Through the Looking Glass (2/6)
Title: Through the Looking Glass (2/6)
Author: irishka1205
Character: Sam, Dean, Bobby
Spoilers: through episode 2 of season 5. AU post 5.02
Disclaimer: I don't own anybody or anything. They all belong to the evil one that is Eric Kripke.
Rating: PG
Summary: This was originally just an idea for a one time drabble. But turned into an entire story. 5 months pass since the boys separate and Sam has dropped off the face of the earth. Dean goes looking for him. Who will he find?
Author’s Note: I welcome all comments and criticism. A big gigantic thank you to my beta and cheerleader muses_circle . If it wasn't for her, I probably would never have decided to write this fic.
Part 1
*****
Dean suddenly found himself free to move around. He pushed away from the wall and looked from the body on the floor to the man in the doorway. He still couldn’t see the other’s face. Dean tried to say something, but his mouth was dry and no words came out. Instead he just stood rooted in place as he watched the man turn and walk away.
“Sammy?” he finally managed to utter.
The man paused for just a second, but continued walking.
It took a few seconds before Dean was able to force his legs to move and he ran out of the building after his brother. But the street was empty once again with no traces of Sam left behind.
*******
Part 2
Dean spent the next two days driving around searching for Sam. He checked out all the motels in the area but nobody matching Sam’s description rented rooms in any of them.
Frustrated, tired and hungry, Dean finally decided to call it a day and made a stop at a diner near his motel to grab a burger and some fries to go. As he waited by the entrance for his order, he looked at the pictures covering the wall. His eyes drew to the picture of a family standing in front of a cabin in the woods.
Dean turned and looked out the window, his eyes settling on the sea of dark green swaying on the horizon.
“Hey, are there a lot of cabins in the woods?” he asked, as the waitress brought out his order in a white paper bag. His stomach growled as the smell of fresh hot fries reached him.
“A few,” the brunette replied, smiling at him. “You interested in renting?”
She was obviously flirting with him and Dean couldn‘t miss the opportunity to use it to his advantage. “Maybe.” He stepped toward her and smiled the most genuine smile he could muster. “You know where I could maybe get a list of owners?”
“Town hall, of course,” she replied leaning in closer. “My friend Allison works there. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to help you. Especially if that means, you’d be sticking around for a while.”
“She’d really do that for me?” Dean asked coyly.
“Oh, trust me,” she replied. Straightening up, she handed him the bag of food. “I put some extra fries in there for you.”
Dean took the bag and turned to leave. “Thanks, Marie,” he winked at her and quickly exited the diner.
An hour later he had the list of all the registered cabin owners in the area. Allison was extremely helpful, even offering to call some of them on his behalf. Dean, gratefully and with a big smile on his face, declined.
Back in his motel room, he immediately started calling the owners, his food long since forgotten on the front seat of the Impala.
The fourth call was the one that delivered results when Dean spoke to an old lady who lived away in Florida. She said that she hadn’t met the new tenant, they only spoke on the phone, but he had been renting the cabin for a little over four months and always paid on time via money order. The name he gave her was William Thompson. Getting the directions to the cabin, Dean hung up.
******
He directed the car through the narrow path, weaving between rows and rows of trees. Finally, Dean saw a cabin sitting in the middle of a small clearing up ahead. He pulled in and killed the engine.
Dean looked at the cabin, trying to see any movement inside. But the drapes over the lone window had been drawn and no sounds came from the inside. Looking around, Dean couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary either. Only an old dirty motorcycle stood in front of the house. Dean couldn’t for a second imagine Sam on a bike and once again began to doubt whether Sam would be renting a cabin in the middle of the woods. But he was already here and he couldn’t leave before checking it out.
He got out of the car and walked slowly toward the house. Climbing the small steps to the front door, Dean raised his hand to knock when suddenly the door opened, revealing Sam on the other side.
Whether it was the shock of Sam actually being here or simply seeing his brother for the first time in five months, but Dean once again found himself at a loss for words. Sam seemed to be in a similar situation and the two of them just stared at each other for what seemed like forever.
Dean took in his brother’s appearance. Sam hadn’t changed in the least, except maybe his hair was even longer now. Two scars on the right side of his face that hadn’t quite healed were a glaring reminder of battles Sam had faced alone.
“Are we gonna stand here all day or you gonna let me in?” Dean finally managed to ask.
Sam looked like he was considering his options for a moment, but finally stepped aside and pulled the door open to let Dean inside.
Dean stepped in slowly, looking around. The place was tiny with only basic necessities - a little kitchen with a sink, a fridge and a stove. A square table stood in the middle of the room and the bed was on the other side of the room, next to a fireplace. However small, this place definitely looked as if Sam had been here for a while. News articles of supernatural activities around the country were splattered on the wall next to the bed. Sam’s laptop sat on the table. His clothes folded neatly on a chair by the bed.
“How did you find me?” Sam asked as he walked to the kitchen, leaving the door wide open.
Dean turned to finally look at his brother. Sam‘s size, his height made the place look even smaller. His voice and face void of any emotion. “Five months and that’s all you got to say to me?”
Sam let out a loud sigh as he stopped and looked up to meet Dean‘s eyes, his face relaxing finally. “You want a beer?”
Dean nodded in response. Sam opened the fridge and pulled two bottles of beer.
“How’s Bobby?” Sam asked as he worked the bottle opener, his back turned to Dean.
“He’s good,” Dean replied, doing his best to keep his voice steady. “You should call him.”
Sam became still for just a second. When he turned around, his face once again showed no emotion. He walked over to Dean and handed him his beer, then made his way back to the kitchen area.
The air was thick with unspoken words and Dean had no idea where to even begin. This was Sam. This was his brother. But after everything that had happened, after the five months of separation, he felt as if he walked into a house of a complete stranger.
“So, you’ve been here? All this time?” Dean asked, his eyes once again scanning the room.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Why here?” This place made no sense. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, aside from the slightly larger than normal number of demonic possessions. But lately you would have been hard pressed to find a place that didn’t have a demon problem.
Sam shrugged his shoulders. “Why not here?”
Dean studied Sam’s face, searching for anything, something that could give him answers to what the hell was going on with his brother. But he found nothing in his brother’s hazel eyes. “Well, in case you haven’t heard, the whole world is going to hell in a hand basket.”
That seemed to strike a chord with Sam, because his expression hardened. “I’m aware,” he ground through his teeth as he put the beer bottle down on the counter.
“And you’re just hiding out here?”
“Something like that.”
That was it. He tried so hard to keep his emotions in check, but seeing Sam completely unaffected by anything was more than he could take. Dean slammed the bottle on the table and took a step toward Sam. “So, you’re killing demons again?”
“Like you said, the world is going to hell. I’m trying to do something about it.”
“Killing demons.”
“That’s the general idea, yeah.”
Sam’s calm voice and demeanor, as if he was talking about nothing more important than where to have dinner, only fueled Dean’s anger.
“What happened to ‘I give up hunting’ and ‘I learned my lesson’?”
Sam sneered as he pushed away from the kitchen counter and stood up straight. “Why don’t you just ask me what’s really on your mind, Dean.”
It was the same question that had been on Dean‘s mind for months. “Are you drinking demon blood again?”
Sam remained quiet for a few seconds, seemingly studying Dean‘s face. “If I say no, would you believe me?”
Dean wanted to believe his brother. More than anything, he wanted to believe that Sam would not go down that road again. Not after everything. But all the evidence pointed to one explanation.
“That’s what I thought,” Sam said. He turned away from Dean. “It’s time for you to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Not until I get some answers.”
Spinning on his heels, Sam glared back at Dean, showing emotion for the first time since the two reunited. “What’s the point?” Sam shouted. “You’re not going to believe a word I tell you. So why don’t you just come up with answers you want to hear and get the hell out of here.”
The anger in Sam‘s voice felt like a bucket of ice was dumped on Dean. But he refused to let it sway his resolve. “No,” he shook his head.
“Get out!” Sam yelled, taking a step closer.
“No!”
Before Dean had a chance to react, Sam grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and shoved him toward the door. Dean struggled against his brother’s hold, finally managing to push away and free himself. But before he had a chance to even take a breath, he was flying out the door and onto the grass outside.
Every bone and muscle in his body screamed at the rough treatment they received as he landed heavily on the ground. The fall knocked the air out of him and it took a few seconds for him to be able to take a deep breath in. Slowly, he pushed himself up into a half-sitting position and looked back toward the door.
Sam stood in the doorway, his face mostly hidden by the darkness coming from inside the house. But there was no mistaking the color of his eyes - black - as he met Dean’s.
“Don’t come back,” Sam said and closed the door.
*******
Sam stood still until he finally heard Impala's roar. He closed his eyes and listened as the sound echoed and then finally disappeared in the distance.
He missed it. That sound. The lullaby. The music of it. The sound of home. When he walked away from it all those months ago, he truly believed he would never see it again, never hear the sound of the engine singing. And when he heard it earlier today, even though he knew he shouldn't, even though he knew what he had to do to get Dean to leave, he couldn't help but smile. Just for a second, a fleeting moment. And then reality kicked him in the gut and brought him back down to earth.
When he could no longer hear the car that took his brother away from this place, Sam walked over to the bed and collapsed on the edge, his head falling in his hands. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He was tired, so tired. More and more instances so close together had left him drained, physically and emotionally. And even though he knew it was coming, seeing Dean again was so much harder than Sam ever imagined.
"Was that really necessary?"
Sam dropped his hands to his sides and slowly raised his eyes to meet the ones belonging to the red-haired intruder. He was used to the angels just popping in and out of his place without so much as a knock.
"Yes. No." He shook his head. "I don't know," he finally admitted. He really wasn't sure what the right approach was. He only knew that somehow, some way he needed to make sure that Dean left town. And fast. "Cas was supposed to keep him away from here," he said accusingly, turning his eyes toward the angel once again.
Anna took a step closer, her eyes burrowing into Sam, her expression softening just a bit. Out of all the angels Sam had met so far, she was the only one who was more human than angel. She was the only one who could really understand human emotion. The one who seemed to get what it was that he was giving up.
"He found reports about somebody matching your description fighting demons. What did you think was going to happen?" she said softly.
Sam knew she was right. Even though he let him go initially, five months of no contact, no news on whether Sam was even alive would make Dean go looking for him. And if Dean found out that Sam was here, there was nothing anybody could have done to stop him. This thought stirred something inside of Sam that he didn't dare touch for a long time now, something that warmed his body from somewhere deep inside - the thought that his brother still cared about him, that somehow they were still brothers, that what he had done did not completely destroy the bond they shared all their lives.
Of course, the logical side of him realized that it would never be that simple. Even if Dean was here simply to make sure he was ok, it didn't erase everything else that had happened. And more importantly, he still had a job to do - a job that did not involve Dean, could not involve Dean. Not until it was time.
"He can't be here. It's too dangerous," Sam said and was relieved to see Anna nod in response. It was a slight nod, but it was enough to let Sam know that they were on the same page. "You need to make him leave."
"How do you propose I do that?"
"Tell him there's a job," Sam offered. "Tell him anything. Lie. I don't know. And if he doesn't listen, there's always your forehead-touch teleporting mojo."
"And how long you think that will keep him away?"
"As long as possible." He just needed to buy some time. That was all he needed at this point. Just...time.
Anna nodded once again.
Sam dropped his head in his hands, exhaustion taking hold once again.
"Sam?"
He felt her hand on his shoulder, a touch so light, it was barely there.
Sam raised his head and met her eyes once again.
"I don't know how long I can keep them away," Sam said. He looked away, hating to admit weakness. "They're more and more powerful. And in bigger numbers."
"Do you think they know?"
Sam shook his head. "No. Not yet. But they will. It's only a matter of time. And when they do, even I won't be able to stop them."
Anna nodded and in the blink of an eye was gone.
Author: irishka1205
Character: Sam, Dean, Bobby
Spoilers: through episode 2 of season 5. AU post 5.02
Disclaimer: I don't own anybody or anything. They all belong to the evil one that is Eric Kripke.
Rating: PG
Summary: This was originally just an idea for a one time drabble. But turned into an entire story. 5 months pass since the boys separate and Sam has dropped off the face of the earth. Dean goes looking for him. Who will he find?
Author’s Note: I welcome all comments and criticism. A big gigantic thank you to my beta and cheerleader muses_circle . If it wasn't for her, I probably would never have decided to write this fic.
Part 1
*****
Dean suddenly found himself free to move around. He pushed away from the wall and looked from the body on the floor to the man in the doorway. He still couldn’t see the other’s face. Dean tried to say something, but his mouth was dry and no words came out. Instead he just stood rooted in place as he watched the man turn and walk away.
“Sammy?” he finally managed to utter.
The man paused for just a second, but continued walking.
It took a few seconds before Dean was able to force his legs to move and he ran out of the building after his brother. But the street was empty once again with no traces of Sam left behind.
*******
Part 2
Dean spent the next two days driving around searching for Sam. He checked out all the motels in the area but nobody matching Sam’s description rented rooms in any of them.
Frustrated, tired and hungry, Dean finally decided to call it a day and made a stop at a diner near his motel to grab a burger and some fries to go. As he waited by the entrance for his order, he looked at the pictures covering the wall. His eyes drew to the picture of a family standing in front of a cabin in the woods.
Dean turned and looked out the window, his eyes settling on the sea of dark green swaying on the horizon.
“Hey, are there a lot of cabins in the woods?” he asked, as the waitress brought out his order in a white paper bag. His stomach growled as the smell of fresh hot fries reached him.
“A few,” the brunette replied, smiling at him. “You interested in renting?”
She was obviously flirting with him and Dean couldn‘t miss the opportunity to use it to his advantage. “Maybe.” He stepped toward her and smiled the most genuine smile he could muster. “You know where I could maybe get a list of owners?”
“Town hall, of course,” she replied leaning in closer. “My friend Allison works there. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to help you. Especially if that means, you’d be sticking around for a while.”
“She’d really do that for me?” Dean asked coyly.
“Oh, trust me,” she replied. Straightening up, she handed him the bag of food. “I put some extra fries in there for you.”
Dean took the bag and turned to leave. “Thanks, Marie,” he winked at her and quickly exited the diner.
An hour later he had the list of all the registered cabin owners in the area. Allison was extremely helpful, even offering to call some of them on his behalf. Dean, gratefully and with a big smile on his face, declined.
Back in his motel room, he immediately started calling the owners, his food long since forgotten on the front seat of the Impala.
The fourth call was the one that delivered results when Dean spoke to an old lady who lived away in Florida. She said that she hadn’t met the new tenant, they only spoke on the phone, but he had been renting the cabin for a little over four months and always paid on time via money order. The name he gave her was William Thompson. Getting the directions to the cabin, Dean hung up.
******
He directed the car through the narrow path, weaving between rows and rows of trees. Finally, Dean saw a cabin sitting in the middle of a small clearing up ahead. He pulled in and killed the engine.
Dean looked at the cabin, trying to see any movement inside. But the drapes over the lone window had been drawn and no sounds came from the inside. Looking around, Dean couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary either. Only an old dirty motorcycle stood in front of the house. Dean couldn’t for a second imagine Sam on a bike and once again began to doubt whether Sam would be renting a cabin in the middle of the woods. But he was already here and he couldn’t leave before checking it out.
He got out of the car and walked slowly toward the house. Climbing the small steps to the front door, Dean raised his hand to knock when suddenly the door opened, revealing Sam on the other side.
Whether it was the shock of Sam actually being here or simply seeing his brother for the first time in five months, but Dean once again found himself at a loss for words. Sam seemed to be in a similar situation and the two of them just stared at each other for what seemed like forever.
Dean took in his brother’s appearance. Sam hadn’t changed in the least, except maybe his hair was even longer now. Two scars on the right side of his face that hadn’t quite healed were a glaring reminder of battles Sam had faced alone.
“Are we gonna stand here all day or you gonna let me in?” Dean finally managed to ask.
Sam looked like he was considering his options for a moment, but finally stepped aside and pulled the door open to let Dean inside.
Dean stepped in slowly, looking around. The place was tiny with only basic necessities - a little kitchen with a sink, a fridge and a stove. A square table stood in the middle of the room and the bed was on the other side of the room, next to a fireplace. However small, this place definitely looked as if Sam had been here for a while. News articles of supernatural activities around the country were splattered on the wall next to the bed. Sam’s laptop sat on the table. His clothes folded neatly on a chair by the bed.
“How did you find me?” Sam asked as he walked to the kitchen, leaving the door wide open.
Dean turned to finally look at his brother. Sam‘s size, his height made the place look even smaller. His voice and face void of any emotion. “Five months and that’s all you got to say to me?”
Sam let out a loud sigh as he stopped and looked up to meet Dean‘s eyes, his face relaxing finally. “You want a beer?”
Dean nodded in response. Sam opened the fridge and pulled two bottles of beer.
“How’s Bobby?” Sam asked as he worked the bottle opener, his back turned to Dean.
“He’s good,” Dean replied, doing his best to keep his voice steady. “You should call him.”
Sam became still for just a second. When he turned around, his face once again showed no emotion. He walked over to Dean and handed him his beer, then made his way back to the kitchen area.
The air was thick with unspoken words and Dean had no idea where to even begin. This was Sam. This was his brother. But after everything that had happened, after the five months of separation, he felt as if he walked into a house of a complete stranger.
“So, you’ve been here? All this time?” Dean asked, his eyes once again scanning the room.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Why here?” This place made no sense. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, aside from the slightly larger than normal number of demonic possessions. But lately you would have been hard pressed to find a place that didn’t have a demon problem.
Sam shrugged his shoulders. “Why not here?”
Dean studied Sam’s face, searching for anything, something that could give him answers to what the hell was going on with his brother. But he found nothing in his brother’s hazel eyes. “Well, in case you haven’t heard, the whole world is going to hell in a hand basket.”
That seemed to strike a chord with Sam, because his expression hardened. “I’m aware,” he ground through his teeth as he put the beer bottle down on the counter.
“And you’re just hiding out here?”
“Something like that.”
That was it. He tried so hard to keep his emotions in check, but seeing Sam completely unaffected by anything was more than he could take. Dean slammed the bottle on the table and took a step toward Sam. “So, you’re killing demons again?”
“Like you said, the world is going to hell. I’m trying to do something about it.”
“Killing demons.”
“That’s the general idea, yeah.”
Sam’s calm voice and demeanor, as if he was talking about nothing more important than where to have dinner, only fueled Dean’s anger.
“What happened to ‘I give up hunting’ and ‘I learned my lesson’?”
Sam sneered as he pushed away from the kitchen counter and stood up straight. “Why don’t you just ask me what’s really on your mind, Dean.”
It was the same question that had been on Dean‘s mind for months. “Are you drinking demon blood again?”
Sam remained quiet for a few seconds, seemingly studying Dean‘s face. “If I say no, would you believe me?”
Dean wanted to believe his brother. More than anything, he wanted to believe that Sam would not go down that road again. Not after everything. But all the evidence pointed to one explanation.
“That’s what I thought,” Sam said. He turned away from Dean. “It’s time for you to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Not until I get some answers.”
Spinning on his heels, Sam glared back at Dean, showing emotion for the first time since the two reunited. “What’s the point?” Sam shouted. “You’re not going to believe a word I tell you. So why don’t you just come up with answers you want to hear and get the hell out of here.”
The anger in Sam‘s voice felt like a bucket of ice was dumped on Dean. But he refused to let it sway his resolve. “No,” he shook his head.
“Get out!” Sam yelled, taking a step closer.
“No!”
Before Dean had a chance to react, Sam grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and shoved him toward the door. Dean struggled against his brother’s hold, finally managing to push away and free himself. But before he had a chance to even take a breath, he was flying out the door and onto the grass outside.
Every bone and muscle in his body screamed at the rough treatment they received as he landed heavily on the ground. The fall knocked the air out of him and it took a few seconds for him to be able to take a deep breath in. Slowly, he pushed himself up into a half-sitting position and looked back toward the door.
Sam stood in the doorway, his face mostly hidden by the darkness coming from inside the house. But there was no mistaking the color of his eyes - black - as he met Dean’s.
“Don’t come back,” Sam said and closed the door.
*******
Sam stood still until he finally heard Impala's roar. He closed his eyes and listened as the sound echoed and then finally disappeared in the distance.
He missed it. That sound. The lullaby. The music of it. The sound of home. When he walked away from it all those months ago, he truly believed he would never see it again, never hear the sound of the engine singing. And when he heard it earlier today, even though he knew he shouldn't, even though he knew what he had to do to get Dean to leave, he couldn't help but smile. Just for a second, a fleeting moment. And then reality kicked him in the gut and brought him back down to earth.
When he could no longer hear the car that took his brother away from this place, Sam walked over to the bed and collapsed on the edge, his head falling in his hands. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He was tired, so tired. More and more instances so close together had left him drained, physically and emotionally. And even though he knew it was coming, seeing Dean again was so much harder than Sam ever imagined.
"Was that really necessary?"
Sam dropped his hands to his sides and slowly raised his eyes to meet the ones belonging to the red-haired intruder. He was used to the angels just popping in and out of his place without so much as a knock.
"Yes. No." He shook his head. "I don't know," he finally admitted. He really wasn't sure what the right approach was. He only knew that somehow, some way he needed to make sure that Dean left town. And fast. "Cas was supposed to keep him away from here," he said accusingly, turning his eyes toward the angel once again.
Anna took a step closer, her eyes burrowing into Sam, her expression softening just a bit. Out of all the angels Sam had met so far, she was the only one who was more human than angel. She was the only one who could really understand human emotion. The one who seemed to get what it was that he was giving up.
"He found reports about somebody matching your description fighting demons. What did you think was going to happen?" she said softly.
Sam knew she was right. Even though he let him go initially, five months of no contact, no news on whether Sam was even alive would make Dean go looking for him. And if Dean found out that Sam was here, there was nothing anybody could have done to stop him. This thought stirred something inside of Sam that he didn't dare touch for a long time now, something that warmed his body from somewhere deep inside - the thought that his brother still cared about him, that somehow they were still brothers, that what he had done did not completely destroy the bond they shared all their lives.
Of course, the logical side of him realized that it would never be that simple. Even if Dean was here simply to make sure he was ok, it didn't erase everything else that had happened. And more importantly, he still had a job to do - a job that did not involve Dean, could not involve Dean. Not until it was time.
"He can't be here. It's too dangerous," Sam said and was relieved to see Anna nod in response. It was a slight nod, but it was enough to let Sam know that they were on the same page. "You need to make him leave."
"How do you propose I do that?"
"Tell him there's a job," Sam offered. "Tell him anything. Lie. I don't know. And if he doesn't listen, there's always your forehead-touch teleporting mojo."
"And how long you think that will keep him away?"
"As long as possible." He just needed to buy some time. That was all he needed at this point. Just...time.
Anna nodded once again.
Sam dropped his head in his hands, exhaustion taking hold once again.
"Sam?"
He felt her hand on his shoulder, a touch so light, it was barely there.
Sam raised his head and met her eyes once again.
"I don't know how long I can keep them away," Sam said. He looked away, hating to admit weakness. "They're more and more powerful. And in bigger numbers."
"Do you think they know?"
Sam shook his head. "No. Not yet. But they will. It's only a matter of time. And when they do, even I won't be able to stop them."
Anna nodded and in the blink of an eye was gone.