Chapter Fourteen
Dean quelled his panic as he and Ruby took off after Sam. He needed to be in hunter mode in order to help Sam, if in fact the demon had him.
"So Deano, here's a hex bag, hang it around your neck, it'll help keep you cloaked so we can sneak up on Sam and his girl." Ruby tossed a bag Dean's direction.
"Thanks skank, oh I made a rhyme." Dean grumbled back as he put the fowl bag around his neck. "Man this smells like ass, so we avoid being detected by demons and attract the bears?"
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Dude we need a plan and like now."
"Sam's my responsibility. You take out the bitch with your pig sticker and I'll grab my brother." Dean huffed out as the made good time down the path leading to the pond.
"Sure leave the dirty work to me." Ruby spewed back.
"Oh, just be careful, wouldn't want you to break a nail." Dean smirked back and then motioned for her to stop as he noticed movement up ahead.
Dean and Ruby hid behind a tree and surveyed the area. Dean's heart nearly stopped as he spied Sam kneeling on the ground, with the demon bitch perched in front of him.
Ruby motioned for them to move, and Dean followed her lead.
It all happened so fast. Ruby grabbed the demon bitch from behind, dragging her away.
Dean slid on the ground in front of his brother, gasping at the site of blood flowing from the kid's chest. The kid's shirt was soaked with the red fluid and the smell of the blood assaulted Dean's nose. He grabbed Sam just as his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he went limp in Dean's arms.
Dean struggled to breathe, as he felt his brother fall against his shoulder, eyes closed. No this can't be happening, not again. Please God no!
"Sammy, you can't do this to me. You hear me, you can't leave me again. You can't." Dean no longer could think straight. Words and emotions just poured out just as Sam's blood gushed out now soaking Dean's shirt.
-0-
Ruby had enjoyed this kill. Mara and her followers acted so superior, thought they had all the answers for world domination. It was a pleasure to kill the smug bitch.
In fact, it was pretty easy. Grabbing the woman from behind, she quickly hauled her away from Sam and slit her throat. It was over in a matter of moments.
She was contemplating the best way to get rid of the body when she heard Dean.
He was holding Sam and babbling incoherently, which puzzled Ruby.
Oh she knew that Sam was Dean's weakness, but Sam had to be okay. Mara wanted Sam, so there was no way the demon bitch would have maimed or killed the boy. Hurt him yes, but she doubted even that.
But taking in Dean's appearance it seemed he was going into shock and that made her reconsider her opinion on Sam's state.
Sighing she walked over and tried to pull the young man from Dean's grip. Finding that impossible she placed two fingers to the boys pulse point and found a strong heart beat. She then placed a hand on Sam's back and she could feel him taking a breath.
Dean was still babbling that Sam couldn't leave him, so Ruby decided that the hunter needed a reality check.
She reached over and slapped Dean across the face. Ruby was relieved to have the distraught man's attention.
"Dean, Sam is alive. He's breathing." She spoke softly hoping that the words would sink in.
Dean then brought his own fingers up to Sam's pulse point and seamed to relax as he felt his brother's heart beat.
Ruby decided to take charge. "Dean, let's lay him down and check his injuries, okay?"
Dean nodded, and gently laid his brother down. It was evident to Ruby right away that while the wounds on Sam's chest were nasty the blood had begun to clot, some of it was dried to Sam's shirt.
"Dean, it looks like the bleeding is stopping, and if we lift his shirt, it will probably make him bleed again. Why don't we just move him to the house, and then inspect the wounds. I don't think they're deep." Ruby spoke slowly hoping to reach Dean.
Dean was gaining some color but continued to look lost. "How are we going to get him back?"
Ruby couldn't help but smirk. "Duh, I'm a demon so I could carry him by myself if needed. Why don't we see if we can get Sam in a standing position and you can shoulder one side and I'll take the other?"
Dean took a moment to think it over and then started to lift Sam into a sitting position. "Come on little brother, we need to get you back to the house."
Ruby helped lift Sam to a standing position, and was shocked at how heavy the lanky kid was. Between her and Dean, they were able to get the boy moving.
-0-
Dean had Sam's right arm slung over his shoulder. Dean was moving on auto pilot following Ruby's lead.
He had been so sure that Sam was gone. Holding his little brother in his arms by the pond had been too similar to Cold Oaks and because of that Dean had checked out for awhile.
For the first time since meeting the demon bitch, he was actually thankful to have her with him. She had helped him regain his grasp on reality, and the fact that Sam was alive.
Time seemed to pass slowly, but eventually, they reached Bobby's house. It was a relief to finally deposit his brother on the couch.
"Ruby, would you head to the bathroom and wet some towels? We need to clean Sam up to check his injuries. There's a first aid kit under the sink." Dean was happy when Ruby didn't give him a snarky reply and just headed towards the bathroom.
Dean took a moment to take in his brother's appearance. The kid was pale, but seemed to be breathing just fine and his heart beat was strong. Sam's shirt was glued to him due to the dried blood.
Dean was brought out of his assessment when Ruby returned and handed him a wet towel. Dean carefully placed the towel over his brother's t-shirt, hoping to loosen the blood's grip to Sam's skin. He was thankful that Sam hadn't buttoned the outer shirt he was wearing so that the blood had only soaked through the kids t-shirt.
Dean grabbed a pair of scissors out of the kit and carefully cut the shirt away from his brother's chest. He winced in sympathy as he pulled the shirt away.
The wounds weren't deep, but they were red and angry.
Ruby spoke up after taking a peak at the injuries. "Dean, I think some holy water is going to be necessary."
Dean nodded. "Yeah, I think your right. Bobby keeps a blue pitcher full of it in his fridge. Would you grab it?"
"Dude, don't get used to ordering me around." Ruby snapped as she set off towards the kitchen.
Dean's stomach turned at the thought of pouring the holy liquid on Sam's chest. He knew it would burn and cause his brother more pain. He just hoped his brother stayed unconscious through the process.
Ruby returned with the pitcher and sat down next to Dean on the coffee table next to the couch Sam was now occupying.
She cleared her throat. "This is going to hurt like a bitch, one of us needs to hold him down and since I don't want to be splashed with this shit, I think that job should be yours."
"Yeah." Dean replied quietly, hating to take part in this part of Sam's treatment. He kneeled down next to Sam and placed each of his hands on Sam's biceps and then nodded to Ruby that he was ready.
Ruby rose from her spot on the table and slowly began to pour the liquid across Sam's chest. The skin began to sizzle and a moan escaped from Sam.
Sam's eyes shot open and the kid began to struggle against Dean.
"Sammy hold on, it'll be over in a minute."
The younger man continued to struggle until the sizzling stopped and then he collapsed against the couch, wide eyed.
Dean grabbed one of the towels that Ruby had brought back from the bathroom and began to dry Sam's chest.
As he worked, Dean spoke quietly trying to calm his sibling. "Sammy, that bitch did a number on your chest, we need to get it taken care of, okay?"
A single tear flowed and Sam seemed to be with them. "Mara, is she gone?" The voice was soft and full of fear.
Ruby patted Sam awkwardly on the arm. "Sammy, the bitch is dead. Speaking of which, I need to take care of a body."
Dean was happy to see Ruby leave. It was nice to not have an audience as he cared for Sam.
"Sammy, the demon is dead." Dean watched as Sam nodded in acknowledgment.
"She said I belonged to her. I tried to fight her." Sam's voice was raspy and raw, probably from screaming.
"You did good Sammy. If you hadn't fought her, we might not have got there in time." Dean watched as Sam relaxed at that statement.
"God, she was tearing my chest open. I thought I was going to die." Sam's voice was shaky and full of fear.
"She did a number on you, but while the scratches are red and painful, there not deep. In fact, I think I'll just slap some butterfly band aids on the deeper ones and put antibiotic over all of it." Dean reached into the first aid kit and pulled out the supplies he needed.
Sam stayed awake as Dean administered to his injuries. He was quiet, and Dean could tell his baby brother was still in pain.
"Sammy, I'm going to get you some water so you can take some pain pills okay?"
Sam nodded and Dean hurried to get the water and pills. Once he returned, he quickly helped Sam sit up so that he could take the medication. It was a relief when after twenty minutes, his brother lost his battle with consciousness.
-0-
Things were quiet over night at Bobby's and Dean was thankful. Ruby had disposed of the demon bitch's body and then left to see if she could take care of the rest of the demonic group.
Dean had taken up residence in an easy chair that he had pulled up next to the couch. Sam had slept peacefully through the night and at some point Dean dozed off himself.
His sleep was interrupted by a key rattling in the front door. Dean sprang into hunter's mode until he recognized the ball-capped figure that stepped into the house.
"What the hell Dean? I thought Sam was getting better." Bobby grunted out as he approached the living room.
Dean felt a ping of guilt as he realized he hadn't thought to call Bobby about the demon leader's invasion of his property.
Sighing heavily, he motioned for Bobby to follow him into the kitchen where he could talk to the elder hunter without disturbing his brother.
Dean took a seat at the kitchen table and watched as Bobby sat down across from him.
"The leader of that the demon group that took Sam came after him. He had taken a walk to the pond when Ruby showed up. She told me the demon bitch was in the area and we went to look for Sam." It was hard for Dean to recount the previous day's events. It was all too fresh and still painful to recall.
"Kid got hurt?" Bobby's face was full of concern.
Dean swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah, when Ruby and I got there the bitch had him on his knees and she was on her knees in front of him. Ruby pulled the demon away from Sam, and I slid down beside him.
"Bobby it was Cold Oaks all over again. Blood covered his shirt and he went limp in my arms. I just froze and lost it. I just knew I had lost him…" Dean stopped, taking a moment to collect himself.
"Ruby killed the demon and then checked on Sam. When she realized he was okay, she hit me." Dean absently rubbed his cheek, it still smarted a bit.
"She what?" Bobby voice was full of anger.
"Brought me out of the shock of the situation, and I was able to function again." Dean admitted quietly.
"Damn it, wish I could have been here. Is Sam okay?" Bobby's face was full of concern.
"Yeah, she scratched his chest up pretty good, but it's not deep. It was red and swollen and I'm sure painful. We had to clean it with Holy Water, and that had to hurt like a bitch. But otherwise, he's good. I didn't have to stitch him." Dean could hear the relief in his own voice.
"So Ruby still here?"
"Nah, she took care of the body and then headed out to look for more of the demon group after Sam. She seemed to think that Sam was safe though." Dean wasn't so sure himself, and because of that was grateful that Ruby was going after the rest of the group.
"She's probably right, once a leaders gone the group usually falls apart. But it doesn't hurt to make sure. So I'd bet you and Sam could use some breakfast?" Bobby asked as he got up from his seat, heading for the coffee pot.
"Thanks Bobby." Dean got up from the table ready to go back to his brother. "I'm going to check on Sam."
-0-
Sam woke up to the sound of his brother talking quietly. He slowly opened his eyes.
"Hey Sammy, how you feeling?" Dean asked as he sat down on the coffee table next to the couch.
Sam slowly started to sit up. His chest was sore, and he had a bit of a headache, but he felt okay over all.
"Sore but okay." Sam admitted and then realized that Bobby was standing next to the couch. "Hey Bobby."
"Hey Sam, are you hungry?"
Sam could see the concern in Bobby and Dean's faces.
"No not right now, maybe later?" Sam gave Bobby a small smile.
Bobby nodded. "Just let me know, I'm going to make some more coffee. Dean and I finished it off."
Sam watched as Bobby left him alone with his brother.
"Sammy, I want to apologize, I shouldn't have left you alone with that Demon leader still on the loose." Dean's voice was thick and full of emotion.
It made Sam feel awful that Dean felt guilty. Sam knew it was his fault that he was attacked. He had ignored his dreams and had kept them to himself.
Sam knew that he was capable of visions; Dean had shared that with him. If he had shared his dreams with Dean, he might have realized that they were full blown visions and not just dreams.
Sam knew he had to own up to his failure. He couldn't let his brother take on the guilt that belonged to him.
He swallowed hard. "No, it's not your fault Dean. I-I've been having these dreams. Mara has been coming to me in my dreams telling me she was coming. I wrote them off as just dreams, I should have realized that they were more than that, maybe a vision. I should have told you about them."
Sam was shocked by his brother's reaction. Dean's eyes went wide. He quickly stood and fled the room, leaving Sam puzzled and confused.
-0-
Dean had to get some air. The minute his brother brought up the dreams he knew that it was his fault that Sam got hurt.
He had been so sure that keeping Sam's memories from him was the right thing to do. Thinking back he realized that it had been the selfish thing to do. He didn't want to watch Sam suffer as his deal went down, so he had kept Sam's memories from him.
In the end, it was his fault Sam had gotten hurt. If he had given Sam his memories back, the kid would have known that he was having visions. His little brother would have known that Mara was coming for him and would have been able to fight her off. Now, Dean had to live with the guilt of causing his brother pain.
A/N: So the threat is gone- and the boys are left with guilt! The next few chapters will deal with helping Sam regain his memory and both boys dealing with what happened. More soon- thanks for reading and especially for the wonderful reviews! :0)