IT ENDS BLOODY
A/N- Heyy, lookit, an update. xD Aka, procrastination... not that it matters, I've got a five-day weekend to study so might as well write a bit. :P And! I got kinda sick of feelings and depth and emption, so this chapter has action! :D Yay. Was fun. Hope you like it~
(also this song is like total love. *pokes it* Thriving Ivory. Damn. Best lyrics ever.)
See I have to believe that there's more than this seems
More than a soul in a boat in a sea of sinking dreams
And I have to be sure that there's gonna be a cure
'Cause somewhere down the line, I lost that part of me that's pure
~Where We Belong~ Thriving Ivory
5. Too Far Out, In Too Deep
[2010]
Needless to say, neither of the brothers slept much that night. It would have probably just been smarter to drive on, but after watching Dean drop face first into the bed closest to the door (he added that to the mental list of things that hadn't changed – it was depressingly short compared to what was different so far) to avoid Sam's stare and the questions bubbling under the surface, Sam got the message.
His brother had always been a master at avoiding confrontations.
Sam sighed and sat gingerly on the edge of the other bed, taking the chance to get his bearings. His mind shied away from thoughts about how much darker Dean was now, the shock of the difference unsettling him. He didn't want to think about what could have happened to cause that. A part of him thought he knew what it could have been, but he shut that part up before it could get a whisper in.
But there was one thing that he couldn't not ponder over. The fact that Dean hardly ever took off his amulet willingly made its absence here that much more puzzling. Judging by the way he had shut off completely when Sam had pointed it out earlier, he figured it was just the tip of the iceberg for the list of 'taboo' topics he couldn't bring up. Not without being snapped at, anyway.
Sam sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. He glanced out the grimy window to the silent car park. The single street light flickered weakly against the dark, making a shiver run down his spine. It was nothing, but the paranoia was still there. Side effect of being snatched away by shadows, of all things. He took a breath. At least the darkness here was just that – darkness. There was no depth to it, no eerie sort of life. They were safe here, for the moment.
So caught up in his convincing self-argument as he was, Sam didn't notice the change in Dean's breathing until his grumbled sleep-filled words startled him.
"Stop thinking so much and go to sleep, dude."
Sam flashed him a sheepish grin but complied, sliding under the covers. He peered across the room at Dean, seeing that he was already halfway to returning to sleep, before burrowing into the covers (expertly ignoring the thought of where they'd been) and letting his own eyes slide shut.
Tomorrow, they'll head off to Bobby's and figure this out. Tomorrow, they'll get some answers.
XX
What neither of them was quite expecting, though, was a setback.
"We're being tailed."
Sam looked up from his mindless gazing out the window. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concern. "What?"
Dean nodded at the rearview mirror. "Dude's been following us since the turn-off into the highway."
Sam glanced behind them, spotting the navy-coloured Mustang getting closer. He narrowed his eyes at the two burly men inside. "They look familiar to you?" he asked.
Dean shot him a quizzing look, then chanced a look at the men too. He shrugged. "I don't know. Why, do you recognise them?"
Sam tilted his head in thought. "Not sure- hey, what the hell are they doing?" His eyes widened in alarm.
Dean cursed. The Mustang had sped up suddenly and he had to press harder on the gas to avoid a real life game of Bumper Cars. "The fuck?!" he exclaimed angrily, speeding up to put some distance between them. It was no use, though, because the Mustang sped up too, matching him even as he tried swerving to throw them off.
All it took was one wrong move. One sudden skid to the right where the road turned left and the Impala was instantly crammed between the very side of the road, where it disappeared into mammoth trees that would crush them if they hit one, and speeding side-by-side with the Mustang, the driver of whom kept pressing them closer and closer to the edge – until Dean muttered a "screw this". Without warning, he eased off the gas and the Impala slowed suddenly, letting the Mustang speed ahead. Dean smirked and then caught up, easily staying right behind them with every shift in speed and turn, while he and Sam debated what to do.
"Who do you think they are?" Sam asked straight away.
Dean shrugged. "Hell if I know. Everyone's after our asses so, really, could be anyone."
Sam stared. "Well. That's... great."
"But I think they're hunters."
Sam's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Hunters?" He shook his head, baffled. "So when you say 'everyone', you seriously mean everyone?" What the hell happened is what he really wants to know.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Okay. Okay, so..." He stared out at the bumper of the car in front of them, mind swirling. "What now?"
Dean was silent for a moment, before he pulled out his phone and quickly dialled a number. Sam frowned in utter confusion as the person didn't answer and Dean swore in frustration. "Who was that?" he pressed.
Dean replied immediately, "Cas." Then, realising the name didn't mean anything to Sam when he just blinked, lost, added carefully, "A friend."
Sam's eyebrows rose. "A friend who could have somehow helped us even though we're in the middle of a freeway?"
The smirk he got was amused, the reply short and cryptic. "Yep."
Uncomprehending, Sam just stared blankly.
"Don't worry," Dean shot him a look and took pity on him. "I've got a plan."
"Brilliant," Sam muttered. Changed or not, he knew his brother's plans. And hell if they were anything but insane. "Lay it on me."
XX
The plan... didn't go exactly as planned. Actually, it didn't really go anywhere at all.
They had to ditch it as soon as the Mustang swerved to block off the road sideways and stopped, making them screech to a halt as the two men got out and approached the Impala. Dean scowled and, grabbing his gun, stepped out to face them. Sam followed suit.
"Sam and Dean Winchester," the driver of the car said, a statement instead of a greeting, his eyes sizing them up. Sam held his gaze fiercely, hoping the men didn't know them well enough to notice any changes. He shouldn't have worried, though, as Tall Dark and Burly smirked over at his partner. "Not so impressive in the flesh, are they?"
The blond-haired man sneered. "Didn't expect them to be."
Dean growled. "Let's cut to the chase, fellas. Who the hell are you and what the fuck do you want?" he demanded.
Twin grins crept onto their faces and Sam knew they were fucked the next second. Why?
Because a blink of both their eyes revealed horribly familiar black.
"You sons'abitches don't give up, do you," his brother muttered, deftly pulling out a jagged knife from inside his jacket. Sam recognised Ruby's demon-killing knife but didn't question it. This wasn't the time.
The two demons charged them, Burly going for Dean and Blondie aiming for Sam, who automatically got into a fighting stance. At least these guys didn't have the demon mojo that always had them pinned against walls or tables... as if their strength and speed wasn't enough.
He stepped right into the offensive, throwing punches and lashing out with leg swipes, not giving the demon a chance to get a shot in. He heard a grunt of impact from the other fighting pair but didn't look over, only hoped it wasn't Dean, and fell back to avoid a sucker-punch that would've knocked him clean out. He retaliated with a feint and a kick to the chest, which the demon caught and used to flip him over. Sam hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him as he landed on his back. His eyes widened as the demon stepped over him, smirking, and he moved quickly to roll away from the hit and crouch up, falling into a sweep that made Blondie's legs collapse under him. Getting to his feet and moving a few steps back, he used the moment to catch his breath.
The demon got to his feet with an impatient scowl, but didn't advance yet, instead taking to circling Sam, who kept pace and didn't let him get within striking distance. His ribs hurt, definitely bruised, but he pushed it aside as the demon spoke up. "You know you can't keep hiding."
Refusing to take the bait, Sam stayed silent, eyes never leaving his opponent and ears open to the sounds of Dean's fight with Burly.
It didn't deter him. "He's gonna find you sooner or later," the demon added maliciously, a slow smirk unfurling at his lips. "And then guess who'll be the Devil's bitch?"
It was enough to make Sam freeze, his mind to blank out, and almost cost him his life. Sheer instinct made him duck away to avoid the hit as the demon was suddenly in his face, but it would have been futile if Dean hadn't come in at that moment, charging from behind the demon and driving the knife into his back with enough force to almost run them both into the ground. Sam watched, dumbstruck, as he twisted the knife with a look of cold hatred, watched the flickering light fade as the demon slid off the knife and onto the ground, much like his partner who was now lying in a puddle of his own blood a few feet away.
Sam swallowed and stood up. His breathing was heavy and uneven and he couldn't get his thoughts straight. He just stared at Dean until the older Winchester finished wiping the bloodied dagger on the demon's clothes and looked up to meet his eyes. The cold look disappeared into wary concern when he saw Sam was white with shock.
"What's-" he started.
But Sam shook his head numbly, finding the energy to move his legs and return to the Impala, dropping heavily into the seat and slamming the door shut. He took a few calming breaths, trying to get his heart rate down, but it was racing and the demon's words wouldn't stop echoing in his head.
He didn't know what it meant. What did he mean? What's he talking about?
He heard Dean getting in next to him, heard the driver's door shut and the engine being revved, but the car didn't move yet. He knew Dean was waiting for him to say something, so he did.
"Let's get to Bobby's," he muttered, not meeting Dean's eyes. The sick feeling in his stomach bubbled and he couldn't help but think that shit was about to get so much more serious if they didn't find a way out now.
He could do with something familiar right now. Answers could wait.
"We'll figure it out," Dean said quietly as he pulled out.
A/N: And, because I promised xxDodo, here's a spoof-type scene where Cas isn't off drinking himself silly because Daddy turned out to be a dead-beat, and he does meet Sam.
...
A flutter of sound alerted Sam to his presence as soon as Dean hung up the phone with 'Cas'. He turned, stunned, only to let out a startled yelp at the dark-haired man in a trenchcoat who had suddenly appeared in the backseat.
Dean stifled a snicker. "Hey, man."
The guy (what the hell was he?) turned oddly intense blue eyes to him. "Hello, Dean," he intoned before returning his gaze to Sam, who was trying not to freak out. "Hello, Sam."
"W-what... who...?" he stammered, glancing at his brother for help. "Dean?"
"Dean," the other guy said at the same time. "I do not think that this is, in fact, Sam."
"Yeah?" Dean's lips twitched.
"Yes," Cas said solemnly. He tilted his head at Sam, blue eyes narrowed. "He appears to have..." he hesitated. "Grown smaller."
Dean snorted at that. Sam's feeling of lost-ness increased.
"And I believe his hair is shorter."
Sam's hand flew up to his hair almost defensively. "What?"
Cas fixed him with a very serious stare. "You make a poor imposter."
Dean chuckled. "Get an up-size, Sasquatch," he added helpfully.
Sam just slumped back in his seat, now more thoroughly confused than ever.
...
*pats Sammy on the head* poor guy.
...I, uh, didn't manage to fit in the doses of protective big-bro!Dean, though, sorry guys. xP *mental note to add in next time* Aaand didn't get around to Bobby. Ah well. Next chapter's also exciting. With law enforcement and kickass Winchesters. (The 2008 ones, anyway).
Reviews feed the muse and the muse is one hungry thing ;)
Laters~
iz.