Usual disclaimer applies.
Sorry for the wait in getting this chapter out. RL and the fact that this little bugger of a chapter didn't want to write itself at all are all to blame! All mistakes are sadly all mine. Again amazed at the really kind reviews… they really helped me sit my butt back down and get this chapter finished. Roz.
Becoming Invisible
Chapter 4 - Escaping it all
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As the impala rumbled down the highway Dean's stomach was in knots wondering if he should ring his brother again but soon thought better of it. After his last conversation with Sam he didn't trust his temper not to say something stupid again. Because damn it that's all that had been coming out of his mouth for too long now.
Glumly he knew that this anger had nothing to do with his brother, but only about himself. Lately channelling the tempest within made for explosive moments, made up of short bouts of rage and terse words, and the only constant throughout out it all, the one person standing in the firing line, had been Sam.
Maybe this was the reason his brother was walking down a high road high as kite, perhaps trying to off load all those weeks of being pushed away by him and was seeking some new and better company of his own. God knows he would have done the same if he had been in his brother's shoes.
This was all a complete fuck up he acknowledged to himself. The one person he was supposed to protect he was hurting the most and it was slowly eating away the cement of their relationship leaving huge cracks in its wake. When they should have both been standing firm by each others side he had instead created fissures that were broadening each day, tearing them apart, and he didn't know how to fill them in anymore.
With time he had just trusted Sammy to know that in the end it would all come right again. It had too.
Feeling the last residual effects of a hangover his mouth was dry and the slow thump of headache still persisted. Not helped when all he could think of here he was driving along a deserted road to pickup his wasted brother like some glorified taxi driver.
It had always been his job to watch out for his brother but Sam wasn't making the job any easier he thought sourly. 'Just how the hell am I supposed to watch his idiot back when he pulls a disappearing trick like this on me?"
Reckless and stupid were never a label he would have put on little brother before now, but this little stunt of his was just that. God, sometimes his brother just knew how to press those buttons that well and truly pissed him off. And tonight was one of those button pushing moments.
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Most ghosts were a pushover as rule of thumb went by, a good salting and burning normally did the trick, but the volume of the noise coming from the creature from across the wide road had to be notched up as something not good, and maybe as something stomach achingly bad.
Belligerently Sam started to walk away down his side of the road as the spirit continued to scream, and he screwed up his face in exasperation. Couldn't the stupid creature see that he was in no mood for this right now? Why couldn't it just slink off back into the graveyard and wail at its fellow undead instead?
He was tired of playing the psychic lightening rod for all things freaky, his life was way too screwed up right now to have to deal with this crap time and time again.
Taking another swig of beer from his bottle he shook his head in rejection. "I am seriously not listening hear dude," he shouted out to it, waving his hand in the air as if to shoo it away. "Better get going before my scary big brother gets here and rock-salts your bony ass back to hell."
Sam laughed at the cartoon imagery running through his head of Superhero Dean rushing yet again to his rescue.
Then his faced darkened abruptly, realising once more he was causing trouble for his brother and he muttered under his breath, "Stupid. That's what you are. Can't even do one thing right today."
Sucking in a deep breath he staggered back around to face the long road ahead of him ignoring the howling from the other side of the road. If he pretended long enough not to hear it then may be it would get bored and disappear he reasoned.
Besides he had more pressing concerns on his mind other than a spirit he guessed was landlocked to the cemetery. It's inability to cross the road to get to him more than a little pointer to it status as spirit bound to a place.
Perhaps it was the effects of too much beer combined with the effects of the cold but god, right now, he really needed to take a pee before his bladder exploded. Chuckling, feeling like a naughty schoolboy, ignoring the persistent cry of the spirit, he sidled into the thicket that run along the stretch of road determined to find the nearest tree.
Carefully placing his beer bottle a few yards away he tried to stand straight but the effects of the drink and painkillers made his head swim and he had to prop himself with his casted hand against the tree trunk and do the necessary with the other.
Concentrating madly he made sure that his aim was good. The last thing he wanted was wet patches on the front of his jeans for Dean to smirk over. He treated him like a kid most times and he didn't need to feed him any further ammunition.
The relief of emptying his too full bladder was so satisfying that he sighed out loud. As he slowly zippered himself up his head snapped round to a familiar sound, like rumbling thunder, and suddenly the bright headlights of the impala cut through the thicket as it sped by at such a rate of knots that it quickly vanished from view.
"This can't be happening," implored Sam to the heavens, shaking his head in disbelief as the impala sped away. He fumbled hurriedly for his phone and screwed up his forehead in surprise at seeing that it was dead. The low battery sign that he had chosen to ignore all day had finally done its worse.
"Great, just fucking great," he hissed a response because he knew his brother was going to be doubly pissed at him now. Picking up his beer bottle he took a long swing before staggering out of the thicket back to the roadside.
With a groan he realised his best option was just to carry on walking and just backtrack down the road and meet Dean on his return. A little more fresh air might just clear his head before big brother caught up with him and kicked his stupid ass all the way back to Ridlington.
On clearing the thicket the wailing started again adn with careful steps he tried to ignore the spirit and just carry on walking. This was something he could do he acknowledged with a wry smile, become invisible, just like he had been with dad and his brother for so many years. "Bye bye Casper," he mocked the spirit as he started to walk away. "Watch me become Mr Invisible..."
Cold hungry eyes watched the tall figure lurch away, the brightness of his life force a beacon in the dark and in desperation it did something it hadn't done in all its spirit bound existence - it left the boundaries of the graveyard and shot across the empty road to follow after him.
The coldness against the back of his neck superseded the effects of the alcohol instantly and Sam froze as fingers, ice cold, touched his shoulder.
"Oh Shit," he whispered out loud, as his breath fogged in white billows from his mouth before he dared to turn and peer into coal dark eyes glittering in a hollowed out face.
"Stay…" pleaded the figure at his back, the voice a high hiss as a lipless mouth whispered in his ear. "Please…."
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Somewhere from Ridlington to Hadley he had missed Sam but worse still was that his freaky little brother was no longer answering his cell so he had no idea where he might be.
Chasing after his wayward brother was proving a little tiresome to say the least.
It's not like his tall lanky frame could be missed along the roadside so he just hoped that his idiot brother had doubled back to O'Malley's. It was the only thing that made sense.
As he pulled the impala to a tight halt outside the bar he just prayed that that his brother was inside or if not then perhaps that girl Candy might have news of him.
Cocking an eyebrow in disbelief he couldn't imagine his brother willingly walking into such a dive. As he opened the heavy door the billowing rush of cigarette smoke stung his eyes and it took a moment to adjust to the dim lighting within
With a loud clunk the heavy metal door slammed behind him and judging by the clientele on show he realised that Sam must have stood out like as sore thumb, too clean and wholesome to fit in to this bar rammed full of society's lowlifes and misfits.
Quickly he scanned the area for his brother but came up empty and muttered under his breath, "Jesus Sammy, why couldn't you have just stayed in the frigging motel and played geek boy as usual?"
After struggling to wade through the testosterone laden and cheaply perfumed smoky atmosphere he finally caught the eye of the bartender. After a few uncooperative responses he found himself fighting the urge the hit the way too smug man, his hands fisting at this sides as he leant in closer to the man.
"Let me repeat myself for the last time here. My brother was here. Tall dude, long shaggy hair, young looking kid…"
Burt eyed the man in front of him with a warning sounding in his head that it might be wise not to mess with him, and with an acknowledging grunt he finally answered. "Look Mister, like sure I remember the kid, but he left a while back," and he motioned angrily waving his arms around to take in some superficial damage to his bar. "Though he managed to cause a whole world of ruin before he did..."
Dean came nose to nose with the bartender and snarled. "If anyone laid a hand on my brother…."
Burt backed away with a nervous laugh, "No man, he may have been wasted but that kid walked out of here as pretty as he walked in and without a hair out of place." With a nod of his head to a blond haired woman sitting huddled in a booth opposite he added, "Can't say the same about poor Candy though."
Casting a quick eye over direction of the bartender's nod Dean couldn't hold back a slight judder. Just what the hell was his brother doing with a woman like that?
Candy was a mess, her clothes in disarray and rivers of black mascara were smudged down her messed up face. She was fisting a tangle of hair extensions in one hand as she fingered a shot of tequila in the other, muttering her loss. A drinking buddy, equally as wasted was sitting beside her, her small dark head bobbing in agreement as she listened to the tirade of woe coming from Candy's mouth.
Fighting down his instant dislike Dean took only a few short strides to be by her side, and the shadow he cast over her made her squint upwards to see him.
"Hey sugar, wanna buy a lady a drink?" she slurred, eyeing him with an appreciative smile as she tried to hurriedly to brush away the dark rivers of black off her cheeks.
"Sure thing. If you can point out the lady who wants one," growled Dean in response.
Candy's eyes narrowed at the insult and her drinking buddy bristled besides her. "Hey girlfriend this guy sure is a prize jackass…"
"S'kay Arlene he can be as pissy as long as he keeps those gorgeous lips in kissing distance!" giggled Candy back up at Dean, slopping her drink onto the table in the process.
Parking his hands flat squarely on the table he lurched over her, ignoring pointedly the come on and the sneering friend, letting his eyes meet the blond dark with threat. "See I have this little problem. My brother Sam. You remember him?"
Candy's eyes blurred up again. "Oh god, he was so damn cute," and then she scowled jutting out her bottom lip in temper, "That stupid cow Shandy just had to ruin it - couldn't keep her goddam hands off him. She scared him away."
Fighting down the urge to smash something Dean gritted his teeth. "This girl Shandy did she go after him when he left?"
Candy's drinking buddy sprayed the booth with a mouthful of beer laughing hysterically at the suggestion. "Hell no. That bitch had to be carried out of by her arms and legs by the time my girl here was finished with her."
She clinked her glass against Candy's and knocked but a shot with a grimace before proudly adding, "That will teach the ho to touch up something that don't belong to her."
"S'right Arlene, she should have kept her hands off my boy," nodded Candy in agreement as she knocked back her own shot, slamming the empty glass back onto the table with a thump.
"So you haven't seen him since?" demanded Dean ignoring the appraising look of the other woman's eyes now as she slunk closer to him. Instead he straightened a little as Candy's head wobbled in a nod and in a tighter growl he asked. "So let me get this straight - you get him drunk and let him just wonder off? Is that how you bitches get your kicks. Is it?"
"Purleeese," groaned Candy at the thought. "It that boy had stayed I would've shown him a good time…" She managed a knowing wink before knocking back another shot of tequila like tap water. "I'd had made those dimples all mine…"
Finally unable to listen anymore to her drunken rambling Dean snapped back angrily. "Listen my brother is many things, frighteningly stupid at times, but a cheap pick up he's not. He wouldn't have touched your skanky behind with a barge pole, drunk or not."
He watched Candy mouth drop open before snapping shut at the insult as her gaze took in the dark fire in his eyes. Silently she reached out for her glass and knocked back another shot with a sour expression clouding her features.
However, Arlene didn't have the sense to keep her mouth shut and waded in. "You got a bad mouth on, you know that mister. A real bad mouth talking to Candy like that…it could get your sorry ass whupped good and proper round here…"
Dean laughed humourlessly, "Well judging by the company she keeps sweetheart it ain't nothing she hasn't heard before. As for whupping someone's ass that's exactly what I'll be coming back to do if anything has happened to my kid brother. Got it?"
Arlene like her friend before found her mouth clamping shut, her eyes popping wide at the sight of his firearm momentarily visible in his waistband as his jacket fell open slightly. Wide eyed she turned frightened to her friend and whispered suddenly afraid as to what they had gotten into. "Jeez….. Candy?"
Candy merely slumped forward, and pawed at his arm, as the tears started a fresh. "Hey babe, I didn't mean anything. Sam – he was just like candy, sweet and tasty, so nicely mannered and everything. So damn pretty…"
When she started to sniffle at the memory Dean with a breathy shake of his head stood up tall again, all too aware that he had met a dead end with Candy and her friend. Sam wouldn't have come returned to O'Malley's that's much was certain, not if he had to come back to these scary woman. Hell even he could feel their affect as his skin crawled under their gaze as he left the bar.
"Damn it Sammy, you're starting to scare me here kiddo," acknowledged Dean to the empty roadside his eyes searching out the darkness but finding nothing.
After trying his cell again without any success he wearily climbed back into the impala and decided he needed to retrace his route back to Ridlington and hopefully find his brother's scrawny ass before he fell asleep in some ditch and froze to death. Or failing that just hope that he had scored lucky again and had managed to get another ride back to the motel, hopefully this time minus the wandering hands.
Anything else just didn't bear thinking about.
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He may have had to many beers to stand straight but the anaesthetic quality didn't stop the skin from freezing under the spirits touch. Struggling out of its grip, Sam managed to mumble out a warning. "Stay the hell away from me…or I swear to god I'll salt and burn your sorry ass back to hell."
Slowly the withered form coalesced into something more human. It took on the shape of a stocky woman, not desperately pretty or even attractive, just plainly solid and clearly emanating 'desperate' at him.
"Oh lord son, don't you know that you're the first one able to hear me." There was a pause before she looked at him with tears bright in her dead eyes, her voice harsh and rasping. "To see me."
And all Sam could do was laugh at the irony of it all. 'Fucking lighting rod status firmly still in place', he realised, no matter where he went or how desperately he tried to runaway from it.
"You can help them…help us," begged the figure again the need rippling off her, swamping Sam senses so that he found himself feeling her need anchor itself inside of himself.
He ducked his chin to his chest fighting the pull and whispered angrily, "No way, Wendy, I don't want to." He pouted and shook his head again "I don't have to do anything with you..."
The quiet pitiful sobbing from the creature slowly drew his head back up again and her eyes turned longingly back to the graveyard. "Please. He won't let them go and they, we can never rest… never."
"I… I don't understand," stuttered Sam despite himself, trying to back away from the spirit, as the lingering effects of the alcohol still clouded his thoughts and judgement.
All he knew was that Angela and their graveyard sprint were all very fresh in his mind and the last thing he wanted to do was play chase with another bad thing in between the tombstones. The two broken bones encased in a new cast was also a ready reminder that playing with spirits was not always a fun experience.
But the ghost was now frighteningly persistent, finding at last someone to hook onto. "No boy come with me, let him see beyond the veil he will know that he has to let them go."
As he shook his shaggy head in denial her dark eyes rested on him and she sighed sadly, "If you come to him there will be an end to it, an we can finally all pass. Let him see you."
Sam wagged his finger in refusal and snorted a denial "See me? Yeah well you've got the wrong guy for that lady. I just want to go back to being invisible…. go back to being my brother's shadow."
Suddenly she rushed back at him her head nodding vehemently at his words, a bony finger stabbing him in the chest. "Family is all there is. All there ever is. You can make mine free."
At the word 'family' Sam felt a chill race down his spine and he swallowed down the fear that surrounded his waking moments of every day. The emphatic effect was immediate on him as family was all that he had left. And family was Dean. He would do anything to keep that safe. Anything.
As if reading his emotions the ghost drew strength from him and whispered encouragement. "He won't harm you son I promise you. My Dimitri was a good man once and he loved the children so much.. Just walk with me and let him see the truth…."
And despite himself Sam knew that he could not refuse, her hold strengthening over him as his conscious mind fogged up again and slowly he found himself being led across the road, her cold hand pulling at his own like a mother pulling a reluctant child after her.
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It was the smallest flash of light against the dark as the headlight reflected the glass that drew him to a screeching halt.
Reversing a few yards back he could see the carefully placed beer bottle on top of the stone wall and just knew that it was Sam's doing. Who else in the middle of nowhere would place, not toss away, a half empty beet bottle and leave it perfectly placed on a frigging wall?
Then his eyes narrowed realising what the wall surrounded and his heart sank and a dark fear stabbed at him. Sam had gone into a graveyard alone. Unprotected. Holy fucking Shit.
"Oh this is just not happening," he cursed out loud as he stepped out of the car, realising that this night was just going from bad to fucked up worse. Hurriedly he opened the trunk and snatched up his guns, a handful of rock-salt pellets and a flask of holy water. No way was he going to walk into a graveyard dead of night without some sort of protection. Unlike his stupid brother that is.
If he hadn't wanted to kick his brother's backside with any passion before he really did now.
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The blood trickling down over his lip was warm against the chilled night air and he licked it away absently with his tongue. Bracing his right shoulder up against a slanting tombstone he grinned a hollow bright red smile in the moonlight before spitting out the bloody phlegm to the grass by his feet.
Tiredly he lent his head against the cool stone, shouldering his side against the marble slab, and drew his knees up to his chin, fingers clasping his legs in a tight hug. With each breath a bubble of blood blew out of his left nostril and tickled his top lip, before absently he brushed it away, smearing his pale face with a streak of crimson.
For the longest second he thought of closing his eyes and letting sleep take him but the little voice of reason was screaming at the back of his skull to get up and find the main road again.
Nagging at him was the promises he had made and how he kept on breaking them.. He had made a promise to the Powers-that-Be when Dean came out of his coma to try and become a better brother, a better hunter for him. He knew that his brother needed this from him, not this screw up excuse of a brother forever making mistakes and breaking promises.
Hadn't he promised Dean that he'd wait by roadside? Yet here he was again not living up to the end of the deal and had gone off to do a little bit of ghost-busting on his lonesome. Dumb, just plain dumb. No wonder Dean felt the need to smack him at times.
Why couldn't he just follow orders like a good brother was supposed to do? Like the hardened hunter his brother needed him to be.
There'd be no extra cookie for him tonight that's for sure. Not a good enough soldier to earn the extra reward that his dad always favoured his big brother with. And now just like dad Dean would think the same.
Feeling the familiar throb growing in his encased arm he shifted position and eased his arm on top of knees. This was so going to annoy his brother he realised. Not being one hundred percent meant he would be viewed as a liability again.
Sighing out loud he tried to get beyond feeling so negative, but then it hit him like a wave again and he found himself fisting his hair in frustration.
He was seriously tired of being viewed by Dean as so fucking fragile, not hard enough, and certainly not like the hunters his brother admired and respected. That jerk Gordon Walker had earned his brother's open respect within minutes of their meeting and yet he was struggling just to get his brother to even look at him at times without an open look of disdain or mistrust on his face.
No matter what he did lately he only caused Dean more trouble. Hell even after he had begged Dean to open up to him he screwed that up to. Since when had he been lost for words? Since when was it that he couldn't say what he felt or let his brother know his feelings?
'You were chicken scared.' he answered to himself. Scared that if he said the wrong thing this time Dean would just up and leave. Leave him behind and be free to hunt and partner up with anyone he wanted to do.
'Hell yes', he reasoned, Dean might be a whole lot happier with that scenario rather than having to drag his cursed ass behind him all the time.
Fighting back the tears he nodded to himself, he should offer this option up to Dean. If he couldn't be there for him as a brother should, or the hunter he demanded, then it might be best when he got his frozen ass of the ground just to keep on walking and let his brother have his life back.
For too long he had let the demon's curse, his curse, take too much from his brother, his once happy family, a mother and father and any chance of normal.
Groaning he tried to lever himself up off the cold ground but fell flat on his backside again as his legs decided they were not quite ready for standing needing a little bit longer before trying that again in a hurry.
God, how he wished he had stayed put in the bar and just kept on drinking. Another beer right now might hit that hollow spot making itself felt in his gut. Even having to deal with Candy and her posse of girlfriends with wandering hands had to be better than this emptiness right now.
Then the crunch of feet on frosted grass drew his head up and he saw a pair of jean clad legs moving towards him. A bright beam of light hit him squarely in the face and his eyes closed at the brightness. When he managed to reopen them with a squint he tried to pick out the face but the light was blinding. With a dry mouth he called out, "Dean?" And waited.
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TBC
I really do promise to have the final chapter up sooner rather than later!