Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural (or either of the boys sadly)
Past Sins
The next morning was awkward to say the least. Both boys knew they both still had issues with each other, but neither of them were willing to bring up their issues first, so as always, they repressed it. However, the mutual protection between them, and Sam's own curiosity, meant that he accompanied his brother to where he had been attacked the night before.
"You sure there was nothing?" Sam asked, crouching down to observe the area where his brother had been attacked more closely.
"Yes Sam, I'm sure." Dean said patiently, hands crossed over his chest, which Sam noticed was missing the amulet he had returned to him the year previously after they had dealt with Walt and Roy.
Deciding not to let it bother him, though with great difficulty, Sam scrutinised the area, looking for any clue that might help them.
"What are you looking for anyway?" Dean asked, and Sam shrugged.
"I don't know, I thought we might actually be able to find what got stuck into you, lying around maybe, I reckon it probably came off when whoever it was attacked you. You know any guys with bug nails who might want to attack you?" he asked and Dean shrugged.
"We piss off so many people Sam, it could be anyone. You think of anything that might have big claws and a grudge?" he asked, and Sam grinned slightly.
"That cat you sat on two years ago might do." He reminded his brother and Dean scowled at him, a slight smirk appearing on his face as he did so however.
"That wasn't my fault, served that silly old bat right having a black sofa and having a black cat. Those scratches didn't heal for weeks you know." He complained and Sam grinned patiently.
"I know, you kept showing me." He said in distaste and Dean shrugged.
"What are brothers for?" Dean asked, and Sam let out a cry of triumph.
"This! Look what I've got." He said triumphantly, and Dean bent down to see what was in his brother's hand.
"It's a piece of plastic." Dean said, entirely nonplussed.
"A piece of plastic with a scratch in it." Sam insisted and Dean shot his brother an irritable look.
"Sam, we need concrete proof, not your wild theories." He scolded and Sam looked back at him, just as irritably.
"Hey, I'm trying to help you here you idiot. It's the first lead we have, and I for one would like to know who attacked you. If I thank them or kill them when we find them is another matter entirely." He said sweetly and Dean sighed.
"Alright fine, it might be a clue. I'm sorry, I'm just tense. So it might be from my mystery attacker?" he asked, trying to remain on his brother's good side and Sam nodded musingly.
"Could be, no cat or dog is strong enough to make a claw mark like this. And it's the first clue we've got so I say we run with it." Sam theorised, getting back to his feet and stretching his long legs.
The two walked back to the Impala but it was clear the atmosphere between them was still frosty. Dean personally didn't believe Sam's theory that whatever had clawed the plastic was anything to do with whatever had attacked him, and Sam wasn't happy that Dean wasn't listening to him again.
"Dean..." Sam ventured bravely and Dean sighed wearily.
"Is this conversation going to turn into another fight? Because I'm fed up of fighting with you." He said tiredly and Sam shrugged.
"Depends if you actually let me have my say for once. Do you want to know?" he asked, and Dean looked at him oddly, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Know what?" he asked, and Sam shrugged.
"Well I reckon you're not going to calm down until I tell you exactly what I was doing the last year."
Dean smirked smugly.
"You mean try and justify it to me?" he asked waspishly without thinking and Sam made a noise of exasperation.
"Oh for the love of...forget it." Sam said bitterly, starting to turn away but Dean turned to Sam, his expression stern.
"Look Sam, I'm just having a hard time fathoming why the hell you wouldn't look for me, and I find out that there was no decent reason it was because of some girl and her pet? How am I meant to take that after everything we've done together? You left me to die for a girl and a dog and considering everything I've done for you, I thought I might have warranted a bit more of an effort." Dean said curtly but Sam didn't say a word as Dean stopped at the lights.
And then without even looking, he opened the door, climbed out and slammed it shut.
"Sam!" Dean yelled, angry at his brother flouncing off and the damage he could have done to his baby.
He tried to follow Sam's progress, but despite his brother being as big as a house he couldnt find him in the crowd. Come on, the kid was six foot odds tall, had long hair, and was always clad in plaid shirts of some kind, how the hell could he have lost him already?
"Going to get the kid a lead! And a tracker! And...maybe myself a muzzle." He admitted ruefully, pulling into a parking space and climbing out the car in an attempt to find his brother.
Admittedly, he was still pissed with Sam. Contrary to popular belief about the two of them they just didn't kiss and make up and everything would be fine again the next day. It often took a long time for them to forgive each other (which of course was part of the problem because however subconsciously it seemed as though Dean still hadn't forgiven Sam for everything he'd done wrong in the past). So he was entitled to being angry with his brother. Whatever his reasons, crisis of confidence, finding religion, whatever the hell Sam's reasons were for abandoning his brother to his fate in Purgatory he was convinced that they weren't good enough to justify Sam not looking for him. But, just because he hadn't looked for Dean didn't mean he didn't appreciate Dean and everything he had done for him over the years. After all, he had died for him (though admittedly that was more to Dean's fear of being alone and his own selfishness in wanting his baby brother back so he wouldn't have failed than anything to do with Sam), and despite being angry at Dean for making the deal in the first place, simply because it would take his brother from him forever and it would be his fault, Sam had still appreciated it. Yeah, so maybe implying Sam didn't appreciate everything he had done for him and that he had left Dean to his fate simply because he felt he wasn't worth the effort wasn't the smartest thing to do. But it was clear that both Winchesters had a hell of a lot of issues to work through and that by being his usual belligerent self he was only going to make Sam less inclined to sort through their issues and more likely to push him away for good.
Now, where the hell was that kid?
"Come on sasquatch you're a giant how can I lose you so easily? I might be shorter than you but I can still see pretty damn good."
He considered phoning Sam but he knew that in his current state of mind, which translated as a major bitchy fit at his big brother, Sam wouldn't answer, in fact he might just thrown the damn phone away to spite his brother.
Dean sighed wearily. He had been the one who had said he didn't want to fight with Sam anymore but by shooting his mouth off, he was the one who had made them fight in the first place. Sam was right he truly was an ass at times, an ass with a big mouth. So now, rather than working together on this and sorting things out (which Dean knew full well Sam wanted more than him, he was the one who was into all that touchy feely stuff and not keeping things bunged up inside) Dean was now looking around the town of Cameron for his brother.
But still, Dean did have a right to know why Sam hadn't even bothered to look for him. Sam loved his brother, when they weren't arguing like they were at the moment, it was obvious as it was that the sky was blue or the sun was shining. When they weren't at each other's throats, despite Sam insisting he was all grown up, he did love being Dean's little brother. When they had a squabble over what tv show was better, when they annoyed each other when their respective soap operas were on, arguing over which Star Wars film was best (clearly Empire Strikes Back but Sam was a heathen and said Return of the Jedi (which Dean supposed was his fault, he'd bought Sam a Super Star Destroyer micro machines once with his pocket money and that was it, his brother had been convinced the last film was the best)), it was clear throughout it all that Sam did adore his big brother. Drinking games, showing he was smarter than Dean, wrapping Dean around his little finger with a puppy dog look, Sam clearly adored Dean however much his elder sibling annoyed the hell out of him. And even after all these years, Dean still loved seeing Sam's eyes light up when he praised him for a job well done. So, why had someone who so clearly loved Dean abandoned him to his fate? He just didn't get it, none of it made sense at all. Why would Sam leave him?
Well maybe at the moment he might be tempted if only to give himself a break but before they'd had their showdown with Roman they'd been at their strongest in years. So why not look for him?
But the question also worked two ways. Everyone knew how much Dean loved Sam in return. He'd virtually raised the kid, protected him from everything, from spiders, to monsters under the bed, to literal monsters, even from death itself. So if Sam hadn't looked for him, surely Dean as his big brother ought to listen to his reasons before he passed Sam off as a faithless, abandoning coward. He knew better than anyone that his little brother had made mistakes, of course he had, but it was his job as a big brother to help him fix them and not to hold them against him when he had more than made up for them. Maybe there was more to this than was apparent. And Dean shooting his mouth off wasn't going to help matters.
Dean sighed. Maybe Sam was right about all this touchy feely dealing with your feelings crap. If it meant they could get through the day without sniping at each other, or killing each other, it had to be worth a try.
Figuring Sam would come home when he had simmered down, Dean decided to hit the books. Because, even if the two of them were at each other's throats, he still needed to find out who had attacked him.
XX
Sam, still scowling darkly, headed for the motel room door. The Impala was parked outside, so he assumed Dean must be inside, probably still seething. He didn't know why he even bothered trying to communicate with his older sibling at times, he really didn't. How could Dean think he didn't appreciate everything he'd done for him? Dean had raised him, cared for him, protected him while their father was too busy pursuing demons in his quest for revenge, Dean had basically raised him since he was only about a foot long (admittedly, he's raised him rather far). Yet after all that, Dean didn't think Sam appreciated him. True, Sam had screwed up by not searching for him, and Dean was right not to be happy with him, but to assume he hadn't looked for him simply because he didn't want to make the effort, because he didn't want or need his brother around? He really was an idiot, how many times now had Sam tried to get it through his brother's thick skull that he did appreciate everything he had ever done for him. But now, Dean believed Sam hadn't bothered looking simply because he didn't want to repay the effort he had always made. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Sam opened the door to just find Dean plating up two currys, the place smelling as if he had made them from scratch.
"Hi." He said simply, putting a piece of naan onto Sam's plate and putting it down in front of Sam.
Sam, as always struck by amusement at seeing his brother in the role of a domestic goddess, grinned slightly and looked at his brother questioningly.
"What's all this about?" he asked, setting down the things he had gotten from the library.
Dean shrugged as he set down his own plate and got two beers from the fridge.
"I felt a bit bad. I know you appreciate me, you've tried to get it into my head often enough. And besides, at least if you eat a nice, thick, creamy curry you might actually get some meat on your body." Dean said, playfully chiding, passing his brother a beer and Sam grinned slightly.
"I will ignore that statement only because you're such a good cook when you go all Nigella Lawson." Sam said, sitting down at the table and beginning to tuck in.
Dean, sighing slightly in relief, sat down opposite his brother, watching with a slight smile as his brother wolfed down his curry. If he was paranoid he would say it was because he wanted to get away from his brother as soon as he could, but Dean knew better, Sam always got hungry after a long study session. And the fact that they'd skipped breakfast hadn't helped either.
"Look Sam, I'm sorry. I just don't get it, why you would basically abandon me and leave me for dead. Just help me understand, please." Dean said in pleading exasperation and Sam shot him a dirty look.
"I was trying to tell you this morning before you got all judgemental and decided I left you there because I don't value you as much as you value me." He scolded, and Dean smiled ruefully.
"Yeah, sorry, that was a bit of a dick move. I know you appreciate me. So, since I made you a nice dinner and everything," Dean asked hopefully, "do I get to know?"
Sam rolled his eyes in amusement.
"I see, so this meal isn't an apology, it's a bribe, as well as an excuse to try and fatten me up." He said, poking at a bit chicken and Dean waved it off.
"Hey, I can have ulterior motives. But seriously?" he asked, desperate for an answer and Sam sighed.
"Promise you won't lose it, or accuse me of anything until I'm finished?" he asked, shovelling down some rice and Dean nodded.
"Promise."
Sam sighed, and after taking some beer, began his tale.
"You don't know what it was like Dean. You and Cas, you were both completely gone. Bobby was finally gone. And Crowley had taken Meg, which meant I didn't have anyone I could turn to for help. Garth, Jody, Missouri, Marion, they're all well and good but they don't know enough. And all of a sudden you were gone, just like you were when Lilith had you killed. I didn't know where to start. I looked everywhere, tried every one of your phones, all your old girlfriends, and boy do you have a lot, anywhere you might be. I looked for any sign of you but I couldn't get any. I summoned demons and angels, none of them told me where you were. I genuinely thought you were dead." Sam said, and Dean's expression, which had still had a wall of anger behind it, had softened as he heard his little brother speak so sadly.
"But Sam, we've never let that stop us before." He said, and Sam nodded miserably.
"I know we haven't. The thing is, I didn't know where you were dead. I thought you were in heaven, but then I thought you might be in hell, I didn't know. I tried to think of how to get you out of wherever you were, but no one would help, no one could help. And I was losing it. You just weren't there, I had no idea if you were alive, dead, somewhere, elsewhere, I was seriously cracking up. I'd given up all hope of finding you. The night I hit Riot...I didn't want to go on. All I knew was you weren't there, you weren't anywhere and I had no way of getting you back. So I was just driving, hoping at the end I would wind up wherever you were, and that's when I hit Riot. Then I took him to Amelia, fixed him up and kept him around. You weren't there, and Riot gave me something to live for. And he reminded me of you, he had that affectionate but dim look down pat." He said with a slightly grin and Dean, who had been making the exact same face, scowled slightly.
"So you just thought by driving up and down the country you would find me?" he demanded and Sam rolled his eyes.
"No jackass, I intended it to be one way." He explained, and Dean frowned (totally proving Sam's opinion of his look in the process) before it finally clicked.
"Ooh...Sam..." he whispered in realisation and Sam shrugged.
"I didn't see any point in it. But because I had Riot, I knew I couldn't leave him, and through him I got Amelia. So that's why I didn't look for you Dean. I tried but I was losing it, and i was just about to give up when Riot and Amelia came into my life. I'm sorry I let you down again though." Sam said miserably, but Dean didn't say anything.
He couldn't imagine it. Sam had wanted to pack it all in, kill himself without his brother, and it turned out the dog and the girl Dean had so readily dismissed were the reason he still had his brother. Otherwise, he would have returned and found that Sam had been long dead. Suppressing a shudder at that thought he got up and turned away from the table.
"Dean?" Sam whispered anxiously, and the next instant Dean had came around and wrapped his brother in a hug.
"I'm sorry Sam, I didn't know." He said, smiling in relief as his brother returned his hug eagerly.
"It's ok."
"No it isn't, why didn't you tell me this earlier?" he scolded in annoyance and Sam grinned.
"Because you had already decided you didn't want to listen remember?" he asked cockily and Dean harrumphed, he hated having a smarter brother than he was.
"Smart ass."
"Thanks for listening though. And for tea. You ready to do more listening?" he asked, pointing to the pile of things he had brought back from the library as he shoved their dinner away from them.
"You got all that stuff? All I got was a headache from looking at the books all day." Dean grumbled, sitting down beside his brother as he switched on his laptop.
"Yeah. Now, the books point to loads of beasties it could potentially be but I did a lot of checking. As far as I can see, there's nothing supernatural about Cameron. Which means, whoever and whatever attacked you must have followed us from Kearney, or happened to come across us when they were passing through." Sam explained, and Dean nodded.
"Well I suppose that makes sense. Did you find anything out about the plastic?" he asked, and Sam nodded.
"Yeah, the police here aren't too bright, I told them all I was plain clothes FBI and they were all stupid enough to believe me and lend a hand. Anyway, as far as they can tell, due to the way it was done and the figments of dry skin they found on it, it was definitely a human who gouged that slice out of the plastic. Of course they think it's just a human with incredibly long and strong nails, but thankfully, we know better."
"Lady Deathstrike?" Dean asked hopefully and Sam shook his head in exasperation at the reference to the X-Men character.
"No dummy, it's clearly a creature of some sort. Now, according to them very few people actually stay the night in Cameron. But an interstate coach comes through the town every week night." Sam explained and Dean's eyes widened in realisation.
"So my mystery attacker came through on the bus?" he asked and Sam nodded.
"Seems like that. Somehow he knew where you would be and was here waiting for you." Sam explained, and Dean growled in annoyance, partly at himself (how couldn't he have found out all this stuff) and the rest at his mystery attacker.
"This is all great Sam but it doesn't help us find out who actually attacked me." Dean pointed out, and Sam grinned.
"That's where you're wrong. Only four people got off the interstate the night we arrived, and there couldn't have been any way of him knowing before we got here that we would be here, we weren't meant to stop off here and we didn't tell anyone, true that's partly because we don't have many people to tell...anyway, the interstate starts in Montana and then comes all the way through the mid states before going through Missouri on its way to South Carolina." Sam told him and Dean breathed through his teeth in frustration.
"It still doesn't tell us anything though." He pointed out and that was when Sam pulled a DVD from his folders, and Dean smiled in a mixture of pride and irritation.
"Why couldn't you have just shown me that at the start?"
"Reduces the dramatic effect. And I wanted you to feel bad I've been working my ass off all day to get all this stuff. Look at this." Sam said, and Dean was too curious tying to see what Sam had discovered that he didn't even try and tell him off.
He put in the tape showing the CCTV from the town's bus station, and both brothers were watching intently. First of all two old women got off and were met by someone who looked like a son of one of them and then they were gone. The next was an old man with a walking stick, who flagged the driver to wait. And then finally it was a teenager, moving very gingerly, and he crossed the line of the camera and vanished from sight. And while the boys watched the bus, eventually the old man got back on and it went about its business.
"The teenager?" Dean asked, and Sam nodded.
"That would be my guess, I reckon we can rule out the two old dears don't you? And look at this." Sam said, rewinding it and zooming in on the kid, more specifically on the ticket held in his hand, and Dean looked at his brother in shock as he saw the state emblem it was marked with.
"A ticket from Montana. Alright, I'll admit it, you are good." He said grudgingly and Sam grinned.
"I know I am. Who do you know who hates you in Montana?" he asked, and Dean shrugged.
"That mechanic, but he doesn't have sharp claws, just a sharp pen and a sharper tongue." He complained, making Sam grin.
"Well you did tell him he was incompetent, if you didn't want him to do it that way you should have done it yourself." He told him, switching to another disc and Dean glared at nothing in particular.
"The asshat was trying to put Lamborghini wheel trims on my baby, of course I lost it with him!" he exclaimed loudly, but then watched closely as Sam displayed another video.
"This is from the stretch we were this morning, and there's you, sulking on the way home." Sam said, pointing to Dean's figure and Dean shot him a dirty look.
"I was not sulking, I was brooding, there's a difference." He explained with dignity, but his eyes were then drawn to a figure that looked mildly like the teenager, but both images were so bad they couldn't make out anything else.
"Wait, I got attacked by a teenager? And a teenager who's drunk?" Dean demanded indignantly, pointing to his supposed attacker.
The kid was definitely having trouble walking properly, that was for sure. His gait was irregular and stompy, it certainly didn't look natural.
"I don't think he's drunk, look at him, he's walking and standing upright, he's not drifting, I reckon he just can't walk very well." Sam theorised as they studied the scene, watching as both Dean and his pursuer disappeared.
"So, we reckon it was him?" Dean asked, and Sam nodded cautiously.
"I think so, but it doesn't really help us that much, even if it was him, we still need to search the entire town for him and find out what the hell he is before we can do anything." He pointed out, but Dean waved off his concerns, now they were actually getting somewhere and hadn't fought in several minutes, he counted that as progress.
"It doesn't matter, we've got a start. Where would a kid like that hide out?" Dean asked, and Sam shrugged as he looked at a town map on his laptop.
"The local hostel maybe? Here? Huh, wish I hadn't thought of that now." Sam said, and Dean picked up his gun, beckoning to his brother.
"What do you say we go out for a drive?" he asked, and Sam rolled his eyes before looking pointedly at the dishes, making Dean tut in exasperation.
"Sam, we don't have time for you to be OCD, someone is trying to kill me and is willing to pay astronomical transport fees so they can and you're worried about a few dishes? They'll still be here when we get back, now let's go!" Dean ordered impatiently and Sam dutifully followed his brother from the room, shutting it behind them.
Sam looked around the parking lot. Something suddenly didn't feel right as he looked around, and was about to say as much to Dean when something else caught his eye. Uh oh. Dean was not going to like this, not one little bit.
"Dean, did you have an accident today with the car?" he asked gently, and his brother frowned.
"No, you think if I'd had an accident I would still be here, I'd have gotten it fixed. Why?" he asked, coming around to Sam's side of the car, and Sam braced himself for the inevitable explosion.
At first it looked fine, but on closer inspection, it was far from it. A long, thin scratch had been carved in the passenger side, just as it had been in the plastic Sam had found earlier, a long, white scratch up the Impala's perfect finish. Dean staggered backwards upon seeing this and Sam deftly caught his brother, who was suddenly light headed.
"Sam...someone, someone has scratched her. This was deliberate. Someone has scratched my baby!" Dean bellowed and Sam winced as his brother yelled right in his ear.
"Yeah, let's forget shutting the gates of hell, this is much worse." Sam muttered, but Dean heard this and, once he regained full use of his feet, turned to him viciously and Sam winced away from the glare.
"Hey I was kidding, this is worse than the Apocalypse." He said, slightly earnestly and Dean growled as he inspected the damage done to his car.
"Who did this to you baby? I'll get them, don't you worry, I'll hunt them down and kill them." He assured the car, stroking the canopy while inspecting the damage done to their home on wheels.
Sam, who, while very fond of the car, wasn't as erotically linked to it as his brother was and hence didn't feel the need to talk to it (or sing it a lullaby as he had found Dean doing once after an oil change), was still annoyed by the wanton attack upon their vehicle. Whoever was after Dean was clearly also out to totally piss his brother off, and also knew where they were staying, as the car was parked right outside of their room. Sam wondered if the car had been scratched before he had gone in, wishing he'd paid more attention.
"Is it the same guy who attacked me?" Dean threw at him and Sam shrugged, but he had to admit, it was more than likely.
"Most likely, they did this to prove they can get to you Dean. Dean, this isn't just some guy out to get you, this is a stalker. He's proving he can get to us any time he wants to." Sam said, and Dean glared.
"Well now they've crossed the line, they've damaged her and I'll rip their nuts off. I'm going to kill that kid!" he vowed, and Sam looked at him curiously.
"Yeah but why would a kid want to hurt you?" he asked, and Dean shrugged.
"No idea, but I want to hurt him now. So, we need to think nasties with long thin claws." Dean said, turning back to whisper sweet nothings to the Impala.
"And silvery looking eyes..." Sam said worriedly, taking his gun from his belt.
"What makes you say that?" Dean asked, turning to his brother, just as a blur leapt over his head and there was a slashing noise.
Dean span to see something vanish into the shadows, silvery blue eyes narrowed at him in hatred, but Dean had no time for that as he turned to face his brother, a long thin slash along his neck spurting blood.
"Sammy!" Dean yelled in alarm, vaulting to his feet as Sam collapsed, slamming his head into the canopy of the car before he fell completely to the floor, face going pale as blood started to drain from the slash, his hair pooled around his head. Dean skidded to his brother's side, stroking his hair out of the way briskly but tenderly, and quickly applying his jacket to Sam's neck. Sam stirred weakly, and Dean guided his hand to hold the jacket in place as Sam wearily opened his eyes, which bulged slightly in alarm.
"Dean!" he whispered urgently and Dean rolled out of the way just in time, before kicking up at his attacker's stomach.
His attacker stumbled awkwardly, and Dean tackled him once more, vaulting his attacker over the top of the car.
"What's the saying? Crawl before you can walk!" Dean yelled, kicking the monster in the stomach, wincing as a claw cut into his leg.
The creature tried to make a run for it but Dean, as he could walk without difficult, sprang at him, tackling him to the ground and pinned him.
"You made two big mistakes, first, you attacked my car," he snarled, punching the creature in the mouth, "and then my baby brother!" he roared and punched the creature again.
The creature gave an enraged hiss, stabbing for Dean's eyes with its claws. As Dean raised his hands to cover his face, the creature kicked him in the stomach, knocking him onto his back and then the creature bent over double and basically vaulted away on all fours, which he could manage a lot better than two legs.
Glaring at where their attacker had disappeared, Dean ran to his brother's side. His face was still pale but there were no immediate signs that the slash was anything more than a bad cut. So, glaring around anxiously and hoping no one had heard their altercation, Dean hoisted his brother up into his arms and escaped into the relative safety of their room.
XX
Dean was just looking at their father's journal for the third time in two hours when Sam made a noise, indicating he was awake. Dean, all their arguments forgotten, was at his side in an instant, gently brushing Sam's hair from his face.
"You ok?" he asked softly, and Sam rubbed his eyes blearily, massaging the bruise on his temple from where he had hit the car.
"Yeah. Are you?" he asked, sitting up a bit despite Dean's attempts to stop him doing exactly that.
Dean grinned.
"I didn't get hit aside from a graze on the leg if that's what you mean. But no I am not ok, this creepy stalker bastard had slashed my car and then slashed my brother, which is an automatic way to piss me off. In fact, I might have one day got over the car, but attacking you is beyond the pale." He grunted and Sam smiled slightly.
"Thanks. Do we know if this thing is poisonous? Because it's stinging like a bitch." He said, pointing to the long, thin slash in his neck.
"I don't think so, it didn't affect me and since he actually stuck his claw in it would have affected me by now. You were right about him walking actually, it's like he can't control his legs properly, yet when he used them to escape on all fours, he moved like a natural, its weird. He can pounce, like how he got you, and run on all fours, but he can't walk properly on two legs. Any ideas?" he asked, and Sam frowned thoughtfully.
"None that spring to mind. Did you get a good look at him?" he asked, and Dean shook his head, looking irritated.
"I was about to but he stabbed for my eyes so I lost my grip on them. I didn't fancy relying on your crappy driving for the rest of my life." He teased and Sam pouted, sending Dean a reproachful look but smiling all the same.
"There's nothing wrong with my driving." He said with dignity, and Dean grinned.
"The lamppost you took out would beg to differ." He reminded him and Sam pouted all the more.
"That wasn't my fault, I hit black ice. So we don't have any clue who he was?" he asked and Dean shook his head.
"Nope, we still don't have a clue. Did you get a decent look at his eyes, that would help?" he asked, and Sam shook his head.
"No, all I saw was the colour before he was on me. But, while we might not know, this guy might." He said triumphantly, and showed Dean a small business card, making Dean grin in delight.
"You little sneak. Hang on, this isn't why he got you was it?" he asked sharply, and Sam shook his head.
"No, I was already going down and I picked his pocket, kind of like what I did with Amy. What's it say, my visions still a bit blurry." He admitted ruefully and Dean grinned, taking the card from him and studying it. The emblem was a totem pole flanked by a couple of potion vials.
"Hmm, looks like a magic shop in Anaconda, Montana. Reckon our stalker friend came from there?" he asked and Sam nodded.
"Would make sense since we reckon he came from Montana. And if the magic shop really is magic..."
"It might help explain our stalker friend. So what do you reckon, witch? Shaman?" Dean asked hopefully, and Sam laid a hand on his wrist.
"Hey, we don't know he's involved, cool your jets. We need to go and take a look around, then we can see what we need to do." He said, and Dean rolled his eyes and nodded reluctantly.
"Ok, but I'd rather chop first and ask questions later." He admitted and Sam glared at him scoldingly.
"Which is the same blood thirsty attitude that nearly lost us Kevin." He reminded tartly and Dean nodded sheepishly.
"Yeah, admittedly that wasn't a good move. Alright, I'll behave. But first thing we do in Montana is get to a hospital." He said, and Sam looked at him patiently.
"Dean, I'm fine!" he insisted but Dean simply shook his head stubbornly.
"We thought that after Becky smacked you round so much in New Orleans and it nearly killed you. We're going." He said sternly and despite himself, and his eyes rolling, Sam grinned.
This was more like what they had been before he vanished. They weren't back yet, not completely, but they were getting there.
"And besides, the sooner we get some distance between my mysterious stalker, my baby and my baby brother, the happier I'll be. I've already loaded up the car. Let's go." He said, and Sam, stubborn to the last got to his feet, and promptly staggered.
And as always, Dean was right behind him, keeping him up.
The two brothers smiled awkwardly at each other before heading out to the defiled Impala, and Sam was of course treated to an impassioned rant about what Dean would do to his stalker and all his other ilk, the ilk who would dare defile something as beautiful as his beloved Impala. He continued in this vogue for some time, not noticing his baby brother had long since fallen asleep.
XX
"I told you I was fine." Sam said smugly as Dean pulled the car to a stop outside the magic shop that Sam had stolen the card for.
"Well I didn't want you getting another blood clot. Have you found a decent garage yet?" Dean asked impatiently and Sam muttered under his breath about his bad tempered impatient older brother as he checked his phone.
"Dean she managed to drive across several states without her scratch affecting her, a little longer won't affect her too badly, she isn't terminal." He chided, and Dean glared at him but Sam, engrossed in his phone, didn't notice.
"No but it's like she's been raped, and we need to restore her purity." He told him tartly, and Sam grinned.
"Her purity? I think you robbed that with, what was her name, oh yeah, Zara Michaels wasn't it?" he asked with an air of maddening superiority, and Dean went scarlet.
"I-I-I didn't think you knew about that." He said, abashed and trying to avoid Sam's gaze, but Sam, beaming in triumph, didn't let him escape that easily.
"Course I knew, I saw what you were doing when I went past." He said and Dean looked at him incredulously.
"And you kept it quiet all these years?" he demanded, and Sam affected a look of innocence.
"Um, no...ever wonder why Francesca Knight seemed hussy like?" he asked innocently and Dean's eyes widened in shock.
"You told her! I'll get you for that. And don't you flash those puppy dog eyes at me." He said grumpily, making Sam grin all the more, especially as he knew Dean wouldn't last long before he caved and looked back at him.
It only took him thirty more seconds and he caved, once more meaning Sam had won, and with that, they turned their attention back to business.
It had taken so long in the hospital it was already sunset by the time they got out, and by the time they finished the journey to Anaconda and then found the shop, it was already closed and dark. Various vials and apparently magical items were in the window, along with various spells that apparently worked. But, while most of it seemed the sort of nonsense that people who their hacker ally Charlie Bradbury had branded 'muggles' would buy, the vials and their contents seemed different.
"Come back in the morning?" Sam asked, but Dean shook his head.
"We need to know who this guy is that's hunting us. We might have left him in Cameron but I'd rather not take the risk, and when he catches up with us I want to be able to teach him how to respect other people's cars and brothers. Come on." Dean commanded, readying his gun and Sam sighed, bemused, and followed his brother reluctantly.
"Dean we can easily come back tomorrow." Sam told him patiently, but Dean waved him off and after checking to see the coast was clear, got out a lockpick and started to do the necessary.
"To quote C3PO, impossible man." Sam muttered under his breath as Dean exclaimed in triumph.
"We'll just have a quick look around Sam, that's all. Because if that stalker of mine comes back, I want to know if he got any magic tricks from in here." He said, readying his torch and beckoning Sam to follow him, which he did reluctantly.
"Dean, we don't know he's involved, he might have just sold something to the dude. We don't know he's anything to do with this." Sam muttered impatiently, but Dean ignored him.
"Dean!" Sam scolded and entered too.
"Look Sam, this guy is dangerous, if nothing else he might know what he is."
"Which means we should ask him when he's actually here!" Sam hissed in annoyance, as the lights suddenly blazed on, temporarily blinding them.
There was then a heavy whistling and a wooden club collided with the back of Dean's head, dropping him to the floor, out cold. Sam had just spun to face the next attack when the club collided with the back of his head. He staggered forward slightly, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed unconscious beside his brother.
XX
Dean awoke first, groaning as he did so, to find himself tied to a chair, his brother on another chair and tied to the back of his own. Shaking his head to clear it, and hearing Sam groan irritably as he too awoke, they looked around the lit storeroom until they found their attacker, sitting at a desk and surveying them as a teacher would when disappointed with a student.
He was a strange looking little man. He was short, with a hunched back. His skin was a strange white and yellow colour, with red sort of pockmarks around his face, along with a couple of blue tattoos. He had a strong, beak like noise and small but wicked little eyes. He also had two tone hair, the black hair on the top all curled and he had two long blond pigtails on either shoulder.
"Care to tell me why you're breaking into my store?" he croaked.
"Look mate, it's all just a big misunderstanding." Dean tried to explain but the man scoffed.
"Somehow I doubt it. Otherwise you wouldn't have broken in. So tell me, what is so important that it couldn't wait till business hours?" he demanded, getting to his feet, his posture stooped as he plodded over.
"We were attacked by a customer of yours. He's threatening my brother's life, so we were hoping you knew who he was." Sam explained, and he peered down at Sam.
"And this couldn't wait till tomorrow why?" he demanded irritably, and Sam's eyes widened in realisation.
"You're a Garuda aren't you?" he asked and the man reeled back, shocked.
Dean, irritated that he couldn't see anything, tried to crane around to look but could only see Sam's long hair. Giving up, he simply asked what he wanted to know.
"I thought Garuda were extinct." He said, and the man snorted.
"Not quite, though not for lack of trying. My people were always at war." he explained and Sam looked at him with renewed curiosity.
"Yeah, with the Aquila. Another bird like creature, but much more predatory. The Garuda changed but became too predatory, they were upsetting the balance, and it was only when Phoenixes got involved and made many Garuda their own that the conflict came to an end. But you can't be a full Garuda, only a few were left after the Phoenixes amalgamated them and the Aquila wiped out so many. And you wouldn't have black hair either." Sam said, and the man chuckled.
"You're quite right. I'm half and half, part Aquila, part Garuda." He conceded, and Dean sighed in exasperation.
"Anyone want to explain to me what a Garuda and an Aquila are? And what did you do Sam, eat a bestiary?" he demanded and Sam clucked his tongue impatiently.
"No, I read things other than porn Dean." He sniffed and Dean huffed.
"A Garuda is a fire bird. An Aquila is a thunderbird." The old man explained, and upon hearing this, Dean, most unhelpfully, started whistling the Thunderbirds theme tune.
"Dean, shut it!" Sam hissed, making his brother's reflex whistle falter.
The old man chuckled as he sat down at his desk again.
"You are knowledgeable for one so young. Pity you are saddled with the dead weight." He commented idly.
"Hey!" Dean protested, hating not being able to see what's going on.
"Please, as if I haven't heard the Thunderbirds theme tune every time I admit what I am. I said it to a child once and they replied 'F.A.B'." the old man said in disdain.
Deciding to take action before Dean said anything else Thunderbirds related, Sam took action.
"I'm sorry we broke in, but my brother's just worried. Someone, who we believe came here, is trying to kill him and is willing to kill me too to get to him." He explained, and the old man nodded, stroking his chin.
"Yes I see why it might upset Captain Scarlet over there." The old man wheezed and Dean scowled.
"Hey that was a different show." He said, but the old man ignored him as he surveyed Sam.
"We know it's thin, but he had a business card from here and was definitely in Montana before he came after us. Can you think of anyone who might have been doing to Missouri? We'd be very grateful." Sam said, and the old man narrowed his eyes.
"How grateful?" he asked and Dean struggled against his bonds.
"Very, we won't kill you." He said, and the man chuckled.
"Nice try boy. You won't kill me, I'm too valuable. Maybe even one of a kind." He said and Dean looked at all the potions on the wall, a thought coming to mind.
"Yeah, after all, there aren't many alchemists around nowadays are there?" he asked and this time it was Sam who was surprised.
"An alchemist?" he asked, impressed.
"Yeah. No witchy stuff here, that's why the potions feel different, they are, they're real. He's an alchemist, one of the last of a dying breed." Dean said and the old man chuckled dryly.
"You're quite right sonny boy. So as you know, as I am an old alchemist with no other businesses to support me, I need to take payment. All things are for sale, including information. But for a price." He said greedily, and Dean pondered.
"Goofer dust?" he asked, and the man looked thoughtful.
"Up the price and you might get a deal, not many hunters around these parts, which is preferable of course for a man in my line of trade." He admitted, and Sam shrugged.
"Some holy oil?" he asked and the hybrid smirked.
"Yes, that would be most nice. One more thing and we have a deal. After all, as you said there aren't many of us left. Hunters persecuted us, wrongly believing us dangerous when we are usually simple businessmen." He said, sounding aggrieved and Sam snorted disbelievingly.
"Yeah, but you do share similarities with voodoo practitioners and witches, you violate nature with your skills." He said, and the hybrid screeched loudly, making both boys yell in pain as the sonic attack impacted their ears. The hybrid then changed to a whistle and though Dean couldn't hear anything, Sam was thrashing about as if being tortured, and Dean was beginning to get vivid recollections of the pagan Christmas gods from all those years ago. Sam was screaming in his ear and he could feel his brother thrashing, trying to get free, to make it stop.
"Cut it out!" Dean yelled and the hybrid finally stopped, Sam breathing heavily as his brain recovered from the pitched attack.
"Don't throw me in with those novices, it is their actions that brought hunters and their ilk down on us, not the other way round. We are a peaceful people, dedicated to otherworldly science. Now, deal!" he barked, and as Sam was still trying to recover, Dean took over.
"A couple of sprigs of angelica root?" he asked, and the man cawed in delight.
"Deal! Now, go out to your car, do not bring any weapons, and collect the goods. We will trade when you return. And as insurance, I'll keep your brother." He sneered, and Dean glared as Sam recovered, also glaring.
"That wasn't part of the deal, let Sam go." Dean demanded and he let out a caw of laughter.
"Don't dictate to me boy, I could kill you both easily right now. But, provided you pay up, you and your brother will walk out of here, alive and mostly unharmed, with the information you need. So..." the hybrid said, flapping his hand and Dean's bonds incinerated, allowing Dean to get to his feet and stretch his legs.
"Just do it Dean." Sam ordered, and Dean looked at him worriedly, he didn't want to leave him at risk. Sam was still tied to the chair, but the alchemist did seem to be on the level, he was simply keeping Sam as insurance. He moved close to the hybrid, glaring warningly.
"A hair out of place on his head..." Dean vowed and the alchemist smiled.
"Of course. Here, I'll even put him to sleep so you can tell if he remains undisturbed." He purred, and with a flap of his hand, he sent electricity shuddering through Sam's body.
"Hey!" Dean yelled, as Sam vibrated as if electrocuted, his voice and breath shuddering, before his eyes rolled back and his head flopped over the back of the chair, unconscious.
"See, perfectly safe." The alchemist purred and Dean glared.
"Hardly! You leave him alone, I'll get your damn stuff." He growled, and he backed out of the room, keeping an eye on his unconscious brother as much as possible.
Five minutes later, Dean hurried through the door, goods in hand and he dumped them on the table, presenting them to the alchemist, who rubbed his hands together greedily while Dean rushed to Sam's side, gently cajoling him to wake up. Sam groaned weakly as the alchemist surveyed his goods, and Dean laid a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder.
"He zapped you." Dean growled, and Sam shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. Well?" he asked, his voice getting stronger, and the alchemist smiled as he turned back to them.
"All present and correct. The shocks will wear off in an hour or so. Now, you want information. I did have a customer who requested an ageing potion, paid handsomely for it too. He said he had a score to settle, something about a death of a loved one. And some hunter was the target of his rage. I'm not familiar with his species, but I'm not familiar with many. Long claws though, sharp teeth." He said, and Dean looked at him irritably, believing they had been ripped off.
"That's all?"
"That's all I know. Oh, the potion he used, it would have side effects. It would take him a while to get used to his new body, he would most likely prefer comfort over appearance. That's the problem with ageing potions, so much fine print. Oh, and it was about ten years he aged." He explained, freeing Sam and Dean helped his unsteady brother to his feet, supporting him as he wobbled.
"I suppose you've helped. Now, our weapons?" Dean asked, and the alchemist pulled their things from the drawer, and Sam, hand shuddering, took them as the two Winchesters, eyeing the hybrid alchemist with mistrust, made their way from the shop.
The alchemist chuckled. A good deal, and he did so enjoy screwing over hunters. They were part of the reason both his people and career were a dying breed. He clucked his tongue as he moved Deans chair, but then, he saw one of Sam's longer ones, and his eyes widened in realisation.
He had just had the infamous Winchesters in his store. Sam and Dean Winchester. The price of goods related to them would be astronomical! This hair alone was worth thousands to the right person, and he could think of someone who would very much like to get their hands on one, if not many more, of his hairs. Hairs, nails, sweat, skin, gel, any and all were for sale. He could make a fortune.
And their organs too, if he harvested them and sold them to the right buyer, he'd be as rich as JK Rowling.
But he couldn't rush in. Not with their prey out there, and the deaths of hunters in anything but a hunt might lead to more hunters. But, he didn't have to wait to collect a few more things. Making sure he had more empty vials, he stored the hair and all but flew from the shop, keeping to the shadows.
"You sure you're ok?" Dean asked worriedly, and Sam nodded.
"I'll be fine. Let's just go ok?" he asked, and Dean was about to drive off when the alchemist landed by the open window, cloaked in darkness, and sent a high pitched scream right through their brains.
Dean began shuddering first, his entire body shaking. A line of drool escaped from his mouth as he spasmed, his body shuddering under the assault. And then with a defeated gurgle, his eyes rolled back in his head and he went still, slipping to the side slightly.
Sam jerked and shuddered, his tall body trapped in the confines of the front seat. He let out a shuddering cry as he suffered the attack, his legs flapping uselessly, as did his hands. He gasped in the back of his throat, his head rocking as he was attacked, his long hair falling about his face before he too succumbed. With a weak groan, he slumped in his seat, his eyes rolled back as they closed, his head landing on Dean's shoulder, hair cascading in front of his face as he too went still, his thick tongue sticking out of his slightly open mouth.
The alchemist grinned, and set about collecting samples of everything, skin, hair (including gelled ones from Dean), saliva from Dean, tongue cells from Sam, sweat from both of them and anything else that he considered useful. Once he had collected his samples and stored them safely, he fixed their clothes so that they wouldn't know of his presence, and vanished back into his store, leaving Dean, slumped and unconscious in the drivers seat, with Sam's slumped and unconscious form lying with his head on his brother's shoulder.
And as he entered his shop, the alchemist grinned. And once their hunt was over, their organs would be his too.
Brilliant.
And so he shut his door, leaving the unconscious Winchesters out cold in their car, Dean's head hanging over the back of his chair with Sam's head resting on his shoulder, unknowing as you what the alchemist truly had planned for them and the bits of them he already had.
The plot thickens!
So are the boys dealing with their issues or is this a temporary thing? Who is stalking Dean, and had the audacity to attack the Impala? And just what does the creepy alchemist have planned for the bits of the boys he just harvested? He might seem nice on the outside but he's a nasty piece of work too
Bonus points if you figure out where the idea of the hybrid came from, the garuda (two options available) and the aquila (shares it with the garuda). and Thunderbirds even got a mention!
Right, so, what will happen next? Will the boys find out who and what is stalking them? Will the alchemist get his wicked way? And who are his mysterious buyers? And since they didnt appear this chapter, what are the Perpurigo up to?
Until next time, please read and review review review! (I was kind of down this morning, and reviews cheer me up so please take pity on me!)