Next chapter will be posted on Saturday.
Constructive criticism welcome!
*WARNING- Zepar makes a very brief appearance, and there is a very tiny smidge of Wincest. More is coming, promise!
Enjoy!
The next morning Dean woke up slowly on the couch. He sighed sleepily and stared at Sam, who was doing something on his laptop. "Did you sleep last night, Sam?" The hunter shook his head as he concentrated on his computer. Dean looked at the cans of Red Bull scattered around Sam's feet. The demon yawned and asked, "Why didn't you sleep? Find something?" The hunter shook his head.
"Then why did you go on a Red Bull binge?" Sam sighed and closed his laptop before placing it on the coffee table. "I don't want to sleep, Dean. Don't worry about it." The demon stared at the hunter, a bit shocked. "So you're just not gonna sleep at all? Sam, that is gonna fuck you up! You need to sleep!" Sam shot up out of the chair and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't Dean. The last dream was so bad, one of the worst. He knows you're here and I think he's stepping it up. I can't do it again, I just can't."
Sam gasped as tears fell from his eyes. He turned away quickly before the demon could see his weakness. Dean stood up and slowly walked to Sam. "Easy Sammy, we'll fix this somehow. But until then you still need to sleep. Have you found any way to block Zepar from your dreams?" Sam shook his head. "There's no way, not for a duke of hell. I've tried summoning him but he won't come. He has no weaknesses besides women. There's no way to get to him, Dean."
The demon gently touched Sam's shoulder reassuringly. Sam winced a little before accepting the touch. Dean smirked, the hunter was beginning to get comfortable with him. "We'll find something Sam. I wish I knew the fucker better but I've only met him in passing. I don't really know anything about him." The hunter sighed sadly, the Red Bull starting to wear off. Worse yet, he had drank the last Red Bull two hours ago.
"You want breakfast?" Dean asked as he picked up the Red Bull cans. Sam nodded and went to the kitchen to sit at the table. The demon followed. "Want leftover pizza or something a little more fancy, like eggs?" Sam shook his head, "Pizza's good." Dean got two pieces from the fridge and slid one to Sam as he sat at the table across from the hunter. They ate in silence.
Dean narrowed his eyes as Sam's eyelids started drooping shut. Sam jumped up from the table in an attempt to wake himself up. He banged his knee on the table and nearly fell on the floor. Dean stood up and watched Sam with concern. "Dude, you need rest. You haven't slept since yesterday afternoon, you're gonna get sick or something." Sam winced at the idea of taking a nap. "I told you Dean, I just can't."
Dean exhaled in frustration. "Don't make this a fight Sam. I know what happens when you sleep but humans can die without it. Come on, you're taking a nap. I'll wake you up if you start freaking out." The demons voice left no room for argument. Didn't stop Sam from trying, however. "No Dean! I'm not sleeping!" He snapped angrily. Dean glared at hunter and walked up to him until they were only a couple feet apart. "You're taking a nap. Now. I'm not playing nursemaid if you get sick from sleep deprivation."
Sam lowered his gaze and sighed in defeat. He had no energy left for fighting. Dean gently grabbed his shoulder and steered them towards the hunters room. He watched Sam get into bed as he sat in his chair. Sam warily stared at Dean, "You promise to wake me up?" Dean nodded. "Go to sleep Sam. I'll stay right here, okay?" The hunter laid his head on the pillow and exhaled as all tension left him at the feeling of his comfortable bed and pillow. He closed his heavy eyelids and almost immediately sleep claimed him.
Zepar threw Sam on the ground the second Sam's nightmare began. The hunter spun around on the ground to look up at the demon, who's eyes were pitch black with red centers. Zepar growled at him in anger. "You think to stop sleeping again? To deny me? Did you learn nothing the first time? I ought to kill you for trying again!" The demon punched him in the face and kicked his gut hard.
Suddenly the assault stopped. Sam anxiously rolled over to see what Zepar was doing. All breath left him once his eyes registered the image before him. "Dean?!" Sam gasped in shock. Zepar, who had disguised himself as Dean, smirked as he snapped his fingers and the blank red room turned into Sam's bedroom. "I know how you are beginning to feel for this hybrid, Dean. You forget, I know you better than you know yourself." Zepar/Dean slowly paced around Sam. "I told you I would punish you greatly the last time you tried to deny me." Zepar/Dean stopped and glared down at a fearful, trembling Sam. "Think of this session if you ever get the idea to avoid me again."
Dean watched over Sam's sleeping form, looking closely for any signs of discomfort. So far, there were none. The hunter slept quietly. Dean got up and walked to the window next to Sam's bed to stare outside at the pouring rain. He suddenly heard a faint whimper and his eyes shot to Sam. He carefully studied the hunter, waiting. Sam's breathing increased and he started thrashing in the bed as Dean began shaking him awake. "Sammy? Wake up Sam!" He yelled loudly.
Sam shot out of bed and hit the wall on the opposite side of the bed, away from Dean. His eyes were wild with fear. Dean slowly walked around the bed, hands slightly raised in surrender. "Easy Sammy. It was just a dream. You're safe." Sam quickly pulled out his demon knife and held it in front of himself, "Stay back, I'm warning you." He snapped shakily. Dean stopped walking. "It's me Sammy, you know I won't hurt you." Sam realized he was backed into a corner and lunged at Dean, putting the serrated edge of the blade against the demons throat. He shoved the demon against the wall before Dean knew what was happening.
Sam panted as his heart raced. He didn't know why Zepar had given him his knife but he wasn't gonna waste this opportunity to fight back, even if it was useless. Deans muscles went rigid as his eyes turned black uncontrollably. "Sammy, easy. You don't wanna do this. This ain't a damn dream kid, this is real. You could really kill me right now." Dean said sternly, trying to hide the slight nervousness he felt. He could tell by the panic in Sam's eyes that the hunter still thought he was trapped in a dream.
He didn't want to have to use his powers on Sam but he would if the hunter didn't realize he was awake. Sam's hand shook, "Yeah right, like you haven't played this game with me before." He mumbled as he pressed the blade harder against the demons throat, drawing a bit of blood. Dean snapped his fingers and suddenly Sam's arms were by his side and he couldn't move. He fought against the hold and lost. Dean took the blade out of the hunters hand as he held his anxious gaze. The demons eyes flickered back to normal. "Easy, Sammy. I know what you're thinking but it's really me. It's Dean."
Sam lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting. Dean sighed sadly. He walked back to the window and put the demon knife on Sam's pillow, way out of the hunters reach, before returning to the shivering man. The demon gently wrapped his arms around Sam as he released the hold he had put on the hunter. "It's me, Sam. It's really me. This ain't a dream." Dean whispered in Sam's ear. Sam stood still as he trembled and sobbed into Deans shirt. "Shhh, easy Sammy. I'm sorry, so damn sorry. I shouldn't have made you sleep." Deans voice broke a bit. Sam finally realized that he had nearly killed the real Dean. "Shit Dean, I'm sorry. He disguised himself as you. I thought... " He sobbed. "Shut up, Sam. It's not your fault. I don't blame you."
"He punished me for not sleeping last night." Sam mumbled into Deans shirt as tears ran down his face. "It was bad. So bad. The worst yet." He whimpered. Dean rubbed the hunters back. "Shh, it's okay. It's over now, Zepar ain't here. I promise." Sam hugged Dean back as he silently cried into the demons shirt. "I can't sleep again. He's gonna be so pissed, you woke me up and stopped him. He's gonna be so pissed." Dean let Sam go and looked him in the eye. "Call Castiel. We're gonna come up with a solution before you need to sleep again." Sam shook his head, his eyes dead. "Cas and I tried, there's nothing."
"Humor me Sammy. Call the angel." Sam nodded, not having the will or strength to argue, and walked into the living room. Dean grabbed the demon knife and followed. "Cas, I need you. It's an emergency." Sam stated blankly. A few seconds later the angel appeared right next to Dean, who jumped a little in surprise. "The hell, Cas! Don't do that, damn it!" The demon growled. Castiel ignored Dean and stared at Sam, sensing something was wrong. "You called?"
Dean stepped in front of the angel, "We need to find a way to protect Sam from Zepar while he sleeps until we can find the bastard." Cas shook his head sadly. "I tried. I couldn't find anything. There is no way to shield Sam's mind from Zepar." Dean growled in anger, running his hands through his hair. "If only this fucker wasn't such a damn coward! I could take him one on one. Damn it!"
Cas watched the demon, thinking. "Let me check something." Dean turned to the angel, "Check wha... Freakin rude angel." Dean muttered to himself as Castiel disappeared. Sam sat on the couch and watch Deans angry pacing. "How long is he gonna be?" The demon asked in frustration after ten minutes of pacing. "Not long." Cas answered as he appeared behind Dean. The demon spun around and jumped back, "What the hell's wrong with you? Quit doing that, damn it!" Sam smirked, holding back laughter. "Do you want to know what I found or would you rather continue your complaining?" Cas asked, sounding bored. Dean glared at the angel in response.
"What did you find, Cas?" Sam asked, getting off the couch and stepping in front of Dean slightly so the demon wouldn't rip the angels head off. "I told you there was nothing I could do about Zepar's attacks in your dreams, but Dean CAN do something!" The angel said, his excitement growing. Dean stared at the angel in confusion. "What can I do?" Cas looked at Sam and Dean. "Dean could enter your dreams like Zepar does. He could protect you while you sleep from inside your head."
Sam tensed and swallowed nervously. "But then I'd have two demons in my head, Cas." The angel nodded. "That's the point. Dean could protect you from Zepar. This is the only thing that could help you right now, Sam. This is your only option." Dean stared critically at Sam before returning his gaze to the angel. "I don't think this'll work, Cas. I can't possess or enter human minds like Zepar can." Cas shook his head. "You don't have to. It's actually because of your hybrid blood that this will work. You two would need to drink a few drops worth of each other's blood and have skin to skin contact while you both slept. No possession necessary." Deans eyes widened a bit as Sam winced. "Uh, Cas. What do you mean by 'skin to skin contact'?" Dean asked.
"Just what it sounds like, Dean." Dean shook his head in exasperation. "I mean what KIND of contact?"
"Minor. Holding hands would suffice." The angel answered. Sam relaxed slightly. "So we just need to drink a bit of each other's blood to do this?" Castiel nodded. Dean turned to smile at Sam and noticed his anxiety. The demon turned back to face Cas. "Thanks Cas. Me and Sam need to... Discuss a few things in private." Castiel nodded . He stared at Sam, worry in his eyes, and disappeared. Dean blinked in surprise and looked up at the ceiling. "You don't say bye? That's freakin rude!"
Sam sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. Dean watched him a bit before asking, "Why do I get the feeling you don't like this plan?" Sam sighed, "Because I don't. It's bad enough having one demon with free access to my mind but two... " Dean glared at the hunter. "You don't trust me, do you?" He asked softly. Sam averted his gaze, saying nothing. The demon threw his hands in the air and chuckled darkly. "What more do I have to do to earn your trust, kid? Tell me, I'd love to know!" Dean asked brusquely.
Sam winced slightly. "Dean, I do trust you. Did. Zepar made himself look like you and... The things he did to me as you... " Sam shivered as he recalled his worst encounter with Zepar yet. Deans eyes softened as he ran a hand over his face. "I'm sorry Sam, but if you want to sleep without a visit from Zepar we're gonna have to do this." Sam exhaled wearily, "I guess." Suddenly Sam jumped up from the couch and his body went rigid. "Dean, please tell me we aren't gonna have to sleep together!" Sam asked warily. The demon sighed, "I didn't think of that before but yeah, we need to share a bed to stay in contact while we sleep."
Sam backed away until he fell into the chair next to the couch. "Dean, I can't do that. I can't sleep next to you. I'll freak out, I just can't." Sam's breath rate rose as he began panicking at the thought of sharing a bed with Dean, who just a couple hours earlier had done unspeakable things to him. Yeah, it had been Zepar but it had felt like Dean, smelled like Dean, sounded like Dean... Zepar had even tortured Sam in his own bed, as Dean. The entire room, with Dean in it, was a panic attack waiting to happen for the hunter.
"Hey, relax kid. I'll take care of that, okay? Don't worry. Now, we need to do the blood thing first." Dean replied as he pulled out Sam's demon knife and slowly handed it to him handle first. "I'd rather use your hunting knife for this." Sam nodded and put the demon knife in its place on his belt before pulling out his hunting knife. He winced a bit as he made a small cut on his wrist and watched as it started slowly oozing blood. Dean slowly knelt in front of Sam and carefully looked in the hunters eyes before he covered the cut with his mouth and ingested the few drops of blood that had come out.
Sam tensed and fought his instinct to pull away as he was reminded how Zepar/Dean had taken his blood the last time he slept. Dean raised his head and wiped a drop of blood off his lip. He carefully stood up and frowned as Sam cowered from him before he could back away. He was gonna kill Zepar, painfully. The demon held out his hand for the knife. Sam stared at Deans open hand and hesitated. Dean narrowed his eyes. "You gonna give me the knife Sammy?" He asked gently. Sam shivered and swallowed against the lump in his throat. Dean dropped his hand and sighed. "Alright, you cut me then. Just go easy." Sam's eyes briefly met the demons as he stood up. "I'm sorry, Dean." He apologized quietly.
"Shut up Sam. I understand. Now do it." Dean replied understandingly as he held his arm out to the hunter. Sam cradled Deans wrist as he carefully made a small cut. He and Dean frowned as it quickly healed. Sam made another cut, it too healed in a few seconds time. "Shit" Dean mumbled. Sam cleared his throat before stating, "I'm gonna have to use the demon knife, Dean." Dean swallowed and exhaled before he quickly nodded.
Sam put his hunting knife away and pulled out the demon knife. Dean tensed as his eyes turned black, glaring at the knife. The hunter paused, a bit shocked to see the demons eyes turn black. "Get it over with, Sammy." Dean growled impatiently. Sam nodded as he carefully cut Deans arm. The demon snarled and hissed through his teeth at the acidic searing pain. Freakin hell did that knife hurt! Sam jumped at Deans aggression, his black eyes making the hunter feel more intimidated. The demon exhaled, calming himself enough that his eyes turned back to normal. "It's okay, Sam." He mumbled, "Drink my blood, now. Before the friggin cut heals."
Sam nodded before gently licking Deans cut as blood slowly trickled out of it. Dean turned his head away and bit his lip to hold back a moan as he felt himself begin to get a hard on by the hunters mouth on his wrist. As Sam raised his head Dean spun away from the hunter and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself mentally and physically. "You okay?" Sam asked, knowing the knife had to have caused the demon serious pain.
Dean nodded, "Fine, you?" He cleared his throat as his voice came out husky with desire. "I'm good." Sam answered, oblivious. Dean glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 1pm. "You only slept for ten minutes. You wanna go see if this'll work?" Dean asked. Sam tensed. "Dean, I can't sleep with you in the bed. I'm not sure if I can sleep with you in the same room anymore... " Dean nodded, "I know. Go in your room and get comfortable. I'll be there in minute to show you something." Sam stared at Dean with curiosity before obeying.