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 21 – Emergence

Last Chapter…

A cold shiver ran through him as he felt something embracing him before a white hot pain shot through his mind. "Argh!" Sam screamed as he fell to the ground, clenching his fists as he pressed them against the throbbing in his temples. Suddenly his mind was full of images and feelings—it was too much! As his body continued to wreathe on the ground, he struggled to make sense of what was happening.

Another pain hit him, this pain feeling familiar and yet different. He could feel his stomach muscle clenching, bile rising as he fought his way through until one image remained. "Dean—Oh God—have to save Dean!" Sam screamed as his eyes opened. He tried to push himself to his feet, but his body refused to listen. Before he could move, he collapsed; his last thought—he was too late again….

And Now…

Dean stopped for a moment, trying to catch his breath as he looked up at the next rise of white stone in front of him. He had been climbing steadily for what seemed like forever. Putting one foot in front of the other, refusing to give in to the rest his body demanded. Each step was taking the bastard farther from his brother. He squinted into the early morning sun, wishing once again for just a small sip of water.

"I really hate camping…give me a roach motel any day over this. At least there I'd have water and a hot shower." Dean mumbled to himself as he sat heavily on a stone outcropping. He had no idea where he was, but he figured if he kept heading east, he'd eventually get to some kind of civilization.

He only hoped his brother was doing better than him at the moment. He had to trust that Nick managed to get the Shade to the mountain; Sam had to be whole again by this time anything else didn't bear thinking about. "You so owe me Sammy, next time you get to play hide and seek with the demon…"

A soft laugh behind him had him whirling. "Tag, Your It!" was the last thing Dean heard before he was thrown, his body rolling down the nearby incline until blackness consumed him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Soft sunlight warmed the shivering form on the mountain top. A breeze blew the sweat soaked hair and elicited a soft moan from the hunter's lips. As awareness warred with the deceptive peace of the unconscious mind, the morning dawned.

"Dean…" A single softly spoken word floated on the breeze and carried with it a plea. But there was no answering touch; no calm voice to assure him everything would be fine. The silence was deafening and caused Sam to finally fight his way back to the living world.

Sam pushed his weary body up, the buffalo robe he had laid on forgotten as he struggled to his knees and then to stand. Body swaying in the light breeze as his scattered thoughts fought to find purchase. As he moved away from the edge of the cliff, he tried to understand the feelings swirling within him. The greatest was fear—and yet, he didn't understand why.

There was no apparent threat; in fact there was nothing near him. It was the absence that finally brought him clarity as he realized something important was missing. "Dean!"

The young hunter wrapped trembling arms around his torso, rubbing to bring warmth to the chilled skin even as a fire burned within him. Whispered words flowed through his mind along with memories. As he looked towards the sun, the vision once more surged to the front, taking his breath away.

"Oh my God, Dean!" Sam uttered softly as he identified the reason for the fear in his stomach. The demon had his brother and if he didn't hurry, he was going to kill him. He had to find Dean—had to save him before it was too late.

Trembling limbs began to move as Sam headed for the path, his only thought to get to his brother. As he started down the path, his knees gave way; his body betraying him. "Oh God, please…" he begged as he struggled once more to his feet.

"You must finish the ceremony Samuel, you must make the circuit one more time to fully integrate, to understand and accept…" Soaring Eagle said as he appeared beside the struggling young man.

Sam blinked "Dean will die if I don't go now. I'm fine…" But his body betrayed his statement as once more he fell to his knees. Whispers of feelings and memories he wanted to forget echoed in his mind even as the blood began to flow down his side; more stitches had released their hold on his tender skin. He pounded the earth with a bloodied fist, refusing to give in.

Soaring Eagle watched as the young man once more rose to his feet and began to descend. He could feel the unrest beneath the surface, the war still to be fought as the two halves sought to be whole. But he could also sense the solidarity of purpose. The young man's strength, though waning still surpassed what any other human could be expected to endure. "You will not be any help to your brother if you fall down the mountain. Sit and I will bring the others to you. With their help, you will make it to the camp unscathed."

"No, no time…" Sam argued, his fevered mind once more focusing on the task at hand. All feelings and memories shoved back; he would not allow them to stop him; deter him from his course. There would be time to rest later, after Dean was safe. As Soaring Eagle disappeared from view, the lone hunter continued, head bowed but will unbroken. He would not give up on his brother now.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Nick jumped as Soaring Eagle appeared in front of him. He never could get used to the sudden appearances of the ghosts he tried to help. "What's wrong?" He asked quickly noting the concern on the medicine man's face.

"Samuel is coming down the mountain, he is weak. You must meet him and bring him here. White Owl and I will prepare for his arrival. He will need healing before he can proceed to his next task." Soaring Eagle moved towards Charlie who nodded and standing stiffly, walked towards the sweat lodge.

"Wait, what task?" Nick called after the retreating forms.

"Dean has been taken by the evil one—if we do nothing, he will die before the next rising of the sun. Now go, I have much to prepare if we are to win this fight." Soaring Eagle turned and ducked into the lodge.

Nick grabbed his back pack, making sure the med kit and extra water were included. He only hoped he could get Sam to listen. He knew first hand about the Winchester stubborn streak, especially when one of the brothers was in trouble. "Damn it Dean, you better hold on or Sam will never forgive me!" he cursed as he moved towards the path.

The young ghost hunter moved quickly up the path, his eyes searching for the youngest of the Winchester brothers. "Sam!" He called once again, but still there was no answer. He had been traveling for well over an hour now and should have been close to where Soaring Eagle had indicated his friend would be. Worried he might have missed Sam, he decided he'd continue in this direction for another fifteen minutes, then turn around and begin searching along the trail.

As he came around a bend of the trail, he gasped. Lying on the path in front of him was Sam Winchester. Clad in the breech cloth and moccasins, Nick could see the sweat mixing with blood on his friend's body as it dripped onto the earth below. "Sam!" Nick cried as he moved quickly to kneel beside the silent body.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Dean groaned as he blinked at the bright light piercing like a laser beam directly into his brain. Pain radiated through his head, traveling through his body as he fought his way back to awareness. His ribs were on fire and his shoulders burned as he struggled against the ropes holding him erect.

As he continued to survey his situation, he realized his jacket and shirt had been removed along with his boots. His bare feet curled against the sharp stones digging into them from the rocky ground. "Son of a bitch!" He yelled, struggling against his bonds even as his eyes searched for the demon. The bastard obviously wanted to make sure he wouldn't be able to get free using one of the knives he always kept hidden in his clothing.

"Glad you finally decided to wake up Dean. I have to admit it has been a little boring watching you sleep." The demon spoke from behind him.

"When I get free, I'm going to kill you." Dean said between clenched teeth. His eyes searching for a means of escape, but seeing none; he only hoped he would get the chance make good on his threat. He was in some kind of valley, surrounded by white cliffs on all sides. The only vegetation appeared to be the dead tree he was currently tied to. Staked out like some freakin' lamb before the slaughter.

"Now, now Dean; who would have thought you'd be such a poor loser. You're the one who wanted to play remember?" The demon chuckled as he stood in front of Dean, yellow eyes filled with glee.

"So why don't you just get it over with? Surely you have better things to do, stoke the fires of hell, kiss your bosses…argh!" Dean cried as pain radiated through his chest. He looked down, fear for a moment as he remembered the same pain from the cabin. But so far there was no blood pouring from his chest.

"I have to admit, I toyed with just killing you. But then, I'd have to find your brother and kill him. This way, I'll just wait for him to come to me. We both know Sammy will rush in to save the day—sacrificing himself for you. Both of you so predictable—to destroy you, one only need threaten the other. But don't worry Dean, once Sammy has done a little job for me, I'll make sure he joins you…" The demon laughed as Dean struggled harder against his bonds.

"Sammy will never help you!" Dean denied even as he realized the truth of the demon's words. Sam would sacrifice himself if he thought it would save him. He had to figure out a way to escape before it was too late.

"Now that the trap is baited, I think I'll get some rest. Soon you will get to experience the fires of hell Dean—these walls trap the heat from the sun and act like a microwave oven. The Indians of old used this very tree to kill their prisoners slowly. Most men would only last a few hours as the temperature rose. How long do you think you'll last Dean?" The demon laughed as he moved away.

"Well I have been meaning to work on my tan—guess I'll just get to it earlier than later you bastard." Dean called after the retreating form. He felt like he should have had a better retort, but as the sun continued to beat on his unprotected skin—things didn't seem so funny.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You really are a mess Sam." Nick said softly as he continued to treat the open wounds on his chest and sides. "You're going to need more stitches, but for now I'm just going to clean these up and bandage them for you."

After a few moments, Nick was rewarded with a soft groan as unfocused hazel eyes looked at him from beneath sweat soaked bangs. "Nick?" Sam croaked, his throat refusing to work.

Nick pulled Sam into a sitting position; uncapping some of the water he held the bottle to the young hunter's lips. "Slowly now Sam—you're pretty dehydrated. If you drink too much, you'll get sick." Using some of the water, he wet some of the gauze he had brought with and wiped the sweat from Sam's face. He pulled out a couple of pills and helped Sam take them with some more water before he began to put his supplies back into his back pack. It was only a fever reducer, but hopefully it would help the obviously ailing man in his arms.

"We have to get to Dean—Nick, help me?" Sam struggled, his eyes still glazed with fever.

"I know Sam; I'll help you down to the camp where Soaring Eagle and Charlie are waiting. They will be able to fix you up. Then we'll figure out a way to rescue your brother. Just let me help you ok?" Nick knew better than to assume Sam would accept his help.

"Ah, Sam—did everything, you know—go ok?" Nick asked cautiously as he placed Sam's arm over his shoulder. Soaring Eagle hadn't told him if the rejoining had happened and was successful.

A soft sigh escaped the exhausted hunter's lips. "I think so—I'm not sure Nick. All I know right now is I have to get to Dean. But if the pain in my head is any indication, I'd say both of me are here." Nick felt another tremor going through his friend's frame. He could tell Sam was in great pain.

It was early afternoon by the time Nick managed to get Sam to the camp. By that time, the youngest Winchester was barely able to place one foot in front of the other. Nick shook his head as Sam continued to mutter to himself. For the past few miles, it was clear Sam was having an internal battle of some kind. He had turned inward and nothing seemed to be able to break through.

"Charlie! How about a hand here…" Nick called out as the sweat lodge came into sight. He saw what looked like a travois leaning on the log they had been sitting on. Charlie was using a bowl and pestle to ground something in a bowl as Soaring Eagle hovered nearby, probably giving instructions.

Charlie placed the bowl on the ground and quickly helped Nick get Sam to the travois. "Place him on here, once we treat the wounds, we will need to use this to get to the cars."

"Sounds good to me. Any idea on where we can find Dean?" Nick looked at Soaring Eagle.

"The evil one is blocking me. I can only sense time is running short…" Soaring Eagle said softly as he began to chant over the bowl prepared by Charlie.

"I know where he is…" A soft voice whispered.

"Sam! Stay still, we are going to carry you out of here and get you some help." Nick pushed back gently against Sam as he struggled to stand once more.

"No—no time, have to get to Dean!" Sam's struggles continued for a few more minutes before his body once more betrayed him. Sagging back onto the branches, tears began to run down his cheeks.

"Shhhh…Sam, we'll figure this out. " Nick said calmly, even though his own despair was threatening to overwhelm him. "Tell us where you saw Dean…"

Sam closed his eyes for a moment, licking his dry chapped lips before continuing in a soft voice. "The demon has him is some kind of valley, white stone all around. He's tied to a tree in the center—surrounded by cliffs…" Sam's voice became quieter as he fought to remain conscious.

Charlie sat back on his heels for a moment deep in thought. "Are the cliffs white and jagged, like a backbone?"

Sam nodded, too tired to add much to the conversation.

"Sounds like you're describing Demon's Backbone. It's a ridge that surrounds the Devil's Punch Bowl. It is a place of death…" Charlie looked at Soaring Eagle, his eyes matching the sorrow in the medicine man's ancient gaze.

"How far is it?" Nick asked, knowing Sam was still listening even if he was quiet. He placed a calming hand on Sam's shoulder, reassuring him they'd do something.

"Not far actually. There is a small service road that leads to the top of the ridge, but we would have to climb down. There is no cover and we would be exposed to the evil one's gaze. He has chosen a good place to bait his trap." Charlie looked directly at Nick, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"There has to be a way to get to him. We can't just leave him there." Nick spoke what he knew was in Sam's heart.

Soaring Eagle stood and after looking towards the sun for a brief moment, he appeared to square his shoulders before facing the anxious men in front of him. "There is a way, but it will require a sacrifice…."

TBC

Raven524: Sorry about the delay, but RL has been keeping me busy lately. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I hope you all continue to enjoy the story!