First Solo Flight
Chapter Eight
Refer to disclaimers in previous chapters.
A/N: Thanks for reading; we're getting close to the end…
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"I have to sit down." Dean said, barely above a whisper.
Before Sam could respond, Dean fell to his knees. Sam helped him to as comfortable position as he could manage.
"This still feel like the right direction?" Dean asked a moment later.
"Yeah." Sam said without hesitation. "It does."
Dean looked him in the eye. "Is that just bullshit?"
"No, Dean. I swear. I don't know how I know it's the right direction, but it is."
Dean nodded.
"Hey, Sam?" he began after another moment.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
Sam looked at him. "What for?"
"Not telling you the truth about this job. I just didn't want you to worry."
"Don't you know I'd worry about you no matter what? You're my brother."
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"You want to go through this once more?" Christopher asked.
Raven looked away from Dean for a moment. She'd made a broth from some of the herbs Christopher bought at her direction and was trying to feed it to the unconscious boy.
"You need to find Sam and open a link with him." she explained. "You've done that a million times."
"Never with the chance that I'd end up in some other dimension."
She smiled patiently. "It's not another dimension. It's just sort of a dream world. And you probably won't get stuck there."
"Probably?"
"You're a very gifted psychic and you know how you use your abilities. I'm sure you'll be fine."
Christopher looked at John. Normally he would see someone very confident in front of him; sure of his ability to fight all sorts of evil while protecting his children. Now he saw someone who was scared he was about to lose the only things that really mattered to him. He sighed. "Let's do this."
John put the knife that Sam brought with him on the bedside table. He leaned close to Sam's ear as he placed Dean's folded shirt under his younger son's hand. "Sammy, Christopher is coming to help you."
He saw Sam grip the t-shirt. "Just hold on, Sammy."
Christopher sat on the edge of Sam's bed as John positioned a chair between both the beds. He put a hand on each of his sons and looked at Christopher.
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"Help's coming." Sam whispered to his brother.
Dean opened his eyes. "What?"
"Help's coming."
"How do you know?"
"I – I don't know. Do you think you can walk some more?"
"I thought you said help was coming."
"We can't just wait here."
Dean nodded. Sam stood up and held out his hand. "Come on."
"Sam, I don't think I can." Dean said quietly.
"Dean, you're my brother and I would do anything for you. What about you?"
"Sammy –"
"Please, Dean. Please."
Dean looked into his brother's eyes. He'd never been able to deny Sam anything; especially when he looked at him that way. A moment later he nodded and let Sam help him off the ground.
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Christopher knew he was really still in the motel room, but all he saw around him was fog. It was hard to tell which direction to go; he still felt a strong connection to Sam in the physical world and couldn't quite get a fix on him where ever he was now. He'd considered keeping a link to one of the adults in the room, but for whatever reason Sam was like a beacon right now and it was easiest to hold onto him. He didn't think about it creating such a problem to find him here.
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Dean was only able to walk short distances without resting and Sam could only carry him so far.
"I'm sorry, Sammy." Dean whispered as he leaned against his brother.
"For what now?"
"Getting you into this mess."
"You didn't get me into anything."
"Maybe you should go back."
"What?"
"I'm don't think I'm gonna make it. You should –"
Sam pulled him up by his collar. "Listen to me. I'm not leaving you here, do you get that? I don't care what it takes. I'm not leaving you here."
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John was watching Dean when he saw Sam jerk on the other bed. He glanced at Christopher, but his trance was uninterrupted. John squeezed Sam's leg.
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Christopher was finally able to tell which direction he needed to go. As he moved forward, the fog around him seemed to get thicker and he knew how easy it would be to get lost if he only had his eyesight to depend on.
He couldn't help but wonder about Sam's abilities and what it meant in the big scheme of things. Would it help him with the hunt, or would it end up hurting him? And Christopher knew about the normal life Sam wanted to lead. How would these abilities keep fit into that life? Christopher knew first hand how hard it was to live with these skills.
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Raven put a hand on John's shoulder. "Coffee?"
He shook his head. "It's taking longer than I expected."
"This could take quite a while."
"Can you – can you tell anything that's going on?"
"I'm not psychic." she said gently. "I just know about herbs and natural healing."
"That's all, huh?"
She smiled. "And I might know about spells and potions, too."
"He's weak." John said, looking at Dean's ashen face.
"He's fighting. And he's with Sam."
"You think Sam found him?"
"I'm sure he did."
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Aidan sat in a corner of the room, watching as his friend suffered. He felt responsible for everything and didn't know how he would ever make up for it. He'd been searching his memory, trying to think of everything he saw when he got home from that sleepover all those years ago, but he remembered nothing new.
Raven moved back to Dean's side, bathing his face with an ice cold wash cloth. The fever had not subsided and the herbal remedies weren't helping.
Once Raven left John, Aidan moved closer. He had felt like a member of the family for a long time and it hurt to be on the outside this way.
"John," he whispered.
"Not now, Aidan. I'm trying really hard not to be pissed off at you right now. I know you feel like hell, but both of my sons are lying here unconscious and I'm having a hard time working up any sympathy for you at the moment."
"I don't want your sympathy." Aidan said. "I just – "
John glanced at him and sighed. "Why don't you sit next to Sammy?"
"Thanks." the younger man whispered.
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Sam and Dean hadn't made much progress and the younger brother was getting very nervous. He could feel something safe coming from the direction they were moving in, but he didn't know how far away it was. Dean was getting weaker and Sam was afraid if they didn't get to that safe spot soon, Dean would never leave here.
"Do you think you can go a little further?" Sam asked after they'd been sitting for a while.
"Yeah." Dean said. He didn't sound convincing.
Sam stood up and helped Dean to his feet.
"Do you think it's much further, little brother?"
"I don't know. I hope not."
"Yeah. Me too."
Dean had only gone a few feet when he stumbled. Unable to catch him, Sam landed on top of him.
"Dean!" he exclaimed. "Dean?"
He rolled his brother onto his back.
"Come on, Dean. Please. You've got to wake up."
He got no response.
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Sam jerked on the bed again. As John moved closer to him, he sensed more than felt Dean's body go even more limp that it had been. Raven looked at John.
"What's going on?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I don't know."
John moved closer to Dean. He was no longer hot; his skin was frighteningly cold.
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"Sam? Sam!"
"Christopher?" Sam responded. "We're over here! Dean collapsed!"
The psychic knelt down next to Sam.
"How did you find us?"
"I followed your signal, kid. Now let's get out of here before it's too late for Dean."
They supported Dean's weight between them and went back in the direction Christopher had come from.
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"Dean," John whispered to his oldest son. "You just have to hold on a little longer. I know you're with Sammy and Christopher is on the way. Just a little longer, Dean."
TBC
