I decided to shorten this chapter so that I would be able to post it earlier. I already have half of the second half written, so the wait should not be so long this time.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. It means alot that there was people who are sticking with me and this story.

I hope you enjoy and thanks again,

Jem

Dean had been able to bless the water tank with little trouble, but his luck seemed to be changing now that he was inside the warehouse. He had planned to make his way to the far side of the building from the outside, but a pair of overeager minions were guarding the far entrance. Dean had slipped through the nearest door altering his plan to travel his way inside the building. That had proved suspiciously easy and it was only as he reached his lighter towards the fire detector that he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Which is why Dean was now pressed as deep into the shadows as he could under a metal stairway. A group of three demons had crashed into the room shortly after he had hidden himself, thankfully to engrossed in themselves to notice his presence.

Dean noted that none of the demons was the female Monika from the video and he felt an edge of nerves push forward at the thought that she could be near Sam or even Samantha at this time.

The demons moved towards a door at the far side of the room, all the while talking too loudly to be on any kind of guard.

"So what happens when the cavalry shows up for the big one?" A particularly scrawny demon asked.

A demon who was much beefier answered. "Monika is going to take the weapon from them, then dispose of them."

Dean felt his brow furrow in confusion at this. What weapon were they looking for? As far as he knew neither Samantha nor himself had any weapon that a demon would want...unless it was the Colt? That didn't seem likely because they had had the Colt for years, why would demons want it now after all this time?

These thoughts disappeared from his mind as the demon made their exit. It was a few moments after the door on the far wall closed before Dean felt it was safe enough to creep out from under the stairs. He slammed his foot through an old rooted box splintering the wood. Creating a small fire.

Never a patient man it took Dean all of thirty seconds to decide that waiting for the fire to be noticed was not the best idea. He quickly climbed up on another steadier box and reached his lit lighter towards the detector.

It took a moment before the detector picked up the small flame from the lighter. With a deafening shriek the extinguisher seemed to wake like a living thing and cool holy water rained down on Dean's head.

Without waiting for another moment Dean ran towards the far door, bursting through and out into the open air. It was only there that he stilled pressing his back up against the wall trying to bend his body to the shadows.

He could hear screams of anger and pain ringing out and echoing around the warehouse. Mission accomplished he thought was a satisfied smirk. He silently thought that the demons should be happy that Sam and Samantha's safety was at risk or he would not be so kind to the demons who even considered threatening his family.

When it was clear that no demon was making their escape this way Dean began to make his way back to where the impala was hidden. The rest of his escape was pretty uneventful, which made Dean feel more on edge then at ease. When had anything ever been easy for a Winchester?

He allowed himself to smile as the black glory of his car came into view, but this was swiftly followed by his heart picking up speed when he did not see any figures waiting by her. Could something have happened to them? What is they were in the demons hands or worse?

His sudden fear caused his muscles to seize and he stumbled, causing a wave of stones to squid across the pavement.

The night air was suddenly filled with a loud click as a figure popped up from behind the impala, a gun pointed directly towards Dean's heart.

Dean threw his hands up to shoulder level, all his muscles freezing one moment then relaxing at the site of a head of blond curls and big green eyes that were locked on him.

"God Dad! Do you have a death wish or something?" Samantha cried in desperation, quickly lowering the gun from her father and flicking on the safety. Samantha pulled herself to her feet, her hands stubbornly on her hips, her eyes blazing in anger

The relief at her safety was too great for Dean to worry about if she was pissed, knowing that it came from worry not hate. "Any quicker on that trigger and you'd be an orphan Sammy girl." Dean said chuckling softly as he made his way towards his daughter

Samantha huffed, causing a couple of blond curls to flow away from her face with the short breath. "That is not even a little funny," she glared at him. Noticing that her father was simply going to ignore her, she returned back to business. "I got him dad, he's over here." She spoke her voice coming out surprisingly soft.

Dean stilled as the words registered. Sam was here. He suddenly found that he was unable to move, after so many years of his greatest wish being to see his brother again, Dean could not take a step towards him. Irrational fears sank into his gut. What if they had changed too much? What if it was never the same? Did Sam even want to see him?

Samantha cocked her head, studying her father's blank face and only seeing quiet fear raining from his eyes that were trained on the spot on the impala that was blocking Sam from view. Worry crept into her voice as Samantha breathed, "Dad?"

Dean hardly noted his daughter calling to him all he could hear was the rushing in his ears.

"Dean?" came a hesitant voice from the far side of the impala. The voice was soft, frightened and so familiar that Dean felt himself moving forward before his brain registered it as belonging to his brother.

Dean rounded the front of the car to see his brother's form slumped on the ground. The figure had changed over the year but Sam's eyes were the same and they were currently searching for him. As the brother's locked eyes for the first time after 26 years, Dean saw that Sam's eyes were mirroring the same fear, loneliness and love that his own held.

"Sammy." Dean breathed out the name like it was a prayer and a sigh of relief. Sam returned a small smile and quietly reached one hand towards his brother.

That was all it took to make Dean move. In the next heart beat Dean had surged forward to clasp Sam in his arms tightly as if he would disappear. He vaguely noted that Sam was holding onto him just as tightly, his large hands grasping the back of Dean's coat like a life line.

There, crunched on the cool pavement Dean felt the wall that he had spent years building tumbled into dust. All his fears and worries over the years faded and he simply focused on the amazing sound of Sam's heart beat close to his own.

Dean pulled away first, he kept one hand on his little brother's arm afraid to break his hold in any way. He studied the face that had once been so familiar, there were wrinkles were there hadn't been but he was definitely Sam. Dean felt a smile break across his face and he laughed deep in his chest, ignoring the tears that were trapped in his eyes.

For the first time in a long time, it seemed everything was going to be alright.

Sam couldn't help but smile back at his brother. It felt so good to have him near that he was nervous to release his hold on Dean's arm. Only the fact that Dean had not let go of him allowed him to calm his racing heart.

Sam had spent years dreaming about what it would be like to see his brother again, what he would say and do. He had imagined Dean raging and pushing him away, but never had he allowed himself to imagine the complete joy the he saw on his brother's face. He had planned to beg forgiveness and explain why he had put their lives above his own. Now that the moment had arrived Sam found that all his plans had dissolved and he could do nothing but drink in Dean's presence. It seemed as if Dean did not feel the need to say anything either. So they watched each other silently as Sam simply let tears track their way down his cheeks.

Dean lifted his hand and grasped the back of Sam's neck. "Old age has made you soft Sammy. You're crying like a little girl." The affection was clear in every word and it washed over Sam healing all past wounds.

Sam chuckled as he absently leaned into the touch. "Then it seems to have done the same to you. Maybe it was raising a girl?"

Dean shook his head smiling. He turned his head when he heard a soft laugh answer in response. Samantha was standing a couple of feet away and she was beaming with happiness, her eyes also damp.

Her smile slipped into a smirk when she noticed her father's eyes on her. "What me? I'm the last person who could make a softy out of anyone. I'm not really the touchy feely type" There was something about her demeanour that made her suddenly look very young and alone. Dean watched as the true feelings were clamped down. Samantha put a wall which was so like her father's between herself and the world. Knowing his daughter better than anyone did, Dean could see the need to belong to her family despite her efforts to hide, to be certain that they would be together and that all would now be right.

Sam must have seen it too because he reached his arm out towards his niece silently. Samantha understood his silent request and she fell into her uncle's arms, her head pressed against his chest. Dean stroked her curls softly and tried to soak in the fact that his family was finally together.

Crunched there is the brisk night air, one hand clasping the back of Sam's neck and the other playing with Samantha's curls, Dean allowed the tears to fall. The release of these joyful tears cleansing any anger that he had felt towards Sam for staying away for so long. At least in this exact moment.

Sam raised his eyes from Samantha that were shining with contentment to look at Dean. They tracked to something over Dean's shoulder and suddenly widened. That was the only warning that Dean received before he and Samantha were flung away from Sam by an invisible force.

Dean landed on his side a couple feet to Sam's left and Samantha was pulled forward onto her back just out of reach of Sam's feet.

Craning his neck to see the oncoming danger, Dean struggled against the unseen force that was pinning him down.

A female stepped out of the shadows and Samantha recognized her as the demon Monika from the video, the one who had captured Sam. It seemed that both the brother's recognized her too because they were fighting the force holding them with all of their might.

Samantha glanced back at Sam and saw pure fear when his eyes met her own. Dean watched the exchange suspiciously, what did they know that he did not? Sam was radiation terror, but he had never been one to be afraid for his own life.

Dean felt his heart dropped into his stomach as the demon stalked up to his daughter's side. Sam's terror creeping into his own veins as he recognized Monika's target.

Samantha.

TBC