Going Down

AN: Enjoy and tell me what you think!

Dean wouldn't budge from Ashley's side, not even when Sam and Bobby came flying down the stairs with guns blazing. Dean wasn't crying anymore, now he was honestly scarred something was really wrong with his sister- a normal person doesn't just faint for no reason.

"What happened, boy?" the grizzled hunter asked Dean once they finally got Ashley comfortable on the couch.

"We were talking, I noticed she looked like a corpse, then she started to get real unsteady and her eyes just glazed over."

"Did ya'll stop and get something to eat before showing up here?"

Of course Dean didn't think of that, Ashley and Sam had fallen asleep right out of Texas and he had eaten right before they got back from their run. "Shit, no Bobby. She didn't eat and she had gone on a run with Sam before we left." Dean officially felt like the biggest screw up for not allowing Ashley some time to grab food from the house or even letting her decided if she needed to stop and eat. He was pissed at himself and almost sent his fist through a wall, but Sam had put a comforting hand on his shoulder just in time. "Go get some food Sam" Dean ordered his brother before he had two passed out adults on his hands.

"Dean this isn't your fault. Yeah she didn't eat or drink anything for a day, but she is going to be fine. I mean look at me" Sam chuckled as he walked into the kitchen and took the last edible thing Bobby had in there.

"She's smaller" Dean grunted, unable to form coherent sentences "messes her up different." He gave up trying to be strong and collapsed on the floor next to Ashley's head.

"Alright you two idjits" Bobby broke in "I'm going to head to town and get some grub she'll eat. If she wakes up, don't let her move on her own and give her some water."

"Yes sir" Sam managed around a full mouth of whatever the hell he pulled out from the fridge.

Sam settled into Bobby's chair and pulled up to the desk trying to figure out why a vamp had attacked him in pure daylight.

Dean was finally sleeping on the floor he had collapsed to. Dean was exhausted and after fighting away the sandman for a couple minutes he gave in, but made sure to keep his head close to Ashley's in case she woke up.

Dean's snores were getting louder and louder with every breath because of how his head was titled back and the extra couple of pies he ate. Sam was already fed up with the sounds coming from his brother, but Ashley wasn't lucky enough to have a set of ear plugs. The snores were what finally brought Ashley around since it was right next to her ear. She moaned at the noise and that is what caught Dean's attention.

"Sorry I woke ya up dude" she groaned around her pounding head.

"No, you wake me up anytime" Dean yawned "how'd you manage to get away with no eating?" he added stretching his sore limbs from the sitting position.

"Especially after a run?" Sam interjected finally seeing the movement and snapping out of his research. Sam always tried to sound like an authority figure, but this time he hit the nail right on the head and sounded like John's twin.

"I-I don't know" she stammered feeling slightly attacked. "I g-g-guess I just wa-wasn't hungry." Tears started to slide down her face from a combination of embarrassment and fear that she really did mess up enough to scare her brothers.

"Whoa, hey Ash. Its fine" Dean soothed his sister. "Relax before you make yourself sick. Bobby is out getting some food for you. He said just to have you drink water, up for that kiddo?"

Ashley was having a hard time controlling her sobs, so all she did was nod. Dean got up from the floor and kissed her forehead before going to grab some water. Ashley felt Sam's eyes still boring a hole into her back.

Sam saw Ashley turn around to face him and realized he was still staring. "Sorry" he muttered as he dropped his gaze back down to the book in front of him.

"Here" Dean said pushing the water glass into her hand. He slid in behind his sister to help support her back. Ashley settled in against Dean's bare chest and focused in on his rhythmic breathing. Dean still had the glazed look in his eyes and knew this time it was her fault; Ashley needed to get him alone but there was no tearing Sam away from whatever he was reading about.

"Hey De, can you help me upstairs?"

"Bobby said not to move" Dean repeated his surrogate father's orders.

"But I got to piss."

"Oh, uh yeah sure" Dean said jumping up as if he was afraid Ashley would suddenly lose control of her bladder. Dean squatted down in front of the couch so Ashley could climb onto his back.

Half-way up the stairs is when Ashley found the courage to speak up. "Dean look, I didn't mean to scare you, but it's not your fault at all. I forgot to eat and you can't possibly say it's your job."

"I know it's not, but I should have done something-"

"How? Force a burger down my throat?" Ashley interrupted her brother.

"Fuck, I don't know Ash! But it's my job" Dean yelled without thinking of how it would affect the monkey clinging on his back.

"God Dean, you are a total ass" she whispered and released her legs from his sides. "Leave me alone, I can take care of myself."

"Like hell you can" Dean barked when he saw Ashley's knees buckle under the sudden weight "you can't even walk, hell you can't sleep by yourself anymore!"

The words stung Ashley like she just got slapped across her face. She could sleep by herself, and it was now time to prove Dean wrong.

"No, you can't sleep alone. But hey, I'm wrong and you are right, as always, so congratulations! You get the bed all to yourself!"

Ashley had slammed the bathroom door in Dean's face, leaving him alone in the hall. The anger Dean stemmed when Ashley first got sick burst through and finally sent his fist through Bobby's dry wall.

Ashley used all her energy to slam the door, so she had been locked in the bathroom for hours and refused the food both Sam and Bobby had been trying to give her for that same length of time. She could feel herself getting weaker and weaker with each passing minute, but she couldn't believe everyone still pictured her as the baby. She started to feel her eyes getting heavy and allowed them to close just for a few minutes, when she remembered that allowing a nap could be the end of her. Ashley pulled out her cell she still had stuffed into her sweatpant's waistband and sent Sam a quick plea for help.

It must had only been minutes later when she heard heavy footsteps rushing to the bathroom. "Ash? You alright?" Sam said through the door, all he got in response was the click of a lock informing him the door was open now.

Ashley's stomach did flip flops at the smell of clam chowder hit her hose, but she knew she needed to eat something. Bobby always knew clam chowder was her comfort food, Ashley was grateful for the soup. Sam sat down against the door while Ashley scarfed down the food. "Thanks Sammy" she cracked out in between mouthfuls.

"Yeah, of course. Wanna tell me why you locked yourself in here and continued on a hunger strike?"

"Dean just- he knows how to push me off the edge. He uh, he said it's still his job to take care of me cuz I'm still just a kid" she cried.

Sam understood why she felt this way, but couldn't stand to tell her she was perhaps over reacting.

"Well, Dean stormed out of here a couple hours ago. Come finish your food outside the crapper?" Sam said trying to control his laughter, but failed miserably.

"Asshole" she moaned, "just help me get downstairs? I can see two of ya just sitting here."

"Yes ma'am" Sam said crouching to allow Ashley to latch onto his back before grabbing the soup bowl.

Sam's lumbering had made her vertigo worse; it took all her strength not to puke up what she had just put into her stomach. Sam felt her stomach's rumbles on his back "just put your head down, almost there" Sam soothed as he continued down the stairs.

"Yes sir" she moaned; Ashley was grateful to be deposited on the couch.

"You good, Lady?" Bobby asked when he saw Sam put Ashley down on his couch.

"Yeah Bobby, all good till Dean gets back. Thanks for the soup."

"I'll take care of that fool when he drags his ass back here."