Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun!
Dark Shadow
Chapter 10 – The Demon Made Me Do It
Nick blinked as he saw the shimmering form of Sam next to Soaring Eagle. He hadn't realized until this moment how much he was wishing this was just a hoax. But he had to believe what his eyes were showing him. This Sam was still clothed the same as he had been when he was captured by the Shade. He could see the swirling emotions in the familiar hazel eyes. From the looks of things, this version of his friend was not doing much better than the one in the cabin.
"Hello Sam." Nick said softly as he watched the Shade turn and walk towards him. He wanted to hug the young hunter, but in his current form that wouldn't be possible. Evidently, Shade Sam was not able to become corporeal. Sam stopped in front of him, his arms reaching for him as if to pull him into a hug, but he stepped back at the last moment as he realized it was not possible.
"Hey, Nick—ah—glad you came." Sam said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. His current status was even more painful now that Nick was standing in front of him.
Nick watched the frustration and then the sorrow cross Sam's face. It had to be difficult for the Shade. He could only imagine what it would be like to want to interact with the living world, but only be able to view it. Trying to soothe the young hunter, Nick placed a smile on his face and motioned for Sam to sit next to him. "Soaring Eagle, please tell me you have an answer to this problem." Nick addressed the ancient Indian who was talking quietly to his grandson.
"I believe it can be accomplished, but it will take a little time. Sam's living self must go through the purification ceremony to open himself up to receive his other self. But both entities must be willing participants, or it will fail." Soaring Eagle looked at his young charge, concerned at the uncertainty he saw on his face.
"Will it harm Sam? I mean, when this ceremony is completed, will he be as he once was?" Nick asked, knowing if there was any danger to Sam, Dean would never go along with it.
"There are no guarantees, but I believe if his spirit is strong, he will survive. I am not sure how he will be affected. That will be up to Samuel. Both of his spirits have been apart for a period of time—it will not be easy to reconcile the two halves, to merge the experiences had by both while they have been separated. But after being with Samuel, I believe he will have the strength and power of will to succeed." Soaring Eagle frowned as he saw Samuel jump to his feet, his eyes narrowing as they looked towards the cabin.
"What is it Sam?" Nick asked, also noticing Sam's sudden movements.
"He's coming—he's coming and Dean doesn't know! I have to warn him!" Sam yelled as he left the protective circle and headed towards the cabin. He never heard the others call him. The only thing driving him was the need to protect his brother.
Nick looked at Soaring Eagle as he turned to follow Sam's Shade. "What is he talking about?"
Soaring Eagle sighed as he gathered his things. "The evil one has sensed their return. I had hoped we would have time to perform the ceremony, but the evil will not wait. We must hurry to help them."
"The evil one—you mean a demon? Which demon?" Nick's heart sped up as he pulled out his phone. He slammed it shut in frustration when he saw he had no reception. It would take them at least 30 minutes to get back to the cabin. He began to run, hoping to cut that time down as he followed Charlie. Soaring Eagle had already departed and was no longer in view. He just hoped he could help the boys until they could get back.
oooooooooooooooooooooo
The shade watched as his brother moved gracefully towards the Impala. He moved closer, trying to touch him, but his hand simply passed through. Dean didn't even seem to know he was there. "Dean, man you don't know how good it is to see you—you have to get inside, he's coming!"
But his brother continued to search through the trunk as if he had all the time in the world. "Damn it!" Sam muttered as he searched for a way to get through to his brother. He knew he couldn't stop the demon in his current form; he had to get Dean inside some how. He turned his head as he heard soft laughter coming from the dense trees.
"Tic Tock, times up Sammy—how does it feel to be so close to him and yet invisible to his eyes?" The voice mocked him from afar.
"You'll never get him, I'll stop you if it's the last thing I do!" Sam roared, looking frantically for a way to communicate with his sibling. Suddenly he saw a shadow moving through the doorway of the cabin.
Smiling, he finally knew what he had to do. He moved quickly towards his corporeal self, shocked at how weak he looked. Soaring Eagle was right; they really didn't have much time to complete the ceremony. The only problem was, the demon kept interrupting them. He saw Dean turn and smile at him—well at his live self anyway but for a moment he imagined his older brother could see him. Taking strength from his brother's gaze, he took the plunge. He just hoped he wasn't making a big mistake.
oooooooooooooooooooooo
Dean smiled as he finished placing the devils trap on the cabin's ceiling. He just hoped Charlie wouldn't mind the extra carvings in the wood. As he returned to the Impala, he grabbed their large canister of salt. All he had left to do was salt the windows and doors. As he closed the trunk, he heard a soft footstep behind him. Whirling around, he stopped as he saw Sam slowly shuffling towards him.
"Dean? Whatcha' doing?" Sam rubbed his eyes as if trying to make them focus. Dean almost laughed as he remembered the same look on Sammy when he was younger, but he could see his brother was barely standing.
"I'm getting ready to bake us a cake—what does it look like?" Dean couldn't help the snarky comment as he moved quickly towards his brother. "Now get back inside, I'll be there in a moment."
Dean shivered as the air became cooler. But demons didn't cool the air; great something else was stalking them. His eyes began to search as he reached for the EMF reader on the back seat. He hoped he was wrong but…"Sam get inside—now!"
However Sam remained standing, his eyes suddenly unfocused as he fell to his knees. A shudder went through his body as a soft moan escaped his lips. Dean rushed to his side, dropping the salt container and pulling out the shot gun he had brought with him. "Sammy?"
Sam grabbed his head and shook it before he managed to raise his head and look at his older brother. Dean gasped at the pain he saw in his brother's hazel eyes. Before he could move, Sam got to his feet and began to search the area before turning to face his brother. "We have to get you inside Dean! The yellow eyed demon is coming to…argh!" Sam cried as he was thrown against the side of the house.
"Ah, ah ah! No fair giving Dean the ending of the story Sammy!" Dean spun around, his gun coming up to aim as he came face to face with the sneering visage of the demon in his nightmares.
"Stay back you bastard!" Dean yelled, as he moved between Sam and the demon. He knew the gun wouldn't do much good, but maybe he could buy them some time.
"Now is that any way to treat a guest Dean?" The demon smirked as he raised his hand and with one flick of the wrist, sent the older hunter into the side of the cabin. Dean's body falling limply to the ground as the demon moved towards Sam.
"It won't work you know. I can sense the Shade inside you Sam and I can sense both of you getting weaker. Now if you leave and come with me voluntarily, maybe we can leave your brother out of this." The demon moved closer, his eyes flashing as he sensed his victory close at hand.
Sam shook his head, part of him wanting to give in and yet part of him fighting. A battle going on inside his mind for control was making it impossible for him to come to a decision. "Let me take control before it's too late!" A voice that sounded a lot like his own echoed in his mind.
"NO!" Sam tried to keep his eyes on the demon in front of him while trying to fight the entity possessing him.
But after taking a quick look at the fallen form of his brother, he realized he couldn't fight this battle on two fronts. He'd have to take a chance as he decided to let the Shade take control. Anger and hatred flared in his eyes as he moved between the demon and his brother. "You won't be taking either one of us you bastard!"
"Sammy my boy, who said you get a choice here?" The demon moved closer, his hand moving and once more tossing Sam to the side as if he was no more than a leaf in the wind. Sam groaned, but once more pulled himself up. Just as the demon was getting ready to make another move, the sound of chanting was heard on the wind. Sam smiled as he recognized the words of protection coming from Soaring Eagle. He couldn't see the old Indian, but he sensed he was near.
The demon cursed as he found himself repelled once more. "I'll be back Sammy and when I do; you will lose that which is most precious to you. You can't keep me away forever, soon I will have you!"
Sam staggered to his feet and moved to check on his brother. His hand softly caressed his brother's cheek before moving down to his neck to search for signs of life. The urge to grab his brother and run from this place was overpowering. In the end, he decided it would be better to get his older brother inside where it was safe. But as he moved towards the open doorway, he was stopped by a horrible pain shooting through his body. Screaming, Sam dropped Dean and grabbed his head.
"Get out of me—I have to get him inside—where he's protected!" Sam moaned, falling to the ground.
"No! I have waited too long; I need to be with Dean. He has to help me!" Shade Sam cried; the fear of losing contact with his brother over-riding all other desires.
"I don't want you—won't let you stay!" Sam's eyes filled with tears as he continued to fight against the Shade's possession.
The Shade continued to push, unwilling to give up. "I'm you! You're nothing without me!"
"I don't need you! Dean and I are doing just fine! I won't let you take control…I won't…argh!" Sam cried out as he felt his body rising and beginning to move into the forest away from Dean. He could feel the emotions of the Shade within him along with the strength forcing his body to obey. As he continued out into the forest, he never heard the soft cry of Soaring Eagle, begging him to return. His last conscious thought was of his brother and how much he was going to miss him.
The shade continued to push his weakened body further and further away from the comfort of his older brother. The fear of being pushed away too much for him to bear; he had to get his other self alone, maybe then he could convince his living self to go along with the ceremony. He couldn't lose Dean again and survive.
ooooooooooooooooo
Nick ran into the clearing where the cabin was located followed closely by Charlie. His eyes found the crumpled form of Dean instantly. As he moved to check on the downed hunter, he saw Soaring Eagle standing guard. "What happened? Where's Sam?" Nick asked as he felt for a pulse. It was a bit weak, but at least Dean was still alive. "Wait here for me Soaring Eagle—let me just get Dean inside."
Nick and Charlie both lifted the injured hunter and brought him inside. Charlie left and returned with a fully stocked medicine kit while Nick began to examine Dean for injuries. He could see the bruising on his friends back and sucked in a breath at the pain they would cause once Dean came to. A quick look also found a large bump on the back of Dean's head. He heard a soft moan as he gently probed it. "It's ok Dean. I've gotcha."
"You need to go talk to grandfather, I can finish this." Charlie said softly as he watched the torn emotions cross the young man's face. He had only met these men, and yet he sensed they were all close. He would do what he could to help them.
"Fine, but I won't be far. Call me if he wakes up ok?" Nick wiped his hands on the towel Charlie brought with him before walking back outside.
Nick watched as Soaring Eagle continued chanting in a soft voice. He recognized the ceremony as one to purify the area from evil. It was difficult to wait, but he knew the Medicine Man would not communicate until he had finished. He once again searched the area for a sign of Sam. He could see evidence of a struggle and was just beginning to follow a set of tracks when Soaring Eagle's voice stopped him.
"You will not find him until he is ready." Soaring Eagle sat outside the cabin, crossing his legs as he placed his staff carefully beside him. He should have seen this coming and prevented it. What the Shade was doing was dangerous and could end in disaster for them all.
"What happened?" Nick sat across from the ancient Indian and tried to calm himself. He knew it would not help matters to go running off after Sam without knowing what he might be getting into.
"The evil one tried to take Samuel's living self, but the protector intervened. I was able to drive the evil away, but Samuel's Shade would not vacate his body. This is very bad as they will both be using up more energy—I can only hope they will come to their senses in time." Soaring Eagle bowed his head, for the first time letting his failure show on his features.
Nick shook his head. "What a mess! Can you sense where he has gone? Maybe if I find him, I can talk to him…"
"No—he must decide on his own path. No one can force either entity. Both have to agree or the unification will not be successful." Soaring Eagle shook his head as Nick stood and stared in the direction Sam had disappeared.
"Dean won't just sit by and wait for Sam to decide. You don't know how protective he is of his little brother. He will begin to hunt for him as soon as he comes to." Nick ran a hand through his hair, trying to quell the bad feeling he had in his stomach that this wasn't going to end well.
"He is also in danger—the evil one sees him as an end to getting what he wants. He will use him to capture Samuel. I can only protect them if they are within the protected areas, or if I am in close proximity. It was only the grace of the Great Spirit that allowed me to arrive in time to prevent it from happening this time." Soaring Eagle sighed, once again wondering if he was doing what was required of him. But he felt in his heart, he was on the right path this time. He must help the two brothers and then perhaps he could rest.
"Well, I'm telling you that won't matter to Dean. I think I'll grab my backpack and start tracking Sam. I'll let Charlie know what I'm doing, so he can advise Dean. Will you be staying here?" Nick asked as he rose to re-enter the cabin.
"No, I will go to make the final preparations for the purification ceremony. I have built the sweat lodge at the base of the place you call demon's peak. My grandson will know where it is. Once you have Samuel's agreement—both of them—to the ceremony, you must get both of his essences to the lodge. But I'm warning you, time is running out for the young hunter."
Nick watched as Soaring Eagle faded from sight. Moving quickly into the cabin, he told Charlie of his plans to follow Sam. Charlie insisted he take a walkie talkie with him. "Cell phones don't work out here. I'll contact you as soon as this one wakes."
Nick nodded, pausing for a moment to speak to Dean. "Don't worry Dean, I'll find him for you. We'll get this fixed and then you two can get back to squabbling in no time." Nick patted the older Winchester on the shoulder before walking out into the forest.
TBC
Raven524: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! I hope everyone got something nice under the tree—no Dean for me this year, but otherwise I had a great holiday. I did manage to squeeze in some time between eggnog and turkey to crank out this update. Hope you all enjoy it!