Disclaimer: Not mine! It's a tragedy, I know.

Notes: So, this is a reminder that this is going to be part of a series and that some…developments will happen in the next few stories. It would be a shame to try and shove all character development and relationships all into one episode. So if you are here for Destiel and smexy, then you are going to have to wait I'm afraid! Sorry .

Thanks to those who reviewed! This is legit, my first story EVER! I was so nervous when I posted so your encouragement was much appreciated!

CHAPTER 5

"Son of a bitch." Dean moved away from Balthazar and puts his hands up.

"Captain Winchester, please remove your firearms."

Dean slowly takes off his gun belt and moves his hands back up in the air. "My day just got even better it seems."

Once Uriel was satisfied he turned from Dean and pointed his gun at Balthazar instead. "Balthazar Novak, you are now under arrest. Please stand down."

Dean did a double take. This guy wasn't after him? Sweet!

"oh you want him. Is there a reward?"

"Shut up mongrel. Get on the ground now Novak!"

"Yo man, I think you better get on the ground. This guy looks a little twitchy," Dean suggests.

Balthazar slowly kneels on the ground, looking more pissed off than scared. Bobby breaks in, "I think everyone here could calm down a little. And I don't think them guns are necessary. He's on a boat, where is he going to run to?"

Uriel shouts back at them, "All of you shut the hell up. Do you think I am slow? You're carrying a fugitive in your ship and you think I actually believe you are bringing supplies to Whitefall?! As far as I know, all of you are criminals!" As he says this he starts waving the gun back and forth between the three of them.

"Hey, calm the fuck down and stop waving that thing around before someone gets hurt!"

"I think we should talk about this rationally."

"I've got a cruiser on its way here! It can arrive any minute!"

And around this time the noise draws all others on the ship to the hold. Now voices are heard everywhere and Uriel looks even more panicked.

"Dean!"

"Balthazar!"

"Captain what's going on!?"

"Jeez, I leave for a while and come back to everyone freaking out!"

"Captain!?"

"Oh my goodness! What are you thinking!?"

"All of you scum, stand down or I will shoot!"

"You shoot anyone on this boat—"

"Dean!" Sam's voice rings out again from beside him and Balthazar. And suddenly—

Bang

Silence falls over the hold. Dean's eyes roam over each of his crew, finally falling on Sam and his heart crumbles. Sam is looking down at his hands that have just come off of his gut. They are red. Covered in blood.

"Dean?" And Sam starts to fall.

Two voices ring out calling Sam's name and Dean and Trickster dive for him.

Meg immediately comes up behind Uriel and clocks him with the butt of her favored knife. She goes to stab him, but Chuck grabs her hand and shakes his head. "If we kill him then we are really screwed."

"Fine, Chucky. I'll just tie him up. I'll just interrogate him later. Gently of course."

Meanwhile Dean's world is crashing down around him. He holds his hands over Sam's gut trying to keep as much of the blood in as possible. Every second more still pumps out over his hands despite his efforts.

"C'mon Sammy. Hang in there. Don't you dare die on me! Tricky, where is the nearest planet with a hospital?"

Trickster has gone white and holds Sam's head gently. He looks up at Dean and shakes his head. He knows that even if there was a planet an hour away instead of their current 10 hours, it would be too late. But his hand starts to drift towards Sam's wound slowly….

"Let me through boy. I have some medical training. Maybe I can do something." Bobby tries to push his way past the distraught Dean.

"No offense there preacher, but I don't think a healing prayer is going to fix this," Balthazar's voice drifts from somewhere over Dean's shoulder. Anna is pulling off her shawl and wrapping as much of Sam as possible to keep him warm.

"No yea idjit, I was a trained medic. I can maybe give him more time for us to reach a hospital."

Dean finally budged after that and let Bobby through. Trickster's hand moved back up behind Sam's head.

Bobby went to work. Chuck had come back from the clinic with the first aid kit and stretcher, and Sam was stabilized and then moved to the clinic. He was hooked up to all sorts of things. Machines beeped and whined, and Bobby worked diligently while Dean paced outside of the room. All the others looked on from the stairs. Trickster, Meg and Uriel were nowhere to be seen.

Bobby finally emerged with a grim look. "He's got a few hours left, but as I recall, we are a bit further out from any planet than a few hours." He looked pointedly at Dean. Dean sucked in a deep breath and let is out in a quick blow. Trickster's voice came over the comm. "Dean, there is a Garrison cruiser coming up on radar headed right for us."

Balthazar started to panic. "You have to change course. Run!"

"Why the fuck would I do that! I don't owe you a damned thing! You got my brother shot!" Dean was fuming.

"Because you have stolen cargo as well. And you also have an assaulted fed being "interrogated" by your attack bitch. Do you really think that they will allow you to get your brother to a hospital before they search every inch of this ship?!"

This just made Dean even angrier. Mostly because the jerk was right. "Trickster. Change course. Get us out of here. Do whatever you have to. Now I'm going to see what it is that you are "trading" that is so important that my brother has to die for it." And with that, Dean started towards the hold.

"What are you—No!" And Balthazar hurries after him. The others all follow.

He tears through the crates with his eyes set on the large metallic one that Balthazar seemed so concerned about. He reaches it only to have Balthazar's arms reach around him and pull him back. "Stay away from that!" Dean turns and punches him in the same spot on his jaw that he had hit earlier that night. While Balthazar was stunned on the ground from the hit, Dean brought his attention back to the box.

It was fancy looking, with a control pad with all sorts of numbers and blinking lights. Dean paid them little mind and started pressing the buttons that looked like they might open the top. Finally he was rewarded with a hiss from the box, a lifting of the top and a cloud of some kind of vapor gas pouring from the top.

Trickster emerges from the back at this point; he must have evaded the cruiser and came to see what the commotion was about.

Dean peers over the top as the vapor slowly dissipates. Eventually he starts to see a form in the bottom. It dawns on him then that he is looking at a body. A very naked body of a young man.

Dean stares at the form for a while and finally makes a noise.

"huh."