The lovely Meilean pointed out to me that I forgot to mention exactly when this takes place. So the prologue happens a few weeks after my story "Dragon Tears" which is about not long after Ridley's story "Dragon Slayer". Neither are necessary to understand this story but if you want context that's where you'll find it!

Please enjoy another chapter :)

~TH~

Caleb slammed the door to his jeep, already reaching for the phone. It was a backup plan, one he had hoped he wouldn't have to use. It didn't matter. He'd find out what was going on and save Dean, whatever that took. The phone in his hand was on mute and hopefully the phone under the table would stay hidden and would transmit well enough.

"You wouldn't be that stupid, right Deuce?" was the first thing he caught. His skin crawled with the nickname coming from such an unworthy mouth.

"Trust me if I had told him anything that conversation would have played out very differently. He takes his job as interim Knight very seriously."

"If I check your phone I won't find any late night calls home to either Knight, will I?"

"Check if you want, Hale. But I'm loyal. And if I had told him anything do you really think he'd be trying to read you?"

"Another reason to take down the Brotherhood. I can't believe Murphey ever allowed freaks in the ranks. Much less the inner circle."

It was something that Caleb had heard many times. Something that always bothered him no matter how old he got. He'd often been used as a reason to attack the Guardian. Hadn't he been the reason, or at least the excuse, for Porter's coup?

But what was different this time was Dean's response. There was a time, a time not that long ago, that Deuce would have knocked the teeth out of anyone who even hinted at such a thought.

"Murphey is a crazy old man. Nothing he does makes sense."

Apparently any loyalty Dean felt to Caleb had disappeared with his loyalty to the Brotherhood. But it didn't make sense. This wasn't Dean. He never thought he'd see a day where Dean would turn against them. It felt illogical. Like it couldn't possibly be happening. Dean was loyal. Dangerously so. He would give you the shirt off of his back if he thought you wanted it, never mind if you needed it. This was so un-Dean-like that he had to wonder if there was some supernatural influence. If not possession then maybe a different influence. A virus?

Because the other option was that Dean had snapped. That he had finally been pushed too far and lost everything that made him Dean.

"I just don't want you going back to your old loyalties now that things are heating up. I'd hate to have to cut you out so close to execution."

"Do what you want. But let me remind you, you need me, I don't need you."

"We don't need someone selling info to Murphey."

"No but you need a way to get to him. I guarantee you won't be able to walk up to the castle and take him out without me."

Caleb stopped at that. They weren't implying what it sounded like… Dean would never go along with that. It didn't matter how he felt about the Brotherhood or who he was hanging out with. He couldn't. It went against every instinct the kid had ever had.

"Well what about Knight Junior? He could be useful."

"Caleb won't turn. He's been tainted by the Brotherhood."

"And you weren't?"

"I left, didn't I?"

"Maybe. But I need to know, if it comes to it, can you take him out?"

"It won't come to that."

"You said it yourself, he takes his job seriously. He's not gonna take kindly to us knocking off the Guardian."

Okay so it was what it sounded like. What had Deuce gotten himself into? Leaving the Brotherhood was one thing… but taking out the Guardian? Taking out Jim? How could he turn on a man that had always taken care of him?

Did this go back to Sam? Is that what this was really about?

Even if it was about Sam's abandonment, that wasn't an excuse to murder the Guaridan of the Brotherhood. Murder the man who's home was the only safe place the kid had ever known.

"If it comes to that I'll take care of it." Dean finally answered. And Caleb had the sudden clashing thoughts of "he couldn't" and "if it came to that would I let him if the alternative was me having to take him out?" He may be ticked at the kid. He may be confused and hurt. But he didn't know if he could take Dean out. Even if the kid turned out to be possessed or turned or killed Jim in front of him he wasn't sure that he could kill him. It would be unfair to ask. Not now. Not after everything they've been through.

"I still think that Reaves could be useful." This was a new voice. It must have been one of the thugs.

"Yeah?"

"We could use him to draw Murphey out. Might even get the Scholar to show."

"Maybe even the Knight." The smile was clearly heard in Jamison's voice. "Imagine taking out the full Triad in one swipe."

Dean laughed, "Sorry to disappoint, but Dad won't come. The only way to get the Knight is through the Guardian."

"But hey, it's worth a shot, right? You did say Winchester cared more about him then he ever cared about you."

Caleb's mind shot back to when Dean had been cut by the trinket box. He'd gone off about how Caleb was a wannabe Winchester. No matter what Dean thought, John did care for his sons. But he could also see how he might be blind to that right now. A lot had happened and Dean always seemed to be the loser of whatever game his father played.

"Taking the Castle would make more sense. It's the center of the Brotherhood. It would prove that we're more powerful. That we can take them at home."

"Think of it this way," Jamison said with an air of finality, "If we use Reaves as bait, we'll have a witness."

"Why do we need a witness? The Guardian's death speaks for itself."

"But that's all it will be. A death. No reason. We want them to know why."

"Well if you're going that route might as well inform me as to why. All I know is that we're taking out the Guardian and any other Triad member we can get to."

"The Brotherhood's tainted, Dean. You know that better than most."

"Killing the Guardian won't end the Brotherhood. It will unite them if anything."

"You're not having second thoughts, are ya kid?"

"No. I'll help you take out the Guardian. I'll fire the friggin' shot for all I care. I just don't understand how it accomplishes your goal. Mine is to draw out the Knight. But you? Is it Murphey personally or is there something else I'm missing?"

"It's none of your concern, kid. Just keep your eyes on your prize. And let us worry about ours. As a matter of fact, in a show of good faith, I'll take you up on that little offer. I'll let you take down the Guardian. It would mean more coming from you."

"It would also undermine all the decisions he's made as Guardian." Thug one added.

"Exactly. And if we leave Reaves as witness it will draw even more question to his loyalties."

Caleb had to wonder how much was information Dean had given them and how much was common knowledge. Some of these people were supposed to be ex-brothers but they weren't ones Caleb recognized. Seemed to be more rejects than anything else. If they were part of the Brotherhood it would have been long before Caleb had gotten his ring, or even started hunting.

"Fine." Dean sounded ticked. "We draw the Guardian here using Caleb. We take him out, use Reaves as a witness and wait for the Knight to come to us for revenge. What about the Scholar?"

"Whether it's Reaves or Murphey, something will draw him out."

"And if they wise up to the plan? You'll be lucky to catch Caleb once, much less twice."

"Your daddy's still checking up on that brother of yours, isn't he? So is Mackland. We could-"

"No. Sam stays out of this. We'll take care of the Triad without him."

Well at least one thing hadn't changed. Caleb supposed Sam wasn't part of the Brotherhood so he was safe. Then again, Sam was probably safe regardless. That was so deeply ingrained in Dean Winchester that if he lost loyalty to Sam he would have lost everything that made him who he was. And he was already pretty darn close.

Jamison laughed. "Touchy aren't we? Hit a sore spot?"

"Sam stays out of this mess."

"Yeah, yeah, then we should probably go get your Knightly friend."

Caleb realized with sudden clarity that he was still sitting around the back of the building. Taylors was on the edge of the road that didn't leave much room for parking so he'd gone behind the building to avoid being seen by Dean. But even then he should have already been gone. He knew better than to hang around. It had been a last attempt at a false hope that maybe just maybe Dean would have a change of heart and come back.

But Dean was too far gone. Caleb didn't know what had happened at the Farm to make Dean turn so firmly against the Brotherhood. To turn against everything he believed in. Dean didn't take human life. The kid had nightmares for weeks after killing anything that even resembled a human. This wasn't Dean.

There was a shift in the phone quality, causing Caleb to glance up towards the bar. They'd been quiet for too long with too much background noise.

A sigh on the other end. "I told you to leave while you still could, Damien."

Throwing out a curse, he slammed the jeep into reverse. But it was too late. He glanced over just in time to see a truck ram into his passenger side. Caleb felt the impact, there was a sharp pain in his head, then everything went black.

~TH~

The question is, who lost? Me or Dean? (Or quite possibly both.)

Let me know what you think!