Sorry for the huge delay in this one. I wanted to put a chapter in between this one and the last but the muse is a huffy b**ch and refused to let me write it so, after a lot of failed attempts, I didn't. Upside is this is a little longer than the other chapters.

Lots going on at the moment, my life is not my own, (I know how Dean feels.)

"Just go, I'll be fine."

Sam looked between Bobby and his brother, torn between helping the elder hunter and not leaving Dean alone. "You could come with us?"

Dean folded his arms across his chest and glowered at his younger sibling. "And do what? Sit in the car and crochet? Not that I could even do that! I still can't grip well enough to shoot properly, I'd be a liability. I'm as well staying here."

Bobby tapped his fingers on the back of the chair that he was leaning on. "Some time this week Sam."

"Sam, it's gonna be one night," Dean added.

"You could call Cas…."

"I don't need a damn babysitter!" Dean growled at his brother and then took a deep breath and adjusted his tone. " Look, Bobby can't do this hunt on his own, the search area's too big. Just go would you?"

"You wouldn't just leave me," Sam countered.

"The hell I wouldn't," Dean lied in return. He sighed and put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "I'll call Cas. I promise. Just go before this thing kills someone else." He reached for Sam's jacket, awkwardly picking it up and handing it to him.

"What about your exercises?" Sam still wasn't heading for the door but at least he was shrugging on his jacket.

"I'm sure that Cas is just as equally able to inflict pain on me as you are." He chuckled at the look on his brother's face. "Go! I might not be able to drag you outside but I can still kick your ass out the door." Dean put his hand back on his brother's shoulder and started to back him up.

Sam caved. "Ok. I'm going. Do not forget to call Cas, I mean it."

"Yes mom," Dean muttered under his breath as he waved him off. "You just remember to come back in one piece and I'll remember to call Cas."

Bobby patted Dean on the shoulder on the way by. "We'll call when it's done. You be careful now."

"Took the words," Dean replied. "Watch out for my brother."

"You know I will and I appreciate your concern for my welfare." Bobby quirked his face into a grin.

"Watch your ass too old man. That better?" Dean flicked his eyebrows.

"It'll do. Behave while we're gone." Bobby stepped outside and stopped. "And call the damn angel."

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"You say you'll do a lot of things though Dean…you actually doing them? That's something completely different." Bobby strode down the steps and over to the waiting truck.

----

Dean was still standing on the porch thirty minutes later. He was watching the sky darken, wondering at the speed that night seemed to be falling, when his phone started to vibrate in his shirt pocket. Wrestling it out he rolled his eyes at the caller ID. "Did Sam call you already?"

"Sam did not call me." Castiel's confused tone announced in his ear. "I need to talk to you."

"Well Messrs Dumb and Dee have just left so if you want to swing by here, feel free."

"Dumb and Dee?" The confused tone deepened.

Dean sniggered. "Never mind, take too long to explain angel boy, you on your way or not?"

"I'm here," Castiel said from behind him.

Dean spun on the spot. "I hate when you do that! Can't you appear in front of people?"

The angel shrugged. "Sorry, habit. I'll try not to do it again."

"I'd appreciate it, thanks." Dean pocketed his phone and walked inside the angel following in his wake. The hunter crossed over to where his glass that was sitting on the table. Taking a drink he perched his backside down on the edge of the piece of furniture. "So what's up?"

The angel stared at him. "I think we have a problem."

-----

Dean sighed as he looked at the news report that the angel had got him to call up on the laptop screen. "You sure that it's him?"

"I am sure, there is a pattern."

"Would that just be sure, pretty sure or really pretty sure?" Dean questioned without looking up.

"What?"

Dean did look up at that, went to say something and then thought better of it. He shook his head. "Nothing." He went back to concentrating on the screen in front of him, cursing his slow fingers as he searched for anything else that might be related to the report Castiel had found, ignoring the angel as he circled the table. "You're right, there's a patchy trail of incidents, unexplained deaths, and they're leading this way. He's coming for us isn't he?" Dean turned and looked out the window, the reason for the early arrival of darkness finally sliding into place. "Is that him that's doing that?"

"I think that he might be and yes, the darkness heralds his approach."

Dean wiped at his face with his hand. "This is bad, really bad. How the hell did I forget about him?"

"I think you had other priorities, like saving your brother and defeating Lucifer, escaping Hell, getting better," the angel offered in response.

"Well that all might count for nothing if this guy is still on the loose. Damn it." Dean pulled his phone from his pocket and called his brother.

"You alright?" Sam's worried tones sounded almost before the call had finished connecting.

"Christ Sammy, were you sitting with your damn phone in your hand?"

"No."

Dean almost laughed at the lie. "I need you guys to get back here. Forget the hunt."

Sam went from worried to fearful in one easy step. "Why? What is it? Are you ok? I knew we shouldn't have left you on your own. What happened?" Dean could hear Bobby in the background asking what was going on.

" Sam, nothing happened, I'm fine. Cas has found something though. I need you to get your ass back here, it isn't safe."

"Dean…," Sam frowned as the cell reception faded out. "Dean!"

"Sammy! Can you still hear me?" Dean checked the signal strength. It had four bars. "Sam?" He turned to Castiel. "Go get them. Bring them back here. Do you think the panic room will be strong enough to hold this guy off?"

Castiel nodded. "For a while at least. I won't be long."

Dean rounded the table and hunted through the books on Bobby's desk until he found the one that he was looking for. Flipping it open he found the page he needed and started to read.

He hadn't got far when Castiel arrived back with his brother and Bobby. "Wanna tell us what the hell is going on?," the elder hunter asked as he walked round to stand behind Dean, frowning as he saw what the young hunter was looking at. "What did you do now?"

Dean looked up affronted. "Hey, this one, Sam and I had nothing to do with." Castiel went to speak and Dean shushed him with a hand. "Technically, Sam and I had nothing to with this one."

"No? So you guys only raised the sucker that raised him? Technically my ass," Bobby growled as he started to gather the books he'd need to research.

Dean smiled sweetly at him then looked up at his brother who was still waiting to get clued into what the heck was happening. "We forgot about the Horseman. Death." Sam's eyes widened and he when to speak but his brother shrugged off the question. "We'll fill you in downstairs." Standing the elder Winchester headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked putting a restraining hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Car. I need my jacket, or I need something that is in my jacket." He fumbled trying to lift the keys and Sam reached over, plucking them from the table.

"I'll get it. I'll be quicker. You help Bobby." With that he disappeared outside, Dean hesitating, torn between getting them all downstairs and not letting his brother out of his sight.

"Dean!" Bobby's voice solved his dilemma. "Those books ain't walking themselves down the damn stairs boy!"

"Ok, ok." He slid an armful off the table and double timed it down to the basement, baulking only a little at the memories that slammed him as he stepped into the chamber. Not looking at the bed that still lay in the middle of the floor, he tossed the books onto it and headed back upstairs.

Sam wasn't in the room when he reached Bobby's kitchen so Dean headed outside, switching on the yard lights and moving out into the collection of twisted wrecks, round to where he knew the Impala was sitting. He stopped short when he was confronted with the sight of his brother on the ground, a tall figure leaning over him.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Dean started forward again, realising that he was unarmed but not really caring. Sam was down. That was all that mattered.

"Well hello Dean." The figure smiled at him, causing chills to tighten his spine even from a distance. "Thought your brother would have put up a better fight than that but then you did have him robbed of his demon blood so it isn't surprising that he folded so easily. Bad move on your part Dean."

The horseman stepped towards him and Dean stopped, side stepping to try and get round it and to Sam. He spared his brother a quick glance. "What did you do to him?"

"Just broke him for now Dean, I wanted you here to see the kill shot." It somehow got back between them, moving fast.

"Leave him alone." Dean reached for it's arm, caught it and spun it back to face him. "If you want someone, take me."

It laughed in his face. "So noble Dean. So protective of your brother." It's eyes turned cold. "I know all about little brothers, I have three, wait…." It hooked his shirt with it's hand and pulled him in close. "I did have three. Then you killed one. Then your brother killed another." It poked him in the chest. "And then you sent Lucifer back to Hell before he could raise my last one."

"Life sucks, what can I say." Dean tried to pull back but he was held tight in it's grip.

"I'm very angry with you Dean." The eyes flashed red, and Dean shivered. "So I'm going to do to you what you did to me. Eye for an eye. Only fair, don't you agree? You took my brother, so I'm going to take yours."

"Over my dead body." Dean brought his head forward, smashing it has hard into the thing's face as he could, not having the time to savour the moment as it let go and cursed in agony. He rounded it and hooked his hands under Sam's arms, hauling his brother back and away, knowing that they weren't going to outrun it but needing to try anyway. He was aware of the Horseman standing and starting after them and he called out for Castiel, hoping that the angel would hear him. The rush of wings told him that for once his prayers had been answered, then he felt the touch to his forehead and the tug as he was yanked out of the space he was in and unceremoniously dumped in front of the panic room door.

"I can't cross in." Castiel stepped back and let Bobby help Dean lift his brother into safety. "I will try to find a way to get him to leave." He handed Dean his cell phone. "If you need me call."

Dean sat down on the floor beside his brother, hand going to Sam's neck automatically to check his pulse.

"Is he ok? You want to put him on the bed?" Bobby knelt down beside Dean.

"I don't know and no. Can you just get me a pillow?" Dean slid along the floor, dragging Sam with him. On reaching the wall he sagged against it, taking the pillow from Bobby and resting it over his legs, pulling Sam up and onto it. "I gotcha, Sammy." He rested his hand back down on Sam's neck and leant back, closing his eyes and sighing.

"I'll see if I can't find a way to get rid of him." Bobby excused himself and sat down over at the desk. "We're safe for now in here, he can't get in."

He brushed Sam's hair off his face with his free hand, not liking the colour of his brother's skin or the way that Sam's pulse was racing underneath the fingers of his other hand. Dean snorted, looking at Bobby with fear clearly etched on his face. "Yeah, but we can't get out,......and I think my brother's dying."

TBC