Aawh, this is really the end... Last chapter guys! A very big and special thanks to everyone who stayed with me till the end, to my loyal reviewers who made me smile and gave me strength each time and made writing so much more fun. I'm really blessed, thank you! :) Have fun as always and I hope you like it!

supernaturalrenegade: I'm so sorry I broke my promise - sort of - you'll know why. ;) But I just couldn't resist!

Chapter 16

It was dark. Not the shady kind of dark but pitch black. He couldn't see anything. Where was he? He tried to move but his body didn't respond. Come to think of it, he couldn't feel a damn thing at all. Not good. What the hell was going on? He tried to remember what had happened but everything was a blur. Maybe Sam could help him out. He was the smart one after all.

"Sam?" His voice was scratchy but at least it worked. "Sammy?"

Wait, was that an echo? He tried to make sense of it but his mind was too scrambled and he just couldn't concentrate. And his little brother didn't seem to bother answering.

A shuffling behind him made him jump. Or at least it would have if he were able to move. Also meaning he couldn't even turn around to look at the threat that seemed to come closer. It had to be a threat cause Sam wouldn't just ignore his frantic calls and sneak up on him like this. And not being able to see, feel and move definitely smelled of trouble. The Winchester kind of trouble.

Dean had to squeeze his eyes shut when a blazing light suddenly flashed and blinded him. It was painful after the long darkness and he didn't dare to open his eyes despite the shuffling being at his side now. He held his breath and waited… but the shuffling passed him.

He exhaled and squinted carefully. He looked right into the beam of a flashlight lying on the rocky ground only a few feet away from him. Okay, not strange at all… He lifted his eyes up and noticed that what surrounded him was unmistakably a cave. Somehow that rang a bell… but he was still too dazed to rack his brain about it.

The shuffling was slightly to his right now and his gaze shifted. His heart stopped. His throat closed up and he couldn't breathe anymore. He wanted to scream but his voice literally stuck in his throat.

A hairy black spider was only a few feet away from him, tall and bulky, its pincers clicking dangerously. But the shadow it was looming above was the reason his world just started to crumble and collapse ferociously on him.

Sam was lying at its feet in a pool of blood, clothes ripped, skin deathly pale, hair dirty and a mess but not obscuring his eyes which were wide open, staring at him lifelessly.

The lump in his throat finally vanished and his tortured scream split the air.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Dean jumped, almost knocking over the chair he was sitting in. He suppressed a cry when a flash of blinding pain ran down from his knee to his foot. He gasped for air and opened his eyes, looking directly into the concerned face of Bobby who was bent over, hand resting on his arm, obviously trying to get his attention.

"Yeah, I'm right here. I… I'm okay."

Bobby shot him a look that clearly said to shove his 'okay' up his a…!

Dean ignored it and tried to control his breathing. He looked around, taking in the slightly dimmed hospital room and Sam's bed right in front of him. His little brother was sleeping safely in it, very much alive - thank god - not disturbed at all by the commotion. A monitor next to his bed showed a constant and rhythmic heart rate, stabile blood pressure and normal oxygen levels. It really looked like Sam was just taking a nap, facial expression relaxed and his breaths even. But Dean knew better. Because nobody could just sleep through a whole five fucking days.

"You know, you'd be much more comfortable in your own bed. And your knee would be thankful for it too."

Dean looked across the room to where a second hospital bed stood.

"No, I'm good here."

"Yeah sure, that's why you've got such a hard grip on your leg like it could fall off at any moment."

Oh… right, he didn't notice. He dropped his hand and took Sam's instead.

"The bed is just too far away. I wanted to stay with Sam – you know, just in case he wakes up today. "

Bobby sighed and watched Sam for a few seconds, his expression unreadable.

"It is only a few feet away, I'm sure the boy will see you right away when he wakes up."

Dean snorted. "But that's the thing, Bobby we don't know if Sam will be able to see at all. And I just know he'll freak out, get all tangled up in his bed sheets and take a nosedive to the floor before I can even be out of my bed."

"The doctors said his loss of vision is most likely due to the poison and it should wear off with the antidote we gave him."

"They don't know jack squat what had really taken Sammy down! And they also said Sam would wake up in a day or two. It's been five days Bobby!"

"Don't take that tone with me boy! I know you're worried like hell about your brother. But you're not the only one. We're in the same boat here."

Dean stared at him then sank back into his chair, suddenly ashamed of himself. Of course he wasn't the only one who was anxiously waiting for Sammy to wake up here. Bobby had been at his side the whole time. He sighed.

"You're right. Sorry!", he mumbled.

"Don't worry, you got a freebie here."

Dean smiled sadly and his mind drifted off.

To their surprise the antidote had worked immediately and Sam's breathing and blood pressure had been back to normal within an hour. They'd waited another few hours to see if Sam needed another dose of the disgusting stuff. Fortunately the stinking goo didn't make an appearance, Sam stayed seizure-free and they'd decided it'd be safe to take him to the hospital.

They'd made up a story fitting for their condition – earning a few dark looks for not coming to the hospital firstly which they ignored – and Sam had been sent to surgery in an instant to reset his arm. That had been five days ago and despite his stability and the reassurances of the doctors Sam stubbornly slept on, not even cracking his eyes open for a few seconds. That was just so Sammy like – making him worried and scared to death so he could initiate the perfect chick-flick when he'd finally wake up.

Dean had been shipped to a MR despite his blustering protests as soon as Sam had been out of his sight. He'd been relieved that he didn't need any surgery – as if he would've agreed anyway as long as Sam was still out of it. But with some overstretched ligaments and meniscal tear he'd been confined to bed rest and no physical loading at all. Like he'd do that! The only good thing out of it was the highly effective pain meds they were stuffing him with.

Bobby's voice pulled him out of thoughts. "I just talked to Jeff on the phone. All went smoothly, eggs and bodies burned like hell. Whole place is clean now."

"Glad to hear!"

Right, Bobby had called in some favors from hunters he knew to take care of the remnants of their hunt – no more spidery trouble around here.

"I'll never even go near a spider again!"

Bobby snorted. "What? You wanna barricade up in your castle, princess?"

Dean opened his mouth to protest but was beat by a whispered voice behind him.

"Who's the princess now, eh?"

He turned around abruptly and was met with puppy-dog eyes, looking up at him sleepily. Sam's lips curled into a smile at his presumably bewildered look.

"Hey Dean."

Dean's hand found Sam's instantly, his brother clutching at it thankfully. And no, that doesn't count as a chick-flick – not after you just escaped death by a whisker.

"It's good to see you awake, Sammy."

Sam gave a small laugh. "I'd say it's good to see at all."

Dean's eyes widened and he sent a silent thank-you upwards – not that he believed someone would actually hear it… but it still felt good somehow.

"You sure?"

Sam cocked his eyebrows. "Not anymore when I see you praying like this."

Oh damn, nothing gets past that kid. Bobby shot him an I-told-you-so-look – okay guys, that's enough – before he stepped forward and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder who was smiling up at him in return.

Dean knew nightmares might haunt him for some time now – almost losing your little brother didn't just pass you by without leaving a trace. But as long as he'd wake up to that smile again he'll be alright, of that he was sure. They both will be.

The End

Sniff... wow, that's it! Thank you so much again for reading. I hope you had as much fun as I had had with writing?

And don't worry - it might be the end of this story, but my muse is already on my tail again. :) I'll let her enjoy herself as soon as I'm done with my current exams.

Take care everyone, cheers!