Supernatural does not belong to me, although I wish it did. I am simply playing in Kripke'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 all grammatical errors are my own. Not Slash. Brotherly love and Angst only…

Please Review: They keep me motivated. This is my sad little plea for feedback... Thank you to all who reviewed the last Chapter, it was so great to see that so many of you are still interested in this story continuing. Thanks to anyone that was a 'guest' reviewer and everyone that took the time. :)

Chapter 28

Dean, You Can't Hide everything from Sam anymore...

Sam was just starting to get up to find out what was keeping Dean when he saw his brother exit the bathroom…his gaze wandering as he looked around the area. Inwardly Sam groaned as he was once again reminded that his brother couldn't see very well. When were they gonna catch a break? He settled back against the seat and picked up his water as Dean slid in across from him.

"Thought you might have fallen in…" Sam said with a raised eyebrow. Dean snorted and grabbed his own mug of coffee, slurping it back as he ignored Sam's comment. "Seriously dude…what took you so long?" Dean shrugged and stayed silent. Sam narrowed his eyes at his brother as some internal alarms started going off. "Okay…what gives Dean. You're not exactly the strong silent type."

Dean finally raised his eyes and met Sam's confused gaze…and that should have been Sam's first indicator that something was definitely off about his big brother. "Anyone ever tell you, you're awfully pushy, princess?" His hands dropped to his lap and he stared directly at Sam, waiting for a response.

Sam almost chocked on his water as he set it down and gaped at his brother in surprise. "What?" He said as he wiped water off his chin with a napkin.

Dean continued to stare at him in a relaxed manner and now Sam's brain was screaming at him that there was something very off about his brother. And that was when he noticed it…Dean's eyes weren't just looking directly at him…but they were his normal shade of green again, the soft emerald color that Sam had seen his entire life. A color they hadn't been since Dean's accident and the warehouse in Chicago.

Sam came quickly to his feet, hands grasping Dean's leather jacket and hauling him to his own feet. He dragged the surprised form of his older brother out the front glass door and around the corner where no one would see them. "Who the hell are you? What have you done with my brother?" He whispered vehemently as he glared into the subtle differences of his 'brother's' eyes. A slow smile spread across the creature's smooth face as he reached up and roughly yanked Sam's fingers out his…or rather Dean's…jacket.

"Oh…he's around." It said as the eyes flared a silver color and Sam stumbled away, trying to put some distance between himself and whatever was currently standing in front of him…wearing his brother's form. Shape shifter…His brain supplied easily…and that meant a silver bullet or knife to the heart. Concern also flared to life as Sam realized that he had absolutely no idea where the hell his actual brother was.

The shape shifter suddenly grabbed his shoulders, fingers pushing painfully into the muscles and slammed Sam into the brick wall of the diner, his head connecting with the red brick before Sam understood what was happening…He slid to the ground as consciousness faded and his last thought was concern for his missing…and mostly blind…big brother.

XXXX

One of the things that Dean hated was waking up after being knocked out. He hated the cotton feeling in his mouth and the fuzziness of his eyesight…oh yeah…that wasn't going away any time soon. He shifted trying to assess any injuries and found that beyond having his hands taped behind his back…he was actually injury free. He looked at the dark area and determined that he was either in a box…or the trunk of a car…either way he didn't want to be here. His mouth was covered in the same utility tape, the taste of the adhesive making his stomach roll with unease; at least he assumed that it was the same type of tape…that was securing his hands. He groaned as he shifted the uncomfortable position and pulled his legs up behind himself, wriggling his fingers into the top of his boot. He nearly sighed with relief when his fingers closed around the warm handle of his knife. He pulled until it was held securely in his right hand and then he carefully flipped it over and began the slow process of sawing through the binding.

His mind kept shifting to Sam and what in the hell the shifter could possibly want with his little brother. Or was this another trick by the yellow-eyed demon…he'd known that he could see something off about the man in restaurant…but he hadn't been able to discern what it was. And now as Dean thought back…he wondered if it was more than just demons that he could see with this sight thing of his. The thought of it having gone after Sam without him there as backup, had Dean struggling faster as soon as he felt the pressure release and his hands popped apart. The release of the tension on his shoulder felt great as he pulled them carefully in front of his chest and then turned so that he was looking up. Yup, definitely the trunk of a car…he thought quickly.

He felt around searching for an emergency release latch…relief flooding through him as he finally felt the plastic 'T' shaped handle and when pulling it caused the trunk lid to pop open. He pushed up with his hands and then pulled himself out of the car…his arms aching from the awkward positioning they'd been in. He waited for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the low light and then he swore as he realized that he'd been unconscious for several hours.

He cast his fuzzy sight in all directions looking for the Impala…he'd known that Sam had parked close to the restaurant and it appeared as though he was still there. He stumbled toward the entrance and found that he couldn't even make out the faces of the people in the damn place. "Damn-it Sammy." He muttered when he didn't see his gargantuan of a younger brother's shimmery presence anywhere.

Dean turned and rushed from the restaurant, his feet eating up the pavement as he made his way to where he could barely make out the lines of his beloved Impala. But as he grabbed the handle, he realized that he didn't have the keys to his baby….Sam did. And even if he did…he couldn't drive it. He couldn't see well enough to do that…Dean wanted to punch something….anything…the rage and frustration building to a breaking point inside his chest. He stepped away from the classic car before he did something he would regret.

How the hell was he supposed to search for his missing brother when he couldn't even see enough to know what he was looking for?

XXXX

Sam felt the pounding in his head before he had any inclination to actually open his eyes…there was a dull ache on the back where he'd hit the bricks of the restaurant. He tried to move; wanting to rub the spot where he was sure he would have a pretty decent bump forming and he was surprised when he realized that he was tied up, like Thanksgiving turkey. His hands pulled behind his back, secured at the wrists and everything including his neck was tied up with rope. He groaned as he remembered the flare of the eyes in the light…freaking shape shifters.

"So glad you're awake, Sammy." The thing wearing Dean's likeness said as it stepped up and stared at the younger Winchester in interest.

"It's Sam." He shot back without even thinking.

The thing laughed. "Oh, that's right I forgot that you hate to be called Sammy." It looked at him and then stepped back, grabbing a large knife and twirling it in its hands as it watched Sam sit up a little straighter. The slight fear that it saw in his eyes making its blood sing with anticipation. "Man…you two sure have a lot more problems than the average dysfunctional family." Dean's…no…its….voice was deep and taunting as it continued to circle Sam's secured form.

"Me and my brother get along fine." Sam said angrily. He hated that the thing thought that it knew them because it was 'wearing' Dean's body.

"Yeah right…" It said as it squatted down in front of Sam, looking at him with interest. "If that's true then why didn't he tell you that when he 'sees' these weird auras around things…he sees it around you too?" It watched closely for the reaction that it knew was coming. It had read Dean's thoughts…just like it was supposed to…and the one thing that he didn't want Sam to know, above anything else, was that he was seeing something off about his brother as well as demons and other monsters. "So….if he sees it around a demon…and around you…what does that make you Sam?"

Sam was reeling from that information. Dean had seen an aura surrounding him? And he hadn't even bothered to tell him about it? After that whole fiasco with the Croatoan virus…Sam had thought that Dean would have told him about anything weird involving him. That incident had scared the crap out of both of them…but apparently his brother didn't feel he could be trusted with this information…or else even worse…Dean thought that there was something evil about him.

"You know the more I learn about you and your brother…damn you two have problems." The thing raised its hand to its temple and looked pained for a moment before speaking again. "You really left him at the mercy of your sadistic father? You know that your father spent the next three years beating the hell out of him right? Every single damn time he got drunk, he took it out on Dean. Why do you think that he has so many new scars? They didn't come from hunting…I can tell you that." And then it actually laughed. "And then he wound up in a wheelchair and you never even knew…not for an entire year? Wow! You are just little brother of the year aren't you?" It said as it looked at him over the blade of the knife, it was currently twirling on the top of one of Dean's fingers.

"You don't know anything." Sam said quietly, knowing his father had abused his brother was bad enough…but to hear it so blatantly from his 'brother's' mouth? Well that was nearly killing him inside. Having his worst failures thrown up his face like this wasn't exactly making him feel like 'brother of the year'. He already knew that he and Dean had their problems…he certainly didn't need some trash talking monster flinging it around. Sam felt the first real tingles of anger rear up in his chest as he stared at the man pretending to be his brother.

"He sure has some problems with you…" The shape shifter continued…oblivious to Sam's increasing ire. Sam shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of the man impersonating his brother. He knew he and Dean had their problems…but they were their problems. And the fact that this monster was pulling those memories and flogging Sam with them was making him almost as angry as it was making him feel like a piece of crap little brother. "You got to go off to school…have a normal life. I had to stay with dad…didn't it ever occur to you that I might want to have a normal life?" The thing asked as it tilted Dean's head and narrowed his green eyes…and then it thrust out and slammed Dean's fist into Sam's face.

Sam's head snapped to the side and he felt stars explode behind his left eye as he grunted and then brought his angry gaze back around to the thing pretending to be his brother. The sting of the impact wasn't as bad as the underlying knowledge that there must actually be a part inside Dean that really wanted to punch him. Suddenly Sam had an idea what it must have been like for his brother when they'd been in that Asylum…as he himself had spewed every hateful thing that had ever briefly gone through his mind. He suddenly understood how his brother must have felt…because even though he knew…he knew… that this thing wasn't saying what Dean would. There was a part of him that believed what it was saying…that maybe his brother did resent him and the choices that he'd made.

The thought that there could be even a small part of Dean that hated him…was like pouring salt in an open wound. He felt it all the way to his core and it fucking hurt…how could he have been so blind that he had missed all that? Was he so concerned with getting away from hunting that he'd ignored all the little signs…that maybe his brother had wanted the same thing too? And then he'd walked out on him…left his older brother to the angry ministrations of their father…Oh God…Sam thought frantically.

His blue-green eyes widened in understanding as he stared at the triumphant look on his not-brother's face. The shifter had gotten what it wanted…it had started to put doubt into the mind of the younger brother. That had been the mission after all…not to kill and not to maim…just to educate.

Sam stared at the thing as the taunting words played over and over in his brain in perfect dolby digital sound. He heard the monster tell him that he was registering on his brother's weird 'monster-radar' thing…and that he was holding a fucking huge grudge against Sam…one that Sam hadn't even known about. But to keep something like the aura-sight….from Sam? How could he do that? Dean knew how much it was killing him inside that he had demon blood coursing through his veins…and that supposedly he was destined to kill his big brother…the one person in his life that had loved him in spite of everything.

The thing smiled again and then winked. "I guess my work here is done…your brother should be at the restaurant or the motel…it's not like he could have driven anywhere…" It chuckled and tossed the knife just out of Sam's reach. "Once you get yourself out of here…go find him…and ask him if I lied."

And then it was gone. It just left Sam tied to the post, his mind reeling and his booted foot barely able to pull the knife toward him. He couldn't stop a million different conversations that he'd had with Dean from replaying inside his over-active brain…and it hurt…they hurt.

XXXX

Dean was sitting on the edge of the Impala's trunk…he didn't know how to find Sam, he couldn't even hardly see, let alone drive. He hadn't felt this worthless since he'd watched Sam walk out on him and their father that night three years ago. He should have been stronger…should have been able to get Sam to stay. But he hadn't been…and now as Dean watched the shadows playing across the parking lot…he felt every bit as weak and useless…every bit as disposable as he had that night. His life was a series of unfortunate events…this was just one more in a long line.

First, he hadn't been able walk, so Sam had had to do more on the hunts that his fair share…then Dean had gone and gotten his eyesight screwed up…and now he had some freaky second sight thing that was worth jack shit if he needed to actually drive somewhere. Or see something that wasn't a monster or a demon…and he'd never even told Sam about what he'd seen, unless he was driving the highway to hell or something. What the hell was wrong with him? He just kept messing up…maybe he really was just a grunt…not good for much else…he thought silently.

Dean brought his fingers up and run them down his face, his palms digging into his eyes as he prayed that they would stop their semi-blindness. How could he help Sam when…he couldn't even clearly see Sam? And what Dean was seeing when he looked at his little brother was so confusing that he just wanted to ignore his little brother's ginormous form. The sudden ringing of his cell phone had Dean fumbling in his pocket for the small device…he flipped it open. "Sam?" He asked immediately. He knew that it was a long shot…but maybe…

"Dean?" Sam's voice was quiet, but definitely Sam.

"Sammy….thank god. Are you okay?" Dean rasped as his heart thudded wildly in his chest.

"I'm okay Dean…where are you? Are you okay?" Sam asked. Because every single damn time that he and Dean got separated…his brother managed to get the shit kicked out him…somehow.

Dean huffed at the question. "I'm fine. Where are you?"

"On my way back to the diner…you still there?"

Dean snorted. "Obviously. It's not like I can drive…and I was just debating on calling Bobby. Sorry I would have done it earlier…but the bastard locked me in the trunk of a random car."

Sam was silent for a moment before he spoke again…and Dean felt his internal big brother alarm go off. "You sure you're okay?" He glanced out at the fuzzy road, his eyes at least recognizing the changes from gravel to pavement…huh…well at least that's an improvement. He thought.

"Yeah…I should be there soon." Sam said. "I'll talk to you when I get there…explain what happened…it was a shape shifter Dean." His little brother's voice sounded almost haunted and Dean furrowed his eyebrows in response to that. A shape shifter? We haven't seen one of those in years…he racked his brain trying remember exactly the last time he had seen one…it had been at least ten years. His father had killed one outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma…and the damn thing had very nearly killed John in the process.

"Yeah…okay Sammy…I'll be waiting." Dean said as he thinned his lips and shook his head. His alarm was still firing on all cylinders…so whatever had happened to Sam…it wasn't good.

TBC…

Author's Note: The whole point of the shape shifter was to clue Sam in on what Dean's been holding back…it is a departure from the series and there will be plenty more of those. For those of you wondering, Dean's eyes will get better slowly…but there is a reason for the ongoing blindness…that will become evident as the story progresses…yes it has something to do with the witches and the demons…

Please Review: I so appreciate them and they spur me on as an author…so yeah…please take the time and let me know what you think.