A/N: Spoilers through Ep 14.5. Borrowed dialogue in bold. I don't own anything, just enjoying playing in the Supernatural sandbox.

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"Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well."
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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Mary looked up from her conversation at the map table when she heard footsteps on the stairs. "Sam." she said warmly, smiling up at him as he trudged into the room.

"Hey, Mom."

I missed you, Son. Mary hugged him tightly for a moment, then felt him pull away. Reluctantly she let go herself.

"How was Atlanta?"

Sam sighed. "It was, uh... It was a bust. The woman who claims she saw an "angel"... was..." A snort of derision gave him a moment to find the right words. "Let's just say I think she had one too many hits of the brown acid, you know?"

"Sam, we're gonna find him. Ketch is working that thing in London. Castiel is in Detroit. I know it's been three weeks since Dean…" Emotion flickered in his eyes as Mary paused, "Something will break. It has to."

"Yeah. Yeah, you keep saying that."

Observing Sam as he tried to suppress a yawn, Mary's mom instincts kicked in. "Have you slept? At all. Sam, you need to rest. Go and lay down."

"Mom –"

"Chief." said Miguel, one of the Apocalypse world survivors.

"Hey."

"Good to have you back." Miguel said, handing Sam a bowl of soup.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. Word is we got some vamps heading East on I-90. Gipsy types. Pickin' off truckers mostly."

Daniel, another hunter currently receiving first aid from Maggie piped up, "Last body got drained and dropped just outside La Crosse six hours ago."

"Okay. Um... All right. Get me teams of two. I want watch points every 50 miles. If you see something, say something. Maggie, can you hack the traffic cams on the freeway?"

Maggie looked up from patching Daniel up, startled. She paused, hating to not be able to help their Chief, but reluctantly said, "Um... no."

"Right. Right. Of course. Sorry. Um, I got it. Thank you." Sam rallied, handing his soup to Mary and looking over the table at another of the hunters, Toby, "Uh, please. Would you call in Sharon and her crew? We're gonna need all hands on deck here."

Toby responded immediately, "Yes, sir."

"Thank you." Don't call me sir. he adds silently, knowing saying it out loud will change nothing...just like telling them to not call him Chief was a useless endeavour. Sitting down, Sam is immediately engrossed in the task in front of him. Mary watches sadly for a moment, then leans over, trying to get his attention, "Sam –" Without pausing or looking up he simply replies, "I'm good." She puts a hand on his hands to still his almost frenetic typing. He pauses, then looks up and makes eye contact. "I'm good. I am. Hey, how's Jack?"

Like hell you are, she thinks, even as she admires his ability to deflect.

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"Oh Sam - " Mary whispered softly as she watched her son hunched over the computer yet again. She was worried. Actually, she was becoming MORE worried, even as she swelled with pride in her youngest. He was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, she knew, and with his brother missing - gone, possessed by Michael - the spark of life that made others naturally gravitate into his orbit was missing. She knew her sons were two halves of a whole…she had mentally acknowledged it for a while now, and when Sam had been killed in Apocalypse world she had been pretty sure Dean was going to do something stupid to join him. Thankfully, that had not been necessary. Just that thought gave her chills, and now she was watching the reverse deterioration somewhat, as Sam slowly wore down day by day.

Sam had been in motion from the moment Michael disappeared with Dean. It had been three weeks, and he had chased down multiple reports of possible Michael sightings, never actually finding Dean at any of those locations. Each time he returned he looked a little rougher around the edges, and his eyes that were once filled with hope and determination dimmed just a bit more.

Somehow in between his searching, he had also continued with the work of settling and organizing the otherworld survivors…he oversaw and coordinated hunts, received their reports and updates, and spent time listening to their struggles as they navigated this new world, encouraging and challenging them. They had started calling him "Chief," which he resisted but reluctantly responded to, even as he quietly protested, "Don't call me that." He didn't think of himself as anything other than just another hunter, an equal not a leader. Mary wondered about this, but realized that in the shadow of his more imposing brother, Sam wasn't necessarily the one people assumed would be the natural born leader. She didn't think either of her boys consciously thought about how they were perceived, and knew Dean certainly would be the first to champion his brother's leadership skills, but as she watched Sam's interactions with the others she was so proud of how clearly gifted he was to lead and do so well, whether he knew it or not.

Dean certainly knew it. He had filled her in on the attack on the British Men of Letters base after he rescued her from their brain washing. She had watched his face as he spoke, so proud of how Sam had rallied the other hunters to follow him on the raid. He had spoken softly of how he had known what a leader Sam could be, and how grateful he wasn't in the way this time so that his brother could truly shine. Mary silently wished Sam had been there in that moment to overhear Dean's words…he needed to know how others saw him - how the most important people in his life saw him.

It was not just the otherworld guests Sam seemed compelled to watch over. He checked in as frequently as possible with Jack, trying to bolster his spirits as he learned to live life as a full-fledged human. It was a steep learning curve for the poor boy, and Mary grieved for what Jack was going through too. And then, when she thought she couldn't be prouder, she found herself completely in awe of Sam as he conquered his natural fear and aversion to tend to Nick - former vessel to Lucifer. She couldn't even look at the man despite knowing that he was no longer the devil, but Sam...Sam had been possessed by Lucifer, trapped in the cage with him, and tormented even after he was back…yet he still somehow could see past all that baggage to know that Nick deserved care and believed he could be redeemed.

Even she and Cas seemed to fall under Sam's watchful care. They both tried to encourage Sam to rest, to eat, to keep the faith, but every conversation somehow ended up with them sharing how they were doing. Sam truly was remarkable. He gave and gave of himself, but he was human, and the human body can only be pushed so far. She just hoped they could be there for Sam like he had been for all of them when he hit his breaking point. More than that, she desperately hoped they could get Dean back, because only then would Sam begin to be whole again.

A call from a demon holding Cas interrupted Mary's musings, and she refocused even as she cautioned Sam, "It's a trap."

"Yep." Sam acknowledged, checking his pistol.

Bobby chimed in "This guy's a –"

"Demon." Sam finished.

"He just told you he was a demon?" Jack questioned, surprised.

"Yeah. He seemed pretty proud of it, too."

"Yeah, they ain't a real humble bunch." Bobby muttered.

Maggie looked uncertainly from one to another, then stammered, "So, what do we do?"

Sam looks up to meet her eyes and says confidently but without braggart, "We get Cas back."

And get him back they did. Mary was still mulling over how everything had gone down. She had missed the first part of the encounter, but Jack and Maggie had filled her in, how Sam had parried words with the demon, turned down his offer of "peaceful" co-existence at the potential cost of the lives of everyone there. Maggie had sounded almost hero-worshipful as she talked about Sam's commitment to doing the right thing, no matter the cost. She and Bobby had burst in at that point, and all hell broke loose.

The ending of the battle was what had her bursting with pride and not a little awe, however. Sam had finally been able to kill the upstart demon, but instead of turning to kill the others he had simply yelled, "Enough!" Crazy as it sounds, Mary could still see how everyone - hunters and demons alike - had frozen and looked to him.

"There will be no new King of Hell. Not today. Not ever. And if anybody wants the job, you can come through me. Understood?" He had stood there, tall and proud like the warrior he was. "So, what's it gonna be?" And just like that, all the remaining demons had fled their vessels. In fear. Of her son. Wow, just…wow.

Sam, for his part, simply said "That's what I thought." as if he had expected that outcome. Maybe he had.

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They did get Dean back, no matter how unsettling it was that Michael had just left his vessel without a fight, and Mary could see Sam's initial rally as he had his brother back again. However, the first few weeks were rough as he tried to get Dean to open up to him, and Dean in turn struggled to deal with the aftermath of his possession on his own. She wished there was something she could do to help her boys regain their equilibrium, but she and Bobby were out hunting more than they were home, so she simply had to trust that the tight bond they had would help them find their way once more. She spoke with Dean briefly after they had just returned from a Halloween hunt.

"Mom, you should have seen it! It was epic!" Dean gushed, proceeding to tell her all about his fight with the character from his favorite slasher movie. She listened, phone pressed tight to one ear as she loaded her gun, preparing for yet another hunt. What made her heart soar was not what Dean was saying, but the brightness in his voice. He sounded lighter, like he had come to some sense of peace over his recent experiences. As he wound down from his enthusiastic replay of the final battle, she responded appropriately, then carefully asked, "You sound like you're doing better? I'm so glad."

"I am. I mean, I'm not over what Michael did with me - never will be. But I'm coping better. Honestly, I was hiding out in my room, and Sam made me get out of my funk. The kid knows me too well, knew exactly what I needed."

"He's good like that." she agreed. "Speaking of your brother, how is Sam?"

"I don't know, Mom," Dean paused. "Sammy says he's fine. Except he doesn't really ever sleep, and I'm not sure he's eating. There's all these people in our home now, and he seems to feel responsible for them all. I'm not saying he's not doing a great job overseeing them, quite the opposite. He's really come into his own as a leader, and I couldn't be more proud. But - "

"Have you told him this?"

"We don't really talk like that, you know that Mom."

"I don't think he knows what a gifted leader he is. I don't think he sees that in himself. He's been so used to following your lead for so long…I think telling him you are proud of him would boost his confidence."

"We'll see. I'd settle for him just taking care of himself for once. I know he's been worried about me, so hopefully now that I'm doing better he'll stand down a little. I'm going to see what I can do to encourage that."

"I appreciate it, Dean." Mary said lovingly as they wrapped up, "Your voice is the one Sam will respond to more than anyone else, more than me, or Bobby…take care of him, and let him take care of you. I love you boys, and I'm so proud of you both."

"Love you too Mom. Be safe!"

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Dean really tried to follow through with what he'd told his Mom. He razzed Sam about his camp-counselor session with the other hunters, then pushed him to eat, bugged him about sleep. Sam merely pushed back

"Sam, you got any rest lately, like at all? I mean, look, man, I know things are crazy right now, okay? I mean, hell, I just went toe-to-toe with my own personal horror-movie icon, but we all need our beauty sleep."

"Dean, I have 16 Hunters on cases right now. That's not counting Jack and Cas in Sarasota or Mom and Bobby working that rugaru in Texas."

"Okay, you know that these people survived a war, right?"

"Yeah, but a war isn't Hunting. These people need, uh, lore and weapons and tips and backup, and - Look, don't worry about me, all right? I'm - I'm - I'm good."

Yeah right you're good, Dean thinks, as he glances over at Sam in the car a short while later. Maggie is missing, and they need to find her. Of course his brother is blaming himself…it's what he would do if the situation was reversed. Dean resolved to stick close to Sam and keep reminding him that it's not his fault.

Bumping into Mom and Bobby at the house was surprising to say the least. He was happy to see them, but the tension rolling off Bobby surprised him. Maybe he had missed something while he was gone - there certainly hadn't been any animosity between Bobby and Sam before then. As they stood outside by their vehicles, puzzled by Bobby's cutting comments, he finally blurted, "Something on your mind, Bobby?"

"Yeah. Your brother." They all stared at Bobby, shocked, but then Sam looked down. He'd sensed something like this was coming, just wished it could have been in a private setting. "He let Maggie come here when she had no idea what she was walking into. She wasn't ready."

Immediately rallying to his brother's defense, Dean parries back, "Oh, c'mon, when is anybody ever ready?"

"You are or you ain't. A real leader would've seen that a mile away."

Mary glances from Dean, who is bristling, to Sam, who had seemed to shrink in on himself, and then leveled a glare at Bobby. She's not sure what has caused Bobby's outburst, but feels confident it's misplaced aggression. "Bobby. Look, we all want the same thing. We - We have a job to do, so let's do it. Sam, you're with me. Bobby, you're with Dean."

What on earth is going on with that man? Mary wonders, even as she tries to triage the damage. The Bobby she thought she had been getting to know was rough around the edges, but never intentionally unkind. Glancing over at Sam, she knows immediately that he took Bobby's words to heart and that she needs to do something to counteract the thoughts running through his head. "Look, don't listen to Bobby."

"Um, maybe he's right, you know? I encouraged her. Maybe he's right about me, about everything."

Stopping to get Sam's full attention, Mary poured as much confidence and passion into her voice as possible. "Sam. Watching you these last few weeks, you know what I've been saying to myself? 'This is what he was born to do.'" Sam looked away, as if to deflect, but she grabbed his chin to make eye contact. Believe me, please Sam! "If Bobby can't see that, then it's not the only thing he's been missing lately." Walking on, she's not sure the words fully landed, but she resolves to keep saying them until Sam believes them.

Meanwhile, Dean is traipsing through the woods, trying very hard not to erupt all over Bobby. He can tell this isn't normal for Bobby, but no one gets to bash his baby brother but him. Not to mention, Sam had been knocking it out of the park with his leadership. If positions had been reversed, he could have just as easily made the decisions that led to where they were now. One of the first rules of a hunt was 'things never go as expected', and shortly behind that came 'there's no such thing as an easy hunt'. There was no way to learn that except the hard way, which unfortunately was why Maggie was in the predicament she was now. Sam had put all the guard rails in place he could to protect her, but you could only do so much…

Bobby broke into his wandering thoughts, "You think I was too hard on your brother back there."

Ya think? Dean scoffed silently. However, he simply replied, "He's doing his best. He's doing better than his best. You know, this whole Hunter Five-O thing - he's - he's killing himself over it. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep…" If you can't see the incredible leader my brother has become, then you're either blind or an 'Idjit' Bobby. Dean smiled slightly, proud of himself for keeping his ruder thoughts to himself. He knew Sam would be proud of him too.

There is no more time for heart-to-hearts as they rescue Maggie and defeat the djinn, and although Dean quietly encourages Sam that he's the reason Maggie is safely back at the bunker, just a short time later they are saying goodbye to Mom and Bobby. Bobby, for his part, at least has the decency to apologize to Sam for his words, but Mary can tell from across the room that the damage has been done. "Take care of your brother." she whispers as she hugs Dean, "I hate that I'm leaving him like this, leaving you both like this…"

"Mom, go, we're good." Sam says, smiling, though she could tell the smile doesn't reach his tired eyes. Once again, he was putting others before himself. She could not love him more, and could not be more worried. One more hug for both boys, a pointed look fraught with meaning at Dean, and she's gone.

Dean looked thoughtfully over at Sam, then motioned with his head for him to follow him into the kitchen. He grabbed a couple beers, handed one over Sam and sank down at the table. Sam mirrored him, taking a long sip and slowly deflating as he allowed the tension of the past hours to slowly release. Observing him, Dean sees him struggling to shore up his mirage of strength and confidence, and says slowly, "Hey, it's just you and me. You don't have to pretend to be ok." Sam looked up at him quizzically. "Today was rough, but you did well. But I'm guessing you aren't hearing that, just wallowing in feeling like a screw-up. Am I right?" Sam just looked down and picked at the label on his beer bottle. Dean isn't really sure what to say that will land, and he knows more than anything his brother needs rest. And food. Actually…rising, he sets about making a couple sandwiches, ignoring the odd looks he's getting, and then plops one down in front of Sam. "Eat."

"I'm not - "

"When's the last time you ate?" he challenges, interrupting Sam's half-hearted protest, "I mean, more than a protein bar or something on the run? That sandwich was made with love, eat it or you'll hurt my feelings." Sam actually rolled his eyes at that last statement, which was at least something. Even better, he picked up half and took a bite.

Dean openly smirks at Sam as he picks at the remaining crumbs on the plate, the sandwich disappearing rapidly once he had started in on it. "Shut up." Sam says without heat. They sit for a moment, enjoying the quiet and one another's company, before Sam starts softly, "Now that you're back…" Dean knows immediately where this is headed, and as much as he would like to ease some of his brother's burden, he's got to stop this train of thought right now.

"Sam, stop. I will help, but you are doing exactly what you are born to do - lead."

"Mom said that too." Sam confessed, still not meeting Dean's eyes. "I don't understand what you both see in me, because all I'm seeing is a bumbling screw-up who puts his people in danger…"

"Seriously?"

"I nearly got Maggie killed…"

"Maggie knew what she was doing. You know hunting is unpredictable! But you ensured that we had a way to know she was in trouble, and a way to find her. That's more than I would have done." Dean was starting to get frustrated that Sam still wouldn't look at him. "Why do you think these people call you 'Chief'? That they sit through your morning briefings? That they report back to you and look to you for direction? Did you ask them to?"

"Of course not!" Sam replied instantly, "And I wish -"

Dean ruthlessly cut him off, "Sam, they do that because they see you as their leader. Not because you told them you were, but because you embodied the characteristics of someone they wanted to follow." He paused, then added deliberately, "That I want to follow." Finally, Sam's eyes were on him, staring at him in shock. "You're surprised? You shouldn't be. I saw you rally and lead the hunters on the raid of the British Men of Letters bunker. I had seen you step up more and more even before that, but that was when I knew."

"Knew what?" Sam asked, almost afraid.

"Knew that if I was just taken out of the equation you would be forced to step into the role you were born and gifted to play." Sam's already shaking his head, uncomfortable with the idea of Dean stepping back. He's been following Dean his entire life, the idea of suddenly leading him…or leading without him…but Dean hasn't stopped talking, so he tries to focus back on what he's saying, even as he's marshaling a counter argument. "I'm not saying I don't want to be there, right next to you, brother. Merely that you ARE a gifted leader, and I wish you could see in yourself what we all clearly see to be true."

Sam stares at Dean, reading in his eyes the belief in his words. He swallows, then tries again, "Dean, I - "

"The thing is, Sammy," Dean again interrupts, this time softer, "is that even leaders need to stand down from time to time." Sam opens his mouth to argue, but a look from Dean tells him it would be useless. "You're going to break if you keep up this pace, not eating, not sleeping, carrying alone the weight of all these people and decisions. Even the best leaders need rest, need to take care of themselves, and need to share the load."

There is silence after Dean finishes, and then in a low voice Sam responds, "You were gone. Missing. All these people were here, strangers in our world, and we - WE - had brought them here, they were our responsibility. Jack was powerless - because of me, because I called him into the fight. You were gone, BECAUSE OF ME, because you said yes to Michael to save me and Jack. I was the only one willing to care for Nick, the ONLY ONE who thought he deserved a second chance. Then Cas was captured, as bait, TO GET TO ME. What was I supposed to do?" Sam's voice rose as he spoke, and he jumped up to pace the kitchen. "But once again, I couldn't find you. I couldn't seem to get through to Jack. I messed up with Nick. I barely rescued Cas…."

"Not the way I heard it." interjected Dean, but Sam ignored him and rambled on.

"I sent Maggie on a hunt that nearly killed her. Drove Bobby - and therefore Mom - away…" he whirled away, throwing his bottle in the sink to shatter, then standing staring down at the glass pieces, breathing as if he'd run a sprint race.

"Are you done with your pity party yet?" Dean enquired mildly. Sam made no move to respond. "Dude, you need rest. Your take on everything is skewed because you are exhausted."

"I'm fine. I have some work to do.."

"I call bullshit. Do I need to throw you in your bed and sit on you?" Sam glared at him and he merely looked back. "I can do this all night, Sammy. What I can't do is keep watching you waste away until you self-destruct. I won't. So you'll take yourself to bed and really sleep, or I will make you. Up to you." The staring match ensued, but Sam finally capitulated.

"I'll catch a couple hours." he agreed, "just to make you happy."

"It would make me very happy." Dean snarked. "Now go. I'll clean this up."

"Dean - "

"Sam. Good. Night."

"Jerk."

"Bitch." Dean smiled fondly as he watched Sam round the corner.

Sneaking into Sam's room an hour later, Dean was thankful to find Sam out cold. Grabbing his phone, he slowly backed out of the room, closing the door softly. A quick perusal confirmed what he had suspected, Sam had set an alarm for just a few hours from now, most likely so he could be up to debrief the other hunters. Well, that wasn't happening!

"You're probably wondering where the 'Chief' is," Dean said to the group of hunters that had filed in for the morning briefing. They glanced at one another, then silently regarded him with concerned eyes. Dean's heart warmed towards them. Truly his brother inspired loyalty. "I made Sam go to bed last night, and I stole his phone so he wouldn't wake up early." The response was a low, quiet cheer. Dean grinned, pleased. "So if you're willing, I'll fill in for him this morning, and catch him up to speed when he does wake."

"Gladly," replied one of the hunters, Manuel. "Chief has been running himself ragged, and it's about time someone made him put himself first." The rest of the group nodded. "So Toby and I had been sent out to investigate a werewolf sighting…" Dean listened closely, impressed by each of the reports and how they had clearly been trained to have an eye for details. Interjecting a quiet question here and there, he took careful mental notes to share with Sam - once Sam got over being pissed at him for not waking him. Oh, he was certain there was going to be fallout, but he simply didn't care, not if it meant his brother was rested and better able to function. They disbursed quickly after that, and he settled down at a laptop to try and provide support as needed.

Sam stumbled into the library, looking slightly panicked, rumpled and still groggy almost fourteen hours after he had gone to bed. "Dean, have you seen my phone - " Spotting it sitting next to his laptop, in front of his brother, his eyes narrowed. Dean looked up at him and smiled unrepentantly. "Good morning Sleeping Beauty!" he greeted cheerfully, "Actually, good evening."

"Time 'zit?" Sam plopped down across from him, rubbing his eyes then reaching for his phone, which was moved deliberately away from him. "Dean!"

"Dean!" Dean parroted. "I believe what you meant to say was 'thank you Dean for taking care of things for me while I got some very much needed rest'." Sam leveled a glare at him and held out his hand for his phone. Sighing, he handed it over and Sam immediately began scrolling through the check-ins, then goggled when he read the time.

"It's 5pm!"

"So it is! Breakfast for dinner?" Dean hopped up and headed for the kitchen, Sam trailing dazedly behind.

"The hunters - "

"Were briefed. And for the record, they were happy that you were finally getting some much needed rest."

"Whatever."

"Sam, seriously." Dean whirled on him, frustrated. "You can't keep going like you have been. I know it's been rough, and I know you've felt like everything is on you. But I'm BACK, and you're not alone anymore." He put a hand on Sam's shoulder, squeezing a little for emphasis. "You have to let up a little, or you're going to crack. We need you to lead, but at full strength, not just getting by. You had to for a time, but you don't have to anymore. It's not all on you. Please." Sam regarded him steadily, taking in the caring and love flowing off his brother. Finally, with a sigh, he sat down and merely said, "Bacon?"

"Is that even a question?!" Dean, however, clearly heard what Sam hadn't said - I'll try. I'm so glad you're back. I need you. Thanks for caring. Settling into cooking mode, Dean resolved that from here on out, Sam would not bear the burden of leadership alone. He would do everything in his power to support and encourage him in that role, and make sure that he thrived in it, not just survived. Hail to the Chief! he smirked to himself, then started to razz Sam about his bedhead hair, as the comforting scent of bacon began wafting around the kitchen.