Mini-Nano: Dark Side of the Moon (26)
The Dark Side of the Moon
(801 words)
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26
Bobby thinks he's gone insane. Sam thinks that considering the skull-hammering headache he's nursing and the severe emotional trauma of the last few weeks, there's a very good chance Bobby's right. But Sam's not insane about this. Not this.
This is going to save Dean.
"Let's not go off half-cocked about this, Sam," Bobby's saying, trailing after him as Sam marches towards Dean. "You're talking about setting your brother on fire."
Sam ignores him and drops to a crouch in front of Dean. In the shadow cast by the Impala, the film over Dean's eyes gives him a corpse's gaze: blank and glassy. There's a cheap, plastic cigarette lighter wrapped in Sam's palm, turning sweaty in his grip. He stares at it for a second, worrying his lower lip.
"You can't go rushing into things because you think you've found an answer," Bobby says. There's the definite note of a plea in his tone. Sam wishes he could make him understand but he can't take the time, can't take the energy. Everything needs to go towards fixing Dean.
"It's not 'an' answer, it's the answer," Sam tells him calmly.
A flame sparks up from the lighter, wavering with Sam's unsteady breath. When Sam holds it out towards him, not even close enough to be warm on the skin but a naked flame nonetheless, Dean makes a soft, distressed noise and turns his face away from it. It's not pain, just discomfort - the same kind of response to a fly buzzing about. It's enough for Sam. He glances over his shoulder at Bobby, expecting to see his certainty mirrored.
"You're talking about setting your brother on fire," Bobby says again, slower and grimmer.
Sam gets to his feet and feels a short, gleeful breath slip free, not a laugh but not far from it either. Dean's broken but Sam knows how to fix him. He can do it. The rush of exultation makes him light-headed and he starts making plans. For how to do this and for how to make it all up to Dean afterwards, how to be a better brother.
"I'm right about this, Bobby, I know I am. I dunno, maybe it's a psychic thing, maybe it's gnosis. But I'm right about this."
He glances about, surveying the land about the cabin. He needs somewhere out of sight of the road. Somewhere with space. He doesn't want to accidentally end up starting a forest fire. And isn't there a little fire extinguisher in the Impala somewhere? Preparing for every eventuality is something that's been hammered into both of them since they were kids and there are too many things that need to be taken out with fire for there not to be an extinguisher somewhere in the supplies.
"I'm starting to think maybe you need to take a step back from this, Sam," Bobby says. "I don't like where your head's at."
Sam nods distantly but he's already thinking about the hardest part of this: Dean. Dean's got a talent for arson, gets the awestruck, wicked look of a six-year old when he gets to set shit on fire, but that doesn't mean he's going to be happy about getting up close and personal with fire himself, not with the curse on him. And not after Mary. Sam's not sure how deep that particular aspect of the trauma runs but he knows Dean remembers the feel of the fire.
He's going to need to subdue Dean somehow because right now, there's no way he can explain to Dean that he needs to trust him on this.
Bobby's hand slams down on him, catching him by the elbow and spinning him about.
"Sam, c'mon, please. Can we… can we talk about this?"
Bobby looks freaked and Sam tries to stay patient, giving Bobby a smile.
"Of course we can. But can we talk while we're building the stake?"
"No, Sam. No. We're not building a goddamn stake until we've talked about this."
And that's right when Sam's patience runs out. Runs clean out and he has no more to give to Bobby because Bobby has stopped being a help and is seriously hindering Sam's efforts to bring his brother back to him. It is not a good idea to stand between a Winchester and his brother and Sam is one second away from showing Bobby why not.
"I don't have anything else to say to you about this. I'll give you 'til sundown. Call whoever you want. Everyone you know. Bring me another answer and then we'll talk."
People said John Winchester was crazy. Sam said it himself on more than one occasion. Of course, that didn't mean that John couldn't be a crazy, stubborn bastard and right. Sam's never felt more like his father ever before in his life.
(801 words)
1: 2:3: 4:5:6:7:8:9:10:11:12:13:14:15:16:17:18:19:20:21:22:23: 24:25:26:27:28:29:30
26
Bobby thinks he's gone insane. Sam thinks that considering the skull-hammering headache he's nursing and the severe emotional trauma of the last few weeks, there's a very good chance Bobby's right. But Sam's not insane about this. Not this.
This is going to save Dean.
"Let's not go off half-cocked about this, Sam," Bobby's saying, trailing after him as Sam marches towards Dean. "You're talking about setting your brother on fire."
Sam ignores him and drops to a crouch in front of Dean. In the shadow cast by the Impala, the film over Dean's eyes gives him a corpse's gaze: blank and glassy. There's a cheap, plastic cigarette lighter wrapped in Sam's palm, turning sweaty in his grip. He stares at it for a second, worrying his lower lip.
"You can't go rushing into things because you think you've found an answer," Bobby says. There's the definite note of a plea in his tone. Sam wishes he could make him understand but he can't take the time, can't take the energy. Everything needs to go towards fixing Dean.
"It's not 'an' answer, it's the answer," Sam tells him calmly.
A flame sparks up from the lighter, wavering with Sam's unsteady breath. When Sam holds it out towards him, not even close enough to be warm on the skin but a naked flame nonetheless, Dean makes a soft, distressed noise and turns his face away from it. It's not pain, just discomfort - the same kind of response to a fly buzzing about. It's enough for Sam. He glances over his shoulder at Bobby, expecting to see his certainty mirrored.
"You're talking about setting your brother on fire," Bobby says again, slower and grimmer.
Sam gets to his feet and feels a short, gleeful breath slip free, not a laugh but not far from it either. Dean's broken but Sam knows how to fix him. He can do it. The rush of exultation makes him light-headed and he starts making plans. For how to do this and for how to make it all up to Dean afterwards, how to be a better brother.
"I'm right about this, Bobby, I know I am. I dunno, maybe it's a psychic thing, maybe it's gnosis. But I'm right about this."
He glances about, surveying the land about the cabin. He needs somewhere out of sight of the road. Somewhere with space. He doesn't want to accidentally end up starting a forest fire. And isn't there a little fire extinguisher in the Impala somewhere? Preparing for every eventuality is something that's been hammered into both of them since they were kids and there are too many things that need to be taken out with fire for there not to be an extinguisher somewhere in the supplies.
"I'm starting to think maybe you need to take a step back from this, Sam," Bobby says. "I don't like where your head's at."
Sam nods distantly but he's already thinking about the hardest part of this: Dean. Dean's got a talent for arson, gets the awestruck, wicked look of a six-year old when he gets to set shit on fire, but that doesn't mean he's going to be happy about getting up close and personal with fire himself, not with the curse on him. And not after Mary. Sam's not sure how deep that particular aspect of the trauma runs but he knows Dean remembers the feel of the fire.
He's going to need to subdue Dean somehow because right now, there's no way he can explain to Dean that he needs to trust him on this.
Bobby's hand slams down on him, catching him by the elbow and spinning him about.
"Sam, c'mon, please. Can we… can we talk about this?"
Bobby looks freaked and Sam tries to stay patient, giving Bobby a smile.
"Of course we can. But can we talk while we're building the stake?"
"No, Sam. No. We're not building a goddamn stake until we've talked about this."
And that's right when Sam's patience runs out. Runs clean out and he has no more to give to Bobby because Bobby has stopped being a help and is seriously hindering Sam's efforts to bring his brother back to him. It is not a good idea to stand between a Winchester and his brother and Sam is one second away from showing Bobby why not.
"I don't have anything else to say to you about this. I'll give you 'til sundown. Call whoever you want. Everyone you know. Bring me another answer and then we'll talk."
People said John Winchester was crazy. Sam said it himself on more than one occasion. Of course, that didn't mean that John couldn't be a crazy, stubborn bastard and right. Sam's never felt more like his father ever before in his life.