Time, Tattoos and Trouble.

Third in the Decebal Trilogy

Disclaimer: Not mine never was and never will be...sigh just my own fevered imagination and the odd original character.

Author's Note: I have loosely based this small town on Sleepy Eye Minnesota, now I have never been there, or for that matter, I have never left Australia. So after researching the town etc, I have created one of my own based on it. If there is a Sleepyville in Minnesota or anywhere else that sounds remotely like what I describe then I humbly apologise.

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CHAPTER 14 Here comes the storm.

'Jo talk to us, what happened?' Josh asked crouching down in front of the distraught young woman, 'how did you get here?'

'They, they took us ... a – a man named Max.' She stuttered her eyes fixed on John's still form on the bed, 'he, ah separated us most of the time.'

Bobby pressed a cup of steaming extra sweet tea in her hands and then went to help John while Joshua continued to talk to Jo.

'Go on, he's mad ... Max he, he wants Dean back.' Jo said her gaze lazily drifted to where Sam and Dean slept on the bed, 'he's got a powerful demon working with him.'

'Jo?' Joshua tapped her knee and made her look back at him, 'how did you know where to come?'

'They, they knew where you were.' Jo said, her body started to tremble so much that she had to put the tea down and wrap her arms around her, 'they threw us out of a moving van just out the front.'

'Did they say anything to you?'

'No, no I don't remember anyway.' Jo said 'they did things to John.' She whispered her gaze returning to the elder Winchester, 'they ... I heard him scream, I never thought that John ... they broke him.' Jo started sobbing, 'I couldn't do anything, they kept me locked in a tiny room, no food, no drink,' giggling she looked at Josh with a feral look in her eyes, 'Max don't like women, he only likes men and boys.'

'Jo, Jo listen to me how did they know where to come?'

'Something to do with Sammy over there.' She grinned and started giggling again, 'Sammy been singing a song.'

'Damn it.' Josh stared at her for a minute longer and then moved back over to Sam, 'Bobby we missed something.'

'Whatcha mean?'

'According to Jo they knew where to come because of Sam.' Josh whispered, 'the device they put in him ...'

'Fuck Josh how the hell do we find a tracker on him?'

'I think I might just have something that might work.' Josh said after a moment of thinking turning abruptly he hurried back to the other room and then reappeared carrying a small contraption that looked like a modified camera. 'Now comes the tricky bit.'

'Which is?'

'Doing this without waking either one of them.' Josh sighed. Carefully Bobby drew back the blankets covering Sam while Josh passed the device over him moving it slowly and as close as possible to his skin. Just as he passed over his left hip a small beeping sound emitted, looking at the screen he could see a glowing patch of red.

'Damn it's live.'

'Josh?'

'Looks like they implanted a tracker and its still live.' Josh said, 'we're gonna have to cut it out.'

'Cut what out of who?' Dean asked glaring at the two men over Sam's torso, 'what's going on?'

'Dean I – ah we got new intel.' Bobby said softly, moving enough to give Dean a view of the new arrivals.

'Jo ... Dad?' Dean gasped sitting up suddenly breaking contact with Sam, 'what the?'

'They arrived about ten minutes ago.' Bobby said, 'Dean we have a problem.'

'What now?'

'They way they found out where to come ... Sam's got a tracking device implanted on his left hip.'

'That's what you want to cut away?'

'Yep and I have a feeling that it might be the cause of Sam's infection and fever.' Joshua answered him, 'it is just beneath the skin.'

'Damn it, what about Dad?'

'He hasn't regained consciousness Dean.' Bobby said, 'how's the back?'

'Just great.'

'Dean!'

'I'm okay just get that thing outta Sammy so we can get out of here.' Dean grumbled sliding off the bed he limped over to his Dad's side and sat down, 'damn it Dad.' He whispered, he ran his hand over his face trying to control the overwhelming need to scream.

Joshua sterilised a small scalpel and after swabbing Sam's hip with an alcohol swipe before he nicked his skin, 'there it is.' He muttered as he managed to dislodge the tiny device with a pair of surgical tweezers. 'Come on you sweet little piece of shit. ... got it.' He announced, quickly he cleaned the incision and placed a small patch over it, after washing his hands he gave Sam a cursory exam and another injection of antibiotics before covering him up.

'That's the little mother.' He said holding up the tracker he was about to crush it when Dean shook his head no and took it from him, 'Dean?'

'Got another idea for it.' Dean smirked, limping to the door, he moved stealthily outside keeping to the dark shadowy veranda until he found what he was looking for, and then he moved just as quietly back to their rooms.

'So we gonna get going?'

'Jo?' Bobby looked for the young woman, a look of panic on his face, 'where did she go?'

A soft whispering came from the other room; Bobby put a finger to his lips and crept into the room where he found Jo talking on a cell. 'They are all here, yes ... yes ... I understand.'

'Jo?' Bobby whispered taking the phone out of her hand, 'what's going on?'

'Get away from me.' She hissed lashing out at the man, 'don't touch me.'

'Jo calm down it's me ... it's Bobby.'

'No, no he told me that you would try to hurt me, he told me to fight back.'

'Who Jo? Who told you that?'

'He did.' Jo said as she fainted in Bobby's arm.

'Damn Josh need some help in here.' Bobby called out.

John opened his eyes and stared up at the face of his eldest son without recognising him straight away; pushing himself back in the bed until he hit the headboard, he scrubbed at his eyes and blinked at Dean again. 'Where?'

'You're safe Dad.' Dean said softly.

'D-Dean?' John hesitated and then the recognition showed in his face and he visibly relaxed. 'S-Sam?'

'He's in the bed,' Dean nodded over to the forming of his sleeping brother, 'Dad you okay?'

'Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine Dean ... what – what about you?'

'Dad I ...'

'Dean please ... humour your old man okay?'

'The tattoo is back.' Dean muttered.

'Tattoo?' John frowned he should remember something but it was all jumbled, shifting uncomfortably he hissed with the sudden pain shooting up his back.

'Dad?' Dean reached out to touch his Dad when he saw the older man recoil violently, 'Dad what is it?'

'Just ... nothing, I ah might grab a shower before we head off.' John pushed himself out of the bed and lurched towards the bathroom door without looking back at his sons.

Stunned Dean sat there staring at his father's retreating form and then the slammed bathroom door, wincing he wiped his face again, not sure of what to make of his father's reaction.

'Dean?' Sam mumbled in his sleep making his brother snap his head up and turn in fright, his baby brother started to writhe on the bed, twisting the blankets around his long body, sweat shining on his face. 'Dean ... no ... no ... no.' He cried out reaching for his brother blindly, flailing arms wrestled with an unseen assailant.

'Sammy, dude it's okay, sh it's just a dream.' Dean tried to sooth his brother as he sank down on the edge of the bed and took hold of Sam's wrists, 'calm down Sammy.'

'No, no, please don't I'll do what you want ... please leave Dean alone.' Sam begged weeping openly. His body jerking violently as he physically re-enacted his nightmare.

'I – I can't, I ... no ... no please don't I'll do whatever you want please don't hurt him anymore.' Sam's broken please tore at Dean's heart and he felt the hot tears cascading down his face as he finally let his pent up emotions free.

Gathering Sam into his arms he clutched his brother tightly to his chest and sobbed, the embrace and close contact calming Sam's tremors and he unconsciously returned the hug.

Sniffing heavily Dean finally loosened his hold on his brother and went to lay him back down carefully, when he saw Sam's eyes open but once again glassy and unfocused, blood trickled from his nose and pooled on his upper lip. 'ah fuck Sam when are we gonna cop a break.' He muttered gently stroking Sam's cheek, 'we can't keep doing this ... we can't do this anymore, Sam but I have no idea what to do. Dad is freaking out and well ... basically, they fucked him up good; Jo is going psycho on us and Bobby and Josh are barely holding us all together. What do we do Sammy; please tell me what do we do now?'

'Dean?' Sam blinked and tried to focus on the swimming image above him, 'Dean?'

'Yeah I'm right here Sammy, you had a bad dream dude.'

'You're crying.' Sam said flatly as a statement not a question.

'Sammy ... I am just so fucking tired that's all.' Dean tried to muster up a smile but it looked more like a grimace. 'Dad and Jo are back.'

'They're here?' Sam's frown deepened, 'but ... how?'

'They threw them out of a van out the front told em where to find us.'

'How?'

'They had a tracking device ... in you.'

'Me?'

'Yeah ... Josh removed it from your left hip.'

Sam's hand fluttered to his side, feeling the patch tentatively. 'In me?'

'Yeah dunno when it happened but it was sometime around them getting you with that other crap.'

'Where is it now?'

'Hmm should be on the highway heading out of the state.' Dean said this time he managed a small grin, 'stuck it in the back of a nice big lorry.'

'Should keep em busy ... so what now?'

'We gotta hustle outta here, find somewhere to lay low and give everyone time to recuperate I guess.'

'What about you Dean?' Sam asked, 'what about the tattoo?'

'It doesn't feel too bad.' Dean said turning around before Sam could ask. 'How does it?'

'The dragon is still there but the flames are gone and the fangs aren't dripping blood.'

'Small mercies I guess.' Dean turned back to look at Sam, 'what about you dude, they've been pretty bad nightmares you've been having.'

'I ah ... Decebal he – he's torturing you ... to make me...' Sam turned his face away and hid his burning cheeks and tear-filled eyes from Dean's piercing stare.

'Sammy ... Sam look at me Decebal's dead, he's dust he can't hurt us anymore.'

'So why do I feel as though he's still...'

'Still what Sam?'

'Still feel like he's still here, still nothing ... don't worry about it.'

'Sammy no tell me, tell me what's wrong.'

'Why is he still raping us in my dreams Dean?' Sam burst out louder than he intended turning back to face Dean a devastated look on his face, 'everytime I dream I see him, I feel him, he's there right there and taunting me and I can't do anything to stop him.'

'Sammy ...'

'No Dean when he took you the first time and made it looked like I murdered you, I didn't think I could cope ... I wanted to die Dean, I wanted to end it there and then but when we got you back. All that shit he put us through at least ... then he came back again and then again and now he won't stop.' Sam took a heaving breath, his body shaking with the effort, 'I just want it to be over Dean, but it's never gonna be over coz he'll always be in here.' Sam thumped the side of his head.

'Sam, hey Sammy stop please.' Dean cried out grabbing Sam's fist, 'we can't let him win.'

'He already has Dean, I thought old yellow eyes was bad enough to try and find and ... but Decebal he's worse, he gets in under the skin and you can't get rid of him.'

'Sammy listen to me you keep beating yourself up like this and he will control you.'

'What am I supposed to do Dean? Suck it up? Fat lot that does to help.'

'Sam.'

'No, no I'm sorry Dean I am so sorry I didn't mean to ... I don't want to take it out on you.'

'Sammy, we're gonna make it.'

'Are we?' Sam asked swiping at his tears angrily, 'fuck I didn't want ...'

'Didn't want what Sam?'

'Boys we got a problem.' Bobby said interrupting them.

'What now?' Dean sighed wearily, 'what ... Jo?'

'She's ... she rang them on the cell I have a feeling that they're on to us.' Bobby said 'we have to go. Where's John?'

'Shower.' Dean said with a frown, 'been in there a helluva long time.'

'Stay with Sam I'll go.' Bobby said with a curt nod, he strode to the bathroom and banged on the door, 'John, John you right in there?'

After there was no response Bobby took a deep breath and tried the door, finding it unlocked he opened it and stepped into the room. Shutting the door behind him he found John huddled in the base of the shower, the cooling water still spraying him with hard needles of liquid.

'Damn it Johnny you have to get it together man.' Bobby muttered turning the shower off he grabbed two towels and draped one over John's shoulders and the other over his knee. 'What's going on?'

'How ... how did they?'

'They who John?'

'Dean, Sam how did they ... Oh God Bobby how did they survive what happened to them?' John asked lifting his head to stare up at his old friend, a crazed look in his dark eyes.

'They're your boys John, that's how.' Bobby said crouching down to meet John's eye level, 'what happened to you John?'

'M-Max took us ... he wants Dean.' John said, 'he wanted to show ... for me to know what he did to Dean.' John spat the words out like they were poison, 'I have never ... Dean how ... and Sammy my baby boy they hurt him over and over and over...'

'John Winchester look at me, your two sons are out there, physically and emotionally broken, they are struggling just to keep their heads up, they need their old man. They need the hunter John. What that bastard did to you was so far beyond wrong ... but for now you have to suck it up and work through it for those two boys. If you break then ... we could lose em both John.'

'Bobby ... I – I.' John took a withering breath and shook his head, slowly he pushed himself up the wall using it to brace himself. For a long moment he stood there shoulders hunched and head down but then he snapped his head up, pulled his shoulders back and stood his full height a hard glint in his dark eyes. 'Time to go hunting Bobby.'

'That's my boy, welcome back Johnny.'

'That's John to you.'

TBC