Author's Notes: Sorry for the wait! I went back to work at the newspaper and work is kicking my butt lately. Oh, and for whoever asked (sexybeast?) yes, I do read all of the reviews. I try to answer all of them too, but sometimes I forget. I do appreciate all the reviews I get!

Chapter Nine

"Let him go you sick bastard!" Dean's voice was furious. It reminded Sam of their father. The tone was completely John's. Completely a parent's. Yet it seemed so right on Dean. So right that it made Sam wish he'd never have to hear his brother's voice like that again. Never have to hear him put that much anger, that much hatred and threat into words. Because that level of intensity only ever reared its ugly head when someone Dean loved was being hurt. And Sam knew his brother felt no greater pain than when someone he loved got hurt.

The demon stopped and cocked its head at Dean. It kept a firm grip on Alex, who was still struggling, his cheeks red and eyes puffy. The kid was terrified. His wide eyes roamed the room, landing first on Sam, and then moving to Dean, who had taken on a calm demeanor. But his eyes glared fire in the demon's direction. Alex watched Dean. Watched him like a child watches a parent expecting them to make the boo-boos all better. The kid's eyes and whole persona screamed "save me." And Dean's fierce gaze whispered back gently, "I will." Sam wished they actually could. He wished Dean could actually tell Alex that he would save him, that he would make everything better, but the fact of the matter was that Sam didn't know if he could. He'd never doubted his brother. Dean always came through when it counted. He had an almost super hero reliability to him. Except that Dean wasn't a super hero. He was just a guy. Just Dean. And not even Dean could change the fact that Alex had been dead. Sam didn't know if it was possible for everything to be okay anymore.

The demon continued to stare at Dean for a few more minutes before its head tilted towards Sam, its cold eyes staring hard into the younger Winchester. Sam stared back defiantly. He didn't like the way the thing looked at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dean start his struggle with his bonds anew. So he held the creature's glare. He didn't know how smart this demon was. He didn't know what it would do once Dean had his hands free. So far, it seemed slow, but strong. It hadn't spoken, but the humming had seemed rather human-like. But how did something like this get caught by someone like Lyle and Keith? It couldn't have too much in that ugly head.

Alex was suddenly flung to the ground. He grunted as the side of his face his the cold concrete floor. But he hurriedly gathered himself and scrambled away from the demon, towards Dean. His eyes never left the monster who'd been holding him.

"Hey, you okay?" Dean asked, the concern raw in his voice. Alex just took in ragged breaths and nodded, but put a hand to his neck as he did so. "Help me out, here." Alex finally looked up and caught sight of Dean's raw, bleeding wrists. He stood, slowly, keeping his eyes on the demon, who had went back to its knives and preparation tools. Alex quickly reached up to the ropes and started untying them. Dean's face was a mask of anxiety and anger. There were pinpricks in his fingers, but other than that, he couldn't really feel the pain that he knew should have been there. The soreness in his arms lasted only a few seconds, when they normally would have left him gasping for breath. It wasn't natural. It scared the crap out of him.

Finally, Dean came loose from the ropes. He landed quietly on his feet, his arms falling down limply. He sagged a little at the wasit, but Alex reached out and held onto his good shoulder. It only took a moment for Dean to gather himself and stand up straight. "Boost Sam up so he can get out of that hook," Dean whispered, nodding his head towards his brother. Sam met Dean's eyes for a second and instantly knew what his brother had in mind. He was going to distract the thing while they got out. Dammit. "Has this thing said anything while you've been in here?"

"No," Alex said with a slight shake of his head. "I...I woke up in...in that room." Dean tore his eyes away from the demon to glance at Alex. The kid looked utterly traumatized. Of course he would. He's in all actuality dead. "I felt...weird. I don't think...I mean I can't feel..." Alex's hand came up and he rubbed at his chest. Sam winced, even as he was silently urging someone to come over and free him. They may not feel pain, but he sure as hell still did and his body was protesting something fierce. But he understood. As much as he possibly could. It must have been a whole new kind of fear to realize your heart wasn't beating, that you couldn't feel your own pulse, realized you didn't need to breathe. You just were. Your body was shut down, but you were still here. Sam couldn't begin to comprehend what it must be like, but he understood. He understood that Alex was figuring out what was going on.

"It's okay," Dean said gently, squeezing Alex's arm. "Help Sam and we'll get out of here." Alex took a few hesitant breaths before looking towards Sam, who tried to look reassuring but knew he failed miserably. "It's okay, Alex."

Dean waited until Alex reached Sam, his hands hovering hesitantly over Sam. "Just give me a boost," Sam whispered, nodding towards his feet. If he could push himself up a little, he could slip out of the hook and worry about the rope once he was back on solid ground. "Easy," Sam whispered as Alex took hold of his legs and started to lift him up. Pain lanced down Sam's arms, his fingers and forearms tingling.

Sam was so close to slipping off the hook, so close to letting his arms fall and claiming even the smallest of victories. But it never happened. The tension in his upper body never released, his breath was caught in his chest and he never had time to give out that sigh of relief. The demon must have known what was going on. It must have been paying attention, not as dumb, or at least not as unaware, as Sam had hoped. Because just as Sam was about to bring his arms down, about to be released, the demon turned, startling Alex into letting go of Sam. His arms tugged and he let out a gasp at the new pain in his shoulders.

"No you don't," Dean hissed and leapt forward. The demon's head snapped towards him but it just watched as Dean, with a quickness he shouldn't possess, snatched a knife from the counter and swiped it forward. The demon avoided it with a simple side step and a blank stare, but Dean wasn't done yet. Anger was fueling his movements now. Well, anger and an enchanted amulet. He moved expertly. The way they'd been trained. Warriors. Flipping the knife in his hand so he held the blade parallel to his wrist. He crouched, moved back on his heels. Stand. Prepare. Deliver.

A lunge forward. Cat-like in nature. With Dean's reflexes souped up. Soreness, injury, and plain old tiredness didn't even play a part. Dean's muscles were working at full capacity. He was quick. Smooth. Not human and for a moment Sam forgot that he shouldn't be awed by this sudden fluctuation in strength and agility. He shouldn't be watching with admiration and interest. He reminded himself to be afraid. Because this wouldn't last forever. And Dean may be quick and powerful now, but when that amulet was broken, Sam wasn't sure if Dean would even be able to stand up, let alone stay awake.

The blade sliced across the demon's arm and for a moment the room seemed to freeze, literally. Sam took solace in the fact that he could see Dean's breath form in the air, but ignored the way he couldn't see Alex's. The kid wasn't breathing. He shouldn't be standing there, watching, fearing.

Dean stared at the cut he'd sliced into the demon's flesh. Black blood dripped from it and onto the ground and Dean grinned, a wide eyed, malicious grin as he looked up at the creature. "You can bleed," he announced outloud. The demon growled and Sam wondered if maybe it did understand what they were saying. "I bet that amulet does more than jut keep you here. I bet it keeps you in tact too. So all I have to do is smash it and then I can kill your sorry ass."

"Alex," Sam grit out, catching the teenager's attention again. "Get me down."

"Ooh, I'm gonna love killing you," Dean sneered and lunged again. Only by now, Dean had managed to piss the demon off and it didn't just stand still and take the attack. Sam's initial thought that the demon was slow was quickly proven wrong as it wrapped it's thick fingers around Dean's neck, catching Dean's bloody wrist and completely using his momentum against him. He flung Dean towards Alex like he weighed nothing. The two collided with simultaneous grunts. The two tumbled to the ground. They hit Sam's legs, making him swing back and forth. He used the motion to try and swing up and out of the hook, but it didn't work. Dammit, if his arms weren't so tired, he could probably lift himself up out of it. But his arms felt like rubber. Dead.

"Son of a bitch," Dean grumbled from the ground as he untangled himself from Alex.

"Dean!" Sam only got out a short warning before the demon rushed his brother. He watched, horrified, as the demon grabbed Dean by the jaw, its short claws digging into Dean's cheeks, the thumb coming dangerously close to his jugular, and flung his brother clear across the room. Dean hit the wall with a sick crack. He fell to the ground and let out a groan, but started picking himself almost immediately. Sam couldn't see Dean's face, but he could see the blood dripping from his chin and eyebrow. Shit. "Dean," Sam said his brother's name like a mantra inside his head as he looked up at the ropes around his wrists. He grit his teeth, ignoring the pain that screamed inside his arms and chest. He gripped tightly to the hook and started to pull himself up. He needed to get on the ground. He needed to be able to help. Dean would fight this demon full on. He would ignore the fact that he can't feel pain and he would use that. He'd ignore the fact that whatever wounds he got now, he would eventually feel all at once when the amulet was smashed. Sam feared more and more for his brother's life.

The demon let out a nasty growl as it grabbed Alex around the neck again. Alex choked and grunted as it dragged him towards Dean. "Shit," Sam grit and continued to pull himself up. His arms were shaking so badly it was a near impossible task, but he was getting somewhere at least. Just a few more inches.

"Spoiled."

Sam's eyes widened as he turned to glare at the demon. Dean's head shot towards it and even Alex looked surprised that the creature had uttered a human word. It stopped in front of Dean, with Alex still held tightly.

"The hell?" Dean spat as he got to his feet and stood his ground.

"Spoiled," the demon muttered again and shook his head at the freezer door. It swung open forcibly making Dean jump slightly. "No good. Get out."

"My pleasure, shitface," Dean grumbled and his eyes went to Sam. Sam let himself fall back down, the breath of relief finally coming to him. It was letting them go? That didn't make sense, but he wasn't going to question it. What was that saying about gift horses? Dean half smiled at him and took a few steps to get around the demon. But the demon stepped to the side, blocking him. Sam felt his heart leap to his throat.

"No," it said and with inhuman ease, it toseed Alex out the freezer door. Alex grunted and rolled and then looked back at Dean with wide eyes. "You only."

"I don't think so, pal," Dean said, his voice lowering, his hands clenching into fists. "Sammy, can you get down?"

Sam reverently started to pull himself up again. "Give me a sec."

"Sam..." Dean warned and Sam looked at his brother. Dean was staring at the demon, his hands in front of him, shaking like he was trying to move them but they just wouldn't budge. Sam worked faster. Up, ignore the burn, just get off the hook, get to Dean, don't be left behind.

Everything happened all at once. Sam finally came loose from the hook, dropping to the floor where his legs gave way immediately and he fell to his knees. The blood rushing back into his limbs winded him for a moment, making the room tilt and sway and stars dance in front of his eyes. But he regained himself in time to see the demon backhand his brother, sending Dean flying with supernatural force out the freezer door. It only took half a second for Sam to watch the freezer door slam shut, separating them, leaving Sam alone in the freezer with the demon. It took less than that for Sam to realize he was in a world of trouble.

Dean hit the floor and skid, rolling to a stop next to the assembly line. He grunted as the pain flashed and then left. Shit that was going to hurt. But all thoughts of his own well being slipped away as he heard the sound of the freezer door shutting. His head snapped up and he just stared at the cold metal door. No. Sam.

"Sam!" Dean screamed, getting to his feet and running for the door. "No! Sammy!" There wasn't an answer. "No," Dean shook and grabbed the handle. He pulled and pulled and ignored it when he felt his broken collarbone jar and scrape and rub and crack more. He had to get to Sam. He had to get to his brother. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening again. No, no, no, no. Dean stopped only when he felt Alex's hand on his arm, trying to pull him away from the door. He turned to look at the teenager.

"That necklace," Alex said quietly, his eyes straying to the door. "We won't be able to do anything if it's...if that thing can't be hurt."

Dean seemed to think for a moment before he turned back to the door and yelled loudly out of anger, slamming his fists into the door. He knew the whole not feeling pain gig was going to come back and bite him in the ass later, but he didn't care. He was going to use it while he had it. He needed to find Lyle, kick the guy's ass, and fucking annihilate that amulet. "We can give Sam a fighting chance," Dean said quietly, more to himself than to Alex. But the kid answered anyway.

"The door's open," Alex said and Dean looked to see for himself. It was wide open and it was getting dark out. They'd been there almost an entire day. "Why'd it let us go? I don't understand."

"It said we were spoiled," Dean said, as if that would explain it. "Come on," he headed for the door, moving as quickly as he could without running flat out.

"Spoiled?" Alex asked. "What does that mean?"

And Dean couldn't stop himself. The part of his brain that usually censored hurtful comments was too worried about Sam to realize just how hurtful he was about to be. The words came out and the instant he uttered them, he froze and knew what he'd just done.

"Probably that it likes its meat fresh, not dead and dying."

Dean turned to look at Alex, pausing just outside the door to stare at the teenager, at the little boy that stood there eyes cast downward, chewing on a lip. Dean opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what to say to make it better. His mouth formed an apology, but he couldn't say it. He couldn't get it out. The realization of what he'd said hit him so hard he couldn't find words. Jesus, Alex was dead. He was dead. But he was here, standing there looking lost and helpless. Dean couldn't save him. Twice he couldn't save him. Twice he had failed this kid and now he had just rubbed it in his face. Brilliant.

"Alex, I'm sorry..."

"I'm dead." It wasn't a question. Dean swallowed and nodded. "I can feel it. I feel...quiet." Alex's eyes widened and he looked up at Dean. "When you break that necklace. I...I'm going to die...again, right?"

Dean wished he could say no. He wished he could tell the kid that they didn't have to destroy the amulet right away. He could let him go home and say goodbye to his family, to his friends, to his life. He could travel and see places he wanted to see. He could take his time. But they didn't have time. Sam didn't have time. Even now, that demon could be tearing his brother apart. But this kid. This teenager who had put his life in Dean's hands, who had trusted him blindly. He was dead and about to die for a second time and he knew about. He was aware of it. And he had to face that. He had to look it in the face and hold his ground and keep from screaming and falling apart.

Holding back a tear, Dean nodded. "Yeah, Alex," he whispered. "I think you will." Alex was quiet. He didn't look at Dean, he stared at the ground. Dean took a breath to keep his voice from shaking. It shook anyway. "If there was another way..."

"There's not," Alex whispered with a nod. He looked up. "You need to save your brother." Dean's face crumpled. "At least he's still alive."

"Won't be for long," Dean said and Alex squared his shoulders. "We need to find Lyle."

"I'll help," Alex said.

"I'm sorry," Dean said. "I wish...I wish there was something..."

"Me too."