"What do you mean! He can't just disappear like that!" Dean growled, searching behind the doors and under the beds. He had left Sam only for a few minutes to discuss with Castiel on how to handle the delicate state of his condition. And now he had vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but rope and an empty chair.
"Look. I don't hold all the answers here. It's not in my job description!"
"Don't get funny with me, twinkle toes! Seriously, not the right time. Right now, I could hit something really hard. Talking of which-" He grabbed the whiskey bottle sat on the bedside table and swigged a couple of deep gulps, registering Castiel's look of disproval from his side.
"What's that for?"
"Holding it in my system till I meet up with Sam.. and then I'll release to my head. It should make it easier to talk to the bitch."
"You don't reckon he had help escaping?"
"He wasn't escaping. Don't put it like that. He's just.. Broke free. He'll come back."
"If it makes you feel better, I'll agree with you on that." Castiel muttered. "Still escaped though." He added, under his breath.
There was a knock on the room door, in which both angel and human tensed and looked at each other. Castiel was first to move and flashed over to open the door, in less than a heartbeat. He could feel Sam on the other side and the aura surrounding him was difficult to read.
"Hey Cas." Sam acknowledged, smiling grimly at him from the doorstep. "I'm really sorry about this."
Before Castiel could react to the mild threat in the younger Winchester's voice, Samuel jumped in front of him with a pistol, already driving the tranquillising bullet towards his neck. The angel looked bewildered at the hunters standing in front of him, at how they could turn on him like that. The Winchester family. But it fell into a peaceful serene smile, as he slumped drunkenly into Samuel's waiting arms.
"NOO!" Dean hissed, lunging forward, having heard the shot and grabbing Castiel by the sleeve. He swung him back into the room and threw a punch at Samuel, dismissing the fact he was his grandfather, when he could kill a harmless angel. He was sent staggering backwards into his startled brother.
"Dean, wait! Let me explain!" Sam barked, wedging his boot into the gap between the door and frame where Dean was furiously trying to slam it. "Cut trying to bash my foot in!"
Death breathed out in frustration and snapped the door wide open again, facing Sam with arms spread wide, accusingly.
"I wish you'd just go back to hell!" He said with venom.
Sam felt small under the glare he was giving him but that comment slammed him way further down than any hell pit could go. It tore him apart to know Dean didn't care about him at all. Not anymore. Not now, because he was broken. He never wanted to grieve the fact that his brother might not accept him or help him but he could feel the impossible flood brimming his eyes.
"I mean why'd you have to pick on Cas? Hm? He was just trying to help you!"
"We haven't killed him. We need him."
"Is this going to be for one of your little experiments?"
"You wouldn't understand. And anyway, I didn't just come back for Cas. I came back for you."
Dean chuckled dryly. "You going to dope and bag me up too then?"
"Nope." Sam overwhelmed Dean with a powerful uppercut to his jaw, both unexpected with surprise and strength. "That'll do nicely."
"I thought we agreed on injections for both?" Samuel stood in the doorway, displaying the needle sticking out of the gun barrel ready.
"Nah. I kinda feel he deserved that one, with the way he messed with the face." He sniffed, wiping the blood from his knuckle. "Only fair. I'll carry Dean, you carry Castiel. I'll bag everything in the room where I know Dean hides stuff and meet you up at the van, okay?"
"You sure you don't want me to patch you back up?" He asked, pointing at the battered mound of flesh above his brow. Sam leant away, avoiding his touch.
"I'm fine. Really. We just need-" He felt exhausted but the need for sleep no longer mattered to him. He just wanted everything to have gone the way he wanted it to do in the first place. "-We need to move them to the hub as quickly as possible and lock 'em down."
"Even your brother?" Samuel sounded genuinely surprised. Sam looked at him like he was clinically slow at catching up with his way of thinking.
"Even my brother. He's human, is he not? And in the laws of the angels above, maybe the most alpha important one on the planet at the moment. He is part of the collection now."
"But you're gonna- He's not the fir-"
"I know! Sacrifices have to be made though."
They both stared at one another, trying to work the other one out. "If that's what it takes to make us whole again. But do you really want to have that soul without your brother beside you?"
"..I can survive. I'm not saying it won't be hard."
"Alright. If you're sure." He shrugged, moving past him and grabbing Castiel by the arm. He easily swung the angel over his shoulders and supported him, even at his age. Sam followed him with his eyes, watching as he left down the corridor before shifting into action.
"Dean. Come on, stop faking now. Get up." He urged, stepping over his brother to crouch beside him and give him a shake. Dean groaned heavily, clamping his jaw shut to stop the throbbing circling round his skull.
"G'tufme." He shook Sam's aid away and resulted to trying to raise himself off the floor. He wasn't impressed with the sudden emotional turrets Sam was having and he let it show when he faced him with glazed, unfocused eyes. "What the hell, Sam?"
"I told you, I'll explain everything in as simpler form as possible."
"I'm not a baby-"
"But you won't understand the dynamics and the rules of everything we've buried ourselves in-"
"Max detail! No distractions, now!" Dean demanded, wavering on the spot. Sam looked at him, concerned about the force of the impact he hit him with, but then the stinging pulse in his own brow reminded him, he deserved that one blow entirely.
"I'm not human, like that Veritos said.. I'm not human because I don't have a soul. And Cas is right, it's still down under somewhere. My entire being feels like it's being wrenched back there and it's only the sheer determination running through me that is keeping me here.. I fought Lucifer for you, Dean. I escaped hell to stop your pain. I clambered up them flesh ridden walls with a thousand demons on my back."
"And what if one of them is in you right now?"
"What?"
"What if the only reason you're still walking around, is if you are demon?"
"..Like I said. My skin didn't burn and you'd be dead by now. You have to trust me, Dean. Please." He begged, giving him the big eyed puppy look he always gave when he was desperate for something. Dean considered the facts and shook his head slowly.
"I'm sorry. I can't do that, Sammy. Not anymore-"
"Don't." He walked back in front of him. "My soul is gone. It's broken. Don't break the heart too.. You're my brother. You are all I have left to fight for. Without you, I-"
For a moment it looked like Dean might of changed his mind, but his eyes hardened again, against the softness of Sam's.
"I'm sorry." And slowly, he begun to walk past the being who had once been his brother; his best friend.
"I didn't want to have to do this, you know." Sam's voice purred in his ear, so close it made Dean shiver. Before he could turn to see how fast he had caught him up, he felt a splintering, screaming pain swim through his chest. His whole body shuddered as a burning fire electrified through him and spiked his brain. At first he thought he was having a heart attack, and he wanted to scream but it was then that everything was shunted, when his saw the bloodied fingers sticking through his chest. The sickness rose up his throat. His vision dimmed. And there was only blackness. No assumptions. Nothing.
"No. no, no, nononono." Sam could of screamed hateful words at himself for what he had just done. He had just felt the last beat of his brother's heart against his wrist. The warmth was savage against the iciness of his own arm. He didn't know who this other side of him was, it just appeared at all the wrong moments. He wanted to throttle his hand from his wrist. He wanted to break it off, but it stayed frozen within Dean. The only thing holding his body in the stance.
The room door swung open again.
[TBC]
[TBC]