A/N: Hurt!Dean inspired by NikaDex. :)
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"We've gotta move fast, Dean," Sam urged as he held his brother steady.
"Don't think I can, Sammy. Hurts..."
"Then I'll carry you!"
"The hell you will!" he forced himself forward, leaning heavily on his younger, but taller brother. His head began to swim, making everything hazy and confusing. He felt as if he'd just run a marathon, or in his case, for his life from hellhounds. And his stomach felt as if that hellhound was tearing through it, now. He crumbled to the ground despite Sam's hold on him and yelled out against the pain.
"Dean!"
"Shitshitshit!" Dean cursed against the horrid twisting in his gut. To his horror, he began to heave again. How there was any blood left in his body at this point, was beyond his comprehension.
"I need to get you back to the house, now, Dean!"
"She's killed me, Sammy," he cried. "I'm gonna die..." he rolled to his side, exhausted from his efforts to even hold himself upright on his hands and knees.
"No, I'm gonna get you home. You gotta let me..."
"Not gonna make it, Sam," he said, then gritted his teeth before screaming out against a new wave of pain.
"Yes you are," Sam told him, scooping him up in his arms with ease and barreling down the sidewalk.
"'M too h'vy," Dean rasped as he gave in to his brother's assistance, curling into his chest to muffle the inevitable groan that accompanied his pain.
"I've got you," Sam panted as he continued to run. Tears stung his eyes as he felt Dean's hands clenching onto his shirt; felt the blood soaking through onto his shoulder as his brother continued to heave. "It's not much farther," he said, in efforts to comfort him. "I don't care how much...you hate it, Dean," he panted, "You're not leaving... the house again... 'til this is all over."
Dean's sudden silence and limpness in his arms terrified him, maybe even more than his earlier suffering. Sam stopped and looked down at him. Dean's eyes were heavy and rolling back in his head. "Dean?" Sam panicked. "Dean, talk to me, man!" There was no response. But then he coughed, and it was followed by frighteningly rapid, noisy gasps, as if his lungs, themselves, were seizing.
His brother's suffering was tearing Sam apart. He took off again, running full-speed toward the house. He could see it in the distance. Just a few houses away...
11 00 11 00 11
"Better?" Gibbs asked as he entered the kitchen after having showered and dressed. The whole gang was upstairs now; Abby and Ducky on the couch in the living room having a light conversation with Kate via webcam; McGee, Tony and Bobby at the table having a beer. Bobby had a book cracked open on the table, which meant he merely came upstairs for a change of scenery.
"Lookin' sharp, boss," Tony said with a smirk.
"I aim to please," Gibbs said with a grin as he headed to the fridge for a beer.
It seemed the whole house broke out in a fit of giggles at the comment, but Tony spoke, "No ya don't!"
Gibbs held in a bout of laughter as he shut the fridge. But then he heard something; a faint noise coming from outside. He held up a hand to shush everyone. "You hear somethin'?"
They were all quiet. That's when they heard the distant voice of Sam Winchester, "Gibbs!"
The voice sounded panicked, and Gibbs bolted toward the door; the rest of the household standing ready to assist. Gibbs threw open the door to see Sam carrying his brother up the walk.
"Get Cas!" Sam yelled. "Hurry!"
Gibbs turned to Abby and Ducky who were already there in front of the computer, and they got the hint. He turned back to Sam as he rushed up to the door. "What happened?"
"He was poisoned with something," Sam said, "Hel was in the bar...we just didn't realize-" he stopped when he tried to walk through the door. Some force was pushing them back. He tried again, but it was like there was an invisible wall before them. He met Gibbs' eyes in horror and confusion. "Oh no...nonono..."
"What? What's that mean?" Gibbs asked.
"Whatever she's done, he can't get into the house..." Sam's panic visibly doubled.
"Take him around back to the deck," Gibbs ordered, spinning around to run back through the house toward the patio doors.
"Boss?" Tony questioned.
"Get some blankets," Gibbs told him.
"What's happened?" Bobby asked as he followed him out.
"Hel apparently poisoned Dean. Whatever it is, it's not letting him inside."
"Aw, hell," Bobby said as he saw Sam carry his older brother up onto the patio. "Sam, what in the hell were you two thinkin' goin' out like that?"
"We didn't know, Bobby," Sam's voice cracked as he laid Dean down in one of the patio chairs. "It was just a couple of drinks and we were coming back. She put something in his drink..."
"Rookie mistake, Dean," Bobby said, swallowing as he knelt down beside the distressed, bloodied man. Dean wasn't responsive; by all means, he seemed unaware as his eyes rolled and his breathing continued in the scary, short bursts of shock. "Where the hell is Cas?"
"I am here," the angel said as he walked out onto the patio. Bobby moved out of the way so Castiel could take his place beside Dean.
The angel narrowed his eyes and he touched his hand to Dean's forehead. "This poison is an element of Valhalla," he told them. "I can't take it from him."
"What?" Sam exclaimed.
Castiel looked up at him, "I can heal what damage it's caused thus far, but without an antidote, it will continue to course through him. And without the protection of the house, it won't lie dormant."
"Wha...what do we do?" Sam panicked. Tony came out onto the patio with blankets in hand.
"I'll do what I can for him, now. Then I'll go to Valhalla. Without transporting someone else, I should be able to return within a matter of hours, at most."
"Cas, he doesn't have hours," Sam's voice shook. "This all happened within half of one."
"Our only other option is to kill Hel," the angel reminded him. "If we knew how to go about doing that, we'd have done it by now. And if I bring him with me, we wouldn't be able to return for much longer. We don't have that kind of time." Sam's jaw clenched repeatedly as he looked upon his suffering brother. "I may be able to slow down the poison's effects," Castiel told him. "At least for long enough until I am able to return."
Sam looked back at the angel, then to Gibbs, Tony and Bobby. "Okay," he told Cas. "I guess we don't really have any other choice..."
"As soon as this is done, I'll be leaving. It would probably be best if none of you left before I return." It all happened within moments; Castiel healed Dean, then disappeared. Sam explained to his brother the situation. Bobby gave him the necessary amount of crap for having gone out and gotten himself into that kind of trouble; not leaving out the fact that he had been an 'idjit'. Dean took the criticism without complaint; he deserved it, after all.
"I think the natural consequence is sufficient punishment," Sam defended.
Bobby cocked his head, "Yeah. Guess you're right."
"So..." Dean interupted, "That's all gonna start over again?" he looked up at Sam.
"Cas said it'd be slower this time," he replied.
"Great..." he dropped his head and sighed. "Might wanna get me a bucket or somethin', I suppose. Don't wanna stain up the deck."
"I'll find ya somethin'," Bobby said. "Just let us know what ya need."
"Maybe Ducky can give him something so the pain isn't so bad?" Sam suggested.
"I'll go get him," Gibbs said before turning to go back into the house.
Tony set the blankets down in another chair and sat down beside them. "Well...at least it's not raining," he smirked, trying to lighten the mood. To Sam's surprise, Dean let out a small laugh, which inevitably caused Sam to do the same. "I've got a portable dvd player upstairs if you wanna use it to pass the time. I think I even have Ben Hur and Dances With Wolves; either one would probably get you through 'til Cas gets back."
"Think I might be more in the mood for a comedy," Dean smirked.
"Okay," Tony looked off a bit to the side in thought. "I think I've got Monty Python and the Holy Grail and uh...Blazing Saddles."
"Dear god...no," Sam shook his head, "I won't hear the end of the quotes for months."
"Monty Python!" Dean exclaimed. "Haven't seen that in years..."
"Sorry, Sam," Tony grimaced slightly. "Sick guy gets first choice. I can bring you your laptop?"
"Hell no, Sammy," Dean said. "You're watchin' Monty Python with me. That way, when I make the references, you'll get it, instead of thinkin' it's just annoying."
Sam rolled his eyes, but he was smiling anyway. Tony stood, "I'll be back in a minute."
As he passed through the living room, McGee stood, "Hey... Is he gonna be okay? I heard Gibbs explain what happened when he talked to Ducky."
"He's in for a fairly crappy evening," Tony told him. "Is my dvd player still upstairs?"
"Uh, yeah. On the dresser with your ridiculously large amount of dvds that you haven't even touched since we've been here."
"They're there in case they're needed, Probie," he said as he resumed toward the stairs. "And right now, they're needed." He caught sight of Abby crouched curiously in front of the laptop on the couch and he paused. "She talkin' to Kate?" he asked quietly.
Tim smirked, "They haven't stopped since you got back. Now Abby's determined to be the third set of eyes while Castiel is gone."
Tony nodded. "Walk with me, McGoo," he said as he headed up the stairs. Tim furrowed a brow and followed behind him. "Ya think Ziva's in danger over there?" he asked as he walked into their room.
"Uh...well, I think she can take care of herself if s-something happened," he replied nervously. "Why? Do you?"
"I think Kate isn't gonna become dangerous at all," he told him as he shuffled through the dvds.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Hel said she was a game piece. I think Kate is supposed to be a bribe to let Hel stay here. Ya know, some incentive or...blackmail, if you will. Like the mob payin' off the cops."
"Like what she tried to do with you. And now with Dean."
"Exactly. She's trying to sweeten the pot. Albeit, she's just poking the bear. Obviously she's an amateur; a brat with power. Like if Paris Hilton was a god."
"Maybe more like Nicole Richie," McGee corrected. "Paris Hilton is kinda sweet."
Tony looked over at him with raised brow and a smirk, "Touche."
"What're you looking for?"
"Monty Python...oh! Here it is. Giving Dean and Sam something to pass the time with," he said as he scooped up the player and movie.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Yes," he stopped in front of him. "When it starts to get bad, try and distract Abby. Maybe you can move shop down to the basement, since it seems they won't be using it tonight."
Tim nodded; eyes shifting momentarily at the morbidity of the situation. Then the two of them headed back downstairs. By the time Tony got back out to the deck, Ducky was explaining to the brothers how to administer the pain killers. It was brief, since Dean was already familiar from when Sam was so ill after Jormungand attacked him.
"Anything else you may need, please don't hesitate to ask," Ducky said as he stood.
"Thanks, Ducky," Dean told him. Sam gave him a small smile and nodded as the doctor brushed past Tony and patted the agent's arm.
Tony set the player down on the small patio table and slid it over to sit beside Dean's chair. "The battery is fully charged. Should last five hours, at least," he opened the player and put the dvd in. "Just press play when you're ready. Need me to get you anything? Somethin' to drink?"
"Not for me," Dean said. "Anything I drink is gonna end up in this bucket," he smirked.
"Gibbs brought me a couple bottles of water," Sam told him. "And Bobby's bringing out a couple of pillows for Dean. I guess we're good for now."
"Okay," Tony put his hands in his pockets. "Well, if you need me for anything, just yell."
"Thanks," Dean said as he reached out to start the movie as Sam slid his own chair up against Dean's and settled in beside him...
*~.~*
"Wow, no more boat?" Kate said on-screen as McGee carefully set the laptop on the workbench. "How'd he even get it out of there?"
"A secret not even we have been privy to," McGee replied with a smirk.
"I think he burned the one that was down here, that you'd seen," Abby said as she settled onto a saw horse within view of the cam.
"The one I've seen? You mean...there's been more than one?"
"All I know is there's been four altogether," Abby told her.
"The one he burned was from before our time, Abs," Tony said from the stairs as he descended.
"Tony!" He could hear Kate's grin before he could even see it. "Agent David and I just had a really lovely conversation about you."
"Oh really?" he smirked devilishly as he approached the screen to see both women in view.
"Tell me, DiNozzo... Why is it that, whether or not anyone really wants to, we all end up seeing you naked at some point?" Kate's statement caused him a slight tinge of embarrassment, but he hid it with a well-trained laugh.
"It's part of my charm, I suppose."
"I haven't seen him naked," Abby chimed in with raised brows and a hint of amusement on her face.
"Consider yourself lucky, Abby," Kate told her. "Apparently, since I last caught a glimpse, he's gotten the nickname...what was it again?" she looked at Ziva.
"My little hairy butt," the corner of Ziva's lips turned up as she looked at the screen.
Kate laughed, "Oh yes! So you've gotten hairy, have you?" she asked as she looked back at the cam. "Usually you lose a bit on top before it starts traveling south..."
Tony's face lost expression, "It's not very nice to talk about people's butts behind their backs, ladies. And no, my butt is not hairy!" he exclaimed.
"But it is firm and muscular!" Abby smiled. Tony's expression turned incredulous and his face flushed red.
"I thought you said you hadn't seen him naked?"
"Oh, no, I didn't. But I uh...accidently copped a feel once in my lab. You remember," she glanced to Tony, "When Ari took a shot through my window and..." her sentence drifted off when she realized what she'd wandered into.
"Ari took a shot at you?" Kate sounded horrified.
"He missed," Abby looked at the cam, sheepishly.
"Please tell me you got the bastard," she questioned.
"Yeah, we got him, Kate," McGee replied.
There was a long, awkward moment of silence as Tony looked at Ziva's eyes on the screen. "I'm gonna go check in on Dean," he said. "Feel free to discuss McGee's backside while I'm gone," he smirked, winked at Tim, then headed up the stairs.
Tim furrowed his brow at Tony before turning to the cam, "Please don't..." but the women were no longer in view. He looked to Abby.
"They went to the kitchen for a drink," she told him. "I think they wanted a minute to talk..."
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Tbc...