justprompts: An important rule you’ve broken.
ooc: takes place after this.
"... and he's standing there, smiling at me, Bobby. Smiling and telling me he's happy with what he's doing." Dean had been pacing, but sat on the couch at the end of that particular rant. He held his head in his hands and covered his eyes.
"I felt sick. It was like, anyone else and I woulda capped them right there... but Sam?"
"They're asking too much, wanting you to take care of Sam like that." Bobby leaned against the desk, watching Dean.
"All my life, Bobby, it's always been take care of Sammy, Dean... keep him safe." His lips pursed together as he shook his head. "I thought I screwed up when I let him die..."
"Dean."
"But no, that was just the beginning. Azazel knew I'd bring him back. And I just did it. Threw away my life and gave them the ticket to put whatever they put back into Sam there. I know that boy, Bobby; how could I have missed this?"
Bobby didn't say anything, just pushed off the desk and started for the kitchen. "When yer done with yer self degradation, I'll be in the kitchen."
"This ain't funny, Bobby!" Dean shouted.
"No, it ain't. But you gotta stop this B.S. about how it's all yer fault, Dean." Bobby spun around to look at him. "Now I've held my tongue, but this is how you got into this mess the first place, and I ain't about to watch it happen all over again."
"So what are you saying, Bobby? That I should kill my brother? You just said..."
"I know what I said. I'm talking about you, Dean. Always wanting to take the blame. Don't you think I should feel guilty? I knew you were fallin' apart and I left you alone to make that deal. We both could have worked faster in findin' him. Hell, we shoulda just locked him in the panic room when we realized that yellow eyes want."
"But it was my job..."
"Yer daddy was wrong in asking you that, Dean. Can't you see that through your thick skull?"
"He's my brother, Bobby. Dad didn't have to ask me to watch out for him." Dean was still shouting, standing off against Bobby in the doorway to the kitchen. "Sammy didn't deserve to die!"
"No he didn't. But everyone's gotta die, Dean, and maybe it was his turn. That's life."
Dean couldn't help up. His fist flew faster than he thought and he slammed it across Bobby's jaw. He then stared at Bobby in shock before the older man returned the blow, knocking Dean back to the ground.
"Now I'm gonna take that as a moment of insanity, boy." Bobby rubbed his jaw a moment. "That don't change things here. You gotta stop looking at him right now as yer brother. Treat him like the thing he wants to be - like what he's acting like."
"Like a monster." Dean stayed on the floor, looking up at Bobby.
"Exactly. If there's anything left of Sam how we knew him, he'll show eventually. And if he don't... then it's not our Sam, and you deal with it how you would a shape shifter or a demon or whatever."
"I can't kill my brother. I already know this." He looked away, ashamed.
"You want to save your brother, Dean? hate to say it, but killing that thing might end up being the way to do that."
They were quiet a moment, then Dean shook his head. "I don't want to be in a world without my brother, Bobby."
"Then let's hope there's still a bit of the real Sam left to save." Bobby held a hand out to help Dean up. "But we need a game plan."
"First I need to know how and when this happened." Dean got up, then looked towards the den. "And I got an idea on how I'm going to get that information."
Bobby gave him a look. "How?"
"I'm gonna summon Ruby and ask her some questions," Dean stated, turning to look back at Bobby again. "And if I don't like the answers, she'll wish I just sent her back to hell when it's over."
A few hours later, they stood in the barn while Dean finished up the summoning ritual. As he finished the last words, he sprinkled the cinnamon over the flame and watched it light up.
"There, now we just wait for the bitch to show," Dean told Bobby, sitting back against a crate.
"... and he's standing there, smiling at me, Bobby. Smiling and telling me he's happy with what he's doing." Dean had been pacing, but sat on the couch at the end of that particular rant. He held his head in his hands and covered his eyes.
"I felt sick. It was like, anyone else and I woulda capped them right there... but Sam?"
"They're asking too much, wanting you to take care of Sam like that." Bobby leaned against the desk, watching Dean.
"All my life, Bobby, it's always been take care of Sammy, Dean... keep him safe." His lips pursed together as he shook his head. "I thought I screwed up when I let him die..."
"Dean."
"But no, that was just the beginning. Azazel knew I'd bring him back. And I just did it. Threw away my life and gave them the ticket to put whatever they put back into Sam there. I know that boy, Bobby; how could I have missed this?"
Bobby didn't say anything, just pushed off the desk and started for the kitchen. "When yer done with yer self degradation, I'll be in the kitchen."
"This ain't funny, Bobby!" Dean shouted.
"No, it ain't. But you gotta stop this B.S. about how it's all yer fault, Dean." Bobby spun around to look at him. "Now I've held my tongue, but this is how you got into this mess the first place, and I ain't about to watch it happen all over again."
"So what are you saying, Bobby? That I should kill my brother? You just said..."
"I know what I said. I'm talking about you, Dean. Always wanting to take the blame. Don't you think I should feel guilty? I knew you were fallin' apart and I left you alone to make that deal. We both could have worked faster in findin' him. Hell, we shoulda just locked him in the panic room when we realized that yellow eyes want."
"But it was my job..."
"Yer daddy was wrong in asking you that, Dean. Can't you see that through your thick skull?"
"He's my brother, Bobby. Dad didn't have to ask me to watch out for him." Dean was still shouting, standing off against Bobby in the doorway to the kitchen. "Sammy didn't deserve to die!"
"No he didn't. But everyone's gotta die, Dean, and maybe it was his turn. That's life."
Dean couldn't help up. His fist flew faster than he thought and he slammed it across Bobby's jaw. He then stared at Bobby in shock before the older man returned the blow, knocking Dean back to the ground.
"Now I'm gonna take that as a moment of insanity, boy." Bobby rubbed his jaw a moment. "That don't change things here. You gotta stop looking at him right now as yer brother. Treat him like the thing he wants to be - like what he's acting like."
"Like a monster." Dean stayed on the floor, looking up at Bobby.
"Exactly. If there's anything left of Sam how we knew him, he'll show eventually. And if he don't... then it's not our Sam, and you deal with it how you would a shape shifter or a demon or whatever."
"I can't kill my brother. I already know this." He looked away, ashamed.
"You want to save your brother, Dean? hate to say it, but killing that thing might end up being the way to do that."
They were quiet a moment, then Dean shook his head. "I don't want to be in a world without my brother, Bobby."
"Then let's hope there's still a bit of the real Sam left to save." Bobby held a hand out to help Dean up. "But we need a game plan."
"First I need to know how and when this happened." Dean got up, then looked towards the den. "And I got an idea on how I'm going to get that information."
Bobby gave him a look. "How?"
"I'm gonna summon Ruby and ask her some questions," Dean stated, turning to look back at Bobby again. "And if I don't like the answers, she'll wish I just sent her back to hell when it's over."
A few hours later, they stood in the barn while Dean finished up the summoning ritual. As he finished the last words, he sprinkled the cinnamon over the flame and watched it light up.
"There, now we just wait for the bitch to show," Dean told Bobby, sitting back against a crate.