Title: The Reader's Special: Second Edition
Author: Disasteriffic Kaz
Info: Set post 7x08 S7TfaW- This is the Reader's Special where you tell me what YOU want in each chapter & I write it. Every event prompted by you after each chapter. Hurt/limp/awesome/caring!Sam/Dean/Bobby etc…
Author's note: Damn nice job with the last chapters prompts guys and gals! Let's see if we can make this one as entertaining! :D
Slight delay on this chapter was due to gas company maintenance here and my having banged my knee up yesterday. Did a number on it so feel free to call me Gimp Girl for a while. lol
Reader Prompts in this chapter: Jody and Bobby hunt the wolf, find a victim & Jody has her first field autopsy; Bobby saving Jody by becoming a human shield; Sam pranks Dean, something having to do with his food; Boys get some local gossip in Diner & Lucifer screws with Sam, does something to his bun; Creepy guy at gas station; car accident, Sam's concussed & Dean feels guilty; Sam's head injury more serious than thought, interferes with hunt; Sam doesn't know if he's having trouble because of injury or Luci; Something happens to make Dean call Bobby for help, he and Jody come; Sam gets nightmares of hell & Dean comforts him.
RECAP: After a new chapter is posted, review and give me your prompts that you would like to see in the NEXT chapter. I will do my best to work them in. Your ideas will drive each chapter of this story.
RULES: No Wincest. I just don't do that. SO not my thing. No insult to those who do because I'm a firm believer in "to each his own" but I don't. That's it really. The only rule.
Do please Review once you've read. :D Every comment and vote of support helps keep me writing. Not to mention if I've pooched anything, someone can always tell me. :P
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"Jody's with Bobby?" Sam asked from the bed and cracked a smile. "Awesome."
Dean went and sat beside him. He nudged Sam's elbow. "It's real, Sammy. You're ok."
Sam blushed slightly and let go his left hand. "I know."
"Good. Now get some sleep." Dean rose and started pulling things out of their bags. "I think we're safe enough for now."
"Reassuring." Sam mumbled and let himself drift off to the sound of Dean puttering around the room.
"I want my pig." Dean lamented as he opened up the weapons bag. "Friggin phantoms."
CHAPTER 3
"So this is what you guys do on an actual…hunt." Jody Mills stood back and admired the board Bobby had set up in their hotel room; newspaper clippings, a map with relevant locations marked off, notes, research, interviews and theories. She smiled, bemused. "You're like supernatural cops."
"Hey now." Bobby scowled at her. "No need to get insultin'." He softened the comment with a smirk. "S'pose it's pretty much the same thing just with different sources." He hefted a thick book from the table. "Just with Campbell's Demonology instead of FBI profilers."
Jody laughed and handed Bobby his beer. "So, what do we do next boss?"
Bobby snorted and turned back to the map. "Well, tonight's the full moon so either we find this thing tonight or wait another month." He pointed to a red mark on the map. "I think this is the best spot."
Jody studied the map and nodded. "I see it. The victims all either died or were found within a mile of the place and a warehouse is a good place to hole up. Even for Werewolves?"
Bobby nodded. "Yeah, they like to find a den; bring their kills in." He set the book aside and picked up an ammunition box, handing it to her. "Silver rounds. You'll need these. Aim for the heart or the head and don't flinch. They're faster than you can think and if he sinks teeth in ya…"
"Right." Jody said soberly and took out her service revolver. "You'll be hunting me next month." She quickly emptied her clip and refilled it with the silver rounds.
"Not gonna happen." Bobby said surely, a prayer and a promise. He still couldn't believe he'd let her talk him into taking her along. "You sure you wanna do this?"
"Bobby…" Jody sighed and holstered her gun.
"What we're gonna do, it aint exactly legal, Jody." He took up his own weapons, already loaded and put them in a duffel along with salt and lighter fluid. "I mean this thing's a monster right now but it used to be a person." He fixed a stern look on her. "And we're going to kill him. No warrants, no courts."
"Bobby, stop. I understand." She rested a hand on his cheek for a moment fondly and then put on her coat. "It's a monster. Believe me I understand someone needs to stand up and fight these things." Her face saddened for a moment, thinking of her son but she shook that off. "From what you've told me, the ranks of Hunters have taken some hits the last few years."
"Yeah we have." Bobby sighed. "Lost a lot a good people. Good Hunters. Friends."
"Sometimes a precinct loses too many cops." Jody set about tidying up the room, readying to leave. "The reason doesn't matter but when it does, the guys left behind they always have this haunted look like they're fighting a losing battle and they know it but they don't stop." She turned back to him. "That's you and the boys and sometimes all you need to keep going is to know that even if you fall, there'll be someone waiting to pick up the fight."
Bobby smiled at her and shook his head. "Girl, you beat all, you know that?" He shouldered his bag.
"Yep." Jody answered with a smirk and opened the door for him. "So, how about we go fight the good fight?"
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The warehouse rose up above them as Bobby and Jody silently neared. The moon had risen an hour past and they were alert for any sound that didn't belong. It hadn't been abandoned long. Most of the windows on the second story were still in place above the blank walls of the ground level. It had last been used for crop storage for the farms that spread out around it. Bobby nudged Sheriff Mills toward the side of the building and a small door.
"You remember. If it moves, shoot it." Bobby told her seriously and she nodded. "Let's go." He eased the door open and cringed at the squeal of rusted metal. "Well so much for a sneaky entrance."
"Not much of a ninja are ya?" Jody said softly, grinning up at him.
Bobby rolled his eyes, amused in spite of himself and stepped through the door with Jody at his back.
"Ugh. What is that smell?" She whispered, covering her nose for a moment while it adjusted.
"Death." Bobby turned on his flashlight and shined it into the building. "Huh. Well that's new."
In the open space ahead of them hung a body from the rafters. They advanced slowly and Bobby sighed when he got a good look. "Poor beggar." He breathed. Whoever the man had been, he'd been ripped up across his chest and pool of blood waited beneath him gone tacky as it dried. He followed the rope tied to his feet with his light and found it came back down to tie on the other side of the warehouse.
"Gonna get him down. Stay sharp." Bobby went quickly, nervous leaving Jody on her own and swiftly untied the knot to lower the victim to the ground.
"Now what?" Jody asked as he came back over.
"Well, we gotta see if the heart's gone." Bobby smiled grimly. "Then we'll know for sure it's a Werewolf."
"You mean we have to…we're gonna look inside him?" Jody looked up surprised and a little green. "Right here?"
"You got a better idea?" Bobby smirked and knelt beside the body, careful of the blood pool. He took out a slim knife and handed it to her with a challenge in his eyes. "You said you wanted to learn."
Jody took it and knelt across from him. "You know, I was gonna cook you dinner again later." She said and rolled her eyes when he chuckled. "Alright then. What do I do?"
"Right here." Bobby took the mans shredded shirt and pulled it apart, pointing to his chest. "You can go in right there, just above the heart. Already opened for ya."
"Oh eww." Jody swallowed thickly and steeled herself. She was used to seeing death and had seen some gruesome things in her time but she'd never actually cut into a body herself before and found she wasn't fond of the idea. "Just how often do you have to do this sort of thing?" She asked as she forced the blade through the cooled flesh.
"Probably more often than you wanna know just now." Bobby shrugged. "Most of the time, Coroner's don't know what they're lookin' at so we have to do it ourselves. You get used to it."
"You say so." She sawed through muscle, grimacing each time she hit bone and breathed through her mouth to avoid the worst of the smell.
"That looks good." Bobby took the blade back from her and handed her a surgical glove from his pocket. "Now, you wanna get your hand right down in there and see if you can feel the heart."
"Oh you are doing this on purpose." Jody groaned as she pulled the glove on. She stuck her tongue out at him when he smirked at her. "Aw, ok this is disgusting." She shoved her hand into the chest and tried not to think too hard about what she was doing. "Uh…Bobby? Pretty sure his heart's still in here."
"Balls." Bobby pulled on a glove of his own as she removed her hand and checked himself. "Yep it is. Well this just don't make any sense." He bent over the dean man's torso, examining the wounds and scowled. "You know, these don't look like claw marks."
"They're very neat." Jody observed. "Looks more like knife work to me." She rocked back on her heels. "Holy crap, Singer. Did we stumble on a damn serial killer here?"
"Uh, I don't think so." Bobby straightened suddenly and peeled off the glove. He let it drop and drew his gun with his eyes over her shoulder. "Jody you wanna come over here? Slowly."
"Bobby, what?" Jody froze as a low growl sounded behind her. "Oh crap."
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"Come on, sunshine. I'm starving." Dean banged on the bathroom door. "Cinnamon Buns, Sammy. Analise said Cinnamon Buns."
"Alright, alright!" Sam emerged rubbing a towel into his hair one last time with a wince as it went over the bump from his fall. "You're like a freakin junkie, you know that?" He chuckled as Dean rubbed his hands together.
Analise was waiting for them and smiled as they came in. "Boys!" She went to Sam and gave him a critical look. "You look much better today. Come on. Over here." She led them to a table in the window already set with a waiting coffee pot. "You boys sit and I'll be right back."
"I think I like her." Sam said as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sniffed deeply with a smile.
Dean chuckled. "I already like her. She bribed me with Cinnamon Buns."
Analise returned and set a plate of steaming buns in front of them, heavily drizzled in icing and laughed at the lascivious look on both men's faces. "You know, I've slapped guys for giving me that face in a bar. I think I'm jealous."
"Mmf." Sam bit into one and sighed heavily. "We're never leaving."
She left them to their food with a laugh and Dean seriously considered proposing to her if she'd promise to make these for him every morning. "Dude." Was all he managed to say around a mouthful of soft, warm flaky sweetness.
"Ok. Job now." Sam said with a satisfied smile after he finished his first bun. He waved Analise back over. "These are amazing. Thank you."
"After what you boys went through last night it was the least I could do." She blushed prettily in spite of her age and patted Sam's shoulder.
"I was wondering if you could tell us about the area." Sam smiled up at her. "We're actually here to do a story on Browning and its local legends."
"Really?" She pulled a chair over from another table and sat. "I'd never have pegged you as reporters." She chuckled. "There's quite a lot actually. Lots of local boogeymen and the like. You get that on Reservations. Anything in particular?"
Dean licked off his fingers and ducked the napkin Sam tossed at him. "Well we heard something about phantoms or hallucinations?" He shrugged. "Wasn't very clear."
"You should talk to Sinopa." Analise nodded and smiled. "She's an old woman on the outskirt of town. She's the history keeper. She'd know." She pulled over a napkin and took a pen from her apron. "This is her address. She loves willing listeners." She smirked.
"Awesome! Thanks, Analise." Dean plucked another bun from the pile and put it on his plate. "Touch my buns and die, Sammy." He said as he rose.
Sam snorted at him. "Dude, that's just wrong."
"I'll come back and check on you." Analise stood as more customers came in.
Sam watched Dean head back to the restroom and then grinned. He pulled a tube of toothpaste from his pocket. He'd snuck it out of the bathroom. He pulled Dean's plate toward him and snickered as he uncapped the tube and stuck it carefully into a crevasse in the bun. He squeezed a good portion of the tube into the center before tucking it away and used some of the runoff icing to hide his handiwork. Sam slid the plate back, making sure it was in the same position and then sat back to sip happily at his coffee.
"Sammy."
Sam jerked in his seat and refused to look over to Analise's empty chair.
"You know those things are unhealthy for you and Sammy I care about you." Lucifer leaned into his peripheral vision and Sam looked studiously down at his plate, setting his coffee down carefully. The Cinnamon Bun on Sam's plate moved. It bulged upward as he watched. There was a little pop, the center opening and blood began to pour out; it covered the bun, streaming down the sides to the plate and then onto the table. "Now that's much better for you." Lucifer leaned into him and grinned. "Come on, Sammy. Have a bite."
Sam instinctively flinched and moved closer to the window as the blood began to trickle off the edge of the table. He fisted his right hand around his left and dug viciously into his scar as Lucifer laughed.
He jumped in surprise as something thumped into the table and looked up to find Dean settling into his seat. "How you doin', Sammy?" He picked up the coffee cup he'd used to snap his brother out of whatever was putting that look on his face; it had been fear.
"Good. I'm good." Sam nodded and flicked his eyes to his right, relieved to see an empty chair once more. He gave Dean a semblance of a smile.
"Uh huh." Dean sighed. "Ok, let's take this show on the road." If Lucifer was screwing with Sam's head again then taking him out of the environment might give him more control. "We need to go see…what was her name?"
"Sinopa." Sam said automatically and hastily stood from the table. "I've got the address." He was certainly willing to leave the Diner.
Dean grabbed a few napkins and hastily wrapped up his Cinnamon bun, unwilling to leave it behind before he tossed some money on the table. "Thanks, Analise!" He called to her and followed his brother outside. They climbed in the car and Sam hastily pulled out the map to find the address while Dean raised his Cinnamon Bun and took a healthy bite.
"Take the next right." Sam pointed and tried not to smirk as Dean bit into the bun a second time. "Then straight for about a mile."
"Mmm hmm." Dean turned and as he sped up, his eyes widened in shock and he started gagging out the bun in his mouth. "What the hell?" He coughed and spat trying to get it all out and even wiped the napkins along his tongue as his mouth was assaulted with the taste of cinnamon, icing and toothpaste all at once.
Sam looked over at him with chunks and crumbs of pastry scattered all down his front and into his lap and grinned. "You do look pretty, Dean."
"Son of a bitch!" Dean cursed at him and would have beaten the crap out of him if they hadn't been driving. "You know I'm gonna kill you? Right?"
"Don't screw with my ringtone." Sam said sweetly and easily deflected the elbow that came for his head.
"You will pay." Dean glared over at him. "When you least expect it, Sammy."
Sam snorted and settled into the seat with a smile. "Bring it."
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Dean sat beside his brother in Sinopa's living room still brushing crumbs from his shirt. He shot another dirty look at Sam when he chuckled.
"You know food goes in your mouth, son." Sinopa said as she came back in with a tea tray.
"No kidding." Dean growled.
"Analise is a smart woman." She sat in a hide covered chair and poured out the tea. "No one knows more about the old beliefs than I do."
Sam smiled and took the offered cup. "What we're looking for is information on some sort of phantom creature or legend. That sort of thing."
"Anything that could make people see things and hurt them with the illusions." Dean added and waved off the tea.
"Oh now that's an old one." Analise leaned back in her chair with a frown. "Long before the white man came to our land there was a Shaman. Don't ask me his name. It's been lost to time but he was very powerful and craved more. He mastered the ancient art of separating one's spirit from the body to travel."
"Astral Projection." Said and she nodded.
"Think that's what they call it now." She smirked. "Well the legend says the people came to fear him. He used his ability you see to mimic the dark creatures of the underworld. There was some sort of battle and in the end they killed his body while his soul travelled. It's said his body was buried beneath where the Dam stands now." She sipped her tea and nodded in the general direction. "There's a massive old tree out there. Nothing else like it in the wilderness below the Dam. If I were a betting woman, I'd say that's where."
Dean glanced at his brother, brow raised and Sam nodded. "Thanks, Sinopa." Dean rose with Sam beside him.
"Thank you for the tea." Sam set the cup down beside Dean's and Sinopa waved a thin hand at them.
"You boys come back any time you want to hear more stories." She smiled. "Don't get to bend someone's ear about the good stuff too often."
"Can't imagine why." Dean muttered as they left. Once outside he took a few deep breaths. "Man it smells like old people in there."
"Mentholatum." Sam commented with a chuckle.
"Like I said. Old people." Dean chuckled and got in the car. "Let's go find us a funky old tree."
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"Bobby. I sure hope you've got a plan." Jody whispered as she rounded the body. She pulled her gun and Bobby took her elbow to draw her back. The Werewolf lurked just inside the large double door at the front of the warehouse. It watched them as they moved away before prowling further in and to the body. It was black with cloudy gray spots across its back. It bared its teeth at them in a growl.
"Plan's simple." Bobby nudged her slightly behind him. "Shoot." He fired and smiled grimly as his first shot took the beast in the chest. Jody's shot followed his and spun the Werewolf's head back. "Keep moving."
They reached a row of tall shelves and fired again as the creature writhed on the floor and screamed at them. It seemed to cling to whatever life it had left. "Anytime you wanna die." Bobby growled. Another sharp report from Jody's pistol blew a hole out the back of the beast's chest and it fell over backwards onto the cement. Its muscled body gave a last spasm and then went still.
"Well that was fun." Jody said with a nervous laugh and lowered her weapon. She tilted her head, hearing a strange sound. "Bobby, do you hear that? It sounds like…"
"Beeping." Bobby finished for her and turned to look at the shelves. He followed the faint sound down the row and then gasped. "Balls! Sherriff, run!" He took her arm and spun her away, taking off at a run. On the shelf had been a bundle of dynamite, wrapped and wired to a timer. "Run faster!" He yelled and pulled her along with him. They dashed past the werewolf remains that had reverted to a young, light haired man in death. Bobby counted in his head knowing they had only seconds as they reached the door.
He kicked it open and shoved Jody out ahead of him. They were a mere twenty feet away when the countdown in his head told him they were out of time. Bobby tackled Jody to the ground and covered her with his own body as the warehouse behind erupted into flames. Heat blasted over them making Bobby twitch in discomfort. He felt debris pelt his back and heard it land around them. He risked a glance under his arm and saw flames shooting up into the sky.
"Holy crap." Bobby breathed and looked down. "Sherriff? Are you ok?"
"You're on top of me, Singer." Jody chuckled and grinned up at him. "I think you can call me Jody now."
Bobby blushed brightly but he took a moment anyway; enjoying the feel of her under him and as her eyes widened in humor he leaned down and stole a kiss before rolling to the side.
Jody groaned a laugh. "Don't think I'm not gonna get you back for that, Bobby."
He chuckled, stood and turned to look at the warehouse now burning merrily.
"What the hell was that?" Jody stood and then reached behind him, slapping at his back. "You're smoking by the way."
"Someone set a trap to kill the Werewolf." Bobby said, voice becoming angry. "And when I get my hands on that idiot I'm gonna string him up."
"You know who?" Jody asked surprised and he nodded.
"Yeah, he's not the subtlest guy ever when it comes to killin' things." Bobby shook his head in disgust. "If you can imagine a Hunter too damn cowardly to actually fight, that's him. Not the first time he's blown shit up." He turned and started walking back to his truck with Jody at his side. "Also not the first time he's almost taken out innocents in the process."
"Sounds like a charmer." Jody glared back at the flaming ruin of the warehouse. "Any chance there's something not wild and weird I could get him on and toss his ass in jail?"
Bobby looked over in surprise and then laughed. "You know, I think there just might be. Kinda like the idea of that sack of crap rotting in prison." He moved to get into the truck and jumped when Jody landed a firm slap on his backside. "Woman…"
"Don't forget it." Jody laughed and went around the other side and climbed in leaving Bobby to blush and chuckle.
"Not damn likely." He rolled his eyes at himself and got in. "Time to see what the boys have gotten themselves into."
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Sam watched the trees fly by as they headed for the Dam and could feel the temperature beginning to drop as he rolled up his window. Spring came much later this far north and they'd be lucky if they finished the job without having to deal with a last minute winter blast. He made a mental note to check the weather when they got back.
"So you really think all those deaths were caused by some psycho Shaman dude?" Dean asked with a glance at Sam who looked to be a million miles away.
"Well it fits." Sam shrugged. "Can't hurt to go see if his bones are there and if anything shows up. Maybe Bobby'll call with a better idea."
A gas station came into view and Dean checked the gauge on the dash. "Pit stop. This bucket needs go juice."
"So do I." Sam held up his empty coffee cup and gave it a rattle. He was weary enough after last night to want to sleep the rest of the way but the pounding in his head and the deeper fear of dreaming made him decide in favor of caffeine.
There were a few Semi's pulled up on the far side of the gas station and a couple cars at the pumps. Dean pulled in and decided the place didn't look to sleezy.
"I'm gonna load the caffeine while you pump." Sam gave him a smile and got out.
Dean watched him go and shook his head. He knew damn well Sam was caffeinating to avoid sleeping in the car and he supposed he couldn't blame after his episode in the diner. The big brother in him wished he could reach into Sam's head and just rip out the uncountable years of Hell that were plaguing him. At the same time he felt a certain amount of admiration that the kid was handling it so well.
He started the pump, holding the handle in place and felt his nerves tingle as a man passed him. Dean looked up to see an unkempt man, tall with wiry black hair coming from a big rig. The man gave him a once over as he passed Dean before turning away and going into the station.
"Creep." Dean muttered, instantly disliking him. The tank full, he headed into the station and saw his brother attacking the coffee station. Dean went past him and nudged his elbow, making him dribble coffee on the counter. "Better watch that, Sammy."
"Jerk." Sam tossed at him with a laugh.
Dean went to the snack aisle and settled about making the important decision of what to stuff his face with while driving; preferably something that would make Sam groan while he was doing it. He smirked as he collected various things and turned to head to the counter. He growled softly when he saw the creepy trucker from outside standing behind his brother as he paid; eyes firmly south of Sam's belt. He let a little of the irrational tension go as Sam walked out of the store and tossed Dean a wave to say he'd be outside waiting. Dean stood behind the creep and dropped his haul on the counter when he left. Something about the man made him want to face plant him into the cement.
"That all for you?" The clerk asked Dean and he nodded, quickly tossing cash on the counter. Dean watched the man step outside and couldn't shake the bad feeling.
Sam set his coffee cup on the roof of the car and reached down to open the door as something heavy slammed into him from behind. He grunted as he was pressed into the door and saw a small knife appear in his peripheral vision.
"This doesn't have to be messy." The man whispered in Sam's ear. "You just walk with me to my truck and nobody gets hurt."
Sam felt a surge of anger and rather than cooperate, he slid his own knife out and spun to plant it at the man's throat. He was tall, stringy dark hair and looked utterly shocked to find Sam's much larger knife at his neck. "How about you get the hell away from me?" The man jerked in terror suddenly as a gun pressed against his temple and the trigger cocked in his ear.
"Now that sounds like a good idea." Dean growled at him "You so much as twitch and I will splatter your brains on this parking lot."
"Oh god, don't kill me!" He begged and didn't argue when Dean fisted a hand in the back of his shirt and yanked him away from his brother.
"Sammy, you good?" Dean asked and got a quick nod before Sam launched a fist into the creep's stomach. He dropped like a stone and Dean grinned at him. "Nice."
"Can we go now?" Sam put his knife away and glanced around, happy to see no one seemed to have noticed the short altercation.
"Yeah." Dean tucked his gun behind his back and delivered a short, hard kick to the man's back. He leaned down and pulled his head up. "I wanna be clear. That's my brother. Most people who screw with him don't walk away." Dean waited and the man shook in abject fear. "If I ever see your face again no one's ever gonna find the body. You understand me?"
The man nodded and scrambled away on his hands and knees before stumbling to his feet and running to his truck.
"Let's go, Sammy." Dean rounded the car as the truck rumbled to life and sped out.
Sam shook off the anger that had suffused him and took a deep breath before getting in the car.
"Sam?" Dean looked over at him, an amused smile on his face.
"What?" Sam glanced over and frowned.
"Forget anything?" Dean didn't quite smother the chuckle. "Coffee. Roof. Ring any bells?"
"Oh hell." Sam rolled his eyes and reached up, pulling his coffee cup in. "I knew that."
Dean shook his head and got them moving again, cheerfully putting distance between them and the stalker trucker.
An hour later Dean was beginning to become sick of trees. It was all they had to look at aside from the occasional passing car and even those were becoming sparser. As the afternoon wore on the temperature continued to steadily drop and he figured it had to be near freezing now. Sam was huddled in his coat and looked to be halfway to dozing off. Dean smirked and reached down to turn on the heater. He looked back up to the road and reared back as he stomped on the brakes.
"Shit!" Dean shouted and swerved hard to avoid crashing into the twelve point Buck standing in the middle of the road.
Sam jerked awake from his doze as he slid across the seat toward Dean and briefly saw the surprised face of a Deer before the car spun again and he was thrown into the door. His head struck the glass as he heard Dean shout his name and everything went black.
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Dean startled awake to find himself heeled over on his right side against his little brother. "Crap. Sam?" He pushed himself up and looked over at him. Sam lay with his head against the window, a spiderweb of cracks spiraling out from him. "Son of a bitch." Dean rubbed his own head, feeling a growing lump high on his forehead from the steering wheel and looked outside. There was no sign of the Deer and he sincerely hoped someone else ended up with the damn thing on their wall.
"Sammy." Dean took his shoulder and pulled him up from the window. "Come on, buddy. Wake up." Dean turned his head so he could see and was grateful there was no blood. "No way that was enough of a smack to put you down, Sam. Wake up!" He gave him a shake and was rewarded with a bad tempered groan. "That's my boy."
"Was there a Deer?" Sam asked finally and raised a hand to the side of his head.
"Yeah." Dean pulled his head around to check his eyes and frowned. Sam's pupils were even but they were slow reacting to the light as he blinked. "How are you feeling?"
Sam looked blearily over at the passenger window and then gave him a lopsided smile. "Like my brother tried to use my head as a battering ram."
"Ha ha. That all?" Dean gave him a severe look and Sam shrugged.
"I'll be fine." Sam assured him and felt no need to mention he was dizzy because of course he was.
"You better be." Dean straightened behind the wheel and found the engine still idling. It took him a few tries to get the wheels out of the shallow ditch but after a few minutes they were back on the road. "You know just once I'd like a nice quiet drive at the end of which the big bad whatever it is kindly ganks itself to save us the trouble."
Sam snorted. "Wouldn't be much of a job then." He rubbed his head and winced. "Then again…"
Dean kept an eye on him as they drove and took mental notes of his paling skin and pained expression. Two solid knocks to the head in twenty-four hours were not doing him any favors. He was tempted to turn around and start again tomorrow; give Sam a day to recover but knew how well that idea would be received.
"I'm fine, Dean." Sam said suddenly and looked at him, amused. "Don't have to be psychic to see 'worried big brother' all over your face."
"No, that's indigestion from eating toothpaste, jackass." Dean glowered at him. Sam laughed and went back to counting trees against the headache behind his eyes.
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The Hungry Horse Dam towered above them. Ever so often the river channel that grew from the Dam's spillway would twinkle at them through the trees in the late afternoon sun. Finding an unusually large tree had actually not been that difficult. As they'd parked on the ridge above the base of the Dam they had clearly seen one massive, gnarled tree rising above the others. They hiked down into the ravine toward it and hoped the dispossessed spirit of the Shaman didn't make a return visit.
As the sun dropped the cold grew yet Sam found himself sweating beneath his jacket, mopping it from his brow with his sleeve. He stumbled and caught himself on a trunk. The dizziness was growing yet he said nothing. People had died, would die if they didn't do their job and they couldn't afford to coddle him for a minor concussion…or so he reasoned with himself. He followed the blur ahead of him that was Dean as they went steadily downhill and groaned at the thought of climbing back up later.
"Pick it up, Sam." Dean called back. He glanced and then stopped to take a hard look. "Sam. You don't look so good."
"I don't think he trusts us, bunk buddy." Lucifer suddenly chimed in from beside Sam and he flinched.
"I'm good." Sam said in reply but didn't look up. His eyes were now focused on his feet, trying not to give in to the urge to fall.
"Gosh, Sam I don't know about Dean but I'm convinced." Lucifer chuckled and rolled his eyes. He leaned in to Sam's face and held up his hand. "How many fingers?"
Sam shook his head and mopped more sweat from his face. He jerked to a stop as he heard the distinct rattle of chains. "No." He muttered and started moving again.
"Sam?" Dean's voice suddenly next to him made him jerk backwards and land on his backside. "Ok that's it. We're going back. You are not alright."
Sam looked up at him and grudgingly agreed as his brother's image swam in and out. "Something's wrong."
"You think?" Dean knelt in front of him and tried to keep the concern from his voice. "What's going on, Sam?"
"Hot." Sam said and flinched his head away as Lucifer reached a hand out to his face.
"Whoa, Sammy. It's just me." Dean said calmly and tried again. Sam's eyes were fever bright, his skin flushed and it was clear he couldn't focus his vision enough to see Dean.
"Sorry." Sam closed his eyes and tried not to lurch away when the cool hand landed on his neck for a moment. "Dean."
"Right here, Sam." Dean kept his voice even though his heart was now pounding. He was angry with himself for not just taking Sam back to the motel, argument or no after the near miss with the Deer. You never screw around with a concussion their Dad had drilled into them time and again and yet here they were with Sam worsening by the minute and it was his fault.
"We're gonna go back to the car, ok Sam?" Dean asked and had to turn his head to face him. "Sam."
"Car." Sam nodded sluggishly and had yet to reopen his eyes.
"Crap. Come on, tiger." Dean slid under his brother's shoulder and pulled him slowly to his feet. Getting him turned back uphill took a moment as Sam seemed determined to over balance down the hill and the constant flinches as though he were hearing and seeing things added another level of difficulty. Dean decided then and there that their first stop would not be the motel but a hospital.
"Gimme some help here, Sam." Dean asked, pulling Sam's weight up beside him.
"There an earthquake?" Sam asked and glanced around in surprise. "Ground's movin'."
"Just keep walking. I've got you." Dean groaned as his phone rang and struggled to get it out of his pocket without losing his grip on the ever more unsteady little brother beside him. "Hello?"
"Dean." Bobby's voice greeted him. "How's the hunt going? Anymore phantom attacks?"
"Bobby." Dean couldn't keep the relief out of his voice. "Hunt's on hold."
"What's wrong?" Dean could clearly hear the instant worry and smiled, glad he was no longer the only one.
"Sam's taken one too many hits to the head." Dean sighed and tightened his grip on Sam. "Last one was my fault. I wasn't watching the road. It was just for a second but dammit Bobby I almost wrecked the car and cracked his head. He already had a concussion."
"Ok, Dean. He's gonna be fine. Just get him to a hospital." Bobby said calmly.
"Yeah, about that." Dean ducked his head reflexively. "We're kinda in the middle of nowhere at the moment."
"Dean. Where'd you go? Dean?" Sam asked suddenly and lifted his head in confusion.
"Hey, Sammy. I'm right here. Hang on, Bobby." Dean reached up to Sam's left hand on his shoulder and squeezed his thumb hard into the palm. "Right here, Sammy. Come on." But the concussion seemed to dull the pain from their little trick and it did little to calm him. He put the phone back to his ear. "He's in trouble."
"Tell me where you are?" Bobby asked and repeated the information to Jody beside him in the truck. "We're only about an hour away from you. Jody says the nearest hospital is in Columbia Falls, about seven miles East of you."
"Ok, thanks Bobby." He grunted as more of Sam's weight settled onto his shoulders. "Gotta go." He hung up, tucking the phone away and got a more secure grip on him. "You with me, Sam?"
"Chains wont stop." Sam muttered and Dean felt a fine tremor begin to run through him. "Wont leave me 'lone, Dean."
"Aw, Sammy." Dean sighed. He knew now exactly what was happening; the concussion had become severe enough to ruin his ability to tell reality from hallucination.
"Shuddup." Sam said suddenly, angrily. "Won' stop singing."
Twenty long minutes later Dean got him back to the car and folded into the passenger seat as he sped away from the Dam and East toward Columbia Falls; all the while choking on guilt and worry as Sam steadily worsened beside him.
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PROMPT Time! Your turn! Review, PM or Tweet me with what you would like to see happen in the next chapter. Be as vague or specific as you like. When I have enough to work with I'll start writing. :D
Remember! You're giving me prompts for what will happen in the next chapter, not the story over all. :D Think small. For example: It can be as simple as 'hey how about some hurt sam' or as complicated as 'so there's this creepy guy at a gas station..."