Warnings: Cursing

Chapter 14

While he hadn't said a word in a while, Dean had been asking a thousand questions he knew he couldn't voice. He would give Loki his time to explain before he started digging into the wound. Something big was happening around them, and as much as Dean didn't want to he would wait until he got the chance to speak to the god alone. The god who wasn't really a god, and didn't that scare the hell out of him? Unlike Sam, Dean didn't have the same bias of trusting the one who had his baby brother so wrapped up around his finger, Sam couldn't even see the holes in Loki's story.

Oh, the god wasn't lying in fact Loki was doing an amazing job of not lying while he spoke, but some things still slipped through. Whatever it was the being was made of wasn't called 'essence', there was a slight stumble when Loki first used the word like he wanted to say something else. When he mentioned how powerful he was, Dean had noticed Loki only mentioned how many there were of the same power-level, not how many of his kind there were in general. Loki spoke of how any of the 'weaker' of his kind would have willing lost their very selves to be with him… so what made him so special?

Whatever he was there were four in total of Loki's power, and that was a number Dean could work with. He may not show it, but Dean was far from stupid… he knew how to research just as well as Sammy, he just didn't like doing it. Not unless he was protecting his brother. While Dean wanted to shout and scream at the being who was trying to tell them he was his brothers freakin' soulmate for crying out loud, Dean kept silent. Catching Bobby's eye, Dean made a quick gesture to let the older man know to follow his lead.

Loki let a lot spill without meaning to, too emotionally caught up on the bond and what it would mean instead of keeping silent on clues as to what he was. It's not that Dean didn't think they wouldn't eventually know what Loki was, but if he was going to keep Sammy safe he had to know all he could about the god. The runes had done their job and done it well, Dean had felt how powerful the magic was, had felt the acceptance of their negotiation and knew without a shadow of a doubt their terms had been agreed upon.

Why had Loki wanted him to agree not to sell his soul of all things? It hadn't made sense, it didn't make sense. If Loki wanted something else, pretty much anything else Dean could most likely work his way around it… this was different. Dean had no intentions of selling his soul, hadn't considered dealing even if it meant the death of the yellow-eyed demon. After their dad had made his deal Dean knew of only one reason he would sell his soul, if he could find a demon willing to deal that is. If he could save Sammy? If he could keep his brother safe, if Sam was dying? Yeah, he would have sold his soul then, anything to protect his little brother, anything.

Dean didn't need to sell his soul now. While he didn't like the way Loki was talking about how the bond would consume the weaker of the two, Dean knew the god would do everything in his power to protect Sam. Maybe it was because of the bond, maybe it was because they were some version of soulmates, whatever it was even Dean could see Loki would protect Sam with his dying breath. If Loki was as powerful as he was claiming, if he was even half as powerful as he was claiming, then Dean didn't have to worry about not being able to play that card.

It wouldn't stop him from figuring out just what Dean was trusting his brothers' safety to though. Everything the god had said so far about there being a reason for everything he was doing lead Dean to believe this reason was something huge. A part of Dean wanted to let the god take care of it, Loki was more powerful, could do pretty much anything with his mojo, why not let him take care of it? The problem was that wasn't how Dean worked, if there was something going on, something he could help stop he would be right on the front lines. It was how his dad raised him, and even Dean understood it was probably what was going to get him killed.

There were only a few lessons Dean would keep until his dying day. If you see something hurting people, you kill it. There was no second guessing, not second chances, if a monster was out there taking people out then you take it out. Demons were evil sons of bitches and every one of them needed to be wiped out. Their mom didn't die for nothing, and they would need to take out what destroyed their family. But the first and single most important lesson Dean ever had was from before the fire, before everything went to Hell. It wasn't a lesson John Winchester taught him, it was the one rule his mom asked of him and Dean would live by it until his dying day.

Protect Sammy.

He never told Sam about how before he was even born their mom would tell Dean about the little brother he was going to have. Dean wasn't sure how far along she was, how young he was, when she started talking about how he was going to be such a good big brother. He would sometimes sit on her knee, his hand pressed against her stomach while she read to them both. The moment Sam was born everything changed, everything in his world anyways. Dean had wanted so badly to play with the little baby, and he was always watching him. The night of the fire when John shoved his baby brother into his arms and told him to run, Dean never hesitated, something bad was happening and he needed to get Sammy away.

Life after the fire was horrible, and looking back at it now Dean realized how far his father had fallen. John should have stuck around, should have taken the money from the insurance and grew roots somewhere else. Dean could understand the drive to hunt what killed Mary, he could… but it never should have overridden John's parental instinct. It shouldn't have taken away his boys' childhood. What did it bring them but blood and pain? The only good thing that came out of it all was Bobby, the only real father they had and the rock in which Dean tried to shape himself into.

Now they seemed to be so close to what killed their mother and yet another thing was being thrown at them. At least this time Dean would have help in the only thing his mother asked of him. Loki was keeping secrets, big ones, but nothing about the way he was acting lead Dean to believe Loki wanted anything bad to happen to Sam. Not being able to deal his soul was a small price to pay to keep Sammy safe, and Dean was certain as he saw the lost look on the gods face that protecting Sammy may have gotten bit easier.

Dean would let Loki believe he was holding his secrets, that Sam was the brother Loki had to worry about figuring it out. Bobby and he would use the little clues to come up with what was really going on, what the god truly was. From the look on Bobby's face Dean could tell the two of them were thinking the same thing. Until they knew what Loki was; they would play it by ear, once they knew what Loki was they would be able to make the call on what to do. Watching as Sam stood to hold the god against him in comfort, Dean hoped they figured it out quickly, because he had a feeling that good intentions or not, this god was going to change everything.

Dean just having the God of Mischief and Fire at their side would turn things on their side for once. Watching Sam, Dean also hoped it turned out Loki was something they would be able to trust… because even without this bond Dean knew his brother. Sam was in way too deep to be pulled out now, and if he tried Dean wasn't sure Sam would survive.

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