Author's Note #1: Considering my muse just would not cooperate, at all, with me last week, this is a double drabble, falling anytime after "Blood Brothers." As with the rest of us, I've been thinking about the whole Sam and Benny situation and am eager to see where the writer's will take us.
In doing so, I got thinking about what Sam might be thinking and feeling. He has paid a high price for his past mistakes and choices, and will do anything and everything in his power to protect Dean from himself and from making the same mistakes. But in spite of that, he is still very much empathetic and caring, is still able to see that grey line in the evil that surrounds them.
Author's Note #2: Thanks to Riathe Mai for reading this through and for brainstorming on titles. I swear I'm just going to start just numbering my stories...coming up with titles is proving to be so much harder than writing the actual things.
*Onus Procedendi - Latin for Burden of Procedure; burden of a party to adduce evidence that a case is an exception to the rule.
ooOOoo
"I have to say, call from you…middle of the night," Benny drawled, "curious would be an understatement. We both know how well that worked for the cat."
Sam stepped onto the path. "I'm not here to kill you—""
"Not yet."
"I don't trust you. At all. History won't repeat itself. If I had my way…" He let the statement hang.
"You're doing a piss poor job of making me feel all warm and fuzzy about you, Sam."
"I know about Purgatory—"
"Do ya now?"
"I do." Sam snapped, hearing the challenge in the vampire's voice. Details…imagination, weren't needed. He had a lifetime of real life experience—by his brother's side—to fill in the horrific details. Sam bit back his anger, this wasn't what he'd come here for.
He moved forward, finding perverse pleasure in Benny's miniscule flinch. "Regardless, Dean's here—with me—alive…I know that's partly due to you. You had his back down there, kept him from getting killed," Sam held out his hand. "I owe you thanks for that."
"Anytime," Benny took Sam's hand, "I owe him my life…more than a few times. Don't suppose this squares us, my friend."
"No."
"I'm not the bad guy, Sam."
"We'll see about that."