Two Hunters and a Baby.

Disclaimer: Sigh no matter how hard I try I just don't own anything to do with Supernatural or the characters of the show. Although anything that comes from my fevered imagination is ... kind-of ... that's my excuse anyway!

CHAPTER 13

Sam lay quietly on the bed in yet another motel room, his ankles slowly healing but he still couldn't put his weight on them for longer than a couple of minutes. He watched Dean and Isabelle reconnect after such a short time apart and he smiled to himself, at least now Dean wouldn't be alone.

'Hey look Issy Uncle Sammy is awake.' Dean grinned at his daughter and then glanced over at Sam, his smile fading when he saw the look on Sam's face. 'Hey Sam what's wrong?'

'Just tired.' Sam said 'that's all.'

'Sam?'

'Honest Dean ... just tired.' Sam sighed and turned his face away blinking furiously he hated feeling so weak and tired all of the time, but deep down he knew that this was only the beginning.

When they finally stopped at a new town, Dean insisted that Sam get his feet checked out and they found a small medical clinic where he could remain relatively anonymous and where the doctors don't ask too many questions. While they worked on stitching, the worst of his cuts and ran tests Dean tended to Isabelle in the car not wanting to sit for too long in the waiting room with her. It was overcrowded and not really that clean.

Sam was just starting to feel right again, when the doctor came back with his test results, and his whole world started to crumble. A Cerebral contusion with complications the doctor said. Normally, most patients with rest and care make a complete recovery with no need for surgery. However, with the length of time between the initial head injury, the subsequent beating, and receiving medical care Sam's initial prognosis is not looking as good as it should be.

The loss of blood and gross infection added to the problems, the doctor was astounded that Sam had even survived his ordeal; he should be in hospital in intensive care. The doctor, street weary and used to working on people who can't for one reason or other cannot risk hospital knew not to press the issue.

He loaded Sam up with antibiotics and pain killers, as well as prescriptions for stronger meds once he's settled. After eliciting a promise from Sam for a return check up he reluctantly released the young man into the care of his older brother.

He kept trying to remind himself that the doctor said the contusions should heal themselves but Sam couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and despair.

'All part of the symptoms the doctor described jerk, he wouldn't kid you on something like that.' The thought popped in his mind as he watched Dean with Issy, 'you're gonna be fine so get over it.'

Dean slipped the baby jeans over Issy's nappy and grinned with satisfaction, no one is going to make his daughter wear pink. 'Hey Sammy feel like watching Issy while I shower?' He asked plonking the baby down on the bed next to Sam. 'She's bathed; fed and changed twice she should be fine for a while.'

'Go already, we'll be fine.' Sam said cuddling the baby closer, 'just fine.'

Dean hesitated for a moment and then hurried off to shower and dress, he hated the fact that Sam kept his condition secret from him, although he knew deep down that Sam was just trying to protect him and stop him from worrying and fussing. 'Still not the point Sammy.' The doctor caught Dean's eye when they were leaving the clinic on pretence of forgetting one of Issy's bottles Dean went to speak to the harried looking physician.

Armed with information on cerebral contusions and possible complications Dean headed back to the car to talk to Sam about fobbing off something so serious when he saw Sam smiling at the antics of Isabelle in her new car seat. Complete with a mini steering wheel and gears, she looked so cute sitting up there with her bandana, black T-shirt, and jeans and one glistening tooth Dean didn't have the heart to berate Sam, for the moment anyway so he decided to see how Sam wanted to play this out.

Ready to pounce on him at the first sign of his condition worsening or another fever sprouting without warning.

Fifteen minutes later Dean emerged from the bathroom surrounded by a mist of steam, a towel wrapped around his slim hips and the water still glistening on his skin, 'so what are we gonna?' He skidded to a halt when he saw Merci sitting on his bed, her legs crossed elegantly in front of her, Sam and Isabelle both seemingly asleep on the opposite bed, the baby cradled in the crook of his arm and nestled against his chest, Sam had his head lightly resting on hers, they seemed to be drawing strength from each other. 'What the f ... freaking hell are you doing here?' Dean snarled reaching for his gun on the table behind him.

Merci turned to face him, her face a mass of bruises, a large red welt encircled her throat, and her eyes swollen, bruised, and shadowed filled with tears. 'Dean I ...' Her voice shook, her whole demeanour crumbling before Dean's eyes.

With a low snarl Dean grabbed his clothes and quickly dressed keeping an eye on Merci all of the time and then he grabbed her roughly and dragged her outside not wanting to disturb his family.

'What the fuck are you doing here Merci? How did you find us?'

'Azuraus brought me.' Merci admitted cowering from Dean's glare, 'I am so sorry Dean but it wasn't me.'

'No? Funny from where I saw it you were and I mean you were going to sacrifice your baby to a devil.'

'Please Dean, I – I need to explain what happened.'

'Hmm let me think, oh yeah you deliberately got pregnant by me so you could produce a child for the demon to raise and contaminate. You openly watched them torture and damn near kill my brother in there and did nothing to stop them. In fact at one stage if I remember this the right way ... you ordered those goons to use the wire and weights on his ankles.'

'It wasn't me really Dean let me explain.' Merci wept staring up at him with a beseeching look in her eyes.

'Two minutes and it had better be good Darlin' coz I am not above killing a demon's whore who did that to my brother and wants to kill my baby.' Dean said in a low emotionless voice, with his arms crossed over his chest and gun cocked and ready.

'I –I do admit that the demon swayed me to begin with ... no please let me finish ... he found me when I was at the most vulnerable time in my life and it seemed as though he had all the answers to my problems. Okay if you want me to say it then yes, I did sell my soul in a way, but I didn't want to live at that time ... anyway he set us up to meet and ahh made sure that we would have sex at the right time.'

'Go on.'

'He needed things to go to a time table so at the appointed time I had to leave Isabelle for you to find and start the next phase.'

'Where does Azuraus come into it?'

'I-I'm not sure, she just appeared one day after I had Isabelle, it took a while for me to find out what she was. But by then ... it was too late I was in too deep and couldn't get out of it.'

'Why the act? Why act like the victim with Sam?'

'Because that was what I was ordered to do, Dean I am his servant I have no doubt about that but that's not why I am here.'

'Why are you here Merci? Time's running out.'

'To warn you ... Isabelle is six months next week, he can't have her Dean. Please I don't care what happens to me after this but don't let him have her.'

'Why the change of heart Merci?'

'I saw Sam with her, I saw you with her and realised too late I guess that she doesn't deserve the same fate as her mother.'

'We can protect you.' Dean said lowering his gun slightly, confusion filling his eyes, 'if you really do want to...'

'No, no Dean I'm going back to him, he's my Master and if I want to continue to survive I can't ... I just want to make sure ... keep her safe please Dean.' Merci said as she reached up and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before disappearing.

Dean stood in stunned silence with his hand to his cheek, unsure exactly of what just happened.

'Dean?' Sam's voice floated through the air snapping Dean out of his reverie, hurrying inside he went straight to the bed, worry for Sam erasing his confusion about Merci.

'Hey what's wrong?'

'Can you take Issy?' Sam asked, 'I ahh have to...'

Dean grinned and took the sleeping baby into his arms and laid her gently on his bed surrounding her with pillows and then turned back to help Sam out of the bed, mentally giving him a cursory examination. He felt Sam tense as they got to the bathroom door, he felt for his brother even going to the toilet was an ordeal for him at the moment.

'Can you manage from here?' Dean asked his hand on the door handle.

'Yeah I ah think so.' Sam smiled wanly, 'I think I remember how to do it.'

'Yell if you need me.' Dean answered, 'I remember what you were like when you were a kid ... geeze mess everywhere ... no aim whatsoever. Now me, I could write my name on the wall when I was six...'

Sam gave Dean a withering look that didn't quite match the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, 'I'll be fine.'

'Okay well just remember the toilet is the bowl with the big hole in it.'

Safe behind the door, Sam lurched towards the toilet bowl, pain screamed up his legs from the healing lacerations around his ankles. His stomach heaved and once again he threw up, although lately he expelled more fluid than anything else, the vomiting had not subsided like the doc said it would.

Damn, he touched his nose and stared at the red stain on his fingertip, another nose bleed as well, sinking down to sit on the toilet, his energy spent Sam rested his aching head against the cool wall, his face burning with humiliation for having to sit to just have a pee.

'Sam you okay in there?' Dean yelled for the third time, 'answer me or I'm coming in.'

'Dean?' Sam blinked and stared around unsure how long he was sitting there for. 'Yeah I'm coming.' Shaking his head Sam regretted it instantly, 'coming.'

Dean impatiently paced in front of the door; Sam had been in there too long for just a quick leak and his taking so long in answering.

Finally, the door opened and Sam appeared looking paler than ever, 'sorry I –I don't know...'

'Don't worry bout it dude, but let's get you back to bed, you look like shit.'

'Gee thanks Dean you look gorgeous too.'

'Sam ... I ah fu ... fudge it Sam I know about the brain injury.' Dean blurted it out not able to keep silent any longer.

'What?' Sam demanded pulling away from Dean. 'How?'

'The doc ... he gave me some stuff to read up on as your main carer.'

'He had no right.'

'What? So you think you can take this on yourself, did you think I wouldn't notice? The catnaps, the nosebleeds, the vomiting, the losing time like that? Sam I'm not blind.'

'Yeah well I'm fine.'

'Are you? Look at you Sammy, you can hardly walk, you can't even stand up straight ... mind you that I don't mind coz you aren't so freaking tall at the moment ... and the fevers are a big give away too by the way.'

'I'm fine Dean.' Sam tried to push past his brother but faltered and nearly collapsed, 'yeah right Superman, you got kryptonite in the brain.'

'What?'

'Nothing forget it ... just get back in bed before we wake up Issy.'

Sam relented enough to let Dean help him back to bed and ease his aching onto the bed, propping them up with pillows. 'Dean who were you talking to? I thought I saw Merci but I must have been dreaming.'

'Nope, you weren't dreaming.' Dean admitted begrudgingly, 'she was in here watching you and Issy when I came out of the shower.'

'What did she want?'

'To warn us ... the demon wants Isabelle, she's six months old next week, she warned us to get away.'

'Dean ... take Issy and get out of here, I'm gonna slow you up too much.'

'If anyone goes, we all go ... no arguments Sam it's non-negotiable.'

'Dean.'

'No Sam ... I'm gonna order us some food and you're gonna get some sleep.'

'Yessir.' Sam snapped unwilling to admit just how tired he was, 'Dean.'

'Yep Sam?'

'You're gonna be here when I wake up aren't you?' Sam whispered as his eyes drifted shut.

'Not going anywhere Sammy.' Dean said as he pulled the blankets over his brother.

'Now aint that a tender sight.' Don smirked as he stood in the doorway appearing from seemingly nowhere.

TBC