Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or The Host or any of their characters.

Author's Note: Read and review, please!! I will try to update again soon!

Author's Note 2: Flashbacks are in italics.

The Host

Chapter 3

"Is There?"

Wanda exchanged yet another meaningful glance with Ian. Dean was getting highly annoyed with the two of them, and not only because they were obviously withholding information that would have been able to help him find Sam. They were just so… annoying. They were the kind of people (or, in Wanda's case souls) that seemed like they believed in that whole true love crap. Dean had never believed in that sort of stuff; it was more of Sam's pansy likings then his.

"What?" Dean pushed urgently, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. He really hoped that these souls weren't going to do to Sam what he thought they were going to do when Wanda mentioned 'disposing'.

"I hate to tell you this," Wanda said. Damn it, Dean thought, studying her face. She really means it. I am so not liking these souls. "But they will probably kill your brother. They'll keep it as quiet as possible, but that's what they're going to end up doing with him."

"Is there any chance that we can rescue him before that happens?"

Dean couldn't keep the desperation from his voice as he asked this. It had been five years since he and Sam had really faced threat of losing each other without being able to save the other. He couldn't keep the memory about the last time that had happened from creeping up on him.

The sky was dark and stormy. It had been looking like that a lot recently. Dean, who was currently staring at it, thought it must have something to do with the constant state of war between the demons and the hunters. Even still, it was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen after spending three and a half months looking at the dark red and black sky of Hell.

Beside him, in the passenger's seat, Sam snoozed on, completely unaware of Dean's random thoughts about the sky.

Dean sighed as he looked at his sleeping brother. He didn't have the heart to wake Sam up; the kid hadn't been sleeping very much between the constant battles and then the nightmares both he and Dean were suffering from. However, they still had a job to do, so no matter how much Dean hated doing it, he reached over and shook his brother awake.

"C'mon, Sam. Wake up. It's time to hunt," Dean said, shaking his brother's shoulder very gently.

Sam's eyes shot open and he stared around the Impala in shock for a second, before turning his gaze back to Dean.

"Why'd you let me fall asleep?" he asked, sounding faintly accusatory.

"Dude, you think I have psychic powers like you and can control when you sleep or not?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"You could've woken me up," Sam grumbled, yawning as he attempted to stretch his six-foot four body in the tiny front seat of the Impala. "How long was I out for, anyway?"

"Bout an hour," Dean said. Sam looked mildly surprised and Dean knew where he was coming from. An hour of sleep without nightmares was a miracle. Someone must have been watching over the youngest Winchester.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Just a girl taking a picture of you drooling on yourself," Dean teased. Sam rolled his eyes; not completely losing the hunted look that had been in his eyes so often recently. Dean sighed inwardly.

Sam stared out the window of the Impala, grimacing at the sight of the sky.

"It looks like it's going to rain."

"I sure hope not. I don't want the rain hampering with my werewolf ass kicking abilities," Dean said. He earned another eye roll from Sam.

"God forbid that a bit of rain stop the infamous Dean Winchester from shooting some poor werewolf in the heart with a silver bullet," he said, a ghost of a smirk gracing his features. Dean nearly smiled.

"That's right," he said. "Let's go kick some werewolf ass."

"All right, jerk," Sam said. His features came even closer to a smirk. Dean couldn't help but allow a small smile.

"Move your ass, bitch," he retorted, getting out of the car.

Two very wet hours later, Dean had regretted even more then ever waking Sam up earlier that afternoon. If he had known that this hunt was going to turn out into a demonic ambush, he would never have taken it in the first place.

The demons had been quick and stealthy, not even giving Sam's visions a chance to kick in. They hidden out in the forest where the werewolf was hiding and waited until the brothers had separated before making their move. They went after Sam first.

Dean had nearly caught the werewolf when they came after him. He exorcised two of them before a third knocked him out.

He had woken up an hour later tied up in an abandoned warehouse. Sam was tied up opposite of him, struggling hard with his bonds. He didn't notice Dean had woken up, until the elder Winchester let out a low cough.

"You okay, Dean?" Sam asked. Dean couldn't help but note the blood that trickled down his younger brother's forehead or the splitting, mind-boggling ache in his own.

"Just dandy," he said sarcastically. "You?"

"Never been better," Sam retorted. "Did you see what got us?"

"Demons. Managed to send two of them back to hell before they got me," Dean said. Sam looked somewhat relieved.

Footsteps interrupted their brotherly reunion. A tall, black man walked into the room. He smiled a dark smile when he saw that both Winchesters were awake.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," he said, the smile growing more pronounced. He walked towards Sam.

Why do they always go after Sam? Dean thought, struggling to get the ropes off of his wrists while the man stopped in front of Sam.

"Go to hell," Sam said, his voice low and commanding. "Now. Before we kill you."

"Now that is a laugh," the man said. He reminded Dean distinctly of the old yellow-eyed demon that had killed their mother. "You, going to kill me? You can't even move."

This time, a smirk did grace Sam's features. He apparently was remembering the time when the yellow-eyed demon had possessed their father and taunted Sam about his psychic abilities. Apparently, this person didn't know how much Sam's abilities had grown since then… much to Dean's chagrin.

"What do you want?" Dean demanded, effectively drawing the man's attention away from Sam. He winced when he saw that the man's eyes were black as night.

What were you expecting, Dean? He asked himself. Rainbow effects?

Dean's sarcastic thoughts turned to horror as the man smirked at him.

"Dean Winchester. I've heard a lot about you," he said.

Dean smirked back.

"All good things, I hope," he retorted. "About how I kick demons' asses and send them back to hell."

The demon let out a laugh, before leaning in closer to him.

"I like you," he said. "I think I'm going to keep you around. You, however…" he added, turning back to Sam. "I'm not so sure about. So powerful, yet so…"

The demon let that thought trail off, which made Dean highly annoyed. If he was going to threaten his younger brother, he might as well finish it.

"I'd like to see you try," Sam all but growled. "Untie me and give me your best shot."

That's the little Sammy I know and love, Dean thought slyly. He hadn't seen this side of Sam recently; not since Sam had brought him back from Hell.

"Why go through all that trouble, when if I kill you, all your power automatically transfers to me?" the demon asked. From out of nowhere, a knife appeared.

"NO!" Dean yelled, just as the demon plunged the knife down.

Sam had stopped the knife with his psychic abilities and had gotten them out of there, but there were some things that even the most powerful psychics couldn't do. Dean figured that attempting to take on all the souls attempting to 'dispose' of you in one fell swoop was one of them.

"There might be," Wanda said, breaking Dean's trip down memory lane. "But we'd have to know exactly where he was at first. And that could take a while."

"How long is a while?" Dean asked. He'd try anything to get Sam back, no matter how long it took.

"A month, maybe more," Wanda admitted. Seeing Dean's face, she added quickly, "But we can rule out a lot of the hospitals around here because we know where you guys crashed. It shouldn't take more then a few weeks at the most."

"What can I do to help?" Dean asked, eager to get on the job of finding Sam. He always goes freaking missing, he thought.

"For now," Doc said, interrupting the conversation. "Nothing. You have been in a car accident and you need to rest. Plus, Wanda, Ian, Jeb, Jared, and Melanie are all needed elsewhere at the moment. I can show you to your room so you can rest."

"Doc, I get that you're just trying to do the right thing, but I need to find my brother," Dean told him, trying to get across just how important this was. "He could be killed if I don't."

"We understand that," Jared said, looking at Dean. "But you're no use to anybody injured and you're no use to Sam if you die before you reach him."

"We will help you find your brother," Melanie said softly. "I promise you, we will. But first, you need to get well first. Jared's right, you're no use to any of us injured."

Dean hated being called useless and hated it even more as Doc and Jared helped him get off the hospital bed. Even with the 'No Pain' stuff, he still felt awful.

"I can walk," he finally snapped as Doc moved to help him out. He received an angry glare from Ian as he attempted to walk.

"Dean, you more then likely have a sprained ankle," Doc said as Dean pitched forward. If it hadn't been for Ian and Melanie, he would have ended up face planted in the dirt. That aside, his ankle began to throb angrily. "You have to let us help you out."

"We're all on the same side here, man," Jared said quietly. "It's all right to let us help you out every once in a while."

Dean sighed and reluctantly allowed Jared and Doc to move onto either side of him.

"How far are we heading?" he asked, trying not to make it sound as though he were actually dreading the thought of walking to something.

"We're going to Jamie's room, where you'll be sleeping until we can find you more permanent quarters," Jared said as they exited the enclosed cavern that was acting as the hospital. "Jamie is… Jamie's not here right now."

Dean detected a faint hint of grief in Jared's voice. It was faint, barely noticeable, but Dean picked up on it right away.

"What happened?" he prompted as the three of them limped down the hallway. Dean had to admit, the place was beautiful in a rocky sort of way. If you were interested in strange rock formations and different colored stones, the hideout was definitely your kind of place.

"He was in the raid that was in the car accident," Jared said softly. Dean was suddenly aware that the hallway echoed and that the people in the hospital cavern were more then likely listening. "Melanie is beating herself up for letting him go."

"He's- he's not dead, is he?" Dean asked hesitantly. This was Sam's area of expertise, not his.

"No," Jared said shortly. "Not yet."

This chapter had no Sam in it, and for that I'm sorry. However, it is the longest chapter in the story and it contained a flashback. Sam will be in the next chapter, I promise.