Hello readers, here. Is another chapeter for you. I know it takes me quite a long time to post new chapters but I do try really hard to be as quick as possible. I'm truly sorry if you find it frustrating. Thank you for sticking with me. I really do appreciate it xxx

CHAPTER 12

Dean was still on all fours, panting through the pain while Cross' outburst has passed. The head guard had straightened up and smoothed his hair back into place. His penis remained hard. The prisoner at his feet was over the worst of the shock from the blow to his hip and had begun to rise up from the floor when the two men heard a raised voice drifting into the shower block from the outside hallway.

"You assholes got five minutes to clean yourselves up. Do I make myself clear?"

Cross glared at Dean, his eyes narrowed as he swiftly tucked himself back into his pants with frustration. "This ain't over, boy!" he snarled at his captive through gritted teeth. The head guard turned on his heels and exited the shower stalls as the sound of the gate being unlocked filtered into the space. Dean breathed a sigh of relief once Cross had turned away from him. The hunter quickly heaved his body up off the ground and limped back to the running water he had been stood underneath a few minutes earlier. He stepped back under the stream and closed his eyes, letting the spray engulf him. He placed his hands against the stream and closed his eyes, letting the spray engulf him. He placed his hands against the wall to steady himself as he heard the commotion of men enter the wet room and begin undressing for their own showers. He didn't want to look. He wanted to shrink away into nothingness where he could pretend that this awful thing wasn't happening to him. He screwed his eyes together tightly in an attempt to push the thoughts away. It did not work.

-‐-‐-‐‐-

Bobby's kitchen table now resembled something straight out of the movies. He had carefully chalked out all the angelic symbols as neatly as he could, placed the candles around the outer circle of the pentagram and had a tatty wooded bowl placed at the centre of the alter. One by one, he began adding the ingredients to the bowl, starting off with the herbs then pouring holy oil on top. The older hunter picked up his small ritual knife and ran the blade along the palm of his left hand just enough to draw some blood. Holding his closed fist over the bowl, he gently squeezed three drops of blood into the potion with a splash. The final part of the ritual was to set the contents of the bowl alight with the flame from a church candle and recite an incantation over the flames. He had memorised the Latin verse and spoke the words clearly, not wanting to make a mistake and jeopardize the whole summoning. He needed the Angel and he could feel deep in his gut that the boys needed Castiel too. He closed his eyes and prayed with everything he had, that this would work and in a few short beats, he felt a rush of warm air swirl around his kitchen and heard the feint rustle of feathered wings.

-‐-

Sam's heart rate accelerated as he and the gorup of men he was walking with approached the locked gate to the shower block. All he wanted to do was find his brother and see that he was alright. Whatever Dean was going through was rough and Sam could sense the fear glowing off him like hell fire. Sam prayed it wasn't what he was thinking with everything that he had but deep down inside, he was doubtful. Officer Hallow called out instructions, dragging the younger Winchester from his thoughts. The thick barred gate was unlocked and the men were directed through the opening in single file. Once all the inmates had made their way into the shower block Hallow re-locked the gate behind them. Sam scanned the space for his brother and his search quickly found it's mark, resting on the back of the older hunters head. Sam took note of Dean's stance, assessing if anything was out of place by pure instinct, something the Winchester's had learned a long time ago and was now instilled in their psyche, as steadfast as super glue. Sam saw that Dean was using the shower in the far corner of the block, his head down and facing the wall. He shoulders were tense and his breathing was slow and deep. Sam knew his brother was NOT OK. The younger man followed suit with the group of cons now undressing and a few moments later the communal shower stall was at full capacity. As Sam entered the group cubicle he instantly focused on the sharp, purple welt on his brother's hip. He could tell'it was fresh, having had similar wounds himself in the line of duty quite often. The bruise was vicious, the skin around the darkening injury swollen and blotchy. Jesus Christ Sam thought as he headed to the only free shower head left which was two spots away from his brother. 'What the fuck is going on?"

‐-

Once C.O. Hallow had secured the lock to the shower room, he quickly surveyed the area before walking over to his commanding officer. The younger guard could see the frustration on Cross' expression and he had to think on his feet of a way to explain the interruption, that Cross would accept. He now stood shoulder to shoulder with Cross and thought it best to wait for the head guard to speak first. That way he could take a few seconds to respond with a reasonable explaination.

"What the fuck, Hallow?" Cross whispered through gritted teeth. Hallow glanced at Cross briefly before answering.

"I wasn't thinking, Sir," he said. "The inmates were covered with food and I didn't think anyone would appreciate that stink taking over the place.I should have realised you would be...busy."

Cross sighed deeply and after a moment of contemplation, said, "Don't let it happen again. You have to be on the same page as us if this is gonna work. It's been a long while since the last boy and you weren't around back then so I will make allowances, this time, but if you value your job, you would be wise to get with the fucking programme!"

"Yes sir, understood." Hallow answered. Cross ended their exchange with an order.

"Get the kid out of here. I'll stay with the others. We can pick up where I left off tonight after

lights out."

"You're done inmate." Hallow's voice carried across the room as he made his way over to Dean with a towel in hand, Dean flinched at the sound of booted footsteps approaching him. Sam witnessed the movement and immediately made an attempt to move closer to his brother.

"GET BACK!" Officer cross yelled, his hand resting on his baton fastened at his waist. Sam ceased his approach and reluctantly stepped back underneath the running water, although his gaze never left Dean. The younger Winchester felt sick to the stomach.

Dean tried to hide his discomfort from the other men in the room. He straightened himself up and turned off the faucet powering his shower and wiped the excess water from his face with the palm of his hand. As he cautiously turned toward the guard holding his towel, he put all of his effort into avoiding making eye contact with Sam. He knew that if he was to see the look on his little brother's face right now, he would lose all self control. The hunter had to remain strong for both their sake's, or he would never get through this nightmare they had been thrust into. Dean saw Hallow standing in the gap at the end of the separation wall holding a towel. He wanted so desperatly to cover himself up from the several sets of eyes glaring at him, but the short distance he had to walk from his shower head to the C.O. was difficult to say the least. His right side throbbed terribly and try as he might, he could not hide the heavy limp he was now suffering with as a result of the beating he had recieved just ten minutes ago. Dean used the low wall to aid him as he exited the showers, his hand firmly grasping the cold tiles as he hobbled past the group of naked men to his right. He kept his eyes low and straight ahead but he could feel Sam's gaze following his every movement. He knew he was going to have to talk to his brother soon. There was no way on this earth that sammy was going to let this drop, not now that he had seen the smallest sign of what was happening to his big brother. Dean's stomach dropped at the mere thought of the conversation he knew was coming. Dean forced those thoughts from his mind and decided to put what little energy he had left into getting as far away from Cross as possible. As he reached the end of the wall and exited the wet room he quickly took the towel Hallow had offered him and wrapped it around himself. Once he had secured the towel with a tuck, he shuffled over to the wooden bench in the centre of the room and tentatively lowered his aching body onto it with a soft thud.

"GET YOUR ASS UP, BOY!" C.0. Cross shouted. "Do you think this is some kind of FUCKING DAY SPA?"

Dean's body stiffened painfully but he immediately did as he was told without any fuss, all he wanted was to be away from that man. The hunter made his way over to the piles of fresh uniforms and grabbed what he needed from the shelves, Hallow watched him with pity, what did this man do to deserve what was happening to him? Cross couldn't take his eyes off of Dean. He studied every movement the boy made with lust oozing from his pores and once again he could feel the heat building in his pants. He clasped his hands behind his back and enjoyed the show, unconcerned with who was watching. Dean dressed as quickly as his body would allow, all the while avoiding eye contact with everyone. He could feel the stares landing on him from every side and was growing more uneasy with each passing second. once he was fully clothed, he took his wet towel and placed it into the laundry basket, grabbing hold of the metal frame of the shelving unit to take some of the strain off of his battered right side. Hallow instantly walked up beside Dean and placed his hand on the boy's elbow in an attempt to support him. Dean recoiled at first but allowed the touch to remain once he saw who the hand belonged to He still had his guard up around officer Hallow and couldn't bring himself to trust the man but he did know that he was the only guard from the night shift that hadn't mistreated him. yet. "Alright, let's go."Hallow spoke firmly for the benefit of his superior who was watching the exchange. Dean allowed the officer to lead him over to the locked gate and waited while it was opened, every second feeling like an age in his mind. The pair walked through the open doorway and away from the shame that still lingered in the air. Dean was silent as he followed the guard directing him through the hallways. Every step was torture for him and to his surprise, he found himself grateful for the hand clasped around his elbow, helping him to stay upright. Dean figured that he was headed for solitary after his display of defiance back in the pit. He had seen enough movies to know that if you step out of line in prison you get thrown in a tiny room for a very long time. He didn't know whether he wanted that or not. He didn't want to be seperated from his brother, but if he was in solitary confinement, would that mean the B Block guards couldn't get to him? Dean would find out soon enough. They had walked the halls for a while, taking a few turns and passing through a couple of locked gates, when Dean was roused from his thoughts. Hallow had slowed their pace and they were now approaching the guards break room. Dean's blood froze in his veins.

"Why are we here?" he croaked out as they came to a stop just outside the door. Hallow ignored the question, instead unlocking the door and leading the prisoner inside. Dean pulled back slightly but was too weak to do much more. Hallow's grasp tightened just a little as he ushered the boy through the entryway. Officer Hallow closed the door behind them once they were inside the break room but decided to leave it unlocked. He didn't want the man under his care to feel trapped with all that he was going through. If he could offer the boy the smallest token of relief, even just for a short while, he would. Dean looked terrified as they had approached the break room and Hallow's mind jumped back to last night and what the man had endured in that room. The officer was glad he hadn't been around to witness it and even more greatful he had been able to stop worse from taking place. He had managed to protect Dean from the other guards twice now without rousing suspicion but he didn't know if he would be able to save him from it again. He was caught between a rock and a hard place but ultimately he had to look out for himself first, for the sake of his family. Hallow looked Dean square in the face then, and said with every ounce of honesty in his being. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Dean."

Bobby's kitchen, which had been empty bar himself a moment ago, was now filled with what the hunter could only describe as a glow. It was similar to the glow from a dimming fire or the first rays of light from a sunrise and a warm vibration flowed though it. The feeling mirroring the sense a person gets when arriving home after a long time away, or tasting their mother's cooking once again, long after she has left this world. The sensations enveloped him, wrapped around him in a calming embrace. The Angel had answered his call and the saintly presence of the etherial entity buzzed through every fiber of Bobby's being. He hadnever really thought about how Castiel could create this effect but being alone and afraid for his boys had heightened tonights encounter. Bobby breathed out a long sigh of relief and turned to face the Angel.

"Castiel." Bobby looked into Castiel's eyes, his features as still and stoic as ever.

"You summoned me. What is it that you require?" Castiel was straight to the point as always. He stood almost motionless as he awaited an answer from the old man.

"I wasn't sure this would work but i'm real glad it did." Castiel continued to stare at Bobby, watching the man fumble his words. "It's Sam and Dean." he continued. "The boys went on a hunt out in Ohio a couple of days back and nobody's heard from those idjits since. I got a bad feeling in my gut."

"Go on." the angel said, cocking his vessels head to one side as he studied the old man's features.

"This ain't like them Cas, they're not answering my calls. I've checked all the local hospitals, asked a few hunter buddies if they've caught a wiff of them..i've come up empty everytime. You were my last hope." Bobby almost held his breath as he waited for the angel to answer him. The older hunter counted the ticks from his cheap plastic wall clock, one, two, three, four...

"I can not see them." Castiel said.

"Why not? You've done it before." Bobby was confused. This was supposed to solve the problem.

"I went to them, the cemetary in Ohio. I carved enochian symbols into their rib cages to shield them from Zechariah. They are hidden from me also. I can not see them..."

The pain was bad, every step dean took sent a fresh wave of agony through his body, but he forced himself to push through it. He had to maintain what dignity he had managed to cling on to since this all started back in Elmwood Cemetary. He was led through the halls, all the while secretly grateful for the hand supporting him as he struggled to stay upright. They had rounded a corner and Dean felt his blood run cold as he was pulled to a stop at the door of the guards break room. He did not want to go inside and every beat of his heart thumped loudly in his ears but he had no strength to resist Officer Hallow as he led the hunter into the room, closing the door behind them. Dean stood to attention, his body a statue, dispite the ache drumming throughout his right side. The older Winchester waited but the guard before him remained quiet. The officer could feel the anguish coming off of the prisoner like heat from hot coals. He watched the boy tense, obviously waiting for some sort of attack so Hallow decided to let his prisoner get the emotion out before speaking. Dean, realising that Hallow was not making a move himself, risked a glance at the guard. Confusion was evident in his expression but the hunter didn't dare speak. He was afraid that this was just a cruel trick and if he uttered a word he would be faced with callous laughter and another round of humilliation.

"You don't have to be afraid of me Dean, I'm not gonna hurt you." Hallow spoke softly. His voice was mellow and Dean could see kindness in his eyes. For the first time since the gates of Blackfield had closed behing him, he felt an air of calm wash over him. The Winchester allowed his shoulders to fall and tilted his head back in subconsious thanks.

"Sit over there at the table and take the weight off your leg." Hallow continued as he turned his back to the prisoner and strolled over towards the kitchenette on the left side of the room, Dean did as instructed and hobbled over to the closest chair then eased himself down onto it. Mark Hallow reached for the handle of the refridgerator and pulled open the door. Dean watched the guard tug on the drawer to the ice box and retrieve a bag of ice. The guard then grabbed a dish towel that was draped over one of the cupboard door knobs and wrap it around the half empty bag before approaching his prisoner and handing it over to the iniured man.

"Here." he said as Dean took the offering. "It'll help with swelling and with any luck, dull some of the pain." Dean gingerly pressed the cold bundle against his rapidly bruising hip and winced ever so slightly as the pressure aggravated his fresh welt. He muttered a quick thanks and tried to relax enough for the ice to do it's work "I'm sorry this is all I can offer.." Hallow now took a seat next to the boy at the table. "I can't take you to the infirmary, if Cross or the others even knew you were here... Christ..." He couldn't finish his thought. He was ashamed of his own fear. Although if he was caught helping their new play thing, the punishment would be nothing in comprison to what this man was facing. He was a coward and he knew it.

"Why are you helping me?" Dean asked. The question surprised even him. What did it matter, he couldn't do anything to help himself. He deserved this for being a terrible brother to Sam. Hallow looked away from the man sat opposite him and tried to find an answer.

"This isn't right..It's not.." he trailed off, struggling to voice his thoughts. "I need this job. My hands are tied but it kills me to see this happening to you." Dean stared at the guard and

tried to understand his position but it was so hard. The Winchester could feel the ice beggining to melt from the heat of his hand and hip, the liquid seeping into the dish towel and dampening his fingers. "I am sorry for what you're going through." Hallow sighed. He felt pathetic.

"I shouldn't be here." the prisoner before him said. Hallow looked back at Dean. "We are not supposed to be here..." Dean Winchester continued. "This is a set up. The Sheriff at Elmwood planned this. We shouldn't be here!" Dean's voice was getting louder with each word and he could feel his breathing quicken. He was starting to lose control and that terrified him. Dean screwed his eyes shut and forced his breathing to even out. He couldn't break, not when Sam was out there on his own. He regained his composure and opened his eyes. "We didn't do what they say we did ya know. We are NOT the bad guys." Hallow met Dean's gaze and the men looked at each other then. The prisoner with a hopeless stare and the guard with a sorrowful one.

"I have to take you back to the rec room." Mark rose from his seat and held his hand out to take the ice pack from Dean, who handed it back and lifted himself up from his own chair. The pair walked back to the door and exited the break room in silence.

Please leave a review if you have time, thank you all x