Disclaimer: I used to own supernatural, the boys, the Impala and everything else on the show. But then, the men in white gave me my meds and I had to take them.
Summary: He had ignored his brother for far too long, Sam realized. He had ignored the symptoms, choosing instead to make amends to others. He had though that Dean would be alright. He always is after all. But not anymore. Now he was going to save his brother. He just hoped that it wasn't already too late.
Chapter 4.
"What are we doing here again?"
Sam sighed. Adam had been against this plan from the get-go, questioning every move. To be fair, the plan was a little crazy, one of their desperate last resort moves, but they didn't have a choice.
"We are rescuing Dean." Sam replied.
"Yeah, but from the courtroom? With cops everywhere?" Adam asked. "We have no chance of making it out of here."
"We have made it out from worse situations." Sam said.
Three days ago, they had received the news of Dean's incarceration. Bobby had gotten it from Sheriff Jodie Mills, who, in turn had received it from an FBI agent investing any and all of Dean's connections. Apparently there was some record of Bobby Singer being involved with the Winchester name and FBI had asked the Sheriff to follow the lead. But beyond that, she knew nothing. Apparently Dean was such a huge flight risk, probably due to his last few times in a jail cell, that the news of his arrest was being kept as quiet as possible. As hard as she tried, the Sheriff couldn't find out where Dean was being held. The authorities had concluded that Dean and his associates were responsible for the blast that killed agent Hendrickson and his team and they weren't risking a repeat performance. By a stroke of luck, one of Bobby's contacts in the legal system had found out where Dean's trial was being held.
"You are insane, you know that?" Christian said after hearing that Sam intended to break Dean out of the prison. "The only reason we haven't been arrested yet is because we are smart enough to stay as far away from the cops as possible. If Dean was dumb enough to get arrested, well, that's no reason for him to take us down with us."
"We won't go down." Sam replied. "We have successfully evaded authorities before."
"Look, I have to agree with Christian here." Adam said. "If we break Dean out, we'll have the entire law-enforcement after us. We are talking nationwide manhunt. It isn't like before when they just assumed that you are dead. Besides, how do you know that Dean even wants to be rescued?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Bobby's contact told us that Dean was arrested a few months ago." Adam explained. "Now, I'm no lawyer, but I know that you get atleast one call. Dean didn't call us."
"He must be trying to protect us." Sam replied. "Maybe the feds thinks that I'm still dead and Dean wants them to keep thinking that. That's why he didn't get us involved."
"Even so, he could have asked Castiel to rescue him." Adam countered.
"Look, I don't know why he didn't do any of those things, okay? I don't know how he let himself get arrested." Sam said. "All I know is that the cops have him and we are going to get him. And it's not like we are running a very big risk here. We only need to find out where he's being held. Then Cas can zap him out of there."
"And you think that the cops are just gonna say – 'bummer, he got away'? They'll launch a manhunt for him." Christian argued. "Anyway you cut it, you rescue him and you are gonna be running for the rest of your life."
"We are not leaving Dean to rot in prison." Sam said with finality.
"Why not? He left you to rot with your memories. He left Adam to rot in hell. He didn't care what happened to you guys; maybe you should give him the same courtesy."
Sam glared at his cousin, but he had to concede the point. Dean had left them, knowing full well that what Sam would be suffering would be far worse than any jail. Maybe that's why he hadn't called them, feeling he needed to suffer for abandoning his brother. But Sam wasn't going to let that happen. Besides, they needed Dean with them.
"Well, I guess we have to better than him, in that case." Sam replied.
That was the argument Sam stuck with. Every time someone objected to the whole plan, he told them that they couldn't leave Dean behind, even when Dean had chosen to do the same thing. Because Dean would have done the same for them.
"All rise. Honorable Judge Marsha Brown presiding." The bailiff called out as the court began its session. Sam looked around confused. Something wasn't right with the scenario.
As the court settled down, the judge, a plump, short African-American woman, who reminded Sam a little of Missouri, began the proceedings.
"You have a motion for me counselor." The judge said, looking over at the defense table.
"Yes your honor." The attorney, a man clearly jaded from his long years at the public defender's office, replied. "We would respectfully submit that Mr. Winchester - "
"I know what the motion is about. I can read as well as you." The Judge interrupted testily, shaking the affidavit in front of her. "I have your motion here. And the prosecution is opposed to it, I suppose?"
"Yes, your honor." The female prosecutor replied.
"Alright, let's get this over with quickly." Judge Brown said. "Both of you, get up here."
"That's weird." Sam said under his breath as the two lawyers went up to the Judge's table.
"What is?" Adam asked.
"This whole situation doesn't make sense." Sam explained. "I mean, this is obviously a pre-trial motion and it's not necessary for Dean to be here for those, but it's usual."
"Well, he's a flight risk, isn't he?" Adam argued.
"Yeah, but I have been looking through these." Sam replied, taking out a sheaf of papers. "These are the court records related to Dean's case. I haven't been able to see all the details, but according to this, Dean hasn't even been arraigned yet. I thought this would be his arraignment. In which case, he'll have to be here."
"How did you even get those?"
"Court transcripts as a matter of public records." Sam replied. "If all this is true, Dean has been in prison for months without even being arraigned. And that can't be right."
"Maybe they think he's a terrorist." Adam suggested. "Like one of those Guantanamo guys."
"Then they wouldn't be trying him at all." Sam answered. "And that's another thing. Dean is a wanted criminal. His arrest should've gotten a lot of media attention. If they successfully prosecute him, it would be a very big feather in the prosecutors cap. It makes no sense to keep it quiet. I can understand them keeping mum about the arrest, but the trial itself should be a different story. There should be more people around."
Adam looked around the court-room. Sam was right. Apart from them, the lawyers, the judge and the bailiff, the room might as well have been empty. There were just three suits, clearly FBI agents, sitting behind the prosecution. Another old, balding man with glasses and a woman in her thirties. No real media was actually present, just them pretending to be part of one. In fact, this was pretty bad. Sam had counted on the crowd in the courtroom to cover them, in case any of the agents recognized him. So far, none of them had given them anything beyond a cursory glance, but Adam was worried that if they looked closer, especially when Sam was standing, they would recognize him.
"That man is a monster and you are asking the court to give him a free pass." The prosecutor shouted. Adam and Sam had been so busy discussing the situation amongst themselves, they hadn't paid any attention to the argument going on in the front. The prosecuting attorney, a well-dressed, middle-aged woman, who looked like she'd be running for Senator any day now, was arguing loudly.
"Calm down there missy." The Judge reprimanded. "That would be my call. Mrs. Bowen, I gather that you have submitted this petition."
"Yes your honor." The woman in her thirties, got up nervously.
"And what is your relation to this Dean Winchester?"
"I'm the Social Worker assigned to his case." Mrs. Bowen replied.
Social Worker? Sam was not thoroughly confused.
"And Dr Herrick, you recommend this course of action?"
"Yes, Ma'am." The old man replied, getting up.
"Alright, get your ass in the witness chair. I want to hear all about this one." Judge Brown ruled.
The whole thing was making less and less sense by the minute. If a doctor was being called for giving testimony, then this should have been a trial. So where the hell was the jury?
"Dr Herrick, can you state your qualifications for the court please?" The Defense attorney asked as the man was sworn in and took the stand.
"Yes. I'm Dr Herrick from the Massachusetts Mental Health Institution. I have been Mr Winchester's attending Psychiatrist." Herrick replied.
"And how long has that been?"
"Well, ever since Mr. Winchester was brought in, I guess. I was appointed by the court." Herrick answered. "Mr. Winchester has been under my care ever since."
Sam shot Adam a confused glance. If they were bringing in a shrink, the defense must be arguing insanity. To be fair, if Dean had told them his life story, that wouldn't be much of a stretch.
"And can you explain to the court what have you learned about his condition?" The Lawyer continued.
"Well, it is my understanding that Mr. Winchester was brought into Massachusetts General Hospital after someone found him wandering in the street. The police ran his fingerprints which led to the discovery of his identity. The Federal Bureau took him under his custody after that and that's when I was called in to evaluate him."
"And what was your evaluation?"
"Well, we have to keep in mind that I know nothing of the patient's medical history, so I cannot be certain of the diagnosis." The doctor replied. "But in my opinion, Mr. Winchester is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."
"Can you elaborate, please?"
"Ever since his admission, Mr. Winchester has been in a catatonic state." Herrick answered. "He doesn't speak, doesn't react to anything going on around him, doesn't move unless he's moved. He gets his nutrition via IV's and feeding tubes. He isn't even capable of performing the basic bodily functions."
"And you concluded this is PTSD because - ?"
"We ran a multitude of tests to determine the cause." The doctor replied. "We determined that there wasn't anything physiologically wrong with him."
"Are you suggesting that he is faking it?" The judge interrupted with a question of her own.
"No, most definitely not your honor. I'm saying that the cause of his state is psychological in origin. This I'm sure of." Herrick explained. "Depression might have been another cause for this, but none of the anti-depressants we've given him so far have worked. I believe that something so traumatic happened to him that it has made him shut himself up from the outside world. It's kind of his brain's natural defense mechanism."
"Doctor, I'm just gonna throw it out there." The defense attorney said. "Is it possible that Dean Winchester was clinically insane when he committed all of his alleged crimes, and then gained moment of sanity and in that moment of sanity, he was so horrified by his actions that he went into a catatonic state?"
"Objection." The prosecution jumped up. "Counsel is trying to sneak in insanity defense. There is no basis for that allegation."
"Well, then, it's a good thing this isn't a criminal trial." The judge replied snidely. "Overruled."
"Well, like I said, I don't know the patient's medical history, so it would be impossible to make a judgment on that." The doctor replied. "But I guess it's possible."
"Get to the point quickly, counselor." The judge told the defense. "I would like to get it over before lunch."
"Yes, judge. Doctor, you said that the patient has not responded to any medication whatsoever?"
"Yes, we have been treating him with a cocktail of barbiturates which have proven effective with catatonic patients. They haven't induced the slightest change in him." The doctor explained. "Hence, I have no choice other than recommending Electro-Convulsive Therapy."
"Electroshock Therapy? Isn't that a little extreme?"
"I believe that we are out of options. And since the patient has no caretaker to give consent, we need a court order."
"What about the side-effects of the therapy?"
"Well, there could be many negative side-effects. In fact, it could very well make the situation worse." Doctor replied. "One thing is certain, the therapy would make it near impossible to ascertain his mental status prior to the break-down. That would mean that we wouldn't be able to rule out insanity as the cause of his alleged crimes, probably never able to try him for those either. Maybe that's why prosecution is so desperate to avoid it."
"Objection." The prosecutor was outraged.
"Alright, alright. Let's play nice." Judge Brown said. "Anything else?"
"One last question." Defense replied. "Doctor, this man is accused of committing heinous crimes. Putting the moral implications aside, is there any harm in letting him stay catatonic? I mean, he can't hurt anyone while he's in the hospital and it's not like he's suffering or anything."
"But he is suffering. He may be comfortable physically, but mentally he is going through a great deal of pain."
"And how did you come to that conclusion?"
"Well, like I said before, we had to run a multitude of tests to make the determination that there was nothing wrong with him." The doctor explained. "One of the tests was a pain stimulus test. Basically, we induce increasing degree of pain in the patient and see if he responds. During one of the tests, one of our Attendings went a little overboard."
"Come again?"
"You have to understand this first. At that time, we were under tremendous pressure from the Federal Bureau to make the finding that Dean Winchester was faking it. In fact, the initial directive was that he was faking insanity and we had to prove it by any means possible. One of the attending had heard of his alleged crimes and was, well, over-enthusiastic."
"Care to elaborate of that, doctor?"
"Standard tests include things that would cause pain, but no permanent injury. Like sticking one's hand in ice or handing the patient electrified objects, while steadily increasing the current. Sometimes we administer drugs that cause severe muscle cramps." Herrick explained. "Dean Winchester never responded to any of those. The attending I'm talking about, he went well beyond the allowed limit. Basically he induced pain to the level that would cause a normal person to pass out. And when that got no response, he increased it further."
"Hold on a minute." The judge said. "Doctor, are you telling me that you have been torturing this poor man?"
"Well, I don't think that was the intention, but the doctor ended up doing exactly that." Herrick replied. "That was the only time we got any response out of him."
"You mean he started talking again?"
"More like screaming his head off. That was when I became aware of what was going on. Dean Winchester kept screaming for a long time, even after the stimulus was removed. We were hoping that once he calmed down, he'd be able to be lucid. But finally, we had to sedate him. When he woke up, he was the same as before." The doctor explained. "That's why I said that he is in a great deal of psychological pain. That's why I think that ECT is indicated in this case."
"Thank you doctor." Defense attorney finished and turned to the prosecutor. "All yours."
Sam had been listening to the testimony with growing horror. At first, he thought that it was all a case of mistaken identity. That someone else had been captured in his brother's name. Because Dean wasn't crazy. He didn't have PTSD. Dean had survived hell and he's been fine after that. But it all made sense now. The months of radio silence from Dean. Him not calling them for help after he got arrested. Him not coming back after the many-many messages Sam had left. Him not showing up for the birth of his son. Dean hadn't come back, because he couldn't. He had been shut in an asylum, out of his mind. And these people had tortured him. How could he let that happen to his brother?
Sam had had enough of this legal charade. He moved as the prosecutor got up to question the witness, ignoring the dumbfounded look on Adam's face. Before anyone in the courtroom could react, Sam pulled out the gun he had snuck in with him and grabbed the prosecutor. Holding her in front of him like a shield, Sam backed away, keeping a steady gun to her forehead. The others finally caught up, taking out guns of their own and pointing then towards him.
"What the hell are you doing?" The Judge shouted, getting up. She looked half-terrified, holding up her hands and half indignant at having the decorum of her court room ruined.
"Where are you keeping him?" Sam shouted at the doctor, ignoring everyone else. "Where are you keeping Dean? Tell me now or I shoot her."
"Oh my God. You are Sam Winchester." One of the agents said, finally having recognized him. "This man is Dean's brother who we thought died with him. Put down the gun. You are not getting out of this one."
"Where is he?" Sam shouted, completely ignoring the demand.
"He's at Colorado Mental Hospital." The doctor replied shakily.
"Put down the gun Sam. Don't think we won't shoot you just because you have a hostage." One of the agents said. "Your brother is hundreds of miles away and you won't make it out of this court alive if you don't put the gun down. Right now."
Sam looked around the room. The bailiff was missing, no doubt having run away to call for help. The agent was right. Even if he did make it out of here, Dean was miles away. And now that they knew he was alive, they'd be watching his brother like hawks. They had to get Dean and they had to get him fast.
"Cas. Get down here right now." Sam shouted. "C'mon, Castiel. Don't let me down now."
Sam had backed off towards the wall and noticed that slowly but surely, the agents were blocking off the exits. A little worriedly, one of them looked behind at the door, expecting Sam's cavalry to arrive. There was a sudden rush of air and Castiel appeared in the middle of the room, surprising everyone. In shock, one of the agents let off a shot, getting Castiel in the middle of his chest.
"You sound desperate." Castiel said, completely ignoring the large bloodstain on his front.
"Dean's held at Colorado mental hospital. We have to get him." Sam replied. "Take us there, right now."
Castiel gave a small nod in reply. Sam's vision went white for a moment and the next he was standing in a white corridor lined with locked metal doors. Sam looked around, surprised that he still had the prosecutor as a hostage. Apparently, Castiel had taken his command to get them all there literally. Along with Adam and himself, the whole courtroom was standing in the corridor.
"Just me and Adam, Cas." Sam shouted. Castiel ignored him completely, instead going from door to door in the corridor. Finally he stopped in front of one of them.
"Dean's in here." Castiel said. He tried to open the door, but finding it locked, chose to rip it off its hinges. Sam threw the hostage aside and rushed forward, dimly noting that Adam was right behind him. Thankfully, all the others were a bit too stunned by the sudden change in venue to react at all. Going inside the room, Sam saw Dean, tied up in a straitjacket and looking much thinner than the last time. So much so that for a moment Sam couldn't recognize his own brother.
"Dean. Hey, Dean. You okay man?" Sam shouted, kneeling before his brother. The doctor knew what he had been talking about. Dean didn't respond at all. Not even a flicker of recognition in his eyes and he was looking straight at Sam. But this wasn't the time for that.
"Cas, get us out of here." Sam commanded. "Just the three of us this time."
The rest of the people from the court finally came to their senses, rushing to the room, only to see the Winchesters and their friend disappear into thin air. All of them shared similar lost looks.
"Where the hell are we?" The Judge asked no one in particular.
"We're at my hospital." The doctor replied. "I don't understand. How did we get here? We were hundreds of miles away a few seconds ago."
"This has got to be a trick." The prosecutor said. "The Winchesters are good at that."
"We traveled hundreds of miles in a second." The Judge said harshly. "How is that a trick? Does anyone have any sensible explanation for this?"
One of the agents cleared his throat.
"In one of his reports, Hendrickson said that the Winchesters claimed to be hunters. Hunting things like ghosts and demons. We just dismissed all that as them laying the groundwork for insanity."
"Castiel is an angel." The social worker said softly. "I remember reading that name in bible once."
"Angels? Demons? Are all of you insane?" The prosecutor shouted.
"Well, missy, you got a better explanation for all this?" The judge said testily. "Look, I don't know what is going on any more than you do. But I suggest, before we start a manhunt for Dean Winchester, we better get some things straightened out."
Everyone in the room sat quietly, watching, as Castiel put his hand on Dean's chest. He closed his eyes, face screwed up in concentration and after a while he removed his hand with a weary sigh.
"Well? What's wrong with him?" Sam asked impatiently.
"I don't know." Castiel replied. "I can't get a read on him."
"Is his soul missing?" Adam asked.
"I just said I don't know." Castiel said. "I will have to go deeper to make that determination. Should I?"
"No. That'll put him in a lot of unnecessary pain." Sam answered. "What about the thing you did with Adam? Why can't you find out if he has his soul that way?"
"It's not that simple." Castiel explained. "Every time we read a human, we need to pour our grace inside his body. That requires the human's acceptance. Dean's body is rejecting my grace."
"You mean like possession?" Bobby asked.
"Not exactly. Possession by an angel requires explicit consent. Anything else, like healing or entering dreams, requires just acceptance. Even subconscious acceptance will do." Castiel answered. "Right now Dean has completely shut me out."
Sam let out a frustrated sigh. They had gotten Dean back, finally, but this was not his brother. This wasn't the way he'd wanted it to be.
"And you are sure that you have done everything?" Sam said. "There is nothing else you can do?"
"I'm sorry."
"Jesus, Cas. Just – just try it once more. Go as deep as you can without hurting him." Sam ordered.
"And what would be the point of that?"
"Just do it, okay?" Sam replied. "We have to find out what's wrong with Dean."
Castiel nodded slowly and walked back to Dean. The hunter hadn't moved an inch ever since they had brought him back, sitting rigidly where they had put him and staring at a spot on Bobby's wall. Once again Castiel closed his eyes and put his hand on Dean, tryimg to go as deep as he could without hurting the young man.
"Like I said, Sam." Castiel said. "There is – wait. I got something."
"What - ?" Adam started.
"Sshh." Sam admonished his younger brother, letting Castiel conduct his search in peace.
"I found something." Castiel said at length, finally taking his hand off Dean. "I couldn't determine what was wrong with him but I definitely felt a connection to something."
"Like a mark on the soul?" Sam asked, remembering the brand something leaves on you when they gain the possession of your soul.
"I'm not sure. I couldn't go that deep." Castiel replied. "But I suspect whatever this thing is, it's what has caused Dean's condition."
"What is it?" Sam asked. "Can you trace it?"
Castiel didn't answer. A moment later the others were staring into an empty place where Castiel had been. Sam felt a familiar feeling of frustration at angels who disappeared mid-conversation.
Castiel appeared a moment later with a duffel bag in his hand.
"That's Dean's." Sam said, recognizing the bag.
"Yes. Whatever the thing is, I've traced it's presence back to this." Castiel said, upending the contents of the bag on the floor. He took a moment to sift through the pile before holding up an ancient, gold-like square tablet in his hand. "Here it is."
"What is that?" Sam asked, looking closely. The artifact was old, very old. It was inscribed with symbols and sigils that looked Enochian in origin. Most of the inscriptions were covered due to some crusty brown substance over the talisman. "Is that blood?"
"Yes. Dean's blood to be precise." Castiel answered. "I believe this thing is the cause of Dean's condition."
"So what is it?" Bobby asked. He had seen a lot of cursed objects in his day but none like this.
"I don't know." Castiel replied. "All I can gather is that this thing is extremely powerful. I sense more power from it than from a whole collection of heaven's weapons. This isn't your average cursed artifact."
"So, can't you break it or something?" Adam asked.
"Yes. But that might not work. We don't know how this thing has affected Dean."
"Alright." Sam said, nodding slowly. "This is a lead. We need to find out what that thing is and try to reverse its effects."
But finding out the history of the artifact wasn't easy. The three of them, Sam, Adam and Bobby, hit the books hard, but there seemed to be no reference to any artifact that could cause madness. They called up every contact they had, human and otherwise, but found nothing. Their father looked up all of his spirit world contacts and Castiel asked all the angels he could find. No one had ever heard of a cursed Enochian talisman.
"What beats me is how did Dean find this thing?" Adam said, two days later. "We looked through every possible hunt Dean could have had after leaving and none of them has any clue to it."
"That's why we should keep looking." Sam replied shortly, without looking up from his book. "And we don't know that this was a part of a hunt."
"I think that's fairly obvious." Adam argued. "Dean comes across this cursed object. Stupidly gets his blood on it to activate it and is now suffering the consequences."
"Dean would be more careful with a thing like that." Sam replied.
"All evidence to the contrary."
"Got it." Bobby shouted suddenly. "I think."
Sam and Adam rushed over to Bobby, who turned around the book he was looking through and pointed at an illustration. It was an old, sickly man, lying on a bed and by his side was what could possibly be the talisman.
"Job's Talisman." Bobby explained.
"The Job from the bible?" Adam asked. "I thought God and Satan had a bet on his soul."
"Your bible gets a lot of things wrong." Castiel said, appearing in the room. "Job was a faithful devotee, but neither God nor Satan had anything to do with his many misfortunes."
"So, is this what that thing is?" Sam asked. "It cursed Dean the same way it cursed Job?"
"Possibly." Castiel replied. He looked a little troubled. "The thing is, Job's Talisman is a well known artifact in heaven. We don't know how it works and it has eluded the angels for a long time. We do know, however, that it is more than just a cursed object. If all it could do was bring misfortune upon its holder, we would not have sought it so desperately."
"Wait. You are telling me that this is one of heaven's weapons?" Sam asked.
"I don't think so." Castiel replied. "But it has the power to be. More power than most of the weapons, in fact. Rumor has it that this weapon can control destiny itself."
Sam turned over all the information they had gathered in his head. This thing, Job's Talisman was a cursed object. Something that the angels sought for centuries. Somehow, it had found its way into Dean's hands and in an unbelievable moment of stupidity, his brother had gotten his blood on it, thereby cursing himself. Things had gone downhill from there onwards, with Dean getting arrested and locked up. Given that this thing was a weapon that could manipulate fate, it probably had something to do with that as well.
"So, how do we fix it?" Sam asked.
"I don't know of a way for sure." Castiel replied. "But, in the past, we have done a lot of research on this thing. One thing seems to be certain. It only takes one victim at a time."
"Meaning?" Bobby asked.
"Meaning it curses only one person at a time." Castiel replied. "Legend has it that Job's fortunes turned after he lost this talisman. It probably affects the person whose blood is on it."
"But Dean's blood is not on that thing anymore." Adam said. "We washed it off."
"That wouldn't matter." Castiel said. "The blood is only the catalyst in activating the curse. Once it takes hold, the only way to undo it is to turn its attention towards someone else."
Sam's eyes widened as he realized what Castiel was suggesting. Someone else had to take on the curse. Someone else had to bleed on that thing and Dean would be free. Probably that's what Dean had done in the first place. His brother had always been a martyr. He'd probably taken on the curse deliberately to free someone else. That idiot.
"I'll do it." Sam said.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down a minute." Adam objected. "What are you talking about?"
"I said I'll take Dean's place." Sam explained. "I'll put my blood on it and the curse would turn to me and Dean would be alright."
"Are you crazy?" Adam shouted. "Why not just destroy the thing?"
"That wouldn't fix Dean." Castiel replied. "If we destroy it, the curse on Dean would become permanent. But Sam, are you sure about this?"
"No he ain't." Bobby interjected. "Sam, think about what you are saying here. You would probably go insane. And there is no telling that this would work. Besides, Dean wouldn't want to be brought back like this."
"And when have I ever done what Dean wanted?" Sam said ruefully.
"Bobby's right. Let's not make any rash decisions here." Adam said. "Sam, I get that you want to save Dean, but this isn't worth it."
"There is another possibility." Castiel said. "If we see this thing in action, maybe I can figure out a way to break the curse. But I have to see how this works. Which means that Sam would have to take on the curse."
"Sam. No." Adam said. "Think about this, okay? You are talking about taking on a curse that would destroy you. You don't have to be stupid like Dean."
"Are you guys listening to yourselves?" Sam shouted. "We are talking about saving Dean and you all are against it? This is nothing different than what I did by remembering hell and that would have destroyed me. You guys didn't try to stop me then."
"That was different, boy." Bobby replied. "The fate of the world was at stake then."
"And right now Dean's fate is at stake." Sam said. "I am doing this. And you guys are either with me or against me."
Adam and Bobby threw up their hands in defeat in face of Sam's adamancy. One thing Bobby had learned in his years was that there was no arguing with a determined Winchester. The artifact was brought out and Sam took a deep breath in face of his imminent doom. There would be no waiting this time around, no last days or having your family around you. every moment delayed meant a moment more for Dean in pain and he wasn't going to let that happen.
"Here goes." Sam said, cutting his hand open and letting the blood drip onto the object.
Everyone waited with bated breath as moments passed, but nothing seemed to be happening. They shot confused glances at each-other. Maybe the effects of this curse weren't immediate.
"Well, what do we have here?" A soft female voice said, making all of them jump up in surprise.
The four of them turned around to see a young brunette in her twenties, standing in the room with them. She wasn't human, Sam deduced immediately. There was some sort of glow about her that betrayed her divinity. Besides, her feet were an inch off the ground.
"Who are you?" Sam asked, taking out his gun and pointing it at her. It wouldn't do much damage, Sam knew that, but he hoped that it would do some damage if it came to a fight. Things appearing suddenly in the room, especially as they were about to do something catastrophic, was definitely not a good sign.
"Why do you people insist on asking such inane questions?" She answered. She raised her hand and pointed a finger at the talisman in Sam's hand. "You are holding me."
Sam felt as if a whole lot of information was being forced into his head. There weren't any words or pictures to describe it, just raw data. A moment later he knew all he should know about the thing in his hand. Magically, the spirit had told him centuries' worth of its history in a space of few seconds.
"You are not a cursed item." Sam said. He didn't know how he knew that or why he was sure that it was the truth.
"No, I'm not." The spirit replied.
"You are a weapon of luck. Like the rabbit's foot." Sam continued. Looking around, he saw that none of the other occupants of the room looked confused or surprised. That meant they had been the recipient of the same information. "You can't actually create anything but you can make sure things happen the way you decide. You can alter the course of destiny."
"Is there really any point in repeating what I have just told you?" The girl asked.
"So what the hell did you do to my son?"
John Winchester had appeared in the room. One look at him and Sam knew that he was up to speed as well. This was the way this thing worked, he guessed. It could dispense information at will.
"Dean?" She – it replied. "I didn't do anything to him. Nothing he didn't ask for."
"Don't screw with me." John shouted. "This is what you do, isn't it? Bring misfortune on people? Like you did with Job?"
"I just do what people ask me to do." It replied. "Job asked me to make sure that he went down in history as the man with unshakeable faith in God. I couldn't exactly do that without putting him through hell. I can only give you what you want."
"And what did you want from Dean?" Sam asked. "What's your agenda?"
The spirit sighed. In spite of the knowledge it had just imparted, the humans were slow to catch-up.
"Want. Need. Like. These words are of no relevance to me." It explained. "Would you say that your gun likes to shoot people. Or your computer wants to do research. Or your knife likes to stab. You can't apply those concepts to things. Hence you can't apply them to me. Whatever happened to Dean, he asked for it."
"Asked for it?" Sam said, outraged. "You are telling me that Dean wanted to turn insane?"
"I guess not. But he knew the price and he was willing to pay it." It replied.
"A price for what?" Sam shouted. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Fix him, right now."
"I'm sorry. All transactions are final." The spirit replied. "No take-backs."
Sam was losing his temper and he was losing it fast.
"Stop playing mind-games and tell us what you did to Dean." He shouted.
"I'll do you one better. I'll show you."
The room shifted and changed around them. They were now standing in a different place altogether. A room that Sam recognized as a part of Crowley's prison. The place he'd kept all those creatures captive. The door to the room opened and Dean came in.
"Dean?" Sam said, moving forward.
"H can't hear you Sam." Castiel interrupted. "This is a memory."
And so it was. Sam's hands passed intangibly through his brother. The rest of them were similarly affected and Dean seemed totally oblivious to their presence. He had broken open Crowley's safe and was rummaging through its contents.
"There you are." Dean said, holding up his prize. It was the talisman. "I've been looking for you."
"Dean, no." Sam shouted, forgetting that Dean couldn't hear him. "When is this?"
"Two days after you killed Crowley." The spirit replied, appearing beside them. "Crowley had me in his possession for some time and then Dean found me."
"How did Dean find out about you?" Sam asked, surprised.
"Let's find out." It replied, turning towards Dean. "How did you find me?"
Dean jumped up at the voice and turned around. He had already sliced open his palm and was now holding the talisman in a bloody hand.
"So you're the genie, huh?" Dean said. "I was really expecting a lamp or a bottle."
"That is just one of my names." The spirit replied. "And just one of my many forms. Not many humans know about me, much less how to talk to me. Even Crowley didn't know how to work me."
"Yeah, I like to do my research before I get into anything." Dean said. "So, rumor has it that you can fulfill any wish."
"I can't directly give it to you, no. But I can make sure that it happens." It told Dean. "And there will be a price."
"No one said anything about the price." Dean said.
"Dean, haven't you learned that by now. Nothing in this life is free." It replied. "You want your brother's soul back, then you have to suffer the consequences."
"I should have known that all this was too good to be true." Dean said. "Alright, what do you want?"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Dean continued. "Name your price? My soul? My life?"
"And what will I do with that?" The spirit said. "I'm afraid you don't understand, Dean. I'm not a demon. I have no hidden agenda and I won't ask you to enter any contract with me blind. I'll make sure that you get what you asked for and tell you the consequences. If you don't want to deal after hearing the whole thing, no harm, no foul."
"Yeah, I've heard those lines before." Dean replied. "I'm sorry, but every time I make a deal with something like you, I end up regretting it."
"Oh, but you will regret it." It said. "I can tell you that much right now. There is going to be a great amount of suffering ahead of you, whether you make the deal or not."
"What suffering?"
"Your brother is going to remain soulless for a long, long time. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. His soul and your younger brother Adam are suffering in hell. You already know that Castiel is losing the war. Once Raphael gets in power, he'll do everything to release Lucifer and Michael and he will succeed. There is a lot of pain ahead of you either way. But I can make sure that you are the only one who suffers."
"Why do I have to suffer?" Dean asked.
"That's one of the rules, Dean." It replied. "That is how I work. My wielder can use me to manipulate fate, but never to his advantage. That is my only directive. I have to make what you asked for happen and I have to make sure that you suffer for it."
"So you are saying I have to throw my life away for one wish?"
"One wish? Who said anything about just one?" The spirit said. "Sit down Dean. Let me explain in detail what I can do for you and to you."
Dean considered the words for a moment and then quietly took a seat.
"Now, let's start with the basics." The spirit explained. "First of all, I can make sure that Sam and Adam get out of hell. But the torture they have undergone down there will haunt them for-ever and you don't want that. So I'll direct you to another little artifact in Crowley's collection. He used it sometimes to torture some of his captives, but he never knew what it really did. That was why he always ended up killing them with it."
"What is it?"
"Well, it's a little thing that can heal souls at the expense of others. Basically, it will allow you to take on all the damage done to Sam and Adam in hell, onto yourself. Sam and Adam would have all their memories, but they won't have any emotions associated with those. All that damage will go to you. Hence you will suffer and my job will be done."
"And what if I find another way to heal Sam?"
"Well, as long as Sam is supposed to be healthy, you will be healthy. When Sam is supposed to be damaged, you will be damaged instead." It explained. "But these are just the starters. I can also make sure that Castiel gets control of heaven. I'll make sure that he finds a way to kill Raphael."
"That's nice of you."
"I'm not done yet." It replied. "There are a few more things. I can make sure that your father gets a second chance with you boys."
"My Dad?" Dean asked. "He's dead."
"And his dying wish was to be with you boys once more." It continued. "I can give him that. A chance to make amends. Furthermore, I can make sure that your friend Bobby walks again."
"What the hell are you playing at?" Dean shouted, getting up. "Bobby can walk."
"And why do you think that is?" It replied. "Because Crowley did it out of the goodness of his heart? I put the thought in Crowley's head that Bobby would be more useful walking and that's why he did it."
"You mean you already healed him?" Dean asked, confused. "Why? We haven't made the deal yet."
"You humans. You are so constrained by the linearity of time. Cause must precede effect and all that crap." It said. "Luckily, I'm not. So if we make this deal, I'll go back in time and make sure that Crowley does what he's supposed to do."
"And if we don't?"
"Then Bobby never walked and no one will know any different." It replied. "Not even you."
Dean breathed hard, considering his options. This girl was literally offering him everything. But like she said, nothing in the world was free.
"Sorry, thanks, but no thanks." Dean said finally. "In my experience, these things end badly and not just for me. How do I know that this isn't some elaborate plan to bring about the end of the world?"
"Because that plan is already in motion." It replied. "That is my last point, Dean. I will make sure that all those threats are eliminated permanently. I'll make sure that Michael, Lucifer, angels and demons, none of them can destroy this world, now or in future. I'll make sure that your world remains safe from them and I'll make sure that they don't hurt anyone from your precious family."
"You mean, everybody gets to go scot-free?"
"Everybody, except you." It replied. "There has to be a sacrifice, Dean and you won't survive by the end. But I'll make sure that everyone else does."
"And how do I know that you aren't lying?" Dean asked.
"Because I have no reason to lie." It replied. "If some demon was making a deal with me, I'd make sure that the exact opposite of all this happens, at his expense, ofcourse. I have no will of my own, just that of the one who holds me. And I can accomplish only one will at a time. I don't have to explain the reason of why you should believe me. You already know that."
Dean considered the whole proposition before him. If this worked, it would be the best deal he'd ever made. This thing would fix everything. It would keep the world safe and all it would cost is his one measly life. What would Dad say? What would Sam say or Castiel? He didn't even have to think that hard about that. His life and happiness was no match against the fate of the whole world. Besides, didn't she say that he was going to be miserable no matter what? And he didn't know why, but he trusted her.
"Alright." Dean said, finally. "We have a deal."
"Okay then." It answered. "It will be done."
"Will be?" Dean asked, surprised.
"It's fate Dean, not magic. I have to get my dominoes in place." It relied. "First things first. You'll find that soul thing inside Crowley's safe. When the time comes, you'll know how to use it. After you get that, you should get Death's ring and offer it back to him in exchange of Sam's soul."
"Bargain with Death? That's crazy." Dean said. "He'll never go for it. And what makes you think he won't just take the ring and kill me?"
"He won't. I'll make sure of that." The spirit replied. "Just go and do what I just told you. Everything else will naturally fall in place."
Sam wasn't able to see what Dean said after that as the room shimmered again and they were back in Bobby's house. None of them had said a word during the whole thing, so horrified were they from the revelation. Dean hadn't become like this overnight and it was not any curse. Dean had set it all up even before Sam got his soul back.
"This is a trick." Castiel said. "It's a lie. It's not true, it can't be."
"Who are you trying to convince, angel?" The spirit asked. "Didn't you think that it was strange that two arch-angels just happened to be talking about how to kill arch-angels within Sam's earshot? That was because Dean threw a wrench in my plans when he convinced death to put up a wall in Sam's soul. That wall wasn't protecting Sam from damage, it was protecting Dean. I had to find a way to bring it down."
"You are lying." Adam shouted. "Dean didn't do anything. Raphael brought me back. We killed Raphael. We were the ones who accomplished all that."
"Such hubris." It said. "How do you think all this came to be? I made sure that Raphael found the summoning spell, knowing that he'd try to use your blood and get you back instead. I made sure that when you were having your little showdown with the angel, no one else interrupted. A gave Death an iron-clad reason to get Sam back. And John, don't you think that it's odd that you conveniently forgot to undo the binding spell on that bracelet? It's the simple truth. Dean made the wish and I made sure he got it."
"You used us." Sam said in a horrified voice. "You manipulated us into abandoning Dean."
"No, Sam. I can't manipulate people like that." The spirit replied. "All I can do is give you the information. The choices you make based on that are your own. The only person I did affect was Dean."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Dean had to pay the price, didn't he?" It explained. "And just Adam's memories weren't enough to bring him down. I took away everything else as well, his skills, his strength, his intelligence, everything. I made his – how did you put it? – a pathetic hunter. But the decision to shut him out of your lives was all yours."
She was telling the truth, Sam realized. Something had been wrong with Dean for a long time. He had been growing weaker, less efficient and they all had noticed it. And they had ignored it. They hadn't tried to figure out what was going on with his brother. Sam's mind went back to the last conversation he'd had with Dean, just before leaving. Dean had been begging him, pleading for Sam not to do this.
But why hadn't Dean told him any of this? Sam never would have gone through it all if Dean had told him the truth. But Dean couldn't because Sam had told him not to. In their last conversation Dean had begged him for a reason, for some indication which would allow him to share the burden with Sam. Is it my job to sacrifice everything for my family? To be strong for them? And Sam had unequivocally laid that burden on him.
"Alright. New deal then." Sam said to the spirit. "You fix Dean right now. You make his healthy again and you do whatever you want with me."
"I'm sorry Sam. Cas told you, right, I take only one client at a time." The spirit said. "I'm not finished with Dean yet. I still have to make the world safe. Make sure that the angels and demons don't destroy it."
"But, what more can you take from Dean?" Sam shouted. "How else can you hurt him?"
"He's still breathing, isn't he?"
Dean wouldn't survive it, Sam remembered. If all his wishes were granted, Dean would be dead. He wasn't going to let that happen.
"Cas, break the talisman, right now." Sam ordered.
"If you destroy me now, Sam, I won't be able to fulfill what your brother asked." The spirit said.
"Tough luck, bitch." Sam said. "Cas, now."
Castiel crushed the talisman with his hand, breaking it into many pieces as the spirit dissolved into nothingness. Sam looked at the angel for confirmation ad he nodded back. The Job's Talisman was no more and it wouldn't be able to hurt Dean. Not anymore. But the damage it had already inflicted would stay. Sam looked around at the others in the room and noted that their father was not among them.
A sudden blood-curdling scream from upstairs made Sam rush to the bedroom in panic, fearing the worst. It was Dean who was screaming, no doubt about it. Getting in he saw that Dean was flung against the wall and John was standing in front of him, his arm extended and holding Dean in his place.
"Dad, what are you - ?" Sam began but was cut off as an invisible force threw him against the wall as well.
"He had to snap out it, Sam." John replied, tightening his grip which made Dean scream even louder. "I will not let my son become a vegetable. If pain is the only thing he responds to, I'll give it to him until he snaps out of it."
"Dad. No." Sam shouted, but it was of no use. His father was in a madman's frenzy. For the first time since getting him back, Sam realized how spirits were so fundamentally different from living things. This man before him today wasn't his caring father. His death had left no trace of that. The strict disciplinarian was all that was left of the man.
A loud bang rang out it the room as John dissipated in a cloud of smoke. Sam turned towards the door and saw Adam standing with a smoking shotgun in his trembling hands. But Sam had no time for Adam now. Dean had fallen to the ground and was now curled up by his side, still screaming. Shouting for Castiel, Sam rushed towards his brother but stopped cold as Dean flinched away from him.
"Cas, put him to sleep, please." Sam requested.
With his usual two fingered touch to his forehead, Castiel stopped Dean's screaming and for the first time in months, Sam took a good look at his brother. This wasn't the man he knew as his older brother. Dean had lost a lot of weight, so much that all his muscle mass had disappeared, Sam could easily lift him and put him back into bed without breaking a sweat. His healthy tan had faded into a dull, sickly pallor and his eyes that had always shone with life were now muted and lifeless like the rest of him. His brother had finally been broken and the bitch of it was, he could have stopped it. He could have prevented all of this from happening if he'd once listened to Dean and done what his brother had wanted.
Sam sat silently in front of the fireplace in Bobby's den, trying, but not succeeding in warming himself up. He was playing with the bracelet on his hand, the one that kept John Winchester tethered to this world, when he felt his father's presence beside him.
"You find a way to fix him?" Sam asked.
"No. I asked all my contacts in the afterlife. No one knows anything about healing the soul." John replied. "They didn't care much about it actually. They were more interested in this new spirit in Iowa."
"Huh?" Sam said, not really listening.
"Yeah, get this." John continued, unfazed by his son's lack of interest. "This guy was poisoned by his brother who them married his wife. Now he's haunting his son to make him get revenge. Remind you of any other story?"
"Jesus, Dad, what the hell is wrong with you?" Sam shouted, getting up. "Dean is suffering upstairs and you are talking about hunting Hamlet?"
"Sam, I wasn't asking you to - "
"We are not hunting any more, Dad. None of us is." Sam said. "Not until we figure out how to fix Dean."
"We'll find a way, okay? We will." John reassured. "But c'mon son. We can't stop hunting just because of this. There are people dying out there."
Sam looked disbelievingly at his father. Then his face cleared as if he finally understood something.
"You know, Dad, I was so happy to have you back." Sam said. "When we found you in that warehouse, it was like someone was giving me a second chance to have a relationship with you."
"Yeah, I know, son." John replied. "I was the one who got the second chance. Thanks to Dean."
And you repaid him by kicking him out, Sam thought.
"The thing was, Dad, I always wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I gave you a hard time about the way you raised us." Sam continued. "You were just doing the best you could."
John nodded slowly in acceptance of his son's apology.
"But I was wrong." Sam continued. "You didn't do the best you could. You didn't try hard enough to protect us, especially Dean and you screwed up your second chance as well."
"What are you talking about son?" John asked, confused.
"Dean. I'm talking about Dean." Sam shouted. "Why do you think he never does what's best for himself? Why does he keep sacrificing himself for us? Because you taught him from when he was nine years old that his only value was in protecting his family."
"Sam, I told that to all my sons." John replied.
"Bullshit, Dad." Sam said. "You always tried your best to protect me. You even kept the whole hunting thing a secret from me while you had Dean shooting cans when he was six. And you protected Adam from this crap his whole life."
"I thought Dean was strong enough to handle it."
"He never should have had to." Sam argued. "And ever since you came back, you've never cared about what was actually going on with Dean. You just saw him as a weapon for hunting, to be discarded when he became too blunt. Some second chance."
"Sam, what's going on?" Adam said from the doorway, having come on hearing the raised voices.
"I'm sorry Dad." Sam said, completely ignoring his brother."I'm not gonna let you hurt Dean anymore."
"Sam, what are you doing?" Adam asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.
Sam slowly took off the bracelet from his wrist and after letting it dangle for a moment, dropped it into the fireplace. He ignored the desperate shout from Adam but kept his body firmly between him and the fireplace, blocking his attempts to rescue the charm. Through it all, Sam's eyes never left his father's, even as the ethereal figure of John Winchester burst into flames and disappeared for ever.
This one was a doozy. Technically, this was the beginning of it all, but really, it was much more fun giving the exposition this way. In a way, this is where the real story will begin. The story of how they get Dean back. Up till this point I had a clear vision of the storyline, knowing exactly what was going to happen and when, but from now onwards I'll more or less make it up as I go along. Tell me how you liked it.