Dean sighed contently as his mind woke up from a pleasant dream. "Hey Cas we need to.." He stopped mid sentence as his outstretched arm came down onto empty bed. His eyes shot open and realization slipped like a snake into his brain. He forced a smile onto his lips. Castiel would be back. He could never really leave Dean alone this way. The angel needed Dean as much as the hunter felt need for the comforting presence of his guardian. It had been three days his return to heaven, Dean gave it a week before he came home. Cas would always find a way back to him.

A warm shower and six pancakes later Dean found his head spinning and his legs buckling from underneath of him. Flashes of images passed behind his eyes lids. Ruin like symbols, blood, a building. A strange building he had never seen before. He tried to really look at it but the image disappeared before he could focus. His head felt as if it was splitting in two and he could feel something warm seeping from his eyes. He assumed the pain was making his eyes water, but when the warm liquid dripped down on the floor in front of his face it was not water he was looking at. Blood was seeping from every open pore on his face. Scared Dean reached into his jacket pocket to, thankfully, find his cell was still in the pocket. His pushed speed dial one and Sam's name appeared on screen. Dean pressed send and waited while the phone rang into his blood filled ear.

"Hello?" Sam sounded sleepy. He most have still been sleeping when Dean called. It was probably early. "Sammy. I need your help." Dean could almost sense the sudden alertness in Sam's voice. "What's wrong?" Dean swallowed the lump that had found it's way into his throat. "I'm alone Sam. And I think something's wrong." Sam didn't answer for a minute. "Where's Castiel?" Dean hadn't wanted to talk about this yet., why say he was gone when Cas would be back soon? "He had to leave for a while." The was no way Castiel was gone forever, Dean was sure of that. "Well he picked a great freakin time. I'll be there in a few hours, just lay down and rest until I get there." "Alright Sammy." Dean heard an engine rev up and then the phone went dead. Everything would be alright now, Sam was on his way home and Dean wouldn't be alone anymore.

He managed to find enough strength left in his body to make his way to the couch. He lay silently, mind still swirling in and out of focus. He felt like he was in pain, but it was dulled slightly. Like he'd been stabbed but it was half healed. He kept getting flashes of the strange building and other things. Heat, like the room was suddenly hotter. He felt almost sticky with humidity and fear and panic were floating at the edges of his mind, almost like they shouldn't be there. Dean was confused. He didn't feel scared, he had nothing to be afraid of, but it was there. The emotion was all too real and it made Dean feel the need to escape. His wrist felt raw, like he was tied by the, and his shoulders were stiff as if he'd been hanging for hours.

Dean struggled to understand the feelings that couldn't have been his own. Could they? Nothing had happened to him, he felt fine besides his splitting headache. But he didn't feel fine. He felt like he was dying. But he wasn't, he wasn't feeling any of it. But he was. But he shouldn't be. Nothing was happening to him. But it had to be. Something had to be hurting him. His eyes wheeled around the room almost to fast for him to even register what he was looking at. He was alone. No he wasn't. Someone. . . . He couldn't see a face. Only a shape. No one was with him. Yes someone was. There couldn't be anyone, he was alone. Oh god he was hurting him again. He felt a blow to his back. But he was lying on his back, nothing hit him. But oh god, the pain was real. Then it suddenly wasn't real, it subsided to a dull ache. Almost like it had to go through something else to get to him.

Sam entered the room while Dean was panicking. "Sammy, make him leave me alone!" Dean was screaming. Sam could make it go away. Dean paused. Nothing was there. But it had to be. He looked harder. The damned thing must be hiding. If only he could get up long enough to find him. "Who Dean?" Dean's eyes fell back on Sam. That's right Sam was here. He could help. "I don't know. I can't see him. A shape. But it's not there. It hurts, but it can't hurt. Nothing happened Sam. I don't know what happened because nothing happened. Blood. There was blood. A building, symbols, blood. A man. The building was a house maybe. Death Sam. Lots of death, but not here. I don't know where. It's a lie. Something's a lie, I don't know what though. Betrayed, someone betrayed me. There's pain too. And a lot of fear. I want to get away. Rope, there's rope or maybe a chain. Dark, wet, hot."

Dean stopped, mind whirling and hazy. Everything he said was making sense to him. It was complete nonsense and he knew that, but it made sense. It all went together, he just had to find out how. Sam's face was twisted in a strange mask that Dean didn't want to see. He closed his eyes tight. "Dean, we need to get you cleaned up. Then we're going to see Bobby. I don't know what's going on, but I'll help you." Dean just nodded so Sam would stop. His head was pounding and Sam's voice was a knife driving further and further into his skull. He needed him to stop talking for a little while.

Dean couldn't register anything around him anymore. The strange flashes and weird feeling had stopped but they were replaced by a calming, deep darkness. Dean found it a comfort. He relaxed and let his mind go blank. He wasn't sure when Sam got him in the car, but the next thing he paid any mind to was getting out of the car, a lot of time must have passed. Cold, it was cold all around him. Snow maybe, he wasn't sure. Then he heard a voice. Bobby. It had to be Bobby. Then the warmth. Inside. A couch. Just sitting. Talking, about him most likely. Nothing flowed in his mind. Certain things stuck out, one or two words at a time. He felt almost like he was in a trance. Calm and not needing to think. He liked it a lot. Hadn't he already thought that? Oh well. He was warm. Tired, he hadn't noticed before but he was very tired. He didn't say a word, he just slid down onto his side and rested his head on the arm of the couch. He thought he felt eyes on him, but only barely. His eyes slipped closed and the sleep came almost instantly.

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"See what I mean Bobby? I don't understand what's going on." Bobby stared at the elder Winchester for a long moment before he spoke. "Maybe there's something we don't know. Right now we can't do anything but try to get him to talk to us. We've gotta know what going on if we're gonna help him." Sam nodded, his eyes still fixed on his brother. He had no idea what was happening to him, but it was terrifying. He had never in his life seen Dean behave that way. He had been so scared, so panicked, almost crazed. It would be okay though. He knew Bobby wouldn't stop until Dean was himself again, and neither would he.