The Song Remains The Same
Chapter 4
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Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A/N: Quite a bit happens in this installment. After this, there's only one baby chapter to wrap everything up. Thanks to everyone who is making the foray into the alternate universe with me!
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He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves: one for his enemy and one for himself
Chinese Proverb
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Lenore left first so that she could gather the vampires and the others followed a few minutes later. Everyone was tense; conversation was limited. Theirs was a pretty simple plan. Get to the warehouse, do some reconnaissance and then move in.
They parked on the side of the road, just past the warehouse; Lenore and the other vampires were waiting for them in the near darkness. The sun hadn't set completely yet, but the vampires had taken the necessary precautions and the sun would be completely gone in a matter of moments.
"We've located Gordon in a small room near the front of the warehouse," Lenore said. "There's only one way in and it's through the warehouse. There's a door on the outside, but it's been boarded up. I'm not sure how quickly or quietly we could remove the boards."
John nodded. "How many people?"
"It looks like just him and some kid."
"And Kristine?" Dean asked.
Lenore looked at him sympathetically. "She's tied to a chair in the middle of the room. She doesn't appear to be injured."
Dean only nodded.
"I suggest you let us go in first," Lenore continued. "We'll secure the room and then…."
"Wait –" John began.
"They're prepared for hunters, not for vampires. They can shoot us all they want and it won't matter. Besides, there are a lot more of us than there are of them. We'll go in, swarm, and secure it for you. We'll leave Gordon and the other one for you to deal with."
"Dad, Kristine has been in there more than long enough. Let Lenore and the others go in."
John looked at his son and nodded. He turned back to Lenore. "Do it."
---
Kristine watched Gordon from the corner of her eye as he started pacing around the room again. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she desperately wished something – anything – would happen. She almost hoped that Gordon would hit her hard enough to make her pass out. Her head hurt and she was dizzy; her arms and legs felt numb, which could have been caused by being tied to the chair or an effect of not having taken her medication.
Kristine could hear her captor speaking, but she couldn't make out the words because of the pounding in her head. It was becoming increasingly hard to concentrate on anything except the pain, physical as well as emotional. For a while, she had been able to rationalize the way she was feeling. She knew everything there was to know about the pills she had been prescribed and she knew what physical reactions there would be if doses were missed. Her therapist skills and knowledge sustained her until everything else began to overwhelm her.
She tried to concentrate on something, anything, positive but everything she thought about was just the opposite. Soon, she believed that she deserved this treatment and what little bit of desire she had to fight and survive was quickly disappearing.
Irrational thoughts filled her head as bits and pieces of what Gordon was saying penetrated her consciousness; she became convinced that the Winchesters, especially Dean, had forgotten about her. She wasn't important and was a burden to those who knew her. It was she who should have died at the hands of the demon and not her sister. She couldn't help herself so how could she expect to help patients; especially hunters?
Underneath the rope that held her to the chair, Kristine wore a bracelet. It was just a simple black cord with a small protection symbol at the clasp. Dean had given it to her a few years before and she hadn't taken it off in all that time. She couldn't see the bracelet through the rope, but she could feel the clasp against her skin. She tried to focus on that to keep her thoughts rational.
---
Kristine didn't see Gordon's expression as he continued to berate her. He had a look of calm satisfaction on his face and the hint of a smile.
He didn't have anything against Kristine; he'd never even met her before today. But she was a friend of the Winchesters and he had to find some way to pass the time until they showed up. Despite what he'd been saying to Kristine, he knew that they would come for her. As soon as the sun had gone down, they would come with guns blazing. He was prepared for that. He was counting on it.
What he'd said to Kristine about prison was true. He'd gone in with a bad attitude and thought his hunter's skills would be enough to sustain him, but he quickly got on the wrong side of a particularly nasty gang of inmates. He was mercilessly attacked on more than one occasion; in ways that he still sometimes couldn't think about. The beatings had been bad enough, but the other things done to him….Maybe if he had capitulated to the gang members and done what they wanted him to do – maybe that would have saved him. Finally, he was put into solitary confinement, but being alone with his thoughts was even worse.
He'd had plenty of time to plan his attack against Sam. He'd had plenty of time for his anger at the boy to grow into a pure hatred of his entire family. Gordon had no particular reason to want John dead, other than he was the father of the little bastard that was responsible for him going to prison. But he knew that anything he did to Sam would incur the wrath of his family, so it was better to take care of all of them at once.
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"Sam," Dean began as the vampires silently made their way to the warehouse with Bobby and their father following. John looked questioningly at his sons, but Dean's short nod was all he needed to continue forward.
"Dean, what?" Sam looked toward the group moving ahead without them.
"Look, I, uh –"
"Dean?" Sam's face was filled with concern.
"I don't want you to do anything you're going to regret, okay? I want to get Kristine out of there, but I don't want you to –"
"I can handle it." Sam's face clouded.
"I know you can. I just don't know if I want you to."
"You need to take care of Kristine. We'll handle the rest. Now come on, we need to catch up."
Dean watched as his brother trudged off after the rest of the group. For a moment, he saw Sam as a little boy again. He shook off the image and moved forward.
---
The office was situated in a corner of the large first floor room and they could see Dave sitting at a makeshift table munching on what appeared to be a burger and fries. He should have been watching out for the Winchesters, but he clearly wasn't and it only took one of the vampires to subdue him. The others quietly gathered outside the office door.
Despite the experience the Winchesters and Bobby now had with vampires, the speed of the attack surprised them. As expected, Gordon was only prepared for a human attack and his face showed clear surprise when he saw Lenore and her crew rush into the room.
He was standing near Kristine when the attack began and he tried to position himself behind his prisoner to use her as a shield. Fangs bared, Lenore was too fast for him and she had him backed into the far wall in the blink of an eye. He had killed many of her friends just because they were vampires; they hadn't attacked any humans and the kills were unnecessary. The anger over that, and the torture she'd suffered at his hand, burned through her and it was all she could do to contain herself. She promised that he'd be left for the Winchesters to deal with and she intended to honor that agreement.
Dean barely made sure the room was secure before he was at Kristine's side. Her head was down, but her hair was too short to cover her face and he saw the vacant look in her open eyes.
"Kristine?" he knelt down next to her and touched her arm gently. "It's me. It's Dean. You're safe now, okay? I'm going to untie you and take you home."
"Dean?" John called. "She okay?"
"She will be."
"We've got this," John told him. "Take her out of here."
Dean pulled a small knife from his pocket and cut away the rope from Kristine's wrists and ankles. He pulled her to her feet and she leaned against him heavily, but walked on her own. As they passed Sam, Dean made eye contact with his brother and a message passed between them, a message he hoped his brother understood.
"Go with them, Bobby."
The older hunter wanted to protest, but the look on John's face changed his mind. He followed Dean and Kristine back out into the warehouse. After they walked by, the vampire holding Dave pushed him into the office.
---
John stood close to Gordon, staring at him, as Lenore held him securely. At first, it didn't appear that Gordon would turn away, but he blinked and his eyes shifted to the floor.
"You've proven that a maximum security prison won't hold you," John said. "And you've also proven that you're not as smart as you think you are. What are we supposed to do with you now?"
Gordon didn't respond.
"We could let the police deal with you, but that didn't work out very well before," John paced in front of him. "Or we could let the vampires take care of you."
Gordon flinched when Lenore hissed into his ear. A moment later he looked at John, his expression dangerous.
"So, what are you going to do?" Gordon sneered.
John felt Sam move to a position behind him.
"What did you do to Kristine?" Sam demanded.
Gordon only grinned.
"Bastard," Sam muttered.
"Sam," John warned, glancing over his shoulder.
"We're not going to just let him go," Sam said. "And I'm not making the same mistake again."
"Sam."
"Yeah, Sammy, listen to your daddy."
Sam scowled and aimed his gun at Gordon's head.
"That's an awfully big gun," Gordon teased. "Your daddy know you're playing with guns?"
"Shut up," Sam said, his voice low.
Gordon laughed.
"Knock it off," Lenore hissed again and pushed him toward the chair. "Sit down."
She tied him up using the same rope that had held Kristine as another chair was pulled across the room in which to secure Dave. Lenore turned to John. 'You good here?"
"Yeah, thanks."
She glanced at Sam on her way out the door; the other vampires followed her.
"Sam, you should go, too," John said.
"I don't think so."
John sighed to himself, remembering the advice he'd given Dean. He glanced at his son, then gestured across the room. Sam followed him.
"Dad, we don't have a choice here."
"Don't we?"
Sam looked at him, confusion clear on his face.
"There's always a choice, Son. I'm going to step outside; I won't stop you."
Sam watched as his father walked out of the room, then turned back to Gordon.
"Whacha gonna do, Sammy?"
"It's Sam."
"Of course it is." Gordon spat. "Sammy."
"Did you hurt Kristine?" Sam asked, leveling the gun at Gordon again.
"You saw her. She look hurt to you?"
"Why did you take her?"
"To get you here. I don't have a beef with her. 'Course if you hadn't gotten here when you did…."
Sam glared at him. "If we hadn't gotten here what?"
Gordon grinned.
Seemingly without thinking, Sam aimed at Gordon's knee and fired.
---
John heard the gunshot and grimaced. He heard the second one and leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed for a moment, looking toward the door when he heard it opening. Sam walked out, his skin ashen and his expression neutral.
"Sam?"
"Call the police," he slipped his gun into the waistband of his jeans and walked past his father.
John looked into the office and saw Gordon, slumped in the chair; both kneecaps appeared to be destroyed. He pulled out his cell phone and called the county sheriff, knowing he could be trusted.
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Dean led Kristine into the cottage and settled her on the couch. She still hadn't spoken, but her skin color looked better and there was a look of comprehension coming back into her eyes. He sat down next to her and she leaned against him, holding the edge of his jacket tightly.
Bobby hadn't gone with them, as John instructed. He'd made sure that Dean was able to get Kristine to the Impala all right, then double-backed to the warehouse.
"You're home; it's over," Dean said softly. "You need to take your medication. I'll get it for you."
Dean started to stand, but Kristine held on to his jacket. He put his arm around her shoulders. "It's okay. I'm right here. Can you talk to me?"
He felt her shift against him.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty? You must be thirsty."
She nodded against his chest.
"I'll get you some water, but you have to let go of my coat first." He brushed her hair with a light kiss.
"I like your coat," she said quietly.
"I could leave it here while I go into the kitchen," he said, sensing that she was trying to make a joke.
Kristine pulled away from Dean and pulled the afghan from the back of the couch. "Can you turn up the heat?"
"You got it," Dean helped her lay the blanket over her shoulders.
Kristine watched Dean as he walked out of the living room. She'd barely been able to move away from the comfort of his arms and it was even harder to make herself speak. She wanted to be okay; she needed to be okay. She knew she would need to call her doctor soon and she knew that, and everything else, would be easier if she took one of the missed pills. She looked down at the bracelet on her wrist.
Before she managed the strength necessary to stand up, Dean was back with water and a medicine bottle.
"Thanks," she avoided his eyes as she took the bottle from him.
"I turned up the heat and put some coffee on. I could make hot chocolate or –"
She swallowed one of the pills and shook her head. "Don't try so hard."
He sat down next to her. "You want to talk about it?"
"What are they doing to him? Who were all those other people?" Kristine curled up on the couch and closed her eyes. Her head still hurt, but she was trying to ignore that and all of the other symptoms.
"Vampires."
"Jesus Christ," Kristine breathed, rubbing her forehead.
"Remember Lenore? I told you about her."
"Yeah. So? What are they doing to him?"
"Honestly? I don't know. I know what Sam said he wanted to do, but…."
"You shouldn't have left him."
"Dad's there. He can handle whatever happens. Besides, you needed me."
"Don't do that." She opened her eyes.
"What?"
"Don't put me ahead of your family."
"What? No, I –"
A sudden flash of pain through the middle of her head caused Kristine to grimace and a moan escaped her lips.
"You okay?"
"Headache; not sure if it's from not eating all day or side effect of missing the meds."
"I'll make you something to eat."
She reached for his coat again, almost from instinct than a conscious movement. "No. Thanks, but I don't think I could hold anything down right now."
Dean moved to the floor in front of the couch and she rested her hand on his shoulder. A few minutes later, Kristine was asleep.
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John found Sam sitting on an old picnic bench just outside the warehouse. Bobby was with him.
"I thought you left with Dean and Kristine."
"He took her back to the cottage."
John nodded. "The sheriff will be here soon. An ambulance, too."
"What did you tell him?" Bobby asked.
John glanced at his son. Sam was staring at the ground.
"Mostly the truth. He's on our side. I didn't tell him quite everything and he knew better than to ask."
"Is Gordon still alive?"
"He seemed to be a couple minutes ago when I left him. I got some information from Dave. We can talk about it later, when we're all together. We should go before the officials get here."
Bobby headed off toward the vehicles. John laid a hand on his son's shoulder and Sam stood up to follow their friend. He and John walked close together, much like Sam and Dean normally did. John put his arm around Sam's shoulders, expecting him to pull away, but he didn't.
"We'll have to talk about this, Sam," John said as they reached the truck.
"I'll meet you back at the main house," Bobby called as he got into his own truck.
John waved at him.
"There's nothing to talk about, Dad. I couldn't just kill him in cold blood, no matter what he did. If we're lucky, the wounds will get infected."
John looked at Sam, then closed the passenger side door. He worried as he walked around the truck to the driver's side and climbed in. Sam stared straight ahead as John drove back to the estate.
---
Bobby had put coffee on, but wasn't in the kitchen when John and Sam arrived back at the estate house. Sam went straight to the bedroom he'd slept in the night before and John leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. After a moment, John reached for his cell phone and called Dean's number.
Dean's voice was hushed when he answered. "Hey, Dad. Everything okay?"
"We're back at the main house. Is Kristine all right?"
"She's sleeping; I think she'll be okay. What happened?"
"Sam shot Gordon; looks like he might have destroyed both of his knees. He didn't touch Dave. I called the sheriff and he's going to handle everything."
"Is Sam okay?"
"He went upstairs; he won't talk to me."
John heard Dean sigh.
"Don't worry. You just stay there with Kristine. Sammy will be fine."
"I should have just brought Kristine back there," Dean mused.
"She's more comfortable in her own place. Don't worry, Dean," John said again, knowing it was second nature for Dean to worry about his brother.
"Yeah. I'll talk to you soon."
---
Sam was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the pattern on the rug when his cell phone rang. He knew who it was without even looking at the caller ID display. He put the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Dean. You at the cottage?"
"Yeah. I just talked to Dad and he told me what happened. You okay?"
"I did what I thought was best."
"I know you did."
"I couldn't kill him; not with him just sitting there. Is Kristine all right?"
"She will be; she's sleeping now. Hey, why don't you come over here? The refrigerator is empty and I could use a beer and something to eat."
"What am I, a delivery service?" Sam joked.
"Delivery service, little brother. It's all the same."
"Very funny," Sam tried to let his mood lighten. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
---
The brothers settled on the back deck with the beer and leftover chicken Sam brought from the main house. Sam knew that Dean could have made due with whatever was in the kitchen and his real reason for asking him to bring food was for Sam's benefit. He wasn't sure he minded; it was always easier to talk to Dean than it was their father.
At first they were quiet, nursing their drinks. Dean devoured a couple pieces of the chicken while Sam only picked at his.
"Dad said he'd call when he heard back from the sheriff," Sam said.
"It's a good thing he's friendly to hunters."
"I guess he'd have to be with Kristine in his county."
Dean smiled his agreement and they slipped back into silence.
"Sam?" Dean began a few minutes later.
"I'm sorry," Sam said, staring into space.
Dean looked at him, confusion apparent on his face. "What for?"
"I couldn't do it."
"Sam…."
"You'd have been able to do it."
"Don't do that," Dean said gently. "It doesn't matter what I could or couldn't have done. And you don't know that I would have shot him while he was tied to a chair. Besides, Dad said it looked like his legs are in pretty bad shape."
"I heard you and Dad talking."
"When?"
"You were talking about me killing Gordon; why you didn't want me to do it," Sam looked at his brother. "I'm not innocent. I haven't been innocent for a long time. You don't have to protect me anymore."
"Sam…."
"But I appreciate you wanting to try." Sam smiled at his brother.
oooOOOooo
The county sheriff claimed that his office had been alerted to Gordon and Dave's presence in the warehouse by an anonymous tip. Gordon was in no condition to speak when the federal officials called in by Sheriff Morgan arrived and Dave's story was completely discounted when he started talking about vampires.
Once at the hospital, it didn't take long for the hospital emergency room to determine that Gordon would need surgery. Sheriff Morgan and the federal agents waited for news of his condition and Dave was put in a room in the psychiatry ward.
It was nearly 10:00pm when Morgan arrived at the estate house. He had called John's cell phone and was assured they were awake and waiting for information.
"Where's Kristine?" Morgan asked as he settled in the living room and looked around.
"She's at the cottage with Dean," John explained.
"And you're sure she doesn't need medical attention?"
"She wasn't hurt; she just needs some rest."
Morgan nodded. "I'll check on her tomorrow. Anyway, I just left the hospital. Gordon was in surgery for about four hours. The surgeon was able to save one of his legs, though there's no guarantee yet. The other one has been amputated."
John glanced at Sam, whose expression was neutral.
"The feds are here since Gordon is an escaped felon. They're going to take him back to prison as soon as he's able to travel. They're not going to look too hard for who did this to him and his little buddy didn't help matters by spouting off about vampires. He's in the psych ward at the hospital for observation."
"So, are we involved?" John asked and Morgan shook his head.
"As far as the feds know, you're not here. Of course, Gordon might talk when he's able and he could corroborate Dave's story."
"I've thought about that," John agreed. "I've been working on a plan b."
Morgan held up his hand. "I'm gonna need plausible deniability here."
John nodded and smiled.
"So, the doctors think Gordon will be able to travel in several days. Until then, the feds have set up pretty extreme security. It's not everyone who manages to escape from a maximum security prison."
"Is it just the two of them working alone?"
"It wasn't in the beginning, but Dave assured me that everyone else backed out."
"And you believe him?"
"He was…motivated to tell the truth."
Morgan nodded at John. "Okay, then. Any other hunters staying here now?"
"No, just us."
"Might not want to stick around too long and I'd stay out of town if I were you."
"Good plan," John agreed.
The sheriff finished the coffee he'd been given when he arrived, then stood up. "Well, I'll leave you alone, then. I'll come by tomorrow and check on Kristine or I might make my way over to the cottage and if the lights are on…"
John led him to the door. He knew that it wasn't that Morgan didn't trust them. The sheriff cared for everyone in his county, but he had watched Kristine grow up and knew the truth about her family and what kind of establishment she ran at the estate. John wasn't about to tell the man he couldn't check on Kristine, even though he knew Dean would be taking good care of her.
As he stood on the porch and watched Morgan head to his car, John crossed his arms over his chest. He heard the door open behind him.
"Dad?"
"Yeah, Sam?" John didn't turn around.
"I – uh – I just wanted to ask you…."
John turned around to face his son. Whatever Dean had said to him earlier definitely helped Sam's mood. John couldn't miss the more relaxed look on his face, but he also saw that his eyes still appeared troubled.
"Ask me what, Sammy?" John asked, hoping his voice portrayed the affection he felt.
"About earlier. At the warehouse…."
"How do you feel about what happened?"
John saw the surprise on Sam's face. "I – I did what I thought was best. Killing him – it would have been murder."
John nodded. He put an arm around his son's shoulders. "If I had disagreed with your decision, Gordon wouldn't have needed an ambulance."
He felt Sam relax. "Thanks, Dad."
John felt there was something more he should say, but the look on his son's face told him he was satisfied, so he left it at that.
---
Kristine's eyes opened and she listened to the room around here. It was completely dark and the only sound she heard was the low hum of the refrigerator. She remembered curling up on the couch and knew that's where she still was. She didn't think Dean would have left her alone so he was somewhere in the cottage.
She shifted carefully, afraid the pain in her head would return. When it didn't, she sat up slowly.
Still on the couch, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness and looked around. She saw a silhouette, Dean, in a chair across the room. His head was resting against the side of the old wingback. Now that she knew he was there, she could hear his even breathing and she knew he was asleep.
Kristine went into the bathroom to clean up and then to her bedroom for fresh clothes. Dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, she went back downstairs and found that Dean had turned on one of the lamps in the living room, keeping the room dim. She heard him in the kitchen.
"Hey," she stood just inside the room.
"Hey," he turned from the stove where he was watching the kettle he'd just filled with water.
"You know watched pot never boils."
"I've heard that," Dean said. "Does it apply to kettles?"
She shrugged. "I don't know."
She watched as Dean fidgeted uncomfortably. She didn't feel particularly comfortable herself, but was trying not to show it. It was past time for another dosage of medication, but she felt better than she had earlier. She moved further into the kitchen and took a pill from one of the bottles on the counter; Dean got a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
"Thanks," she muttered and swallowed the medicine. "Is everyone okay at the main house?"
"Yeah. Well, they were when I talked to them last a couple of hours ago."
"What happened with Gordon?" she asked, sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs.
Dean stood at the stove and told her everything he knew. When he stopped speaking, she nodded. "I'm glad Sam didn't kill him. I think he would have regretted it."
"So do I. We talked earlier and he's okay."
Kristine rubbed her face. Despite the sleep she'd gotten, she was still tired.
"Thank you for staying with me."
Dean smiled at her and moved closer. "There's nowhere I'd rather be."
She had to blink back tears. "Look, I know I make you uncomfortable, but –"
"You don't."
She looked at him knowingly. "Dean, come on. We both know it's true. I understand."
"Oh, yeah? What do you understand?" he asked gently.
"You're scared that I'll have another breakdown. You don't like knowing I have to take medication to maintain some kind of normalcy. You…."
Dean sat down across from her and took her hand. "Stop telling me what I know."
"So, you deny it?"
He glanced away for a moment. "I worry about you."
"Worry that I'll have another breakdown or –"
"Worry that you'll start feeling bad again and you'll go back to the self-mutilation. I don't want you to hurt yourself again. I don't want you to feel that way again, Kristine."
"I don't want to feel that way again, either. That's why, even though I hate it, I'm taking the medicine and I'm going to the therapy sessions. I don't want to get sick again."
"And with what happened with Gordon today?"
"It didn't help," she smiled sadly. "But I'll call my doctor in the morning and…."
"And?"
"Do what I have to do."
"I'm glad," Dean whispered.
Kristine looked into his eyes and leaned forward, gently caressed his cheek. "So, Dean Winchester, are you staying the night?"
"Do you want me to?"
She stood up and held out her hand. Dean took it and as they walked out of the kitchen, he turned off the stove as the kettle started to whistle.
tbc