Here's a new story I've cooked up. Hope you enjoy. All mistakes are mine. Disclaimer: I don't own the boys, nor any other Supernatural character. That lucky privelage belongs to the master that he is...Kripke ; )

AU. Set sometime after Metamorphosis. After an unexplained hunt, Sam and Dean get into an argument and separate. Then an incident occurs where Sam's life hangs by a thread and the only one he can call is his brother. Will Dean come to his rescue or is he still furious with him to let him die alone? Major Hurt Sam/Angsty Dean. Bobby's in it too!

The forest was dark; much darker than any forest he had ever experienced. Groves of trees leaves swiped at his face and prickly bushes snagged at his legs as he ran by. He had no idea where he was running; only running in a straight line was at the forefront of his mind. The full moon provided little light to aid in his flight. The rustling and pounding footsteps of the enemy could be heard mere feet away behind him and it only propelled his feet faster.

A branch, maybe two, whipped his face and sternum leaving appreciated burns flaring throughout his extremities. His boots slipped and glided through the mud, but he kept going. His gun was left somewhere among the ground cover, forgotten when the beast gained the upper hand, swiping it out of his hands. After that, Dean felt that he had no choice but to run. It was a werewolf after all.

He had no idea where his brother disappeared off to. One minute they were side by side, tracking down the monster that had been ravaging the woods, killing off hikers, bears, and other wildlife critters for the last three days, and the next they were separated. He called Sam's name several times over and that probably was what led the beast to him. It appeared out of nowhere as if committing a Harry Potter and materializing out of thin air. He didn't seem too dangerous at first: a lousy middle-aged couch potato with thinning hair, pimples, and a beer gut; and let's not forget the claws and the teeth.

But when he exhibited superior strength and agility a fat guy could never be capable of, Dean knew not to take his chances. He ran as fast as he could muster aiming for the Impala, the vision of the hellhounds still fresh in his mind. His muscles screamed at the strenuous effort, pleading for him to stop. Sweat ran down in little rivers on his skin, chilling him to the bone as a chilly wind swept through the land. His heart hammered painfully against his ribcage and he tried not to think of it, still pumping rapidly in the creature's jaws. The werewolf bounded after him, snarling, spitting out globs of drool, whilst swiping away clumps of leaves as it chased.

He took an immediate left into another clearing of trees, when something large and heavy barreled into him. He landed harshly on his side in the dirt, and he rolled over, terrified, of what he was about to face. The dark figure across from him sat up, the ill-received moonlight illuminating a part of its obscured face.

Sam?

Dean let out a cackle of relief, slumping back to the ground.

"Dean?" his brother asked, rising to his feet.

"You idiot! Where the hell have you been?"

"Looking for you. And don't ask how we got separated, cuz I don't know. One minute we're together, the next we're not," Sam explained irritated, extending out a hand.

Dean took his hand and lifted himself out of the gunk. "It doesn't matter. Where did it go? Did you see it?" he panted, resting his hands on his knees.

"No, I heard you calling my name and maybe a growl, and that's when I took off to find you."

If Sam could see his brother's face, he would've noticed it was slightly panicked. "Sam, it was right behind me, it…" Dean began, but was interrupted when the beast in question leapt from a tree branch and landed in front of them. It swung its arm out, colliding with Sam's shoulder, knocking him far over into a tree. The werewolf then grabbed an unsuspecting Dean by the shoulders and threw him over his head. Dean spiraled a few times before landing with a loud grunt on his front.

The werewolf howled with fury, flexing out its claws, admiring its prey before him.

Dean rolled over and his eyes widened with terror. "Sam, your gun!" he yelled.

Sam groaned sitting up. He saw the werewolf rapidly approaching Dean, who began to crawl backwards. He reached behind his back to retrieve his weapon, but found it wasn't there. Alarmed, he patted his jacket and jean pockets, but still his gun was nowhere to be found. This is so our luck!

The moon revolved around to a spot that irradiated the scene, enhancing his vision. The creature was mere feet away from making Dean into mincemeat. Sam got to his feet and immediately tackled the beast. Angry, the werewolf snarled hopping up. It grabbed Sam by the lapels of his jacket and tossed him again. Dean tried to get up in the time his brother distracted the fiend. But suddenly the werewolf launched in the air, landing on its hands and knees on Dean's chest. Dean coughed as nearly all the air expunged out of his lungs from the beast's massive weight.

The werewolf smiled maliciously exposing its meaty chunk-filled teeth. It sunk its claws into Dean's shoulder, securing him in place. Dean cried out in pain when he felt the pinprick of the nails slice his skin. The werewolf lowered its face, heading for Dean's throat, salivating at the pumping action of his jugular.

Sam rolled over and saw the beast on top of his brother. A gut-wrenching fear filled his heart and he threw out his arm. "NOOOOO…"

The werewolf's electric blue eyes widened. It gasped and sat up abruptly. It pulled its claws from Dean's shoulders and clutched at his chest. Dean's brow furrowed, confused at what was happening to it. He glanced at Sam and saw his hand extended for a brief second before lowering it. The werewolf coughed and gasped, the veins among its head bulging to three times their normal size, threatening to burst. Then it fell over on its side, dead.

Sam lowered his hand, cocking his head to the side, confused at what was happening as well. He quickly got to his feet walking over to his brother. Dean gradually lifted himself up, giving Sam a peculiar look. Sam gazed at him puzzled, as the werewolf slowly began transforming back into its normal appearance.

Little did the boys realize that a miracle had happened. Yet, they would never expect that something natural would happen to a supernatural creature. Due to the poor choice in victims with high cholesterol intake, and his own unhealthy habits in his life, his excitement for his next kill put the werewolf's blood pressure into hyperactive, effectively breaking off a piece of plaque built up in his arteries. Ultimately, it created a clog, and the poor beast died of a heart attack.

The boys gazed at the man interested. They had no explanation of what killed it, but Dean developed a strange feeling.

"Come on, let's go," Sam said walking away, completely unaware of his brother's glare at his retreating back.

They arrived back at the motel they've occupied since the morning before. Sam stumbled in, exhausted after tonight's hunt, his brow furrowed because he was still curious about the beast's demise. He slumped down on his bed thinking of the possible scenarios that could've led to it, raising his foot on one knee and lengthening the strings off his boot. Dean walked in a minute later fumbling with his keys, and left the door open.

"Hey Dean, could you close the door?" Sam asked when a chilly breeze swept through.

Dean gave him a scornful look. Accusingly he replied, "Why don't you just use your mind? You're good at that."

Sam looked up surprised. "What?"

"You heard me," Dean said dangerously.

Sam stopped taking his boot off and stood up. "What was that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what that means."

"Apparently not," Sam responded through clenched teeth.

"Why don't you tap into that little psychic wonder of yours and find out," Dean urged.

"Okay enough," Sam half-shouted, his temper rising much quicker than he anticipated. "That is enough. You want to go at it. Fine, let's go at it. Tell me what's on your mind, Dean."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "I saw you."

"Saw what?" Sam asked, his face contorting in confusion.

"I saw your hand out, right as that thing died."

"Whoa, you think that I had something to do with that," Sam defended.

"What else could have done it? Huh? Come on Sammy, you can tell me," Dean said eagerly, "Did you use 'em? Your powers?"

Sam squared his shoulders. "No."

"Don't fucking lie to me Sam," Dean demanded angrily.

"I'm not," Sam shouted back.

"How is it that I don't believe you right now?"

"I don't know, Dean. I don't know. I didn't kill it if that's what you obviously believe. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly happened." Sam pleaded.

Dean looked unconvinced. "So you didn't squeeze the man's heart to death? That's what it looked like…"

"Yeah, I know what it looked like. It must have died from a heart attack or...or something," Sam suggested, unaware that his tone aided in his brother's conviction.

"A heart attack, huh? God dammit Sammy, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I can't take your lies anymore," Dean fumed.

"Dean, I…" Sam tried to intervene, but Dean cut him to the punch.

"You told me you would stop. Hell, you also told me all you can do is just exorcise demons. Guess not! If you don't seem to recall, the angels don't want you doing this."

"And I'm NOT," Sam yelled, Dean's rant striking a nerve. "How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't use them? I haven't used them, nor have I been using them?"

Dean huffed disbelievingly, as if coming to his own revelation. "You know I knew that deal was a mistake. If I hadn't gone to hell, we wouldn't be in this situation. If I was here, you would never had listened to that skanky black-eyed bitch and honed in on your powers," Dean blustered. The fear of the angel's threat and the painful jabs in his shoulders influencing his ability to relay words to his brother, and he couldn't stop himself.

Sam's jaw clenched. "Maybe if you weren't so afraid to be alone, you would have never done something so stupid?"

Dean looked hard at his brother, nodding his head. "Well I would rather be stupid, than a freak."

Sam's face fell. He looked betrayed. His lip quivered as he spoke, "Is that what you really think of me? You think that your sacrifice was for nothing!"

"Yeah," Dean answered deliberately, "Yeah, Sammy. I'm really starting to think that." He was so angry; he didn't care what came out of his mouth. But he knew from the hurt look in Sam's face, he hurt him. He hurt him bad.

Tears formed at the brim of Sam's lids. The guilt and remorse he felt when Dean was down under tripled at his words. Why couldn't Dean understand? He tried everything to get him out. Hell, he wanted to think that the reason he started using his powers was to help Dean, in not only tracking down Lilith, but possibly in finding an escape route for him out of Hell. His brother was a stubborn jackass. He'll never see it his way. "Why are you saying this to me?" he asked softly, his already fragile conscience shattering.

"Because I don't know any other way of telling you. You won't see it my way," Dean stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry," Sam answered seemingly defeated. "I'm sorry for being the burden you had to bear. Do you honestly think that I liked the idea that only God-knows what was happening to you downstairs? That you were enduring agonies that no one in their right mind could imagine…"

"It's funny you say that. And I thought you would be a little more grateful. I died for you. I burned for you and yet you promised me you wouldn't go down that path, and guess what you did…are still doing," Dean accused.

"You know, I never asked you to make that deal. And using this little guilt trip is not going to get us anywhere," Sam stammered, "Maybe you should have left me dead?"

"And maybe if you had let me died when my heart was giving out in the first place, then maybe I wouldn't have gotten the idea from Dad when he sold his soul for me," Dean answered back, his boiling point reaching. He had no idea where this argument was heading. Things both brothers didn't mean were just rolling off the tongue with no barrier to impede them.

"Don't you dare bring Dad's name into this," Sam answered dangerously. "If that was the case Dean, we would both be dead and Lilith would've still taken over."

"It would've been an eternity in someplace other than Hell. You don't even know what it was like."

Sam huffed disapprovingly. "So you do remember. How am I supposed to know? You never tell me anything."

"How can I? You won't understand. You will never understand," Dean replied.

A searing rage rippled through Sam's chest. A terrible gleam flashed over his eyes. "And this is exactly what I'm talking about. You don't trust me."

"Trust? How exactly am I supposed to trust you? I come back and you're doing the exact thing you told me you wouldn't do. And now that I found out you lied…"

"And I told you the reason why. It's for reasons like this," Sam explained vehemently.

"Yeah, and you also told me never again. You said it was like playing with fire. Those were your words. And the more you're enticed to do so, the more likely you're going to use them. I told you if I can't save you Sammy…" he paused, not knowing what else to say. "What am I supposed to do? Kill you? Is that what you want? Cuz the path you're going down is exactly where it is going to lead up. You're going to be on the other side of the gun," Dean finished, hoping this would be the end of the schism and they can go back to their dysfunctional lives. He hated putting those words on Sam's chest, but he needed to vent.

Sam wasn't done. "And I keep trying to tell you I won't let it go that far, and I haven't. You know, this is enough. I've had enough," Sam shook his hands erratically beside his head. He shook his head. "Things were so much better without you."

Dean looked up.

"That's right, you heard me," Sam continued angrily. "You think now that you're back that I'm just going to bow down to you, ol' glorious leader…like you're the boss of everything. Just like when we were kids, you were always bossing me around. But now you can't handle that I was alone for a while, taking care of myself. You can't stand it that I don't need you anymore. I can do things on my own without big brother hovering over my back…"

"Sam, shut up," Dean interrupted annoyed. "That's not how it…"

"Don't interrupt me," Sam interjected fiercely. "You know, now that I'm starting to think about it, I'm really starting to appreciate the time when you were gone. I was on my own, doing whatever I wanted to without seeking you for approval. I was saving people without you looking at me like I was some freak. And you know what else, it felt good."

Dean huffed, obviously disappointed that the argument turned a full 180 degrees. This was not how he imagined the argument would lead, but now it was clear what the brothers were secretly keeping to themselves. He never realized it was this harsh. "Is that really how you feel?"

"Yeah," Sam said. He knew it was a lie, but in that moment he wanted to cause his brother as much pain as Dean had caused him. Sometimes words can speak louder than actions and this was one of those circumstances.

"Fine. Be your own boss, Sam," Dean said softly. "Do it on your own. I quit," he remarked bending down to retrieve his forest-green duffel bag that he conveniently forgot to unpack when they had checked in.

Sam stomped his foot. "You can't quit. I QUIT," he screeched, unintentionally releasing an insurmountable wave of energy. At that moment, the door suddenly slammed shut with a loud 'bang'. Both brothers stood frozen to the spot, unsure of what just happened. Sam couldn't explain where the wave of energy he unleashed came from, but he instantly knew from the distraught look on Dean's face, that he just screwed up, lost Dean's trust without the promise of ever gaining it back.

"And that, Sam, is the reason why I can't trust you," Dean said solemnly.

Sam's mouth opened and closed, no words forming. "Dean, I…Dean, I didn't…" Sam managed to say, but it came out like he was innocent child.

His stutters fell on mute ears as Dean tossed his duffel over his shoulder and opened the door, slamming it shut.

Okay that's it for chapter one. I know in the show Dean would never say that to Sam, unless it was being a joke. But for this story I had him do it. I'm sorry. I'm horrible. Stay tuned for the boy's angsty feelings and the aftermath of the argument in the next chapter.