Shouting, footsteps running.
He ducked into the shadows of the building, moving forward in the cover of darkness to try to get a view of what was going on.
Someone in a dark hoodie was running a ways off up the street.
After a split second of indecision, he jolted to action and took off after them.
He flew over gravel and then pavement, his shoes smacking loudly against the ground. He followed the figure as it turned down the next street, gaining on him rapidly as his greater height gave him an advantage in speed. Yet the person he followed didn't look back, just kept running.
As he got closer, heart pounding in his ears from the exertion of pursuit, he could see the flash of something white in the man's hands.
When he was within 30 feet, he saw the man glance back over his shoulder.
His heart leapt in his throat when he saw who it was. He stopped dead in his tracks, standing agape for a moment before he had the presence of mind to speak. He shouted, "Dean!"
He didn't reply, didn't pause, but with a toss of his head, kept running, leaving Sam where he stood in the middle of the dark, cold street.
He panted, waves of emotion rising and falling with his breath, as he heard a car engine start, its tires squealing as it sped away.
"Dean," he mumbled again, his voice low. "What the hell is going on with you?"
He picked his way back toward the Tardis slowly, concern creasing his forehead.
He knocked on the door, which Canton answered.
"No luck?" He asked.
"Yeah…" Sam trailed off, throwing his bag to the floor a bit too hard, which earned him a disapproving look from the Doctor.
"Careful with her, you know she's conscious. And she's just warming up to you, aren't you Old Girl?" He said.
"Whatever," Sam growled, shaking his head. "I need to be alone. God, I need time to think."
Canton shrugged nonchalantly in response. The Doctor looked on, a thoughtful expression on his face as Sam went to sit again by the console.
He gazed up at the ceiling, feeling his eyes fill slowly. He mashed them shut, mouth open in a snarl of pain, trying despite the sheer impossibility to hold it all in.
This failing, he dropped his face into his hands, letting out a slow, shuddering sob. "I can't do this. This…everything. What is wrong with you, Dean? What the hell is going on?"
"You saw him, didn't you?" The Doctor spoke from beside him, startling Sam. He raised his head, turning his face away, grimacing as he tried to pull it together again.
"Yeah," he said, his voice husky with emotion.
"And…he wasn't the Dean you're used to." The Doctor continued gently.
"No. He's not himself. I…I don't… God, I thought he was dead! And…and then, he disappeared. There have been reports, a few sightings, but by the time I get there, he's gone. There's absolutely nothing. Maybe he's pulling the tapes or killing witnesses. I don't know. And nobody will tell me anything. Nothing at all persuades them… Nothing. And believe, me, I've tried," he said darkly, continuing, " Cas isn't any help, being next to powerless, and….Just…screw this! This life…. I never wanted this life, to begin with, but….at least I used to have him. And now, he's gone too."
"Are you certain of that?" The Doctor asked after a moment.
"What the hell do you know?" Sam spat, his voice raw.
"I know what you showed me before. And I know you're hurting. But think about it, what would make him run from you?"
Sam shook his head, sighing shakily. "I don't…I really don't know."
"But you do. You know your brother better than anyone. "
"Fine. Wild guess, this has something to do with Crowley. He's the only one who could bring him back. But….he must have…changed him somehow. Oh, oh…my god…" He trailed off, eyes widening with alarm.
"What is it?" The Doctor asked.
"Why didn't I think of it? Crowley's behind this, and…well, he'd been being…really….friendly with Dean before he died. I think…I think he turned him, somehow. He turned him into a demon."
"I see," The Doctor replied. "It would fit, though, wouldn't it? Why your brother's behavior is so different now, and why he hasn't contacted you."
"Yeah," Sam mumbled, forehead creasing with consternation as he thought.
"Of course," The Doctor continued, "The question would be, what are you going to do?"
" I guess there's only one thing I can do," he said slowly.
"I have to find him. And…I have to change him back."
"But can you do that?" The Doctor asked.
"I…can't. I will die, if I do it. The Trials…it would complete the trials, kill me, and shut off Hell, forever. Which…it… It might be worth—"
"No, Sam," The Doctor interrupted him. "No. If you're anything like the people I know, you are too important to this world, and to your brother, to sacrifice yourself like that. What stopped you during the trials, anyhow?"
"Dean," Sam said bitterly. "It was Dean. I could have ended everything. Heaven, Hell, the damn Apocalypse that keeps trying to come back, everything, but he stopped me. I was dying. But…he…he was willing to keep fighting, keep living this awful life, just to have me with him. He lied to me to get an angel inside me to heal me. He risked everything. Because of him, because of him saving me, Kevin's dead. And…god. I don't know what the hell to do."
He sniffed, running a hand through his hair.
"Well?" Canton approached them from around the other side of the console. "I couldn't help hearing, but it sounds like you have a pretty good idea what to do. Sure, it's bloody awful. But…you do know what you need to do. Start by finding him. Catch him, whatever. And then, you find somebody who can cure him for you, yeah? Just because you can't doesn't mean nobody can, does it? Or is that some special magic thing that only you two can do?"
"He does have a point," The Doctor pressed.
"I…I don't know," Sam replied. "I don't know…but…if…if we could somehow trap him….if I could find someone else to do it…."
"Well then," The Doctor replied. "I suppose the first thing you'd need to do would be find him again."
"Yeah, but this time, I'll be ready."
Sam nodded soberly, standing up slowly with a new determination in his eyes.