Disclaimer: Supernatural ≠ mine

I'm so excited! It's time for the 'Sam and Dean Showdown' (name taken from Awerry's review of chapter 21). I was just writing and I guess it got away from me because wow this chapter is long. Enjoy!

Thank you again to my reviewers! I love hearing from y'all.

emelie0204: Thank you for your continued support of my fic.

Bela4evr3: Here is your much awaited reunion. I hope it lives up to your expectations!

Soulless666: No need to worry; I had no intention of having Casey and Sam become a 'thing.' As we know, Sam can be a bit frustrating to demons, and Casey had to *gasp* be nice to a human.

"For the thousandth time, Walker, Sam isn't evil!" Dean was fed up with Gordon's 'Sam is evil' tirade. Hearing the demons talking by the window, of course Gordon only picked up on the fact that Sam is the new leader of the demons, glossing over the fact that Sam is out there saving people.

Gordon put down the knife he was sharpening. "Dean, I am a free man. I can think whatever I like, but I am also a man of my word. I told you when you got me out of prison I would not be the one to kill your brother, so there is nothing to fear from me. My question is: what will you do when you finally catch up with Sam?"

Dean snorted. "What do you think I'll do? I'm going to talk some sense into my brother."

Gordon rolled his eyes. "'Talk some sense into him?' Really? That's the master plan I'm risking my life for? What's the backup plan if that doesn't work?"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Sam will hear reason."

"Like he did when you tried to talk to him at the devil's gate? Or when you tried to talk to him before he ran off with the demon girl, Ruby?" Gordon went back to sharpening his knife. "I don't mind taking out a few demons, although I'm partial to vampires, but I would like a backup plan for when things go south. And, before you say anything, plans always go south when dealing with the supernatural."

Dean fumed in silence. If Gordon needed a backup plan they would never have to use to make him happy, then fine; he'd come up with a freaking backup plan. "If things go south and Sam decides his new family is-is demons, then we'll have to plan ahead. Let's set up some explosives about ten feet away from the asylum, and if things go south we set off the explosion as a distraction. I don't want the bombs close enough to cause the place any damage because with my luck, we'd cause the place to crumble with us inside."

Gordon nodded. "Let's get to work."

Dean crept over to Gordon. "That's the last of the explosives."

Gordon pointed to the asylum. "There's movement."

Dean looked up, and Gordon was right. Where before they had hardly seen a handful of demons, now the place seemed to be teeming with them. One demon in particular caught Dean's eye. Black hair slicked back with not a hair out of place, a smug smile on his face, the Asian man got on Dean's nerves. Another demon whispered something in his ear, and the Asian rushed off.

Dean turned to Gordon. "We've got to follow that demon!"

Without waiting for an answer, Dean took off running, watching the windows to make sure he wouldn't lose the demon. He slowed to a stop as the demon stopped outside two large oak doors, smoothing his suit down. As the double doors opened, Dean thanked whoever was listening for the room being on the first floor. Gordon nudged Dean's arm and pointed to a window leading directly into the room. Climbing the vines, Dean listened in on the conversation in the other room.

Sam sighed as he sank into his chair in the main hall. He never thought he'd say this, but it was good to be back in the asylum. All he needed now was some peace and quiet...

The double doors opened and Dante walked in. He knelt to the ground. "My liege."

Sam sat up in his chair. So much for peace and quiet. "Stand up, Dante, and please don't kneel to me. I'm no king. What is it?"

Dante stood up and straightened his suit. "I have been keeping the headquarters in order while you've been gone, and it seems several demons have issues with you being the new leader."

"That is to be expected. I am only a human." Sam eyed Dante; it looked like something else was on his mind. "What else is it? You're not telling me something."

Dante shuffled his feet, and then squared his shoulders. "I've talked with Alistair, the head torturer, and he has told me some interesting things from Ruby."

Sam stood up. "Ruby? Why would I believe anything she had to say?"

"Sir, Ruby says you are not 'only human.'"

Sam froze. In a low voice, he asked, "Why would I believe anything she has to say?"

Dante met Sam's gaze. "Alistair does not allow lying. His methods are very precise. Ruby says you are-"

"Is there anything to back up her claim besides faith in a demon's ability to torture?" Sam interrupted.

Dante nodded. "Yes, sir. It was prophesized. It has been spoken of for years, and it makes sense now why Azazel took such an interest in you. You are the Light Bringer's true vessel."

"I-I am what?" Sam took a step back and grabbed a pillar for support.

Dante nodded. "You are meant to hold our Lord, Lucifer. Do not worry, sir, for only Alistair, Ruby, me know the truth." Dante's face contorted with worry. "Oh no, Lilith knows, too."

Sam's brow furrowed. "Who is Lilith?"

Dante's features hardened. "She's the first demon. The first human Lucifer corrupted, and she's very powerful. She also happens to be the leader of the rebellion."

Sam could hear his blood pounding in his ears as his adrenaline spiked. His senses were heightened. He was hyperaware of all the demons in and around the building. Sam could even feel the animals. A squirrel hung out on the roof, a raven sat on a tree branch, and over by the side of the asylum...

Sam's blood ran cold. "Dante, I need all demons on red alert. There are two humans lurking outside the asylum. I want to know who they are, and I want them brought here. Unharmed."

Dante nodded. "Yes sir."

As Dante turned to leave, Sam called out, "And Dante? Don't tell anyone what you told me today."

Sam started pacing as soon as the doors closed behind Dante. He had a weird feeling he couldn't discern about the humans. One made him feel comforted, yet the other screamed danger. Who the hell were those guys?

Shit. Shit shit shitshitshitshitshit. This was bad. This was so bad Dean couldn't think of a strong enough word. All along Gordon had been right; Sam wasn't human. Sammy, his geeky little brother, was the vessel for the freaking devil. To make matters worse, he just sent a demon search party after them. How did he even know they were out there? Probably a perk of being evil. Wait, no. Don't think like that. Sam is still Sam. Once they talk, this will all be sorted out.

Gordon grabbed Dean's arm. "Dean, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be caught by demons right now."

Dean yanked his arm back. "Walker, this is exactly what we wanted! Get inside and talk to my brother."

Gordon's eyes widened. "How can you still call it your brother?! You heard it as clearly as I did: Sam's not human."

The sound of rustling around them stopped whatever rebuttal Dean had. Both hunters went back-to-back, surveying the area. Yes, Dean wanted to talk to Sam, but old habits die hard, and there was no way he'd let some pansy ass demon haul him there.

Dean stared down the girl who was walking towards him

"Oh, thank goodness you're here! My car ran out of gas and I was hoping you could help me."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "You're going to have to go back to acting school, sweetheart, because you don't make a convincing human."

The girl's eyes flashed black. "So, you're a hunter I take it?"

Dean snorted, and then stepped out of the tree's shadow. As he stood in the late afternoon sunlight, the girls took a few steps back.

"You're his brother!" She said in disbelief.

With the demon's exclamation, the other demons made themselves known, closing in around Dean and Gordon. They were completely surrounded.

Dean smirked. "Wow, I didn't realize I had such a big fan club."

Dean heard shouting and turned to see Gordon held between two demons. He turned to see another demon in his face. "If you don't shut up and start walking, Winchester, I'll make you walk."

Dean protested as two demons grabbed his arms as well. "I can walk myself! You're actually doing me a favor; I wanted to see Sam anyways. Who knew demons would help out a human? Well, I guess it shouldn't surprise me so much when you guys have a human as your lead - oof!" Dean gasped as he was punched in the gut.

"I said shut up." The demon growled.

Sam could feel them coming closer. His adrenaline was through the roof and his heart was thudding almost painfully in his chest. A demon was about to teleport in. Ugh, now is a really bad time.

Casey appeared next to Sam. "Sam, you will not believe who was outside! It was-"

The double doors swung open and Sam had a clear view of just who was outside earlier.

"Dean." Sam breathed. His brother wrenched his arms free from the demons' grasp and looked up to see Sam. His face was a mix of both happiness and worry. On Dean's left, Sam saw none other than Gordon Walker, the man who tried to kill him with not one but two grenades.

"Sammy. You're okay." Dean took a step forward only to be stopped by a demon. "Let me see my brother! Tell 'im, Sammy."

Sam didn't move. "Dean, why are you here? And why would you be working with Gordon Walker? Do, do you not remember what he tried to do?" Sam couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. Dean, his brother, the one who he THOUGHT cared about him, was working with the man who tried to kill him.

"Nice to see you, too, Sammy." Gordon smiled evilly.

Sam stiffened. "It's Sam, and I'm not talking to you, Walker, so shut up. I still haven't forgiven you for trying to kill me."

"Sammy." Dean pleaded.

Sam turned to Dean. "You have some explaining to do, Dean." Looking to the demons in the room Sam said, "Go guard the door and don't let anyone in. I don't care what their reason is." When Casey didn't move, Sam glared. "Get out, Casey."

Casey huffed. "What? I'm not some low-level demon, Sam. I'm-"

Sam cut her off. "That's another thing. Dante has enough respect to address me as 'sir.' I'm not your little puppet, Casey. I'm in charge, and I was under the assumption you wanted what's best for me."

Casey sputtered, "I do, but-"

"But nothing! What's best for me now is for you to leave this room. NOW."

Sam turned back to the two hunters in front of him as the oak doors shut. Gordon looked utterly bored, as he always does, while Dean had a look of shock on his face.

"Sam?" Dean took a tentative step forward.

Sam relaxed, if only slightly. "I'm so glad they're gone."

Dean relaxed and moved to give Sam a hug.

"Don't." Sam's tone was hard again. "Explain yourself. What are you doing here and why the hell would you work with him?"

Dean stopped in his tracks. "I needed a bit of help tracking you down, and he was the only option I had. I've been searching for you so I could bring you home. You don't belong here with the demons."

Dean's answer sounded scripted; there was no real emotion tied with it. Sam's eyes widened. "You don't believe that, do you? You really do think I belong here."

Dean's face dropped. "No! Sam, I - no. That's not it at all. I just - you see, the thing is, I overheard..." Dean trailed off.

Gordon was more than happy to finish what Dean was unable to say. "We heard what the demon said, Sam. We know you're not human."

Dean quickly added, "You're still family, Sam. You're still my brother, and I wouldn't trade you for the world. We can get through this together."

Sam squared his shoulders. "I can't leave, Dean. This is bigger than you could ever imagine. I have control over every demon ever. This is huge! I could do some real good in the world; I already have. The demon who took mom? Who killed dad? I killed him. He's gone. Not just sent back to Hell, but really, truly gone. I've been out hunting, saving people. I won't leave, especially with someone who betrayed me."

Dean tried to make Sam see reason. "Sam, you can do more good away from these demons than you can with them! They are corrupted souls. We overheard some demons saying they didn't like having a human ruling over them this morning. Someone will stab you in the back, sooner rather than later. I know you don't want to leave with Gordon, but we can ditch him as soon as we high tail it out of here."

Sam took a step forward, using his height to his advantage. "Gordon never betrayed me. He didn't pretend to be my friend. You betrayed me, Dean. You decided to work with Gordon, who, by the way, should be in jail right now. You were eavesdropping on my private conversation. You had me tied to a chair to be interrogated while the Seven Deadly Sins hunted me down! I almost believe you're only here to fulfill dad's last words."

Sam was becoming more riled up as he went on. He knew his brother so well; he could almost hear what he was thinking.

Dad said I'd either have to save Sam or kill him if he became evil.

Wait, Sam really could hear Dean's thoughts! This must be a new power.

Why would Sam think that? Sam isn't evil. My Sam isn't evil, at least.

Sam stopped listening to Dean's thoughts. So that's what his brother thought of him.

"Sam, I-"

"I've heard enough from you, Dean." Sam snapped. Without another word, he teleported from the room.

Dante stood at attention when Sam teleported next to him. "Sir."

Sam started to pace. "I have a problem, Dante. They overheard our conversation, and now either Dean or Gordon or both could tell others and I'll be hunted by friend and foe alike." Sam stopped pacing. "What do I do? I don't want to kill them, but I have no guarantee they'll keep this to themselves."

"Well, with the resources you have, it would be no problem for me to arrange for them to be put into a cell in Hell."

Sam shook his head. "What are my other options?"

Dante sighed. "Sir, I'm going to be frank. There aren't many options open to you. You have imprisoning them so they physically cannot tell another soul, there's killing them, which you already objected to, and the last option may not be possible. You'd have to find a way to swipe or change their memories."

Sam rubbed his hands down his face. This was a pick your poison deal. He didn't want to imprison his brother, although Gordon deserved all the jail time he could get, but the other option - besides death - was to erase or alter their memories? That just didn't sit well with Sam.

"Okay Dante, I need you to walk in with four other demons, each holding chains. Dean and Gordon need to be cuffed and brought down to the cells, but they will not, will NOT, be tortured. I need a demon who won't blab to guard them; they might try to get out by letting my secret out. I know Gordon will." Sam added the last part under his breath.

Dante nodded. "Yes sir. Did you want to see your brother one last time before my men go in?"

See Dean? What would he say? Hey, I don't trust you anymore so I'm imprisoning you? Have fun in the freaking dungeon? "No. Inform me when they're secure."

"SAM!" Dean yelled again. He had to find his brother. Where the hell did he go? Hell, maybe. Stop thinking like that! No wonder Sam doesn't trust him; somewhere deep inside him, Dean is skeptical. He really needed to talk this through with Sam. "SAMMY!"

The double doors opened and the demon Dean followed earlier walked in followed by four other demons. This did not look good, especially since the demons had chains with them.

"Looks like the monster is showing his true colors." Gordon muttered. Turning to Dean, he half-smirked. "I guess it's time for that backup plan."

The demons were quickly approaching. Dean had to make his choice, and fast. "Light it up."

Gordon reached into his pocket as a demon grabbed Dean's left arm. A loud explosion sounded to their right, and Dean's arm was dropped.

"Move!" Gordon shouted.

Dean and Gordon rushed to the open double door, only to be stopped in their tracks by an unseen force. Dean heard chuckling from behind him.

"Did you really think you could get free?" The smug ass demon Dean had followed earlier asked. He walked into Dean's line of sight, and seeing him this close only made Dean hate him more.

"Did your meatsuit always have a stick up his ass, or only after you occupied it?" Dean smirked. Two demons came over and started to cuff his unmoving body as Stick-Up-His-Ass glared Dean down.

Regaining his composure, Stick-Up-His-Ass smiled. "Dean, I appreciate your humor. Really, I do. It's the only thing keeping you from completely breaking down since your brother has forsaken you. You must've realized by now that he was the one who ordered you to be locked up. I do so hope you hate your cells; I picked them out myself."

With that, Dean and Gordon were teleported to their cells, where they were shoved unceremoniously to the ground. Fighting the wave of dizziness from being teleported, Dean sat up in his cell. The smell, paired with his vertigo, made Dean sick. Leaning over, he emptied his stomach onto the floor.

"That was pleasant." Gordon's dry voice sounded from the cell directly across from Dean's.

"Shut. Up." Dean growled.

"Shut up? Shut up? You're telling me to shut up? After all this time, who was right?" Gordon waited for a reply, and, upon not receiving one, he continued. "After everything, who was it who said getting captured by the demons was a bad idea?" Again Gordon was met with silence. "I don't think I should be the one shutting up. That is reserved for you. You lead us into this mess, so for once let me speak."

Dean slid across his cell to the far wall. He hoped beyond reason they wouldn't be there for too much longer for several reasons: there was no toilet, bed, or anything else in the cell, he didn't do so well staying in a single place for too long, the smell was horrible, and Gordon was bound to be spouting his 'I told you so' crap for the rest of their stay. Death would be preferable to this, although that was probably the point.

"The next time a demon walks in here, we'll need to be ready. You taunt the demon and have it come close you your cell, and when it gets close enough, shove it towards me. I'll grab the keys and we can get out of here." Gordon smiled. "You should have no trouble pissing a monster off. It's all you've done today."

"Sam, erm, I mean sir, you mustn't worry over this." Casey had watched Sam pace back and forth for the past two hours. It was not good for his health to replace sleep with worry, and Sam had already been up for about thirty-seven hours straight because of the fairytale hunt.

Sam stopped pacing and faced her. "Don't worry? Everything I've done has been to help the world out, yet not even my own brother can see that? I'm going to be hunted by every hunter out there, even the ones who used to know me. But, nah, don't worry. We can just throw them all in the dungeon, is that right?"

Casey frowned. "That is not what I meant. When we first met, I told you I wanted to see you succeed. I told you I believed in you. That hasn't changed. You chose not to kill them, and although I have no idea why you would choose to keep them alive, I know you had a good reason. If you're so worried about what your brother thinks of you, why don't you send for him and y'all talk it out?"

Sam mulled over what Casey said. She was right. What they needed was to sit down and talk about what had happened since this all started.

"Send someone to get my brother."

Sam sank down into his chair and sighed. He was not looking forward to this meeting, but it had to happen. Sam just hoped it would end better than their last conversation.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the dungeon. Dean and Gordon were on their feet in seconds. They shared a look, and then waited for the demon to come into view. They didn't have to wait long.

A woman with straight, long black hair walked into view. She had on a red sweater which accented her large chest and skinny jeans which did the same favor for her ass. Her brown cowboy boots made a sharp click as she walked. All in all, this demon was a babe.

She stopped outside Dean's cell. With a coy smile, she gave Dean the once-over. "I have to say, Dean, you are not a sight for sore eyes." She had a southern accent which made her all the more attractive, though Dean would never say it out loud.

"How's this fair? You know my name but I don't know yours?" Dean gave her a smile of his own. Maybe he could flirt his way out of here.

The demon waved her hand and Dean's cell door swung open. "I'm Casey. Come with me, sugar."

Dean could not believe his luck. This chick just gave him the opportunity to grab the keys and escape! Acting quickly, Dean lunged at Casey, only to be thrown against the wall.

"You know it's not nice to hit a lady." Casey shook her head. "Where are your manners?"

The invisible force holding Dean to the wall disappeared, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"C'mon, Dean. You've got a very important meeting to attend." Without another glance back, Casey sashayed down the hall, hips swaying back and forth.

Sam had a spare chair and a small table brought in, deciding sitting down would be better when he and Dean talked it out. Sam was sitting in his chair when the double doors opened and Casey walked in with Dean.

With a flourish of her hands, the chains unlocked from Dean's wrists and ankles. "Call me if you need me!" Casey called as she left the room.

Dean approached the table and sat down. Rubbing his wrists, Dean looked back at the closed doors. "You have a hot secretary."

A smile tugged at Sam's lips. Of course Dean's head would be in the gutter. When was it not?

"She's not my secretary, but she was a bartender when I found her." Sam watched as Dean thought that through. Hot girls and alcohol were his favorite things, besides pie, and it didn't take long for a lewd expression to cross his features.

Dean's face grew serious. "Sam, I know you didn't call me here to talk about banging your not-a-secretary."

Sam nodded. "I thought it'd be best if we talked about what has happened since Azazel, the yellow-eyed demon, came to me. At the ghost town, he came to me in my dream. The whole point of him bleeding into babies' mouths was to have them fight in the ghost town until only one was left standing. That person was to become the leader of the demon army. I was the last person standing."

Dean shook his head. "I already know this part. You told me while we were on our way to meet Bobby at his truck." Dean paused, remembering how he felt when Sam ditched him that day. "You didn't have to do what he said."

Sam smiled sadly. "He threatened to kill Ellen, Bobby, and you if I didn't leave you and head to the devil's gate. I had to go. The cost wasn't worth it."

"The cost? What about the cost of your humanity, Sam?"

Sam was taken aback. "Dean, you said so yourself when you first learned of the demon blood that if anyone could fight off the evil, it'd be me."

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "Sam, this is not fighting the evil. This is working hand-in-hand with the evil."

Sam tried to keep the hurt out of his voice. "Just let me finish explaining."

Dean waved him on, leaning back in his chair.

Sam continued. "So I met Azazel after I left you, and he said if I lead the demon army I could stop anything from hurting you. But if I didn't open the crypt, you would die. So I went to the crypt and opened it. You know what happened then. After Azazel teleported me away, we came here. I started to hone my powers. I thought if I got strong enough I could eventually kill Azazel. I was right, Dean. I killed Azazel with my powers."

Dean leaned forward, his voice full of pain. "Why didn't you leave after he was dead? Why not come back to me?"

Sam sighed. "It's not that simple. I can do a lot of good here. My first real hunt was the Seven Deadly Sins. Taking them out helped a lot of people."

"Yeah, and it also made you leave me again. I talked to Ruby earlier, and she said that's where you met her. You chose a demon over me, not only once, but twice." Dean crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"The two hunters you and Bobby were working with wanted me dead!" Sam tilted his head to the side. "When did you talk to Ruby?"

Dean shrugged "A couple days ago. She tried to get me to get to you, but me and Gordon trapped her and interrogated her, and then we sent her ass back to Hell."

Anger laced Sam's voice. "Why did you start working with him?"

"I had emptied all my reserves, Sam. He was the only one who could help me find you."

"He tried to kill me!"

"And I had him promise not to hurt you when we found you!"

"Oh, well that makes it all better! He promised not to hurt me! Take him on his word; he has no grudge against me at all! What the hell, Dean?!" Sam was working himself up again. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Sam lowered his voice. "Dean, I cut Ruby out of my life when I thought she was using me. It was my decision. I know working with demons seems bad, but I'm actually saving people and stopping deaths."

Dean wasn't trying to hide his anger. "You could do that with me! It's our freaking family business! Are you trying to say demons are your family now?"

Sam furrowed his brow. "No! Dean, I'm not saying that at all! Why won't you listen to me?"

"I am listening to you, Sam, and the more I listen, the more excuses I hear."

Sam had enough. "Damn it, Dean! Why won't you try to see this from my perspective for once? I've been worried about how you would react this whole time, but I told myself you would understand because I'm trying to better the world, putting someone else's needs before my own. I didn't realize you would be too thick-headed to listen to me!"

A silence fell upon the room. The brothers glared at each other.

Why is Sam being so difficult? He used to listen to me. I guess the demons are influencing him, now. Or is it his demonic powers talking?

"Get. Out." Sam growled. "If I ever see you again, I will treat you like every other monster I come across."

Dean was shocked. "Sam-"

"GO!" Sam yelled. With a snap of his fingers, Dean was teleported to the road outside the asylum.