Disclaimer: As usual, they are NOT mine… it's still someone else's sandbox… but how cool is it that we can play in it?

NOTE from Auth: I want to sincerely thank Miss V for her amazing amount of patience she has with me. She has put up with my many medical issues, etc. Life tackles me on a regular basis but I have finally gotten this completed and from the bottom, top and middle of my heart, THANK YOU ALL for your favs, likes and alerts. Also, I read all the reviews… Love them, my computer underwent surgery (again) It has more memory but I got Windows 8... Hate it! People tell me it's awesome… I'm waiting for the love! I "found" a bunch of (finished) stories I may publish in the near future. There, caught up with my life. (cliff notes version… full details would read like War and Peace I'm afraid)

Chapter 26

Morning came breaking over the horizon in a myriad of colors that pissed Dean off. It had no right! None at all to be that damn peaceful when he was anything but at peace. Sam had been gone for at least twenty-four hours now. His world was hanging in limbo. If it crashed an burned depended entirely on if he found Sam or not. Scratch that. He was going to find Sam and Sam was going to be fine.

He'd been staring out the window as he downed his fifth cup of coffee. He smacked the empty cup down on the counter so hard he saw a crack appear across the bottom of it. Dean didn't have the energy to feel bad for breaking the cup. He heaved a great sigh and turned away to face Bobby.

He saw Bobby's expression so he plunged in, holding his hand up as he told him, "Don't… just don't. Let's go." as they approached the front door he quietly said, "I'm sorry Bobby, I don't mean to be…"

Bobby followed silently behind Dean, knowing that it was imperative that they find Sam; the sooner the better. He smiled fondly at Dean's back before he gave him a pat and a shoulder squeeze when Dean stopped to open the door. "It'll be okay." was all he said before they went to their own vehicles and headed out different directions to cover more ground.

Dean chewed on his lip as he tried to "feel" Sammy. When he was younger he was so "in-tune" with his little brother he would just go… on his gut and find that kid. He pulled off onto the shoulder of the road and as he stiffed armed the wheel he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Come on Sammy." he muttered a little desperately.

A short time later had Sam staring at the stack of cars in the distance. He'd gotten quite a ways from the area before he turned around and came back. He wanted to go back. He wanted more time with the care free happy Dean that he drank in yesterday before he rabbit-ed. But he was also afraid. He'd thought if he could hide out maybe he could live in the fantasy of never losing Dean. Of never having to watch the love die in his brother's eyes and him change into the angry, morose man of late. Honestly he was surprised the devil had let it go on for so long, he expected it all to disappear before his eyes. Shouldn't there be racks and torture devices? Screams and sulfur? Or was that not happening because of being stuck in that town? Was he still there? He couldn't make himself search out anything far away. That would mean leaving Dean. Leaving Bobby. Giving everything completely up.

He wasn't even that surprised when he heard the purr of Dean's baby, right on cue. He stood stock still, not daring to turn and watch his brother's approach. He heard Dean slam on the brakes, the car die and the door open simultaneously and then slam shut. And he waited. He felt Dean grab his arm and yank him around to face him.

Whatever Dean was going to say froze on his lips by what he saw in Sam's expression, "Sammy?" A mere whisper escaped.

Sammy tilted his head as he studied Dean. He didn't look pissed. He looked… worried. Sam ducked his head in shame.

"Sammy…" Dean's voice came out above a whisper the second time around.

Dean pulled his little brother into his arms, hugging him tightly as he pat him on the back, whispering into his ear, "You're okay now. I gotcha."

A sob escaped without permission as Sam's knees buckled, taking both of them to the ground.

Dean tightened his grip on Sam as he tried to pull away. "No." he told Sam as he struggled to move away once more.

"Dean, let me go. I can't… I …" Sam stuttered out as he shook his head. He was so confused.

"Sammy. Don't you ever leave me like that again. I can't…" Dean stopped, swallowing hard.

"Dean…" Sammy finally whispered.

"Yeah, little brother?" He responded huskily.

Sammy sighed and rested his head on Dean. He would remember this always.

"Are you hurt Sammy?" Dean asked softly.

Sam shook his head, not trusting his voice.

"Okay. Are you scared?" Dean asked just as quietly.

Sam stiffened before he nodded into Dean's shoulder. His actions made him feel 10 again but he couldn't muster up the energy to give a shit.

Dean felt a little of his fear chip away, this he could do. He'd been fixing scared little brother his whole life.

"Okay, clowns or idgits?" He asked. Hearing Sam give a wet snort was progress.

Leave it to Dean to bring in sure and tried methods to bring him in off the ledge.

"Okay." Dean worried his lip as he decided the best way to proceed. "okay… do you want to talk to me… give me a hint?"

Silence was loud as Sam leaned heavily into Dean. But this was his territory. This he could do… hunting Sam. He could do that too, he just hated it.

"Sammy. We did it. It's over. So… did you have a nightmare?"

"Didn't sleep." Sammy muttered as he drank in the closeness of his brother. It wasn't a perverted thing, It was a brother thing. It was a if this isn't real, I'm done kind a thing.

"You…" Dean started to repeat then hugged Sam tighter. So this was exhausted and scared Sam. He began rubbing circles onto Sam's back just like when he was little. After a bit he could feel Sam relax against him. He smiled. Yep, he still had it.

He readjusted how he was sitting until he was resting his back against a boulder looking out over the hint of valley below.

Neither had let go of the other as he started singing softly, " And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders… For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool. By making his world a little colder... Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah…"

"That's the 3rd verse." Sam mumbled into Dean's shoulder.

"Listen, bitch… I can sing the verses in whatever order that I want. Rule number 57, remember?"

Sam did chuckle out loud at that but took no action to move away from Dean. Instead he mumbled, "Rule number 57 and a half, Sam exception, which states, "When singing to Sam Hey Jude, it MUST be sung from beginning to end in order per the mom clause."

"You're enacting the mom clause on me?" Dean asked with a smile. "And it's the Sammy exception and when I sing to Sammy… To Sam I can sing songs however the hell I want, Rule number 57.1, bitch." Dean knew the easy banter was soothing to his little brothers' raw emotions… which he would be getting to the bottom of before they moved an inch from the spot of earth they were currently planted on.

"Fine… Don't Mess around with Dean then." Sam said as he pulled away and positioned himself beside Dean, shoulders touching.

Dean looked at him surprised… Sam had wrote, stole… whatever. When Sam was 12 he wrote Dean "Don't Mess around with Dean."

Softly, Dean began to sing, Jim Croce's Don't Mess around with Jim with a few changes per 12 year old Sammy…

"Uptown got it's stars
The bowery got it's bums
42nd street got big brother Dean
He's a pool-shootin' son of a gun
Yeah, he's tuff and cool as a man can come
But he's stronger than a country hoss
And when the bad folks all get together at night
You know they all call big brother Dean "boss",

just because… And they say

You don't tug on superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger
And you don't mess around with Dean

Well outta south Alabama came a country boy
He say I'm lookin' for a man named Dean
I am a pool-shootin' boy
My name's Willie McCoy
But down home they call me slim
Yeah I'm lookin' for the king of 42nd street
He drivin' a ole black Chevy

Last week he took all my money
And it may sound funny
But I come to get my money back
And everybody say jack don't you know

And you don't tug on superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger
And you don't mess around with Dean

Well a hush fell over the pool room
Dean come boppin' in off the street
And when the cuttin' were done
The only part that wasn't bloody
Was the soles of the slim man's feet
Yeah he were cut in in bout a hundred places
And he were shot in a couple more
And you better believe
They sung a different kind of story
When slim boy hit the floor now they say

You don't tug on superDean's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger
And you still don't mess around with Dean

Yeah, Slim got his hat
Find out where it's at
And it's not tryin' to hustle people strange to you
Even if you do got a two-piece custom-made pool cue

Yeah you don't tug on superDean's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off the old lone ranger
And you still don't mess around with Dean…"

Sam leaned back against the boulder with his eyes shut, listening to Dean, remembering giving Dean the song rewritten. It had been a crazy English assignment that had earned him a not just an A but a 100 percent. He loved it when he could make Dean smile like that… like then. Everything had been so easy back then, if only he had realized that. He had forgotten to appreciate everything Dean did and still did for him.

"I'm sorry Dean." Sam told him quietly.

Dean stopped humming and looked at Sam. Then he was sitting up and pulling Sam forward to look at him more closely. Sam didn't open his eyes and Dean freaked.

"What the fuck have you done Sam?" Dean demanded, giving him a hard shake. At the limp way Sam's body… no, Sam responded. His brain flashed back to Cold Oak.

"No, no, no…" Dean pulled Sam forward and held on tight. "Please, Sammy…"

Dean didn't even notice when Bobby pulled up or when he skidded on his knees in beside him. Dean did notice when Bobby reached for Sam. Dean smacked Bobby's hand away as he growled, "No."

"What the hell…" Bobby snapped as he heard a gurgling sound come from Sam.

Dean looked down startled.

Bobby laughed as he realized Sam was snoring.

Dean looked down and back at Bobby, a grin spreading across his face as he pulled out his phone.

At the questioning look on Bobby's face, Dean chuckled, "He will never believe he fell asleep in my arms… again."

"So he tell you why he ran?" Bobby asked softly.

"No, but he will."

THE END

P.S. Sorry for the abrupt ending, but it felt like a good spot. Again my apologies for the jumbled mess of updates. But, here we are. Finally. I sincerely appreciate all who have hung on with this story. As unusual this is NOT cannon nor do I have a beta. I have went over this repeatedly and think I have gotten all the little buggers (mistakes) ~iamtryN

P. P.S. - Songwriters: Croce, James - You Don't Mess Around With Jim lyrics, also Hey Jude is just not mine… J