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Second chapter.

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Dean frantically tried to grab onto something as he slid down the mountainside with snow all around him. Even though the thought about being buried underneath the enormous amounts of snow should be terrifying to him, the only thing that really terrified Dean in those moments was the thought of Sam being hurt or buried alive in the cold white snow. Dean knew he had to save himself in order to save his little brother, so he bit down the pain in his injured arm and fought with all he'd got to grip onto something. Luck was with the oldest Winchester brother for once. Dean managed to close his gloved hands around a tree root and, even though the jerk of it had him crying out in pain, he kept holding onto the root until the avalanche eventually settled down.

"Son of a bitch." Dean groaned and let go of the tree root to hold his injured arm to his chest while breathing through the pain.

When the pain finally ceased to a bearable level, Dean hoisted himself up against a tree and then started accessing his injuries. It wasn't too bad, really. He'd only managed to get some shallow cuts from his trip down the hill, but the gash on his arm from the cupacabra's claws was still bleeding and Dean knew he needed to do something about it. He was gonna need all his strength if he wanted to find Sam so he couldn't risk anything. Dean peeled off the gloves – Sam's gloves – and then unzipped his jacket before carefully sliding his injured arm out of it. He hissed a little and then shivered as the cold wind immediately found its way inside his exposed clothes. Dean ripped a shred off his over shirt and wrapped it around his arm with clenched jaw. He then put the jacket back on and zipped it up before putting his now freezing fingers back into Sam's gloves. Dean then pushed himself to his feet and looked down the mountainside. It was dark but the moonlight combined with the snow made it easier for him to take in the surroundings.

"Sam!" Dean called, his voice echoing in the still night. "Sammy!"

He listened carefully but Dean couldn't hear his little brother's voice and that made his chest tighten.

"Sammy!" Dean called again while using his hands to heighten the effect of his voice. "Damn it!

Sam had been swept away by the avalanche right before Dean had, so unless Sam had been lucky enough to catch onto something like Dean had been on his way down, Dean assumed his brother must have been somewhere further down the mountainside. Dean carefully started walking downwards with very cautious steps. He was afraid that the newly moved snow would be so unsteady that he was in danger of falling through, or that he would accidentally step on Sam if he wasn't careful enough. Dean reached into his pocket and took out a small flashlight before turning it on and letting the ray of light scan the area for any signs of his baby brother.

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed and nearly had a heart attack when his flashlight caught the unmistakably hat of his brother's.

Dean would have been able to recognize that hat everywhere since he had been the one who bought it for Sam only a few days ago. For Christmas. Since Sam was too cold all the time to walk around outside in the frosty air without a hat, he'd started wearing an old beanie he'd found at the bottom of his duffel bag. And it had been hideous but Sam didn't care about that no matter how much Dean had mocked him for it.

"It's warm, Dean." Sam had said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I would have given my eyes for a hat like this back in the cage."

Sam had then rubbed a finger across the scar on his hand and Dean had felt rather guilty for mocking his brother. Instead of apologizing though, Dean had come up with a better solution. He'd decided that since Sam needed a hat to stay warm, he could at least wear one that didn't look like a run-over chicken. So Dean had bought Sam a new beanie – a black one with grey letters on it saying Bitch – and had given it to Sam for Christmas. The younger Winchester brother had not been as amused with the word on the hat as Dean had been, but Sam had been wearing the hat on the following day nevertheless. That particular hat was now halfway buried in snow and Dean scooted down on his knees next to it and started digging.

"Sam!" Dean kept calling as he dug deeper into the snow with his gloved hands. "Come on.. Come on.."

If the beanie was here then Sam had to be here too, right? Or maybe not. With the force the avalanche had hit them with, the hat could have been ripped from Sam's head which meant that Dean still didn't have a clue to where the hell Sam could be. Was he trapped underneath the snow right here or had he been dragged further down the mountainside?

Dean dug his fingers into the fabric of the beanie and held it to his chest as panic started consuming him. Sam could be suffocating or freezing to death anywhere on this mountainside right now, praying for his big brother to find him in time. A shiver ran through the older brother's body from the frosty air and Dean looked up when fireworks lighted up the sky in the distance.

Oh right.. New Year's Eve..

Dean forced back the tears that threatened to fall and forced himself back on his feet. Sam was out there somewhere and Dean wouldn't give up until he'd found him.

"Sam!" Dean called as he continued his search downwards, once again scanning the area with his flashlight.

It was so damn cold and the temperature kept dropping, Dean could feel with increasing worry. Dean was at least moving around but if Sam was trapped somewhere in the snow unable to move, then it was only a matter of time before the kid would... Dean stopped dead in his tracks as his flashlight once again lighted up a part of his little brother's clothing – this time Sam's scarf. It was stuck on some sort of tree bark. Dean let the light travel along the scarf and then he gasped as the light fell upon Sam's curly brown locks.

"Oh God, Sammy!" Dean exclaimed and hurried to close the gap between him and his younger brother before he slid to his knees beside Sam.

The lower part of Sam's body was buried underneath the snow but the upper part was free, Dean noticed. Sam was completely still though and as Dean used the flashlight to take a better look at Sam's face, Dean's heart starting pounding violently inside his chest. Sam had a bleeding gash on the side of his forehead that would definitely require some stitches but that wasn't what worried the older Winchester brother the most. It was the too pale, almost white, color of Sam's skin and the bluish shade on his lips that had the alarm bells ringing inside Dean's head. Dean's eyes then widened as he realized that the scarf around Sam's neck was so tight that it was constricting his brother's airway, so Dean quickly found a knife and cut the scarf in two before loosening the part around Sam's neck as much as possible without removing it completely. Sam could need the warmth it provided. Dean noticed the red mark on Sam's neck from where the scarf had been choking his brother and he felt an urge of panic. Dean peeled off his gloves and put his fingers to Sam's neck. He then let out a relieved sigh as he felt a weak but yet present pulse before letting his hands slide to Sam's cheeks.

"Jesus! You're as cold as ice, kiddo." Dean mumbled.

He then took the spare gloves off Sam's fingers and was shocked to discover how cold Sam's fingers were. Dean quickly replaced the spare gloves with the ones Sam had originally worn, before he put the beanie over Sam's head and then quickly started digging his brother free of the snow. As soon as Sam was free, Dean pulled him up against his chest and tried to wake Sam up.

"Come on little brother." Dean said and tapped Sam's cold cheeks. "Sammy, can you hear me? Open your eyes. Sam! Don't make me carry your giant ass all the way down to the Impala!"

Sam didn't as much as stir and Dean clenched his jaw. He had to get his brother warmed up as soon as possible so he had no other choice than to try to carry Sam away from the snowy mountain. The task was gonna be quite a bitch though. Dean let out a yelp of pain when he tried lifting Sam up with his hurt arm and then quickly set his brother down again.

"There has to be an easier way.." Dean mumbled to himself and looked around.

His eyes caught sight of the bark Sam's scarf had been stuck on and then he came up with an idea. Dean carefully lowered Sam back to the ground and then pulled the large piece of bark free from the snow. Dean put it down next to his brother and sat down on it before maneuvering Sam until Dean had got him placed between his legs with Sam's back against Dean's chest.

"Remember we did this a couple of times when we were kids?" Dean asked his limp brother with a groan as he held on to Sam with one arm – the injured one - and pushed the bark forward with the other arm.

The piece of bark started moving downwards and Dean was now thankful for the frosty air to have created an icy surface to the snow so that they could easily slide down the mountainside. The landing could have been a bit better, Dean decided, but they'd been able to make it all the way down and Dean could now see the Impala.

"Come on Sammy, we gotta get you to the car." Dean said but before he could move, Sam let out a little groan and rolled his head a bit to the side. "Sammy?"

"D-D-Dean." Sam stuttered out without opening his eyes.

"So now you decide to wake up." Dean grinned. "You missed out on all the fun dude."

"C-cold." Sam said and Dean's grin was gone in an instant.

"I know buddy, I know." Dean said in a soft voice. "We just need to get you to the car. You think you can walk?"

"C-can't f-f-feel m-my l-l-legs." Sam stuttered and shivered violently. "S-so c-cold."

"It's okay Sammy, I've got you." Dean assured his younger brother.

Dean ignored the pain in his arm as he elevated Sam to his shoulders and started carrying him in a fireman's carry.

"I'll fix you up in no time, Sammy." Dean promised through gritted teeth. "You're gonna be alright little brother. I promise."

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TBC….

Reviews are always appreciated! ;)

-Elisa.