Fangs and Fury

Warnings: Language as always. Not too much violence until toward the end.

Author Note: So, this chapter tackles a few budding questions that have been building since the start. Perhaps not full answers yet but it'll start answering some things.

Chapter Four

The gun shot that fired sounded like a canon shot to Sam Winchester's ringing ears but it was the shock that he felt his face being hit with dirt and little pebbles when the slug struck the hot asphalt near him rather than his head that snapped his attention back to the here and now rather than the memories of his life literally flashing in front of his eyes.

"You think I'll let you off that easy, Winchester?" Shane Morrison sneered, leaning down to place the barrel of the .357 under Sam's chin to force his head up. "I thought I taught you a lesson last year but you survived that and then ran away like the coward I always knew you boys were," he looked up toward the motel. "I heard through the grapevine that your big brother was back. Maybe he and I should have a little chat and then see how tough he still thinks he is?"

Morrison was a big man or thought he was at least. He barely hit six foot in height but what he lacked in height he made up for in muscle and cheap shots, like taking his opponents by surprise.

"You know, Dean and I had issues from back when you were just a kid," he kept the gun under Sam's chin in warning while pressing down hard on the bleeding shoulder. "Punk thought he was so good. I think maybe after I give him the lowdown on you that I'll remind him of his own place."

"You…don't touch my brother," Sam gritted, pain burning down his arm but unable to get the leverage right then to push the older man off him. "Dean…he's better than you will ever hope to be," he tasted blood when a hard fist plowed into his jaw but didn't stop. "You wanna tell him? You think he'll give a damn? Go ahead but I won't promise he will since he's kinda pissed at me."

Sam knew that making the hunter mad was a risk but it was his only chance at getting free or if he died then he could only hope that his brother made it through this in one piece.

"Though…he'd probably still kick your ass just for…the hell of it," he gave a smirk without realizing how close to Dean's best cocky look he was but then grunted when the barrel of the Magnum gave a hard poke.

"I'm gonna shoot your knees out this time to make sure you can't get away then I'll deal with your big brother, punk," Morrison snarled, furious and wanting to draw this out since he knew the boy wasn't going to be going anywhere and while he didn't want to tangle with the older Winchester he thought he knew how these boys worked and distracting Dean would get him the upper hand.

Lifting the gun, he gave it another hard poke to Sam's already bruised chest before standing to aim it at a knee with a smile. "This'll hurt, pretty boy."

The weight of Morrison's boot kept Sam from kicking out and he heard the weapon cock but the next thing he felt was just the slightest change, both in the air and the weight on him when the man was physically moved to slam into the rusted old pickup parked near the Impala.

"Interrupting something?" the smooth whiskey coated voice was suddenly very welcome to Sam even though he'd never admit that to anyone living.

"Stupid son of a bitch!" Shane Morrison snarled, whirling back around to face the man who'd just spoiled his fun when he found a hand wrapped tightly around the wrist holding his weapon and he was forced to drop it. "This is…this is private business asshole!"

Benny had debated with himself for all of two minutes before making the choice that put him between this man and the younger Winchester.

He figured Sam may hate what he was and he may hate his friendship with Dean but to Benny he had something more important to consider right then; aside from Dean's reaction if he willingly had allowed anything to happen to Sam.

"It may well be but see here's where we have a problem," Benny stepped forward to crowd into the man's space while giving his wrist a harder squeeze, not enough to break it or give away what he really was but enough to warn. "You have some issues with Sam here. Sam's got issues with me on a lotta levels but I've got a promise to keep to his brother so I think your business needs to wait."

Before Morrison could reply or lash out, Benny's other hand flashed to grab him by the neck and slammed his head into the hood of this truck a few times until he was certain the man was unconscious then let him drop.

Looking around to see if the shots had drawn any of the clearly wise citizens out of their homes or businesses, Benny nodded before heading back to reach down and pull Sam up as he was attempting to get to his feet. "Take it Dean don't know about him?"

"No and he won't be finding out about him either," Sam had his doubts about that since keeping his brother from learning about the hunter if Garth had already brought it up would be hard but could only hope that in the confusion of all this that he'd forget about it. "I'm…fine. Is he or…?"

"He'll wake up pissed off but he'd still breathing," Benny shrugged, seeing the blood leaking from between Sam's fingers as he held it over his shoulder and pushed back the urge that came on instinct. "You need stitches?"

Sam figured he did but he also knew he just wanted out of this place. He wanted to find his brother and have something else to focus on besides his own failures. "I'll get 'em later. We need to find Dean and…be far away from here before Morrison wakes up."

Benny figured Sam wasn't happy about him saving him and stayed quiet for the moment as he watched the hunter try to slow the bleeding for the moment. "Well, you can't get no farther away from here than St. Rioux Basin which is deep in the heart of Cajun country and no too few amount of bayous," he nodded back to the room. "Let me do something about that and then you follow me…can you drive, Sam?"

"I've driven with a lot more wrong with me than a bleeding shoulder," Sam replied, sitting in the driver's seat as a silent agreement to allow the vampire to handle disposing of the bodies as quickly as possible.

Touching the rubber bracelet on his wrist, something Benny said dawned on Sam and he also remembered what he'd said to Dean on the phone earlier and frowned a little more. "What promise?" he asked after Benny exited the room for the final time to finish placing the tarp wrapped body and parts in the back of his truck for a quick disposal in the first decent swamp they passed.

"You said you had a promise to keep to Dean and…he mentioned something about a promise too before he had the phone taken away," Sam looked up to see Benny too close but his curiosity had always been a problem for him. "So…what promise did you make Dean or that he made you make?"

Benny supposed he should've been more careful in choosing his words earlier since he suspected that Dean wouldn't want the boy to know too much and he firmly suspected that Sam wouldn't appreciate it if he knew and tried to get around it as easy as possible.

"Nothing to worry about, Sam," he shrugged, tugging his hat a little lower on his head as if to shield his eyes from the hot sun but was suddenly reminded that Sam shared another trait with his big brother.

Both Winchesters were stubborn as hell and once Sam hooked onto something he wasn't letting go until he knew.

"No, don't pull that crap," Sam snapped, going to stand up but the sudden dizziness decided that he should stay sitting. "Vampires don't usually make promises and Dean doesn't normally ask for promises because he's had too many broken on him so…what the hell is it? What did he ask you to do that caused you to save me just now because I really thought you'd just ignore this."

"Tempted," Benny admitted, opening his truck door but paused to look back with a slow smile. "Then I thought what Dean would do to me and…since I had promised him back in Purgatory that I'd watch out for his little brother I figured keeping you alive just then was the better choice."

Sam had to blink a few times to get past that because of all the things he might've expected the vampire to say that sure as hell hadn't been one of them but he was forced to let it go for the moment as the old pickup pulled out of the motel lot.

St. Rioux Basin was, according to Sam's GPS, more than a day's drive from Saundersville and even though he knew he could cut it in half if he knew where he was going, he allowed Benny's truck to lead the way down what he figured had to be every back road and dirt trail in the bottom part of Louisiana.

Concern for Dean kept a lot of his thoughts off himself or the now bleeding again shoulder wound but no matter how hard he tried he kept coming back to the fact that his brother had asked Benny, a vampire, to keep an eye on him and it just didn't make sense to him.

Ignoring how Sam had gone to bat for Lenore and her nest, Dean should've suspected that Sam wouldn't respond well to any vampire and especially not to one that had been with him in Purgatory.

"But I didn't know where Dean was then," he spoke to the silent and oddly empty feeling Impala. "If I didn't know that or even know right away what Benny was I might've bought into the whole look after Dean's brother bit but why would he need someone else to do that? Dean didn't know what happened to me or that I wasn't looking for him so…shit!"

A wave of dizziness caught him off guard and it was only quick reflexes along with the basic knowledge that he'd be dead if he scratched his brother's car that had him swerving to regain control but had to pull off the road to stop things from spinning.

"He will so kick my ass if I hurt her," he mumbled, climbing out of the car without even seeing the truck ahead of him had stopped and backed up.

Sam didn't realize it until a set of firm hands practically lifted him out of the Impala and by the time he did he was leaning against the warm hood. "Hey! What're you doing?"

"You look worse than I do when I try to see how long I can go without the blood," Benny told him, seeing how pale Sam looked and trying to judge if he had enough time before the sun went down fully to do what he needed to. "How long this been bleedin' again?" he asked while snorting at the slight shrug to lean into the car to pull the switch that opened the trunk. "Kit in the back?"

"Umm, yeah," Sam's head still wasn't clear and he knew he was in shock before it hit him what was asked. "What? The medical kit? Why? What're you doing?"

Taking a quick look at just what was in the trunk made Benny whistle and also reminded him to stay on Dean's good side once this was over since he figured the boys had several ways to kill any number of creature and or monster.

Seeing the medical kit, he grabbed it and shut the trunk hard enough that Sam winced. "You need stitches or else do you plan on fallin' on your face while fighting vamps to get your brother outta there alive?" he asked curiously, opening the kit up while shooting Sam's bitch face down with a single look. "Sam, you're good and I'm sure you've stitched yourself up plenty but that wounds got an exit and there ain't no way that he could stitch the exit wound.

"Now, do you want to bleed out or do you want to swallow that pride about having to let me help you so that we can go get Dean back?" he lifted an eyebrow while waiting to see what the choice would be. "You wouldn't have gotten out of that parkin' lot if Dean had been here and we both know it."

"If Dean was here none of this would be happening," Sam retorted, wincing when he heard his own voice and clamped his eyes shut to avoid seeing the amusement in the vampire's gaze. "Fine, do it," he told him then frowned. "Can you? I mean…I know it's bleeding and…"

"Like I told your brother more than once, I drink blood…not people, Sam," Benny had done a fair amount of stitching himself and others up in his life and figured this would be no different as he waited for Sam to struggle to out of his shirts so he could get a better look at the wound. "Shit," he breathed. "How many of these don't Dean know about?"

Forgetting for the moment that he still had some scars on his back and upper chest from his last encounter with Morrison, Sam sighed. "Most of the new ones," he shrugged, hissing as something was poured over his shoulder and promised himself to switch the disinfectant out with something like whiskey. "There hasn't been reason for him to see 'em. Not sure he'd care if he did."

"Oh, he'd care or at least the man I got to know in Purgatory would," Benny figured even if Dean was angry with his kid brother that he'd still care considering the one scar on his back looked way too close to a kidney to have been good.

"My brother before Purgatory, before he thought I didn't look for him would care. Now…a part of me thinks it just be out of standard big brother duty," looking over, Sam felt his stomach pitch when he saw the needle begin to sew up the entrance wound and tried to find something else to focus on.

Sam had been stitched up plenty of times in his life but usually it was Dean doing it to him or he'd figured out how to do it himself during those times his older brother wasn't with him.

Watching as a stranger does it felt weird to him. Even weirder yet was that he was watching a vampire sew him up but the professional side of Sam's brain accepted that Benny's points were valid.

He couldn't have gotten the wound on the back of his shoulder and he couldn't go to a clinic because he wouldn't waste that much time, not while his brother was in danger but Sam also shrugged a good chunk of his unease off to the simple fact that he didn't like to have hands on him that he didn't trust one hundred percent.

"Relax or this is gonna leave another good scar," Benny knew Sam didn't want him doing this but he also knew he couldn't take the time to pick the kid up from the floor when he passed out due to blood loss and getting into the next to rescue Dean was not going to be a walk in the bayou no matter how much he tried to pretend otherwise.

"Not so easy to do since I've got a vampire putting a needle in my skin and I'm kinda distracted by the fact that if I hadn't stormed off on him this might not have happened," Sam sounded off, his voice a little too distant and Benny began to worry about not only shock but also the blood loss.

"Would've been worse if you'd been there, Sam," he remarked, sure of that. "Lucien wouldn't have hesitated to use you against Dean and that's what we'll have to watch for when we get there."

Sam snorted, hissing as pain shot through his shoulder and fought back the urge to fight. "Is the part that Dean and I are fighting almost constantly, that he's pissed off at me, not sinking in with you?" he dropped his eyes to the bracelet around his wrist again to once again wonder why his brother had it out.

"This about me and him or something else?" Benny asked curiously, guessing if he kept Sam talking then he'd relax more. Plus he was curious what the hell would make his friend act this way.

"Both," came the reply which told the vampire that the young hunter was distracted. "I don't like that he didn't tell me about you or how he's pretty much chosen you over me like he did before with Cas but I know it's cause he's mad that I didn't look for him."

"Uh-huh," Benny had to look away for a second to control the building need for fresh blood when Sam's tone caught him and he began to listen closer and realized either the pain or the shock seemed to be making him talk a little freer than he normally would. "So him being pals with a vampire bugging you?"

"Little…okay a lot but maybe not so much if he just would have told me about it before I found out on my own or if he'd at least talk about what he went through with you down there," Sam's fingers were moving over the band on his wrist like he used to when on edge or worried. "He didn't talk about Hell either except for a few things but I got the gist of it and why he didn't want to but with Purgatory…all he says is it felt pure and then he shuts me out and…I miss him."

Watching Sam's face as the lowering sun hit it, Benny realized the man probably wasn't even aware of what he was saying but kept quiet as he began to stitch the exit wound up while seeing that it was a bit more of a mess. "This is gonna hurt, man," he warned, reached for the alcohol and some cotton to clean the wound out before he started. "Dean missed you too."

"Doubt if he does now since he believes that I stopped looking right after he and Cas vanished," Sam sighed, keeping his eyes down to stare at either his boots sitting on the front bumper or the dirt on the side of the road. "I meant I miss him now cause while he'd here…it's like a huge part of Dean, the part that I'd always known, didn't come out with you."

"Damn it, Dean, what in the hell are you doing?" Benny muttered under his breath, understanding or at least he hoped he did what his friend was doing and also what he was keeping in. He also knew neither thing would be good in the long run now.

The Louisiana native vampire also realized something else. Sam was hurting from things other than the bullet wound and that was going to mess the kid's head up in the coming fight and made a decision that may piss the older Winchester off once he found out about it but he'd chance it.

"You asked me and I told you what Dean made me promise him before we got out…that I'd keep an eye on you for him but I…didn't tell you why he wanted that promise made," he began casually enough, tightening his grip when he felt Sam tense as the more jagged exit wound stung as it was cleaned out. "Y'see, since I'd been down there no one had ever gotten out. I'd seen a lot of attempts but I'd never seen anything actually make it and then it was a case of even surviving the trip out if it was possible.

"Sam, I reckon I know why Dean's keepin' quiet about his time in Purgatory and I can't go tellin' you stuff that he'd keepin' to himself for a reason but…I will tell you that Purgatory wasn't all fun and games for your brother and that was before I found him," Benny paused to rethread the needle, feeling the shoulder relax a little and knowing without looking up that he had more of Sam's attention.

"I didn't see a lot of humans down there because usually they didn't last long with the monsters and critters that lived in Purgatory but it wasn't a huge secret that the second Dean got there he became prime target number one to everything down there and he was by himself against a horde of vamps, monsters, etc that all wanted his head on a spike."

Sam had decided he wasn't going to listen to the vampire, figuring he was just saying stuff to keep him relaxed but he was still a good judge of people and knew by the tone of voice that Benny wasn't making this up. "Wait. Where the hell was Cas?" he asked suddenly, not sure why but he'd believed that the Angel had been with his brother for at least the beginning of their entrapment.

"Not sure but he wasn't with Dean when I finally had to step in to save his neck and then he tried to take my head in the first five seconds," Benny smirked at the memory. "You boys both have that kill first, ask questions later mentality about you," he decided, going on when he started the first few stitches. "He didn't trust me anymore than you do, not at first but we both shared a common goal: getting the hell outta that place.

"I knew where the exit was supposed to be but only a human could escape so we needed each other. He'd been there about a month before I found him and I could tell by one look he was already on the verge of breaking," he paused when Sam took a deep breath against the pain.

"Y'see, all it was down there was one fight to survive. You slept and you died because those things would rip a man apart in his sleep just for the fun of it and it was pretty plain that Dean hadn't slept since being there. The first night after we joined up was probably the first time that boy'd had any sleep since he'd found himself there and then it wasn't a good sleep cause he woke up screaming…for you."

Sam was now trying to look over his shoulder but couldn't since that made it hard to keep his shoulder straight and relaxed so the wound would close cleanly. "He thought I was looking for him and I was but then…I had to stop," he murmured, trying to picture Purgatory from what little Dean had said to how Benny was describing it and feeling cold at the thought of his brother fighting alone while staying awake all the time. "Did…I mean, did he…"

"I caught on pretty fast that when he screamed for you in his sleep it was more out of a fear for you, of something happening to you than anything else," Benny guessed what Sam was trying to ask as he went on with both speaking and stitching. "It was about a week before I brought it up because he was still pretty skittish around me but it was after he got jumped by a couple things and had his leg tore up and couldn't move real well for a day or so that he began to talk. Wanna guess what he talked about most?"

"Knowing Dean probably how he personally put most of those things down there," Sam decided, biting his lip as a stitch pulled and he nearly passed out but fought it as he listened to the voice speaking behind him as it laughed.

Wiping away a small bit of fresh blood, Benny shook his head at Sam's theory. "It was more like how him and Sam put those things down there," he replied, feeling Sam still and knew he had his full attention now. "You're basically all Dean talked about Sam. When he was awake and not snarling about stupid Leviathans and vanishing Angels he talked about his little brother and when I told you that I'd heard a lot about you when we first met I wasn't kiddin'."

"Dean…talked about me?" since he knew his brother wasn't the chatty type of guy in normal circumstances this was a huge shock for Sam but it also caused a little lump to form in his throat.

"Sam, I could probably tell you what you scored on some test in college if I thought hard enough. You were all Dean talked about and it was clear as day how proud he was of you. That's why he wanted out of there so much. You were on your own and that worried Dean," Benny could see why now but chose to leave that out of the talk as he found his way back to his original point.

"After we'd found the Angel and were almost to the door, that night Dean woke up and I knew he was serious when he said he wanted me to do him a favor cause in that whole time I don't think he'd ever done that. You know you brother's a lot smarter than he lets on to be because he'd figured out the risk before I could mention it. Dean knew that even if we made it to the door that he might not survive the transition," Benny finished the patch up job then let Sam take over to cover his shoulder in gauze as he took a couple steps away.

He'd been hoping that by telling Sam a little that he'd get a better handle on why his brother might be shutting down about it but this was the part he really was leery on admitting but knew he'd started it. "Dean's theory was that he'd survive the trip home or at least long enough to get me to where my bones where and that's when he made me promise to watch out for his little brother.

"I thought he was kidding at first because he'd told me how you both grew up and I knew you take one look at me and want me dead and he agreed that would most likely be what would happen but he didn't wanna die without knowing that someone would be there to have your back," Benny smiled as he looked up at the setting sun to glance back, noticing the shining eyes.

"Dean may be a proud, arrogant, repressed son of a bitch but he went through Hell down there just trying to get back to you, for you, because he loved his pain in the ass little brother…his words," he stepped forward then to take what he figured was going to happen just by reading the body language that was being given off. "He made me promise if I made it back and he didn't to find you, watch out for you as much as I could but never to tell you what happened to him unless I had to.

"That's the promise he reminded me of on the phone earlier because he wants you safe more than he cares about himself and if he's pushing you away then he's trying to keep all the crap from that time inside but he…yah, saw that coming," he muttered, rubbing his jaw from where Sam punched it hard but barely moved him. "Happy now?"

No, in fact now Sam thought he knew how Dean felt those few times he punched Castiel since his already aching shoulder now had a throbbing fist to go with it but he couldn't stop himself from punching the vampire even though he wasn't sure what he was pissed off over.

Learning that Dean thought he would die trying to get out, asking Benny to watch out for him if he couldn't or if he was just so angry that Dean was keeping all this crap in.

"He did all that, fought with you to make it back just to have me tell him that I'd quit hunting. He thinks I didn't look because I can't tell him the truth and he hates me for turning my back on him and what he gave up to raise me," he began tightly, rubbing his fist and not aware of the moisture on his cheeks as he once again thought back to what Dean had tossed out to him before. "You had his back for a year. You could've used him as a way out then killed him but you didn't…guess you are a better brother to him than…"

Benny stepped forward but held his hands up to relieve the tension that was radiating off of the younger man. "Sam, you and Dean grew up in this life together so you know better than anyone else what it's like to grow close to someone because it's do or die. Dean and me, well…Purgatory was like one never ending battle scene out of the bloodiest war. I had his back. He had mine but he never let me forget that I was a poor substitute for you and he's done his best to keep us apart."

"Yeah, I know," that still pissed Sam off and it was plain in his voice as he glared how he felt. "He lied to me just to keep me away from you that time with Martin. Dean would rather trick me, lie to me than risk…hey! Let go," he grabbed the wrist of the hand that had taken a hold of his shirt collar.

"You're a smart boy, Sam or at least that's what Dean always said," Benny had cut him off when he realized what the kid really thought. "Dean tricked you yeah but he wasn't protecting me or at least not fully. He was mainly trying to protect you."

Pure bitch face shot out then as Sam rolled his eyes but still couldn't break the grip on his shirt. "I've killed vampires before. You'd be no different," he snapped though deep down he had his doubts because if he had gone after Benny with Martin and Dean got involved. "Besides, Martin still got killed so…"

"He was the first human I'd killed in a long time but he threatened my kin, Sam. That fella was a little too tightly wound and I think you knew that. Would you have trusted him with Dean? Cause I figure Dean sure didn't trust him with you and that's why he got you clear," Benny lifted a wry eyebrow at Sam's sudden change of expression.

"That fella didn't care who got hurt and he would've hurt you or Dean to get to me cause he would've known to get Dean to back off all he had to do was hurt you, right? You were pissed off and not thinking clearly and he would've taken advantage of that. Dean might be hurt and angry right now but you're still his brother, Sam and he'd still do whatever it took to keep you safe…including make you madder."

Sam frowned, finally able to twist loose to toss the medical kit in the car while trying to think on what he was hearing and not wanting to believe it except…he'd known that Martin Cresser had been one step back into the looney bin.

Martin had been convinced Benny was the one killing people while Dean didn't think so. Sam had let his own personal feelings…fine he was more than a little jealous of the damn vampire even if he'd never said it to anyone but himself, cloud his judgment.

He'd let Martin knock Dean out, cuff him because he wanted to believe that Benny had been guilty. He hadn't trusted his brother again and when Dean had gone to tell him why Martin was dead, Sam didn't let him so he hadn't known the man had gone after an innocent woman just to lure Benny in.

If Dean had tried to stop Martin, Sam had no doubts that his brother would've been hurt or like Benny suggested Martin would have, could have gotten the drop on Sam to use him against Dean.

"I thought he was protecting you," he whispered, fingers clenching as his eyes dropped to the road but looked up at the low chuckle. "What? Dean likes to protect things or people in case you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I know," he agreed lightly, finding Sam's thoughts really amusing right then since the boy clearly had no idea what was going on in his brother's head. "When he finally found me that time, the first thing he said to me was that if he couldn't change your mind and you came lookin' for me…if I laid a finger on you, if I hurt his little brother, he'd take my head in the next heartbeat."

Sam stared at this, not understanding since Dean had already told him that Benny was a better brother than he'd been in years. Hearing that Dean had threatened his friend, someone he'd bonded with through the torments of Purgatory, was stunning to him.

"You're his friend. Dean's loyal to his friends so why would he…" he leaned back on the now cool hood as Benny offered him a half grin while cocking his head to watch him.

"Friends are friends to Dean and yeah, he's loyal as hell but family's something else and he'll kill for you, Sam," he thought back to Purgatory and sighed. "You trust me when I tell you that Dean wouldn't choose me over you. Not now, not ever and he's gonna need both of us to get him loose now so can you do this? Can you work with me long enough to get him back?"

Sam still had his doubts but some of the tension had gone away as he began to see things a little differently and he nodded slowly. "Yeah, for Dean I will," he agreed, seeing the nod as Benny went back to his truck to make use of the nearby waterway since they were alone on the road. "How bad was he hurt down there?"

Easily manhandling the tarp of body parts out to toss it in, he paused as memories came back but knew it'd be up to Dean to reveal more to his brother about those months.

Glancing back at Sam and understanding a bit of what they might find when they got to Dean, Benny hesitated. "He got hurt a lot but not just physically," he admitted, tossing back. "Those damn 'shifters did the worst number on him so you just watch yourself when he starts coming off the drugs."

"What?" Sam frowned as he thought about that while listening for the last splash and went ice cold as it sank in what Benny had just said and he considered how Dean acted for the first month of being back with him and he swore, understanding now why his brother kept silver on him at all times.

Dean hadn't known to fully believe it was him or a goddamn shapeshifter. Neither of them cared for the damn things, Sam especially since St. Louis eight years earlier but being trapped in a place with a bunch of vengeful monsters would've been even worse and he could kick himself for not seeing it sooner.

Hating that they'd lost time while stitching him up, Sam walked around a couple more minutes to be sure he wouldn't get dizzy again before opening the driver's door again. "Why'd this guy choose this place anyway?" he asked suddenly.

"Because it's home," Benny shrugged, slamming the tailgate before getting back in the truck to start traveling again with the Impala keeping up to him better this time.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, he watched the black car. He told Sam too much but he hoped the kid understood a little more because he sure as hell did.

Benny might not have been a hunter but he'd always been shrewd and could get a handle on people. The first thing he'd picked up about his friend was that Dean was a loner usually and he hated admitting being weak or showing emotions.

Dean had been hurt in Purgatory but he'd also been forced to let go of his humanity a bit to just survive down there even with Benny's help and that's what the vampire figured his friend was holding back but by doing so, by lashing out he was just hurting the one person he'd fought to get back to.

"Brother, you are so gonna owe me for this one," he sighed then made a not to himself not to call Dean that while around Sam because the kid was too insecure over how Dean was acting to accept having someone else call him that.

He figured Dean probably wasn't even aware of how his words or actions were hurting Sam but then he also figured that once his friend found out that something else was going on with his little brother, that something had happened to prevent him from looking for Dean, that things would also change…assuming they got the elder Winchester out of this in one piece.

Of course then the vampire just had to figure out what else Sam was keeping because he sure as hell seemed alarmed about Lucien drugging Dean.

Normally the drugs his own brother used didn't have long term effects depending on the type and amount given. He'd only seen one person seriously effected while coming down but that person had been addicted before in his life and…his dark eyes shot to the mirror with a frown.

"Hang on, Dean," he spoke softly, hoping he could keep both of his promises because while he'd promised to watch after Sam if Dean couldn't, he'd also promised to always have the older one's back and he was determined to deal with his own mistake in his own way.

Sam's thoughts were going in a hundred directions as he followed the pickup. While he still didn't care for Benny he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially if it meant to save his brother but if Sam didn't stay focused on the pitch black back road he allowed himself to dwell too much on what he couldn't stop of change.

His brother had been the vampire's captive for over a day now and while he was confident they could get Dean out alive because the vamp in charge seemed more interested in tormenting and threatening at the moment and using his brother as leverage against Benny to want him dead.

That wasn't Sam's worry as his hands fisted on the steering wheel while shoving one of Dean's favorite cassette tapes in just to get rid of the eerie silence in the car. No, his worry was how his brother would react once he was free…once he started coming out of whatever he'd been shot up with.

Sam had been fourteen the one and only time he'd seen his stern, no emotion showing, stoic father actually break down into tears after two weeks of listening to his oldest son fight, scream, curse, threaten and beg as he worked through a system shot full of drugs after a case went wrong.

He'd always looked up to his big brother and had believed that nothing could truly hurt Dean because his brother had always made it look so easy. He'd always shrugged off the pain and injuries but that time had left Dean shaken so much so that even once he finally came out of it, once he'd stopped thrashing, once his fever broke and the withdrawal pains left it was yet another three weeks before he really spoke and then that was only to Sam…when he pushed.

The doctor friend on Pastor Jim and Jefferson had warned their Dad that Dean may always be susceptible to some drugs and could slip back into them if exposed to the harder types for long periods and John had always been more cautious about the hunts he sent Dean out on alone after that.

It had taken a long time before his brother would even go on a hunt and Sam knew it was because of him that Dean finally did go back out or so Caleb told him later once Sam regained consciousness.

All Sam really recalled from that hunt was his Dad and brother fighting quietly at the start of what was supposed to be a simple spirit and by the time Sam woke up from nearly being killed by what turned out to be a very real and very nasty witch the fighting had turned loud with Dean being the most vocal.

Now he was faced with having to deal with his brother in a similar situation only this time Dean would be far more violent and a lot harder to handle given everything he'd been through in life, especially between Hell and Purgatory.

"Hang on, Dean," he whispered, determined that he was not losing his brother like this even if it meant coming clean with him once he was well again. "I'm getting you out of this."

St. Rioux Basin, Louisiana:

"Sir? Our sources report that your brother and another have entered the town limits. Should I put out the men to stop them?"

Lucien LaFitte lifted his eyes from where he'd been watching the thin line of tubing draw blood from a vein of his latest toy to merely glare at one of his underlings. "Stop them?" he scoffed, lightly wiping a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth before standing. "Of course I don't want them stopped. I want my brother to be able to gain entrance…the hunter, on the other hand, you may play with but don't kill or turn him until you bring him to me."

Not paying attention as many of his vampires hurried from the room of the massive basement of the former colonial style old plantation house that he'd taken over, the head vampire shook his head wryly. "Brothers. They don't seem to listen, do they?"

"Yours…or…mine?"

Dean Winchester didn't even bother to attempt to lift his head or even try to move against the chains and ropes still binding him to the side of the chair.

He'd lost count of both the amount of injections of who knew what he'd been given as well as the times that either Benny's so called brother or one of the others had used him as a food source since he'd first woken up but it was when he came to again to his body thrashing as much as possible against the heavy chair as his body fought the drugs that Dean knew he was in trouble.

Right then he honestly didn't care if they drained him dry because he did not want to go through what he feared he would. He also didn't want to put Sam through the nightmare again but knew in his gut that dying wouldn't be coming fast.

The hunter wondered what he looked like by this point, besides like a well gnawed on chew toy. He figured his chest should be black and blue from the time one of the younger vamps got pissed off and tried to kick his side in but his eyes were too tired and sore from the heat of the flames kept roaring in the fireplace and sconces to tell.

What Dean did know was that he felt a lot more at ease with this using him as bait thing until he realized the bastard had put three different IV lines in various spots where he guessed his veins where the best.

It sickened him to realize the damn vampire was determined to keep him alive that he was giving him blood but it was second line that really made him literally throw up when he saw it being used like a straw so the head vampire could sit on his make shift throne and drink from him whenever he liked while using the third line to give him varying drugs whenever he though Dean was becoming too lucid or the shakes began.

Dean hated that he was having such a hard time focusing on anything but his memories and the pain he was in because he wanted to be, needed to be at least partially awake is he was going to be of any use in getting out of this mess.

The mere thought of Sam coming into a nest of vampires scared him to death because he knew while his brother could handle it, could handle himself, that Sam just wasn't back to 100% yet and something tingled in the back of his head that made him wonder what he didn't know.

"Either actually since your little brother certainly doesn't listen well," Lucien replied, going through his box of vials to find the one he'd been saving. "My big brother never did listen well so he's not a shock. You want to see yours before I let my boys kill him?"

He might be drugged to the point of barely knowing his name, more than 50% of his body's blood supply might've been drank or drained and he felt worse than he had since his first year in Hell but Dean still found the strength to finally open his eyes fully to offer a glare filled with hate at his captor.

"You…try…to touch Sam and…I'll…" he gasped as pain shot through his lower body and prayed it was only because of how he'd been tied for so many hours. "I'll…kill you."

The vampire frowned a little, kneeling down to jerk Dean's head back to gaze into his glassy, slightly dilated eyes and was truly surprised by what he seen reflected there. "You certainly could try, wouldn't you?" he murmured, impressed by the human's strength of will but also furious that he wasn't a drooling mess or broken by this point.

"You think Benny will defend the boy, Dean?" he smirked, reaching for the vial to begin to hook it to the one IV line. "A vampire defend a hunter? I think you're the exception to that rule but I can spare your brother…if you give in. If you willingly become a blood source for my nest…become my pet and your brother will live."

"Go to hell," Dean spat, tasting blood as he bit his already chewed on lip to keep from screaming as his veins literally began to burn but he did scream as he felt something sharp go through his right thigh.

Lucien twisted the long ornate dagger as it went into Dean's thigh just to see the man scream. "No, but I'll make sure you live long enough to watch me as I skin your brother alive and then let my people feed off of him after I've ripped my brother's head off," he snarled, reaching for the gag again to keep the man quiet but before he used it he moved his fingers through the blood seeping up through Dean's jeans to wipe it over his lips and cheek with a smile.

"Your own blood with my drugs in it won't taste as good as mine will if I choose to turn you but it'll get you used to the taste for later," he quickly secured the gag while opening the IV with the drug in it fully so Dean would get the full dose in a much higher quantity than he had been receiving. "Pity you won't live to hear your little brother scream for you."

Dean tried to jerk but now even the slightly move caused the blade to sink in deeper and he knew he'd bleed out probably this time but it was the warm, blurry sensation building in his body that warned him that he probably wouldn't see Sam again anyway because he'd kill himself before going down this road again.

A sudden explosion rocked the basement and Dean's mind shot right to Sam as he felt himself being dragged under again with a bitter helplessness that he hadn't felt in years.

Following the pickup through the clearly deserted old town, Sam had slowed the Impala down a little as he drove up a road to what appeared to be a rundown old plantation.

Sam knew a trap when he seen one and wondered just when the other shoe would drop…a second before a section of road blew up just after the pickup passed it.

"Shit!" Sam slammed on the breaks and swerved the car off the road, wincing as his head hit the wheel at the sudden stop. "This sucks."

Ahead of him, the hunter could see Benny climbing out of the truck and while the vampire looked more pissed than anything else Sam doubted if he'd noticed the dozen or so leather clad vampires gathering around to surround him.

"Damn it, this is why I hate these things," he muttered, climbing out of the Impala only to react on pure gut instinct and ducked in time to avoid the long sword that slashed over his head. "Really? Vampires with swords? Really?"

"Our lord just wants his traitor brother, human," the vampire with the sword spoke with a slight accent as he easily twirled the blade in his hand like an expert while tracking Sam's every step. "He says we can play with you before he decides how he wants you to die."

Sam's hand had moved to pull the machete out as he tried to get some space to move but wasn't expecting the soft ground to give way under his weight suddenly and swore under his breath when he had to drop the blade to catch himself, feeling his knee twist in glaring pain. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"Oh, don't worry about a little pain, boy," the vampire smiled, moving his eyes just enough to let Sam know this had gotten worse. "I promise by the time we're done with you that you'll be begging for death."

"Wanna bet?" he blocked out the pain to start to push himself up only to feel something crash down on the back of his still sore head and cried out as his injured shoulder took a hit. "I'm not so easy to kill, asshole," he warned, twisting in the grasp of another lunging vampire to grab the machete but before he could swing it a boot to the knee took his back down. "Too much of a coward to face me one on one?"

Kicking out again until Sam was gasping in pain, the sword carrying vamp nodded as three other of his nest buddies gathered around to grab the young man's shoulders to keep him still as he lightly ran the tip of the blade down his chest.

"Too much fun this way, boy," he smiled, fangs showing plainly as he lifted the sword. "Maybe I'll start with your arms and go from there."

Pinned to the ground on his knees, the pain in the right knee kept Sam from twisting free but he still fought the strength of the others as he watched that light of the moon reflect on the blade as it slashed down toward his body and could feel the pain even before it struck…

"Sam!"

TBC

A/NII: *whistles innocently* What can I say? I do so adore cliffhangers. Will Sam and Benny get to Dean? Will they survive to even find him? Well, I don't do death fics so that answer's obvious but will they be able to save Dean and how will his recovery be on top of Sam's own problems? Update coming soon.