What can I say? I went where my muse took me and as I haven't had any desire to write at all for the past few months, quite frankly I was just happy to writing something again. I'm still fleshing out this story but don't worry I have the overall plot worked out and where I want it to take me but the details are still being fine tuned. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.
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Dean shifted slightly as the sharp, splintered wood dug into his back painfully. His comfort wasn't helped by the dirty floor of the old church but none of that mattered. None of it mattered because at that moment, not four feet away from him there was a previously demonic human tied to a chair and next to him was his breathing, very alive little brother who, all things considered seemed to alright.
Looking around absently Dean was surprised the run down church was still standing, especially after the chaos they'd just caused inside the shaky building. Sam huffed and dropped his head onto Dean's shoulder. He'd survived, they'd both survived and the doors to Hell were closed forever. They had won.
"We did it Dean." he whispered, blinking slowly as exhaustion washed over him.
"Yeah we did little brother. It's over." Dean smiled softly and lifted a heavy hand to ruffle Sam's hair. "How you feeling Sammy?"
"You haven't called me Sammy in years." Sam mumbled after a pause before falling silent once more.
When no answer came to Dean's question, he started to panic. "Sam?" he muttered, shaking his shoulder gently to get Sam's attention. "Sammy?"
A softy snore alleviated his fears, realizing exhausted had finally gotten the better of his brother. Dean sighed and slid further down the wall, allowing the muscles in his body to relax. His head thumped against the wall and he stared up at the ceiling, the large smoking hole in the roof standing as a reminder to what had just happened.
He shivered at the memory of Sam standing in the middle of room, bright blinding light shining from his eyes and setting fire to all it touched. The wooden rafters creaked ominously and Dean took that as their cue to leave. Sliding out from underneath Sam he shook his brother awake, happy when Sam woke almost immediately with clear eyes. Even dirty and exhausted, his brother looked better than he had in months.
"Come on Sam, time to leave."
Sam grunted in agreement and swung an arm around Dean, using him to pull himself off the floor. Dean grunted under Sam's weight but didn't complain and half dragged him across the room and down the front steps. Sam did his best to support his own weight but Dean knew that he was only thing keeping Sam standing. Thankfully the car was right outside and Dean had Sam shuffled into the passenger seat quickly. Before he could close the door, Sam reached out and stopped him.
"What about Crowley?"
As far as Dean was concerned Crowley could stay tied to the chair until the building fell down on his head but what was left of his conscience rallied against the thought, reminding him that as one point in time Crowley had been their ally and thanks to them his soul had been washed clean. Rolling his eyes and swearing loudly Dean slammed the door and walked back into the church. Crowley was still unconscious in the chair and Dean moved so he was standing in front of the demon.
No, human. Crowley was human now.
Reaching out he tapped Crowley's check, resisting the urge to slap the man. Crowley's eyes flittered open and Dean nearly reeled back at the remorse he saw shining in the man's eyes.
"Can you walk?" he asked briskly.
Crowley jerked away from him and looked away. "Just leave me here."
Dean swore and grabbed Crowley's chin roughly, forcing the ex demon to look at him. "I am really not in the mood for the self pity bullshit. So get your shit together and stand up." he ordered, unlocking Crowley's chains and pulling man up, much rougher than he had Sam. Thankfully Crowley was easy to get to the car and before long he had the ex demon laying along the length of the back seat, staring blankly at the back of Sam's seat. In the time it had taken Dean to get Crowley, Sam had fallen back asleep and he didn't have the heart to wake his brother so started the car and pulled away from the church, tires throwing up gravel and engine growling loudly.
They had been on the road for thirty minutes before Dean pulled his phone out and with a quick glance at a still sleeping Sam he dialed a well-known number. Benny didn't answer right away but Dean didn't expect him to, the vampire still had some problems with technology and more often than not declined the call instead of answering.
"Dean?" the smooth baritone of Benny's voice made the tight tension coiling in Dean's stomach relax.
"Hey Benny."
"I'm gonna take the fact you're calling me and not laying dead somewhere that you did it?"
"Yeah It's done." Dean could hear the disbelief in his own voice as he said the words. It didn't feel real.
"Sam?"
"Snoring softly next to me."
"So why do you sound like you've lost?"
"Because it's too easy. Sam's alive, I'm alive and the gates are sealed forever. So apart from the ex demon laying on my back seat currently have an emotional breakdown, everything worked perfectly. Except that's not how things work, there is always a price to pay and I feel like I've got something hanging over my head waiting to drop." Dean admitted softly, glad Benny couldn't see the death grip he had on the wheel, knuckles turning white.
There was a long pause and Dean cursed his inability to keep his mouth shut. Finally Benny spoke and when he did, Dean had never been so happy to hear that southern drawl.
"Dean I want you to listen closely and try to believe me. You have sacrificed enough. Accept this for what it is; a victory. Sometimes happy endings happen."
"People like me don't get happy endings."
The words came out without thinking out of habit. It was easy when he'd been repeating the same thing to himself for the better part of eight years and he couldn't deny the voice in his head when he said the words was his Dad's.
"We are really going to have to work on your crippling low self esteem."
Dean snorted at the idea but couldn't help the little bubble of warmth at the thought that Benny cared enough to even say it. Dean had been surprised when Sam had come back from Purgatory with Benny, he'd been sure Benny wouldn't want to come back and as much as it hurt to admit, Dean knew if he didn't it would be his fault.
He'd turned his back on his friend and left the vampire to struggle by himself in a world he didn't understand. But he had come back and Dean had promised himself that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. So he'd ignored Sam's disapproving looks and curled lips, calling Benny at least once a week. Thankfully after his trip to Purgatory Sam had become a lot less vocal in his disapproval but it was still there.
"What are you going to do with me?"
Dean started and looked over his shoulder, having forgotten Crowley was there.
"I have to go."
"Ok. Just... I'm proud of you Dean, ya did good."
Benny hung up and Dean was left more light hearted than he had been in along time. He was beginning to feel the relief he'd been expecting and not even the problem on his back seat could dampen that.
"I was thinking Garth." Dean shrugged. Human or not, that didn't wipe Crowley's slate clean and they couldn't just let him loose on the world.
"Who's Garth?"
"Oh you'll love Garth." he smirked thinking of the skinny hunter. Garth was the one person Dean could think of who wouldn't take the opportunity to take revenge on Crowley.
"The tone of your voice suggests otherwise." Crowley glared at him from the backseat and Dean was glad to see some of the old Crowley remained.
"So what's it like being human again?"
"Fucking miserable. How do you deal with the guilt?"
"Everyone deals differently. Personally? I drink. You feel guilty Crowley?" Dean wanted to hate Crowley, he really did but he couldn't. This broken man in his backseat was not the demon from two days ago.
"I'm drowning in it. At least I think it's guilt, it's been a long time since I've felt anything."
"Something heavy sitting at the back of your throat and your insides twisting?"
Crowley paused and seemed to be mentally cataloging the new feelings. "That seems about right."
"Yep, that's guilt."
"Wonderful." Crowley growled in answer but it didn't have the usual bite and Dean knew Crowley was just trying to deal with it the best way he knew how. Sarcasm was his nature and being human wouldn't change that but he would learn soon enough that no amount of wit would ease the guilt.
"So who was that on the phone Dean? Could it have been your vampire lover?" Crowley continued, clearly trying to deflect conversation.
Dean was so shocked he nearly swerved off the road, his heart clawing its way up his throat.
"You know about Benny? How do you know about Benny?" he demanded, voice husky with alarm.
Crowley raised an eyebrow and Dean wanted to slap the smirk right of the man's face.
"Do you think a hunter can start hooking up with a blood sucker and no one will notice? Especially when that hunter is Dean bloody Winchester?"
"We are not hooking up!" The denial flying from his mouth faster than his brain could follow. He didn't know where it came from, for years people had been making snide comments about his relationship with first Sam and then Castiel but he usually just ignored it, especially when it came from Crowley.
"But you are BFF's with a vamp?"
Dean refused to answer and instead kept his eyes firmly ahead of him. His eyes may have been firmly glued to the road but he could still feel Crowley smirking at the back of his head.
"Your silence may as well be a responding yes. I take it the moose hasn't been handling it well?"
"How about we have some silent time?" he ground out, Crowley's words hitting a little too close to home.
"I prefer conversation."
"I'll rephrase that. Either shut up or I'll gag you and throw you in the trunk."
"Kinky. Does Benny let you go fifty shades of grey on him, or do you reserve that kind of stuff just for me?"
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It was hours later that Sam groaned softly and turned in his seat, eyes finding Dean.
"Where are we?"
His voice was scratchy and his eyes blurry but Dean was happy to see Sam looked better than he had in months.
"Bout twenty minutes away from Garth's."
Sam nodded pushed himself up the seat so he wasn't slouching, looking around as he did. "Where's Crowley?"
Dean steeled his jaw and looked away, tapping the driving wheel.
"Tell me you didn't leave him in that church!"
"I didn't!"
Sam narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue. "He's in the trunk isn't he?"
Dean shrugged but a smile was pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I gave him the option of riding in the car, he declined. Anyway, how are you?"
Sam shrugged and raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "I'm ok. I mean, I'm not good by any stretch but at least I don't feel like my head is gonna explode anymore so that's something."
"I'm just happy you're not hallucinating anymore, anything else is just a bonus."
"Yeah, that wasn't fun. So what are we going to do with our reformed demon?"
"I was thinking we could give him to Garth."
"Really? Not even thinking about revenge?" Sam asked, shocked at Dean's lack of spite.
"I'm tired Sam and for the first time in our lives, a plan has gone perfectly. No horrible consequences, no backlash, we won. This is it Sam, the light at the end of the road and I'm not gonna ruin that by going after Crowley."
"That's a vey mature way of looking at things. I'm impressed."
"What can I say? I've grown as a person."
Sam laughed and Dean heard himself chuckling in return. The laughter faded and Sam turned to look out the window, watching as the scenery flew by, leaving Dean to his thoughts. He just wanted this night to be over and had ever intention of dumping Cowley on Garth and running away to find a motel.
His fingers were itching to ring Benny and he cursed himself for it, he didn't understand where this need to hear Benny's voice came from and he hated the fact that even when he finally got to wind down and relax he'd no doubt end up hiding in the car so Sam couldn't hear who he was talking to. Thirty-five years old and he was reduced to sneaking around.
"So what do we do now?" Sam asked finally.
"We dump Crowley on Garth and then I suppose we go back to hunting, the way we used to. Hunting old school monsters like Ghosts and Wendigos." Dean chuckled, ignoring the hollow sound to his words.
Sam hesitated and shifted uncomfortably, nodding softly. "Yeah, the good old days."
The heavy silence was still going strong fifteen minutes later when they pulled up outside of Rufus's cabin, which although having belonged to Bobby then Dean and Sam and finally Garth, was still referred to as Rufus's cabin.
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"I feel a bit bad for Garth man, we shouldn't have dumped Crowley on him." Sam muttered as he threw his bag onto the lumpy motel bed.
"Really? Cos you ran back to the car pretty quick when Garth suggested we stay for a drink." Dean bit, he was getting a headache and Sam's whining wasn't helping. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Garth is the one person Crowley couldn't drive into a homicidal rage."
Sam pulled a face and threw himself onto the bed with a thump and the squeal of tortured springs made Dean wince. He really didn't feel like sleeping so Dean sat on one of the old plastic chairs face a rickety table in the part of the room that passed for a dinning area. He pulled his phone out and twirled it around in circles, resisting the urge to call Benny.
"This doesn't feel the way I thought it would."
Dean looked up suddenly at Sam's murmured words, having forgotten he wasn't alone for a second. "What?"
"Closing the gates of Hell, I thought it would feel different. I thought after, it would feel like a turning point, the light at the end of the tunnel. But it doesn't, it just feels like…"
"Same shit, different day?"
"Yeah." Sam mumbled, not taking his eyes of the stained ceiling.
"That's because you know, just like I do, that tomorrow they'll be something else to hunt. And the day after, and the day after until something finally kills us and it sticks."
The truth in Dean's words was enough to sink the room in a funk of depression as they both tried not to let it overwhelm them. Dean frowned when a small piece of himself he'd long thought dead whispered that maybe it didn't have to be that way, maybe he could get out now that demons were gone forever. After all, there were plenty of decent hunters that could deal with Ghosts and Shapeshifters.
"Doesn't that depress you?"
Sam's voice once again startled Dean out his thoughts. "Why do you think so much? Speaking of, I'm going out." He announced, standing up and picking up the car keys off the table.
"What? Where?" Sam pushed himself up on his elbows and frowned at Dean suspiciously.
"To a bar, feel like a drink." He shrugged, hoping Sam was too tired to see through the weak excuse.
"It's three o'clock in the morning and you haven't been to a bar in months. Why are you lying?"
"You want the truth? Fine, I'm gonna sit in the car and call Benny. I would do it in here but I don't really feel like putting up with filthy looks." The venom in his voice surprised even himself and judging by hurt look on Sam's face, he wasn't alone.
The hurt quickly flashed to anger and Dean could tell by the way Sam clenched his jaw there was going to be yelling.
"I just don't get it Dean! Why can you talk to him but not me? I'm your brother!"
Dean shook his head and shrugged. "It's different."
"How?"
Dean gritted his teeth and moved towards the front door, opening it roughly. "It just is!" he threw over his shoulder and slamming the door behind him before Sam could respond.
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Well there's chapter one. I wasn't too sure where to end it and I know it's not very long but I was afraid of having too many scene jumps in one chapter or dragging it out so I just had to end it where it felt best. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed it, looking forward to any feedback and don't worry they'll be a bit more Benny in the next chapter.
Thank you all for reading xxx