Okay...you guys rock! I have Dean nearly beat Sam to death and not only do you not want to kill me, but you want me to keep posting! Crazy! :D Thank you once again for the awesome reviews. Now, I read thru the entire 7 chapters of this story and discovered a hole in the story so I have to fix that before I post anymore after this chapter. It shouldn't take too long, but I do need to work on getting the next 3 brothers chapter done so I can post that. I will try not to make you wait too terribly long. Anyway, I'll let you get back to the story. I have a little surprise character for you at the end of this chapter...well, I guess there's two surprise characters. :D

"What do you mean from where he is?" John asked, dark eyes wide with worry. "Where is he?"

"The other side, John. He's floating somewhere in the middle of here and there. He'll have to make a decision and he'll need to know that he's wanted and needed here in order to make the right decision," Jenny answered.

"And if he doesn't make the right decision?" John asked, his voice thick with fear.

"Then he'll die."

Chapter 4 – The Other Side

Sam stood at a crossroads, his hazel eyes glancing down one road then the other. He didn't know how, but he knew that one road would lead him back to his family and one would lead him away from them. He paid no mind to the roads that stretched behind him, somehow knowing that it was the ones before him that he needed to choose from. He didn't know how he'd gotten here, didn't understand why his family had left him, but he was determined to get back to them. He remembered something about Dean being mad at him, but surely that wouldn't make them abandon him. Dean had been mad at him many times, John more, yet they'd always kept him close and safe, no matter what. Maybe, Sam thought fearfully, this had been the last straw. Maybe whatever he'd done had finally pushed both his father and brother over the edge. Maybe they had finally decided they were better off without him. Sam dropped his eyes then closed them completely. He had to find them, had to find out what he'd done so he could fix it. He looked down the road to the left, then the one to the right. He chose the road on the right, but when he began to walk that way, something pulled him toward the left and no matter how hard he fought, he could not keep himself from going down that road. Finally, he quit fighting.

Sam walked for what seemed like ages and nothing changed. There was nothing but grass covered plains for as far as the eye could see. The sun burned brightly in the pale blue sky and Sam wiped at the sweat that dripped down his face and neck. When his throat began to hurt and he became thirsty, a clear, cold spring suddenly appeared beside the road, offering him a cool drink and chance to rest. He hummed in satisfaction as the crystal clear water cooled his throat. He splashed the water over his face and head then he lay down in the grass and stared up at the cloudless sky. He'd rest for a few minutes before beginning his trek again. He shut his eyes and let the gentle breeze brush over his skin, cooling him from the heat of the sun. Soon, he had drifted off to sleep and not long after that images began to play through his resting mind…horrible images of pain, blood and anger and the face he saw through all of the violence belonged to the one person who had vowed to protect him from everything and everyone. Sam cried and mewled softly in his sleep then he suddenly awoke with a gasp.

"D-Dean…why?" he whispered brokenly.

Sam sat up and looked around, the images from his dream haunting him as he suddenly realized where he must be. The last image he had seen was of him lying motionless on the floor of the motel while Dean stepped over his body and crawled back into bed. If the dream was to be believed, then he had been beaten to death by his brother and he was now in heaven or hell…or somewhere in between. Sam dropped his chin to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut, no longer wanting to see the vast blue sky and endless fields of grass. He wanted to disappear…he wanted to open his eyes and find nothing. If his family didn't want him, then there was no reason for him to exist anywhere. He lifted his chin and slowly opened his eyes. Tears welled when he found that none of the scenery had changed. He was still here in this place, alone and lost and broken. He pushed to his feet and began to walk, his feet shuffling in the dirt of the road, his head hanging low. He had no clue where he was headed or what he would find and he really didn't care. Nothing mattered now that he knew the truth.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

John and Dean watched in shocked disbelief as Jenny left them alone with Sam. They turned back to their youngest and gazed down sadly at his beaten, swollen face. According to the nurse, if Sam made the wrong decision he would never wake up. They would never again see the gentle hazel eyes or hear his soft voice and it broke their hearts in two. Dean couldn't help but to think that Sam wouldn't hesitate to stay wherever he was. If the kid had any memory at all as to what happened to him, why would he want to come back? Dean could only hope that his brother knew that he could never hurt him. He reached down and gently brushed his fingers over Sam's uninjured cheek then leaned down and spoke lightly in his ear.

"Sammy…if you can hear me please, please come back. I can't do this without you, little brother. I need my sidekick. I mean, who would Batman be without Robin? Yogi without Booboo?" Dean asked wearily. "How else are you going to drive Dad and me crazy, huh? We need that, Sam…we need you to kick us in the pants every now and then. Dad more than me, but hey…I know I can get a little full of myself too so you have to get back here to save us from ourselves."

John glanced over at Dean and smiled sadly. His eldest never could handle stuff like this very well and always depended on humor to get him through. Somehow, John thought, it would take more than humor to get both of them through this time. It would take a miracle. John cast his gaze to Sam's face and held back tears as he reached down and gently rubbed Sam's arm. He looked over as the door to the room slid open and Jenny re-appeared from behind the curtain.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a detective who says he needs to talk to you. I tried to turn him away, but he is adamant," Jenny said apologetically.

John glanced over at Dean and pursed his lips. "You stay…I'll go talk to him," he said. Dean nodded appreciatively then went back to talking to his brother. John gave his boys one last glance then followed Jenny out into the hallway. A man dressed in a worn suit stood in the hall and looked up from his notepad when John and the nurse stepped out of the ICU room. Jenny moved in front of John and faced the detective.

"Now, I know you have to investigate this incident, but don't you dare keep this man from his baby for very long. That boy in there needs his daddy and his brother and that's what you need to think about first and foremost," Jenny commanded, hands on her hips as she stared the detective down.

"I understand, ma'am, and I'll try to make this as brief as possible," the detective said in reply before turning his attention to John. "Mr. Winchester, where is your other son? I'd like to speak with him also," the officer asked.

"He's in with Sammy. He doesn't know any more than I do so there is no need to take him away from his brother. He's devastated right now and would be no help to you what so ever," John answered firmly, dark eyes sparked with muted anger.

"Well, I'm still going to want to talk to him, but I can start with you. Let's move to the family room down the hall so we can have some privacy," the officer said.

John glanced at Jenny and nodded his appreciation then followed after the detective. Jenny shook her head before she moved behind the nurse's desk to monitor her patients. John took a seat on one of the cushioned chairs in the PICU family room. The detective pulled up a chair and turned it so that when he sat he was facing John. He glanced down at his notepad then back up at John.

"Mr. Winchester, my name is Detective Sano. I know you want to get back to your son, but this is a very serious situation we have here. Can you tell me exactly what happened last night? How your son came to be so terribly beaten?" the detective asked.

John cleared his throat and looked the detective square in the eyes. "I can only tell you what happened once my oldest son and I came back to the room. We found Sammy on the floor of the motel, bloody and beaten and barely breathing. We called 911 then immediately began checking him over. He stopped breathing and his heart stopped so we began CPR and resuscitation. The emergency crews showed up and took over for us. We didn't see any suspicious vehicles or people hanging around when we came back. I have no idea what happened to Sam, but I can tell you that if you find the bastard who did this to my son, you better keep a close eye on him because if I get my hands on him, I'll kill him." John never took his eyes off of the detective as he relayed his story to the man. The detective made some notes in his notepad then sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Why did you leave Sam alone in the motel? Where were you and your son so late at night?" Detective Sano asked.

"We had come back from night hiking and Sam wasn't feeling too well so he stayed behind while Dean and I went back out to scope out a good spot for our next hiking trip tonight," John answered.

"Night hiking?" the detective asked for clarification.

"I'm teaching my sons survival skills and stuff like that. We spend a lot of time camping and hunting and I want them to be able to handle things if they become lost or whatever. We're working on winter night skills right now," John answered without any hesitation.

"Doesn't Sam go to school? I mean, it's the middle of the week," the detective asked.

"I took him out for the week. He made all of his homework up beforehand…he's a real smart kid and is way ahead in all of his classes so missing a week isn't going to hurt him," John replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

The detective nodded then flipped the page on his notepad. "So, you say that you weren't there and that your oldest son was with you. The problem I'm having with this is that there was no sign of forced entry into the room. There was an obvious struggle, but from what I was able to get from the EMT's, there were no defensive wounds on Sam other than the broken wrist. I spoke with the ER doctor and he said there was no skin under his fingernails to indicate that he had tried to scratch at his attacker. It's like he didn't even put up a fight…like he just allowed himself to be beaten," the detective said.

"So, what are you implying here? That either me or my son did this?" John said angrily, though he kept his voice low and even.

"You have to see this from my perspective, Mr. Winchester. There was no sign that anyone broke into the room and your son only had the injuries from his beating. Normally, one would see injuries from putting up a fight, especially if their being assaulted so viciously," Detective Sano explained.

John shook his head and stared at the detective. "Look, I get what you're saying and both my sons are trained to defend themselves. I'm an ex-marine and I've made sure my boys can take care of themselves," he said.

"So then, why didn't Sam fight back? Could it be that he knew his attacker and didn't want to hurt them?"

"Sam would fight back if he could, no matter who the attack was coming from. My guess is that he opened the door to go down to the vending machine and was taken by surprise. The ER doctor said that he had a slight concussion from a knock to the back of his head. Maybe someone was waiting for him and hit him as he came out of the room then pushed him back inside and began beating him when he couldn't fight back. I have no idea and neither does Dean…we weren't there. If I knew anything, I would tell you," John offered up as an explanation.

"Okay, that sounds plausible, but that leads to another question. Why? Why would someone wait outside your room? Why target your son? How would they even know that Sam would be coming out of the room in the first place?" the detective asked.

John sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face then looked at the detective. "Look, it's obvious the motel is in a rough part of town. Unfortunately, that's all I can afford. Someone could have spotted us when we came in a few days ago. They could have been watching the place thinking they could rob us and waiting for the right moment to strike. Sam goes out to the vending machine every day. They could have been watching and saw that he was left alone and just hoped that he came out."

"So, why beat him? Why not just rob him and be done with it?"

"We don't have anything of value. Sam has no money except a few dollars in change at the most. They could have become angry that they spent all that time and came up with nothing. They could have been fearful that he could identify them…I just don't know. All I do know is that I would never harm my son. And Dean? He'd die for that kid in a heartbeat," John said with absolute conviction.

The detective eyed John for several moments then nodded his head. "So," he finally started. "I suppose if I talk to your oldest son, he'll have the same story?" he continued.

"What…like we've had time to get our story straight?" John asked with a huff. "Believe me, we haven't had the mental capacity right now to come up with some elaborate story. My son could die…that's all I've been thinking about these past hours. That's all Dean has been thinking about. We didn't hurt Sam, but someone did. Did you talk to the motel clerk? Maybe he saw something? What about fingerprints? Maybe whoever did this left fingerprints."

"We talked to the clerk, but he admitted that he fell asleep sometime around ten. He didn't wake up until he heard the emergency vehicle sirens," Detective Sano answered. "We dusted for fingerprints, but with the obvious lack of cleaning at this motel, it's likely that the fingerprints from the past several occupants of that room are still there basically making the fingerprints useless."

"So, what do you do now? No witnesses, no usable fingerprints?" John asked.

"Oh, we have a witness, Mr. Winchester," the detective answered.

"Who would that be?"

"Your son…Sam."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Dean watched John leave the room then turned his attention back to Sam. He felt nervous about being left alone with his brother and hoped that John wouldn't be gone long. Yes, Jenny had said the curse was gone, but he didn't know Jenny so he couldn't fully trust that what she said was true. He was already on the verge of having a full breakdown…if he hurt Sam again, even a little, it would send him over the brink and he'd never be able to come back from it. He heaved a nervous sigh as he turned his attention back onto Sam then he shoved the doubts and fears aside and concentrated fully on the job at hand. He had to make sure Sam knew he was there and that he meant him no harm. He had to make his little brother hear how much he was needed and wanted so that he would fight harder to return to them. He brushed hair back from Sam's eyes and let out a sad chuckle.

"You need a haircut, Sammy, but I promise…if you fight real hard and come back to us, I'll never tell you that again. You can grow your hair to your ass if you want to…just…fight, Sammy…fight harder than you've ever fought 'cause I need you around…both me and Dad need you," Dean pleaded softly, his fingers lingering at Sam's temple as he watched his brother for any sign that he could hear him. He blinked sadly when there was no flinch, no movement…nothing at all from the teen.

Dean reached for Sam's hand and gripped it gently in his own. He rubbed his thumb over the top, being careful of the IV needles that were taped in place. He began to talk, telling Sam stories the kid already knew just so Sam could hear his voice, all the while hoping that if Sam could hear him, it wouldn't work against them.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sam walked for what seemed like hours, his body overheated from the persistent sunshine, his heart heavy with sorrow. He glanced up every now and then, but the scenery never changed…until it suddenly did. Sam nearly jumped when he looked up and there right in front of him stood a two story house that seemed familiar in some way. He stopped and shielded his eyes from the sun as he surveyed the house. A sudden whisper of a sweet voice singing softly wafted to him on the breeze and his heart began to pound furiously in his chest as he made his way around the side of the house to where the voice was coming from. Sam's breath hitched when he saw a woman kneeled on the ground, hair like spun gold glistening brightly in the sunshine. She was working in a beautiful flower garden, the scent of the blooms reaching his nose, creating a need in him that he didn't…couldn't understand. He took a step forward, but stopped when the woman sat back on her heels and looked his way. He nearly passed out when he saw her face.

"M-Mom?" Sam whispered as the woman smiled brightly and pushed to her feet. He stared in wide eyed wonderment as she gracefully walked his way and pulled him into her arms.

"Oh, Sammy…it's so good to see you. I've been waiting," Mary whispered lightly into his ear before kissing the ear tenderly. She pushed Sam back at arms length and eyed the stunned teen up and down. She reached up and brushed a tear that trailed down Sam's cheek away then leaned in to kiss him once again, this time on the forehead. "I know this is shocking and you don't quite believe what you're seeing, but it's really me, Sam," she said lovingly.

Sam reached out and touched his mother's face, his fingers shaking slightly as they brushed over her cheek. "Mom…what…why…" he stammered, his hazel eyes never leaving Mary's face.

Mary shook her head and smiled sadly. "It doesn't matter, my sweet boy. You're here now…for the time being. I can only tell you that what you think you believe is not the way it is," she answered as she took Sam's arm and led him to a table that sat in the shade of giant weeping willow. She sat Sam down then poured a glass of cold lemonade from a pitcher that sat in the middle of the table. She pushed a plate of fresh baked cookies in front of him then took a seat beside him, her beautiful blue eyes gazing lovingly at her youngest son.

Sam smiled appreciatively then took a long sip of the delicious drink. He took a cookie then looked up at his mother. "What did you mean, Mom? What isn't the way I believe it is?" he asked softly.

"It's not for me to tell you, Sam. In time, you'll know what I mean," Mary answered.

Sam closed his eyes then opened them and looked around. "Mom, is this heaven?" he suddenly asked, hazel eyes meeting his mother's as he waited expectantly for an answer.

"No, sweetie…this isn't heaven. It's a place between the living world and heaven," Mary replied with a smile.

"Why am I here? Am I…am I dead?"

Mary's eyes glistened with sadness as she reached over and took Sam's hands in hers. "No…not yet. You're very close, sweetie, but you're still holding on and you need to keep holding on," she answered softly.

"So, is this Limbo?"

"Something like that."

"I like it here…can I stay with you?"

Mary dropped her eyes and shook her head. She lifted her gaze again and Sam could see tears in her eyes. "Sam…I'm only here to help you to not be afraid. They sent me to be here until the time comes for you to make your decision," she answered.

"My decision? What decision?" Sam asked, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I can't tell you that, sweetie," Mary replied, head tilting as she watched her son with sadness.

"Then…how do I know what decision to make if I don't know what I'm deciding?"

Mary smiled and squeezed Sam's hands. "I knew you were going to be a smart one, Sam. I can't tell you, but he can," she said as she cast her gaze past Sam's shoulder before shifting it back to him.

Sam looked over his shoulder and saw a man of about average height sitting on a log that hadn't been there before. The man winked and motioned for the teen to join him. Sam looked back at his mother who gave him an encouraging nod. "Go, Sam…he'll help you," she said.

Sam leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his mother's back. He dropped his face into the crook of her neck and drank in the scent of her perfume. "I love you, Mom…so much," he whispered.

"I know you do…and I love you more than anything in the world," Mary said in return. She leaned back and waited for Sam to look up at her. When he did, she smiled. "Go, Sam…we'll talk later maybe," she said.

Sam reluctantly rose to his feet and turned toward the stranger. He began to walk then stopped and looked over his shoulder. He watched as Mary turned and waved before disappearing into the house. Sam stood for a few moments then turned back around and walked to where the man was sitting. He sat opposite the man on another log that was there and cocked his head. "Hello…I…I'm Sam," he said hesitantly.

The man gave him a crooked smile leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees. "I know who you are, Sam. Seems you've gotten yourself into a bit of trouble huh?" the man replied.

"Uh…yeah, I guess. I…I don't mean to be rude, but…who are you?" Sam asked.

"Oh…sorry. The name is Gabriel."

Hehehehe...I love Gabriel! He was requested for this story so here he is! So, let me know what you think and in the meantime, I'll get the little booboo fixed so I can post more. Take care and love to you all.

Cindy