Well here we are again for a new update. I can't believe how quickly this story is flying out the door. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, I enjoyed reading and responding to every single one of you (well those who signed in); it's just intriguing seeing what you guys think. We're on chapter eight already, so we're more than half way through now. Thanks again for sticking by this little ramble of madness and I hope you continue to enjoy my little ride into the world of the Winchester's. The only thing I ever and always asks for is feedback, so please remember to review :o)

On with 'Little White Lies'….

Chapter 8- Little White Lies

(Eleven nights ago)

Sam Winchester slowly opened his eyes. He instantly felt them flicker close.

Nothing in those few moments of consciousness, had allowed for his brain to adjust to the visual he had seen.

He could taste something strange, yet he knew he'd tasted it before. It tasted bitter, coppery.

Blood.

Sam forced his eyes open again.

The pain, man did everything hurt. He slowly raised his head and felt his brain shift ever so slightly in his head. That, to Sam wasn't normal. Neither was the fact that he still was fighting to stay awake.

……..What happened..?...Sam wondered to himself as finally got his head upright, trying bravely to ignore the protests his aching body screamed out to him.

Then Sam remembered in a heartbeat.

The cabin. The demon. Dad shot. Dean in the back, dying from blood lost.

And then nothing….

Nothing but some annoying country music that continued to make his ears bleed from the sound.

Sam's eyes flew open; any pain he had been feeling vanished instantaneously from his body. His eyes turned and looked down at his chest

…..Why is my chest hurting so much…?...Sam wondered in to himself.

Ignoring his own problem, he turned to the person he knew had been on his right, arguing with him about the whole demonic situation. Only in the twisted Winchester family could a father get away at yelling at his son for not killing him.

Sam's eyes fell on his unconscious father. He prayed to God, the latter hadn't come true now.

"Dad…" Sam crocked out as his voice, tight and constricted as he shakily, through bruised and bloody fingers reached forward and ignoring the wave of horrendous nausea that sifted through his entire being, lent forward and searched for a pulse on his father. The younger hunter breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a familiar throbbing in his father's neck. However, the youngest child couldn't help but notice that the pattern was irregular.

Sam closed his eyes and finally, he called for his brother, scared that the only response he would receive would be silence.

"Dean…?" Sam called in a hoarse voice, as he tried desperately to turn in his seat. He couldn't move without sending more pain around his body, and oh, the pain in Sam's chest, the strange throbbing ugly sensation that bounced around every time he move his ached ridden body. Every time he pulled a breath through his ragged beaten lungs, the pain roamed freely.

However, Sam ignored it. Dean still had not answered him.

Without any consideration for the normal procedure of 'not moving' after a car crash, Sam pulled his long frame as best as he could into the confides of the twisted Impala.

He wasn't sure what left his mouth, a scream or swear words that Dean would be proud of, but something incoherently fell out as panic devoured him hungrily.

"Dean..?" Sam whispered, his own pain and agony forgotten, "Dean, Deanie, come on..?"

Sam said trying to upright Dean who was slumped against the passenger door. No movement, no wise ass remarks, no breathing, no smart mouth come backs; only an erratic pulse that was quickly growing weaker.

Sam felt the panic beginning to cave inside of him. He heard his father moan. A gurgling sound that crumbled into Sam's breaking mind. His father was drowning in his own blood.

And Dean; Dean was dying.

Sam pulled Dean onto him. Holding his elder brother, ignoring all the pain Sam felt, he gently titled Dean's face up to look at him.

"You hold on Dean…" Sam whispered feeling tears already welling up inside, "I promise you, I'll fix this somehow…"

Gently searching Dean's body, he found his brother's cell phone and flipped it open. He could feel his shirt against his body becoming more wet. Sam knew it was blood, worse, he knew it wasn't his.

Groaning, Sam stared at the cell reception on Dean's phone which was practically non-existent. Sam knew he'd have to get out the car and at least walk a little while to try and get some sort of cell reception. Sam stared suspiciously at Dean's phone; it seemed odd that there was no reception inside the car.

There was always reception inside of the car.

Sam could feel his body was shaking. That swiftly brought new panic to the youngest hunter. Sam knew his body was beginning to shut down.

……Oh please don't send me to sleep yet; please don't let me give up. I need to get help; I need to save my family…This is all my fault, so many people have perished because of me, so many people I love. Please God, please, don't add them to this list, I beg you to spare them….

Sam could feel the tears beginning to fall from his eyes; he stared at Dean who now lay awkwardly in his lap. He reached down, his body violently reacting to the message Sam was giving it, but yet he struggled against it and pulled Dean up against him.

"I'm gonna try and get help…" Sam whispered in Dean's ear, trying desperately to ignore the blood on his brother's face.

Gingerly Sam's smoothed his brother's hair and felt a chocked sob escape his lips when Dean never moaned or flinched throughout the ordeal.

"You hang on in there…" Sam whispered to him, "I need you Dean ok..? That bastard was lying, he lied about everything. He was just pushing buttons. Dad needs you and I need you, this family needs you more than you'll know Deanie…"

"I'm never going anywhere Dean..." Sam said whispering the heartfelt; tear jerking promise into his brother's ear, "I'm never going anywhere..."

Shaking violently now, Sam gently placed Dean down and looked into his brother's face. Sam prayed he'd seem him wake again, back to his cocky, good hearted self.

Reaching over Dean, Sam managed after a lot of struggling with his blood slick fingers and the heaviness of the Impala passenger door, Sam finally managed to open it. Slipping over his unconscious Dean, Sam fell heavily into the road. His legs refused to stand, even now knowing how desperate he was to get help, his frigging, piss taking legs refused to stand up.

Grabbing hold of the door, Sam forced himself into a standing position. He was going to get help whether his legs wanted him to or not.

He would save Dean and his father.

Slowly, Sam pulled himself upright, leaning heavily on his brother's beloved Impala. Sam stood steady for a couple of seconds allowing the rush of dizziness to pass first. The younger hunter opened his eyes again and surveyed the damage to the car. It wasn't a total wreak. Fair enough, he wasn't Dean, and he didn't understand every aspect of the car, but he had his common scene and good judgement, and his brain told him that the car could be saved.

……But first things first Sam...Save family and then save family car...

Swallowing deeply, finding it increasingly hard to breath, he found the pain in his chest had begun to tighten. Sam knew something was wrong with him; he'd take an educated guess that maybe he'd broken a couple of ribs and they'd pierced his lung or something. Something annoyingly painful but fixable. After all, if he was in seriously bad shape, he'd have lost all consciousness by now and most likely the will to live.

The will to live. That had new meaning to Sam now.

Sam wasn't going to think about the demon. Not now, not while this was happening. It didn't take a half battered genius to know that the demon had been behind the crash, the question Sam was willing to figure out later, would be which demon had caused the crash..?

One foot in front of the other, one stumbled step after another, Sam stared at Dean's cell waiting for a bar to light up on his brother's phone. Nearly ten meters away, the bar finally lit and Sam shakily dialled the emergency number.

"Which emergency service do you require...?" Came a steady tone on the phone. It was female, older and to Sam sounded experienced.

"Ambulance..." Sam breathed, " Car crash...my...family..."

...Hang on, what's wrong with me, I can't talk...Out of all times to lose my friggin voice, now..? Come on Sam, pull yourself together...

"Were you in the crash...?" The operator asked. Sam could hear her clicking away on the keyboard.

"Yes..." Sam said in a drained voice, "They're... badly...hurt..."

"Alright son, can you tell me where you are...?" The operator asked, "Son, ok tell me your name...?"

"Sam..." Sam said feeling himself swaying as the phone slowly slid from his hands crashing noisily to the floor.

"Ok Sam, we're tracing the call..." The operator explained, " You just keep this line open ok son...?"

"Sam...?" The operator called, "SAM..!"

Sam Winchester lay in the middle of the road; his eyes were open and in his line of vision stood the twisted metal shape of the Impala. Directly behind it, crushing the side of his brother's beloved car, sat the abandoned semi.

...How come I've only just noticed that...? Sam wondered to himself as he lay there staring at Impala.

His hazel eyes were beginning to close.

He hoped that Dean and his father were going to be alright, he'd done everything he could. He could hear the wail of the ambulance in the distance.

Good, his family would be ok.

His eyes fluttered close, his body, heavy as lead as the pain he finally noticed in the back of his head threatened to explode and say its unwelcome hello.

Sam felt himself disappear into the darkness. His final thought resting on his dying brother.

...Don't leave me Dean...

xxxxXXXXxxxx

Dean Winchester slowly opened one of the eyes and peered through it, the sight he saw made a smile creep onto his face.

"Hi..." Sam whispered in a drained and tired tone. His eyes however were brighter, more alert. Dean noticed these subtle changes instantly and felt the relief wash over him.

Sitting up from the maternity chair he'd been sleeping in, he yawned noisily and grinned at Sam.

"How long have you been watching me sleep...?" Dean said with a wicked smile, "You know, in some countries they would lock people like you up..."

Dean watched and waited, that little wise crack was worth at least a chuckle, ok, maybe chuckle was pushing it, but a smile. Yeah, come on Sam, it was at least smile worthy.

No chuckle came from Sam, not even the smile.

Dean eased himself out of the chair, and came and sat beside his brother.

This was odd, for the first time in days, Dean felt awkward.

At least when Sam was unconscious he knew what to do, now awake, Dean had to admit, he had no idea what to do or more importantly to say.

"How long you been awake..?" Dean asked in a softer tone, his brain frantically trying to decode the expression on Sam's face.

"Not long, an hour or so..." Sam admitted as he stifled a yawn inwardly. His head nestled in the pillows, and lying at a forty-five degree angle just seemed to be hitting all the right notes for Sam.

"Why didn't you wake me..?" Dean said giving him a gently poke with his finger, against Sam's arm.

"You were tired..." Sam said with a sigh, "You could do with the sleep..."

"I'm fine..." Dean quickly said, the automatic response simply slipping out.

Well it beat the heck out of the truth; the truth right now was too messy.

"You look like hell Dean..." Sam said in a small voice, as he watched Dean suddenly get off the bed a little too abruptly for Sam's liking.

"I told you already that I was fine..." Dean retorted sharply, "You don't exactly look great yourself..."

Dean stood awkwardly by the window staring out at nothing in particular. Dean could feel his stomach churning wildly, he knew they were coming.

He knew the questions were coming.

"Dee…?" Sam said in a tried note, as he forced his sleepy eyes to look over at Dean. He squinted at the sunlight. "Come here, would you..?"

Dean turned and looked awkwardly over at Sam,

"Why..?" Dean said with a forced grin, trying to allow for humour to cover up the fear that rocked around his body.

"Do I need to have a reason..?" Sam said managing a smile, which seemed to draw Dean subconsciously towards him.

"Hell yeah, people might start talking with the amount of time we're spending together…" Dean kidded as he sat down at the end of bed. "Got some real cute nurses in here Sam, don't want them thinking I'm batting for the other side now.."

"Oh yeah and that hospital sweater brings out all your best features you jack ass…" Sam muttered.

Dean stared at Sam from the end of the bed; he noticed that Sam had now turned his face away from him. The elder brother sighed.

How could he be screwing this up so badly.

Dean had begged, pleaded, would have given his soul to bring his little brother back; and yet here he was pissing him off.

So much for Dean's master plan of telling Sam everything he had always wanted him to know. It had all been so much easier in theory and always twice as hard to execute.

Dean wasn't into chick-flick moments, but he wasn't into seeing Sam upset either.

"Sammy…" Dean said now coming to sit beside Sam, his hand gently touching his brother's face and turning it to look at him. He could see tears shinning vividly in Sam's eyes.

"Hey, hey hey little man…" Dean said sweeping the hair gently off Sam's forehead, "None of this tears business, we don't go for stuff like that…"

"Just go away Dean…" Sam muttered pushing Dean's hand. Dean tried his best not to laugh at the strength Sam has used to push him away with; a day old kitten would have put up better resistance.

"I don't do going away…" Dean said rather simply, "I do many things but leaving you isn't one of them. So you're stuck with me…"

Sam stayed silent, but finally turned and looked at Dean.

"Why is this a big joke to you..?" Sam finally said quite heatedly, the rise in his voice caused a momentarily pain to shiver through his head. "Every single friggin time you have opened your mouth this morning, bull shit seems to come out…"

Dean eyed his younger brother a little surprised.

"That's a bit harsh isn't it..?" Dean said clearly surprised, but once again felt a wise crack slipping out, "I prefer to think of it as creativity run a mock…"

"Piss off…." Sam muttered as he sank further into the pillows.

"Ah, Sammy come on…" Dean said with a sigh, "I'm only throwing this entertainment your way to keep you awake…"

"I was awake before you.." Sam pointed out, as he felt his eyes closing off.

"Sam..?" Dean said watching his brother slip into the unconscious world, "Hey, wake up…!" Dean demanded trying desperately to hide the panic that wafted inside of him.

"I just feel so weird…" Sam mumbled as he never opened his eyes. "Like my head isn't on my shoulders…"

"That's probably because it's balancing on that toothpick you call a neck..." Dean kidded and instantly groaned.

One of these days he was going to have to wire his mouth shut.

"If I had the strength, I'd knock you out…" Sam said with a half baked smile, "Now go and find dad, he must have got himself lost, or destroying the coffee machine with a shot gun..."

"Huh..?" Dean blurted out obviously not expecting the casual name drop in the conversation.

"You know what dad is like with technology, the man almost burnt our house down by using a toaster…" Sam said a small smile mustering on his face his eyes flickering open every so often.

Sam finally forced himself to stare at Dean, his eyes now never leaving his brother's face.

"Is dad getting breakfast..?" Sam asked slowly as he studied Dean for a reaction.

Dean Winchester wore the best blank look he could muster up on such short notice. However the reaction he received from his little brother was unexpected.

"Thought so..." Sam said in a voice so small, Dean almost missed his response.

"What..?" Dean finally asked, almost afraid to where the conversation was going to go.

"He's dead isn't he...?" Sam said trying hard to fight the tears that had been sitting in his eyes since he woke up.

"Dead..?" Dean chocked out looking completely confused at Sam.

"I could see it in your eyes Dean, its ok..." Sam said as the tears started to roll out of his eyes, as he turned his head away from his elder brother.

"See what in my eyes..?" Dean demanded, "Sammy...?"

"I killed him..." Sam whispered as he closed his eyes, "The crash, I didn't get there in time. Oh God..."

Dean swallowed and closed his own eyes, glad that Sam couldn't see him at the moment.

...Forgive me for what I'm about to do...

"Sammy..." Dean said sitting closer to his inconsolable little brother, "Dad's fine..."

"Don't lie to me Dean..." Sam whispered as he turned and looked at his brother, "I've been awake for ages waiting and watching to see if he'll come in here; and he hasn't..."

"And you automatically assume that he's dead..?" Dean said with a forced chuckle.

His reaction had to be perfect, his face in a believable expression for his Sam to read.

Sam had to believe what he was going to tell him, and for Sam to believe it, Dean was going to have to deliver a performance worthy of an Oscar. Dean had no intentions of failing this time.

"But I..." Sam said his face clearly flustered and confused, "Dean I saw that look in your eyes, you were scared...!"

"It was probably a look of me realising that I need coffee..." Dean kidded with a believable smile, "Lots and lots of caffeine..."

"So dad, he's fine...?" Sam asked now visibly confused, "I don't get any of this at all..."

"It's ok Sammy, you've always been the slower one in the family…" Dean teased with a forced smile, " Just because you got your ass in college don't mean you're some child genius...!"

"You know I really do hate you sometimes..." Sam muttered as the tiredness of his body once again plagued him.

"Ah you love me really..." Dean said giving Sam his most winning smile. "Everyone does..."

Sam gave his brother a suspicious look, "So where is dad then...?"

Dean sucked in his breath, everything would be fine. Totally fine. It was just a little white lie.

A little white lie for Sam's benefit.

Sammy had to get better. No stress the doctor said.

Explaining to Sam that John Winchester had taken off God knows where, with God knows who; to Dean, that warranted stress.

Sammy would have no stress. Not as long as Dean was there to take care of him.

So if a little lie to protect Sam was what was needed, then Dean was willing to do it.

Besides, white lies were ok.

"Dean...?" Sam asked again, "Where's dad..?"

"He's probably catching some sleep at the motel he's renting..." Dean said forcing his most gentle and comforting smile at Sam.

...Please believe me Sammy...

"I sent him back yesterday, he's been watching over us like an over protective bear...!" Dean said with a grin.

"And we're his baby cubs..?" Sam wondered the idea baiting a smile to his tired face.

...A smile...Dean thought, shining inwardly...It's gonna be ok, everything will be ok...

"Baby cubs..." Dean said with a snort, "More like sleeping beauty! Dad was wondering if he was going to have to find something supernatural to bring you back..."

"I've been asleep one day Dean, you think the man would give us a break..." Sam said with a smile.

Dean swallowed and studied Sam's innocent face.

"You've been asleep a little longer than that..." Dean admitted.

...See I'm not lying to him about everything, I'll tell him he's been in a coma for ten days...

"How long..?" Sam suddenly asked as he studied Dean's face, "Dean what is going on..?"

"Calm down ok..." Dean said gently reaching down and giving Sam a hug, "Just try and relax and get some rest.."

Sam glanced at Dean's head which rested on his shoulder. This was just too weird. Even for Sam. Dean's behaviour was freaking the younger Winchester out.

"Dean..?" Sam demanded, " What's going on and if I have to ask you that question one more time I'm gonna throw you out that window...?"

Dean never raised his head up; his ears were straining to listen to the sound of his brother's heart beating.

"Dad loves you..." Dean suddenly said looking up at Sam, still holding him by his shoulders, "He loves you so much and even though he doesn't tell you, he's really proud of you..."

"For what..?" Sam said shaking his head and regretting his actions instantly, "For letting the demon escape and crashing the Impala, yeah, I bet he's real proud of me..."

"Don't be like that..." Dean cautioned, he couldn't bare to hear Sam talk like that. "You saved our lives, he, I, won't forget that..."

"What was I gonna do, let you guys die..?" Sam said with a chuckle, "No way..."

"I'm gonna see if I can get us some breakfast..." Dean said patting Sam's hand which he took in his, "You catch up on some sleep.."

"Hey, you gonna call dad, tell him to come see us...?" Sam asked in a hopeful voice.

"Sure will..." Dean lied with a forced smile as he stood up from the bed. "Now you promise me, you won't try and jump out this window while I'm gone..."

Sam laughed, and Dean felt him smile inwardly.

God Sam's laugh was infectious. Dean loved it. It was less than twenty four hours ago he thought he'd never hear it again.

"I mean it, you promise me..." Dean said with a smile as he walked towards the door, "Cause I'm not jumping after you to save your ass, not from the fifth floor..!"

"I'm not going anywhere..." Sam said stifling a yawn and allowing his eyes to flutter close.

Dean paused by the door and studied Sam. That reply bought an odd sense of deja-vu for Dean.

However, not for the first time in the last twenty four hours, he believed Sam.

Sam wasn't going anywhere.

That thought alone spurred Dean on with his mission.

And if a little white lie to keep his brother well was what it took, then so be it...

xxxxXXXXxxxx

There was only one person who knew Dean Winchester better than Dean himself.

Sam.

Sam Winchester listened as the door to his hospital room closed.

Dean had been lying. He'd lied from the very beginning about everything. Sam didn't know how he knew, he just did.

There was only one explanation to Dean's erratic behaviour and it filled the youngest Winchester with dread.

Dean would only ever lie to him to protect him from something, and Sam had a strong feeling he knew what that something was.

John Winchester was dead.

Sam had been the one to kill him.

The chocked feeling quickly returned to Sam and he fought desperately to subdue himself.

Sam knew he'd never get a straightforward answer from Dean, so Sam knew he was going to have to get the answers himself.

Sam was going to have to find John Winchester without Dean's help...

xxxxXXXXxxxx

Wonder what Sam's up to now, and Dean for that matter…? Thanks for reading, hope you continue to enjoy this story. Please remember to review, it's like fluid for this writing horse ! See you all next update xxx