Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.

Not Without My Brother

Visions

Dean scavenged the needed parts off of a wrecked car that had just arrived at Singer Salvage last night. He squirmed his way farther beneath the vehicle and used his wrench to attack the next salvageable part. He ignored the sound of his ringing cell phone; he'd check it in a few minutes once he finished what he was working on. He heard a beep that indicated that the caller had left a voicemail.

"Dean!" Bobby's voice rang out from the back porch a few minutes later. "You need to get to Sammy! The school nurse called. He's inconsolable. Sounds like he had a vision."

Dean cursed under his breath and slid out from under the car, guilt gnawing at him. He should have answered his phone. "Is he okay?" he asked as he hastily wiped his hands on a grease rag and fished the Impala's keys out of his pocket.

"They put me on the phone, and I tried talking to him. Kid's a mess, Dean. You need to hurry." Bobby frowned worriedly. "And call me and let me know what's going on!" he shouted as Dean climbed into the car and slammed the door behind him.

Dean broke the speed limit all the way to the school and heard Sammy's cries as soon as he entered the building. The security guard waved him through to the office. Dean ignored the secretary and followed the screams to the nurse's clinic. The woman had Sammy wrapped in her arms and was trying to rock him back and forth. The child wasn't having any of it.

"Sammy," Dean called out.

The nurse let go of the boy and Sammy launched himself forward into his brother's arms. "Dean, we have to hurry," he urged. His small fingers grasped frantically at Dean's shirt while the school nurse looked on in concern. Dean held his little brother close and ran a hand over the five-year-old's hair. He could feel Sammy trembling in his arms.

"Thank you for taking care of him," Dean told the nurse as he stood with Sammy in his arms and hoisted the boy's backpack on his shoulder. "He gets these horrible nightmares sometimes and it takes a long time to calm him down." Dean gave the nurse a grateful smile and hurried to the office counter to sign his brother out. He needed to talk to Sammy in private; he knew by his kid brother's behavior that Bobby was right and that the boy had suffered through another vision.

Once they exited the school building, Dean kept Sammy in his arms and hurried toward the Impala. "Who was your dream about, Sammy?" he asked as he gazed into the tear-streaked face of his little brother.

"There was a family," the little boy hiccupped as his fingers twisted in the material of Dean's jacket. "And the daddy bit the mommy and made them all drink blood." Sammy wiped at his tears and sighed a shivery breath. "You have to save them, Dean."

Dean whipped his phone out of his pocket and called Bobby. "Vamps," he growled into the phone as soon as Bobby answered. "Ask around and find out where there's been a lot of activity recently."

"How's Sammy?" Bobby asked gruffly.

"He's pretty upset, but I'm going to see what other details he can give me," Dean answered.

"I'll see what I can find out," Bobby told him grimly before hanging up the phone.

Dean buckled his little brother into the booster seat in the back of the Impala. "Okay, Sammy, what else can you tell me? Can you remember what the people looked like or the house?"

Sammy bit his lower lip as his brow furrowed in concentration. "It was a farm….I think," he began slowly. "There was a lot of land and not many houses. There was a tractor outside. The daddy went into the house." The boy stopped for a moment. "The house was red, Dean. I 'member."

"Good job, buddy." Dean ruffled the kid's hair. "Anything else?"

"I think…I think I saw the kids before. Maybe at school or the store…." Sam trailed off and shrugged. "I'm sorry, Dean, but I can't 'member anything else."

"You did great, Sammy," Dean assured him as he called Bobby once more.

"Don't know how we've missed it," Bobby said as soon as he answered the phone. He didn't give Dean any time to speak. "I spoke to Rufus. Word in the hunter community is that there's been some vamp activity in a small town north of here."

"Sammy remembers seeing the kids before," Dean replied. "And the house is red. It's on farmland – no other houses around."

"Okay," Bobby answered. "I'll call Rufus back and see what we can figure out. You get our boy home."

"We're on our way," Dean replied before hanging up. He thumbed away more of his little brother's tears. His stomach churned at the thought of what Sammy must have seen in that vision. "You okay, Sammy?"

"You have to help them, Dean," the little boy pleaded. "The daddy was bad."

"I know, Sammy," the older Winchester answered as he smoothed Sammy's brown hair back from his face. "We're doing our best."

"I know," the little boy sniffled. "Can we go home now?"

"Sure," Dean replied as he checked the seatbelt one more time before moving to the front of the car and the driver's seat. He repeatedly glanced in the rearview mirror at his kid brother as he drove home. Sammy wiped at silent tears and sniffled from time to time, but otherwise was quiet.

When Dean parked the Impala in the yard, Bobby hurried out onto the porch. "Rufus has something. Ten miles north of here."

"Is that close?" Sammy asked, wide-eyed as he unbuckled his seatbelt and scrambled out of the car.

Dean nodded absently as he tried to concentrate on Bobby's words.

"Dean," Sammy was pleading, tugging at the bottom of his brother's coat, "you have to go. You can save them. I know you can. You're the best hunter ever."

Dean swept Sammy up in his arms and held him close. "You sure you're okay if I go?"

Sammy nodded. "Yeah, Dean," the boy pleaded. "But you have to hurry."

"I have the address inside and a bag packed," Bobby told the other hunter. "You go; Sammy and I will be fine here." He reached for the five-year-old and took him from his brother's arms.

"How are you doin', kiddo?" he asked Sammy.

"Uncle Bobby, my head hurts," the boy whined as he buried his face into his surrogate uncle's shoulder.

"Well, we'll take care of that," Bobby assured him gently as he carried him toward the house with Dean following.

Dean was ready to leave in just a few short minutes. He pressed a firm kiss to his brother's forehead. "I will be back soon; I promise."

"Just hurry, Dean," the boy pleaded once again.

It was a weary hunter that returned to Singer Salvage just after midnight. His shoulders drooped from exhaustion and he limped slightly.

"How'd it go?" Bobby asked as he opened the door for Dean.

"I couldn't stop it. Maybe if I'd-"

Bobby cut him off. "Son, I know you. If it could have been stopped, you would have done it."

"Dean!" Sammy yelled as he raced into the kitchen. "Uncle Bobby let me stay up until you came home!" The boy threw himself against his brother's legs.

Bobby shrugged apologetically. "You know there was no way he was going to sleep."

Dean nodded and took his brother's hand. "Come sit on the couch with me, Sammy."

"Didja find 'em, Dean?" the boy asked eagerly. "Did you get the mean daddy?"

Dean lowered himself slowly to the sofa and tugged Sammy up into his lap. "I'm sorry, buddy. I couldn't stop them. Rufus and me, we tried, but-"

Sammy cut him off. "Then they couldn't be stopped, Dean," the little boy said fiercely. A heavy sigh escaped him. "Maybe next time I can see it better." Huge tears welled in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks as he lunged forward and threw his arms around Dean's neck.

The older Winchester cradled him close. "None of this was your fault, kiddo," Dean promised as he stood with his little brother cradled tightly against him as Sammy's loud sobs began to echo through the room. "Now, let's get you to bed." He turned toward Bobby. "Thanks for your help tonight, Bobby."

"Anytime, Dean. You know that," Bobby replied.

"Yeah, I do." Dean brushed a kiss against Sammy's brown hair and carried the small boy up the creaking staircase.

"Is he asleep?" Bobby asked in a whisper nearly an hour later.

Dean nodded, but didn't move from his place against the headboard. He kept Sammy cradled against his chest as he stroked his dark hair.

"Does he seem better?" Bobby queried in concern.

Dean sighed heavily. "I guess; it's been a long, rough day." Dean looked up at Bobby with a broken expression. "I wasn't fast enough; I should have been able to stop it."

"Balls, Dean! Life doesn't work that way, and you know it." Bobby took off his hat and ran his hand over his head. "You did the best you could; Sammy knows that."

Dean shook his head. "You weren't there, Bobby. If I had moved faster or made different choices, or…." He broke off as Sam stirred in his arms. "Shh, buddy, it's all right. You're okay."

"Dean," Sammy snuffled into Dean's shirt.

"I've got ya, buddy," Dean soothed.

Sammy blinked sleepily up at his brother before scrubbing a small hand over his eyes. "Don't be sad, Dean," he yawned. "You did your best; it's not your fault." He squirmed until he could reach both small hands up to place them on Dean's cheeks. "I know it, Dean." The small boy's face creased in a frown as if he could sense Dean's guilt.

"Thanks, Sammy," Dean breathed as his little brother leaned his forehead against Dean's. "It's not your fault either – none of it." He inwardly vowed to find the reason behind his brother's visions so that he could stop the suffering they caused. He made a promise to himself that, until his dying day, he would never stop trying to find the answer.

The End