Legalities, as always Sam and Dean and all things Supernatural do not belong to me. They are the property of the CW and Kripke Enterprises. I wish they would share, but I don't think that is going to happen so I guess I will simply play in their sandbox for a bit.

Rating MA: For language and injured Dean and Sam throughout the storyline, they will also be M/M pairing although they are not brothers in this story. Pairings won't happen till later chapters, so be sure to review the warnings before reading.

Plot: This story has evolved from the meeting of Dean Winchester and Sam Campbell on a plane that crashes, to a full blown life story of what happens when you find that one person that you are supposed to be with. But the universe is constantly placing roadblocks in the way. There are other people to help them along the way. But really it is the story of Sam and Dean and they cope.

If you don't like this type of thing, then don't read this story I am sure there are ones that would be more pleasing to you.

Please Review: My muse is one greedy bitch.

This story contains pairings in an AU of the M/M variety...you have been warned. Also, I am not a computer wiz, so please excuse any discrepancies when talking about anything in that area of expertise.

Chapter 25

Dealing

Balthazar pulled up outside a large estate, his eyes popping wide at the immense size, he immediately pulled out his phone, calling Sam as he had been instructed. "You here?" Came the short reply as Sam skipped all pleasantry's and went straight to the heart of the conversation. Balthazar rolled his blue eyes and ran a hand through his blonde hair, Yeah, this is definitely old school Sam. He thought to himself. "Yes, are you letting me in or what?"

"No, I'll meet you at the gate. I don't want Dean involved in this." Sam said, the concern for his partner coloring his response with resolution. Balthazar wondered who this Winchester guy really was, because frankly, he hadn't seen Sam this worked up over anything since that night…the night that had changed everything.

"Whatever…just hurry up Sam. I don't have all day." Balthazar said with irritation as he thought of the hot little number that he had cancelled on for this little meeting with Sam. Much as he would do pretty much anything for Sam, he hated it when his friends pulled him into their problems…bastards. Frankly he would rather be drinking a vintage white wine with the singer than be here catching up with old friends…and their current problems. It wasn't that he didn't like Sam or anything, as a matter of fact Sam had saved his life once…but that was a debt that Balthazar had repaid years ago. He pulled his thoughts away from the dark direction they were heading in and instead looked back at the mansion just beyond the ten foot black iron gates. He whistled low in his throat at the sheer size of it and the fact that this was the first time that this Winchester guy had been the target of extortion… now that was a little amazing to him. He inhaled the sweet aroma of the oncoming spring season that was wafting through his open car window, the trees were in full bloom and the slowly warming early morning sunlight was playing gently across his face. The music that was wafting through the radio was soothing and Balthazar listened to the aria with rapt interest. He loved opera…he really did.

He was startled out of his daydream by the rapping on his hood, as Sam approached the driver's side. Balthazar looked, really looked, at Sam and what he saw there was more than a bit scary. He had known Sam before…and he knew that particular look and it had nearly cost both him and Sam their lives. "Sam, what do you need from me?" he said in response to what he was seeing and not an official request from Sam.

Sam recognized the exact moment when Balthazar was on board...fully on board and he nearly hugged the snarky Brit in response. Dean wasn't doing well, and Sam had noticed, he was shutting down, wasn't sleeping…at all, in fact he wouldn't even let Sam give him pain meds to help, because he was afraid that he would miss something important. Sam was absolutely positive that Dean was suffering from a concussion and it was nearly killing Sam to watch him struggle.

"Balthazar I need you get a hold of Jake and Charlie. I need them to track a signal; it's being projected on a 'secure' line." He air quoted the word 'secure' and then continued. "You and I both know that nothing is secure if you poke at it long enough." Balthazar nodded as he listened to Sam, he knew that if they were getting Jake involved, then Sam expected some pretty serious shit to go down, because all Jake was really good at was being the 'muscle'. He had been known as an enforcer in the group, the lower of the two 'muscle' positions, Sam had held the higher one, because he had no compunctions when it came to getting what he wanted or what he was being paid for. It was all based on logic when Sam was involved, he did what needed to be done and however that needed to be accomplished was fine with him. Balthazar had known, even then, that Sam was smart enough to move up the ranks, but Sam had never wanted that. He only wanted to work and to get paid, so he could send that money, anonymously to his brother's education fund. Adam had never even known, or would ever know, what Sam had done for him; because he would probably never forgive Sam for it anyways…dumbass. Sam was a lot of things, ruthless, cunning, a genius, scary as hell, and one hell of a loyal friend. That was what ultimately had brought Balthazar to Sam's aid, because he didn't know this Winchester guy, so he really didn't care about what happened there. But he knew Sam and he did care about something if Sam said it was important…and obviously this guy had integrated his life with Sam's on a very profound level…smart man Winchester. He thought.

"Okay Sam…I'll make the calls. Be ready when they contact you…it should be within the next 24-48 hours. You might want to tell this guy what your planning here Sam. It is his kids life at stake…" Balthazar said rationally as he tilted his head in the direction of the mansion.

Sam's face clouded and his eyes hardened as he considered what would happen if he did tell Dean and something went sour. He was willing to die to get Ben back for Dean, but he wasn't willing to lose Dean in the process, either through his lover's own reckless behavior or if he got in the way and Sam was forced to choose who he saved. He felt beads of sweat drip down his neck as that line of thought played out before his eyes and he knew that he couldn't make that choice. Dean would hate him if Ben died and he would hate himself it Dean was killed because of him. No it was better that Dean be kept out of this. Sam wasn't sure how he was going to sneak away but he was confident that he would get it done.

He watched as Balthazar pulled away, the tail lights flashing as he turned onto the street and disappeared into the rising sun. Sam run a hand through his hair and started back toward the house, he walked slowly knowing that Dean would want to know where he had gone and why. Even through the haze of the concussion, Dean was far more observant than Sam would have thought. He was constantly watching for any changes in their demeanor that indicated that he was being uninformed of vital information. When he walked through the front door he immediately heard the sound of retching from the den…he sighed and closed his eyes as the weariness and strain of the last 15 hours finally settled into his bones. He knew from experience that he would need to sleep before he heard from Charlie and Jake, or he wouldn't be at his best for a rescue attempt. He rounded the corner and saw Dean leaning over the recently cleaned rubber basket, dry heaving…since there was nothing in his stomach but bile at this point. He hadn't been able to keep anything down, not even dry toast and water…and his face was drawn with dehydration and there was a sadness mixed with anger reflecting out of his glassy green eyes as he raised them to Sam's. Dean didn't say anything he simply dropped his head back as the violent shudders racked his body. Sam felt helpless; at this point Dean wasn't really allowing him to do much of anything for him. Sam walked up and gently settled next to Dean's shaking form as he took a chance and laid his hand on Dean's shoulders. He felt every racking shutter of Dean's body and his resolve to make those bastards pay it became even stronger. They were doing this to Dean…for God-damned money!

Dean allowed the contact this time, his body not trying to buck off Sam's touch as he had for the last several hours. Sam could take that as either a really good sign, one that meant Dean was ready for his support…or a really bad sign reflecting Dean's ultimate resignation. When Dean finally turned his head in Sam's direction, his one eye nearly boring a hole into Sam's head, he had his answer. Dean was allowing Sam to comfort him on some level, because Dean sure as hell hadn't given up. The fire that was slowly smoldering in the depths of his soul were reflecting out of that one orb…and Sam was awed by the inner strength he saw there. He had known that Dean was a strong person, but he had never suspected just how strong.

"Dean…" he said as Dean placed the can back on the floor and spit into it, clearing as much of the acid taste from his mouth as possible.

"Sam, I need a shower and I need to brush my teeth." Dean muttered as he started pulling himself to his feet, grasping his cane tightly.

"Dean…I don't think that's a good idea man…you can barely stand." Sam said with weariness and a rising concern at Dean's inability to understand when he was pushing too hard, warring within Sam's head.

Dean turned his burning eyes on Sam, "That's why I need your help Sammy…" he whispered, bringing Sam's eyes up to look at him as the fact that Dean had just asked him for help sunk into his sleep deprived mind.

"Okay Dean." He said simply, immediately moving to help Dean maneuver up the stairs toward their shared room. Sam had put Gabriel and Castiel in the guest house, to give the two men some privacy and also to allow Dean some space inside his own home. Cas was monitoring the link periodically, because they all knew that it wouldn't help Dean at all if he was pulled into sitting and watching his son over the link. There was a good chance that something like that would actually drive the man mad. Sam couldn't help but notice that he was now carrying the majority of Dean's weight as they came to that last step and Dean suddenly teetered and would have fallen back down the stairs without Sam's support. Dean sagged against him and had Sam wondering again if getting Dean into the hot water of the shower was such a good plan…he looked at the blood still caked in places on Dean's body and decided that it was probably best to remove any tangible reminders of the abduction.

Dean managed to get his weight transferred mostly back to his cane and his own two legs as Sam reached to open the closed door and flip on the light. Both men were hit with the realization that the last time they had been in the bed they had made love and now they were both just trying to stay upright and deal with the sorrow that this latest blow represented. The anger, that was still an underlying current, was flowing through both of them simultaneously. Dean shuffled to the bathroom, followed immediately by Sam. He laid the cane against the marble counter and limped the one step to the where the toilet sat, he proceeded to sit on the closed lid causing his hip to start flaring with fiery white agony as he did. Dean sucked in a breath and gritted his teeth against the pain, he ignored Sam's pointed look in his direction…Sam's face a mask of concern at the moment.

Sam set his cell phone on the counter and walked over to Dean, kneeling quietly in front of him, reaching up to gently pull the destroyed, blood stained black t-shirt over Dean's head. He was careful of Dean's injured face and he winced in silent apology as Dean hissed at the movement removing the shirt caused to his body. Sam dropped the shirt on the floor as he got his first real look at Dean's torso…it was a mottled array of colorful bruises. Sam closed his eyes quickly as he tried to control the instant rage that flashed through him at the sight of what those assholes had done to Dean. He knew that Dean had been injured, and there were other wounds than the ones he could see on the man's handsome face. But he hadn't known the extent of the injuries, Dean had been very careful to hide them from Sam thus far. Sam realized that that was what actually hurt the most, that Dean felt that he had to hide anything from Sam in the first place. It was at times like this that Sam was harshly reminded of the fact that he actually didn't know Dean all that well. They were great together in bed, that much he knew and he knew that Dean loved him and that he loved Dean…but there were obviously sides to Dean that he didn't understand yet. There was a part of Sam that wasn't sure he ever would, not if when things got rough Dean threw up a wall, complete with Constantine wire and guard dogs…and then proceeded to push him away. A small part of his brain knew that this was probably for the best, this way when he left to go get Ben back, Dean wouldn't notice immediately. Hopefully by the time he was aware of Sam's absence, Sam would be headed back with a very safe Ben in tow.

"Sam…you're staring…" Dean said, his voice tired and strained as he lifted his head and looked into Sam's scrutinizing face.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" Sam asked, his eyes taking on a wounded look.

Dean exhaled loudly, "Sam you already knew I was hurt, I just didn't tell you all of where I was hurt…" he finished softly. Dean knew that this was hurting Sam and that was the last thing that he wanted, but he just didn't know how to deal with the loss of Ben and the emotions that Sam brought up within him at the same time. So he had chosen to deal with the disappearance, looking at Sam's eyes now, he wondered if he had made the wrong choice. Dean leaned both elbows on his knees and ran his hands into his hair as he attempted to hide his silent internal battle with his own rapidly growing feelings. There was no way in hell that he was going to tell Sammy all the horrible things that were inside his head…no way…he'll leave me if he knows…

"Dean, you know exactly what I meant…" Sam said as his eyebrows came together in frustration; he reached out and ran his finger softly down Dean's face.

Dean wanted to move away from the touch, knew that he should that he didn't deserve to feel comforted right now. He had lost his son due to his own stupidity; he didn't deserve what Sam was offering him. But God help me I want it. He thought as Sam's hands came to rest on his shoulders. Sam leaned his head against Dean's "Please don't shut me out Dean." He asked in a whisper. Dean's heart was now pounding in response to Sam's soft request. "Please…" Sam finished…and Dean was done. He leaned against Sam's hands and felt himself being pulled against the broad warm chest; Dean closed his eyes unconsciously leaning into the connection rather than pulling away. Dean couldn't tell Sam that he wouldn't push him away in the future and he knew that Sam couldn't guarantee that this shit was going to have a positive outcome…Dean stopped that line of thinking immediately because he couldn't deal with the idea that Ben wasn't going to come back.

Sam just held Dean and let himself relish in the connection, both physical and emotional as Dean didn't immediately shut him out or push him away.

"You still want that shower Dean?" Sam asked quietly as he pulled his long fingers through Dean's hair and gently rubbed them down Dean's neck and back in a soothing gesture.

It took a moment for Sam to realize that the other man's breathing had evened out and that he was asleep leaning against Sam. He closed his eyes as he thanked an ever silent God for small miracles. Sam gently gathered the exhausted man in his arms and got slowly to his feet, carrying Dean and laying him gently in the bed, ensuring that he was covered and that his wounds were not in an awkward position that would cause him further pain when he woke. Sam knew that Dean was probably going to be pissed at him when he realized that he had fallen asleep and that Sam had let him, but Sam decided that he would rather deal with a pissed off Dean than the angry exhausted mess he just seen.

Dean was lying in the field, he was confused by his presence here, he hadn't been back since he and Sam had gotten together. But here he was, alone…he sat up and was grateful that there was no pain. The rain started to fall and he was reminded that this was a dream and that they were not always the good kinda dreams. Well the ones with Sam were good…shit, if he was here then Sam had let him fall asleep. Damn-it Sammy…why? He asked himself.

"I always knew you were going to fuck shit Dean." Dean's eyes closed slowly as he recognized the voice of his father. No…not now. Please not now. Dean could generally work through the issues he had with his father, but he was stripped bare at the moment, he simply didn't have the strength to deal with this. "Such a fucking idiot Dean. Letting that kid get taken, hell you were right there." His father's voice sneered from behind him. Dean finally stood and turned to face the man that had made his youth a living hell.

John stood, much as he had before, swigging from a bottle with an ever diminishing supply of amber liquid. "You don't deserve to be happy Dean. You ruin everything that you touch."

Dean continued to stare at his father…shaking his head back and forth in denial. He wasn't bad…the sheer existence of someone as amazing as Bed proved that he wasn't all bad. He had left something in the world that made it better, not worse…and Sam…the fact that Sam loved him had to be proof of that…right?

"Thinking about that fag you're with? You know he would leave you if he knew who you really are, the things that you have done…" His father took another drink of the liquid and strolled forward, leaning into Dean and bumping his chest against Dean's causing him to stumble backward.

"What a fucking waste." He said.

Dean stared at the ground, he knew better than to look his father in the eye when he was like this. "You know if you'd just been stronger…none of this would have happened Dean."

Dean's eyebrow's pulled together as he considered that. He knew that his father was right about that, if he had been able to fight off the men, then Ben wouldn't be God knows where, going through God knows what.

His father snorted and shook his head at Dean, "You don't deserve them Dean. Can't even give you nice things…because you fucking break them." Dean glanced up and immediately wished he hadn't, the sneer on his father's lips was full of malice and the ever-present disappointment that he had felt in Dean from the day the kid was born.

"Shut the fuck up!" He screamed, shaking his head in denial. Dean looked into the stormy distance, the clouds flashing with the increasingly greater number of lightning strikes. The rain was now coming down in a torrential down pour and he was soaked to the bone, he set his teeth in defiance of what his father was saying to him, because he wasn't losing Ben and he sure as hell wasn't losing Sam.

XXXX

Ben was hungry; he was lying in almost the exact same position that they had placed him in hours earlier. He thought that he might have actually fallen asleep at some point, but since he couldn't discern between day and night, he couldn't be sure. Ben wanted to know what was going on, why he was taken and most of all if his dad was okay. But the people, whoever they were, never came into the room again, that he knew of. He couldn't get the earmuffs off; they were tied in place, somehow. And what good would it do him to try and remove the blindfold, it's not like he could see enough for it to matter anyways. There was also the increasing fact that he needed to use the bathroom. He had been holding it for hours and he knew that if they didn't come soon, he would be lying in his own urine. The sheer humiliation that washed through him at that thought caused him to squeeze his legs closer together and moan into the mattress in despair.

Jared smiled as he watched the discomfort of the kid through the window on the door. "How's the kid? Still alive I assume." Lane asked as he stepped up and peered through the opening at their guest.

"Yeah, he's alive…doesn't look too comfortable though." Jared said as he turned away from the window and walked back to the table, grabbing the beer he had abandoned earlier.

"Who the hell cares…it's not like it's gonna matter in the long run Jared." Lane answered as he passed Jared, grabbing a new beer out of the cooler as he did, then settling himself into a chair and picking up the cards that he had discarded when he had to piss.

Gus walked out of the bathroom and raised his eyebrows at the other two men, he huffed a breath as he saw that they were down to two beers. "When do you want me to send the account number?" he asked as he secured his own tasty beverage, popping the lid and flicking it across the room.

Jared looked at him, "At 5:30pm tonight."

Lane shook his head at the precise time, "Does it really matter Jared?"

"Yeah, it does."

Lane rolled his eyes as he watched the interactions between the other two men; they really didn't like one another and wouldn't even be working together if he hadn't insisted that they bring Gus in on this. The man was an asshole, but he was a technological wizard and that was an integral part of this plan. If Winchester hired someone to track their signal, then they were all completely boned. The idea of getting caught didn't sit as well as the idea of kicking back on some beach in a country without extradition rights. So he guessed if some kid had to die in order for him to have that, well then…'them's the breaks.'

XXXX

Castiel was watching the link, he knew that they hadn't seen anyone enter or leave that room in the last 15 hours. He rubbed his tired eyes and closed and then opened them several times to clear the blurry vision that was starting to develop. The kid had to be starving or at the very least extremely thirsty, and that was when Castiel noticed Sam entering the guest house…alone.

"Where's Dean?" he asked as Sam walked over and sat next to him, pulling the computer so he had a better view of Ben.

"He's asleep…finally. Any changes here Cas?"

Gabriel stepped into the room and placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder in silent support before he started speaking. "Absolutely none. They haven't talked to him, or even entered the damn room. He's had nothing to eat or drink since they took him Sam." Gabe's voice was tight and it was threaded with anger.

Sam closed his eyes at the sheer maliciousness of these people and then dropped his head into his hands, mirroring Dean's position earlier. "My God." He whispered. "Don't let Dean know any of that."

"Don't let Dean know what?" A hoarse voice asked through clenched teeth from the doorway.

Sam's head snapped up and his eyebrows flew together as he took in Dean…leaning heavily on the cane, he had no shirt, no shoes, and he was only barely wearing the blood stained jeans that were now hanging dangerously low on his lean hips. His face was a mask of absolute nothingness…he wore no expression at all, other than that of a fiery determination that was simmering under the surface. Sam jumped to his feet, starting to move to Dean's aid; Dean's hands came up stopping Sam in his tracks. A barely perceptible shake of Dean's head telling Sam that now was not the time…he didn't want help right now.

Sam felt his heart clench at the obvious dismissal, every time Dean did that it hurt a little worse. Dean shifted his weight and limped into the room, leaning against the cane and grinding his teeth against the pain. He headed straight for the computer, catching his breath and closing his eyes briefly at the image of his son, Sam would have almost swore that there had been no change in Dean's face if he hadn't been watching him so closely. "Don't tell me what Sam?" he asked again, his voice ragged as the anger started to seep in. Dean's lips were pulled back and there was tension around his mouth, but that was all Sam could see in the resolute face.

"Dean…" Sam started to say and was immediately silenced by Dean's pointed look. "They haven't been in that room since they placed him there. No one has come to feed him or even give him any water." Sam finished in a defeated tone. He wanted to protect Dean from this as much as possible, but Dean's stubborn ass wasn't giving Sam too many options for that.

Dean nodded and the awful blankness stayed plastered on his face as he reached out and gently touched the screen, almost like he could touch his son that way…

Castiel felt tears building in his eyes at the gesture. He knew that there was a plan in place to try and rescue Ben, but he also understood why Dean couldn't be told. Cas agreed with Sam whole-heartedly on that point. He didn't want Dean any closer to this than he absolutely had to be…and boy would Dean be pissed at them if he knew that they were trying to protect him. Gabriel was also only partially in the loop, he knew that Sam was doing something, but due to his job it was not in his best interest to know any of the details either. So for his protection Sam had agreed to keep him out of that loop as well, so the only one that was really aware of everything was Balthazar and to some degree Castiel.

The lighting in the room where Ben was a brighter and about four minutes later, Sam wished to hell it had been as dark as it was earlier. Because they all saw the exact moment when Ben lost control, a slowly darkening patch on the front of his blue jeans. Sam's gaze flew to Dean's reaction as soon as he was able to place what was happening. Dean's eyes narrowed and his cheek started to twitch as he clenched his teeth and balled up his fists. Sam swallowed hard at the unrestrained fury he saw there, he turned to look at Castiel and was surprised to see a similar look on the generally calm man's face.

Gabriel watched the whole thing…the shift in the faces of the two men on the couch and Sam's observation of them. He wondered if any of them understood how fully committed they each were to getting this little boy back safely. As he looked into their stormy faces he figured that they probably didn't.

Dean watched as his son was humiliated in a way that no human should ever be. These bastards were de-humanizing his kid and he was unable to stop it. He struggled to contain the boiling emotions, taking a deep breath and turning away from the screen; closing his eyes as his father's voice flashed through his head again…'You were right there Dean. You let him get taken.' He willed the angry voice into silence and then turned back to the group of men, watching him intently; he looked straight at Sam, "No one mentions this to him…not ever." Dean ground out around the rage and the underlying fear that was pulsing through him. He had never been this angry or this scared in his life. Honestly, Dean didn't even know that the two could co-exist.

Sam swallowed with some difficulty, since his throat was currently tight with suppressed emotions and nodded, he would never have brought it up anyways, but at this point, he was pretty sure that Ben was going to need counseling when this was all finished, hell maybe Dean would benefit from that as well, he knew he had.

Shit, I need to call Charlie and tell her to hurry the fuck up. He thought as he bit his upper lip at the helplessness he was feeling. Sam knew that they would fix this, because he was unwilling to consider the alternative. There was a part of him that knew that if he had to march into hell itself to fix this for Dean, he would…without a second thought.

TBC…

Author's Note: So some of this is coming on the inspiration of a movie I saw years ago, where a kid was kidnapped and treated pretty badly until the parents were able to get him back. Hope no one is offended by it, but not all kidnappers are looking to give the kid back, no matter what the parent's do. Just ask the FBI.

Please Review; The feedback sends me back to my computer daily.