IT'S ALL IN THE CARDS

DISCLAIMER: The usual, not mine to own but I love to play ... no money passes hands for this story or any other I write. I wish but nope not yet. No Laundromat washers or dryers were harmed or destroyed in the writing of this story.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the combination of three story ideas, and thanks and LovinJackson for the wonderful input and ideas for this story.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: Sam is 18 and Dean is 22 – 23 (set between new years day and Dean's birthday to begin with.) Before Sam goes to Stanford.

S—D

Chapter Seven

Then: Max slipped on the white lab coat and picked up the clipboard, he checked himself once again in the mirror; he tried to hide the IV port with a crepe bandage under the long sleeve. He rummaged through the changing rooms for the male staff and found a pair of shoes that were close enough in sizes to fit him, he had no socks but that didn't matter.

He had one objective and that was to get into the ICU room of Sam Winchester to re-establish the connection he had with the kid and then to extract him and his brother from the hospital. How he was not sure of just yet but it will come to him.

'Shame you became expendable Max,' Max heard his own voice but knew it wasn't him speaking and then it dawned on him. Pitt was using him as a meat-suit. 'Very good Max, you see I just don't have the time to do your plan so I decided to modify it a little.' The demon possessed man smirked, his eyes flashing yellow before returning to the dull dark brown once again. 'Time to go to work, Doctor.'

Now: Sam woke slowly, feeling as though he was swimming through jelly to reach full consciousness, a tugging on his feet tried to stop him from reaching his destination, but determinably he pushed his way back. An echoing laugh sent shivers down his spine, 'my Son, I am coming for you.' The words twisted around him anchoring him in the murkiness thickening the jelly until it became like ice, hard and impenetrable.

A soft sob the only sound he made but it was enough for his ever-vigilant brother to hear and appear at his side, 'Sammy, hey Sam come on kiddo time to wake up.' He whispered in Sam's ear as she gently tried to ease Sam back into wakefulness.

'You are mine, my Son no one else's.' The voice continued to taunt Sam blocking out Dean's voice but fortunately not his presence. The weight of Dean's hand on his arm helped Sam to focus and finally he managed to break through his frozen prison of his unconscious.

'N-No!' Sam cried out, snapping awake he stared wide-eyed but unseeing at his brother, 'no ... not ... yours.'

'Sammy, Sam hey dude, snap out of it.' Dean cupped Sam's face and forced him to make eye contact. 'look at me Sam.'

'D-Dean?' Sam blinked furiously, 'Dean is you?'

'Yeah man, you okay?' Dean sat back a little but kept physical contact with Sam by leaving his hand resting on Sam's forearm, 'wanna tell me what that was all about?'

'Bad dream.' Sam shrugged, 'where's dad?'

'Where he's always at lately, Tess's.'

'Oh.' Sam finally broke his gaze away and started to study the bedspread, 'Dean?'

'That's mah name.'

'If – if I tell ya something promise you won't laugh or not believe me?'

'What is it Sammy?'

'I – I can hear him,' Sam formed a fist with his good hand and pounded the side of his head as though he was trying to punch someone or something out of existence in his mind.

'Hey, hey first up stop that Sam,' Dean grabbed Sam's fist and laid his hand back on the bed and pinned it with his hand, 'next what exactly did he say?'

'He—he called me his Son and that he's coming for me, that I'm his and no one else's.'

'And you heard this when you were awake or asleep?'

'Asleep, it felt like I was trapped, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get to the surface and then, then I was trapped under ice and all I could hear was his voice.' Once Sam started he couldn't stop, he went on to describe in detail everything about his dream or ... whatever it was. Dean sat silently and listened intently as Sam continued to talk when he finally stopped and looked up his brother a shy guarded look in his eyes.

'Sammy, hey listen to me,' Dean spoke slowly and chose his words carefully; this was the first time since this whole mess began, that Sam had completely opened up with him. 'This is not ... He is not going to get to you Sam, I'm gonna make sure of it.'

'Dean ... I – I can't ... you ... hurt.'

'Slow down there kiddo, you're not makin' much sense.' Dean moved closer to Sam, he clamped down on his dislike of all things chick-flick, he could do this, he will do this for Sam. 'Sammy, me and dad are gonna make sure that he's not gonna get anywhere near you.'

Sam sighed heavily and was about to speak when the door opened startling both of the Winchester brothers, Sam's eyes widened in horror when he saw the person standing in the doorway with an evil smirk on the otherwise unemotional face. 'Good to see you again Child.'

'Who the fuck are you?' Dean snarled immediately moving between the unwanted guest and his clearly distressed ailing brother.

'I am the way Dean, do not worry I am not going to hurt you or your brother,' the man smiled benevolently at the two young men, 'I need your brother to come with me and I understand that you will have to come too.'

'M-Max.' Sam whimpered, 'not Max.'

Dean growled low and snapped his shoulders back as he eased the hip flask from his back pocket, 'hmm nope not gonna happen.'

'You cannot possibly fight me Dean but come with us and together we can bring your brother's future to fruition.'

'Sorry got places to go and people to see, aint got time for ya.' Dean quipped as he flicked the top off the flask and sprayed the contents over Max. The possessed man screamed as the blessed water acted like acid when it contacted with his flesh.

The roaring was deafening and both Dean and Sam had to cover their ears as the entity possessing Max fled the body and gathered along the ceiling, the thick, oily black cloud hovered and then dissipated through the air vents, they could feel the tremors running through the building, as the demon's rage exploded.

'Are you boys alright in here?' A harried looking doctor came running in and nearly tripped over the body of Max. 'What the? What's going on in here?'

'Dunno Doc, this dude came in and started threatening Sam,' Dean yelled angrily, 'he was one of the ones who hurt Sam.'

'What?' Mark hunched down next to the body and carefully turned him over, 'ah shit.'

'Doc you cussing there?' Dean tried to sound upbeat for Sam's sake.

'This man was a patient who disappeared from his room, he was technically brain-dead they were having trouble finding next of kin to turn the machines off.'

'Max was dead?' Sam asked his stare fixed on the waxen face of the corpse, 'he was dead?'

'Yeah Sammy, who was he?' Dean asked as he went back to sit with his brother while Mark covered Max with a sheet and went to find security and then the morgue attendants.

'He – he worked for ... demon ... father ... he – he hurt ... demon father told ... saved ... hurt ... hurts me.' Sam tried to get the words out but no matter how he formed his sentences in his mind, the words themselves came out jumbled and confused.

'Slow down Sammy, that's it just take some big breathes.' Dean coached Sam his own worry spiking when his brother's words came out so jumbled.

'He, he work demon.'

'He ... Max worked for the demon who took you?' Dean tried to fill in the blanks for Sam but it was slow and frustrating for both of them.

'Hurts ... helps ... try help ... '

A tentative knock at the door stalled any further discussions, Sam closed his eyes and turned his face away from the others, he was so tired, without realising it he hit the PCA button and sighed with relief as the pain relief flood through him.

'Hey Jim good to see you.' Dean said greeting the cleric warmly.

'Good to see you too Dean,' Jim hugged the young man tightly and then he turned his attention to the youth lying in the hospital bed. 'How is he?'

'Not doing too good at all Jim.' Dean said softly, 'oh Jim this is Sam's doctor Markus Welby, Mark this is Pastor Jim Murphy.'

'Wish we were meeting under better circumstances.' Mark said as he shook hands with the cleric, 'ah sorry about ....' He waved his hand helplessly at the covered body on the floor, 'I'm waiting for the morgue guys to come and get it.'

'Dean?'

'He was a worker for the ... man who took Sam.' Dean spat the word man out as though it was a description of evil.

'I ah ran into your father on the way up here, he had me already on the approved visitors list.'

'Where is he?'

'Downstairs with Tess, they were talking to a police officer, he said that he'd be right up.' Jim replied and then grinned at Dean, 'Tess is a nice woman.'

'Yeah she is, dad is actually acting like a man not a robot ...' Dean chuckled softly.

The sound of voices from just outside the door had Mark going to find out what was going on while Dean and Jim turned to stand guard over Sam.

Startled Dean turned when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt, for the first time since he was six years old Sam had his fingers twisted in the fabric, 'ahh Sammy.'

Restlessly, Sam moved in the bed and tried to get into a more comfortable position but no matter what he did he ached. The traction sling was uncomfortable to say the least and his arm and chest itched under the confines of the immobiliser. 'I am coming my Son, I will be back for you.'

'No, No, NO!' Sam screamed, his back arched with a sudden spike in pain, he could feel fingers inside his shoulder joint, twisting and squeezing the tender muscles and barely healed surgical wounds. 'S-stop please, stop Father!'

'Sammy?' Dean felt his stomach clench and roil when he heard Sam scream out the word Father writhing in agony, 'wake up please Sammy wake up.'

'Argh no ... stop ... please ... hurts ... De?'

Dean stared up at Jim imploring him silently to help him and to help his baby brother.

S—D

John paced the small waiting room trying to reign in his temper, 'fucking fool of a cop.'

'John please we need to get to Sam now.' Tess tried to calm the big man, 'he's ... he needs his father.'

'Sam?' John blinked and visibly deflated in front of the psychic, 'what is it Tess?'

'The creature is trying to get to Sam in his mind.' Tess said as she wavered and started to wilt, collapsing against John's chest, 'he's hurting him.'

Wrapping his arm around her slim waist, John guided Tess to the bank of elevators and made sure that they were alone on the way to the ICU ward. 'Hey Kaylee.' He greeted the young nurse as he and Tess made their way to Sam's room. The primal scream of pure pain and anguish had the pair of them break into a run to cover the rest of the way.

'What the hell?' John thundered as he watched men clad in white scrubs wheel away a sheet covered body and then on entering the room found Dean and Jim trying to calm down an openly distraught Sam. 'Dean?'

'You have to wake him now.' Tess said but stayed away from Sam's bed, 'the thing is attacking him.'

'Like the way they attacked you?' John asked confused at why she hung back away from Sam.

'Yes, please help him wake up.'

Dean ignored the strange woman clutching her damned cards to her chest and focused all of his attention on helping his brother. 'Come on Sammy wake up for me please wake up.'

'Sam? Son time to wake up.' John joined his eldest in waking the baby of their family.

'Dad?' Sam slowly opened his eyes, 'no ... Father?'

'No Sam, it's me dad, Dean's here and so is Pastor Jim.'

'Father?' Sam stared up at the man hovering over him with wide confusion filled eyes, 'sorry.'

'For what Sam?'

'Not ... no ... Dad?' Sam slumped against his pillows, his frail chest heaving as he fought to control his breathing, the pain in his shoulder gone as fast as it came, leaving him breathless, confused and even more terrified than before.

'Sammy?' John breathed out his son's name, 'welcome back son.'

'M'sorry Dean.'

'What for Sam?' Dean glanced over at his father before meeting Sam's teary gaze.

'Tried so ... not alone ... in here.' Sam fumbled for the PCA button needing relief from the emotional and physical pain. 'Not work.'

'It's too soon kiddo, it's too soon to have anymore.' Dean said as he crouched down to Sam's eye level, 'want me to get the doc for ya?'

'Dean?'

'That's me kiddo, you had us worried there.'

'Why?'

'You had a bad dream.'

'Oh ... Dean?'

'Yeah Sam?'

'Why's more here?'

'More?' Dean asked confused and then when he looked up at the two newer arrivals he understood, 'that's just Tess and Pastor Jim, they've come to see ya.'

'P-Pastor Jim?' Sam frowned, 'n-not half-demon, m'not.'

'Hey, hey Sam we know that, Pastor Jim just wanted to come and see you, that's all.' Dean glanced up at the cleric and then back down at Sam, 'he wants to say hi.'

Sam turned his head slightly so he could see the preacher, he gave him a shy smile but was unable to make eye contact, 'hey Pastor Jim.'

'Hello Sam,' Jim spoke softly and calmly, 'it's so good to see you.'

S—D

Doctor Mason Irvine went over his notes again, as the registrar Prue had chosen to take over Sam Winchester's case was both excited and nervous. She had told him about the obnoxious brother and monster of a father but also warned him about Mark Welby although Mason had always found the doctor to be friendly and very professional. He double checked his facts, straightened his tie and made sure that he had his cell phone and pager before going to leave the small office.

He never noticed the black smoke swirling above his head, or the sudden chill filling the room, he only noticed the light bulb in the desk lamp as it flickered on and off.

The door swished shut behind him as the young orthopaedic registrar hurried towards the ICU towards his new patient, his eyes flashed black for the briefest of seconds as he waited for the elevator doors to open a smirk on his face as he adjusted his lab coat and resettled the files under his arms. 'Show time.'

TBC