War! What's it good for? Absolutely Nothing!

by ephiny63

COMPLETED The last seal has been broken and evil walks on the earth. A small band of hunters are mounting a defensive but will they succeed in the end? BIG HURT!SAMMY and HURT!DEAN,along the way. As the brothers are fighting for more than their lives.

2. Chapter 2

War, What's it good for? Absolutely nothing!

Disclaimer: Nope still nothing, was hoping for an early birthday present from Mr Kripke but sigh still nothing.

Author's Note: This is a different story altogether for me so please bear with me. This is a futuristic story, everything in the show has been and passed, the biggest difference is that all of the seals are broken

Sorry bout my enforced abscence, just suffice it to say that with a new phone connection done ... I'm Back!!!!!!!!!!

S—D

Chapter Two: The night all hell broke loose again – literally!

November 1st 2009

Angels Bluff, Missouri

S—D

Heavy, pendulous, clouds of black, purple and grey hues, hung over the small town of Angels Bluff Missouri like a funeral pall. The occasional lazy roll of thunder echoed somewhere in the distance, the sweet cloying smell of rain played on the atmosphere but the showers had yet started.

Another roll of thunder this time accompanied by a sharp flash of lightening illuminating the evening skyline. As another flash of lightening hit, the sky a sleek midnight black classic car rumbled into the car park of the Cloud Nine Motel just off the interstate.

Ten minutes later with a room booked and paid for the two occupants made a mad dash for the motel room, heavy drops of rain splattered on contact with whatever stood in their way.

'Ah man that was lucky.' Twenty-nine year old Dean Winchester grinned and shook his damp short hair at his brother, spraying him in a fine mist of rain.

'Dude!' Sam Winchester screwed his nose up at his brother and then with an evil grin forming leant forward and shook his much longer and much wetter hair directly in Dean's face making him splutter in indignation.

'You are so in for it now.' Dean groused as he stalked to the bathroom, 'I've got first shower.'

'Whatever dude.' Sam continued to laugh, 'I know, I know no hot water for me.'

'You won't know when Sam ...' Dean threatened and stifled a small giggle as he slammed the door shut behind him.

Sam sorted their bags and then set the laptop up on the small table making sure that he had the power supply connected, with a sigh he draped his long body onto the hard wooden chair and scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands.

'So where's your guard dog?' A very sarcastic female voice broke through Sam's reverie; jumping in shock, he stared up at the angry young woman standing in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest.

'Ruby what the ... what are you doing here?' Sam hissed his panicked gaze slid to the still closed bathroom door before he looked up at her again. 'Leave, before Dean comes out ... please.'

'How come you're not answering my calls Sam? I thought we had an agreement.' Ruby ignored his plea and continued to rant, her voice rising with her anger, 'I've waited long enough Sam we gotta get your training up to speed.'

'Please Ruby leave, I'm working things out with Dean and I don't need you to wreck things again.' Sam turned away from Ruby and stared down at the laptop, 'I'll ring when I can.'

'Yeah well I may not be there when you do.' Ruby sniffled, 'careful Sam I don't like being played.'

'Neither do I Ruby.' Sam answered evenly as he lifted his gaze and met hers directly, 'neither do I.'

Ruby opened her mouth to retort when she decided against it and suddenly disappeared, Sam slammed his fist against the table frustrated, and he hated being in the middle of his brother and well whatever Ruby was to him. Suddenly he got a glimpse of what it must have been like for Dean when Sam and their father were at each other's throats. 'Damn Dean how did you do it?' He mumbled, hearing the shower shut off Sam got up and made some coffee he had to do something, anything to keep his mind and hands busy.

'Coffee's on.' He called out huskily, 'am going out for dinner back soon.'

'What?' Dean yelled back but was, greeted with the slamming of the front door, 'Sammy?' Marching to the window he blinked out into the murkiness of the early evening to see Sam pull away in the impala, the smell of coffee brewing soon filled the air making Dean's mouth water. He shrugged slightly and went to get dressed guessing that Sam had gone for dinner.

Frowning slightly he noticed the laptop was still on with a webpage open, curiosity getting the better of him Dean sat down and started to check out what Sam was reading. Yawning, he was ready to close it, filing it under ultra-boring-geek-crap, when he noticed a small red smear on the corner of the tabletop, pushing his fingertip along it Dean realised that it was blood. The faintest stench of sulphur permeated the air and Dean's stomach clenched tightly.

He pushed away from the table, poured a cup of coffee and started to prowl around the room, impatiently waiting for Sam to come back.

'Where the fuck have you been?' Dean demanded when Sam finally let himself into the motel room, two bags of food balanced precariously while he unlocked the door.

'Dinner run ... why? What's wrong?' Sam asked feeling his anxiety rise at the sight of his agitated brother, damn it Ruby what have you done?

'Is that all huh?' Dean demanded slamming his coffee cup on the sink he stalked over to his younger brother and grabbed at his hands to inspect the knuckles ignoring the food that threatened to fall onto the already filthy puce coloured carpet.

'Dean what's wrong?' Sam asked again, he managed to deposit the food on the bench and turn to face his brother, without another thought he allowed Dean to inspect the small cuts and bruise on the knuckles of his left hand.

'Care to let me in on it?' Dean hissed, 'we get visitors while I was in the shower?'

'Dean ...'

'Well Sammy? Who did you go and meet?'

'No one, geeze Dean take a chill pill, I went to get us dinner.'

'Oh I see and you just bust your knuckles up getting tacos?'

'No I banged my hand on the table.'

'Uhhuh and the sulphur traces?' Dean honed in with his trump card, 'care to explain?'

Confused, Sam stared at his brother, and then it hit him, 'Ruby was here.' He said quickly knowing that it was going to cause him all sorts of hurts if he denied it.

'She was here?' Dean repeated, thrown a little with Sam openly admitting it.

'Yeah, but I told her to go, and she did.'

'Just like that?'

'Just like that ... what else do you want me to say Dean?' Sam asked his tone quickly reverting to his 'tired-sounding-trying-to-appease-Dean tone.'

'What exactly did she want and when were you going to tell me?' Dean demanded not willing to let go of his annoyance just yet, he wasn't sure why he got so angry so quickly but there was something about that demon that rubbed him the wrong way and back again.

'She wanted to know why I haven't answered her calls or gotten in contact.' Sam sighed and then turned to busy himself with dishing up their meals.

'And that's it?'

'That's it.' Sam sighed, 'so you want hot salsa on your taco?'

'You're not hiding?'

'Dude what else can I tell you?' Sam finally felt his own anger rising, 'she came, I told her to go and she left that's it.'

'Fine.'

'Fine.'

'So we gonna eat or what?' Dean rubbed his hands together and dodged the corn chip flying towards him.

S—D

'Samuel Winchester.' The deep voice of Uriel woke Sam from his sleep, or rather brought him into the dreamscape that he could easily communicate with the humans, as distasteful as he found it.

'Uriel?' Sam blinked, he looked back into the room and saw Dean and his own body still sleeping soundly, 'so dream-walking? Bit rude isn't it?'

'I don't have time for your ... pitiful banter.' Uriel sniffed and pointedly looked down at Sam, 'I have your instructions I am not going to repeat myself so pay attention.'

'Why? Why would I have to listen to you?' Sam rankled at the patronising tone Uriel used, 'where's Castiel?'

'I'm right here Sam.' Sam turned and stared at the weather-beaten looking Angel, 'so this must be important if I get a visit from both of you.'

'Sam this isn't what you think.' Castiel wanted to break the news carefully but he sensed Uriel's unusual eagerness. 'This is a warning.'

'What? I'm not using my powers, what else do you want from me?' Sam cried out, he was so tired trying to please all of them, including Dean at this point.

'Calm down Sam, we have news that Lilith is going to attempt the last seal within the next week.' Castiel explained calmly, 'you need to know this because she is going to go after Dean.'

'What else?' Sam asked his voice tight and caught in his throat, once again, he stared down at Dean's sleeping form, and he had only just gotten him back.

'This is a waste of time,' Uriel broke in impatiently, 'you are to prevent Lilith from opening the last seal, no matter what you see or hear.'

'What does that mean?' Sam looked at each Angel in return, 'what do you mean?'

'It means that both of your lives and souls hang on your decision Samuel do you need me to write it down?'

'You have to protect Dean ... he is the key but you are the lock.' Castiel said mysteriously.

'You choose Dean ... the seal is broken – you choose the seal ... Dean is dead.' Uriel said almost gleefully. He wanted to add a 'win-win' situation but at the look on Castiel's face, he decided against it.

'So this is it?' Sam asked incredulously, 'and exactly how am I expected to do this? If I can't use the powers?'

'The way will be made clear to you at the time Sam; it is not for us to tell you that.' Castiel explained patiently, 'we will be there to fight at your side should things not ...'

'Should you fail, which is probably what will happen you are afterall, a pathetic mud-monkey ...'

'Uriel enough.' Castiel scolded his counterpart; he had hoped to gain Sam's trust enough so that the younger Winchester wouldn't ask too many questions and be eager instead to show his blind faith. 'We need you to do this Sam.'

'Why me? I mean let's face it I'm not exactly flavour of the month with you guys, that's what you keep telling me. Now what? You want me to protect Dean and to stop the last seal being broken by what or rather how?' Sam looked at the two angels as the realisation dawned on him, 'you want me to use my powers?' He spat the question out angrily, 'after getting all the grief and lectures and threats you want me to turn around and use my powers?'

'Sam it is a bigger picture than what you can see.'

'I can see a long way thanks all the same.' Sam spat out his answer, 'I'll do what you want but not for you, I'm doing this for Dean.'

'He must not know of this conversation Sam.'

'Now you want me to keep secrets from Dean? Oh this just gets better!'

'Sam calm down please.' Castiel glared over at Uriel who grinned smugly almost gleefully, he was enjoying this a little too much.

'We will be in touch with more intel, please keep an eye on your brother until then.' Castiel said as he disappeared, Uriel stepped closer to Sam and stared at him with a look of utter contempt.

'Your brother is collateral damage Samuel just like you are, as I have said to you before as soon as you are no longer useful ...' He left the threat hang in the air as he too disappeared and Sam woke. He sat up and stared around the room until he realised where he was again, he tried to calm his breathing before he woke Dean but it didn't work. Silently he slipped out of bed and fled to the bathroom. With shaking hands, he splashed cold water on his face as the words of the Angels came back to him, ending with Uriel's barely concealed threat.

S—D

Sam paced in front of the library chewing down his thumbnail until he started to nibble the quick, wincing when he tasted the coppery taste of blood, Sam checked his watch again, and then his cell phone and then stared up at the stormy sky as though he looked for some sort of divine inspiration.

'Where are you Dean?' He muttered aloud as he pulled the collar of his jacket up around his neck and stared down the street, Angel's Bluff had a total population of 989, a small town where everyone knew each other, barely any crime and children played freely: a demonic paradise.

After waiting for his brother, Sam heaved a sigh and decided to start walking back to the motel, he passed the time while he walked by thinking of different ways he was going to pay Dean back for making him walk with another storm on the horizon.

As the heavy clouds suddenly burst, delivering a chilly deluge of rain on those trapped outside; Sam cursed and started to jog along the road, his backpack slapping his back with a wet sloppy whack adding to his misery and growing anger. If Dean was safe, warm and dry in the motel room, he was gonna kill him.

The sight of the impala still parked outside their room almost did it for Sam as he sprinted the last few feet coming to a squelching, skidding stop, unlocking the door with a sarcastic barb ready to fire Sam stepped inside the room and froze.

'Dean?' He whispered not daring to call out louder, 'Dean?' The room was in tatters, the beds broken and upended, their clothing strewn around haphazardly as though someone was looking for something specific hidden in their bags. What made Sam feel so sick and horrified though was the sight of fresh blood smeared over everything. The thick cloying smell nauseating but mixed with the sulphur it was poisonous.

'She has him.' Castiel said as he appeared in front of Sam's trembling figure, 'Sam?'

'She ... there's so much blood Castiel ... I was too late.'

'What happened? You were told to look after ...'

'We ahh were researching and Dean insisted on returning to the motel room while I finished up at the library, he wanted to find a particular entry in dad's journal. By the time I was ready to go, he was already gone. I waited for him he should have only been ten minutes.'

'Sam ...'

'He should have been only ten minutes.' Sam repeated his eyes glassy and unfocused, 'I waited for twenty minutes, twice as long as ... and then I ran, I ran the way back.' Sam blinked and looked up at the look of compassion on the Angel's face, 'I was too late.'

'This is where to go Sam, hurry you don't have much time.' Castiel touched Sam's forehead imprinting the directions in his mind, 'I will meet you there.'

'Castiel ... is he?'

'Alive?'

'Yeah, is he?'

'As far as I can tell yes he is.' Castiel said as he laid a hand on Sam's shoulder and then disappeared. Visibly shaking himself Sam locked the door behind him and sped off in the impala, the directions so clear in his mind.

S—D

Dean rummaged through his duffle bag until he found their father's journal; he couldn't believe that they didn't take it with them to begin with. Whistling softly he grabbed his leather jacket and went to leave when the door swung open violently sending him sprawling across the room, stunned he lay there for a few seconds before he tried to stand. 'Now, now Dean you can't run off I wanna play.' A young girl of about ten years of age stood over him, with long blond hair tied in pigtails with red ribbons and wearing a dress of white with tiny red rosettes stitched across the bodice. 'I been looking for you, I wanna play.'

'Sorry but I can't play today I gotta get going.' Dean gasped breathlessly as the little girl waggled her fingers over his throat. 'Places to go, people to see.'

'You're gonna make me mad Deanie.'

'Can't play with you today Lilith, try again in the next millennia.'

'You no fair Deanie.' Lilith pouted, 'now you gotta be punished.' Two men with black eyes and faces devoid of emotion appeared either side of Dean. With no time to register what was happening, the men had Dean's hands bound behind his back, one of them held him down while the other ripped his clothes baring his abdomen.

'Ooohh youse pretty Deanie.' Lilith cooed clapping her hands with glee, 'I likes this game.'

'Go back to hell bitch.' Dean ground out as his throat continued to close up, stifling his breath in his chest.

'Ooohh make him bleed.' Lilith ordered happily.

S—D

Sam hid the impala as best as he could and then took off running through the forest, ignoring the whipping of tree branches against his exposed skin, his breath exploding as he kept increasing his speed, his need to save Dean overriding anything else. The colt nestled between his lower back and jeans waistband, the demon-killing knife safe in a sheath on his belt, his pockets held salt and a flask of holy water, a rosary in the pocket closest to his tattooed chest and in his hand he gripped the sawn-off shotgun filled with salt rounds. His berserker rush hampered slightly by the brush and undergrowth soon brought him bursting through to the clearing. An innocuous clearing, with naturally fallen logs and leaves covering the forest floor. A large boulder stood out, unnatural in the setting, thick chains crisscrossed over the prisoner trapped on it seemingly unconscious. Hopefully not dead.

'Dean!' Sam called out as he slowed his approach to a long stride covering the last of the distance. His focus fixed solely on Dean; Sam failed to notice the possessed men hiding along the tree-line. He failed to notice the strange tablet shaped rock lying on the ground at the feet of the prisoner. All he could see was the prisoner, his beloved older brother. As he grew closer, he could see the horrific brand burnt into Dean's stomach muscles and flesh, a horned goat's head in the centre of a pentagram.

'Oh God Dean.' He murmured as he came to a stop on the right-hand side of the boulder, he dropped the shotgun and started to work on the chains holding his brother captive.

'Ooohh Sammy, you wanna play too?' A young girl lisped slightly as she skipped up to Sam, 'Deanie don't wanna play anymore.'

'Leave him alone you bitch.' Sam ground out as he stared down at the small girl, the thought of how he was going to do this running through his mind.

'Ooohh you said a swear word.' Lilith chided him, 'you're a bad boy.'

'Let the girl go Lilith.' Sam said as he tried to lead the possessed girl away from Dean but he soon backed into a physical barricade. His fingers sought out the knife and with deadly accuracy he sliced through the throats of two of the men, he refused to look at them as they fell away dead, their sightless eyes fixed on him in horror. Swallowing down on the rising bile, and with a heaving chest Sam turned his attention to Lilith, he started to chant in Latin in an attempt at exorcism when movement just outside his peripheral vision broke his concentration, 'Ruby?'

'Sorry Sammy you had your chance.' The brunette demon shrugged as she lounged against a tree, 'Lilith had a better offer.'

'You set me up?'

'Well a girl has to look after herself.' Ruby gave him a half-smile and a knowing wink. Sam forced himself to return all of his attention to Lilith, he silently prayed that he did not misread the signals from Ruby, he gasped audibly as he felt a burning pain in his side, looking down he saw a short blade driven into his body to the hilt, dropping his own knife as he felt his left arm go numb.

Swallowing deeply Sam pulled himself up to his full height, pushed the pain and numbness to the back of his mind and concentrated on Lilith. He raised a shaking right hand and started to concentrate on exorcising the demon, blood ran freely from his nose and ears as the pressure built in his head, he felt more than saw another attack and with a flick of his wrist sent the danger sprawling against the wall, leaving Ruby to clean up. His knees buckled as he pushed his entire being to remove the demon from the little girl.

S—D

Unable to move, Dean could only watch in mute horror as Sam burst through the tree line and came into view. His younger brother looked pale and panicked but unhurt; Dean felt a small twinge of relief. He so desperately wanted to warn his brother but the little bitch did something to him, after she branded him and forced this burning liquid down his throat, she had them chain him to this rock, his back stretched painfully over the rough surface, his hands and feet pulled tightly and fixed to stakes in the earth.

He watched in growing horror as they started to attack Sam, at first, he used the knife, but then Ruby showed up; unable to warn Sam he screamed on the inside. He virtually felt the knife slide into Sam's side, sharing the burning pain with his sibling, and then Sam rocked, like a God he rocked; he fought off demonised humans, kept his footing and attempted to exorcise Lilith, all of the while trying desperately to save the little girl.

Blood ran from Sam's nose and ears as the strain and pressure grew exponentially until a blood vessel burst in Sam's eye and he cried tears of blood. 'No Sam.' He cried out silently. 'No!'

S—D

Sam dropped to his knees as he forced the smoke from the frail little body, only a little more and ... suddenly the little girl's head snapped back as the smoke fled the body finding a corpse ready to inhabit. It was an adult male and it felt disgusting but it would do the job for now. In one fluid movement, she/he picked up Sam's knife and wrapped a strong arm around the young hunter's throat while the other drove the blade through his spinal cord, in the exact same place where Jake stabbed Sam not even two years ago.

Gasping for breath, Sam felt rather than saw the arrival of the Angels, he felt his body become weightless, pain-free and numb as he started to tumble to the ground. He blinked owlishly and locked gazes with Dean. Dean's alive.

He didn't quite feel the arms holding him and to be honest he cannot quite say how he knew then but Sam looked up and smiled at the face of Castiel, at the face of an Angel.

S—D

County Hospital

Angel's Bluff, Missouri

November 5th 2009

Castiel stood over his two charges and wondered where everything went so wrong. Both of the Winchester brothers lay unconscious fighting for their mortal lives and immortal souls in a hospital. The last seal broken, and Lucifer and Lilith now walked on the earth.

Uriel suffered their father's wrath and never permitted to go near the Winchester brothers again. The war had started and it should never have happened. Castiel gave Sam the co-ordinates and directions, he was there in plenty of time, and the fight Sam waged was a good fight, a true fight. He was winning but then it span out of control, Castiel and his brothers arrived too late, something that he still fought to understand, the clean up was almost anti-climatic. He knew that he owed the brothers an explanation on why Lilith was, allowed to spill Sam's blood to finish opening the seal, and why she was able to escape with barely a scratch. Most of the humans who died were already dead, corpses reanimated for the soul purpose of becoming mindless soldiers.

'I am so sorry Dean.' Castiel muttered the words as he prepared to leave.

'Not me you should be saying that too.' Dean replied his voice heavy and raspy with the abuse of the poison and disuse.

'I ... know.' Castiel cast a lidded-gaze towards Sam's bed, 'he will survive Dean.'

'Nice to know.' Dean pulled himself up in the bed a little higher and turned to face Sam, 'he has too, why Cass?'

'Why?'

'Why did you let him use his powers like that?' Dean asked his serious gaze boring into the angelically-inhabited mind. 'After all of the threats and accusations about Sam going evil why?'

'We do not question the Father's commands.' Castiel answered with an elegant Gallic shrug.

'So not an answer.' Dean muttered.

'I am sorry Dean for all that is worth, you and Sam will never have to deal with Uriel again though.'

'Sometime in the future you and me ... we're gonna talk about what really went down.' Dean yawned as he fell asleep once again.

S—D

Sam stared up at the doctor impassively; he had barely spoken since awakening in the hospital, his brother and current roommate the only person he wanted to speak too. Even the 'uncle' Bobby Singer was on the receiving end of short mono-syllabic answers or angry, frustrated comments that were easily deflected and forgotten.

He watched angrily as they allowed Dean to go home from the hospital, healed, whole and healthy, the demonic brand now just a faded scar thanks to Castiel.

But for Sam it was a different thing all together. His body bore the scars, angry puckered and numerous, a physical calendar of the coming of Lucifer. The worst, all though relatively small in comparison, was the most devastating of all. This time there were no deals, no resurrections nothing to take the damage away. The Angels unable to heal Sam's life-threatening injuries passed the point of reclaiming his life, had to leave the visible damage, Sam had to learn to live with the fallout.

Perhaps this was to be his penance, for the dalliances with his powers and flirtations with evil? His penance for receiving the tainted blood as a baby. Penance for the sins of his parents.

'Did you hear what I said Sam?' Doctor Pointer asked again, barely concealing his impatience with his patient.

'Yeah I did.' Sam replied softly turning his head away from the prying eyes of the others, he couldn't stand to see the pity anymore. 'When can I get out of here?'

'Sam ... you have to understand the kind of injury to have sustained.'

'I understand Doc, my spine was severed, I have no feeling below my waist and will never walk again, that about cover it all? I gotta piss in a bag, probably never have sex again and will be spending the rest of my life stuck in a wheelchair. So what else can you do for me?'

'You need to learn how to ... deal for one Sam.' the doctor almost snapped but pulled back when he saw the thunderous look on Dean's face, he had already been on the receiving end of Dean's temper when it came to Sam, he did not want to experience that again in this lifetime.

'How about we take him home and get his records transferred to the local hospital?' Bobby asked, 'I can arrange it for Sam to go as an outpatient?'

'Give it another two days here, once you are free of your drainage tubes, no sign of further infection and are coping moderately well in the chair then, then if you still want to I will transfer you to your local hospital.'

'Gee thanks Doc.'

Doctor Pointer nodded and with a glance at Dean, he left his patient knowing that the older brother will follow him out. Sure enough a couple of seconds later Dean appeared, 'So Doc what's really going on with my brother?'

'Physically he is improving there is no question about that.'

'But?'

'Emotionally, I am worried about Sam ... he is not coping at all, outwardly he might think that he is but, I am worried that he will become even more depressed which will hamper his recovery in the long run.

'What do you suggest?'

'Therapy.' The doctor put his hand up before Dean could fire off reasons why not, 'please listen to me Dean, you're both amazing the way you have survived a horrific ordeal, but depression is a major problem especially with someone like your brother. Healthy, physically strong and active, highly intelligent and now finds himself with a severe spinal trauma. He's facing the rest of his life in a wheelchair, at best perhaps with a lot of work the use of a walking frame may help him. Frankly, I would be more worried if he doesn't suffer some sort of depression however, the deeper the depression and denial the harder it will be for Sam to accept what happened to him.'

'Wow did you say all of that without a breath?' Dean grinned but then sobered immediately he knew what the doctor was saying, but how can he convince Sam?

S—D

Sam sat stoically in the impala, Dean was already out of the car and wrestling his new wheelchair out of the backseat, he stared up at Bobby's house and noticed the brand new ramps leading up to the wooden veranda. Brand new doesn't suit Bobby's house or Bobby, it just didn't look right.

'And it's all my fault.' Sam muttered as he swiped away the tears, and winced with the ever-present pressure headache, his reading glasses sat in their case in the bottom of his duffle. Another reminder of what that day had cost Sam.

TBC