Oh where, Oh where has your big brother gone?

Disclaimer: as per usual, check chapter 1

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CHAPTER 12

Dean tossed and turned, trying to get into a comfortable position, his assorted injuries hurt like hell. He swallowed down on the rising bile as he remembered the moment that Decebal had broken him, the pain in his body didn't come close to the pain in his mind, in his psyche. Finally, giving up on sleep Dean got out of his bed and silently padded over to the small table by the window, he sat staring up at the full moon and listened to Sam's soft snores. This whole reversal of roles sat uneasy with Dean, he despised feeling weak and helpless, and now he was. Broken in body and spirit, sighing he got up and dressed slowly and awkwardly without looking back at Sam he grabbed his leather jacket, slipped his gun into its holster and shut the door behind him. Breathing in the icy pre-dawn air he shivered and ran his hands up and down his arms to get warm, he glanced over at the impala and even felt as though his baby had abandoned him, as Sam had taken over driving it.

Sam, there was the thorn for Dean he couldn't pull out. Why has he suddenly become the hero saving his weak big brother from the big bad demon?

Taking a heaving breath Dean started to run, sprinting along the road away from the motel as though a mess of demons were chasing him. Tears mingled with drops of sweat as he ran, his breath burning his throat and chest as panted but he kept running blindly through the nearly deserted town and out towards the range of mountains to the north.

As the dawn broke over the rims of the mountaintops, he finally stopped running, dropping to his knees he gasped in each breath and his fingers tore at the grass beside him. His green eyes dark and haunted flickered from side to side as he tried to work out where he was and how he managed to get there.

Blood seeped from his stitched wounds, where the effort of running had broken the fragile stitches and reopened assorted scabbed cuts as well. 'Nice one Dean.' He ground out his rage slowly dissipating as his breathing calmed; he turned and stared at the township in the distance. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck.' He muttered realising now that he would have to walk back to the motel.

'You are hurt.' A soft voice came from behind Dean startling him out of his angry reverie spinning around he stared at a young woman, tall and willowy with long pale blond hair and startling crystalline-blue eyes. 'You are bleeding.'

'Ah it's nothing, who are you?' Dean asked his eyes narrowing suspiciously as he stared at her, for some reason she seemed very familiar.

'Let me help you Dean.' She said holding her hand out to him, 'I can ease your pain.'

'Who are you?' Dean repeated taking a step backwards from the young woman. 'Or rather what are you?'

'My name is Rhiannon do you not remember me?'

'Should I?'

'Perhaps, then again perhaps there is a reason why you don't.' She shrugged simply and smiled brightly at him, her pretty face lighting up and the lights in her eyes danced, 'I can help heal you Dean Winchester. I can heal your fractured soul.'

'My soul don't need healing lady.' Dean said turning to leave suddenly the need to return to Sam became overwhelming.

'Please Dean I mean only to protect you.' Rhiannon held her hands out to him, 'take my hand I can help you understand your anger.'

'I ah, I have to get back to Sam he needs me.'

'Or do you need him Dean?'

'Look lady, I don't want to be rude or anything but you know jackshit about me and my brother.'

'I know more than you will ever realise Dean, Sam is stronger for now, let him do what he has to do.'

'Why? Sammy needs me to protect him.'

'Or do you need to protect him for you not for him.'

'Do you answer every question with another question?'

'No, not really ... do you deny what you know is the truth purely because of pride?'

'Look - good meeting ya, have a nice life, hope you get the help you need but I'm outta here.' Dean turned and strode away from Rhiannon refusing to look back at the ethereal beauty.

'Oh Dean, pride does come before a fall.' Rhiannon whispered as she watched him start to jog, distancing himself from her and from the truth.

'He will return.' A man spoke making Rhiannon jump slightly. 'He will need you.'

'I am aware of that.' Rhiannon answered a tinge of sadness in her eyes. 'What do you intend on doing about it?'

'Why ask me?'

'Because you are the black to the white, there can only be two sides and neither work well for me.' Rhiannon shook her head and turned to face him, she stood level with his eyes, his dark and ominous, hers pale and filled with life. 'You should not interfere so much Decebal, those boys are on predestined paths.'

'And you should stop telling me what to do little sister.' Decebal smiled coldly, 'you have such a – a how should I say it – a penchant for these pathetic humans.'

'The Winchester boys are more than just pathetic humans and you know it, otherwise why would you be so cruel to Dean? How could you do those things to him? Treat him like that?'

'Why not it was fun.'

'Fun? Brother dear that is sadistic, cruel, violent, and well anything but cruel.'

'You like him!'

'Stop changing the subject Decebal, I am going to help Dean and his family whether you want me to or not.'

'You forget who you are Rhiannon, perhaps I should remind you.'

'Your threats don't work on me Decebal you know that.'

'Sigh I do remember once when you did everything I asked without argument.'

'I saw the light as they say Decebal; do you honestly think that I would blindly follow you forever?'

'If you had any sense of family honour then yes, yes I do.'

'Oh now that is funny' Rhiannon giggled until she saw the thunderous look on her brother's face, 'oh come on Dece' do you really think that?'

'And you do realise Rhiannon that you haven't steered me away from our discussion, I want the Winchesters all of them.'

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Sam groaned and sat up staring around the silent room trying to remember where he was, for the first time in a long time he slept without a nightmare waking him up, or a vision. Just a deep restful sleep, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he glanced over at Dean's dishevelled but empty bed and frowned. 'Dean?' He called out already feeling the panic rising in him.

'Yeah what?' Dean answered as he came out of the bathroom, walking stiffly and holding his most injured arm close to his side. He had both hands still bandaged from where they had hammered the nails into them, wearing only a towel; his damp skin glistened in the early morning light highlighting his assorted cuts, bruises, burns, and long angry looking welts.

'Gee you look a picture of health.' Sam quipped as he struggled to get himself up and going, it was still nice and warm in bed.

'You looked in the mirror lately?' Dean snapped back.

'Jerk.' Sam shot at him as he padded past his older brother and headed for the shower, 'hope you left me some hot water.'

'Suffer Geek boy.' Dean muttered, his early morning run had done nothing to alleviate his growing anxieties and dark thoughts, a soft knock on the door made his heart jump immediately he silently chastised himself as he went to see who it was.

Their father John Winchester stood impatiently at the motel room door holding three cups of coffee in a cardboard tray balanced on a box of donuts, his hands bandaged in the same way as Dean's made him fumble a little but he managed to keep them relatively steady.

'Dad?'

'These are getting hot Dean.' John said nodding at the coffees, 'can you manage something?'

John sat down finally at the table, his legs shaking and his head thumped with a constant headache. He had been hurt worse than this before but this time his sons had been tortured as well, and that ate at John just as much as his own injuries. 'Where's Sam?'

'Shower.' Dean mumbled between mouthfuls of chocolate donut and coffee, 'should be out in a minute.'

'How are you son?' John asked feeling awkward, discussion about emotions, health and stuff like that were for women not for men. Not for the Winchester men.

'Hey Dad.' Sam said softly as he came into the room fully clothed, 'Dude thanks for leaving hot water!' Sam shot a dark look at Dean, 'it lasted long enough for me to get my hair wet.'

Dean grinned and gave Sam a look of pure innocence, 'Dad brought coffee and donuts.'

'Thanks Dad, not hungry but the coffee smells good.'

'So when are we going to discuss what happened at the barn?' John stared up at his youngest child, 'Sammy, how you fought the demon ... how did you?'

Sam sat down on the end of his bed and sipped his coffee before trying to answer his father, 'honestly Dad I don't know, it was just there.'

'Sorry Sammy but that's not good enough.' Dean snapped as he replayed the scene in his mind, 'you tossed a Master Demon around like a sack of wheat or something.'

'Hey what is this pick on Sam hour?' Sam shot back, spilling his coffee over his hands as he stood up. 'Look I can't tell you what I don't even know, all I do know is that when it counted to help the two of you it was there, all I had to do was think it and it happened, no hocus-pocus nothing, and probably I will never be able to do it again.'

'Okay calm down Sam, we just ...'

'Just what Dad? No, it's not something I enjoy and it is not something that I can just turn on and off. It's just there.'

'oh what a shame.' A strange voice broke into the growing argument, paling Dean stood up and went for his gun. John started to pull his out from under his jacket, but Sam didn't move, he stood still and stared at the intruder.

'What do you want Decebal?' He asked his voice low.

'Hmm now that is a very good question. What do I want?' Decebal said with a mocking tone he tapped his finger on his chin as he glided into the room, the front door banging open in the wind. Simultaneously John and Dean fired at the demon, they both aimed well as they scattered Decebal's chest with combined bullet rounds and rock salt.

The demon laughed and waved his hand in their directions, both father and son flew weightlessly across the room, colliding with the wall they fell in a tangled heap.

'So now Samuel it seems to be just us now.' The Master Demon smiled.

TBC