Blast From The Past

Disclaimer: Even after all of this time, I still only get to play with the boys then have to send them home, sigh.

Author's Note: For Fandrea, sorry it has taken so long honey but I hope that you enjoy it.

Author's Note 2: Rated for language and violence, hurt and comfort with hurt! Sam and protective! Dean.

S—D

Chapter 8: Is this just a dream or are you really there?

Then:

'Cas?' Dean turned his tear-filled eyes to the angel, 'please help him.' he begged brokenly.

Castiel stared down at the youngest of the Winchester brothers, an undiscernible look on his face, if he let Sam die then Lucifer would never have a vessel but then if he allowed the death of Dean's little brother. Human life is more important than anything to his Father, Castiel understands that and it felt abhorrent to even consider killing one, but could Sam Winchester be considered human anymore?

'Damn it Castiel what are you waiting for?' Dean looked up at the angel with disgust written in his expression, 'you're not going to help him are you? Why because he's supposed to be the devil's meatsuit? He's my brother Castiel, my brother.'

Now:

'I cannot heal him completely Dean, I do not have the power to do so anymore.' Castiel looked at Dean with an impassive face and almost dead eyes, 'I can heal him enough to transport him back to the car.'

'Well whatcha waiting for … an engraved invitation?' Dean snapped, 'do it Cas.'

Castiel knelt down next to Sam's lifeless body and placed his fingers on the injured man's forehead, he closed his eyes and prayed silently, his lips moved but no words were uttered aloud.

Dean watched carefully, normally he would trust Castiel implicitly but when it came to Sam he trusted no one not even an angel of God, perhaps especially an angel of God.

Sam moaned and showed signs of returning to consciousness as Castiel withdrew his touch, the angel paled and slumped back exhausted. Dean glanced at him worriedly but then returned his full attention to his brother who had started to mumble incoherently, as Dean worked out what Sam was saying his heart broke even more. His baby brother was begging whoever he could see to kill him, to let him die as long as Dean lived he would gladly die.

'Dammit Sammy, don't you say that.' Dean cried and hugged his brother tightly, his world narrowed until it existed only of the two of them. He showed no awareness of the approaching storm or of the more human storm coming their way.

S—D

Bobby cursed under his breath as he watched the storm filled clouds roll towards them, the thunder clapped in the distance. The scent of rain permeated the air as the weather closed in around them.

'Danged blasted idjits,' he cussed as he stared around wanting, no praying for some sort of sign of the Winchesters and Castiel. 'Where are ya Dean?'

A flash of lightening lit the interior of the impala, making Bobby worry even more as the rain started to not just fall but to pelt down on the exterior of the car. 'Where are ya, yer two idjits?'

Just as the words left Bobby's mouth three waterlogged men appeared in front of the car, at first Bobby sat and stared in shock at them and then he pulled his wits about him and turned to face Bart. "Well ya idjit ya just gonna sit there or yer gonna help em?'

'Yeah, yeah I'm going,' Bart mumbled, 'doesn't matter if I'm injured or not…'

'Injured? Injured? Ya wanna talk about injured?' Bobby roared angrily, 'git my chair and I'll show ya injured.'

'I'm going alright!' Bart snapped as he got out of the warm and dry car, muttering under his breath he hurried over to where the three new arrivals were slumped on the road.

'Ah hell,' he uttered when he saw Sam, he glanced at both Dean and Castiel before lifting the unconscious younger Winchester brother and carried him effortlessly to the backseat of the impala, by the time he got back however, Dean and Castiel were both on their feet and supporting each other leaving them to stagger back to the car Bart slid in behind the wheel giving Dean the chance to sit with his brother.

Without another word Dean slid in the backseat and tenderly lifted Sam's head placing it on his knees, he glanced up at Bart and Bobby in the front seat, 'we need to get going back to Bobby's.'

'Where's Castiel?' Bart glanced around thinking that he would have to get out in the weather again when he realised that the angel was gone.

'Wherever he goes,' Dean said as he cradled Sam closer to him, 'just drive Bart.'

'Ya know this is too easy Dean, to just get in and get Sam …'

'I know … it feels no I know it's a setup but for now … drive Bart.'

S—D

Two days later Sam was yet to awaken, the partial healing Castiel had done in the forest helped a great deal but for some reason he was still unconscious. Dean scrubbed at his eyes wearily, he had barely moved away from his brother's side except for the bathroom and odd trip to the kitchen to eat, sparing minutes only before returning to the library come bedroom and Sam's bedside. 'Come on dude, you're killing me here, just wake up and let me know that you're alright,' Dean said hoarsely, his overwrought emotions still too close to the surface brought with them exhaustion and despair but it refused to give in to either one. 'Ya know Sammy if you don't wake up soon I might have to do something drastic like taking ya to the hospital.'

'As long as there's a cute nurse,' a soft almost inaudible whisper came from his younger brother. Dean blinked rapidly as he tried to reconcile what his mind was telling him and what he could see and hear. 'Sammy?'

'D-Dean,' Sam mustered up a small smile as his eyes started to droop again.

'No, no Sammy please stay with me just for now,' Dean, by now was not above begging, 'stay with me dude.'

'Not goin' 'nywhere,' Sam managed a lopsided smile for his brother, 'wha-what 'ppened?'

'What happened? What do you remember Sammy?'

'Hurts … they argh gonna … sick…' Sam started to retch, bringing with the bile small amounts of blood. 'Hurt … so bad Dean…' He whimpered as Dean lowered the trashcan.

'You were taken by some hunters…'

'Luc-Lucifer was there,' Sam said, 'he … hunt … me.'

'Sam what … Lucifer was the one running this?'

'Uhhuh … Ruby … hurts Dean.' Sam sobbed as he gripped his stomach; he had nothing left to vomit, 'they forced me … drink bl-blood.'

'Ruby forced you to drink blood? She's dead Sammy, she can't hurt you again.'

'N-no Lucifer br-brought her b-back, but – but be-before they forced me…'

'They forced blood into you first?'

'M-Made me sick … mixed …' Sam said as his eyes slowly slid shut.

'Damn it, the fucking bastards!' Dean cussed as he stood up and left his brother's side his anger getting too great for him.

'Dean?' Bart asked as he appeared in front of the distraught Winchester. Without a word Dean swung and connected his fist with Bart's face, 'what the?'

'You fucking bastard! Did you know that they were gonna force Sammy to drink demon's blood?'

'Wh-what?'

'You lie to me Bartholomew and I swear!'

'I promise I didn't know that they were gonna do that.' Bart held his hands up in a defensive move. 'I mean I knew that they were gonna rough him up and offer him some …' Bart never got to finish what he was saying before Dean laid him out with another punch.

'You bastard.' Dean seethed as he stood over the now inert form of Bart.

'Dean what the hell?' Bobby demanded as he wheeled closer to the fallen hunter.

'Sammy … woke …' Dean said as his voice cracked, 'they forced him to drink demon's blood made him sick with it.'

'Damn me,' Bobby said shaking his head as he glanced down at Bart, 'what about him?'

'He knew that they were gonna hurt Sammy,' Dean said brokenly, 'he knew all along what they were gonna do. Oh yeah and wanna know the kicker Bobby? Lucifer was the one running the show and he even resurrected Ruby to get Sam to drink the fucking stuff.'

S—D

The barely audible moan registered with Dean's "Sammy-radar" and he was gone in a nano-second leaving a stunned Bobby and aching Bart in his wake.

'Dean? Dammit boy what's wrong?' Bobby called out as he manoeuvred his chair around to follow the distraught Winchester brother; he stopped suddenly and caused Bart to come to a crashing halt into the back of the wheelchair.

'Sammy?' Dean dropped to his knees next to his brother's lifeless form unaware of the growing audience behind him. 'Dammit Sammy don't you dare do this,' Dean sobbed not even caring about the large tears rolling down his face. 'Breath Sammy, breathe Sammy … damn you.' He pounded on his brother's chest, 'well don't just stand there like a stunned mullet come and help me Bart.' He yelled without turning around to check if the man was there.

'Dean? What is it?' Bobby asked wheeling closer to the brothers.

'Sammy's not breathing.' Dean replied brokenly, 'he's not breathing Bobby.'

'Ah fuck,' Bart moved around to the other side of Sam and checked the younger man's airways and tilted his head back to start CPR when a soft rustling of wings made him stop and stare incredulously at the new arrival. 'What the?'

'Castiel do something, Sam's not breathing.' Dean ordered without even looking up and acknowledging the angel with a glance.

Castiel opened his mouth to say something when he stopped and dropped his gaze, he took a seemingly deep breath and closed his eyes before moving next to Sam and virtually pushed Bart out of the way. He stared at Sam's face for what seemed to be a lot longer than what it was in reality, but long enough for Dean to look as though he was about to punch the angel out. 'Be still Dean.' He said as he placed his fingertips on Sam's forehead.

The blue tinge around Sam's mouth darkened before it started to dissipate and gradually fade away, beads of sweat formed on Castiel's face as he concentrated on Sam's chest almost willing it to rise.

'Cas?' Dean tore his gaze from his brother's face to look up at the struggling angel worry for his friend mingled with that he already had for his sibling, it was getting beyond terrifying now. 'No can't lose both of you!'

'D-Dean … Sam … blood poisoning.' Castiel grunted out as he finally broke contact with Sam and crumpled to the floor, 'he's … alive.'

Dean forced himself to look closely at Sam's chest finally he saw the slight rise and fall with each breath but his brother still looked like death warmed up, his flesh now had a greyish tinge to it beneath the bruises and contusions. 'What the fuck is going on? Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?'

S—D

Dean sat hunched in the chair next to Sam's bed and clutched a glass of whisky in both hands to stop the shakes from spilling the precious liquid. He sipped the scalding alcohol slowly without looking away from Sam's face. 'What happened out there Sam? What did they do to you?'

'Dean may I speak to you?' Castiel asked his tone sounding so formal and controlled he startled Dean making the man jump and splash his drink.

'Dammit Cas.' He grumbled, 'what is it?'

'I was able … may I sit?'

'Not stopping ya … so you were able to?'

'I was able to glimpse inside … I was able to see in Sam's mind.' Castiel stumbled over his words suddenly unsure of himself under the scrutiny of Dean's direct stare he busied himself bringing a chair over next to Dean and sat down with his gaze fixed on Sam. 'When I … just now I was able to see in Sam's memories.'

'And?' Dean made a waving motion with one hand before draining his whiskey. 'Dammit Castiel talk to me.'

'I saw snatches of Sam's memories, recent memories. The men who took him, forced him to drink a cocktail of demon blood, some of which was tainted with …' he stopped suddenly as he tried to workout the right words to say, Dean's impatience and grief was palpable and caused Castiel confusion and something that he had never really experienced … diminished confidence, he felt awkward and insecure. 'The blood was deliberately tainted I am not sure what with, I was watching through Sam's eyes. He was unaware of what was happening around him and it was only fragments but he was poisoned for a reason Dean.'

'Can't you do something? Anything for him?'

'I am sorry Dean, but there is nothing I can do to fix this … Sam needs new blood, fresh blood but he cannot ingest it with the poison still rampaging in his system.' Castiel watched Sam struggling to breathe once again, 'I do not understand something Dean.'

'What is it now Cas?'

'They were planning to hunt Sam, to use him as something to be hunted and controlled,' Castiel spoke slowly and deliberately as he turned to face his human friend, 'if they were planning that then why poison Sam? They had already weakened him significantly with the beatings but they forced him to drink blood in attempt to control him when they caught him.'

'The hunt would justify their keeping him prisoner,' Dean nodded his head in agreement.

'So why give him tainted blood deliberately? They know by doing so it would kill him so why?'

'So why feed him the poisoned blood, hunt him and then try to control him by using him as a beacon for other supernatural nasties?' Dean stared at Castiel in horror, 'that goes beyond torture who could hate Sam so much?'

TBC