Big My Secret
Chapter 3 – An eerie silence
A/N: This is my take on what happens when Dean returns from Hell at the start of Season 4. The story takes place shortly after Dean and Bobby show up at Sam's motel room.
The title comes from a song from the soundtrack of the movie 'The Piano'. No copyright infringement intended.
I don't own anything related to Supernatural. All I can claim are the errors, grammatical or otherwise.
Thank you to all the reviewers, followers and readers.
This fic is for entertainment purposes only. Enjoy.
Sam stood panting, struggling to recover his breath after carrying his brother up the stairs and into the room. He pushed his sweat soaked bangs over his forehead before reluctantly looking down at Dean's unconscious form as it lay splayed across the unmade bed. He didn't look so bad except for the blood and dirt and the way his limbs jutted out haphazardly like a raggedy Anne doll. Otherwise, you could almost make a case that Dean was asleep.
The initial elation of getting his brother back had been replaced by an unspeakable dread lodged deep in the pit of the young hunter's stomach. It was ironic that just as Sam was allowing unspeakable fears to twist and churn in his gut, his brother's face was devoid of emotion. The younger Winchester instinctively laid his hand across Dean's chest and felt the steady beats of his heart before allowing a sigh of release. He leaned forward and placed Dean's arms and legs in more natural positions.
Bobby returned from the bathroom holding a facecloth in one hand and an ice bucket filled with water in the other. His grizzled features couldn't mask his concern at the sight of the motionless man on the bed. Sam avoided his gaze, pursed his lips into a thin line like he was trying to hold everything in and shouldered past him before slumping down heavily on the sofa. It was clear Sam was still in avoidance mode and the look on the young man's face reminded Bobby of Dean's best 'I'm not talking' pout. It tugged at his chest that it wasn't Dean's familiar face reflecting that look back at him.
Bobby began to wipe the blood and dirt from the unconscious hunter's face and noticed a large bruise beginning to form on Dean's jaw where he assumed, from Sam's guilty looks, he had hit him. Bobby's ministrations were slow and deliberate and it did not escape Sam's observant gaze how the older hunter's hand lingered on Dean's cheek and forehead in an attempt to comfort the unconscious man knowing that it would be impossible to show this much affection had his brother had been alert. Sam had always known Dean was Bobby's favourite and it was only fair since he knew he was Dad's.
A heavy silence hung in the room and each passing minute was filled with more questions and unspeakable fears. Bobby had been just as surprised as Sam when Dean ran out of the hotel room like he had been shot from a cannon. The older man had wanted to follow but decided it three was a crowd and certainly Sam could handle his brother. Later, when the younger brother called hardly able to get the words out to tell Bobby to come pick them up, he wasn't so sure it had been the right thing to do. The older hunter found them in a park on the edge of town with Sam cradling an unconscious and bloody Dean. The ride back was uncharacteristically quiet as Sam refused to talk or answer Bobby's questions, just sat in the back seat, staring out the window while holding on to Dean. Bobby could have sworn Sam didn't want to look at his brother.
The older man could feel the pressure of not knowing what they were dealing with build up in his gut. He had held out as long as possible, allowing Sam to process his thoughts and feelings about what had happened but it was now time to deal with this situation.
"Sam," Bobby called out. He got no reaction. "Sam," this time it was a warning. The young man turned his head quickly and Bobby saw the unguarded look of confusion and worry and the older hunter cringed at his tone which reminded him of the John's best demanding voice.
If Sam heard it, he didn't let on. The younger Winchester was lost in his thoughts, replaying the scene in the park over and over again as he tried to pinpoint when it all started to go wrong. He snorted in derision at the stupidity of that thought. 'Yeah, when exactly did things start to go wrong? Was it when the hell hounds ripped his brother apart and dragged him to Hell? Was it when Dean made that deal with the crossroads demon? Was it when Roy Le Grange saved his dying brother while sacrificing another human? When exactly did things start to go wrong?'
"What happened?" Bobby asked more evenly.
Sam looked down at the floor and guiltily bit at his fingernails. He didn't know how to begin to answer Bobby's question. He didn't know how to voice what he had witnessed and he was afraid, afraid he had done something to bring this on, afraid he had messed up and now his brother was paying for his mistake once again.
Sam rubbed his eyes, needing to erase the memory of Dean's horrified face. He moved over to the window, pulled back the curtain and stared out into nothing. With his back to his brother and Bobby, he was finally able to get a coherent sentence out. "I've never seen him like that, Bobby." The older hunter could practically see Sam wilting underneath the weight of these words. " He was..." Sam's voice was a mere whisper, "he was scared." It felt like he had betrayed his brother's trust by confiding this fact to Bobby.
"Scared of what?" Bobby asked not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.
Sam shrugged apologetically and turned away from Bobby's gaze. "There was nothing there...nothing I could see." And the young hunter felt a pang of guilt and wondered if he or Ruby had anything to do with this.
"Did he say anything?" Bobby asked as he continued to tend to Dean. Sam just shook his head in resignation. "He seemed fine until then," Bobby uttered, trying to convince himself more than stating a fact.
Sam closed his eyes in frustration. "He came back from Hell, Bobby. How would we know if he was fine?"
Bobby didn't have an answer to that. He had read everything he could on Hell but hadn't found any literature about anyone getting out. This whole thing was a mystery to him and he knew he needed help. "I could call a psychic I know. Maybe she can tell us something." "Bobby added, but his words lacked confidence.
Sam nodded worriedly. He was not looking forward to Dean waking up if it meant his brother would freak out again. The younger Winchester made his way to Bobby and extended his hand, gesturing for the facecloth. "I'll do that. Call your contact."
Bobby let Sam take over but not before patting Dean's chest protectively and whispering, "I'll be right here kiddo." The older hunter pulled out his phone and made his call while Sam seemed mesmerized by the act of wringing the water out the white cloth. A few minutes later, Bobby turned to Sam, "She'll be here tomorrow."
Sam stared at his bruised knuckles wondering what he would have to do to keep Dean here until then.
A shrill ring broke the silence. Sam rose, walked over to the nearby chair and pulled his phone from the pocket of his jacket. He stared at it in confusion and then looked at Bobby. "It's not mine." Bobby stared at the phone in his hand but it was obvious it wasn't his either. Sam spun on his heels, strode over to the duffle bag on the floor and rummaged through it furiously until he came up with another phone. Sam eyed it suspiciously and Bobby understood this was Dean's old phone.
Caller unknown flashed on the screen to the beat of the rings. Sam looked back at his brother who hadn't stirred and fingered the phone hesitantly as he answered the call. "Hello."
Bobby stopped all movements and watched Sam intently.
"Hello," Sam repeated hoping this was just a wrong number.
"Dean?" It was the voice of a young boy. An eerie silence followed.
Sam pulled the phone away from his ear and verified the caller id once more - caller unknown blinked back at him. "Who is this?" Sam barked menacingly.
"Tell Dean...its Billy." the boy repeated ominously and then hung up.
TBC...