Sacrifice
Thanks to Tidia for the great beta job
Bobby walked quietly through the dark house. His small place was crowded with the three other hunters. But where else could they go? The Roadhouse was gone and the Winchesters never had a place to call home.
Ellen was asleep in his room. She protested at first and said she'd take the couch. That was until she sat on the old sofa and found it lacking. He'd slept there before and didn't mind the lumps.
The boys were in the small guestroom. It only had one bed and Sam made Dean take it. The older Winchester had a concussion from taking a header into that gravestone. Dean argued at first but in the end Sam got his way, as usual. After they got Dean settled, Sam got into the whiskey. It didn't take long for him to pass out. Sam didn't have the capacity for the hard stuff like his father or brother. The younger boy was sprawled on the floor on a layer of sleeping bags.
As he walked towards the bedrooms, Rumsfield jumped off the couch to follow. He thought Meg had killed the old boy. The dog had been smart and hid from the demon. As they walked down the hall one of the floorboards squeaked and he cringed. The Rottweiler stopped by the guest bedroom's closed door. The mechanic paused behind the dog and slowly pushed the door open.
He needed to wake Dean every few hours to make sure he was okay. As he stood in the doorway he watched the brothers sleep. Of all the hunters he'd known the Winchester boys got the short end of the stick. Not that it was their fault. Hell he couldn't even blame John. He hadn't been surprised to see Johnny's spirit at the graveyard. Figures the bastard would make his way out when the gates of hell opened. Lucky for them he had or things might have gone differently. John's distraction gave Dean those extra few seconds to kill the demon.
Now that the demon the Winchester had been hunting for 22 years was dead they had their hands full with two hundred more. They also had a small problem of Dean's deal. It still amazed him that Dean thought so little of himself that he'd trade his soul for his brother's. He could blame that completely on John Winchester.
"Damn it Johnny," he cursed.
Bobby stepped into the room as Dean moaned and rolled towards the door, but didn't wake. The older hunter shook his head at the huge black and blue mark on the young man's forehead. He stepped into the room and over to the bed.
"Son," Bobby said, shaking Dean's shoulder. "You need to wake up."
Dean groaned as he opened his eyes. "Son of a bitch," he said, reaching towards the bandage.
The grizzled mechanic grabbed his hand. "You don't want t be messing with that," he warned. "You need to answer some questions for me."
"Hell, Bobby," Dean complained.
"What's your name?"
"Depends on what day it is." Dean smirked. The look on the older hunter's face showed he wasn't amusement. "Dean Winchester."
"What's the proper way to banish a restless spirit?"
"Salt and burn it's bones," Dean sighed.
"When encountering a water sprite what's the best way to get it to let go of its prey?"
"Is said water sprite naked?" Dean asked innocently.
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"For my own personal gratification." Dean smiled.
"In your dreams." Bobby snorted. "Naked water sprites wouldn't come anywhere near you."
"Enough of the Harry Potter questions." The older Winchester levered himself up on his elbows and looked over the side of the bed. Sam was sprawled on the floor snoring softly.
"How much did he drink?"
"About a quarter of the bottle," Bobby answered.
"Feather weight," the blond said, fondly.
"It's almost dawn," the older man said. "That's the last time I'll need to wake you. Try to get some sleep."
"Yeah." Dean sighed, watching Bobby walk towards the door. "Hey, Bobby…" the mechanic turned back. "Thanks"
"Anytime."
Dean lay back and couldn't seem to get back to sleep. He rolled towards the edge of the bed to watch his brother. Usually he hated when Sammy snored, but now it let him know he was alive. Dean's stomach clenched as he saw Jake stab Sam in the back. The feel of the blood on his hands as he told his baby brother he'd be ok. The chill as Sam slumped towards him and died in his arms. His arm shot out to touch his brother . The feel of the warm flesh ground him back to reality. Sam was safe, alive and here with him. He knew he couldn't live without his brother. That's why he made the deal. Not because it was his duty. Not because it was what his father would have wanted. It had been pure selfishness on his part. He wanted Sam. He needed him. If trading his soul to the devil was the means to that end he'd been more then willing. Dean knew Sam was pissed at him. Sometimes his little brother just didn't understand. Dean sighed and reached down to brush the hair off Sam's face. His brother just didn't realize he was the best thing in Dean's life, without him, his life meant nothing. Dean rolled on his back and smiled. He couldn't wait to see Sam give that crossroads demon a run for her money.
Sam came to with a start. He'd been dead. No pearly gates. No hosts of heavenly angels. Just pain until he woke again to the opening of the gates of Hell. Sam sat up, regretting it as his body protested the alcohol he'd consumed. The alcohol that numbed what his brother had done. What his brother had always done for the past 21 years. Protect his baby brother. But this time Dean had gone too far. How was he supposed to live knowing his stupid, hypocrite, jackass, loving brother made a deal to bring him back. A deal that gave his brother one short year before hell claimed his soul. Sam laughed bitterly and froze as his brother turned towards him. Dean didn't wake, only sighed, and snuggled further under the blankets. The younger hunter stared at the bandage on his brother's forehead. He'd been so engrossed with helping Ellen and Bobby close the gate. He never noticed Dean turning to face that Yellow Eyed Bastard alone. When he saw what Dean had tried to do, he rushed the demon only to be flung helplessly against a tree. He watched in horror as the Yellow Eyed Demon took aim with the Colt. Then something incredible happened. Their dad was there, fighting on their side. John had distracted the demon long enough for Dean to grab the Colt and shoot the Yellow Eyed Bastard. When it was destroyed their dad had smiled and in a flash of light disappeared. In that instant Sam knew where his brother learned to make sacrifices. Sam smiled watching his brother sleep. The future was perfect, because of hope, hope in his brother. And he may have prayed to God, but he was always praying for Dean's faith. Faith in being able to protect Sam. Sam had that faith too now. He would save Dean.