10x00 - Brothers of the Road - Part Three: Deuces are Wild
Title: Deuces are Wild, Part Three of Brothers of the Road
Author: dracox-serdriel
Artist: wifihunters
Acknowledgements: Thanks to my beta readers, septembers_coda and novakev
Status: Completed as part of sastiel-bigbang 2013
Sam didn't sleep that night.
He started a spread of every old case the Winchesters had looked into, working almost entirely from memory. He scribbled down names of the culprits, the victims, the survivors, and anyone hurt in the crossfire. By the end of the night, he had scraped together hundreds of cases, going back to the White Woman they put to rest right before Jess died.
Unfortunately, Sam and Dean had hunted since childhood, and Dean didn't take four years off for college like Sam. Any of Dean's cases from that period of time could be coming back to bite him now, but Dean didn't keep a hunter's journal, just a smattering of notes.
It was frustrating. Sam's memory was sharp, but he could tell that he missed things. He dug through his journal, his father's journal, and Dean's old notes. With no focus, though, it was like trying to find one grain of rice in a field.
There was also the issue of his time as a soulless dick; his memory from that period was obliterated by Death's wall. When the wall came down, he retained those events, but they were more like dreams, full of hazy, disjointed facts. Certainly more than a few people hated Sam Winchester from his time as robo-hunter.
Then there was the big stuff. Like how the Winchesters pissed off Fate personally, all three of them actually, by averting the Apocalypse. They had stopped the mega-Leviathan plot to live one-percenter style. They killed off Eve and Lilith. Archangels and Knights of Hell alike fell at their hands -
Sam should have been comforted by his memories of past success. He wanted to be relieved by it, but hope slipped away from him. Before, he and Dean were together and knew who they were fighting. But now? Sam had no idea, and without his brother, he was just some guy fumbling in the dark.
As much as Dean tried to make it seem otherwise, Sam had already accepted that he was more a Man of Letters than a hunter. Not the way that Dean was. The part that Sam was good at, the thing he did best, was figuring crap out, research, and right now, he couldn't even manage that.
Castiel joined him, alleviating some of Sam's stress and self-hatred.
"You can rule out revenge from a human," Cas said without greeting or segue. "I can track a human kidnapping."
"Yeah, but, what if the person's not human anymore? Became a witch, or werewolf, or something," Sam said. "I can't eliminate anyone yet."
"I think we should focus on people who would want vengeance on Dean specifically," Cas said. "And maybe those who would want to set a trap for me."
"Why not me?"
"You were only a few yards from him, and Dean was gone before I arrived. Whoever took Dean could have easily kidnapped you instead, or even both of you," Cas replied. "Between the two of you, they took Dean and only Dean."
"You said they knew how to hide their tracks from angels?" Sam asked.
The angel nodded sadly.
"That might be good news," Sam said. "Because angels came out in the open about five years ago, right?"
"I suppose, but it is evident from the extensive collection here that the Men of Letters were aware of angelic forces."
"But they were wiped out in the 1950s," Sam said. "So I think it's safe to narrow down the cases - "
He stopped. Could they really do that? What if someone held a long, hard grudge? Someone smart and determined could've tracked the Winchesters for years, and most hunters were aware of angels these days. Finding out about Castiel's close relationship to the Winchesters wouldn't be all that difficult.
"Damn it," Sam cursed, unable to finish his thought.
"Sam," Cas said, "you've been awake for nearly forty hours. You need rest."
"I can't - "
Castiel reached out and touched his forehead, and Sam fell into a deep slumber. The angel caught him and carried him up to his bedroom.
Dean had explained to Cas that he needed to learn to pick his battles, and fighting with Sam over his sleep deprivation seemed futile. He would be unhappy later, but at least his body would be rested enough to do so effectively.
Dean Winchester opened his eyes, and his first thought was that he was blind. He didn't panic because Cas could heal his sight. He needed to stay calm and figure out where everyone was, so he moved clumsily in the darkness. Sam couldn't be far -
His hands slipped over rock. Not hewn for a building or cobblestone path, but natural rock.
And he wasn't blind. His eyes adapted to the dimness, and he could make out basic shapes. There wasn't enough light for anything more than that. Where the hell was he?
His body was weak, but he didn't feel any injury. That was strange because he knew he had taken several hits and at least one nasty blow to the head. He should have a headache -
"Hello?" Dean spoke. His voice echoed.
Hot wind billowed towards him, and he plunged into the depths of dreaming.
"Hello, Dean."
Castiel sat in the passenger seat of the Impala; Dean was stretched out in the backseat. The car was rolling backwards and downhill with no driver.
"Cas," Dean said, his green eyes flickering. "You should drive."
"There's no need," the angel replied.
"What?"
"You're dreaming."
"What's going on?"
"Sam and I are fine, but we cannot find you. Do you know where you are?"
Dean thought hard. "I think I'm in a cave. I don't know. It was too dark."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. Did you heal me?"
"No, I couldn't find you," Cas replied. "You were injured. Did you bandage yourself?"
"No, I - I just woke up okay," Dean replied. "I - felt heat coming towards me when I spoke. Was that you?"
"I'm afraid not."
"What's going on?" Dean asked. "Why are we rolling backwards?"
"This is a dream, Dean," the angel said. "We're not going anywhere - "
Castiel disappeared, and Dean Winchester was alone in the Impala, rolling into the darkness.
<<< Previous Part:
Part Two: Howling at the Moon
Next Part: >>>
Part Four: Behind Blue Eyes
Primary Post: 10x00 Brothers of the Road
Author: dracox-serdriel
Artist: wifihunters
Acknowledgements: Thanks to my beta readers, septembers_coda and novakev
Status: Completed as part of sastiel-bigbang 2013
Sam didn't sleep that night.
He started a spread of every old case the Winchesters had looked into, working almost entirely from memory. He scribbled down names of the culprits, the victims, the survivors, and anyone hurt in the crossfire. By the end of the night, he had scraped together hundreds of cases, going back to the White Woman they put to rest right before Jess died.
Unfortunately, Sam and Dean had hunted since childhood, and Dean didn't take four years off for college like Sam. Any of Dean's cases from that period of time could be coming back to bite him now, but Dean didn't keep a hunter's journal, just a smattering of notes.
It was frustrating. Sam's memory was sharp, but he could tell that he missed things. He dug through his journal, his father's journal, and Dean's old notes. With no focus, though, it was like trying to find one grain of rice in a field.
There was also the issue of his time as a soulless dick; his memory from that period was obliterated by Death's wall. When the wall came down, he retained those events, but they were more like dreams, full of hazy, disjointed facts. Certainly more than a few people hated Sam Winchester from his time as robo-hunter.
Then there was the big stuff. Like how the Winchesters pissed off Fate personally, all three of them actually, by averting the Apocalypse. They had stopped the mega-Leviathan plot to live one-percenter style. They killed off Eve and Lilith. Archangels and Knights of Hell alike fell at their hands -
Sam should have been comforted by his memories of past success. He wanted to be relieved by it, but hope slipped away from him. Before, he and Dean were together and knew who they were fighting. But now? Sam had no idea, and without his brother, he was just some guy fumbling in the dark.
As much as Dean tried to make it seem otherwise, Sam had already accepted that he was more a Man of Letters than a hunter. Not the way that Dean was. The part that Sam was good at, the thing he did best, was figuring crap out, research, and right now, he couldn't even manage that.
Castiel joined him, alleviating some of Sam's stress and self-hatred.
"You can rule out revenge from a human," Cas said without greeting or segue. "I can track a human kidnapping."
"Yeah, but, what if the person's not human anymore? Became a witch, or werewolf, or something," Sam said. "I can't eliminate anyone yet."
"I think we should focus on people who would want vengeance on Dean specifically," Cas said. "And maybe those who would want to set a trap for me."
"Why not me?"
"You were only a few yards from him, and Dean was gone before I arrived. Whoever took Dean could have easily kidnapped you instead, or even both of you," Cas replied. "Between the two of you, they took Dean and only Dean."
"You said they knew how to hide their tracks from angels?" Sam asked.
The angel nodded sadly.
"That might be good news," Sam said. "Because angels came out in the open about five years ago, right?"
"I suppose, but it is evident from the extensive collection here that the Men of Letters were aware of angelic forces."
"But they were wiped out in the 1950s," Sam said. "So I think it's safe to narrow down the cases - "
He stopped. Could they really do that? What if someone held a long, hard grudge? Someone smart and determined could've tracked the Winchesters for years, and most hunters were aware of angels these days. Finding out about Castiel's close relationship to the Winchesters wouldn't be all that difficult.
"Damn it," Sam cursed, unable to finish his thought.
"Sam," Cas said, "you've been awake for nearly forty hours. You need rest."
"I can't - "
Castiel reached out and touched his forehead, and Sam fell into a deep slumber. The angel caught him and carried him up to his bedroom.
Dean had explained to Cas that he needed to learn to pick his battles, and fighting with Sam over his sleep deprivation seemed futile. He would be unhappy later, but at least his body would be rested enough to do so effectively.
Dean Winchester opened his eyes, and his first thought was that he was blind. He didn't panic because Cas could heal his sight. He needed to stay calm and figure out where everyone was, so he moved clumsily in the darkness. Sam couldn't be far -
His hands slipped over rock. Not hewn for a building or cobblestone path, but natural rock.
And he wasn't blind. His eyes adapted to the dimness, and he could make out basic shapes. There wasn't enough light for anything more than that. Where the hell was he?
His body was weak, but he didn't feel any injury. That was strange because he knew he had taken several hits and at least one nasty blow to the head. He should have a headache -
"Hello?" Dean spoke. His voice echoed.
Hot wind billowed towards him, and he plunged into the depths of dreaming.
"Hello, Dean."
Castiel sat in the passenger seat of the Impala; Dean was stretched out in the backseat. The car was rolling backwards and downhill with no driver.
"Cas," Dean said, his green eyes flickering. "You should drive."
"There's no need," the angel replied.
"What?"
"You're dreaming."
"What's going on?"
"Sam and I are fine, but we cannot find you. Do you know where you are?"
Dean thought hard. "I think I'm in a cave. I don't know. It was too dark."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. Did you heal me?"
"No, I couldn't find you," Cas replied. "You were injured. Did you bandage yourself?"
"No, I - I just woke up okay," Dean replied. "I - felt heat coming towards me when I spoke. Was that you?"
"I'm afraid not."
"What's going on?" Dean asked. "Why are we rolling backwards?"
"This is a dream, Dean," the angel said. "We're not going anywhere - "
Castiel disappeared, and Dean Winchester was alone in the Impala, rolling into the darkness.
<<< Previous Part:
Part Two: Howling at the Moon
Next Part: >>>
Part Four: Behind Blue Eyes
Primary Post: 10x00 Brothers of the Road