A/N: This chapter ended up being much more difficult to write than I thought, and I rewrote it three times. I could probably mess with it for a week longer, but I also needed it to be done. This is what I ended up with, so I hope you are happy with it dear readers! Thanks so much for reviewing!

Thank you so much to my beta on this story, Melody Sypher Carston, for being amazing and putting so much work in helping this story come out well.

I did some tinkering with it after my beta got it back to me, so any remaining errors or confusing parts are mine.

Sam's world was a haze of musty basement, pain, and a strange kind of tired that pushed him down into the dirty floor. Somewhere in his mind, he knew he needed to get up. If he could just stay awake long enough to pull himself together, he could climb out of this prison. But he was just so damn tired.

He drifted off.

Sometime later (or was it a few seconds?) pain erupted in his leg. He opened his eyes to find a face in front of him; it was a very familiar face. But there was no way he would be here. Sam hadn't called him. Had he?

"Dean?"

"Yeah Sam, I'm here," The fuzzy blob that was his brother replied. Dean was always there for Sam. He always knew how to fix every terrible situation the hunter's life provided for them.

"You're always here." Sam whispered.

Dean had said some things, but Sam couldn't really remember. He thought maybe he had said something too, but what he had no idea. There had been some water, sweet blessed water. There had been pain, a bone deep throb in his leg. And then a sharp, intense pain in his shoulder quickly followed by darkness.

Consciousness came and went after that. Something had been funny. Sam was pretty sure he had been hoisted up at some point; that was a weird sensation. He remembered the brightness of the morning, so different from the dark of the basement. It had been one thing too much for his exhausted brain to process, and consciousness abandoned him. Sam knew nothing more after that.

So now, Sam was somewhat mystified to find himself comfortably laid out in a bed. A deep exhaustion and a strange kind of nausea still gripped him, but he fought it. He needed to find Dean, and confirm his presence. Sam forced his eyes open to find a smiling face with sharp blue eyes and soft blond hair looking down at him. It definitely wasn't Dean, but at least he wasn't alone any more.

Sam drifted again, reassured that he at least wasn't going to die anymore and too tired to keep his eyes open any longer.

The next time Sam blinked open his eyes, he felt more like himself. It was early afternoon judging by the light streaming through the window next to him. There was a strange kind of emptiness inside Sam, like he was a few degrees less than his full self. But still, he felt alive.

"Hiya, Sammy." a familiar voice said somewhere off to his left.

Sam turned his head, wincing as it pulled on the muscles of his recently reset shoulder. There, sitting not 5 feet from his bed, was his brother, leather jacket and cheeky grin included. "Dean?" Sam croaked out.

"The one and only." Dean said with a grin, "How're you feeling?" He offered Sam a plastic cup of water, helping him take a few sips before setting it back down.

Sam sighed. "I'm alright, I guess. I'm really tired." His bed was slightly reclined, somewhere between completely upright and completely horizontal. His right arm was in a sling, presumably to keep him from moving it too much while his shoulder healed. Sam's right leg was strangely numb, but he attributed it to the myriad of painkillers he was probably on. Glancing around, he saw several IV bags hanging to his right, one tinted red at the edges. Sam frowned at the sight.

"Well it's good to see you awake," Dean said, "I've been getting pretty bored waiting for your lazy ass to wake up."

Sam huffed out a weak laugh. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he joked lightly. They quieted, the stillness broken only by the occasional beep of the monitor's attached to Sam.

When it became clear Sam wasn't going to break the silence between them, Dean asked, "So should I even ask? Or are you just going to pretend that you weren't hunting?"

Sam turned his head back to face his brother, who looked at him with a hardness in his green eyes.

"Honestly Dean? I didn't really realize I was hunting until I found myself in that basement." Dean scoffed, and opened his mouth to retaliate but Sam interrupted him saying, "Please let me explain." Dean shut his mouth in response, his brow furrowed.

"I just...," Sam sighed again, and he suddenly became very interested in the zig-zag pattern of his thin hospital blanket, "I'd heard about what was going on and decided to look into it a little bit. You know how it is. We know things the police don't, so we know what to look for. I decided to investigate a little more in person, but I swear I was going to call another hunter to actually come and take care of the job. I didn't go looking for a hunt, exactly. The hunt kind of…found me."

Dean scoffed again, and said, "Well, that shifter definitely found you."

"She wasn't suppose to." Sam said quietly, a defeated look coming over him.

"Yeah, but I bet she wished she hadn't, because I have to say Sammy, even out of practice you showed that shifter. Someone must have taught you well. I wonder who that could have been." Dean said with a knowing smirk.

"Don't flatter yourself, Dean." Sam said.

"Too late." Dean replied with a cheeky grin.

"Thanks, by the way," Sam said, "For coming."

"Sam, you don't have to thank me. I'm your brother. Rescuing you is just part of the job description," Dean said.

A silence fell between the brothers again, neither knowing exactly what to say next.

"Why'd you do it?" Dean asked suddenly, "Why'd you go on a hunt?" At the look on Sam's face, he said, "Or ok, sorry, why'd you accidently go on a hunt?"

"Why do you hunt, Dean?" Sam shot back, locking eyes with his brother.

"You know why, Sammy. That's just what we do. We're Winchesters. We save people from the creepy things that want to eat us," Dean replied, a little heat edging into his words.

"And that's exactly why I did this. I knew some of these people, and I needed to do something about it before that shifter killed someone again. I didn't really think about what I was doing. I just… went." Sam quieted, hoping Dean understood.

"That doesn't change the fact that you went hunting." Dean's voice was steadily getting louder as his long buried anger bubbled to the surface.

"Dean, I don't want to be a hunter. This was a one-time thing that just got the better of me. It won't happen again." Sam insisted.

Dean laughed bitterly, running a hand through his short hair in frustration.

"I got out of that life."

"You mean you got away from Dad." Dean said bitterly.

"Yeah, Dean, I got away from Dad," Sam's voice rose to try and match Dean's, "I was just so tired of it, of everything. I was tired of fighting with Dad. I was tired of moving around, of never having a home and never making friends. I was tired of always being scared that something was coming to get me. Or you. Or Dad. I just didn't want to do it anymore."

"Yeah, well, apparently you do." Dean said, not too unkindly. He began pacing the room, trying to work off some his frustration. "It comes with the job, Sam. Yeah, there are risks, and yeah sometimes it really sucks to live out of a duffel. But that's how it works. And we did it together."

"I…" Sam started, losing his nerve as soon as he started. He was just too tired to fight with his brother right now, and too tired to try and make him understand. But Dean had other ideas, his frustrations already getting the best of him. He stood up suddenly, gesturing wildly.

"You what, Sam?! You want to save people from monsters? Then you're a hunter. You walk out on your family, you run away to perfect sunny California, you go to college like a good boy, and you still end up hunting. Face it, Sam. You're a hunter."

"I only did it this one time. I'm not..." Sam started before Dean cut him off.

"You can't promise that. There's no such thing as a recreational hunter, Sam. You can't have it both ways."

Sam sighed deeply, exhaustion weighing him down. He was quickly losing his small store of energy.

"I know, Dean." Sam said quietly.

"Good."

Dean stopped his pacing, his anger gone as quickly as it had come. As it abated, Dean realized his frustrations were more out of concern at finding his brother injured and unwilling to call his brother than out of the bitterness of their last phone conversation. He sighed, and returned to his seat next to Sam's bed, staring down at his boots. He was quite, suddenly emotionally drained.

"Dean?"

"What?" Dean said sharply, not looking up.

"I just want you to know why I left. I needed to live my own life. That's all. For once, I wanted to take care of myself and make my own decisions." Sam said wearily, "I'm 21 years old, Dean. I'm not 5 anymore."

Dean could hear the exhaustion in Sam's voice, and he suddenly felt guilty for picking a fight, especially this fight, with him right now. He glanced at Sam to make fleeting eye contact, and saw pain there. It was more than just his physical injuries that were expressed there. Sam never was one for hiding his emotions, and especially not from his brother.

"I think that's why I found myself on this hunt too. I guess part of me wanted to prove that I could do it without you." Sam chuckled darkly before continuing, "I guess I was wrong."

Dean chuckled too. "You did kill it though."

"True." Sam conceded, accepting the compliment.

"Soooooo how are we doing in here?" a cheerful voice said. Amy, the nurse, was back. Her bright smile grew wider as she saw that Sam was awake. "I just came to check on Sam and change his dressings. I can come back later if I'm interrupting something…?" she asked leadingly.

"No, it's fine." Sam said wearily. He was truly exhausted now, and didn't really mind the break in conversation.

"Yeah, we're just joking around. We haven't seen each other in a while." Dean said.

"Ah I see. Well, I'm glad you two are back together again." Amy said.

"Yeah, me too." Dean said, making fleeting eye contact with Sam. Sam gave him a small, tired smile in reply.

Amy quickly and professionally redressed Sam's leg, and changed out his empty IV bags with new ones. "You've had two pints of blood already, so Dr. Suarez thinks one more should do the trick. This one is just to keep you hydrated," Amy said, indicating the bag of clear liquid. Sam nodded slowly in acknowledgement, eyes blinking in exhaustion. "If you're up for it, you should be cleared to go home in the early afternoon tomorrow," she said, patting Sam lightly on the shoulder. After making a few notes on her clipboard she left, leaving Sam and Dean alone again.

"Dean, I'm sorry." Sam said quietly, "I'm sorry I left the way I did. I can't change that I'm not little anymore. Hell, I'm way bigger than you."

"You don't have to remind me." Dean mumbled.

Sam ignored him and continued, "But just because I grew up doesn't mean I don't still need my big brother."

Dean sighed heavily. "Sam, I will always be your big brother. I can't change that, and hell, I don't want to. No matter how angry I may seem, no matter how far I away I might be, you can call me. Especially when you're bleeding on the floor of a basement."

"Seriously?" Sam asked.

"Seriously."

They quieted, both glad that they had finally seemed to come to some kind of understanding.

"You look exhausted, dude. Get some sleep." Dean said, noticing the dark circles under Sam's eyes.

Sam wasn't going to argue with Dean on that point. "You'll be here when I wake up?" Sam mumbled, his eyes slipping shut before Dean could respond.

"I'll always be here, Sammy." Dean whispered.

[*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*]

Sam checked out the next afternoon, walking out to the Impala while leaning heavily on Dean. He was still bone tired, and his healing leg refused to support him. The hospital had given him crutches, but Sam was still too tired to use them for longer than a few minutes. Leaning so closely to Dean, it was hard to miss the smell of lighter fluid, smoke, and a somewhat sinister smell that both brothers were far too familiar with.

"Dude, did you burn the shifter?" Sam asked as Dean helped him down into the passenger seat.

"Yup. Went and did it this morning while you were still sleeping. We don't need people finding that mess and getting ideas." Dean leaned on the Impala, one arm on the open passenger side door and the other on the roof of the Impala, creating a kind of Dean shaped tent over Sam.

"What did you do about the bodies?" Sam asked, a little bit afraid of Dean's answer. Sam had known some of those people, and wanted the families to get at least some sense of closure.

"After I burned it and all its gross skin shedding crap, I left an anonymous tip for the police for the location of the bodies." Dean reported.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Dean said, "You're welcome, by the way. I had to shovel all that gross crap all by myself. Freakin' monsters." Sam laughed humorlessly. Freakin' monsters is right. Dean shut Sam's door, got into the driver's seat, and they were off.

Sam hadn't asked his brother to stay and help, but before he knew it Dean was in his apartment, settling him into bed with plenty of pillows and bringing him snacks. Sam wasn't about to admit it, but he was grateful. He was also silently thanking his luck that his roommate was making it a habit to stay at his girlfriend's apartment. A roommate on top of Dean would have too much to deal with.

"Dude, what are doing?" Sam asked while he watched Dean lug his old, heavy TV into Sam's bedroom.

"Doc said you're on bed rest for the next few days, and I sure as hell don't plan to entertain you the whole time. We," He placed the TV on Sam's desk with a huff, "are going to resume your Godzilla education." Dean smiled widely and raised his eyebrows in excitement before walking back out of the room to grab the VHS player.

"I have to study at some point too you know!" Sam called after him.

"Loser!" Dean called back from the living room.

Sam laughed to himself, shaking his head. Dean would never change. It was something he was both eternally grateful for and that frustrated him wildly. Nevertheless, Sam was glad to have Dean around again. He hadn't realized how much he had truly missed his brother until Dean's presence filled up his normally quiet apartment.

Sam's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock on his front door. "I got it!" he heard Dean call out.

The sound of a door opening, and then a woman's voice said, "Oh, hi! Who are you?"

"Shit." Sam said under his breath. He craned his neck, straining to listen to the conversation at the door. He cursed himself for having left his crutches in the living room.

"Name's Dean. I'm Sam's brother. He's resting right now. And who might you be?"

"I'm Jessica. Jess. I have notes for his PolySci class. I heard he was sick so I thought I would bring them to him. I know he doesn't want to get behind," Sam heard Jess say. Sam and Jess had gone on a few dates, so he wasn't surprised to hear her showing up at his door unannounced.

"I'm sure he doesn't. I'll be sure to give this to him." Dean said.

"He's done it for me a few times, so I just thought I would return the favor."

Good cover, Jess. Sam wasn't exactly ready to confess to his brother that he was dating someone.

"Well that's awfully nice of you." Sam could practically see the smile on Dean's face, the one he reserved for flirting with pretty girls.

"It's not a problem," Jess said cheerily. "Just let him know I said hi, ok?"

"I will. Thanks." Sam heard the door close again, and then Dean's approaching footsteps.

"Here, geek boy. A hot chick just came by to drop these off." Dean said, throwing the notes onto Sam's bed.

"Stay away from her, ok?" Sam said warningly.

Dean paused, and turned to look at Sam. "Wait, wait, wait. Does Sammy have a crush?!" Dean taunted, a look of utter glee on his face at discovering this tid bit of information.

"Shut up." Sam said, throwing a pillow at Dean. Dean grabbed the fallen pillow to retaliate, and before they knew it was an all-out pillow fight. Sam quickly surrendered, still tiring easily.

Breathless, Dean said, "Naw, Sammy don't worry. She's all yours. Though I have to say she's way out of your league. Oh well. It'll be a good challenge for you."

"Thanks. I feel much better now," Sam replied sarcastically.

"Whatever, dude. I'm sure she's sold on your puppy dog eyes alone. Now let's get started. We have 4 movies to get through today. Pay attention. There's a quiz at the end."

The brothers settled on Sam's bed together, just big enough to hold two grown men when they sat on it sideways like a couch. There used to be a time when the brothers could easily share a twin-sized bed in a pinch. A lot had changed since those days.

Dean stopped paying attention after the first hour, lost in thought. Making a decision, he paused the movie just as Godzilla descended upon Tokyo. He turned to Sam, only to find his brother asleep next to him, slumped over his pillow. The position couldn't be comfortable, especially with an injured shoulder.

"Sam, wake up." Dean commanded, poking Sam in the ribs just like he had when they were teenagers.

"Leave me alone." Sam whined. He turned away from Dean, trying to get him to stop his poking.

"Sammy, wake up. I need to talk to you." Dean said more insistently.

That did it. Sam begrudgingly opened his eyes. He sat up and stretched with one arm, winching as the movement jostled his shoulder. He leaned back against the pillows, resting his head against the wall. "Alright Dean I'm awake. What's up?"

"I just…" Dean trailed off, suddenly losing his nerve. Dean Winchester wasn't much for heart to hearts.

"What, Dean? You woke me up so this better be good." Sam said wearily.

"Sam, I just wanted you to know that I get it now." Dean said quickly, staring down at his hands.

Sam turned his head to look at Dean, "You get what?"

"You wanted to live your own life. I can't be mad at you for that. Dad never asked you, and I always assumed the hunting life was what you wanted. So, I guess what I'm trying to say," Dean paused and shifted uncomfortably on the bed, "is that I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for not trying to understand." Dean was still staring down at his hands, so he didn't notice the sympathetic look that came over Sam's face.

Sam reached out and clasped Dean on the shoulder with his usable left hand. Dean looked up, and before he could realize what was happening, Sam had pulled him into an awkward half hug until Sam finally released him. "Thank you, Dean."

"Yeah well… I guess it was my turn to apologize."

Sam huffed out a low, amused chuckle.

"Alright, is the moment over now? Godzilla is about to destroy Tokyo."

"Yeah Dean. The moment's over," Sam said, a grin on his face.

Sam was right. Dean would never change.

[*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*]

A few days later, Sam had much of his strength back and was able to hobble around his apartment on his own. His leg would take several weeks to heal fully, but there would be no lasting damage. Dean had made up some excuse to their father that he was investigating a lead from Caleb about a vengeful spirit, but that lie could only last for so long. So now, Dean was packing up the few possessions he brought up to Sam's apartment, preparing to leave and meet up with their Dad again.

"Alright, I left a bunch of food in the fridge. You had like, no food in there." Dean said while he gathered up his duffle.

"I'll be fine Dean." Sam said patiently for the third time that day.

Dean walked to the front door, giving his brother a once over. Sam stood with crutches supporting him, wearing a pair old baggy sweatpants and an old hoodie of Dean's that was slightly too small. Dean swallowed hard before saying, "Alright, well, call if you need anything, ok? Even if it's 2 in the morning. And especially if you're bleeding on the floor of a basement."

Sam chuckled before saying, "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

"Nope." Dean said with a cheeky grin. Sam grinned back sheepishly, and shook his head in exasperation. Without another word, Dean turned the corner and was gone.

Sam closed the door with a quite click, and leaned against the closed door to breathe out a deep sigh.

Sam didn't know when he would see his brother again. Their lives were just too unpredictable to ever know for sure. Sam was just glad he had his brother back.

A/N: That's it! I hope you all got the resolution you were hoping for. Please review and let me know your thoughts!