Author's Note: Dedicated to Anastasia Beaverhousen (you know who you are!) ...So, you won't bitch at me for not updating.
2nd dedication to my Twisters. I am still having an iDEANity crisis and I might need to question my SAMity.
3rd dedication to my Newbies. I love you!
4th dedication for any one reading or reviewing this. Love you all.
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"You called it!?" Sam tried to keep his emotions in check. If Sue had intended to summon the spirit, she wouldn't be as freaked about it. "Wait...how did you do to call it?"
"I...I..I said he needed to be punished... and...and this thing... What if I...what if I..." Her eyes widened until the black pupil almost eclipsed her irises. "What if I... called it...and it killed my sister...I could.."
There was enough guilt in the room to swallow them all whole. Sam felt guilty for not being around to stop Dean from going off on his own and Sue felt guilt for Dean's attack and her sister's attack. Sam wondered if it was too confidential that the spirit should up after this woman's tirade. Dean had been in the building a million times without incident, yet tonight he is attacked. For some reason, the spirit broke pattern. The tension was thick like a tar pit, threatening to overtake the conversation. Calling on all the reserve of kindness he had, Sam forced himself to hold on to rationality. "Sue.." His voice was soft and consoling as his hand tapped down on her trembling fingers. "Sue, were you there every time some was killed?"
"No...no, just... just Dean." The quiver in her voice made it almost impossible to speak.
"So, you can't have called it every time. Were you upset with your sister or any of the others?"
"GOD NO! I...I..."
"Then stop feeling guilty. All that matters is that Dean is okay and we stop this thing. I need to get to the courthouse and take care of the evidence of his attack, but I can't leave him." Sam's can't leave was one of the biggest lie he ever told. The truth was he didn't want to leave.
"We need to get him to a hospital, Sam."
"No, he would be more pissed at me than.."
Why... why can't...he didn't do anything wrong."
"The sheriff is already nosy enough. If he thinks Dean was near the attack, he could find..." Sam realized he said too much. At this point he had little to lose. If he kept her in the dark, she could run to the sheriff anyway. "A while back, Dean stopped a creature, but it used him to take the blame for its killing."
"But, he's innocent." The word rolled off almost in defense of Dean's actions.
A smile spread across Sam's face. His brother's charm seemed to have at least made an impression on Sue. For some reason, he felt Dean would receive gratitude from her in the future. "Yeah, he is. So, we can't let anyone know about this." Feeling his explanation was sufficient, along with Sue's obvious attraction and gratitude to Dean, he swung from his chair to check on his brother.
As he crouched down to peer into the sleeper's face, Sam first noticed the peach hue had returned to his brother's face. Careful not to disturb him, Sam eased his hand to check the pulse, hoping it had improved too. The coolness of his fingers caused Dean to shiver. The reassurance of a steady pulse and the warmth of his brother's skin loosened Sam's anxious muscles. Again, his brother shivered and let out a deep sigh followed by a flutter of his eyes.
Recoiling his fingers quickly, Sam laughed.
"What?" Sue became alarmed, then confused by Sam's continued chuckle.
"He always hates to be disturbed when he was sleeping. It makes him grumpy." Sam acknowledged her question but kept his gaze on the still fluttering eyes.
"Uh…What?"
"It's a good sign, he wants to sleep." He gently pulled the covers over Dean's shoulder. "Okay, you can sleep as long as you want." Sam didn't expect a response as his brother had faded back to sleep almost the second the cold fingertip left his skin. It was the first time Sam felt comfortable that Dean was going to be okay with a few days' rest and the first time he felt comfortable to leave him to cover their tracks. Finally, he turned to her. "I need to borrow your car and I need you to stay with him. I don't want him to be alone right now. Just in case….in case…."
"I know," she said before she left her seat, crossed to Sam, and touched his shoulder. Dropping the keys in his hand, she grimaced in understanding.
-x-xx-x
The Shaftner courthouse took on a new chill for Sam. The shivers did not emanate from the wind coming through the doorway as he entered, but from the memory of his wound he had patched up earlier. Not only was this the place that had driven a wedge between them, it had almost permanently divided them. If his brother was just a tad sloppier, if his brother was not so alert to danger, if his brother wasn't as good a hunter, he would have lost him. Worse, the last moment they had together had been tense and hurt his brother. He would have never forgave himself, if Dean's last thought and moment had been twanged with bitterness and misunderstanding.
He had never told his brother, but not saying goodbye to his father has sickened him. Even the passing of time had not taken away that regret. He wished he would have just stopped before leaving Dean's hospital left the room- just look back once and smiled. That would have been enough. Then, John would have known he didn't hate him. If he had known, he would have told his Dad that he loved him, but they were both too stubborn to say it. Tears formed his eyes. He hoped his father was in a place to know that now. It was a mistake he was not going to ever make with Dean.
Forcing himself to leave the doorway, he proceeded with shotgun loaded and ready. He waited for any sign that he wasn't alone. After he had progressed a few feet from the entrance, the earpiece in his ear clicked like a thousand overactive hyper crickets. "DAMN IT." Glancing at the EMF meter tucked inside his jacket, Sam was surprised that the reading was off the scale. No matter how far he stalked down the hall, the reading never wavered. He ignored the flickering lights and rapid popping in his ear, being ever wary of the cold he felt before his own attack. His mind instead focused on the splatter beneath his feet. When he was checking the meter, his foot had discovered droplets of blood- Dean's blood. He forced the image of the gasp in his brother's back from his mind. Sam never had much of a taste for the gory side of hunting, but the sensation was a million times worse when it was your family.
Somehow with all the remorse running in his head, Sam made it without incident to Sue's door. He hoped the ghost couldn't sense his feelings right now, or he might be soon joining Dean. The door squeaked open and Sam flushed his body inside.
Compared to the bloodbath gore in the hall, the office looked relatively untouched. The only item out of place was his brother's jacket on the floor. He slithered further in. Suddenly, the EMF went quiet. His guard eased in the haven of the office, and he walked normally to retrieve Dean's favorite leather jacket. His large hands crumpled the well worn leather as if they were saying thank you for Dean making it through this battle. He felt heaviness in the jacket pocket, and jutted his hand inside. Filtering the items by touch, he knew the EMF meter, the Impala's keys, and the cell phone were stored within and left behind before his brother's battle.
Pulling the cell phone out, he remembered the voice mails he had left countless times- the ones where he was trying to be cool asking where Dean was, the ones where he was accusatory and asking were Dean was, and finally the angry ones where he was asking where Dean was. That didn't even count the times he hung up. He opened the flip and called up the voice mail.
Listening to the sound of his own voice and realizing his emotions were not as well hidden as he hoped, he began to delete them one by one. "God, I sound like an idiot"
After the last of his own messages, one started to play. "DEAN!" The voice screamed. "This is Mr. Taylor." Sam was slightly jarred hearing his brother's supervisor sound so gruff. "Ron Potter has filed a complaint against you AGAIN!. How many times have I told you to keep your yap shut and do your freaking job! If you know what is good for you boy, you will mind your Ps and Qs!" BEEP
"Dean! I got your message. I don't care if you say you didn't key Ron's car. As far as I know, no one else has a problem with Ron. So, I want to see your ass in my office tomorrow morning." Beep. Sam noted this message was at least a few days old.
"DEAN! Taylor here. Ron tells me you called him a Jack off who couldn't find his ass in the dark using both hands. This is the tenth time I have had to address this issue. I am docking your pay for the damage to his car!" Beep.
"Boy, get your head out of your ass. Ron said..." Sam couldn't listen to anymore and closed the phone quickly.
With a sigh, he felt even more regret. "Damn it, Dean. Why didn't you tell me Ron was treating you this bad!" He was infuriated- infuriated at himself for not realizing things that were happening under his nose. His brother had kept going, just like always. This town had treated Dean like shit and he was so caught up in the moment, he had allowed it. Everyone around his brother, had treated him as less than human- more like a pile of poo on the bottom of your shoe. He told himself during the hunt, they needed to protect Dean by separating and keeping him undercover. All he had done was leave Dean alone to be attacked by every human and inhuman thing in this sad excuse of a town. "I'm sorry, Dean." His hazel eyes flashed wide pain and anguish. He pressed the texture of the jacket once more and allowed himself that brief moment of frustration and self condemnation.
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Soiled hands plunged the mop bucket and mop into the wash basin. It had been a long time since physical labor included cleaning a building, but Sam had spent the last hours doing what Dean had every day for over a week. He was careful not to leave any evidence of the attacks. The red hue on his hands diluted away down the sink drain with all mementos of that night. Unzipping a set of coveralls, it felt good to be finished. It felt good to be able to see Dean.
Once the uniform had been shed, revealing his street clothes, he donned his jacket, and hid his shotgun. Sam left the janitor closet as people had already started to shuffle in and out of courtroom as if nothing had ever happened here. He dragged his tied feet upon the clean floor, making his way to the exit.
"SAM!" A hand gripped him and whirled Sam's tired body around.
"Ugh… Martin. Sorry, I didn't see ya."
"How are you feeling? You look spent."
"Tired, but just thought I would see how things were going."
"You missed it, got another victory this morning."
"What?"
"Yeah…Just got a man free of a rape charge. It feels good after yesterday."
"Uh.. yeah..who are you…"
"I've know the family for years. His poor wife is sick and she had to see him in court like that. It's over now."
"MARTIN!"
"Sam, are you okay? You look spooked."
"Where are they…." Before Sam could complete his sentence a shrill womanly scream reverberated down the hallway corner. "Damn it." Sprinting as fast as his tired worn legs could muster, he raced towards the voice.
"No… Steve!" Please, leave my husband alone!"
Skidding to a stop, Sam got there it time to see the spirit and pull his weapon. Salt flew. However, it was not before the vengeful apparition struck, beheading not only the innocent man, but his wife protector. Two orbs rolled on the floor when the bodies collapsed on each other.
