In celebration of reaching ten stories for Brothers Apart, this story is a special edition. It brings in a new set of characters that I’m very excited for everyone to welcome into the BA universe!

A Lich of Sense arrives officially on December 11th.

Over the last hour, Dean’s movements had become more sluggish, his snark slowing down compared to normal. Sam could feel a pang of fear whenever he caught sight of Dean’s arm. His brother had tied a tourniquet to slow the bleeding while they were walking, but the red stain had continued to spread.

Dean was weakening, and there was nothing he could do.

“Dean, how–” Sam’s query was cut short when the massive hunter suddenly dropped down, going to a sit with his legs crossed. He leaned back against a tree, closing his eyes to the silence of the forest.

It took Sam a few moments to recover, shoulders slightly shaking from the terror of the ground dropping out from under him. It gave the effect of being trapped in free-fall, with no seatbelt to secure him in place. Dean had never done anything like that without warning, or making sure Sam was secure.

“Dean, you alright?” Sam asked worriedly once he caught his breath again. The huge hunter was paler than normal, his lips a brighter pink against the whitened skin.

A green eye cracked open, searching out Sam. “Yeah, Sammy. I’ll be okay. Just… gotta rest for a bit…”

Worry spiked in Sam even more. It wasn’t like Dean to just rest like this… not on a case… and with his injury beyond Sam’s ability to handle, Sam couldn’t risk Dean dropping off into a deep sleep. Most of the time, Dean was an extraordinarily light sleeper, waking at the smallest noises around him (like Sam, arguing with his father by Dean’s laptop that first time they’d met up again), but other times nothing could budge him, come hell or high water.

Standing precariously on his perch, Sam shoved roughly against Dean’s cheek. It was clammy to the touch, ratcheting Sam’s worry up another notch. “C’mon, Godzilla. No falling asleep. You have townspeople to terrify.”

This elicited a grumble from the hunter, but nothing more. Thankful that Dean was still responsive, Sam started to climb down the long sleeve to where Dean’s hands were folded on his lap.

He had an idea.