Thank you so much SamGirlDeanCurious, VegasGranny and Ncsupnatfan for sharing your time, skill, and thoughts on this chapter for me. Thank you all for reading and reviewing xxx

Chapter Five

When Sam and Jessica appeared again, Jessica was wearing one of Sam's own vests, hanging baggy across her shoulders, and her hoodie tied around her waist. They were both wearing the sated smiles Dean had expected after they'd closeted themselves away for hours, but there was tension in Sam's eyes that told Dean his thoughts had already moved to that other world and what had to happen there.

"Hey," Dean said. "Finally, you two come up for air. You should probably hydrate."

Jessica grinned but color flushed Sam's cheeks, and he glared.

Dean held up his hands. "No shame, man. If I'd had the shock you'd had this morning, I'd need to lie down for ten hours, too. The fact you got to do that with a hot woman beside you is just the cherry on top."

Jessica stretched and yawned. "Yep, I feel rested."

Dean snorted. "Sure you do."

She stared at him a moment, a smile playing around the corners of her lips. "You're so different."

"You mean he's not a crass jerk in your world?" Sam asked.

Jessica shook her head, her eyes still on Dean. "No, not anymore. Now he's . . . a hardened warrior."

"I've always been a warrior," Dean said.

"Not like my Dean you haven't," she said, a touch of sadness in her voice. "He's lost so much. You still have your brother."

Dean nodded and looked away. He was a warrior, he had been since he was a kid. He'd lost a lot, but he still had Sam, and the other version of himself didn't. That would make a huge difference to the kind of man he was.

"Where's Jack?" Sam asked.

"He's gone out for pizza with Cas. Do you need him?"

"Yes."

The one word was simple, but the emphasis told Dean Sam had decided it was time to do the right thing, to begin the journey that would possibly break him.

Jessica leaned against his side and looked up at him. "And are going to explain what this is about then? Because you've been weird since we got out of the shower, and I thought that was actually pretty awesome."

Dean grimaced. "In our showers, Sam! Seriously? Your bedroom not enough for you?"

Sam shrugged, his attention not all the way on the room, and said, "It's not like we used your room."

Dean pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Don't ever, and I mean ever, do that, or I will make you wish you'd never been born."

Sam's eyes cleared and he smiled. "Noted. Want a beer?"

"Sure," Dean said, and Jessica nodded.

Sam kissed her cheek and wandered from the room. Jessica sat down at the table and patted the spot beside her and said, "Sit. I want to talk to you."

Dean obeyed, wondering what it was she wanted to talk about. "Go ahead. You don't have long. Sam's not going to leave you sitting here with me when he can be with you."

"What's going on with him?" she asked. "I know my Sam and wouldn't need to ask, but this one is more guarded and quiet."

"Sam? Quiet?"

"Yes. Don't you see it, too?"

Dean considered. It was true Sam was a little more reserved when it came to the chick flick moments these days, and he wasn't the chatterbox he'd been growing up, but was he that different?

The more he thought about it, the more he saw he was and had been for a while. He couldn't pinpoint the moment it changed, maybe sometime around the Mark of Cain troubles, but Sam was different.

Dean was surprised he'd missed it so long. He also wondered what he was supposed to do about it. How could he make him talk when he'd spent most of Sam's life trying to avoid "talking it out."

"Okay, yeah, he's different," he agreed. "And he's definitely not himself right now, but it's not my place to fill you in. When he's ready, he will do it himself. I don't think it will take long."

"Is it because I'm here?" she asked. "He seemed so happy before."

Dean patted her shoulder. "It's definitely not because you're here, not the way you're thinking. That's made Sam happier than I've ever seen. But his mind goes a mile a minute and he's got a lot to think about. He will tell you though."

Sam came back at the same moment there was a knocking on the door. "Got it," he said, changing direction and going up the stairs, coming back a moment later with Castiel and Jack both laden with pizza boxes which they set down on the table. Sam handed around beers from the six-pack he'd brought in.

Dean flipped open the top of the closest pizza box and inhaled deeply. "Hell yeah. This is the stuff." He grabbed a slice, folded it, and took a huge bite.

Sam sat beside Jessica, nudging his chair close enough that their elbows brushed as they took their own slices. Jack and Castiel sat opposite.

Jack dove into the pizza with a look of glee, saying, "I'm starving," as Castiel gave him an indulgent smile.

For a while, there was only the sounds of eating and the clink of beer bottles being placed back on the table. Then Sam cleared his throat and said, "There's stuff we should talk about."

Dean swallowed the bite of pizza that had just lost all flavor and said, "Maybe not now, Sammy. Why don't you sleep on it a night before throwing us all into more drama?"

Sam looked surprised and then nodded. "Should have known you'd get there before me."

"Probably not before, but I am your brother," Dean said.

"Baby, what's going on?" Jessica asked.

Sam stared at her, his eyes sad, and said, "I think we can help you."

"Help me how?"

"By taking you home and getting your Sam back. There's a way. Jack will need to open another rift and . . . Jess?"

Jessica clapped a hand to her mouth and her eyes swam with tears that fell when Sam stroked her cheek.

"You can get him out of hell?" she whispered.

Sam nodded. "If your world is really like ours, then yes. There's a way into Hell at least. If we all go, Jack too, they shouldn't be able to stop us taking him. It's not going to be easy, and it's definitely dangerous, but we can do it."

Jessica lowered her hand slowly and pressed it to her chest. "You don't have to come if it's dangerous. Just tell us and we, - me, Dean, John, and Cas - can go."

"No," Sam said. "It's going to take us all. I'm not letting you go into this without stacking the odds as much in your favor as possible."

Jessica smiled sadly and kissed him softly. "Thank you."

"You're thinking of the Purgatory door," Dean said.

"Yes. I got Bobby out alone, but that was against Crowley's mooks and he wasn't well guarded. If Lilith is still in charge, you can bet they're going to be a damn sight smarter, battle-ready and multiple. He'll be guarded. But I want to do more than just get him out. I don't want to bring him out to a nightmare world." He locked eyes with Dean and said, "The Trials."

Dean's eyes widened and his breath caught. "Trap them all. Yes! Even Lilith would be stuck in the Pit."

"What are you talking about?" Jessica asked.

"There are these trials that let you close Hell," Sam said. "We were doing them, but I… I didn't finish. But we can do them for your world. We have to kill a hellhound, save an innocent soul from Hell and cure a demon." Seeing her quizzical look he said, "It's possible. When you've done all the trials, there's this spell to do, and then the gates will close. Every demon on earth would be dragged back there and trapped."

"That would save our world," Jessica breathed. "Lilith is behind everything. If there were no more demons, it would be over; no more war. Okay. Cure a demon. You have to tell me how to do it."

"No!" Sam said, his voice almost a shout.

Jessica flinched, seeming stunned. Dean was willing to bet Sam had never raised his voice to her before.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because whoever does these trials, dies," Sam said. "It's the ultimate sacrifice."

"Then who will do them?" she asked.

Sam smiled slightly. "Me."

Dean gaped at him. "You!"

"Yes. I'm the obvious choice. Our world is okay now, Dean. We've got peace. I'm not needed for some big fight anymore. I can finish what I started back then. I do the trials and save Sam, save Jess and Dean and Dad."

Dean jumped to his feet. "No way, Sam! You can't do this."

Sam rose, too, his face aggravatingly calm. "I can and will do this for her." His eyes flickered between Dean and Jessica.

"No, you won't," Dean snapped. "You can't."

Sam frowned. "You don't think I would do it? It's Jess, Dean, you know how I feel about her."

Dean spat a curse. "I know exactly how you feel because I saw it, I was there after you lost her, but if you think that means you have to die to prove some point . . ."

"It's not about proving a point. It's about doing something to save myself and my family. They're us, Dean, you and me and Dad."

"Sure, they're us, our family, but what about your family here?" Dean asked. "What about me?"

"You'll be fine," Sam said dismissively.

Castiel shifted uncomfortably and Jack's eyes moved between them both like he was watching a tennis match.

"I'll be fine!?" Dean shook his head brutally. "I know you don't believe that. You've seen what happens when I lose you. Do you think I won't do it all again this time because you're doing it for Jess?"

Sam started to speak, to argue, but Dean spoke over him, his tone hard with his anger.

"I will do it. Like you said, it's our family, that Sam is my brother. I will get him out and slam the gates, and you can be the one that gets to live after." He crossed his arms over his chest. "It's me this time, Sammy."

"You can't think I'll let you do that," Sam said, eyes wide and face pale.

"But you think I'll let you?" Dean asked with a snort. "Now you're getting it. How about we see who's faster when we get there. Whoever nails the hellhound first, gets to do the rest."

Sam smirked. "I won that race last time."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, you did, but this time I'll have learned my lesson."

Jessica cleared her throat. "Maybe it doesn't have to be either of you. I can…"

"No!" Sam growled.

"Why don't we wait until we actually reach Jessica's world and gather everyone before we start fighting over who gets to die," Castiel said dryly. "Whatever happens, we're not going to be able to do that for at least twelve more hours."

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Because Jack needs time to prepare and replenish himself," Castiel said. "It takes a lot of energy to open a rift. Give it until morning and then we will be able to try."

Jack raised a hand awkwardly, looking like a kid in school. "I think I can—"

"You cannot," Castiel cut him off. "You need to rest. We can gather here tomorrow at nine and then we can prepare what we're going to need to take with us."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, sure. Tomorrow."

Jessica stood and entwined her fingers with Sam's. "I can wait."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, me, too. We'll go somewhere else tonight."

Jessica beamed. "Can we find somewhere to look at the stars? We used to do it all the time, me, Dean, John, and Sam, but it's been years. Where are we? Is there a beach nearby?"

Dean laughed. "We're in Kansas, so no, but there's a few good places for stargazing around here. You can take the Impala. The keys are on the hook in the garage."

Sam thanked him, and he and Jessica hurried from the room together.

Dean sat down again and took a deep draw on his beer. "You going to be good for this, Jack?" he asked. "If you need longer than tonight, we can wait."

"I don't need to wait at all, do I, Cas?"

Castiel smiled slightly. "No. You could do it now, but I thought Sam deserved another night with Jessica."

"Yeah, before he went off on some suicide mission," Dean said bitterly. "The fact that that bitch thinks he's got a chance in hell of… What's funny, Cas?"

Castiel was smiling widely, his eyes gleaming, but at Dean's question, he cleared his throat and said, "Nothing funny, really. But watching Winchesters arguing amongst each other over who gets to die next does have a certain degree of humor. I am amused because you're both missing a very obvious point. There is another Dean in that world, and a John. Do you really think either of them are going to let someone else sacrifice themselves for their family and world?" He shook his head. "Neither you nor Sam are going to have a place in this as anything more than advisors. Winchesters take care of their own."

Dean stared at him for a moment and then huffed a laugh. They had both been very stupid. He didn't want any version of his family or himself dying, but if it was a choice between them and Sam doing it, he knew which one he would choose.

He would never choose to give up Sam.

So… We're at it now. Sam has shared his plan, Dean and Sam had have the row about who gets to die next, and Castiel has ventured his theory. Who di you think will be the one to do the trials — AU!Dean, AU!Sam, AU!John or one of our own? Unless this is the first of my stories you're reading, you should be able to tell it's not going to end neatly with the obvious ;-)

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx