"Truth in Knowing" by Tidia

Uploader's note: I put all the chapters in this one file because I think it makes reading more comfortable. If you disagree and would like to see it split up, send us a message.

Chapter 1

They sat down to the dinner table as a family every day. Mom insisted on it. She wanted to hear about the life of her men-her sons and husband. And lately, with work, sports and school this was the only time they had together. Dean beamed his mother a smile, as he took another helping of the mash potatoes. "These are great, Mom." He said as put another forkful in his mouth with a grin.

"Thanks, Dean." Mary replied, looking at her husband wondering if he had noticed that their eldest son was acting strangely.

Dean looked around the table and nodded. "Everything's great!"

"Are you high or something?" Sam elbowed his brother, gesturing for him to pass the dinner rolls.

Dean placed a roll on Sam's plate. "Or something..." Dean tapped his hands on the table mimicking a drum roll. "I have some news."

Sam groaned and rolled his eyes. His father chuckled at his youngest son's antics. "What's her name?'

"I got accepted, full ride scholarship to USC." Dean said accentuating each word. He rubbed his chest, and puffed proud. "Architectural engineering program!"

The threesome sitting down remained stunned. Sam got to his feet first and hugged his brother. "No way!"

"Oh my God...Dean..." Mary knew tears were welling in her eyes. She knew that Dean had applied to a few colleges and that USC was his dream. "Oh, baby, I am so proud of you." She stood up and put his face in her hands, to burn this memory in her mind.

"Good job, son," John patted Dean on the back. Dean was still madly grinning until he noticed his brother's smile had faded.

"What's the matter?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders, and wouldn't meet his brother's eyes. "Means you're leaving here."

"Sammy, you won't miss me at all." Dean reached out and grabbed his brother's forearm in a grip. "I'm still your brother."

Sam returned the grip firmly. "Hey, can I have the Impala?"

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Chapter 2

It was the smell of oil that brought Sam back to consciousness. He tried to open his eyes, but decided to be patient for a moment. His senses were slowly firing up and registering pain. He brought a hand to his head, feeling the slickness of blood. He tried to wipe it off. With a groan he opened his eyes, and stared out, over the hood of the Impala into the night sky. Bright lights were coming from the left; Sam turned his head and cried out. "Dad! Dean!"

Sam wasn't able to fully turn his neck and decided turning his torso may be easier, that only brought tears to his eyes. In distress he began panting. "Please, Dad? Dean, can you hear me?"

Exhaling a breath, Sam willed himself to think clearly. His left arm felt numb. Carefully, with his right hand he pulled out his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He pressed the number 9 then stopped, remembering that they had been attacked by a semi- trailer, and that the children of the demon could inhabit any body even those that could bring them aid.

Sam took in another deep breath, feeling his chest burning as he did so. The Devil's Trap was still on the trunk of the Impala. Sam hoped that would transfer to the whole car, in which case he had some time-time to make some decisions and still save his brother and father. Her pressed the 'contacts' button on the phone and scrolled down to 'Bobby.'

Thankfully, Bobby answered on the first ring.

"Bobby, it's Sam," The younger Winchester found his voice to be rough and low, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth.

"Sam, did you find your father?'

"We need help-accident-demon after us-need hospital." Sam bit his lip, struggling to keep the phone near his ear.

"Where are you?"

"No, go to hospital, Route 11." Sam gave directions, hoping that Bobby understood. "Bobby? Don't want to get possessed or hurt? Help."

"Jesus, Sam." Bobby replied, catching on. "Okay, make the sign of the cross with holy water-you understand me? Sam?"

"Yeah, hospital," Sam lowered the phone, finding it was becoming too slick with blood.

"Okay, Sam."

Sam clicked the red button to cease the conversation. His hand was shaking, but he needed to finish. He pressed the numbers for emergency, waiting to hear the EMT pick up the line. He didn't bother to lift the phone to his ear. "Accident! Route 11! Come quick!" He could hear the EMT talking. But didn't want to waste anymore energy in talking. He dropped the phone, leaving the line open just in case.

Sam had to control the shaking for a moment, and made a fist with his hand, going back into his jacket for the vile of holy water. With one hand he maneuvered the flask open and tilted it, splashing the water on his fingers.

"In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti." He said as he made the sign of the cross on himself. Again he wet his fingers, moving towards his father, he stretched out his right hand. His hand brushed his father's hair and finding John's forehead he made the sign of the cross.

With a sharp inhale, he wet his fingers again. Bracing his feet against the floor of the Impala he lifted himself up, using the momentum to turn and face his brother. The holy water spilled on the front seat, wetting Sam's jeans already wet from blood. But, Sam ignored it, when he saw his brother-pale, lying motionless, and his head against the broken glass. Blood still remained on his lips from the battle with the demon. More blood was on dripping down from the side of his face. Sam stretched his hand out, feeling at least that his brother was breathing, a hitched breath, but it was at least a sign he was alive. Again Sam repeated the sign of the cross, and then let himself succumb, hearing the sounds of sirens in the distance.

Chapter 3

This time when Sam awoke it wasn't from the odor, but from the sounds. A persistent beeping was gnawing at his mind. Finally, he decided that he had to make it stop. With a groan he opened his eyes. A blurry shape was seated next to him, blinking he made out that the person was Bobby.

"Bobby?" Sam croaked, and then swallowed trying to create some moisture in his mouth.

Bobby brought a cup with a straw in it to Sam's mouth. "That's Uncle Bobby to you."

"Thanks," Sam said moving around on the pillows.

"I have to take care of my kin." Bobby stood up and pulled the curtain that separated Sam from the room's other occupant. "Though your father doesn't like me calling him brother."

"He's okay?" Sam squinted his eyes, the brutal headache making it difficult for him to think.

"Hey, Sammy," his father said from the bed beside him. Sam moved his head, difficult with the neck brace to see his father-leg in traction, bandages on his face and an IV pole near by.

Bobby placed a restraining hand on Sam, settling him back down. "Whoa, relax, concussion, broken ribs, left arm broken, contusions-you've been in and out for a few days-you know your name-right?"

"Sam, Sam," The younger Winchester said quickly, then looked at Bobby wondering what lie had been said. " Ahhh. . ."

"Deval." Bobby patted Sam's arm again. "My nephew, Sam Deval."

Sam tried to nod, then stopped, hindered by the brace. "What about Dean? Where's Dean?"

"He's holding his own-he's still in ICU." John moved his bed so he was in a seated position. "He's going to be fine, Sam."

"ICU?" Sam rolled to his side to look at his father. Intensive care was not a place that meant that his brother would be fine. Sam recalled the blood that poured out from his brother when the demon had attacked.

"Massive blood loss led to hypovolemic shock, internal injuries and he has a breathing tube-can't leave the ICU until that's gone." John checked down the list, fiddling with his IV in his hand.

"Is he awake? When can I see him? You left him alone?" Sam's mind was frantic with worry. He needed to see Dean, and then he would feel that maybe everything would be normal.

"You're all protected, for now." Bobby began to explain. "Staff here kept removing the salt I was laying down, so I had to salt the whole perimeter. John, you owe me fifty dollars." Bobby looked at John who loudly exhaled. Bobby gave the rest of his explanation to Sam. "I used permanent marker and wrote protection symbols on each of you. Should do the trick for the time being—your ankle, Dean's arm and …"

"My ass," John grumbled.

Bobby smiled. "Dean's not awake yet. We'll see him as soon as a doctor checks you out."

Chapter 4

Dean rolled up the plans to the subdivision he was working on, and tapped the plans against the table before picking up the phone. The phone rang a three times before Sam answered it with a groggy, "Hey."

"So, how's school?" Dean asked, knowing that his brother was pulling all nighters because of exams.

"Good, I have a sociology test tomorrow, but I think I'm ready." Sam replied. "What's up?"

"Yeah, hey, I'm getting married." Dean said bluntly, knowing that his brother would be dumbfounded on the line.

"What did you knock her up?"

Dean was actually the one caught off guard. He let the silence answer for him.

"No, you didn't!"

Dean stood up and closed his office door with his toe to keep the conversation private. "We were going to get married anyway. This just sped it along. . ."

"Jesus, didn't you use protection?"

Dean rolled his eyes, amused at the lecture he was getting from his younger brother- the younger brother that he had given the sex talk to, "Ahh, well, Sammy, not everything is one hundred percent effective and my guys, well, their potent."

Sam snorted a half choked out laugh. "Man, Mom and Dad must be pissed."

Dean looked at the family picture on his desk. His father had not been happy with the news, his mother on the other hand had been thrilled. She had wanted to be a young grandmother, and was proud that Dean had decided to marry. "Actually, we're getting married in two weeks back home-you're going to be my best man-right?"

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Chapter 5

Sam watched his father place his belongings in the duffle bag the hospital had provided. Sam had already been released a week earlier. John's injuries had required an additional week –with pins having been placed in his leg, and his spleen being removed. "You're leaving." Sam said it as a statement. Sam had gotten Dean moved to the same room as John, believing that it would hasten Dean's recovery.

"Yes, I am." John zipped up the bag, and with his other hand grabbed the cane.

"You're son is in a coma." Sam stood up from the recliner which had been his home for the past week. He gestured to Dean, laying motionless in the hospital bed. "You hear me?"

John looked over to his oldest son, then looked back at his youngest. "Sam, we have a demon to hunt while your brother there takes a nap. Bobby's been a big help-saving the Impala and our asses, but there's only one bullet in the gun. . ."

"Coma, Dad." Sam blocked his father's path to the exit. "He's in a coma."

John continued, speaking over Sam. "And he understands why we just can't wait for him to wake up-they're everywhere, Sam. . ." John fidgeted, placing weight on his good leg. "Dean will be fine."

"You don't know that!" Sam stepped forward, closing the distance so that he was face to face with his father. "God, what wrong with you-son of a bitch." Sam was incensed with his father's idea of abandoning Dean. "And who is going to protect him?"

"Bobby can check on him." John replied, and Sam knew that John had been planning his exit for quite some time.

Sam crossed his arms in defiance. "I'm staying."

"I'm taking the gun with me." John foisted the duffle bag on his shoulder, then reached out to hug his son. "The demon, Sam-it's after us.'

Sam shook his head and stepped out of the hug. "Dean needs us."

John shuffled to the end of Dean's bed, resting his hand on his son's foot. "Dean will understand."

"Go," Sam ordered, going to the Dean's bedside. "Don't call us, we'll call you."

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Chapter 6

Sam couldn't stop grinning at his brother. The small wedding was a happy affair with good food and too much drinking. The most important people were there-Dean's family. And there was laughter.

Dean saw his mother had walked over to the tree in the front of the house. Her pale blue dress fluttered around her. Dean gave a nod to his wife, who danced with her new father-in-law and went to join his mother.

Dean had noticed that she had wept during the ceremony, gripping a handkerchief the whole time. She was looking at her family too. Dean stepped softly next to her so that they were shoulder to shoulder. He sighed as he watched Sam and his father.

"This isn't real is it?" Dean said finally, and turned to face his mother for confirmation.

The watery smile appeared as she turned to him. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry."

Dean closed his eyes. "I know."

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Chapter 7

Sam flipped through the magazine for the eighth time that day. The nurses were kind enough to bring him reading material. People magazine was a high commodity item, but Sam felt a little disgusted for knowing too much about Brittany Spears and KFed.

"I know."

Sam thought he heard his brother sigh. At first Sam thought he was imagining the words coming from his brother. Quickly, he stood, and leaned over his brother, his ear close to hear the signs that his brother was waking. "Dean?"

Dean groaned.

Sam jumped back in surprise. He could see that his brother's eyes were moving underneath his pale eyelids. Sam grabbed his brother's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Dean squeezed back. He kept his eyes shut, but open and closed his mouth, before speaking. "Hey," Dean whispered. "How?"

"Eighteen days, Dean, eighteen days." Sam said, his voice full of emotion. Tears rolled down his face and a silly grin of relief spread across his face.

Dean opened his eyes, blinking, before resting his eyes on his brother. "You okay?"

"Yeah, concussion, ribs. . ." Sam waved his arm, still in a cast.

Dean closed his eyes again for a moment, and then opened them to ask his next question. "Dad?"

Sam gripped his brother's hand tighter. He didn't want to talk about John Winchester. As a demon John Winchester had said exactly what Dean needed and had wanted to hear his whole life. Dean knew John was possessed because he had said nice things, the right things that their father in his sanity would never say, and now he had gone back to the hunt. "He's fine too."

Dena licked his lips. "Where?"

Sam let go of Dean's hand. He wanted to avoid all these questions for awhile. Dean had just woken up and this conversation was better left for another time. "I gotta get a doctor."

"Where?" Dean repeated.

"We're at the hospital," Sam replied, purposely misinterpreting Dean's question.

"No," Dean opened his eyes wide and then frowned. "Dad?"

Sam sighed. His brother would be stubborn and insistent. "He left, Dean. He left." Sam placed a hand on his brother's arm. "I'm sorry."

Dean swallowed, and looked at his brother. "I know."

THE END