The hiatus is over! Whooo-hooo!! I hope you oddballs enjoy!

Chapter Seventeen

Dean wondered if he should just say screw it on the whole research part of this thing and head back to the building, say screw it on the hunt and head back to the house, or go back to the library which up to this point had not been helpful at all.

"Where are we headed, Sam?" he asked, hoping for a little direction from little brother.

Sam stared out the front windshield. "You knew about the tree, didn't you? How?"

Dean considered pretending Sam did not ask that. "Mike told me," he finally said. "I think he was worried about how it was affecting you."

He felt Sam staring at him. "Worried?" Sam's voice was like ice. "Mike?"

Dean shrugged, unwilling to get in that particular conversation. Besides, that tone in Sam's voice creeped him out. "So where are we going, Sam? You want to do more research, just stake out the building or what?"

A long, lone sigh exhaled from his right. "What's the point?"

"The point?" Dean pulled off the road at the next parking lot. He stopped the car to stare unbelieving at his brother. "What do you mean, what's the point?"

Sam sighed again, staring down at his feet. "Why should I even try? I mean, no matter what, I'm doomed. Mike probably told you that, too."

"What the hell are you talking about, Sam?" Dean asked. He would like to be angry, but the fear radiating off Sam was overpowering. "Sammy?"

Dean found his hand reaching out for his brother. He saw his brother flinch just before he could touch Sam's arm. Dean froze, unwilling to hurt Sam even unintentionally. He pulled his hand back. "Sam?"

Sam shook his head and Dean saw the tears pouring out. "It died because I touched it, Dean. I don't…" Sam took a deep breath. "I don't want that to happen to you."

"It hasn't happened yet, Sam," Dean reasoned, wondering just how far gone Sam's paranoia was. "And I don't think it will. Neither does Mike."

Sam turned a tear-stained face to him. "You're just saying that."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Dude, you're the one who figured out I can't lie. Why do you keep accusing me of it?"

The ghost of a smile crossed Sam's face. "Habit?"

Dean pressed a hand against Sam's shoulder. He allowed a sense of family, the way he always felt about Sam and Dad, to flow out into Sam. After about a minute a real smile came over Sam's face. Sam shrugged him off. "Okay, Dean, okay. I get it."

"About time," Dean snapped, but he grinned and put his hand back on the steering wheel. "So, building or library?"

Sam ran both hands through his hair, reminding Dean of Mike for an instant. Sam shook his head, hair falling into his eyes. "I don't know, Dean. I just can't concentrate."

"Okay, Sam. It's fine." Dean chewed his lower lip for moment, wondering what they should do next. In front of the windshield, a blinking blue neon sign appeared that said 'building.' "Let's go stake out the building, make sure no other kids go inside." The flashing neon sign disappeared. That probably meant they needed to get there pretty quick.

Dean pressed down on the accelerator. Of course, every light was red. Dean grumbled under his breath, but for some reason just could not bring himself to run the lights so it took for-freaking-ever to get to the stupid building.

"So why are we here?" Sam asked when Dean finally, finally pulled up at the building.

"I told you," he snapped, his patience exhausted by all those frigging red lights, "to make sure no stupid kids turn into dead, stupid kids."

Sam nodded as he unfolded his long frame from the car. "Did I ever tell you that you have a real way with words?"

"Come on," Dean said, preferring not to start anything right now. His mind raced for a way to check out the building without actually going inside again. He might not be able to protect Sam this time, and he did not want to risk his brother. That was one screwed up spirit in this place. Dean chose to walk along the outside of the building, hoping not to hear anything happening on the inside. As they walked along, Sam took out his EMF and pointed it at the wall. Dean preferred his homemade one to Sam's storebought, but Sam's was almost as reliable.

As Dean strained to listen, he noticed that he could hear lots of different voices. He paused, trying to sort them out. When the beams of light appeared, he knew the voices he heard might not be close by. Then the idea that those thin strands of light might actually help struck him. Dean focused on the building, looking for any strand that might be coming from it. When he found nothing, he let out a sigh of relief.

"I don't think there's anyone inside. Yet." Dean informed his brother.

"Yet?" Sam asked, and Dean heard that note of suspicion. "What made you say 'yet'?"

"I didn't really mean to say it," Dean replied, Sam's voice making him uneasy. He really did not want to tell Sam anything that might make it on to that stupid list.

"You didn't mean to say it," Sam replied, turning to face him, "but you did, so it means something. You think someone is going inside tonight, don't you?"

Dean nodded, turning away to look over the building again. "Where do you think we should…"

Three teenagers approached from the opposite direction. Dean nudged Sam before walking towards them. He felt Sam a step behind and to his right. Excitement and fear radiated off those kids. Dean glanced back to see if Sam was getting that too.

Sam's face was grave and hard. Yep, Sam must have been getting the same impression Dean was.

"I dunno, Sam. That last dead body, it was pretty bad," Dean said loudly. "Anyone who would stay the night in there would have to be stupid."

Sam stopped beside him to glare at the building. "But it doesn't make sense, Dean. Why would a serial killer hang out in an abandoned building?" Sam's voice was loud enough to be heard by the kids, so he understood what Dean wanted to do.

Relieved, Dean waved his hands at the wall behind Sam. "How the hell should I know, Sam? I mean, can you really understand a serial killer? They're crazy!"

"Maybe we should call in some units to sweep the building again," Sam suggested.

Dean marveled at how official his brother could sound. "Again? You really think they're going to find any more this time?"

Sam shrugged. "Couldn't hurt. And if they find some kids inside, they can just arrest them."

"I wish stupidity was a crime," Dean replied, looking Sam in the eye, "then we could hold them indefinitely. Fine, let's make the call," he said, motioning for Sam to follow him. They made their way back to the car across the street. At the car, Dean paused to pull out his cell and made a big production of calling in a unit to search the building and arrest anyone they found inside. He made sure his voice carried to the kids loitering outside the building, though he was not sure how he was doing it. It felt like an eternity for the teens to decide trespassing might not be worth it today and walk away. Dean fell into the driver's seat with an overwhelming sense of relief.

"At least we don't have to go back in right away," he muttered, starting the engine. Dean looked over at his brother in the passenger seat. Sam had a strange look on his face. "So, the house or library?"

"Dean?" Sam's voice was tight, strained. "What the hell was that?"

"What the hell was what?" Dean asked, turning off the radio. He looked through the windshield at the building, wondering if they should stick around a little to be sure those kids didn't come back. A traffic light appeared right in front of him, the lights changing from red to green. Apparently it was okay for them to leave.

"You lied," Sam said pointedly. "I thought you couldn't lie, but you just lied like a pro. What the hell was up with that?"

Sam actually sounded angry. "We were saving lives," Dean explained. "If lives are on the line, I can lie."

Sam rolled his eyes, throwing his head back. "And you don't think to tell me that little fact until NOW?"

Dean shrugged. "It didn't come up."

"But you knew!" Sam accused, glaring at him.

"Mike told me. I guess I kind of forgot." Dean shrugged again, not understanding where all of Sam's hostility was coming from. "Dude, you okay? You look a little pale."

Sam's eyes narrowed at him and Dean had the sudden impression of how the things they hunted might view his brother. Intimidating only began to describe it. But this was his brother, it was not like he was in any real danger. "Sam?"

Sam's expression softened slightly. "Forgot, huh? Did you forget to tell me that our abilities are in conflict, too?"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, still wondering if they should head back to the library.

"Yours are based in …," Sam motioned upwards, his face scowling, "mine are evil. If that's not a conflict, then I don't know what is."

Dean scowled back. "It doesn't matter where it came from, just how you use it. I could be robbing banks or something with mine, would that make me a better person than you?"

Sam's eyes bored into his. "You can't even use a scammed credit card. There is no way you could rob a bank. So yes, that makes you a better person than me." Sam's arms crossed over his chest and he got that stubborn look Dean knew only too well.

Dean took a deep breath and held it a moment. "Library or house, Sam?"

Sam let out a big huff. "Library. I'll look for people who died from something that happened in the building."

"Fine." Dean took one long look at his brother before shoving the car into drive. Sam could be really touchy these days.

It took all of Sam's self-control not to reach over and throttle his brother right now. It took even more effort than that to block those thoughts and feelings from Dean. It didn't occur to him to mention that he could lie in order to save lives? That was kind of important, list important. Sam also resisted getting his list out and adding the new information. As he thought about it, he realized that Dean could be holding other things back just to prevent Sam from adding them to The List.

Now that Dean had his own list about Sam, Sam had a better appreciation for how it felt to be analyzed like that. It was not a good feeling. He could understand it, but he still wanted to throttle Dean. Well, at least he had a fresh perspective for research, since everything else so far had turned up a dead end. He would really appreciate Dad showing up about now to shake his head, call them morons, and point out exactly what they were after. Sure it would piss him off, but at least they would be closer to concluding this hunt and getting away from Mike.

Ha. Get away from Mike. How exactly did you dodge an archangel? He was the one Mike used to be so chummy with while Dean caught all the attitude. Now it was the other way around, and Sam did not care for it. He really needed to start giving Dean more credit; his brother put up with a lot without ever complaining. Plus Dean kept defending him to Mike, and Sam hadn't really done that when their positions were reversed. He had expected Dean to be Dean and just take it. When Dean hit his limit and accepted Mike's challenge, Sam had not done much more than just cringe because he had been surprised Dean had put up with it for that long. But when Dean won… Wow. Sam had not expected that.

Maybe that was why he felt so guilty all the time now. This mess was his fault. Sam slid further down in the seat. Was there any way to redeem himself now? Even with the demon blood in him, he had never felt like a bad person compared with Dean. Dean didn't have demon blood, but he hustled, lied, ran credit card scams, probably still stole stuff on occasion, not to mention his brother's natural ability to pick locks. Sam looked freaking angelic in comparison. But now? Now it was obvious what Sam was, and he did not like being obvious. The really weird part was that Dean still did not seem able to see it. His brother even fixed that dead branch but still would not own up to the fact he had to turn evil eventually.

"Sam?" Warmth and light permeated his soul from his left shoulder. His dark thoughts retreated to a far recess of his mind, out of the light.

"Yeah?" he squeaked, causing Dean's eyebrows to draw together. Sam cleared his throat, wishing that touch of light and warmth could stay with him and keep the darkness away. When it did leave, the light lingering longer and longer each time after Dean removed his hand, the darkness of his thoughts swirled forward attempting to drive every last vestige of the light away. That was the reason Sam knew, beyond any conceivable doubt, that their abilities were in constant conflict. "I think I know how we should approach the research this time."

Dean flashed him a grin. "All right. Let's go!"

His brother bounded out of the car full of life and energy. Dean was not always like that. If he had been, Sam was certain he would have killed his brother years ago. Now that thought was so disturbing it needed to go on Dean's list. Sam tried to shake it from his mind as he followed his brother inside. They had a job to do.