When The Past Comes Back To Haunt You.

Summary. . . . . . . . . What if the rabbit's foot wasn't the only thing taken from John's Storage unit? What if something that haunted Sam so long ago was taken also? Something with a lust for revenge, and a need to finish what he started all those years ago. An AU sequel to The Nutcracker.

Disclaimer. . . . . . . . Still only borrowing from the genius that is Kripke.

A.N. . . . . . . . . . . Wow! This must be some kind of record for me, 3 chapters in as many days! I must be back. Peanut x

Bobby waited for the younger man to get into place, waited for him to bind the Nutcracker's arms and legs, waited for the gruff "let's do this" to fall from his lips, before he took up Sam's limp arm, and found a workable vein. He picked up the needle, flicked it a couple of times, and pushed the plunger until all the air and a tiny spurt of the liquid inside squeezed out. Placing it against Sam's skin, he pushed inside, depressing the plunger all the way once the needle had found its mark. Once empty he hastily pulled it back out, and haphazardly threw it on the floor, anywhere away from him; the act he had just done making him hate the damn thing, and the little blood he could see on its end making him not care where it landed, so long as it was away from him. He hand now free, he placed his fingers against Sam's wrist, whilst his eyes watched the younger man's chest, and waited.

Dean had stood off to the side, out of the way while Bobby worked. His emotions were in turmoil. He hated this, hated the plan, hated what the Nutcracker had done to Sam, hated that he himself hadn't been able to protect his brother. He just wanted to lift Sam up, carry his heavy ass outta here, and wrap the damn kid up in cotton wool for the rest of his life. But he knew he couldn't, knew that this was the only way to defeat this damn thing once and for all. So he stood back and allowed Bobby to watch over Sam. He tried not to look as the needle was forced into his brother, tried not to look as the Nutcracker grew before his very eyes, tried to concentrate upon the task he would soon have to do, but his brain refused to send the command, and time and time again he found himself unable to keep his eyes from straying to his sibling; his heart lying heavy within his chest, his eyes brimming with tears. Tears that began to fall freely as he watched Sam's chest rise for the last time, watched Bobby's hand scramble to Sam's neck for final confirmation, watched as the older hunter's head dropped to his chest and he softly spoke "It's time Dean, do it now."

They thought he was controlled; thought he was secure; thought he was, for the time being, no risk to them; thought he couldn't hear; but they thought wrong, were too lax, too confident, he could hear everything and he was about to use that over confidence against them. He'd panicked at first when the potion hit, cried out silently within when he smelt and felt the essence of his long ago victims once more, and vowed to reap vengeance upon them all when he was finally free. He could hear the protector and another plotting his demise and that panic, for a time, increased. Then he felt it, felt the strength of the One as is flowed around his body. He fought and battled and struggled against the powerful potion, his anger and desperation increasing as no matter what he did, he couldn't break free from the hold. He felt the rough fibers of the rope as it was wrapped securely around his wrists and ankles, and for a second began to mourn for what was about to happen, for what he had failed to accomplish, and then he felt something.

It was tiny at first, so small a movement he felt sure he had imagined it, but then it happened again. He forced himself to remain calm, to limit his movements so as not to be noticed, forced his eyes to stay unfocussed and still; but as he felt the essence of the One begin to enter its body, that calmness became all the more harder to control. There was still a chance, he could still win, could still seek revenge upon all those that had treated him so poorly; starting with the one's that had hurt him last, the one's that had tried to prevent him from reaching his destiny. He felt invigorated as the transformation back into human form began, but he stayed still and silent. Felt elation when the One's last breath left its lungs, and his own began to inflate. He watched and waited, and when grief hung heavy within the room like a low lying fog, he struck.

Dean turned at Bobby's words, his anger and grief raw within him, his patience gone. He didn't care that the Nutcracker was now Human, didn't care that in essence what he was about to do would be murder, it had hurt Sam, it had terrorized him, it had killed him. Sure they had deployed the toxin, but if it hadn't have been for this damn puppet they wouldn't have had to. Grabbing his gun, he moved over to where he had left the Nutcracker, he wanted to take his time, wanted it to be messy, but he knew time was something he didn't have. He had to aim true; he had to make sure on the first try. He readied himself, bending over the now fully formed human he positioned himself and began to take aim, the barrel glinting in the light of the candles that still flickered as it arched and then began its descent. He began to press the trigger, releasing as bound arms shot up to push the aim away, as at the same time vicious and cruel eyes focused clearly upon him.

"Crap, Bobby it's awake, the potions wore off."

"Kill it now Dean, kill it before it becomes too strong, before it gets a spell out, it's still too weak to use his powers."

"I'm trying god damn it." Dean ground out; he panicked as he saw Bobby begin to rise. "No! No! You stay with Sam, you protect Sam. You be ready. No matter what Bobby, you get him back."

Bobby sat back down, torn between which brother to help, but he knew Dean was right, he had to protect Sam, and he had to be ready for when the time came to bring him back.

Dean pushed with all his strength, cursing whoever had made the treated Holy water for not making it stronger. He found himself winning, found the gun's sight inching closer and closer to its mark, as the Nutcrackers limited strength began to wane. He thought this was it, thought this was the finish, but as the man began to open his mouth he realized just how far from the end he truly was.

"Two minutes gone Dean, hurry up."

He didn't bother answering, knew that Bobby wouldn't expect him too; instead he reacted to the threat. He tried to hold the gun down with one hand, as his other punched harshly at the other man's throat, his aim true, and the words the nutcracker had been about to speak halted. The Nutcracker used the distraction though, he let go of the protectors arms, his body rolling to the side as his attackers heavy weight fell, the gun going off, the bullet piercing through the skin of his arm, the pain new to him after so long, but instead of allowing it to overcome him, he used it to his advantage, used it to spur himself on. He moved swiftly, his bound arms shooting out and striking Dean across the face with a blow that, if at full strength, would have knocked the man out, but only stunned him. His legs lashed out, the aim true as they clattered into Dean's hand, knocking the gun clear across the room. His bound hands struck again, and again found their mark, again only stunning. His legs shot out once more, his full weight behind the blow that caught Dean's groin perfectly, the Protector crumbling in pain.

"Three minutes Dean." He heard the other hunter proclaim, the man not able to see what was going on behind the partition of the room.

He used the time wisely, used his returning strength to pull and tug at his bonds. He didn't care that the rough rope bit and cut his fresh skin, didn't care that new bones broke as he pulled his limbs through a gap too small for them. He just knew this was it, knew it was now or never, knew he was so close. He didn't bother with his bound ankles, once his wrists were free, instead just hobbled over to where the protector was struggling to his feet. Jumping his pushed them both to the floor, their bodies rolling and turning, neither man gaining the upper hand until the room ended and the wall stopped them, Dean prone beneath the Nutcracker's weight.

Its hands shot out, its grip tightening around Dean's throat, its weight bearing down. He tried at first to dislodge it, tried to break its grasp, but soon realized its futility. He'd always known Sam was deceptively strong, but feeling his strength now in the Nutcracker he realized just how wrong he was; Sam was powerfully strong, and that strength was now gaining in the man above him. He gave up trying to pry the hands loose, tried instead to punch and knocked the man loose, but his punches were weak, and his struggles lessoning as his own strength waned. In desperation his hands flung out, attempting to find any weapon, but his fingers found nothing but worn carpet and Sam's discarded clothing.

"Four minutes Dean! We've got one minute left, c'mon finish this." Bobby shouted out, his hand ready and waiting to plunge the new syringe inside of Sam.

That knowledge that Sam had just a minute left, spurred Dean into action. He was weakened, his sight dwindling, but he knew he had no choice. He couldn't wait for the time to run out, the risk to Sam would be too much, the risk that they couldn't get him back too great. He reached further, his shoulders aching from the strain, his sight darkening even further as the Nutcrackers hands tightened. He thought he had gone, thought he had failed, thought this was it, when suddenly they brushed against the ivory grip of the gun he had lost. He tensed further, fingers grasping and losing, grasping and losing, his body on the very edge of consciousness, when they final caught a firm hold. He didn't look, didn't aim, he just fired, a shrieking wail of agony resounding loudly around the room; a death cry, as he lost control and surrendered to the blackness.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . .

A.N. . . . . . . . . . How very evil of me! A cliffie! As always thank you so much for taking time out to read this, your support means a great deal. Will be back soon with more. Peanut x