A/n: Thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, follows, and/or favorites this story.

A special thank you to Joanna8D, hectatess, Elamina777, and SparksFlyAngel for all of your recent reviews.

Chapter 31

The next couple of weeks went by as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Sam often times was in the hunter's study room, also known as his living room, reading up on whatever book caught his attention. Mary spent most of her time staying where she could keep an eye on her youngest but would occasional go in search of her eldest as well. Dean had for the most part taken to finding places where he could be left alone and out of sight of everyone, mainly outside. Bobby was splitting his time being a host, working in the salvage, answering calls from fellow hunters rather for advice or to pose as whatever was needed at the time, and keeping his ears open for any news that may help. As it was, the lack of snow at the beginning of December was unsettling and though most people chalked it up to being caused by global warming, he himself had a feeling something much worse was at play. Normally by this time of the year, the streets and his yard would be blanketed in white. But that wasn't all. There had been word of serious thunderstorms as well as some mentions of cattle mutilations, and temperature fluctuations. All signs that something big and bad was brewing and it wasn't by the hands of Mother Nature. Bobby hadn't shared this with any of the Winchesters, figuring there was no sense in getting them all relied up when there were still pieces of the puzzle missing. Not to mention Mary had forbid him to share anything about the supernatural or the life of a hunter with her sons. He could understand her concern and he respected her wishes, but as a hunter, it was his business to know and try to track what were clearly demonic omens.

The hunter turned to exit the kitchen after breaking long enough to grab a beer, when Sam's giant form filled the doorway. It was clear by the reprimanded puppy like expression he was wearing as well as his slightly hunched posture as he leaned in the door jar that something was bothering him. Bobby sighed, dipped back into the fridge, and then handed the new bottle to him. The young man didn't say anything, but accepted the offer.

"You just gonna sulk around in my door frame or are you planin' on sharin' what's eatin' you?"

Sam looked back to make sure his mother was still napping on the couch then turned to his friend with a heavy sigh.

"It's Dean," he confessed. "I've never seen him so distant and quiet before. Ever. It's not like him Bobby. My brother's loud and outgoing and opinionated and obnoxious."

"Well you have to remember Sam, he was tortured and on the brink of death only...What? Three weeks ago? Not to mention his car is in the shape of a pretzel. You've gotta give Dean time to heal. He's only human after all."

"I get that, I do. It's just-I wish I could do something, you know? He's pissed about his car and I'm sure he's uncomfortable still from his injuries, not to mention confused. I mean the last thing he remembers other than pain, was driving to the hospital. There's such a large gap of time that he doesn't even know about or remember."

"That's to be expected when you're in a coma," Bobby informed.

"I know that and I wanna help..." Sam stopped and looked down at the beer bottle in his hand as he began to pick at the label with his fingernail absently. "But?" The hunter pressed sensing there was something holding back the twenty two year old from doing so.

"But," Sam huffed, "I'm afraid."

"Afraid?" Bobby's eyebrow arched. "Of what?"

"Of what Dean might think. Mom was quiet when I told her about what the demons said about me. I'm not so sure that she believes me. I did have a concussion after all, maybe she thinks my eggs got scrambled. But Dean...I don't know."

"For someone who claims to not be close with his brother, you sure do seem to worry about what he thinks," the hunter said. Sam didn't respond. "Well Sam, that's yer call to make. You know him a hell of a lot better 'n I do. But what I can do is offer you a thought. How would you feel if you were in his shoes? What if we all knew and he decided to leave you in the dark of what had happened?" It was silent between the two as Sam continued to pick at the label while Bobby took another swig of his own beer. Finally the twenty two year old brought his attention back to his friend.

"Thanks Bobby." The hunter returned to the refrigerator and handed the youngest Winchester another beer. Lines appeared in Sam's forehead as he looked at the item perplexed.

"Ice breaker," his friend answered, causing the lines to smoothen out again. Bobby patted his shoulder and Sam moved so that he could pass through the doorway he had been blocking.

The younger sibling found Dean wandering through the various cars that were parked throughout the hunter's backyard like some grave site for vehicles. His eyes moved along them, but they never actually looked as though they were focused on what he was doing. Sam studied him undetected for a while before clearing his throat to announce his presence.

"Hey," he started in a casual slightly cheery tone. Dean grunted but didn't bring his eyes to his sibling. "Thought you could maybe use a beer." The unopened bottle was extended from one brother to the other who to Sam's relief, had accepted the offer presented to him.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem. So, how're you feeling?" The younger man continued to watch the elder who had kept his back more or less turned towards his company, his gaze still not on anything in particular.

"Fine."

"Well that's good."

A gust of wind picked up and they both shut their eyes from the dirt that had been carried along with it, waiting for the breeze to die down before opening up again. Dean didn't say anything but ventured further right, causing Sam to take a couple of long strides in the same direction trying to cover he was following his sibling by seating himself on the hood of a junker. It squeaked and groaned under the newly added weight. He looked back at the house and then over the stretch of land before finally letting his wandering gaze fall back on his brother.

"You got a minute?" Sam piped up.

"For?"

"I just thought maybe you'd want me to uh, help fill in the blanks a bit. You know, with what happened?" Finally Dean's green eyes looked as though they were focused as they found his brother. He didn't say anything, just waited for the explanation. "Right," Sam cleared his throat nervously, his sibling's gaze making his heart beat kick up a few notches. "So while we were on our way to take you to the hospital-"

"Which I had already told you I didn't need to go to," Dean cut him off. Sam ignored the interruption.

"A truck came out of nowhere and hit us. It totalled the car and that's all I remember from that. We were both knocked unconscious. But uh, when I woke up, I was in some run down place. Meg was there, the waitress from the diner we went to with Bobby, and she uh...she summoned Brady." Sam stopped to take in the expression on Dean's face and when it didn't show any signs of confusion or questions, he went on. "Meg and Brady are demons. I don't know for sure how long she was but Brady had been for a couple years, or at least they'd been possessing people's bodies. Anyways, Brady admitted to me that he killed Jess to get to me and I don't know yet what he means by it, but he wouldn't shut up about me being 'destined' for something. And that I have a 'gift.' That's all they said before they started...before Brady used you as an example of how he killed Jessica." Sam stopped again and allowed his eyes to fall to the ground as though they had suddenly become too heavy to keep up. He didn't say anything for awhile and Dean didn't push him to go on. They both simply stayed that way until Sam found his voice again. "I uh, I don't know how I did it, but I managed to free myself from Meg's hold and stop Brady before he could kill you." The younger Winchester could feel his brother's eyes burning into him and he instantly wished he could curl himself up into a ball and roll away.

"You freed yourself from her hold?" He repeated, Sam nodded. "How?"

"I told you, I don't know. Maybe an adreneline rush or something. I just-I was so angry at everything that had happened, at what they were doing to you. I just looked at her and she...uh she flung across the room and I guess lost her concentration or whatever on me." It was uncomfortably silent for him as he sat waiting for them to just be able to put this behind them.

"You flung her?" Dean echoed incredulously.

"Yeah."

"With your mind?"

The twenty two year old swallowed and exhaled, his voice was barely more than a shameful whisper. "I think so, yeah."

"What the hell Sam?" Dean asked, fear evident in his voice. "First really bad headaches and now this?"

"About the headaches," the younger brother began, his own words starting to sound shaky as he neared what he had been dreading most in their conversation. "It wasn't just that. I uh, I was...I've been having nightmares."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that."

"Just-just hear me out. It's not just after Jess died," Sam paused as he tried to collect strength to admit what he'd been keeping to himself for several months now. "I-I dreamt about Jessica's death months before it happened, exactly how it happened." There it was, the big secret that he'd kept under lock and key for him and him only to know, finally out in the open for the first time. Green eyes bore into the younger man with such emotion that words were really not needed. If he had thought he wanted to disappear before, he wished he could full on evaporate now. "Back at the diner and later on at the motel room and Bobby's...I saw...things. I don't know what exactly, it was more like flashes and quick images and then it was gone. But I think it may have been people I had seen flashes of."

"Visions? You've been having visions?"

"I don't know, maybe. I just know I get blurbs right at the peak of my head feeling like it's going to split open and then it and the pain are gone. Mostly."

The brothers fell into silence once more. Sam still not chancing a look into the eyes of the elder man a few feet from him in fear of seeing the full extent of what he must have thought about him. When the younger man couldn't take the lack of a response any longer, he spoke up.

"Say something," he replied trying to keep himself from sounding desperate. Dean shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted mirroring his brother's movement. The elder man carefully brought his beer to his lips and chugged. "Look, I know I haven't been the nicest to you and I know we aren't exactly the Brady's, but after seeing you so close to dying, something changed, Dean. I know we can't go back and make everything puppies and rainbows, and I know you're not going to just forgive and forget that I didn't invite you to my wedding just like there are things I know I haven't let go of that have happened, but maybe we could work at it? I'm not saying we rush out and go get matching tattoos or anything, but...what I mean is, I don't want you out of my life."

"You sure about that? 'Cause that's not the tune you were singing on our way over here," Dean responded bitterly.

"I know, and I know I've been kind of a jerk since you showed up. And I'm sorry I've kept all this from you, from everyone. I just didn't know how you'd react. I mean I know it sounds crazy that I dreamt about Jessica dying, it is crazy. And it scares the hell out of me, man. I don't understand it or anything else that's going on with me and it's honestly terrifying. I know Mom isn't going to like it and she's not going to approve of it, but, I've gotta get to the bottom of it all. I've gotta figure out what's going on with me, Dean. I know it's going to be dangerous and I've already dragged you into one mess, I'm not going to drag you into another, I just wanted you to know what's going on."

Finally Sam's hazel eyes met his brother's green and the look he gave was one of sincerity.

"If that speech was meant as a means of saying 'I've gotta do this alone' I'm not buying it," the elder sibling responded with a look of his own. "You didn't 'drag' me into anything, Sam. I'd like to see you try. I chose back at that motel room in California to come with you. Someone's gonna have to look after your weirdo ass." Although his tone didn't suggest it, a ghost of a smile touched the twenty six year old's eyes and pulled the corner of his mouth up into a weary smirk. The younger brother's shoulders sagged a little and he let out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding.

"Right," he scoffed playfully rolling his eyes.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Well, I figure Bobby has to know something or else he's gotta have a book somewhere that can help answer some questions."

"And what are you going to do about Mom? You're not wrong, she's not going to agree with any of this," the elder man reminded his brother as he took another swig of his drink. Sam sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. But for now, I think we should head back inside before the clouds start dumping on us." His eyes scanned the sky and the heavy grey clouds that threatened to open up and rain down on them any second. Dean mimicked the gesture.

"Yeah," he agreed. As they both started off back towards the house, a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder went off somewhere in the distance.

A/n: SparksFlyAngel: Yeah, something seems a bit off to Sam about it, but at the same time he's just happy Dean's ok. I think this chapter was a good possibility for the boys to start maybe bonding a bit or at least coming together a bit more. Thank you, I had a blast! Thank you for your awesome review!