What Are The Odds?

by Miuda22

After the big fight between Sam and his father, Sam goes to Stanford and creates a new life for himself but after the fire that claims Jessica, his old life comes back into his new one, while he struggles with his injuries and everything that has happened to him, can he keep his new family safe and let his brother back into his heart?

18. A Close Call

I am SO sorry this took so long to come out. I struggled to get this one out but I finally got there and now I can get the next chapters to my other stories going. I hope you are all still enjoying this one, I don't get anywhere near as many reviews and follows or favs for this one so I hope you are still reading it. Enjoy!

A/N: Once again thank you again for everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed this story I truly appreciate each and every one! I hope you all are still enjoying this story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the wonderful characters that I am taking on this journey.

Chapter 18

A Close Call

Waking up the following morning, Sam could feel the tension in the air, Dean and their father were avoiding each other, after they had a yelling match the night before about Johns bad parenting.

Sam knew that if he was to get involved in their argument, there would surely be world war Winchester so he chose to stay out of it. He understood both sides but was more willing to side with his brother. For many years job had neglected and on occasions abandoned his children for the single minded hunt for what killed his wife. The bothers had to fend for themselves and Dean at the tender age of four had taken on the roles of father, mother, big brother, mentor, protector and friend to a hungry, inquisitive and bright little brother who for a number of years lived in a world of make believe normalcy. When he finally found out the truth he had resented his fathers lies and wanted so desperately to go back to the normal life his brother had tried desperately for him to live in for as long as possible. He never told his brother but it was because of his efforts that he desired normalcy and safety, it was because of his big brother that he wanted to get away from their life of monsters and death. He had never wanted to leave his brother, just to make a better world for them to live in. He had had every intention to save his brother from that life, to protect him as he had done. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.

Sam could also understand their fathers desire to seek revenge for his wife's death. To avenge her passing and make the evil creature who had committed the crime pay for it with its life. An eye for an eye, as the saying goes, however he had lost so much more than that. He had ended up loosing his sons, his job, their home, a safe place to call home, a soft pillow to rest his head, the lives he and Mary had hoped their children would live. He had lost it all in one night and then twenty years in the making.

Sam had tried to protect his own family from the dangers of his previous life but unfortunately it didn't matter how far he went or how long he was out of the game, it just wouldn't leave him alone and his nice safe happy family life was shattered. As much as he understood his father's need for revenge, he couldn't understand his desire to sacrifice innocent people including his own children to get the job done.

Sam pulled himself out of his bed and into his wheelchair, moving to where Hope was stirring awake, making her adorable mumbly, lips smacky, baby noises that he had loved since the moment she was born. He layer his huge warm hand on her chest, feeling it rise and fall, she moved her head towards him and opened her blue eyes and smiled, "Hi" she said softly and Sam melted, falling in love with her all over again.

"Good morning sweet heart" Sam said fondly, picking her up with practiced, strong arms. He placed her on his lap and leant her against his chest and she held on to him for dear life, snuggling into her fathers warmth. "Do you want some breakfast sleepy head?" He asked as he wheeled them both over to the kitchenette. He turned on the coffee machine and pulled out a mug for himself and began to prepare a bowl of porridge for Hope who was still snuggled into her fathers warmth but was now wide awake and starting to tell him stories in a combination of baby talk and the limited English vocabulary that she had gained from being with her family.

"La lala la pala... mpala immmm pala" Hope said happily making Sam chuckle.

"Yes, little munchkin... 'IMPALA'...Your daughter is very smart Sammy" Dean said as he swept into the kitchen smiling at the father and daughter. It was something of a joy seeing his little brighter having such a sweet moment with his little daughter, making what they are about to completely worth it.

Sam looked at Dean accusingly and smirked when Dean looked innocently back at him. "Yes Sam, I totally taught your daughter all about my baby... She's pretty smart... kind of like you were at that age" Dean said amusingly, watching his brothers face as he smiled down at his daughter realising that she could very well inherit his or even his wife's intellect. Thoughts of his wife and their plans for their life together brought a tilde wave of grief to wash over him, making the world around him slow to a stand still.

Dean stood there suddenly concerned by his brothers far away look on his face, when suddenly Hope spoke again, snapping him out of it. His big brother radar was pinging loudly in his head, "Sammy? We'll get all these medallion pieces and she'll be protected... We'll protect her Sam, I promise ok" Dean said reassuringly. "And hey, if she really wants to know how to change the oil on my baby, I really shouldn't deny her, should I lil' munchkin?" Dean replied, saying the last part to Hope in baby talk which she promptly replied in a squeal of "Dede!"

Sam looked at Dean, smiling at his daughter and chuckled, having his big brother in his life again was a blessing he wasn't going to take for granted, the fact that he was also a part of his daughters life was icing on the cake. Having been brought up by his big brother, he had no reservations about Deans influence on his daughter. He was a wonderful uncle and would himself make a remarkable father to his own children, as he had done with Sam.

"You can teach her about the car, that's fine by me, ...just not your bad habits... You know what I mean" Sam said, seeing Deans shocked, smirking face at the accusation and smiled at him.

"Hey, I know what guys like me think and what they want... Don't worry, I'll teach Hope to protect herself from guys who only have one thing on their minds... I'll make her wear a chastity belt if I have too" laughing to himself. He would protect his niece from all the sleazes out there, including men like himself.

"Thanks man, I'm going to need all the help I can get. I know you'll be a great uncle and I want her to have a role model... I won't be able to protect her forever"

"What are you talking about Sam, you're going to be around for a long time.. You'll see her grow up, go to college, get her first job, get married, probably even have kids... Your going to see it all... Stop talking like you aren't going to be around for all of that... I'm gonna make damn sure you are"

"I know Dean... I know... It's just sometimes I get scared that no matter what I do, something is always going to get in the way..."

"Well that's why we're doing this now... This medallion is going to stop all that... I swear I will do what it takes to get this done... and I'm going to make sure your right there with me. Sammy I won't let anything happen to Hope OR you, okay" Dean really wanted his little brother to just believe that they were going to be able to have that safe normal life he had always wanted. He knew that depression wasn't something that you just got over and he would happily, tell Sam everyday if he had to, that he was good enough to protect his daughter and that this medallion was going to protect the whole family.

"Okay Dean... Sorry I... I keep making you go all chick flick on me... Sorry, you shouldn't have to talk me off a ledge every five minutes..."

"Hey, I am more that glad to do it man... It's fine, besides I get to tease you about it later... Win Win!" Dean smiled at his brother, feeling a rush of warmth when he finally smiled back.

They both reveled in the quietness of watching the little girl on Sam's lap, baby talk her way through her breakfast. Dean was more than grateful for these little moments that reminded them both of what they were fighting for. The spared a glance at each other and smiled then as Hope yelled out "PALA!" happily, making them laugh out loud.

The moment was broken when John and Bobby, followed by the ghostly figures of their lost loves. Sam's suddenly misty eyes went directly to his wife, trying to burn her image into his brain for future daydreams and moments of private pain. John was in the middle to speaking to Bobby loudly when he realized that they had all but shattered the moment of bonding between the youngest members of their family. Looking at Bobby to halt their conversation, John was reminded of their argument the night before as Dean gave him a death glare for being the proverbial bull in a china shop.

Sam looked at them both and sighed, looking down at Hope once more he decided a change in conversation was in order. "What have you guys been up to so early?" Sam wanted his family not to fight, especially considering what they were about to do. Sam wondered if this was how Dean felt all those times he and their father had argued.

John looked from Dean to his youngest son and sighed, his sons where so different, when they were younger, Sam would question every order and would check and double check all the research to make sure they were going into the hunt with the most information as possible, where as Dean was the perfect soldier, doing exactly when he asked, without question and now all these years later, they had both come full circle, Sam was now more amiable and easier to get along with, John had learnt that discussing things as a team and treating them both as equals was all Sam had ever wanted, where as Dean was now his own man, had learnt from years of experience and disappointment and would now never automatically do what John asked of him. He had learnt that a lot of the things their father had taught them were only relevant when they were young and needed guidance, now that they were men and had lived through some tough experiences they had learnt how the REAL world works. You can't always control what happens, sometimes, bad things happen and you can't change them, you have to survive it.

Both boys had learnt these lessons the hard way and now John had to catch up. He could not run their lives for them, he could not rule them with an iron fist as he had done during their adolescence, but he and Bobby could guide them and encourage them to make good decisions, now that they were young men in their own right. After everything that had happened, to Sam especially, he was glad that they were finally getting to a good place, if only Dean would stop shooting death glares at him, reprimanding him for mistakes he had made years ago. John sighed and was resigned to the fact that he would have to endure his sons displeasure for as long as it took. He would have to prove to him that he had changed. "It's about time" John jumped at the softly whispered words he looked around and saw Mary's ghostly figure hovering close to him, her hand on his shoulder. John smiled at her, his wife was right, he had spent so many years searching, fighting and killing that he hadn't noticed his family had grown up. John nodded at Mary, acknowledging her and felt a rush of warmth and pride.

"We've been researching this museum "The Fredrickson Museum of Antiquities and Curiosities" and its curator. His name is Miles Fredrickson. He's quite the Adventurer slash Archaeologist. Over the last twenty odd years he has found and excavated some of the most archaeological significant finds of his generation. He's known in the field as 'The Magnet', he made meticulous notes of all his finds but the only thing that was missing from all of them was the HOW... how did he know where to look?, how did he know these pieces were even there?" Bobby had many thoughts about why and how he seemingly became successful overnight.

Dean raised his eyebrows, searching his brain for all the monsters or spells that could do that. He suddenly jumped his eyes to Bobby in acknowledgement... a deal. This Miles Fredrickson made a deal with a very powerful demon. Dean couldn't comprehend why you would ever make such a deal, your soul for instant success. Well he understood the success and monetary part of it, but to know that your soul would spend eternity in hell... Was it really worth it.

"So... What? He made a deal? There has to be more too it than that... was he even an archaeologist before?" Sam asked eyebrows scrunched in disbelief.

"Well, before he became a successful archaeologist he was a used car sales man..." Bobby replied.

"So ah no... I think it's safe to say, he was a looser" Dean said sarcastically.

"He was an average Joe... now he's a millionaire" Sam replied, wishing he was the average Jo he had been working so hard to become, with a beer gut and a receding hairline but a happy and healthy wife and children... That had been shattered and he was now reconstructing himself into a new kind of average Joe... One who had been through life's situations and had been changed by them, mentally, physically, emotionally, irrevocably changed. He had mourned the loss of that life with as much sorrow as he had the loss of his wife, and now he had cautiously come through the other side of grief with a strength he himself could not have predicted, he still had his doubts and his depression was always just beneath the surface but he worked hard to not let it overwhelm him, for everyone who loved him, for himself and for his lost love.

Coming out of his revere, Sam noticed Dean looking at him, having watching him space out, Sam knew he was concerned about him, was always watching him to pull him back from the abyss. Sam nodded to Dean, silently letting him know he was okay. Both boys focused on the conversation that John and Bobby had been having, talking strategy if anything goes wrong. They were all hoping it would go off without a hitch but being hunters you always had to have a plan B, C or even a D.

Once everything was sorted out and everyone was ready to go, the ghosts had disappeared until they were needed and the cars where packed up, everyone took their places and started the second half of the trek to Miles Fredrickson's museum. For the first half an hour the impala was silent, Dean stewed in his anger at their father on his side of the car and squeezed his knuckles white on the steering wheel, Hope was napping in the back seat having finished her bottle of warm milk just before they left. Sam sat in the passenger seat, watching the scenery fly by, waiting for his brother to unwind before he snapped.

Dean took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, then took, a glance at his brother and groaned in resignation before he spoke in a soft voice. "I never thought I'd ever, want to wring Dad's neck... but it's taking everything I have, not to put him out of his misery" Dean looked over at Sam and saw a smirk on his face, catching his eyes, the brothers started chuckling softly, then they got progressively louder until they were laughing almost hysterically, all tension leaving his older brothers wound up frame making Sam relax himself. Being back with his brother had strengthened their bond, making them sense and react to the way the other one felt.

Once Sam calmed down he watched his brother from the passenger seat, the lines of stress and anxiety that had marred his handsome face for the last few days had now vanished. "Not that I don't appreciate your coming to terms with Dad's... short comings... but, after trusting him and believing him for all these years... how and why did you change your mind about him... I mean, he was your hero... for years..." Sam was hesitant that his brother may take his questions the wrong way, his anger at his father right under the surface and Sam's about turn on his thoughts of their father was something of a sore spot. Not that Sam forgave him for how he had treated them, but he understood in a way, now that he was a father and had been through a similar tragedy, he understood somewhat the need for revenge, the driving force behind that need was grief, guilt and anger. Something Sam had to fight against initially, he had to refocus that need into protection of his daughter and to getting strong enough to do it.

"I guess I just realized that... We were all separated for over four years because dad was stubborn, selfish and at times a terrible father... It took me watching you with Hope and Bobby that made me realize what true fatherhood was about. I don't hate Dad, I just hate that he doesn't see how much he screwed up"

"I know... I vowed I wouldn't be like Dad, that I would do everything differently, I would be there for my kids, I would tell them how much I loved them, everyday... and there would be no doubt that I was proud of them, whatever they chose to do. I always felt like I wasn't good enough for Dad, no matter how hard I tried. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to get out..." Sam had moved his eyes to his lap once the words had started to flow, once he was finished he looked at Dean, not sure of his reaction to this piece of news as he had never discussed his reasons for leaving, with his older brother.

"Why? What did Dad say to you? I mean, I know he never told you he was proud of you or showed much affection after you reached a certain age but... I always thought you just knew he loved you?" Dean said, worried now that perhaps their father had done more damage to his already sensitive sibling.

"He would always say that I had to be more like you, do things like you, then it changed to asking me why I wasn't more like you.. that if I was more like you, I could protect you... he never came right out and said it but I used to think that he was disappointed that I wasn't a carbon copy of you... and I would try SO hard to make him proud, to be just like you, to get the same reaction out of him when I finally made the shot, or when I pinned you when we sparred or when I memorised all those exorcisms in old Latin... but he was never satisfied..." Sam was suddenly aware that any progress he had made in making his brother less angry at their father, was now shattered.

"Oh man... why didn't you tell me... I would have said something to him... made him back off" Dean said a little hurt that Sam had never come to him with these things.

"Hey, I had you to bolster my self-esteem, I eventually learned to stop looking to him for praise, you were more a father to me anyway. I just wish he could have been content with me, being me, to be proud of the things that I excelled at, that I contributed to our family, so when I left, I made a vow to myself, that if I ever had kids, I would be just like you... and make them feel loved" Sam was a little surprised the conversation had taken this turn, but was happy he had been able to tell his brother how he felt.

Dean felt his throat close up with emotions he had long buried, his little brother had looked to him as a father figure. A small smile crossed his face of that fact. Their father never realized that he had lost Sam years before he had left for Stanford.

"Sammy... I'm sorry you had to feel like that, but you should have said something... I wouldn't have allowed Dad to make you feel like that, I would have made him back off... I would have... I don't know..."

"You were so tangled up in Dad you wouldn't have said anything Dean... And that's fine, you protected me, the best you could but you were Dads shadow back then. I understand why, I do, I'm not blaming you, but you believed what Dad was sprouting" Sam cast a sideways glance at him, hoping he hadn't stepped over a line.

Dean sighed, he knew his brother was right and it was only now in retrospect that all these years later, he knew better. "I know Sammy, if I knew then, what I know now, I would have told him what for... Like I did last night... Ggrrrrrr. The man makes my blood boil" Dean said through gritted teeth, the irritability from this morning sweeping over him.

"I could tell... why did he get to you so much, I get that your starting to see how many mistakes he made but your acting like me before I went to Stanford. I can practically see the hate coming off you man... I know he wasn't the father of the year, but... Don't let all his mistakes from all those years ago, muddy your relationship, I regretted everything about the night I left, the things I said to Dad..." Sam had to look away, out the passenger window, to regain control of his emotions. Even after all this time, Sam still regretted how he had handled the whole situation and that he had made Dean feel like he was leaving his family.

"Sammy, you both said some hurtful stuff, but we all could've handled the situation differently. I could have said something, I should have said something... You were gone for so long, thinking I wasn't proud of you, I missed you SO much, and I let you leave without telling you that... It took me all these years to figure it out but... This whole thing is Dads fault, if he wasn't so selfish, or so blinded by revenge, he would've noticed that we were barely scraping by, sometimes with not enough money for even the basic necessities... I know losing mum, nearly killed him, but we were just kids... I just think he could have handled it a lot better. You did, look at what you've accomplished, you opened my eyes to how it should have been... That's why I'm so pissed at him... It's going to take me a while to move past this, I'll try for you and Hope, but I'm not making any promises Sammy" Dean looked away, focusing on the road ahead of him, Sam watched him for a moment and looked out the passenger window, thinking about what his brother had just said.

So many things could have been different for them, Dean could have been involved in Sam and Jess's whole courtship, marriage and subsequent pregnancy. It had been the one thing missing for Sam through the months and years that followed. Sam had tried to make contact with Dean numerous times so he could tell him how much he loved Jess, how much he wanted Dean to be his best man because he was more than just his brother but he was also his best friend. He and Jess had discussed it and had even decided to name Dean as Hopes god father, but unfortunately his family were incommunicado and he had to wake up each morning wishing that that day was the day that he would hear from his big brother but he would go to bed at the end of that day disappointed. Now, years later he was infinitely grateful that his big brother and his estranged father were now in his life. "I really appreciate that Dean... I mean, it's great having you on my side but just try to reduce the anger levels... I kind of want both of you in my life"

Dean smiled from the driver seat and chuckled. "Thanks Sammy, very girly of you..." Seeing Sam's bitch face. "Sorry... I mean... I like being in your life... I kinda missed you too... and now with Hope to spoil, I couldn't be happier. I'm a big brother and an uncle... It's the best of both worlds" Dean smiled affectionately at his little brother then looked over his shoulder quickly to see Hope sleeping in her chair, bottom lip sticking out and her little hand scrunched closed over the little black car he had given her.

Sam chuckled quietly, allowing the warmth of his brothers words flow over him. God he had missed this, cruising in the impala with his brother, shooting the shit and getting each other to talk about their feelings were all things that he cherished. "Listen Dean... I'm not sure what's going to happen at this museum, I feel like maybe Dad was holding something back about what happened back then so... We gotta watch each other's back okay? I mean, I know Caleb and Bobby's are going to be backing us up, but... I gotta know that Hope is safe, no matter what, you have to get Hope out of there and to somewhere safe, alright?"

Dean scrunched his hands on the steering wheel, as a proud big brother, he really didn't want to even contemplate something happening to his brother and having to take over the responsibility of parenting Hope, as much as he loved her, he didn't want his brother to risk his life so that she would grow up not knowing her father. Being someone who had lost a parent from a young age he could say from experience that something like that influenced you in more ways than one for the rest of your life, Hope was already part of that small club, she didn't need to loose both parents to a dangerous and indiscriminate lifestyle which would surely fuel a need for revenge that would surpass their fathers and turn obsessive. Dean didn't want to watch his niece live through that, she deserved better, much like her father, who had only ever wanted a normal life and so far that had not been possible but once these medallion pieces were found and reconnected, they could all retire and actually enjoy life a little. "Okay Sam, I'll protect her but I'm sorry I'm NOT leaving you behind, you are not sacrificing yourself to this moron, we go in together and we leave together, with the second medallion piece and this Miles character can either live to see another day or he gets a bullet in his brain" Dean's tone made it clear he wasn't joking.

"Fine Dean... Whatever you say..." Sam knew there was no way he could change his brothers mind.

"Damn straight, whatever I say, I'm the big brother, I'm always right" Dean said, slipping back into sarcastic big brother mode, now that his brother was out of his self sacrificial mood.

Silence once again filled the car, both Winchester brothers thinking over the plan and what they were going to say and do. Finally the lead car holding the three older hunters started to slow down and as they parked in front of an old brick double story factory building with a large red door. Sam sat in his seat, looking up at the building getting an ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach, hopefully it was just nerves. He moved to get out of the car, his brother took his wheelchair out of the back seat and set it up for him, then as Sam was situating himself, Dean took Hope out of her car seat and cuddled her to his chest, placing her head on his shoulder and her thumb in her mouth, still clutching her black car, Hope sighed in contentment, loving the safety and warmth of being in her uncles arms.

John, Bobby and Caleb, moved to join the brothers beside the Impala. After a beat the men moved together as a group, with John at the front, as Miles Fredrickson would recognise him and possibly want to seek revenge. John knocked on the door, and waited, the men started looking at each as they heard noises coming from inside the building, the door was suddenly yanked open and a gush of air caused them all to look away momentarily and as they looked back, they could see a flash of recognition that came over the large bearded, bespectacled man in the doorway. "John freakin Winchester! What the heck are you doing here?" The man, presumably Miles, looked at John and scowled as he looked from the eldest Winchester to the other men then his eyebrows raised when he saw Sam and then Dean who was holding Hope. "And who are all these people?" He asked with a glare.

John looked back at the man who had once been a fit, strong thin man who had now let himself go in more ways than one. "Miles, these are my friends and family. You might remember Bobby and Caleb" he answered pointing at the men beside him, then stepping aside slightly, he glanced at his sons and granddaughter and said. "My two sons, Sam and Dean and Sam's daughter Hope" he smiled at them and then looked back at Miles who was staring at the young men.

"Dean? Baby Sam?" Miles asked looking at Sam and Dean. "You boys have sure grown up" Miles was looking at them both with a strange look in his eyes.

"Can we come in, so we can all catch up?" John asked, redirecting the museum curator's gaze to him.

"Oh sure, come on in.. All of you" Miles said stepping back to allow the men access. As each man walked in they shook hands with him and moved past him, when Dean walked in Miles looked closely at the little girl in his arms. She was a real beauty, blonde hair, blues eyes, and cherubic lips. Perhaps his son could have had a child as beautiful as her, but unfortunately he would never find out. Bitterness flowed through him as he thought about what he had lost.

"Your daughter is adorable" Miles said to Dean obviously mistaking him for her father.

"Oh, I'm not her father, that would Sam, I'm Dean his older brother" Dean looked down at Hope, whole heartedly agreeing that she was adorable, he didn't see the flash of disappointment that crossed his face when he reasoned that Sam was the girls father.

Turning to Sam as he manoeuvred inside in his wheelchair, he scowled as his rubber wheels screeched across the highly polished floor. "Please try not to scuff my floor, if you do it again, I may have to ask you to leave" he said stalking off away from the young man.

Sam sat in his wheel chair stunned at the mans reaction. He tires wild squeak on the floor but they didn't scuff the flooring up. He had certainly paid for the highest quality tires to be placed on his wheelchair but nothing could stop the wheels from squeaking on the highly polished floor, however any scuffs could just be buffed out and by the standard of the floor it would have to be buffed daily, He shook his head at the ignorance and intolerance of some people. He had the feeling this was going to be another one of those days.

Moving further into the room where the others had gathered, Dean looked at Sam as he wheeled toward him, seeing the hurt look on his face, wondering what had transpired between his brother and the man that was starting to give off weird vibes. 'You alright?' Dean mouthed to his brother once he came closer, seeing the sad eyes glance up at him and nodded but mouthed 'Later'. Dean knew straight away that this guy had said something to Sam to upset him, he promised himself that he would watch the older man like a hawk.

"Alright John, what's all this about... It's been years and honestly I didn't think I'd ever see you again, let alone that you'd turn up on my doorstep... I mean I didn't exactly invite you back... In fact I'm pretty sure I told you to get lost" Miles glared at John as the memory of what happened back then. So many years had past but as soon as he saw Johns face, the grief and anger came back to him like it was yesterday.

"Well... Miles... I'm truly sorry about that. I never meant for that to happenWe're actually looking for a specific piece that we've heard though the grape vine that you are the proud owner of..." John asked, trying to sound contrite and sympathetic. He didn't want there to be any bad blood and for this whole meeting to go south.

"Oh yeah... What 'specific piece' are you talking about?" Miles was interested to hear what exactly John had come out of hiding to track down to him. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to give it up easily.

"Ah, okay well... we're trying to find all the pieces for the 'Helix Trinity' medallion" Bobby piped up to answer the bespectacled man who was emanating weird vibes since the bearded hunter had walked into throughout the door. Hunter instincts kicking in, eyes continuously moving orotund, checking for any and all intruders, traps, spells, supernatural anything causing the vibes and even looking at Caleb he knew it wasn't just him feeling these vibes.

"Ah... The 'Helix Trinity' that is a special supernatural relic, there are a lot of rumours and stories about that medallion but all three pieces haven't been seen together for decades. It's quite interesting actually, they were originally owned but three brothers... triplets actually, forged the medallion, then cut it into three parts, one for each brother. This medallion's power is shrouded in mystery..." Miles had begun to ramble, Dean was reminded of Sam when he really got going in research, sometimes he would ramble on about the history of things that Dean could care less about but fascinated Sam's thirst for knowledge and his love of puzzles, history and folk lore. Growing up Sam would love to borrow books from the library and read them in between studying, training and research.

"Alright so it's special... Are the rumours true? Do you have one of these pieces? And are you willing to give it to me?" John asked.

Miles looked at him and huffed in annoyance, not really appreciating being cut of mid explanation but also acknowledging his own bad habit of being long winded.

"It's in my collection and I could... Sell it to you... For a price. Why do you want it exactly? Is it for personal use or is it part of a hunt?" Miles asked, not really wanting to do John any favours.

"It's a long story but, let's just say it's for personal reasons. We want to protect our family and this seems like the best way to do it... What... exactly do you want in return?" John asked apprehensively. The look on the mans face was making little warning bells go of in his head.

"I just want what I'm owed..." Miles said cryptically

"What the hell does that mean?" Bobby said before job could reply, not really like king the way the conversation was going.

"Well, I lost my son many years ago and accident or not, I blame you for it, it was your idea for me to go in with you and... I lost my son, my boy because of it. You still have your son... Both your sons... Dean is too old and a little too hardened by your lifestyle to be of any use to me. Sam, well... I mean, he's crippled and he'll be next to useless to me here in the museum, but... Hope is young, I can mould her to my needs and she will be the perfect daughter, the perfect assistant, to replace my boy" Miles didn't notice the stunned almost disgusted looked on all the men's faces.

"I don't freakin think so!" Dean yelled angrily, standing and hastily passing Hope to Sam then moving to square off with the man who was threatening his niece. "How dare you suggest such a thing! She is not going to be your slave, and my brother is not useless, he can do more in that wheelchair than you could in your dreams!"

"You sick son of a.." John growled as he too stood up at the same time as both Bobby and Caleb stood to flank him, stopping himself from physically removing the man who had suggested that they give his granddaughter over as payment for the medallion piece.

"Hey... Back off the lot of you... Now let's talk calmly and reasonably..." Miles said taking a step back away with his hands up in a placating way.

"You give me Hope as payment for the loss of my boy and I'll give you the medallion piece... Take it or leave it" The other men, watched him move further back, not realising that he was stalling not just releasing nervous energy.

"I am not, will not and never will take that offer.. Here's what's going to happen, you're going to give me the medallion piece and I'll let you live. You don't take that deal and I'll let my two friends here have some time alone with you... You understand me?" John was not going to let this wheezle get away with threatening and insulting his son and then making a ridiculous offer to take Hope from them. He had felt his stomach growl at him in nausea since they left the hotel room, worry and anticipation. This whole venture had been a farce, there had been no way that Miles would readily hand over the medallion piece without a fight.

"Hey, you can't threaten me... you took my son from me, he was going to follow in my footsteps, he was to be my legacy... my wife left me... it's all your fault!" Miles replied angrily, he knew he couldn't win this fight with his fists, not with 4 strong men who looked like they knew their way around a fight standing threateningly in front of him. "I just want what you owe me" Miles was moving away from John and the other men and slowly started creeping toward Sam... perhaps he could persuade the young man.

"Sam... You want this medallion piece for your family... To protect them... This is the only way to do that... You gotta know you don't deserve her... You can't be the father she deserves" Miles wanted to to make him feel guilty enough that he would agree with him, he seemed like the sensitive type, someone who wore his heart on his sleeve. He didn't know how true he was but what he didn't know was that Sam was tougher, stronger and thicker skinned than most people.

Bobby was more than aware that this whole situation was spiralling out of control quickly if they didn't do something to placate the agitated curator. He hoped that John would be able to handle this situation but if Hope was in danger, she and Sam were his first priority, he would not hesitate to fight to the death if he had to.

John glanced quickly at Bobby, scowling when he noticed Miles moving away slowly and saw his sudden closeness to Sam and Hope. Sam tried to move away from Miles but where he had situated himself, his wheels where now blocked from moving backwards, he could only go forward and he didn't want to risk this man doing anything to his daughter.

Dean and Caleb watched the whole scene play out in shock, not really understanding what was happening but their training automatically kicked in as they shared a look and moved in opposite directions to flank the Museum curator.

As Miles go closer and closer to Sam, he noticed the hunters were closing in on him at the same time and he took his chance when Sam looked up to see Dean move away and grabbed Hope from his lap, She started squealing at the top of her lungs "Dadaaaaaaa!" Miles shoved his free hand into his pocket and yanked out his knife and pointed it at her to get the other men to pack off.

"Nooooo stop! Please don't hurt her!" Sam begged frantically.

"Sorry buddy but you don't get a say... Your father killed my son... You survived... But your crippled, that makes me feel a little better, I mean what good are you?" Sam growled and bunched his hands into fists with anger, this man knew nothing about him and what he was capable of. "Your daughter will be compensation enough... I think I deserve retribution!" Miles had a crazy look in his eyes, Sam didn't think he could survive if anything happened to his distressed daughter, the emotions running through him brought tears to his eyes and made his heart beat double time. "Once you had snuck away with your tail between your legs, I did some research and I found a book full of old spells... I have to say I enjoyed dabbling with them, the results where most satisfactory" he said with a evil grin.

"Please don't hurt my daughter... Please!... I'll do what ever you want, just please don't hurt her, she's innocent" Sam was near hysterics as his daughters screams grew louder.

"Alright, alright... That's enough..." Dean was gonna to end this right now. "Listen here you son-of-a-bitch! Give me back my niece and maybe... Just I'll think about letting you decide if we should pull all your teeth out or all your nails... Your choice" he could feel the anxiety coming off the other hunters in the room but it was the grief coming off Sam that really made him worry. The poor man had lost enough, Dean wasn't going to allow this crazy man to take away the person who gave his brother a reason to get out of bed every morning.

Miles knew he had one chance at this, he had to act quickly, or these men would take him down and his plan would be for nothing. Bringing the little girl closer to his chest, he took a step back, moving closer to the secret door he'd had installed, so he could make a quick getaway, taking another step back he moved his hand out to the side and as his hand drew closer to the small secret doorway hidden in the wall, Dean and Caleb drew closer and as they were about to leap towards the man to stop him from harming the youngest Winchester there was a sudden bright white flash and cloud of smoke that blinded them momentarily and then muddied the hunters vision once they could see again, causing them to be disorientation.

Sam squinted through the haze and moved his wheelchair to the now empty space the man had been occupying holding his distressed daughter. Fear and guilt flooded him, his daughter had been screaming for him and he had been unable to get to her, the other members of his family had not been fast enough to get to the curator and now every minute that past was another minute without his little girl. He let a out a sputtery breath, then unable to keep his emotions in any longer he put his face in his hands and wept. "Noooooo" he moaned out like a wounded animal, the pain of what had happened too much, the light of his otherwise bleak life had been stolen from him.

Dean walked quickly over to his brother, knelt down in front of him and pulled him into his arms, tears gathering in his eyes, failure at not reaching Miles fast enough, hardening his heart and allowing the need for revenge to swallow it in darkness

"Balls" Bobby exclaimed when his vision finally cleared, John stood, his shoulders slumped in defeat. The little Winchester had been stollen from them by some two bit magician who dabbled in witchcraft.

"What the heck are we gonna do now?" Caleb asked shocked by the turn of events. Wanting to desperately find the youngest and most precious Winchester and making the monster who kidnapped him pay.

Sam was beside himself, his head wanted to charge off into the fray and destroy the man who had taken his light but his heart was grieving as if there was no way of getting her back. When he looked up he saw Dean red rimmed determined eyes and knew that his brother wouldn't allow him to drown in grief but would help him fight to get her back. "Come on Sammy, let find a way to get our little girl back" Dean stood beside Sam, with his warm hand on his little brothers shoulder moving it back and forth trying to give him comfort while he got himself together.

"Bobby, we have to get Hope back NOW! Can you see how Miles was able to escape, perhaps there is a trap door or a secret passage that he snuck through. There is no way this witchcraft was real... It was all smoke, mirrors and parlour tricks... He's a charlatan and I'm not going to let him get away with this" Dean said angrily, his brother was falling apart and he was trailing closely behind if he was honest with himself. He had become quite attached to the little girl, he had daydreamed about teaching her how to drive, to shoot, to play poker and to shoot any guys who wanted to date her. He wanted to watch her grow up and he desperately wanted to proudly watch his brother as he watched her knowing that the woman she would become was all down to his little brother parenting.

Sam felt a warmth grow then heat up,in his pocket where the first medallion piece was hidden away, he shoved his hand in and held the glowing medallion in his palm then dropped it on the floor with a hiss as the heat got to be too much. He looked up at his brother questioningly. What the hell was going on?

On the other side of the secret door, Miles was walking quickly with hope through the passage way and up some stairs when he suddenly felt cold and as he breathed out, his breath came out in a foggy cloud. An angry ghostly figure with long blonde hair blowing around her appeared in front of him halting his progression, his face changed from confident, angry and strong to scared, whimpish and pale with fear. "You will not harm her or you will burn!"

He turned away from her and kept running, holding the little girls arms tighter causing bruises making her scream louder. He was stopped again when the ghostly figure reappeared and the little girl was whisked away from his heavy arms. "You will pay!" the glowing blue eyes burned brighter as Miles stared into them, scared and frozen to the spot. The glowing grew brighter still and he started to feel an unpleasant burning in his chest as another ghostly figure appeared and screamed "It is time for you to say goodbye!"

The heat grew even hotter and he started to feel like he was boiling from the inside out, then the light and heat grew even brighter, blinding, hotter, burning like an inferno into his soul, he disappeared into the light with loud drawn out pained scream and when it had all died down, he was no longer there, turned to dust and blown away in the wind.

The men on under other side of the secret door were still reeling from what had transpired, half of them were searching the too and the wall for any indications of how Miles had disappeared and the other half were grieving the loss one of their own. Dean and John were kneeling beside Sam as he cried, it seemed to them that perhaps he hadn't grieved the loss of his wife and now after loosing his daughter, his body could no longer hold it all in behind the wall he had built up around his heart and now the damn had broken and he was having trouble reining it in. John and Dean both decided to just be there for him, comfort him and to let him feel his grief and let it all out.

Suddenly from the other side of the room there was a surprised noise and the three Winchester's looked up and saw the ghostly figure of Jessica Moore holding their daughter. Sam's next breath rushed out of him and he said on his next breath "oh god... " Dean started moving as he stood up and scooped his niece into him arms and cuddled her kissing her on the head as he moved back to Sam and handed the little girl to her father who buried his face in her hair as she said "Dada!"

All the men stared on shock as Jess smiled at her family's happy reunion. "Thank you", "How did you know where Miles took her?", "Was that him we heard screaming?" Dean, John and Bobby all asked a question at the same time.

Jess put hands up to stop the onslaught. "I will answer all your questions... Now who was first?" She stood their as each man asked their questions and she answered as best she could.

Caleb walked over to Sam and Hope, laying his a hand on Sam's head and said softly "Luck was on our side son and after everything you've been through, I think your luck is finally changing... Perhaps you should buy a lottery ticket you know... Cash in, see where it leads" Caleb said with a smile, knowing it would amuse the young man and help to lighten the mood.

"I felt a pull to come to Hope, like she was calling me and when I appeared, there was a stranger running away with her and Hope was screaming. I turned into a mamma bear as Sam used to call it... I stopped him from hurting her, a power I've never had before burned him from the inside out" Jess said with a mixture of pride and sympathy as she hadn't intended too kill him, but was not sad that he could no longer hurt her daughter. Sam and Jess shared a look that spoke volumes, it spoke of their love for each other, for their daughter, of thanks you's and sorry's and of everything they couldn't say out loud.

"I think maybe it was the medallion piece that summoned you, it burned my hand" Sam said putting hand out showing the burn in his palm. Deans big brother instincts had shot up at that statement and he moved over to Sam to get a closer look, taking his hand and soothing the red angry burn with his fingers to feel blisters already forming.

Seeing Dean and their father looking at him, Sam got back to business. "The protection has already started or the fact that Jess is Hopes mother and the love and connection they have as mother and daughter is strong, even in death". Bobby stated with a smile looking at Sam who had calmed down now that he had Hope back... In more ways than one.

"So now what?... How do we find this medallion, now that Miles is gone, we have no way of knowing where he kept it" Caleb asked, finally finding the latch that opened the secret door, hidden so meticulously in the wall. The hunters saw the door pop open and murmur to themselves, that the bastard had gone to a lot of trouble to get away if John should ever come to ask him for something.

"He seemed like someone who would have been meticulous with his research and his cataloging of all his artefacts' he would have a log book or something on his office I would say" Sam said now with his head up and his face wiped clean of tears. His eyes were still red and slightly puffy but no one said anything. Hope still clung to him with he little fist holding on for dear life and a thumb in her mouth, now content that she was safe. Sam knew she would be asleep in minutes.

They group moved together out the sitting area the Miles had let them too through a door marked with his name and Sam quickly moved to his desk to find the main list of artefacts to see if he could find the medallion.

Bobby moved the vast collection of books on the far wall while John and Caleb walked out of the office to investigate the actual museum. Dean walked over to Sam who still had Hope in his lap who was now asleep. "Sammy? How're you doing?" Dean was extremely worried about his little brother who only a short time ago was falling into a depression fuelled by grief and was now holding onto his daughter for dear life. Dean predicted he wouldn't let her out of his sight for a few days and bey the grip she had on his little brothers shirt, she wouldn't be complaining.

Sam took a deep sigh and looked away from the computer and up to his brother and said "I'm much better now... Sorry about before, I um... Well I think everything just over flowed" Sam had that determined look in his eye again, the one that told Dean he wouldn't be allowing that much emotion to show again. His brother was a proud man and even though her wore his heart on his sleeve he didn't want to be the weak link.

"Sammy... Don't be ridiculous. This shoulder has seen its fare share of your tears over the years, a few more won't hurt it... Ok?" Dean was not going to let his little brother build that impenetrable wall up again especially after everything they'd been through.

"I know... Thanks Dean it's just... I'm in this wheelchair I don't want to be a bigger burden on everyone" Sam looked away and started clicking away again, determined to find the list. Dean slapped him in the back of the head making him cry out and start laughing, he turned his head to see his brother side step him as his long arm came out to slap him back.

"You jerk!" Sam yelled out.

"Ha ha you love me... Just get back to work... And if I hear anymore of that talk from you about being a burden I will do more that slap you... I know where you sleep buddy" Dean kept walking relishing in his brother laugh as he went to find his father and Caleb.

John and Caleb were talking animatedly over a bunch of old weapons locked in a display case and Dean shook his head "Dude, just break the lock or just break the glass... The owner isn't gong to miss them you now, but you. And you might want to make sure the alarms are switched off first"

The two older hunters looked at each and chuckled. "I'll go get my lock pick... Be right back"

As Caleb ran back to his car John turned to Dean and sighed. "How's Sam doin?" he asked the older brother, knowing that he would know how he was really doing more than anyone else.

"He's okay... It's going to take him a while to let Hope go to anyone but... I think he'll be alright" Dean said softly, he didn't want his little brother hearing them talk about him, especially after what he had told him in the office.

"That's good... Very good... Has be found anything yet?" John saw his eldest son shake his head giving a negative answer.

Caleb came running back into the room after turning off any alarms, interrupting any further discussion. Using the lock pick to open the display case and the three men stood there talking about the weapons and discussing who would take what, when they heard the squeak of Sam's wheels on the polished floors and they looked up.

Sam was amused by the men in front of him, they looked like kids in a candy store. "I found something... And I may have a lead on the last piece"

Tbc