A Page Out of Their Book

Author: Cheryl W.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dean, Sam or any rights to Supernatural, nor am I making any profit from this story.

Author's Note: I'm overwhelmed by the interest in this story!! Thanks! And you Boondock fans, sorry I didn't get time to PM you!! But I'm so glad you guys are enjoying my reference and inside joke of using the brothers' names for the hunter and his lost brother. Just when I thought of brothers as close as Dean and Sam, Connor and Murphy came to my mind.

Summary: When Dean's taken, Sam realizes that there are no lines that some brothers won't cross for each other. No Slash.

Chapter 4

He didn't consider himself a coward. But he had his limits, had learned that the hard way. Just like he had learned the difference between fearing the unknown and being down right terrified of the known. And Hell…he knew. Intimately.

Not for the first time, he thought a simple salt demarcation on the ground seemed a paltry line of defense. But, as he turned back to the hunter, he was exceedingly careful to not disturb the white barrier. Because paltry or not, it was the only leverage that the other hunter had…that he had to make sure the game started with 'Let's Make a Deal' instead of going straight to another installment of 'One Thousand Ways to Die: Starring Dean Winchester.' Having played both games before, Dean was more than ready to go to a commercial break.

Swallowing, he met the other man's haunted eyes, knew that they were both scared, desperate, that both of their lives hung in the balance of what happened where the two roads under their feet merged. "Listen," Dean began, his voice quiet, purposefully without inflection of anger or fear, "I know how you feel …" because if any one did, it was him. But his empathy only created a lethal backlash in the other man's eyes.

Stalking toward Dean, the hunter hurled words full of hate and anguish. "Don't! You got your brother back!" He came to a halt at the salt line, as if the ward worked on him too, stood there with grief and rage and desperation in his eyes as they seared into Dean's. "You got him back and I'm getting Murphy back! You think you're the only one who loves his brother, would do anything for him?! You think you Winchesters are the only ones worthy of getting a second chance!?"

"No, I don't think that," Dean lowly returned, had never associated Sam's or his second chances with worth. "But if you cross this line, there's no going back. And it might not seem like it costs you anything, but it will. Trust me, I know that first hand."

The hunter shook his head, gave a bitter laugh, drawled mockingly, "A moral lesson from Dean Winchester." But then any fabricated humor fled under the man's condemnation. "Excuse me if I don't listen to the advice of the man whose Dad gave away the Colt, to the guy who crossed a thousand lines no good man should to save his brother, to one of the hunters who let the devil's gate get opened, the gutless wonder who stood by and let the apocalypse roll into town."

The man's words cut deep…and true. Clenching his jaw a moment, Dean nodded, pulled on a smirk. "Guess you got my number." But then he stepped closer to the other hunter, as close as he could without crossing the pathetic safety of the salt line. "So why do you want to follow in my footsteps, huh? You think your brother will be proud of you…consorting with the enemy! Making a deal. From personal experience, I can tell you that there's not a lot of gratitude heading your way."

"Murphy.." when the other hunter choked on his brother's name, Dean's own throat tighten with tears. He knew this pain, knew what crazy thoughts grief unleashed, knew desperation like this.

"Murphy can be as pissed as he likes…long as he's alive."

"And I'm dead," Dean concluded but he could see that he wasn't going to sway the other man's mind…anymore than someone could have swayed his after Sam had died. Hard eyes searing into the hunter's, he accepted his fate. "Fine, you do what you got to do. But no matter what, you leave Sam alone, you owe me that." Felt relieved and shredded when the other man offered up a solemn vow.

"You're right. No harm will come to your brother, you have my word," Connor pledged, knew that it was the least he owed Winchester. He would do his best to protect Sam in his big brother's absence, an absence that would be his fault. But the guilt he felt, it was a drop in the ocean compared to the need he had to get his brother back.

Dean found that he trusted the other man's word, that there was some honor to be upheld between them, between men who fiercely loved their brothers. "And I don't want him finding out about this, ever. You hear me?!" he harshly demanded, had come to realize that revenge was his brother's addiction more so than the blood ever could be. Thought it might just be a family compulsion, passed down from their father. But he prayed that, if Sam didn't have a target to hate this time, he could simply let it end, let him go. "You make that part of your deal, that Sam doesn't learn what happened to me. Or I'll crawl out of hell just to kill your brother. Slow and painful…just like they do it in hell. And trust me, once I'm done with him, he wouldn't be coming back..ever," he darkly promised, knew that his own taste for revenge, when it was fully awakened, could be just as sharp as his brother's and father's.

For the first time, there was a flicker of indecision in the other hunter's eyes…fear. And instead of voicing his agreement, he simply nodded his head. Found that, as incredulous as Dean Winchester's threat sounded, he believed the other hunter would find a way to accomplish it. Knew that, when it came to loyalty to their brother, brothers could do..would do the impossible. 'Like what I'm about to do..sacrifice another hunter's life for Murphy's life,' he thought as he stepped back from Dean Winchester, wanting to distance himself from the other man suddenly, from the coldness in his eyes. But there was no regret in his soul for what he was about to do, no wavering in his resolve to do what he had to do to return his brother to him.

He felt the crossroad dealmaker's presence before she spoke.

"Ah …you came bearing gifts. You know the way to my heart, sweet Connor," the striking brunette woman purred, her high heels digging into the dirt of the road as she sauntered toward Connor and his hostage, her red, low cut shimmering evening gown out of place in the desolate location. She smiled wider at the thinly disguised disgust in Connor's eyes and the fight in Dean's. "I wore my best dress in celebration." She came to a stop by Connor, reached up and let her fingers trace down the man's cheek, laughed throatily as the man flinched under her touch, nearly shivered. Her eyes went to Dean's, "He doesn't have your legendary bravery but he's got just enough to do what he must."

"Yeah, I'm proud of him. Real credit to Team Hunters. Go Team," Dean lowly said, not allowing his fear to reflect to the she-witch before him. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. Darkly knew that that would come later: The screaming, the groveling, the willingness to do anything to make the agony stop…even for a second.

As the memories assailed him, Dean broke out into a cold sweat, found that, maybe Cas had the right idea, believing in God. 'If You're out there listening, I need some serious help about now. I'll take back the crack about you kicking back with a tropical drink..or on a tortilla shell. Just…help me 'cause I mean, you're the ultimate Good Guy. You help even screwed up people like me, right?'

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TBC

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Thanks for reading! And I'm really enjoying your reactions to the story line!

And I'm busy cleaning up the next section and I'm hoping I can post it "soon."

Have a wonderful evening!

Cheryl W.