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!

Author's Note: I know that this is a shorter chapter but it is a set up chapter for the big finale so stay tuned...

CHAPTER 28

Dean sat back on his haunches feeling both guilty and relieved; at least Sam didn't hear that, fire is one thing the brothers detest more than anyone will ever know. 'How bad is it?'

'Dad hey come here,' Joey called his voice filled with confusion.

'What is it son?' Danny asked frowning at the boy, he was busy trying to work out how to get out of the basement and keep everyone safe from the fire.

'Dad, the door touch the door,' Joey said pointing to the locked door leading to the kitchen.

'Joey?' Danny's frown deepened but when he saw the look on his son's face he sighed and touched the door expecting it to be too hot to touch. 'Well I'll be damned.'

'There's nothing Dad, and not just the door I mean we should be smelling smoke and feeling the heat by now.'

'Joey son, get back up at the window and try and see where Cornase and Merci are will ya?'

'Sure thing Dad,' Joey said already moving to the small window on ground level.

'Dean, it's an illusion.' Danny said returning to the Winchester brothers, 'there is no fire, he's just trying to get us to panic and rush out.'

'Then he'd nab Sam and Mickie.' Dean sighed pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt another headache forming. 'Okay gotta think this through, we can't stay here forever he might really start a fire.'

'Dean.' Sam's whisper broke through the fog in Dean's mind and he blinked down at his brother.

'Dean, use me.' Sam managed to get out, trusting that Dean could hear his voice even if he couldn't. 'I – I can get ...'

'No, no Sammy, no.' Dean said shaking his head to emphasise his point to his hearing-challenged brother, 'not gonna happen Sammy.'

Sam frowned even without hearing him, he knew exactly what Dean said and then he slowly laid back and heaved a sigh, if Dean was going to argue then Sam was going to have to do some foxing. A small smile threatened to escape but he held it back instead he just nodded and turned to watch Mickie playing with Erin.

Dean glared at his brother for a few more seconds, he was not sure but something felt wrong, Sam gave up to easily, squatting down he touched Sam's arm making him turn his head back to him. 'Sam please I – I know what you are planning, don't please ... I can't lose you, not now.'

Sam stared at his brother, taking in the dark smudges under his eyes, the tightness around them, he was trying to hide his own pain from Sam. 'Dean please, I ...' Sam gasped, gripping Dean's arm he tried to stay focused but he felt himself being pulled back. It was happening again, this time he went knowing where he was going and why. This time he was prepared.

Dean saw the change in Sam's eyes, the determination replacing the confusion. Cornase was pulling Sam back into the shadow realm and there was nothing Dean could do to stop it, 'Sammy no...' he cried out brokenly.

Sam opened his eyes and stared around at the now familiar shadowed realm, he forced himself to calm down and concentrate, trying to pinpoint exactly where Cornase hid.

'You know Cornase when we were kids and played hide and seek, I always won.' Sam said, 'Dean was good but no one could beat me.'

'Getting a little cocky aren't we Sammy?'

'Only Dean gets to call me Sammy.'

'Ah where's the simpering boy I trapped here before? I see a brazen foolish boy instead.'

'Yeah well I hate to have you bored dealing with the same me all of the time. Actually I have a few me's if you're interested. Let's see there's the research me, or as Dean likes to call it the geek-boy, then there's the student me, or wait what about the boyfriend me? Or better yet then there's the brother me, the son me, the uncle me, and the hunter me. So take your pick.'

'You don't shut up do you.'

'Nope, am I giving you a headache yet?'

'Samuel why are you doing this to yourself?'

'Sorry you've lost me, why am I doing what?'

'Trying to annoy me?'

'Am I?'

'You think if you annoy me enough then I will focus on you and leave the others alone.'

'Still didn't answer my question.'

'Which is?'

'Am I annoying you yet?' Sam took a breath and lunged aiming a well placed uppercut feeling a sense of satisfaction when he felt his fist connect with something solid. Cornase staggered and spat out blood, 'gee it looks like I've spilt your blood here too Cornase, gee whatcha gonna do about that?'

Cornase growled and launched himself at Sam knocking the young man flying backwards but this time the demon rode the distance with him, his hands wrapped around Sam's neck squeezing his life away.

With a surge of fleeting strength Sam fisted his hands and pounded them against Cornase's head, smashing them against the ears. With an unholy roar Cornase let Sam go and fell backwards.

Gasping for air Sam tried to catch his breath but had trouble pushing it through his swollen throat.

'Dean, Dad hey Cornase just fell backwards and he's bleeding.' Joey reported excitedly.

Dean turned his attention to Sam, seeing his little brother's lips turn blue, 'Sammy?' he cried out his hand hovered over the trach-tube, 'Rachel Sam's not breathing.'

Terrified Dean watched as his brother's chest stop moving, 'this can't be happening,' he felt his knees buckling and couldn't stop himself as he collapsed partially from shock but also from the pain flaring through his body.

'Sam can't die; he has to look after Mickie for me.' Dean reasoned in his agony filled mind. Groaning audibly he pulled himself up and knelt next to Sam's still body, 'you are not going to die Sam not on my watch.' He whispered placing his hands on either side of Sam's head, he forced himself to ignore the concerned looks on the people around him and concentrated on Sam no one else.

Mickie pulled herself away from Erin's grip and crawled over to her daddy and uncle, a look of determination on her little face, using her father's prone body the little girl crawled up until she was level with his and Sam's heads. Rachel's first instinct was to remove the baby from the heartbreaking scene, then she stopped and watched as Mickie laid her head between the two men and placed a tiny hand on each of them. The three Winchesters, two hunters and a baby, laid with their heads together made Rachel want to weep. A sudden quiet descended over the large extended family as they watched and waited, though none of them knew what they were waiting for.

Azuraus hovered over the trio invisible to the others she had to watch over her tiny charge and the brothers without hindrance from the humans. This had to play out, as it was ordained.

Sam lay on his side gasping for air, he watched with grim satisfaction as Cornase also had trouble breathing and existing in the realm as well.

'Sorry Dean,' Sam whispered, 'I tried...'

'Yeah well dude I'm not letting you off that easily.' Dean's voice filled Sam's mind, squinting Sam looked up into the eyes of his big brother. 'No Dean get out of here.' He grunted.

'Not happening Sammy.' Dean glanced over at the fallen demon and then back to his dying brother, 'nice work Sammy, he's out cold on the outside as well.'

'Mickie?'

'She's fine,' Dean said crouching down he slipped his arms under Sam's and lifted him up until he could slid himself behind his sibling. Sam sighed audibly as he rested his head against Dean's chest, 'Sammy you're not going to die, not now.'

'I can't breath anymore Dean.'

'You're breathing here,' Dean reasoned, 'breath here breath out there all the same shit.'

'I – I can't ... this is just coz I am having trouble letting go.' Sam admitted sadly.

'Dude I need you to live, I need you to look after Mickie for me.' Dean blurted out, his fingers combing through Sam's long hair.

'Dean what are you talking about?'

'I ah ... fuck this is harder than I thought.' Dean admitted aloud.

'Dean?'

'When Cornase had me ... he ... he did ...stuff.'

'What stuff Dean?'

'I'm dying Sammy.' Dean said simply, 'so you can't die, coz I am ... I got in first.'

'Dean ... no.' Sam cried out as he saw the demon hovering above them seemingly recovered from the last encounter with Sam.

'Isn't this touching,' Cornase smirked but there was something different about the demon this time.

'You're using Merci.' Sam gasped out.

'Two for two well done Sammy boy, now I have both of you trapped here and the baby is unprotected.'

'You haven't spilt Dean's blood here, he's not trapped.'

'Oh but ... ah you didn't tell him everything did you Dean?' Cornase tsked, 'such secrets the two of you harbour.'

'Dean?'

'He's done it to me already Sammy.' Dean admitted grudgingly, 'when he and Merci ... do your worst Cornase coz you're trapped here too and Merci, well aside from being a great lay she aint no power demon. Hell even the baby could take her on and win. After all she's a Winchester.'

Sam pulled away from Dean and forced himself to stand, drawing himself up to his full imposing height he placed himself between Cornase and Dean.

'Leave now Dean, I'll keep Cornase here.'

'So not going to happen Sam.' Dean said standing slowly he stood next to his brother's shoulder. 'we do this together.'

TBC