Sum of the Parts (Chapter Seven)
Title: Sum of the Parts
Author: hunters_retreat
Artist: loverstar
Fandom: 10 Inch Hero/Dark Angel/RPS/Supernatural
Pairing: Dean/Jensen/Priestly/Alec
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: moresomes, graphic M/M sex
Word Count: 40,000+
Summary: There were men who stood up in the face of adversity, and there were men who fell. When humanity fell pray to the men and women taken with psychic powers, The Face stood together, collecting what they could of their kind and trying to make a safe place to live while they continued to fight. But when word reaches their ears that they could finally save Sam Winchester, it could change the face of the world as they know it. For better or worse, Dean Winchester will get his brother out, or die trying. The rest of them... they're just going to try to keep the pieces of humanity together until then.
In the end, it happened quicker than he thought. Sam’s training went like it always had. As a kid Sam hated training. He bitched and moaned whenever Dad pressed him to learn something new, but he learned it anyway and he learned it quicker than Dean ever did.
Sam never became as proficient a fighter as Dean and he never had the killer instinct, but that was something Dean always prided himself on. Even as a kid, Dean remembered thinking that when Sam grew into hunting, he would be the compassionate kind, more like Uncle Bobby than the figure their Dad made. Sure, John Winchester was Dean’s hero, but he wanted more for his little brother than hot, burning bones and cold whiskey to douse the emotional flames. When Sam set his mind to learn he did, and this time, Sam wasn’t holding back.
Dean’s first impulse was wrong though, because Sam learned best with Dean’s methods. Sam actually did want him to set up beer bottles and soda cans and it was there Sam learned to work his telekinesis. It was the first of his controllable powers to emerge and the easiest for Sam to learn with. From there he started working against some of the soldiers. They worked hand to hand combat, but Sam augmented his normal fighting style with his psychic abilities. Even Alec's superior speed and strength couldn't get to Sam when he was able to throw a shield up to block a move.
Kane took over Dean’s training routines and when Dean got a chance he watched, impressed with the soldier Kane was. His jealousy of Kane’s friendship with Jensen faded mostly and it left Dean feeling more comfortable with the other man.
Alec decided to take on another project of Dean’s. He started training Priestly in earnest. Priestly made himself very vocal about not being left behind for the next mission and Dean refused to take him unless he was fully combat trained. To his surprise, Alec immediately offered to train him. Not only that, but Logan stepped up also, asking for the additional training. Sam didn’t look too happy about it, in fact he’d looked to Dean to help stop it but there was nothing Dean could say. No matter that they wanted to keep the people they loved out of the fight, that wasn’t the world they lived in. Sam had given him a half, shy smile that Dean returned, sharing a moment of fond exasperation about their partners.
Things settled in at B-base and people became used to seeing Sam and what he could do. That didn’t mean there weren’t grumbles about another psychic in their midst, but Dean made it know immediately that he had a no tolerance policy where it came to Sam and the others backed him up.
It took two months before Sam had complete control and in that time Priestly and Logan had become the soldiers Dean never wanted them to be. He could see in Logan’s eyes that it wasn’t the first time he’d used a weapon to defend someone and he already knew that Priestly, though untrained, had fought for the people he cared about before he’d been captured by the psychics.
They were ready to go and Dean sat across from them all, watching the way Jensen and Logan laughed about something Alec was telling them. Kane was talking to Sam, discussing tactics and strategies, which were something Kane seemed to have an endless passion for. He was a soldier, but he was the type that planned, the type that led men because he wanted to see them come back out alive at the end of the day.
He looked away from the others as Priestly dropped into the seat beside him. Priestly didn’t say anything at first, just watched the others the way Dean had been. It wasn’t meant to be a real meeting but after their last bout of training Alec and Logan wanted to eat dinner together so they’d taken over the conference room since none of the other rooms was big enough.
Priestly let out a deep sigh and shifted until his head was resting on the back of his chair, eyes staring up at the ceiling. “So, Dean, when are you gonna break out the bad news?”
“Huh?”
“You’re brooding. You’ve got something to say and you know we won’t like it.”
Priestly’s voice was soft, but as ever, there was no uncertainty in his words. He spoke from the heart and there was that conviction that had drawn Dean to him in the first place. “Why can’t I just be sitting here, enjoying the company?”
Priestly let out a bark of laughter and Dean saw Jensen look their way, his eyes taking in Dean’s slight distance from the others and his brow furrowed.
“Damn it, you people need to stop the whole creepy ‘I know what you’re thinking’ thing,” Dean grumped.
“Then how about you just tell us what you need to say and we can deal with it.”
Alec and Logan were both watching him too, obviously catching onto Jensen’s sudden preoccupation with him. Dean sighed and looked over at Sam and he could see from the way his brother was talking that he’d already been half waiting for Dean to do something.
“Alright, fine,” Dean said with a tired sigh as the others moved closer to the table he was sitting behind. “Training is over. Sam’s got as much control as he’s ever going to get so it’s time to see what we can do. Logan and Priestly have already passed beyond what most of our soldiers ever get and they’re ready too. It’s time to go into action.”
“So what’s the bad news?” Priestly asked.
“One of us needs to stay behind.”
“What?” Priestly demanded. “I’m not staying, not after everything-“
Sam’s hand on his shoulder cut Priestly off. “He’s not talking about you, Priestly.”
Dean looked up at his brother, a strong figure once again, both mentally and physically, and nodded. Sam wasn’t completely okay. He still had odd bouts of jealousy and possessiveness. He would stare at Dean sometimes and then walk away, thoughts and images tumbling in Dean’s head so fast he felt sick from the movement of it, from the pure emotion behind it. Sam understood him though, still, better than anyone else.
The others were looking between themselves though, trying to understand what Dean was doing. All except Jensen who was staring at Dean, stock still. “Dean?”
“One of us has to stay behind. This first time, with Sam, we don’t know what the psychics will do once Sam joins the fight. We have to make sure one of us is here to keep the fight going.”
When he looked up, Jensen’s eyes were hard as steel, waiting for Dean to say he was leaving him behind. He didn’t care about the guilt he might feel about leaving Jensen behind though, just so long as he survived. The Face would move on without Dean, or Alec, or Priestly. It was Jensen that was at the heart of it all and so long as Jensen survived he knew the rest of it would too.
“Dean, you can’t.”
He felt disoriented because he’d expected Jensen to fight him. He looked to his brother though, seeing the way his face was clouded over with concern. He could feel it through the bond, his fear and yet the driving need to make his point.
“I can’t what, Sammy? Leave behind someone I trust to take care of things if I don’t come back?”
“You can’t leave, Jensen. We’re opening the bond up farther than we ever have. We don’t know if you’ll come back from that. I have Logan to ground me, to bring me away from you and I need Jensen there to make sure you come back too.”
“Sam, I-”
Sam took a deep breath, sorrow filling his eyes as he leaned forward, hands spread wide over the table between them. “I’m sorry to ask you to do this, Dean. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to get out on my own, but we don’t have the choice now. I promise you though, no matter what happens, I’ll look out for him.”
“Just like you do, Logan?” Dean asked, trying to get his brother to promise something he wasn’t sure he could give. Sam’s jealousy of Jensen surely meant he couldn’t give that.
“Just like I would you, Dean.”
His eyes widened at that and Dean took a deep breath. There was nothing he could say to that because they both knew the things they’d done to keep one another safe over the years. He just nodded, refusing to look anyone else in the eye. Not when his heart had just been fillet by his brother so completely. Not when he’d just been asked to put the two things he valued most in the world at the front of the fight, with everything else he loved right behind it.
When he walked away from the table, no one followed. He didn’t know if he should be thankful, or weep at the solitude that felt all too prophetic.
**
Logan looked out across the terrain, his eyes trying to take in anything out of the ordinary. He wasn’t the best man for this, but Alec was scouting ahead and Logan could keep a look out while Dean and his gang pow-wowed.
Sam was standing next to his brother, tall and strong and Logan couldn’t help the rush of warmth and affection he felt for the other man. Sam looked back at him, the link between them holding them so much closer than he’d ever been to another person. Sam smiled softly for a second before his eyes returned to his brother.
As long as Sam was there, Logan didn’t need to be. He could hear just fine through Sam. They were going through the plan again and Logan listened only peripherally. He turned his eyes back to the large building and the activity around it. Farms were set up on the outskirts of the building and Logan couldn’t fault Dean with planning this as their first attack. It was too far to make it a reasonable outpost for them and was known by the psychics, but it was harvest time and whatever they took home would definitely fill the larders nicely.
Funny, how home had become B-base already. He hadn’t had a home in so long that it felt almost unnatural. Sam was his home and Logan knew that Sam would be wherever his brother was. Logan was okay with that. He had Alec there too, and Jensen - even with Sam’s almost visceral dislike and jealousy - had turned out to be someone Logan could really talk to. He just wished he’d had someone like Jensen in the beginning, when Eyes Only could have done so much more. He had hopes now though, ideas about what they could set into motion if they had the time and place.
“Is it wrong to see a chicken and start watering at the mouth?” Priestly asked as he stepped up beside Logan.
Logan smiled at him. “I suppose it depends on why your mouth is watering.”
Priestly let out a sharp laugh. “You’ve been spending too much time with the soldiers.”
Priestly was another godsend. He didn’t know how Alec managed to find himself surrounded by Manticore clones but he had to admit they were great company. Their arrangement might seem odd, but Logan knew better than anyone what Alec had lost in his life. Hell, he’d been a part of a lot of it. That they’d somehow both managed to find something else to hang onto just felt like they’d come full circle, only this time starting out as friends.
“You and Alec will be heroes when you start doling out fresh food to the kitchens,” Logan said softly.
“And Jensen will be a pain in the ass until we find a good place to set up a farm of our own. He’s sure they’ve got to be keeping seed here and the idea of pasture animals has him watering at the mouth.”
“He doesn’t seem like the type to take vacation.”
There was a huff behind them and Alec stepped out of a hidden spot on the trail. “Because Eyes Only took so many vacations.”
The others were on them before Logan could answer though.
“Everything is still the same,” Alec said before anyone could question him. “The main bulk of their forces are in the building. The people working here are keeping their eyes down and trying to stay away from notice, so I’m guessing they were just pulled from somewhere, no explanation given. The wall around the place is ship-shod work, like they were just putting it up to have a show of force than as a real barrier. There’s a gap at the back, where the grapevines have grown up high enough to cover it. If we need a secondary way out, that would work.” Alec winked at Sam, “Might be a tough fit for you, but the rest of us will fit nicely.”
“And the psychics?” Sam asked, a small smile on his face even though Logan could feel the anxiety running off him.
“I’ve seen three men in charge and a couple of people who might be juiceheads,” Alec answered. “If we play it safe and say all three are psychics then two are in the main building. One of them is always out in the fields, watching the workers.”
Dean looked at Sam. “Take him first?”
Sam nodded. “Maybe if I can finish him off quickly enough it will draw them out of their safe hiding place.”
“Alright. We’ll hit the main building at the same time that Sam will take out the psychic in the field. Any questions?”
No one answered and Dean took a deep breath. “You know the drill people. You have five minutes to get into position.”
Logan took a step closer to Sam, but he must have felt Logan’s apprehension because he was turning to him then, hand cupping his face in an oddly gentle gesture.
“Just stay with me Logan,” Sam said softly. “Stay with me and we’ll get through this together, alright?”
Logan nodded. “You can’t get rid of me now, Sam.” When he grabbed Sam by the back of the neck he came willingly, lips brushing together in the softest of kisses.
“No good-bye kisses, Logan. We’re coming out of this together.”
Logan let out a shaky breath and looked over to the others. Kane and Alec were standing with the other men, the first wave that would hit the overlarge farmhouse by storm. Priestly was right behind Alec, his face a block of concentration.
Away from the others, Dean stood looking at Jensen, as if somehow willing him far away from the fighting. He had no doubt Dean would still prefer to keep Jensen out of it but there wasn’t a choice. Instead, Jensen simply reached out and touched Dean’s heart, over the tattoo Logan knew so well from Sam. He didn’t know what it meant, but Dean’s words were loud enough for him to catch.
“Too much, you know?”
Jensen smiled at Dean, fingers clenching slightly in the fabric of his shirt. “Always.”
When they finally joined Logan and Sam, they were all in their places, waiting for Dean’s word.
**
Dean took a deep breath as he looked one last time at Alec and Priestly. He had to trust to their training now, to the knowledge that they’d done what they could to protect each other. This fight, it was something he couldn’t shield them from.
He’d already said his peace to Alec and Priestly, spoke the words before dawn had come and he could do it with a little privacy. Jensen was going to be at his side during the fight so he could, at least, pretend for a little while that he would be enough to protect him.
Sam and Logan were ready. He could see the determined eagerness in his brother’s body. Sam hated the fight but what he hated more was the wait, the dread of knowing that what they were about to do might be their last actions in the world. Logan was steady at his side, just at Jensen was at Dean’s, and when Sam nodded, Dean looked to Alec, giving him the hand signal to move out.
Nothing happened at first, as Dean led the way down the dirt path and towards the fields where the first psychic would be waiting. He ran to get them in place in time, to make the hole Alec had found and use it to slip inside the walls before the others knew they were there.
They crouched down inside the walls, hidden by the growing vines when Sam reached his hand out, grabbing Dean’s wrist. He felt Sam open up then, felt the world around him shift and turn until he was seeing it through a haze of Sam’s view.
The world looked harsher, the colors darker and the contrast so heavy. He didn’t want to see like that, but they had a job to do and they needed to get to it. He pulled his arm away from Sam and walked forward, bringing them out to a path just as he heard the first gun fire from the front of the building. “Come on,” Dean mumbled, breaking into a run as they moved through the fields.
It was easier with Sam in his head like that, easier to pull on the bond and feel the juiceheads around them. “Jensen!” he screamed, watching as a man came running from a patch of dirt on their right. Jensen brought his handgun up smoothly, cutting the man down as he neared.
The next came at Dean directly, and he lost track of the others, feeling at least three more before he was standing with his gun trained on another man. He pulled the trigger smoothly, stopping only a moment as he whispered, “Mercy,” and moved on.
He staggered when the first force hit them; the strength of the psychic’s blast deflecting off Sam’s hastily thrown up shield. He lunged for Jensen, pulling him up close behind Sam where Logan was already standing. Jensen’s gun rang out again, another juicehead on the ground at his feet. Dean took his eyes away from Logan and Jensen, giving them his back, knowing they had him covered.
He reached a hand out to Sam’s shoulder and the bond snapped into full force. He could feel Sam pulling at the other psychic and it was then Dean realized he wasn’t just pulling him, but he was pulling his powers.
Whatever he did seemed to snap back on the other psychic and suddenly he was screaming, his mind exploding with power in ways it couldn’t control. Sam’s shield protected them from the worst of the blast but they were far from done.
“One down,” Dean said softly. “Two to go, Sammy.”
“I can count, Dean,” Sam snarked but Dean was too caught up in the soldiers that suddenly appeared in the fields to worry about a comeback.
“Where the hell is, Alec?” Dean demanded as he dropped his hand from Sam’s shoulder and pulled out a second gun.
He didn’t have to wait for an answer because even as the soldiers came out into the field, so did their men. He saw Kane at the front of it all and in the middle was Alec with Priestly at his side.
“Fuck!” Dean screamed suddenly, pain blooming in his right arm. As he looked down a line of blood began to run from a thin cut.
Sam’s eyes were livid and they both turned to see the other two psychics walk out onto the field. Men were thrown aside by their shields and Sam shivered with anticipation.
It wasn’t a battle you could see with your eyes, but Dean could feel it pulsing through his blood, the snap and recoil of each thrust, the give and take of each move. He saw Jensen stagger to one knee behind him but even as he was about to reach out to him, he struggled back up.
“I’m fine,” he yelled out, ducking as a soldier managed to get close enough to take a swing. He didn’t have to stop him before Logan had a clear shot and there was another dead soldier.
Dean grit his teeth and ignored the gnawing need to get them out before something else could happen, but they didn’t have a choice. They had to keep fighting.
“Dean!” Sam yelled and threw himself backward, taking all four of them to the ground as a blast shot out over their heads. He saw a few soldiers caught in it and watched as they just fell, eyes glassy and unseeing.
“What the hell was that?”
“Don’t know,” Sam gnashed out as he got up to one knee. “But let’s see how they like this.”
The pressure built in the back of Dean’s head and he grabbed his brother’s arm, letting the skin to skin contact bury him in the bond. There was nothing but Sam then, nothing but the warm river of blood and affection that ran between them. He felt the enemy and Sam’s wrath, at the hatred for their kind and the anger at the way he’d been held for so long. Sam’s pain filled his mind, their separation and his fear for Logan once he realized what they were doing, the rare moments Sam had been able to steal away in Logan’s mind and the memories of Jensen underneath them both, willing to give whatever Sam needed to give his brother back.
Sam drew his arms back and Dean opened his mouth, screaming out the pain, as Sam threw all the power they had into the two psychics. He felt the way it hit them, felt their lives slip away and then there was only the vague awareness of soldiers around them, Jensen and Logan fighting at their backs, and Sam.
**
The battle was over as soon as the psychics died. The people that were enslaved simple dropped to the ground to avoid the fighting and the soldiers continued to fight until they were contained, but their spirit went out with their leaders.
Sam and Dean slipped into a coma for two days before they finally woke. Logan was at Sam’s side when he woke but Jensen wasn’t there. He yelled the place down until he was finally taken to him. He looked pale and Dean hated to see him attached to a bunch of machines but it was just like Jensen to take a hit without Dean knowing how bad it was, to lie to him about being okay.
A bullet to the side had slowed him down and he’d been bleeding out while Dean and Sam worked against the other psychics. The doctors said he’d recover and Sam had just smiled when he walked in and found Dean sitting on Jensen’s bed, scowling at the doctor as he checked up on Jensen again.
“You know, they could probably do their work better if you weren’t in the way,” Sam offered as he walked in.
Dean just scowled. “Like I’m leaving him alone in here.”
Sam smiled and it reminded him more of the boy he’d once known. “Kane is talking about heading back to B-base with the news. Logan says we’ll be here a few days to get everything harvested and get it packed up for shipment. He says we shouldn’t make them wait that long to hear back.”
“Does he?” Dean asked with a smirk.
Sam looked down at his feet, “Apparently Jensen left his responsibilities to Logan if something happened to him in the fight.”
“He what?”
Sam nodded. “They were spending more time together than I knew. I uh…” Sam took a deep breath and Dean waited to see what was coming next. “I approve. Of them. Of him, you know?”
He was pretty sure he could live his entire life and be perfectly happy to never have this discussion with Sam, but he couldn’t stop it now that it was there. “I don’t think he’d agree.”
“If he hadn’t been there, that bullet would have been yours, Dean. Doesn’t matter what else I feel, I owe him for that if nothing else.”
Jensen shifted beside Dean and Sam smiled. “I’ll leave, before he thinks I’m here to attack or something, but the others will be by soon. Priestly and Alec were trying to get everything packed up that didn’t need picked as soon as possible so they could leave when Jensen woke if they needed to. I’ll let them know they don’t have to rush.”
“Thanks, Sammy. It’s … it’s good to have you back little brother.”
Sam’s smile was brilliant and Dean knew his own matched. “It’s good to be back, Dean.”
He left then, but Dean could still feel the piece of his brother inside his chest, light and happy in ways Dean only remembered from childhood.
“So, we did it,” Jensen whispered softly at his side.
Dean looked down at him and Jensen shifted slightly until he was laying with his head on Dean’s chest. “Yeah, we did. Sounds like the harvest has started. I thought I heard someone running past earlier talking about catching pigs. Looks like we’ll have a good haul to take back to B-base.”
“Gonna need a farming community.”
“Already have one in mind, don’t you?” Dean asked.
Jensen’s lips tilted up in a smile though he kept his eyes closed. “Maybe. Can’t plan to raid a place like this without having something in mind.”
“I did.”
“Yeah, well that’s why they don’t call you the Face all by yourself.”
Jensen looked up at him then and Dean cupped his face lightly, bringing their lips together. It was a chaste kiss but it grounded Dean like nothing else. “I couldn’t do this you know? None of it, not without you.”
Jensen sighed, looking up at Dean with a tired, almost sad expression. “I know, Dean,” he said softly, his hand resting over Dean’s heart. “It’s too much.”
And it was. It all meant too damn much and that had always been enough. Until now. He thought about the words he’d heard Jensen speak so long again, Kane asking why Jensen followed him and Jensen - damn him - admitting it right out loud where Dean just happen to walk in and hear. He couldn’t forget it and he couldn’t deny it anymore. There was no doubt what he felt, not for Jensen and not for the others either, but it was Jensen that kept him sane and drove him crazy and took a god damn bullet for him.
“I’m in love with you, Jense,” Dean said softly. “No matter what I do or so, don’t you ever forget that. You ever think to take a bullet for me again, you just remember I don’t work well without you.”
Jensen’s eyes were wide, shock or maybe awe filling them as he stared up at Dean. He smiled softly though. “You have the worst timing in the world.”
“Come on, you told Kane and I walked in. I think you’re timing was a lot worse.”
“Dean?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up and kiss me already.”
Jensen was pulling his lips to his then and Dean didn’t try to stop him. His lips parted and Jensen’s tongue slid between them, tasting and tempting his lover. “I love you too, Dean,” Jensen finally said softly against his lips.
He stayed like that for a moment longer, and then pulled back softly as he realized Jensen was already exhausted from their conversation. He let Jensen shift closer to him and kissed his temple as his breathing slowed down into normal sleeping patterns.
Dean didn’t know how it would all turn out. They’d won a small victory and Sam had proven himself in the fight again. Dean had his brother and he had his partners, all men fierce and loyal and he loved them each for their own gifts and talents and flaws. They’d all walked a dark path together and now, they just might be coming to an end of those dark days.
He wasn’t a psychic, didn’t have visions of the future like his brother. They had a long road still, but for the first time in years Dean could see an end to their war. For the first time in years, he could imagine a life beyond hunts and weapons and scouts and ‘scapes. He could see a life with the Face, a life of laughter and hope and peace.
For the first time in years, his future was finally looking free.
Author: hunters_retreat
Artist: loverstar
Fandom: 10 Inch Hero/Dark Angel/RPS/Supernatural
Pairing: Dean/Jensen/Priestly/Alec
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: moresomes, graphic M/M sex
Word Count: 40,000+
Summary: There were men who stood up in the face of adversity, and there were men who fell. When humanity fell pray to the men and women taken with psychic powers, The Face stood together, collecting what they could of their kind and trying to make a safe place to live while they continued to fight. But when word reaches their ears that they could finally save Sam Winchester, it could change the face of the world as they know it. For better or worse, Dean Winchester will get his brother out, or die trying. The rest of them... they're just going to try to keep the pieces of humanity together until then.
In the end, it happened quicker than he thought. Sam’s training went like it always had. As a kid Sam hated training. He bitched and moaned whenever Dad pressed him to learn something new, but he learned it anyway and he learned it quicker than Dean ever did.
Sam never became as proficient a fighter as Dean and he never had the killer instinct, but that was something Dean always prided himself on. Even as a kid, Dean remembered thinking that when Sam grew into hunting, he would be the compassionate kind, more like Uncle Bobby than the figure their Dad made. Sure, John Winchester was Dean’s hero, but he wanted more for his little brother than hot, burning bones and cold whiskey to douse the emotional flames. When Sam set his mind to learn he did, and this time, Sam wasn’t holding back.
Dean’s first impulse was wrong though, because Sam learned best with Dean’s methods. Sam actually did want him to set up beer bottles and soda cans and it was there Sam learned to work his telekinesis. It was the first of his controllable powers to emerge and the easiest for Sam to learn with. From there he started working against some of the soldiers. They worked hand to hand combat, but Sam augmented his normal fighting style with his psychic abilities. Even Alec's superior speed and strength couldn't get to Sam when he was able to throw a shield up to block a move.
Kane took over Dean’s training routines and when Dean got a chance he watched, impressed with the soldier Kane was. His jealousy of Kane’s friendship with Jensen faded mostly and it left Dean feeling more comfortable with the other man.
Alec decided to take on another project of Dean’s. He started training Priestly in earnest. Priestly made himself very vocal about not being left behind for the next mission and Dean refused to take him unless he was fully combat trained. To his surprise, Alec immediately offered to train him. Not only that, but Logan stepped up also, asking for the additional training. Sam didn’t look too happy about it, in fact he’d looked to Dean to help stop it but there was nothing Dean could say. No matter that they wanted to keep the people they loved out of the fight, that wasn’t the world they lived in. Sam had given him a half, shy smile that Dean returned, sharing a moment of fond exasperation about their partners.
Things settled in at B-base and people became used to seeing Sam and what he could do. That didn’t mean there weren’t grumbles about another psychic in their midst, but Dean made it know immediately that he had a no tolerance policy where it came to Sam and the others backed him up.
It took two months before Sam had complete control and in that time Priestly and Logan had become the soldiers Dean never wanted them to be. He could see in Logan’s eyes that it wasn’t the first time he’d used a weapon to defend someone and he already knew that Priestly, though untrained, had fought for the people he cared about before he’d been captured by the psychics.
They were ready to go and Dean sat across from them all, watching the way Jensen and Logan laughed about something Alec was telling them. Kane was talking to Sam, discussing tactics and strategies, which were something Kane seemed to have an endless passion for. He was a soldier, but he was the type that planned, the type that led men because he wanted to see them come back out alive at the end of the day.
He looked away from the others as Priestly dropped into the seat beside him. Priestly didn’t say anything at first, just watched the others the way Dean had been. It wasn’t meant to be a real meeting but after their last bout of training Alec and Logan wanted to eat dinner together so they’d taken over the conference room since none of the other rooms was big enough.
Priestly let out a deep sigh and shifted until his head was resting on the back of his chair, eyes staring up at the ceiling. “So, Dean, when are you gonna break out the bad news?”
“Huh?”
“You’re brooding. You’ve got something to say and you know we won’t like it.”
Priestly’s voice was soft, but as ever, there was no uncertainty in his words. He spoke from the heart and there was that conviction that had drawn Dean to him in the first place. “Why can’t I just be sitting here, enjoying the company?”
Priestly let out a bark of laughter and Dean saw Jensen look their way, his eyes taking in Dean’s slight distance from the others and his brow furrowed.
“Damn it, you people need to stop the whole creepy ‘I know what you’re thinking’ thing,” Dean grumped.
“Then how about you just tell us what you need to say and we can deal with it.”
Alec and Logan were both watching him too, obviously catching onto Jensen’s sudden preoccupation with him. Dean sighed and looked over at Sam and he could see from the way his brother was talking that he’d already been half waiting for Dean to do something.
“Alright, fine,” Dean said with a tired sigh as the others moved closer to the table he was sitting behind. “Training is over. Sam’s got as much control as he’s ever going to get so it’s time to see what we can do. Logan and Priestly have already passed beyond what most of our soldiers ever get and they’re ready too. It’s time to go into action.”
“So what’s the bad news?” Priestly asked.
“One of us needs to stay behind.”
“What?” Priestly demanded. “I’m not staying, not after everything-“
Sam’s hand on his shoulder cut Priestly off. “He’s not talking about you, Priestly.”
Dean looked up at his brother, a strong figure once again, both mentally and physically, and nodded. Sam wasn’t completely okay. He still had odd bouts of jealousy and possessiveness. He would stare at Dean sometimes and then walk away, thoughts and images tumbling in Dean’s head so fast he felt sick from the movement of it, from the pure emotion behind it. Sam understood him though, still, better than anyone else.
The others were looking between themselves though, trying to understand what Dean was doing. All except Jensen who was staring at Dean, stock still. “Dean?”
“One of us has to stay behind. This first time, with Sam, we don’t know what the psychics will do once Sam joins the fight. We have to make sure one of us is here to keep the fight going.”
When he looked up, Jensen’s eyes were hard as steel, waiting for Dean to say he was leaving him behind. He didn’t care about the guilt he might feel about leaving Jensen behind though, just so long as he survived. The Face would move on without Dean, or Alec, or Priestly. It was Jensen that was at the heart of it all and so long as Jensen survived he knew the rest of it would too.
“Dean, you can’t.”
He felt disoriented because he’d expected Jensen to fight him. He looked to his brother though, seeing the way his face was clouded over with concern. He could feel it through the bond, his fear and yet the driving need to make his point.
“I can’t what, Sammy? Leave behind someone I trust to take care of things if I don’t come back?”
“You can’t leave, Jensen. We’re opening the bond up farther than we ever have. We don’t know if you’ll come back from that. I have Logan to ground me, to bring me away from you and I need Jensen there to make sure you come back too.”
“Sam, I-”
Sam took a deep breath, sorrow filling his eyes as he leaned forward, hands spread wide over the table between them. “I’m sorry to ask you to do this, Dean. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to get out on my own, but we don’t have the choice now. I promise you though, no matter what happens, I’ll look out for him.”
“Just like you do, Logan?” Dean asked, trying to get his brother to promise something he wasn’t sure he could give. Sam’s jealousy of Jensen surely meant he couldn’t give that.
“Just like I would you, Dean.”
His eyes widened at that and Dean took a deep breath. There was nothing he could say to that because they both knew the things they’d done to keep one another safe over the years. He just nodded, refusing to look anyone else in the eye. Not when his heart had just been fillet by his brother so completely. Not when he’d just been asked to put the two things he valued most in the world at the front of the fight, with everything else he loved right behind it.
When he walked away from the table, no one followed. He didn’t know if he should be thankful, or weep at the solitude that felt all too prophetic.
**
Logan looked out across the terrain, his eyes trying to take in anything out of the ordinary. He wasn’t the best man for this, but Alec was scouting ahead and Logan could keep a look out while Dean and his gang pow-wowed.
Sam was standing next to his brother, tall and strong and Logan couldn’t help the rush of warmth and affection he felt for the other man. Sam looked back at him, the link between them holding them so much closer than he’d ever been to another person. Sam smiled softly for a second before his eyes returned to his brother.
As long as Sam was there, Logan didn’t need to be. He could hear just fine through Sam. They were going through the plan again and Logan listened only peripherally. He turned his eyes back to the large building and the activity around it. Farms were set up on the outskirts of the building and Logan couldn’t fault Dean with planning this as their first attack. It was too far to make it a reasonable outpost for them and was known by the psychics, but it was harvest time and whatever they took home would definitely fill the larders nicely.
Funny, how home had become B-base already. He hadn’t had a home in so long that it felt almost unnatural. Sam was his home and Logan knew that Sam would be wherever his brother was. Logan was okay with that. He had Alec there too, and Jensen - even with Sam’s almost visceral dislike and jealousy - had turned out to be someone Logan could really talk to. He just wished he’d had someone like Jensen in the beginning, when Eyes Only could have done so much more. He had hopes now though, ideas about what they could set into motion if they had the time and place.
“Is it wrong to see a chicken and start watering at the mouth?” Priestly asked as he stepped up beside Logan.
Logan smiled at him. “I suppose it depends on why your mouth is watering.”
Priestly let out a sharp laugh. “You’ve been spending too much time with the soldiers.”
Priestly was another godsend. He didn’t know how Alec managed to find himself surrounded by Manticore clones but he had to admit they were great company. Their arrangement might seem odd, but Logan knew better than anyone what Alec had lost in his life. Hell, he’d been a part of a lot of it. That they’d somehow both managed to find something else to hang onto just felt like they’d come full circle, only this time starting out as friends.
“You and Alec will be heroes when you start doling out fresh food to the kitchens,” Logan said softly.
“And Jensen will be a pain in the ass until we find a good place to set up a farm of our own. He’s sure they’ve got to be keeping seed here and the idea of pasture animals has him watering at the mouth.”
“He doesn’t seem like the type to take vacation.”
There was a huff behind them and Alec stepped out of a hidden spot on the trail. “Because Eyes Only took so many vacations.”
The others were on them before Logan could answer though.
“Everything is still the same,” Alec said before anyone could question him. “The main bulk of their forces are in the building. The people working here are keeping their eyes down and trying to stay away from notice, so I’m guessing they were just pulled from somewhere, no explanation given. The wall around the place is ship-shod work, like they were just putting it up to have a show of force than as a real barrier. There’s a gap at the back, where the grapevines have grown up high enough to cover it. If we need a secondary way out, that would work.” Alec winked at Sam, “Might be a tough fit for you, but the rest of us will fit nicely.”
“And the psychics?” Sam asked, a small smile on his face even though Logan could feel the anxiety running off him.
“I’ve seen three men in charge and a couple of people who might be juiceheads,” Alec answered. “If we play it safe and say all three are psychics then two are in the main building. One of them is always out in the fields, watching the workers.”
Dean looked at Sam. “Take him first?”
Sam nodded. “Maybe if I can finish him off quickly enough it will draw them out of their safe hiding place.”
“Alright. We’ll hit the main building at the same time that Sam will take out the psychic in the field. Any questions?”
No one answered and Dean took a deep breath. “You know the drill people. You have five minutes to get into position.”
Logan took a step closer to Sam, but he must have felt Logan’s apprehension because he was turning to him then, hand cupping his face in an oddly gentle gesture.
“Just stay with me Logan,” Sam said softly. “Stay with me and we’ll get through this together, alright?”
Logan nodded. “You can’t get rid of me now, Sam.” When he grabbed Sam by the back of the neck he came willingly, lips brushing together in the softest of kisses.
“No good-bye kisses, Logan. We’re coming out of this together.”
Logan let out a shaky breath and looked over to the others. Kane and Alec were standing with the other men, the first wave that would hit the overlarge farmhouse by storm. Priestly was right behind Alec, his face a block of concentration.
Away from the others, Dean stood looking at Jensen, as if somehow willing him far away from the fighting. He had no doubt Dean would still prefer to keep Jensen out of it but there wasn’t a choice. Instead, Jensen simply reached out and touched Dean’s heart, over the tattoo Logan knew so well from Sam. He didn’t know what it meant, but Dean’s words were loud enough for him to catch.
“Too much, you know?”
Jensen smiled at Dean, fingers clenching slightly in the fabric of his shirt. “Always.”
When they finally joined Logan and Sam, they were all in their places, waiting for Dean’s word.
**
Dean took a deep breath as he looked one last time at Alec and Priestly. He had to trust to their training now, to the knowledge that they’d done what they could to protect each other. This fight, it was something he couldn’t shield them from.
He’d already said his peace to Alec and Priestly, spoke the words before dawn had come and he could do it with a little privacy. Jensen was going to be at his side during the fight so he could, at least, pretend for a little while that he would be enough to protect him.
Sam and Logan were ready. He could see the determined eagerness in his brother’s body. Sam hated the fight but what he hated more was the wait, the dread of knowing that what they were about to do might be their last actions in the world. Logan was steady at his side, just at Jensen was at Dean’s, and when Sam nodded, Dean looked to Alec, giving him the hand signal to move out.
Nothing happened at first, as Dean led the way down the dirt path and towards the fields where the first psychic would be waiting. He ran to get them in place in time, to make the hole Alec had found and use it to slip inside the walls before the others knew they were there.
They crouched down inside the walls, hidden by the growing vines when Sam reached his hand out, grabbing Dean’s wrist. He felt Sam open up then, felt the world around him shift and turn until he was seeing it through a haze of Sam’s view.
The world looked harsher, the colors darker and the contrast so heavy. He didn’t want to see like that, but they had a job to do and they needed to get to it. He pulled his arm away from Sam and walked forward, bringing them out to a path just as he heard the first gun fire from the front of the building. “Come on,” Dean mumbled, breaking into a run as they moved through the fields.
It was easier with Sam in his head like that, easier to pull on the bond and feel the juiceheads around them. “Jensen!” he screamed, watching as a man came running from a patch of dirt on their right. Jensen brought his handgun up smoothly, cutting the man down as he neared.
The next came at Dean directly, and he lost track of the others, feeling at least three more before he was standing with his gun trained on another man. He pulled the trigger smoothly, stopping only a moment as he whispered, “Mercy,” and moved on.
He staggered when the first force hit them; the strength of the psychic’s blast deflecting off Sam’s hastily thrown up shield. He lunged for Jensen, pulling him up close behind Sam where Logan was already standing. Jensen’s gun rang out again, another juicehead on the ground at his feet. Dean took his eyes away from Logan and Jensen, giving them his back, knowing they had him covered.
He reached a hand out to Sam’s shoulder and the bond snapped into full force. He could feel Sam pulling at the other psychic and it was then Dean realized he wasn’t just pulling him, but he was pulling his powers.
Whatever he did seemed to snap back on the other psychic and suddenly he was screaming, his mind exploding with power in ways it couldn’t control. Sam’s shield protected them from the worst of the blast but they were far from done.
“One down,” Dean said softly. “Two to go, Sammy.”
“I can count, Dean,” Sam snarked but Dean was too caught up in the soldiers that suddenly appeared in the fields to worry about a comeback.
“Where the hell is, Alec?” Dean demanded as he dropped his hand from Sam’s shoulder and pulled out a second gun.
He didn’t have to wait for an answer because even as the soldiers came out into the field, so did their men. He saw Kane at the front of it all and in the middle was Alec with Priestly at his side.
“Fuck!” Dean screamed suddenly, pain blooming in his right arm. As he looked down a line of blood began to run from a thin cut.
Sam’s eyes were livid and they both turned to see the other two psychics walk out onto the field. Men were thrown aside by their shields and Sam shivered with anticipation.
It wasn’t a battle you could see with your eyes, but Dean could feel it pulsing through his blood, the snap and recoil of each thrust, the give and take of each move. He saw Jensen stagger to one knee behind him but even as he was about to reach out to him, he struggled back up.
“I’m fine,” he yelled out, ducking as a soldier managed to get close enough to take a swing. He didn’t have to stop him before Logan had a clear shot and there was another dead soldier.
Dean grit his teeth and ignored the gnawing need to get them out before something else could happen, but they didn’t have a choice. They had to keep fighting.
“Dean!” Sam yelled and threw himself backward, taking all four of them to the ground as a blast shot out over their heads. He saw a few soldiers caught in it and watched as they just fell, eyes glassy and unseeing.
“What the hell was that?”
“Don’t know,” Sam gnashed out as he got up to one knee. “But let’s see how they like this.”
The pressure built in the back of Dean’s head and he grabbed his brother’s arm, letting the skin to skin contact bury him in the bond. There was nothing but Sam then, nothing but the warm river of blood and affection that ran between them. He felt the enemy and Sam’s wrath, at the hatred for their kind and the anger at the way he’d been held for so long. Sam’s pain filled his mind, their separation and his fear for Logan once he realized what they were doing, the rare moments Sam had been able to steal away in Logan’s mind and the memories of Jensen underneath them both, willing to give whatever Sam needed to give his brother back.
Sam drew his arms back and Dean opened his mouth, screaming out the pain, as Sam threw all the power they had into the two psychics. He felt the way it hit them, felt their lives slip away and then there was only the vague awareness of soldiers around them, Jensen and Logan fighting at their backs, and Sam.
**
The battle was over as soon as the psychics died. The people that were enslaved simple dropped to the ground to avoid the fighting and the soldiers continued to fight until they were contained, but their spirit went out with their leaders.
Sam and Dean slipped into a coma for two days before they finally woke. Logan was at Sam’s side when he woke but Jensen wasn’t there. He yelled the place down until he was finally taken to him. He looked pale and Dean hated to see him attached to a bunch of machines but it was just like Jensen to take a hit without Dean knowing how bad it was, to lie to him about being okay.
A bullet to the side had slowed him down and he’d been bleeding out while Dean and Sam worked against the other psychics. The doctors said he’d recover and Sam had just smiled when he walked in and found Dean sitting on Jensen’s bed, scowling at the doctor as he checked up on Jensen again.
“You know, they could probably do their work better if you weren’t in the way,” Sam offered as he walked in.
Dean just scowled. “Like I’m leaving him alone in here.”
Sam smiled and it reminded him more of the boy he’d once known. “Kane is talking about heading back to B-base with the news. Logan says we’ll be here a few days to get everything harvested and get it packed up for shipment. He says we shouldn’t make them wait that long to hear back.”
“Does he?” Dean asked with a smirk.
Sam looked down at his feet, “Apparently Jensen left his responsibilities to Logan if something happened to him in the fight.”
“He what?”
Sam nodded. “They were spending more time together than I knew. I uh…” Sam took a deep breath and Dean waited to see what was coming next. “I approve. Of them. Of him, you know?”
He was pretty sure he could live his entire life and be perfectly happy to never have this discussion with Sam, but he couldn’t stop it now that it was there. “I don’t think he’d agree.”
“If he hadn’t been there, that bullet would have been yours, Dean. Doesn’t matter what else I feel, I owe him for that if nothing else.”
Jensen shifted beside Dean and Sam smiled. “I’ll leave, before he thinks I’m here to attack or something, but the others will be by soon. Priestly and Alec were trying to get everything packed up that didn’t need picked as soon as possible so they could leave when Jensen woke if they needed to. I’ll let them know they don’t have to rush.”
“Thanks, Sammy. It’s … it’s good to have you back little brother.”
Sam’s smile was brilliant and Dean knew his own matched. “It’s good to be back, Dean.”
He left then, but Dean could still feel the piece of his brother inside his chest, light and happy in ways Dean only remembered from childhood.
“So, we did it,” Jensen whispered softly at his side.
Dean looked down at him and Jensen shifted slightly until he was laying with his head on Dean’s chest. “Yeah, we did. Sounds like the harvest has started. I thought I heard someone running past earlier talking about catching pigs. Looks like we’ll have a good haul to take back to B-base.”
“Gonna need a farming community.”
“Already have one in mind, don’t you?” Dean asked.
Jensen’s lips tilted up in a smile though he kept his eyes closed. “Maybe. Can’t plan to raid a place like this without having something in mind.”
“I did.”
“Yeah, well that’s why they don’t call you the Face all by yourself.”
Jensen looked up at him then and Dean cupped his face lightly, bringing their lips together. It was a chaste kiss but it grounded Dean like nothing else. “I couldn’t do this you know? None of it, not without you.”
Jensen sighed, looking up at Dean with a tired, almost sad expression. “I know, Dean,” he said softly, his hand resting over Dean’s heart. “It’s too much.”
And it was. It all meant too damn much and that had always been enough. Until now. He thought about the words he’d heard Jensen speak so long again, Kane asking why Jensen followed him and Jensen - damn him - admitting it right out loud where Dean just happen to walk in and hear. He couldn’t forget it and he couldn’t deny it anymore. There was no doubt what he felt, not for Jensen and not for the others either, but it was Jensen that kept him sane and drove him crazy and took a god damn bullet for him.
“I’m in love with you, Jense,” Dean said softly. “No matter what I do or so, don’t you ever forget that. You ever think to take a bullet for me again, you just remember I don’t work well without you.”
Jensen’s eyes were wide, shock or maybe awe filling them as he stared up at Dean. He smiled softly though. “You have the worst timing in the world.”
“Come on, you told Kane and I walked in. I think you’re timing was a lot worse.”
“Dean?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up and kiss me already.”
Jensen was pulling his lips to his then and Dean didn’t try to stop him. His lips parted and Jensen’s tongue slid between them, tasting and tempting his lover. “I love you too, Dean,” Jensen finally said softly against his lips.
He stayed like that for a moment longer, and then pulled back softly as he realized Jensen was already exhausted from their conversation. He let Jensen shift closer to him and kissed his temple as his breathing slowed down into normal sleeping patterns.
Dean didn’t know how it would all turn out. They’d won a small victory and Sam had proven himself in the fight again. Dean had his brother and he had his partners, all men fierce and loyal and he loved them each for their own gifts and talents and flaws. They’d all walked a dark path together and now, they just might be coming to an end of those dark days.
He wasn’t a psychic, didn’t have visions of the future like his brother. They had a long road still, but for the first time in years Dean could see an end to their war. For the first time in years, he could imagine a life beyond hunts and weapons and scouts and ‘scapes. He could see a life with the Face, a life of laughter and hope and peace.
For the first time in years, his future was finally looking free.