"How's he doing?" Castiel asked as he entered the room unannounced and unexpected. Bobby had a silver knife at his throat before he could say the word 'he' but Castiel was unfazed by the grisly hunter's reaction.
"Damnit Castiel! Get a bell. Sneaking up on people is likely to get your vessel's throat cut."
"That would be unfortunate."
"Damn right."
"How is he?" Castiel repeated his initial question.
"Sam or Dean?" Bobby asked as he went back to chopping carrots. Castiel cocked his head.
"Sam."
"He's still got himself all up in there barricaded. Every time Dean says something he screams at him to go away, that he ain't real, that this is all a trick. Dean on the other hand, hasn't moved from the door except when I make him go pee."
"Dean needs to take care of himself."
"I agree. But, you know Dean…"
"Sam first."
"Always."
"I will go up and check on them." And before Bobby could say boo Castiel was gone.
"Damn angel. I'm buying him a bell, that's the long and short of it." Bobby grumbled and continued to fix food for Sam, whom Bobby was fairly certain wouldn't eat any of it. But, Dean was in full mother mode, and you didn't cross him when he was like that, and if he said chop carrots and apples for Sam, then by God that's what you did, and didn't ask any fool questions either. Truth of it all was really that Bobby wanted to do something, anything, to help the boy all locked up in that room, and if this would help, then he'd chop up every carrot and apple in the damn country.
SNSNSNSNSN
Castiel appeared in front of Dean, and Dean didn't seem at all phased by the angel's sudden appearance.
"Hey Cass." Dean said softly.
"How is he?"
"Scared, disoriented, a wreck." Dean said and rubbed his hand down the length of his tired face.
"You have been sitting here for the last two days?" Dan nodded.
"I'll stay right here until he comes out."
"Would you like me to get inside and move his barricades so you can get to him?"
"Nah." Dean looked up from the finger he had been picking at, and shook his head at Cass. "He's been violated enough. I'm fine. He'll be fine." Dean said softly, watching the blood rise to the surface of the finger he had just caused to bleed.
"If anything is needed…"
"I'll call Cass." Castiel nodded and was about to disappear when Dean said. "Thanks for bringing him back to me."
"You're welcome." And in a puff of air the angel was gone, and Dean sighed.
SNSNSNSNSN
Bobby came up the stairs later with the food that Dean had asked for, he handed it to the younger man, and Dean looked down at the plate. "He made any mumblings?" Bobby asked making Dean turn his blood shot tired eyes to the elder hunter.
"Just the usual periodic screams. I think that only happens when he falls asleep."
Bobby looked at the door his heart ached for the young man whom he regarded as a son. "What are we going to do?" Bobby asked. Dean shrugged and sighed again.
"The most I can do is try to get through to him, try to access what is Sam, and try to break through his panic. He thinks this is all fake, he thinks this is all another trick to get him to break. He thinks that Lucifer is trying to get him to break a seal like me."
"How do you know?"
"When he screams, that's what he screams about." Bobby nodded. Dean looked back down at the food and tapped the side of the plate with a hand. "Thanks for preparing this. I'm going to try again. See if I can get him to unbarricade himself long enough for me to get some food in his stomach."
"You need help?"
"No. No. Thanks Bobby. I got this."
"You need somethin', anythin' you just holler, y'hear?" Bobby asked.
"I hear. I promise. I will. Thanks." Bobby nodded and slowly turned and walked down the stairs taking moments to turn and look back at the man who looked like a little boy, scared and bewildered.
Dean turned to the door and knocked. "Sammy. It's me." Quiet on the other side. "Sammy. It's me. Dean. You have to be hungry, you haven't eaten in two days." Silence.
"Sammy, can you please unbarricade the door?"
"You aren't Dean." He heard whispered from just the other side of the barricade.
Dean turned and slid back down against the door and rested his head on it. "It's me Sammy. You know I would come for you. It's my job. I'm supposed to protect you."
Silence.
"You can't be Dean." The voice sounded less sure this time.
"Why?"
"Because Dean promised me to go and live with Ben and Lisa and make a life for himself. Dean is loyal to family."
"I did go and live with Ben and Lisa. You'll remember, if you let yourself. Sammy. You came and got me. You needed me to fix you. And I left them. I had to. I had to protect them from our lives. If you just let yourself remember, you'll know what I'm saying is true."
Silence. And this time the silence went on for a long time. Dean figured he'd lost the battle again. This was the first time since being kicked out of the room that Sam had spoken to him, rationally, well as rationally as Sam could right now, and he'd screwed it up again. "Because that's what you do Dean, you screw everything up." He mumbled and sighed.
"I remember." The voice said thinly.
"Can I come in?"
"Are you alone?"
"I'm alone."
"How do I know you aren't possessed?"
"I'll do whatever test you want. I'll eat sixteen bacon cheeseburgers if that makes you feel like that will prove that it's me. Whatever you want Sammy. I'll do it."
Dean heard things shuffle and scrape across the wood floor and then the door opened just a little, Dean started to stand up and realized that Sam was on the floor peeking out through the crack he made. Dean sat back down Indian style and looked at his little brother's frantic eye.
"I've got food for you. You have to be hungry." Sam opened the door a little wider never taking his eyes off of Dean. Finally the door was opened far enough for Dean to see his brother's face, and a hand darted out and grabbed the plate. Sam looked down at the food and then at Dean. He grabbed a handful and threw it into his mouth.
"Textures when you get back from hell are interesting. I had Bobby chop up carrots and apples, because those two foods are the easiest to eat when you get back." Sam didn't care. He simply ate and watched Dean with hawk-like eyes. While Dean's heart was lifted at the sight of his brother eating, it was crushed. Sam was a mess, hair slick with oil and sweat, face drawn and scared, and the smell wafting out of the room would have knocked a lesser man off of his feet.
"I'm so sorry Sammy." Dean whispered to the man who was shoveling food into his mouth with a hand. As soon as the food was gone, Sam threw the plate at Dean, and slammed the door, severing connection. Then the sounds of furniture being placed back against the door filled the hallway and Dean hung his head.
