Part 7

The first thing Dean noticed when he opened his eyes was the fact that he was completely alone. Standing in the long hallway. The bright light bouncing off the white walls was almost blinding.

"Hello, Dean," he heard a soft voice behind him.

Spinning around, Dean saw a familiar face. "Anna," he said quietly. It's been a long time since he'd seen her.

Taking another look around, he realized there was a reason why the hall of the hospital was completely empty except for the two of them. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

The angel nodded as she crossed the distance between them. "It's the only safe way for us to talk."

"The halo army still after you?"

Her smile was sad, but also beautiful. There was something different about her and Dean guessed it had to do with her being a full fledged angel now. Fuzzy giant wings and everything.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"You mean, am I headed to a mental ward in a straight jacket?"

"Getting your memory back is dangerous," she responded, ignoring the bitter note in his voice.

"I'm fine," he forced out. "No hallucinations, no crazy visions."

Her face softened. "That's a good sign. Means your mind had time to heal."

"I guess I have you to thank for that," Dean tried to push back the resentment he felt, but it was a difficult task. "How could you do it? Take my memory like that?"

Anna came even closer and stared up into his eyes. "It was the only way to save you."

"You should have just added an electro-shock while you were at it," he threw at her.

"Sam begged me to help you. He begged me to do whatever I could. This was the only way, Dean."

Hearing his brother's name brought Dean back to reality of what had happened. Instead of continuing his tirade, he slowly exhaled. "Why would you want to help me anyway? After what I did?"

In any other situation, Dean would have laughed at the expression of pure confusion on Anna's angelic face.

"What you did?" she repeated his words. "You saved me."

Dean shook his head. "I didn't save you."

"Because of you and your brother I'm still here," she insisted.

"You became what you didn't want to be," he said, his voice almost a whisper.

The sad smile returned to her face as she raised her hand to his cheek. Dean closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, the memory of that night so many months ago still fresh in his mind.

"At least I can do some good now," she finally said, lowering her hand to her side.

Her words bringing him back to reality once again, Dean opened his eyes. "You mean, helping Sam go after demons? Helping him use his demonic powers?"

"Is that what you think they are?"

"He's got demon blood in him," Dean replied.

"That doesn't make him a demon," she countered.

"Well, Castiel sure thinks it does."

"Castiel and the others, they're just scared. They're just like everybody else, every other being on Earth - they're scared of what they don't understand, of what they don't know."

"You're saying they're scared of Sam? Angels are scared of Sam?" he asked incredulously. After all, psychic abilities and demon blood or not, this was his baby brother they were talking about and Dean had seen first hand what power the angels possessed.

"They're scared of what he might become," Anna explained.

"Aren't you?" He probably wouldn't admit it to anybody, but he was with Castiel on this one - terrified of what Sam's future held.

But Anna just shook her head. "No."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I've seen him do amazing things, Dean. I've watched him risk his life over and over again for strangers, willing to give up everything for a person he has never met before just as he would for his own brother. Willing to sacrifice himself and become something he despises in order to save the world. No demon would ever do something like that. You should know that better than anybody," she added. "He's your brother, Dean."

Dean didn't appreciate being reminded of what he already knew about Sam. It was why he always had such a hard time believing that Sam was destined to become the anti-Christ. But there were others out there who did believe it, who'd kill Sam in a second to eliminate the threat. And he knew at least two of them who could do it without leaving any traces.

"Do you think...is Castiel..." A part of him didn't want to know. Because if what was happening to Sam was not natural, he knew that there was no help for his brother. But he had to ask. "Are they doing this to Sam?"

"I don't know," Anna replied, her voice so soft and quiet, he could barely hear her.

Blowing out a breath he felt he was holding forever, Dean asked another question. "Is Sam going to be ok?" A part of him, a huge part of him, wanted her to lie to him, to comfort him, to tell him that when he woke up, his brother would be awake as well.

But he also knew that Anna wouldn't lie.

"I don't know," she said again, then added, "I'm sorry."

Trying to swallow the lump in his throat, Dean simply nodded, then closed his eyes as she once again touched his face with her hand.

The next time Dean opened his eyes, he was back in the hospital room, his back crying out from the awkwardness of the hospital chair he sat in next to the bed. Pushing his jacket that he used as a blanket off himself, Dean quickly stood up to check on Sam.

"No change," he heard a woman's voice coming from the other end of the room. Dean looked away from his brother's still form on the bed to meet Ruby's gaze.

It's been three days since Sam and Lilith's showdown, since Sam fell into a coma with no sign of coming out of it. What was worse was that the doctors had no idea what was wrong with him. And as such, could not treat him. Physically, they said, Sam was just fine.

"I thought you left," Dean finally spoke up. Ruby stayed the first day and then without so much as a word, vanished. Until now.

Leaning against the wall, arms crossed on her chest, the demon shook her head. "Just doing some reconnaissance."

"On what?"

"Lilith."

Just hearing that name made Dean's blood boil. "I hope that bitch is rotting in the darkest corners of hell," he ground out through his teeth.

"I don't think she is," Ruby calmly responded.

Dean wasn't sure what shocked him more, the fact that after all this Lilith was still scot-free or how calm Ruby was as she announced that news. "Please, don't tell me she got away. Not after everything. Not after this." He looked at Sam, trying his damnest to keep the anger at bay.

"She's dead." Pushing away from the wall, Ruby crossed the room to stand on the other side of Sam's bed and stared at Dean.

It took Dean a few seconds to process that new tidbit as he raised his eyes to meet hers. "What makes you say that?"

"She's not in hell," Ruby responded.

"That doesn't mean she's dead. She could just be hiding, planning her next move," Dean tried to argue. He wasn't quite sure why he didn't want to believe what Ruby was telling him.

"Word on the street is Sam killed her. If she were alive, you really think Lilith would have wanted that rumor to spread? She would want to make sure everybody knew that she was still in charge."

"You don't know that. You don't know what that bitch is thinking."

"You saw it happen, Dean. You saw it yourself. Tell me I'm wrong."

He did see it. He got there right in time to see Sam trying to exorcise Lilith. Instead of running into the room and just stabbing the bitch, Dean found himself unable to move, frozen in the doorway as he watched his brother and the demon. He was there to witness the white light and the scream like he'd never heard before. Only seeing Sam collapse to the floor finally snapped him out of the hypnosis he seemed to be in.

Dean shook his head, his mind refusing to believe that his baby brother could have killed a demon with his mind. "I thought...I thought Sam can only exorcise demons, send them back to hell. He couldn't...how could he..." The horror and shock that he felt grew as he watched a tiny smile cross Ruby's lips. It was brief, but it was there.

"Sam's more powerful than you think, Dean," she responded, letting her gaze fall on the subject of their conversation before raising her eyes to meet his. "He's even more powerful than I thought."

Not for the first time, Dean wondered what else Sam was capable of. And not for the first time, he couldn't stop thinking of what else his brother kept secret from him.

He took a step back. "Well, that's just great. You must be on cloud nine. Your golden boy doing exactly what you planned for him."

Ruby's expression darkened. "You think I wanted this?"

"Oh, please, of course you did. You've been grooming him for this."

"Maybe I wanted him to embrace his powers, get stronger, but I never wanted this." She pointed at the still figure in the middle of the bed. "I would have done anything to prevent this."

Dean couldn't deny the emotions written on her face, emotions she wasn't even trying to hide from him. And that affected him even more than the news of his baby brother being more powerful than a demon. He didn't have anything else to say. Instead, he just stood there, staring back at her until they heard the door open.

Bobby walked in the room and stopped, shifting his gaze between Dean and Ruby. "What's going on?" he asked finally.

The last thing Dean wanted to do right now was to recap everything that he just learned to the man. He just could not stay within the same four walls another second longer. He needed to get out of there, to clear his mind. "I'm gonna get coffee," he said quickly, ignoring the two cups of coffee the older hunter was holding in front of his chest. Grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair, Dean almost ran out of the room.

He was on his way toward the stairs. What he really wanted was to get out of the hospital, get in his car and just drive. But as he reached for the handle of the door leading into the stairwell, he stopped. He couldn't leave. Sam was in a coma and they still had no clue when or even if his brother would wake up. He couldn't leave. Not when Sam could be dying.

Instead Dean headed toward the small waiting area with the vending machines. He wasn't really all that hungry, but he needed something else to focus on and food seemed like a safe bet. So, he took out a dollar from his wallet and put it in the slot on the machine, deciding on a Snickers bar. But when he pressed the button, nothing happened. He pressed the button again. Still nothing. He nearly punched the button with similar result. At this point, Dean began shaking the entire machine, letting all his frustration out on the inanimate object, cursing it for all the things that were wrong in his life.

"Hello, Dean."

The soft, calm voice stopped him cold. Without even turning around, Dean knew who was standing behind him.

Instantly forgetting about the stubborn chocolate bar, Dean turned around to face him. "Castiel," he acknowledged, meeting the angel's gaze with his own. "Long time no see. I think," he added. "I assume you didn't visit much." Dean didn't even try to hide the bitterness from his voice.

Castiel either didn't notice or just didn't acknowledge it though. "How are you feeling?" he asked instead.

Dean shook his head, chuckling. "My brother's in a coma and everybody is asking me how I'm feeling. I'm fine. No thanks to you."

"There was nothing we could have done," Castiel responded.

"Anna found a way," Dean shot back at him and found a strange sense of enjoyment seeing Castiel almost wince at the mention of the rebel angel's name.

"Yes, she did," Castiel said quietly, his eyes peering at Dean.

The two faced off against each other without another word for what seemed like minutes, but in reality was only seconds. But it was enough time for the conversation with Anna to replay in Dean's head.

"Are you killing him?" Dean asked. He wasn't sure if he really expected an answer or even wanted one. And a big part of him realized that if they really were trying to kill Sam, he would have been dead already. But he still felt the need to ask. "Are you killing my brother?"

Cocking his head slightly to the side, Castiel studied his face for a moment before responding. "What makes you think we would do that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because Sam kept using his abilities when you obviously didn't want him to? Or maybe because Sam's so powerful, you're all pissing your pants in fear of what he's really capable of?" He didn't realize that he was yelling at this point.

Still, Castiel seemed unfazed by Dean's outburst. "I tried to warn Sam. I tried to stop him from going after Lilith, but he wouldn't listen."

To Dean this was as much of an admission of guilt as if Castiel actually said the words "Yes, we are going to kill your brother."

"He killed her, he stopped Lucifer from rising. Isn't it what you wanted?" Dean exclaimed. No matter how much Sam's abilities scared him, he couldn't deny facts. And facts were that Sam probably saved the whole damn world by killing Lilith.

"Why do you think he went after Lilith?" Castiel took a step closer, lowering his voice. "It wasn't to save the world, it wasn't to stop Lucifer. It was because of you, Dean. His concern for you and his drive for revenge drove him to go after her when he wasn't ready. When he wasn't meant to."

Dean felt like he had just been punched in the face.

Castiel took another step closer to him. "No human is meant to possess the power that Sam has."

Dean's palms rolled into fists, and it was all he could do to stop himself from attacking the angel with everything he had. This was yet another confirmation of their guilt. It was also a confirmation that Sam was going to die. Dean's last glimmer of hope faded as he realized that Sam couldn't possibly fight against whatever mojo the angels put on him.

Barely holding his anger in check, Dean took a step toward Castiel and they were now face to face. "If Sam dies," he said through his teeth, "I'm done. With you and your mission and your boss upstairs. I'm done," he ground out.

The two silently stared at each other for what seemed like eternity.

"Dean?"

Dean turned around to find Bobby rounding the corner.

"Who are you talking to?" the older hunter asked.

Dean glanced over his shoulder to the spot that Castiel occupied just seconds before, but the angel was gone. "No one," he replied. Then realizing that Bobby actually came looking for him, Dean felt a sudden flood of anxiety. "What's wrong? Is Sam…" He didn't finish the question. Couldn't finish it.

"No, no," Bobby seemed to understand where the question was going - "He's ok." After a tiny pause, he added. "He's awake."

Before the words even sunk in, Dean was already running down the hall toward his brother's room. Ignoring Ruby who was standing just outside the room, Dean stopped in the doorway, his eyes falling on the bed at the other end of the room.

Sam was sitting on the bed as the doctor examined him, shining the light in his eyes and checking for reflexes.

"Everything seems to be normal," Dean heard the doctor say. "Though I'd still like to run the tests again."

"I'd rather not," Sam responded. His voice sounded raspy, obviously from three days of not using it, but other than that it was strong. "I feel fine."

"Sam, you fell into a coma for no reason for three days. And came out of it for no reason. If we don't find what caused it, it could happen again," the doctor argued.

"Doc, really, I'm fine," the patient insisted.

His emotions barely under control, Dean stepped into the room. "Listen to the doctor, Sammy," he said, trying to keep his voice from giving away everything he was feeling inside.

Sam's eyes snapped in Dean's direction, studying his face, forgetting all about the doctor and the nurse in the room.

"I'll order the tests," the doctor said on his way out of the room.

Dean managed a "Thanks, doc." He made sure the room was empty except for the two of them before turning back to face his brother. "So what? You figured this was the only way you could get some sleep?" He tried to sound as nonchalantly as possible, but his voice still betrayed him.

Sam still didn't so much as blink, his eyes burrowing into Dean, following his every move. "Dean?" he finally spoke, his voice full of emotion.

Dean immediately understood. The last time Sam saw him, Dean didn't even know he had a brother, didn't know who Sam really was. "Yeah, it's me, Sammy," Dean replied, giving his brother the most innocent smile he could muster as he moved closer to the bed.

Sam's eyes filled with tears, but he quickly looked away, trying to hide them from Dean. Seconds later, Sam met Dean's gaze once again, his eyes still glistening. "Are you ok?"

Dean couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm not the one who just spent three days in a coma, dude."

But Sam didn't respond. He just stared at Dean until he got the answer he was looking for.

"I'm fine, Sam," Dean replied, knowing full well that Sam wouldn't let it go until he got his answer. "Honest. Got a clean bill of health from Anna herself."

"Anna?"

"Yeah, she stopped by for a chat while you were napping," Dean replied. He walked around to the other side of the bed and fell into the chair, Sam's gaze following his every move. "So Ruby says Lilith is toast."

Dean watched Sam's facial expression change, not entirely sure how to read it.

Sam held Dean's gaze before simply responding with a "Yeah."

All the emotions Dean experienced earlier when Ruby told him about Sam killing Lilith began rising to the top again, but he fought back. The only thing that mattered right this very moment was that Sam was ok. Sam was alive. They'd deal with everything else later. "Once you're out of here," Dean said as he leaned back in the chair and put his feet up on the bed stand, "We're going to celebrate."