Summary:  The last year of Dean's life is full of demon killing, anger, angst, and life with his brother.
Spoilers:  Set post "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2".
Disclaimer:  All things "Supernatural" belong to Kripke.

On the 3rd day after the gates of hell opened, Dean Winchester glared through the darkness to the road. The headlights of the car caused a large white glow on the road, the yellow lines of the median whizzing by quickly. His chin was lazily propped up on his left hand, his arm bent at the elbow bow resting on the driver side door, his other hand holding steady on the steering wheel. Glancing down at his watch he noticed the time was 3:47 a.m. He had been driving for 12 hours straight. He glanced quickly over to the passenger seat where he saw his brother, Sam, head sagging on the window, arms curled into his stomach, long legs crammed up against the glove box, breath causing steam on the window. He had been keeping Dean company but and fell asleep about 2 hours back, just outside of Kansas City. So, Dean was on his own, peering out into the night, hearing only the empty sound of nothing as he drove along.

He could turn on the radio, but knew it would only wake up his brother, and lord knows when he would get to sleep again. So, he just sat in silence letting the wind whistle around the car, the steady hum of the engine his only company. He could stop and find a motel, check in and drag Sammy to the bed, but what was the point? He couldn’t sleep if he wanted to, he was too tense, and too many thoughts were rushing through his head. So, on he drove, down the highway, past the little towns, the endless road, lost in the darkness that encased him.

He remembered clearly the meeting he had with the crossroad demon, three days before, the conversation running through his mind. He really thought she would let him live longer than one year. One year of his life for his brother back from the dead, somehow, the deal did not seem fair now that he was thinking about it. He knew it at the time, but he had taken it, knowing full well it was the only way he was getting his brother back. Shuffling slightly in the seat, he glanced over at Sam who was still sleeping peacefully; he guessed dying and coming back to life took a lot out of a guy. So, he let Sam sleep on, mulling in his own thoughts while he continued driving into the night.

As he recalled the demon said, “One year, and then I will come for you”. The words were echoing around in his head and lying on his thoughts. Okay, let’s think about this in a different perspective Dean told himself, that would be 365 days, of which he had already used 3 days. So, looking at the bright side, he had 362 days left.

When the gates of hell had opened up three days back, in Wyoming, it had been ugly, the demons screaming out into the night, into the unknowing world of the living. They had estimated that at least 200 demons had escaped from hell, now roaming the earth to terrorize the living causing death and destruction where they went. Only 200 demons, Dean laughed to himself, which means I kill one demon a day for 200 days, and then I still have 165 days left to do what I want. Sounds like a plan he grinned to himself.

Sam shifted in the seat beside Dean and turned to face him. He looked so young, so much like the innocent child he used to be, before…before life got so hard. Before their Mom died, before their Dad died, before Sam’s girlfriend died, before Sam died and the demon brought him back, before the deal, before hells gate, and before the demons were released. “Jesus”, Dean thought, they did always have a hard time of it, what did they ever do to deserve this?

All Dean could remember was that he always wanted a family, a Mom, a Dad, a brother, a normal life. While he may have gotten it, it was all lost in a battle with evil that he never asked to be involved in. When his mother had died, pinned to the ceiling of their happy home in Lancaster, Kansas, he was four years old, just an innocent; unaware of the evil that was in the dark. The evil that his father had hunted to avenge his mother until the day he died. Sam and Dean had been pulled into this battle as children, growing up in it, living it every day. It was all they knew, all their Dad had let them know. Sam had tried to escape it, running away from home to go to college, but in the end, the evil had followed him and taken the life of his girlfriend the same way it took his mom.

Dean eyes watered and he ran a weary hand across them to wipe away any residue of tears. He was not going to let his future, or lack there of affect his present. He could not escape his life, his destiny, there was no running away. Sam had figured that out, and so had he. They would overcome and adapt, that’s just what they did.

Sam shivered in his sleep and Dean turned the heat on, turning the vents to face his brother. Sam continued to sleep, obvious to the world.

On the seventh day after the gates of hell opened Dean and Sam found the first demon to hunt. Dean laughed as they exorcised the bastard that was living inside a 10 year old girl.

“One down, a hundred and ninety nine to go; count down, day 358 in the life of Dean Winchester”, Dean yelled loudly clapping his hands together.

“Sam”, he said as they walked down the gravel driveway, back to the Impala, “We need to kill at least two demons a day, I want this done, were burning daylight”.

Sam just rolled his eyes and looked at his brother. “Dean, you got to find them to kill them”. He dropped the exorcism book in the trunk with the candles and rosary.

“I just want them all gone, before…you know”. Dean leaned back on the car trunk and looked at Sam.

“Dean, we are going to stop the deal, we’ll find away. Please stop counting days off, it is driving me nuts, all the jokes about it, it’s just not normal Dean”.

“Have I ever been normal Sam”, Dean snickered as he looked over at his brother.

“Well, that may be true, but I can’t take it, so please stop”. Dean nodded and touched his brother gently on the arm.

“Okay, Sam, I’ll stop”. Dean turned to go to the driver’s side of the car. He knew in his heart he had just lied to his brother. He could not stop. It was his life, his days to count, and he would keep doing it, silently, but none the less, he would know what day it was and how may days he had left.

On the 56th day, of the last year, of Dean Winchesters life, the brothers marked kill number 50 in the hunt for all the wicked demons that had escaped from hell’s gate. They had driven to Huntsville, Alabama looking for a zombie that was scaring the crap out of people all over town. While it would have only been number 49, they lucked out and found two zombies, not one. How lucky was that, they had laughed together as they headed back to the motel for a beer after the hunt. Dean was happy, two demons in one day, now that was more like it.

Sam continued to evade sleep at every break they had from hunting. It worried Dean that Sam was putting all his effort into saving him, scouring the internet, researching in libraries, talking to voodoo priests, hunters, supernatural experts in hopes of breaking the deal Dean had made. It concerned Dean that he was overextending himself and worrying enough for the both of them. The frailness of his frame, the shadows under his eyes making him looked haggard and older than his 23 years.

“Sam”, Dean said as he sat on the bed opposite of him in the ratty motel they were staying in on day 78 of Dean’s silent countdown in the last year of his life.

“Yea”, Sam said, not glancing up from the laptop.

“You have to stop this”.

“Stop what?” Sam glared over the top of the laptop at his brother, fingers speeding quickly over the keyboard.

“Sam, you know what I am talking about, the continual searching, looking, calling, asking, it is not helping either of us, and it is hurting you”. Deans fisted his hands at his sides as he looked caringly over at his brother.

“No, Dean, I won’t”. Sam continued typing as he looked up at Dean with a determined look in his eyes.

“At least take a break once in a while, enjoy our time together”.

Sam looked at Dean and smiled a small smile.

“I can do that, but I might miss the opportunity to figure this out, to stop it… all because I am sitting on my ass having a beer!”

Dean laughed, it was a good laugh one that was contagious, and Sam laughed too. They both nodded at each other and Dean leaned back on the headboard grabbing the remote, and flicking on the TV. Sam looked back down at the keyboard, and continued with his search, a small grin on his face.

Day 100, of the last year of Dean’s life, they realized they did not have to kill all the demons themselves, they were not alone in their efforts; there were other hunters helping, hunting, killing evil that walked the earth. They ran into three of them hunting a banshee that had come back from the depths of hell and was feeding on innocents in a small town in Arkansas. They went there to find it and kill it themselves; much to their surprise; the hunters had beaten them to it. When they arrived, they found them at the local hunter hang out having a beer, shooting pool, and talking about how they had chased the son of a bitch down, and sent it straight back to hell. This made Dean feel better. He and Sam smiled at each other.

“Well at least we aren’t in this alone”. Sam said as he stepped out of the bar into the cool evening air walking slowly back to the Impala.

“I never was, Sam”. Dean winked back at Sam and opened the driver’s door settling quickly into the car.

Sam’s eyes teared up, and he quickly turned his head away and slammed the passenger door closed so he could look out the window and away from Dean.

That night Sam tried to a focus, clear his mind and rethink the deal, again, figure out how to get Dean free of it. He was so tired. His body ached from lack of sleep, from fatigue, from the never ending search he was on. He stood in the tiny shower in the bathroom of their dinky motel and let the hot shower pound his muscles, numbing his body. He had hashed it all over a thousand times, exhausted all his contacts, searched the internet till his fingers and hands hurt from the keyboard. Still he had nothing.

Sam stepped out the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist; taking his hand, he wiped the steam off the mirror. Looking at his face, he did not recognize the person he was; he looked so drawn, pale. For a second dizziness assaulted him and he leaned heavily on the sink for support.

“Sam”, he heard from the other side of the door, “you takin all night in there or what?” Dean said leaning into the doorframe to listen for Sam, slamming his hand down on the door.

“N…no, I...I’ll be right out”, Sam said shakily. He took a deep breath to clear his mind, slipped on his beat up t-shirt, boxers, and pajama pants and then opened the bathroom door.

Dean watched Sam walk over to his bed a plop down heavily.

“You don’t look fine”, he said with a slight shake of his head.

Sam lay down across the bed, his right arm coming up over his eyes.

“Sam, you have to stop this, you have to take care of yourself. I can’t keep watching you do this to yourself”. Dean said in a quiet voice as he sat down on the bed beside Sam.

Sam lay silently for several minutes and then in a low whisper, that Dean could barely hear, he said, “I need you…we need each other”.

Dean lowered his eyes to look in Sam’s face as he removed his arm, letting the tears well up in his eyes.

“All my plans depend on you… depend on your being here. I can’t stop, I can’t just let this go, I love you and that’s all I know”. Tears rolled down Sam’s cheeks and trickled to the bedspread.

“Com’er kiddo”. Dean said as he reached over and pulled Sam up into a hug.

Dean didn’t know how long they sat like that, arms intertwined, hearts aching, holding tightly to each other. Eventually, he scooted them both down on the bed and pulled a blanket up over them, Sam already sleeping, hanging onto Dean like a lifeline.

The next morning, the sun came gleaming through the motel window shining right into Dean’s face. He woke slowly, feeling warm, happy and rested. Then he remembered this is the start of day 101 of his life. He was still lying on the bed, holding his brother. As he glanced down at his sleeping form, he ran his hands slowly through his brother’s hair, just as he did when he was a child. What was wrong with him?, he thought, he guessed knowing you had 264 days left to live made a guy, more chick flicky… go figure….. Well, that was just wonderful, he thought, and pulled the blanket up closer around his brother.

Sam felt the blanket being pulled up and tucked under his chin and then warm fingers flowing through his long hair, caressing his face; he knew who it was, and he knew why they did it. He had felt this comforting motion when he was younger. It was Dean’s way to feel close to his brother, but, ever since Sam had hit puberty, this motion had only been done in secret, and only when Dean did not know Sam was awake. So, Sam lay still, his eyes closed, pretending to be a sleep. Sam thought he must be in really bad shape if Dean was doing this comforting childhood motion. The worst part, he wanted Dean doing it, comforting him, holding him, making this nightmare go away, like all the other nightmares before it.

Eventually, Sam let his eyes flutter open and looked lazily up at his brother. Dean’s hand quickly dropped to the top of the bedspread away from Sam’s hair.

“Hey kiddo”, Dean smiled at his brother, without moving from his comforting position, lying on his side, his arm lying across the top of his brothers blanket, curled in as close to him as he could get.

“Hey ….Dean, I…I... feel better”.

“Well good, it’s amazing what a good night’s sleep will do for you”. Dean grinned as he pulled slowly away from his brother and sat up on the side of the bed.

“Dean, I’m s…sorry for last night.” Sam said as he turned and lay lazily back on the bed.

“Sam”, Dean laid a hand on Sam’s and let his thumb caress the top of his brothers hand,

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Sam, you’re my little brother….my family…. and this is hard”.

Sam’s mouth quirked up into a small grin, “Guess we had a chick flick moment, huh?”

“Whatever Sam, whatever it takes to get us through this, to get you through this, is what I intend to do.”

Sam pulled the blanket off and sat up on the bed next to Dean. “Thanks” he said in a small whisper. Dean smiled at his brother as Sam stood, grabbed his clothes out of his duffle bag, and went to take his shower. Another day began, another day in the short life of his brother, another day for Sam to figure out how to save him.

Once Sam was in the shower, and Dean heard the water running full force, he glanced down at the floor, running his hand through his hair, and sighed.

They drove into the town of Old Willow Lake, Minnesota the following afternoon. The 16 hour drive in the car had been cold and long. They were here after a water wraith, another monster that had escaped form the gates of hell, and landed here to kill and terrorize the people up on the lake. Although, Sam and Dean had dealt with a water wraith before, they knew the routine, they both seamed drained at this point, not really concentrating on the job. They had barely spoken in the car on the drive up. Both caught up in their own thoughts.

It was 9:45 p.m. when they finally found the Cabins in the Wood Motel at Old Willow Lake. They had located the motel during their research and it was where the last victim had stayed, hoping that this connection might help them to learn more about the wraith and eliminate it quickly. The vacancy sign was flashing, missing the letters V A C at the beginning.

“ANCY”, Dean said out loud, “well, that sums up my feelings”.

Sam snickered and looked over at Dean, “Me too, dude, we must just be tired”.

“I’m getting a room, you get the bags out”, Dean threw the car keys over to Sam in the passenger seat and opened his door to head to the registration office. Sam nodded and reached up to grab the keys.

They quickly changed for bed and were in their usual spots and sound asleep within minutes of arriving.

Dean heard rustling and moaning from the bed next to him, he turned to look at the clock, it was 3:15 a.m. He glanced over at his brother, he seemed to be asleep, but he was now groaning. Oh God, Dean thought, was this a nightmare, a vision? Sam had not had a vision or nightmare since they found and killed the demon; he had hoped that their time with this freaky brother stuff was over. Dean quickly jumped from his bed, in a sleepy stupor and went to sit on the edge of Sam’s bed.

“Sam, Sam…Sammy”, he grabbed his brothers shoulders and lightly gave him a shake. Sam pulled away, twisting and turning in his bed, sweat standing on his forehead, his eyelids darting back and forth.

“Dean ...help m...me …no…air...…” Sam said, his eyes filling with tears that rolled down his cheeks from behind his closed eyes. He began gasping for air and slowly the thrashing began to slow as he struggled to get it in his lungs.

Dean grabbed Sam up hard and shook him. “Sam, wake up”, Dean yelled frantically in his ear.

Sam’s eyes flew open, breath heaving into his body as he began to shake. Dean quickly lifted his brother to a sitting position and moved behind him on the bed, leaning him into his lap. Placing both arms around him to calm him down, Dean chanted over and over, “Breath …Sam… in and out, in…out, breath with me, in … out”. Sam slowly began to calm down, his head lolling to the side and leaning on Dean’s shoulder, the shaking subsiding.

“De...Dean…I...I. saw…”

“Don’t try to talk now Sam”, Dean said as he brushed his hand across his brothers sweat glazed brow.

“Shhhh, just take a moment and catch your breath, in…out…that’s it”.

Sam slumped into Dean resting totally on his chest. They sat like that for a few minutes as Sam’s mind cleared, and he began to breathe easier, become more coherent.

“Sam, what was that”, Dean asked as he laid Sam back against the headboard and stood up beside the bed to look at him.

“I had a vision, a nightmare….. It was me, I was falling into this oblivion, I couldn’t breathe, or grab hold of anything, and I was just dropping. I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t breath….it was as if the air around me we closing in on me like a wall”.

“Anything else?” Dean leaned back down to look Sam in the face. To check his eyes, and make sure he was okay.

“Personal space dude”, Sam whispered, and Dean stood back up. “I don’t remember anything else, just so dark….no air” Sam looked at Dean and shifted on the bed.

“I thought we were done with this vision, nightmare stuff… it’s been so long. I had hoped that killing the demon had stopped ….” Dean trailed off; fear gripping at his stomach and making him fill like he’d been punched.

“Dean, when I was in Cold Oak and the demon came to me in my dream, he showed me when Mom died, he took me there in my mind, and I saw it all” Sam heaved out breath quickening, voice quivering. “I saw him, he was standing over me, and, and….”

“And what Sam”. Dean laid his hand on Sam’s arm. “Just say it”.

“I saw him drip blood in my mouth, it was his blood, and not Mom’s dripping on my face”.

Sam’s face went pale, and Dean gripped his arm tighter.

“So…so, I have demon blood in me”. Sam said glancing up at Dean with a fearful look in his eyes.

“That was long time ago Sam…”

“But it could be why I have visions, nightmares and why I am still having them. Ava said …she said that she had more abilities then just visions, so did Andy, and we have both seen that I do, I could, if I wanted….maybe, it was not the demon, but his blood that gives me my ‘special’ talents”.

Dean quirked up his left eyebrow and looked at Sam. “Interesting take on it, but I don’t know. Don’t read too much into something that happened a long time ago, Sam.”

With that Dean stood to go back to his bed, his mind racing over the revelation that Sam had just made. No more sleep for him tonight, he thought.

“Sam, go back to sleep, get some rest, we can talk more tomorrow”. Dean pulled the covers up over his shoulders and lay on his side glaring at the wall. He knew by the sounds Sam was making, he wasn’t asleep either.

The following morning they did not talk about Sam’s revalation, if fact, they acted as if the conversation had not happened at all. The fear for Sam gripped Deans chest, now he not only had to worry about how many days he had left, but Sam, his visions, his nightmares, the demons blood. So, he sat in the small diner with Sam, trying to act like their life was normal. What a joke, he thought, how could he do that… there life was far from anything resembling normal.

Sam pushed the eggs around on his plate, twirling the yellow yokes in his fork. He was dragging, tired again. Always with the tired….Lord, he was tired of being tired. He had not went back to sleep after his ‘little’ heart to heart with his brother, and he could tell by looking at Dean slouching in the booth opposite of him, that he had not either. He was angry with himself. Now, he had burdened Dean with his baggage, something he had not wanted to do. Dean did not need to be worrying about Sam and all his crap, he needed to be living his life to the fullest, laughing, drinking beer, meeting women, getting laid. Sam could just smack himself for letting the preverbal cat out of the bag. He could have kept the demon and blood thingy to himself, but no, not ole ‘got to spill my guts out Winchester’. He glanced across the table to see Dean staring at him.

“You ready to go, Sam? Dean asked as he scooted out of the booth and grabbed the ticket to pay.

Sam slid out and followed Dean to the register and out to the car.

Looking out at the lake, the water glimmering in the mid-day sun, Sam thought, “How could anything this beautiful be the home of an ugly water wraith. Dean was standing next to Sam at the boat dock talking to one of the workers who had been on the dock the last time the wraith made an appearance.

“So, thanks a lot for meeting us here. I know the dock is closed, but we needed to see what exactly happened, Mr. Peterman, it is Joe Peterman, right?” Dean said as he smiled at the man in front of him.

“Yea, Joe… I don’t understand what happened here, or what has been happening. It is just strange. I was standing on the dock and my coworker Glen Davenport was over there”, Joe pointed toward on of the boat slips, “tying up the line of one of the boats we store here all the time, when he screamed. I turned to see him disappear into the water. I ran to pull him out, but he was gone. He must have fallen off the dock into the lake, but he did not come back up. I jumped in and tried to find him, but after several attempts, I climbed back up on the dock and called 911. The police and fire department came and dragged the lake around the dock; they found him hung up in some tree stumps about 25 feet out from the dock. I don’t know how he got way out there. He was an expert swimmer, he should not have drowned. He was on the swim team in college and won all kinds of awards”.

Mr. Peterman heaved a sigh and pressed one hand to his forehead. He seemed obviously distressed about the entire event.

“What about the other drownings? We heard there were 3 others in the last 6 weeks”, Sam said as he put a gentle hand on Mr. Peterman’s arm.

Mr. Peterman glanced up to Sam, and nodded his head slowly. “Yes, all were drowned either while on the dock here, or they had just pulled their boat off from the dock when they fell overboard or at least that what the cops say, and drowned. I don’t know how people just fall off of a boat or a dock, and 4 in as many weeks. Something just ain’t right about it”.

Dean looked over and Sam, and said, “Okay, Mr. Peterman, thank you for your information, if you think of anything else, we are staying at Cabins in the Wood Motel.

Mr. Peterman shook both the Winchester’s hands and turned to walk back to his own car, waving to Sam and Dean as he pulled out of the marina.

Dean and Sam walked down to the boat dock and looked out at the water. “Okay, Sam, you take the holy water, I’ll read the incantation. Lets kill this ugly son of a bitch”, Dean said as Sam started wadding out into the muggy lake water, holding the bottle of holy water gingerly in his hand and removing the top, he poured half the bottle into the lake.

Dean stood on the side of the lake, book in hand, and turned to the page he had marked earlier at the motel. Dean begin to read from the book quickly, while glancing up at Sam, the wind begin to whip around them both and the water starting to ripple. As Dean continued to read, the water began to rise up around Sam, going from his kneecaps to his waist in a mere moment.

“Read faster, Dean, I need to dump the rest of the holy water, but I can’t till you get to the right part”, Sam said as he waited for the right moment in the reading to dump the holy water in the lake and rid it of its demon.

Dean willed his voice to stay steady, and the words to come quicker. Then he heard the roar of water and he looked up to see Sam standing with the water whirling around him, his had held high above his head, holding the bottle of holy water at the ready. Suddenly, Sam seemed to sink into the water as it rose up above his head, the bottle of holy water disappearing in the water as he did. Dean quickly ran into the water, while still reading from the book of incantations. “…and send you back to hell”, he said. The wind roared and the water spun around him for 30 seconds, then everything went quiet, and the water receded. Dean glanced around quickly, expecting to see Sam treading water somewhere.

Sammy, no Sam… where was he.

“Sam”, Dean said as he dove into the lake and swam down beneath the surface. Dean came up empty handed and gulped down more air before he made another dive looking for Sam. He glanced around the murky water, it was so dark under the lake, he could not see. Just when he thought his lungs might burst, he saw a hand floating next to him on the right. He quickly grabbed at it, realizing it was Sam. Sam was dead weight, floating down toward the bottom of the lake. Dean grabbed him under the arms and started to ascend to the top, his lungs aching for air. As Dean breached the surface he gulped heartily and pulled Sam’s face up and out of the water, his brother’s head lolling gently back and forth.

Dean leaned in listening for breathing sounds from his brother, his heart beating, thumping in his head, as he realized that Sam was not breathing. He swam quickly back to shore, dragging his lifeless brother with him. Laying him on his back on the rocky shoreline, he tilted his head back and breathed a quick breath in his mouth. Clasping his hands he gently pushed on Sam’s unmoving chest.

One…Two...Three…Four…Five…Air. Come-on Sammy, breath, Dean’s mind was racing.

One…Two…Three…Four…Five…Air, “Sammy…oh...God please, Sam breath”, Dean whispered.

Just then Sam started to cough and then gasped and retched, dirty brown water coming out of his nose and mouth. Dean quickly laid him to his side, tapping the palm of his had on Sam’s upper back.

“It’s okay Sam, you’re okay, just breath little brother”. Dean said with a shaky breath as he laid Sam back down on the dirty ground. Sam’s glazed eyes looking up at Dean, chest heaving to take in the much needed air he was lacking.

“Dean…” Sam said in a low whisper.

“Just relax, Sammy… breath”. Dean reached down and ran his hand through Sam’s wet hair tugging it out of his eyes.

Dean helped his brother up to a sitting position; Sam leaned heavily on Dean, his gangly limbs shaking. They sit there on the rocky shore for a long time, as Dean watched some of the color return to Sam’s face, his breathing leveling off to a normal pattern.

“Okay, little brother, you ready to move”. Dean said as he took his hand and cupped it under Sam’s chin, tilting it up, and looking intently into his younger brother’s eyes.

“Ummmm…ye…yea…” Sam said in a slow slur.

“Sam, do you need a hospital?” Dean said as he continued to hold Sam’s face in his hand, allowing him to lean into him

“Naaa, no, no, I’m okay”, Sam said as he shook his head in a small movement, attempting to clear his brain from the fog he was under.

Dean pulled Sam up and led him back to the car. Sam’s feet tried to assist, but Dean ended up dragging him most of the way. Dean opened the passenger door, while holding Sam up solidly against him. He slid Sam in the seat, shutting door quickly, he ran around to the driver’s side, he slipped quickly into the seat. He glanced over at Sam, whose eyes were mere slits, but open at least, and gunned the Impala back out on the road and to the motel.

After a couple of quiet minutes, Sam’s head lulled over toward Dean, he looked at his brother and said in a low whisper, “It was dark Dean…just like, just like…. in my nightmare, vision…I …I couldn’t… breath, I couldn’t mo….move... move, it was holding me down….pu…pulling me. I couldn’t brea…th…”

“It’s okay now, Sam”, Dean said as he reached over and took his brothers hand.
“I gotcha Sammy…its okay”.

Sam smiled a small smile and let his eyes close into darkness.

“I’m Okay ….Dean…just tired”. Sammy said as his mind shut down from the trauma he had just experienced, the darkness of sleep overtaking him.

Dean looked over at his brother as remorse hit him full force. He knew now, knew he had made a selfish choice when he took the demons deal. Sam, oh god, how was Sam going to survive without him. He had always been there to take care of him, look out for him, and keep him safe. The thought of Sam, with supernatural forces attacking him, visions assaulting him, and Dean not there to save him, took Dean’s breath away. Nope, not happening, Dean thought, he was going to have to do something about this deal and he had 251 days to do it in.