Wisdom Reigns … Denial Remains

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the CW or the producers, cast and crew of Supernatural nor do any monies pass hands. I do however love to play with two certain brothers and return them in relatively good health.

Author's Note 1: Warning! This fic will contain very dark themes and violence, if it offends then don't read. Dean is 27 and Sam is 23 this story is set around season 2 but probably will not follow canon to the letter, so can be classed as AU if you like.

Author's Note 2: Anon reviewer Normally I don't respond to reviews in the body of my story but unfortunately there is no other way to with anonymous reviewers. I know that not everyone likes my stories it would be extremely narcissistic of me to think otherwise. I can accept a well rounded critic of the story as they often help build style and voice but to be told that the story is crap and that it is not worth the reviews already received is not constructive or review worthy it is nasty and serves no purpose but to try and make the person hiding behind their anonymous status feel important for a few seconds. Even to the point of defending their use of the anonymous reviewer status. Why read seven chapters and then send such a review? Whatever, you are entitled to your view, just next time keep it to yourself. The old cliché stands true here, if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all. Constructive critiques are always welcome, deconstructive and disrespectful comments are not and will be treated with the disdain they deserve.

S—D

What happens when the brother you can see is not the brother you know?

S—D

Chapter 8: I'll do anything for love … but I won't do that!

Then:

'Sam!' Dean cried out his voice thick with unshed tears, as he watched his brother's eyes close and his body go rigid once again, 'fucking cocoon, aint no moth getting you Sam, not gonna happen not on my watch!'

'Dean … Dean is he…?'

'He's still breathing but it's like that cocoon is back,' Dean turned to look at Caleb his face set and emotionless, another wall firmly in place, 'tell me that you've got the stuff for the potion Cal.'

'All here ready to mix,' Caleb said steeling his own emotions, 'thought we might fill a few hollow points with it too just for good measure.'

'What about the demon riding Bobby?'

'Got the traps ready and an exorcism ready to go,' Caleb said with a small grim smile, 'we're gonna get Bobby back and save Sam you know that don't you Dean.'

Now:

Dawn broke over the abandoned camp bathing everything in gold and red hues; a warm breeze moved around the buildings and the sounds of the early morning bird calls gave a reassuring feel to the morning. The dangers of the night before seemed to lessen slightly in the first rays of daylight.

Caleb had the fire flaring again and had started a small breakfast, with very few fresh rations they had enough to see them through the day and that was it. With everything else they had to worry about, food was a low ranking necessity but one just the same. They had to eat to keep up their strength and their energy levels. The can of beans bubbled away nicely and the last pieces of stale bread still toasted up nicely so for now breakfast was a goer; including a cup of coffee, although it was sachets of instant and not brewed. The coffee was strong and hot and that was the main thing.

Dean took time to mash some beans and bread together into a thick paste and then thinned it down with some cold water until he was satisfied that Sam could swallow the food without choking on anything. Once they had finished their breakfasts Dean and Caleb set up everything so Dean could help Sam with some food and Caleb moved into the lookout position.

Dean pulled Sam up until he was lying on his side and resting against his chest; with one arm wrapped around his sibling's shoulders Dean prepared to handfeed Sam. He couldn't help but remember when Sam was only a baby and he was the only one who could get the fussy tyke to eat. 'Come on Sammy see if you can handle some of these yummy beans, mmm yum.' He ran a finger down Sam's throat to try and trigger a swallowing response as he spooned a small amount of the mash into Sam's now open mouth. After two aborted attempts he finally had Sam swallowing on an auto-response but at least he was managing to swallow the nutritious food.

Dean had to smile to himself when Sam clamped his jaws shut indicating that he had had enough, nearly three-quarters of the mashed beans and bread were gone, 'atta boy Sammy,' he encouraged his brother as he lifted the water bottle to Sam's lips and poured a slow trickle between them.

Once Sam had finished his breakfast, Dean lingered a moment longer cradling his brother in a hug while he mulled over another problem. 'So how are we gonna do this Sammy?' he sighed as he looked down at his brother, 'you with me Sam?'

'De-Dean?' Sam managed to get out although if Dean hadn't been listening and watching he would have missed Sam's attempt at speaking.

'You with me dude?'

Unable to answer him Sam blinked tiredly and seemed to watch his brother's face with his milky white eyes. A shaky finger managed to snag a tiny piece of Dean's shirt and that minute movement brought tears cascading down the older brother's shirt. 'We need to get you up and hopefully well I'm sure that you need to pee kiddo, especially seeing you actually had something to eat and kept it down.' Looking down at his brother Dean had to grin in shock when he saw a feint blush appear on Sam's cheeks. 'Dude you're blushing!' He felt like whooping in excitement, the small blush and tracking with his eyes meant that Sam was still in there. 'Okay we need a bottle or something for ya, coz dude you're my brother and I love ya but there is no way knowing that I'm gonna hold it for ya.'

A choked giggle was Dean's reward and for the first time in a long time he felt like they were going to get through this. 'So hang tight here for me Sammy and I'll be right back,' Dean eased his brother down onto the mattress and went in search of a bottle preferably with a wide mouth and clean.

After rummaging around in the back of the impala, Dean found the perfect bottle actually he had forgotten they had had it in the car. After one of their many visits to the hospital for some injury or other their dad had decided to relieve the hospital of a couple of their urinary bottles with three men who sometimes have debilitating injuries they would come in very handy.

'Thanks dad.' He muttered finding the bottle and hurrying back to Sam.

S—D

Caleb kept a respectful distance while Dean tended to his brother's bodily needs and was once again blown away by the tenderness and ease his young friend showed in caring for his sibling. 'You'd make a great dad kiddo,' he muttered as he once again let his gaze roam over their surroundings. A movement in the distance caught Caleb's attention and with a last glance at the brothers he went to investigate.

S—D

After he had Sam settled again Dean finally sat back and relaxed for a moment, he closed his eyes for just a moment he was sure it was just for a second maybe two when he was woken by garbled call of his name.

Snapping his eyes open Dean jumped up and hurried straight to Sam, paling when he saw the rigidness to the long limbs and the wide unblinking eyes, 'dammit Sam no … no!' He dropped to his knees and tried to work out what had gone so wrong so quickly.

'Dean no please don't!' Sam yelled silently as he lunged against the bars of the cage trying to reach his brother before it was too late. He could see Caleb still hanging where he had been crucified on a tree in the middle of the common. Bobby stood next to the throne or whatever it was of the Gorathic Moth, blank eyed and slack jawed, he showed no recognition of any of them. Dean was standing at the start of what appeared to be a very crude version of the ancient gauntlet. Wearing only a pair of jeans, Dean was barefoot and unarmed, long welts down his back and arms showing that he had already been tortured.

Enraged Sam slammed himself against the bars of the cage until he felt bones snap but he couldn't stop, he had to warn Dean it was a trap, it was all a trap.

'Use your gifts Sam, turn on and come to me.' The voice hissed in his ears, dizzy he staggered slightly but kept his futile attempt to break out of the cage. 'Use your gifts Sam!'

His anger fuelled by his fear and hatred of their tormentors Sam concentrated on the bars and smiled coldly as they finally snapped and he was able to step through finally free.

Sam gasped in air as his eyes snapped open and a roar of pent up anger and fear erupted from deep within him.

'Sam?' Dean gasped as he watched his brother come out of whatever was happening to him, 'Sam dude you okay?'

'D-Dean?' Sam croaked the tip of his tongue flicking out to moisten his dry lips, 'where's Cal?'

'What is it Sam? Dude you scarin' me here.'

'I-I had a vision I think,' Sam frowned and lifted a trembling hand to his temple, 'I – I don't feel it in here anymore.'

'Owkay random and totally weird but workable, can you move?'

Sam blinked again and concentrated on moving his stiff limbs, he tried his other arm but found that he could only move his fingers slightly, his legs moved a little freer than his arms but felt heavy and sluggish.

'What about your eyes, can you see Sam?' Dean asked as he put his fingers under Sam's chin and made him lift his face up. 'The white's gone …'

'I can make out things but …' Sam sighed as he lowered his face and turned away slightly from his brother's scrutiny, 'it's not much better.'

'Might just take some time kiddo,' Dean said trying to sound upbeat, 'you're awake and moving dude and at the moment I consider that a win.'

'Yeah it's so bizarre one minute I feel like I'm getting buried alive and can't do anything about it and now I feel like … shit.'

'Yeah well I hate to say it but that's what ya look like too Sammy.' Dean clapped Sam on the shoulder and helped ease his brother into a sitting position; he handed a bottle of water to Sam and watched him closely as he drank. 'This is strange Sam I'm not saying it's a bad thing having ya back and all but …'

'Yeah I know Dean.'

'What else did you see in your vision?'

'Caleb? Where is he Dean?' Sam asked urgently as he choked on some water.

'Hey easy there kiddo, he's outside on lookout why?'

'I – I saw him they…'

'They what Sam?'

'They crucified him. On a – on a tree Bobby was standing next to that Moth and he had no idea who we were, I was in a cage and …' Sam stumbled over the words as he tried to get it all out without losing his tenuous grip on his own sanity.

'Okay Sam slow down and take a deep breath, now what else?'

'They were going to make you run a gauntlet and I couldn't get to you, I couldn't stop it you couldn't even hear me.' Sam lifted his face and squinted until he could make out Dean's features, it wasn't perfect but he was going to get anything he could out of all of this. 'Then I heard this voice telling me to use my powers to give in to them.'

'Sam?'

'I tried to refuse but it kept at me and then I saw what they were doing to you in the gauntlet and I could see Caleb and … and I did it Dean I broke the bars on the cage and stepped out … I gave in Dean … I gave in …'

'Hey, hey Sam, Sam look at me … here look at me,' Dean put his hands on Sam's shoulders and squeezed gently, 'we can work out the rest as it happens. IF it happens!'

'Dean…'

'Nah Sam we'll deal with it all when we need too but for now, now we're gonna get Caleb in here and regroup.' Dean said as he got up, he turned and went to leave to find Caleb when he suddenly turned back and grinned down at his brother, 'it's good to have ya back Sam.'

'I haven't been anywhere Dean,' Sam said with a roll of his eyes, that simple action had Dean laughing out loud, 'what? What Dean?'

'Ah Sammy it's so good to see you do that again, even if your eyes are unfocused and you're more weird looking than normal!'

'Fun-funny Dean.' Sam said wincing as pain spiked through his head, 'ahh that's ow!'

'Sam?' Dean hurried back to his brother and crouched down in front of him, 'you okay dude?'

'Yeah, yeah I'm fine just argh headache,' Sam managed a small smile, 'probably overdoing it a bit.'

'Okay you get some shut eye and I'll go and get Caleb.' Dean waited until Sam laid back down and shut his eyes, 'rest easy bro.'

S—D

The demon smiled and rubbed its hands together, things were coming together better than it had ever imagined. It had both of the Winchesters dancing like puppets on strings, control of a hunter and soon will have another one under its influence. The only obstacle he had now was that pesky moth. It had thought it had all the bases covered with that thing but it's becoming more of a nuisance than the demon ever wanted or needed.

S—D

Dean swore repeatedly when he realised that Caleb was gone; the only sign of his disappearance was the signs of a scuffle in the dirt that and a few drops of blood. He stared around the buildings and shadows searching for any signs of danger before he made a mad dash to Sam, the need to get back to his brother far outweighed any need for his own safety.

'Well, well Dean we got some talking to do,' Bobby drawled as he appeared directly in front of Dean. 'Now don't go frettin' for yer friend or brother they're well taken care of…' as he spoke Bobby pulled out his gun and levelled it at Dean's chest. 'Now we can do this the hard way or …'

TBC