Witch Doctor

Dean quickly caught up with Sam and about the case while Ashley continued to stare at her brother. There was something off about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. When Ashley glanced up at Sam's face, she could tell he felt the same.

"Y-you're back" Ben stammered when he got up to where his three parents were sitting. Justin was coming up behind Ben, who was holding a very tired Tara in one arm.

"Papa! You're home" Justin said as he ran up to wrap his arms around Dean's neck.

"Yeah, hey Tiger" Dean smiled, now all wet as he looked up to Ben. "How are you?"

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" he barked back at his father. "You told them, but you didn't think I deserved to know!"

Dean seemed to take a moment to soak in what was said- Ben was right. He wasn't a kid anymore and he was fully emerged into the Winchester lifestyle. "You're right. All five of us will uh, we'll go get something to eat" Dean apologized. "I'm going to shower, see if Castiel can kid-sit."

Ashley watched as Dean struggled back through the sand in his old motorcycle boots. "Did something seem-"

"-off?"
"-strange?" Sam and Ben both asked at the same time, interrupting Ashley's thought.

"Very" Justin answered as he sat down in the chair next to Sam. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, baby" Ashley answered as she shrugged her sweater on over her bikini. "I'm going to go check on him."

When Ashley opened the door to the hotel, she was relieved to hear the shower running and saw Dean's clothes strewed all across his bed. "So, how was the walk back from Seattle?" Ashley hollered as she sat down on the bed furthest from the front door.

"It was a walk, kinda long" Dean replied from the shower. "Why?"

"Just curious" Ashley shrugged even though nobody was in the room with her. "How about the mark?"

"What is this? 20 questions?" Dean called out as he turned off the water.

"Maybe," she shrugged again "why are you avoiding?"

"Because" Dean said as he finally came out of the bathroom. The towel was wrapped around his waist while water dripped down his chest.

"The mark, it's acting up again, isn't it?" Instead of giving an answer, Dean gave Ashley a pained look, hidden behind the building anger and resentment. "Dean, you can't keep this! It'll make it harder on me to help you!"

"I don't want your witchy help!" he snapped at his sister as he snatched new clothes and slammed the door shut.

"Common Dean!" Ashley screamed "You are going to end up killing yourself. You won't talk, you drink, you are poisoning yourself! A-and I won't be around to watch it happen."

Dean stuck his head out of the bathroom to get a better look at how serious Ashley was. "Fuck, you aren't kidding."

"Aren't kidding about what?" Sam asked as he walked in with Justin asleep on his shoulder.

"I'm leaving, Tara'll come with" Ashley told Sam. "Dean refuses to help himself; I won't stay and watch him kill himself."

"Whoa, what?" Ben shrieked as he put Tara down in the portable sleeper.

"You pick what you want to do, I'll be back."

As soon as the door slammed shut behind Ashley, Sam felt the anger start to boil within him. "What did she offer you, Dean?" Sam asked calmly for now so he wouldn't scare Justin or Tara.

"Who says she offered me anything?"

"Cuz I know her better than you do" Sam answered one notch closer to losing his temper.

"Rikki thing she does. Play witch on me!" he shouted at his little brother. How can he stand there and see what she does as okay? It's only a matter of time before she gets into the black stuff!

"Ashley isn't a damn witch!" Sam spat back allowing his rage to send Dean up against a wall. "She's an adult and a smart one!"

Dean looked into Sam's angry eyes now that he was close enough. They were a darker green then his own right now- meant he was seriously peeved. "Let go of me, Sammy" he warned as he tensed his muscles.

"It's not Sammy" he growled without letting go.

"Why didn't you let her help?" Dean spat around Sam.

"It's not her job; it's not anyone else's job but mine."

Sam finally let go of Dean and let him catch his breath again before going after him again. It was only then did Sam realize all he could hear was the sound of his own blood rushing around his head. "You know Dean, you must really hate yourself a whole lot if you won't even take help from blood." He left the room as quickly as the words left his mouth and didn't bother to look back, or shut the door very quietly. Sam went looking for Ashley- that room was the last place he wanted to be right now, and Ashley was the first person that seemed to understand where he was coming from.