Fic: Blaze Of Glory (9/?)
Title: Blaze of Glory
Authors: luscious_rebel & mpregloveranon
Pairing: Sam/Dean
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Mpreg, Character Death (no main characters), H/C
Disclaimer: We just own a kinky imagination. The characters belong to CW, Kripke and whoever else is rightfully making money with them. The title and lyrics belong to Bon Jovi.
Summary: Wild, wild West and we find Dean and Sam in the middle of it. Used to a peaceful living on their parents’ farm Dean’s and Sam’s normal lives change drastically, when they return from a day out in the fields to find their home lit up in flames. Having to leave the only home they ever knew behind, they start their journey across the country on the backs of their horses Impala and Ivory to meet up with their great-uncle. The journey is long and troublesome but both brothers have bigger worries to deal with when Sam discloses a secret.
The story’s inspired by an old prompt on the spnkink_meme that can be found here (big thanks to sexytexanjra, who found the prompt again for us).
Previous Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Another whole month passed without further incidents. The weather hadn’t been the best but, even if temperatures were slowly decreasing, there hadn’t been more storms at least. The boys had been making good progress, stopping once a week to do little jobs in change for food and maybe shelter for the night.
It was late September and Sam was carrying a sizeable pregnant belly around by then, making him get tired and sore more easily than before. Dean tried to take care of his brother, keeping an eye out for him and finding excuses to take breaks whenever he thought that Sam needed one and was too stubborn to admit it. They were still running against time, if they wanted to reach their uncle’s house before December so it came that they decided to shortcut through a river instead of riding alongside the stream until they reached a bridge.
As Ivory wasn’t the youngest horse and tired real easily after months of riding across the country and Dean wasn’t willing to risk anything happening to Sam, he had managed to talk his brother into crossing the river on Impala’s back with him.
The younger Winchester held onto Ivory’s reins to lead her next to them. “You sure that’s a good idea?” he asked again. He could see how the water was crawling up higher and higher around the bodies of their horses. Both brother’s legs had gotten wet and the water felt colder than during the last months they had used to bathe in it. Somehow Sam couldn’t get rid of the feeling that they rather should have taken more time by not passing the river.
“It’s fine, Sam,” Dean replied, steering Impala through the riverbank. “The water is still shallow enough for the horses to walk and we’re at least halfway across the river.” He explained calmly, holding onto Impala’s rein with both hands and pressing up against Sam’s back.
“Okay…” Like so often Sam trusted his big brother to handle the situation. He just made sure to lead Ivory on while they kept going. Slowly he started to feel cold because of the temperature of the water. His body started to tremble a little. Well, at least everything seemed to work out. When they were half way across the river he smiled a little in relief. “You’re doing good,” he addressed the horses.
Dean smiled at the way his brother was praising their horses. He felt connected to Impala as well, especially since they had started their journey, Sammy had always had a way with animals. Out of the blue, Impala faltered as the stallion’s front hooves slipped on the stony ground beneath the water. Dean’s breath hitched as he vehemently pulled on the rein to keep the nervous horse under control. “Easy, boy…” he commanded over the sound of the current that was pulling at the stallion’s legs. “Easy…” The black horse threatened to raise his front hooves twice but finally found its balance again. “Good, boy.”
“God…” Sam released the breath he had been holding. He felt how the baby kicked in protest of his nervousness and reached out to gently caress his belly. He had just started to relax again when suddenly Ivory’s hooves also slipped and a strong stream attacked the brothers and their horses. “Ivory!” The younger brother called out and tried to help her gain back her balance, but it seemed that it was to no avail. Since Impala also had problems to keep standing upright in the suddenly wild water his own balance wasn’t the best so how should he be able to steady the mare?
“Damn it!” Dean shouted out as he struggled to hold onto Impala’s rein. He could feel his own heart pounding in his ears as his breathing speed up with the rush of adrenaline. He could also tell that Sam was scared to death by the tense set of his shoulders and the way his knuckles were turning white as he desperately tried to hold onto Ivory’s rein. Impala tried to rear again and almost knocked the brother’s off his back but Dean pressed his thighs against the horse’s flanks and managed to stay on his back. “EASY!” he cried out to the panicked animal and prayed that they would actually reach the other bank that seemed only a few yards away.
“IV…” Sam tried to call out but his words were swallowed by the sudden rush of water, which splashed at riders and horses. The next thing Sam noticed was that his head was under water for what felt like forever to him. When he managed to come up and get a deep breath, the reins he had been holding onto were gone and no matter how quickly he blinked and looked around, he couldn’t see Ivory anymore. More water splashed into his face and it took a moment for his vision to clear again, before he spotted the mare’s head. She was sinking into the water, whickering in panic. “IVORY!” Sam’s body tensed in terror at watching her and he struggled to help her, but the mare was too far away from their little group by then.
The older Winchester emerged out of the freezing water and his first thought went out to Sam, who he thankfully found right within arm’s length, shouting his mare’s name. Dean grabbed onto his brother’s shirt and started dragging him backwards, closer to his own horse, which at last managed to get its hooves under itself and was moving towards the sandy riverbank. Ivory’s head was sinking under the surface with every new wave that came the mare’s way and Dean knew that it was a lost cause and that they couldn’t save Sam’s horse. “I’m sorry…” he murmured close to his brother’s ear and wrapped Impala’s rein around his wrist, afraid to lose his grip on the leather straps.
Sam didn’t even hear his brother’s voice. He just stared at the mare as her beautiful white body fought to survive. Deep inside he also knew she had no chance and he tried to struggle out of Dean’s arms, but his older brother’s grip was too strong and his body was too exhausted. Sam was still crying and calling out Ivory’s name while tears streamed down his face. His words got swallowed by his sobs and it wasn’t before Ivory’s head didn’t come up anymore, that his strength left him and he nearly collapsed against Dean’s body.
With his last strength Impala reached the other side of the river, dragging both boys out of the dangerous current and into safety. Dean fell into the wet sands and pulled Sam’s shaking body into a tight embrace as if he still couldn’t believe that they had indeed come out of the water unharmed. “Are you okay, Sam?” he asked in an unsteady voice, suddenly fearing that Sam might after all be hurt and he hadn’t noticed. His hands roamed over his brother’s back and down his arms to make sure he was okay.
The younger brother only nodded in return. He was still fighting for air and tried to control his breathing. However he couldn’t locate any pain other from the stinging cold. Closing his eyes he just remained lying on his back.
Feeling the cold seep into his bones, Dean realized that they had to get out of the wet clothes and get a fire going as soon as possible to get warm up before they caught pneumonia. All their things were soaking wet and they needed to dry them by the fire. He stood up, pulling Sam onto his feet with him. Still holding onto Impala’s rein, he moved them up the shore to get away from the water and when the ground looked reasonably dry again, he stopped. He pulled at his horse’s rein to force it to lie down. “Get out of your clothes. Then take off the saddle and bags and huddle up with the horse, while I get some wood to get a fire going, Sam,” he ordered in a calm voice that clearly showed that the point wasn’t up for discussion. “I’ll be right back with you.”
Still too shocked Sam only nodded. He slowly moved up to follow Dean’s instructions. His clothes soon were stripped off his body but it made Sam freeze even more. He tried to rub his arms warm before he moved closer to Impala. While he took the saddle off the horse he suddenly realized, that not only the mare but all the belongings it had carried were gone. The rest of their items were soaked and the dried provisions would be ruined. They once more had lost nearly everything they had.
It took Dean several minutes to gather enough wood for a fire and when he came back to Sam, he was shivering so hard that he nearly dropped everything. Ignoring the coldness, he piled up the twigs and branches and started rubbing one of the sticks between his palms, pressing the tips against another piece of wood. Their matches were wasted so he would have to make fire the old-fashioned way, like their dad had once shown him. A few minutes later there finally were a few small sparks and he started gently blowing at them, hoping he would get the fire started.
Sam prayed with him while he tried to keep Dean’s body warm by moving as close as possible. It wasn’t much help since his own body felt like ice. “Is it working, Dean?”
“Yeah, Sammy, it is,” Dean told his brother, even though he was still scared to death by the possibility that they might get hypothermia. Pushing those dark thoughts into the back of his mind, he snuggled closer to Sam and watched the slowly growing flames of their fire. “We just have to stay close together and we’ll warm up in no time, babe.”
“Dean… Do you…” Sam bit his bottom lip. He was afraid to voice his thoughts. ”Do you… Do you think the baby’s fine?”
Swallowing around the lump that was suddenly forming in his throat, Dean laid a cool hand on the equally chilled swollen mount on his brother’s midsection. “Did you bump your belly against anything or is it hurting?” he asked a calmly as he could muster.
“No. It’s fine. It’s just had been cold and…. I can’t feel the baby moving right now…” Sam’s voice sounded nervous.
The older Winchester simply refused to accept the possibility that their baby might be hurt in any way. “Remember what Dr. Carter told us? If something was wrong with the baby you would be experiencing severe pain in your belly. You’re just exhausted and cold and the baby is picking up on your discomfort, I guess…” he said, trying to sound convincing. To underline his next words he started to rub circles into the rounded belly, willing the clammy skin to warm up again. “We just have to get warm again.” Another thought came to his mind. “I can get some water boiling for a hot drink if you want.”
“No, it’s okay, Dean. Our herbs are soaked - just like the rest of our belongings. We also lost a lot of it together with….” The younger brother’s voice trailed off. He could still see the mare fighting to survive, when he closed his eyes.
“Alright then let’s just sit here for a while,” Dean suggested shifting Sam around so his brother’s back was leaning into Impala’s side and Dean was pressing into his side to keep both their core temperatures steady.
***
If Sam would have known that it needed them two more days to eventually arrive at a small town, he would have been even more scared. Dean had caught a serious cold thanks to their dangerous adventure and now it was him riding Impala, while he held Dean in his arms and supported him. Sam was worried about his brother’s condition, so he didn’t care about which door to knock on. He decided to try it at the very next house they passed. “Sssh… keep holding onto the rein, okay?” He spoke to his brother. “I’ll be right back,” Sam assured before he slowly got off Ivory’s back. His huge belly became a real burden when it came to things like that. Making sure Dean wouldn’t fall off the horse, he walked to the front door of the house and knocked.
“Dorothy, it’s okay, I’ll go to the door,” a voice from within the house could be heard and in the next instant the large, oak door was opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with raven dark hair, neatly tied into a bun. “What can I do for you?” she asked Sam politely and lifted a hand to her mouth when she saw his distended belly. “Dear God, you are…”
Sam needed a moment to understand what she was referring to and sighed. “Ma’am, please… I don’t mean to bother you, but… my brother… he’s sick and…” His voice trailed off. His own strength was visibly waning and now that he felt relief about at least having reached a small town sinking in, he felt how he became weaker.
The woman looked past Sam and her eyes fell upon Dean, who was half slumped against Impala’s neck by now. “Dear Lord,” she gasped one more time and turned halfway around. “Gabriel, I need some help here.” A young, broad-shouldered man came running from inside the house and looked at the woman for instructions. “Get that boy inside the house and then take care of the animal,” she pointed in Dean’s direction and the man did as he was told, hauling a barely conscious Dean out of the saddle and carrying him back into the mansion. “Come in, I’ll tell Dorothy to bring you something to eat and drink.”
Surprised about the sudden actions Sam followed the woman into the house. Dorothy and Gabriel huh? He supposed they worked for the lady he had talked to. Gabriel rushed into one of the guestrooms and put Dean down on a soft mattress. Sam could watch them and looked worried. What was he supposed to do now? He felt pretty left out but walked over to the bed to take Dean’s hand. “I’m here…” he whispered somewhat helpless.
Dean opened his tired eyelids for a moment and force himself to give Sam a weak smile before they droop closed again.
The lady had followed them into the guestroom and now stood in the doorway. “I will send Gabriel out for Doctor Stevens,” she told him with a kind expression on her face. “I totally forgot to introduce myself… My name is Emily McNeil. What can I call you?”
“Samuel Winchester,” the young boy replied truthfully. “We… we don’t own any money, Ma’am. If you’d just allow my brother to rest…” Sam bit his lower lip and looked at Dean’s pale cheeks. All he wanted was for Dean to get better. Tears started to run down his cheeks and he tightened his grip on Dean’s hand.
“No,” she moved closer to both boys and reached out a hand to touch Sam’s arm but halted, leaving her extended hand hanging in the air between them. “Please, don’t be upset. You can rest here as long as you need. I will make sure that Dorothy brings you dinner and maybe a hot soup for your brother. Gabriel should get back with the doctor soon.”
Sighing in relief Sam nodded and turned to face Mrs. McNeil. “Thank you. Thank you so much!” His eyes were still shedding tears but he tried to be brave and smiled at her.
“I’m glad I can help,” she replied and finally squeezed his shoulder encouragingly, like she had wanted to do when she had started talking to the boy. “I take it that you will prefer to stay with your brother rather than join me in the dining room for the evening meal, am I right?” she asked without sounding mad or disappointed.
“Yes… yes, please…” Sam nodded again and turned his attention back to Dean. He reached out to tenderly caress his brother’s hot cheek while he silently kept on crying. The loss of his beloved Mare and the fear about Dean had been a bit too much for him to take. The fact that he was hungry didn’t even register in the younger Winchester’s mind. His shoulders trembled with the effort of the tears he was crying. Dean looked so fragile…
Emily nodded back but didn’t argue, silently turning in order to leave the room. “If you need anything, just call. I’ll send Dr. Stevens straight to you, when he arrives.” With that said she gave Sam a last kind smile and left the boys alone.
“Dean…” Sam kept on caressing his beloved brother and lover until eventually the doctor arrived. That was the moment that Sam finally got up to provide enough space for the middle aged man to start his examinations. “How’s he doing?” The young boy asked before Dr. Stevens could even take the shirt of Dean’s weak body.
“He’s clearly running a high fever. I’ll have to take his temperature and check his lungs before I can say more about his condition,” the man explained, retrieving a stethoscope from his large leather bag and starting to move the pad over Dean’s slowly rising and falling chest. “This looks like a bad cold but he was lucky that it didn’t turn into pneumonia…”
“It didn’t? Oh God, thanks!” The younger Winchester was relieved to hear the news. He finally felt like he was allowed to become a bit more relaxed. How one had to treat a cold he knew thanks to their parents. Their parents… if only they could be with them… Sam sighed and took a deep breath. He would take care of Dean. He would make him feel better. He would be there when he woke up. He… Before Sam could even finish his thoughts, he felt how some weirdly warm feeling rose up inside of him. It started in his gut and went straight up to his head while his vision became blurry until it quickly faded and left nothing but blackness when his legs gave in and he blacked out on the doctor.
The physician sighed and called out for help, so that Gabriel came running into the room and helped to him to lay Sam on the bed next to his brother. Dr. Stevens made another quick examination and came to the conclusion that his young patient was only exhausted and would wake up in a couple of hours once his body had a chance to recover from the worry and strain.
***
Sam looked at his brother from across the table. “You should have stayed in bed,” he scolded him while rubbing the top of his belly. The baby had started moving again, which had been more than a little relief to the soon to be fathers. Still Sam was a bit mad at Dean for having gotten out of bed despite still being ill. Mrs. McNeil would join them for dinner every moment and the delicious smell of a freshly cooked meal lingered in the air. For the first time in days Sam looked a little better. He had gotten a neat hair cut and also had received clean and new clothes. The best about them was that finally the fabric of his own clothes didn’t feel like tearing thanks to his belly. It was a pleasure to also see Dean wearing brand new clothes and the short bath he had gotten before they had moved to sit in the dining room, made him look a bit better despite his condition. Sam enjoyed to see him like that.
“I’m fine and I was getting bored from lying in bed all day,” Dean shot back, rolling his eyes in annoyance. He was indeed feeling a lot better than when they had reached town but he was still a bit unsteady on his legs if he had to walk more than a few steps. Nonetheless he had been up and about as soon as the fever had started dropping and he didn’t have blurry vision any longer. “I’m also starving and I’m, getting the idea that people on bed rest only ever get soup in this house,” he whispered to his brother because they were still alone at the table.
“Dean!” Sam frowned. “Would you please behave?!” He kept on scolding his older brother, but tried to keep his voice low as he spoke. “Mrs. McNeil has been kind enough to take us in! She provided a place to sleep and food to us and… Dean, she even bought new clothes for us and allowed us to use her bathroom and all… So would you stop complaining about the soup?! It’s been chicken soup. Chicken soup’s supposed to help you feel better! Dean, this woman let one of her chickens get killed for your soup!”
Mrs. McNeil walked into the room, wearing a dark blue, velvet dress. She bowed her head at both her guests and took her seat at the head of the table. “I’m glad to see you’re getting your strength back, Dean,” she commented with a genuine smile on her delicate features. “Sam has been sick with worry for you, as far as I can tell.” She grabbed her napkin, unfolded it and laid in on her lap. “Dorothy, please serve dinner now.”
“Of course, Ma’am,” the maid quickly replied and started to follow the order. She served delicious looking pork and potatoes, accompanied by fresh vegetables. Sam’s eyes grew bigger at the sight of their meal. This would be really, really good. Still he tried to stick to his manners and turned to face Mrs. McNeil. “You’re looking very good today,” he commented on her clothes and let his foot poke Dean’s leg to make sure his older brother would behave and be nice.
Dean scowled at the kick he had received and turned toward their host with a polite smile. “Well, I’m not half the charmer that Sammy is, but I have to admit that you indeed look stunning tonight,” he said and watched the maid serve the food. Everything looked delicious and he couldn’t wait to taste the rosy meat and the vegetables.
“Enough of that, boys. You don’t have to flatter me. I let you stay because you need help. There’s no need to sweet talk me.”
Sam’s jaw nearly dropped at Mrs. McNeil’s words, but before he could lose his composure the baby kicked him kind of harsh and he moaned a little.
“You okay, Sammy?” Dean almost knocked his chair over as he reflexively jumped to his feet to get to his brother’s side but he suddenly felt dizzy and had to grab onto the table to steady himself.
Sam watched him. “Yes, I’m fine, Dean. Sit down. It’s just been the baby kicking.”
That calmed the older brother down and he sat back down, relieved that everything was alright and that he didn’t have to stay standing much longer, as his knees were feeling a bit wobbly already. Maybe Sam was right and Dean should actually have stayed in bed. “Good…” he mumbled for lack of anything else to say and focused on the food on his plate.
Mrs. McNeil looked at Dean. “You’re still weak. Once dinner’s over you should lie down again. Furthermore you should not worry so much. It’s pretty normal for babies to kick inside their mother’s… well… father’s… belly. Samuel’s been carrying the child for almost seven months, which means the baby is growing and getting stronger.”
The older Winchester suddenly looked pensive. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve been wondering why you have taken us in without asking any questions…” Dean started speaking aware of the disbelieving looks his brother way shooting him. “We’ve been kicked out of towns just because Sam is pregnant and you don’t even ask who exactly we are or what we were doing to fall on your doorstep.”
Mrs. McNeil had a sip of her water before she put her glass down and looked at the older Winchester. “Do you really need an answer for this? You are here and I’m helping you. I don’t ask questions, which should be even more comfortable for you if I’m not mistaken.” She seemed to ponder for a moment before she decided to really answer Dean’s questions. “I know how it feels to be pregnant. You boys turned up on my doorstep being pretty sick and exhausted. Apparently there is nothing, you can do to ease your situation and to me it looks like the baby will be coming soon. I have to admit that it’s not only that, but… Samuel reminds me of my own son…”
“He does?” Dean asked with a raise eyebrow. “How so?” As usual he didn’t know when to shut up and just kept asking more questions instead of being thankful for the woman’s hospitality and behaving polite toward her.
“Dean!” Sam scolded him and shot him a look, but Mrs. McNeil chuckled.
“He just reminds me of him. The pretty brown eyes, the jawbone, his dark hair…” Adding to that her son also had been pregnant when her husband sent him away. She sighed at the memory and Sam felt uncomfortable. It seemed like Dean’s question had made her feel upset.
Noticing the change of mood in the room, Dean looked down at his food guilty and stabbed a potato onto his fork, fixing his gaze on it as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.
They ate the rest of their meal in silence before Dorothy walked into the room to clean the table. While she did Mrs. McNeil leaned back. “You seriously should consider staying until the baby will be here,” she spoke up and Sam raised his eyebrows at her words.
Dean finally lifted his gaze from the table, still chewing on the last forkful of meat, and watched Sam inquiringly. He agreed with Mrs. McNeil but in the end it was Sam’s decision to make. He was the one carrying their baby, so he should decide if he wanted to stay until the birth or if he would rather take the chance and try to get to their uncle to deliver there.
“I don’t know…” the younger boy hesitatingly spoke up. “It’s a generous offer and I’m really happy about it, but…”
“I would really like to keep you here for longer. The house is big enough and while my husband is away on business, it just feels so empty. Richard just left a few days ago and he will be gone for several months. He’s a business man and travels all over the country, so he is barely at home. I would like to have you here to keep me company.” Emily assured the boys one more time, watching them expectantly.
“That’s really kind of you, Mrs. McNeil. It’s just that Dean and I planned on arriving at our uncle’s place before… You know? It’s not like we’d be easy guests. I mean with the baby and all…” Sam sighed and leaned back. He couldn’t deny that he liked the possibility of having a safe place to stay. Travelling had cost him a lot of energies during the last weeks and the prospect of sleeping in a big, comfortable bed was more than he wished for.
Emily reached out a hand to place it on Sam’s arm. “I don’t want to talk you into doing something you don’t want. I just want to give you the choice. Here you could have your baby in safety. Dr. Stevens would help you with the delivery and you could stay here until you and the child would be fit to travel. You could still meet up with your uncle later… But the choice is yours to take and you don’t have to decide right away either. Take your time to think about it. Both of you boys.” She let her gaze drift from Sam to his older brother.
“Thank you, Ma’am.” Dean replied sincerely, already pretty sure that he and Sam would spend the night awake, trying to come to a decision.
“Yes, thank you, Mrs. McNeil.” Sam also stuck to his manners. He looked like he already was lost in his very own thoughts again, while Mrs. McNeil still watched the boys and tried to study their faces.
“We will think about it, Ma’am,” the older brother added and laid his silverware onto his empty plate.
“Just remember to let me know how you’ll decide. But you should keep in mind that travelling on horseback is a risk for the pregnancy.” Mrs. McNeil looked serious and nodded at the boys. “I’ll leave you two alone to take now. If you’d please excuse me…”
Both young men nodded and stood up from the table to go to their room.
Chapter 10