Chapter Four
2015
While Dean was laid on his bed listing to his music Sam and Cas were in the hall packing a bag that would travel to the future and back. While Sam had spent the best part of the weekend doing research into the last days of Winnie Radley, Cas had managed to steal some more grace. It was becoming a growing problem and the effort it would take to get Sam to the future and back would use it up without any reserves.
They could both hear the sound of AC/DC drumming through the walls and Sam gave a sigh of relief knowing that Dean would be distracted till at least the end of the album. While Sam seemed quite relaxed Cas was on edge, he would keep peering at the door as if any moment Dean would walk through it and ask what they were doing putting a selection of guns, knives, salt and paint for traps into a bag.
Sam pulled the bag onto his back and clapped his hands together, he then looked at Cas and said 'ready!'
'Okay' Cas said still unconvinced about the plan 'I'll send you back and you'll have two days to get the Band…'
'Yes, Cas. We've been through this before'
'…on the second day you must be in the same spot at the same time you were when you arrived…'
'Understood!'
'And Sam, don't get distracted by the past'
Still shaky on the whole idea, he raised his hand to Sam's forehead. There wasn't really any bright light or anything like the amazing special effects you see on Doctor Who or Back to the Future. Sam was just there and then he was gone; leaving Cas alone in the hall of the bunker with a headache so painful he had to steady himself on a chair.
2004
The sound of a car horn woke Sam up. He was sat at a bus stop getting strange looks from the old woman in the bright yellow rain mac beside him. A bus had pulled out in front of an oncoming car and now the two drivers were almost throwing punches behind car windows. Across the road a small supermarket was open, the car park would have been dead had it not been for a mother juggling to put the shopping in her boot and sooth her crying child.
The whole street was a scene like any other, for a moment the hunter wasn't fully convinced he had travelled back in time at all. It was only when he saw a teenager crossing the street talking on a Motorola phone that he started to believe.
The sun was full in the sky letting Sam know that it was the height of summer; he pulled off his jacket and stuffed it in his bag being careful not to let anyone see what was in it. It was only then that Sam truly realised how hot it was, that he realised it was far too hot to be wearing a yellow rain mac…
Sam looked back at the woman only to find that she had gone, he stood up quickly and managed to catch a glimpse of yellow turning the corner by the furniture shop.
Sam moved his way through the crowded street carelessly, pushed past shoppers and banging his shins on the various shopping bags.
He passed the corner and followed the yellow coated woman down an ally way by a local bar, she was walking rather quickly for an old woman which brought Sam to only one conclusion, Demon. She was always a good few paces ahead of Sam, enough not to cause any alarm. The alleyway led to an open green, but the old woman led Sam straight across the green towards a path running under a railway bridge.
Suddenly she stopped under the railway bridge, and therefore Sam stopped too watching from behind one of the few trees in the open green. The old woman looked up her eyes turning back, she saw the demon trap painted above her.
Sam stayed hidden when he saw the two hunters appear from the other side of the railway bridge, he didn't recognise them. But then again he wasn't really in the hunting circle back in 2004, he was at Stanford, with Jess.
Sam shook his head to clear himself of those memories, it was now that he realised what Cas meant about not getting distracted. He wished he could move closer to where the hunters were now surrounding the demon, but there was nowhere else he could hide apart from the tree.
He watched as the hunters talked at the demon and by the looks on their faces they were getting very little back apart from sarcasm, Sam and Dean had interrogated enough demons to know how this was going to play out.
It was the largest hunter who lost his temper first as his face began to get red. Sam was expecting him to stab the bitch but gave a chuckle when he saw the large hunter pull out a scrappy piece of paper and begin exorcizing the demon. Oh, the good old days. From where Sam was hidden he heard the old woman give a cry of pain so loud birds flew out of the tree above him. Suddenly black smoke was lifted out of her body and disappeared into the pavement below; the old women turned white and fell to the ground dead. It was clear that the demon had been possessing her since the winter when there had been a lot of rain, and since then the poor woman had been killed.
Sam continued to watch as the two hunters took each end of the woman in order to lift her and take her somewhere she could be burnt.
It was then that Sam felt the cold metal on the back of his neck; he recognised it as the end of a gun. He raised his hands slowly as he heard the slow breathing of whoever was holding the gun to his neck.
'Hey…' Sam said calmly as he slowly began to turn around and face the hunter. He was old with messy red hair and profound wrinkles around his eyes 'calm down, I'm one of you'
'One of what, boy?' he asked
'A hunter, I'm a hunter too'
The old hunter laughed 'how come I've never seen you before?'
'It's a long story' Sam smiled
'How do I know you ain't no demon?'
Sam could have laughed 'if I was a demon you really think I would have stuck around? After seeing that?'
Before Sam was ready the hunter threw a bottle of holy water over him, Sam only had to blink a few times to get the water out of his eyes. But the time he was finished the red headed hunter had lowered his gun.
'I'm Brandon, the two you were watching are my friends Harry and Zach' Brandon greeted. There was no handshake just the plain old "this is who I am get used to it"
Sam greeted Brandon with a nod 'I'm Sam'
Brandon looked over to where his friends had disappeared with the body of the old woman, he then put his hands in his pockets and looked back at Sam 'listen, if you're here for the reason I think you are I'd leave it. Me and my buddies have it sorted'
'And would that reason be Winnie Radley by any chance?' Sam asked
Brandon's face darkened, the greed in his eyes showing clear now 'I like you Sam, but if you get in our way I will kill you'
Sam moved closer to the hunter 'you have no idea what you're getting yourself into'
Brandon laughed loudly 'and you do?' he gestured over to the train bridge 'if Radley has items in his collection that even demon's want, then I want to keep it from them'
'Trust me Brandon, there's only one thing I'm after with Radley' Sam assured
'And what would that be?'
'If I told you would you give it to me?'
'Probably not…'
'Then we have a problem don't we' Sam said seriously
Both had a hand on their guns as they looked at one another wondering who would break first.
'You don't want to do this Sam' Brandon warned
'Your right, but if you're making me chose'
Brandon looked disgustingly at Sam 'all this for greed?'
'You have no idea…'
Sam breathed in relief when Brandon let go of his gun, but what he didn't see was Brandon pull a knife out of his other pocket. Sam sure did notice the blade when it rushed by his face giving only an instant to dodge it. Sam kicked out at Brandon's stomach knocking him back a few paces, it didn't take long before Brandon was back this time with his gun in his hands. He hit Sam across the face with the handle of his gun and when Sam was down he aimed and…
Too late Sam had already pulled out his own gun and had aimed at Brandon's leg and fired. Brandon was down and vulnerable, Sam got up and took aim once more…
Before Sam could do anything a blade was plunged into the back of Brandon's back, he rocked forward then back before he fell just before Sam's feet. The man who had stabbed him was Zach, the smaller one of Brandon's friends. His eyes were back and his hands and chest covered in blood which wasn't Brandon's therefore Sam thought it was unlikely that Harry was still alive.
The demon possessing Zach's small thin body looked down at Sam with a smirk on his face 'Well, I didn't expect there to be four of you! This is a treat, four hunters in one day'
Sam's hand reached towards the back of his jeans, he pulled out and hid behind his back an angel blade.
'What's wrong?' the demon mocked 'no trap, no exorcism?'
It only took one swift movement for Sam to plunge the angel blade into the demon's chest and watch him light up like it was the 4th of July.
The body fell to the ground and Sam looked at the destruction around him, this was going to be an eventful two days. All Sam knew in that moment was that getting to Radley was defiantly going to harder than he thought.
2015
Dean had been looking for Sam for over ten minutes with no success; he'd checked the kitchen, the hall and Sam's bedroom. He'd even checked the garage, and yet no Sam. He stood in the centre of the hall with his arms folded and a frustrated expression on his face. Before he knew what was happening a surge of pain rushed up his arm causing him to cry out in pain and stumble to the floor.
'Dean!'
Dean let his head fall forwards and rest of the floor, he had heard Cas call his name but didn't react until he felt the fallen angel grip his shoulders and pull him to a seated position. Dean was still gripping his arm tightly; the pain was so intense that his eyes were watering slightly.
'Dean!' Cas called once more
Dean looked at him, his face turning red as he struggled to breath under the pain 'where's Sam?' he managed to gasp
Cas looked alarmed, Dean knew this because his blue eyes would widen with panic and fear. Not to mention that his face would stick in the same facial expression for a good two minutes.
'Cas, where's Sam?' Dean asked again more clearly though he was still short of breath.
'He's…he's on a hunt' Cas stammered. He was still holding onto Dean's shoulders in order to keep him steady 'let's get you onto a chair'
Dean wriggled from his grip 'I can do it myself Cas!'
The hunter pulled himself into the arm chair where the archaeologist had been sat only a week ago, Cas pulled up a chair in front of him and looked at his friend with a look of concern.
Still with a good grip on his bad arm he looked up at Cas and without any sympathy in his voice said 'You're lying to me Cas…'
'You're not well, Dean'
Dean rolled his eyes 'tell me something I don't know!' he shook his head 'where's my brother Cas?'
Cas looked down at his hands 'He..told me…..not to tell'
Dean steadied himself 'Cas, where is Sam?' his voice sounding more aggressive
'Please Dean he's just trying to help!'
'WHERE IS HE?!'
'2004'
'2004?' Dean repeated
The angel sighed 'yes…please don't be angry'
'Angry? Why would I be angry?' Dean said sarcastically. He leaned forward on his chair only to feel the pain in his arm once more and fall back 'I'm guessing you sent him?'
Cas nodded 'the trail of the Band ran cold in 2004, so Sam asked….'
'…Sam asked you to send him back in time and you just did it?' Dean interrupted
He nodded again with his head hanging low.
Dean huffed and puffed for a while 'and he didn't talk to me about it' it wasn't a question it was a fact.
'He believed you were too ill' Cas said carefully 'and he was right'
Dean looked at his friend with poison in his eyes 'you're going to send me back Cas'
'Wait, what?'
'Send me back to 2004'
'I can't' Cas said simply
'Why not?'
'I don't have enough Grace, and you're not well enough Dean!'
'Then get more'
'What? Grace?'
'Yes!' Dean exclaimed
'It's not that simple Dean'
'I don't care Cas, your sending me back'
Cas sighed 'I've told you this before Dean…I don't serve you!'
'What happened to profound bond?'
'Fine!' Cas said finally throwing up his hands in defeat 'but I'm coming with you, if anything happens to you it's on me'
Dean finally began to calm down 'I think it's a bit late for that buddy'
