Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun filling in the time until September!

Double Trouble

Chapter 29 – Dean's Power

Dean ran as fast as his tired body would let him towards the unearthly screams. He had felt Sam's distraction when Bobby had yanked him from Sam's mind. He hoped that his disappearance hadn't allowed the demon to take control. As Dean entered the door to the room, he watched as Sam continued to scream on the bed, his whole body arched as the pillar of black smoke poured from his mouth.

No matter how many times Dean saw it happen, he would never get used to the violent exit a demon made from this realm. His admiration for his little brother grew as the last of the demon left his brother. He wasn't sure that he could endure the torment that his brother had and still come out sane. Of course, until Sam regained consciousness, they wouldn't know how bad the damage was this time. "God Sammy, I'm so sorry…if only I had kept my big mouth shut!"

Missouri closed the book she had been reading from and placed a calming hand on Dean's shoulder. "Dean honey, this wasn't your fault any more than it was Sam's. If anyone is to blame, it was the shape shifter that caused the damage to your brother's psychic abilities. I swear, you and your brother have enough weight on your shoulders…why you both insist on taking on more than your share is beyond me. Now help me get this boy untied so I can look at his chest."

Bobby and Dean quickly removed the ropes that still held Sam to the bed. Dean couldn't help touching Sam's forehead, wincing at the fever he felt there once more. He was afraid to look at the damage to Sam's chest. "Sammy, can you hear me?" Dean asked quietly, willing his brother to open his eyes for him. But Sam's eyes remained closed.

Missouri bit her lower lip as she gently raised Sam's bloody T-Shirt. Sam's chest bore the claw marks of the demon; some of the marks were deep and would need stitches. "That monster got away too easy!" Missouri mumbled as she motioned to Bobby and Dean to finish taking off the shirt. "Bobby, could you go across to the bathroom and grab the first aid supplies, some wash rags…I think there is a bowl under the sink to put some clean water into. Dean, have a seat next to Sam, believe me he'll know you are here."

Dean sat on the bed, tears in his eyes as he looked at the damage done to his brother's chest. Normally, he would have insisted on taking care of Sam's wounds, but for some reason, he was bone tired. He blinked, trying to keep his eyes open. Dean moved closer to Sam and placed his uninjured arm around his brother's shoulders. In a way, he was glad that Sam wasn't awake; he remembered the pain when he first woke up in the hospital with similar wounds. The difference here was that Sam wouldn't have the advantage of the drugs that he had…his brother would need to suffer.

Missouri could feel the emotions from both Dean and Sam. She couldn't do much to help Sam right this moment, but she had to try to help the other. "Dean, Sam will be fine…you know yourself that he is stronger than most people give him credit for…including himself. If anyone can pull through it will be your brother."

"I know Missouri, but it just seems so unfair, why does it always have to be Sam? He's had to endure so much…I just wish…" Dean looked away, knowing that wishing wouldn't help matters any.

"Boy, you need to conserve your energy. You have used quite a bit of it already today. Before this is through, you will need to help your brother again. He will need your strength to heal the damage done to his psychic abilities and to keep him from going further into the dark."

Dean looked at Missouri. "You know as soon as Sam is cleaned up, you and I need to have a long talk about these…these freaky powers that Sam and I have. I mean, how was I able to 'project' myself into Sam's mind?"

"Dean, I know you have questions and I will answer as many as I can, but remember what I told you earlier. I can place you and Sam on the road, but I can't walk it for you. Each of you have your own special abilities that will continue to grow over time. You must have patience Dean, eventually, you will come to understand that your ability may be the deciding factor in the war to come."

Dean shivered as Bobby's words came back to him again. He had said that the Winchesters were in the middle of the coming storm and Dean could feel that what Bobby said was true. He just hoped that when the storm was over, his little family would still be in tact.

Dean's attention was drawn towards his brother as he felt Sam move against his arm. "Hey Sammy, don't worry you're safe now. You just need to rest; Missouri is going to patch you up good as new."

Sam seemed to get calmer under Dean's touch and words. Missouri still couldn't believe that Dean was so oblivious to his talent. But then, until Leandra had helped her see her value, she had thought she was insane.

"Here's the supplies you wanted Missouri, I also brought in some more holy water. You'll be wanting to pour some of this into all those wounds so that they are cleansed from the demon's poison." Bobby placed the supplies on the table and began to help Missouri clean, stitch and bandage Sam's new wounds. As they finished, Missouri smiled as she saw both brothers sleeping peacefully. Dean still had his arm around his brother's shoulders, but was also resting his cheek on the top of Sam's head.

"Should we move them and make them more comfortable Missouri?" Bobby asked as he shook his head at the two young men. He had never seen two people who were closer than these boys.

"No, they should be fine for a little while. We'll need to try to wake Sam in and hour or two to see if we can get some more fever reducer into him and maybe some more of those pain pills of Dean's. Why don't you and I go out and have a nice, relaxing cup of tea?"

"Sounds good to me girl, but by any chance do you have some coffee instead…I never did get into tea all too much!"

Missouri and Bobby continue to discuss the merits of tea over coffee as they left the room. Behind them the two Winchester boys slept.

ooooooooo

Sam was floating in a sea of gray fog. His mind was numb from the last attack the demon had tried prior to leaving. Luckily, Sam was able to deflect most of it, but it had taken the last of his energy. He was so tired, he wanted to just remain where he was. He had heard his brother's voice and knew that Dean wanted him to wake up, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to at this point. Sam knew that he couldn't stay here forever, but he just wanted a few moments of peace.

Since Jessica's death, Sam felt like he had been running; always on the move to the next hunt, the next danger, the next injury. He had finally accepted that he would never be able to have the apple pie life he strived for in Stanford. He even accepted that he might die fighting a battle that he never asked for. But the gentle part of Sam, the part that enjoyed quiet walks in the moon light with Jessica at his side still existed and cried to be allowed to exist. There was a war inside Sam and he wasn't sure which side should win. The gentle side or the violent side of his nature. Both a part of him and yet both tearing him apart.

Suddenly Sam felt Dean's presence once again. It was a warm breeze against the coldness that was trying to invade his soul. Sam didn't know how, but Dean was once again providing him with the safe haven he craved. The fog began to lighten as did Sam's normally optimistic nature. He and Dean had faced a lot together and would continue to face whatever life threw at them going forward. Sam smiled to himself as he let himself drift into the first peaceful sleep he had in days…and somehow, he knew that this moment of peace was due to his big brother.

ooooooooo

A few hours later, Missouri returned to the bedroom with a tray containing food and medicine for both boys. While they had been talking about Missouri's concern for Sam's fever, Bobby had suggested that they use ice packs rather than the bath tub to bring the boys temperature down. He volunteered to go out and get the supplies they would need.

As Missouri approached the bed, she wasn't surprised to see Dean's eyes spring open, quickly assessing whether there was any danger to his younger brother. "Boy, I thought I told you to rest, you've been using more of your energy…you keep this up and I'm going to have to hog tie you and put you in another room!"

Dean looked at Missouri, the confusion evident in his gaze. "Look Missouri, all I did was fall asleep…I didn't do anything…"

Missouri shook her head; sometimes the boy could be so dense. "Dean, have you ever noticed that your brother is always calmer when you are around? People naturally turn to you for protection, knowing instinctively that they are safe when you are nearby? Haven't you noticed that you are able to figure out what Sam needs at the moment and provide it, without any guidance or training?"

Dean shook his head. "Missouri, that doesn't require any special ability. Dad trained me well to hunt and protect and as for Sam…I've been taking care of him long enough to just know…there is no special ability or power required to do that. Sam is the one with the abilities…I'm just here to watch his back and keep the little jerk from getting himself killed."

"Boy, have you forgotten already that you were able to enter Sam's mind at a crucial time and provide him with the strength that he needed to beat the demon? You have the ability to project your aura and in some cases, your very essence into another. Your ability is more subtle than Sam's, but it is every bit as important. You are the key to Sam's ability to survive what is to come. It will take both of you to win this war, with some help of course."

Dean looked down at the peaceful face of his brother and started to wonder, could it be possible that Sam would need him as much as he needed Sam? A part of him that had been broken by the demon began to heal. For the first time in a while, Dean felt as if his role was more than just to stand by and watch…he might be able to shape the outcome. A slow smile spread across his tired features as he looked at Missouri and in typical Dean fashion summed up how he felt in one word.

"Cool!"

TBC

Raven524: So, we now have some more regarding Dean's 'power'. Hopefully, you all like where this is going. There are still a couple chapters to go in this one. Don't forget to let me know what you like, dislike or if you're getting bored with the direction this story has taken.