Summary:
Dean and Sam fall into a vampire hunting pack's trap; Sam manages to escape but has to leave Dean behind. When he loses the trail to the nest, he calls on the vampire whose life he saved, Lenore, to help him find his brother. Kate, part of the nest that has Dean, decides Dean's punishment for helping to kill her mate, Luther, should include becoming a vampire himself. Post Croatoan.
Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own the copyrights to the Boys. But thank you Kripke for such fab characters and letting us play in your universe!!
Rating is for some bad-boy language. Some chapters get a bit bloody and lean toward mature themes.
Blood Debt
Chapter 10
A vigorous shaking of his shoulders roused Dean. He started to say something but a hand clamped over his mouth stopped him. He opened his eyes, angry, and drew his fist back. Lenore leaned over him.
"Shh, Dean," she whispered and took her hand from his mouth. "Are you lucid?"
Dean gave a hesitant nod. He felt nauseous and his head throbbed. He really just wanted to go back to sleep.
"It's time to go. Kate's too dangerous and Thompson may not side with me." She unlocked his shackles and quietly set them on the ground.
"So you're my boss now?" Dean asked. He knew whatever she asked, he'd do. He could feel it and knew he had no choice. He rubbed his raw wrists.
She handed him a tranquilizer rifle. "Yes, but I don't think you'll mind this next order. The darts are filled with deadman's blood. Why don't you go shoot as many vampires as you can before someone raises an alarm? Though not me, Shelly or Eli, of course." She handed him three extra clips, five darts in each.
Dean grinned. "You're shitting me."
She smiled back. "No. Eli and Shelly are handling the house. You and I are taking down the barn."
"Sam?" Dean asked, sudden concern filling him. When he'd come back with Shelly, Shelly had assured him Sam was still alive. He looked over to the next cage. He didn't think Sam had moved since last night.
"He's very, very weak. I can't promise anything yet. But I can guarantee we're dead meat if we don't move and move fast." She handed him a machete. "Shoot first, then go back and finish them off. No witnesses."
"I can do that," Dean said and snapped the machete's sheath to a belt loop of his jeans. He got to his feet and after a final glance at his sleeping brother, he strode out of the cage, ready to call down some much desired Winchester vengeance.
He walked out among the sleeping vampires and chose a location. Lenore was across the barn. He waited for her signal. She gave him a nod and he began firing the darts into the sleeping vampires. The darts struck, vampires convulsed in sudden pain, but hardly a sound was made other than the "whump" of the gun each time a dart fired. Dean had shot four and was taking aim on the fifth when one of the people in the cages let out a horrendous cry; vampires began stirring. Dean fired the last dart from the cartridge but didn't have time to reload before vampires began coming at him. He knew running was not an option as it had been at Luther's place. He had to stay and fight. He had to make sure Sammy got out of here.
Dean cold-cocked a vampire up side the head with the rifle butt. Another vampire sucker-punched Dean and he staggered. He drew the machete and beheaded the vampire in a single arc of metal and blood. He grinned when he realized it was Suzanne.
"Guess you were first instead of third, Bitch," he practically crowed. He turned to the one he'd cold-cocked; the vampire was slowly getting to his feet. Dean brought the blade down and finished him off. The two remaining on his side bolted for the door. He hastily changed out gun cartridges and managed to nail one in the back with a dart. The woman fell. The man made it out the door and into the afternoon sun before Dean could get off the next shot.
Dean looked over at Lenore just in time to see her behead a vampire. He saw someone getting ready to jump her and he brought his rifle up to his shoulder, aimed, and shot. The man fell. Lenore spun out the way of another attack and her blade sang through the air. The head of her attacker landed ten feet from its body.
Lenore turned to the cages and shot the one who had raised the alarm. Dean scanned the barn. He didn't see any others and focused his attention on the vampires he'd shot and quickly dispatched them. When he was done, he joined Lenore. He realized everyone in the cages except Sam was dead.
"Finish beheading the others," Lenore said, waving to the vampires on her side of the barn.
"You killed the prisoners?" Dean asked, shocked.
"We don't have time to sort the dogs from the food and we can't afford to leave any vampire alive. They would hunt my family down, and certainly go after you and Sam. This is a betrayal none of us would survive. The new food is in a shack between here and the house. We'll leave them for the police."
"But—" Dean began.
She gave him a hard look. "It's already done. Finish off the other vampires," she ordered.
Dean took a last look at the people lying in pools of blood and turned from them. He set his jaw and did as she ordered.
When he returned to her side, he found her in Sam's cage unlocking Sam's shackle. Dean stared at his sleeping form and tried to forget the memory of himself crouched at Sam's arm sucking the life out of his little brother.
"Carry him outside to the tan Protégé. Set him in back." She rested a light hand on his shoulder. "The sun's going to hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, Dean. Be ready for it."
"I thought it just felt like a bad sunburn."
"More like getting into a hot shower when you have a really bad sun burn."
Dean winced, recalling the time he'd come back from a rock concert, his back and chest lobster red from the sun. He'd been in sunburn hell for five days. "Super," Dean muttered.
Dean put the machete back in its sheath, slung the rifle over his shoulder, and then swept his brother into his arms, wanting to forget that he'd done this to him. Sam's breathing was shallow, but he was breathing. Dean headed for the door. He blinked back his tears. If Sam died—Dean shuddered. No, he couldn't live with himself if Sam died because of his weakness. Sam had to live. He had to. He held his brother a little tighter, as if willing his own life into him.
When Dean stepped outside with his load, he practically staggered as the sun's rays caressed him.
"Damn!" Dean cursed, wanting nothing more than to get out of the sun's burning light. He spotted the Protégé and hurried over to it. After getting the back door open, he laid his brother gently in the back seat and shut the door. He turned in time to see Lenore light a match and toss it to the ground. Flames licked up the side of the barn.
Noises of fighting erupted from the house. A man sailed out the second story window, a dart in his neck. Lenore strode forward and finished him. She glanced back at Dean. "C'mon, hunter. Time to earn your freedom."
He broke into a run and joined her step-for-step as they went up the back stairs of the house and across the porch. Lenore slammed the door with the heel of her hand and it shattered inward, splinters flying.
"I've got the right," Lenore said and disappeared that way through a doorway. Dean went straight and kicked open the swinging door. A vampire was headed at him full tilt. He fired point blank into her chest. She fell in a convulsing heap. He realized it was Darlene, Kate's friend and his occasional tormentor. "No snacking today, darling Darlene," Dean said as he drew his machete and beheaded her.
He strode further into the house. He paused inside the dining room to listen. Sounds of fighting came from upstairs as well as from a room off to his left. He peered through the doorway and saw Shelly getting the shit kicked out of her by the vampire that had escaped the barn. Dean put a dart into him and went to Shelly's side. "You okay?" he asked and offered her a hand up.
"Yeah," she said. Her lip was split wide and a deep gash ran along her forehead. She snatched his machete from him and finished off the vampire. "Always hated Marcus," she growled. "He was always grabbing my ass."
"Is Sam okay?" she asked as she handed back his machete, then retrieved her own from the floor beside the dresser.
"He's alive for now. That's the best I've got," Dean said.
She grinned. "Alive is good. He's strong."
"But your family drank from him, then I…"
"We took very little. Lenore's the only one who really drank from him in the last day. Lenore got to him quickly. He's got a real good chance of making it through this." She saw his concerned looked. "He'll be okay."
"Where are Kate and Thompson?" Dean asked, trying to hide the fear that she might be wrong.
"They were upstairs. I'm not sure if they still are. You can't go up against Kate, Dean," she told him firmly.
"Why not?" Dean asked, his anger flaring. He wanted a piece of that bitch's scrawny ass after everything she'd done to him and his brother.
"Because I still have sway over you," Kate said from the doorway. "Shoot her."
Dean found himself bringing the gun's muzzle around toward Shelly before he even realized it. She dove behind the bed and the dart buried its needle into the wall.
"Do what it takes to kill her," Kate ordered.
Dean tried to control himself, but his feet had other ideas and he walked forward, the gun at ready. He tried to hang on to the order Lenore had given him; Shelly wasn't to be shot, but Kate's control was simply too strong and he couldn't stop himself. When he got to the other side of the bed, Shelly wasn't there. She scrambled from beneath the bed and ran for the door. His dart hit her square in the back and she collapsed, her back arched against the pain. He tossed the empty gun aside and pulled out his machete.
No! he told himself, fighting against Kate's orders but his body wouldn't obey him. He walked up to Shelly and raised the machete, trying to resist every movement he made.
"Stop, Dean!" Lenore screeched from the stairs.
Dean froze, unable to move. He closed his eyes in relief.
Lenore came to his side. "You will protect Shelly, Eli, and me. You will not harm any of us."
Dean felt some modicum of control seep back into his body.
"Kate, she's getting away," Dean managed to say as he found he could lower the arm with the machete.
"Look after Shelly," Lenore said and charged after Kate.
He reached down and pulled the dart out of Shelly's back then walked over to the wall. He was still Kate's bitch. He let out with a wail of fury and punched clean through the thin wall. His hand came back plaster covered.
"I'm sorry, Shelly," Dean said as he returned to her side and picked her up. Her eyes were rolled back and she was gasping against the potent poison that burned in her veins like fire.
Lenore saw Kate at the Protégé, awkwardly pulling Sam out of the back seat using her one good arm. Lenore's stride lengthened.
Kate whirled on her, Sam in a headlock that would allow her to snap his neck with hardly an effort.
"I'll kill him," she said.
"Go ahead. He's just a dog to me," Lenore said, raising the rifle to take aim on Kate. Kate shifted so Sam's body offered her some protection.
"Bullshit. You armed his brother. This is a rescue. Why, Lenore?" Kate demanded. "Why would you turn on your own?"
"Because our ways have to change if we're to survive. Dean and Sam saved my life. They protected and saved my family. They've told other hunters to pass us over and the hunters have. If you don't hunt humans, Dean and Sam aren't your enemy."
"So you feed on animals?" Kate sneered.
"It's disgusting, but we're alive because of it. And we intend to stay alive."
"They killed my family! They killed my mate! They deserve to die!" Kate said. She tightened her hold on Sam. Sam stirred, the chokehold snaking through to his consciousness. His eyes opened as he gasped for air and he tried to pull her arm away. Failing in that, his fingers tore open the bandage on his arm and he pulled out the syringe of deadman's blood he'd planned to use on Dean. He buried it in her arm.
"What the fu—" Kate began and felt the burning in her arm. When Sam felt her hold loosen, he pulled away from her, falling to the ground. Kate ripped the syringe from her arm and looked up as Lenore squeezed the trigger. The dart embedded itself in her throat. She let out a terrible gurgle and collapsed. Lenore hurried to Sam.
"Sam?" she asked worriedly
Sam's eyes looked a little glazed. "Yeah," he mumbled. "I'm alive. I think."
"Hang in there, Sam," Lenore said.
Lenore turned to Kate and raised her machete.
"No!" Dean shouted at her as he ran toward her.
She paused and turned warily, fearing Kate's control might still be strong enough he intended to try to stop her from beheading the woman.
"She's mine," Dean said stopping by Lenore's side, a dark look in his eyes.
Lenore hesitated. "Are you sure you can do it?"
Dean looked over at Sam then back at Lenore. "Oh, yeah."
Lenore stepped back and gestured him forward.
Dean looked down at Kate and with a satisfied smile, started to bring the machete down. His arm wouldn't lower.
"No, dammit," Dean growled. He dug up every bit of anger he could but it still wasn't enough. He howled in frustration.
"Dean," Lenore said. "Kill Kate."
Dean felt his will strengthen and the resistance in his muscles weakened. He brought his blade down with a triumphant shout, finishing off his tormentor and almost sire.
Eli walked up to stand beside Dean. Dean raised an eyebrow at him.
"I take it you're on our side?" Dean asked.
"No, I thought I'd come over here so you could behead me easier," Eli said sarcastically. He handed Dean his coat. "Thought you might want it back. I found your cell phone and wallet too. They're in the inside pocket. The cell phone's battery is missing, but it looks intact otherwise."
Dean's eyes lit up. "Dude, I so owe you. I love this coat." Dean slipped the coat on, and breathed a sigh of relief. The sun couldn't get through the leather and he no longer felt like a steak on a grill.
Eli walked over to Lenore and wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's done."
"Thompson?" Lenore asked hopefully.
Eli gave a sigh. "He got away."
Lenore closed her eyes. "Damn." She looked over his shoulder and saw the house begin to go up in flames. She saw Shelly leaning against a car twenty feet away. "Let's get out of here."
She helped Dean get Sam back into of the Protégé and then helped Shelly in beside him. Eli drove, Lenore sat shotgun, and Sam, Shelly and Dean were crammed in the back seat.
Near the end of the driveway they saw someone sitting in the shade of a large maple tree. Eli slowed the car. "It's Detroit."
Lenore jumped out and hurried over to him. He looked up at her smiling, giving her a smile the likes of which she'd never seen before. At least not on the face of the tormented almost-priest.
"Are you okay?" she asked, puzzled.
Detroit jerked a thumb over his shoulder. She looked where he indicated. Thompson lay in the shade, his head separated from his body by a good five feet. "Oh, I'm better than okay," Detroit said. "I'm free."
Lenore smiled, relief washing over her. She helped him to his feet and hugged him. "Good job. Where's the Impala?"
"Over there," he said, waving to a line of tall lilac bushes.
They walked back to the Protégé together. Lenore put a hand on his arm. "Shelly got a dose of deadman's blood," Lenore said. Fear flickered across Detroit's face. "She should be just fine in a few hours, a little weak and nauseous, but fine," she reassured him.
Detroit left Lenore's side and ran to the Protégé. Eli told Dean Detroit was Shelly's mate and to let Detroit in by her. Dean got out of the back seat, feeling guilty at seeing the fear on Detroit's face. Lenore walked around to Eli and leaned down. He rolled down the window.
"Eli, get to Nick's house. Dean and I will bring the other car." She looked in back at Detroit. "Keys?"
"In the ignition," Detroit said, cradling Shelly in his arms. He stroked her face, worry and concern reflected in his own.
Lenore turned to Dean. "Come on. We'll take your car," she said.
"I'm not leaving Sam," Dean said, daring her to order him to do so.
Lenore folded her arms across her chest. "Really? Tell me Dean, are you getting hungry?"
Dean blinked. He felt the bloodlust tickling the back of his mind. He gave a shrug. "A little, I guess."
"Then bringing Sam in the same car as us probably isn't such a good idea, now is it?"
"But what if one of them gets…."
"We can control our hunger. Can you?" she challenged.
Dean stared at the ground. He couldn't. He was a danger to his own brother. Again. He leaned down and looked in the back seat of the car. Sam was asleep against the door, his mop of brown hair sticking up every which way. He looked too pale, Dean thought.
"Is he going to be okay?" Dean asked quietly.
"I can't promise anything. But the sooner we get to Nick's, the better his chances are if he starts to go down hill."
Dean buried the pain of leaving his brother with strangers, vampire strangers. Never mind they'd risked everything to save him. He should be the one driving Sam to safety. Dean schooled his face and gave a sharp nod. "Then let's get the hell out of here. The fire department probably isn't that far off."
Lenore waved Eli on and led Dean over to the bushes where the Impala was concealed. Dean ran a loving hand along her fender before getting in the driver's seat. Lenore slid in on the passenger's side. Dean cranked the engine, pulled onto the gravel driveway, and quickly caught up with Eli.
"Am I too far gone to save?" Dean finally asked Lenore after they'd been on the road for a while.
She looked over, studying him for a minute. She turned back to stare out the front window. "I don't know. We can attempt to kill the virus though that will be extremely painful for you and there's a good chance you won't survive. Alternately, we can complete the turning but there's no guarantee that you'll be able to stomach cow's blood over human. It's rather unpleasant tasting. Rather like an ice cream shake that's been sitting in a hot car for three days. Regardless, you have to decide. What do you want to do?"
Dean felt the burn of the sun's rays on his face and didn't answer.