Gah! School has been getting in the way and everything, so sorry for not updating earlier.
R&R please!
Disclaimer: Same as usual

"Sam!"

The cry had barely left his lips when he was already flinging the door open and jumping out, ignoring the painful pull of stitches as he went vertical.

Hell, the pain didn't even register. All that mattered right then was getting to his wounded brother as fast as humanly possible, maybe even faster, because it was Sam standing there in obvious pain, and if anything could get him moving, it was that.

The headlights illuminated the too pale figure of his brother as he dropped to knees in the dirt and started to pitch forward, his eyes falling closed.

Dean had already let it come to this, had already let Sam's injuries come to this. There was no way in hell he wasn't catching his brother this time, because that's what Dean did. He'd always be there to catch Sam when he fell, literally and figuratively.

His arms encircled Sam protectively, preventing him from landing face-first in the dirt.

"It's okay, Sammy. I've got you now. I've got you. You're gonna be okay. I'm gonna patch you up and then we can laugh about this whole thing in a few days, alright?" Dean prattled on more for his own benefit than Sam's, seeing as Sam was mostly unconscious now anyway.

"Alright. You're okay. Come on, let's get you to the Impala." He kept up his meaningless litany of comforting words as he hefted Sam over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. It worried him when the movement elicited no response from his brother, spurring him on to move faster back to the car.

"How's he doin?" Bobby asked worriedly from the back seat, leaning over to open the passenger door for him.

"Not too hot, Bobby. Literally. He's practically frozen right now and it's not even that cold out. I really need to take a look at him when we get back to the motel."

Dean dropped Sam into the seat, belting him in and draping a blanket over his shivering form.

He cursed at the fresh blood saturating Sam's wounded shoulder and gently lifted the torn shirt to access the damage. He swore colorfully when he saw a new row of bloody holes set just beneath the old ones.

Stripping off his over shirt, he hastily wrapped it around Sam's newly injured shoulder, sloppily tying it to help staunch the flow of blood that ran like rivers down his arm and chest.

Once he was satisfied that Sam was as comfortable as he was going to get, Dean shut the door and ran over to the other side, jumping into the still-running car and grabbing the wheel, driving in reverse the whole way back down the trail.

()()()()SPN()()()()

"How's he doing?" Dean asked for the fifth time in the last minute, glancing over at his pale brother once again and not liking how his breath was coming short and shallow.

"The same as he was the last four times you asked, Dean. Look, just try concentrating on the road for now so we don't end up in a ditch somewhere, ya idjit." Bobby tossed back from where he was leaning over Sam, checking the bite for himself. "Damn…"

Dean glanced away from the road again to stare at Bobby. "Damn? What does that mean? What does 'damn' mean, Bobby? Because it doesn't sound good." The Impala hit a pothole and the whole car jerked to the side, forcing Dean's eyes back on the road. The last thing they all needed right now was a crashed car on top of everything.

"It means that your brother is in trouble, Dean. I had my suspicions, but…" Bobby trailed off as he leaned closer to the wound, peering at it almost fearfully.

"But? Come on, Bobby. Tell me. This is Sam." Dean practically pleaded, but he didn't even care at the moment. He was willing to do the damn salsa dance if it meant that Bobby would spit it out already.

"But it looks like this bite is poisoned, Dean. The Mngwa must have had a kind of venom coating its teeth or something." Bobby picked up from where he left off, laying it all out for Dean.

"Fuck!" Dean swore angrily, hitting the steering wheel. He was silent for a few moments before he spoke up again."Fine. It's poisoned. So, what? We take him to the hospital and they give him an antidote or antibiotics or something."

Bobby cleared his throat and sat back in his own seat, done with his triage of Sam's injury. "What do you think we'd tell them? 'Oh, sorry, but my friend here got bitten by a poisonous tiger. Do you have an antidote for that?' Sorry Dean, but I think we're on our own for this one."

He was about to swear again when a quiet groan had his attention drawn away from the road and onto his brother once again.

"Sammy? Come on, man, wake up for me. Open those eyes. Come on." Dean's eyes swiveled back and forth between his brother and the road as he waited for a reaction from Sam.

Bobby's eyebrows scrunched together slightly in confusion. "Dean? You alright, boy? Sam didn't do anything."

"Yeah he did. He made a noise just now. You didn't hear him?"

"Dean, I'm sittin right behind the kid and I didn't hear anything. You sure you're feeling okay?" Bobby moved to put a hand on Dean's forehead, but stopped when Sam groaned again, louder this time.

"See Bobby? I'm not insane, alright?" Dean replied indignantly before returning his attention to his wounded sibling. "Sammy? That's it, man. You're almost there."

Sam's groan was pain-filled this time, and he attempted to roll over in order to take the pressure off of his shoulder, but was thwarted by the seat belt. His hazel eyes shot open, feverish and glassy, and he thrashed weakly in the seat as he attempted to free himself from the restraining force.

"Whoa there, Sam! Calm down. You're okay, alright? It's just the seatbelt, dude. Calm down before you hurt yourself even worse."

The words seemed to soothe Sam, or maybe it was just Dean's voice, but either way Sam stopped thrashing and relaxed back into the leather. He turned shiny blue-green eyes on Dean, and Dean read the message in them as clear as if Sam had spoken out loud.

"Yeah its okay. We're gonna get you all patched up, Sammy. Don't worry." The words were apparently all Sam needed to hear, because in the next moment his eyes were falling closed again and his chin dipped down to rest on his chest.

Dean was just about to call out to him again when his eyes snapped open and his head shot up, alarm apparent in every movement. He turned towards Dean and opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again without saying anything. He did it again then bit his lip, a nervous habit he reverted back to when he was injured.

"What is it, Sam?" Dean asked patiently, ignoring Bobby's warnings to watch the road. No one was driving out here at this time of night anyways, so who cares if he was driving on the wrong side of the road? Sam needed his attention right now, so screw the damn road.

"D-dean…the…the Mngwa. It said…that someone…sent it here. It told me that…that it was killing people someone told it to kill. We…were right…someone's behind this…and they didn't want…anyone up that trail…for some…reason." Sam said in a startling moment of lucidity before his eyes glazed over again and he sank back into the seat, exhausted and panting.

"What? It told you that? Sam? Sammy? Did it tell you who?"

Sam just shook his head, spent from all the talking he did but still managed to look disappointed.

"Alright. That's alright. Bobby and I'll figure it out okay? You just rest for a while until we get back to the motel."

Sam nodded and gladly complied, falling asleep mere seconds after his eyes closed. Bobby huffed from the backseat.

"I'll be damned. You boys must have a mental link or something. It still manages to amaze me after all these years. Don't think I've ever seen anyone with the kind of bond you and your brother share. Don't ever lose that, Dean. No matter what." There wasn't even a trace of anything teasing in the old hunter's tone.

Dean glanced in the rearview mirror at Bobby, slightly touched, and honestly responded, "I would rather die."

Bobby nodded in approval and sat back in the seat again, arms folded over his chest. A comfortable silence fell over them then, and Dean decided to humor Bobby by returning his attention to the road once again, pressing harder on the gas. The Impala complied with a growl as she sped up, eating up the asphalt and racing back towards the motel.

()()()()SPN()()()()

"Could you grab me some extra blankets from the car, Bobby? Sam's like a popsicle." Dean asked as he dropped Sam on the motel bed and wrapped him in the purple sheets like a burrito, leaving his upper half exposed.

Bobby grunted his acquiescence and stepped out of the motel room, returning minutes later with his arms loaded with multi-colored blankets of varying thicknesses.

"Thanks." Dean said sincerely as Bobby dropped the bundle of blankets over Sam. Rearranging the blankets, he moved them down so that they only covered Sam's waist and legs, leaving his chest uncovered so that they could work.

"You're gonna need to cut that shirt off of him. His arm ain't gonna be putting up with any movement at the moment, and who knows if that would help the poison spread faster. God knows that that's the last thing the kid needs right now." Bobby helpfully suggested.

"I know, Bobby. I've taken care of Sam before." Dean replied somewhat nastily, grabbing the scissors from the first aid kit and setting to work on cutting off the shirt.

"Dean-" Bobby started to say, but Dean cut him off quickly.

"I know, Bobby. I'm sorry. It's just…I hate it when he's hurt, you know? I feel like it's my fault. Like I should have been there to stop it." Dean guiltily said, pulling the split shirt away from his brother's chest.

"You idjit. It's not your fault, Dean. Shit like this happens all the time. It's just part of being a hunter."

"I know it is. I just wish it didn't have to be for Sam. He's been through so much lately, and now this? I feel like I'm failing him, Bobby." Dean sounded all but ten years old now, like a child seeking reassurance from a parent.

"Dean. Boy, you know that ain't true. Your brother looks up to you. He needs you just as much as you need him. You've never failed that boy before, you plan on failing him now?" It was all the push Dean needed.

His green eyes hardened with determination and the lost look faded from their depths. "Never." He stated simply.

Bobby smiled to himself, glad he could provide Dean with the means to keep going, and moved over to the bed to help Dean as he pulled various things from the small first aid box.

They worked in silence for a while; Dean muttering small nothings to Sam and touching his good shoulder every now and then to stop Sam's unconscious shifting as they wiped the blood away from the wound.

When the bite was blood free, Dean turned to pull out an empty flask of holy water from his duffel bag and swore loudly upon realizing it was empty. He threw the useless canteen back into his bag and turned back to Sam, that hopeless look surfacing in his eyes again.

Bobby reaching into his own duffel bag and pulled out his flask, handing it to Dean. "Here. Use this."

Strong relief shone in Dean's green orbs and he thankfully grabbed the flask from Bobby, unscrewing the cap and holding the bottle over the infected holes in Sam's shoulder.

"Sorry bout this Sammy." He muttered apologetically before pouring the contents over the wound.

The reaction was violent and instantaneous. Sam screamed in pain and arched off the bed, limbs thrashing weakly, but Dean was already there to restrain him, minimizing his jerky movements.

"Easy there, Sammy. I just have to flush it out. It's poisoned, bro, so I gotta clean it out. Just hang on." Dean hated to see Sam in pain, especially pain that he was causing, however necessary it was.

The flailing slowed, and eventually stopped. Sam sank into the bed, exhausted and pliant, but his eyes were open now and they roamed the room dazedly until they found what they were searching for.

"D'n." Sam's weak greeting was like music to his ears.

"Heya, Sammy boy. How you feeling?" It was an unnecessary question since Sam's pinched expression told him enough already, but he was desperate to keep Sam talking.

"Mmm. Like I've been bitten by an overgrown feline, then dumped in Arctic waters." Sam replied softly, voice hoarse from screaming.

"Smart ass. I'm serious here. That bite was poisoned, Sam. I'm not sure holy water is going to cut it. We might need to find an antidote. Holy water will just stave it off for a while." Dean said seriously, but he couldn't keep the relief from showing in his voice.

"Ugh. Well…I feel really cold right now. Like something is freezing me from the inside out." Sam replied honestly, grimacing in pain and reaching his uninjured arm up to rub his hand over his heart.

Worry shot through Dean's own heart like a bullet, and he turned concerned eyes to where Bobby had retreated. The older hunter was sitting at the table by the window, Sam's laptop open in front of him and he stared at the screen in concentration.

"Crap. Not good, Dean. It says here that the Mngwa's teeth do hold venom, and that the venom acts similar to hypothermia, just at a quickened pace, and from the inside instead. We're gonna need to find an antidote and fast, or else it'll stop your brother's heart."

Fear joined the worry now, a second bullet that left his heart bleeding on the floor.

"Well where can we find an antidote for this? I doubt they just carry them in hospitals." Dean's stoic mask fell into place, hiding his real emotions from Sam under a veil of calm. He didn't want to end up freaking him out, so he had to convince Sam that this didn't freak him out.

"I don't know, Dean. I'm working on it." Bobby turned his attention back to his search on the computer.

"Well work faster, Bobby. Dammit! How do you know this thing doesn't kill you in a day? By the time you get the damn antidote, Sam could be dead!" Dean's worry got the best of him, and the words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

He winced slightly and turned slowly to Sam, fearing what he would see in Sam's eyes, but was thoroughly surprised when all he could see in Sam's expression was thoughtful contemplation.

"Sam? What is it?"

"Well it's just…see, I've been thinking. If this thing's bite is poisonous, then that would run the risk of the person who brought it here getting bitten. I mean, they couldn't have expected to just bring the Mngwa here from its original home and have it be all fine and dandy with that, so he should have expected that the Mngwa might bite him at some point, right?" Sam asked, eyes determined even as his voice grew softer with each word.

"That's right. If this bitch was thinking like that, then that means he should have stocked up on the antidote, just in case he did get bitten at some point. Smart thinking, Sammy. Glad you're on my side. It helps to have Mr. College Boy do all the hard thinking for you."

Sam only rolled his eyes at Dean as he shifted on the bed, face contorting in pain. His hand rubbed at his sternum again, longer this time.

"Sammy? You okay?"

Sam grimaced again, slight panic creeping into his eyes as he turned them on Dean. The look he shot Dean was pleading and scared, and it pulled at his heart. The words that left his brother's mouth then had his blood freezing in his veins and his heart hammering in uncontrolled fear.

"Dean…I-I can't…breathe." Sam whispered as his breath stuttered in his lungs. Dean watched in horror as Sam struggled to take another breath, his chest rising slowly and falling again. It practically had his own heart stopping in his chest as Sam's chest failed to raise again, his hazel eyes fluttering closed.

"Sam!" Dean and Bobby yelled in unison, but there was no reaction from the youngest Winchester. His chest remained still and his lungs refused to fill with life giving oxygen. Sam wasn't breathing.

Damn. Well I fully intended on making this chapter longer, but I wanted to get it up by today. I promise that the next chapter will be up soon, so until then, let me know what you think. ~Thorn