On the Flip Side
Chapter four: Nothing wrong with me
By: Ambrlupin
Summary: John Winchester knew something was needed for his boys, even after his death. So he enlisted a little help after the fact. Now Dean has to deal with what he fears most, Sam's psychic powers, because well... They're not Sam's anymore.
Disclaimer: -sigh- Nope. I wish I owned them. But I do not. They'd take them away if I did.
A/N: I'm so sorry, you guys. I'm still alive, I promise you. I graduated from high school (yay for me!) when everyone thought I wouldn't. But things are so hectic at home that its hard to find time to sit down and write. My father is going to be gone for a while, and mom and I have to make due with what we have, ontop of our eviction from the house we're staying in due to rent problems. So it's a big mess and I'm trying to keep our heads above water. I really want to update this story, and I will be working here soon to get you a new chapter. I just don't want to lose my readers, you all mean the world to me, and I'm sorry for being so absent. Please forgive me.
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Sam woke late in the day, which was rather unusual for him. That was more Dean's style than his own. But the clock didn't lie. More importantly, though, since it was two in the afternoon, where was his brother?
He stared up at the ceiling for what felt like hours, just studying the rough texture before he sighed and sat up, rotating his shoulders. For sleeping most of the day away, he didn't feel very refreshed, but it was more than usual, so he was fine with it.
A bout of childish laughter hit his ears once he had rolled out of bed, and he pulled back the heavy motel curtains to see Dean and Selene playing outside on the sidewalk. Well, one question solved. Ten thousand to go.
Such as, why did Dean suddenly change his mind on staying? It couldn't have been because of the little girl and her mother. That wasn't his brother's style. Or was it? One could hardly tell with Dean Winchester. However, something told Sam that wasn't why, and he was back to just having more questions.
Frowning at the glass, he turned around and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge, unscrewing the lid and taking a swig of it as he settled before his computer. He ran his fingers through his hair as it started up, and grinned when it announced he had mail.
His grin faded completely as he read it.
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"Mister Dean?" Selene's timid voice was at his ear as she poked him. "Mister Dean?"
Dean lay sprawled on the sidewalk, an arm thrown up away from his body at an angle, eyes closed. He didn't even move as the girl poked at him. His breathing was ragged, harsh, but barely even there.
"Mister Dean..." her lower lip trembled, and she shoved at him with both hands. Another failed attempt at moving him or waking him up. "Mister Dean!"
A faint smile slipped over the hunter's face as he opened his eyes, arm snapping around her waist so quickly it made her scream in girlish laughter and push at him. "Don't do that, mister Dean!"
Dean chuckled, patting her on the head and letting her go before she managed to clock him or put too much weight on his stomach. "Sorry, kid." He let her know he was only playing and got to his feet, brushing himself off.
Rubbing at his head, he gently prodded her back to her room to get something to eat as he opened the door to his own, smirk in place as he saw his brother awake. "Ah, morning sunshine." he greeted, stretching as he pulled a bottle of Tylenol from the side table's drawer and washed a few pills down with some water.
Sam ignored the jab and just continued to read the email, fingers tapping absently on the hard wood of the table."Knock it off Dean, I got an email this morn- are you all right?" He'd looked up just in time to see the pills disappear into his mouth.
"Mm, headache." Dean waved it away and came over, leaning against the table as he looked at the other calmly. "So, email?"
"From Missouri." The younger continued, mostly looking at the screen though his eyes occasionally went back to his brother. "You know how we told her to email us if she had problems or found anything out."
"Yeah. So she found something?"
"I don't know. She just wants us to come see her." Looking up then, Sam noticed the way his brother's arm had wrapped around his stomach and his eyes narrowed. "Bust your stitches, Dean?"
Easily moving his arm away, he shrugged. "Don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do. You can't be playing around like that." Sam got up, advancing on the shorter brother, making a pass to jerk his shirt away from the bandages. But of course it couldn't be easy, and Dean just moved away.
"Woah, easy there Sherlock Holmes. You've been staring at the computer screen for too long. Its fried your brain. I'm fine." He gave him a dashing smile. "I'm Dean Winchester. I'm indestructible."
"Like hell." Sam retorted, and after a scuffle that tore up most of the room, he eventually managed to grab his brother and pin him down on the bed long enough to see the blood that stained the pristine bandages. "Damn it, Dean!"
Pushing him off, and knocking him flat on his ass for good measure, the older shrugged into his jacket. "Stop it, Sam. I don't need you looking after me like some child. I already told you. I'm fine."
"I didn't know bleeding meant fine." He got back up, eyes confused. He just couldn't figure out why he was being fought so much on this. It was such a simple thing. "Dean, what's gotten into you?"
"Nothing!" He exploded then, knocking over a chair so that it fell to the floor with a sharp crash. "Nothing is wrong with me! I'm fine. Do you hear me, Sam? I'm fine!" And with those parting words, he was out the door, slamming it behind him.
Which left the younger blinking in surprise and wondering what had happened to his usual calm, unshakable, older brother.
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Sam tossed the knife to him and he caught it one handed, sticking it on his belt as he moved off, silent and easily through the woods. They didn't have any idea what was going on in this backwards little town, but Dean could tell you that it had better be their sort of job or he was going to kill.
A week and a half without television and barely any internet connection was torture. Add in the fact that there wasn't even a bar and you had a place that the older Winchester never wanted to visit. Ever. Again.
The town was something straight out of the pages of those history books that you never really read in school, only pretended to. Religious fanatics that didn't believe in television or internet or drinking. At this point even Sam wanted to finish this as quickly as could humanly be possible. It was wearing on both of their nerves.
Feeling a branch crack under his foot, he stilled, but didn't hear anything other than his brother's even breathing behind him. Stepping forward again, he was careful as he peered out into a clearing and blinked.
"And they say I have interesting hobbies."
Trying not to chuckle from the slap that whispered comment had earned him, Dean watched the girls frolic around like wannabe witches in the modern age. Sort of a cross between that stupid book, The Crucible, and Charmed.
Normally this wouldn't be their job, if it weren't for the fact that these girls w ere doing something right, and they weren't alone in that clearing. Spirits, of what no one knew, were around them, gaining power from the excited children.
"This is going to be a bitch." Dean muttered, shaking his head. They had to deal with the spirits and keep the girls from running away and getting the entire town on their backs. With their luck they'd be hung. That was old school, right?
"Not up to charming?" Sam teased, his gun at his side. "We can't hurt them."
"No shit." Rolling his eyes, Dean got up and stowed his gun at the small of his back as he walked into the clearing despite his brother's startled sputtering. "Hello ladies."
Shrieking, they all jumped into a group, the spirits huddled around as if to protect them. "Get away! You don't belong here!" One of them commanded, pointing her finger at him.
"Neither does Casper, there. Why don't you tell me exactly what you did, hm?" He gave her the patented Dean smirk, but was started when she left her friends, walking right up to him and slapping him straight across the face.
"Filth." She snarled at him, not caring as her wrist was caught by his hand. "I can see what you're thinking. I've seen what you've been thinking since you entered out clearing. You are nothing more than a pig."
Eyes widening just a touch, he held her hand down, though his grip loosened a bit at that. So maybe he had been thinking that a bunch of girls together like that... what? He couldn't have his own thoughts anymore? And then what she said hit him and he let her go like she had burned him.
He was never very good with that physic shit. Especially not when it was used on him. He had enough trouble as it was dealing with his brother. Quite frankly though, it scared him. Monsters he could handle, no matter what gifts they happened to have. But people? Humans with abilities like that... He couldn't handle it.
It wasn't right. It wasn't natural. It was completely one hundred percent wrong. And she saw all this in his head, along with the knowledge of what he was going to do to their protector, their holy spirit in the flesh. She made a sound of complete outrage, jerking the knife from his belt before he could even react.
He heard his brother yell a warning, but all he felt was the knife slash across his stomach, warm blood spilling down his skin. A choked sound slipped from his lips, and she smiled, laying a hand on his cheek. "Go with God."
The last thing he remembered, despite the aching pain that tore at him - she had dug deep, was seeing his brother leaping forward, psychic on psychic, before he blacked out on the grass. Unable to help, unable to protect.
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Dean sat on the hood of the Impala, looking out over the people as they walked around. His fingertips touched his stomach absently, feeling the bandages under his shirt. He'd been distracted that day. Because he had been lost in his own mind. Something he'd never allowed to happen before. Ever.
But it was different this time, because he was thinking about his brother. About his visions. Would his little Sammy be that powerful too? Would he be able to read minds? Would he use it against him? Powers like this corrupted. He'd seen it first hand.
He was the sworn enemy of those things that went bump in the night, and his brother's powers, as handy as they were sometimes, were evil. Swallowing, he rubbed at his face and pulled out the Tylenol bottle, swallowing a few more pills down.
Stupid headaches.
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A little longer. I'm not too sure I wrote the flashback well enough for everyone to understand... But I was moving to get this out as quick as I could. Not to mention the fact that I forgot you can't have strictly author note chapters. So I had to move quick and replace the update chapter I put up with the real one.
I just hope I haven't lost all my readers in my absence. Review? Yes? Please?