Disclaimer: I do not own these characters- they belong to Eric Kripke and I wouldn't have it any other way! This story was requested by Emerald-Water.

Summary: Sequel to Sacrificial Son. It's been ten years since Sarina, but a new hunt involving the bodies of teenage boys lined up on a river's edge is bringing back horrible memories for Dean; just what he needs after losing his father.

Tag to Bloodlust. WILL HAVE SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE!

Dean is 27 and Sam is 23.

When Bobby reached Sam's side, the youngest Winchester was on all fours, arms shaking with the strain of keeping his face out of the dirt. Bobby wrapped a supportive arm around his chest and tried to tilt his chin up.

"Sam? Hey, you with me? Talk to me, son."

Sam groaned, bringing a hand up to his throbbing head. "'m alright, Bobby. Jus'… Jus' got lightheaded for a sec."

He tried to push himself back up off the ground, fully intending on getting into the Impala and going after his brother, but Bobby tightened his grip, pulling Sam back down onto his knees.

"Stay down before you fall down, kid. You wanna tell me what brought this on? You have another vision or somethin'?" Then more urgently, "Did you see Dean?"

"What? No. No, it was just from takin' a hit to the head earlier. I'll be…"

"Are you idjits tryin' ta kill me? Why the hell didn't you mention you were injured, boy?"

"It's not that big'a deal, Bobby."

"Oh, clearly…" the older man shot back sarcastically. "Sit tight while I grab a flashlight from my truck."

"Come on, Bobby… We don't have time for this! Dean…"

"Would be pissed as hell if you crashed his car cause you passed out behind the wheel. Now listen to an old man's wisdom and don't move. I'll be right back."

Bobby rose stiffly to his feet and headed for his truck, shaking his head at the stubbornness the Winchester boys shared. These boys'll be the death of me one of these days…

XXXXXXXXXX

Dean tried not to cringe when he heard the woman's footsteps approaching. Seconds later, she bustled through the doorway carrying a small tray with a sandwich and a glass of water on top.

Her eyes went straight to the floor where she had left him, but then rose in surprise to find him situating himself on the bed, arms back over his head so his back wouldn't be to the door.

"Alright! Here we… Oh! Well, looks like you've got some of your strength back already."

"Yeah, just… tryin' to get comfortable," he responded quietly, trying not to upset the woman if he could avoid it.

That broad smile graced her face once again. "Well of course you should be comfortable in your own room, silly!" She strode over to the side of the bed and rested the tray in the older Winchester's lap.

Dean saw a small opportunity and he went for it. "Speakin' of my room, don't you think this one is a little childish for me now? I mean, I'm twenty-seven years old. Baseball wallpaper doesn't really do it for me anymore, you know?"

Her smile quickly fell to a frown. "I'm sorry, Billy, but you know very well that there's only one other bedroom in this house and we've got a guest using it. You'll just have to…"

"Why can't we just send him on his way? You've got me back so you won't have to worry about bein' alone anymore. Just send him home and things can go back to the… way they were."

He cleared his throat when the last few words sent bile burning up his esophagus. The last thing he wanted to do was make her nostalgic for the old days or remind her of her apparently incestuous relationship with her real son, but he couldn't focus on his own escape until he knew Josh was safe.

Hearing the slight choke to his voice, Maggie raised the glass of water to his lips. Dean pulled his head back against the headboard, unwilling to trust that the woman hadn't done anything to the drink.

"Open up, baby. You sound parched. It's only water." She advanced again with the glass, and this time, Dean had no where else to go.

He cautiously sniffed the water, and only after he didn't detect any unnatural odors did he allow his lips to part far enough for her to pour a small amount of the fluid into his mouth.

He let the water sit on his tongue for a moment, looking straight into the woman's eyes to see if her expression would change or not. When she smiled lovingly at him and patted him on the head, he knew the water was safe to swallow. She didn't mean him any harm.

Maggie's eyes brightened as she leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek. "And you're right, sweetheart. We don't need the other boy now that you're home." Dean's heart sped up as he felt a small ray of hope for the first time since they began this gig.

The woman turned towards the door and raised her voice so her husband could hear her from the other room. "Edgar, darling? Dispose of our guest like the others. He has overstayed his welcome."

Dean's heart plummeted right back down to his stomach which clenched painfully.

XXXXXXXXXX

Bobby returned to Sam, flashlight in hand, and focused the small beam on the back of the boy's head. He gently ran his fingers through Sam's shaggy hair, looking for lumps and/or cuts along his scalp.

When he found a swollen area coated in blood (some of which wasn't dry yet), Sam jerked away with a yelp, bringing his own hand up to massage his head. Bobby knocked his hand away.

"Hold still, runt…" Being a bit more careful the second time around, he parted Sam's hair and found the source of the boy's lightheadedness. "What in the hell did you get hit with? A baseball bat?"

"Tire iron actually. I think."

"Hate to break it to ya, kid, but you know I gotta make you sit this one out."

Sam turned to face the man, outraged. "You're benchin' me? Bobby, I…!"

"I can't save your brother if I'm worryin' about you too! I need backup, Sam, not a liability."

"He's my brother! I'm not just gonna sit around and wait while you go after him!"

"Yeah, Sam, you are. Get in the truck. I'll drop you off at Ellen's."

XXXXXXXXXX

Dean's eyes widened in horror as the woman's words fully sank in. "What? Nonononono...! That's not what I meant! You don't have to do this, Maggie. Just let the kid go!"

"Oh, don't be so foolish, Billy. That boy knows who we are! He'll have you taken away from me again and I simply won't allow it. He served his purpose, but now he has to go."

She placed the glass back down on the tray and stood up to check on Edgar's progress who was heading down the hall towards Josh's room.

"Don't you dare hurt him, you bastard!" Dean tried to use his adrenaline rush to break through the headboard again, but he still didn't have the strength. That didn't stop him from putting up a good fight though.

Maggie took a step towards the left side of the bed where she had been sitting and Dean swung his legs off the right, trying to maintain some distance. In doing so, he sent the tray clattering loudly to the floor. Maggie was furious.

"Now look what you've done! Your father's not going to like this one bit…"

"What in blazes are you doing in there, boy?" Edgar shouted, clearly pissed off now. Moving past Josh's room, he stormed into Dean's and took in the mess on the floor.

"Your mother just made that meal special for you, and you wasted it? You ungrateful little…!" He stepped menacingly towards Dean who rolled sideways to get his legs underneath him and retreated to the back wall, just to the right of the headboard.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Dean growled back, wishing he had at least one hand free to defend himself. As it was, he couldn't even stand up straight without straining his already torn wrists.

"I'll show you manners, punk. Maggie, keep an eye on the other boy while I teach Billy a lesson. I'll take care of the kid next."

"Please, Edgar, don't bruise him too badly. He already has…"

"Go, Maggie. You don't need to see this."

With a sorrowful look at Dean over her shoulder, she quietly stepped out of the room.

Edgar smiled maliciously over at Dean who tightened his jaw and swallowed down the lump in his throat. "It's just you and me now, boy. I'm going to make you regret the day you left this family."

"Somehow I doubt that…" Dean shot back, and then Edgar's right hook shut him up.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sam, who had been slouching in his seat, more or less sulking, sat up straighter when an idea occurred to him.

"Bobby, wait. You need me to talk with Tommy. He'll remember me from earlier. If I tell him what happened to Dean, I think he'll help us track down Cliff and his gang."

Bobby huffed out a sigh as he glanced over to the concussed kid in his passenger seat. "Fine, but I'm goin' in and bringin' the bartender out. Last thing we need is to draw more attention to ourselves or get caught up in another brawl. And once the interview is over, you're still goin' to Ellen's. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Sam grumbled, already thinking of all the ways he could slip stealthily away from Ellen's watchful eye.

There was no way Bobby was keeping him out of this fight. It was personal now, and he wouldn't be able to rest easily again until his brother was back by his side, safe and sound.

XXXXXXXXXX

Josh lifted his head from his knees again when the door to his room opened and Maggie stepped inside. He had heard what the woman shouted to her husband about his fate, but hope was all he had left to cling to.

"I… I heard the other guy's voice. You've got my replacement now, right? So you can let me go. I swear I won't say anything…"

"Hush now. There's no use whimpering like a little child. After impersonating my Billy and trying to trick me, you deserve whatever fate my husband has in store for you."

She had protected this boy as often as possible from Edgar's hatred, had cared for him and tended to his wounds, had fed and bathed him like he was her son, and it had all been a lie. He wasn't her son. Now that she looked closer at him, that fact was obvious.

Tears were streaming from Josh's eyes now. "P-please…"

"That's enough! My Billy was never that weak. He never pleaded or groveled. He took his punishments like a man. How I ever let you trick me into believing you were him is beyond me. I want you out of my house, and out of my life."

She threw his torn and ratty clothes at him and he raised his bruised and bloody arms to protect his face from the impact, leaving the rags to fall into his lap. He peered timidly through his arms at her, terrified of what else might be thrown his way.

"Get dressed. Edgar will come for you when he's through with Billy."

With that, she stepped back out and slammed the door shut, leaving Josh in the dark with only Dean's muffled grunts of pain for company.

TBC

Please keep those reviews coming! Thank you all for your patience and supportive reviews from last chapter, and sorry for the long wait!