A/N: ok, i'm back again, sorry it took me so long to update, i have been incredibly busy. thank you again for all the reviews, they really help. i am kind of hard on myself when it comes to my writing and there is always a moment right after i post when i think everyone will hate it. :) i know, i am paranoid. so thank you all again, i love hearing from you.

this chapter was originally part of the last, but it was just getting too long so i split it up. it is a little more family bonding and brotherly banter, but dont worry, the action and suspense will be back again in the next chapter. until then, enjoy.

also, i have no knowledge of the medical field. so, sorry for any mistakes.

D: i still own nothing.

SHADOW STALKER

Chapter 11

Sam sat at the edge of the cave, staring blankly at the forest in front of him, the fog beginning to seep back into the silent land. He let out a long shaky sigh and wrapped his arms around his knees, his senses and emotions stressed to their breaking points. Dean had not lost consciousness until their father had almost finished setting his knee. The pain killers had done little for his older brother, and Sam's heart broke for him. He tried to be strong, tried to keep talking, keep joking, but the unwelcome tears and painful cries his older brother let slip were just too much for him. Dean was his rock, his sanity, his big, strong older brother; yet there he was laying broken and shaking on the cold forest floor.

Sam let out another long breath and wiped quickly at his eyes as his father came to sit next to him.

"He's asleep now." John stated evenly, not looking at his youngest son. The experience had been trying for him too. He had to listen to his son's pain filled cries and knew that he was the one causing them. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Sam whispered, still staring ahead, wiping at his eyes again. He was furious for the tears, angry that he couldn't be stronger, couldn't hold it together as their father had, as Dean would have.

"He needs a hospital, Sammy."

Sam looked up at his father, shocked when he heard the break, the tremble in the older man's voice. Sam needed to know, needed to believe that his brother would be ok, that they would all drive off into the sunset when this was over. He needed his father to tell him that, to reinforce his waning energy, make everything all right, whether fate agreed with it or not. But here was that same man sitting beside him, telling him that everything may not be ok, that this time they may have to limp into that sunset.

"Isn't there anything else you can do for him?"

"No."

"But, he'll be all right for a while. I mean, we have time?"

"I don't know, Sam. The bruising to his stomach is pretty bad, I know he hasn't broken any ribs, but that doesn't mean there isn't other internal damage."

"But there might not be."

"No, there might not be. But he's still in bad shape. I don't know what that thing did to him but he's still cold to the touch, and he hasn't regained any color."

Sam then drew in a long shaky breath before bowing his head to his knees, covering his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I'm so sorry. I'm just so sorry." He spoke quietly, almost to himself as tears slipped beneath his hands.

"Hey, Sam." John placed one hand on his son's back and pulled up his chin with the other, looking the young man in the eyes. "This is not you fault. Hell, your the most prepared person out here."

"But Dad, if I just didn't throw the tape, or if I gave him a light, or if I didn't fall asleep while he was driving, none of this would have happened."

"Sam, there could be a million different what ifs and this still would have happened. Any number of things could change where we are now. I mean, hell, what if Dean didn't get you out of your apartment in time, or what if you two didn't find me when we were hunting the vampires. What if you didn't find Dean in the orchard. Sam, I've been living with what ifs for twenty three years now. I mean, what if I didn't fall asleep watching tv, what if I was there when your mother woke up. There's no way of knowing the outcomes of our actions. This is not your fault."

"Then why does it feel that way?"

"Because, you're a good person, son. Things effect you and they should. If you weren't upset, I don't know, that wouldn't be normal."

"Yeah, I guess so." The two sat in silence for a few more minutes, both staring out into the growing darkness, Sam still replaying his father's statement in his mind. 'What if I was there when your mother woke up?' Sam never thought much about it before, he had always believed that the totality of his father's anger was aimed directly at the Demon. He never realized that some of that anger, that loss was directed at the man himself. And suddenly Sam understood what Dean had been trying to tell him ever since the night he lost Jessica. There was really nothing he could have done, no way to have stopped it. It wasn't his fault, and his mother's death was not his father's fault, yet both men had blamed themselves, and only Dean seemed to see how wrong that was.

"I think I got the plan almost worked out." John began, breaking Sam away from his thoughts. He then helped Sam to stand, and leaned against the wall, one eye on the forest, the other on Dean.

"Yeah?"

"We need to bless the four rivers and also perform an exorcism on the land itself. And if that doesn't do the trick, we're gonna need to trap the thing and try to exorcise it. Now, there's the river here and there's another about four miles to the east."

"That's the one we used to fill the water bottles?"

"Yeah, that's the one. They should be easy."

"And the other two?"

"The furthest is about nine miles to the north, the other is about seven miles to the south east."

"Great, there's no way we could get Dean that far."

"I know, you two aren't going."

"What!"

"No arguments, Sam. You and your brother are staying here. That's an order."

"Like hell. Dad, we've both seen what that thing can do."

"Yeah, and it seems to be doing it to just you and Dean, so far it has left me alone."

"Yeah, but you don't know if it will for sure."

"Look, Sam, it's after the two of you, so your staying in this cave. End of discussion."

"Just, let me go south and east, I can get those two out of the way. It will take to long for you to do all of them."

"I said, no."

"I don't care. Look, we can leave Dean here, he'll be safe, and we know the banishing spell worked before, I even fought it off a little when I was looking for Dean. Dad, I'll be safe."

"God damn it, Sam. Would you just follow an order for once."

"Fighting never solved anything." Both men turned around at the breathy voice, the weak sound taking them completely off guard. Dean was staring at the two of them, his green eyes glassy and bright against his pale skin.

"Dean." Sam knelt quickly by his brother's side, their fight all but forgotten. "How are you feeling?"

"I think my ass fell asleep. Can you help me sit up?"

"No, you should stay there. You might hurt yourself if you keep moving."

"If you don't help me then I'll just do it myself." He then began to try and squirm and slide his way up the wall he was laying against, careful not to pull to much on his injured leg.

"Dean, stay still."

"Make me."

"Don't think I won't."

"Come on, college boy, your gonna beat up and already injured man?"

"Jerk." Sam stated as he relented and helped his brother lean against the wall, then sat down beside him.

"Bitch." Dean wheezed out. He leaned slightly on his brother, glad that the younger man had sat down beside him. The truth of the matter was that he was in pain, a lot of it, but he wasn't about to let that show. He needed to be there for his family, to be ready if they needed him. He wouldn't be sidelined, not my god or man or some lowlife shadow with a grudge. Dean Winchester was a fighter, and the only thing that would change that would be his dying breath.

Sam repositioned his father's jacket as Dean leaned on him, the coldness of his brother's skin still unnerving. Sam knew, without a doubt, that the shadow still, somehow, had a hold on his brother. He was pale and cold, but was also lucid and wide awake, not suffering the usual symptoms of hypothermia. Just then, an intense tremor over took Dean's body as he coughed and leaned closer to Sam once more, his weak frame shivering with cold and exhaustion. Sam rubbed his hand across his brother's back, trying desperately to bring some warmth into his body, but everything he did seemed to have no effect. Dean still leaned heavily against him, and his lips were still blue, his eyes still sunken and dull.

As he sat there a rage began to grow in the younger hunter, he needed to find this thing and destroy it, he needed to keep it away from his brother. He knew that Dean would not be able to fight for himself, not in his current condition. Sam swore then that, no matter what, he would take this thing down. All his life Dean had taken care of him, and he would be damned if he didn't return the favor.

"So." Dean's weak voice pulled Sam back from his anger. "You two gonna go out and bless stuff."

"It was a thought."

"You think it will work?"

"Yeah, it should."

"Good, because I am getting sick and tired of this stupid forest."

"Tell me about it."

Dean sat quietly for a few moment, looking over to where his father stood, back to the boys, just outside the cave. He knew that the older man was preparing to leave them there, leave them to go fight demons. It wasn't just because of the conversation he over heard, he could also see it in his father's eyes. Dean always knew that look, that distant gaze, as if he was mentally preparing himself, emotionally splitting himself from them. He didn't know what exactly went through his father's mind when he left, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to know. All he knew was that he could never truly be as detached as the older hunter. He could act like it, pretend that everything was all right, that he was always fine, but he knew, deep down, that he never was. John on the other hand, Dean just didn't know. He didn't know how strongly his father felt about him, and he wasn't sure where he ultimately stood. But that was ok with the young man. He knew his father cared a great deal for his brother, especially after the encounter with the Demon, and in the end that was all that mattered. 'Keep Sammy safe.'

"You should listen to Dad. He'll be fine out there." Dean began, his voice still barely above a whisper.

"Dean."

"No, Sam, I mean it. You should stay here, there's no telling what that thing would do to you. It almost killed you not too long ago."

"That's because I gave in to it."

"Yeah, I know. About that, smart ass, next time a demonic shadow asks you if you want to die, you say no."

"I couldn't just leave you there."

"Yes you could."

"No, I couldn't."

"You know, Sam." Dean began again after a long silence, his eyes still fixed on his father. John had now moved back to the cave, quietly eavesdropping on his boys. "When this is over. I understand, you know."

"Understand what?" Sam asked, looking down at his brother, still holding up much of his weight.

"I know you don't want to stay, and you don't have too. I'll understand."

"Dean?"

"No, Sam. It's not fair to you. You have a chance, you could have such a great future. I was wrong to try and stand in the way of that."

"You're not standing in the way."

"Yeah, well. I know that you want to go your own way."

"What about you? Dean, I'm not gonna leave you alone."

"Well, don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

"Where is this coming from?"

"Nowhere, I guess, over the past year and a half, I don't know. You're not the same kid that left for Stanford all those years ago. You've grown up a lot, you got away from it all. You don't need me around dragging you down."

"Oh my god, Dean, did you hear what that shadow was saying to me?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. Dean, that thing was lying."

"Was it? You can't tell me that that wasn't what you were thinking when you left."

"Maybe, somewhere in my anger, but it wasn't how I really felt."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Dean, you heard what else I said. I would never do that to you again. This is my life, you're my life."

"It shouldn't be that way."

"Well it is."

"Whatever, Sam."

"Hey, you really thought you could get rid of me that easy?"

"It was a try." Dean smiled up at his brother, his face looking strangely young and fragile. He was fighting with everything he had, but he could still feel himself losing, still feel the shadows pulling him away. He needed Sam to know that he would be all right without him, that it would be ok to let him go. He could feel the cold hugging his body, wrapping around his senses, and he knew, that he may not get out of that forest alive.

"Sam." John's gruff voice sounded impressively loud after the boy's quiet conversation. "I need you to do an inventory for me, all the supplies."

"Yes, sir." Sam stated, he then squeezed his older brother's shoulder gently and helped prop him up against the wall, before moving over to the far side of the cave and removing all their supplies from his back pack.

John watched the interaction between his son's with a heavy heart. There was no doubt in his mind that he was an outsider, a mere spectator to the amazing bond that the boys shared. He knew it was his fault, his training, but it still hurt him. He could see, as could many, just how special, how amazing Sam and Dean were, and it hurt him to no end to also see how broken they were. And he feared what may one day be the inevitable outcome, that his boys may lose each other, both just fading away. And being known by so few, he was afraid they would be missed by even less.

"Dean, how are you doing?" John kneeled down in front of his oldest, looking the young man in the eyes as he began to check him over once more.

"I'm freezing."

"I'll get the fire going a little stronger. Is that helping at all."

"Not really. But it was a nice gesture."

"Anything else?"

"My right leg is numb, from right above my knee to my foot."

"How long." John asked, immediately rolling up his son's pant leg to survey the damage. He winced when he saw the pale blue tinge to his already pale skin, knowing that he was losing circulation. Out of the corner of his eye John saw Sam turn and stare, alarm evident in his eyes. "Come on, Sam, I need that done. Dean, how long?"

"I started to feel pins and needles about a half hour ago, that's when I woke up."

"Ok. I think you damaged some of the blood vessels when you broke your knee. I'm gonna lay you back down."

"No." Dean snapped, a little to quickly, startling his father.

"What? What else is wrong?"

"My back, it hurts too much to lay down."

"What's wrong with your back?"

"I hit it on some rocks the second time I fell."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I guess I forgot. Other stuff hurt a little worse back then."

"Come on, let me look."

"I'm fine."

"Dean."

"Ok." Dean barely managed through clenched teeth as he leaned forward into his father, John cradling his son's weak body as he pulled up his shirt to examine his back. Dean let out a short gasp, his face buried in his father's shoulder as he ran a hand over the large bruises. John took in a long, deep breath. They were bad. Dean's back was covered in large, deep purple, black, and blue bruises, many of them warm to the touch. He slowly finished examining his son's back, his fears growing. 'Internal bleeding.'

"Damn it." John swore, barely above a whisper, but still loud enough for both his boys to hear. 'This can't be happening. Not now.' John felt utterly helpless, his son slowly dying in his arms, the older man having no way to ease his pain, fix his broken body. Instead of leaning him back against the wall, John pulled Dean's cold body in closer to his own. His eyes shone with moister as he rested his chin on top of his son's head, Dean burying his face further into his father's chest.

"Dad?" Sam asked tentatively, kneeling unmoving by his empty back pack.

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost."

"Good, finish up, then let me know." John ordered, rubbing the back of Dean's neck, still holding him.

"What's wrong?"

"Please, Sam, just finish up, then let me know what we have."

"Yes, sir."

Sam then turned back to the task he had been assigned as John continued to try and warm him freezing son.

"Back's that bad, huh." Dean stated quietly.

"Yeah. You really did a number of yourself there, kiddo."

"Well, you know me, never half ass a job."

"To true."

"Is there a big rock sticking out of me or something?"

"No, but the bruising. I'm worried that you are bleeding internally."

"Oh." Dean said softly after a few moment, prompting John to pull him closer.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."

"We don't have time for you to go to all four rivers."

"I know."

"I think Sam can do it."

"I know he can."

"He's a good hunter."

"You both are."

"Just one thing though, Dad."

"Yeah?"

"Tell Rambo Sammy over there to tone it down a notch, he's stealing my thunder."

John smiled, "I'll pass on the message."

"I'm done." Sam said, as he came over to the two. "We have three pistols, three shot guns, with a few extra iron and salt round for each. We also have two knives, two things of holy water, both journals, a book of rituals, six rosaries, a lighter, salt, lighter fluid, two flashlights and two walkie talkies."

"And food?"

"Two packets of beef jerky, three packets of M&Ms, four slim jims and five packets of cookies. We also only have three water purification tablets left."

"Ok." John signed, still holding Dean against his chest, feeling his slow and even breathing, knowing he had again fallen asleep.

"It's not enough." Sam whispered rubbing his hands over his face.

"It will have to be."

"What about, Dean?"

"It's bad, Sam. We need to get him out of here as soon as we can."

"What can I do?"

"Go get me some of the jerky and a bottle of water, while I wake him up."

"Yes, sir."

"Dean." John rubbed that back of his son's neck softly, trying to wake the man. "Dean, come on dude, look alive."

"What?" Dean asked, his voice shaky and weak.

"I need you to eat and drink something."

"Steak and beer?"

"Beef jerky and water."

"I'm not hungry."

"Too bad, because you're still eating it."

"Here." Sam came back with the provisions.

"Ok, Sam, I'm gonna lean him against you, I don't want his back hitting that wall. Ready?"

"Yeah." Sam took his brother under the arms and gently maneuvered him away from the cold stone wall and rested his back against his chest, letting his brother's head rest on his shoulder.

"Here, Dean. Just eat a little." John said, handing him some meat and water.

"Yes, sir."

"When are we gonna go bless the rivers?" Sam asked tentatively as his brother began to eat slowly.

"Tomorrow."

"Why wait?"

"We don't stand a chance against that thing in the dark. We're just gonna have to hold up here and wait till daylight."

"I have a stupid question." Dean piped up, sleep creeping up on him once more.

"What else is knew."

"Shut up."

"What, Dean." John asked as he began to rebuild their small fire, knowing how cold the night would be. He only hoped that Dean would be able to handle it.

"Why don't we just go back to the cars and drive away?"

"Oh." Sam whispered. In all the chaos no one had told Dean the entire story.

"Oh, what? Where's my car, Sam?"

"It's missing."

"What do you mean it's missing?"

"It's not in a place that I am aware of."

"What did you do to it?" Dean weakly demanded, shooting his brother his trade mark you-touched-my-car look.

"Nothing. I went looking for you and when I went back to the car it wasn't there."

"So, maybe you're lost and the car is just waiting for your dumb ass."

"No, because the same thing happened to Dad."

"So, we really can't leave?"

"We'll get rid of the shadow." John cut in, the defeat in Dean's voice almost killing him. "We think the shadows are just cloaking the cars, after we kill them they should be right where we left them."

"Ok." Dean managed as his eyelids began to slide closed.

"Dean, come on man, stay awake."

"Let him sleep, Sam."

"He didn't eat much."

"I know, but I don't think we'll be able to get him to eat much more anyway."

"Yes, sir. I'll lay him down."

"No, his injuries are pretty bad, and the grounds really cold, I'm afraid it will make him worse."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"We need to keep him as warm and comfortable as possible, Sam. I want you to stay with him."

"Yes, sir." Sam then shifted around and leaned his own body against the cold wall of the cave. John draped his jacket over Dean as Sam pulled him closer to his chest, rubbing his arms, trying in vain to warm him.

"So, I'm going south and east?"

"Yeah. We need to do this as fast as we can."

"Yeah, I know."

"We'll leave as soon as it's light. I'm gonna bless this river, then go north, I want you to head to the farthest one first, you can get the other on the way back. We'll meet back here to exorcise the land."

"Yes, sir."

"Just be careful, Sam."

"I will. Do you think the salt is enough to keep the shadow from the cave? I mean, Dean can't defend himself."

"I think so, but I also put a devil's trap on both sides of the entrance, just in case. That thing won't get to your brother."

"All right."

"Just remember, Sam, don't stop for anything. These shadows are messing with us. Just keep moving, focus on the task at hand."

"Yes, sir."

"Ok, now, get some rest. And tomorrow, we're gonna hunt this bastard down."

TBC