Supernatural does not belong to me, although I wish it did. I am simply playing in Kirpke's sandbox for a bit. All rights and ownership are the property of Kripke and the CW network. I am not making any money from this; it is for my own personal pleasure.

Synopsis: Set at the start of Season One, Dean had been in a wheelchair since his father disappeared more than a year ago and he finally has to tell Sam… There'd been an accident that night and Dean had paid a very high price….one he still doesn't understand. The story will have some hunts from season one and possibly into season two…the brothers will continue their search for their father…there will be alterations to the hunts to accommodate Dean's new situation. I have every intention of returning Dean to good health before this ends…but getting there is going to be bumpy.

Please keep in mind that I do not have a Beta, so any and all grammatical errors are my own. Not Slash. Brotherly love and Angst only…

Please Review: They make me feel guilty and write faster...obviously. Because these chapters are nearly falling out of my head.

Chapter 9

The Truth about Sam

Dean kept glancing over at his little brother's strangely silent form. It wasn't like he could ignore the giant ball of angst that emanated from the passenger's seat. Sam was making a point not to look at Dean and when he did his eyes would get glassy and he'd return to staring out the window. They'd tracked down where the coordinates were located; it was a small town in northern Oregon. So they had a good two days of driving…although if Dean could figure out how to make that time shorter he would. This stoic and silent version of his normally talkative brother really sucked to travel with. Bobby had headed back to South Dakota; he'd left a hunt unfinished to rush to their aid. He'd told the brother's to call him if anything popped up that looked like it had to do with their father. Dean had snorted at that. He knew that their current destination was definitely from their father and that there was at least a small chance that he'd be on the other end of this little side trip. He looked over at Sam again; he was trying to figure out what the hell had happened in that bathroom.

Sam had been in there for almost an hour, and although Dean liked to tease Sam about being a girl…truth was that Sam took very fast showers, in order to preserve water and avoid the wrath of his older brother. That lesson had been pounded into him from a very early age…Dean had made sure of that. But this morning had been different; something about the eerie silence on the other side of that closed door had scared Dean. He could hear the sound of the water pouring down, but he hadn't been able to get Sam's attention for more than twenty minutes…and that was after he'd started pounding on the door. With the events of the last several weeks, Dean wasn't willing to take a chance where Sam was concerned. He still wasn't convinced that there wasn't something supernatural wrong with his brother. Sam had been too easily distracted lately, he been having those damn headaches…the ones that he wouldn't talk about afterwards. He would just stare off into space and occasionally throw a set of haunted eyes in Dean's direction.

But this time had been different, when Sam had finally emerged from the small room; his eyes were red-rimmed and shiny…like he'd been crying. He'd immediately grabbed his duffel and shoved his stuff into it…Sam had never said another word after exiting the motel. He just continued to stare out the window and scare the crap out of his older brother with his new Helen Keller impression. Dean inhaled and then regretted the action when his rib protested the deep breath…his groan of pain brought Sam's eyes flickering in his direction.

"Want me to drive?" Sam asked evenly. His voice not reflecting the enormous raging pool of emotions that was rolling around inside his head.

Dean looked over at him as thought he'd grown two heads. "Since when has pain ever stopped me from driving?" he asked flippantly.

Sam just nodded and returned to looking out the window. "No Sam. Stop. What's going on with you man?" Dean said as he pulled the car over toward the side of the road. He was done ignoring this strange behavior. Something had happened to Sam and he wanted to know what…and he wanted to know right-the-hell now.

Sam just shook his head and turned away from Dean.

Dean reached out and grabbed Sam's bicep, pulling his larger brother toward him. "Not good enough little brother…what's happening with you? You've been weird ever since we left the motel…well truthfully, you've always been weird…but now it's getting really noticeable." He said angrily as he tried to look past Sam's defenses. Sam pulled his arm out of Dean's grasp and huffed as he opened the door and got out of the car, walking several feet in front of them. He knew that Dean couldn't follow him…damn Sammy and his 'I'll just put this in the trunk for you'…help with the wheelchair.

"Real mature Sam!" he called out the window. Sam turned back toward the car and simply stared at his brother with stunned eyes. He wasn't even angry…he was just…numb. Dean narrowed his eyes as he watched the odd behavior…

Sam just shook his head and sank down onto the gravel of the borrow pit, his head dropping into his hands as he tried to figure out if this was the time…was this the time to tell Dean what he knew…? Would Dean even believe him? And if he did believe Sam, how were they going to track down that random coven and get them to reverse whatever deal their father had made. It was too much…it was all too much.

"Sam…please come back." Dean asked quietly. He was leaning half-way out of the window as he watched with brotherly concern etched into his very skin. Whatever this was…Sam needed to talk to him about it, because this was really starting to kick off the internal-big-brother-alarms. His baby brother lifted haunted eyes and looked into Dean's face…he finally nodded and climbed back to his feet and then crawled back into the passenger seat. Sam folded his long frame, appearing far smaller than his 6'4 body had any right to get.

The car, however, was never put into drive as Dean waited for Sam to start spilling…because they weren't moving a damn inch until he had a better idea what was up with his little brother. "What the hell was that Sam?" Dean's voice was soft but edged with contained frustration as he stared pointedly at Sam.

Sam sighed and scrubbed his hand through his hair, the lengthy locks falling over his eyes. "Did it never occur to you to wonder how I knew where you were the other day?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the dashboard. Dean shifted in the other seat as he reflected on his rescue…or as he liked to remember it, him saving Sam's ass in the end…now that he looked back at it…it was a little odd that Sam and Bobby had known exactly where he and the waitress were at in that big-ass orchard.

Dean scrunched his face, his green eyes narrowing as he attempted to understand exactly what his brother was getting at here. "You said you found the Impala…" he shrugged. "You're pretty smart Sam…I figured that you just put the pieces together….came up with the right answers to the final Jeopardy question." His eyes flickered up to Sam's face, searching his brother for something that would explain this weird ass conversation that they were having. "Is that not what happened Sam?"

Sam blew out a loud breath and then finally turned so that he was facing Dean, his blue-green eyes shifting uncomfortably as he decided to forge ahead…he knew that Dean needed to know about the visions…but he really didn't want his older brother looking at him like he was freak. "I saw it…" he said softly. "I saw the whole bloody thing…in the orchard with the scarecrow…only it had a much different ending…a much bloodier ending." His voice broke and he stopped talking, his eyes dropping to his hands where they rested in his lap.

Dean's eyes widened in confusion. "What do mean 'you saw it'?" he asked. "Like 'you see dead people' saw it?" It wasn't that far out of the realm of possibility, they'd met a lot of people that had weird abilities over the years. But the idea of Sam being one of those people didn't sit too well. If there was any truth to this, then it would make Sam a potential target for both the supernatural and possibly for other hunters.

Sam shifted again; he was more uncomfortable in his seat waiting for Dean to respond than he'd ever been, like he was waiting to take a test he hadn't studied for. "Remember when I got the last headache…the one in the car…." He continued softly.

"I'm not sure I'll ever forget our unorthodox stop, Sam. I was worried that you were gonna crash my baby." Dean said, his voice slightly irritated as he was reminded of how close they'd come to doing real damage to the Impala. It wasn't that he was concerned about the car at the time…he'd been too scared about what was happening to Sam. But he'd be damned if he admitted that now.

Sam rolled his eyes and shot Dean 'bitch-face' number nine. "I saw you in the orchard Dean…I saw the townsfolk tie you up…I saw you struggle with the ropes and try to reassure that girl…I watched as the scarecrow peeled your skin from your bones okay!" Sam was shouting now, the tears were rolling unchecked down his pale face and his breathing was starting to come in rapid pants as he tried to maintain control over himself. But just talking about this was flashing the gruesome images in front of his eyes…and seeing Dean getting his skin ripped off by a maniac God was not even close to Sam's idea of pleasant.

Dean's mouth fell open in a small 'o' and his eyes widened even further as he watched his little brother have the equivalent of an emotional breakdown. He reached out and grabbed Sam's arm gently, trying to get Sam's attention. "Sammy breathe man…you gotta slow down and breathe…" he said as he tried to break through whatever visual memories were surging through Sam at the moment. After what seemed like forever, Sam finally gained control of his breathing again. "Okay Sam…so this is freaking me out here…you saw me? As in…you had some sort of vision?"

"Yeah…at least I think so." Sam answered quietly, his voice worn from the emotional battle raging inside him at the moment.

Dean twisted his head from side to side as he mulled over the information…that couldn't be a good thing. His little brother seeing things that involve him…or maybe there had been other people involved too? "Is this only time you've had one involving me?" he asked slowly. He was thinking back to the last scenario involving these nasty little headaches. Sam looked up at him through the long fringe of his bangs and slowly shook his head 'no'.

Dean exhaled loudly and dropped his hand back to his side, before looking directly at Sam. "Okay…what else have you seen Sam?" Dean wasn't really sure that he wanted and answer to this question. Sam's face pinched in real pain as his breathing picked up its pace again.

"Sam calm down…" Dean said and narrowed his eyes as he realized something horrific… "This wasn't the only one…with me…was it?"

Sam's watery eyes crashed into Dean's worried gaze and he shook his head again, leaning forward and placing his head in his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. He felt Dean's hand hesitantly touch his back…and then start to move in small circles. It was comforting…the feeling of his brother's hand against his tense muscles. "Tell me….Sam…" he said quietly.

Sam inhaled and nodded slowly as he leaned back against the seat and shifted his position so that he was looking in Dean's direction. "I'm not sure how much is real and how much is my head trying to make sense of this…crap." He said as he looked back out the window again.

"Sam…stop stalling." Dean said. He knew this was something his little brother did when he didn't want to have a conversation. He'd dance around the subject until he was finally forced into it.

"I saw you and…dad." He finally said. Dean continued to stare at him without comprehending where this was going. He shrugged his shoulders and waited for Sam to continue.

"And…"

"I saw that bastard…beat you into the ground…alright! I saw him hit you until you physically couldn't get up anymore. I saw him haul you out on a hunt and then serve you up to a bunch of witches like some sacrificial victim. I saw everything Dean…" Sam choked out as the tears slid silently down his face and he turned to look Dean full in the face. He saw the shock and the shame wash across his brother's visage as he realized that Sam knew…damn-it…Sam knew everything.

His mouth opened and closed several times as Dean tried to respond…he wanted to deny it. Deny that his father had beat him on so many occasions after Sam left, that he wasn't sure which scars were from hunting and which scars were from his father. But he sure as hell didn't want to talk about this with Sam…that much he knew. Wait…what? Did Sam say something about those witch's… He swallowed loudly and latched onto the only piece of information that he would talk about with Sam. "The witches? The ones in Montana?" he asked, his mask sliding into place with an almost physical effort as he shut down the parts that would have opened up to Sam.

"After all that I just said…the only part you wanna know about is the witches?" Sam asked, shaking his head in frustration as he watched the 'wall' slide into place as all emotion was wiped from his brother's stoic face. "Dean…dad…"

Dean cut him off, anger seeping into his voice. "No Sam. We are not talking about that. Nothing happened, so let it go."

Sam was starting to get angry now. "You can't lie to me Dean. I saw it."

Dean turned away from his brother, his anger being fueled by his humiliation and shame that Sam had seen him…seen him at some of his lowest and weakest moments. But it didn't mean that he had to relive them by talking about it. "I'm not talking about that…you said you saw the witches?" he tried again to reroute the conversation.

Sam pulled in a frustrated shaky breath and conceded to his brother's wishes. He had known that Dean wasn't going to want to talk about this. He had known that it was a long shot that his stubborn older brother would ever allow him to carry any of the baggage that he hauled around with him on a daily basis. No wonder his back was broken…But that didn't make the brush-off any less painful…a small part of Sam had hoped that maybe this would bring them closer…not drive another wedge between them. He could see now, looking at Dean, that he'd been naïve in hoping for that.

"Yes. Alright. Yes. I saw the cabin in Montana…I saw the 8 witches that were inside…" Dean's eyes were getting wider and wider as Sam described with perfect clarity the situation he'd found himself in more than a year ago. "It was snowing…you twisted your ankle…but dad forced you keep moving toward the cabin…where they were waiting for you. They knew dad by name…and they called you 'his shadow'."

Dean's heart was speeding up incrementally as he heard the accurate account of that hunt coming from someone that hadn't been there…which meant…that Sam was seeing things he shouldn't be. And that also meant that he had probably seen their father doing…no he was not going there. His green eyes were wide as watched Sam continue the story.

"They attacked you from behind, after spell-locking dad. A witch with a broom, she knocked you out…then the tall one with blue eyes, he shoved his razor sharp nails into your lower back and pulled something from you….before you ask I don't know what it was…but at least now we know your injury can be fixed…that it is supernatural." Sam finished quietly. He hazarded a glance in Dean's direction and he was surprised when he saw the water building in Dean's green eyes as he stared straight out the front window. Sam reached out and gently touched his elbow, only to have Dean pull it violently away.

Dean couldn't believe it…he couldn't believe this…his father had hauled him out there, told him that this hunt was vitally important. He'd made Dean do research on it for two weeks prior to heading out toward that cabin. He'd thought that they were going after a nest of Vampires…not witches.

"Dean don't you get it…dad took you out there to get them off his cowardly tail…he traded you for himself…" Sam whispered. He was dying a little bit inside as he watched his words shatter his brother's composure and he physically crumbled in front of Sam's eyes. His body slumping as he rested against the door, as far from Sam as he could get within the confines of the car. His shoulders were shaking and the tears were rolling down is face steadily as he tried to understand. He really was trying…there had to be a reason why his father would do that. Surely their dad didn't hate him that much…did he?

"Dean…" Sam said as he watched the emotional equivalent of a tornado tear through Dean's broken body. "We will find that coven…and dad…and we will fix this." He whispered. Sam had no intention of telling Dean that it had come down to a choice…a choice between him and his brother. Because he knew that Dean would have made the same choice if it meant saving him.

Dean closed his eyes and reached up to wipe the tears from his eyes…what Sam had just broken inside his heart…it couldn't be fixed…not with magic or anything else on this god forsaken planet. But he could protect Sam from the backlash…his inhaled and slammed his emotional wall into place…cutting off all emotion as he started the car and pulled back out onto the highway.

TBC…

Author's Note: Brotherly angst galore in this chapter…sorry. But at least now they have a reason to find both their father and the coven. As I said before they'll be checking in on other hunts as they continue the cross-country search for John. They'll run into other hunters, and make friends and enemies along the way. So hang in there…

Please Review: The story is just picking up steam and I enjoy hearing what you guys think about it.