Disclaimer: Do not own Supernatural or Charmed, (unfortunately...)
Author's Note: Sorry it took longer than usual! But I promised a longer chapter and hopefully I've delivered. As always, read and review! (:

Chapter Six, Always

He felt cold.

And hot.

The air was heavy, it smelled acrid, like smoke.

He shivered.

He was cold.

The demon blood.

It was coarsing through his veins.

He could feel it in him.

But it was not controlling him.

No... this was something he was doing entirely on his own.

People were fighting all around him, throwing weapons, causing explosions, agonized screams filling the air.

His own head screamed for it all to just stop.

His hands gripped the sides of his head in pain as he stumbled toward the nearest person.

Through his clouded over eyes - eyes that were not his own - he gripped his prey by the throat, holding them up over his head and against the wall.

His prey choked and tried to speak but words wouldn't come, his airway was cut off.

They opened their eyes through the pain but yet still squinted - squinted at the eyes of the predator - the eyes that used to be so innocent.

The eyes that had been corrupted.

The eyes of someone he once knew.

Yellow eyes...

And the predator stared back, not willing to give in, ready to finish the job.

And then the prey found its voice..."S-sammy...," a choked voice, weak, "please..."

A smug look.

Confident.

A voice not his own.

"Sammy doesn't live here anymore."

CRACK.

Thunder cracking loudly and a flash of lightning illuminated the sky caused Sam to jolt awake and yelp. He threw a hand to his forehead and rubbed at it hastily, in pain.

His head was screaming.

"Sam?"

He turned his head and willed himself to wrench his eyes open, trying to get them to adjust and get a good look at who was speaking.

The gruff but concerned voice spoke again. "Sam, what's wrong?"

Dean.

Sam hadn't realized he had made a noise to signify that he was, indeed, in pain. He looked up at his brother and Dean saw. His eyes were squinted in pain and just pleading for the pain to go away. His hands were gripped at his head and Dean shifted closer, attempting to wrap a secure arm around his little brother.

But Sam flinched away with a whimper.

Dean tilted his head, not understanding. He bent his head lower to catch his baby brother's eyes.

He already knew what was wrong.

"Sammy," he began, "what'd you see?"

He opened his mouth to speak, his voice quavering, not sure how to tell him.

Just as he was about to, Sam screamed.

Dean jumped as it was so abrupt but refused to budge from his spot. Sam had doubled over and his hands were clutching harder at his head. Sam heard the frantic 'What's wrong?! What's wrong?!'s and numerous footsteps making their way over but all Sam heard was a voice. A voice just screaming in his mind and yet it was still so soft.

"You've come so far, Sammy," the cold voice hissed.

"Don't call me Sammy!"

"Oh, right... there's only one person that's allowed to call you that, isn't there Sam?"

"...Shut up."

"But he won't be able to help you. Not this time."

"Shut up!"

"There's no way out of this one. No one can save you."

"I said SHUT UP!"

"Whoa, whoa, Sam," Dean's voice finally pulled through, "Sam!" The tone of his voice was gruff but yet there was a hint of fear that Sam could identify even in this state.

Sam peeled his eyes open and moved his hands away from his head. His head was still screaming but not as loud as before. He glanced at his hands which were shaking horribly. He crossed his arms across his chest so he and no one else were able to look at them.

Dean looked in his brother's hazel eyes again. They were not only in pain but now this time they were scared. He put on a false reassuring grin and patted him on the shoulder. "Just a dream?" Dean tried to assure him... and himself... though his voice was little too unsteady to hold any confidence.

Sam was rocking himself back and forth in a vain attempt to comfort himself. He just kept frantically shaking his head. He tried to speak but his teeth were chattering together making Dean even more scared.

Sam tried again. "N-nightmare..." His voice was quiet but frantic, "t-then... v-voices..."

Big brother leaned in, straining to hear him. "Voices? You're hearing voices?"

Sam shook his head, giving Dean the confirmation he needed. And Sam slipped into his brother's strong arms, clinging to him with his whole being. His sobs filled the room and brought tears to Dean's eyes. Dean inhaled, putting on his game face that seemed to be shattering at the moment. He couldn't fall apart right now. Not when Sam needed him to be strong.

The younger brother brought his head up to glance around the room but keeping his head resting on Dean's shoulder, tears still streaming down his face. He hadn't even noticed the others in the room, with the same terrified looks on their faces and yet they were worried looks, too.

But Sam was only noticing one being right now. One that he felt only he knew was there.

Even through his blurred vision, Sam was able to recognize the familiar dark shape standing in the corner of the room.

Uriel.

His eyes were narrowed into slits. "That's what will happen, Sam," he spoke, "If you continue down this road."

Sam shuddered even though he wasn't cold anymore, thanks to Dean keeping him warm. But it still didn't stop that unusual, lingering chill that only Sam seemed to feel.

Hands gripped his shoulders, pulling him away and Sam met with Dean's concerned gaze. "Sammy, you with me?"

"Don't..." He started, pointing weakly at the corner. "Don't you s-see...?"

Then he blinked and the angel was gone.

Dean and the others who had stayed quiet throughout the whole ordeal darted their eyes toward the corner of the room that Sam was pointing at. Nothing.

Dean darted his eyes back at his little brother. "Sammy... nothing's there," he told him, softly, his eyes widening in horror.

Sam leaned into Dean's arms and cried.

ooooo

"Dean, I'm not gonna be locked up here all day!"

Sam wasn't even a foot out of the bedroom when Dean came around the corner and shoved him back in. When Sam woke up in the morning, he still felt a little uneasy and yet he still wanted to go out for another day at the office even after what he had seen the previous night. Dean wasn't gonna allow it.

"Yes, yes you are, okay?! I'm not lettin' you go out because- because I can tell you're still scared."

"Oh, right and how can you tell that?"

"Because I just can, alright?!"

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing, nothing! I don't want you to do anything, okay?! Come here..."

He stepped forward and reached out for Sam, grabbing him firmly by the shoulders and shoving him back onto the bed.

"Just sit there, okay? Just sit there... and, and don't move! Don't get up, don't leave this room, don't even scratch your nose!"

Bossy Dean, again. More orders.

Sam narrowed his eyes. "You can't be serious!"

"Well, I am and I'm the older brother so what I say goes, got it?!"

Sam opened his mouth angrily to protest but Dean clamped a hand over his mouth to shut him up. "Ah, ah, ah! Don't even try to argue with me, mister. Do not do anything. Do you hear me?"

All Sam could do was give a nod though begrudgingly and he crossed his arms like he always does when he can't get his way.

"Promise?"

Sam rolled his eyes and sighed heavily but agreed. "Fine. I promise."

"Good. Now, I'm gonna go find some pie while I try and get some answers on this vision of yours." And with that he had stormed out of the room.

Sam glared at the doorway that he had just left from. Dean was so damn persistant it was annoying. He didn't care that he was looking out for his best interests, for his safety, he didn't care. Sam already knew that this vision of his was just a warning. But it could definitely come true if he wasn't careful.

If he continued down this path...

He'd end up killing Dean.

But Dean would do anything he could to keep Sam from going darkside or die trying.

Sam moved up more on the bed, his back hitting the pillows and he let out a content sigh. He vaguely remembered the events from the previous night. Just bits and pieces. He remembered screaming, the pain, the pleas to Dean to stay with him... and he had woken up in his big brother's arms where he had always felt secure. Safe.

There was a soft knock on the door that jerked Sam out of his thoughts.

"Oh, hey, Billie," he greeted with a smile, waving his hand as a signal for her to come in.

"Hey," she replied, stepping forward with hidden caution. Sam noticed that. It was as if his senses were heightening or something. He shrugged it off as nothing and moved over for Billie to lay next to him. His hazel eyes met with her blue ones and he felt comforted again. Over the past few weeks that the brothers had been staying at the Manor, he seemed to be growing particularly attached to Billie. And everyone else was noticing this as well. Phoebe had been the first to notice and then blabbed to everybody else. Sam learned that she had never been able to keep a secret her whole life. Something he would have to get used to.

Billie shifted so her head was resting against the headboard and her eyes lingered on Sam's profile when he turned away.

"How's the head?" She asked, jokingly, tilting her head to the side to try and catch his eyes again.

Sam chuckled and turned to her again. "Still attached."

Billie frowned. "You know what I mean."

Sam's grin faltered and he inhaled sharply. "I'm okay. I've, uh, had visions before but... not like that. That... I don't even think I can explain because you wouldn't understand."

Billie scooted closer to him. Normally, she'd let it go but... Billie had never really known fear until last night. Seeing Sam like that...

It scared her to death. She didn't think she'd be able to deal with that again.

"Try me."

Sam scoffed, irritably. "What part of 'you wouldn't understand' don't you get?"

Billie gave him a hard stare. Sam laughed.

"Y'know, you're getting quite good at that," he remarked, pointedly.

"Well, maybe I've been studying," she replied which just made Sam laugh more.

"Very intently, apparently." Sam gave her his own trademark stare.

Billie rolled her eyes and stifled a laugh. "Nice try. Don't change the subject."

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"But I do."

"Again, you wouldn't understand."

"Just try me, I'm a good listener," she argued, knowingly echoing Sam's own words to her on the day they met. Sam decided to ignore it for the sake of the argument.

Sam sighed in defeat. The girl was so damn stubborn and persistant. He ran a hand over his face and nodded, finally. "Alright, fine. You really wanna know? My vision... it was a... warning I guess you could say..."

Billie tilted her head to the side. "Warning?" She repeated, curiously.

"Yeah. Someone sent it to me," he told her, wanting to avoid the whole seeing an angel thing. That could be a story for another time. "It felt so... real, though. Like it's my future that they had on frickin' tape or something and played over in my head for me, as a warning that if I go down the right path then that future won't happen." His head started pounding already from all this time travel/future talk.

But thank God that Billie seemed to understand though she seemed to be struggling a bit. Still understood nonetheless.

"You can, you know," she encouraged with a smile, "you're not alone. Got that?"

Sam smirked. "Yeah. I got it."

Billie smirked playfully and leaned closer to him, leaving a light kiss on his lips.

"Good. See? Told ya I was a good listener."

"...And apparently a good kisser," Sam replied, stunned.

They looked at each other and laughed.

ooooo

This can't be happening.

The Impala was parked about a block away from the Halliwell Manor. Dean was sitting in the car with the engine running, his mind going over the conversation he had with Castiel.

When he told Sam he was gonna go get some answers, he wasn't kidding. He had headed to the park to meet up with Castiel and instead of a simple answer (which is impossible to get when it comes to their lives), he learned more than he bargained for.

"How... how dare you?! My brother..."

That time Castiel brought him to the past - 1973 to be exact where he came across his family again - he was told constantly to 'stop it'. At the time, he thought it was just annoying cryptic angel crap but at the end of his whole time travel ordeal, Castiel stopped being vague: "Your brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean. So stop it... or we will."

He blamed his mother.

If she hadn't made that deal with Yellow Eyes to save his father and given him permission to come to the house in the next ten years to pay a visit to Sammy, they probably wouldn't be in this position. Then again, if she hadn't made the deal they wouldn't even be born.

Their lives were so complicated.

"Dean... I know that this... may be a lot to swallow..."

Sam's blood was tainted. Sam knew it. Dean knew it. Everybody who needed to know knew it. But when he went for more answers in detail on his vision - his future - he never expected...

"No.. No, it's not because... because it's not true! It can't be true! My little brother... Sammy... he is NOT under the influence of anyone and I mean ANYONE from the pit and he most definitely is not going to become Lucifer's... anything, there's just no way! I won't - I would never let that happen."

...this.

"Good, because this is your job. Your responsibilty. We wouldn't want to have to take matters into our own hands but... we will if neccessary. And the truth? We wouldn't even blink an eye. You see, Dean, people - tainted blood or no, even special chosen ones such as you - are just the same as anybody else on this Earth..."

There was more to the conversation than that but Dean's ears had seemed to stop working for most of it. They had just shut down, not wanting to hear any of it. Not wanting to believe that his little brother was going to become the Devil's freaking puppet. He'd die again before he ever let that happen.

His whole life he had sworn to protect Sammy. Ever since that day where his father put him in his arms to carry him out of their burning home he had sworn to protect him. He had never needed to be told again after that, it was just instinct. It was his one job. His one job that he had already screwed up once, he wasn't about to let it happen again.

"Oh, really? Well, enlighten me, why don't you?"

He wouldn't give up. Nothing could ever make him stop, ever force him away from it. Nothing ever would. Dean was gonna save Sammy, even if it cost him everything. His sanity, he'd sell his soul all over again if it meant keeping Sam from the Dark. Whatever it takes if it meant keeping Sam safe. Keeping Sam safe and still Sam.

Because Sammy was still Sammy. Still Dean's Sammy. And Sammy had Dean and he was gonna do everything he could to make it stay that way forever.

Because they were all that they had, they were brothers - family. And family members protect each other...

"...they bleed and they break and they die... just like everybody else."

Always.