Looking For Space
Author: Cheryl W.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dean, Sam or any rights to Supernatural, nor am I making any profit from this story.
Summary: Sam might have been the one to run away to Flagstaff, but Caleb knows it's Dean they just might lose forever if someone doesn't show him his own self-worth. Ridley's Brotherhood AU. No Slash.
Author's Notes: I'm so honored by the outpouring of reviews and those who put this story on alert and even favorites! The wonderful fondness so many of us have for the Brotherhood AU that Ridley and Tidia created surely shines through your support.
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CHAPTER 2: Free Bird
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When they passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.
~ Isaiah 43: 2
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A hand on his shoulder jolted Caleb back to the here and now, had his true surroundings coming into clarity around him but the vision still had ahold of him by the throat, made his first word more a grunt than anything. Heard voices above him that he didn't recognize, then a familiar one joined the crowd: Josh.
"Alright give him some room, surely this is pretty dull stuff compared to what just went down," Joshua Sawyer drily said, pushing through the two hunters to see Caleb was down on all fours, sure signs that the physic had had a vision. A bad one if he wasn't on his feet yet, taking swings at the gathered observers.
"He screamed, almost sounded like that Winchester kid's name," James Lositros helpfully pointed out.
Getting a hand under Caleb's arm, Joshua pulled the psychic to his feet, downplayed for their audience, "It's a ritual he likes to do after each hunt, call out the names of the successful hunters. I think it's a jock thing..but I never understand those." And he about had the two hunters leaving when Caleb came back to himself, actually reached out and grabbed the hulking mass that was James Lositros.
"Where's your son?! Dean went with your son Jason. Where would he go? There was water…a rapids…" Caleb demanded, trying to find a way to get to Dean, to stop his vision from happening, to save Dean.
"Jason's been all over this county and the next. Kid knows the best watering holes…" Lositros said with a chuckle of pride.
But Caleb wasn't laughing, was snarling in the hunter's face the next moment. "Some cliff…some place they could jump into the river and it has rough rapids."
Lositros only smirked back at Caleb's obvious panic. "That's what's got you all bent out of shape?! Kids just blowing off steam, that's all. They'll be home in time for supper."
Before Caleb could actually take a swing at Lositros, Joshua was there, pulling Caleb's hands from Lositros and squeezing between the two men. He held Caleb back when the other hunters turned and left them alone.
"Let me go! I need to find Dean!" Caleb snarled, wasn't prepared for Josh to shake him with enough force to snap his head back.
"Calm down!" Joshua commanded, surprised when his shake and his order actually stilled Reaves. "I take it your vision was about Dean."
"He…he jumped into the water, was…drowning…"
"There are hundreds of places along the river they could be. You think he's with Lositros' kid?"
"He left with him."
"Apparently his father's going to be of no help. We could drive the route back to Dean's place…see if we can see where they might have pulled off the road."
"We don't have time for a historic nature trail!" Caleb shouted, nearly hyperventilating in his panic.
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When Dean was able to finally break the surface of the water white, he gasped in air and water alike but it was like winning a championship baseball game, being the underdog and coming out the victor. So when he pulled himself to the side of the calming water, he let out a hoarse shout of triumphant. Accepted the hand that Jason offered him to pull him onto dry land, then they both collapsed there, took in life sustaining oxygen as the sun started to dry them off.
"Now that's living!" Jason crowed, running a hand through his wet hair and smiling down at Dean. "And I didn't do it because my old man told me to, or to save people who don't give a crap about me, or to avenge a thing. I did it because I wanted to. And I didn't need anyone telling me I could do it, I knew in my gut that I could do it." He gave a proud shout to the sky.
Sitting up, Dean smirked bitterly, "My dad would be pissed that I risked maybe getting hurt and sidelined from hunting by doing some prank."
"My dad doesn't care either way," Jason nonchalantly replied. "I'm not his only son. He has three others to take my place when they're older. So one of us dies, just kick the next one out of the nest, right?"
Dean nodded, knew that was true of him too. Just like he had thought a few minutes ago, that if he didn't make it, Sam would take his place at his Dad's side, that things would go on without him. 'Probably no one would even bother mentioning my name after I'm gone. It would just turn into another dumb hunters' tale, that John Winchester had a first son that died.' Because Dad had gone ballistic when he learned that Sam had run off, and Dean had honestly feared that his father would beat the crap out of him for letting Sam slip through his fingers. Had watched his father's hands coil into fists and tried not to flinch as he waited for the blows to start raining down on him. And even though his father hadn't hit him, had somehow restrained himself from doing what he really really wanted to do to his eldest son, his rage, his disappointment, his disgust was tangible.
Dean spoke into the silence that had fallen. "Sam, my younger brother, he hates hunting."
"Aaahh, so it wasn't that your dad smacked him around but hunting that had him ditching you," Jason drawled, saw the startled look in Dean's expression. "My Dad thought it was abuse. I mean, he's told me stories about how your dad's treated you on hunts, the balling out he's given you, the way he's risked your life. He figured your dad got even nastier in private."
It was a shock, that others talked about Dad, about him, about their family. And he couldn't be pissed at Jason or his dad for their assumption, not when he thought Dad was about to unleash his fists of fury on him two weeks ago. "He'd never hurt Sam." And that was true enough. 'Me he turned over to Caleb, knowing full well I was being bait, heck, he probably told Caleb just what to say to get me ripped up inside so I would be juicy chum.'
Jason's eyes watched him, told Dean that maybe he knew what he wasn't saying, that hurting Sam was off limits in his Dad's world, but not hurting him.
"That Reaves guy, he screwed you over too."
But that was a subject Dean couldn't talk about, hurt too much to even think about. "Let's get going," he announced as he climbed to his feet and started the hike back up to where they had left their clothing. Wished the adrenaline high wasn't over, could have stuck around longer, could blot out the hole in his heart where Caleb's betrayal, Sam's abandonment and his Dad's indifference festered. Shooting a look over his shoulder to Jason, he suggested, "Maybe we can do this again tomorrow."
Jason met the suggestion with a huge smile. "Nah, I say we up the game. I've been in this town for a month and I've scoped out some cool, out of the way places where we can have some real fun. Might even know some guys that have the stones to play at our level."
"I'm in," Dean agreed with a cocky smile, felt happy, for a change. Sam and his dad were at Pastor Jim's and Caleb, now that his all-important hunt was over, would bug out of town today. So he'd be alone and he was going to stop letting that get him down. Was going to soak up the freedom and do whatever he wanted and screw his family and Caleb and the whole hunting/ Brotherhood thing.
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Roughly grabbing Caleb's jaw, Joshua forced his quasi-friend to face him. "You having a meltdown isn't going to help Dean. Do your thing, find him psychically. Maybe he's fine, just having fun like a normal kid, like Lositros said."
Since it was actually smart advice, Caleb took it. Searched for his connection with Dean….and found the younger man's essence, alive and well and ..happy. Wondered what kind of jerk it made him that he was almost pissed at his findings.
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TBC
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Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Have a great day!
Cheryl W.