Calm Before the Storm
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Dean woke with a start, the imaginary sound of blood dripping off a corpse pounding in his ears.
This past hunt hadn't been easy; an innocent had died. He took a deep breath and rolled silently out of bed. 'Nightmares are supposed to be Sam's deal.' Dean sighed and plodded into the bathroom.
He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water over his face. Wiping the liquid from his cheeks with an old hotel towel, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looked tired; rundown. His cheeks were hollowed in and his hazel eyes red-rimmed. Exhaling slowly, his mind began to wander.
To the girl from tonight. To his mom. To his dad. To his brother. Sam.
Sam hadn't been doing very well at all lately. His visions plagued him to the point of Dean slipping a sleeping pill into his dinner to get him to bed at night.
Dean shook his head, his last conversation with Ellen coming to mind.
"This isn't just your war, this is war. There's something big and bad coming, and it's coming fast. And their side holds all the cards. At our best all we got is us. No secrets or half-truths here."
Secrets. Dean Winchester had more secrets than Michael Jackson had surgeries.
And the war. How long would it go on? It wasn't even war yet-just the calm before the storm. Everything that had happened since that fateful day when Satan fell from Heaven until last night-it was all just a miniscule part of what's to come.
A full out war between Heaven and Hell. And Sam was stationed at the front lines. Dean just wasn't positive which side. His father's last words flashed in his mind.
"Look after Sammy."
Dean heard his brother stir from the other room and quietly slipped back in. Sam was mumbling incoherently and his hand reached blindly in the darkness.
Dean gave his hand to his brother and the younger gripped it tightly.
The elder ran his other hand gently through Sam's shaggy hair and shushed him. "Wake up, Sammy." He whispered.
Sam's brow furrowed as his grasp tightened. "Dean!" he shot up, his eyes wild.
Dean comfortingly squeezed the hand he held, causing Sam to see his brother. His eyes immediately filled with tears and he began shaking.
"Sammy, what is it?" Dean kept hold of his brother's hand but wrapped his other arm securely around him, rubbing his shoulder encouragingly.
Sam gulped and stared at the elder, two tears falling down his cheeks. "It's starting."