A/N: I would love to hear what you think so if you have the inclination, please review. :)

Chapter Five

Sam was faltering. Whether it was his time spent in the cold river or rather just the effort to keep moving, or the shook that was catching up with him, Sam wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was finding it increasingly hard to move his legs forward.

Which was a problem considering that the further into the forest that they drove the more uneven and difficult the terrain was growing and Sam was slowly but surely losing ground as Dean gained it. If it was anyone other than Dean, he would be afraid of getting left behind.

Gritting his teeth and ignoring the stitch in his side and the burning in his lungs, Sam unglued his arm from his side and used it for additional support. Using the trees next to him, he braced against them before propelling himself forward.

Sweat was dripping down from his bangs and into his eyes and he had to blink several times to bring Dean into focus as he veered left. Gasping a little, Sam followed, noting dimly that they were moving uphill and away from a small drop off and a thick bushel of trees.

Great, uphill. Just what Sam had always wanted.

His feet were protesting and his legs trembling as Sam bumped up against a tree, watching Dean's back bow under the strain, his steps slowing as well. At least he wasn't the only one struggling up the hill.

Swiping at his face, Sam heaved in a full breathe, coughing on it as his tight lungs protested. Dean was about halfway up when he twisted back. Sam watched him dazedly and narrowed his eyes when he realized that Dean was coming back towards him.

Huh. What was he doing…?

Jolting with the sudden realization that he had stopped moving, Sam tossed a half-hearted thumbs in Dean's direction and pushed himself off the tree. The muscles in his legs had other ideas, however, and they went weak and suddenly he was blinking in a very intimate view of the dirt.

Then the pain hit.

Back arching, Sam tried to roll onto his side as he clenched a handful of dirt. The world wavered, revolving around him in increasingly fast and dizzying circles but a sharp, "Sam—!" Cut through it all like a knife, tethering him in the land of consciousness.

Inhaling painfully around the agony that was ramping up from his side, Sam coughed out a groan and clenched his fist tighter, willing himself to stay in the game. Dean couldn't afford to have him out for the count now, not with Maddie, and a demon, and a stupid deal on his hands.

Closing his eyes in an attempt to control the dizziness, Sam hitched in an unsteady breathe before showing an elbow under his body and shoving upright. Even with his eyes closed, Sam could feel everything around him spinning and he tightened his grip on the ground, willing everything to come to a stop.

Risking a peek through his eyelashes, Sam watched as Dean's boots scuffed up clouds of dirt in his rapid descent back off the hill. Sam would have waved him off if he had could let go of the ground, not that it would have done much good.

Sliding to a stop next to him, Dean lowered himself into an awkward crouch as he continued to clutch Maddie close to his chest. "Hey, Sammy, you alright?"

Sam blinked his eyes shut again, his grip tightening. "I'm fine. I just…" Sam trailed off concentrating or not throwing up as the world continued to blur at the edges.

"We can stop, do you want to stop, catch your breath?" Dean's voice was strangely gently but Sam only shook his head doggedly.

"Not yet, I can keep going."

"You've earned a breather, dude. You seriously like you about ten seconds from faintin'…"

"Not gonna faint." Sam took another deep breath and the motion pulled his wound. Groaning, he doubled over and prayed silently that he hadn't ripped open his wound, though if the warmth that was trickling up against his fingers was any indication then he was not to be in luck.

"Yeah, of course not, what was I thinking…" Sam didn't have to see Dean to know that he was shaking his head in irritation, but he did feel him shift closer, his leg brushing Sam's shoulder. Closing his eyes again, Sam forced his fist to uncurl and reached out blindly until he found Dean's elbow.

"Help me up," he demanded.

"Sam…let's just—"

"No, I'm fine. I can make it to the top."

Dean snorted softly but didn't pull his arm away. "Will you rest then? Finish out this little bit and then take a breather?"

"Yeah, sure, of course," Sam said, blinking his eyes open and finally looking up into Dean's face. His eyes were dark with concern and the lines in his face stood out starkly and Sam's heart softened. "Just get me to the top and then you can take a break. I know that your arms have to be killing you."

Dean snorted again. "Dude, I could do this all day. I'm not the one imprinting my face in the dirt." Still, he didn't look fully convinced even as he shifted, allowing Sam to get a better grip on his elbow.

"It was calling my name," Sam ground out through a sudden stab of pain rose through his gut, forcing him to recoil and curl into himself.

"None of that, Sam, C'mon," Dean's shoulder nudged him and Sam forced the air out of his lungs, taking in another shallow breath. "You're not making that good of an impression on me here. I should just plant your ass and not move for like, a week."

Dean waited a moment for Sam to find his grip again before leveraging them both up slowly and allowing Sam to lean most of his weight on his arm. Both were panting from the effort by the time that Sam was more or less standing.

"Do you think Emma would get bored if we just stayed where we are at?" Sam bowed his head against Dean's shoulder for a moment and then relinquish his hold with a weak smile of thanks and pressing his arm back against his side.

"Woah, what are you doing there?"

"I'm good. I'm good, Dean." Sam tried to smile even as visible concern pulled down Dean's mouth.

"Sam…"

Sam shook his head, starting up the hill again and Dean swore under his breath before moving to hover anxiously next to him, looking unsure of what to do. It was a look that Sam hated to see on Dean's face. It just didn't seem right, not on his know all, bossy, and in control brother.

"This is stupid. Let him help you." Maddie finally voice.

"She's not wrong" Dean jumped in, even as he dropped back, letting Sam set the pace. He didn't hesitate to stand directly behind Sam and in a position that he could brace him if he tumbled back.

Which, to be fair, wasn't an unfounded fear, Sam thought as he leaned into the climb, fighting the pull of gravity and his tired body. They were so close to the top…just a few steps more, and then he could keep going, it would all be downhill from there, hopefully literally.

Downhill he could do.

"Maybe you should…" Dean trailed off, bumping his shoulder up against Sam's as he heaved an exasperated sigh. Sam hunched further forward, his breath catching in his lungs as he reached out for the nearest tree, attempting to pull himself forward. Maybe he should have taken a moment, back when he had first fallen because the trees next to him were going in and out of focus, blurring together in one large mass that was turning in one circle around him.

"Hey-hey-hey-hey, no. Sam, don't, not here—" Dean's voice was a distant rushing sound that filled his ears as Sam felt himself hopelessly following the curve of the trees, his body out of his control. The pain was rippling up through his belly in hard, sharp waves but everything else was dim and surreal. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dean bending down, putting Maddie on the ground and distantly heard her short grunt of pain. Or maybe that was him.

He blinked and felt his body tilting backward and for a brief, horrible, moment, he felt the ground disappear from under his feet.

Strong hands grabbed Sam's arms, yanking him urgently forward and holding his weight as his body wilted towards the ground and darkness edged in on his vision and everything went dark.

The next thing that Sam was aware of was how soft Dean's shirt was against his cheek. For a moment he drifted there as the dizziness refused to dissipate, listening to Dean ramble gentle comfort over his head. Dean's arms were wrapped around him, holding him in place. A rock in the shifting ocean.

"Dean…"

"You back with me, Sammy?"

Sam swallowed thickly, dropping his head back down against Dean's chest and attempting to take deep breathes.

"Aright, I've gotcha, just…take it easy there, dude. Relax." Small circles were being rubbed in his back, and Sam concentrated on them, breathing in time with the gentle pressure. The world began to slow in insistent dance and Sam allowed Dean to manhandle him back against a tree and then press his head down in-between his knees.

A lukewarm bottle of water was pressing into his hand, and Sam pressed it against his forehead, trying to suck the last of the coldness from it as a sickening feeling of being overheated joined in the dizziness.

"Is he going to be alright?" Maddie's voice was timid as Dean's hand moved back up, squeezing the back of his neck.

"He's been stabbed," Dean said shortly in response. "And is being forced to run cross-country while being chased by a psychotic demon. He's not alright."

"Dean," Sam rebuked wearily, lifting his head and prying his eyes open long enough to glare at his brother. "I'm alright, I just got a little dizzy." He shifted, bringing down his free arm to brace against his side, squeezing tightly. Something damp began to soak into his sleeve and Sam stiffened.

"Yeah, little dizzy. That's all. Shut up and drink the water." Dean stood, keeping one hand braced against Sam's shoulder as he twisted, scouting the area with his eyes. Sam grappled with the water for a moment, tucking the bottle between his knees in an attempt to get the lid off one-handed before finally giving up and tapping it against Dean's knee. Dean didn't even blink as he unscrewed the lid and return it to Sam.

Sam took a gulp, coughing a little on it at first, but the next swallow went down easier and his stomach only churned slightly before calming. Maddie was watching him with concern, her lower lip stuck in-between his teeth and Sam attempted a quick smile. She smiled back tentatively and Sam reached out, rolling the water bottle over to her and was slightly ashamed that she had to stretch to get it.

Another wave of heat washed over Sam and he quickly bowed his head, pressing it against his knees and blowing out long breathes. Twisting just a little in an effort not to bring Dean's attention back to him, Sam took a tentative look at his wound. There was no need to alarm him if Sam was just sweating excessively and…no, that was blood. A fresh, glistening path on his shirt and on his sleeve. Pressing his arm back down, Sam applied pressured and was pleased when only a low grunt escaped him.

"Alright, here's what we are gonna do," Dean announced and Sam lifted his head up as Dean crouched back down at his eye level. "I'm gonna leave you two here and go check out far we are from off the path or from the Impala. We've got to get you to a hospital so you two just sit tight, get your breath, and keep a lookout. She's a sneaky bitch." His eyes locked on Sam's and he nodded firmly, pushing himself up to sit more upright.

"Trust me, I know that. But, dude, be careful," Sam warned. Dean smiled quick and easy, patting Sam's shoulder.

"I'm always careful."

"Right," Sam rolled his eyes and instantly regretted it. Dean tightened his grip and it was Sam's turn to flash a smile. Dean nodded once and shouldered the duffle firmly, his face set and determined.

"I should only be about an hour." Dean stopped briefly next to Maddie and shrugged off his jacket, handing it to her, saying something soft to her. Sam leaned forward, but he couldn't quite make out everything that he said, just enough to realize that he was giving her order to make sure that Sam stayed conscious.

With only a few glances back, Dean surged on ahead with quick, sure steps and Sam watched until he disappeared into the thick trees.

Maddie let out a low groan, drifting further onto her side and curling up around her injured leg.

"How are you doing?" he asked her tiredly, leaning his head back against the tree and fighting to keep his eyes open as he continued to apply pressure. She made a brave attempt at a smile, but her pinched face and glistening eyes said it all.

Sam felt that. All he had wanted to do for the past few months was curl up in a ball and pretend that Dean wasn't about to go to hell because of him. All because he hadn't toughened up and killed Jake, and it had cost him everything.

Crossing his arm further over his side, he blinked back the sudden moisture in his eyes and focused on scanning the seemingly quiet forest. Birds were chirping, while a grasshopper sprang up from the ground, going who knows where, and a mosquito was buzzing somewhere near his ear.

And his side was still bleeding.

"Oh, hell," Sam muttered under his breath, shifting against the tree in an attempt to find more leverage. Releasing the pressure he had been putting on it, he pried his shirts upwards and made a face at the completely soaked through gauze.

Damn.

"Uh, that doesn't look good," Maddie squeaked and Sam quickly dropped his shirt, blushing just a little.

"It's fine," Sam lied, quickly returning pressure. Maddie pulled herself up awkwardly and dragged her bad leg along till she was sitting next to him.

"How long has it been bleeding like that? Dean said that you had the bleeding under control earlier." She looked up at him, her eyes wide and fearful. Her whole world had just been turned upside down in a matter of hours and Sam remembered very clearly how that felt.

"Just since I fell."

"Why didn't you tell Dean?" She reached out, before pulling her hands back in hesitantly, looking unsure of what to do. Sam almost had, the words had been on the tip of his tongue but…

"Dean is doing his best to get us all out of here alive, this is minor compared with what he is dealing with. All we can do is put pressure on it anyway. Just, ah, help me with this." Sam was trying to dig through his pocket for his handkerchief but the movement was making him break out in a cold sweat.

"He would have wanted to know," Maddie pulled the square of material free and began to fold it into a neat pad. "He's worried about you."

"Which is exactly why he didn't need to know, we'll have it stopped by the time he gets back."

"But…"

Sam took the cloth for her hands but she tugged it back and with a determination set in her pale face she tugged his shirts back up before she stalled.

"If you are going to do it, you might as well do it," Sam said dryly and Maddie nodded tightly and pressed the new bandage down. Sam grunted, his fingers clenching as he rode through the wave of pain. Gritting his teeth, he blinked back black sports.

Maddie swallowed hard next to him, looking faintly ill herself. "I'm sorry. I'm the one who did this, and I didn't—I was there, awake, and I should have been able to do something, but—"

"Maddie," Sam broke in gently, "There was nothing that you could have done. That demon was in complete control." She nodded jerkily, the pressure increasing on his side and Sam let out a strange sound and Maddie let up just a little.

"Aren't you…aren't you worried about Dean getting possessed? What if he comes back with it in him?" She asked haltingly with a glance in the direction that Dean had gone.

"Nah, see this, the demon can't get in with that." It took Sam a couple of fumbling attempts to pull the neck of his t-shirt down far enough to show off the tattoo and Maddie stared at it. Though, her gaze may have been more on the bloody fingerprints that Sam was leaving behind rather than the actual tattoo itself.

"You know a lot about this kind of thing, don't you?"

Sam snorted. "I would hope. My brother and I have been hunting things like this since we were kids."

Maddie's face grew horrified. "Kids?"

"It's a long story."

Maddie shifted next to him, earning herself a pained grunt and Sam looked over at, making sure that she was alright, or at least okay. She was pale, but she didn't appear to be in immediate danger, not that Sam would have been able to do anything if she had been.

"I guess I should thank you then, for saving people like me." Her voice caught again and Sam let the weight of Emma, of all those they hadn't saved drifted down to land on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about Emma. I'm sorry that we didn't figure it out sooner and that one…that one is on us."

Maddie let out a painful sounding sob and Sam reached out to cover her hand with his but thought better of it at the last minute. Somehow, he supposed that getting blood all over her wasn't really going to help, not that much. Maddie continued to sob, fat tears gathering in her eyes before trickling down her face and cutting a path through all the grime.

"I killed her. At the movie theater, we were about to go in and suddenly I wasn't in control anymore and I just grabbed her by her head and—"

"Maddie, don't," Sam said firmly. "That wasn't your fault and trust me when I say that reliving it over and over again isn't going to make it any easier."

Maddie only bowed her head, her cries harsh and rough and Sam's stomach flip-flopped. Maddie would never be the same, would never go back to being that perky waitress who was immune to Dean's charm. Another meeting with the Winchesters that had destroyed a perfectly happy life. A hopeful life, a life that was going somewhere.

Sam's stomach flipflopped uncomfortably and he shifted her hands from his side, pressing his arm back into place and he could do nothing more than offer a shoulder for her to cry on. She huddled against him, her body heaving with the force of her cries, and Sam patted her shoulder awkwardly, offering soft noises of reassurance.