Fangs and Fury

Warnings: Language and mild violence in this one, nothing too serious yet.

Authot Note: First, let me apologize for the delay in getting this chapter done. I had some personal issues this past weekend that made concentrating on this story difficult so I hope you guys enjoy it and I try to get CH 6 up faster.

Chapter Five

"Sam!"

Sam Winchester caught sight of the blade as it went to slash down toward his body and with a surge of adrenaline, he pulled his one arm free to that the vampire holding it fell forward to receive the blow and he pushed himself back to try to dislodge the others.

The hunter was moving out of instinct to not only save his own life but to save his brother's because Sam did not intend to lose Dean like this.

He heard an enraged scream and felt his knee start to buckle just as a hand to the back pushed him farther out of the way while the sound of steel hitting steel was heard.

"Can you still fight?" Benny could tell that Sam's knee was hurting by the way the boy was trying to keep his weight on his left leg but it was that shoulder wound that he also knew could be an issue.

"Do I have a choice?" Sam had picked up his machete as he finally managed to get to his feet, still a little surprised that the vampire had stepped in.

"Not really," Benny shrugged, swinging the blade to take out another lunging vamp while the sword carrying one glared at him. "You stick close, Sam. We'll get to Dean as soon as this lot is handled."

Sam was about to offer a short and pithy reply to that but kept his mouth shut in favor of focusing his attention and strength on the few vampires that decided he was easy meat. "Go."

Still keeping his eye on the sword carrying vampire, Benny swung his head back to look at that direction. "What?" he could see a half a dozen vampires trying to surround the younger Winchester while another three were eyeing him. "Sam?"

"Take care of them then go for Dean. I'll catch up when I can," Sam didn't add the 'if I can' part out loud since he figured that might start a disagreement and he could only split his attention so many ways. "Benny, go get my brother."

"Dean'll literally take my head with his hands if I leave you surrounded by…" Benny moved back to avoid a sloppy lunge before using his blade to cut down the number of foes by another few fallen heads.

"You think the boss'll keep the human alive for much longer, Benny?" the sword carrying vampire smiled, nodding to the others with him. "Take care of the human but don't kill him. Lucien wants him to die in front of his brother. He wants you personally."

Shifting his attention back to the main foe, the vampire eyed the sword then his machete. "I think you've been watchin' too many samurai movies, Alex. I'm surprised you've lasted this long," he heard the cry of pain from behind him and swore under his breath. "Dean alive?"

"Alive, yes. Drugged and bleeding? Oh, most definitely," Alex had been Lucien Lafitte's second in command for more than fifty years and he planned to be there when he killed Benny since he was confident his skills were much more than whatever the other vampire had. "He wants you and the boy to see him before he kills you both."

"Doubtful that's happening, man," Benny leaned back to avoid the slash that would've ripped his stomach open had it connected then brought up the machete to try to block the next blow when he looked over at the next sound to see Sam fall to the ground. "Sam!"

"Even a hunter can be overwhelmed if the odds are against him," Alex remarked, twisting easily to swing the blade at a distracted Benny. "Just like you can be distracted by watching a mortal about to…what?"

Benny might have been distracted and he knew the odds of this going badly but that didn't mean he was too distracted to get killed by a young upstart.

"The fancy sword crap might work on the humans or your little band of drugged out vamps but it don't impress me none, Alex," he told him, gripping the wrist holding the blade tightly while twisting it with enough strength that bones broke. "Especially when I've got other places to be."

The machete moved in a blur and he was barely aware of it slicing through until he heard the sound of a head hitting the ground. "Hey, Sammy? You need a hand?"

"It's…ugh…Sam and I said no," Sam rolled on the ground, kicking out with his left leg to dislodge a knife wielding vampire. "Go…find Dean. I'm…fine."

Fine seemed to be an mild underestimate since there were still four vampires ganging up on Sam but as Benny took a step towards that fight he pulled back.

He knew Lucien and really wanted to handle that mess as much as possible before Sam could get there. "You watch yourself and catch up, y'hear?" he caught the short nod as a blade flashed and a vampire went down screaming as his arm was sliced off. "Sam?"

"Just get to Dean!" Sam snapped, feeling his knew want to buckle as he finally got to his feet again to eye the remaining vampires while knowing there were probably more. "Benny!" he shouted. "You find him, you get him the hell out even if I'm not there yet and…tell him I said…I'm sorry."

The tone almost made the vampire turn back but he knew it wouldn't be much longer before Lucien figured out the battle was not going the way he planned it and that would place Dean's life in more danger and his promise to his meant was important he figured actually saving the hunter was a bit more vital.

Sam didn't watch Benny slip away even though he couldn't prevent the slight shudder now that he was alone and facing several pissed off and clearly hyped up vampires.

To Sam, saving Dean was more important and while he hoped he could pull this off and get to his brother he also wasn't sure if either he or Dean would be up to dealing with the aftereffects of this one much less dealing with Shane Morrison.

He hoped if the worst happened and he did die here fighting vampires that the hunter would get smart and not try to mess with Dean because Sam would much rather die thinking his brother hated him for just not looking for him and not for anything else.

"So, boys…how do you want to do this?" he asked casually, not even aware of how much like his brother that question sounded like as he reached down while still watching the assembling vampires closely to pick up another blade.

Sam felt pain in his knee and in his shoulder as he was forced to put too much weight on both but grunted as something hit him in the back and he felt things start to black out, fighting the urge to just let this happen as he thought of his brother.

"No. It's not…that simple," he gritted, catching the blade in the dirt to use as leverage while slashing the other up in almost desperation but still felt the white hot pain of something hard crash into the back of his head and felt himself fall.

Dean's voice, memories and pain all racked up as Sam tried to stay conscious but felt blackness reign as a heavy foot came down over his head.

Inside the plantation:

"Ah, the sounds of a fight going exactly like I planned," Lucien Lafitte smiled as he listened to what he could only hear. "It won't be long before we both get to see our brothers…though yours won't be alive for much longer."

Lucien had been waiting years to have this shot of revenge at Benny. Oh, not for turning him. No, he actually was quite happy that he'd been turned.

His hatred came more from the fact that Benny had left him soon after and had destroyed his first nest. He'd watched as his own brother destroyed his family…most of their family since Lucien had wasted no time in turning more of his own kin.

He couldn't deny that he'd had a good life since being turned. He enjoyed what he did to others. He enjoyed seeing how far he could press the humans or how soon after being drugged and pulled off of it did they break and beg for death or his kind of life.

Glancing down at his captive now, he frowned a bit. He wanted the boy at least semi-awake to see both his brother and so-called friend dragged in and he wanted to watch him as he ripped his little brother's heart out before dealing with his own traitorous sibling but as he looked he noticed Dean's breathing was shifting between erratic and shallow.

He supposed between the loss of blood from being fed on to what he'd lost from the dagger still stuck in his thigh that Dean had slipped into shock.

Lucien gazed at the nearly empty drug vial he'd attached to the one IV tube and briefly wondered if the drug cocktails might have finally caused the human to slip into a coma.

Dean had been the first person in his long memory to resist the drugs for this long on top of losing so much blood and that earned him a small amount of respect.

At least enough that when he killed him he may not draw it out, though right then he decided he wanted him awake for this final moment.

"Wake up now, boy," he bent down to find the correct nerve in Dean's neck that he knew would bring him around, just like he knew the agony of squeezing right there, on top of several bite marks, should serve his purpose well enough and smiled as the muffled scream. "I need you awake for this part of the festivities," he explained.

Dean partly wished the bastard would just kill him before his body started rejecting the drugs or he lost more blood since the last thing in the world he wanted was to die in front of Sam but it was plain even in this hazy state of mind that the cocky vampire didn't want him dead just yet.

Wondering if his body was numb was shock, blood loss or being ties in the same position since he'd first woken up here, Dean still wanted to fight but didn't have the strength much less any way to even offer a well phrased insult since this time the vampire hadn't removed the gag so all he could do was try to glare.

Though he realized that even his eyes were working against him as things kept going blurry then bright and he hoped it was a concussion.

"You're wondering why I don't kill you? The simple answer to that is I want my brother to see you die but before that I want you to see your brother killed," he crouched down to tilt Dean's head back to watch his eyes and gave a slow smile that was very much like the one Benny could use at times.

"I want you to watch him as I rip his heart out right here in front of you, Dean," Lucien let his fingers run down Dean's neck. "I would turn you just to make you kill him but I make it a habit never to turn anyone I can't control. Plus, the rule among the community is that no vampire is allowed to turn a Winchester. It seems you boys made an impression on our 'Father'…or he thinks either one of you would be too lethal as a vampire."

Dean could've smirked about that but didn't have the energy at the moment though he made a note to send the Alpha vamp a gift basket for that little order…assuming he lived to get out of this.

"Of course, he didn't say I couldn't kill you boys," Lucien smiled again, dropping his hand to the blood soaked jeans where the dagger still resided to squeeze and laughed in enjoyment at the pain he caused before looking up at a sound. "Alex, is it over?"

Expecting to hear the voice of his long time comrade, the blond vampire frowned a bit when he glanced down as something hit the floor and he watched the bloody head roll across the stone floor to hit his foot. "No."

"It appears to me as if your friend kinda lost his head," Benny stepped into the room, dark eyes grim as they looked at his brother but got darker the moment he took in his friend. "I survived decades in Purgatory and you seriously thought a few drugged up vamps and one with an ego worse than yours could kill me? Luc, how much of your own drugs have you been smokin' over the years?"

Benny had suspected what he'd be walking into but seeing Dean like this told him that Lucien had taken his torture art up a few notches since the last time they'd seen once another.

Briefly meeting the hunter's glassy eyes, he nodded slightly but didn't miss the question he could still see plainly in Dean's gaze. To avoid it, he switched his own look back to his snarling brother. "Let him go now, Luc. I'm here and Dean's hot nothin' to do with this."

Enraged at seeing his brother standing there while the head of his oldest made vampire was on the floor, Lucien's eyes flashed in rage.

"You think I'll let the hunter live?" he sneered, standing to face Benny. "I want you to watch as I kill him, brother. This human you've grown so attached to it seems," he glanced between them to consider. "Where's his brother, Benny?" he asked curiously, smiling as the way the other vampire's face shifted subtly. "Ah, so much for loyalty then."

"Sam can take care of himself," Benny replied, silently hoping so at least because there was no mistaking the growing look of unease Dean had now. "This is between you and me, Luc. You hate me, little brother? Fine, but you let Dean go now and we can have it out."

"Oh, I could let him go but between the blood he's lost and the drugs, he'll never survive the withdrawal on top of his weakened system," Lucien grinned, managing to grip a handful of short hair to jerk his captive's head back to expose his neck. "Tell me something, Benny…have you ever tasted him?"

Narrowing his eyes, Benny took a step but held back as his friend's head was jerked back and not even the gag could muffle the pain Dean was in right then. "No," he replied tightly, taking in the dried blood, bruises, bite marks, the IVs as well as the smell of fresh blood and it took a lot of willpower to keep his temper in check. "He's not one of your toys, Lucien. No, I ain't tellin' you again. Let Dean go."

"You're not telling me anything anymore, brother," Lucien returned, watching his brother closely as he held Dean's head more to the side to expose the main vein in the side if his neck. "You should taste him now. His blood's hot and sweet normally but with every extra I've added…it's nearly mind blowing."

Because he'd been Sam more this time Benny hadn't fed like he normally would have which he now realized was a mistake because just being in this room, the smell of blood, was making it very hard for him to keep the fangs in.

"Let. Him. Go," he gritted, debating on if he could make a move on his brother before Dean could be hurt worse when he jerked a head and felt his stomach drop. "Shit."

"Ahh, the final piece of this puzzle has arrived," Lucien laughed, stepping away from Dean to nod to his nest member who dragged a seemingly limp and unconscious Sam Winchester into the room. "Is he dead?"

Seeing Benny but not Sam had worried Dean while a small part of him had hoped his brother had taken his advice and stayed out of this.

Noticing the way his friend from Purgatory had started to avoid his eyes caused his concern to notch up because while Dean knew Sam could handle vampires fine he also knew his little brother couldn't take on a large group by himself and swore to kick Benny's ass if he left Sam on his own to do that.

Now as he watched as his brother's bloody and mud caked body was tossed to the floor in front of him, all the pain and injuries, the drug induced lethargy didn't seem to make much of a difference as he went from barely conscious to anxious, worried, freaked out and finally to pissed in a blink of an eye.

A single look even through blurry eyes told Dean that Sam was hurt. He couldn't see his face by the way he was laying but there appeared to be blood seeping through his jacket around his right shoulder as well as other places that didn't seem covered in mud.

The gag muffled the shout but it was plain to Benny that Dean was yelling Sam's name and he could feel the heat in the hazy green eyes the second they lifted to pin him, the accusation clear and loud.

"See, this is what I planned," Lucien spread his arms, seeming not to notice that he only had one vampire of his own nest still around. "You killed my first nest, Benny. You killed our family because you disapproved of what I'd done and now I'll show you how that feels as you watch the agony your friend suffers as I kill his family and then I'll kill him."

Dean was going through a vicious litany of curse words toward both vampires right at the moment and was having serious flashbacks to when he'd been used as bait by Gordon to lure Sam into a trap.

Another time he'd been helpless to protect his brother and despite all the crap he'd been giving Sam lately a part of Dean still felt that urge to shield and protect Sam.

He was so kicking Benny's ass for not looking after his brother and for the first time in more than a day Dean tried to struggle in the ropes and chains but railed silently when he merely discovered most of his body numb and useless as he could only watch Sam's still form and offer muffled curses and threats.

"I want you alive and conscious for this, boy. Don't make me change my mind," Lucien's fist flew out in lightning speed to crack against Dean's head to warn him to be silent then he was whirling to grab Benny's wrist, shoving him back. "First I deal with you. Then the humans."

Benny could hear the sound of Sam's breathing and heartbeat and knew both sounded fine but didn't like how unresponsive he appeared to be right then.

Taking advantage of when the younger vampire turned his attention back to Dean, he raised the machete in the hopes of ending this quickly but still wasn't surprised when the attack was blocked and he was tossed across the room.

Grabbing on to his brother, Benny made certain it use the momentum to pull Lucien away from the Winchesters while also keeping a keen eye on the other lone vampire in the room since he was the most vital threat to the boys at the moment.

"You didn't have to kill Elizabeth or hurt Dean to get at me, Luc," he twisted easily to free himself before using his own fist as a weapon. "You knew I was back so all you had to do was find me."

"More fun this way," Lucien replied, confident enough that he could handle this that he stopped paying attention to the room. "I wanted to see you suffer and since it's clear you still have too many emotions, that you actually care for humans, I figured this would be the best way to do it."

He offered a sneer over his shoulder to notice that his vampire was licking his lips as it approached what he merely considered as food now. "Want to watch your friend when I allow Gerald to use the boy as dinner?" he chuckled, ducking under a close cut by the machete to grab Benny's arm in a tight grip to try to pin it behind him. "Gerald, drain the younger one to the brink then bring him to me."

"Damnit, Luc!" Benny snarled, swearing that the younger man as he tensed to try to get loose while using his free hand to slip into his pocket. "You hate me for what I did? Well, I've hated myself since the day I made the mistake and turned you. If I woulda known your first act would be to turn half the family I never would've and left you to rot in a jail cell."

"A killer with a conscious but then I hear you haven't really been killin' for your food these days," Lucien leaned in close. "Maybe you should be the one to rip the boy's heart out since you and his big brother are so close. Look at 'em, Benny. I have hunters at my mercy; the great and fabled Winchesters about to die at my orders and powerless to stop it."

Benny promised himself the first thing he was doing was at least breaking his brother's jaw before he killed the son of a bitch.

He recalled the boy liked the sound of his own voice but that, like everything else, must have increased after being turned into a vampire.

Keeping his body tense, he blocked out most of the raving to slide a look over across the room and finally locked eyes with Dean.

Benny easily recognized the shock and pain in the green eyes but he also caught the rage, anger, and fear there as well. He knew only too well how much Dean hated to be helpless and guessed that feeling was increased if Sam was in danger and he couldn't prevent it.

He also noticed what neither Lucien nor Dean had yet and tried to catch Dean's eyes but the kid was close to panicking as the greasy looking young vampire neared Sam's body.

"Yeah, you caught the Winchesters, Luc," he agreed, keeping his tone level and calm while finally getting Dean to watch him as he gave the slightly glance down before returning to his eyes with the same smile he'd offered the man upon their first meeting. "Trouble with that is, you've probably done the same thing that everyone else has whose tried this has. You underestimated them."

"What?" the blond vampire frowned but didn't notice anything amiss as his last remaining nest member knelt down to grab Sam's unruly hair. "You mean, Dean's underestimated his brother's ability to save him."

"Oh, no, that's one thing I doubt if anyone could underestimate, Luc," Benny smirked. "Cause the one thing that I learned from this little mess is that you don't mess with Dean without pissing off his baby brother and that's just bad for you."

The pain and burning in his veins had increased with how much he was struggling to try to free himself but something in the vampire's eyes had him pausing and that's when he felt it or thought he felt something like a light touch on his lower leg…the leg shielded from view by the way Sam fell when dropped.

Dean fought to control his breathing since he could only get in air through his nose but it was hard when he quickly let his gaze drop then lift back up before anyone else caught on and he tried to make out what his ever so creative little brother was trying to sign without being obvious about it and would've collapsed if he'd been able to when he made it out finally.

'I'm okay.'

"Gerald will drain this boy to the brink of death and then I'll take his heart out all before killing your friend in front of you, brother," Lucien continued to speak, jerking Benny's head back to sneer in his face when he scowled at the smirk he saw there. "What? You find this funny that you failed to protect your friend's brother and now I will…"

"Hell, no because Dean'll kick my ass for letting Sam get bruised on this job," Benny replied easily enough, clenching the hand he had in his pocket to grasp what was there. "Find it funny that as well as you tried to plan this whole thing out…that you didn't figure Sammy boy there would fake unconsciousness just to get between you and his brother."

Benny watched as what he was saying slowly dawned on Lucien then when he felt him start to release him to move forward, he pulled his hand out to jab the needle he'd pocketed earlier when he was getting the medical kit out of the Impala's trunk into his brother's arm but only used half of the contents, turning to pushed the startled vampire against the wall.

"Now you can watch, Luc," he glanced back to see the strung out vampire too absorbed in his meal to pay any attention to what was happening around him. "Second thought, little brother…you don't need to watch. I just need to fix the first mistake I ever made. Sorry," he used the rest of the needle of dead man's blood but reached for the machete to make certain this was fully over.

Gerald, the last remaining vampire of the nest, had all his fangs bared when he reached down to grab a handful of hair before sinking the teeth into the younger hunter's neck when he blinked at a pinch to his side.

Looking down, he stared dumbly at the syringe still stuck in his side when the body under him moved and he only had a flash of pain from the dead blood in the needle to notice the blade of the knife that took his head off to drop on the floor.

"That's for kicking me in the head," Sam muttered, managing a brief glare at the thug vamp before looking to see if the bastard who'd started this mess was being dealt with.

As soon as he saw the blade in Benny's hand along with the empty syringe on the floor, he was no longer interested and was dropping to the floor beside his brother. "Dean? Hold on. I'll get you loose."

Dean had no clue how Sam had decapitated the last vampire without getting blood on either of them and right then he didn't give a damn. He had more important things to worry about.

"Shit, shit…this is bad," Sam was talking under his breath or so he thought at he took in his brother's bruised, bloodied, sore body when his eyes landed on the dagger and felt his stomach clench. "Dean? I…" he had to blink a second to clear his eyes.

Sam hadn't fully had to fake unconsciousness because he had been kicked in the head and had been on the verge of passing out until the damn vampire jerked on his injured shoulder but now he knew he needed to focus to free his brother and get the hell out of this place.

Hoping his hands weren't shaking as much as he thought they were, Sam's first move was to remove the gag because even if he got yelled out for not following orders he wanted to hear Dean's voice to reassure himself that he was alive still.

As soon as the gag came out, Sam noticed the dried blood and was pretty sure all the color drained from his face while his eyes shot to his brother's but couldn't bring himself to ask.

"Mine," Dean managed to get out of dry and cracked lips and a mouth that felt like a desert by this point and figured by the unspoken relief he seen on Sam's face that his brother had been afraid he'd been turned…again. "Sam…"

"Hang on and I'll get these out and have you free in a second," Sam's attention was locked on what he was doing once he noticed the three IVs and wished he could kill the bastard again for what Dean had gone through and probably what he would be going through soon. "As soon as we're outta here, I'll get that bleeding stopped and give you some water and…"

Dean knew he was in shock and that would get worse once his system started coming off the drugs but as he listened to and watched Sam, he suspected his little brother was also more than a little bit in shock himself.

He heard more than seen Sam's switchblade as it opened to begin on the ropes and began to mention the chains only to hear the sharp oath that made him raise his eyebrows because it took a lot to make Sam swear like that or at least get him to swear like that aloud.

"Really? Chains and a multi lock on each one on top of the damn ropes?" the younger Winchester shook his head, cursing viciously as he took this in since he wasn't sure if he could pick the damn things in the time limit he'd set himself. "Bleeding and drugging you wasn't enough? He thought you were going to Houdini your way outta this crap?"

Benny had been surprised not to feel that much of anything as he watched the head of his brother fall. He expected some sort of brief feeling of grief but only felt relief that it was over.

Glancing over when he heard Sam swearing, the vampire started to cross when he picked up the way Sam's whole body went rigid at his footsteps and lifted a curious eyebrow.

Dean had felt Sam's reaction and he'd also caught the way the knife shifted. Recognizing the signs easily, he gave a slight shake of his head as if to tell Benny to hold off before coming close to them right now or until he got a better handle on how Sam was right then.

He'd guessed that since both brother and vampire had made it here in one piece that some type of truce had been worked out but since Sam was clearly hurt in some way and also close to a panic attack over his condition it told Dean that his brother wasn't going to let anyone close to him right then.

"Sam," he tried again only to once again have his words run over in Sam's attempts to get him free and slowly Dean did free the ropes holding his arms and wrists loosen enough that he was able to begin to try to move them but cursed the chains. "Hey…"

"Almost there, De'n," Sam sounded distracted as he tried to pick the locks, unaware of when he dropped a letter in Dean's name. "Don't move or you'll cause the leg to bleed more and…"

Leaning his head against the chair, Dean closed his eyes briefly before opening them to see that Benny had slowly moved closer. He recognized the silent apology in the vampire's eyes but merely moved his head enough to indicate he was fine, which he wasn't but he didn't need to freak Sam out more than he already appeared to be.

"Sam…" he hissed a breath out as Sam accidently touched a bite mark and felt his brother go rigid before mumbling an apology and continuing to work. "Sam…keys to the locks," he had to try to swallow a few times to get enough energy to go on. "Benny…has 'em."

"What?" Sam's head came up to see two keys dangling in front of his face and he snatched them with all the patience that he had right then and that wasn't much. "Hold on," he found the key for the first set of locks and as soon as they unlatched he was pulling the chains away with a harsh curse. "Okay, I'll get the others off your legs in a second and hey…!"

As soon as he felt the chains come loose, Dean gritted his teeth to get his stiff limbs to move but then he was reaching out to grip Sam's arms to do something that clearly surprised both brothers because getting pulled against Dean's chest in a hug that was of both relief and concern was the last thing Sam expected.

"You…okay?" Dean asked, biting his lip as his muscles decided to object to moving so suddenly but he managed to keep Sam still long enough to feel him tense at the question.

"Yeah," Sam hedged on that one because he wasn't about to tell Dean the truth of anything right then. He seemed to hesitate a moment before reaching his arms around to carefully return the gesture, being cautious to not cause his brother more pain than he must already be in. "Dean…I'm…"

"Let…Benny get the…IVs out," Dean broke in suddenly, letting the hug go to ease back until he was sitting with his bruised back against the front of the chair as his legs were finally freed and he felt like screaming as circulation returned to them after straightening them out.

Sam tensed at that, frowning. "Dean, I can get them and that blade out," he argued, refusing to let it hurt that Dean seemed to be doing exactly what he feared he would. "You're bleeding and…"

"Been bleeding since I woke up it seems like," Dean returned, wanting to pass out but fighting it as he forced himself to meet Sam's eyes and try to ignore the hurt there. "I…"

"Hey, how about you go pull that thing he calls a car up closer to the door so we won't have to carry his heavy ass out?" Benny cut in quickly, wanting to break his friend's words off before he said something even more stupid.

Hazel eyes went back and forth between the two, Sam wanted to argue and refuse but he didn't want to upset his brother more right then. He also knew he should've been expecting Dean to push him away.

"Unless you're gonna trust me with the keys to it," Benny finished, covering his grin at Dean's next sound which was mostly derisive. "You get the car up here and find him a blanket or something while I get him out, okay? Sam…"

"Yeah, fine," Sam nodded shortly, looking away before either his brother or the vampire could catch his expression. He also waited until he'd turned away to brush a hand over his stinging eyes. "I'll…go get the car and…stuff just…I'm sorry I wasn't with you when this happened or…got here sooner."

Dean blinked at that but he sighed after Sam had gone to pull the Impala up only to wince when a hand slapped him the back of the head. "Hey! What the hell?"

"Brother, I'm overlooking a lot of that due to the pain, the shock, the drugs, blood loss and any other dozen things wrong with you right now but damn it, man…that kid's one wrong move or word away from bolting and I don't really think you want that," Benny declared, kneeling down to reach for the IVs.

The fresh blood made his senses twitch but he pushed it down to concentrate as he pulled all three thin needles out while handing his friend a piece of shirt he'd torn into strips, without mentioning it was Dean's own.

"I…didn't want him…here for this," Dean sighed, body relaxing more now that he was loose and recognizing the signs of shock setting in faster than he liked. "He hurt?"

Turning his head to both hide the small grin at the concern he heard despite how Dean had just acted and so he could avoid seeing the blade slide free while clamping a hand down over the wound to try to stop the freely flowing blood.

"Probably got the hell kicked outta him by those vamps but some guy shot him back at the motel," Benny squeezed tighter when he felt the leg move, reaching for the other strip of shirt to tie around Dean's thigh for the moment. "You know your little brother's got a helluva lot of issues, mainly with me and you and what you haven't told him about stuff?"

"It's stuff he doesn't need to know about," Dean whispered, wishing for something to drink so he could at least know if his dry mouth was due to thirst or worry about Sam. "You shoulda left him…"

"Some asshole hunter tried to kill him, Dean. Your boy's hurt, scared for you, jealous as all get out over me and pretty damn sure you hate him for not looking for you," Benny rolled his eyes as he took his jacket off to help Dean slid into it for the moment to try to counter some of the shock. "He's got no clue what happened in Purgatory and I think you ain't got no clue what the hell happened to him while you were gone. So what they hell are you doin' now pushing him away?"

Thinking to what Garth had said before all of this started and what Benny was saying also caused Dean to wonder just what the hell Sam hadn't come clean with him about but since he'd pretty much shut his brother out again and had said some crap stuff that he knew hurt Sam Dean guessed he couldn't throw stones about that right then.

"I sent him outta here…cause I…he's not gonna be able to handle this on his own," he could feel the warning signs of withdrawal starting even now and he was hoping to hang on until they got someplace more stable. "Benny…he tell you anything about…me and…the drugs?"

Recalling how upset Sam had been upon learning that more than likely Dean would be drugged, the vampire shook his head while moving to try to get the hunter as much to his feet as he could right then. "Nope. He just said you couldn't be drugged. Guessin' there's something in your past you didn't share?"

"Somethin' like that," Dean gasped, feeling his legs nearly buckle from both being too weak and not moving them in several days. "I…was…eighteen the last time but…a lot's happened since then and…I…I don't wanna hurt him," he sighed, figuring the last month or so of fighting had already done that. "More…than I have. Need to get him clear before…"

"No way, brother," Benny refused that idea. He'd listened to Sam, had gotten a good enough read on the younger man to know that if Dean did what he was thinking of that Sam would run and more than likely get hurt worse by whatever the hell he was running from. "Dean, I know you want to protect him from whatever is it you think's gonna happen but I'm tellin' you right now, you shove Sam away and he's gonna go off the rails cause he's runnin' from something. You seriously tell him I was a better brother than he was to you?"

Dean blamed the groan on the pain he was in and not for the actual reproachful tone of voice from the Cajun vampire. "Kinda…pissed that he didn't…you hit me again and as soon as I can see straight again I'll kick your ass," he warned, feeling the grip shift and suspecting what for. "You know why I fought to get back and…"

"You ever stop to think that maybe something happened to make him quit lookin' for you?" Benny countered, having to pause before trying to get the man outside so Dean's breathing could level off again. "He's got some interesting scars that only look about a year old. Take it from someone who learned to read people even before getting turned like this, your little brother thinks you walk on water and he wants me dead every time I slip up and call you 'brother'."

The hunter understood the implications of that and also figured if Sam was hiding scars that would explain why his brother hadn't let him see him without a shirt on since they began hunting again and Dean felt like hitting himself.

The signs had been there. All of Sam's little unknown tells that only Dean would see or understand that his little brother had been hiding stuff or maybe not telling him everything about the year Dean was gone and he'd been so bitter and on edge that he'd bought the lies at face value.

"I'll…handle it…if I make it outta this but," Dean put a shaky hand out to stop his friend from opening the door. "Need you to promise…one more thing."

"Now that last promise is gonna end up with me dead if I piss that kid off more than he is," Benny sighed upon realizing that the hunter was serious despite how bad hurt he was. "What?"

Dean could hear the purr of the Impala's engine and he could hear Sam pacing around the car as if wondering if he shouldn't just run and wished he had the time to settle all of this now. "If…if this gets too bad or he can't control me enough for me to come down from this…if I go to hurt him in any way…you swear to me that you'll put me down."

"Say that again?" Benny stared into glassy, wider green eyes as if not hearing him right. "You want me to…Dean, I know you've had your brains scrambled but did Luc kick a few too many loose?" he stared at the man. "That kid out there would have me dead before…"

"I'll tell Sam but you promise me," Dean needed that before he'd go close to his brother because unlike what his Dad had believed or even what Sam might think he actually did have more than a few of his memories from that time when he was eighteen and strung out after that damn cult case nearly ruined him. "Promise me, Benny or I'd just as soon bleed out here than risk Sam."

The vampire could see Sam pacing before squaring his shoulders and heading for the house and he took a long moment to consider if this was just the shock and pain talking but no, he could tell that Dean was still in control and perfectly serious.

"Fine, but you better come outta this cause I don't relish going back to Purgatory because you flipped out and Sam killed me because I killed you," he agreed with a disgruntled sigh. "Dean…y'know I'm sorry this happened. Luc…he shouldn't have…"

"Been there, done that," Dean tried to wave it away but cried out as his right leg buckled just as the door opened and he locked eyes with the shocked hazel ones of his little brother. "You scratch my car?"

Sam had nearly gasped when he pulled the door open and had to grab for his brother before he fell forward before the question dawned on him. "Umm, no," he responded, wanting to help Dean to where he'd parked but leery about making the offer. "Can…can I take him?"

He aimed the question toward Benny who merely cocked his head a little to silently say this wasn't his spot but still Sam didn't move until he heard his brother's reply.

"Sammy," just the slightest use of the nickname that he still only allowed his brother to use made Sam relax a little and he slid an arm around Dean's waist while trying to support his weight without letting on that his shoulder and knee were in agony.

"You get him clear so I can torch this place," Benny had never planned on following the Winchesters since he knew Sam wouldn't want him to but he also understood that the younger hunter was hurt more than he was letting on right then. "Got a place to go?"

Sam had been debating that for hours since he figured how Dean would be and also knowing they'd need to be something secure and private since he was afraid this would get loud before it was over. "Bobby and Pastor Jim had that old fishing cabin down around here," he felt more than seen Dean's nod as he helped him toward the Impala. "It's the closest place that I know can handle this."

"It's…fine," Dean really just wanted to curl up and sleep but he refused the back seat when Sam reached for the rear door and jerked his head forward. "Shotgun."

"But you should…" Sam began but cut off with a frown, opening the door to help his brother ease down onto the seat. "Is it still bleeding or can it wait until we get there?"

Merely lifting a hand to make an 'okay' sign, Dean let his hand fall while closing his eyes but pried one eye back open to look. "You'll need Benny for this."

Ready to argue that point, Sam's shoulder decided to erupt in pain and he hoped he hadn't pulled any stitches before he held out a hastily scrawled address. "I GPS'd it and it's a couple hours away from here but not too hard to find," he glanced down to see that Dean's eyes were closed again and reached for his wallet. "Can you get stuff? Food, medical supplies…other things if I…"

"I'll handle it," Benny nodded, surprised the boy was giving in this easily but figured it was because he thought Dean wanted him there rather than Sam. "You boys get going and I'll catch up."

Benny watched until the Impala was out of sight before going to his truck for a few cans of gas and also a blood pouch to take the edge that had been building for the past hour.

He knew Sam was bleeding again and the vampire hoped Dean pulled out of this because he sure didn't like the thought of telling Sam about this last promise.

Dealing with Lucien and his nest had been the end to only one nightmare. Now came the part to see if his damn brother's ultimate goal failed because he realized the reason Lucien had done so much to Dean was to hurt him bad enough so that he may not live.

"Purgatory wasn't this complicated," he decided, going to set the place on fire after he gathered up all the bodies to destroy the evidence while hoping Sam could handle this until he got there and nothing else happened in the meanwhile.

The silence in the Impala would have been maddening if Sam wasn't focusing on driving as fast as he could without getting them picked up or wrecking every time his shoulder ached or his injured knee ached.

He'd pulled a blanket out of the backseat to lay over his brother while occasionally reaching over to lightly feel Dean's wrist, which was raw and bloody from struggling in the heavy ropes, to feel his pulse and after about the seventeenth time of checking he released a shaky breath.

Sam knew Dean needed blood to replace what he'd lost but that required leaving his brother alone or with Benny to try to steal some, not to mention the other things they'd end up needing before the end of this.

He hoped he could get Dean cleaned up and some fluids into him before the worst of the withdrawals hit which brought on another bout of concern since Sam didn't know what to do to help his brother this time.

Their Dad and Pastor Jim had mainly kept him away from Dean during the worst of it even though he could still hear the screams and curses all through Jim's house but he hadn't been allowed near his brother until it was mostly over.

Of course that didn't mean Sam had listened because he'd snuck into the room one night because he wanted to at least be close to Dean but the sight he could still to this day remember terrified him so much that he'd slept in the Impala for two nights until their Dad figured out what he was doing and why.

"You're…thinking so loudly it's making my head…hurt."

Jumping behind the wheel at the unexpected voice from beside him, Sam shot a glance over to see that while Dean's eyes were still closed he was clearly awake. "You want some water?" he'd opened a bottle and had it sitting on the seat in case Dean had needed it. "Or the heater on? Or…"

"Water, God yes," Dean winced as he had to force his hand to be steady to even hold the plastic bottle but managed two sips before even that tired him out. "You know…how to handle this?"

"I've stitched you up plenty of times before," Sam knew that wasn't what his brother meant but he wasn't ready to have that talk yet. "Once I get your thigh stitched and we get some of those…bites cleaned up I'll go try to steal some stuff or something to get you through until…"

A hand reaching out made him take one from the wheel to grasp it, chewing his lip at how cold and clammy Dean's shaking hand felt already.

"Know…what I mean," Dean coughed, glad he didn't taste blood but not so glad when his stomach started to cramp. "You use the heavy stuff…in the trunk and…"

"You were tied up for days, Dean. I can't tie to down this soon," Sam argued, hating that vision because it had been the sight of his older brother tied to a bed in Pastor Jim's house that still could give him nightmares. "I can handle it without…"

Dean made his hand tighten around Sam's wrist to make his point. "This…ain't like it was back then, Sammy. I won't…know you and…with me still on edge from Purgatory…I…could hurt you if I'm not tied," he was gasping in pain as his body suddenly decided to curl in on itself but he fought to push it back.

"You didn't know me then either," Sam retorted, but sighed and figured if Dean had anywhere close to his normal strength that his wrist would be bruised by the way it was being held. "Fine. I'll tie you down but…I'm not leaving you alone…unless you don't want me to be in there or you'd rather…"

"Sam, it's not that I don't want you in there or that I'd rather have someone else around me while I go outta my head on this crap that damn vamp shot me up with but…" Dean finally opened his eyes to look at his brother and didn't miss the dried tear tracks on his face or the look of pain he couldn't quite mask. "If…I lose it too much…I want you to back off and let Benny handle it."

The hurt was there that once again Dean was choosing someone else to depend on when something about the way he words that made him risk a longer look and felt his chest tighten. "What…are you saying?" he asked softly, silently starting a mantra to be wrong about what he feared. "Let Benny handle what, Dean?"

"Killing me."

TBC

A/NII: *Ducks* Yes, I know this was evil to leave it here and I promise I'll update quicker because while Dean's troubles are really just starting, Sam's not out of the woods either.