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: Another shameless request...I know. But please take the time.

This story contains pairings in an AU of the M/M variety...you have been warned.

Chapter 51

Taken

Dean saw the decision reflected out of Sam's eyes…he was leaving. The older man felt his heart clench painfully at that realization as he turned from Sam and the men that had ruined his only hope of true happiness. How could they come in and destroy a family? Because that's what they were…him and Sam and Ben…they were family. But the look on Sam's face said that he was going to choose the biological safety net and not the potentially normal life that he could have had with the Winchesters. That was one of the most painful things that Dean had ever considered…returning to life…well returning as a ghost to a life that would have little meaning beyond Ben…and then pretending that he hadn't experienced what 'heaven on earth' could feel like. And yeah, he knew that it sounded so clichéd but at the moment he didn't give a rats ass. He thinned his lips and turned to leave. "I'll call Castiel and have him pick me up Sam." He said stoically as he pulled the door open and stepped out in a world that was now grey and uninteresting.

Sam nearly squeaked a response as he jumped forward to stop Dean from leaving like this. But a steady hand on his elbow pulled him to a halt. "It's this…or nothing Sam." Crowley said as he raised his eyebrows at the taller man, a slow smile pulling at the edges of his lips. Sam wanted to punch him right in his snooty British face, but he felt his legs turn to lead at the veiled threat, or not so veiled threat, to Dean and everyone else that Sam had ever cared about. "You sons a bitches…you have no idea what you've done." Sam growled through gritted teeth and turned angry red eyes on the two men looking calmly at him. He heard the door pushed shut behind him and he felt his knees shake as he steeled them against collapse. God Dean…you really think I'd do that don't you…you actually think that I'd give you up for some closure…? Not in a million years…and I am going to fix this. The thoughts were rolling through his head as he struggled to stay rooted to the spot in the entryway of the mansion, his fists clenching and unclenching in frustration and no small amount of fear.

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Dean pulled the door closed behind himself and felt the lump in his throat grow as he stumbled down the steps and tried twice to pull his phone from his pocket as he sank onto the concrete bench near the fountain. His fingers shook as he speed dialed Castiel's number and he dropped his head into his hand as he waited for a reply.

"Hello? Dean?" Came the rough voice of his friend. "Dean…is this you?" Cas tried again when Dean didn't immediately say anything.

"Uh…yeah Cas…it's me." He cleared his throat and blinked back the stinging in his green eyes as he continued. "Can you and Gabe come get me…it's the address where…" he gulped when he tried to say 'Sam's' name. "Sam…and I went earlier?" He heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line and the murmured voice of Gabriel in the background.

"Dean…where's Sam?" Castiel asked quietly as he glared at his partner in a silent order to 'shut-up'.

Dean groaned and his voice got raspy as he tried to answer that very basic question. "I…he's not coming…back…" The answer was short but opened so many floodgates within Dean that he pushed his hand against his mouth to stifle the emotional response to it. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was looking into the distance, the world had lost its allure. He only saw the grey clouds in the distance and heard the slightly rising sounds of thunder on the horizon. It was unusual for it to rain in California, with thunder and lightning…but today…it fit Dean's world perfectly.

"We'll be right there Dean. Just wait for us near the gate." The voice had shifted to the higher pitch of the other man, so Dean knew that Gabriel had grabbed the phone, probably when Castiel had let it slip from numb fingers. The lawyer could see that whatever had happened and it looked like it was serious…and it was going to affect all of them.

Dean snapped his phone shut and slowly pushed it into the back pocket of his jeans. He stood up, almost mechanically and walked to the edge of the property, his head down and his hands shoved into the front of pockets of his denim pants. He was watching the toes of his leather shoes kick rocks as he shuffled along and slowly exited the gate only to stand on the side walk and feel the first drops of the rain splash onto his face and shoulders.

He never saw the charcoal grey van, with the blacked out windows, that pulled up several hundred yards from where he was waiting. Dean never even heard the man that snuck up behind him…but he did feel the piece of linen cloth that was smashed over his mouth and nose…and he definitely smelled the chemical that caused his vision to blur and his head to spin as he sank into unconsciousness. His last thoughts were that Sam was gonna kill him for getting into trouble again…and without Sam, who would take care of Ben…?

The van peeled out and roared up the street allowing the side door to be thrown open as a man reached out and the one holding the body of Dean tossed him forward, neither caring when the unconscious man's head connected with the doorframe as he was roughly shoved inside. The only sign that Dean had ever been on that corner was the small drops of blood that slipped from the opened wound on his head onto the blacktop.

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Gabriel pulled up outside the huge mansion, his jaw falling open in amazement as he looked at the iron fencing and the guards that were walking across the well-manicured lawns on the other side. He was surprised to note that he didn't see Dean standing anywhere, not on the corner where he'd said he would be…nor on the other side of the fence. It had stopped raining almost as quickly as it had started and now the sky was only threatening to open up and poor on them. He sighed as he looked over at an equally confused Castiel. "Maybe they worked it out?" He said hopefully only to have Castiel turn incredulous blue eyes on him, telling him silently that he was an idiot if he thought that. "Well, he's obviously not out here Cas."

"I think it's time we called Sam." Castiel said as he pulled the handle of the passenger door and got out the car, looking at the ground in front of the gate. His eyes were drawn to the massive iron and then he was fishing through his pocket for his cell. He quickly dialed Sam's number and hoped that the feeling that was slicing through his gut was wrong…and that Sam would actually answer the call.

After one ring the phone was picked up. "Cas? What's wrong?" Sam asked quickly when he saw who the call was from. There weren't too many reasons why Castiel would call him directly…and all of them had to do with Dean. His stomach clenched at the very thought of the green eyed man that he was lying his ass off to at the moment.

Castiel pulled in a loud breath of air as he considered how much of an idiot Sam could be at times. "Of course it's about Dean. Sam, he called me to pick him up outside the gate…but when we got here…he's not. There's no sign of him." Castiel finished in a rush.

Sam felt his heart nearly stop in his chest…Dean was missing? And it was after they'd had what could be considered the biggest fight in the history of their relationship. Dean thought that Sam was giving up on them…he thought that Sam didn't love him enough to choose him. Little did he know that it was because Sam had chosen him that they were in this pickle in the first place. But this whole arrangement was supposed to keep Dean safe…not have him go missing. Sam glanced at Alistair and pointed to his phone, indicating that he needed to take the call. The stoic man nodded and Sam stepped out the front door and was then running down the cement and cobblestone driveway. His eyes landing on the Nissan that Gabriel had rented when they landed yesterday. He ended the call and skidded to halt at the gate, waiting impatiently for the guard to open in. He slipped through as soon as the hole was big enough then he was jogging to the car. He stopped when he saw the skid marks of a vehicle…they looked fresh. He squatted down and then his breathing hitched…he saw the small red droplets that were slightly watery from the recent rainfall.

But they were definitely blood…and as he stood and cast frantic looks in all different directions, something told him that they belonged to Dean. Gabriel ran up and stopped next to Sam as he stared at the blood and the tire tracks. "Sam…what the hell is going on?" He asked breathlessly.

Sam couldn't believe it. He'd done this to keep Dean out of the coming storm…and what had happened? He'd gotten taken….by those sons of bitches. He turned worried blue-green eyes in Gabriel's direction and then scrubbed a hand across his face as he saw the 'protection detail' filing out the gate like a hive had been disturbed.

"Sir…we need you to come back inside." One man with CIA type sunglasses positioned low on his hawk-like nose said as he pointed at the house. Sam glared at the man and shook his head.

"I'm not going back inside until we find Dean. They have him." He finished, earning a very confused look from Gabriel and Castiel and an irritated huff from the security guy.

"He is not our primary concern…" Sam cut the man off with a punch to nose, the man stumbled back and brought his hand up to his now bleeding nose.

"Fuck your primary concern!" Sam roared angrily. "He's my 'primary' concern." The words were tumbling out his mouth…he couldn't stop the tight way that they were bubbling up from his chest. He may have lost Dean…

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Dean felt the groan travel up his throat as his head started to pound in time to his heart. He tried to remember what he'd done to feel this crappy the next morning…and then he tried to role over and realized too late that he was secured. He forced his gritty eyes open and panic lurched to the surface as he realized that he couldn't see anything. The room was pitch back and he was leaning against a wall, his hands secured above his head…so he tried to kick his feet and found that they too were tied down. He was trapped and he couldn't see…hell he didn't even know who had taken him or why.

"Hello?" He called out into the inky blackness. Dean's only answer was the echo of his own voice. He leaned back against the wall and dropped his head onto his chest…his fear starting to climb out of his belly as his breathing increased to small pants. His head felt heavy, like he'd been drugged…Oh yeah…the cloth and the chemical smell. He thought as he twisted his neck from side to side to try and alleviate some of the stiffness. Dean succeeded in causing his head to pound like a percussion session in a full orchestra and he groaned again as he focused on breathing through the pain. He could feel where blood had trickled down his face and then dried…he scrunched his eyes as he tried to remember when he'd gotten hit in the head. He couldn't.

At least that explained the pounding…he started to 'listen' and tried to determine where he was and if there was anyone else there too. He could feel the dirt beneath him, so he stretched his back and found that his head bumped into a low ceiling…all the sudden he was feeling extremely claustrophobic. His shoulders were starting to ache from the maintained position and his hands were numb from lack of blood flow. "Help!" He called…his voice was rough with disuse and quieter than he would have expected. He struggled with whatever….metal…he was manacled to the wall!...he pulled at his hands…the skin pulling and tearing as he did. Dean bucked his body and thrashed his legs, ignoring the pain that flared and shot through his hip. He had to get out of here…because he had a sinking feeling that this was going to be his final resting place if he didn't. Fresh blood trickled down his wrists and off his elbows…that was when Dean finally noticed that they, whoever 'they' are…had taken his jacket and his socks and boots. He was only wearing his t-shirt…not much protection against the cold, damp air of his 'prison'. A shiver rocketed through Dean's body and he screamed out his frustration with the direction his life had taken.

"FUCK!" His words were absorbed by his walled…whatever this god-damned place was. Dean's head dropped back against the wall as visions of Ben and what this would mean for him…he'd just lost his mother…losing his father too? That would scar the kid for the rest of his life…and what about Sam? How would he deal with Dean simply disappearing into thin air?!

He knew that Sam would look for him…because no matter what Sam had been planning on doing where his father was concerned…he would never completely and utterly abandon Dean. And he knew that Gabriel and Castiel would have notified Sam as soon as they realized that he wasn't at the designated meeting place that morning. That raised a whole new question… 'How long had he been unconscious?' He could feel the cold seeping into his bones, so he knew that he hadn't been down here long enough for hypothermia to set in. But if I don't get out of here soon, that won't be the case. He thought as he rolled his eyes against the potential outcome of this 'development'.

He guessed that he'd been in this 'hell-hole' for a couple of hours at the most. But being that there was no light and no sounds…he couldn't be sure. Dean had never really wondered what it would be like to lose senses…but this must be what it was like to be both blind and deaf. He felt the first real shiver rack his shoulders and he grimaced against the pain that it caused in his previously injured shoulder. He knew that it had been completely healed…but having it wrenched over his head and held in that position wasn't doing the scar tissue any favors.

"Sam…" He closed his eyes against the almost palpable pain just saying that name elicited from inside him. "Find me…" he finished in a whisper.

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Sam was back at the hotel with Gabriel and Cas…he'd insisted on it…even though his 'father' wasn't at all pleased with his decision. He couldn't concentrate…thoughts of Dean and what he could be going through were screaming through his over active imagination as he sat on the bed, his long legs folded under him.

"Sam? Sam?" Gabe asked again as he tried to get the attention of the taller man. "Hey are you paying attention man?" he continued in a louder voice. Sam turned haunted eyes in his direction and then nodded as he scrubbed a hand down his face and inhaled loudly.

"Yeah…yeah, sorry Gabe." He whispered as he unfolded his body from the bed and stood, walking to look out the large glass windows into the slowly darkening sky. Dean had been gone for eight hours…and they had no clues…no leads…no idea who had taken him or why…at least officially…but Sam had his suspicions and they were more terrifying than not knowing at all. And the last thing that Sam had 'told' Dean was that he was going to give up on them and accept the offer of a pompous aristocrat instead of fighting for what they had. Although he knew that that wasn't what was going on…Dean didn't. He believed that what they had was probably over and that he would be moving on without Sam. But now this…Dean had been taken before Sam had been able to explain what was going on…and he internally shattered at that thought.

Just hang on Dean…I will find you. And the bastards that took you are going to pay with their lives. The vehement thought bounced through his head and had him pulling his cell phone out and making a call.

"Balthazar?" He waited for the affirmative answer and then continued. "Someone took Dean. I need help." Sam finished in a tight angry voice.

"What?!" Balthazar said loudly and then glanced over at Carmen and Ben, where they were watching television on the couch. He stood quickly and walked out of the room and into the kitchen for more privacy. "Sam…what do you need?"

Sam pulled in a shaky breath and closed his eyes against the pain in his chest…located where his heart used to be…where Dean used to be. "I need everyone." He heard the soft intake of breath on the other end of the line.

"I'll call them in. Give me three hours and then I'll call you back." Balthazar said as he hung up the phone and clenched his teeth in anger.

Sam clicked his phone closed and glanced over at Castiel and Gabe. They were watching him with concerned eyes and silence as they waited for him to explain what was going on. Sam's phone beeped and he furrowed his eyebrows as he opened the text-message. His knees turned to rubber as the image of Dean tied to a wall, unconscious and with a head wound that was sluggishly bleeding down the right side of his face popped up. The picture was taken with a night-vision lens…giving Sam some information without his brain processing it. Where ever Dean was, he was in complete darkness and he was hurt.

Cas rushed to his side when he saw all the color drain from Sam's face and his expression shift to shock and then unmitigated rage as he looked at his phone. The shorter man looked at the photo on the phone and inhaled sharply, bringing his hand to his mouth in surprise. Dean was inside an extremely small room, the ceiling was only about an inch above his head, and he was already seated on the floor…or dirt as it appeared to be. Dean wasn't conscious and he wasn't moving…his blue eyes shot up to meet the agonized and angry blue-green gaze of Sam.

"Dean…" Castiel whispered.

TBC…

Author's Note: I will explain why and who took Dean in the next chapter…and we will get some more information about Sam's past and how Alistair fits into this whole thing. It will also tie the murder into what is happening here. Stay tuned.

Please Review: My only selfish request, tell me what you think.