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.

WARNING:These chapters can contain a lot of angst and can get a little graphic with the pain and blood...consider yourself warned. Don't like...Don't Read...

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: So I know there's still interest in this little story.

Chapter 39

Those Blue Eyes

They were on the road before first light. Dean hadn't been kidding when he'd said that they would be leaving first thing in the morning. Sam yawned hugely and then blinked owlishly at his older brother in the light that was starting to filter into the car as the morning sun rose. He grabbed his cup of coffee and took a long slow drink as the car rambled down the lonely highway. They were headed nowhere in particular and their slow progression was a testament to that.

"Sam…" Dean's voice interrupted his thoughts; his brother's words had a way of doing that lately.

He glanced over, his eyes tired and appearing far older than they had any right to. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" His brother's normally raspy voice was soft with a hint of curiosity which actually peaked Sam's own curiosity.

"Sure." Part of him was always little nervous to give permission for an inquiry, because there was a chance that it could turn into the Spanish Inquisition. It was particularly disturbing when it wasn't normal for Dean to ask for it. His eyes turned back toward the road and he found a slight fluttering of anticipation in his stomach.

"Did you like…going to college?" The question was quiet, almost like his older brother didn't really want to ask…or maybe that he'd wanted to ask it for a very long time.

Sam nearly choked on his coffee. Whatever he'd been expecting his brother to ask…it hadn't been that. Dean had never shown the slightest interest in understanding why Sam had wanted to go to Stanford. "Uh…" He coughed. "What?"

Dean licked his lips and glanced down at his denim clad legs, his fingers picking at the seam on his jeans. "Did you…ya know…like school?" The words were rushed, but sincere and that had Sam looking at him for moment before answering.

"Um…yeah. I liked school." He knew that the answer was short and didn't get into the detail that he was sure his brother was looking for. But Sam wasn't sure how to tell Dean that it had been the most peaceful time he'd had since they were kids and he didn't know about monsters. The fact that Dean had suffered as a result of his time away would allow him to tell Dean about it. The guilt wouldn't allow him to explain.

Dean nodded. Sam could tell that he'd expected more information…but when none was forth coming he simply turned back toward the window in silence.

He shouldn't be surprised that Sam hadn't wanted to share his reasons with him…but he found that it hurt…deeply. They used to talk about everything, when they'd been younger, but as the years had waxed on…they'd grown distant. Those memories were some of the happiest that Dean had…other than those with his mother. He'd hoped that by hunting together, some of that closeness might still be there. But as Sam expertly avoided his attempts at understanding, Dean closed those opened gates and went back to watching the sunrise.

Music flooded the interior of the car and had Dean picking his way through his pockets in search of his cell phone. He finally located the small silver device and flipped it open. "Hello?" He continued to stare out the window, the landscape passing in a blur of colors.

"Dean. It's Ash." He blinked in surprise.

"Hey Ash. What's up?" Dean said. Sam's eyes shot over to him in question.

A sharp intake of breath resounded on the other side of the phone and then the southern accented voice of the computer genius started talking again. "I found something."

"What'd you find, Ash?" Dean's eyebrows rose and he scrubbed a hand down his face, pointedly ignoring his brother's questioning eyes.

"Disappearances…people disappearing in a small town near Kansas. Near as I can tell, you guys should check out an abandoned warehouse out there." Ash's voice faded.

"A warehouse? You think it's the demon?" Dean glanced over at his brother. Sam's eyes were wide as he listened to the conversation.

"Not sure…but it's something…and since I promised to call you with anything that I found…"

Dean sighed and his eyes caught the highway sign as they blazed past it. "Thanks Ash. We'll check it out. Keep looking, just in case this isn't the demon we're looking for…it could always be just another supernatural monster."

"Roger that." Dean heard the phone click as Ash hung up. He popped his own phone closed and dropped it into his lap. Sam's heavy breathing had him glancing over and blowing out a long slow breath of air.

"Where are we headed, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Kansas."

The answer wasn't what Sam had been expecting. He groaned and nodded. "The demon?"

"Ash thinks there's a possibility it could be." Dean's answers were cryptic and they were starting to irritate Sam. He wanted a straight answer…not his brother's version of it.

"Could be? What the hell does that mean, Dean?" The edge to his voice made Dean cringe slightly. It seemed like everything he did was driving a larger and larger wedge between himself and Sam…and he despised it. His lower back twinged uncomfortably, Dean shifted his weight and a hiss of pain escaped his lips as fiery warmth spread along his spine. He clenched his teeth to keep the unwanted sound as quiet as possible. The last thing he needed was the mama-hen version of Sam getting all warm and fuzzy on him.

"It means that we're going to Kansas."

XXXX

Sam hadn't thought anything about it when Dean had asked him to check into their motel. His brother had taken the car and headed out to grab them something to eat. It simply hadn't occurred to the youngest Winchester that his brother would actually try and go check out the warehouse on his own. But that was exactly what the martyring son of a bitch had done. Sam was now pacing the interior of their small room in agitation. He'd just hung up with Dean and all he knew was that his brother was at the warehouse and that he should be checking in shortly.

XXXX

The warehouse was everything that Dean knew it shouldn't be. It was located in a sparsely populated part of town, the windows darkened to keep people from looking inside. He blew out a long breath as he looked at the place and then snorted as the rain picked up again. It looked like he was gonna get wet tonight. Dean reached behind himself and pulled his wheelchair out, it lifted easily over the bench seat and he maneuvered it onto the wet pavement.

The place had a loading dock, which made it easier for him to access. The smell inside the building was damn unpleasant…not dead body unpleasant, but bad. He was careful to keep his handgun positioned on his lap so he would be ready for anything. The darkness inside the long corridor he was rolling down was making it difficult to miss the numerous boards lying in his path. He swore as his chair lurched to a stop. "Damn-it."

Just as he got himself around the obstruction, he was attacked from behind. Dean was thrown from his wheelchair when the weight plowed into his back. He grunted as his head hit the floor…and the board he'd been trying to get around.

He was stunned for moment before he bucked up his shoulders and shoved the attacker off as he twisted his body over. The intense sapphire blue eyes that stared back at him had his mouth dropping open…a Gjinn.

XXXX

Dean's first sensation was warmth. He was comfortable and…oh shit…and not alone. He turned his head slightly and his gaze fell on the shiny brown locks of a woman. She was obviously sleeping deeply…naked…and man did she smell good. It took a moment for Dean to get his head under control, his eyes sweeping the room quickly, he was confused, to say the least. He had no clue where he was. A shift in his lower body had him sitting bolt upright…holy freaking shit…he could feel his legs.

Son of a bitch…he thought as he pushed the covers down, revealing unscarred and healthy legs. In fact, he couldn't feel any of the scars that he knew pulled his skin taunt as he rolled carefully to his feet. Dean glanced down and realized that he wasn't wearing anything but a pair of boxer shorts. His eyes scanned the room and fell on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He padded over softly and pulled them on, glancing over at the woman a few times to make he hadn't woken her up. As quietly as possible he slipped from the room.

The living room was just as warmly furnished as the bedroom. It was obvious that a woman had decorated this apartment and that it was a home…not a place to just spend a few nights and then move on. He flipped on a lamp and a low white light flooded the room. Dean's eyes widened when he saw pictures of himself and a smiling dark haired women. They looked happy and she was gorgeous. Who are you? He wondered. She wasn't someone that he could remember having ever seen before.

The room spun and Dean sank onto a well-worn couch. He noticed his phone lying on the coffee table, he grabbed it and dialed Sam's number.

"Dean? You okay?" Sam's voice said almost immediately. He sounded as though Dean had interrupted something, but he didn't sound upset.

"Sam…I don't know where I am." He whispered. His gaze was sweeping through the room, taking in all the evidence of his presence in this place. There were car magazines on the table, one of his hoodies was thrown over the other well-worn chair and a pair of his work boots was lying half-hazardly on the floor near the front door.

"What do you mean, you don't where you are?" Now his little brother sounded a little judgmental and now he also sounded irritated. "Are you drunk, Dean?"

Dean huffed. "NO Sam! I'm not drunk. I just…I woke up and there was a strange woman in my bed…"

"Who? Carmen?" Now it was his brother's turn to sound confused. He sighed and closed the book on Tort law as he leaned back and rubbed his tired eyes. He had a final exam in the morning and he'd promised Jess that they would leave right after that for his parent's place. It was gonna be a surprise birthday visit.

"Uh…okay." Dean shot back.

"Dean…just go sleep it off and I'll see you later." Sam didn't wait for his response as he hung up the phone.

Dean clicked the phone closed as he stood in the living room and stared at the photos on the wall. One caught his attention and had him rushing over and pulling it from the shelf. His jaw dropped open when he saw the smiling faces of his family…and his mother. He dropped the frame and rushed out the door, just barely remembering to grab a jacket and his wallet as he left.

The trip to their old home wasn't long and he couldn't believe how much his heart was racing at the thought of possibly seeing Mary Winchester again. Could it be possible that he'd actually managed to slip into a world where his mother hadn't died? Where his father had thought he was an absolute waste of space and Sam…where Sam was glad to be his brother?

Dean knocked…no banged on the door. He waited, but not patiently for an answer. The porch light flipped on and he stepped back a few steps and watched as the door was pulled open. He gasped when he was caught off guard by the bright blue eyes of his father. John stared at his eldest son and sighed when he assumed that Dean was in trouble again.

"What is now?" He asked tiredly.

Dean's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth dropped open in a silent 'O'. He could feel the tremors racing through his body as it reacted to adrenaline now pumping through his veins.

"Dean." John said again. He reached out, ready to shake his son a little to get his attention. But the violent way that Dean stumbled back from him had him raising his own eyebrows in confusion. His eldest had never had that kind of reaction to anyone in his family before. "You okay, son?"

A gulp was his only answer as Dean continued to stare at him like he was a viper waiting to strike. The terrified and defiant look plastered on his son's face had John stepping back and gesturing him inside. "Why don't you come in, Dean?"

"Where's mom?" Dean stammered.

John's face took on a pained expression and he sighed before stepping further into the house. "Come inside, Dean." This time it wasn't really a question, it was an order. And one thing about Dean, he'd never been able to refuse his father's orders.

TBC…

Author's Note: The lead is still forth coming, but I just love this episode so I 'had' to work it into this story. Sam is gonna pissed when he catches up with Dean…and it should be interesting as he figures out what happened. Because he doesn't have as much information as Dean at the moment. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed the last chapter and anyone that I cannot personally PM.

Please Review: I know it sounds repetitive, but it's what helps me push the story.