To everyone who is still interested in reading this fic, thank you for sticking it out. I can only apologise for the massive gaps between updates. I write in my spare time, which I have very little of and when I do manage to post a new chapter, I just want it to be perfect. This is a hobby for me and I wish I had more time to write but alas, it is what it is.

I really hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a review, I love hearing what you think.

...

Chapter 13

Cross was furious with Hallow's sudden interruption. It took every ounce of will power he had to be able to pull back from the prisoner, sprawled at his feet. As the shower room quickly filled with inmates, the frustration coursing through him was intense. He had the boy right where he wanted him, then mere seconds later he had been forced to retreat from his sport and slip back into the facade of professionalism. Jack Cross was angry, however, his consolation prize was witnessing the humiliation encircling the young man who was attempting to conceal his shame from those who had now entered the room. Cross immediately confronted his subordinate and didn't hold back as he reprimanded Mark for the his stupidity. The newest C.O. was still getting to know how things worked on B Block's night shift. Hallow would experience full understanding soon enough. Once the verbal discipline was out of the way, Cross stood back to watch the show. Dean truly was a sight to behold, everything about the boy pleased Jack Cross immensely and he could feel himself beginning to stiffen once more. He couldn't take his eyes off the beaten prisoner as the injured inmate struggled to dry off an dress himself after being called out of the shower. Watching the hunter leave with Officer Hallow left a dull ache in the head guards entire body. Not long after his new toy's departure, Cross hurried the remaining prisoners out of their own showers and promptly took them back to the rec hall. He quickly left them to roam the space while he took up his position in the observation unit to catch up on some of the piling paperwork before the evening really began. Cross was really looking forward to lights out and he planned to show Dean exactly who was boss in Blackfield.

...

Sam was seated at one of the small tables that lined the outer left side of the recreation room. His body felt like lead, heavy and solid. It was as if he himself were bolted to the floor along with the cold steel bench he was seated upon. He glanced up at the caged clock fixed high on the wall every few minutes, anxiously waiting for his brother to return and it was agony. Sam couldn't help running everything over in his mind again and again. He was trying to piece it all together, every moment they had spent in Blackfield so far, all in an attempt to prove his own suspicions wrong. After seeing how his brother was reacting to the head guard back at the showers, Sam couldn't possibly believe that everything was simply going to be ok for them. The younger hunter had made a point of studying C.O. Cross while his brother was ushered out of the shower. The man's exterior was very calm and collected but the look in his eyes was giving him away. Sam could see the lust in the guard's eyes as he had watched Dean awkwardly dress himself, obviously in a great deal of pain.

Please let this just be in my head. Those thoughts were fast becoming Sam's mantra, but deep inside he knew what was going on. He didn't know the extent of Dean's troubles, that was true, but he knew all the same. Another minute ticked by, then another. Sam was starting to lose it. He could feel his body beginning to twitch, so the younger hunter clasped his hands together, rubbing out the building tension.

Then he saw his brother emerge from behind the main gate at the front of the hall. C.O. Hallow accompanied him which oddly enough, eased Sam's stress ever so slightly. He fixated on Dean, afraid to lose sight of him again in the scattered group of men, gathered in the space between them. Sam could see discomfort on his older brother's face as he took a few small steps into the large room, subtly scanning the crowd for the familiar face of his baby brother.

It wasn't long before Dean caught sight of Sam sitting across the room, and it was all the younger hunter could do, not to jump to his feet and run over to his big brother. Dean quickly assessed the most direct path through the wandering inmates and began to hobble over to Sam. It was hard for him. The pain in his hip spiked each time his foot connected with the solid concrete floor but he pushed on regardless. After a painstaking minute or so, Dean reached Sam's table and took a seat opposite his brother. He couldn't look Sam in the eye, too afraid of what might be lurking there. He couldn't risk being betrayed by his own senses so kept his head tilted downwards, just enough to hide the shame.

"Dean...um..." Sam's voice caught in his throat. He didn't know where to start. He wanted to know what was going on, but he needed to give his brother the opportunity to tell him freely. The last thing he wanted was to back Dean into a corner. He was struggling to ring a sentence together that would not force his brother to shut down. This was so fucking hard!

"I'm sorry." Sam said. "I'm sorry Dean." Those words came without hesitation, naturally flowing from him and he truly meant them. Sam waited for a response.

"No, I'm sorry Sammy." Dean replied in a low tone.

"Dean, I..." Sam began to protest but was halted by Dean's hand reaching out towards him. Dean took hold of Sam's forearm warmly and he gave it a subtle squeeze, the slightest tremor making itself known at his fingertips.

"I put us here, I was reckless and stupid and I'm sorry." Dean kept his gaze lowered and his hand on his baby brother's arm. He wanted to take as much comfort from that touch as he possibly could before they were pulled apart again. Before he was dragged back into the nightmare he was suffering. "I can handle this Sammy, you just have to trust me." Dean didn't fully believe his own words but he did know that he would protect Sam at all cost, but keeping his brother in the dark was going to be impossible.

"I trust you Dean." Sam's chest tightened as he listened to the sound of his brother's voice. He could hear the pain there, no matter how hard Dean tried to hide it and it was breaking him. Sam would do anything to grab his big brother and take him away from this place but it just wasn't possible. "Let me help Dean...tell me how to help, please?" Sam almost begged.

"I've got this Sam. You just keep your head down, do you hear me?" Dean's hand remained where it was, resting on top of his brother's arm. "Try and get a phone call, I know we can't reach Cas but go to Bobby. Just figure out how to get a phone call. Be careful Sammy, don't make any enemies and don't draw attention to yourself!" Dean's words had a desperation curling around them. He could handle almost anything as long as he knew Sam was safe.

...

"There has to be something we can try!" Bobby was close to yelling. He was sure that Castiel could have found the boys but his hopes had disappeared, just as quickly as Sam and Dan had. "I know things aren't right...I feel it in my bones." The old man slumped down onto one of his worn out kitchen chairs, steadying himself as the uneven legs tilted him to one side.

"I am sorry!" Castiel stared at Bobby. The angel, who was always so serious, found himself torn. The sensation was new to him. Emotion had never ben a part of his existence, he was one of heaven's soldiers, strong and unmovable, yet he was struggling to accept the stirring in his body. The feeling began at his vessel's chest and was quickly spreading downwards into his gut, weighing down his limbs.

Bobby noticed the change on Castiel's face, the way his shoulders squared and lifted slightly. "Castiel?" Bobby said with curiosity and a tinge of hope in his voice.

The angel didn't answer.

"I need your help Cas." Bobby was fully aware of the task that Castiel was undergoing at this moment in time. Finding God was crucial to stop the apocalypse but, selfish as it seemed, Bobby Singer didn't care one bit. He had to find the Winchester brothers, the two boys he considered as close to his own sons as any father. "This is important, maybe more important than what you're searching for right now." Bobby was pleading now.

"If something has happened to Sam and Dean, locating God would not be much use. I will assist however I can." Castiel could not ignore the inner turmoil he was experiencing at the thought of Dean getting hurt. It was unexplainable. Why was he feeling this way for a human? It was against the nature of an angel to become attached to anything. He was created to follow orders from heaven, no more, no less, but something had changed within him from the moment he pulled Dean from out of hell.

"Well isn't this cosy, ladies. Maybe you two should get a room." C.O. Smith had spotted the Winchester brothers sitting at the tables and had been watching the meeting from a distance. The spectacle over dinner had riled him up something fierce and seeing the fight still left in B Block's new resident whore, infuriated him. Smith did not enjoy witnessing his colleague and friend, Alex Walker getting pulled to the floor by that pathetic piece of ass, so he seized his opportunity to take the little shit down a peg or two. "I hear a list is being drawn up as we speak. Better get your in there quick, stretch." He said, directly to Sam. The glint of pure malice evident in the guards eyes as clear as day.

Sam saw red, instinctively rose from his seat, ready to beat the arrogant bastard to a bloody pulp but was pulled back down by his brother. Dean still had a hold on Sam's arm and it was fortunate that he did, as he was able to restrain the younger man before he did something thy would both regret.

Dean's stomach flipped full circle at officer smith's comments but somehow he had managed to keep his composure and conjure up enough strength to drag his little brother back from a fight that could cost them both dearly.

"That's it sweetheart, you keep your boy in check." Smith leaned in close and snarled in Dean's face. "Or things will get a whole lot worse for you, if you get what I'm saying." The guard accentuated his meaning by gripping the inmate's chin and running his thumb across Dean's bottom lip slowly, finishing off with a soft slap to the cheek. Dean flinched back and screwed his eyes shut. He fought to hold down the rising vomit threatening to make it's escape.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Sam could not stay silent. Once again, he attempted to confront the guard but Dean, as humiliated as he was, held his grip. He could feel his fingernails digging into Sam's arm as his fist remained fixed and he attempted to focus his energy on that, rather than on the flashbacks of a penis getting forced down his throat.

"That's enough." Officer Hallow injected himself into the conversation. "Get outta here Smith."

"Fuck you, Mark! I'll do whatev..." Smith was cut off. Hallow shoved the man back and leaned in close, his words harsh and abrupt.

"Cross is gonna tear you a new one when he finds out you opened your big mouth. We got zero leverage now you fucking moron!" Hallow was convincing. Smith took a step back from his work mate with an unmistakable look of panic on his face. Getting on the wrong side of their boss was bad news but he took a moment to consider the outcome.

"There ain't no way that kid isn't gonna know what's going on by the end of rec, Hallow." Smith's voice was just loud enough or the Winchester brothers t overhear. "The word is out and Walker is already taking down names."

"That isn't the fucking point, Peter, and you know it. Cross gave orders. Just back off and save that shit for later, you got a god damned job to do, so fucking do it!" Hallow hissed at the guard before turning his back on his colleague and making his way over to the far side of the room. C.O. Smith straightened out his shirt, gave Dean a wink and resumed walking the area, leaving the two men to their own devices.

"What the hell was that?" Sam's voice was sharp and laced with shock. It was officially out there and there was no coming back from it.

"It's nothing." Dean replied quietly. What else could he say, He let go of his brother's arm and slowly pulled away, hiding his shaking hands on his lap underneath the table. He could feel his face flushing red with shame.

"Oh my god!" Sam was really trying to stay calm. "This can't be fucking happening...it's not real!" his eyes darted from his brother to the table, then to the convicts walking the rec room and finally back to Dean. "It's not rue...Dean, tell m it's not true."

Dean said nothing. He was terrified of what might happen if he broke down now. He had to stay strong or he would lose who he was and what he stood for. He was a fighter and that's what he clung onto as he listened to the frantic tone of his baby brother's words. Sam interrupted the silence between them.

"Dean."

"I've got this Sam." He answered finally, although he still couldn't look Sam in the eye.

"What do you mean? How the hell have you got this?...FUCK!" Sam yelled the last word in frustration. How could Dean be so calm right now. Sam instantly regretted his outburst as he noticed the older hunter flinch harshly at his raised voice. "I'm sorry Dean." He said with nothing but warmth in his words now. He felt like a complete jackass. "I'm gonna get us out of here. I promise you. I will get a phone call."

The pair sat in silence after that. There was nothing left to say. Dean was horrified that Sam knew what was happening to him and all he could do to hide his despair at that fact, was to stare at a spot on the table and keep breathing. He focused on the faintly scratched surface, tracing the lines with his eyes. Sam's face was hot. He too was concentrating on his breathing. He wanted to explode as he tried t digest Officer Smith's abhorrent revelation but the fear in his brother's eyes pulled him away from the rage building within him. Den needed strength right now and Sam knew that if he were to create any further reasons for them to be targeted, the older hunter's mind would be overtaken by the need to protect his little brother. That couldn't happen. Sam needed all of Dean's focus to b on surviving, to be on his own safety or he would not make it through the night.

...

Officer Alex walker was pissed. The age was rising off of him like hot steam and he had cleaned up the kitchen slop he was covered in with such vigour that he was surprised he hadn't scrubbed half his skin off along with it. He was in total shock at how the new inmate has fought back at his taunting in the pit but his shock quickly turned to blinding fury. This was no longer a sick game to the guard. He was out for blood and h was sure as hell not going to let another night pass without collecting what was owed.

As soon as the man had showered and put on his spare uniform, he was out of the employee's locker room and ready to resume name gathering. As soon as he started his night shift, he had begun to make a note of the men interested in spending some time with B Block's new 'date' so he recommenced his task once again, all the while imagining the many ways he could teach that prisoner a lesson in obedience. He was going to have is fun tonight, that was for certain.

By now, Walker figured that chow was over and Backfield's convicts had now been split into their blocks so he headed to B Block's recreational hall without delay. He swiftly unlocked the gate, stepped inside the room and was almost immediately greeted greeted by C.O. Smith, who's expression matched that of his buddy.

"Where is he?" Walker hissed.

"Over a the benches with his brother." Smith replied. "Just been over there but Hallow got in the middle."

Walker frowned and glanced over to the tables where Dean was sitting.

"What d'ya mean, got in the middle?" he responded, curiosity now taking hold.

"He warned me off the kid. I don't know hat his fucking problem is. Never seen him speak up like that before." Smith said.

"Who gives a fuck, man. Ain't nothing he can do anyhow. One wrong word and he will be outta here. Cross will make damn sure of that." The pair continued their conversation while keeping their gaze forward, monitoring the inmate's activities.

"Mark has got a lot to lose by rocking the boat, more than you or me. He has a kid on the way but we got bigger fish to fry right now. That little fucker is gonna regret squaring up to me. He ain't gonna know what's hit him." With that last statement the bell rang overhead, announcing he end of rec and the beginning of a long, painful night for Dean Winchester.

...

Bobby was almost done packing. He had half filled a bag with clothes and toiletries and was now searching at the back of his closet for the emergency hunting kit he always kept hidden there. He knew it was stocked with general hunting essentials after his last road trip so he wasted no time in retrieving it from beneath a pile of old coats and loading it into his truck. The old hunter and angel had hashed out all the possible scenarios to locating the Winchester brothers and had settled on simply driving up to Elwood and getting stuck in with the search in person. At least Bobby would feel like he was actually doing something useful as opposed to sitting in his cluttered kitchen waiting for his phone to ring.

Castiel had attempted to find the brothers through sense fora second time but had come up empty once again. He knew it would not work but tried never the less, for he old man's sake.

"So, you ridin' with me?" Bobby asked Castiel once he had locked up his place. The pair stood beside Bobby's beat up Ford pick up, ready to hit he road. "It's roughly a fourteen hour drive without stops." The older hunter added.

Castiel stared at Bobby for a few moments before answering. "I will see you there in fourteen hours. I will begin the search." The angel replied before disappearing into the night, leaving Bobby to make the long trip solo. That didn't come as a surprise to him. Castiel was already where thy needed to be before Bobby even had time to climb into his truck. It made sense for the angel to get a jump star immediately, although, bobby couldn't help feeling a little uneasy at the prospect of the angel talking to the town's people of Elmwood. Castiel had limited people skills and that was being generous at best, he thought to himself. Bobby felt the smallest grins form on his lips as he slotted his keys into the ignition and brought the vehicle to life with a turn.

Please review if you are able to, it would mean alot to me, thanks xxxx