NOTE#1: Okay, where do I begin? You don't want to hear my soap opera of a life but I want to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you or this story. I had a bout of depression over the latest… Lupus. I will be seeing the doc soon and will know more. I apparently can't go out in the sun without making my rash worse… yes it's still here, still not contagious and apparently a sign of Lupus… who knew? Anyway, I wanted to get this chap posted for my ever patient V. and everyone else that has continued to read my stuff. This has been the first story that life has kept me from posting on a "normal" schedule…

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. (sob) I do love to grab and run. But I always return and stumble away… fighting the urge to turn right back around and stuff them right back into another story… smiles lovelies…

I don't feel this is quite perfect but I do think you've waited long enough... Here we go!

Chapter 17

Dean watched as Sam, Bobby and one of Yoxe's sons walked away. Crane… maybe… he thought randomly. He smiled as Sam looked back nervously and stopped. He gave a little go on wave to get Sam moving again.

After they finally pulled away Dean sighed as he rambled away from the bunkhouse to the main house. He felt like he needed to do this. This would be his ace in the hole. He leaned against the impala as he contemplated what his moves would be to fix this mess and still save his pain in the ass bitch of a little brother when it was all said and done. He wanted his tools honed… his brother unsuspecting. His plan turned into his finely tuned weapon before going in. He knew Sam. Sam would have every thing planned out. Down to the last detail. His just had to be better. Cause this was one fight he didn't plan on losing. Okay so he'd had some… less than perfect moments over the last several years. He'd felt like giving up… even walked out on Sam. But he was done… they were done with that. Now it was together… win, lose or die.

He waited for Yoxe to make it across the field he was walking in from as he counted the ways he was going to beat Sam's ass once he was safe. For a genius he was really a stupid little shit… he kinda chuckled as he thought, if anyone else talked about Sam the way he thought about him, he would break them into little pieces.

"Yoxe, I need to talk to you. You got a minute?" Dean asked nervously as the man got even with Dean's baby. He needed Yoxe's… participation.

"Sure, what's on your mind, cowboy?" Yoxe said easily. He studied Dean as he waited for him to talk.

"Cowboy?" Dean mimicked, confused. His mind couldn't form around that reference with all the other shit swirling around up there.

"Never mind." Yoxe replied with an effortless grin as he sat down the bucket of tools he was carrying. Dusting his hands off he stood and waited.

"Okay." Dean murmured, rubbing at his lips. "I need you to do something for me."

Yoxe tilted his head in question as an eyebrow raised. This should be interesting.

"I need you to tell Sam that I can't go into the town, that I'm…" He cleared his throat before blurting out, "That the spirits rejected me…"

"Why the lie?" Yoxe asked, facinated in how the kid's mind worked.

Dean bit his lip as he looked around, sighing he straightened up off his silent support… his baby was a comfort even when she wasn't running. He'd like to think she knew how much reassurance she brought the Winchesters over the years especially him. He rubbed absentmindedly at a smudge on her.

Yoxe continued to look mildly interested as he waited while the boy collect his thoughts.

"I can't save him other wise." Dean finally stated bluntly.

Yoxe frowned before he said softly, "Maybe it is not your job to do, maybe your brother…"

"Maybe my brother thinks this is the only way to pay for his sins… is to stay in that town with the devil." Dean countered in frustration.

"Then who are you to stop…" Yoxe started to ask.

"If it was your son?" Dean demanded angrily. This was not how he pictured the conversation going.

"What?" Yoxe asked, stunned. Maybe these kids were closer than he first thought.

"If it was your son… would you "let" him?" Dean snapped, his body coiling tightly.

"Dean." Yoxe started to reply.

"NO, Look… I raised him. I left him alone when he needed me the most so I need to fix this. This is my mess." He sighed deeply before repeating, "I need to fix this. Now either you can help me or get the hell out of my way." Dean stated firmly as he dropped a hand to touch his baby again before he walked over to the fence rail.

"But…" Yoxe began.

"Yes or no is all I need from you." Dean snapped uncompromisingly . Damn, he'd poured his soul out to the guy and he got nothing for it.

Yoxe shook his head as he commented, "You are one crazy…"

Dean grinned and couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped. He'd won this round, "I'll take that as a yes." Now if only winning Sammy was as easy… yeah… like that would happen. Easy wasn't a normal in their world.

"Yes. But I still don't understand why you think you need to lie to him." Yoxe said with a hint of confusion still laced in his voice.

"Because I know him. He will be less cautious if he thinks there's no way I'll be able to follow him into that town." Dean turned from the railing to face Yoxe. "So it's gotta be believable. I mean he knows me, he won't…"

"Believe it if you aren't ready to kill… probably fightin' mad?" Yoxe interrupted, getting the meaning of Dean's last words.

Dean grinned. He nodded as he added, "I'll go easy on you."

Yoxe snorted. They fell into silence until they saw the truck coming back down the road.

Yoxe commented, "You ready to do this? You sure this is the path you must take?"

Dean smiled and gave a slight nod. "I'm sure." He said softly.

Yoxe said with a smile when they both could make out the faces in the truck, "Make it look good."

Dean gave a slight shrug and a bigger grin as he hauled back and hit Yoxe and then he stomped away, jumping the fence and stalked away. He'd held back on the punch but Sam wouldn't have been able to tell from the distance he'd been from them.

"What the hell?" Sam snapped, still in the truck.

"Now, boy… don't…" Bobby started.

Yoxe's son Crane put the truck into park.

Sam barely waited for the truck to come to a full stop before he slammed the door open and jumped out.

"… go off half cocked… igits…." Bobby finished to the quickly moving back of Sam.

Sam didn't bother to shut the door as he raced over to the impala. Yoxe was leaning against her as he watched Dean storm across the field. The kid had a powerful punch. He was glad the kid held back on it otherwise he'd be being picked up off the ground by his son.

"Yoxe, what did you say to him?" Sam yelled, pissed off. He was really mad at himself for leaving Dean. Dean could find trouble in a paper bag. He knew that. He followed Dean around his whole life except for the Stafford years and yet even knowing Dean was up to something he'd left. The one thing he kept doing. Leaving when Dean needed him. SHIT! A little voice whispered, And you think what you're planning… leaving permanently is the answer… hum…

"Ask him." Yoxe ordered. Playing his part to perfection.

Sam growled and chased after his brother, seeing him hit Yoxe in the face and storm off across the open fields had him worried about what was going on in his big brother's head.

"Dean, what the hell is wrong with you?" Sam asked worriedly when he got close enough to not have to yell to be heard.

Dean said as he continued to stomp away, "Not now, Sammy."

"When then Dean because we're going to be a little busy tomorrow. So tell me when…" Sam snapped as he chased after Dean.

Dean growled as he swirled around to face him, mask in place, "That's just it… we won't be busy." his hand moved from Sam's direction to his own chest.

"What?" Sam asked his heart starting to pound.

"Apparently my soul wasn't…" His face scrunched up as he put on the performance of his life, "pure enough for his ancestors. I can't go in." Dean looked at the ground after he made sure that Sam saw his "tears of frustration." He hitched a breath making sure he strangled off a sound close enough to a sob to get Sam's attention.

"Oh." Sam said softly, but honestly he was deeply relieved. He didn't have to figure out a way to get Dean out while staying behind. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, "Dean I won't screw this up…" Heaied until Dean looked up. Sam looked him straight in the eye as he said softly, "I'm doing this for you."

Dean choked on his "pretend" tears, yeah he knew that already. He knew he was sacrificing himself to get back in the good graces of his ass of a brother.

"Dean… I will do this. I will save you this time." Sam told him earnestly.

"I'm not worried about me, you shit." Dean snapped.

Sam smiled as he said calmly, "I know Dean."

"Sammy…" Dean almost gave everything up right then and there.

"It's okay, Dean. I'll do it. You do what needs to be done on the outside… I'll take care of catching the devil by his horns. We'll always be a team. We've done this before…"

"Sam." Dean interrupted.

"Look, Dean I know why you let me come back and I…" Sammy rushed on, wanted to get some things said before he ran out of time.

"Shut up." Dean snarled.

"Dean I need to…" Sam tried again.

"No, I don't want to hear another I'm sorry, okay." Dean bit out as he ran a hand through his hair. Clearly frustrated. Clearly done with the conversation.

Sammy nodded, turning away. He'd pushed Dean too far. He'd been selfish to want to get things off his chest.

Dean grabbed his arm and yanked him back around. When Sam looked at him startled he told him, "I never should have treated you the way I did and I never said I'm sorry… " Another hand went through Dean's hair, "I…"

"Dean I deserve all that and more." Sam butted in to tell him.

"No you don't. You were trying to fix what was broken a long time ago, you were lied to and manipulated. Hell, they played us both and we let them."

"I know." Sam said softly, "I never…"

"Sam." Dean said in a warning tone, "We're done getting fucked. We control our destiny. No one else."

"Yeah cause that worked out so well for us before." Sam sarcastically muttered.

Dean let that one go. As he reached up and popped Sammy in the back of the head he changed the subject, "Let's go eat. I'm freakin' starving."

Sam shook his head as he smiled, he really wished everything could be fixed with a simple "I'm sorry" but unfortunately he knew better. He also knew that Dean knew better, hell he's the one that laid it all out for him.

TBC