'? DESK CLERK' appeared instead.
"Shit, why didn't I think of that?" Sam ran his fingers through his hair. The creepy guy had twigged his psychic senses and had shown an unusual interest in him. He was also the only person besides Sam in this desolate place. Sam turned and headed out of the room. He was getting the hell out of here. He was going back to his brother.
--
This time when Dean stormed into the main office, Lurch was waiting for him. He stood behind the desk with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrows raised.
"I don't suppose you are here to check out, are you, Mr. Winchester?" He shook his head in resigned disappointment. "You are very stubborn."
"You are not telling me news, Al." Dean smirked. "So, why don't you release Sam from whatever alternate reality you have him stashed in and we'll be on our merry way."
Al tilted his head to the side as he seemed to consider Dean's words. "Are you sure that's what you really want, Dean? You know that Sam's abilities attract a certain element. It worries you."
"And your fucking point is?" Dean's jaw clenched. He didn't like the one-eighty. Las time they talked, this guy had insisted he didn't even know who the hell Sam was and now they were all on a first name basis and chatting about Sam's visions.
"You can't keep him safe. You have to think about Sam, Dean, and what's best for him." Al leaned over the desk. "You think you are the hunters, but really you are the hunted. Where he is now, Sam can't be touched."
Dean felt a chill tremble through his body. This guy/thing/whatever wanted to keep Sam like a princess in a tower. He also seemed to have some info on the demon that killed their Mom and Jessica. "What are you?"
Al smiled a thin, humorless smile. "I won't insult you with claims of friendship or of being some sort of guardian or protector. I'm merely an interested party."
"Interested party?" Dean could barely get the question out his jaw was so tight and he was pretty sure his teeth were going to crack from the pressure.
"Interested in keeping Sam away from a certain demon."
Now that was tempting, but Dean couldn't do it. Sam had a right to confront the demon that had taken so much from him. "You wouldn't happen to have a certain demon's address in your evil Rolodex would you, Al? Or have you upgraded to a palm pilot? Because I've got a delivery for it that's long overdue."
"I'm sure you do, but I only know of this demon and what would happen if he obtained access to Sam's abilities. You have to leave him here, Dean, so you can continue on your quest. I might even be able to help you in locating this demon you seek."
"But only if I leave Sam with you, right?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "You'll give me the location of the demon that killed my Mom, but only if I leave my baby brother stashed in a realm where only you have access to him?" Dean grabbed Al by his collar and dragged him halfway across the desk. "No deal. I want my brother back!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a bright white flash blinded Dean and he felt something knock him back into the wall. "Sammy!" he called out even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer. He had failed his brother. And with that thought, Dean lost consciousness.
--
The door to the office hit the outside wall with a satisfying crack when Sam swung it open and stepped into the office. The creepy desk clerk looked up when it slammed shut behind him.
"What the hell are you?" Sam bit out. He glared at the clerk and clenched his fists at his sides. He was sick and tired of being the supernatural's doormat. The visions were bad enough, but he had also had his mind manipulated by an insane ghost and had now apparently been kidnapped by some other thing. "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to be comfortable here, Sam. Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier, I'm your host. Is there something you need?" His host smiled pleasantly.
"Yeah, I need to get the hell out of here." Sam stepped closer to the front desk. He managed to return the man's smile and threw in wide, pleading eyes to add to the affect. "You don't understand...even if I wanted to, I can't stay here. My brother needs me."
"Dean did just fine without you for four years, Sam." The man's smile disappeared and he looked disappointed. "You and your brother are the ones who don't understand. You are safe here, Sam, the demon you foolishly seek can't touch you here."
"So, I'm stuck here for the rest of my life?"
"No, just until your family finally destroys the demon."
Sam swallowed hard. The thought of Dean and his Dad going up against the demon without him made him sick. "No. You have to let me go. Dean..."
"Is a survivor who doesn't need you. Really, Sam, you know you only get in his way. If you're there when they finally find the demon, you might even get him killed. You know he'll die protecting you."
There was no arguing with that - Dean took the protective big brother persona to staggering new heights - when they found the demon Dean would be at his side and watching his back. The least Sam could do was the same thing for Dean. "I'm not going to hide. You may be right, I might be Dean's biggest weakness, but you are wrong about one thing - he does need me. And I need him. He's my brother - the only one I got - and I'm not going to lose him." Sam blinked fiercely, knowing that his eyes were glossy with tears.
"Then you should think of your brother, Sam," his host pleaded. He sounded desperate. Sam's eyes narrowed. His host was trying too hard to convince his reluctant guest to stay.
"I have a choice. You could bring me here, but you can't keep me here against my will." The look on the guy's face confirmed it. Sam grinned.
"Sam, think about this..."
"I don't need to think about anything." Sam grabbed the desk clerk by his shirt collar. "Send me back. I want to be back with my brother!"
A bright, white light flooded Sam's vision and he felt like he was being sucked back into a vortex before he impacted with something hard. "Dean?" he managed to gasp before he passed out.
--
Something heavy was laying across his chest and pinning Dean to the floor. The last thing he remembered was grabbing creepy Al and demanding his brother back. That thing must have gotten the jump on him somehow. He had a goose egg on the back of his head that thudded with each beat of his heart and he was sure there were new bruises on top of the old bruises on his chest. A pained groan came from the form sprawled over him and Dean's eyes snapped open.
"Sam?" He tried to sit up, but Sam was dead weight. Sam groaned again. "Sammy, get your heavy ass the hell off of me." Dean shoved at his brother. He couldn't assess Sam's injuries from this position.
"Dean?" Sam lifted his head, but he couldn't get his eyes to focus, everything was blurry.
"The one and only and if you don't move I'm gonna start thinking you've got an inappropriate crush on me." Dean smirked at Sam, who finally seemed able to appreciate it. "And, Dude, that just wouldn't be normal."
"Asshole," Sam grumbled, but he couldn't help grinning. He elbowed himself off of Dean, making sure he got a good dig in his brother's ribs.
"Jesus, Sam," Dean yelped and sat up. He rubbed his side and glared. "Maybe I should have Al send you back into oblivion, ungrateful brat."
"Nah, you'd miss my sunny personality too much." Sam couldn't stop grinning. He was going to have to make himself take it down a notch though, he could practically see the 'giddy school girl' comment forming itself in Dean's brain.
Dean returned Sam's smile. He reached out and affectionately cuffed Sam in the back of the head. "Maybe for a few minutes."
"Sam needs to stay here," Al interrupted the brotherly moment. "It's not too late to change your mind. If it's that important to you then you can both stay."
"Wow." Dean raised an eyebrow and cocked his head at his brother. "What do you say, Sammy? You, me, and this shithole all to ourselves." Dean swung around to face Al, as if a very important question had just occurred to him. "Hey, do you get porn in the middle of nowhere?"
"It would never work, Dean, we would kill each other within a day." Sam shook his head. "You would be an unbearable asshole without any demons to kill."
"Not if I've got porn," Dean protested.
"Especially if you've got porn. If I were stuck in that place with just you and porn, I'd have to put myself out of my misery." Sam rolled his eyes.
Dean shrugged at Al. "Sorry, Dude, guess that's a no go. Thanks for the hospitality, but we'll be leaving now." Dean clapped Sam on the shoulder and they turned to leave.
"Wait." Al pressed his fingers into his eyes and sighed. He looked up and his eyes had turned into inky black orbs. "If you won't accept my help by staying here, then accept this - you'll find some background information on your demon with this." Al picked the nameplate up from the desk and tossed it at Dean.
Dean caught the nameplate and frowned, but before either brother could voice a question, Al dissolved into thick black smoke and swirled away. Dean pocketed the nameplate. "Sam..."
"Let's get the hell out of here," Sam finished Dean's thought.
"And we're not stopping until we find a crowded Holiday Inn - the more screeching, screaming kids the better." Dean followed his brother out of the office. He couldn't get the Impala packed up and back out onto the highway fast enough.
Continued in the Epilogue