With The Coming of the Dawn
Summary
The hunters become the hunted when a creature stalks a remote community, and one of the brothers has a choice to make. Will both brothers survive the hunt and the decision of the other?
Disclaimer- Don't own anything Supernatural, this is Kripke's sandbox - I just play here from time to time…Author's Note – Wasn't going to post this until a little Catbeist encouraged me…Thank you! Again thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, please continue to let me know what you think…oh, and a word of warning – Evil Fangirl escaped…
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Chapter 22Dean was the first to begin to regain consciousness. He and Sam where back where he last remembered, lying next to each other on the bed in Elsie's son's room. His mind slowly swam to the surface - even lethargic and muddled, his brain was trying to communicate something to him.
He heard raised voices coming from the next room.
"Just what in God's name did you do John?"
"What I had to Missouri – now back off. This is none of your business."
"You should have waited John; the incantation might have worked given enough time."
"Look Missouri- it wasn't working – it was written all over your face. If we had waited any longer, we would have lost them both!"
"I know." She sighed, "I just wish there could have been another way. You can never tell them John. If you ever want to see your boys again, you must never tell them."
"Funnily enough I don't feel the urge to spill my guts and confess my sins." John's voice was harsh and bitter.
"Lower your voice John, they're waking."
Dean's breath quickened. What has Dad done to piss off Missouri? What was so bad that would cause the psychic to specifically warn him not to tell him or Sam?
The words of the Demon came back to him. Your Dad traded Sam for you. No, Dean thought, that couldn't be true. He wouldn't, his Dad loved Sam, he knew that.
Sam…He quickly turned his head to look at his young brother. Sam's eyes were still firmly closed and his breathing shallow. Someone had laid him on his side and he was a bloody mess, literally. Most of it dry although some still trickled from his nose and ears.
"Sam? Sammy! C'mon kiddo, nap time's over." He reached up and laid a hand across Sam's brow, it was cooler than before so at least the fever seemed to have broken.
Dean could not understand why the Demon had spared them. There was no logical reason it would do so- not unless it benefited it in some way. Bile rose in Dean's throat – It wants Sam. They all knew it though they had each buried it under varying degrees of denial. So, that means it doesn't want Sam to die unless it suited him. But Dean, why did it not kill him? It could easily have done so.
A last wisp of thought wafted gently through his mind, a remnant of the diminishing venom. "Because I wouldn't have let it..."
"Sam?"
Perhaps it just wanted him out of Sam's mind, so that it could return to attack his brother. Urgently now he needed his brother to open his eyes. Why isn't he waking?
Sam too drifted – he was so tired and didn't want to wake just yet. He could hear Dean's voice – "Nap times over!" Just a minute more De, I promise…
He could still sense a little of Dean, enough to pick up his concern but he could also hear the sound of their Dad and Missouri arguing. What? With his consciousness still floating, not quite fully returned to his body, his curiosity got the better of him. He concentrated. Now that the venom was dissipating and the leech stone spent, it was more difficult but not impossible to pull away. He knew that had he fully returned he probably would not have been able to do it on his own. But there was still enough excess psychic energy still lingering for him to have a quick peek.
Because the arrangement with The Demon was at the forefront of both their minds, Sam was able to pick up most of the details of the bargain before pulling back, like a child who had burned their fingertips reaching towards the brightness of a flame. He could sense his father's anguish. "It's ok Dad, I understand." He whispered and he did. If he had been awake he would have agreed to it. And he sensed that it wasn't because his Dad hated him, only that he loved both his son's so fiercely that he made this desperate bargain in an attempt to gain them time.
Dean must never know this Sam thought and he turned to go back to his body, back to his brother. A last thought tugged at him, a comment made by The Demon to his father, His powers John- just where do you think they come from? You and I know where this is eventually going to end – why don't you at least try to spare Dean that? Don't let his brother drag him down with him.
And Sam sensed that a part of his Dad believed it to be true.
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Sam hesitated a moment before choosing to return. He could hear Dean fretting in his mind about the Demon and why it didn't kill him. "Because I wouldn't have let it" he whispered. And there was the rub – just as Dean couldn't walk away from Sam, Sam could not leave his brother. Who would look out for Dean? Certainly not their father, who seemed intent on casting his sons into ever more dangerous situations, He needs me to watch his back, just as I need him to watch mine.
Returning back to his body was a confusing jumble of sensations and then, it was so quiet and peaceful. He had become accustomed to the constant background of noise, thoughts and feelings and for a moment Sam just sank back within himself, feeling the silence soothing his raw spirit.
He opened his eyes to see his brothers concerned face inches from his own, anxious moss green eyes looking down at him. "Dude - personal space man."
Dean's face broke into a beaming smile. "Thought that you were going to do the whole sleeping beauty stint there Sam, but there was no way this handsome prince was going to kiss you. – Thought I would have to drag in one of the Mill hands."
"You're sick Dean."
"But you are a girl – I mean seriously, the hair, the lattes, art classes, is there something you want to tell me?"
Sam punched his brother in the arm – hard. "Jerk!"
"Bitch!" Sam smiled. And for the first time since they came to this town, hell for the first time in a long time the smile reached his eyes. Sam seemed to have finally regained his poise and conviction and Dean hadn't realised just how much he had missed his brother.
Sam coughed and winced in pain. He looked pointedly at the claws still embedded in his shoulder. "So Dean, was anyone ever going to remove these things?"
"Nah, we thought we'd let you keep them. You always said you wanted a pet Sam, well; we're just doing it by instalment plan. This month the claws, what do you want next month?"
Sam groaned, "Only in this family…"
Both brothers shared a grin and for one second Dean overcome by relief averted his eyes and looked out of the bedroom window. His smile broadened when he realised that the sun was rising – the Demon was wrong, with the coming of the dawn, both brothers were alive and together.
An hour later the Demon stood watching the departure of the Winchester family and Missouri and smiled in satisfaction. It had nearly lost its prize due to that interfering leech. But it had been useful; it had shown that the key to Sam was his brother and protector. Dean kept Sam strong and balanced. The Demon now knew that for its plans for Sam to succeed it needed to break Sam's spirit which up until now had been battered but never broken. And to get to Sam it needed to break Dean.
Just as the Demon knew Dean was the key to Sam, John would be the rod with which to break Dean. Family meant everything to the older brother, admittedly with Dean, Sam came first then John. However The Demon was restricted in what he would do to Sam right now, but the emotional torment was sufficient to put a strain on both Sam and Dean's emotional reserves. The Demon determined it needed to destroy Dean's faith in his family, his self worth. It knew it had to create a distance between the brothers for Sam to be truly vulnerable. He had thought he had succeeded with Ellicott – using the ghost to drive Sam to attack and attempt to kill his brother, but Dean had never bought into that and had always blamed the spirit, never Sam.
But John – again the Other had helped him out…John was not completely stable. His obsession had, over the years, chipped away at his humanity, his compassion. The drive to hunt was overwhelming and the Demon knew he could use that. John's single-mindedness and stubbornness to hunt down his beloved wife's killer consumed him and the Demon could take advantage of that in order to separate him from his sons, keeping him off balance and vulnerable.
The Demon laughed silently, it was tempting to take John here and now but there was something he wanted John to find for him first. It knew John had been hunting the item for years, and was close to finding it. Oh, it couldn't hurt him, but it could hurt his family and was possibly the only thing that would stop Sam Winchester if his plans for the boy came to fruition. He intended to remove that threat.
It turned to the Other standing at his side – "Follow and watch Leech, that is all. Then report back to me. Try to get into their circle- I can suggest a few who are more vulnerable that the Winchesters' will trust." They thought the Leech dead and gone, and The Demon wanted to use that, the Leech had been useful and that was the only reason it was still alive, that and it had done surprising well in its attack on the family.
The Demon watched the Leech leave and turned to look speculatively up at Elsie's house, a slow, anticipatory smile slid across its features. Sam was emotionally stronger than it had originally thought but it knew how to wear him down. Love, empathy, compassion, guilt - , it sneered. Emotions were Sammy's Achilles heel- he feels too much, too deeply.
The psychic who lived here had taken an obvious shine to the boy and he had subconsciously responded to her maternal affection. Looks like the poor boy's going to have another death in the family it smirked…
Dean glanced down at his brother, asleep in the back of Missouri's 4x4. Sam was leaning against his brother, head against his chest and Dean's arm around his shoulder trying to support as much of Sam's weight as possible away from the injured shoulder, keeping him carefully balanced. The ride so far had been long and uncomfortable, a brittle silence accompanying the small group. John was driving with Missouri up in front with him. Elsie had remained back at her house, confident in the new protections in place.
Dean had quickly become tired of the dark, furtive glances between the psychic and their Dad. Something's wrong. His father's expression hadn't changed since Dean had called for him to help him get Sam to the hospital. The only emotion that John had shown was a quick flash of relief that flickered so briefly in his father's eyes that Dean was beginning to think he had imagined it. His father had barely said two words to his sons and Dean was getting mighty pissed.
When John had first walked into the room, Sam had flinched and looked away, obviously still remembering the comments that the Other had made. Dean had expected his Dad to at least say something, maybe not an apology as that was not his way, but some reassurance that what had been said was untrue, but John could barely look at his youngest son. Dean tried to be charitable and blame it on shame for being possessed and what was said but that again was not John Winchester's way – he never backed away from anything in his life.
Dean had seen the look of hurt that had danced across his brother's expressive face, quickly followed by disbelief, anguish and eventual resignation. Dean knew that John had missed his window of opportunity to put things right with his son, to start to heal the wounds caused by those words. Missouri too could not seem to look at him or Sam, her eyes as they skipped passed his, a strange mixture of concern and guilt.
A swift movement caught at his attention and he could see his father's eyes looking back in the rear view mirror; an unbearable expression of guilt and shame settling on his features, his eyes begging for forgiveness. And Dean knew.
That son of a bitch was telling the truth. He felt as though he had been punched in the stomach, he had an overwhelming need to get out of the car and throw up. He wanted to scream in rage at his father, demand an explanation, and beat some sense into his father's skull. Dammit why Dad? What on earth could the Demon have said to make you do this?
More than anything Dean felt betrayed; his father had sold Sam's soul to the very Demon that had devastated his family, had given up the only thing of value they had left. Why? Dean screamed in the silence of his mind, he bit his lip to keep from shouting out at his father. He couldn't wake Sam, I can never tell Sam - he must never know that our own father has betrayed him, has betrayed us both.
A tear slowly trickled down the side of Dean's nose, and his eyes seared as he glared with barely concealed fury at his father when suddenly Sam bolted upright, his head smashing into Dean's nose and screamed. "Elsie!".
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The Demon approached Elsie's house, easily slipping past the protections it had previously bypassed.
"Elsie", he whispered, using Sam's voice.
"Samuel?" She turned, lowering her defences and reaching out towards the young man she had come to regard almost like a son.
"Elsie, help me, please" The Demon continued, using the older psychic's distraction to overcome the more potent charms that Missouri had set up around the house before the Winchester's had left.
"Samuel? What's wrong? Where are you?"
Elsie was moving room to room, her body mirroring the search of her mind. The Demon waited patiently until she entered the bedroom the boys had previously occupied.
"Hello Elsie." He spoke softly from the darkness behind the door and he stepped out between her and her only means of escape. She backed towards the window.
"You've missed them Demon!" She spoke defiantly and although her heart was pounding and her mouth dry, her voice remained firm and strong. She was not going to give this monster the satisfaction of her terror.
"Oh I am not here for the Winchesters – they have much to do before I come for them. I'm here for you."
A small whimper escaped Elsie's lips before she had the chance to push back her fear.
"Why?"
"Because Sammy likes you Elsie - why else? He cares for you, could even grow to love you as he would his mother – and I can't be having that."
Elsie closed her eyes, "Oh the poor boy", she whispered softly. She knew that she was going to die but that was not what terrified and angered her. The Demon was going to use her to further damage that poor child.
"ELSIE!" Sam screamed, bucking violently and struggling in his brother's arms, "Oh God no, please no", he twisted in the torment of his vision, the headache blinding but not enough so that he could escape the horror playing out before him.
"Sam! It's alright Sammy, it's going to be ok, shhh" Dean kept tight a hold of his brother, holding him safe in his arms, rocking him as he would a child, stroking his brother's hair away from his sweat drenched face. Soothing and calm, his voice gradually brought Sam back from the nightmare.
"Dean?" Sam's eyes desperately sought out his brother. "We have to go back- The Demon – Its still there and it's going after Elsie! Dad- We have to turn the car around. Now!" Sam's face was white and glistening with sweat, a grimace of excruciating pain twisting his features as a second vision followed quickly on the heels of the first.
Sam's world was consumed in fire.
Sam's gasp of pain was the only warning Dean had before his brother slumped limply against him. "What the…"
"Dean, what's wrong with Sam?" John demanded. Yeah, like you care!
Dean looked down as his brother, recognising the signs. "I think he's having a vision."
"What!"
Dean hesitated, not sure how to broach the subject, feeling an unfamiliar need to hold information back, to protect Sam from their father. "It must be the after-effects of the venom." He muttered. John looked in surprise at Dean- his son was lying to him. He opened his mouth to ball him out but Missouri shook her head.
"Leave it John." He turned the wheel and swung the car around.
They were distracted by a quiet moan coming from Sam.
"Hey Sammy, time to wake up a little." Sam stared at Dean, bleary eyed and confused.
"Dean?"
"Sam, you ok? What happened?"
"N-nothing." Sam stuttered, looking away.
"Don't you dare lie to me little brother! Just what the hell did you see?" Sam closed his eyes and shuddered, trying to pull himself away from his brother's grip and turned his face and looked out of the window.
"We have to get to Elsie's and fast." Sam spoke softly, urgently. Dean did not fail to notice he had not answered his question.
He leant in and whispered in his brother's ears. "We don't keep secrets from each other Sam– not anymore."
Sam remained silent. Dean sighed frustrated, when Sam decided to clam up, the only thing you could do was wait him out.
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The truck screeched to a halt outside of Elsie's house. John and Dean quickly jumped out of the car, followed swiftly by a staggering Sam. Blood was soaking through the shirt from his wounds, staining the fresh shirt they had dressed him in earlier a deep crimson.
"Sam, stay in the car!" John ordered.
"I'm not a child Dad."
"Then stop acting like one! In your current condition you are a liability." John's words were harsh with concern and fear for his sons, Dammit Sam; I am trying to protect you and Dean! And if he had to be blunt then so be it.
Dean sucked in his breath as Sam paled. It was too close to the comments that the Other had said to Sam when it was in control of John, and Dean silently cursed his father, but goddammit he's right. Sam's in no condition to be fighting a Demon and if we have to keep one eye on him, its one eye less watching out for danger.
"Sam." Dean said quietly.
"You too huh?" Sam replied. But where he argued with John he was more compliant with his brother's assessment - though not completely without a fight.
"Do not try to guilt trip me Sam, turn those puppy dog eyes elsewhere, they don't work on me!"
Sam just continued to look at Dean, soft brown eyes haunted and sorrowful. Dean knew he was losing this one.
"Fine, just stay behind us."
Sam's grin quickly lit up his face and Dean had a sneaky suspicion he'd just been suckered…again.
The hunters stealthily approached the house, spreading out with their guns held low. They had stocked up on silver bullets from John's truck just in case there were any more of the creatures. Each carried a flask of Holy water.
Elsie's front door was wide open, gently banging against the wall. That alone was enough to tell them that they were probably too late. The house was deathly silent apart from a clock ticking in the hallway, counting the seconds, casting them aside, each tick a harsh reminder of time lost.
Quickly and efficiently they searched each room, careful not to leave a hiding place between them and the exit. Finally they reached the bedroom where they had spent the last few days.
A strong smell of copper and sulphur was in the air. The Demon had been here. John took the far side of the door and motioned Dean to enter as he covered him, gesturing for Sam to remain guarding the rear. Dean carefully entered and scanned the room for any signs of danger. He briefly closed his eyes when he heard the soft drip, drip, drip of blood falling to the floor.
He had to get Sam out of here – but a sharp intake of breath told him it was too late. Sam's eyes wide and horrified looked up at Elsie's bleeding body, pinned above them– he raised a shaking hand as if to pull her down. "Elsie? Oh God, I'm so sorry." An intense heat began to radiate from the ceiling.
"Dean, grab your brother and get out of there!" John's voice rang out for the doorway. Dean pulled at his unresisting brother as flames erupted around Elsie's body.
"C'mon Sammy, move yourself!" He propelled his brother out of the room, the flames licking at his back, he could feel the hair on his head starting to singe. "Shit Sam MOVE IT!"
All three Winchesters flung themselves out of the house as the place went up in flames. Dean supported his brother as he staggered and sank to his knees in the garden, tears flowing openly. He turned anguished eyes on his brother. "Why Dean? What was the point? It was over, she wasn't a threat to anyone!"
The point was that it was something else to hurt you with Sam, Dean thought. "Who knows why a Demon does anything – it could just be that as a psychic, she was threat enough."
Sam smiled sadly through his tears – he appreciated that Dean was trying to do, to come up with an alternative other than the obvious, but he had heard the Demon's words to Elsie and knew this was a message to him. Look what happens to those who get close to you. The irony was that this was a lesson he had already learned all too well.
"Let's get you to a hospital" Dean said softly
John cleared his throat – "Dean, Missouri can take you to the hospital – I have to go"
"You what?" Dean was incredulous, after everything that had happened; their Dad was just going to walk away again. "Look Dean, The Demon is getting too close; we need to scatter its targets. There is something I need to look into, an old friend I need to look up."
"Friend?" Dean hissed, "What about your family?"
John looked at him surprised. "Dean, you don't understand"
"No Dad, I don't and I doubt I ever will!"
"Dean?" Sam's voice was wavering, calming his brother with its fragility. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing Sam, Dad just has a lead to chase".
"Oh. OK" Dean whirled to face his brother. Sam was being way too accepting of his father. He should have been demanding they stick together, challenging his father's decision- anything. Not just agreeing. But there was an understanding there, an eddy of underlying sorrow that Dean could not quite grasp. What the hell is Sam hiding…followed immediately by the thought what if he knows…?
Sam too was puzzled by Dean's uncharacteristic hostility towards their father. It was if the two brothers had traded places, Sam now the obedient son, Dean the argumentative dissenter. What was going on with his brother? And a treacherous thought echoed back. What if he knows…?
A/N
And just when you thought it was safe…LOL! So, what did you think? Please R and R…
Hoping I am not disappointing…
Last Chapter of this one should be posted by Saturday… then onto the sequel mwa ha haaaaa!
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"Holy Hell Fire Batman!"
"Language Robin – remember this is a family show"
"No Batman, as in Holy Psychic BBQ!"
"Yes, Evil Fangirl is more cunning than we first thought…"
"Surely we can stop her Batman?"
"I'm not sure we can Robin, she seems to be rallying support from the other Fangirls…"
Beam of light flashes across the sky…
"Look Batman, is that the Batsignal?"
"Quick Robin…to the Batmobile!"
"Evil Fangirl crashed it"
"Get the standby Robin"
"Not the Bat-skates again Batman!"
"Evil Fangirl didn't steal those too did she?"