A/N: I have a question for you guys, only two more chapters in this story and it will be done. I do have a third story that will continue this trilogy. Would you prefer me to start it or do you need a break from this AU and have a short 10 chapter story to change the pace for a while. It's up to you, whichever gets the most picks, will be the winner. Enjoy the read. NC

Chapter 22

Sam found a pull off and eased the Impala onto it and stopped behind some bushes. He got out and went to the trunk to arm himself. He stowed knifes on his body and checked the load of his handgun before stowing it in the small of his back. He set off in a jog the rest of the way until he had the house in sight. Sam slowed and looked around for any danger or traps before moving closer. It was hard to see by the pale moonlight that shone around him.

He knew his time was almost up and he was going to have to make his stand. Sam advanced toward the front of the abandoned house trying to be as quiet as he could. The steps were rotten, windows were broken out, shutters hung haphazardly, and boards were missing from places along the side of the house. He could see dim light coming from inside and pulled his gun before edging up on the porch, dodging the rotten steps, and to the front door.

With a mighty kick, Sam crashed the door open and ran through it into a foyer and toward the light in the next room. He stopped short when he saw Dean being held as a shield by Walker with a wicked looking, sharp knife pressed tightly to his throat.

"Well, I have to give you credit Sam, you didn't keep me waiting," Walker gloated evilly. He tightened his hold on Dean as he struggled trying to talk around the gag that was shoved into his mouth. Dean stilled when he felt the knife nick his neck and felt the trickle of blood run down soaking his shirt collar.

"Let my brother go!" Sam demanded in a slow, dangerous tone when he saw the blood on Dean's neck. Sam's anger doubled now that his brother's blood had been spilled.

"You know I don't think you have much room to bargain here Sammy, that is, if you want your brother to live."

"It's Sam, you don't get to call me that," he growled.

"Now toss the gun away so we can have a little talk." He pressed the knife tighter to Dean neck making him grunt as he tried to pull backward when the sharp blade cut a little deeper into his neck.

"Alright, alright, I'm putting it down," Sam said uncocking the gun and tossing it to the side. He held his hands up in front of him and prepared to make his move.

Dean was watching Sam and trying to relay the message for him to shoot the asshole but stilled when he heard his brother's voice in his head, 'Be ready Dean'.

"What do you want with me?" Sam asked boldly trying to keep Walker talking and letting him think he had the upper hand.

"Oh, come on Sammy, I think you know. You see I had a chatty demon who told me all about how there was a war coming and there were humans that were going to fight along beside the black eyed bastards to take over the world. I want to know what the plan is and who else is involved. So, if you want to keep your brother in one piece, I suggest you answer my question," Walker demanded. "Unless you want me to start carving body parts from him," he mocked moving the knife around his ear nicking the ear lope.

None of the three in the house saw John sneak in the front door and stand in the shadows with his gun raised trying to get a clear shot at Walker without endangering Dean. He listened to them talking as he inched closer never taking his eyes off his target.

"It's not happening, Azazel is dead, there's not going to be a war. You got your facts wrong, that was old news," Sam spat at him. He conveyed his intentions to Dean and with a flick of his hand, suddenly the knife was pulled from Walker's hand and slid across the floor out of his reach.

Walker thought he had both the Winchesters right where he wanted them, until suddenly his knife was jerked from his hand by some unseen force. He jerked his gun from its holster and fired a shot at Sam and was stupefied when Sam waved his hand deflecting the bullet and sending it into the wall across the room.

John saw his opening and fired at Walker catching him in the chest. Walker wasn't understanding what was going on and didn't have time to respond as he looked down at his chest and saw the blood staining his shirt. He didn't know who shot him until a man stepped from the shadows behind Sam. Sam threw out a wave of power and sent him stumbling backward through the open doorway behind him and into one of the traps that was meant for Sam.

With a roar of rage and disbelief, he hit the first trip wire, setting off a chain reaction causing the other grenades to explode. Sam knew what was coming and took two giant steps before launching himself at his brother. He hit him just as the explosions went off sending drywall, wooden splinters, bricks, flames, a cloud of dust, and debris outward toward them in a blast that enveloped everything in its path.

spn

John looked on in surprise when the knife flew from Walker's hand and skidded across the floor. He was even more shocked as he saw Sam deflect the bullet that should have hit him in the chest and killed him. When he saw Walker was in the open, he took the shot to protect his sons. He watched Walker backpedal into the other room and moved toward his sons when suddenly the world exploded in front of him. The concussion of the blast sent him tumbling to the floor, stunned and dazed. His ears were ringing as he lay there trying to pull air into his lungs. His entire body ached as he tried to move his arms and push himself up from the floor. He needed to get to his sons was his only goal.

Sam hit his brother and his momentum carried them both to the floor as the blast swept over them. He was bombarded by the flying debris that filled the air as he covered Dean with his body trying to protect him.

Dean had all the air knocked from his lungs as Sam plowed into him and hit hard on the floor when they went down. He lay there with the weight of his brother on him, trying to suck some air into his lungs again. He got the gag out of his mouth and started coughing and wheezing.

"S'mmy man, can't breathe," he squeaked out pushing on his brother's body as he continued to cough. "C'mon dude you weight a ton," he complained, yawning widely to try and get his ears to pop. They were ringing and he couldn't hear how loud he was talking. "S'mmy?" Dean pushed on his brother's limp frame for a moment and felt no resistance.

What he hadn't seen was the chunk of brick that slammed into Sam's head as they were falling. It ripped a gash in his scalp, causing it to pour blood, and knocked him unconscious. He used his hand to turn Sam's head and felt wetness on it. When he got his eyes focused enough to see, he saw his hand was stained red with his brother's blood. "Sam?" Dean worked on pushing his body to the side and off him so he could get a deep breath and tensed when a figure stumbled toward him. "Dad?"

"Dean are you and Sam alright?" John asked kneeling down beside them. He covered his mouth from the dust and smoke filling the place.

"What? Can't hear?" Dean said slowly pointing to his ears as he coughed again.

"I know the ringing will stop. Are. You. Hurt?"

"I'm okay but Sammy's been hurt," Dean said louder than needed.

"Let me look," John said. He moved Sam's body onto his back and tried to see his injuries by the flames that surrounded them. "We need to get out of here, this place could come down any minute. Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I think so."

John grabbed Sam's arms and hefted him up and over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and then grabbed Dean's arm to steer them toward what was left of the front door. Once outside in the clean air, John eased Sam's limp body to the ground and drew in some fresh breaths before a bout of coughing had him leaning over beside Sam, hacking up what was trapped in his lungs and spitting it out.

"My car's got to be around here. We need to get him to a hospital and have his head wound checked." Dean had his hands resting on his knees, bent over, as he pulled the cold air into his lungs. He wheezed and hacked up some phylum, spitting it to the side trying to clear his throat.

"It's just down the road. I parked beside it. There's a town about fifteen miles from here where we should be able to find a hospital."

"You stay here with Sam, and I'll go get the Impala," Dean told him as he stumbled, weaving uncontrollably for a moment before getting steady.

"Maybe I should go."

"No, I'll be okay," Dean huffed rubbing his head before heading down the road. There was a half-moon out giving him some light to see as he staggered over the rough road. Ten minutes later, he saw his Dad's truck and then the Impala. He hurried toward it, found the spare key, unlocked it, and dropped into the seat. He cranked her up and pulled out to head back to the burning house.

spn

John knelt by his son and reached to check his pulse as he pressed a bandanna to his head wound. He felt it beating erratically under his fingertips. "Hang on Sam, Dean's getting the car."

Sam moaned in pain as he tried to roll his head and winced with the pounding behind his eyes. He worked to force his eyes open but couldn't. His ears were ringing, and he felt a hand on his shoulder that wasn't his brothers. He tried to lift his arm to fight but could barely get it off the ground.

"Lay still Sam, you've been hurt," John told him pressing his hand to his chest to still him.

"De…" Sam tried to say feeling his hands around and trying to push himself up.

"He's okay, you saved him. Dean went to get the car."

Sam made his eyes open and tried to bring the face in front of him into focus. He blinked several times to clear it and was shocked to see his father staring at him with worry and concern on his face. "Dad?" he gasped before the blackness overtook him once again and he passed out.

John looked up when he heard the rumble of the Impala coming their way and stood waiting for Dean to get closer before stopping. He went to the backdoor of the Impala and opened it so they could maneuver Sam onto the backseat. He climbed into the passenger seat and waited for Dean to drive back down the road to his truck.

"He came to for a minute and passed back out," John told him. "I think he might have a concussion and pretty sure he needs stitches for the head wound. You know how they bleed."

"You lead, I'll be right behind you," Dean said pulling to a stop by John's truck.

"Alright, stay close," John told him as he got out and moved to his truck. He quickly got in and cranked it, pulling in front of Dean and heading for a main road. He kept his eyes on the lights behind him as he sped toward the town he had passed earlier.

Fifteen minutes later, John was slowing as he pulled into the outskirts of the town and started looking for signs for a hospital. He heard Dean beep his horn and flash his lights that he had found it. He turned around and followed Dean down a street that led toward the center of town. John spotted the signs and lights of the hospital and saw Dean turn down a side street toward the emergency room.

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"Help, my brother needs some help!" Dean yelled through the automatic doors before going back to his car.

Two orderlies hurried out with a gurney and got Sam loaded onto it and pushed him toward the doors. Dean and John hurried after them and followed them into cubicle cordoned off with curtains.

"What have we got here?" a doctor asked as she stepped into the room along with a nurse.

"He was hit in the head by a brick. He's been unconscious since then."

"He came to for a minute and recognized me and passed back out," John added.

"What is his name?"

"Sam, Sam Winchester," Dean replied watching closely everything that was being done to Sam.

"Get Mr. Winchester's vitals and we need an MRI stat of his head for any trauma to the brain. Order a full blood panel and we need to check for any other injuries," she said as she used a light to check his pupils. "Is he allergic to any medications?"

"No, not that I know of," Dean answered watching the nurses moving quickly around Sam getting vitals, starting an IV and pressing sterile gauze to the head wound to stanch the bleeding.

"If you two will step out to the waiting area, there's some paperwork you'll need to fill out. We'll let you know when he's back from radiology."

One of the nurses led Dean and John back out and to a waiting area beside the rooms. She brought some paperwork and handed it to John, but Dean took it and started to fill it out. He wrote quickly and with strong, broad strokes. When he was finished, he took the clipboard to the nurse's station and came to sit back by John.

"How did you find us?" Dean asked breaking the silence between them. He was still pissed at John for staying away like he had and couldn't stop it from showing.

"Sam left me a voicemail that you had been kidnapped and as luck would have it, I was in a motel a few hours away. I packed up and headed out to help," John told him.

"You should have come to see Sam before now, or at least called us," Dean growled. His anger was showing in his body language, his tone, and the hardness of his eyes. "Why didn't you?"

John bowed his head, ashamed of his actions and tried to get his thoughts in order so he could answer his son. He clenched his hands into fists for a moment before making them relax as he tried to still his mind. Before he could answer, a nurse came out to say Sam was back from radiology and they could go back again. Dean was on his feet and following her back with John close behind him.

Dean stepped through the curtain to see Sam in the bed with the head slightly raised. Sam opened his eyes and looked toward him giving him a weak smile.

"Hi ya Sammy, how ya feeling?" Dean cooed, going to the side of the bed and taking Sam's hand in his own. It felt cool and he gripped back weakly.

"Been better," he mumbled, closing his eyes and wincing slightly. He opened them back and realized there was someone else in the room and tried to focus on the person.

"Hello son," John said warily, not sure how Sam was going to react.

"Dad?" Sam questioned glancing at Dean to be sure he wasn't seeing things.

"He showed up when the fireworks happened," Dean told him to answer his silent question. "How did you know about the grenades?"

"I saw him setting the traps," Sam whispered not looking at their father as he said it, knowing Dean would understand.

Before he could continue, the doctor stepped into the small room. "Gentleman, I am Dr. Marsh," she introduced herself to Dean and John. "Mr. Winchester how are you feeling?"

"Head hurts," Sam told her. "Feel like I was run over by a semi."

"The MRI does show you have a concussion, but I see no injury to your brain, no swelling or bleeding which is good. We did put six stitches in your head wound to close it. I don't think you'll have any problems with it if you keep it clean. We'd like to keep you here under observation for the rest of the day to be on the safe side. I have written up an order for pain meds when you need them. You'll stay here unless the space is needed. You're going to have a headache for a few days and may be dizzy or have blurred vision with the injury. You'll need to rest and take it easy for at least a week. Are there any questions for me?" Dr. Marsh explained and questioned getting straight to the point.

"I don't think so," Sam replied, his voice weak and rough. "Thanks."

"Are you injured?" she asked Dean when she saw the fresh blood on the side of his neck and ear.

"It's nothing, just a scratch," Dean said bringing his hand up to feel. He had forgotten that Walker had nicked him a couple of times and it had bled.

"I'll have a nurse come in and clean it and put a bandage on it," she said before leaving.

"Thanks," Dean said. He pulled a chair to Sam's bed and sat down close to him.

John moved to the other chair that was farther away and sat down, not feeling comfortable being close to Sam. He could see the uncertainty and haunted look in his eyes when Sam looked at him. He sat quietly and watched his sons interact. He could see the love and need to protect coming from Dean toward his brother.

"Okay who had a boo-boo?" a nurse asked smiling happily, when she stepped into the room looking at John and Dean.

"Me," Dean answered.

"Let's see what we have," she said sitting items on a small table and turning to him.

Dean leaned his head slightly sideways so she could look at the cut. She tore open some wipes and gently began to clean the wound. Once she had the blood cleaned away, she put some gel on it and put a small pad, taping it in place. She wiped his ear and dabbed a little antibiotic gel there too but it didn't need a bandage.

"So, keep it clean and apply antibiotic cream for a few days and you should be okay."

"Thanks," Dean nodded.

"If you need anything just let us know. We'll be in to check your vitals in thirty minutes Mr. Winchester. With a concussion we'll be checking you every hour to be sure things remain the same."

"Okay, I know the drill," he replied. This was not his first concussion in his hunting career and was not looking forward to the constant monitoring.

"You should try and rest, and you can have more pain meds in a few hours if you need them. So, just let us know."

"I will."

"She's right Sammy, try and get some sleep. I'll be right here," Dean said resting a hand on Sam's arm.

"Dad," Sam said getting John's attention. "Thanks for coming; if you want to leave you can." His head was pounding too hard for him to use his powers to see what John was thinking right now.

Dean glared at John waiting for his response and if he was going to need to run interference. He wasn't having Sam in any more emotional pain than he already was in.

"I think I'll stay son," John told him, startling both of them. "I wanna be sure you're okay."

Sam looked relieved and surprised with his response but didn't question it. Dean sat back in his chair and let his body relax slightly.

"Why don't you come back to Bobby's with us?" Sam suggested in a tentative voice. "Someone needs to call Bobby and let him know we're okay."

John looked up at him and saw the hopeful look in his eyes. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. It's time we sat down and talked. I've put this off too long and for all the wrong reasons." He wanted his sons back. "I'll give Bobby a call for you. I'll just step out and do that." John got up and moved from the cubicle to make the call in private.

A/N: The family is back together for now. Will it stay that way? Thank you for coming with me on this journey. Only two more chapters and the ride will be over. Reviews do make my day. NC