Chapter 20

Sam couldn't tell how long he'd been down there in that dark room hidden in the basement. Overhead he heard the large propellers circle slowly emitting a loud constant thumping. The light just above the propellers somehow made the room seem all the more depressing, but Sam wouldn't leave.

Actually, now Sam doubted he could leave – even if he wanted to.

He had been down there for what seemed like forever, and as the minutes ticked by he began feeling worse and worse. Sam couldn't tell what hurt the most; it was between his head, his ribs, and his gums.

Bobby had come downstairs shortly after Sam had locked himself in the room, begging him to rejoin him upstairs. But Sam refused. He just lay down on the cot and waited for his tears to dry, or the transformation to complete. Needless to say, Bobby wasn't pleased and of course chewed him out, telling Sam to get over it because it's not his fault.

Sam agreed wholeheartedly, it wasn't his fault. But he couldn't help but blame himself for being so weak. He couldn't fight the animals' influence.

After seeing Sam wasn't going to budge, Bobby let out a stream of impressive curses as he stomped upstairs and slammed the door behind him.

Shortly after that though was when Sam started to feel so awful. He felt pretty childish for thinking it, but he really wished Dean was there.

To Sam's surprises as if on cue, his cellphone rang admittedly startling him. He didn't think he brought his cell with him, but sure enough it was in his pocket of his sweatpants, vibrating angrily against his thigh.

Sam sighed as he dug into his pocket and withdrew his phone, and sure enough on the ID flashed 'Dad'.

"Hello?" Sam's cold tone greeted after flipping his phone open and bringing it to his sensitive ear.

"Bobby tells me you're not coming out of the panic room…You okay?" Sam's father wondered aloud, his voice thick with worry.

Sam could tell that John was driving with the open window. He could hear the rushing of the Impala down some road with its deep guttural engine. He couldn't help but wonder where his father was headed to exactly.

But anger flowed through Sam at Bobby, in that moment. Sam wouldn't come out so he called his father? He wasn't some child he was babysitting! Why didn't anyone seem to understand that he was a child! He was a monster!

"Is that so?" Sam asked clearly furious, "Well did Bobby also tell you that I friggin' went for his throat? Or did he leave that out?"

"No Sam…" John replied after a long drawn out sigh, "He told me. But he also told me that you were able to snap out of it."

"Yeah, well I won't for much longer." Sam spat spitefully.

There was a pregnant pause, and for a moment all Sam heard was the large propellers above him, and the rumbling engine of the Impala over the phone line.

"What do you mean?" John finally asked after catching his breath.

"I mean," Sam began to explain through his rising anger, "I'm changing too fast…only a few more days, dad. If that."

"No Sam, no." John demanded, it was apparent he too was becoming frustrated, "You gotta hold on, son…just for a little bit."

"Bye, dad." Sam bade before shutting his phone and placing it back in his pocket.

He sighed deeply and tried to focus on calming down. He sat up on the cot in the middle of the floor and closed his eyes.

Just then, the basement door creaked open before slamming shut, followed by the sound of feet storming down the basement steps.

Here it comes, Sam thought to himself when suddenly the barred slot on the iron door slid open and on the other side of the door stood an angry looking Bobby.

"What the hell's the matter with you, boy?" Bobby demanded, his red flustered face showed clearly through the slot, "I heard what you said to your dad, ya idjit. He's gone to help you! This ain't just some random hunt he's on!"

"What the hell are you calling my dad for Bobby?" Sam demanded, standing from the cot with an accusing look directed at Bobby on the other side of the door.

"I figured maybe he'd talk some sense into you! You shouldn't lock yourself away down here." Bobby argued with wide eyes.

There was a sudden painful twinge in Sam's upper gum, and for a moment he tasted blood as his face scrunched up into a mask of disgust. His two front teeth hurt, but in an oddly familiar way. He could recall when he was younger feeling the exact same pain in his teeth when his baby-teeth were pulled out, making way for his adult set.

Curious, Sam reached into his mouth and grasped his front teeth between two clawed fingers and found that sure enough they were loose…hell, they were practically dangling from his mouth. But just behind them he found smaller, but pointed and sharper teeth.

He cast Bobby a nervous glance, who he noticed was mirroring his expression back to him.

Not seeing the sense in keeping the dangling teeth where they were, Sam yanked them out quickly and spit the blood out on the floor. He lowered his hands to get a look at the human teeth in his hands that went all the way from the roots at the same time as he ran over his newer sharper teeth with his tongue.

At least that explained why his gums were throbbing, Sam thought to himself. He was beginning to lose his human teeth…which was actually rather disgusting.

After a moment of sitting in the silent room in sheer shock, Bobby finally cleared his throat but kept his eyes fixed on Sam. "It's speeding up kid…you're letting it speed up."

"What the hell do you mean I'm letting it speed up?" Sam demanded with a threatening snarl underlining his words.

"By sitting down here, waiting this out…you're letting the curse take you over. You gotta fight it, son." Bobby encouraged shakily.

"Bobby…I can't." Sam replied suddenly saddened instead of angry as tears swelled in his eyes, "It's already won…I can feel it."

"Don't you say that!" Bobby snapped, "Don't you dare!"

"It's stronger than me, Bobby." Sam explained as tears finally spilled from his eyes, "I feel myself slipping…in a couple days I won't be me anymore…there won't be anything left…just that thing."

"That's why you gotta give it your damndest, kid!" Bobby said, his own emotions getting the better of him as tears of his own fell down his face and disappeared into his beard, "I don't want to see you waste away down here."

Sam mulled that over in his mind for a moment. He toyed with the idea of leaving the panic room while he waited for Dean to return. He wanted to…he really did. But in his mind, he kept going over what happened in the kitchen over and over. He really could have killed Bobby…and then what? Would he have tried to eat him? Like he tried to eat Kelly? Even though that was a trap set by Gordon, Sam felt awful about it. He lost control…and he couldn't let anyone else get hurt if he did again.

Just then, the basement door opened followed by a call made by a familiar voice who clearly sounded worried. "Bobby! Sam! Ya down here?"

"Here, Dean." Bobby called back in a flat tone, not taking his eyes away from Sam for an instant.

The basement door then closed gently followed by Dean's footsteps coming down the stairs, and then him stepping onto the cement floor toward Bobby on the outside of the panic room.

"Did something happen?" Dean asked nervously as he approached Bobby, and took a peek into the panic room to find Sam standing upright looking toward his wide-eyed with something held in his open palm in front of him.

"What's up, Sam?" Dean wondered aloud, keeping his eyes on Sam's hands. He didn't miss how paw-like they looked, rather than human palms.

Sam glanced downward at his open hand, and stretched it out for Dean to get a better look at what he was holding.

Dean's eyes widened when he noticed his little brother was holding bloody human teeth in his hand. Immediately his eyes averted to Sam's face just in time to see Sam flash his newer sharper animal-like teeth.

"Damnit, Sammy." Dean swore under his breath, "I'm gone for a couple hours and all this happens? Why is it speeding up?"

"It's speeding up, because Sam's giving up." Bobby interjected with a pointed look at Sam.

Dean's green eyes widen as he glances back into the panic room in time to see Sam plop down on the cot as he dropped his teeth on the ground in the small puddle of blood where he had spit. He sighed, and looked up at the door where Bobby gave him an accusing look, and Dean gave him an almost judging one. But Sam didn't miss the miserable emotion lying just beneath Dean's glare.

"Giving up?" Dean questioned, his voice suddenly thick and filled with an even mixture of anger and melancholy, "You're giving up on us, Sammy? After everything?"

Sam didn't reply, instead he focused on the pain building in his skull and thought about how much it would suck to have a vision right now, if that's what it was. But at the same time, he doubted it.

"I thought you were stronger than this, Sam." Dean continued as he turned his eyes down to his own feet, he didn't want his little brother to see him fail to keep his tears in check.

"Hell…" Dean choked as he felt his face grow warm as his emotions continued to get the better of him, he didn't bother putting up his game-face, "I went on that mission to get that kid with dad because I thought you were gonna be strong enough to fight this while I was away."

Another silence took hold of the men as both Dean and Bobby fixed their eyes on Sam. He turned his curious eyes up toward his brother, to let him continue to get this off his chest.

"You let me down, Sammy." Dean muttered suddenly as more warm tears slipped down his cheeks smoothly.

"Dean…if you were in my place right now…you'd know what I'm talking about…I'm just tired, dude. It's stronger than me now. It can take me over whenever it wants." Sam explained, desperately trying to keep himself calm, but failing as more tears welled in his golden eyes.

"So you're rolling over and dying? You're giving up?" Dean snapped with a pointed glare. He then leaned in closer to the bars on the door and whispered intently, "How do you expect me to do this without you? I can't, Sam."

"You did alright when I went away to Stanford." Sam replied with a shrug after he sniffled, trying to decongest himself.

"I didn't." Dean informed weakly, "I swung by Stanford as often as possible. Just to check up on you. I wasn't about to leave you alone in the world."

Another uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Sam hung his head shamefully – trying desperately not to meet Dean's miserable gaze.

"And besides…" Dean suddenly continued before licking his lips to relieve them of their dryness, "You only went away then…but this? Sam, we're talking about you dying, here…in a manner. I mean…you know what the curse does, dude. It's gonna lock you inside your own body, and you won't be able to move on until your body dies."

"Well when I turn, you're gonna end up killing me, Dean." Sam informed sounding cold, and slightly void, "I won't kill that kid when dad finds him…so I've got no options left. And I'm sure Bobby doesn't want to keep a Beast down here until Judgment Day."

"I'm not gonna kill you." Dean promised with a look of fortitude on his face, "No matter what form you come in…you're still my brother. And I will not kill you."

"I'm opening the door." Bobby announced as he turned the large wheel on the door, and pulled it open with great strength.

There stood Dean and Bobby just on the other side of the threshold watching Sam intently, silently hoping he'd leave the room and join them upstairs. Dean needed him to fight for just a little bit longer.

Suddenly Sam sighed, and looked up at his brother. "If I attack anyone else…I don't care how much you beg or plead. I'm staying down here…I don't want to hurt anyone else." Sam promised.

"Fine." Dean agreed looking satisfied, but definitely still angry.

With that, Sam stood from the cot and paced toward the door and stepped through the threshold into the basement. He gave Dean and Bobby a thankful look before heading up the stairs with both of them at his heel.

He figured he could hold on for just a little while longer.

Brotherly moment for everyone....my way. :D

Definitely more coming soon!