Chapter 12

Sam finished folding his freshly washed clothes and packed them in his duffle before he shouldered the bag and headed back to the room. The Impala was still missing making his shoulders slump, wondering how long Dean would stay gone. He wasn't sure what to do now but wait for him to come back. He didn't know if they would talk some more or decide their next move. Now that both had told their story, Sam realized changes had happened to both of them and they each had to decide whether to accept each other now.

Not quite two hours later, Sam looked up from the book he was reading when a knock sounded at the door. He went to answer it, knowing it had to be Dean.

"Hey," Sam greeted him, opening the door wide enough so he could come in.

"Have you eaten?" Dean asked him, his voice neutral and calm.

"No, I was waiting on you," Sam replied, letting the door close behind him.

"I'll get the subs out; do you want a beer?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Sam had stepped to the middle of the room, toward the table, when the vision hit.

A piercing pain suddenly seemed to split Sam's head open and he cried out in distress as he fell to the floor on his hands and knees, keening from the intense throbbing. He leaned forward clawing at his head trying to stop the agony. A scene started to play out in his mind and when it was gone, the pain started to ease. He didn't realize Dean was sitting on the floor with him, holding him tightly in his arms to stop him from hurting himself. Sam could barely open his eyes as his head lolled to the side. He felt the wetness under his nose and knew it had been bleeding.

"It's going to be okay, just breath Sammy," Dean whispered to him looking him over as his body seemed to relax and Sam opened his eyes slightly. "There you are. You scared the crap out of me," Dean mumbled softly. He used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the blood from Sam's face. "Think you can get up on the bed?"

Sam nodded as he closed his eyes for a moment and let Dean help him up and to the bed. He laid back, stretching out, hoping the pounding in his head would ease. After a moment, he felt a cold cloth being laid across his forehead and sighed softly.

"We need to leave after this passes," he mumbled to Dean as he lay still will the ache to pass. "I had a vision of someone in trouble. I don't think it's far from here."

"Okay, fine, but right now you lay still and rest," Dean replied not liking how pale Sam was looking. "And when you feel like it, you need to eat something to keep your strength up and you need to tell me what you saw." He put two fingers to Sam's neck to check his pulse and then laid a hand on his chest to discern his breathing. Sam's heartbeat was still too fast, and his breathing was shallow. "Try to take deeper breath's Sammy. Match mine," Dean instructed taking Sam's hand and holding it to his chest as he breathed in slow and deep, watching to be sure Sam was copying him.

Sam tried to do what Dean wanted, feeling his chest moving in and out against his palm as he tried to match it. He was shaken still but was starting to feel the moment passing. He looked up into Dean's worried face and saw only his brother, not some hybrid demon that had spent fifty years in Hell being tortured. It didn't seem he held any ill will or doubt about him after learning he had psychic abilities, but he had to be sure.

"Dean," he said weakly, pushing the wet cloth up from his eyes so he could see.

"What? Do you need something Sammy?" Dean asked not letting go of his hand as he held it firmly to his chest.

"Do I freak you out? These things I can do now…Are you scared of me? Do you want to leave?" Sam questioned softly darting his eyes up to his face and back down again.

Dean listened to the questions Sam was asking and wondered the same thing about what he thought about him. He continued to breath slow deep breaths as he formed his response in his mind.

"No Sammy, I'm not scared of you, and you don't freak me out. I could ask you the same. Do I scare you now that you know I'm not completely human?" Dean asked. "I'll leave if that's what you want bro, you're my brother no matter what you can do."

Sam studied his face for signs of lying and didn't see any. He saw his honesty, concern, and trust in his eyes, and gave him a half smile before he answered.

"What you said," Sam sighed his relief. "I don't want you to leave; I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again. We're both different people than what we were five months ago, but I think it only makes us that much closer. We both have unique abilities now that I hope will give advantages over what we hunt. I say we use them."

"I like what you're saying Sammy. How are you feeling?"

"It's getting better. Still have a headache, but the worse is gone now," he replied slipping his hand off Dean's chest and pushing the cloth off his forehead so he could slowly sit up.

"Why don't you take some Tylenol for that and tell me what you saw?" Dean suggested. He got up and found the first aid kit to get some pills for him. "Maybe if you try and eat something it will help too. If you don't want the sandwich, I can run across the street and get you some soup."

"No, no, it's fine. I'll try the sub," Sam assured him getting a warm feeling in his chest that Dean was been so caring and concerned about him. This was his brother, no doubt about that, he was in big brother mode right now and he liked it. He also felt relieved that they were going to support each other as they each learned their strengths and weaknesses and where they fit into the hunting world now.

"Here, take these and sit here for a minute while I get the subs out. You should probably have water or tea and not beer right now," he rattled on as he dropped two pills into Sam's palm and held out a water for him to wash them down. Dean went to the fridge and got out the subs they had gotten earlier. He put out napkins and checked the subs to see whose, was whose, before placing them on the table. Dean grabbed a beer deciding he needed one after seeing Sam go through a vision. He had forgotten how painful it was for him, but he didn't remember him having nosebleeds before. He thought that might be new.

Sam sat on the side of the bed and watched his brother being a mother hen as he got the food ready, making sure things were perfect. He didn't know Dean had gotten some chips until he pulled them from a bag and sat them on the table. He felt weary but was used to it when a vision would hit him. He sipped on the water Dean had given him before carefully standing and making sure he was stable so he could move to a chair at the table to sit down.

"Looks good Dean," Sam offered to be awarded by a genuine smile from him. Guilt still ate at him for not coming completely clean with Dean, but now he didn't want to spoil what they were building between them. He intended to tell him when the time was right, just not now.

"It does, think you can talk as we eat, or should we wait until we're done?" Dean questioned him as he unwrapped his sub.

"Let me note a few things while they're still fresh in my mind," Sam replied looking around for a pad and pen. He sat back down and started scribbling notes for a moment, then stopping to take a bite of his sub. As he chewed, he pictured the vision in his mind and continued to write what he remembered of it. He did this for fifteen minutes before laying the pen down and concentrating on his food. He didn't eat but a third of the sandwich and some chips, but it was enough to make him feel better and to help the coloring come back into his face.

"Do you know what we'll be up against?" Dean asked when he saw Sam stop writing. He had kept quiet, not wanting to disturb him as he wrote.

"Not sure, but I know where and the victim. I guess we can figure out the what, when we get there."

"Are you sure you'll be good to travel, or should we wait until morning to leave?"

"No, no, we need to leave when we get packed. I don't know when it's going to happen, but I want to be there to get started on the case."

"Okay, but if you start feeling woozy or weird, you promise to tell me?" Dean insisted sternly.

"Promise," Sam agreed wrapping the rest of his sub up since he was done. He finished his water and tossed his trash. "We should go over what I saw and then get ready to leave."

"Lay it on me Sammy," Dean said sitting back in his chair and sipping on the last of his beer.

"There was a man and woman, I think they were a couple standing in front of a large two story house with a For Sale sign that had Sold across it. I think they might have bought it. The address was 1478 Crenshaw Road. Then I saw them cowering in a room with things being tossed about and they were calling for help. A fire poker is rammed through the man's chest and he dies," Sam recited as he glanced at the notes he had made.

"Any idea where this place is?"

"I saw a sign that said Welcome to Ames, Iowa before it ended."

"Okay then, how far is that from here?"

"A couple of hours maybe."

"Let's pack the car and go. Maybe we'll luck out and this won't take very long to finish."

"And we're heading to Bobby's?" Sam asked going to his duffle and palming a small silver flask from his bag.

"Yeah, guess that's another thing we need to do. Can't leave Bobby out in the cold. He needs to know."

"Let me get my bathroom things and use it and I'll be ready."

"Fine, I'm taking my things to the car." Dean picked up his duffle and headed for the door as Sam stepped into the bathroom.

Sam closed and locked the door behind him before moving to sit on the commode. He opened the flask with trembling hands and turned it up to his lips getting the small amount of demon blood from it. Sam sucked and tried to pull every drop from the flask as his body craved more. He wiped his mouth as a cold shiver ran up his back when he realized he was out, and Ruby still had not contacted him. He was going to have to let her know they were moving again, and he needed her, like right now.

This small amount of blood would not keep the shakes away and he was already feeling the hunger growing inside of him. He tapped the flask in his palm seeing if there was any more before sighing in defeat as his shoulders slumped. Sam hid the flask in his bathroom bag and quickly used the commode before washing his hands and face and drying them. He looked at his pale reflection staring back at him and wondered how long he could hide this from Dean.

A/N: The brothers have talked it out and both want to stay together, even though both have changed. Now, on to a hunt and then to Bobby's. He needs to be told. Reviews make my day. NC