Chapter 10

Thanks for reading this story. Thanks to .2017, bjq, grapejuice101, BlueBloodsSVUOrder, xXmoolitSorrowsXx, RebornRose1992 for their reviews. Thanks to all the followers and the one who favorited this story.

New Chapter, read, enjoy and review.

"You knew." Dean stated as Emma sat down next to him.

"Yeah." Emma sighed.

"How long?" Dean asked.

"Since the ordeal with Lilith and Chuck." Emma replied.

"And you didn't think about telling me?" Dean snapped getting up. "You knew about Sam and you hide it from me?"

"How was I supposed to tell you?" Emma asked getting up. "How was I supposed to come out with it?"

"ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS TO OPEN YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Dean yelled.

"SAM IS YOUR BROTHER. I AM A STRANGER. NOTHING." Emma yelled back.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Bobby stepped in. Dean turned away from Emma as Bobby dropped three glasses on the table as he sat down. "Biting each other's head off is not gonna help Sam."

Sam's screams filled the quietness that grew among them. Bobby poured whiskey in the three glasses and handed them to Dean and Emma.

"How long is this gonna go on?" Dean asked.

Bobby sighed and looked up at Dean. "Here, let me look it up in my Demon detox manual." He reached out to the pile of books on his desk before stopping himself. "Oh, wait! No one ever wrote one." Emma took a sip of her drink. "No telling how long it'll take. Hell! If Sam will even live through it." Dean looked harshly at Bobby as the phone rang. Dean turned away from him and Emma's eyes followed him as he paced through the room. "Hello!" Bobby answered the phone. "Suck dirt and die, Rufus! You call me again, I'll kill you." And he hung up.

"What's up with Rufus?" Dean asked Bobby.

"Who's Rufus?" Emma asked instead.

"He knows." Bobby answered Dean. "A hunter." He simply said to Emma. The phone rang again. Once again, Bobby answered. "I'm busy, son of the bitch, this better be important."

As the seconds stretched, Bobby's frown turned into a stunned look as his eyes went up to Dean's and Emma's face.

"The news. The news ain't good." Bobby said as he handed some papers to Dean and Emma, after he hung up with Rufus.

"This is what Rufus called about?" Dean asked him as he leaned against Bobby's desk. "Key West sees ten species go extinct?" He read out.

"Alaska, fifteen men fishing crew all striking blind. Cause unknown." Emma read out the paper in her hands.

"Yeah, plus, New York, teacher goes postal, locks the door, kills exactly sixty-six kids, all this in a single day." Bobby shook his head. "I looked 'em up, there's no doubt about it, they're all seals. Breaking fast."

"How many are left?" Dean asked.

"Who knows? Can't be many." Bobby shrugged. "Where the hell are your angel pals?"

"One-million-dollar question." Emma sighed.

"I'm just wondering." Bobby scratched his beard.

"What?"

"The Apocalypse being nigh and all. Is now really the right time to be having this domestic drama of ours?"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked him.

"I don't like this anymore than you do but… Sam can kill demons. He's got a shot at stopping Armageddon."

"So what? Sacrificing Sam's life, his soul for the greater good? Is that what you're saying? Times are bad, so let use Sam as a nuclear warhead." Dean argued.

"Look, I know you hate me for suggesting it. I hate me for suggesting it." Bobby retorted. "I love that boy like a son. All I'm saying is, maybe he's here right now instead of being on the battlefield because we love him too much."

Dean just looked at Bobby without saying a word. He cast a quick glance at Emma before leaving the room.

"Where is he going now?" Bobby exhaled.

"Looking for answers." Emma said. "Or troubles."

Emma went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee as she heard Sam's screaming from the basement. Screaming for help, screaming for them to let him out, screaming in pain. She thought long and hard about Bobby's words, about what they were putting Sam's through. Maybe Bobby was right, maybe Sam's ability would be best use on the battlefield against Lilith, against the demons and stopped the apocalypse from happening but at what cost? At the cost of his life, his soul. What would Sam turn into? Would he still be human?

Adding to that were the seals. Why the Angels weren't trying to stop that? She couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something. Something big.

"Who are you waiting for?" Emma asked Dean as he stood outside.

"No one." Dean replied which earned him a raised eyebrow from Emma.

"Really?" Emma nodded. "I get it. You don't want to talk to me."

"What's there to talk about?" Dean answered. "How you lied about Sam's demon blood problem? How you lied about him using his mojo on Alastair? How about all those things, you didn't tell me?"

Emma sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for hiding the truth about Sam. Twice. Really, I am. But turning to the angels is not gonna help."

"And what will?" Dean asked walking up to Emma. "Tell me, Emma, what will help me? Help Sam?"

Emma stared up at him. "I don't know." She said weakly. "But I know one thing, apart from the wings, there's not much difference between Angels and Demons. They'll use your weakness against you. Even Castiel." And she walked away from him.

Morning came and none of them had really slept. Sam was still screaming downstairs. Not continually but he still was. It was unbearable to all of them, clearly, he was suffering. But they couldn't let him out, not as long as the demon was still running in his veins. They had no other choices.

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong but you willingly signed up to be the angel's bitch?" Bobby asked Dean. "Sorry, you prefer sucker?" He added after Dean glared at him. "After everything you said about them, now you trust them?"

"Come on, give me a little credit, Bobby." Dean replied. "I've never trusted them less. I mean they come on like shady politicians from planet Vulcan."

"Then why in the hell did…" Bobby started only to be cut off by Dean.

"BECAUSE WHAT OTHER OPTIONS DO I HAVE?" Dean yelled. "It's either trust the angels or let Sammy trusts a demon?"

"I see your point." Bobby nodded.

Emmanuelle didn't like that situation. Sam's being on demon's blood, Dean's being tricked into accepting to swear his devotion and loyalty to the angels. The two brothers were already on different paths. A rift was created. A rift that might separate the two brothers forever. She swore she would never let her brothers torn a family apart and yet, it seemed like they were succeeding already.

She was left with one question. Was it too late to fix Dean's and Sam's relationship?

"You hear that?" Dean asked them.

"That's a little too much nothing." Bobby added.

Emma followed the two men down the stairs that led to the basement where Sam was. All of three of them stopped in front of the door of demon proof room. They looked through the small interstice. Sam was on the floor struggling, suffering.

"What if he's faking?" Dean asked.

"You really think he will?" Bobby asked back.

"I don't think he would." Emma said to both of them.

"I think he'd do anything." Dean said. Sam was thrown onto the wall by an invisible force.

"That ain't faking." Bobby commented as he pulled the door open.

They rushed inside. The two men pulled him down and held him on the ground. Emma held his legs together while Bobby took off his belt and put it in Sam's mouth.

"We're gonna have to tie him down for his own safety." Sam was still thrashing on the ground. "Dean!" Bobby called as Dean looked at his brother, disturbed, upset by what he was seeing. Emma was certain that Dean hurt as much as Sam did in that instant. "You're with us?" Dean did not answer once again. "Dean! The boy's having another fit."

"Yeah, yeah. Just get it over with." Dean finally retorted.

"Are we absolutely sure we're doing the right thing?" Bobby asked, Emma was leaning against the wall facing Dean.

"Bobby, you saw what was happening to him down there." Dean reminded him. "The demon blood is killing him."

"No, it isn't." Bobby shook his head. "We are."

"What?"

"I'm sorry but I can't bite my tongue any longer." Bobby continued. "We're killing him. Keeping him locked up down there, this cold turkey thing isn't working. If he doesn't get what he needs, soon. Sam is not gonna last much longer."

"Are you suggesting that we provide him the demon blood?" Emma frowned. "Bobby, come on. We can't do that."

"I won't do it." Dean shook his head.

"And if he dies?"

"At least, he dies human!" Dean snapped back, his chin slightly quivering. "I would die for him in a second. But I won't let him do this to himself. I can't. I guess I found my line. I won't let my brother turn into a monster."

"There." Emma slid a plate in front of Dean. "Put some food in your stomach."

"Not hungry." Dean replied taking another sip from his whiskey.

"Only thirsty, uh?" Emma sat down. "You know Sam's gonna be okay, right?"

"Really?" Dean asked her. "Can he be okay after sucking demon blood?"

"You came back from Hell and you're okay." Emma shrugged. "A little bent maybe. A little broken even but not entirely lost. Sam will come back from this. He'll be changed. Sure. But he'll be back." Emma told him. "Now, eat."

"So, where did you go?" Dean asked digging into his plate.

"Lawrence, Kansas." Emma replied and she caught the look of recognition on Dean's face. "That's where it started for you and Sam, I know. That's where it started for me too."

"Coincidence?" Dean said eating more of his meal.

"It could be." Emma shrugged. "I did buy a house there, so I'd probably say not really. But who knows?" She leaned on the table.

"Figure out where your grace is?"

"Yeah but we can worry about this later." Emma answered. "Let's take care of Sam, first."

Emma was glad that her little conversation with Dean distracted him long enough to make him forget. Distracted him long enough for him to eat. Dean was worried about Sam. Bobby was worried about Sam. So was Emma. She was also worried how strained their relationship would be after all this? After Ruby? After the demon blood? After Hell?

She didn't know why she cared so much about their relationship. Why did it matter to her? It did matter. Maybe it brought her back to a time, a time she couldn't remember, mind you? A time where her brothers were fighting, a time where disagreement and misunderstanding created a rift between Michael and Lucifer. A rift that only deepened with time. She hoped that Sam's and Dean's relationship was stronger than that. Stronger than the broken trust and the lies. Stronger than whatever the angels and demons had planned for them.

And yet, things were only going for the worse. Sam was gone. Bobby woke them up in the middle of the night and told them what happened. How he found Sam outside, how he tried to make him stay and how Sam has knocked him out.

"How in the hell did he get out?" Dean asked as they stepped into the room where Sam was a few hours earlier.

"Maybe he had help." Bobby suggested. "Room's full of busted demon's trap."

"Demons?" Dean looked up at Bobby and Emma. "Ruby?"

"That'd be my guess." Bobby nodded.

"I don't believe it." Emma shook her head. "Last time, I saw a busted demon's trap, angels were involved."

"Why would angels do this?" Dean asked her.

"Got me." Emma shrugged.

"What difference does it make?" Bobby asked. "Ain't its importance how he got gone too."

"Yeah, well, I tell you one thing. At this point, I hope he's with Ruby."

"Why?"

"Because killing her is the next thing I have on my to do list." Dean replied.

"I thought you were on call for Angel duty?" Bobby reminded him.

"I am on call. In my car, on my way to murder the bitch."

"One thing."

"What?"

"Sam doesn't want to be found." Bobby told Dean. "Which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find."

"Yeah, we'll see."

Emma glanced up at Bobby and exhaled deeply. "This is gonna be fun."

It was an even longer night than the previous ones. Sam was gone and Dean was in the worst mood possible. He wanted to kill someone, he needed to. And Ruby was on his hit list. Emma couldn't blame him, she actually understood him. Sure, she just found out she has brothers and a family but she knew Dean and Sam long enough to know that they would do anything for each other.

On the other hand, Heaven and Hell were against them. That would explain how Sam got out of this room. She didn't think that Ruby had the powers to get through the demon trap but an angel could. But why would they? Why would they want Sam out? Especially when Dean was trying to stop his brother, to get him off of the demon blood. What would they gain by ruining Dean's attempts to save his brother?

"Police found my car." Bobby announced as he stopped next to the Impala. Dean was working on it and Emma walked up behind Bobby. "Abandoned in an alley, in Jamestown, North Dakota."

"He's switching up." Dean wiped off the grease on his hands. "Any other car stolen in Jamestown?"

"Two. 1999 Honda Civic, blue. Nice and anonymous, like Sam likes."

"And the other one?" Emma asked Bobby.

Bobby scoffed. "White '05 Escalade with customs rims. It's a neon sign."

"You're right, he'd never take that." Dean mused. "Which is exactly what he did."

"You think?" Bobby turned up his nose.

"I know that kid." Dean said. "Alright, I'll head in that direction. You stay here, ride the police data base."

"I'm coming with you." Emma said to Dean. "You're not doing this alone."

"Get your stuff." Dean nodded. "We got to find him quick."

Emma stepped down the stairs with her duffel bag. Bobby was waiting for her by the door. "You keep an eye on him for me."

"Will do." Emma promised. "Take care of Dorothy." She said back as she handed him her car keys.

"Dorothy?"

Emma just shrugged. "We keep in touch."

The drive was silent for the most part. They drove well into the night. Emma nor Dean said a word. Dean kept thinking about Sam and Ruby. He kept thinking about what he would do to Ruby. How he would get Sam back. All those thoughts were swirling around in his head.

As for Emma, she was wondering about how quick the seals were now breaking. How many of them were left? Where was the last seal? And who was supposed to break it? Emma didn't know but she knew that the angels were doing nothing to stop any of that from happening. They didn't stop the breaking of the seals. On the contrary, they used Sam's situation and Dean's worrying over his brother against him. Made him swore an oath of serving them. Emma didn't think they could stoop so low. But they could.

Bobby called well into the night. "Cops found the Escalade in a ditch. Outside Elk River."

"How far away are we?" Dean asked him.

"Couple of hours." Bobby replied. "I pulled up a weather map. Made some calls. There's a town not far from there, Cold Springs. Lighting up with demon signs."

"A good place to look." Emma said.

"Hey, listen." Bobby started.

"What?" Dean replied.

"Us finding Sam. It's gotta be about getting him back. Not pushing him away." Emma looked up at Dean at Bobby's words.

"Right." Was all the latter said.

"I know you're mad, Dean. I understand. You got the right to be." Bobby continued. "But, I'm just saying. Be good to him anyway. You got to get through to him."

"Yeah." Emma sighed. "Call if you find anything new." And she hung up.

She could have told Dean what he already knew. That Bobby was right, that they needed to get him back and not push him away. That the only way for them to do this was to get him away from Ruby. Dean had an idea on how he would accomplish that. Killing the She-Demon seemed like a good way to get her away from Sam.

The problem was: would Sam even listen to them? He seemed so determined to kill Lilith that he was ready to do anything necessary to achieve his goal. Allied himself with a demon or even drink the demon blood. Any means were good to use to achieve what he really wanted to do. Kill Lilith.

"You really think he's here?" Emma asked Dean as they parked in front of a luxurious Hotel. "I mean that's not the type of place you usually stay in."

"He doesn't want to be found." Dean simply answered. "Of course, he'd chose that place." He got out of the car and Emma followed his example. "You stay here." Dean told her.

"What?" Emma asked stunned.

"I need to do this alone." Dean told her strongly.

"Dean…"

"He's my brother." Dean cut her off.

"And he's my friend." Emma retorted gripping his arm. "You don't need to do this alone. You don't have to."

"Alright." Dean agreed after a few seconds of thinking hard.

"So, what's the plan?" Emma asked as they both started towards the hotel.

The plan was quite plain and simple. Find Sam. Kill Ruby. Go back to Bobby's. Plain and simple. And yet not that easy to execute. The key part of the plan was to convince Sam and it didn't seem like it would be easy to do. Sam's determination to kill Lilith has led him on a dangerous path. A path he was determined to stay on for as long as he led him to what he desired most. Kill Lilith and stop the apocalypse.

Emma knew that Sam didn't trust Dean to be strong enough to stop the apocalypse. This lack of trust in his own brother might lead Sam to be the very thing he was trained to hunt. Something Dean didn't want him to become: a soulless monster.

Emma followed Dean through the hotel corridors. Sam was staying at the 6th floor. Room 623, the Honeymoon suite. They both saw him walked out of the door, Dean glanced down at Emma before they both walked into the room. They both faced Ruby's back. She was packing her bag, standing next to the King size bed.

Dean was fast when he drew out his knife and attacked Ruby. Emma watched as they both struggled, trying to get the upper hand. Ruby was smaller than Dean but as strong as he was, maybe even stronger. Probably due to the fact that she was a demon. Emma drew out her knife, getting ready just in case to intervene.

She didn't have to though. Sam came back and pulled Dean away from Ruby and pushed him off.

"Take it easy." Sam said as Emma rushed to Dean's side, placing her knife back in its sheathe.

"Well, it must be some party you two had going." Dean said as he straightened up. "Considering how hard you tried to keep me from crashing it. Well, solid try but...here I am."

"Dean." Sam started "I'm glad you're here." Emma glanced up at Dean. "Look, let's just talk about this."

"As soon as she's dead, we can talk all you want." Dean told him.

They remained quiet for a moment. "Ruby, get out of here." Sam told the demon.

"What?" Emma exclaimed. "You can't be serious?"

"She's not going anywhere." Dean said taking a step forward. Ruby fled the room as fast as she could. "She's poison, Sam."

"It's not what you think, Dean."

"Look, what she did to you." Dean countered. "She up and vanishes weeks at a time, leaving you cracking out for another hit."

"She was looking for Lilith."

"Again, with Lilith." Emma couldn't help to say.

Dean snorted. "That is French for manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday."

"You're wrong, Dean."

"Sam, you're lying to yourself. I just want you to be okay." Emma could hear the helplessness in his voice. How desperate he sounded. "You would do the same for me, you know you would."

"Just listen, guys." Sam threw the knife he was holding on the bed. "Just listen, for a second. We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us, we'll do this together."

"That sounds great. As long as it's you and me." Dean replied. "The demon bitch is a deal breaker You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now."

"I can't."

"You can't or you don't want to?" Emma frowned.

"I need her to help me kill Lilith." Sam said looking at her. "I know you can't wrap your head around it but maybe one day, you'll understand." Dean turned away from Sam. Emma's eyes fell shut as she exhaled deeply. "I'm the only one who can do this, Dean."

Dean turned back to him. "No. You're not the one who's gonna do this."

"Right. That's right, I forgot. The angels think it's you." Sam retorted.

"You don't think I can?"

There it was. The admission that Sam didn't trust his brother. That he didn't believe in his brother. The anger barely hidden in Dean's tone. The anger and the hurt. They had to get through to him. They had to make him come back but it didn't seem to be working. Sam just didn't want to listen. Sam and Dean, somehow were pushing each other away.

"No, you can't." Sam said. "You're not strong enough."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm being practical here." Sam continued. "I'm doing what needs to be done."

"Yeah, you're not gonna do a single damn thing." Dean retorted.

"Stop bossing me around, Dean." Sam snapped.

Emma had this feeling of déjà-vu. She knew they were slowly reaching the point of no return. Or maybe they've already reached it but she still hoped that they haven't. Their relationship has been slowly deteriorating in front of her. She hasn't fully seen it but it has. The hidden truth, the lies, the broken trust, they're not believing in each other. It was all there but she thought they were stronger and yet it seemed she was wrong.

"Look, my whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots. And I trust you because you're my brother." Sam pleaded. "Now, I'm asking you for once, trust me."

It's not you that he doesn't trust, Sam. Emma thought. It's Ruby. Dean shook his head. "No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam."

"Yes, I do."

"Then, that's worse." Dean snapped back.

"Why? Look, I'm telling you…"

"Because, it's not something that you're doing. It's what you are." Dean yelled. "It means…"

Emma stepped up. "Dean, please!"

"What?"

"Nothing, Sam. It means nothing." She turned to look at Dean. "Right, Dean?"

"No." Sam shook his head. "Say it." He challenged Dean.

"It means you are a monster." Dean finally said. He choked on the last word.

Sam nodded, anger all over his face. Tears were brimming in the brothers' eyes. Sam punched his brother, sending him on the ground.

"NO." Emma exclaimed. She rushed to Dean's side. She helped him up. "Look, there's no need for that. We can fix this. Let's talk about this…"

Her voice died down as Dean punched Sam in his turn.

Lucifer unsheathed his sword and attacked his brother. Michael caught off guard didn't fight back at first, he just took the hit and staggered backwards. Michael recovered quickly and as Lucifer was about to strike him again, he blocked the blow. Then he struck Lucifer. The latter blocked the blow and just like his brother, he staggered backwards.

It wasn't swords that Sam and Dean were swinging at each other but their fists. The end results were the same. They were fighting. And it seemed that there was no stopping them.

"That's enough! You are brothers." Emma screamed.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Emmanuelle screamed. "It's doesn't have to be like this. You are brothers. You should remember that. Please, I beg you."

"…I beg you." None of them seemed to hear her. Sam threw Dean against the mirror that shattered under the impact. Dean pushed himself off of the mirror and swung at Sam. Sam dodged his fist and pushed him on the table that broke under Dean's weight.

Sam walked onto his brother, not backing down from the fight while Dean was breathless, struggling to get up. Emma did the only thing she thought right to do, in that moment. She stepped between Sam and Dean and drew her gun on Sam.

"Don't." She warned him. "Just don't."

"You wouldn't." Sam challenged her.

"Don't be so sure." She said uncocking her gun.

Sam was breathing fast looking hard at Emma. His eyes travelled down to Dean. "You don't know me." He finally said. "You never did. And you never will."

He stepped around Emma and towards the door. Emma kept her gun aimed at him. "You walk out that door, don't you ever come back." Dean said from the ground. Sam just glared at him before stepping through the door.

Emma lowered her gun in a deep breath. She put the safety on her gun before placing it back in her waistband. She knelt down next to Dean. She gripped his hand. "I got you. I got you." She said as she helped him up. Dean placed his arm around her shoulders and she placed hers around his waist. Holding him, there. Steady.

Things would never be the same again. Not for the Winchesters.