A/N:

Thank you beckini, goldacharmed, DearHart and Kajensen for the reviews!

(beckini is very right)

After the sickening snap! and the pain that coursed through Dean, he almost lost consciousness when he slammed into the ground.

But there was a spark determined to keep fighting, and he clung to that spark with all his might.

Jacob's looming form strode away from him in the dark, knowing that with a broken arm, there wasn't much Dean would really be able to do to fight back. It was all he could do to partially roll himself over, freeing up the front of his leather jacket.

There was nothing quite like the throbbing, crackling pain of a broken limb.

It was a deep pain that he could feel in every part of his arm. Every movement, no matter how small, burned and sent white hot rods of fire speeding through his panicking body. When he accidentally tried to reach into his jacket pocket with the injured arm, he choked back a strangled cry. Black flickered at the edges of his vision, threatening to drag him into a numbing sleep.

Do this, or you die.

Dean focused all of his energy on that thought, moving his uninjured arm with halting motions. It almost felt like his arm belonged to someone else. Jacob was trying to catch Bowman, and one hand on the sprite would be all it took.

Do this, or Sam dies. Bowman dies. Jacob dies when its done using him. The sprite village, and who knows how many other victims it'll take before some other hunter takes it down.

Cool plastic slid between his fingers, and a slight triumph hit. Got it!

When Dean withdrew the cell phone into the open air, he glanced at Jacob to make sure the demon wasn't looking in his direction. It must have determined him to not be a threat after snapping his arm like a toothpick.

The LCD screen lit up Dean's surroundings, showcasing the brambles and twigs he'd fallen into. His thumb rolled over the arrows, directing it to where he needed. Each plodding move cost more energy than he could afford to lose. He had to get it right the first time.

There was no going back.

Bobby Singer's number appeared, and he shoved his thumb against SEND.

"Hello? What's goin' -"

Dean didn't waste time with niceties. "Bobby, exorcism, now! "

It must have been the pain that leaked into his voice or the desperation in the words. Bobby didn't waste time on explanations, launching himself into the memorized words. Ever since losing his wife to a demon and becoming a hunter, he'd focused on anti-demon techniques. Bobby knew well that he couldn't waste time.

Dean pressed the speakerphone button, and then with his remaining energy, leaned far enough up to toss the phone in the opposite direction from where Bowman was.

"Take that… bitch…"

He slumped against the ground, all of his energy focused towards that cell phone and praying it would do the job.

Bowman stayed high enough that Jacob wouldn't be able to reach him, but low enough that he was well within sight. He didn't want to find out what might happen to Dean if the demon grew bored of chasing him. His heart pounded and he frantically wondered what Scar would be doing in this situation. A bigger, stronger enemy needed to be constantly distracted to make any progress at all.

Bowman was just one sprite. He couldn't distract Jacob and stay out of reach at the same time. He didn't have any of that salt or the special water, anyway.

"Bowman, c'mon," Jacob taunted. "I'm not gonna hurtcha that much. You're way more interesting than some dumb hunter, right? I think you should meet other humans, that's all."

"I'm sure you have a pleasant visit planned out," Bowman shot back, darting past the demon and avoiding a swipe of those huge hands. He had to stick close to Dean.

"They won't even stare at your wings, Bowman. I'll tear 'em off first and hide them away, since I know how protective you are of those leaves of yours."

That threat, delivered so casually and earnestly in Jacob's voice sent a bolt of frozen terror through Bowman's heart, and it was all he could do to remain nearby instead of fleeing into the dark canopy. Those black eyes continued to laugh at him while the demon followed him around. Dean was on the ground, and ... something was glowing several feet away from him.

Bowman realized that the demon had paused and noticed it too, and they both heard a voice coming from it. Before Bowman could be amazed by the strange human thing, Jacob let out a curse in an angrier voice than Bowman had ever heard out of him. He stomped towards the glowing, talking thing, determined to crush it under a boot.

Distract the beast. Bowman couldn't let Jacob put a stop to those strange words. Somehow, despite the pain he was in, Dean had figured out a way to recite the exorcism anyway, and Bowman wouldn't let his effort go to waste. If it did, it was their last chance and they'd already lost.

"Hey! I thought we were talking about me," Bowman snapped, even as he dropped through the air to hover right in front of the demon-Jacob.

It swiped at him. Bowman managed to dodge around the enormous arm, but only just. Jacob's sleeve bumped against his legs and he teetered mid-flight, losing his trajectory, but he didn't fall. The other hand rushed out of the dark and clamped hard around his lower half.

His yelp of pain and fear choked off as pressure quickly mounted. Bowman couldn't move his legs. He could hardly breathe. His wings twitched and flared, and he scrabbled at the hand as it slowly tightened around him. When it felt as though his legs might snap, the demon paused. The fist around him shook. Bowman's wings were curled in agony and he was blind to anything but pain.

"...Te rogamus, audi nos! "

With a burst of triumph, Bobby Singer's voice finished the exorcism. The distraction from Bowman did the demon in, leaving him trapped in his host instead of being able to escape seconds before the recitation wrapped up. Jacob's head snapped up and his fingers went lax around the sprite clutched in a hand.

"Bowman!" Dean bellowed as he saw the sprite slip to the ground. The black smoke thrust out of Jacob's body, wrapping around a tree before being shoved down into the ground where it belonged. A red ring of embers that died away was the only sign of its existence.

Dean didn't notice.

His eyes were locked on where he'd seen Bowman fall, out of sight behind Jacob. Now that the demon was out, the human teenager thudded to the ground.

"Dean?! " came over the phone. "What's happenin? ' "

"I'll call ya back!" Dean managed to grunt, hauling himself to his knees. It took everything in him to crawl over to where the other two had collapsed, and in that time the phone clicked, signaling that the call had disconnected. "No, no, no…" Dean muttered to himself as his eyes swept the ground near Jacob. "C'mon…" Please don't be crushed. Bowman wouldn't stand a chance if Jacob had fallen on him.

He spotted the sprite not far from where one of Jacob's massive hands had landed. Dean's fingers were twitching as he reached out, afraid of hurting Bowman even more but refusing to leave him on the forest floor any longer. He carefully slipped his fingers underneath the fragile body and wings, lifting him up.

"Bowman, c'mon, man," Dean begged, carefully brushing a thumb against his side. "You gotta be okay. Sam'll never forgive me if I let you get hurt. I only just found you. I haven't even had a chance to get to know you… little brother."

Bowman's wings twitched and he squirmed weakly away from the finger brushing at his side, placing a hand on it. He peered up, momentary confusion in his eyes before Dean's words caught up to him and his face came into shadowed focus. Bowman sighed and relaxed again on Dean's hand. He didn't have it in him to sit up or stand at the moment.

"Good news is I can feel my legs," he said quietly. "Bad news is they blasted hurt."

The memory, so fresh and raw in his mind, of a hand bigger than his bed slowly crushing his legs while his whole body shook, sent a shudder throughout Bowman's body. That had been too close. Way too close. The sneer on Jacob's face with those black eyes would haunt him.

He slowly curled up with a groan, drawing his wings close. "Tell me it at least worked," he tried to grouse, but his worry shone through more than he wanted it to. At least he knew he was safe.

Sam had always said that Dean was the best big brother he could have asked for. He would always look out for his little brother, making sure he was safe and taking care of him. Bowman had grown up on those stories. Now, Dean had called him little brother. He knew that meant he was safe on Dean's hand no matter what lingering worries plagued him.

"It worked," Dean reassured the sprite. "The demon's gone." He cupped his hand close to his chest now that he knew Bowman was alright, letting the little sprite ball up out of sight from the dark forest. Dean needed to focus on their third member. Jacob had collapsed on the ground directly after the exorcism. He could only pray that the demon hadn't been in the teenager long enough to kill off the kid. Demons pushed their host bodies to the limits, oftentimes just for kicks. Then, when they left, either by force or choice, the person they'd possessed would die.

"Hey, Jacob," Dean called out hesitantly. With one hand occupied by an injured sprite and the other broken and out of commission- even the thought of using that arm sent a flare of pain up to his shoulder- he didn't have many options. Realistically, he shouldn't have risked moving after it was snapped, but circumstances worked against them. It left him only one option.

Cautiously, Dean nudged the teenager with one of his worn leather boots. "Jacob, you okay in there?"

Bowman listened from his position curled up on Dean's hand. His wings nearly formed a cocoon around him, and then a callused hand created an additional shield for him. He could hear Dean's voice reverberating right from its source right in front of him. It was such a strange sensation, coupled with the still-elevated pulse he could feel through Dean's palm as the hunter came down from his adrenaline high.

Jacob groaned, and Bowman sighed. He didn't move out of his curled up position, but he was relieved that Jacob hadn't been killed when that black smoke erupted out of him. He wanted to check on his friend, and yet at the same time Bowman wanted to remain well hidden from the world for at least a little longer.

Jacob rolled over sluggishly as he slowly came back to consciousness. He hurt from the back to the front from striking that tree earlier, and his head throbbed from the mental wrestling match of only moments ago. He remained lying down while he dragged a weary hand down his face.

He stared at his hands in the dim lighting, glad that he didn't find evidence that he'd succeeded in crushing Bowman to death. He could still feel it, the desperate little kicks in his palm and the tiny hands scrabbling uselessly against his knuckles. He could still see the way Bowman looked at him, while the demon made Jacob grin like the monster it wanted him to be.

Finally looking past his hand to Dean, Jacob could see the way the hunter favored on arm. "D-Dean, I'm ... I didn't ... I wanted to stop it but I couldn't."

Dean shook his head. "None of that was your fault." He shifted so he was squatting on the ground, keeping Bowman close. Aside from small shifts on his hand there was no reaction to Jacob being awake. "That's why possession is so terrible. You can't do anything to stop them from killing your loved ones. Most people can't even hope to fight back, but you did. So quit beating yourself up. There's still work to do."

Glancing around at the dark, silent forest around them, Dean frowned. "Sam's missing, and we should find Bobby and make sure he's okay after the demon jumped ship." He tried to push himself up and let out a hiss of pain, driven back down to his knees. "Son of a bitch," he groaned, the pain from the injury hitting him like a bus. Tears of pain threatened the corners of his eyes, hidden by the dark night.

The reminder of Sam, the last member of their party, sent a jolt of worry down Jacob's spine, and he sat bolt upright despite the pain in his body. "We should probably tie that arm somehow," he said, almost automatically. While he spoke, he tried to remember as much as he could.

Facing Bobby, Sam gliding overhead, then ... walking through the woods with no control over his own limbs. Finding Dean and Bowman.

Breaking Dean's arm and watching the hunter crumple to the ground.

Nearly crushing Bowman to death.

Jacob breathed a sigh and collected himself. "S-Sam was reading the exorcism when I saw Bobby, but I don't remember what happened to him after I got knocked out," he explained. That finally got a reaction out of the tiny shape in Dean's hand. Bowman's face peeked over the edge of Dean's fingers.

Bowman wasn't sure what to focus on next. However, finding Sam wouldn't be an easy process so long as every movement and step jostled Dean's broken arm. Bowman was worried about his brother ... but his newest brother needed more immediate help. "Dean, is there something in your gigantic bag Jacob can use to tie a splint to your arm or something?"

"Right," Dean muttered. He sat back down on the ground with a loud sigh. With an injury like this, he was out of the hunting game for a few months, at the least. More if it didn't heal right.

He couldn't let himself dwell on that. All that mattered was every minute they wasted on his sorry ass meant another minute Sam was out in the forest, alone. With possible predators lurking in the dark.

With a wince, Dean gestured towards where his duffel had dropped during the fight. Belatedly he realized Bowman was sitting in the hand he was moving, reminded by a startled flare of those green wings. "Sorry 'bout that, small fry," he apologized. "I've got some shirts… and there's a flashlight inside so we can see what we're doing. Couldn't risk that while the demon was around, but now I think we'd all feel better with some light."

Bowman clung to Dean's thumb the best he could, while Jacob hastily got up to drag the huge duffel bag closer to them. He sat up once more once there was a click and light erupted from the flashlight Jacob had retrieved. Bowman blinked several times at the seemingly-magic device before his eyes adjusted. Sam and Jacob had both explained electricity the best they could, but ... it still seemed like magic.

Regardless of the light's source, it did bring a momentary sense of ease as it chased back the shadows. Bowman could see the way Dean held his injured arm with more clarity, and winced. Even with a jacket sleeve around it, something looked horribly wrong.

A/N

A little broken arm ain't gonna keep Dean down

Next: December 19th, 2018 at 9pm est

Leave us a review to let us know how you like it!