AN: Hope this doesn't disappoint...
Dean hated being at a disadvantage, but at the moment he didn't have much choice. As the choppers neared, the armed men grew more anxious giving the survivors a real fear of what was about to happen, add to that that he couldn't speak Spanish except to order another round of beer and to ask where the bathroom was, he was feeling well and truly screwed.
"You are American, yes?" a young man asked as he approached, motioning the others to point their guns elsewhere.
"Uh, yeah." Dean stated plainly, not wanting to give too much away as well as not wanting to antagonize anyone either.
The man looked Dean over before looking at the others then turning his attention back to Dean. "What are you doing here?"
Before Dean could stop himself he quipped, "Gravity works." Causing the other man to think about that a moment before laughing.
"Yes, yes it does. However, I was referring to why you are here. I can tell about the others, they belong here and are probably going to visit family or going home, but you and the woman… what are you doing here?"
Dean shook his head and smirked, "You know, I've been wondering that myself." He looked at the others and wondered how they were going to get out of this mess when he heard the man speak again.
"Are you with the FBI, CIA, DEA?"
Laughing, Dean shook his head. "No man… look, I know this looks bad, but you really need to take a second and ask yourself if I really look like one of those suits? I mean, c'mon!" There was a pause and he felt that if they hadn't shot him on site for that, then maybe he had a chance. "Ok, I am a Marine, but I was just on my way home from doing a favor for a friend. My little brother's birthday is in a couple of days and I really need to get back, I'm all he has. We have people who are hurt here and need attention if they have a snowballs chance of surviving, and we have the search and rescue teams looking for us as we speak. So, I'm going to ask you, are you going to let us signal them so we can get out of here and let you go on your merry way, or are you going to kill us all in hopes of whatever you're hiding stays that way?"
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Sam had no idea what to do. Dean was still lost somewhere, and the rest of his brothers had taken turns to make sure he wasn't by himself longer than it took him to go to the bathroom, which didn't make him feel any less stressed out. Taking a deep breath he looked at himself in the mirror and wondered not for the first time why he was the one who survived that night so long ago. He hadn't slept at all the previous night, but it hadn't helped, the images kept coming at odd intervals and although he wasn't getting sick each time, he was really starting to feel the grip on reality slip.
"Hey Sammy… you ok in there?" Joseph asked from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute!" he called back, hoping that he sounded confident instead of whiney; he couldn't spend the whole day in the bathroom. Sighing, he reached out for the door handle but hesitated when his emotions started to overwhelm him again.
They had found out about a guy that was in the rainforest talking to Katie and although he had shared what he knew, it hadn't shed a good light on what could be happening to Dean at that moment. The frustrating thing for him though was the fact that no matter how hard he thought about his brother, he couldn't bring a vision on to check on him. What good was this freaky ability if he couldn't use it to do the one thing that he wanted to do more than anything?
He knew he needed to get back to the living room with his brothers, but he also knew that they all were running on empty and tempers were starting to flare; he didn't want to do anything inadvertently that would upset any of them. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the living room and sighed when he didn't see irritation on their faces, but true concern.
Taylor knew that the kid was worn out, but there wasn't anything they could do for him at the moment; at least not until they got word about Dean. The Colonel had already called and told them to stay with Sammy, giving them all a sense of relief since none of them wanted to leave him anymore than necessary, but that also meant none of them were in the thick of things and they wondered what was really going on. His attempt to mesh his computer with Katie's had been met with strong resistance making him wonder just what exactly was going on and if it was something they needed to be worried about.
"Hey Sammy, why don't you sit down, I made you a milkshake with that protein powder stuff that Celia recommended." Stephen enthused as he walked into the living room. He was worried about little bro and was determined more than ever not to add to the kid's stress level by sharing their concerns with him. It may not have been the ideal choice, but the fact of the matter was Sammy looked like he could pass out at any moment and hadn't eaten anything for quite awhile. "Come on kiddo, drink up then you can take your meds before we have that rematch."
Taylor watched the scene unfold in front of him and he wondered what excuse Sammy was going to give for not interacting with them, even Legalos hadn't been able to draw their little brother out of the shell he'd stuffed himself into. The worst part of it all though was the fact that the kid would unexpectedly have some sort of vision that would scare him out of his mind, but when he came out of it, it was almost as if he couldn't put the pieces together to let them know what was happening. Taking a deep breath, he sighed in relief when he saw a small smile form on Sammy face.
Stephen watched as Sammy looked at the milkshake and think about playing another game of chess. He wasn't sure if this would work, but they'd watched the kid practically beat himself up over the fact that he couldn't be everywhere at once, and the unfortunate fact that he couldn't save everyone every time. None of them could imagine the horrors that ripped through the kid's mind, but they hoped that one day the images wouldn't be as painful or horrific for him.
"Uh, I don't think I'm up for chess, do you think we could just play cards or something?" Sam asked, hoping that whatever they were really planning didn't include a lot of thought on his part.
Hearing the request from their little brother, Joseph smiled as he walked into the apartment. "Did someone suggest a card game? Hell, you know I'm in!"
Within minutes a table had been set up and everyone was playing a hand of poker, anything to keep their mind of the slowly ticking clock and the fact that little bro still wasn't drinking his milkshake.
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It had been a tough decision to keep the Musketeers at home, but it was one that he felt justified in making. Sam needed his brothers, and he needed a few minutes of relative quiet to figure out what exactly was going on. At the moment none of the reports were making sense, and he had to wonder yet again if maybe they were looking in the wrong area.
"Colonel, we have a link to the radio of one of the choppers. They believe they found the area, but they're having trouble discerning whether there are actual people down there."
Nodding, Terrance waited impatiently as more information started to trickle in. He had been going around in circles with some of the bureaucrats on Capital Hill who didn't want too many people knowing of the Congresswoman's disappearance, however since he's the one who sent one of his men to escort her home they had decided begrudgingly to allow him information as they got it. Amazing though how their information always seemed to trail what he had been able to find out by other means. Trying hard not to get frustrated, he walked back to his office to make a very special call. The line rang twice before a very excited voice answered.
"Daddy!?"
"Hi Sweetheart, how are you feeling today? Do I need to call…"
"Daddy, I'm fine! It's not like I started chemo yet or anything!" Jenna said with a smile. She knew her father worried too much about her, but then again she was the only thing left of her mother.
Terrance closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle. "Sweetheart, have you thought this through, I mean I know that you've…"
"I've already talked to all the doctors just like you have, and yes… I've decided to go with the recommended treatment. I know it's a risk, but maybe with this experimental cocktail they have I won't have to lose anymore body parts than absolutely necessary."
Tears stung his eyes as he remembered those almost exact words from another young woman he loved so very much. The irony of the situation was not lost on him, but he really had to wonder just how much one person could take. Nodding, he cleared his throat and looked at the picture on his desk, the one of Jillian holding Jenna less than a year before her death. "Ok sweetheart, I know that this is something that you want to try, just remember that if it doesn't seem to help or you feel worse we have other options."
Jenna knew her dad was letting her know that he was supporting her no matter what she decided, and she felt a weight lift off of her. She'd already been through round one and two with her grandparents who had automatically decided that she should have surgery immediately, removing all reproductive organs before starting an intense chemotherapy treatment. She loved her grandparents, but they were both driving her batty. "Thanks Daddy, I know this is hard for you, but I promise that if it doesn't seem to work, then I'll try something else. Now… what about Dean, have they found him yet? Is Sammy ok?"
Laughing, he knew that no matter what had happened; Jenna still loved the youngest Winchester; too bad things were still too messed up to try to fix their budding relationship. "We're getting closer, hopefully we'll have Dean home in time for Sam's birthday, ok?"
There was a slight pause before Jenna answered hesitantly. Terrance knew why there was doubt in her voice, but allowed her the moment of privacy that he felt she needed. He just hoped that they all could give Sam the best birthday present possible; his big brother home. Hearing the door suddenly open, he was about to yell at whoever dared to just barge in, until he heard his assistant's words.
"Colonel, we have news!"
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As the sound of the helicopters got louder, the armed men became more nervous giving Dean the impression that even though they were used to fighting, they weren't prepared for what could possibly be an army. Watching the leader contemplate his words, Dean wasn't sure which way this would go and it made him more than a little nervous. Finally the other man looked at Dean appraisingly before speaking again.
"You knew we were there waiting for you, why did you not come and find out for yourself who we are?"
Shaking his head, Dean could only answer with the truth, "I'm on my way home to be with my little brother. I figured that we left you alone, you'd leave us alone and Sammy wouldn't be a complete orphan."
The other man looked into Dean's eyes and saw no deception in them. Looking at his men, he waved them off and watched as they disappeared into the forest. Before turning his attention back to the matter at hand. "You were not planning on telling them where to find us."
Dean gave a small snort before he smiled. "Dude, I have no idea why I'm here talking to myself. It's got to be the altitude or something."
A quick nod and the man was gone as quickly and quietly as he came. Dean had no idea who he was, and he didn't care, he had too many people to worry about and a freakin' party to plan. Turning back to the others he quickly ran into the clearing and started waving for the rescue choppers. Once he really saw them, and got a returning signal that he'd been sighted, Dean fell back to the ground thankful that they were one step closer to getting out of there.
"Hang on Sammy, big brother's coming home!"