A/N: I wrote this as a small explanation, mixed with some brotherly love and banter and perhaps some angst.

Thanks for reviewing my story! I appreciate your feedback and encouragement. I always like to know how my writing is...

Also remember that this takes place in season one for the reason that Jess's death is still fresh...

Enjoy!

Dean shifted in his bed feeling trying to hold his urge to scratch his healing skin that was underneath his bandages. His shoulder stab wound throbbed a little and added to his annoyance.

"Do you have ants in your pants or something?" a sleepy voice muttered beside him
"You're not the one who got burnt by a crazed person that happens to have been a friend of yours" Dean grouched rubbing at his bandages "I thought the supernatural were only attracted to you but it seems crazy people as well"
"Shut up" Sam mumbled unable to turn his whole body away he just turned his head

Dean looked over to Sam with a small smile of relief. He was glad they made it out fairly ok considering their Winchester luck these days. Things had gotten a little dicey with the gunshot wound and the police being mandatory involved because of it. Dean would have taken care of Sam himself, or at least taken the bullet out but he was too injured to even stay awake. Sam lost a lot of blood with the gunshot wound but after a bag or two of blood, cleaning and bandaging of wounds, Sam was on his way to recovery physically.

Mentally was something else.

Dean sighed as he looked at his bandaged hands. He considered himself lucky that he wasn't burnt badly. He crawled away with a mainly first degree and a few second degree burns, to his hands, his legs, some of his arms and not to mention some of his hair was singed. It could have been worse if he had stayed any longer. He hoped there won't be too much scarring; burn scars defiantly not something chicks dig, only the really cool fighting scars that he had obtained numerously over the years.

It was going to be a while yet before they were leaving and already he wanted to be away from the bleach smell, the bland walls, the boring TV and crappy food.

"This sucks!" he growled as he tried to press a button on the small TV remote but his hands were encased in bandages with the mobility of mittens he ended up pressing three buttons at once. Giving a frustrated sigh he chucked the remote away and stared at the ceiling.

God he hated hospitals.

With nothing to distract him he found his mind wondering back to what happened a couple of week ago. To the event that landed them here in the first place. He never made much sense of it since Sam was the only source (he couldn't care less what happened to that Michael guy) of information and he had been in and out of sleep over the couple of weeks.

After the whole drama of the beating and burning, he remembered that Michael had pulled a gun on him and fired. As he fired he remembered darkness then confusion. So much so that he thought he imagined the whole thing. He heard noises and realized Sam wasn't with him. His fear for his brother drove him to call for Sam and even an attempted to get up to try and find him without much success. When his vision cleared the found Sam by his side, his caring soulful eyes glazed with unshed tears muttered about how he thought he lost him.

It wasn't until later when he woke up here the whole situation hit him and he wondered about his own bullet wound. He figured that while he was out of it they may have taken it out of him but the cops didn't ask him about any bullet wounds he received only about Sam's. So figured that the doctors didn't report it (which wasn't likely) or Michael was a bad shot.

Thank God for small mercies…

Dean's thoughts shifted to Sam. He'd never seen Sam sleep so much since leaving Stanford, perhaps all the sleep that he never got was stored up somewhere for periods like this...

He started to hum in some tune that was running though his head. Not a nervous hum but more of a bored quiet almost tuneless hum. At that moment he had Metallica Master of Puppets playing in high quality sound in his mind.

"I don't suppose I'll get any sleep while you don't" Sam muttered interrupting his guitar break of the song
"Since when, Sleeping Beauty, do you sleep?" Dean shot back

Sam gave a sigh before he resigned himself to staring at the ceiling. Dean lost track of where he was up to in the song and gave it up in his mind and also stared at the white boring ceiling. Sam rolled his eyes when Dean started to hum some other tune obnoxiously. Sam desperately wanted to sleep but his brother's boredom was grating on his nerves and resisted the urge to get up the throttle him.

Finally the loud humming was over. Sam gave a small sigh of relief and closed his eyes.

"So… you wanna fill me in on this Michael guy?"

Sam preferred the humming. He kept his eyes closed.

"You can't ignore me forever, you know"
"Since when do you want to talk?"
"Since I'm stuck in here with my geeky little brother" Dean countered, "With no TV and soy burgers!"

Sam gave another sigh.

"You're the one into this talking crap and you haven't been doing much of that lately. I just need to know what going on in that freaky head of yours" Dean explained himself

Dean took his eyes away from the boring ceiling and looked at Sam who now had his eyes open and was staring at the ceiling.

"So care to shed a little light on the pyromaniac?" Dean quipped

Sam knew Dean at least deserved a proper explanation of events that night. He was involved too, it was practically his fault all this happened… that Dean got hurt. He swallowed

"Michael was Jess's older brother" Sam started
"I got that" Dean turned his gaze back to the ceiling
"They were close" Sam continued, "They use to do everything together"
Dean could hear Sam's smiling in his voice, "Jess use to tell me how they use to go camping, fishing and do the small stuff together when they were growing up. When she left to study they'd kept in touch regularly"

Dean swallowed at that. He and Sam were close, a bond that seems unmatched and yet they hardly kept in touch with each other during the Sam left for college. No matter how much confusion and hurt that has been, he never truly understood the logic in that.

"I met him once or twice before this happened. He seemed decent and really looked out for Jess"

Dean didn't miss the pause Sam took. He looked over and saw Sam swallowing, his Adam's Apple bobbing with the movement.

"Then Jess died…" Sam's voice was a strained whisper
"How did he know we were here?" Dean asked, "He was prepared with his private gang of goons and everything!"
Sam gave a shrug, "I haven't seen him since Jess…"
"I can't believe we were jumped by a normal person!" Dean growled in disbelief voicing his thought
"He's hardly in a normal state of mind" Sam pointed out
"Yeah well people are crazy" Dean muttered

Sam snorted in agreement and comfortable silence remained between them. Dean could only imagine what their Dad would say…

"Have you heard from Dad?" Dean asked with the sudden thought

Sam shook his head and Dean sighed figuring as much. Their Dad was out getting harder and harder to reach. Even if being weeks here in hospital they hadn't heard one peep from their father. They had done as much contacting on their end but Dean knew he was seeking The Demon and how their father was about it but deep down it still hurt that the man that he had always looked up to wasn't here for them. Even if it wasn't life threatening and even if it felt silly that his Dad should be here for such a small un-supernatural related injuries…

Dean craved his family to be whole again.

"Why? Do you expect him to?" Sam scoffed

Dean didn't reply. He wasn't in the mood to argue or defend their father. Dean looked back over to Sam seeing him sliding his eyes close to go to sleep. Dean wasn't satisfied with his information nor with Sam. He knew Sam, hell he practically raised the kid himself and he knew he was feeling guilty. Hell he was feeling guilty himself for failing to protect his little brother from a normal human being! He was crazy, yes, but just a normal every day guy.

"It's not your fault Sammy" Dean pointed out
"Neither is yours" Sam shot back his eyes still closed

Dean swallowed. Ok he wasn't expecting that…

"Then talk to me" Dean tried again
"Already did"
"You're a real comedian" Dean retorted
"No that's your job"

Dean glared at Sam but his little brother was unaffected since his eyes were still closed.

"Bitch" Dean muttered We'll talk about this sooner or later!
"Jerk" Sam shot back Later sounds good to me…

Sam stood just outside the ward. He leaned on one side favoring his good leg. Much to his dismay he had to use a cane or a stick to help him walk around. It was a step up from crutches but he was mildly annoyed that he couldn't walk properly yet. He was going through physical therapy and was pushing harder than he ever could so he could recover quickly and get back into hunting and eventually find their father.

Sam looked across towards the man that laid in the bed. He shimmied closer but didn't enter the room, just hovered around the door. He was guilty and caring but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't trust that man as far as he could throw him. Sam looked away, the night was still vivid in his mind. He could see the hurt and grief in Michael's eyes, the raw fear and pain in Dean's face and flames. Flames that danced and licked hungrily at his brother and at Jess…

He looked over to the man. He knew why he was here still in hospital and it was his entire fault. Hell this whole situation was his fault and it all began with Jess's death. Scratch that, it began with him.

"You're just gonna keep staring at me?" a voice rasped

Sam was taken from his thoughts and looked towards the man, the man that he had put here.

"How is it that you're out of bed recovering from a gun shot wound while I'm still here recovering from a severe beating?"

Sam didn't say anything to the rhetorical question and Michael stared towards the large window.

"How" Sam asked
"How what?" Michael muttered
"How did you know we were there?"
"I figured you'll come here for answers…" Michael gave his own smirk, "I have my own sources and ways"

Sam frowned suddenly wondering what Michael did for a living. Jess never mentioned it and he never thought to ask.

"It was hard to find info on you two" he continued, "Its like you two were in hiding or fell off the face of the planet all together, only to surface in certain police reports, and hospitals over the years. So I had to look alternatively and I got a tip that you two maybe in town and got prepared. I even hired trained men to help me subdue the both of you. I didn't want to underestimate you or your brother"
"A tip? From who?" Sam frowned
Michael shrugged, "They didn't say and quite frankly I don't care. It turned out right"

Sam frowned in thought wondering who would have known they were there in town and why would they let them know. Hunters usually kept to themselves unless someone was purposely following them or tracking them and trying to get revenge or hurt them in someway, for what ever reason, they had to tread much more carefully from now on.

"Michael-" Sam started
"Does your brother know you're here?" Michael cut him off
"No"

There was silence. Sam stood at the entrance eyeing Michael warily as if he could jump out of bed and attack him. Michael looked away; his face was a shadow of bruises and swelling that had been much more critical on that night.

"You should go" Michael muttered, "Go and be with him"

Sam looked at him.

"You brother" Michael clarified his voice held no emotion, "You're lucky to have him"
Sam nodded, "I know. Jess was lucky to have you too"

Michael gave a small sarcastic smile.

"She would be disappointed in me. Not only angry but hurt too that her big brother tried to kill someone she loved" Michael licked his dry lips his voice strained

Sam didn't say anything.

"I still hate you" Michael said coldly eyeing Sam, "I hate you for taking Jess away from me. We were like twins in what we do together. Then she met you in California and then she started to talk about you. Then she called less frequently but when she did she would talk about what you two did together before she'd talk about herself and asked about me"

Sam turned away unable to meet Michael's eyes. Part of his guilt fell away but some remained. He felt guilt for Dean and for Jess and a myriad of things but at Michael's little confession he suddenly felt angry. He didn't show it but it raged in his chest.

"What can I say, I was jealous" the man shrugged, "But then I found out about the fire. After the police report I must say I was a little suspicious. So I did my own digging"
"Michael…" Sam tried again

Michael glared at Sam, the emotions that crossed his injured face mirrored those of that night.

"I don't know how you can stand there…. after what sick and twisted thing you've done!" Michael spat, "To my family"

Sam could only swallow his own grief and hold back his own emotions.

"Like I said" he tried to keep his voice even but wasn't really succeeding, "It wasn't me. Someone…. Someone got in there before me"
"If it was someone, then who was it? Why wasn't their evidence that someone else was there?" Michael shot his face clearly enraged.

Sam knew he couldn't tell the complete truth. He was sure that Michael would never believe him unless he was there himself. So he did what he always did tell a half truth and a half lie.

"I went on a short road trip with my brother for the weekend" Sam started and Michael didn't interrupt, "When I came back the shower was running so I thought she was taking a shower"
Sam paused giving a small smile, "She even baked cookies"

Michael looked away and Sam continued.

"I lay down on the bed" Sam found his mouth and throat dry. He never opened up about this day, not even to Dean. He had always kept details out just giving the gist of what happened. He was doing this now because a part of him wanted Michael to know the truth and another wanted to get rid of the misplaced anger.

Michael turned to him studying his face. Sam did a good job of masking it but not good enough. The pain was too raw and real. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her on the ceiling. There was not a day that went by that he blamed himself because he could have stopped it. He could have stopped Jess from dieing at the hands of The Demon. If only he had heeded the warning in his dreams or now he had dubbed them visions. He could have prevented this mess from happening, Michael will still have his sister and his parents will still have a daughter.

"Then what?" Michael urged his voice quiet and rough

Sam snapped out of his thoughts wetting his mouth so it wouldn't stick together.

"I saw her on the ceiling" Sam left out the blood. There was no need for Michael to know how horrible her death was. She was gutted like a fish and perhaps was there for hours before Sam found her, slowly bleeding and in pain…
"Then the fire started"
"How?"
Sam shook his head, "I don't know"
"What do you mean you don't know?" Michael pushed
"I don't know!" Sam snapped hoping the man would drop it and he did

Michael turned away towards the large window that was bringing all the light in. Silence descended for the longest time. Neither man said anything their minds were else where and hearts raging with emotion.

"I still hate you" he muttered but not so coldly

Sam shrugged but the man didn't see it.

"You're not the first"

With that Sam left, leaving Michael alone with his thoughts.

Dean patted the steering wheel of his black beauty of an Impala.

"Oh baby! I missed you!" he cooed, "And I know you've missed me too, but I'm back! I'm sure you're itching to hit the road 'cause I sure am!"

Sam gave a small smile at his brother as they finally entered into the Impala. He sank down gratefully, after being weeks here at the hospital, being back in these leather seats and to finally be away from this place and this town was somewhat a relief. He was also grateful to give his recovering leg a rest.

Dean was pleased that that he was reunited with his beloved car. He had to admit he missed the hunk of metal, more so he missed being out and being able to hunt. He was not sorry to leave the crappy boring hospital and this town behind. The stop over town was much more trouble than it was worth and he eager to get back into it again.

"Should I get out and let you two have a moment?" Sam quipped
"Funny Geek boy but I know jealously when I see it" Dean shot back gripping and re-gripping the steering wheel as he was trying to get a feel for it again
Sam gave a small chuckle, "Let's go"

Dean couldn't have agreed more. He inserted the key and turned it .The machine purred into life and Dean hit the gas petal and for the first time in weeks the Impala was on her way back onto the road.

Soon a comfortable silence filled the car as they hit the open road and left the town behind them.

"Al-right!" Dean gave a happy chuckle

He admitted that his mood was a little lifted. Sure their father was still missing and he was almost burnt to a crisp but he was out of the hospital and leaving that all behind. He just got another set of co-ordinates meaning there was another chance to find their father, even if it was a slim hope but it was hope none the less. Even his burn scars healed pretty nicely just leaving faint marks.

Dean glanced over to Sam. Sam was still limping a little but with the physical therapy he went from crutches to a walking stick to just a limp. Dean was eager to get back into it but he wasn't going to hunt unless his brother was a hundred percent. He didn't want to endanger his life if his head wasn't in the game. Dean wasn't blind he could see how this affected Sam and what was worse he didn't want to talk about it. Sure Dean wasn't into the whole chick-flick thing but it worried him that Sam wasn't opening up like he usually does. Sam always talked through his concerns and troubles which suited Dean fine because then he knew what was going on in his mind. If he didn't then he hadn't had much of an idea. Funnily enough it was the opposite with Sam. Sam could always see right through him and even when he tried to hide something.

"Sammy?" Dean prompted

Sam glanced at Dean before his gaze returned to the window. Sam shifted wanting Dean to drop the subject. Unfortunately when Dean got into his protective big brother mode he was like a dog with a bone and wouldn't let it rest until it did.

"I'm fine" Sam muttered

Dean, of course, didn't buy that so he decided to go for a different tactic.

"I saw you going to Michael's room" Dean started

Sam tensed a little but didn't reply.

"Did you find out anything?" Dean asked
"Someone tipped him off that we were here" Sam told his findings
"What? Who?" Dean asked
Sam shrugged, "It was an anonymous tip"

Dean gave a sigh.

"Something or someone is after us Dean" Sam continued
"Or after Dad" Dean added, "So we just need to cover our tracks better"

Silence remained and Sam resumed his staring out of the window and Dean kept his gaze ahead on the straight road, but couldn't help but flick his eyes over to Sam every minute.

"I'm fine!" Sam growled easily seeing his brother's behavior at the corner of his eye, "Would you just let it go?"
"No Sam. Some normal person jumped us in the middle of the night. He knew we were there through an anonymous tip and to top it off he beats the crap out of you and almost made me extra crispy so don't tell me you're fine Sammy!" Dean snapped sick of being closed off from his own brother for all these weeks. He was tired and he selfishly wanted his brother to come to terms with what happened and open up already.
"Whatever is going on your freaky head of yours, we can deal with it, together" Dean added hoping to coax whatever was bothering his brother and in turn bothering him.

Sam sighed knowing it would eventually come to this. He knew when he didn't naturally open up either it went unnoticed or Dean picked it up. He foolishly hoped that it would go unnoticed but with Dean being in a big-brother mode there was nothing that went past him. He finally gave up deciding to satisfy Dean to some extent.

"What do you want me to say Dean?!" Sam snapped, "That this was all my fault?! That I started this whole thing?!"
"Whoa hold it! There was no way this was your fault Sammy! That guy was a loon!" Dean snapped, And he took it out on you!

Sam gave a sigh feeling tired.

"If Jess was still alive then none of this would have happened" Sam said so quietly that Dean almost didn't hear it

Dean let his gaze flicker out of his side window before returning to the road ahead. He didn't know how to deal with his brother's grief. He had never lost a girlfriend like Sam did. The only person to have died that he ever cared was their mother. But years had passed, sure it hadn't squashed the pang of sadness and emptiness but it wasn't fresh and raw either. Sam's girlfriend died the same way their mother did and Sam saw it himself. He even mentioned he had dreamt about it before it actually happened.

"Sam-" Dean started
"Dean, he could have killed you. He wanted to kill you because of me" Sam cut Dean off
"No he was a nutcase that took revenge on the wrong person" Dean corrected forcefully, "He made that choice"
"I could have stopped it"
"How Sam? He jumped us. He even got a tip from someone!" Dean growled
Sam turned back to the window, "I could have stopped the whole situation"
"How?" Dean repeatedly asked
"By saving Jess!" Sam snapped, "I could have…. I should have…"

Dean gave a weary sigh. It was like running in circles and getting nowhere. His brother truly believed that this was his fault. Sam resumed withdrawing, staring blankly out the window.

Sam glanced at his brother knowing the angry, weary and frustrated look he wore. Sam did felt guilty because this all started with him and his failure to save Jess. It eventually led to this event that almost got them killed, almost got Dean killed, and he could never be sure that Michael would come after them again.

But a deeper feeling nagged at him. That night when Michael pulled the gun on Dean and fired he was truly afraid that Dean was dead, that was gone. He didn't think he could live if Dean had died that night. He remembered feeling overwhelming grief and rage about everything that had happened. People kept dying because of him and he was tired of it.

He saw literally red and could think of nothing else but Michael and how much he wanted to kill him. The murderous rage that he never thought he'd never have, heightened his senses and he let go. He had let all his emotions go with every strike. All pain was pushed from his mind and the world around him didn't matter.

Nothing mattered when Dean was dead.

He remembered the relief when Dean called his name. He was overwhelmed with mixed emotions of relief, happiness and concern that he forgot about Michael and focused on his brother.

In hindsight he remembered Michael wasn't moving and didn't even recoil from the attack the way he normally should. Sam knew he didn't want Michael to move, to get away or even to be armed. He wasn't too sure what exactly happened but he knew he had caused it somehow. He had caused Michael to be frozen in place and to receive every punch with such force that it scared him.

He didn't want to share this with Dean though. He is still trying to get use to the idea that he sees things happen in his dreams and even visions. In a way he didn't want to bombard Dean with a hunch or a feeling he had. He was trying to deal with these visions himself.

Sam drew out from his thoughts and stole a glance at Dean. His face had changed to an annoyed look but was relaxed. At least his face looked relaxed. He knew Dean was pissed with the whole thing but Sam was too mentally tired to mention it. He knew Dean was blaming himself for letting him get beaten by a normal human 'nutjob'.

But Sam didn't bring it up. What was the saying? Take the boulder out of your own eye before taking the speck out of your brother's eye

So he shifted tried to get a bit more comfortable for the long road ahead and soon his eyes drooped and succumbed to sleep. Dean glanced at his brother and held a small secret smile before hiding it again. He relaxed and decided that they could deal with stuff later. After all he had a long drive ahead of him and he couldn't miss the chance to rudely awake Sam from sleep with the grand tunes of Black Sabbath.

With a small chuckle to what he was going to bestow on his little brother he fixed his eyes to the road a head and pushed the pedal further. The Impala responded and purred down the highway and into the horizon.

The End

That 's truly the end. It took me a while to write this, I wrote this mainly at work and sometimes at home. Anyway let me know your thoughts, feelings and give me some feedback.

Will you spare a review? Let me know what you think! If you like it or hate it tell me!