FREEDOM AU Story Two: ....Will Set You Free.... 1/1
SUMMARY: Long-overdue talks and withdrawal mark a turning point in the brothers' relationship. Written for "cuddling" at my hc_bingo card.
Dean sat bolt upright when Sam and Loki appeared in the Winchesters' motel room. "....what the hell..."
Sam held up a hand. "He's on our side, Dean." He sat down beside Dean and curled his fingers around his wrist. "We've got a lot to tell you."
Dean studied his eyes, then nodded slowly. "I'm listening."
"First of all..." Sam took a deep, shaky breath. "I won't be sneaking off with Ruby any more."
"I've heard that before," Dean sighed.
"This time, you can believe it."
"Why?" Dean said, and the raggedness of his voice caused Sam's heart to plummet. At that moment, it became crystal clear how badly Sam had wounded his brother. "What's so different this time?"
"Well, for one," Sam smiled at him. "Ruby's dead."
Dean's head snapped up, startled jade eyes meeting Sam's. "She's...."
"I killed her." Sam took a deep, ragged breath. "Turns out you were right all along. She was using me to do her dirty work - and leaving you to deal with Hell alone. I'm sorry."
Dean's head dipped in a nod before he asked, "What - dirty work?"
Sam looked at Loki, who nodded in encouragement."Killing Lilith. Only hink is - Lilith is a Seal. Kill her - and Lucifer rises. The Apocalypse - the end of the world."
Dean's eyes went huge. They snapped to Loki, and narrowed. "No - Sammy, it's a trick, don't you see?"
Loki came over and sat on the bed facing Dean. "Not this time, buddy-boy. You're fun to mess with, but this time I'm deadly serious. What I did to you in Broward County, Sam, was before I realised exactly what was going on. Heaven and Hell were in on this together - to prematurely trigger the end. Heaven's part has been dealt with - now we just have Hell's to wrap up."
"How can we trust--"
"Because he's an angel, Dean," Sam interrupted. "He gave me a demonic truth serum to use on Ruby - and it all added up."
Loki nodded. "Come clean to him, Sam. Tell him everything so I can cleanse you and we can move forward."
Dean frowned at Sam. "Come clean? I already know about you using those powers - getting stronger in them...."
Sam's voice shook. "But you don't know what I did to get stronger. Why it was so important for me to see Ruby."
"Enlighten me." Dean's voice filled with ice.
Sam's filled with shame, and he suddenly couldn't meet his brother's eyes. "She... She hooked me on her blood."
"....what?" Dean gasped.
Sam nodded. "On... On drinking it like a common vampyre. It strengthened the demon blood already in my system.... what Azazel had put in me when he killed Mom."
Dean pulled his wrist free of Sam's grip. "You're a blood junkie?" At Sam's wince, he had confirmation. He spun to Loki. "The bitch is dead, right? She can't hook him any more?"
"Especially not after I cleanse his system," Loki said. "Of the addiction and the original taint."
Sam's head snapped up. "And the--"
"That's right," Loki smiled. "I can take away what marks you as what my kind calls 'abomination'. Hink is, I need your brother's consent as well as yours."
Dean kept looking at Loki. "And Lilith?"
"We'll stop her," Loki said. "But we have to deal with this first. And with Hell, so any ammunition she has against you will be null and void."
Dean nodded and stood up. "Do it." He looked at Sam. "I won't ask, because I already know the answer. It's Dad all over again." The pain in his voice cut Sam right to the soul. "I'm goin' for a walk."
"Dean-" Sam began.
"No." Dean dropped the Impala keys onto the dresser. "I won't leave the grounds. But I need space to calm down so I won't swing at you. Let me get my head round this. I'll be back."
Sam jumped as Dean slammed the door on his way out.
Loki caught up with Dean an hour later. He was sitting on the low retaining wall, looking up at the stars. To announce his presence, Loki snapped his fingers.
Dean startled, finding himself suddenly holding an ice-cold open beer. "I should stake you, you know."
"I know." Loki hopped up beside him. "It's done. His marrow is making one hundred percent Sam Winchester blood for the first time since he was six months old."
"His powers?"
"Still mildly telekinetic and mildly psychic. Always will be. But very controllable. Like your own powers."
"Buzz off. I don't have any powers."
"Oh, that's the way we're gonna play it? Fine. You've not got any powers." He sipped his own beer. "Must be nice in that cocoon of denial."
"What about that addiction?"
"Back to Sam - change the subject." He shook his head. "I've taken the worst of the withdrawal. He asked to feel a little - as a reminder never to do this stupidity again. So I let him. Just enough to feel shitty."
"Just desserts."
"My stock-in-trade." He looked steadily at Dean. "And yours, too."
Dean shuddered.
"Tell him. You'll be surprised how much he'll listen. How much he'll understand."
"You said... Heaven's part had been taken care of. Is that why we've not seen Cas in awhile?"
"You'll see him again." Loki smiled. "Eventually. He's got a lot to help put right." He stood, clapping him on the shoulder. "You'll see me a lot."
"That a promise or a threat?" Dean managed a small smile.
Loki laughed. "Yes." He snapped his fingers, and Dean was alone.
Dean drank the beer and watched the stars till it was gone. He returned to the room to find Sam shuddering on the bed.
Dean locked the door, threw the bottle in the trash, and toed off his boots. Shucking his jacket, he slid in beside Sam and wrapped himself around his shaking brother.
"Shh," he whispered, carding his hand through Sam's sweaty hair. "It'll be okay. It'll be over soon. I'm here. I ain't goin' anywhere."
Sam's eyes closed and he let out a single ragged sob as he relaxed into Dean's hold.
At that moment, he knew he had been forgiven.
END
Dean sat bolt upright when Sam and Loki appeared in the Winchesters' motel room. "....what the hell..."
Sam held up a hand. "He's on our side, Dean." He sat down beside Dean and curled his fingers around his wrist. "We've got a lot to tell you."
Dean studied his eyes, then nodded slowly. "I'm listening."
"First of all..." Sam took a deep, shaky breath. "I won't be sneaking off with Ruby any more."
"I've heard that before," Dean sighed.
"This time, you can believe it."
"Why?" Dean said, and the raggedness of his voice caused Sam's heart to plummet. At that moment, it became crystal clear how badly Sam had wounded his brother. "What's so different this time?"
"Well, for one," Sam smiled at him. "Ruby's dead."
Dean's head snapped up, startled jade eyes meeting Sam's. "She's...."
"I killed her." Sam took a deep, ragged breath. "Turns out you were right all along. She was using me to do her dirty work - and leaving you to deal with Hell alone. I'm sorry."
Dean's head dipped in a nod before he asked, "What - dirty work?"
Sam looked at Loki, who nodded in encouragement."Killing Lilith. Only hink is - Lilith is a Seal. Kill her - and Lucifer rises. The Apocalypse - the end of the world."
Dean's eyes went huge. They snapped to Loki, and narrowed. "No - Sammy, it's a trick, don't you see?"
Loki came over and sat on the bed facing Dean. "Not this time, buddy-boy. You're fun to mess with, but this time I'm deadly serious. What I did to you in Broward County, Sam, was before I realised exactly what was going on. Heaven and Hell were in on this together - to prematurely trigger the end. Heaven's part has been dealt with - now we just have Hell's to wrap up."
"How can we trust--"
"Because he's an angel, Dean," Sam interrupted. "He gave me a demonic truth serum to use on Ruby - and it all added up."
Loki nodded. "Come clean to him, Sam. Tell him everything so I can cleanse you and we can move forward."
Dean frowned at Sam. "Come clean? I already know about you using those powers - getting stronger in them...."
Sam's voice shook. "But you don't know what I did to get stronger. Why it was so important for me to see Ruby."
"Enlighten me." Dean's voice filled with ice.
Sam's filled with shame, and he suddenly couldn't meet his brother's eyes. "She... She hooked me on her blood."
"....what?" Dean gasped.
Sam nodded. "On... On drinking it like a common vampyre. It strengthened the demon blood already in my system.... what Azazel had put in me when he killed Mom."
Dean pulled his wrist free of Sam's grip. "You're a blood junkie?" At Sam's wince, he had confirmation. He spun to Loki. "The bitch is dead, right? She can't hook him any more?"
"Especially not after I cleanse his system," Loki said. "Of the addiction and the original taint."
Sam's head snapped up. "And the--"
"That's right," Loki smiled. "I can take away what marks you as what my kind calls 'abomination'. Hink is, I need your brother's consent as well as yours."
Dean kept looking at Loki. "And Lilith?"
"We'll stop her," Loki said. "But we have to deal with this first. And with Hell, so any ammunition she has against you will be null and void."
Dean nodded and stood up. "Do it." He looked at Sam. "I won't ask, because I already know the answer. It's Dad all over again." The pain in his voice cut Sam right to the soul. "I'm goin' for a walk."
"Dean-" Sam began.
"No." Dean dropped the Impala keys onto the dresser. "I won't leave the grounds. But I need space to calm down so I won't swing at you. Let me get my head round this. I'll be back."
Sam jumped as Dean slammed the door on his way out.
Loki caught up with Dean an hour later. He was sitting on the low retaining wall, looking up at the stars. To announce his presence, Loki snapped his fingers.
Dean startled, finding himself suddenly holding an ice-cold open beer. "I should stake you, you know."
"I know." Loki hopped up beside him. "It's done. His marrow is making one hundred percent Sam Winchester blood for the first time since he was six months old."
"His powers?"
"Still mildly telekinetic and mildly psychic. Always will be. But very controllable. Like your own powers."
"Buzz off. I don't have any powers."
"Oh, that's the way we're gonna play it? Fine. You've not got any powers." He sipped his own beer. "Must be nice in that cocoon of denial."
"What about that addiction?"
"Back to Sam - change the subject." He shook his head. "I've taken the worst of the withdrawal. He asked to feel a little - as a reminder never to do this stupidity again. So I let him. Just enough to feel shitty."
"Just desserts."
"My stock-in-trade." He looked steadily at Dean. "And yours, too."
Dean shuddered.
"Tell him. You'll be surprised how much he'll listen. How much he'll understand."
"You said... Heaven's part had been taken care of. Is that why we've not seen Cas in awhile?"
"You'll see him again." Loki smiled. "Eventually. He's got a lot to help put right." He stood, clapping him on the shoulder. "You'll see me a lot."
"That a promise or a threat?" Dean managed a small smile.
Loki laughed. "Yes." He snapped his fingers, and Dean was alone.
Dean drank the beer and watched the stars till it was gone. He returned to the room to find Sam shuddering on the bed.
Dean locked the door, threw the bottle in the trash, and toed off his boots. Shucking his jacket, he slid in beside Sam and wrapped himself around his shaking brother.
"Shh," he whispered, carding his hand through Sam's sweaty hair. "It'll be okay. It'll be over soon. I'm here. I ain't goin' anywhere."
Sam's eyes closed and he let out a single ragged sob as he relaxed into Dean's hold.
At that moment, he knew he had been forgiven.
END