So sorry for the long delay, I really haven't had the greatest last couple of months :( But good news that Supernatural is back on which does get me more inspired to write and I have holiday breaks coming up in school as well. I want to thank my beta Gabi for not getting angry when I was taking forever and for helping me write simple parts that for some reason I couldn't think of how to write. :)

Well the story last left off where Sam had a talk with Dean to help boost his confidence at breakfast. And afterward they were going to go to the rehab center after doing a few things first. This chapter picks up at the center. Enjoy, and I'm so sorry for the wait but my mind has been all over the place lately :(

The rehab center in Topeka was a larger one than Sam was used to. Once inside they were greeted by a friendly receptionist who signed them up for a walk-in appointment and ten minutes later a female trainer named Nicole led them into a massive gym.

"So Sam." Nicole started. "How long have you been paralyzed and can you tell me a little about the exercising you do?"

"Well, I've been paralyzed since I was 6 months old." Sam told her, he felt relieved when Dean didn't seem to get upset over the mention like he usually does. "This wheelchair is all I've ever known but I'm pretty tough, just ask him." He pointed his thumb over at Dean. "I've beat his ass quite a few times."

"That's only because I let you." Dean lied with a wink. "Yeah, you wouldn't want to get on Sam's bad side."

Nicole laughed. "I wouldn't dare."

Sam smiled up at her. "Anyway, I do most of my exercises at home, all the basics really and Dean helps me with my legs to keep them healthy. I try to go to these rehab gyms when I get the chance but it's hard because we move around a lot. So I really don't get that much time on the equipment."

"For someone as capable as you seem, I don't think you'd need the help of the equipment all that much. But it is good that you're using the rehab centers when you can. I there any goal you're working up to?" Nicole asked and stopped when they reached their destination at the right part of the gym.

"He wants to be able to get up on crutches." Dean answered for him. He knew Sam wasn't all that adamant about the idea but he was going to push it. He wanted to be sure Sam got the chance to try because Dean had a feeling his little brother would end up loving it.

Nicole raised an eyebrow at Dean with a little understanding smirk. "That's nice, but I want to know what Sam thinks."

Dean had to fight at the opportunity to roll his eyes. It was so nice for these people to actually address Sam as a person, and want to talk to him instead of talking through Dean like many people would. But now since she asked Sam directly, Sam would just tell her how he doesn't want to try the crutches and she wouldn't push it.

"He's right." Sam nodded, causing Dean's jaw to drop. "My legs had been really weak when I was younger but we've been working on them the past years. If they're strong enough for me to stand on for long periods of time I would really like to try them out, it would be neat."

The trainer noticed Dean's reaction and gave Sam a questioning glance, asking him without words if he was just saying this for Dean's benefit. Sam just gave her his truthful innocent smile and she nodded.

"Alright, we'll assess you and see if you're ready. You can change in the fitting rooms over there."

The rehab fitting rooms were a blessing. Not many places were suited for people in a wheelchair, not to mention a full grown 6'4" young adult in a wheelchair and most public places Sam had a hard time wheeling through isles and fitting into small and tight areas. The fitting room was big enough to fit in five wheelchairs and not only that but the whole gym was set up with equipment placed far away from each other. Of course it was expected and necessary for a place like this, but Sam couldn't help but appreciate the little things.

Dean closed the door to the room; there was no sense in getting separate rooms, especially since they kept all the clothes in one duffle.

"What the hell was that about?" Dean asked, his face still set in shock.

Sam grinned and asked the stupid question. "What?"

"You know! Why did you lie to the trainer? What is the sense in that?"

"I didn't."

"Wh...what?" Dean backtracked, looking at Sam like he was trying to figure out a secret message.

Sam gave Dean a sly look. "I told her I wanted to try the crutches and I do. Hurry up and give me my clothes." He mentioned to the duffle Dean was still carrying on his shoulder.

Dean blinked a few times before setting the duffle on one of the special benches in the room and opening it up. Sam transferred himself onto another one with the help of the bars placed onto the wall, even with his level of independence; he had to admit it made for a much smoother transfer.

"I thought you always said you weren't up for the crutches. Even a few years ago when I brought it up again, you turned it down." Dean grabbed Sam's workout clothes and tossed them to him.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, it came to me rather recently but I thought I'd like to try them. I've had a few experiences lately where I've been so called standing. Like because of the ghost at Jess's place and in the pool when you guys helped me. I guess it excited me. And...I don't know it is a way of gaining some more independence, it would be pretty silly of me not to at least try."

Dean gave Sam a thoughtful look, still looking a bit confused. "Yeah..." Was all he could think of saying.

"And..." Sam pointed out as he changed his shirt. "Before I was still growing and my legs were weak. I'm pretty confident I'm not going to get any taller, so if I got crutches, I wouldn't have to keep getting new ones. And my body is fully matured. Remember how my legs would start looking better, only for me to grow some more for them to look skinny again? Well we've got my legs worked up nicely now. I think they feel strong enough..." Sam trailed out, grabbing one leg with his hands and trying to judge the amount of muscle on them.

Dean walked over and knelt down, pushing Sam's hands away and feeling the leg himself. "You're right you know. Not only do they look a helluva lot better but they don't feel nearly as scrawny as they did in your teen years. They look good Sam, they do. And I want this for you. You know I want this so bad, I just want to make sure you're doing this for yourself and not because of what big brother wants."

Sam threw his button-up shirt at Dean, letting it smack him right in the face. "Dean, I had no problem resisting you all those years when I didn't want it, what makes you think I wouldn't this time?" He laughed. "I guess I'm just a lot more mature now and came to realize some things. I'm not a whiny kid who thinks he's too good for them anymore. I just...grew up about it."

Dean finally smiled before stepping away. "Yeah you grew up for sure, you Sasquatch. I'll pray to God that you don't grow anymore or I might die from embarrassment of being shorter than my little brother."

Sam snorted playfully as he took off his jeans. "Not that anyone really can notice with me all the way down here."

"Oh come on, people can tell that you're tall, look at your legs!"

"I'd be lucky if a fifth grader was shorter than me."

"You're just under five feet sitting in this chair. What fifth grader is five feet tall?" Dean rolled his eyes.

Sam cocked his head to the side. "I was."

"Dude you just totally blew your own argument!" Dean laughed. "You're basically saying you judge your height on your wheelchair and then you say you were five feet without it in fifth grade."

"Shut up, you're just jealous that I can make fun of myself so easily, you wish you had my skills."

Dean scowled. "I do not. Anyway, five feet at 10? You really are some kind of mutated alien."

"Again, you're jealous because you were five foot in 9th grade. Don't try to lie Dean, I've seen the pictures." Sam smirked evilly while Dean gaped like a fish out of water. He finished pulling his athletic shorts over his boxers and looked back at his brother. "Alright, I'll stop. But only because I'm such a great little brother, now hurry and get dressed man."

Dean made a smart decision and decided not to try and continue on their little banter and instead pulled his own clothes out of the duffle. Dean never needed to change but he always did, helping Sam with all the exercises and even trying some for himself. It wasn't something that was seen much by family members in any rehab center Sam went to and it went to show him just what a special person Dean was. He never once hesitated over the fact or worried that he might look strange but always joined Sam with a confidence and a protectiveness that Sam held dear. Sam always knew he had the world's best big brother, but things like this that Dean did nearly made him a god in Sam's eyes.

Dean took out his clothes which were freshly folded from their earlier trip to the Wal-Mart they went to from Sam's promise to buy Dean clothes that actually fit him. Dean had got an entirely new wardrobe and despite his protests that he wouldn't find the right styles just because his clothing size went a few sizes up, Dean found a lot of stuff he liked. The grungy looking AC/DC t-shirt and the new jeans with the worn-look style stopped Dean's grumbling entirely and even made him forget that he was buying bigger sizes. Changing into his new workout clothes now, Dean hesitated for a moment taking off his shirt in front of Sam. He paused, swallowed and put a hand on his belly and Sam saw him start to blush.

Sam instantly felt bad but also wanted to roll his eyes at the same time. They were brothers for goodness sake and it wasn't like Sam hadn't seen Dean with his shirt off with the new weight added on. But it was the first time after Sam had brought the weight to Dean's attention so he needed to play this light and let Dean know that Dude, it's okay.

So Sam got back into his wheelchair and rammed it gently into Dean's legs, causing Dean to jump.

"Hurry the hell up man, an old lady would move faster than you." Sam joked and felt relieved when Dean smiled and threw off his shirt then without much as a second thought. He changed quickly and Sam had to admit that Dean looked good. It was still obvious that he had gained weight but surprisingly the bigger clothes actually made him look smaller because they didn't cling in his stomach area, therefore not bringing attention to it.

Right before they left the fitting room Sam saw Dean staring down at him, in a way silently asking if he looked okay. It made Sam's heart swell that his brother trusted his opinion so strongly. Sam gave his brother a quick nod and a wink, watching in awe how those simple movements seemed to perk Dean right up.

They met Nicole who was patiently waiting for them and she started Sam out on some simple exercises to see where he was at. She had him do the basics with sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups and her eyes went wide with surprise when Dean joined in right next to Sam. She obviously wasn't used to family member's being so involved and he could almost feel her excitement over the fact as she not so subtly was encouraging Dean to continue to join in, not realizing that it was a normal thing for Dean.

Nicole was not only impressed with Dean's dedication but with Sam's strength as well. She didn't hide it when Sam finished his exercises quickly and with ease.

"Sam, do you live a very active lifestyle?"

"Uh yeah. Real active actually. And Dean helps me exercise all the time." He shrugged, watching Nicole get a thoughtful expression on her face and turned to Dean.

"Can you show me some of the exercises you help him with?"

"Sure." Dean answered her and fell into an easy routine, massaging and bending Sam's legs back and forth, doing all the different exercises for them that he had been doing for years on end.

When they were done Nicole was smiling at their whole exchange, complete with the brotherly bickering and all. "Dean, have you ever decided to try out a job as a professional trainer? Because you almost know more than I do. I'll stick around with you guys and show you how the machines work but you two have this stuff down."

After Sam had used his arms to climb a rope in the gym a few times, the next hour was filled with Sam using various equipment that would exercise his legs. One of the machines was like a sort of exercise bike. Sam strapped in his feet and instead of pedaling, used his hands to push handlebars back and forth while they moved his legs in the same motion that a bike would. If it wasn't for Nicole stopping him, Sam could have gone on forever with his arm muscles. After that he went on one of his favorite machines where he sat on a chair and strapped himself in as well as strapping his feet down. Then he slowly pushed another big lever on the side of the machine. Each time he pushed it the lever moved his seat up higher and higher until he was standing, propped up by a little table that he could rest his hands on and lean against. Most people just using the machine would have to stop after a few minutes because of a rise in their blood pressure, but because Sam was so fit he could stay on it for long periods of time.

As expected, Dean especially enjoyed this machine because it allowed Sam to 'stand' and see things from a higher angle. Anything that really allowed Sam some sense of 'normalcy' Dean was all for. Sam laughed as his brother tilted his head up slightly to look at him, his eyes sparkling.

"I told you that you were an abnormally gigantic freak."

"Yeah and I never realized how short you were."

Dean just shook his head before looking back at Sam. "Ready to try the parallel bars in a bit and then call it a day here? I did promise you bowling; don't want you to get too wiped out."

Sam had agreed. Usually they would have stayed a while longer but rehab really did take its toll on Sam after a while. Ten minutes later Sam was making his way across the bars, somewhat slower than usually because of his weak wrist. The trainer was pretty much all but gone seeing as how well Dean was handling the situation, standing right in front of Sam in case he was to fall.

Turning around at the end of the bars was the most difficult part. Sam let Dean adjust his feet on the floor and then, for a split second, he put his full weight on his legs and let go of the bars in order to turn around. He sighed in relief when again he had a vast grip on the bars. Smiling, he looked up and then startled. John was standing beside him, ready to help and watching him with a mixture of proud and worry. Sam had been so concentrated on turning around, that he hadn't heard him approach. His grip loosened some, and since his wrist wasn't as strong as usual, his hand slipped from the bar. Sam couldn't help but panic a little bit inside as he began to fall even though he knew he wouldn't be hitting the floor any time soon.

Sam was right as Dean reached forward on instinct, bracing himself for Sam's weight as the younger brother landed in his arms. Sam's head came to rest against Dean's chest for a few seconds, his cheek brushing against the amulet that Sam had gotten his older brother a few years before on Christmas. Sam let out a sigh of relief as he felt Dean raise him up so he was upright again and Sam grabbed a hold of the bars.

"Heya Sammy." John said as he reached up and ruffled his youngest's hair. "Wow...look at you..."

Looking down at his father...first of all it was strange enough to be looking down to anyone but a small child...Sam couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Usually John didn't accompany him to his rehab visits. It was usually always Dean that took him when John was doing some work on a hunt alone. So his father very rarely got to see him nearly walking and Sam didn't want to let him down now that John had the rare chance to see him.

"Sammy..." John chuckled. "It's alright, relax."

Sam nodded and tightened his grip on the bars; he needed to stop feeling nervous.

"Now let's see my baby boy walk." John told him as he stared at him eagerly.

"You make it sound like I'm a one year old kid learning to walk for the first time." Sam huffed with good humor.

"Well you are basically learning how to walk in your own way." John pointed out.

"And you do act like a one year old most of the time." Dean butted in.

Sam glared at his brother as John whacked him in the shoulder. At their little exchange Sam was feeling much more at ease. He took a deep breath and made sure he was standing straight and steady before using his arms to swing his legs forward. Because he had to wear leg braces to keep his knees locked, he could feel more weight pulling at his waist which made moving feel even stranger than it already was.

But he did it. He was shaking more than usual but Sam used his big brother as a focal point who was standing loyally in front of him.

You've done this countless times. And it's not the first time you've done this in front of Dad. You're fine. Sam told himself. He felt pretty exhausted and knew he wouldn't be able to use the crutches today. But he was doing so well, and he planned to visit the center again in a few days and use them for the first time. It was with that thought that Sam pushed past his nerves and found confidence in front of his father and before he knew it, he reached the end.

Sam was ready for Dean to grab a hold of him and help him sit down on the bench beside him, like usual. To his surprise though John was suddenly at his side and helped move his youngest son on his own. He didn't say much as he moved Sam to the bench, but words weren't needed. John placed his hand on Sam's shoulder and when he looked up there were tears in his father's eyes and a proud grin on his face.

That was all that Sam needed.

Sam loved bowling, not only for the entertainment but because of the memories it brought back. The sport had been Sam's first real outing with his family, and bowling alleys were the home of the first place he had really bonded with John. Sam still remembered the very first time they all went bowling, John was practically a pro at it, and Sam had been nervous that he would get a horrible score and embarrass himself. He did just as bad as he had expected, but he didn't have to worry because Dean had been equally as bad. John had shaken his head at the two of them and had promised to make them pro bowlers in the coming years.

Well, neither of them were pros but they were pretty decent by now. John always finished with more than 250 but both Dean had Sam had an average around 150, making the sport fun and competitive for the both of them. And John had been extremely dedicated with teaching both his sons how to bowl. Sam had to imagine that it must have been difficult teaching your wheelchair-bound son how to play a sport when the technique was completely different for someone who could stand. John actually had placed himself in a chair in front of the lane, learning how to throw from a lower angle in order to teach it to Sam.

Sam watched his father land a strike. "Not again," he sighed in mock desperation. "What's the sense in going bowling with dad anyway?" he asked Dean. "It's not like we can ever beat him."

Dean shrugged. "I'll try," he announced with a grim face.

Sam laughed. "Where did he come from in the first place? Did you tell him to come over?"

"No, I just texted him where we were so he knew where we were at." Dean smirked. "What? You feel self-conscious about Dad seeing you walking?"

"You can't call it walking what I did."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, you're right, I call it falling." He punched Sam's shoulder playfully. "Come on, you did great. I can't wait to see you walking on crutches."

"So do I." John let himself plop down on a chair. "But remember that we're on a hunt."

Dean sobered up. "Did you get some new insights in the morgue?"

"No, nothing new." John shook his head. "The girl has been dead for days. Her throat was slashed quite forcefully."

"Poor thing," Sam pondered. "Maybe she was already dead when Mrs. Culler saw her mistreating the kittens. Mr. Culler told me that she acted weird, even for the spoiled girl she was."

"We talked to Mr. Mendel this morning before we went shopping and to the rehab center," Dean told his father. "He was a bit confused but he remembered bumping into the girl on the day Mrs. Culler was killed. Do you think that could be important in any way?"

John shrugged. "Maybe. But I have no clue what we're dealing with. Did you find out anything else?"

"No, nothing important, we mainly just helped him feel better because he was really creeped out about this whole thing. Anyway, I still think it's a shapeshifter." Dean turned to Sam. "Why can't you just dream about it? Another vision would come in handy now."

"It doesn't work that way, Dean, and you know it." Sam tried not to show his annoyance. It wasn't as simple as that. Actually, he was glad that he hadn't experienced any more visions since they had left Michigan. He wasn't too keen on having those dreams; they made him feel even more like a freak.

John seemed to understand and changed the subject. "It's your turn, Sam," he said, nodding his head to the bowling lane.

"Right." Sam took a bowling ball and placed it in his lap then positioned his wheelchair. From the corners of his eyes he could see a few girls watching him. It made him nervous. But then he shrugged. People wouldn't expect a boy in a wheelchair to be good at bowling.

He put his fingers in the holes and got ready to throw the ball his special way. It was uncomfortable to throw the ball like most people do by twisting their wrists so their palms were upward. He tried that before and it felt kind of awkward and sometimes he would fit he wheels in doing so. By not twisting his wrist his arm was in a more comfortable position. He sent the ball on its way and held his breath when he saw that it looked like he had made a good throw. With a clattering sound they all fell down. Strike! Sam heard Dean jump up from his seat and cheer. The girl smiled at him and applauded silently. Sam smiled at her in response before he turned around just in time to see how John grabbed Dean's shirt and pulled him down from where Dean stood on his chair.

"Quit acting like a ten-year-old, Dean," he grunted, but his eyes shone with pride. "I always knew that Sam was good."

"And so do I. Can't a guy cheer for his brother?"

"Not when you act like that every freaking time! You don't see Sam going nuts whenever you get a strike, now do you?"

"That's because I really get into the game. And Sam's boring."

Sam shook his head and told Dean to hurry and take his turn, thinking he had the greatest family in the world.

After coming back from the bowling alley Dean left to go meet the girl from the bar. Dean had asked Sam if he wanted to come along but Sam really saw no point because he pretty much knew what Dean really wanted to do later in the night but he felt glad that Dean had but him first.

Sam and John were both pretty exhausted. Just to humor Dean and because he was in a good mood Sam had played along with Dean at the bowling alley. Every time Dean did good on his turn at bowling Sam had acted just as obnoxious as Dean had been acting. It had happily surprised Dean but made their father groan and not so seriously scold the both of them. Even though they were fully grown they were still boys and as they always say, boys would be boys. And Sam figured John had it coming the way he always slaughtered the brothers at bowling.

So now that John had a pounding headache from the boys he was ready to sleep just as much as Sam was. The two of them hit their beds and neither of them realized it when Dean came back much later than he usually did.