"Sam!"

He heard his name before he knew what was happening. He saw Bobby and Ellen running toward them, having apparently succeeded in closing the gateway; he hadn't even noticed the rushing torrent had subsided. Then he saw Bobby flying through the air one direction and Ellen the other. Bobby landed hard and was knocked unconscious. Ellen landed hard too, but was being held at bay by the Yellow Eyed man similar to the way Sam was restrained.

The Yellow Eyed man looked at Sam and snickered, "You know, when you come over to the 'dark side', those people right there? They're gonna try to kill you. And you know what you're gonna do? You're gonna kill them first. I'm so glad I'm here for this; this is going to be better than television!!"

Sam shook his head, though it had little visible effect, as he was still bound to the tree. "I guess I'll have to take my chances. Either they kill me, or you do, right?"

"Very astute, Sam." The Demon moved a few steps away and leaned up against a table-heighth headstone, sticking his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. "Now. Shall we get this show on the road?"

"Dean first." Sam reiterated.

The Demon stared at Sam with his cold, yellow eyes. "Fine." As he said it, a woman in a long black gown and piercing red eyes materialized beside him.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." She said, rolling her eyes. She knew exactly what she had been summoned for before anyone said a word to her. "He's mine, fair and square."

"To quote, Sammy here, it's a brave new world, sweetheart." The man with yellow eyes said, condescendingly. "My world, and welcome to it."

She clenched her jaw, obviously very angry about what she was being forced to do. "Alright. It's done." She spun on her heel coming face to face with the man's yellow eyes. "But you owe me."

She walked over to kiss Sam on the cheek. As she did, she whispered in his ear, "He's in the van. Make that bullet count."

The woman pulled back from Sam, disintegrating into thin air as she did so.

"Well, Champ, satisfied?" The Demon crossed his arms with a proud look on his face.

"Release me." Sam demanded, skirting the question.

Instantly, he was freed from his invisible bonds. He fell to his knees.

"Why don't we try out some of that newfound power of yours?" The Demon walked over and took Sam by the elbow. He moved him to a spot directly in front of the crypt. "Get that carcass out of here."

Sam looked at Jake's dead body lying on the ground. He moved forward and reached down to grab Jake's hand.

"No, Sam!" The Demon shouted. "The easy way."

-----------------

Dean opened his eyes and blinked a few times. "What the hell?" he mumbled, as he lifted up the blanket covering him, seeing that he was naked. "Holy... ...that must have been one wild night." He tried to remember exactly what had happened the night before, only remembering the weird nightmare he had been having about Sam dying.

He sat upward, his back screaming in agony as he realized the extent of his stiffness. Being almost 30, he had begun to feel the effects of his hard life when he laid flat for too long, but this was the worst his body had ever felt after a night of heavy drinking. He could only assume that he'd hooked up with some (hopefully) attractive young lady, judging from his lack of attire, and had an eventful, if apparently not memorable, evening.

Dean began to dig around the van for his missing clothes, but was unable to find them. "Shit. The bitch stole my stuff!" Unable even to find his cell phone, he knew he would need to find a pay phone to call Sam. He didn't know who's van it was, but it was going to have to do.

He wrapped the blanket around his waist and crawled into the driver's seat of the van. He didn't even look out the front winshield of the van, searching for the keys so he wouldn't have to hotwire the damn thing.

"No, Sam! The easy way." Dean hear the faint sound of his brother's name and immediately looked up.

"Oh, fuck," he whispered to himself. From his vantage point, he could see Sam staring at a body on the ground, in a cemetery that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. There was another man with Sam who seemed to be giving him orders. Dean couldn't see the man's face, but from the expression on Sam's, nothing good was happening here.

Your bill is due upon receipt... The memories started flooding back to Dean as he watched the scene unfold before him. "What the...?" He wondered what caused him to be brought back, immediately worried about Sam.

Dean tugged the handle on the door very slowly, opening it with as little noise as he could manage. He stepped out of the van, and crouched low near the front tire, looking around for anything he could possibly use to defend himself and his little brother. The Impala! He saw his beautiful black car parked about fifty yards away, behind a tree row overgrown with mulberry bushes. He was never so happy to see his car before in his life, love her though he did.

He decided, seeing that they were in the middle of nowhere, to drop the blanket and simply make a run for the car, but before he could start he glanced back at Sammy. The body that had been lying on the ground was now floating through the air. He cursed silently, knowing now that the man with Sam was no man at all. "Damn it, Sam."

He dropped the blanket and made a run for the car. Thankfully, the lack of air conditioning in the car had caused Sam to leave the windows down. Dean remembered that when they checked out of the motel before Sam disappeared he had just thrown his dirty laundry in the back seat. God, that seems like years ago. He thought, remembering how horrible the last few days had been, a little sad that it hadn't been a dream as he thought earlier.

He reached through the window and pulled out a dirty pair of jeans from the floorboard. Pulling them on, he wracked his brain trying to think of anything he could use to help Sam. Unfortunately, the only thing he knew of that would be useful against the Yellow Eyed Demon would be the Colt, which had disappeared when their father died.

Donning a tee shirt with a barbecue sauce stain on the front of it, Dean reached now through the front passenger window, opening the glove compartment. He drew his spare .45 from the cubby, thankful that it was still where he remembered it.

He looked up to check on Sam. There were a few trees blocking his view, but he could clearly see Sam making Bobby's limp form float through the air. His heart sunk a little, knowing that Bobby was at the least hurt, and possibly dead. Bobby had been very good to them. What had happened to him? Had Sam caused it?

Dean tried to read the expression on Sam's face. It seemed to be the same disgusted expression Dean saw him wear when he had been possessed by the demon they only knew as Meg. He couldn't tell, was Sam directing his disgust at Bobby, or the fact that he was doing the bidding of the Yellow Eyed Demon. Dean clenched his jaw, frustrated that he couldn't gleam more information from Sam's demeanor.

As he watched Sam, pistol drawn, he saw Sam walk over to Ellen, who seemed to be lying on the ground paralyzed.

"You won't be needing that," He heard Sam say snidely, as he knelt, taking the blued-steel revolver from Ellen's hand. Sam tucked the gun in the back of his jeans, but as he did it, he made sure the Yellow Eyed man didn't see him pull the Colt from the same spot and hand it back to Ellen. She tucked it up her sleeve in one swift move.

The Colt?!?! Dean's mind reeled at the implications. Sam was giving Ellen the way to kill the Demon. He can't do it himself, he's made a deal.

------------------

As Sam crouched near Ellen and surreptitiously handed the Colt to her, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

He saw the understanding in her eyes as he stood, backing a few feet away. He raised his hand, raising Ellen from the ground as he did so. With a quick flick of his wrist, he sent a battered Ellen flying over the perimeter fence of the cemetery.

She landed right in front of the Impala.