A/N: Well, things are escalating here, and I'm not just talking about the story. It's a beautiful, sunny Saturday, yet it's raining rockets around here. It's a war zone, literally, and since we have to stay near the shelters, I got nervous, and when I'm nervous, I write. So here it is, the next chapter, two days early. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Six

"So, she looked nice." Dean noted. It was the first time he spoke in the past hour, as they made their way out of town. Sam gave a slight nod. She was nice. He actually wouldn't mind getting to know her better. Dean glanced at him and Sam braced himself for the snarks to come. "You gonna call her again?" Dean asked. Sam shifted in his seat, trying to find a more comfortable position.

"Yeah, prob'bly." He said, hoping that Dean would lay off, but knowing better. Boy, was he surprise when Dean actually let it go.

"So, anything interesting in the paper?" Dean asked almost fifteen minutes later.

"Maybe." Sam said, "Hey, Dean, you think we should, maybe, meet up with dad?" Dean glanced at him questioningly.

"Why?" he asked, his tone a little harsher than he intended.

"I don't know," Sam said, "hunt together or something."

"I thought you didn't like hunting with dad." Dean said, "I thought you hated how he treats you like a kid and orders you around and stuff." Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well, yeah… But…"

"Dad's after the Demon." Dean cut him off. "Not much we can help him with, there. Unless you had another vision?" Dean gave Sam a quick glance and Sam shook his head. "So what's the point?" Dean went on. "At least we could help some people out while he's looking." Sam couldn't think of anything to say, so he didn't say anything and just turned the radio on.

The brothers stopped at a small road-side restaurant for lunch when Dean suggested they start looking for a place to spend the night. Sam nearly choked on his salad.

"You want to do what?" he breathed, still coughing, and reached for his drink. Dean hid behind a newspaper, pretending not to hear Sam, which was pretty lame, since everyone at the small restaurant heard Sam. As Sam continued to stare, Dean sighed, putting the paper away.

"Look, Sam, to tell you the truth, I am a little tired. And we haven't found any real jobs yet, so I don't see a reason to rush off anywhere." Dean said calmly, finishing the last of his lasagna. Sam blinked a couple of times.

"Dean…"

"I'm fine, Sam," Dean sighed exasperatedly, "I'm just tired."

"Okay." Sam said quickly. It wasn't often that Dean actually admitted weakness, and when he did, it usually meant there was something much worse going on. "We'll look for a place, and I'll do some research, see if there're any jobs out there while you rest." Sam suggested. Dean gave a slight nod. "And, you know, I could drive every now and then." Sam suggested a moment later. Dean snorted.

"No, thanks. I really don't think we can afford another car."

"Wake up! Come on, Sammy, wake up! It's only a dream, buddy, come on." Sam woke with a jolt, breathing hard, to find Dean sitting next to him, looking down at him worriedly.

"Dean?" Sam blinked, not quite awake yet.

"Yeah, Sammy, I'm right here." Dean said softly, rubbing Sam's back gently while looking worriedly down at his baby brother. It took Sam a moment to realize he was still clutching Dean like a lifeline, but he was reluctant to let go of his brother just yet. Dean didn't try to pull away. "It looked like a really bad one." He noted. Sam let out a shaky breath, finally letting go of the older brother.

"Yeah." He muttered, pushing himself up and getting to his feet. He had fallen asleep on the chair while doing his research. Sam didn't remember falling asleep. He was surfing the net when his eyes wandered to his sleeping brother and his mind started to work overtime. He must have fallen asleep. Man, did he wish he hadn't.

Sam bee-lined to the bathroom. He leaned heavily against the cracked sink, turning the water on and sprinkling water on his face, telling himself over and over again that it had just been a bad dream. It wasn't real.

"You want to talk about it?" Sam could see his brother in the mirror, leaning against the door frame. Sam shook his head, clenching his jaw and swallowing the bile that was beginning to rise again. "You okay?" Dean asked, making sure. Sam let out another shaky breath and then nodded lightly. Dean was there with him. He wasn't dead. The demon didn't kill him, he didn't bleed to death in the car. Okay, so he was different somehow. Snappier, all business, and apparently, had some issues with their dad. So what? After what he'd been through, Sam was more than happy to just have Dean around.

"What time is it?" Sam asked. Dean glanced at his watch.

"Almost eight." He said. "You sure you're okay?" Sam smirked, looking at his brother through the mirror.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." He said. See how he likes it. Sam got out of the bathroom and sat down at the table. The laptop was open. "You're still looking for a job?" Sam asked. Dean gave him a strange look, almost hesitant, and then smirked.

"Well, actually, I think I found one." He said.

"Oh, yeah?" Sam asked. Hunting would actually be good right now. After that nightmare, going out and killing some evil SOB seemed like a good thing to do. Dean cleared his throat, and Sam braced himself. Dean rarely needed to clear his throat. When he did so, it often meant he was trying to find a way to say something he didn't want to say. And that was usually not good.

"Actually... I found me a job." Dean said, licking his lips.

"No way!" Sam snapped, whirling around to face his brother. "You're not going on a solo mission, Dean. Out of the question. I mean, are you even sane? Did that poltergeist knock something loose in your brain or something? How could you think…"

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, tiger." Dean cut him off, raising his hands. "It's not like that."

"Not like that?" Sam cried incredulously, "Dean…"

"Sam," Dean stopped him again, "Look, it's not our usual gig. It's not even a gig, really, just a favor." Dean said, "Look, I got this call from a friend of mine. She needs some help," He tried to explain, but Sam cut him off.

"So we'll go together." Sam said in a tone that had finality to it.

"Look, there's no point, really. She's having some trouble with her landlord, she just wants someone to rattle the guy, scare him off, make sure she and her kids are safe, that kind of thing." Dean said quickly. "I'll just go, knock some sense into the guy, and come back. No reason for you to be dragged along. I mean, I know how much you don't like it, you know, feeling like luggage and stuff."

"What? Dean, are we back to that crap?" Sam couldn't believe it. He'd told Dean a thousand times that it wasn't like that, that hanging around and staying with his brother wasn't a burden. That is was his choice. Obviously, Dean still didn't believe him. "Look, I want to go with you, okay?" Sam said, "I mean, what else am I supposed to do?" Sam regretted those words the minute they were out of his mouth. He meant it, it just didn't sound the way he wanted it to. It sounded like he didn't have a choice, and that was exactly the opposite of what he was trying to say. Dean's face was a mask. Completely unreadable. And Sam hated that.

They were doing so well. They were starting to fall back to their old routine from before Sam had left for college. Yes, sometimes it was hard, and yes, Dean often got on his nerves, but deep down, Sam loved it. Yes, he bitched and whined about hunting, but it did give him a rush. And the ride back to the motel after a hunt going right, with his brother by his side, that was probably one of his favorite things.

And then the Demon ruined it all. Ruined everything, for the third time in Sam's life. It wasn't that things were tense between him and Dean, but before, Dean actually started opening up. When he came to get Sam, he was all walls, and then he was finally starting to open up, telling Sam all those things he never knew, like how he had wanted to be a fireman. And now… Sam signed mentally. Now the walls were back up, and there was probably a moat around them, too. A clairvoyant would have trouble seeing into Dean now. And Sam hated that, he really did.

Dean swallowed and smirked. "You know, you could look for a new gig. Start a new job on your own. It's not like you need me." He said, his voice a little hollow. Sam shook his head exasperatedly. Dean was definitely not over what happened at the cabin, no matter how hard he insisted that he was.

"Dean…"

"What?" Dean said casually as he turned away and picked up his duffle, tossing it on his bed. "You don't need me, Sam. You're a big boy now. You know the job, you've been doing it a long time. You don't need me."

"Yes, I do." Sam said quickly. How could Dean ever think that he didn't need him? "Dean, I'll always need you." Sam said softly and Dean snorted.

"Right…"

"Dean…"

"Look, if you don't think you're ready to hunt on your own, you could call dad, hunt with him for a while. You know, go after the Demon and all that stuff. Fight something other than pillows for a change…" he smirked, winking at Sam. Sam glared at him in exasperation.

"Yeah, and in the meantime you'll be off fighting… what?" Sam demanded.

"A big, fat, balding landlord?" Dean offered, and Sam snorted. No way was he falling for that. Come on, Dean, you can lie so much better than that… "Or, you know," Dean shrugged, "I could just drop you off somewhere, if you want..." He offered. "Come on, what do you say?" Sam was about to burst at him, to tell Dean he was full of crap and that he really needed to just shut it and go to sleep. To tell him that they weren't going to go hunting for a while, at least not until Dean was feeling better. As if Sam believed Dean when he said he was fine, pah-lease.

But then he was struck with the thought that maybe Dean was just planning to rest for a while. Dean looked wrong. Sick even. And with his ego, Sam knew there was no chance Dean would ever admit it. Maybe this was his way of asking some time off without actually saying it. But can Sam really trust him on that? On the other hand, there was somewhere he didn't mind being, and Dean's absence would come in handy there…

"Fine." He said eventually, and smiled at the shocked look on Dean's face.

"It is?" Dean asked, unsure.

"Yeah." Sam shrugged. "As long as you're not working a job on your own…"

"I'm not." Dean said quickly and Sam shrugged again.

"Then fine. Okay." Sam said again. Dean scratched the back of his head.

"So, can I give you a ride or something?" he asked.

"Yeah. Tomorrow, though." Sam said, slumping down on his bed and flicking the TV on. Dean hesitated a moment, but then took the duffle off his bed and slumped down on it, pushing himself up against the headboard.

"So, where do you want to go?" Dean asked a moment later. Sam felt his cheeks reddening. He kept his eyes on the TV.

"Um… Actually, I wouldn't mind going back." He said in a small voice. Dean frowned.

"Back where?" he asked, and Sam's cheeks felt like they were on fire. Luckily, Dean saved him from actually having to say it. He grinned, folding his arms under his head. "Aw, Sammy," He smirked, "you sure know how to make a brother proud." He said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye, and Sam tossed a pillow at him, which Dean caught and put behind him, to elevate himself farther. "Wait, you want to go back to Armain? But I thought you wanted out of that place as soon as possible?" Dean said a moment later, eyeing his brother. Sam looked sheepishly at him.

"Yeah, I did…" he stuttered, "That… um…" he cleared his throat, "That sorto' was before… you know." Oh, God, kill me now… Sam thought, bracing himself for Dean's comments, but Dean just made a face, smirked knowingly and annoyingly, and then closed his eyes, his head resting on his arms, and was soon drifting into sleep.

It's been five days since Dean had left Sam. Five surprisingly great days. Sam was actually enjoying the rare time he had to be on his own. No nightmares as of yet, no blinding visions. Sam could pretend to be just a normal guy for a while. A normal guy, spending most of his time with a normal girl he liked. Well, spending the evenings, and an occasional night, actually. Lynn worked in the mornings. And as luck had it, she was an intern in a law firm, just finishing her law degree in the small community college. Sam couldn't believe how much they had in common. He did dig around for a while, looking her up, making sure she was legit, and so far, nothing seemed out of place. He even met her parents once, by accident, as he came to pick her up from class. So far, everything seemed… normal.

His dad called the other day, asking to speak to Dean. So, Dean was still avoiding their dad. Sam told his father to just back off a little, give Dean some space, which, of course, led to an argument. All normal, in a twisted, Winchester kind of way.

He talked to Dean several times a day, though, calling his brother at all hours to make sure he wasn't on a job. At some point, Dean got irritated and started calling in the middle of the night, just to be the ass he usually was, but that was okay. Irritating Dean and being irritated by Dean was normal, and Sam did like normal.

Dean told him he was going to Colorado, and that he should be a while, and Sam supposed it was Dean-speak for 'I'm going to get hooked up'. He didn't mind, really. He was sort of busy hooking up himself. It didn't even occur to him how uncharacteristic it was until he tried to imagine Dean's reaction to the news. Maybe there was something about that girl. And then again, maybe they just clicked right away.

On the forth day, Sam got a call from Dean. A strange kind of call. There were some strange sounds in the background. It sounded familiar, but it took Sam a couple of minutes to put his finger on it. He sucked in his breath.

"Dean, are you in a hospital?" silence, and that beeping and hissing noise. And Sam knew. He just knew. He cursed himself, shaking his head. Right, trust Dean when he says he won't go on a job by himself.

"Well, um, yeah. Actually, I am." Dean said in a tone of voice that said he knew he was busted.

"Dean,"

"Now, wait a minute, before you jump to any conclusions, it's not what you think!" Dean said quickly. Sam took a deep breath, grinding his teeth and trying to keep his temper in check. "I'm here with Carla, the woman I told you about? Her kid's got pneumonia or something, so I just gave them a ride. I'm fine, dude, really." Dean added quickly.

"Oh, yeah?" Sam said through gritted teeth. "Why won't you put her on the phone then?" he could practically hear Dean gulp, and narrowed his eyes. "Where the hell are you?" Sam demanded.

"In the pediatric ward," Dean said, "Oh, wait, there she is. I'm gonna call her, wait a sec, will ya? And don't get your panties all up in a twist." Dean said, and for a moment there, all Sam could hear was background noise and the sound of his heart pounding. He stood there, holding the phone to his ear, and seethed. He was so going to kick his brother's ass! And then he was going to tell his father so that they could both kick his ass! And then he was going to call Missouri. She wasn't that far away, Sam was sure she wouldn't mind kicking Dean's ass, too. And then… and then… well, he'll think of something even more unpleasant.

And then he could hear a woman's voice on the phone. A hoarse, dry voice, but too feminine to be his brother's. "Um… hello?" she asked.

"Who is this?" Sam asked. He wasn't wrong, and he knew it. This woman, whoever she was, couldn't possibly be…

"My name's Carla. Is this Dean's baby brother?" she asked. Damn! Still, Sam wasn't ready to admit his mistake. He wasn't wrong, and until he could see his brother right in front of him, he wasn't going to believe a word he said.

"This is Sam." Sam said, "I'm sorry about your kid." He added.

"Oh, thank you, dear. He had a rough night, but he'll be out of the hospital by tomorrow. They just want to make sure there're no complications. How sweet of you to take interest." Sam slumped in a chair, confused. Okay, Dean was good. Dean was very good. Sam almost bought into it. Almost.

"Hey, Sam?" it was Dean again. "Sammy?"

"Yeah." Sam said, shaking his head and bringing his mind back to his brother.

"Look, it's gonna take a little longer than I anticipated, alright? I mean, it's still not our usual gig, and that guy's pretty much taken care of, but…" Dean cleared his throat, "well, you know. It's gonna be a little longer." Sam shook his head again, rolling his eyes. "Oh, and, um… We're sort of…" Dean cleared his throat again, "We'll be someplace with really bad reception, so don't go have a heart attack if I don't answer the phone or anything. Just leave a message, okay?"

"Why?" Sam asked suspiciously, "Where will you be?"

"Oh, come on, little brother, don't ask me to spell it out for you. I thought you were getting some yourself…" Sam rolled his eyes again.

"Fine!" he said, "But you'd better call back, Dean, I mean it!"

"Scout's honor." Dean promised. Sam's brow creased, his eyes narrowing.

"You were never a boy scout! When I wanted to join, you were the one who said they were stupid little kids who thought being prepared means knowing how to saw!" he accused.

"Yeah, well…"

"Dean!"

"Look," Dean sighed, "I'll call, I promise." He added, and hung up before Sam had the time to argue. Sam narrowed his eyes, looking at the phone in his hand. He could probably run a trace on the call, see where Dean was really calling from. Yes, that was a good idea. If Sam knew anything, it was that Dean was, and will always be, Dean – and that meant that his stupid brother was off somewhere trying to prove he could hunt on his own even when he was obviously sick, or whatever. That arrogant jerk, why can't he just let me help him? Sam put his cell phone down on the table a little harder than he meant to, and turned on the laptop. Those internet guides on how to hack into computers sure did come in handy. It definitely did when he used one to hack into the St. Louise police records and changed the accused name from Dean Winchester to Dan Chester. So now his brother was legally alive again, and cleared of the murder charges.

Sam was just starting to work when he heard a knock on the door and frowned. His frown melted into a smile when he saw Lynn on the other side.

"Hey, aren't you ready yet? The movie starts at seven." She said, kissing Sam.

"No, sorry, I got a little distracted. Let me just put on a new shirt, and we're good to go."

"Look," Dean sighed, "I'll call, I promise." He added, and hung up as the nurse gave him another impatient glare. Dean took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He muttered, handing over his cell phone. Cell phones weren't allowed in this ward, they told him, the signal interfered with the machinery. Like he really cared. It's not like he wanted to be there in the first place. "Hey, Carla?" he called out, and the nurse that was busy checking his vitals again looked up at him. "Thanks… you know, for helping me." He smiled at her, and she smiled back. She was in her late fifties, and actually did have a kid with pneumonia in the pediatric ward, a grandkid. He overheard her telling someone about that. Carla helped taking care of him the first time he was in this Missouri-bound hospital, after the accident.

"Yes, well, it's the last time, sugar." She said, "You need to come clean with your family." She scolded him. Dean snorted.

"I don't think so." he said, "They have better things to worry about." He added, closing his eyes again. He really hated hospitals. He tried to refuse treatment when his cardiologist had him admitted, but then again, the whole point of driving back here was so that he could get some help, wasn't it? He'd been getting more and more tired doing less and less, and ever since that damned poltergeist decided to use his chest as target practice, he's been having chest pains. He would have shrugged it off, but he could practically hear Sam screaming at him if he keeled over and died of heart failure.

Kinda ironic, in a way. After all the trouble Sam went through to get him better after the electrocution and his following heart attack… At least, if he hadn't bothered, then that guy, Marshal, would still be alive. Dean let out a sigh, shaking his head. This doctor has four days to make him better. Four days, and then he's out of here, no matter what. He hated the idea of leaving Sam all on his own. There were things worse than pillows out there after all…

Sam smiled tiredly as he entered the motel room, closing the door behind him. It was such a great day, almost perfect, he thought to himself as he lay on his bed and closed his eyes. A content smile crept onto his lips as he took a deep breath. He should change his clothes, he though, go to sleep.

Something hit his forehead. Something wet. A drop. And then another. Sam's heart began to race. Oh, God, no! Not again! A third drop found it's way to his forehead and Sam was shaking now. I'm not going to open my eyes, this isn't happening, I'm not going to open my eyes… And another drop. And Sam opened his eyes.

He let out a strangled cry at the sight of her body, pinned up to the ceiling. Her gut was slashed and dripping blood, her eyes open and accusing. Why, Sam? She seemed to whisper without moving her lips. Sam screamed as the flames surrounded her, the heat so intense it almost burnt right through him.

"NO!" Sam screamed, shielding his face from the intense heat, his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest as Lynn's accusing eyes still glared at him through the flames that quickly consumed her body. Why, Sam? "NO! Dean!" and then, with a jolt, Sam awoke.

TBC

A/N: Yes, Dean lied to Sam about where he was, but seriously, that's just Dean, isn't it? Please review!