Storm's Last Season

Chapter 16 ~ Dead Man's Blood

previously on BruisedBloodyBroken:

"Who says that I want YOU to come with me?" Alistair's features went sharp and calculating. "I can't recall, calling you one of my favorites, can I? - Tell me ... how did you survive? Why YOU? Nine I could've understood ... but YOU? Why the heck would god choose YOU? - YOU, that you're one of the worst of my children? The one I failed to raise as what you are supposed to be?"

Alistair truly seemed to believe what he was saying.

Dean watched the man's gaze flicker to the side where Sam stood. But he needed more ... He needed more time to distract that bastard, call for Sam and pull his knife.

Dean stole a glance at Sam – telling him without words what to do ...

"Because ... if you ... you leave him be ... I'd go with you. I'd do nothing to get away again. I promise." Sam said silently, his voice breaking. "I'd be all yours, father. As long as you want me."

That was the very moment.

Alistair turned his head slowly towards Sam, taking a look at his former child, trying to read him – to see if he was being honest.

"SAM!", Dean yelled. "RUN!"

NOW:

It was in that very moment, when Dean's and Sam's gazes locked for a split second. The very moment, in which they were communicating without actually talking.

Sam knew what the alpha was literally yelling at him. What he should do. Though, Sam seemed to choose just that moment to show his stubbornness ... He stayed – for a long moment he just stood there in the doorway, seeing Alistair ripping his attention back towards Dean, who was already about to get out of the chair via a side-roll, sliding his hand along the outer side of his lower leg.

"RUN, DAMN IT!", Dean yelled, sensing that Sam was still there, when he rolled onto the floor and pulled the knife in the very moment.

The omega's instincts kicked in, and despite the need to stay and try to fight on his alpha's side, Sam couldn't. He knew he couldn't. He'd be a liability, a weak spot. If Alistair'd get the drop on him, Dean'd be powerless – not able to do what he was about to do ...

Sam spun around and started off towards the open front-door, feeling the icy crystals of snow under his soles even before he was on the porch. The moment, he reached the steps onto the yard, he heard a shot and ducked instinctively.

All of a sudden, Sam was back in the woods, hunted, fleeing. He didn't feel the coldness against his soles, he didn't feel the cold snow soaking the legs of his pants. Sam just kept going, like a deer caught in a battue.

There was a shot, and for a moment Dean thought he had been hit. But the pain and burn of a wound anywhere on his body stayed out. There was just the immensely loud ringing in his ears that left him vulnerable for only a moment too long, hitting his balance off-guard.

For a very long second nothing happened, except his tries to focus back on the intruder, of throwing his knife.

But all he could to was watch how the bastard narrowed – as if in slow-motion – and kicked the knife out of his hands with a raged hiss.

Dean knew what would be coming ... he just couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe that his reflexes betrayed him.

Insanity won, when the hunter got hit by something sharp on the side of his head and everything morphed into darkness within seconds ...

Sam panted, the freezing air letting his lungs burn up cruelly. What had started off as a sprint became a marathon. Somehow he had no clue anymore where he was and in which direction he had to go to get to the garage. - That sure as hell would be, where Dean'd look for him.

That was the place where his alpha expected him to be, in case that something happened.

But the omega had no clue where he was, nor in which direction to go ... Hell, he couldn't see further than the next stack of crashed vehicles before him. Now that he thought about it, he should've checked his surroundings out more efficiently every time Dean had walked with him there ...

Sam's foot got caught in something and he stumbled forward, unable to catch himself and he landed face-down in the deep snow, all air knocked from his lungs.

At the third try he was able to suck in a breath, at the fifth try it didn't hurt that much anymore. So he fought himself back up on his feet, looking for the cause of his fall ...

And Sam wished he wouldn't have looked. There was a hand – an ice-blue hand with frozen blood on it. He sucked in a shocked breath, holding it. Frantically he looked around ...

So that was where the two officers had been – why they didn't come.

Sam looked back into the direction he thought he had come from, but unsure about it, since he wasn't even able to see his own tracks in the snow ... The omega cursed, tears glistening in his eyes. He had left Dean back at the house ... with Alistair. He had let his alpha down, hadn't he? He was supposed to stay with him – no matter what. And what had he done? He had RUN. Run from him and the threat that was threatening the hunter's life.

Sam choked out a sob, torn between trying to get back to the house and trying to aim for the damn garage. He shook his head, white flakes of snow catching in his hair and on his clothes. He started to shiver, the icy, sharp wind was ripping through his clothes and cutting into his skin.

He blinked his tears away and huffed out a breath, gathering himself. He was of no use like that for the hunter. He was no use to himself right then.

Sam would go back to Bobby's house. He'd stand his fight.

Confidence glistened in his darkened circles of hazel.

He swam somewhere in the darkness – and there was pain. Agonizing, throbbing pain.

He heard himself groan, feeling his own hand shift over a wooden surface towards where he thought his head had to be. There was something sticky and wet tingling on his head and in his hair ... something he didn't want to know what it was ...

Ever so slowly, he managed to blink his eyes open. First his vision was pretty blurry, but cleared within moments. He saw his own hand flat on the floor, he saw the open front-door from where he laid, wind blowing relentlessly snow inside ... Why was the door open?

The memories came crushing down on him in the very moment. "Sam", he choked out, tasting heavy iron against his tongue. He winced and squeezed his eyes shut. "Sam ..:", he muttered again.

The alpha groaned as he propped himself up on his hands and reached for the area on his temple where he felt the warmth of a liquid. Not surprisingly, his hand came away bloody ...

"Son of a bitch ...", Dean groaned and heaved himself up. When he stood, he looked around carefully, trying not to make any hasty movements to prevent getting dizzy and passing out again.

He searched with his looks for the knife ... it was gone.

The alpha then made his way swaying into the hall ... his baretta was gone too. Dean cursed again. He didn't know how long he had been laying there ... he just knew he had to get to the garage. Sam would be waiting for him there ... in his pyjamas ... with bare feet ... and Alistair was out there with him somewhere ...

Dean looked outside for a brief moment before he moved with a gruff expression on his face towards the clothes tree, from where he grabbed one of Sonny's jackets and slipped into his boots. He then hurried upstairs and got a knife and his second baretta, which matched the other one.

Back in the hall, he didn't hesitate to hurry outside, icy wind blew in his face, cutting into his exposed skin mercilessly. He grunted and paused shortly to look down at the porch.

The wind hadn't carried the footprints away yet ... there were two sets of them. What meant that he couldn't have been out longer than a couple of minutes.

Now he started to feel the cold. Underneath his feet, in his face ... Sam had lost track of how many times he had rounded which stack of cars and in which direction he was heading now. It was like the cold was freezing his brain, making him unable to think – not with all the tooth-chattering and shaking. And he was so tired ... so tired he didn't care if he'd freeze to death out here.

All of a sudden everything seemed relatively indifferent.

The omega knew that it was because of the cold ... He knew that he wouldn't feel that way if it wasn't for the fatigue getting its claws into him.

Then again ... he NEEDED to get back to the house. He NEEDED to know that Dean was okay. - And the others. Oh god ... Alistair had high likely attacked them, maybe even killed them ... all his fault by the way. Alistair had come for him and not for the others and now they were paying the price. He should've known that there was no escape – had never been.

If they'd be dead it was because of Sam.

He heard a creak and sensed movement to his left. He spun around, glaring in the direction, but couldn't see anything. Besides that, the wind was drawing away any scent from that direction. He wouldn't smell anything ... but – if there was someone – he'd smell the omega.

Sam didn't dare to call out for Dean. He didn't want to draw any attention towards himself – not if it was Alistair who was out there with him.

Dean sniffed and wiped over his forehead and eye, brushing away the half-dried half-frozen blood there. He had followed the tracks for a while now, but they got harder to read by every minute that was passing and soon he lost them.

Dean didn't dare to call out for Sam. - It'd raise Ledger's attention and wouldn't do any good anyway. Sam wouldn't even hear him out here – not with the wind ...

The hunter was about to turn around, when he sensed company. The wind was blowing in his direction, carrying the faint scent of an alpha towards him. In the very moment in which he wanted to turn around, he felt a glove-covered hand closing over his mouth. Then he felt himself drawn back against another human's form and pulled behind a stack of cars.

Dean hissed a curse, though it got muffled by the fabric over his lips.

"Silent.", a familiar voice whispered into his ear. "And don't stab me with ya damn knife, boy."

The alpha let go of the younger man and let him turn around.

He stood now face to face with Sonny, who had a bleeding gash on his cheekbone and a split lip – at least that was all he was able to make out in the dim light.

"The bastard got me behind the house.", Sonny explained embarrassed. "I brought Bobby into the shed and locked it. He was unconscious – probably a bad concussion. The Officers are dead. - Just came around when I saw you disappearing on the yard."

Dean gave him a short nod and pointed at the wound on temple. "I sent Sam out here ... Guess Ledger's after him ..." He sniffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm on my way to the garage ... Sam should wait there for me ..." Dean bit down on his lower lip, thinking. "If he found the way there ..."

Sonny knew what Dean was saying – If he would find a way through the blizzard. There was no way to make out marks in that weather ...

"Good. - Not a big thing. I know the yard like my pocket." Sonny rose an eyebrow. "We won't split up until I say so. - If Sam's out here and the bastard sure as hell's too, then we gotta hurry."

Dean swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"You can find him, Dean. - The both of you are connected, you just have to calm down. Look past your own agitation, try to sense him. He's your mate, your second half, you're gonna be drawn together." Sonny had locked his gaze with Dean's.

The younger alpha knew that there was no time for arguing about that. High likely Sonny was right, he always had been right – besides, the old man sure knew more about bonds than him.

Dean closed his eyes and despite the furious fear that was filling his mind and guts, he willed his heart to calm down. He willed his hunter-instincts to get in motion and focus.

After a couple of minutes his eyes snapped open. "Wow ...", he muttered surprised. His eyes flickered up to meet Sonny's. "I lead, you'll follow."

Sam hadn't known what had hit him – at first. He didn't know who it was, who had tackled him to the ground and buried his face in the snow. Just when someone wrapped his fingers brutally in his hair and his head got forced backwards and he saw a set of ice-blue eyes in the darkness of the night, he realized ...

"You can't run, son. - No one escapes ... EVER." Alistair chuckled slyly. "I was going to save you. I saved all of you unthankful brats." His expression turned serious. "I was giving you and your siblings paradise, and what did you make out of it? What did you turned it into?", he hissed into Sam's ear.

The omega gasped, when Alistair pulled him up to his feet. "And what do I get for it? - Betrayal, son. You betrayed me. You made the others betray me ..." He sighed, seemingly calming down. "I had to deliver my children from this poisoning place called earth. - And see what you done with it, son. You destroyed everything. - EVERYTHING I've been working so hard for."

"Betrayal?" Sam gripped the older man's wrist, trying to get him to let go. "You betrayed US. - You aren't even my father. Fathers don't do the things you did ..." He winced when Alistair tightened his grip in his hair and Sam squeezed his eyes shut. "You didn't deserve us. - None of us."

Alistair threw his knife aside and pulled a gun from the back of his jeans. He cocked it and set its barrel against Sam's temple. "I'm here to finish it, son. - I am honestly sorry that it had to go that far.", he whispered, nearly apologising. "I'll send you on your way to the glory lands ... sending you after your mate."

Sam closed his eyes, a single tear gathering in his left eye and rolling down over his cheek slowly. "You didn't.", his voice broke.

Ignoring Sam, Alistair continued. "And I will follow, make sure that I will join my children on the other side."

"There's no such thing for a bastard like you!", echoed Dean Winchester's voice through the stormy night's air. "There's no heaven and sure as hell no children you can go after, you pervert son of a bitch." The hunter had his weapon drawn and was pointing at the man just five yards away.

Blue eyes pierced through the flakes of snow, getting caught on the shadowy figure. "My child is going to die – that way or another. I am going to go with him this time and our family is going to be united again."

Dean shook his head. He had to come closer, get a better aim at the upright standing silhouette so he wouldn't hit Sam. He had to calculate, had to include the wind and how far his bullet would drift off before it'd hit its target.

"Don't think so, Ledger. - You ain't goin' anywhere like paradise. - There's a place in hell reserved for guys like you!" Dean couldn't hide the hiss in his voice.

Alistair chuckled and shook his head. "Even if I do ... there will be someone waiting for me – ready to send me back upstairs!"

"If you're talking about Alistair – the demon that possessed you ..." Dean put on a smug grin. "You gotta know ... he probably forgot you right after leaving you behind with the hunters."

"That ain't true!" Alistair yelled. "He loved me! He tought me!"

"He used you. Alistair's nothing more than a prospector, tainting souls – making you think it's right what you're doing ..." Dean took a step forward.

Alistair seemed to leave his confidence, shaking his head in denial.

"Isn't that what he did? Using you?" Another step forward. "The demon that possessed you left and didn't come back, did he?"

Ledger ripped the riffle away from Sam and pointed now at the hunter. "Shut the fuck up!"

"I will ... as soon as you let Sam go and deliver yourself to the police.", Dean said calmly. "I won't tell you, that Alistair had others like you already ... I won't tell you, that it was ME who sent that bastard back to hell where he can't teach psychos how to torture. I also won't tell you, that you are going to end up on a rag downstairs. That you're going to be tortured just the way you tortured your so-called kids.", he continued.

Ledger pulled Sam up to his feet and slipped the gun between himself and Sam.

Sam yelped when he felt the cool metal press into his back, right in between his lower ribs, at an angle that high likely would go through at least three organs if he shot now.

Dean cursed loudly in his mind. It was about time for Sonny to show the fuck up. - The guy didn't want to survive – hell he wanted to die. The only thing he wanted was to take Sam with him. And from where Dean stood he had no chance to stop him ...

The very next moment, Dean spotted a dark figure appearing on the other side of the alley, behind Ledger. His eyes flickered for a split second at the form, unable for Alistair to notice at that distance.

"Is that so?" Ledger sounded amused now. "Well then ... I guess we'll meet again, huh?"

The shape behind Ledger narrowed slowly.

"You and me ... murderers ... becoming demons after hundreds of years in hell to return one day and stand side by side ...", his voice trailed off. "Living for eternity ... I could have others then, couldn't I? Raise omegas – or teach others how to do so ... I could show YOU too ... I WILL." He grinned mischievously. "You're on hell's list, Winchester, you know? ... The same demon that told me where I'm going to find HIM.", he tugged on Sam's hair, making him wince.

Dean's face screwed up in disgust at the thought ... and a bit of surprise shone up in his eyes when he heard that he had demonic help with tracking Sam down.

Sam shifted a bit, his feet numb from the cold already, his knees shaking.

Dean's look flickered at the form that was now just a few yards away from Ledger anymore. He saw the form stop then and shifting slightly ... he was going to aim ...

"Well ... I guess we'll see." Dean cocked his head to the side. "This way or another I'm going to have a long life with my mate before anything of this MAY happens. I'm going to show Sam what he missed out, how beautiful life is when he's not tied to a psychopath."

A soft click was heard. A sound that gave away what was going to happen.

No one saw the flicker of white in Ledger's eyes. No one saw the sly grin forming on his lips. No one was able to SEE the determination in his ice-cold eyes when he glanced back over his shoulder for a moment.

He closed his eyes and lowered the gun he held, releasing the hammer slowly, so that the weapon wouldn't go off.

A look of confusion spread over Sam's face right then.

In the same moment as Sonny tightened his hold on the trigger, Alistair started to turn around with Sam in a vice grip.

Sonny couldn't stop himself from pulling the trigger. He hadn't wanted to ... but when he realized what was about to happen, his brain had already given the order to move his pointing-finger.

In the very moment the shot released from his gun, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the shape of the two men facing him completely.

The air caught in Dean's lungs and his eyes shot wide at what was about to happen – unable to do anything against it. His mouth dropped open and he wanted to yell, to scream, to cry murder, but no sound came out. Just a strangled gasp when he heard the bullet and a pained gasp from where the bullet had found its destination.

Dean's gun went off – as if by itself. A bullet hitting, what Sonny's had not.

There was an agonized cry and white smoke streaming into the air above their heads. White smoke, that gathered there like a cloud and stayed in its place for a few moments, before it disappeared somewhere into the night sky.

For a moment longer, Dean wasn't able to move. Nor was Sonny Gibbons. They just stood there, smoking guns in their hands and stared at the two still standing men between them.

Just when one of the shadows went down, Dean recalled how to use his legs. He first jogged, as if his feet were heavy and hard to use, but after a few steps he was running. He was racing and the closer he got, the clearer he saw that it wasn't Sam who was lying in a heap of dead flesh in the snow.

No. Sam was standing there – frozen. Not moving.

Oh god, please. Don't let him be hurt, don't let him be shot ... thought the hunter knew that the possibility that it wasn't like that was less to none.

Just when Dean's hands clutched at the omega's upper arms from behind, the tall man slumped back against him, suddenly going limp.

"Dean.", Sam gasped out.

There was a searing pain radiating from his somewhere of his ribcage. It felt hot and as if something was trying to burn him from his inside. He felt a warm liquid soak through the fabric of his shirt, warming his icy skin. He felt the warmth of his alpha's body, he smelled his alpha's scent and felt his presence. Sam could feel warm puffs of air against his neck and strong arms wrap around him, stopping his fall into the cold white snow ...

... to be continued

BACON & PEANUTBUTTER-CUPS?