Chapter 1

"Dean, are you sure going to this Emmanuel guy is wise?" Sam asks as he follows his brother into the car. It's good that Dean's fruitless obsession over Dick has been put to a rest for a moment, but Dean obsessing over Sam is worse. The 40-year trip down to Hell is a stellar example of how not good it is.

"Sam, I know this is a long shot, okay? But we have to try. What's the harm in trying, huh?"

With their luck, posing that kind of question is akin to just asking for it. Sam deliveres this sentiment with his dubious glance. He knows how toxic false hope can be, and with Leviathans messing around, he doesn't think they can afford this kind of futile search.

"Look, Sam," Dean says a bit impatiently. "Either this guy is legit and you get cured, or he's a total scam and we go back to ganking monsters while figuring out how to deal with Leviathans. That's all I'm suggesting."

"And if he's like the other faith healer we met?" Sam inquires quietly. "What if curing me means killing somebody?"

That is the real reason he doesn't want to go. If Emmanuel can actually heal, there is a high chance that he would require an innocent sacrifice for his power to work. In that case, no matter what event would take place, it would ultimately lead to Dean hating himself more. Since option A is throwing a civilian under the bus and option B is giving up on a cure dangling right in front of them, it isn't a difficult guess to make. Sam doesn't want to put his brother in that cruel, no-win position.

Dean's jaw flexes. "Then we've got a case to solve."

The younger brother sighs. That is the-end-of-the-discussion voice, and at this point, he knows better than to argue his way out.

"So, what pinged him on your radar?" Sam questiones as a way of offering an olive branch. Dean flicks him a brief 'don't patronize me' glare, but begins to explain.

"I stumbled upon Emmanuel while I was looking at one of Dick's interview. You know, where that son of a bitch bullshit about how he is going to revolutionize food industry and cure world hunger or something?

Anyway, at the end of the article, there was this colorful comment ranting about Biggerson's and Dick and how the only miracle worker he had witnessed was Emmanuel and not Dick. So I followed this commenter and found his blog."

"Wait," Sam frowns. His brother's narrative makes no sense. "Dude just sounds like a regular hater. A well desreved hatred, but still. Why did you search for his blog?"

"You're asking that because you haven't seen that comment, Sam. It was a beautiful masterpiece of insults packed into few words. Somebody had to appreciate it and figure out its origin."

Sam levels him a flat look.

"What?" Dean raises one hand defensively. "You try staring at that smarmy face for hours. That comment was near cathartic."

"Alright," the younger brother drawls in a tone that clearly states otherwise. "You found the blog, and?"

"The guy's posts were full of volunteer works, charity projects and other do gooder things. I know, unexpected, yeah? So I skimmed along, and came across this two feet length of praise dedicated to Emmanuel," the older man pauses for dramatic effect. "Apparently, Emmanuel cured the guy's blindness."

If Dean was waiting for a round of applause, he would have to be disappointed. Sam was only feeling skeptical. "So? That kind of life altering story is easy to fabricate. You sure Emmanuel didn't pay the guy so he could gather his followers?"

"Yeah, I thought so, too. But Emmanuel did nothing but cure the guy. No surmon, no talk about God, nothing. According to the blogger, Emmanuel said that he was only trying to help."

"Ever heard about long con, Dean?"

"Shut up, smartass. I also found few others who claimed that they got Emmanuel's help. They all got no string attached treatment. And get this, he can cure craziness, too."

Now, even Dean sounds cynical about what he was trying to sell. Sam knows that this was desperation talking. He also knows what triggered it. At their last hunt, the younger man almost got himself killed because he couldn't see a knife flying toward him. Lucifer blocked his line of sight. And Sam, in his disoriented state, had blurted that fact out to his overprotective brother. This whole Emmanuel business was Dean's Hail Mary.

"Well, the guy sounds suspicious at least. Let's see how it goes," Sam allows as he settles himself more comfortably in his seat.

The thing is, Sam really wants to believe his brother. More than that, he wants to believe that sometimes, good things happened just because. But unfortunately, in their line of work, good deeds are often only a flimsy cover for terrible atrocities. Hell, even angels are bunch of dicks despite their reputation. How could he continue to hold onto that childish notion?

Sam just hopes that Dean wouldn't get hurt too badly in this trip.


AN:

This is the edited version of the fic on ao3 under the same title. Please R&R! Constructive criticism is welcome :)