?" Dean replied tossing the pillows to Sam with a smile. The younger glared, and pulled the sheets down to get in bed. He heard Dean get up to shut the light out and the room was flooded with darkness, except for the dancing light of the television screen.
Sam lay in bed, allowing the feeling of sleep to gently wash over him, when the news came on the television. He cracked one of his eyes open as a woman's voice floated from the speakers.
"In tonight's news, the death of a nineteen year old, self-proclaimed psychic is thought to be suspicious." Sam opened both eyes and stared at the screen.
"Jonathan Dayton was found early this morning by his mother in his south Serenity home. The boy, back from university for the summer had been living with his parents when it happened, but they reported that they didn't hear anything suspicious coming from the study where the murder took place." A picture of a young man with dusty blonde hair and blue eyes flashed on the screen and Sam sat up in bed.
"That's him! That's the man the demon in my vision killed! Dean, that's him!" Sam exclaimed. Dean turned his head to Sam and his face, although shadowed in the dark, was clearly confused.
