AN: This one's a bit slow, but hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway. Take care!

The room was quiet save for the soft sound of Sammy sleeping. Both John and Dean quietly walked around the small loft in the effort to give the youngest member of their family the extra rest he obviously needed. Neither had expected how quickly the kid would doze off after eating most of his lunch, but they both acted quickly to make sure he didn't hurt himself in the process. In fact, it was their quick thinking in keeping Sammy from face planting into the restaurant's floor that brought Sally out from the back and helped them out.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite ghost busters." She said cheerfully in her thick New England accent, leaving them to think about what she said before smiling in return.

John nodded slightly as he made sure his youngest was alright, just worn out from the trip. "Hey Sally, long time no see. I'd love to stick around and chat, but…"

As Sally looked down at the youngest Winchester her eyes widened. "Oh my, little Sammy… just what have you gotten yourself into." She said before motioning them to follow. "I've got a few empty rooms upstairs. Bring him on now; poor tike's worn out no doubt. Don't you believe in vacations Winchester?"

Laughing, John made sure that Dean had Sammy before they followed the woman up the stairs. "Funny you should mention that."

It hadn't take Sammy long to wake up slightly, fully embarrassed that he had fallen asleep at the table, but he finally calmed down when he saw that all he saw in his dad's face was worry. Now they were waiting for him to wake up once again so they could have dinner downstairs with Sally and her family. Hopefully being around other people for a couple hours wouldn't tire him out even more.

"Dean, I was thinking. If Sammy's not up to leaving for the cabin tomorrow morning, maybe we should get him checked out. I know the doctor said he'd get tired easily, but…"

"…but this is ridiculous. Yeah Dad, I think you're right. Hopefully he'll be ok after he eats some more… the kid's scrawny enough as it is." Dean said, trying to add some levity with his tone, but noticed it sounded flat even to his own ears, the doctor's warnings echoing through his brain.

Smiling sadly, John had to agree. It was bad enough that Sammy wasn't even as tall as other twelve year olds, but most of the time he looked too thin for his own body; and that was on a good day. As he watched his boy sleep he had to wonder once again about the path he'd chose all those years ago. He knew it was too late to go back to what once was, but he did have to wonder just what harm this ongoing hunt for Mary's killer was really doing.

The sound of movement coming from the bed released the breaths the elder Winchester men hadn't known they were holding. Neither wanted to voice their concerns anymore, they both were determined to make sure that their fears where ignored for as long as possible.

"Dean?" Sammy muttered sleepily not able to see much in the darkened room with the glare of the setting sun cutting through the glass and straight into his eyes.

"Right here Sammy. How ya feeling?" Dean asked, already moving to the bed with a glass of cold water in his hands.

Sammy hummed slightly, showing that he wasn't fully awake, but was definitely moving in the right direction. He remembered eating and little bit about waking up in a strange room, but it wasn't too clear and he had to wonder what else had happened. Before he had a chance to ask though, he felt the bed he was on dip heavily.

"Hey Sammy, how are you feeling son?" John asked as he placed his hand on Sammy's forehead before running his fingers through his boy's hair.

'Confused.' Sammy thought a moment before drinking the water Dean offered. "Uh…ok?"

Dean laughed lightly before squeezing his brother's shoulder. "Yeah, right. Dad and I were about to wake you up so we could get something to eat downstairs, and it's time for your meds again, so how about you wake up sleepyhead so we can get a move on."

John sat and stared at Dean in shock. They hadn't been planning on waking Sammy, in fact quite the opposite; then he understood and played along. "Yeah kiddo, it's time to get up and see if you can eat a whole bowl of chowder this go round."

Smiling slightly, Sammy nodded and slowly swung his legs around before sitting there staring into space for a moment. Lost in his own little world, he missed the growing concern in his family's faces.

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The table was full of plates which Sally had insisted they have as soon as she found out just how under the weather Sammy had been. She had never forgotten what they had done for her in her previous home and it was the only way she could think of to repay them.

As she watched them from across the room she couldn't help but admire the family as a whole. Oh sure, John was an ass as much as an asset, but the strength he exuded was warning enough to people close by not to mess with his kids. She remembered meeting the boys for the first time and wondered what they thought they were going to be able to do; Sammy being so small, and Dean barely out of puberty. Sure, she can admit when she's wrong – and she was. The boys did as good of a job as their father and she gained a new level of respect for them as young men as well as hunters.

Now little Sammy was ailing due to a concussion, and what was it John admitted, possible complications. Now if that didn't suck the wind out of her sails she didn't know what would. Being around fishermen her whole life, she was used to 'complications' ranging from clots to seizures, and each time she heard that word her blood ran cold. So, she had decided it was her calling in life at the moment to make sure that young boy didn't have 'complications' and became the strong, healthy boy she met before.

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Dean wasn't sure what was really going on. One minute it seemed like his little brother was back, the next an almost stranger was sitting next to him. He didn't blame Sammy, only the damn concussion that was putting the strain on his family, especially Sammy.

The doctor had warned them that with this type of injury, mood swings and confusion were common and would go away in time. What had him concerned though was how Sammy's blood pressure would spike at times, leaving them all to worry about what it could mean. Finally, the doc had noticed a pattern and issued the order of 'no excitement, roughhousing, or reading for long periods of time', which would be hard enough if Sammy was his normal self, but with this new version popping up at times, it was a crap shoot as to how a suggestion would be taken. As long as they could keep him calm while he healed, the doc was sure the quirky blood pressure issue would pass. Sure, no problem.

Sighing, he watched Sammy finally finish his bowl of chowder and begin working on a cookie, while hoping that nothing would ruin their time off, if for no other reason than his little brother's sake.

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He wasn't feeling very good, but if he said anything, he knew it would ruin the nice time they were having in Sally's restaurant. For once he wanted to just sit back and not worry about anything, but unfortunately that was just making him worry more. As he looked between his dad and brother he knew they were more concerned about him than anything else, but instead of being comforted by it, it scared him. Was this how it was always going to be; not knowing if they were there because they wanted to be, or if they had to be?

Eating his cookie quietly, he made an effort to keep it down as another wave of dizziness passed over him. He didn't want to be a burden anymore, he just wanted things back to normal – he wanted to be better.

"Dad, we're still going camping tonight, right? He asked, hoping that he hadn't ruined everything. Seeing both his dad and brother pause, he knew he had to act fast. "If we left now, we could probably find a site before it got too dark."

John and Dean looked at each other before turning their attention back to Sammy. Neither one knew how to answer him, but they both knew that something was going on in that overactive brain of his; neither one were willing to risk a meltdown at the moment.

Looking out the window, John gauged how long it would be before it became too dangerous to maneuver anywhere and came to the conclusion that they could probably get a fire started and finish setting up camp before it became too dark to see. Smiling, he nodded.

"You betcha kiddo. If you're done, we can grab a few things then head out." He said, giving Dean a cautionary look that said they could discuss it later. Seeing the happiness on his boy's face, he missed the other emotion that flittered across his face as well – relief.