AN: I hope you all like this chapter... don't forget to let me know!!

Taylor wasn't sure if he should be happy or upset that they had finally convinced Sammy to leave Dean's side. Of course the alternative was considered unacceptable and after confronting him about it, Sammy had grudgingly agreed to go back to the apartment and get some sleep; apparently the threat of bodily removing him was just enough motivation to make even the strongest of wills concede. They knew he wouldn't stay away long, but even a couple of hours rest would make all of them feel better about the situation. Celia had gone so far as to suggest a slight sedative to help the kid relax, but all the brothers had quickly nixed the idea knowing that if they agreed to that then they would lose his trust forever. Then again, the concession Sammy had made had the rest of them kicking themselves, after everything that had happened, they didn't feel comfortable with letting him out of their sights, but that was the agreement; Sammy would go home for no less than two hours, but he needed to be alone.

Stretching, Taylor noticed that he wasn't the only one watching the clock and knew that it was going to be a long time before they saw Sammy's dark eyes again and in that amount of time anything could happen. However, it was the only way they could show their little brother that they trusted him and wasn't the 'trouble magnet' that he now felt about himself. So instead of protecting him like they preferred they all had to stay behind and hope that everything fell into place. Of course it helped that part of the agreement was little bro was to call as soon as he got home, stay at the apartment with no wandering off, and call when he was about to leave. Still not feeling all that confident about the situation, the brothers took turns pacing around Dean's room alternating between staring at Dean willing him to wake, and looking at the clock as if it had done something offensive.

Stephen's cell phone rang, signaling Sammy's call, bringing everyone's attention to him. Taking a deep breath, he made the decision to stay calm and not let his anxiety show. "Hello… Hey Sammy, you get in ok?... No Buddy, no change… you know we will, but there won't be… yeah I'm sure, Dean's stable and there's no sign of further complications… ok, you get some sleep and we'll see you soon." As he hung up he rubbed his hand over his eyes and prayed that he hadn't lied to the kid. Dean was stable, and there weren't any signs of more complications, but what if something happened suddenly? He knew that Sammy would never believe him and would use it as an excuse to push everyone away again. Looking at everyone he tried to smile. "He got home without any problems and is about to hit the couch, he'll call when he's about to leave."

Nodding, Joseph and Taylor tried to focus on the problem at hand, why Dean hadn't woke up, but they kept going back to what was really bothering them; what happened to the Camero and did it have anything to do with Sammy?

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Sam hung up from talking to Stephen and made a note of the time on the DVD player before going into the kitchen and making himself a small milkshake. He wasn't really hungry but he knew that his brothers would give him the riot act if they found out he hadn't eaten anything while away from their watchful eyes. Pouring a small amount in a glass, he put the rest in the freezer in hopes it would show he had done something productive, then he moved towards the living room forcing himself to drink along the way. He hadn't even made it to the couch when a knock at the door took him by surprise. Quickly turning on the TV and the DVD player to give the apartment the appearance that it wasn't empty, he opened the door slightly and was shocked by who he saw.

"Paul? What are you doing here?" he asked, not sure what to make of the policeman tracking him down.

"Hey Sammy, look I came by to make sure you're alright. I know that was your big brother in that car and when I heard I made sure to get the top people in forensics on it. I just wanted to let you know that we're taking this case seriously and to make sure you're doing alright."

Something in the tone that Paul used set Sam on edge and he now wished more than anything that one of his brothers were home to help him figure it out. It didn't take long though for his suspicions to grow when the man in front of him sighed deeply before speaking again.

"Look Sammy, I hate to do this, but I have to ask you a few questions. So if you could get one of your brothers, we can get this taken care of quickly, ok?" Paul asked, wishing that he hadn't been put in this position.

"Questions?" Sam asked wondering what Paul thought he had answers for.

Paul reached into his pocket and pulled out his shield suspecting that the kid before him wouldn't like it too much. "Yeah, I've been put on this case. There are too many signs that this wasn't an accident and I need to ask you a few questions, but I can't do that without a legal guardian."

The words hit Sam hard. It wasn't an accident, a police detective wanted to talk to him, his friend was a detective! Not able to handle the situation further, Sam slammed the door and locked the deadbolt quickly without uttering a sound. As he stood there staring at the door, he wondered if Paul would kick the door down, but all he heard was a persistent knocking on the door. Finally even that stopped, and Sam slowly lowered himself to the floor not wanting to take his eyes off the large piece of wood in front of him in case it was a trick. He knew he should call Stephen, Joseph or even Taylor, but he had wanted to prove to them that he wasn't some sort of trouble maker, but it looked like he couldn't even do that right.

The two hours past slowly and still Sam sat and stared at the doorway. It wasn't until he heard the jingling of keys and the rattling of the doorknob that he pulled himself back to awareness in search for something to strike out at the intruder. The shaft of light coming from the foyer into the living room was the first sign that he was too late.

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The clock was either wrong or taunting them, that was the only explanation that they had for their little brother not calling right at the two hour mark as they had predicted. Their worry compounded when they realized that he wasn't answering his phone. Making a quick decision, Stephen and Joseph took off towards the apartment while Taylor stayed behind to watch over Dean, each one sharing the same thought; why did I let Sammy go alone?

Speed limits were just suggestions and suggestions were merely opinions, or at least that's what Stephen told himself as he raced the Suburban down the street in the attempt to get to the apartment in record time. None of them would forgive themselves if anything happened to their little brother, unfortunately with the evidence they had on hand, there was a very real possibility that something already had.

Joseph continued to try Sammy's cell phone but eventually the calls switched straight to voicemail causing the anxiety level in the SUV to skyrocket. They were only a few minutes away now but it felt like they could be hours for all the good it did. The idea of calling 911 wasn't even approached due to the hope that little bro was sleeping deeply and wasn't hearing the phone; it was the only thing that kept both men from going insane while waiting to get to their destination.

Screeching to a halt in front of the apartment building, they didn't bother taking the keys or shutting the door, instead leaving the vehicle to idle while they raced up the sidewalk and through the front door of the foyer. They both halted suddenly as they heard the TV clearly indicating that the door was at least slightly open, making both men wonder what they were really walking into.

As they crept up the stairs, they both pulled out their guns and quietly made their way closer to the door preparing for the worst. As they got closer they both heard muted whispers with the occasional sob, making their rage burn brighter. Not hesitating any further, Joseph kicked open the door while Stephen covered him, but as they got a glimpse of the room inside they both stared not able to comprehend the sight before them.

Two sacks of groceries lay scattered across the floor next to a knitted handbag and a shoe. The TV was still on but now showing the credits of an unknown movie with the soundtrack blaring through the speakers giving the illusion that the sound was echoing off the walls. However it was what they saw in the middle of the floor that caused both men's hearts to stop. Sitting in the middle of the floor was Mandy holding a catatonic Sammy in her lap as she tried to comfort him. They saw the tears making their way down her face but it wasn't until she looked at them with tear filled eyes that they saw the bruising across her cheekbone and wondered with horror what had just happened.

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Sam stood there in shock knowing that he didn't have anything in his possession to defend himself except himself. He knew that his brothers would have said something as they opened the door, it was something they always did when they thought he was by himself, so he knew that it was someone else coming through the door and he had no idea what they wanted. Knowing that he couldn't cower in a corner, he did what came naturally and charged towards the door, so focused on stopping whoever was breaking into his brothers' home he failed to notice the outline of the person walking in arms laden with groceries. It wasn't until he had already grabbed the intruder by the arms and swung them around that something in the back of his mind started to emerge, but it was already too late as his fist connected with flesh causing a cry of pain to be heard throughout the apartment.

Stunned, Sam stared at the person in front of him not understanding what had just happened, but then the reality of the situation slammed into him full force; he had just hit Mandy. He. Hit. Mandy.

Looking between his knuckles on his right hand and Mandy's left cheekbone, he stared at shock for a moment before it all sunk in leaving him breathless. "Oh my God… Mandy… I'm so sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" he said over and over not hearing her response but knowing that he had truly messed up and would never be forgiven; he shouldn't be forgiven, he'd hit someone who didn't deserve it, he was the monster that his Dad had always claimed, he didn't deserve to live.

Mandy had been surprised when she was flung into the apartment, and more than a little stunned that it was Sammy who was manhandling her, but when he struck her she was more confused than anything. Then she looked up and saw the stark horror on Sammy's face and understood that he hadn't known what he was doing, that he had already been scared out of his mind, why she didn't know but that didn't matter now.

"Sammy, its ok. Sammy?" she called out to him, but nothing seemed to breach the veil of shock that he seemed to be wrapped up in. It wasn't until he stared at her with unseeing eyes and started to collapse that she knew this was serious. Not wanting to leave his side even for a moment though, she cradled Sammy against her and tried to comfort him letting him know that she didn't blame him and it was safe to come back. It wasn't until she heard tires screech to a stop that she knew help had arrived and that's what she told Sammy in another effort to bring him back to them. When she heard the door kick open however she could only look up to the two men in the doorway.

"He didn't know… I did some shopping for you guys, I swear he didn't know it was me. Something happened, he didn't mean it." She cried out, praying that she hadn't ruined the brothers' relationship, but most of all, praying that she hadn't caused Sammy's downfall.