Dean felt relaxed. After two hours of boxing with Michael he felt like a burden was lifted from him.
"Once a hunter...always a hunter."
Bobby told him that when he was 18 and Sam started to dream of the world away from their family...away from Dean. And suddenly, when he entered his porch his body went stiff.
"Once a hunter always a hunter."
His instincts shouted at him that something was wrong. His by years sharpened instincts. Out of place. Very very out of place. His eyes quickly scanned over the garden, the interior of the house...only to come out empty.
"Once a hunter always a hunter."
He was in the middle of dropping the bag on the counter when something connected with the back of head, pain filled his body stopping him from breathing, he heard Bobby's voice in his mind "Once a hunter always a hunter" and the world went painfully black.
The pain that popped in on Samuel Winchester was ancient history by now. Three years without it would do that. It felt like his brain was being cut into shreds. Then fire took over. Burning everything away but a clear picture of his brother...and then nothing. For a blessing moment felt nothing. The pain returned suddenly with vengeance. Sam went down, his back on the wall - he was in the middle of the room when the vision came - knees close to his chest, his brain almost bursting under the pressure.
Another picture came. Dean on the floor, blood everywhere. But it wasn't what he saw that scared him.
Not by a long shot.
It was what he was feeling at the moment. He felt life escaping from his missing brother.
When he entered - sober - the room his son occupied John experienced, again, one of the worst things a father can feel.
Horror. Shock.
Hunter sharp eyes almost immediately caught sight of his youngest son.
"Sam!"
His youngest was on the floor, hunched, holding his head and shacking like a leaf of wind.
Forcing the panic back, his eyes scanning his youngest for injury as he crunched down in front of his remaining son.
"Sam"
The other Winchester only shuddered stronger. Panic of a father overcome the alarm of a hunter. John had a feeling they were wasting time. The panic grew. Reverting to his no-nonsense, Marine Sergeant voice" Samuel!" he broke true the haze of pain, fear and what else had pushed his son into this state.
Brown eyes bump into brown, tremors still going within Sam.
"Dea-n" the voice cracked on the last letter. And John plainly saw tears in his eyes. John felt the second tick away.
Sam looked to the floor and back, tears now going down his face. His voice breaking into a sob.
Sam's next words sent the already unsteady world of John Winchester to fall apart.
"Dean...is dead"