'Til Death

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own 'em and I'm still poor.

A/N: I had version A and version B of this story in my head when I started to write it, but somehow I've moved on to version C. Sometimes those Winchester boys just have a mind of their own! I appreciate the reviews and private messages; it's incredibly helpful to know what you guys think!

oooOOOooo

Never make a companion equal to a brother. Hesiod

oooOOOooo

"Sam!" Dean jerked awake as Sam pulled into the motel parking lot.

"Right here." Sam assured him.

Dean sat up straight and looked around. "What happened? Are we back at the motel?"

"Yeah." Sam parked. "You okay?"

"I'd be better if the car would stop spinning."

"I'm sure you were drugged. Stay there, I'll help you."

Dean opened the door as Sam walked around to the passenger side of the car. He practically fell into Sam's arms.

"Dean –"

"I'm okay." Dean lied.

Sam nearly carried him to their room and helped him onto the nearest bed.

"Dude, you may need to see a doctor."

"No doctor. I'll be fine." Dean said, sounding anything but fine. Sam filled a glass with water and sat on the edge of the bed while Dean drank it. "Tell me what happened."

Sam recounted the last few minutes of their encounter, then pulled the amulet from his pocket.

"I'll see if I can find out what this is." he said. "Have you seen anything like it before?"

Dean shook his head, though he couldn't really see the pendant clearly. Concerned, Sam watched him for a moment before moving to the table where the laptop sat.

"I called the police." he said, waiting for the machine to boot up. "I gave them a tip about a couple vans and a sedan headed out of town."

"Was that a good idea?"

"If Awena got away, we'd probably never find her again."

Dean opened his eyes, but couldn't focus on his brother. "Are you all right?"

Sam turned his attention to the computer.

"Sam?"

"Yeah." he whispered.

"Sam –"

"I'm okay. Just get some rest. I'm gonna see what I can find here."

Dean closed his eyes, knowing he was going to have to bring this up again when he felt better.

oooOOOooo

A few hours later, as the sun was coming up, Sam's stomach started to growl. He had checked on his brother several times throughout the night and allowed himself to become frustrated over not finding any information about the pendant. He slept for a couple of hours, but was awakened by a nightmare about Jessica. After taking a quick shower and checking on Dean again, he ran across the street to the diner and came back with a light breakfast and coffee. Dean was just waking up.

"Sammy –" he muttered.

"It's Sam." the younger brother corrected without conviction. "You okay?"

"I feel hung over." Dean complained as he sat up. He took a sip of coffee from the cup Sam offered. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Some. I haven't been able to track down that damn pendant." Sam sat across from him on the other bed.

"I'll be right back." Dean said before heading into the bathroom. He felt worse than he was willing to let on to Sam.

In the bathroom, Dean turned the water on to mask the sound and barely got to the toilet before he threw up. He leaned back against the wall for a few minutes, gathering his strength, before cleaning up and rejoining Sam in the bedroom.

"Nice try." Sam said as he looked up from the computer. "But the walls in this place aren't that thick. "You okay?"

"Not really."

Dean's answer scared Sam because he rarely admitted he wasn't okay.

"Lay down." Sam said. "What can I do?"

"Don't hover." Dean crawled back into his bed.

Sam watched him and was about to say something when his cell phone rang. He didn't take his eyes off his brother while he was on the call.

"Who was that?" Dean asked, his eyes closed.

"The sheriff. He's got Awena in custody and he wants to talk to me."

Dean looked at him, the room starting to spin.

"Dean –"

"I'll be okay. You go."

"I don't want to leave you alone."

"Go talk to the cops." Dean said. "And see if you can find out what the hell that bitch spiked my punch with."

Sam laid a hand on his forehead.

"Back off." Dean warned, barely above a whisper.

Sam pulled his jacket on and reached into the pocket for Dean's phone. "I found this on the counter in the house." he plugged it into the charger. "I won't be gone long, but call me if –-"

"I'll be fine. Be careful, Sam."

oooOOOooo

Sam made his way to the sheriff's office, unsure about how the conversation would go and worried about his brother. He knew doctors and hospitals were always the last resort, but having no idea what Awena's people used on Dean, he wasn't confident the effects would just wear off on their own. He told himself if he couldn't find out what was used, or if there was no improvement by the time he got back to the room, he would force Dean to see a doctor. Willing talking to law enforcement was also a last resort, but sometimes it was necessary.

The sheriff was what one would expect of a rural cop; polite and friendly enough. Sam had the feeling he was sharper than he presented himself to be, but he found that was often the case. It was a tactic he and Dean often used to get information out of people.

"So tell me again how you got involved." the sheriff asked after getting some background information from Sam.

"Well, like I told you when I first hit town, I'm a freelance reporter. I heard about the grave robberies around and thought it might make an interesting story, so I started poking around. I happened to see a van coming out of the cemetery last night and I followed it to the house I told you about. I waited around, watching, and when it looked like they were ready to book, I called you."

The sheriff looked unconvinced, but seemed willing enough to accept the story. Truth be told, he couldn't explain his lack of interest in the grave robberies before now and felt guilty. His was an elected position and in addition to feeling an obligation to protect his county, he needed its residents to vote for him.

"Based on what we found in the vans, these people were responsible for the grave robberies."

"I'm just glad they can't hurt any more families." Sam said, hoping to stay on the good side of the officer.

He nodded.

"So," Sam hesitated. "Would it be possible to see Awena?"

The sheriff looked surprised. "Why?"

"Reporter's curiosity." Sam smiled.

He nodded again. "If she's willing to see you, I'm fine with it."

oooOOOooo

A few minutes later Sam was sitting in an interrogation room, across the table from Awena.

"Where is my pendant?" she demanded.

"What did you do to my brother?" Sam countered.

She sat back and smiled. "We're at an impasse."

"What power does the pendant hold?"

She continued to smile, but was suspicious. "Just who the hell are you?"

"Someone who knows about things most people don't."

"I can still read you, even without my charm." she said, turning serious.

Sam tried to block his thoughts, but he could tell he wasn't being successful.

"Your girlfriend really did die in a fire." Awena said. "But it wasn't just a fire, was it?"

"Look, just tell me what you've done to my brother." Sam said, not wanting to delve deeper into a conversation about Jessica.

"Oh my god." she breathed a moment later, realizing the truth. "It also killed your mother."

Awena was clearly stunned; she couldn't take her eyes from Sam's face. She pushed her chair back, as if trying to keep distance between herself and Sam. "He'll be fine in a few hours, though he might get worse first. It was just an herb, but he'll feel pretty nauseous for a while. Broth and other liquids will do him well."

"What did you see? Could you tell what killed Jessica?" Sam asked anxiously.

Awena shook her head as she stood up and moved across the room. "No. I – I can only feel it. So much evil! You need to leave now. I don't want to have anything to do with whatever killed your girlfriend and your mother."

"But –"

Awena knocked on the door behind her. She turned to look back at Sam. "You know what it was. It's inside you."

The sheriff opened the door a moment later. Sam called after her, but Awena rushed out, the pendant apparently forgotten.

Sam sat, stunned. He didn't move until the sheriff came back to the room and asked him if he was all right. A few minutes later he was back in the Impala, but it was several minutes before he felt stable enough to drive.

oooOOOooo

Sam stopped at a small grocery store on his way back to the motel room and bought some soup and a few other things that could be put in the microwave. He didn't want to be gone from his brother any longer than necessary, but thought having some provisions in the room would be a good idea.

Dean was awake, but obviously not feeling well, when Sam opened the motel room door.

"You look worse than I feel." the older brother commented. "What happened?"

"I – uh – " Sam was still shaken. "She said she gave you an herb; you should be better in a few hours."

Sam put the grocery bag on the floor next to the microwave stand. Underneath was a small refrigerator, where he put the beverages he'd purchased.

"Do you want something to drink?"

Dean looked at his brother, struggling to sit up. "Sam?"

Sam didn't notice his brother's distress; he could only think about what Awena had said to him.

It's inside you.

"Sammy, talk to me, man." Dean said, finally managing to sit up with his back against the headboard. The little movement made him feel like he'd run a marathon, but the concern for his brother outweighed his own discomfort.

Sam tried to hide his shaking hands as he sat on the edge of Dean's bed.

It's inside you.

He shook his head.

"Sam –"

"She could still read me; she's psychic even without the charm." Sam said. "She felt what killed Mom and Jessica."

"She knows what it was?"

"No. She just said it was evil. And –"

It's inside you.

"And what?"

Sam shook his head again. "She wouldn't tell me what the pendant was for, but she wanted it back pretty badly until – until she –"

"Until she freaked you out. Come on, Sam, don't let her do this to you."

"You're right. Look, I, uh, I gave the sheriff a cover story about being a freelance reporter and he seemed to buy it. I think somehow Awena was using that pendant to keep the cops from looking into the robberies. I think she used it on the families, too."

"You think she really is just a person?"

"A witch maybe, but I think she's human. I want to find out about that pendant, though." Sam said, trying to push the other thoughts from his head. He looked at his brother. "You look like crap, Dean."

"Nice." Dean said as he sank down into the bed.