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. Thank you to any 'guest reviewers' since I can't PM you guys...

Chapter 12

A Death or A Sacrifice

"So do you think they're smart enough to track down the connection?" A voice asked in slight concern.

"Nope. Those two are only as smart as the leads that they are fed…and they won't be getting any more leads that will send them racing in our direction…at least until we want them to know. And eventually both the Winchester boys have a part to play." The second voice was smug as it answered the question.

"So…what do you think will happen now?" The worried voice asked again.

"Well, they'll probably go to that old hunter in South Dakota…and I suspect that they'll keep looking for their father…although after the stuff he did to Dean…" The voice whistled before continuing. "I'm not sure that he can explain those lapses in memory to either Sam or Dean…that's really too bad. It was kinda fun watching him wail on that kid." A chuckle escaped the throat before the other one interrupted again.

"Okay…so does the boss know where we're at with all this?"

"Of course…he's been kept apprised of all developments that involve the Winchester family…particularly those of the brothers."

"What about her?"

"She really only cares about the oldest one…she wasn't too worried about the geeky kid….she already knew what the deal was with that one."

XXXX

Dean pulled into Singer salvage yard at nearly 8pm two days after leaving the hospital under his own non-medically trained advice. His annoying little brother wouldn't let them get on the road until he was absolutely convinced that Dean wasn't suffering from any after-effects. Dean had grumbled and bitched…but Sam had stayed firm on that…they weren't leaving until the following morning…and that was it. So when 6am rolled around, Dean had bullied Sam out of his nice warm bed and they'd been on the road by 6:30. Both brother's had decided that coffee and breakfast was definitely in order, Dean had spotted a small diner off the side of the road and they'd stopped for a pretty decent breakfast special and typical diner coffee…which Sam had immediately 'doctored' up with cream and sugar.

"Ya know…for someone that eats as healthy as you do…that's a lot of sugar." Dean said over the rim of his own cup of straight black coffee.

"Just drink your coffee…" Sam grumbled as he stirred the light brown liquid.

Dean raised his eyebrows and looked at Sam over the rim of his black coffee and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just saying…"

"Well don't. When I want your opinion on what's healthy, I'll ask." Sam retorted just as the waitress had shown up with their food. That had been several hours ago and now he was waiting for Sam to get his chair out of the back, so that they could go talk to Bobby.

"Dean?" Sam asked when he didn't get an immediate response the first time. Dean's eyes flickered over to Sam's and he nodded as he grabbed the arms of the chair and pulled himself into it. They were just heading into the house, when Dean noticed that Bobby had built a 'ramp' up the porch steps. He smiled to himself at the gesture and Sam looked over at him in surprise. "I guess he wants us to come visit more often…" He said as he chuckled lightly.

"Yeah…looks like." Dean said quietly.

Bobby burst out the door of the kitchen and smiled broadly at the boys. "Well…come on…I've haven't got all day."

"Nice ramp." Dean said as he pushed himself up and angled through the door into the large old kitchen. He could smell the food before he even got all the way inside and his stomach grumbled at the scent of the steaks. "Dinner?" Dean asked as he looked over at the stove and saw two pots boiling merrily on the stove top.

"Yup. Thought you boys would be hungry."

"Always." Sam said as he set their bags down on the couch in the other room and walked back into the kitchen, seating himself at the table. His eyes immediately locked onto the computer screen and he was drawn into the article that Bobby had obviously been reading before they got there.

"What's this Bobby?" Dean said as he rolled over and settled next to Sam, reaching over to take the mouse from Sam and getting his fingers smacked for his troubles. "Hey…" He said indignantly as he pulled his hand back and shook it to get rid of the stinging.

"Wait your turn." Sam retorted.

Dean huffed and rolled away, heading to the fridge in search of a beer.

"So, you think that it might be witches?" Sam asked as he continued to read. He saw Dean stiffen out of the corner of his eye and he could certainly understand Dean's apprehension where anything to do with witches would make his brother uncomfortable.

Bobby nodded. "Yeah…I think so. Clues point to that anyways. I traced that unknown number and it lead back to man named Whitmore…he is a known witch or warlock…whatever they are. Anyways he sent the text…now one thing about witches…they serve…."

"Demons…" Dean said softly. Sam's eyes shot up and met his in surprise…it looked like there was way more to this 'miracle' than either of them had suspected. Dean felt his stomach twist at the thought of getting involved with actual demons. He hadn't seen any since he and his father had exorcised one four years ago and that hadn't gone well. In fact it was just after that that their father had started getting more brutal. Something was nagging him…he'd assumed at the time that it was his fault that they'd had the wrong intel going into that hunt. He wondered if that hunt actually had something to do with John's change in behavior.

"Sam…" Dean whispered. His voice was thin and he was shaking his head in denial as he raised worried green eyes to his brother's.

Sam was just getting ready to complain about being interrupted again when he noticed the state of his older brother. "Dean, what is it?" he asked as he stood up and crossed so that he had a better view of Dean's face.

Dean's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water before he finally managed to say something to his increasingly worried brother. "I…think…that maybe…we gotta find dad…" he finished.

Sam inhaled deeply and then scrubbed his hand down his face as he looked over at Bobby, only getting a shrug of the shoulders from the older hunter. "Really? Because I thought maybe we could track this lead without him."

Dean shook his head. "No…I mean we need to find dad. He knows what happened that night. I think he knows a lot more than either of us suspected. He's been tracking the thing that killed mom all these years. He thought that whatever was in that house that night…he thought that it would lead him to whatever that was…what if it was a demon Sam?"

Sam furrowed his eyebrows and stepped closer to Dean, "A demon…why?"

Dean exhaled loudly.

Bobby jumped in. "Balls! How did I miss that?" he grabbed his hat off his head and slapped it against his thigh in frustration. "Witches serve demons…and a coven that big…they are serving a pretty powerful one. But what I don't get is why they would save you from that electrocution with the Raw-head."

Dean shook his head in dismay. "I don't get that either Bobby…not unless they have a much bigger play in mind…one that we obviously know nothing about." Sam's eyes were darting back and forth between Bobby and Dean, he didn't like the direction this conversation was going in…it sounded like more bad news for his brother.

"That would explain why they didn't kill you that night." Sam said quietly. He couldn't believe that his brother was being used as a pawn on huge chessboard that neither of them could see. He wasn't going to allow his older brother to be sacrificed as some sort of game piece between a demon and their father. So it looked like whether he liked it not…they did in fact, need to find their father…and he was not happy about that development…not in the least.

"Yeah…I guess." Dean answered slowly, he was looking down at his thin useless legs in disgust…sometimes…he really wished that they had just killed him that night…because the closer he came to learning the truth…the worse it got. Instead they had left him capable of a fraction of what he used to be.

Sam was watching his brother carefully and he saw the instant loathing that plastered itself on his face as he realized just how badly he'd been manipulated. A part of Sam wondered if perhaps….had he stuck around instead of leaving for school…if he could have prevented all this from happening. If perhaps he would have seen the signs where Dean was unable to…he was always so close to their father that he would never have thought the man capable of anything this underhanded. But the evidence was piling up against him and Sam just wanted the rest of the answers so that they could reverse this crap.

"So that text…where did it originate from?" Sam asked as he turned back toward Bobby.

"Chicago." Bobby answered quickly. He knew that this was probably going to send the boys racing straight into a trap…but he also knew that their time was running out. Whatever that demon and those witches have in mind…it was nearly completed and for whatever reason they needed the middle Winchester alive…and that thought concerned him more than he was willing to admit.

Dean shifted in his chair and then shot a look at Sam… "I think we need to head for Chicago…see if we can track down the owner of that phone…that might put us one step ahead of this." A part of Dean was scared of bringing Sam along on this trek. He didn't want to get his little brother on these bitches radar…although he was a Winchester, so chances were that they already knew about him. But that knowledge didn't make the idea of potentially putting Sam in danger any easier for him to come to grips with. Plus he knew that there was no way that Sam would sit this out…not if he was going after the coven…Sam would insist on being there.

"Well, at least sit down and eat, maybe grab some shut-eye before you two take off to parts unknown." Bobby said as he walked to the cupboard and pulled out three plates and a couple of cups, setting them on the table and looked each of the boys in the eye before pulling the steaks out of the oven.

Dean's stomach growled again and he looked up at Sam, who nodded, and then rolled over to the table, claiming the end where there wasn't a chair. He ignored the flutter in his chest at the idea of maybe learning the truth about what happened that night…maybe even finding out how they could repair the damage. As far as their father went…well he wasn't sure that he was ready to see the man again…but he knew that he needed to.

Once they'd finished dinner, Bobby had the boys in the living room, where he'd set up a makeshift bed for Dean and brought his old tv in so that the boys could watch a movie or something if they wanted to. While both Dean and Sam were preoccupied with the coming trip to Chicago…they both recognized the effort that Bobby had made so theydecided that it had indeed been a while since they'd watched the Die Hard movies. So Bobby, ever the gracious host, had popped some popcorn and brought in a couple of beers for them as they settled onto the couch to watch the action movies.

"Do you even remember the last time you watched these?" Dean asked his brother as he settled back against the couch, he reached down and shifted his legs to a more comfortable position for his back and sighed when it made no difference at all.

Sam watched with a worried look as he saw Dean trying to get more comfortable and the look in his brother's eyes when it didn't work. He wondered if Dean was ever truly comfy…did he always have pain? Or was it just an obnoxious feeling that he couldn't get rid of no matter what he did? Sam wanted to know these things, he wanted to understand what Dean had gone through in the last year…but there wasn't really a way that he could ask those things. It wasn't like he'd been there to see Dean deal with the injury and the recovery…no he'd been at school…safe. The intense sadness and the guilt of that made him ache inside. Plus it didn't help that they hadn't really discussed what had happened at the Asylum either. He inhaled slowly and scrubbed his hand down his face as he tried to pull out of the funk that he could feel settling in. Dean glanced over at him and raised his eyebrows.

"What? You look like someone hit your dog or something." He said with a slight tilt to his head.

"We've never had a dog Dean." Sam certainly wasn't going to bring up Bones, the dog that he'd found when he'd run away in Flagstaff, Arizona when he was thirteen. He'd lived off Cheetos and coke for two whole weeks…they had been the best weeks he'd ever had…until recently when he'd realized that his brother may have taken a beating for losing Sam. It had never occurred to him that Dean would be punished for his choices…but now he wondered how many of his selfish choices had gotten his older brother on the wrong end of their father's fists. He knew that he needed to change his direction here…he was getting pissed and nothing had happened to warrant that…and Dean wasn't going to want to hear any more about their father at the moment.

Luckily Bobby popped the movie in and handed Dean a plate of pie…not apple thank god… and neither of them noticed Sam's preoccupation with something else.

XXXX

Sam was standing in an abandoned warehouse…he didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there, but it was dark and smelled of old paint fumes. He glanced around searching for Dean, his eyes finally falling on his brother near an old service elevator. Dean was motioning for Sam to follow him, for whatever reason…Sam had a really off feeling about doing that. Whatever was at the top of that elevator…it wasn't a good thing. He reached down and was glad to find that he had the bag with their weapons; he unzipped it and pulled out a shotgun before walking to Dean and looking at the irritated expression on his brother's face.

'What?' he mouthed at the retreating back of his brother. Sam shrugged and followed Dean into the elevator. The unsettled feeling in his gut growing as they rode the old lift to the third floor, he carefully pulled the gate up and Dean rolled out into the large open room. The only thing that they noticed was an alter set up near a window across the room. Sam started walking toward the table, with Dean barely a step behind him when they were suddenly hit by something…well multiple something's actually. Dean was thrown from his chair as a slash appeared near his left eye and he groaned when another invisible object slashed across his abdomen.

"Dean!" Sam called as he was smashed in the face and lost his balance and the world started to spin as another impact landed near his temple. His world started to go black, just as he saw something grab a hold of his brother and toss him into the air. Dean's legs flailing as his arms pin-wheeled and he hit a cement column just behind where his chair was bent into a twisted version of itself.

Sam felt consciousness returning slowly as he tried to reach up and touch his head in an attempt to alleviate the pain…but he found that his hands were tied behind his back and he was leaned up against one of those cement pillars. "Dean?" he called out as he felt his head clear slightly, he pushed his heavy eyelids open and waited for the world to come into focus.

"Sammy, you okay?" Dean asked softly from his right side. Sam's eyes moved lazily over until he could see the crumpled form of his brother. Dean was also tied to a pillar, but he didn't look too good. The blood was still coming sluggishly from the wound near his eye and there was definitely a distinct red patch growing on his stomach. His legs were set out in front of him, although it looked like one of them might actually be broken, it was twisted back in the wrong direction above the knee.

"Dean…you're leg…" Sam said as he watched with a pained expression as Dean looked down and nodded. He knew about the leg…he just couldn't feel it.

"Wow…that would really hurt a normal person." A female voice said as a blonde woman approached the boys from behind. Dean cringed at the accurate comment and Sam felt his anger rise rapidly as he watched the comment have the intended impact on his brother.

"Shut up bitch." Sam growled, his fuzzy head clearing as the anger pushed away the pain. He glared at the woman; she was wearing a brown leather jacket and had shoulder length blonde hair. Under any other circumstance, Sam would probably think she was attractive…but the shifty black eyes pretty much killed that for him. Demon. He thought instantly.

Dean had opened his eyes and slammed his wall into place, he wasn't going to allow some demon bitch to see him hurt…no way in hell was that happening. He looked over at Sam and was grateful to see that his little brother didn't look too bad off. He had a head wound he looked like he might have one hell of a shiner and a split lip, but that was it.

The woman smiled and then walked over to Dean; she squatted down in front of him, leaning in as she whispered something that Sam couldn't quite make out. But it caused Dean's eyes to widen in surprise and his forehead to furrow in confusion. She reached out and patted him on the cheek, and he pulled his face away from her touch, anger now evident on his face. "Go to hell bitch." He ground out through gritted teeth. She smiled and leaned in, placing her thin lips against his…she kissed him and Sam saw something shift in his brother…he didn't know what it was exactly…but something. Dean tried to pull his head away from the woman, but she reached up and deepened the kiss, "Get a room you two." Sam shot out as she finally pulled away and licked her lips…the action made Dean nauseous and he looked anywhere but at Sam.

Dean was more focused when she stepped away, his leg no longer twisted in the wrong direction and the wound on his side had stopped bleeding.

"Not bad Winchester…I think she'll be please with you…" She stood up and walked over to the large alter and then picking up a medallion and rubbing her thumb on it almost lovingly. "Yes…she's gonna be very pleased with your progress…you're daddy…he did everything and more." She snickered and then turned back to the boys. "But we're not ready to spill all the beans yet…just wanted to let you kids know to be prepared…because we are coming for you." She looked pointedly at Dean… "Particularly you cripple."

Sam bristled at the comment and watched as Dean sank into himself with the razor sharp words that the demon was throwing at him. "So what's the game plan here…kill us?" Sam asked. He almost hoped that she said yes…because what she had just said to Dean scared the crap out of him…who wanted his brother…and why? And what the hell did their father have to do with it?

"Nope, if I wanted you dead…the Deava's would have killed you long before now." She said simply.

Sam narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Dean in confusion. Dean's green eyes were wide and there was the beginnings of actual fear in them. "What Dean." He said quietly.

Dean blinked a couple of times and then said. "Deava's are ancient demons Sam…but they're nearly impossible to control. Kinda like letting a raging psycho out and telling them it's okay…go nuts…kill anything. They have a tendency of biting the hand that feeds them…in other words the one that controls them."

"Unless…they're controlled by another demon…idiot." She snarled. The Winchesters were looking around the room, eyes searching for the other demons. "Oh don't worry, the Deava's are in the room…their shadows are the only thing you can see."

Dean gulped as he saw the distinct shadow's move against the far brick wall. He could see them moving stealthily toward Sam. "What do you want from me? Let my brother go and I'll stay." He said, he didn't dare look over at Sam, because his little brother was yelling at him now.

"NO Dean! We agreed! We were doing this together." Sam's voice was strained and tight as he watched his brother try and sacrifice himself.

The demon smiled and stepped forward, leaning down into Dean's face again and placing her hands on his hips as she straddled him. "Sweety…you already belong to us…You're daddy saw to that long ago…but I'll tell you what…I'll let little Sammy go and you can stay and face the Deava's alone. How's that sound?" She purred in his ear, her tongue flicking out and licking the blood from the side of his face. Dean closed his eyes in disgust and his face took on a pained expression as he ignored Sam's loud protests.

Sam was watching with horror as the demon offered Dean something that there was no way that his brother would turn down…he could get Sam out of there and he would try and deal with the demon on his own. Like hell! Sam thought angrily. "No Dean! This isn't an option. If we don't leave together…then we don't leave!" he yelled.

Dean's green eyes flitted in his direction and he looked down suddenly…no longer able to stand the pain that was flying through his little brother's gaze. "I'm sorry Sam…" he whispered as he looked at the demon and nodded his agreement to her terms. She smiled and snapped her fingers and Sam was helpless to do anything but watch as the Deava's tore into his brother…they made what the scarecrow had done look like a picnic. The tears were streaming down his face as he screamed until his throat was so raw that it hurt to breathe. He saw the light die in Dean's eyes as his blood soaked through the floor boards that they were sitting on.

The demon looked right at Sam and smirked. "He's gonna really love his new accommodations…Hell really has improved since I was there. New racks…new torture tools…really, he'll love it."

Sam felt as though he'd been punched in the gut…Hell? Dean was in Hell? How? Why? "He was a good man…he wouldn't go there." Sam managed the whispered response around the giant lump in his throat. His voice was raspy from his attempts to stop the Deava's from killing his brother, his chest ached with loss and anger as he watched the woman smile and his hands were suddenly free. She shot out one last comment before she was simply gone…leaving Sam alone in the warehouse with the mangled body of his brother.

She raised her eyebrows at Sam and shook her head in mock sympathy. "He was…but you heard him. He agreed to stay so that you could leave. He just didn't realize where he'd be staying…"

XXXX

"Sam! Wake up man, you're scaring me." Dean said as he shook Sam for the fifth time. Sam was drenched in sweat and he was moaning and…son of a bitch…were those tears? Sam was crying in his sleep now? This was definitely not something that Dean had ever seen before. His little brother so wrapped up in a dream that he couldn't wake him up. This must be one of those visions that he'd been telling Dean about….and Dean didn't really like them…not one little bit.

Sam's face was pinched in obvious pain and he'd pulled his enormous body into a ball, his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them…like he was trying to hold himself together. Dean had been on the couch and Sam had fallen asleep on the floor, he'd woken up his older brother when he'd started thrashing and calling out. Dean was now lying on the floor next to Sam; his brother had pulled him off the couch accidentally. He leaned over and placed his hands on both sides of Sam's face and watched as Sam's blue-green eyes peaked out between the previously clenched eyelids. "Sam?" Dean said quietly.

"Dean?" Sam said and then he was all flying arms and body as he wrapped his older brother in a hug and buried his head in Dean's shoulder. The tears started to flow again as Dean just sat there stunned…he was leaning against the couch, his back supported by the old red thing. He was intensely grateful for that…because otherwise, his little brother would have pushed him over with the strength that he latched onto him.

"Sam…what the hell happened?" Dean asked, worry working into his usually steady voice as he pulled Sam into him and hugged him back, before pushing him away slowly so that he could see his brother's face.

Sam's eyes were red and he was still trying to get control of his breathing under control. But Dean was alive and that was all that mattered. "We are NOT going to Chicago." Sam said firmly.

Dean raised his eyes and looked at Sam in confusion. "Why not?" he said as he tried to find out what the hell was going on with Sam. "Another vision Sam?" He really was worried about his brother.

Sam took a stuttered breath and then looked Dean square in the face. "You die there Dean. We're not going. We'll find those witches and dad another way."

TBC…

Author's Note: So this was a tiny take on the idea of 'Shadow' from the first season. But I wanted to introduce the demon's into the story and get closer to revealing how John is involved and what is in store for both the boys.

Please Review: I appreciate the time you take to tell me what you think about the story.