Disclaimer: Still Kripke's characters, not mine. And I borrowed the Thunderbird legend too...

An uneasy silence settled over the odd gathering as Sam and Dean bounced their gazes from Gail to Aaron as though they were watching a tennis match despite the fact that not a word had been uttered. Sam could feel the tension in the air hovering like a thick fog. There was something more than plain old sibling rivalry at work here. There were a few secrets that weren't yet on display, but Sam knew it would settle the last few puzzle pieces into place. He just needed to figure out how to get the information.

The younger Winchester feigned disinterest as Dean slowly faded into the background and waited. Sam didn't want any attention to settle on his brother, but at the same time he needed to be aware of his presence at all times. He needed to stay on guard for both of their sakes. Its not like his brother would be able to fully protect himself if something severe were to happen. No, Sam had to watch himself and his brother for them to make it out of this in one piece.

Sam watched - feeling incredibly vulnerable out in the open with his shotgun lying somewhere near the bow in the corner - as the siblings simmered with what could only be angst and undeniable amount of distrust. Aaron hadn't moved much farther into the nest since his arrival and if it weren't for the firelight, Sam wouldn't have been able to make out more than his outline against the light trickling in from between the vines obscuring the entrance behind him. He shifted his weight, placing one knee against the ground with his other raised, to release the tension in his muscles from holding his crouched position for so long.

Dean slowly, imperceptibly, began to shift himself towards the wall of the nest while keeping his eyes trained on Gail. He wanted to make his way over to her and keep himself within arm's reach so he could pounce if the need arose. Somehow, he knew it would; his hunter's instincts were never wrong.

The elder Winchester watched as Aaron's internal struggle slowly began to leak into the room and he swore he could hear a rumble of thunder somewhere outside. Maybe emotions could dictate the storm just as much as Aaron roving the skies could; then again, it could also be a natural storm for once. Dean was pretty sure that could still happen.

Dean was just beginning to make some real progress across the confined space when Aaron's next statement stopped him in his tracks.

"Good to see you again, sister."

Slowly, so as not to be detected, his gaze turned towards Sam. He needed to make sure he had heard correctly and based on the way Sam's gaze darted from where Dean had pressed himself against the wall to the supernatural siblings staring daggers at each other, he knew he had heard right.

"Wait, not only do you know each other…you're family?" Sam asked with heavy skepticism.

Sure, he had grown up knowing things that weren't supposed to exist actually did…and recently he had added the Thunderbird to that list of things. He just didn't think there was a genetic link to legends like this, let alone of this magnitude and to such varying degrees. Did the Y chromosome determine a good natured Thunderbird and the double X determine an evil Wochowsen? His head hurt just trying to analyze the data.

"Oh yes," Gail replied, shifting her dark, threatening gaze from Aaron to Sam, "He's my twin brother."

Great. The supernatural wonder twins, Dean thought to himself in frustration.

Sam gulped at the intense scrutiny he suddenly found himself under as he worked to digest the newest piece of information. He found himself completely enthralled by her eyes - the gaze that gave away all the information he hadn't thought to search for before. Of course, Gail had to be the Wochowsen. The jacket, clearly sparkling due to rain drenched feathers, and the Native American features only hinted at what she could be. Her eyes, however, told him everything he could have wanted to know.

He studied her eyes intently, noting the resemblance in color to that of liquid earth. They were definitely a rich shade of brown, but there was almost a smoldering magma red color glinting beneath it as if it were caged. That's when realized that the pigment was trapped there; the horrendous thing that Gail could become trapped within her eyes just as much as it was actually trapped within her human body.

The longer Sam looked, the more her soul seemed to open before him and the younger Winchester was surprised to find much suffering buried under layers of intense, complicated emotions. He leafed through them stumbling across the compassion that she had for life and for love; however, he was surprised to see that it swirled violently with bitter resentment and betrayal. He could practically feel it clawing away it her being and he knew what she was going through. It was something Sam struggled with on a daily basis - the juxtaposition of who he knew he was and the thing that hovered below the surface and threatened to unhinge everything he held dear. Gail was just as torn up over her darker nature as Sam was about his own.

The younger Winchester felt a jolt of surprise as her cold visage softened a bit under his silvery green gaze, which was leaving the portal to her core and entering the superficial state of simply seeing her as a woman once again.

Sam broke eye contact with her, embarrassed and suddenly very much aware of how much she must be reading into him as he read into her. He flicked a glance back to her and wasn't surprised to find the carefully composed façade of cruelty plastered over her features once again. He knew that what he had found was carefully hidden once again just as his secrets were buried deep within himself once more.

Dean watched the bizarre staring contest between his brother and the evil thing in its human form with a mix of curiosity and disgust. He couldn't see Sam's face, but he knew his brother was learning a lot about Gail. It was one of his younger brother's natural gifts - reading people. Dean was pretty good at it too, but it was a skill he had honed through practice whereas Sam had born with the innate ability to comprehend people in general.

Dean let his gaze shift to Aaron who was trying valiantly not to notice him or the way he was creeping along the wall. Dean knew just from the man's stance that he was definitely the older brother, despite the shared birthday. The way Aaron tensed as Sam watched his sister screamed protective older brother. It was something Dean knew he was guilty of when it came to his own family - when it came to his Sammy.

Dean's face hardened as he knew what he had to do. He changed his game plan and continued to creep along the wall, aiming for the bow that leaned next to Sam's shotgun with the intent of arming it. He knew the struggle Aaron would be and was probably already contemplating, because Dean lived the dilemma everyday himself.

If you can't save Sam, you'll have to kill him. Dean, promise me.

He closed his eyes as the pleading tone of his father's usually gruff voice drifted back to him. He hadn't forgotten his promise and he wouldn't go back on his word; his stubborn Winchester pride, however, was completely determined to save his baby brother. Sam was the only family he had left and he'd be hard pressed to sever that tie. He needed Sam as much as Sam needed him.

A sudden spark leapt from the fire, the crackling noise breaking Dean from his thoughts and startling Aaron enough to jump slightly. He inched his way backwards a bit more, finally even with Gail as he willed himself to remain unnoticed. He never saw the golden glow that however behind the surface of Aaron's eyes.

As Gail returned her attention to her twin, Sam let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and risked a glimpse of his brother out of the corner of his eye. Dean scowled at him and used his head to gesture Sam back to the siblings in front of him. The younger Winchester's gaze returned quickly and only just barely quick enough.

"You can't stop me," Gail said with venom, "I know its what you want, but you can't do it."

Sam swallowed and settled his face into a practiced state of calm. His voice was firm as he asked, "What makes you so sure we're trying to stop you?"

The laughter that tumbled from her lips was enough to make both Winchesters shiver as their nerves turned their blood to ice. She was taking delight in this - their uncertainty of everything that was happening. It wasn't like demons in the past hadn't done the same, but this was a whole new level of creepy.

"You want the storms to stop, right? Because the winds are destroying towns and wrecking lives, right?" she asked Sam. He only nodded in response.

"Sister, you know this must stop," replied Aaron with a pleading tone, "You cannot tangle more innocent lives into our fighting."

"I guess you should've thought of that before you killed my husband!" Gail spat viciously, rising to her feet and squaring her shoulders towards her brother.

The air suddenly became heavy once again as even the breeze outside seemed to hold its breath in much the same way Sam and Dean did with Gail's declaration. Dean, however, pried himself from the drama of the situation and put his mind to the task at hand. Again, the elder Winchester was reminded of how the emotions of the twins might be controlling the weather. Now that Gail seemed to be doing it too, he knew he probably wasn't that far from the truth.

With a few more steps placed cautiously and quietly, Dean was elated to see that he was close enough to the bow to start reaching for it. His eyes searched the area near it looking for a quiver or at least some sort of arrow, but was disappointed when he couldn't' find anything. Despite that minor defeat, he began to lean towards the weapon, his ribs protesting even louder thanks to his run in with Sam earlier. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from groaning out loud and hoped his head didn't start throbbing any worse than it was already. He wouldn't be able to keep himself in check if it did.

Although Dean had managed to tear himself away from the situation at hand, Sam had been unable to separate himself from the drama. His heart was hammering in his chest at the thought of Aaron, the one that he thought he could trust, was pointed out to be a murderer. Sam couldn't help but think that maybe they were helping the wrong being. Maybe Gail was the one that needed the bow to make things right.

"Sister, I did not mean for it to happen," Aaron intoned with sympathy, "He got in the way."

"Got in the way? He got in the way? What about you? You weren't even supposed to be there!" Gail practically screamed. More wind kicked up outside with her agitation.

Aaron swallowed thickly as the guilt washed over him. His voice was strained with emotion as he spoke, "You were churning up tornadoes and dirt devils. I had to get them in check!"

"You killed my children's father!" she shot back.

Gail tensed and although her face was hidden from view, Sam knew that her face was drenched in anger and probably a bit of self-loathing. It was the same thing Sam felt for himself whenever he had a vision or took a hit of demon blood. He knew what he was doing was for the greater good - or at least he tried to believe it - but it made him feel so incredibly guilty. The groan and soft clatter that came from somewhere behind the younger Winchester, however, interrupted his thoughts as well as the argument before him.

"Dean," Sam said sharply as he turned. He wasn't completely surprised to see the bow on the ground next to his brother. He wasn't completely surprised, he admitted to himself with some regret, to find Dean standing hunched awkwardly with his eyes squeezed shut and his arms wrapped tightly around himself. Sam was by his side in a heartbeat.

"Dude," Dean said hoarsely as he eyed his brother's worry with annoyance, "What'd I say about chick flick moments?"

Sam allowed a weak smile to cross his features. At least Dean was still making an effort to put up a good front.

"Get away from the bow."

Gail's tone was once again icily menacing, although its target was new. Dean looked past his brother's shoulder to see the woman staring at him. The angry red fire that had been buried in her eyes flared wildly as the wind ripped around outside. However, it wasn't the glare that had Dean cringing. It was the large, jagged spearhead that she held in her hands that caught his attention.

"Gail, leave him out of this," Aaron said, taking a step forward with his hands in the air. He prayed that it would be enough to dissuade his sister from harming another innocent.

Gail slashed at the air near her twin, halting his progress. She hissed her words at him, feeling like a tiger trapped in a cage, "Not if he threatens my life."

Dean moved quickly, making an attempt to grab the bow once again but was stopped short by the stab of pain in his side from his injured rib muscles. He slammed his eyelids shut and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, not at all surprised to find Gail advancing on him and Sam with the spearhead once again. Aaron was hot on her trail.

Everything happened so quickly, it was nearly impossible to discern one moment from the next. Aaron grabbed his sister, pinning her arms to her sides as he held her tight as Sam simultaneously saw the opportunity and grabbed the sacred weapon off the floor. Aaron shouted orders to get out of the nest and run as Sam searched frantically for an arrow or anything closely resembling one to fire at Gail and end the struggle.

Dean pushed at his brother, shouting orders to get outside with the bow, but one shove from Sam - meaning only to push his brother towards the exit - jostled the elder Winchester and tilted the room as a fresh wave of pain washed through him with a new vengeance.

There was a shout, unmistakably masculine, as Gail managed to maneuver herself in her brother's grip enough to swipe at him with the spear head. She missed by mere centimeters, but it gave her enough time to advance on Sam.

"NO!" Dean shouted, fighting through the anguished outrage of his head and ribs.

Gail slashed viciously at the younger Winchester and managed to slice a few shallow cuts along his chest and the hand that held the bow despite Sam's agile dodges. He winced at the stinging sensation caused by each little tear, but his focus was on the spearhead in her hands. The sharpened rock looked ancient.

Dean blinked a few times, trying to right the room, and took a few unsteady steps towards his brother. His heart leapt to his throat, however, as Sam yelled loudly and dropped to his knees, taking the weapon with him. Gail grabbed the spearhead, which she had deftly plunged into Sam's thigh, and yanked it from her victim. The resounding yell did more to sober Dean in that single second that anything else had all day.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Dean staggered to get between Sam and Gail; he felt the gentle tug of his younger brother using his shoulder for leverage as he stood, but pushed Sam towards the exit as soon as he knew he was upright. He knew he shouted a terse "Leave!" as he watched Gail zip her jacket. Dean saw Sam being dragged out of the nest by Aaron's tight grip on his brother's arm. Knowing his brother would be safe, Dean turned his attention back to Gail's actions and was terrified to see she had nearly completed her transformation.

Her spear head, now glinting with a cherry red shine, clattered to the floor forgotten as her eyes began to glow with an intense crimson light and Dean leaped forward to tackle her to the ground as she threw her hood over her head; he knew somewhere mid-tackle that he was too late.

Time froze completely as a terrible screech filled the air, sounding as though wind were tearing apart the very fabric of time. A fierce spiral kicked up within the nest, throwing the already airborne Dean flying into a few thick branches embedded in the nest wall. As his lower body made contact, however, his left leg tore through the branches and implanted itself there, taking all of Dean's weight as the rest of his body tumbled towards the ground. Fortunately, his shoulders hit the floor and took the weight off his leg before any serious damage could be done. He struggled to free himself, as the wind slowly died down to a dull roar.

There was an eerie calm settling in and Dean twisted himself, still working to free his leg, in an effort to see where the Wochowsen had gone. He swallowed thickly and watched as the immense bird slowly strutted towards him, ducking its head to stay within its home. There was a feral glint to her eyes that had been missing earlier and Dean was suddenly very afraid for his life.

He swore he could almost see the menacing grin on her hooked beak as she raised her right foot and pressed it against his body. He felt the snap of a rib and knew he yelled, but the twisting snap of his leg that followed drowned out all other sensations. The only thing he could actually hear from that point forward was the rushing roar of his blood pressure spiking at the intense pain. The last thing Dean remembered was the sensation of being lifted as the Wochowsen broke through the ceiling of her home. He could just make out the shape of Sam dwarfing against the desert before Dean succumbed to the pain free abyss of oblivion.

A/N: WELL! Another chapter down! Some serious Dean whumpage, eh? Sorry this chapter was so much shorter than the others.
ALSO! While I'm here, I want to give a special shout out to Sue Pokorny who's read and reviewed everything I've done with this story. Thanks! :)
As for the rest of you... Please don't forget to REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

xoTrebleMaker