The ground has dropped out from him and he died from the fall and he's back in Hell. That's the only explanation Dean has for this feeling of overwhelming fear and horror. He can't seem to catch his breath, and Sam and Chuck - sorry, God - are looking at him with great concern. They're not even trying to help him out, assholes.
Black spots started to appear in his vision and he couldn't quite seem to inhale some much needed oxygen but his lungs refused to do their damn job. A soft touch to his hand had his lungs taking in sweet, sweet oxygen that helped clear his vision but did nothing to calm his tumultuous mind that's at war with denial and horror beyond his imagining. Dean never thought he would ever feel this level of fear outside of watching Sam being stabbed in the back by Jake Talley, and watching Sam jump into the Pit.
Those times have absolutely nothing on the knowledge, just the knowledge mind you, of his son in Amara's clutches, along with Lucifer and Castiel.
His son.
His son is with Amara.
God's sister has his son and he has no idea where they're at or how he's going to get his son back unharmed.
And Sam and Chuck are just staring at him. They're not...doing...anything.
Dean let out such a scream of fear and helplessness that Chuck actually took a couple of steps back at the amount of emotion the hunter had in him and it was all aimed towards God. It hit him like beam thrown by Category 5 level winds square in his chest. He can feel Dean's emotions swiftly move from fear and helplessness into something dark and deep that threatened to send him into a depression not even he can pull the hunter out of.
Sam shot forward and barely managed to catch Dean before his brother fell to the ground. Chuck snapped his fingers and Dean's weight disappeared from his arms.
"Where is he? Where did you send him?" Sam demanded in panic. His hands shook slightly, fear still coursed through his veins at Dean's scream. He had never, not in all the years he's known his brother, ever hear Dean scream the way he did.
Chuck held his hands out in a concilliatory manner. "Calm down. He's fine. I sent him to his room where he's safely ensconced in his bed, tucked in, and knocked out until tomorrow afternoon. I figured he'd need the sleep to...clear his mind and get his head on straight. I know learning that Amara has Ben, is probably not the best thing, but Dean needs to keep a cool head or we've already lost."
"She has his son!" Sam yelled, and Chuck yelled back with, "She has my sons, too!" The only difference is that after Chuck yelled, thunder clapped.
Sam clutched his hair and let out a low moan of distress. Fear and worry made him sick, and Sam lost what food he had in his stomach. The puke disappeared before it even hit the ground, so, there's that. No messy, disgusting clean up.
The smaller man reached out and gave a pat of sympathy.
"Let it out now, Sam. I'll need the both of you to have a clear head. I know Ben's location is a great cause of concern but I need you to focus when the time comes," Chuck soothed.
Deep breath in, shuddering breath-that-threatened-to-break-him out. Ad nauseum until he no longer felt like there's a thousand frogs in his throat and sandpaper in his eyes. Oh God, Ben. His nephew is with Amara.
He's afraid how Dean's gonig to be when he wakes up. What if his brother takes off in an attempt to save Ben? Sam can't do this on his own. Hell, he won't do this on his own. Not without Dean.
His entire body shook with emotion that he didn't know how to identify or let out. He's terrified for Ben, scared for himself, and afraid for his brother's state-of-mind. If Sam loses Dean to his fear, then that'll mean Sam and God are going to have to think of a plan to save everyone, stop Amara, and get Lucifer out of Cas. Not necessarily in that order, though Sam thinks Dean would like to start with saving Ben then get their angel back. God can handle saving the world.
Chuck watched in concern as Sam struggled to find his calm. Dean's out for the count until tomorrow, he doesn't know what to do if Sam needs to be sent to sleep as well. He'd have to twiddle his thumbs until the brothers woke up and that's not fun.
"Calm yourself, Sam," Chuck ordered in a tone Sam had never heard before, at least not in the prophet's voice, and felt something in him tighten and his unidentifiable yet intense emotions became locked in a chest then buried deep inside himself. He literally felt the emotions move away, far away from his reach. So, that's good for now.
Sam stared at Chuck in disbelief and the powerful being shrugged at him.
"It needed to be done. You weren't dealing with it."
The hunter walked into the library and flopped down in a chair then rested his head on the table, using his arms as cushions against the hard surface. He wants to panic, to shout and trash the bunker to show just how he's not okay but Chuck locked those emotions away for now, and he just feels hollow and empty.
He wants to sleep like Dean is. He wants to wake up tomorrow and find that this is all a horrible nightmare and that Dean'll come wake him up with that concerned frown of his. He'll then make Sam some homemade waffles, because that's Sam's favorite comfort food, and wait for him to talk about his dream. He'll take his time eating, trying to decide if he should say the truth or not. Dean'll wait him out because when it comes to Sam's well-being, he'll out wait even the most patient and diligent predator.
That's what he wants to wake up to.
"How do we save Ben?" asked Sam. It came out muffled but he thinks Chuck heard him. "How are we going to keep Dean from doing something colossally stupid? If you think he acted brashly, impulsively, or unpredictably for me, imagine how he'll react to save his son."
God sighed and scrubbed his face with his right hand while his left made a flicking gesture with his left that brought a chair for him to sit on.
"I don't know, Sam," Chuck admitted. He leaned back on his chair in exhaustion. It did nothing to ease Sam's state of mind. "I'm not ready for a confrontation with Amara. I don't know if I'll be able to fight her long enough for you and Dean to grab Ben, Lucifer and Castiel. I don't even know if I'll be able to fight her period."
That's not what he wanted to hear.
"Look, Chuck, God, or whatever, you're not hearing me: we can't do anything unless we save Ben. Dean won't be able to think about anything else. His entire focus will be on Ben and that could be dangerous, especially when we have to save Cas as well."
"I can make Dean temporarily forget about Ben until we get them out. He'll just think he's saving a random kid," Chuch offered up then wilted at Sam's pissed off stare. "Or not." There's a beat where nothing was said, and then, "We need him, Sam."
Sam sighed. "I know."
Silence fell once more between them and it wasn't at all optimistic or comfortable.
No more ideas came to them. At least no good ideas because as far as Sam is concerned, making Dean forget Ben, even temporarily, is a Bad Idea. There is a chance that Ben might not even recognize Dean because of that spell Cas put on him and his mom all those years ago but knowing their luck, the spell wore off and it would destroy Ben when his dad doesn't even acknowledge him. Dean would never forgive Chuck for that, not even if Chuck compelled him to. There are some things that just can't be erased or binded.
The thing is though, that might be their only plan if Dean doesn't wake up clear-headed and focused tomorrow on what they need to do. Dean may not like it but in the long run he might realize they did the right thing.
"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier," Chuck started, "that Ben had been hunting with Krissy Chambers, and before that he had been learning how to hunt with Jody Mills, Claire Novak and Alex Rivers."
Sam nodded to show he heard then froze.
Wait, what? "What?!"
BW
Krissy stared out at the seemingly alive fog that surrounded Sheriff Mills house, her mind focused only on Ben and his safety. She should have never let them part. After everything they've been through, everything that Ben means to her, and what his father did for her, Krissy let Ben walk out of her life without a real fight. He must think that she didn't care about him at all. That their time together was fake because he knows how much she doesn't really like being alone.
Ben must think the worst of her.
The fog grew thicker around the window pane, tendrils probed for weak spots so it can get in and infect them like it did with all the others. Hearing the neighbors literally tear themselves apart is enough nightmare material to last her for the rest of her life.
Claire, annoyingly, seemed to take it in stride. They have a talk in their future, Krissy knows, but for now they are the two most experienced hunters in the house. Jody's good and all but she doesn't have that little bit in her that absolutely thrives in a situation like this. Krissy can feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins and she can see a similiar expression on Claire that has the two girls sharing a feral smile.
They aren't going out without a fight and right now they are allies. Talks about boys are for later.
"Salt the windows!" Jody yelled at her. Krissy sneered at her reflection. She already did. It keeps blowing away. "Draw every protection sigil you know!"
"Won't work," Krissy said calmly. It won't. Nothing they have will work. She knows who sent this, Jody and Claire should as well.
Claire grabbed Krissy's shoulder and swung her around. "And why's that?" The blonde hunter snarled at her even as she gentled her hold on Krissy.
"Amara sent it. She's God's sister. Do you really think we have anything that can stop her? It's up to Sam and Dean to stop her. They kill her, everything will go back to normal." Krissy paused as her gaze turned back to the window and the fog beyond it. "You just better pray Ben's foster parents make it out alive."
"Or what?"
"Or he might not come back."
Claire swallowed back any harsh words. The hunter is right. About everything. There's no point in arguing with her anymore.
"Well, I don't care. We are throwing up every warding in the book and we are going to pray that we make it out alive," Jody told them, her tone brooking no more argument. The two young hunters shared a look that Jody caught and read it as them humoring her. They knew it was hopeless, and Jody knew this, how can she not? But like hell are they going to cower in the house without putting up one hell of a fight.
"Sam, Dean," the sheriff prayed, "fix this and bring Ben home."
BW
Amara let out a delighted cackle as more of her fog encompassed the Earth. She should add some more corporeal predators - like wolves, she likes wolves - and let them loose on the survivors. If the fog won't work to bring her brother out of hiding then maybe wiping out his beloved creations would.
A whimper behind her had Amara turning around to see a pale faced Ben Winchester clutching a plastic grocery bag full of food and drinks. He had a haunted look on his face that made something unpleasant curl in Amara's stomach. She didn't like that look on his face nor did she like the feeling growing in her belly that's borne from it.
"You killed them," Ben accused in a terrified voice. "They tore each other apart and... and...they." Ben's voice failed him and he retched.
Amara frowned at him. "Of course. Death of all his creation will bring God out of his bolt hole."
The expression on Ben's face had even more unpleasant feelings emerge. Shame is one feeling she identified, regret is another, but triumph is the stronger than any negative emotion Ben is bringing to life in her. A gesture brings Ben right in front of her, they're so close, Amara can feel every minute tremble going through the boy's body and she watched the infection start to spread in the boy's veins.
Ben yelped at being moved without his permission.
The Darkness cupped Ben's face, her eyes locked with his as she forced power through her hands, warding is sewn into the very fiber of his being. Ben let out a scream of agony that she ignored. Amara needed Ben to be immune to the fog like his father and the infection burning out of Ben is the only way to get rid of it. It's painful but it's the only way.
A sympathetic hiss had Amara's attention shifting from Ben to Lucifer. The annoying Fallen angel had a surge of rage rampaging through her, lowering the boy gently to the ground to recuperate, Amara flicked her wrist at Lucifer and the Lightbringer let out a scream of agony.
"Be quiet, nephew," Amara snarled, "or I might kill you in front of him."
"You won't." It's said with more confidence than he's feeling. "You kill me, you're killing Castiel. Neither Dean nor Ben will forgive that, no matter how you manipulate them."
Snarling like a feral, primordial predator, the sound raised the hairs on Jimmy Novak's former vessel in an instinctive reaction, Amara slashed a gesture at Lucifer that tore threw his grace, rippling through his entire being, igniting every nerve ending with holy fire. The scream that tore out of Lucifer's throat will forever feature in Ben's nightmares until his dying day, and even clamping his hands over his ears and humming as loud as he can did nothing to stifle the noise.
"Stop it!" Ben screamed.
The noise stopped but when Ben looked up, Lucifer's face is frozen horribly in a picture of pain and misery, mouth open with no sound coming out. The veins in Lucifer's throat rippled with an agony Ben hopes he'll never experience first hand but the eerie silence is far more disturbing than the scream itself.
Slamming his eyes closed, Ben prayed with all his might that his dad will come and save him from Amara. He put everything he had into that prayer, shouting it up to the heavens that someone would hear and tell his dad, DEAN WINCHESTER, that his son needs him right the fuck now and for him to hurry his ass up.
Any angel against Amara, or even God if you're listening, please, please help me.
Lucifer heard the prayer and boosted it with his grace, biting back a whimper when he did so. Everything hurts. Castiel also whined in pain but helped.
He's not happy that Ben Winchester is there with the Darkness nor is he happy they're trapped and unable to help Dean's spawn. Little brother is most unhappy indeed. He's going to be a pain when they get out of here.
Amara's laughter sent chills through all three of them. Ben crawled to where Lucifer is chained up and hugged his legs again. It's odd seeking comfort from the first Fallen but in his mind he's hanging on to Castiel instead. He's hanging on to the one angel his dad said he can trust to come to his aid, to hear his prayers and try to do something about it. Unfortunately, that belief had been shaken when Ben discovered it had been Castiel that had took away his memories of his dad and uncle, but habits die hard, and he's not picky at the moment.
The Darkness sauntered towards them, her hand flicking at Lucifer and the angel convulsed.
"Eat your food, Ben."
She walked past them and towards the opening to the outside. Another boom rattled the bigass drum they're in as soon as she crossed the threshold, she must have sent off more of her dangerous and creeyp-as-hell fog out to the world. The longer it takes for God to notice her, the more people are going to die. Ben's developing an increasingly low opinion of The Lord.
He just hopes he doesn't get smited? Smote? for thinking so.
"Dad'll come," he assured Lucifer again, this time trying to convince himself. "He will."
Sorry. Had these done ages ago.
I need, like, an alert or something that'll remind me to post the chapters once I'm done. Almost done with the next. Like, part-way through with it. Hopefully post it before Sunday. Wish me luck!
Oh, and next up: Dean and Ben finally reunite!