Monty leaned over the top of the fence, squinting in the darkness.

"What the hell is that?"

Sandra, his partner tonight, peered at him lazily, her back to the woods.

"What are you going on about?"

"There's something out there," Monty replied.

"Probably a deer," Sandra replied.

"No," Monty replied, "It's too big to be one deer."

"A herd then," Sandra muttered around turned around, "Maybe we could shoot a couple, have some fresh meat for a change."

Monty shook his head.

"Something's wrong," he muttered.

SPN

"Okay Sam but don't go overboard," Dean held a bottle of beer out to his sibling, "I don't want to be carrying your drunk ass back to the infirmary."

Sam laughed, grabbed the offered bottle and took a gulp.

They were sitting on the porch of Dean's cabin with Chuck, Cas and a young woman named Risa who seemed to be Dean's lieutenant.

Only two days had passed since Sam had arrived at Camp Chitaqua but the young hunter was quickly on the mend. It was amazing what some good antibiotics, painkillers and decent food could do.

"…So here we are, surrounded by Croats, and Risa has this brilliant idea to climb up the elevator shaft…" Dean was saying, Sam only half-listening.

There was a commotion across the camp and it seemed to be coming towards them.

"Dean," Sam said and his brother stopped talking, "What's going on?"

"DEAN!" a voice shouted, preceding the man running towards them, "DEAN!"

The hunter set his beer aside and stood.

"Monty!" he called out, "What's going on?"

Risa and Sam followed Dean as he stepped from the porch and caught Monty as he skidded to a halt.

"C-Croats," Monty panted, "Croats, tons of them."

"What?" Dean frowned.

"There's a bunch of Croats headed our way," Monty said, "Over two dozen by the looks of it."

"We'll take care of it," Dean assured him.

"Dean," Sam said and reached out a hand.

"It's okay, Sammy, I've got this," Dean said, "We've done this before."

Looking up, Dean paused.

"Sam, you all right?"

SPN

All the colour had drained from his brother's face; Dean could see that even in the dim light.

"You overdid it," he said, "Why don't you sit down?"

"No, Dean, it's not that," Sam replied, eyes wide.

"What is it?"

Sam sucked in a shaky breath.

"What's wrong? Sam? Do you know something?" Dean reached out to grip his brother's shoulders.

Sam nodded and looked away from Dean.

"Dean! We have to do something, now!" Monty cried and Dean tore his gaze from his brother.

"We'll talk later," he told Sam, and turned from his sibling, hurrying after Monty, Sandra and Risa towards the fence.

Whatever Sam had to tell him it could wait. Dean had to see what was going on with the Croats for himself and defend the camp.

W

Running to the fence, Dean barely paused as he reached the steps and rushed up to the catwalk. Sentries were clustered at the top, all peering out at something coming up the road towards them.

"It's like a big herd of 'em," someone said.

"It don't understand it," someone else replied, "They never move in groups this large."

Dean shouldered his way to the front and stared down at what was indeed a herd of Croats, just like Monty had said, of more than two dozen.

"The fuck?" he whispered.

"All right, everyone get ready! We can't let them reach the gate!" Dean raised his voice and pointed his gun at the advancing enemy.

Guns and bows and arrows were drawn.

"Remember to wait until you see the whites of their eyes," Dean instructed but someone grew nervous and fired off a shot early.

The Croats didn't really seem to care, they just continued forward.

SPN

Sam looked up at the sound of a gun going off. Cas and Chuck looked at one another.

"We've got to keep everyone from panicking," Chuck said and the two hurried off into the camp, leaving Sam alone.

The lone hunter sat down on the cabin's wooden steps and wrapped his arms around his middle.

SPN

Dean stalked across the camp, his hair prickled with sweat, adrenaline coursing through his veins. That was the largest group of Croats they had ever encountered outside of the city. Something was definitely not right.

"First thing in the morning we'll send out a detail to move the bodies off the road," Dean instructed Risa as she followed along behind him.

"And we'll see about setting up better fortifications," he continued.

"Of course," Risa replied and peeled away.

"Sam!" Dean called, spying his brother sitting on the steps that led up to his cabin.

His brother stood.

"Is anyone hurt?" Sam asked as Dean approached.

Dean shook his head, "No, but we have to think about better protection if we're going to get big groups of Croats coming through now."

Sam nodded but said nothing.

Dean raked a hand through his head.

"What were you trying to tell me earlier?"

Again, Sam took his gaze away from his brother.

"Sam, what's going on?"

"I… I know why those Croats were here tonight," Sam replied.

Dean frowned.

"Dean is everything okay?" Chuck asked as he and Cas hurried towards him.

Dean held up a hand to silence the Prophet and the ex-angel.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked and took a step closer to his brother.

"They were here because of me," Sam whispered, his voice tinged with shame.

"Because… of you? What? Sam I don't understand," Dean asked and reached out to grab his brother's arm, "Look at me, Sam."

His sibling reluctantly lifted his gaze.

"The Croats, they… they follow me," Sam replied, "I don't know why… maybe it's the demon blood but-"

"They follow you?" Dean asked, needing to make sure he had heard correctly.

Sam nodded.

"Did you know this before? How long have you known this?" Dean felt anger rising up in his chest, fed by the adrenaline still in his body.

Even in the dim light, Dean could see his brother's eyes were wet.

"I'm sorry, Dean, I didn't know there would be so many," Sam continued.

"You knew," Dean ground out, struggling to keep his temper in check, "Are you insane?"

His grip on Sam's arm tightened, "You knew these things followed you and still you came here?"

"Dean, please, it wasn't like that-" Sam began but Dean interrupted.

"You endangered the lives of innocent people!" Dean snapped, "People I've spent months trying to keep safe!"

"I didn't know," Sam tried again, "I was sick, Dean… I was dying…"

"So it's okay for others to die as long as you live?" Dean snapped and Sam flinched as if struck.

"I don't believe you," Dean hissed, "I thought you were different."

"I made a mistake, Dean," Sam tried to apologize but Dean shook his head, "No, Sam, I made a mistake. It was a mistake letting you in here."

Still gripping his brother's arm, he yanked Sam from the steps.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, "Dean, where are we going?"

"You're too dangerous to have here," Dean snarled, shoving his way through a crowd of people who had heard the argument and come to see what was happening.

"What?!" Sam exclaimed, "Dean, let me go!"

Dean only tightened his grip.

"Let's go," Dean snarled.

"Dean, you can't kick Sam out!" Cas, who had followed them, exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? Watch me!" Dean growled.

"Please Dean, I'm your brother," Sam pleaded.

Dean tugged his brother's arm harshly and Sam stumbled, crying out in pain as his injured leg gave out.

"Get up," Dean hissed, heaving Sam to his feet again.

"You think you're so good? Think you're worth more than any of these people here?" Dean asked and Sam shook his head.

"People could have died tonight and their blood would be on your hands, Sam," Dean growled.

"Dean, I didn't know-" Sam tried but Dean snapped, "Shut up, I don't want to hear any of your excuses. You knew those things followed you and you still came here. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sam sucked in a shaking breath but remained silent.

"Open the gate!" Dean shouted at the startled guards.

"I said open it! Are you assholes deaf?"

The guards hurried to follow the order. They eased the heavy gate open and when there was enough room to squeeze through, Dean shoved Sam out, following quickly behind him.

Dean released his brother's arm and pushed Sam forward.

"If I ever see your face here I'll kill you," Dean seethed, "I swear to God I will."

Sam turned to him.

"Please, Dean, don't do this."

The hunter took his gun from the waistband of his jeans and pointed it at Sam's chest.

"Leave or I'll shoot you right here, right now."

Sam hesitated a moment longer and then turned away, walking carefully through the corpses of the Croats killed earlier that night.

SPN

Dean shoved his gun back into the waistband of his jeans as he stepped inside the camp, catching sight of Cas and Chuck staring at him.

"Don't," he said, "Don't say anything. Either of you."

Chuck took Dean's advice but Cas couldn't.

"You've killed him, Dean," his friend said, "You've killed him."