DISCLAIMER: There I was, standing outside Kripke's door; shoulders slumped, bottom lip stuck out, eyes sad, hoping he would give me Supernatural to make me feel better! But all he did upon seeing my needy face was toss me an oversized shoe…I apparently looked like I'd lost one of mine…

SPOILERS: Anything before Folsom Prison Blues…keep that in mind before reading this chapter!

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My Strongest Weakness

PREVIOUSLY: Sam Winchester was officially free. He quietly walked down the rickety wooden steps of the front porch, then broke out in a dead run to what he hoped was safety…to what he hoped was Dean.

Chapter 21

"Ya know, right after Sam and I left this town, I thought to myself that if I ever come back here, it'd be all too soon," Dean grumbled on the phone to Dusty as the Impala rolled through Lafayette, Indiana. It was nothing against the town itself, it was just that the events that had happened there weren't exactly Dean's best memories. Watching Sam nearly get shot by Gordon, being knocked out himself by Gordon on the motel rooftop, having the sadistic bastard tie him up and torment him with his 'why and how I'm going to kill your brother' speech, and the worst part – helplessly listening to a pair of grenades go off and thinking that Sammy had been blown to bits. And then almost getting shot again. Yes, Lafayette, Indiana was definitely not one of Dean's favorite locales. "Reeeaally don't like this place, ya know."

"I imagine not…so, we comin' up on that shack?"

"So close I can practically smell it," Dean replied with a sigh. Just thinking of the old shack still sent a chill up his spine. Of course he was relieved to have the knowledge of where the spear was being kept, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder…why there? Of all places? "Why did Gordon have to leave the thing at that damn shack…?" Dean didn't realize he'd actually vocalized the thought until Dusty answered him, a hint of self-reproach in his gruff tone.

"Prob'ly learned from my mistake…don't leave a rare weapon in your unoccupied vehicle."

Dean shook his head. "Cut that out, man…no way you coulda known what was gonna happen," he reassured, not waiting for a response. "I see the shack up ahead, now. I'm hanging up, just follow my lead."

"Roger that."

Dean eased the Impala into a makeshift parking spot on the side of the narrow road – probably the same place where Gordon had parked his car. The thought gave him shivers. Dusty's truck pulled up behind him and he was out the door in a flash. Dean barely registered him talking as he stared at the shack before him.

"So this is the place? What a dump! I mean, if I was gonna…hey, Dean? You okay, son?" Then he remembered. This shack was once a deathtrap for Dean's little brother. "Stupid question." He put an understanding hand on Dean's shoulder. "Listen, son, if ya wanna stay out here, I can go in and find that spear myself, I don't—"

"No, no…" Dean finally snapped out of it. "I'll go in with you, we'll find it sooner with two people looking for it than with just one. I can handle it." To prove his point, he walked without looking back to the door of the shack, but froze when he got inside. The chair that he had been tied to was still in the middle of the room, not a thing had changed in the shack's appearance. Dean stood entranced by the chair, seeing himself tied to it again, hearing the explosions that he had been sure were the death of his baby brother, feeling the same unbridled fear and shock.

"Dean," Dusty came up behind him. "C'mon, son…we gotta get a move on an' find that thing."

"Yeah…" Dean tore his eyes away from the chair and complied. Both men began sifting through various piles of junk and debris, hoping to find the spear concealed behind one of them. They searched in silence for several minutes, each consumed with their own thoughts, until Dean finally broke the silence. "He tied me up in here, ya know."

Dusty was startled by the sudden sound of Dean's voice, as well as his admission. "Gordon?" He looked over at Dean to see him nod. "Damn…well, what did he do to ya…if ya don't mind my askin' that? Sometimes it helps to talk about it."

"Yeah, so Sammy always tells me," Dean laughed softly. "Gordon…he didn't do anything to me…except talk. Talk on and on about how Sam needed to die and how he was gonna kill him. Freakin' bastard…tried to…" he trailed off.

"Tried to what, Dean?" Dusty pushed gently.

"Tried to blow Sam apart." He nodded at the shocked expression on Dusty's face. "Yeah…set two tripwires so that when Sam came in the back door he'd trigger grenades. Didn't work, though, of course…bastard shoulda known he couldn't outsmart Sammy," Dean said with pride in his voice and a wistful smile. "He is college-boy, after all."

"Your brother sounds like a pretty amazing kid," Dusty said softly.

"Yeah," Dean smiled and nodded. "He sure is." The most amazing person I know.

The men resumed silence for a few minutes as they continued their search. Dusty thought that Dean seemed to be feeling better now for getting his thoughts off his chest. He decided it would be good for him to do the same. "Dean…it may not be my place to be askin' this, an' if you don't wanna talk about it, I'll understand, but…when I was talkin' to Gordon, he kept blabbin' on that Sam was like any other supernatural creature out there an' that's why he went after 'im…mentioned psychic abilities an' somethin' 'bout bein' a demon's soldier. What's that all about?"

Dean tensed immediately. He trusted Dusty, but he had been hoping that this topic wouldn't come up, nonetheless. He'd had a feeling that Gordon had told Dusty everything, thinking he was an ally. Now he had to make sure Dusty heard the truth to counteract the lies. "That asshole tell you all this?" Dusty nodded. "Well, he has no idea what he's talkin' about even though he thinks he does." He paused and took a deep breath. "Sam does have psychic abilities…he gets visions of things that are or will be happening sometimes, people dying. But he uses those visions to do good, to try and save those people. And Gordon doesn't care about that, he just automatically condemns Sam for simply having the abilities in the first place no matter what he does with them!" Dean sighed heavily and calmed his tone. "He only sees Sam for what Sam is – a psychic, whom he assumes are all evil. Because if he sees Sam for who Sam really is – a person who believes in and does more good than a bastard like Gordon could ever comprehend – then that would make him wrong. That would mean there're shades of gray, and he's convinced that only black and white exists in the hunting world…although I sometimes wonder if he even believes in the 'white' part anymore," Dean added, shaking his head. "Point is, he's completely wrong about Sam, and he probably knows it. But he denies it all the way, 'cause he can't stand to be wrong."

Dusty listened intently to Dean's words, understanding exactly where he was coming from. "How could somebody be so dumb as to see the huntin' world in black n' white?" He could see Dean's shoulders sag with relief as soon as he asked. "I ain't come across many good supernatural beings, but I'm sensible 'nough to know that not all of 'em are evil. An' I'm certainly sane enough to see that Sam is a person, not a creature…'course I guess all people are technically creatures, but…ya get my point."

"Damn right," Dean concurred emphatically.

"You ever met any?"

"Any what?" Dean asked curiously.

"Any non-evil supernatural creatures," Dusty answered.

"Yeah," Dean immediately admitted. "First time I met one, I didn't even know it. It was when I first met Gordon; he had me seeing in even more stark black and white than I usually did. Thank God Sammy was there to set me straight…he's always seeing the good in things and people before the bad, ya know?" he said, eyes glassing over with emotion. "Anyway, they were vampires, but it turned out that they didn't kill people…drank cattle's blood instead. We'd taken on vampires that killed humans before, just like I was sure all 'em did, so I didn't believe Sam at first when he told me. I was gonna kill 'em…did kill one of 'em…but like I said, Sam got through to me. Pissed Gordon off of course, so he grabbed and cut Sam and tried to get the head of the pack to drink his blood…needless to say, that's when ol' Gordy lost the Dean Winchester vote of confidence," Dean said dryly. "And the vampire, Lenore…she didn't drink. She resisted…proved herself good just as Gordon proved himself evil."

"Wow," Dusty breathed in amazement. "That sure is somethin' else."

"Yeah," Dean agreed quietly. "Definitely taught me a new lesson. And as much as it was hard to think that way sometimes, I saw other things—supernatural beings," he corrected, "that weren't evil. Actually got helped by a ghost up in Baltimore, gave us clues that helped us figure out there was a corrupt cop murdering people who knew his dirty secrets. Then not too long ago there was another ghost, woman named Molly who died in a car crash…first ghost we helped instead of hunted."

"That so?" Dusty said with intrigue.

"Yep…no salt n' burn for that gal. Sammy helped her move on, J. Love Hewitt style."

"Well, I'll be damned…" the older hunter remarked, then paused. "J. Love Hewitt…?"

Dean grinned. "Modern day TV, Dusty. You should check it out some time."

"Hell, son, my TV's only got six channels," Dusty laughed. "I'm more of a reader than a watcher."

"Well, you and Sammy would get along like gangbusters, then. Kid's always got his face in a book or in front of a computer – veritable research nut. God knows he and his laptop are attached at the hip...though my baby and I have a more established relationship, of course."

"Your baby?"

"My car."

"Ah…gotcha." Dusty was silent for a moment as he sorted through a pile of boxes. "Dean? Again, you don't have to answer this, but, uh…do you believe in God? Just wonderin' 'cause ya just used the phrase 'God knows', s'all."

Dean hesitated with his answer. "I…I don't really know. I used not to at all, but…I guess my non-faith isn't as strong as it used to be. Still won't say I concretely do, but, uh…I don't know." He swallowed thickly. "Sammy believes, always has for whatever reason. Still prays every night, even after his faith took kind of a hit a while back," Dean said, remembering the incident in Rhode Island with Father Gregory. "Like I said, that's how Sammy is…always has faith, always sees and believes in good. And so much horrible shit has happened to him, but…the kid's still like that anyway," Dean finished, his eyes full of admiration and love for his brother.

"Good for him," Dusty said sincerely. "S'hard for a hunter to have faith when they deal with nothin' but evil day after day. But ya do have to believe there's a greater good out there, Dean. If ya don't, huntin'll bring ya down, make ya cold…like Gordon, I guess. If ya find somethin' in your life that reminds ya there's pure good in the world, ya gotta hang onto it like a lifeline, put in your heart…let it be your strength." He paused and sighed mournfully. "I had a wife, once. Thought it'd be best for 'er if I let 'er go 'stead of hangin' on after I got too deep into this life. Sent 'er away…then, 'fore I knew it, I'd lost 'er to a sudden illness."

"I'm sorry," Dean uttered sympathetically.

"S'all right. I keep 'er memory with me. Lord knows it's nothin' like the real thing, but…it helps," Dusty replied with a sad smile. "You find your strength, Dean, an' you hang on to it."

Dean looked down at the floor, and then looked back up at Dusty confidently. "I've already found my strength."

Dusty smiled. "Sammy, right…?"

Dean refrained from correcting him; Dusty had earned his place as a Winchester friend, and with that, the right to use Sam's nickname…in some moments. "Yeah," Dean breathed out, the emotion in his voice palpable.

The older hunter's smile widened in approval. "S'what I thought." He was ready to get down to business now. "Well then, let's stop flappin' our gums an' get a move on so ya can get your strength back, son."

"Sounds good!" Dean enthusiastically agreed, flashing his first true smile ever since Sam's abduction. Dusty's talk had done him a world of good. He thought of how much the old hunter reminded him of Bobby Singer, one of John's former mentors and the loyal family friend that had helped both father and sons through many a hunt. Dean was even beginning to think that they could be related. Couldn't hurt… "Hey, Dusty?" The addressed man gave a grunt in response. "You ever heard of or met a hunter named Bobby Singer?"

Dusty thought on it. "Um, don't think so…why?"

"Nothin'. You two should meet one day, though," Dean proposed. "You'd get along great."

"Think so?"

"Yeah, he's an older hunter like you, loves books and hunting…been a real good family friend to us."

"Sounds like my kinda guy," Dusty concurred. "You n' Sam'll have to introduce me to 'im one day."

Dean kept quiet about it, but he was filled with appreciation when Dusty included Sam in the statement. The old hunter had faith that they would get Dean's baby brother back alive, and that meant a great deal to him. "Yeah, we will."

Dusty nodded, went quiet for a moment, then stepped into the room toward the back door and came out holding an object he had retrieved from there. "Huh," he said, eyeing it curiously. "Somebody left one beat up lookin' shoe in this dump."

Dean stopped in his tracks. It was Sam's shoe, the one he had taken off to use in activating the tripwires prematurely. Most of the shoe was blackened and sooty, but there was no blood on it. Proof that Sam had outsmarted Gordon and survived his deathtrap. "I'll take that," Dean said, reaching out to grab the shoe. Dusty relinquished it, but gave him a confused look. "It's my brother's shoe…the one he used to make the tripwires go off and trick Gordon."

"Well, I'll be," Dusty stated, clearly impressed. "That is one smart kid brother you got there, son."

"Damn straight," Dean said, flinging a sheet that had been formerly covered with objects since removed by him out of its resting place. His face suddenly split into a wide grin and he stood up to face Dusty, the accomplished expression still on his face…the coveted spear in his hand. "Now, let's go save him."

TBC…

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A/N: Well, looks like it's Dean to the rescue now! Of course, little does big bro know that Sammy's already gotten himself out of trouble! But…can he stay out of it? Find out next chapter! Thanks as always to my readers and reviewers, love hearing from you! And a big hug to my LLS for the insightful – and amusing, heehee – beta work! 'Kay, that's all for now…everyone enjoy the new episode tonight :-D