Idea…so what would have happened if Osiris had taken Dean's tongue in episode 'Defending your Life' From Season 7.

Supernatural does not belong to me, although I wish it did. I am simply playing Kirpke's sandbox for a bit. All rights and ownership are the property of Kripke and the CW network. I am not making any money from this; it is for my own personal pleasure.

Please Review: They help shape the story. I do not have a Beta, all mistakes are mine...and unintentional.

This chapter contains graphic imagery throughout, to include hell!torture. Don't like...don't read. Could have a slightly AU feel to it, if you squint.

Not Slash

Chapter 14

Dean's Voice

Sam felt like the world had dropped into slow motion. He screamed for Dean to 'move!', but he knew that they weren't escaping that creature. Whatever it was, it was moving rapidly down the hall…all Sam could see were the yellow eyes and hear the sounds of its breathing as the thing barreled toward his immobile brother. "DEAN!" he cried as he hauled his injured sibling to his feet. Dean's grunts of pain were not lost on Sam, but he couldn't focus on anything but the intense need to get them out of the hallway.

The first impact of the beast threw Sam into the wall behind Dean's shoulder, his head hit the concrete with a resounding 'crack' and he felt the warm wash of blood slip down his temple. Great. He thought automatically. He blinked sluggishly a couple of times as he tried to shake the confusion of smashing his head into a solid object away. His eyes slid open and then widened at the scene before him, Dean was pinned to the floor, a large black cat stood over him its claws imbedded in each of his brother's shoulders, effectively pinning him like an insect on a display tray. Sam immediately recognized the Egyptian black cat, his history class freshman year at Stanford coming back to haunt him. He remembered that the creatures served Mafdet, the goddess of justice and execution…and she had sent her creations after his brother, or else Osiris somehow had control of them too.

Dean's face was scrunched in pain as the cat dragged him slowly across the floor, the open wounds on his back pulling wider as the skin ripped and the scabs broke open. Sam didn't know how much more his brother's body could take, before it gave out…but it wasn't much. "DEAN!" he called as he pulled himself back to his feet and started to stumble toward the animal. It turned narrowed yellow-slits in his direction and pressed harder into Dean…Sam stumbled to a halt and held his hands up. The cat tilted its head and then drew back its lip in what looked like a smile before it started backing up with Dean in tow.

"Sam…" Dean mumbled through the haze of pain. He didn't understand what was going on, he'd seen the horrified expression on his brother's face, but he hadn't understood what caused it until the claws sank into his flesh, tearing new levels of agony into his abused flesh. "Just go…get back to the valley…get the hell outta here…" He finished as his shoulders pulled painfully, the animal dragging him slowly across the dirty floor in the direction of the gate. He watched as Sam shook his head, Dean's eyes slipped closed in silent defeat, he'd known that it was a long shot…getting Sam to escape without him. But he was so tired of fighting and watching the fear on Sam's expressive face was slowly killing him, one 'wounded puppy' at a time.

"No Dean…I'm not leaving you." Sam stuttered as he stared wide eyed at his brother. The horror of Dean's request reflecting in his blue-green gaze and the furrows in his forehead.

A low rumble rolled from the cat's throat as it stopped and looked expectantly at Sam caught his attention…it was waiting for something. Dean rolled his eyes up to the underside of the massive black cat, its fur was the color of ebony and it was shiny, it was wearing a collar made of jade and turquoise interlaced with gold…definitely Egyptian…his mind supplied. The bright yellow eyes of the cat twisted until they were looking at Dean…no…they were looking into Dean. The cat's head tilted from side to side and then it brought the far too intelligent gaze back up to meet Sam's frightened one. Suddenly the animal backed away, pulling its massively sharp claws from his brother's flesh and stepped backwards….slowly disappearing into the darkness with nothing more than a whisper of sound. Sam stared after the departing shape, he had no clue what had caused it to leave…and that was almost as scary as what had caused it to attack…he had no idea.

Dean felt the razor sharp claws pull painfully from his body; he immediately curled in on himself in an attempt to control the new level of agony. He didn't know when Sam had moved, but suddenly there was a gentle hand on his face, tilting his eyes toward his brother's concerned gaze. "Dean?" he asked quietly.

Dean blinked sluggishly at Sam…he could see the questions raging unasked behind his brother's concerned eyes…questions that he wasn't asking. Dean took a slow breath, trying to ensure that his voice didn't shake with pain. "Sammy….I'm sorry." He whispered.

Sam's eyes widened even further as he reached up and carded his fingers through Dean's dirty sweat soaked hair. His gaze flickered to the sheet hanging loosely around Dean's knees and he pulled it up slowly, trying to give his brother some form of modesty. He knew what Dean was apologizing for…he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear it yet, but he knew in his heart that Dean's apology was sincere. His older brother would never do something to intentionally hurt him…that included disregarding one of his few requests. If their positions had been reversed…he wasn't so sure that he would've listened to Dean either. Monsters that killed innocents had to be dealt with and his personal feelings on the subject couldn't be taken into consideration. Those people that Amy had killed to save her son…they hadn't deserved to die and he'd been unwilling or unable…depending on how he wanted to look at it…to kill her. So Dean had taken on that burden…just like he'd taken so many of Sam's burdens over the years. His fingers dropped and traced the bones of his brother's chin as he tilted Dean's head so they were eye to eye. "I know Dean…it's okay." He said softly.

He watched as relief spread across Dean's face and he sagged in Sam's arms, his body finally releasing the tension of guilt.

"Ya know…I didn't think that he could do it…" Osiris's voice floated through the darkness as the god approached, the black cat walking silently at his side. His brown eyes flickered from Sam to Dean and back again as he saw the physical and emotional release of guilt that had been so palpable before.

Dean's pain filled eyes tracked the god as he stepped into the slowly illuminating sky…because somehow...they weren't in the hospital anymore…they were next to the lake and it was no longer filled with blood...waves of crystal clear water flowed and ebbed quietly against the shoreline. The sky was a soft blue with wispy white clouds floating lazily overhead…music playing from somewhere in the background. The tune was unrecognizable…but he was sure that he'd heard it before…Hey Jude...mom's song...Dean's mind finally placed the childhood tune.

"My brother's stronger than you bastards give him credit for." Sam stated strongly as he continued to hover protectively over Dean's injured form. He noticed that the tremors running through Dean's body were increasing… and Dean's eyes were glazing over as he watched the god. Sam's fear ratcheted up another notch; this was exactly how Dean had looked after the hellhounds. No Dean! Not now. His mind screamed as the tremors suddenly stilled and Dean's head listed to the side…green eyes staring into the distance, but focused on nothing. "DEAN!" He cried as the body went limp and his brother's injuries finally claimed their vengeance. Sam's fingers clutched frantically at his Dean's limp body, "No…no…no Dean…" he sobbed as the tears ran unchecked down his face and landed on his brother's lifeless face…washing clean tracks into the grime and the blood. He pulled Dean against his chest and begged his brother to stay with him…but nothing worked. Dean remained stubbornly lifeless…he raised broken blue-green eyes to the god. "Why?..." he whispered. "He won…he accepted everything…why now?"

The god watched the whole scenario with interest, he'd heard about the unnatural connection of the Winchester brothers. And he'd been witness to a particular string of that woven tapestry of a relationship in the barn when Sam had tracked his brother's whereabouts down and refused to leave. It was something to behold and it tugged at a muscle within the god that he hadn't used in a very long time. True, Dean had accepted the guilt of his actions prior to dying…so technically he had beaten the trials. He raised his eyebrows as he watched the tortured younger brother clutch helplessly at the lifeless form of his rock…his protector…his brother.

"So…do I get Dean's soul back now?" Alistair asked as he appeared next to the god, rubbing his hands in anticipation. The god glanced over at the demon and narrowed his eyes…whatever Dean had done in his life, whatever deals he had made…he didn't deserve to suffer an eternity for them. Sam's dull eyes rose to meet those of the men standing a few feet from him, he'd heard the demon's request…his gaze flew to the gods and he was silently shaking his head as he drew Dean's body impossibly closer to his own.

"No…" Sam mumbled protectively.

The god furrowed his eyebrows together and shook his head at the demon… "No. I'm sending them back."

Suddenly Sam found himself lying on the bed in the motel room, his head hurt like a bitch and his muscles were so stiff he wondered exactly how long he'd been inside of ….Dean! He pulled himself shakily to his feet. His gaze shifting to the other bed, Dean was lying in the blood soaked sheets, but his body was blessedly whole…he stumbled to the side of the other bed and dropped to the floor as his knees gave out and he laid his head on his brother's shoulder.

Sam didn't know how long he sat there, the tears running silently down his face as he watched their lives pass. He'd always known that Dean would move heaven and earth to save him…he had. He was so lost in his pain that he didn't notice it when a hand came up and rested softly on his head, long fingers carding through his soft locks in silent comfort. It was the rumble of his brother's voice that finally pulled him from his pained world. "Sammy?..."

Dean felt his brother shift suddenly, his tear soaked eyes pulling desperately to Dean's as he sat back quickly. "Dean…" he whispered his own hands came up to embrace Dean's face. His eyes searching frantically for the truth of what he was seeing…Dean was alive.

"Dean…you're alive." He stated simply, the tears still rolling unchecked down his face as he simply looked into the worried green gaze of his only living family. Living family…

Dean smiled tiredly at him and reached up to pull Sam into a hug…Sam's walls broke and he sobbed into his brother's shoulder…completely soaking Dean's t-shirt. "Shhh…Sammy…it's okay…I'm okay." Dean soothed as his hands rubbed gently up and down his brother's massive back…just he had done when Sam was small and he'd been scared or had a nightmare and then crawled silently into Dean's bed for comfort. "No more waterworks there Sam…we're okay." He whispered again.

Sam sat back slowly and moved so he was sitting near Dean's hip, his brother slid up the mattress and propped himself against the headboard. His eyes moving tiredly around the room, taking in the blood sprayed on the walls and gore that had long since soaked into the bed. It was a grizzly sight and his heart clenched for what he knew his brother must have gone through. Parts of him were still embarrassed that his brother had seen him so utterly broken…but other parts of him were glad that Sam knew the extent to which he would go for his younger brother. Maybe now he would finally understand that Dean would do anything…anything… to save him. "Sam…I'm sorry." He said again as his gaze finally connected with Sam's glassy eyes.

Sam shook his head and scrubbed his hand over his face, "I know Dean…" he answered as his gaze shifted to the bed and he started twisting the sheets…another nervous habit of his.

Dean smiled when he saw it. "Sam I want to talk about all this…but I feel like a slasher movie victim…I need a shower." Sam nodded and stood up so his brother could take care of himself. He didn't want to let Dean out of his sight but he to agree that it was probably something Dean needed to take care of.

"Dean?" Sam asked as Dean grabbed his duffel off the end of the bed.

"Yeah?"

"It's good to hear your voice…" Sam said as he listened to the gravelly sound of his brother's voice…he'd missed it…so much more than he'd ever thought possible.

THE END

Author's Note: And scene….they will be back out on the road….and able to move past this little fiction none the worse for wear. Well maybe they'll get along better…and maybe Sam won't leave Dean again. Hope you guys are satisfied with this conclusion. I couldn't rule out Lucifer, since he is such a large part of the seventh season. And I figured that a god of justice would probably make allowances if he thought he saw a true 'change of heart'. I'm working on another sorta canon…sorta AU between the brothers. The first chapter should be up soon…it is not a continuation of this story, but its own new adventure and set of challenges for the brothers. It's called "A Different Kind of Deal".

Please Review: Hope you guys were ready for an ending, because the boys sure were.