TICK TOCK Grandfather's clock

Disclaimer: as per the usual from chapter 1

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CHAPTER 11

Dean stared down at Sam for a few minutes, his brother had a strange look on his face not quite a grimace, but it was enough to worry him. 'Sammy come on let's have it.'

'Huh? Have what?'

'The lecture ... about me and my ahh problems regarding the fair sex.' Dean tried to make his voice sound light and joking but instead it sounded even more strained and emotional than usual.

'Oh, sorry Man I was just thinking about something else.'

'What? What else could be there to ... hang on the phone rang before didn't it? The motel one not our mobiles.'

'Yeah.'

'So?'

'So what?'

'Fuck Sam I am not in the mood to play twenty questions with you, who was on the phone?'

Sam rolled his eyes up to look at Dean, chewing his lower lip he desperately tried to think of a plausible story for him to believe, hell for that matter for Sam to believe also.

'Okay Sam now you got me worried, and you know I do not do worried so spill.'

'It was Ellen.' The words came out of Sam's mouth before he could stop himself, 'she wants to meet with me.'

'What the fuck?' Dean dropped down on the twin bed and stared at his brother his face paling by the second, 'what ... what did she want?'

'To talk to me.'

'Sam!' Dean growled, he could feel his heart starting to pound against his chest in a desperate bid to be free.

'She wants me to meet her in the park across the road in an hour, and I have to be completely alone.' Sam said as he kept his gaze on Dean's face reading each reaction that crossed it, 'she wants you back.'

Dean stiffened and ran his hand through his hair as he tried to comprehend what Sam had just said, 'well it's simple then we just smoke the bitch.'

'What about Karen?' Sam asked quietly, 'I really only knew her and she was not evil or psychotic like Ellen.'

'Same person Sammy, same cold hearted bitch.'

'What did she do to you Dean? I really need to know now.'

Dean sat back and pretended to pick at a bit of fluff on his sleeve unable to meet Sam's gaze. 'I remember seeing her standing in the middle of the road and swerving to miss her ...'

Sam sat back and waited silently for Dean to keep going, knowing how hard it was for him to finally talk about his ordeal.

'I woke up lying in a bed, and realised it wasn't a hospital room ... you were nowhere around and umm Hattie was there. I had a helluva lump on my head and my shoulder was all bandaged up.' Dean took a deep breath before he could continue he glanced up at Sam to gauge the look on his face, expecting to see one of pity but instead it was a clear and calm look of concern, no disgust, no pity just honest concern, shifting his focus he stared at the window as the memories came back faster than he wanted. 'Ah Hattie said that I was alone in the car, you were never there, that she saved me and brought me home to recover, then like in the blink of an eye Hattie was gone and Ellen was standing there yelling at me for upsetting Hattie. I got mad coz she wouldn't tell me where you were. Anyway she started in on me straight away and then left, I guess I must have passed out coz when I came too I was still alone, I know I tried to stand up but man I felt like crap I know that. Hattie came in with some lunch and I tried to reason with her and that's when she told me ... she told me that you died in the accident.' Dean shook his head refusing to let the tears show, 'fuck it Sam why dredge all this up now?'

'Coz you have to for your own sake and I ... I need to know before I confront her.' Sam said keeping his voice low and free from the emotions that were raging inside of him.

'I yelled and cursed and next thing Ellen was there flying into me, aiming at my shoulder ... next thing I knew she had me back on the bed and – and handcuffed to it ... naked.' He whispered the last word he could feel the heat rising in his face, the blush of embarrassment staining his cheeks. 'She had her fun, kept taunting me about your being dead which I knew was a lie.'

'How ... how did you know I wasn't dead?'

'I could feel it ... shit I dunno Sammy I just knew.' Dean took a shuddering breath and took a minute to compose himself enough to finish, 'next thing I know she pulls out this mother of a hammer and slams it into my knee.' His voice broke then and unconsciously he started to rub his knees, both still encased in braces, 'I don't remember a lot after that for a while I was kinda in and out of it, until Karen made an appearance, Dude she wasn't the kind and loving nurse you knew, she was just as cold-hearted as Ellen threatened me with you, coz you were staying with a cop and Ellen had access to you through him.'

Sam opened his mouth to speak but the look on Dean's face silenced him, his brother had to finish this before it destroyed him.

'Ellen came back said that she wasn't allowed to hurt me coz Karen said I had to heal so she ... so she ... she ahh fuck Sam I was handcuffed to the bed, my knee and shoulder stuffed. I wasn't thinking straight and had no way of stopping her.'

'Dean I ...'

'How can it happen Sam? How can a woman rape a man? I – I tried everything I could think of to get her off me but ... I have never felt so helpless Sam, how can something like that happen. Tell me coz I need to know.' Dean cried, tears running freely down his face as his body shuddered, the realisation of what happened to him finally smashing through his defences.

'Dean I ...'

'I was helpless Sam ... I have never felt like that before and she fed off it, the more pain and ... and ... she fed off it like it was a drug or something.' Dean said and then took a quivering breath and stayed silent for a few minutes until he could trust himself to speak again. He risked another look at Sam expecting to see the concern replaced with repulsion instead he saw the tears in Sam's eyes and the look of rage on his face, rage at the woman who had violated his older brother, who had broken such a proud and strong man.

'I – I actually thought I saw you standing in the corner of the room at one stage,' Dean let out a bitter laugh at the memory, 'she did what she wanted I guess, and then ... then she came in with a wheelchair Karen brought from the hospital, she took me to the bathroom for a bath.' Dean stopped speaking lost in that particular memory his eyes clouded over and he lost all colour in his face again.

'Dean? You okay?' Sam asked going to sit next to his brother, 'we can stop now...'

'She handcuffed my hands to the taps and broke open my shoulder...' Dean spoke now as though he was talking to himself, 'she did what she wanted after that and then, then she took me back to the room and left me unrestrained in the wheelchair, I – ah tried to stand up to test my leg and went down, she found me there and went berserk,' Dean worked his fingers into jeans, unknowingly he fretted holes into the fabric before drawing blood as he kept scratching and working into his own skin. 'She smashed my other knee ... carried on like a lunatic, all three of them came out Ellen, Karen and then Hattie, three bitches all rolled into one psychotic evil bitch. I was in and out of it after that, had a fever and the infections anyway, Karen came in and found me, guess she took pity on me and was able to clean up and then cleaned me, the Doc said that if she hadn't done what she had then I would have...' Dean's voice broke completely then and he turned his face away from Sam's penetrating stare.

'After that she called me and Mike to come and save you.' Sam finished for him, 'I am so sorry Dean.'

'Why? You couldn't have done anything about it, it happened and now it's finished.'

'I couldn't help you when you needed it.' Sam's voice cracked as he tried to make sense of what had happened to his brother, 'I couldn't even remember you and you needed me.'

'Sammy this is not your fault.'

'If we had left when you wanted none of this...'

'Hey I am not telling you again, Sammy, Sam it's not your fault.' Dean turned around to look deep into Sam's eyes, he had to make the younger man understand and to stop taking on so much guilt, 'this was never, ever your fault. Man you could've died in that crash, I wasn't there for you to protect you when you needed me. Neither of us are to blame for the insanity of another person.'

'Dean I...'

'Nope Sammy that's it, no more to say. She did a number on me and now she wants to do a number on you. This is gonna end Sam, here and now she is going down.'

Sam blinked back the tears and swallowed down on the rising bile, as he regarded his older brother, Dean was all but passing out as he sat there trying to hold it all in.

'Okay so we have time, Dean if you want to do something then you need to rest Dude. I mean it – lie down and get some rest and then we can take her on together.'

'Sam you're not...'

'I'm not going to do anything but make sure that you get some sleep, Dean you're falling off the bed now lie down before you fall.'

Dean glared up at Sam but he had to agree, the reliving of his horrors coupled with his own pain and frustration at being helpless took a toll on him and his eyes were closed before his head hit the pillow.

Sam sat watching Dean for a few minutes making sure that he was completely out of it before he glanced down at his watch, he had ten minutes left, with shaking hands he picked up Dean's crutches and propped them against the wall by the front door, 'sorry Man but it's the only way.' He said quietly as he slipped out of the motel room and locked the door behind him.

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His hand hovered over his gun nestled safely under his belt and the knife sheathed on his wrist as he hurried across the road and jogged into the park a little further, still able to keep an eye on the door of the motel room but far enough away to make sure Ellen didn't get easy access to Dean.

'Hey Lover Boy look at you.' Ellen's cold voice came from behind him, spinning around Sam pulled out his gun and had it aimed at her as he came to a stop.

'Ooh I like a man with a big...' Ellen smirked, 'so where's Deany?'

'Where you can't get to him.'

'Sam, Sam, Sam what am I gonna do with the two of you?'

'Leave us the hell alone.'

'Hmm thought of that but sorry can't accommodate that request got another?'

'Die.'

'Oh we are witty aren't we ... so tell me how is Dean's booboos?'

'Why?'

'Oh I do care about my pets.' Ellen threw the word at him, 'although he is damaged goods now, so what about it Sammy does the younger brother live up to the reputation of the older one?'

'You are never going to find out.' Sam said stepping to his left so he could keep the motel door in his peripheral vision.

'Oh Sammy please no more dramatics we can be adult about this.'

'What? The fact that you ruined my brother physically? Or the fact that you abused him so much he...'

'He enjoyed it Sam don't let him tell you otherwise.'

'You bitch.' Sam lifted his gun slightly higher and took aim, 'give me one good reason why I don't kill you right now?'

'Sam? Please don't shoot.'

'Karen?'

'Please, Hattie is trapped and she is a child, you can't kill her without killing us.'

'Then what do you suggest Karen? I can't believe you helped in all of this.'

'I am so sorry Sam I can't control Ellen she is so strong.'

'Let me help you Karen, then Ellen need never...'

'Nice try Sammy but no gold star.' Ellen snarled as she took a step closer to him, 'but Karen is right about one thing, kill me and both her and Hattie die as well, you will kill all of us.'

Sam lowered his gun, his resolve crumbling and then before he could react Ellen was standing next to him, or was it Karen? 'I am so sorry Sam.' She whispered as she gripped his arm, shocked he felt the sharp prick in the crook of his elbow.

'Karen?' He whispered as his legs started to buckle under him, 'why?'

'Sorry Sam but it's for the best.' She said as she put his arm around her shoulders and wrapped hers around his narrow waist, 'wow you are tall aren't you.' She muttered through gritted teeth as she guided his stumbling body towards her car, 'okay big boy get in there.' She pushed him into the back seat, tucked his legs in as best as she could before locking the door and slamming it shut.

'It's okay, I'm a nurse.' She said at as a couple stopped and stared at her curiously, 'he's a diabetic and had a bit of a turn, just taking him home to rest.'

'Do you need any help at all?'

'Nope, no thanks anyway he just needs to get some rest, these young ones get so stubborn don't they.' Karen smiled brightly and waved at them as she slipped in behind the steering wheel and started the car.

'Karen please.' Sam moaned as he fought against the effects of the drug, 'don't do this.'

'Just relax Sammy, and it will all work out for the best I promise you.'

'But Dean ... needs ... me.' Sam's voice faded as he finally succumbed to the sedative.

'That's what I am counting on.' Ellen smiled as she checked her make up in the rear vision mirror before pulling into the traffic, an unconscious Sam lying on the back seat completely unaware of where they were going or how far away from Dean they were heading.

TBC