Build Me Up Buttercup

A/N: Alright, well I was watching Bedtime Stories last week, and the end of the episode just bothered me. They kept referring to the thing that held Dean's contract as a 'he'. I know I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but I just kept thinking about it.

"Why do you build me up (Build me up) buttercup, baby


Just to let me down (Let me down) and mess me around
And then worst of all (Worst of all) you never call, baby
When you say you will (Say you will) but I love you still
I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin'
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (Build me up) buttercup, don't break my heart"

Build Me Up Buttercup by The Temptations

I have actually never heard of the song Build Me Up Buttercup, but my friend forced me to listen to it today, and I thought it fit well with the story.

"Sam…Sam!" Bobby almost fell out of his chair when he heard the news. He clicked the phone down on the receiver and jumped out of his seat, knocking down the loose papers on his table. A smile spread across his face as he realized what he had just discovered.

His boots smacked against the floor as he ran towards where he knew Sam was holed up. It had been a month since that kid saw daylight. The only Winchester locked himself in one of Bobby's "guest" bedrooms that the boys had stayed at when they were younger. Bobby couldn't believe that the kid could stand to be in a room that probably reminded him so much of Dean. He wondered what kinds of memories were stuck up there.

It had been a month since they burned Dean's body. Sam could barely make it through the entire thing. Watching your brother die and then burned can make your knees buckle to say the least. After that Sam hadn't come out of that room. It was almost as though it was a punishment.

Sam could hear Bobby's footsteps as they came up the stairs. He had been sitting on his bed, staring out the window. Dean had climbed out of that window once; when he was about 15, Dean climbed out of the window at midnight and ran off. He wasn't even going somewhere in particular. Dean just walked down the streets a few times and came home. Sam had waited by the window, waiting for his brother to come back. Sam wasn't sure if he was waiting for Dean to come back now.

The footsteps stopped outside the door. A knock rung through the small room followed by Bobby's voice, "Sam, I've got good news!"

"What? You can change water to wine? Congrats."

"Oh shut up and open the damn door." Bobby's voice held no anger, but it was a command. Sam seemed to follow orders lately, and it worried Bobby. He wasn't sure if Sam was trying to be Dean or he was just finding it easier that someone else was taking control over his life.

Sam got up slowly, not truly wanting to hear whatever the man had to tell him. Whatever good news there could be wouldn't make him feel anymore alive. His fingers grabbed the unlocked doorknob and opened it an inch.

Bobby rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. He strolled into the stuffy room and thought about opening some windows when he remembered why he had come up there. Bobby had only come upstairs a few times a day now. Before he came up all the time, trying to get the boy to talk or to at least come downstairs, maybe watch some TV, play some cards. But after 2 weeks he decided his time was much better spent downstairs, searching for anything to save Dean. There had to be a way. There was something they were missing. And there was.

Sam wasn't sure what the old man was hoping his reaction was going to be. The only time he really cared if Bobby came was when he brought food, and now it just didn't seem like it was really important. He had lost a lot of weight since Dean died, he just didn't feel the need to eat anymore.

He sat back down on the bed he had just vacated and looked at the smiling man. An urge to smack that smile off Bobby's face filled his body, but he fought it off. Bobby was only trying to help him. "What?"

Sam hadn't realized how hoarse and small his voice had grown from not speaking. He had no one to talk to, had no urge to talk to anyone. So his voice came out sickly and a little angry, although he wasn't really angry.

"I've got a new lead."

"Wonderful. Another dead end." His voice was still the same, but with a little annoyance laced in there. "Bobby, I don't want this false hope crap you're gonna try to feed me. I had enough 'leads' when Dean was…" he paused, but then choked it out, "alive, and I've had enough. Just leave me alone."

"Well aren't we just a bucket of roses today." Bobby stared at the young man and wondered when he became such a grumpy man. He was never this glum before. He mentally asked himself what Sam had done to deserve this life. Hell, what did Dean do?

Sam rolled his eyes and turned away, staring back out of the window again. "Sam, I think I might have found something important." He paused, gulping the lump that formed in his throat since Sam brought him back to reality. Kid, I really hope I'm not giving you false hope. "Lilith didn't hold Dean's deal. Someone else did."

Sam turned to face Bobby, "And how is that gonna help Dean?"

Bobby moved forward, sitting next to the last Winchester, and spoke. "I know who holds his contract. We can find him and see if we can get Dean back."

Although Sam could see, out the corner of his eye, a 15-year-old Dean climbing into the window, he didn't believe that Dean was coming back. He needed to think rationally if he wanted to keep his heart from breaking again. "And what happens when we find them? If Lilith was trying to cover for it, don't you think it's stronger than her? We couldn't stop Lilith, how could be force anyone else to give us Dean?" Sam turned back to the window, tears welling up in his eyes. He knew that this was just another trick, another game. Anything to break him down even more. Anything to kill him.

Sam's head whipped around when he felt Bobby's hand on his shoulder. "What do you think it's gonna do? Just hand Dean's soul over? Just because we asked nicely? Jez, Bobby, you're more naïve than I thought." He turned back, trying not to show how much he was hurting, how much this really did kill him inside.

"If the roles were reversed, do you think Dean wouldn't try to do whatever it took to get you back? Hell, when the roles were reversed, that dumbass sold his soul to get you back. Is this how you're gonna live your life? Holed up in a dark room. That's not even living. That's just existing. Your brother gave you a second life and you're gonna waste it here?" Bobby paused, afraid of what more he might say. He had been bottling up his anger at the oldest Winchester boy; at how he just left his brother, how he could just throw his life away, how he could be so damn stupid for the noblest reason. The older man knew that he was being hard on Sam, but he just couldn't stop himself. He wanted Sam to snap out of it. Sam needed to move on or help Bobby figure out what to do next. The youngest Winchester needed to get his arse back into gear, instead of wasting away in Bobby's guest room.

Sam stood up quickly, anger running through his veins. He turned to Bobby, pissed off. "I never asked for this, Bobby! Dean deserved this more than I do! And you know it! Dean always deserved better, and he always got crap! So if you want me to live like nothing's wrong, then you're dead wrong. Because this isn't my life. This shouldn't be my life. That selfish bastard chose this life, not me!" Sam pushed past the older hunter, walking out of his dark room and into the light. He almost fell backwards, not realizing how well-adjusted his eyes were to the darkness. Sam felt the urge to run, but he just didn't have the energy. He didn't know what to do, and when he felt Bobby's warm, friendly hand on his shoulder, he welcomed it.

Sam didn't know what to do anymore, didn't know what to think. He couldn't live without Dean, couldn't function. He might have been able to ignore the pain years ago at college, but not anymore. He was different now, and all he could do was wallow in his own pity. "Sam, I didn't mean it like that. Both you boys deserve to live. And there might be a chance that you both can."

Tears were streaming down Sam's face as he truly absorbed the information. He wanted to believe that this would bring Dean back, but he knew there was no certainty. But what was there to lose? "So, who's this lead from?"

Bobby was taken aback for a moment, being reminded of Dean. Dean always tried to stray away from feelings and get down to business. Sometimes Bobby forgot how much alike Dean and Sam were. "Uh, a guy named Rusty Joe."

Rusty? It was a strange nickname, but Sam didn't inquire about it. "So, what did he say?"

"Well apparently Bela didn't know the whole story when she told you that Lilith held Dean's deal. And Lilith has a boss, so…"

"We're gonna climb the corporate ladder and go over her head?"

"Pretty much, yea." Bobby enjoyed that Sam started to open up to him, started to warm up to him again. I guess a swift yelling-at worked.

"And, how the hell are we gonna get this guy to give us Dean's soul?" Bobby didn't answer, waiting for Sam to face him. He knew the young hunter must have climbed down from his emotional cliff, and wanted to make sure he was going to go into this wholeheartedly.

Sam's eyes stared into space, making sure he had calmed himself down. He turned on his heels and looked at the old hunter. He could see the sad smile on his face and the hope in the man's eyes. He cocked an eyebrow, waiting for his answer.

"Actually that's your job."

"What?"

"You're gonna use some of your powers to get him to let Dean go." Bobby knew he shouldn't do this, knew Sam shouldn't use his powers no matter what, but he couldn't help but stay up at night, wondering what tortures and torments Dean was going through in Hell. This would be against what Dean wanted, but at that moment, what Dean wanted wasn't one of his concerns. At that moment, it was just getting him and Sam back.

Sam nodded his head slowly as he made his way downstairs, ready to prepare a plan of attack.

The end.