A week earlier…

"Dude, this sucks!"

"It was the only way to get into the office Dean." Sam turned his head away from Dean to hide his chuckling.

Dean shifted in the large leather chair, which was quickly followed by a phbbtt sound. Turning to see Sam's smile swallow most of his face, Dean grunted in annoyance and rolled his eyes. The sight of Dean's face caused Sam to outright chuckle.

Tapping his foot upon the plush carpet, Dean busied himself and ignored Sam's chuckle by looking at the numerous diplomas on the wall.

"If this chic is so good, why in the world does she need that many pieces of paper to prove it Sam?"

"Because a psychiatrist doesn't get to be a psychiatrist by sending away box tops."

"Whatever Dude, this touchy feely crap is your thing, not mine. I swear if you go all Steel Magnolias on me, I'll kick your ASS!"

Sam's eyes twinkled with glee as Dean's agitation and unease increased with each passing moment. "This was the only way we could get Karen's information. You should learn to relax."

"You should learn to shut up." Dean gritted and snarled.

"I could go to the other side of the hospital for some Prozac, Valium…Viagra.

Dean shot Sam an annoyed glance. "Don't use me as an excuse for your Viag.."

Luckily, Dr. Benton arrived before the banter could escalate further. "Shall we?" she offered as she escorted them to her office. Sam eased himself on the large sofa in front her desk as Dean plopped down in disgust over this whole idea.

"Sam and Dean Manners, I'm Dr. Benton."

"Yeah...we got that from your...uh..wall thingy, you know, out there...umh," Dean stopped as Dr. Benton's stare passed over him with an overtone acknowledging how stupid he had just sounded. "Yeah...awkward."

"It's okay..uhh??" Dr. Benton stressed as she waited for Dean to provide her with a name.

"Dean."

"Ah.. Dean, a lot of patients find therapy uncomfortable. There's no shame in admitting you have problems. That's why we have family therapy."

"Listen lady, I'm not the one with a problem!" Dean wiggled uncomfortably in his seat and crossed his legs and arms in defiance.

"Your posture tells me you have closed yourself off from this experience. Dean, I think we have some real issues to discuss."

"Not me.. Junior Goody-two-shoes over there has the problems." Dean overplayed his head movement using it to direct and point to Sam.

Sam tried to repress laughter, but displayed concern when Dr. Benton looked his way. "Dean, you're my brother and I love you. I just want us to feel better about where we are." Sam overplayed the sappy sweetness so much his voice had raised another octave.

"That was very nice, Sam. Now Dean, tell Sam how that you love him." Sam reached out and touched Dean's hand.

Jumping as if this rear was actually on fire, Dean sprang from the leather chair. Sam turned his head and perched his lips to muzzle a belly laugh. Dr. Benton's attention was upon Dean, so she failed to notice how much amusement Sam was having at Dean's expense.

"Oh, don't even tell me you bought that crap!!!!!!??" Dean looked at her incredulously. "Ahhh.. Whatever... I... I gotta pee." With that, Dean bolted out the door, slamming it behind him.

Dr. Benton focused on Sam apologetically. "I'm sorry Sam, but I'm sure in time Dean will open up."

"He has been having a real hard time lately since our father passed. Its been a rough couple of years for our family. He is more concerned to sav..to help me than his own well being. I worry about him." Even though Sam overplayed it tad too touchy, he actually meant those words more than anything. Quickly returning to his ruse, "I think he is not comfortable talking with me here. Could you go get him and see if you can get him to open up?"

Dr. Benton smiled lovingly. "Of course. Just relax for a bit and I'm sure this will turn out to be a great session for you both." Crossing to the door, she stopped one moment more to smile and nod to Sam to reassure him.

Waiting until the doctor's echoing footsteps could be no longer heard, Sam busted out a full belly laugh. The thought of Dean being pursued by a psychiatrist was more than he could take. Pulling the lock pick from his jacket, he was still amusing himself with images of Dean as he twisted into the narrow keyhole. Within seconds, the locked clicked open to reveal the files. Grabbing the file quickly, Sam sprang back to his chair in time to hear Dr. Benton corral Dean back to the office.

"I told you, I'm done! Now back the hell off!" Dean yelled.

"Dean, if you don't deal with these issues, they will affect.." Dr. Benton stated calmly.

Opening the door, Dean screeched at Sam "Dude, if you're not in the car in 15 seconds, I am leaving your ass!" Abruptly Dean turned and fled towards the safety of his Impala.

"Sam, I'm sorry." Dr. Benton looked at Sam empathetically.

"It's okay" Sam reassured her as he got up from the chair. He shook her hand to thank her. "I'll keep trying and call to set up more appointments. Together we can help him." Sam displayed the largest puppy dog eyes he had ever displayed in his existence.

Dr. Benton nodded in kind-hearted agreement. "See you soon, Sam," She stated as he stepped through the door. As soon as the door closed, Sam's head lurched down and a squished snicker pressed from his closed lips.

-x-xx-x-xx-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-xx-x

Dean leaned against the Impala's hood waiting for his brother to haul ass to the car. He found himself thinking of ways he would pay Sammy back in spades for that little charade. He told Sam to distract her by having a coughing fit or something. As soon as Sam exited the building, Dean could tell by Sammy's strut he was quite pleased with himself.

"You cocky little ba..."

"Hey, you asked me to create a diversion. I think it went well." Sam had stumbled into a guffaw of laughter by this point.

Drawing back his hand, Dean smacked Sam twice on back of the head. "That's for the Steel Magnolia moment and sending that touch feely psycho witch after me. Now, hand over the file."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-xx--x---

Snapping back to the present, Sam panged to relive that moment again. He feared there would be no more like it. Sometimes, Sam felt moments like those, the catty good humored bickering ones, was the only bit of normalcy in his life. It was those moments that kept him going when he was confronted by the misery of his family and the countless others who had been touched by evil. It was sad to think irritating your brother could be considered as something right and good with the world, but to Sam it was. It was the way they could show they truly understood each other to the core- knowing which buttons to push. Instinctively, Sam glanced at Dean, who should have been asleep by now. Sam instead found Dean's eyes were open with no signs that sleep was ever going to visit him at all.

"Dean? Can't sleep, huh?"

Dean merely nodded. The truth was he couldn't sleep. No matter how tired he was, no matter how much his body ached, no matter how much every fiber of his mind and being cried out for it, sleep escaped him. Dean had quickly realized the ability to sleep had been stolen from him. He didn't have the heart to tell Sam. He was already freaked enough, Dean told himself.

"I guess, we've both got too much on our minds." Sam kicked back the chair as he made his aching shoulders stretch. Staggering sleepily towards Dean to his own bedside, Sam plopped on the floor resting his back and head on the mattress side. Oddly, Sam found the hard surface comfortable as sleep was calling him, but he willingly fended it off in honor of Dean. "I was looking at the info we had on Karen again. According to Dr. Benton's files, she was attack at the J&J night club. She and her friend reported meeting a man, which later attacked Karen."

"Sam." Dean said calmly. "I know this. The man dusted her with something, she freaked, the friend called 911, they took her to the ER-where they found nothing, by the way, she came to and they sent her home. Becoming increasingly agitated as he progressed in his platitude "Later, she went bonkers, stabbed her friend in the back-REPEATEDLY, and was sent to the boobiehatch- where she swore the Sandman made her do it, before she stuck her finger in a light socket to off herself." The look of shock on Sam's face stopped Dean's anger and frustration cold. He took a breath and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to take.."

"It's okay." Sam said acceptingly. "I know..." Sam muttered as he tried to desperately stifle a yawn.

A quiet snicker came from Dean. "Sam, go to sleep."

In a groggy slur, Sam refused to abandon his post, "No, I'm good."

"Fine, but I'm going to bed." Dean forced his eyes to close and consciously controlled his breathing into deep easy breaths.

Sam looked happily at the slumbering Dean; unaware Dean was faking the entire thing. He closed his own eyes and was pulled instantly into a deep slumber.

Dean cracked his eyes to the slimmest possible opening. Taking some small sense of comfort from spying the soundly sleeping Sam, he opened his eyes fully. He didn't have the heart to tell Sam that he wanted to sleep, but the Sandman had taken away that capability.

He stared at the ceiling fan above him. The hypnotic rhythm doing little for him. He closed his eyes to quite the dry pain that screamed at his pupils.

"Dean?"

His eyes opened finding Sammy above him. "Dean, why didn't you tell me! " Anger flashed in a rolling blackness in Sam's eyes. "I would have died for you, but you lied to me all this time! All our problems are you fault!"

"Sammy, I don't kn…."

Sam's head shook in disgust. "Don't LIE TO ME! You let me die, then you try to make amends by…you killed them! Everyone I ever loved is dead because of you! And you never would have told me, but this Sandman crap has made you weak. You've slipped up. I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

"Sammy, Please"

"I wish you were already DEAD!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x