Chapter 12

Dean and a vampire named, Benny Lafitte, were sitting on a fallen tree in a small clearing, talking quietly. Benny had saved Dean's life when he was attacked by several monsters at the same time. They had struck a deal since Benny knew of a way out of this place for a human. Dean agreed to hump his soul out of Purgatory if they found the portal.

"You know Chief," Benny drawled in his Creole accent. "We should be looking for the way out of here."

"I'm not leaving here without Cas. I told you that" Dean growled as he kept his eyes roaming over their surroundings. He was tense and ever wary of the next attack. There was something about this place that made Dean feel at home. It was pure and simple without the burdens and hardships of his former life. You either killed or be killed, no shades of gray or complications. "You took the deal, we find the angel, and then the portal."

"It's your life you're gambling with Chief," Benny shrugged.

They looked toward the bushes when cracking branches and the sounds of footsteps were heard heading their way. Dean and Benny stood as one and each gripped a weapon taken from others they had killed. Dean raised his double-edged axe over his shoulder and tensed his body ready for a fight. He pulled up short when Castiel stepped from around several trees to stare at them.

A big smile broke out on Dean's face at seeing his friend, and he lowered his weapon.

"Damn Cas, where the hell have you been?" Dean inquired, dropping the axe and relaxing slightly. He stepped toward him as Castiel hurried to his side and allowed Dean to hug him.

"We don't have time for formalities," Castiel told him. "We need to get back to Sam and…"

"Hold up, Sam? Are you saying Sammy is here? Here, here?"

"Yes, and he needs you. We should go." Castiel started back the way he came and looked back when Dean didn't follow. "Are you coming?" He finally looked at Benny with a frown but didn't question him being there.

"You need to talk to me," Dean insisted as he hurried after Castiel. "Let's go Benny."

"Sure thing Chief. This is your party." Benny fell in behind him wondering how another human could have gotten here and what had happened to him.

Castiel led the way, retracing his steps, hoping to maybe meet Sam and Meg searching for them.

"Talk to me Cas," Dean demanded in a surly voice. He grabbed Castiel's arm to slow him down when he didn't answer his questions. "What is going on with Sam? Spill it!"

"He got help from Gabriel and found a way here. He came to save us. They were at the river…"

"Back up, they, who is they? I know Gabriel wouldn't step his sorry ass into this place."

"Meg came with him."

"You're kidding me. Demon Meg came with Sammy here?"

"No, I am not kidding and as I was saying," Castiel continued with a huff, getting tired of being interrupted by Dean. "They were attacked by vampires and the leader knew Sam. Someone named Luther, said your father killed…"

"Sonovabitch!" Dean spat in anger, interrupting Castiel again.

"They hurt Meg and left her for the other monsters to find and finish her off. I found her and healed her as best I could. We went after Sam, but we were too late…"

"He's still alive, isn't he? What did that bastard do to him?"

"Even though they don't need the blood, Luther and another drank from him and then he fed Sam his blood."

"I'm going to kill that asshole when I find him," Dean exploded in a voice that spoke how deadly he was right now.

"Sam and Meg were going to track Luther and a female vampire. He said he needed Luther's blood for some cure he had."

"Yeah, yeah, tastes like shit," Dean nodded remembering when he had drunk the mixture to cure him. It was still an unsettling memory because Sam had let him get turned to find the nest. It was during the time when Sam didn't have a soul. It was a sensitive subject that Dean didn't want to rehash.

Castiel looked back at him not sure how to take Dean's comment. He didn't know exactly what Dean was talking about and wondered when he needed a vampire cure. He didn't question him about it since they were moving at a fast pace wanting to get back to Sam and Meg. Dean didn't ask further questions as he mulled over what Castiel had told him about Sam being here and being kidnapped and fed vampire blood by Luther, a vampire their Dad had shot with the Colt.

spn

Castiel didn't slow his pace until he got back to the river and started looking for a marker to show which way Sam and Meg went. Dean spotted it first and took the lead knowing what type of markers Sam would leave and figured he could spot them quicker than Castiel. Castiel didn't complain because he knew Dean needed to do this. When it involved Sam, nothing would stop Dean from making it right, seeking revenge for a wrong against Sam, or protecting his little brother.

The hunter, angel, and vampire continued deeper into the deformed trees. There was a sense of urgency in their mission to find the others and none complained about the fast-pace Dean was setting. They came across a clearing that let what little light was in the sky to shine down giving a better light. The three travelers were in the middle of the clearing when the monsters appeared from the trees and blocked their way.

"Crap," Dean muttered as six Leviathan quickly formed a loose, uneven circle around them.

Castiel let his angel blade drop into his hand. Dean and Benny hefted their crude weapons. They made a triangle, standing with their backs to each other for better protection.

"Well, well, look who we have here," one of the Leviathan crooned as he shuffled back and forth between his crew. "The one who freed us and the one who killed our leader, along with a number of us."

"Be ready guys," Dean mumbled as he took a stand. "Let them come to you."

"You know your head's going to look good on the end of my spear. I bet I'll move up in the ranks if I kill you for the boss."

They were staring each other down, neither making a move to attack yet. No one knew what the outcome was going to be, but Castiel hoped the others would find them before they were all killed.

"It's me you want, let Dean go," Castiel spoke up bravely.

"Cool it Cas, they're not going to let any of us go," Dean growled, his body tensed like a spring ready to be released.

"There's no one going anywhere," another Leviathan stated in a deep, vicious voice.

"Let's take these weaklings down," a female Leviathan insisted.

"Shall we begin?" the first one that spoke told the others.

The Leviathan advanced, warily toward the three standing in the middle of their circle, ready for battle. As soon as one got close enough, Dean exploded and swung his axe, putting all his weight behind it. He connected with the neck of a slim, male Leviathan and took his head off.

"No!" screeched a female when she saw him go down. She zeroed in on Dean, shoving another out of the way to get to him.

Another went down under Benny's blade but suddenly the air was filled with screams and yelling as Sam, Meg, and the werewolves raced into the clearing ready to join the fight. Sam had seen what was happening when they came to the edge of the forest and quickly dropped his pack to pull out to water guns filled with a borax solution, the only thing that was harmful to the Leviathan. He handed one to Meg and led the charge to help the others.

Water was sprayed at the Leviathan, making them scream and fall back only to be beheaded by one of the others. Dean was down and holding the Leviathan at bay when Sam raced over and kicked her in the face dislodging her hold on Dean. Benny stepped in and took the head off before turning to help Castiel with another. Madison and Emma took on one together, using their fighting skills honed over time and finally took it down.

The fighting stopped as everyone looked around at the bodies without heads. Knowing how Leviathan could regenerate, the heads were quickly thrown deeper into the forest and the two parties quickly headed back toward the river without talking, since they were afraid their fight would draw more monsters.

When Dean thought they were far enough away, he stopped and grabbed Sam to look him over. He saw the hunger and pain in his bloodshot eyes and the bite marks on his neck and arm.

"What the hell were you thinking coming here?" Dean demanded before grabbing Sam in a tight hug as he fussed at him.

"I had to save you," Sam grunted as he trembled in Dean's arms. He wasn't sure how Dean was going to react when they reunited. So much had happened between them in the past, but he welcomed the familiar feel of his brother's arms embracing his body. It seemed to give him strength, though he couldn't stop the shaking of his body.

"Emma?" Dean questioned when he got a good look at the two young women that were standing together and slightly apart from the others. "Madison?"

"Hey Dad," Emma said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Dean," Madison nodded.

"We need to get out of here," Meg interrupted the reunion. "We had to have drawn other monsters' attention and I for one am tired of this place.

"I agree with her. Now that you've found each other, Em and I should disappear," Madison told them.

"Can't you stay for a few more minutes?" Dean asked stepping to Emma and looking her over.

"I need to get the spell ready, and Meg's right, we should leave this place before we're attacked again," Sam offered. He pulled the tin box from his jacket pocket and knelt on the ground. "Cas, I'm going to need a small amount of your grace to mix with Gabriel's grace."

"Of course, Sam," Castiel replied stepping to him.

"Are you doing okay?" Dean asked Emma. "You know I could take you back…."

"No, you couldn't Dad. I belong here, and I have family here now. If I went back, I would have to kill you. I wouldn't be able to fight the need to do it. I'm fine. Maddie and I look out for each other and there are others like us that don't want to fight. We've sort of banded together to protect each other."

"That's good to know. I wish things could have been different."

"I know, but it wasn't. I'm okay with it."

"Will you at least stay until we leave?"

"Okay, we'll watch your backs," Madison told him.

"Benny, we need to do this," Dean told the vampire as he turned toward him.

"Alright Chief wasn't sure you were still going to do it," Benny replied. "Now that you don't need my help to find the portal."

"Doesn't matter how we get back, a deal's a deal and I keep my word. Sammy, you got a knife I can use?"

"Yeah, okay," Sam said. He pulled a knife from his pocket and tossed it to Dean.

Dean pulled his jacket and shirt sleeve up and cut his arm before passing the blade to Benny who did the same. They pressed the wounds together and Dean recited the ritual, 'Conjuncti sumus, unum sumus.' As soon as the last word was said, Benny started to glow a reddish yellow as he was sucked into Dean's arm so he could be taken back with them. Dean hissed and grunted with the pain and looked at his arm that was healed but had a swirling red mass under his skin.

"Madison, I want you to take these," Sam told her holding out the weapon's bag to her. "There's baggies of borax that you can mix with water for the Leviathan. It won't kill them but will slow them down enough to make the kill easier. There's a couple of guns and extra ammo for them, along with a few knives, and here, take my machete."

"Yeah, you can have mine too," Meg offered handing her machete to Emma. "I won't need it when we get back."

"Thanks Sam, you're always thinking of others," Madison smiled at him as she took the bag. She stepped closer to him and stood on her tiptoes to gently kiss him before stepping back and shouldering the bag.

"Well, I won't need this," Dean noted looking at his axe. "Here Emma, might as well put it to good use."

"Thanks for all your help and be careful," Sam said.

"Watch out for each other," Dean told the women. He started to step to Sam but turned back to Emma to hug her and kiss her forehead. It was killing him to leave her since she was his daughter.

"We will and you guys be careful too. Don't need you turning back up here again."

"Bye Dad, Sam, Meg."

"We will only have like a minute to go through the opening, so we need to be ready," Sam instructed them. He poured the grace into the tin box along with the other ingredients Gabriel had given them and lit a match. He quickly read the ritual before dropping it and watched the flames suddenly whoosh upward.

Everyone watched as the air in front of them started to shimmer and glow and swirl as the opening formed. Meg grabbed Castiel's arm and pulled him through first and Dean and Sam gave the women one final look before following them. Within seconds the opening closed as the air became still.

Madison and Emma stood there for a moment before turning to head back to their camp and the ragtag family they had gathered together. The weapons they now had would help in their fight with the monsters who didn't want peace.

A/N: The group is together and on their way home. How will Sam react when he gets back? We are at the end of this journey, only one more chapter to go. I hope you have enjoyed the read. Reviews/Comments would be great. NC