Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun filling in the time until September!

Ghost Hollow

Chapter 18 – Slight of Hand

Sam heard a sharp cry and a splash from below as he looked once again over the rail, but Dean was no where to be found. "DEAN! DEAN!" Sam yelled over and over again, but there was no answer except for the sound of the rushing water in the river below.

Dean felt his hand slipping from the slippery girder a moment before he fell. The cold water was a shock to his system as he felt himself being pulled down river. He fought his way to the surface, only to be pulled down once again into the churning current. But Dean was a fighter and refused to give in. Each time his head broke the surface, he could see himself getting closer to the shore. "Damn that bitch, I'm really going to kill her now!" Dean thought as he continued to struggle towards shore. He had to get to shore and get back to Sam before it was too late.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sam turned from the river, the tears falling from his eyes as he looked at the woman who he had once wanted to spend his life with. Now the image was tarnished, in its place was the face of his brother, his protector and his friend. The pain at losing Jess had been bad, but the pain of losing Dean was more than Sam could bear. He fell to his knees, softly sobbing "Dean, Oh God, Dean…I'm sorry…Dean!"

Sam felt a hand on his arm and found himself looking up into the face of the one he had been calling. "Dean?"

"Yes, it's me Sammy. You need to come with me, we have to get away from here."

Sam shook his head, part of him screaming that this was a trick by the water demon. But Sam couldn't imagine his life without his brother at his side. It was too much for him to bear. He tried to stand, but his legs would no longer support him as his grief consumed him body and soul.

There was nothing left for Sam, no reason for him to struggle any more. The demon and his destiny be damned, he only wanted one thing and that was no longer within his grasp.

"That's it Sammy, we can be together forever. Let me help you, if you can't walk, I'll carry you." Dean reached down and lifting Sam into a fireman's carry he began to walk to the other side of the bridge, but instead of heading for the Impala, he turned and headed down the embankment towards the river.

Sam roused himself enough to realize that he had been tricked. "You aren't Dean! I won't go with you!" Sam began to struggle, trying to dislodge himself from his brother's shoulders. His numb brain was trying to process why the consecrated iron hadn't worked when Dean had shot the demon in the chest. It should have worked.

Suddenly Sam felt the demon's shape changing beneath him. The demon was no longer in the shape of Dean, but had transformed into its' true form, that of the black stallion. "Don't worry Sam, you and I will have an eternity together. Soon your pain will be gone and you can begin to serve me!" The brook horse continued to walk calmly down to the water's edge. The demon took its time, knowing that Sam was trapped and could no longer get away.

"I will never serve you! You bastard, you killed my brother and for that I will find a way to kill you. If it takes me forever, I will destroy you!" Sam's voice shook with the hatred he felt towards this being.

"Well you will have plenty of time to try Sam, but many have tried and all have failed. But if it helps any…I will let you see your brother one last time before you become mine." The brook horse smiled to itself, the pain of knowing that his brother was alive and he couldn't go back to him would be as sweet as the pain of his brother's death. It could feel the anguish in the young man growing and couldn't wait until the new realization hit him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dean had finally made it back to shore, but he was a good mile away from Sam. His body was screaming for rest but Dean knew his brother needed him. Dean wrapped his wet coat closer around him, trying for any type of warmth, but the cold was too deep. He continued to shiver as he started to walk back towards the bridge. "Hold on Sammy, I'll get back to you." Dean yelled knowing that Sam couldn't hear him, but it made him feel better.

Dean began to jog slowly, the motion beginning to warm his cold insides along with the hatred that was building in his soul towards the brook horse. He didn't understand why the bullets hadn't worked, but he would find a way to kill it. There was no other option, this thing had to die. As Dean finally came around the final curve in the shore before the bridge, he stopped short his blood running cold. Heading towards him was his brother, sitting on the black stallion.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sam couldn't figure out why the horse was taking its time in getting this over with. "Think Sam!" He said under his breath as he continued to try to get off the horse. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dismount the horse. Sam thought back over the past hour, trying to figure out where they had gone wrong. The horse should have been killed with the consecrated iron rounds…why hadn't it died?

Suddenly Sam remembered what he had read. If the demon could only kill when in its' true form of a horse, then maybe it could only be killed while in its true form. It had assumed the form of Jessica when Dean tried to kill it. But that would mean that it couldn't kill Dean either…so, maybe..." Sam began searching the shoreline, hope flaring in his heart as he realized that the brook horse couldn't have killed Dean.

Sure enough, Sam heard a shout coming from just around the bend of the river. His eyes sought the one person he had to see, needed to see with every fiber of his being. "DEAN!" Sam yelled as he saw his brother coming towards them at a full run. Sam felt relief as he saw Dean getting closer.

"Times up Sam…say goodbye to your brother!" The brook horse said as it started into the river. Sam panicked as he felt the water creeping up on his legs, soon the water was up to his chest. He searched frantically for his brother's face, he couldn't let this happen…he had to do something!

"SAMMY!" Dean yelled as he saw the horse heading for the deep water. He could see the panic in his brother's eyes as he continued to fight the horse. "Damn it Sammy, you promised!" Dean yelled as he started back into the river. He wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Sam saw Dean heading towards him and could tell from his sluggish movements that he was in no shape to be fighting the river again. "DEAN…go back! Please, I can't lose you again!" Sam begged, but he knew that Dean wasn't listening to him. He had to end this and now. Sam hoped that the old legend was correct as he pulled a small cross made of steel from his pocket. Just before his head went beneath the surface of the water he held the cross above him and made the sign of the cross over the head of the brook horse.

The next moment, Sam realized that he was no longer connected to the horse. But he was far from out of danger. The strong current of the river had him and was dragging him towards the bottom. Sam used his legs to propel him to the surface. As his head broke the surface, he looked for his brother. "DEAN!" Sam yelled.

"SAMMY! Swim towards me…please Sam, you have to swim!" Dean called as he caught the tired eyes of his brother in his own, trying to give his brother some of his own strength in a single look.

Dean stood waist deep in the river and watched as his brother nodded and began swimming towards him with strong strokes. The determination in his brother's strokes was evident as he began to beat the current and make progress towards his brother. Dean could see his brother was tiring quickly. "That's it Sam, you only have a few more feet to go…come to me and I'll help you the rest of the way…keep swimming Sam!" Dean encouraged his little brother.

Sam looked up at Dean for a moment, triumph in his eyes as he realized he was almost there. He could almost touch the bottom, just a few more feet. Suddenly Sam felt something large beside him. The black stallion had returned and was rearing in the water, trying to trample Sam. "You cannot escape me Sam…I may not be able to bind you to me, but I can kill you!" The horse screamed as a hoof caught Sam on the shoulder and drove him down to the bottom of the river.

Sam screamed in pain as he felt his shoulder dislocate. His arm was now useless, but he wasn't about to give up. Gathering the last of his strength, Sam used his legs to push him to the surface, calling to his brother as he broke the surface. "DEAN SHOOT…SHOOT NOW!"

Sam felt the hoof hit him again, this time hitting his already broken rib and possibly breaking more as Sam once more was thrown to the bottom of the river. He wasn't sure how much more he could take, his lungs were screaming for air and he was beginning to see dark spots in front of his eyes.

Dean watched in horror as his brother was hit by the horse again. Luckily he still had a gun in his pocket. He pulled it out and aimed once more for the horse's heart. "See you in hell bitch!" Dean cried and he pulled the trigger once more.

The brook horse screamed as the bullet tore into its' heart. Blood began to fall into the river as the horse blinked in disbelief. This couldn't be happening! The demon screamed in agony as it tried to take Sam with it by aiming for the boys head as he broke the surface one more time. But another round quickly followed the first, and another until the horse knew it was over.

Dean watched in satisfaction as the horse toppled over into the water, literally dissolving into the water. "Gross!" Dean said as he headed towards his brother who was struggling to remain afloat in the water. "Hold on Sam, I'm coming!"

Dean grabbed Sam's shirt as he started to fall beneath the water once more. "Come on Sam, lets get out of here!" Dean noticed that Sam's shoulder was definitely dislocated and he could see from the way Sam was holding his rib cage, that his ribs had been affected as well. Sam hissed in pain as Dean grabbed his good arm and placed it over his shoulder. "I'm sorry Sammy, but we need to get to shore now!" Dean could feel his strength beginning to leave him as well, it wouldn't be long before his energy would give out and then they both would be in trouble.

"Dean…I'm sorry…" Sam gasped as he began to cough, groaning as his ribs protested.

"Lets not worry about that right now, you need to help me get to shore Sam…can you do that?"

Sam saw that Dean was staggering and almost losing his footing in the soft river bottom. He shook his head and began to concentrate on getting them to shore. It wasn't clear who was supporting who as the two tired hunters finally made their way to shore.

They managed a few steps before they both collapsed on the ground, both next to each other as if neither wanted to lose contact with the other. While in the river, the last of the brook horse floated harmlessly away down stream and away from it's last intended victim.

TBC

Raven524: Ok only one more chapter to finish this one up. And since I did a cliff hanger, I decided to give you all a bonus chapter today! Hope you enjoy it…just let me know by pushing the little button!