Lost Brother Found by kirallie

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Chapter 10

“Where are we?” Sam asked as he straightened in his seat, yawning. Dean looked over and grinned.

“Just entering Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Bout time you woke up sleepyhead.” Dean teased.

“Sorry. We stopping to eat?” Sam asked as he stretched and grabbed his laptop before it could slip off his lap and onto the floor.

“Yeah, sorry it’s a very late lunch.” Dean answered and Sam shrugged.

“Not like I’m all that hungry.” He muttered and Dean frowned. Sam had been skipping meals since Jess had left and it wasn’t good for him. But nothing Dean said made any difference. He hated seeing Sammy in pain but the kid wasn’t talking. Dean looked around as they drove, taking in the town.

“Sam, you got the time?” Dean asked, frowning and Sam glanced at his wrist.

“Ten after four. Why?”

“What’s wrong with this picture?” Dean asked and Sam leaned over to look through his window, seeing the almost deserted playground.

“School’s out, isn’t it?” Sam asked as he sat back and Dean nodded.

“Yeah. So, where is everybody? This place should be crawlin’ with kids right now.”

“You wanna check it out?” Sam offered and Dean grinned, pulling in to park.
“I’ll go grab us a table.” Sam said, heading for the diner while Dean walked towards the playground. Dean smiled at the lone girl’s mother as he sat on the bench beside her.

“It sure is quiet out here.” He commented, subtly scenting the air but he couldn’t pick up anything off.

“Yeah, it’s a shame.” The woman answered him, looking sad as she watched her daughter.

“Why is that?”

“You know, kids getting sick. It’s a terrible thing.” She answered and Dean tensed, he hated it when kids were hurt.

“How many?” he asked, mental alarm bells ringing, something about that sounded vaguely familiar.

“Just five or six, but serious—hospital serious. A lot of parents are getting pretty anxious. They think it’s catching.” She admitted softly and Dean could smell the fear for her daughter on her.

“Hm.” He watched the woman’s daughter on the monkey bars in silence for a while before giving her a smile in goodbye and heading over to the diner to join Sam. He walked inside and spotted Sam, walking over to sit at the table. Sam looked up from his laptop and smiled slightly at Dean as he sat.

“So?” Sam asked and Dean shrugged.

“Kids are getting sick, docs apparently don’t know why. Something about its bugging me though, like I’ve heard of it before.” Dean admitted and Sam frowned, typing away.

“From with Dad or after?” He asked and Dean thought it over.

“With…..you were little.” Dean finally answered and watched Sam type.
“Sammy?”

“Bobby and the others have been helping me set this up. Basically it’s a database of all their hunts plus all the ones they remember John talking about or have heard of. The ones we’ve done are already in here too.”

“That’s handy. Easier to search than John’s journal too.” Dean admitted and Sam nodded.

“Okay….think I’ve got something, Pastor Jim remembered John dumping us off with him when you were about ten. John was livid according to these comments. He headed back but the thing he was hunting was long gone. Notes include the fact that the town had a lot of sick kids in hospital.”

“Where was it?” Dean asked, dread settling in his chest.

“Fort Douglas, Wisconsin.” Sam answered and Dean froze. Sam looked up and frowned.
“Dean?”

“Lets grab a room.” Dean growled, getting up. Sam scrambled to get his bag and then bolted after him.

“Dean what’s going on?” Sam demanded when he caught up.

“We’ve got a hunt.” Dean stated flatly as they got in the car and looked for a motel.

“For what? All we’ve got is a bunch of sick kids.” Sam told him as they pulled into the parking lot. Dean got out and stormed towards the office, leaving a bewildered Sam behind. Dean walked into the office and a teenager walked in from the family area behind the desk.

“King or two queens?” The kid asked.

“Two queens.” Dean answered, getting his wallet out. The kid looked past him at Sam who was still standing beside the car.

“Yeah, I bet.” The teen mumbled but Dean’s werewolf hearing heard it clearly and he glared.

“What’d you say?” He growled out and the kid took a step back, eyes wide.

“Nice car.” He managed a shaky smile and Dean sighed. A woman walked in and looked between them, moving between the kid and Dean.

“Hi.” She greeted him and Dean smiled.

“Hi.” Dean answered calmly.

“Checking in?”

“Yeah.”

“Do me a favour; go get your brother some dinner.” She said and the kid practically pouted to Dean’s amusement.

“I’m helpin’ a guest.” He argued but his mom glared and moved behind the desk. The kid sighed but nodded towards Dean.
“Two queens.” He told her as he headed into the back.

“Funny kid.” Dean commented and she shrugged.

“Oh, yeah, he thinks so. Will that be cash or credit?”

“You take MasterCard?” Dean asked as he got out a card, he was still getting used to the fact he was running scams again. It had been…nice to have his own money while they’d been at Stanford and they both had some left but they saved that for when they couldn’t afford to risk the cards.

“Mmhmm.”

“Perfect.” He handed over the card and waited while she ran it.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
“Dean you want to tell me what’s going on?” Sam asked as they walked back into the motel room. He was still a little mad about the id Dean had made him use at the hospital but he was more worried about Dean’s behaviour. He’d been getting tenser and tenser, especially since they’d found those marks on the window sill at the Tarnower’s place. He’d been growling under his breath, his eyes flickering colour to that of his wolf and Sam was scared, not that Dean would hurt him or anyone, but that Dean would do something stupid.
“Dean talk to me, what’s wrong?” Sam asked quietly, touching Dean’s arm and feeling the tension in it.

“This case….it’s my fault.” He muttered and Sam frowned.

“What? Dean that’s not possible. You were a kid when we were in the last town.” Sam argued. He nudged Dean further into the room and over to his bed. Dean sat on the edge, head in hands.

“It’s a shtriga. John hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin about sixteen, seventeen years ago. You were there, you don’t remember?” Dean finally answered and Sam frowned.

“No. So, what the hell is a shtriga?”

“It’s kind of like a witch, I think. I don’t know much about ‘em.” Dean admitted, still looking guilty.

“Wait….you think this is the same one he hunted? But if John went after it, why is it still breathing air?” Sam asked, confused. To his knowledge they were the only ones to ever escape John and the man was still hunting them after several years.

“‘Cause it got away.”

“Got away?”

“Yeah, Sammy, it happens.” Dean growled but Sam didn’t flinch, he just sat down beside Dean.

“Not very often.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, I mean, maybe John didn’t have his wheaties that morning.”

“What else do you remember?” Sam asked gently.

“Nothin’, I was a kid, all right?” Dean argued and Sam frowned, he knew Dean was lying, question was why? Sam wracked his memory, trying to remember but all those towns had been the same back then. It was only after Dean had ‘died’ that he’d really started paying attention.

“Dean, don’t lie to me, please.”

“This isn’t about you, Sam!” Dean yelled, turning away.
“All right, I’m the one that screwed up. It’s my fault. There’s no tellin’ how many kids have gotten hurt because of me.” Dean snapped out and Sam hugged him, letting Dean know he wasn’t alone.

“What are you saying, Dean? How is it your fault? Dean, you’ve been hiding something from the get-go. Since when does John bail on a hunt? Since when does he let something get away? Hell he’s been chasing us for how long now? Now, talk to me, man. Tell me what’s goin’ on.” Sam pleaded and Dean finally relaxed a little, nodding. He moved out of Sam’s hold, moving to stand by the window.

“Fort Douglas, Wisconsin. It was the third night in this crap room, and I was climbin’ the walls, man. I needed to get some air. I was gone a couple of hours I guess, messing around in the arcade. When I got back…..it was leaning over you, sucking out your life force. You were so still on the bed….I grabbed the gun by the door and then John was there. He shot at it but it got away. He shook you and you woke up, you didn’t even know what had happened. John just grabbed us and booked—dropped us off at Pastor Jim’s about three hours away. By the time he got back to Fort Douglas, the shtriga disappeared. It was just gone. It never resurfaced until now. John never spoke about it again. I didn't ask. But he, uh—he looked at me different, you know—which was worse. Not that I blame him. He gave me an order, and I didn’t listen. I almost got you killed.” Dean admitted and Sam grabbed him, making Dean turn around a look at him.

“You were just a kid.” Sam assured him and Dean jerked away.

“Don’t—don’t.”Dean growled and Sam slammed him into the wall, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to really make Dean focus on him.

“It was not your fault! You were a kid Dean; you should never have been left as my sole caretaker. I don’t blame you; no one with any sense could blame you. You can’t dwell on the ‘what if’s’, you know that. No this thing is here and we will stop it, okay?” Sam snapped and Dean stared at him with wide eyes before nodding slowly.
“Good. Now let’s get to work.”

````````````````````````````````````````
“We should have thought of this before. A doctor’s a perfect disguise. You’re trusted; you can control the whole thing.” Sam moaned, unable to believe they’d missed something so obvious.

“Huh. That son of a bitch. Thought something about him smelt off.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t draw on him right there.” Sam teased and Dean glared at him.

“Yeah, well, first of all, I’m not gonna open fire in a freakin’ pediatrics ward.”

“Good call.” Sam stated proudly and Dean rolled his eyes.

“Second, it wouldn’t have done any good because the bastard’s bulletproof unless he’s chowin’ down on somethin’. And third, I wasn’t packin’, which is probably a really good thing ‘cause I probably would’ve just burned a clip in him off of principle alone.” Dean finished and Sam smiled proudly.

“Gettin’ wise in your old age, Dean.”

“Damn right. So now I know how we’re gonna get it.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked, worried by the look on Dean’s face.

“This shtriga—it works through siblings, right?”

“Right.” Sam answered warily.

“Well, last night….”

“It went after Asher.” Sam finished for him, eyes going wide in shock.

“So I’m thinkin’ tonight, it’s probably gonna come after Michael.”

“Then, we gotta get him outta here.” Sam argued but Dean shook his head.

“No. No, that’d blow the whole deal.”

“What?” Sam demanded, ignoring the objects that started to rattle as he got mad at his brother for even thinking what he was thinking.

“Yeah.” Dean ignored the moving objects too, Sam wouldn’t lash out at him even subconsciously with his powers just like Dean would never hurt Sam even as the wolf.

“Then you wanna use the kid as bait? Are you nuts? No! Forget it, that’s out of the question.”

“It’s not out of the question, Sam, it’s the only way. If this thing disappears, it could be years before we get another chance.”

“Michael’s a kid. And I’m not gonna dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook.” Sam snarled.
“How about one of us hides under the cover, you know, we’ll be the bait?”

“No, that won’t work. It’s gotta get close enough to feed. It’ll see us. Believe me, I don’t like it. But it’s gotta be the kid.”

``````````````````````````````````````
“What time is it?” Dean asked and Sam checked his watch.

“Three. You sure these iron rounds are gonna work?”

“Consecrated iron rounds. And, yeah, it’s what John used last time.”

“Hey, Dean, I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Dean asked in confusion and Sam sighed.

“For pushing you on this. I shouldn’t have and I’m sorry. You talk when you need to and I know that. I was just worried about you.”

“Oh, God, kill me now.” Dean grumbled and Sam smiled.
“Wait, look.” They watched the screen, seeing the shtriga unlocking the window and entering the bedroom. They quietly picked up their guns.

“Now?”

“Not yet.” Dean answered. The shtriga moved closer to the bed and bent down over Michael, beginning to suck out his life force. They jumped up and ran for the bedroom, bursting in.
“Hey!” Dean yelled and the creature turned to him.
“Michael, down!” Michael rolled off the bed as the brothers opened fire.
“Mike, you all right?”

“Yeah.” The kid answered quietly.

“Sit tight.” Dean ordered as they approached the unmoving pile of robes. Sam lowered his gun and it moved, throwing Dean across the room before slamming Sam into the ground

“Dean!” Sam called as he thrashed, losing his gun. He choked as gaunt hands wrapped around his throat, the shtriga lowering its head over Sam’s. Sam gasped as it began to feed, face beginning to pale. He struggled weakly but his powers didn’t respond. His hand clawed at the ground weakly, still trying to get his gun. Sam’s eyes rolled as he tried to see Dean, needing his big brother to save him since his powers had deserted him.

“Hey!” the familiar voice called and the creature turned it’s head, Dean shooting it between the eyes. It shrieked but fell back, disappearing into nothing even as Dean scrambled ot Sam’s side.
“Sammy?” Dean called, kneeling over him as Sam coughed feebly.
“Easy kiddo, I’ve got you, you’re okay.” Dean whispered as he pulled Sam into his arms. He was relieved to see Sam’s colour improving.
“You okay, little brother?” he asked and Sam flashed him a thumbs up.
“It’s okay, Michael, you can come on out.” Dean called and the kid crawled out from under the bed.

`````````````````````````````````````````
“Hey, Joanna. How’s Asher doin’?” Dean asked as he put his bag in the car. She looked over at him and smiled.

“Have you seen Michael?”

“Mom, Mom!” Michael yelled as he ran over.

“Hey!” Joanna hugged him.

“How’s Ash?” Michael demanded.

“I’ve got some good news. Your brother’s gonna be fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. No one can explain it. It’s a miracle. They’re gonna keep him in overnight for observation, but after that, he’s comin’ home.” Joanna answered and Dean smiled.

“That’s great. How are all the other kids doin’?”

“Good. Real good. A bunch of them should be checkin’ out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward’s gonna be like a ghost town. Is your friend okay?” She asked, spotting Sam walking towards them, his throat livid with bruises.

“Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?” Sam croaked out.

“Oh, he wasn’t in today—must’ve been sick or something. Are you alright? What happened?”

“Bar fight, alright.” Sam answered, coughing so Dean handed him a bottle of water.

“Mm.” She stared at him but then looked at her son.
“So, did anything happen while I was gone?”

“No. Same old stuff.”

“Okay. You can go see Ash.”

“Now?”Michael asked and she smiled.

“Only if you want to. I better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself.” Joanna said and Dean nodded, Sam waving goodbye.

“It’s too bad.” Sam whispered and Dean looked at him, guilt in his eyes for Sam’s condition.

“Oh, they’ll be fine.” Dean assured him but Sam shook his head.

“Michael. He’ll always know…..out there in the dark. Never be the same. Sometimes I wish that….” Sam trailed off, rubbing at his abused throat.

“What?” Dean asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, offering comfort and Sam looked at him sadly.

“Wish I could have that kind of innocence.” Sam whispered and Dean turned to watch Joanna drive away.

“If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could, too.” Dean whispered before getting in the car. Sam stared in surprise before smiling and getting in too.

TBC…

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Lost Brother Found by kirallie [Reviews - 3] Chapter or Story Table of Contents - Text Size + Disclaimer: Not mine. Chapter 10 “Where are we?” Sam asked as he straightened in his seat, yawning. Dean looked over and grinned. “Just entering Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Bout time you woke up sleepyhead.” Dean teased. “Sorry. We stopping to eat?” Sam asked as he stretched and grabbed his laptop before it could slip off his lap and onto the floor. “Yeah, sorry it’s a very late lunch.” Dean answered and Sam shrugged. “Not like I’m all that hungry.” He muttered and Dean frowned. Sam had been skipping meals since Jess had left and it wasn’t good for him. But nothing Dean said made any difference. He hated seeing Sammy in pain but the kid wasn’t talking. Dean looked around as they drove, taking in the town. “Sam, you got the time?” Dean asked, frowning and Sam glanced at his wrist. “Ten after four. Why?” “What’s wrong with this picture?” Dean asked and Sam leaned over to look through his window, seeing the almost deserted playground. “School’s out, isn’t it?” Sam asked as he sat back and Dean nodded. “Yeah. So, where is everybody? This place should be crawlin’ with kids right now.” “You wanna check it out?” Sam offered and Dean grinned, pulling in to park. “I’ll go grab us a table.” Sam said, heading for the diner while Dean walked towards the playground. Dean smiled at the lone girl’s mother as he sat on the bench beside her. “It sure is quiet out here.” He commented, subtly scenting the air but he couldn’t pick up anything off. “Yeah, it’s a shame.” The woman answered him, looking sad as she watched her daughter. “Why is that?” “You know, kids getting sick. It’s a terrible thing.” She answered and Dean tensed, he hated it when kids were hurt. “How many?” he asked, mental alarm bells ringing, something about that sounded vaguely familiar. “Just five or six, but serious—hospital serious. A lot of parents are getting pretty anxious. They think it’s catching.” She admitted softly and Dean could smell the fear for her daughter on her. “Hm.” He watched the woman’s daughter on the monkey bars in silence for a while before giving her a smile in goodbye and heading over to the diner to join Sam. He walked inside and spotted Sam, walking over to sit at the table. Sam looked up from his laptop and smiled slightly at Dean as he sat. “So?” Sam asked and Dean shrugged. “Kids are getting sick, docs apparently don’t know why. Something about its bugging me though, like I’ve heard of it before.” Dean admitted and Sam frowned, typing away. “From with Dad or after?” He asked and Dean thought it over. “With…..you were little.” Dean finally answered and watched Sam type. “Sammy?” “Bobby and the others have been helping me set this up. Basically it’s a database of all their hunts plus all the ones they remember John talking about or have heard of. The ones we’ve done are already in here too.” “That’s handy. Easier to search than John’s journal too.” Dean admitted and Sam nodded. “Okay….think I’ve got something, Pastor Jim remembered John dumping us off with him when you were about ten. John was livid according to these comments. He headed back but the thing he was hunting was long gone. Notes include the fact that the town had a lot of sick kids in hospital.” “Where was it?” Dean asked, dread settling in his chest. “Fort Douglas, Wisconsin.” Sam answered and Dean froze. Sam looked up and frowned. “Dean?” “Lets grab a room.” Dean growled, getting up. Sam scrambled to get his bag and then bolted after him. “Dean what’s going on?” Sam demanded when he caught up. “We’ve got a hunt.” Dean stated flatly as they got in the car and looked for a motel. “For what? All we’ve got is a bunch of sick kids.” Sam told him as they pulled into the parking lot. Dean got out and stormed towards the office, leaving a bewildered Sam behind. Dean walked into the office and a teenager walked in from the family area behind the desk. “King or two queens?” The kid asked. “Two queens.” Dean answered, getting his wallet out. The kid looked past him at Sam who was still standing beside the car. “Yeah, I bet.” The teen mumbled but Dean’s werewolf hearing heard it clearly and he glared. “What’d you say?” He growled out and the kid took a step back, eyes wide. “Nice car.” He managed a shaky smile and Dean sighed. A woman walked in and looked between them, moving between the kid and Dean. “Hi.” She greeted him and Dean smiled. “Hi.” Dean answered calmly. “Checking in?” “Yeah.” “Do me a favour; go get your brother some dinner.” She said and the kid practically pouted to Dean’s amusement. “I’m helpin’ a guest.” He argued but his mom glared and moved behind the desk. The kid sighed but nodded towards Dean. “Two queens.” He told her as he headed into the back. “Funny kid.” Dean commented and she shrugged. “Oh, yeah, he thinks so. Will that be cash or credit?” “You take MasterCard?” Dean asked as he got out a card, he was still getting used to the fact he was running scams again. It had been…nice to have his own money while they’d been at Stanford and they both had some left but they saved that for when they couldn’t afford to risk the cards. “Mmhmm.” “Perfect.” He handed over the card and waited while she ran it. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` “Dean you want to tell me what’s going on?” Sam asked as they walked back into the motel room. He was still a little mad about the id Dean had made him use at the hospital but he was more worried about Dean’s behaviour. He’d been getting tenser and tenser, especially since they’d found those marks on the window sill at the Tarnower’s place. He’d been growling under his breath, his eyes flickering colour to that of his wolf and Sam was scared, not that Dean would hurt him or anyone, but that Dean would do something stupid. “Dean talk to me, what’s wrong?” Sam asked quietly, touching Dean’s arm and feeling the tension in it. “This case….it’s my fault.” He muttered and Sam frowned. “What? Dean that’s not possible. You were a kid when we were in the last town.” Sam argued. He nudged Dean further into the room and over to his bed. Dean sat on the edge, head in hands. “It’s a shtriga. John hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin about sixteen, seventeen years ago. You were there, you don’t remember?” Dean finally answered and Sam frowned. “No. So, what the hell is a shtriga?” “It’s kind of like a witch, I think. I don’t know much about ‘em.” Dean admitted, still looking guilty. “Wait….you think this is the same one he hunted? But if John went after it, why is it still breathing air?” Sam asked, confused. To his knowledge they were the only ones to ever escape John and the man was still hunting them after several years. “‘Cause it got away.” “Got away?” “Yeah, Sammy, it happens.” Dean growled but Sam didn’t flinch, he just sat down beside Dean. “Not very often.” “Well, I don’t know what to tell you, I mean, maybe John didn’t have his wheaties that morning.” “What else do you remember?” Sam asked gently. “Nothin’, I was a kid, all right?” Dean argued and Sam frowned, he knew Dean was lying, question was why? Sam wracked his memory, trying to remember but all those towns had been the same back then. It was only after Dean had ‘died’ that he’d really started paying attention. “Dean, don’t lie to me, please.” “This isn’t about you, Sam!” Dean yelled, turning away. “All right, I’m the one that screwed up. It’s my fault. There’s no tellin’ how many kids have gotten hurt because of me.” Dean snapped out and Sam hugged him, letting Dean know he wasn’t alone. “What are you saying, Dean? How is it your fault? Dean, you’ve been hiding something from the get-go. Since when does John bail on a hunt? Since when does he let something get away? Hell he’s been chasing us for how long now? Now, talk to me, man. Tell me what’s goin’ on.” Sam pleaded and Dean finally relaxed a little, nodding. He moved out of Sam’s hold, moving to stand by the window. “Fort Douglas, Wisconsin. It was the third night in this crap room, and I was climbin’ the walls, man. I needed to get some air. I was gone a couple of hours I guess, messing around in the arcade. When I got back…..it was leaning over you, sucking out your life force. You were so still on the bed….I grabbed the gun by the door and then John was there. He shot at it but it got away. He shook you and you woke up, you didn’t even know what had happened. John just grabbed us and booked—dropped us off at Pastor Jim’s about three hours away. By the time he got back to Fort Douglas, the shtriga disappeared. It was just gone. It never resurfaced until now. John never spoke about it again. I didn't ask. But he, uh—he looked at me different, you know—which was worse. Not that I blame him. He gave me an order, and I didn’t listen. I almost got you killed.” Dean admitted and Sam grabbed him, making Dean turn around a look at him. “You were just a kid.” Sam assured him and Dean jerked away. “Don’t—don’t.”Dean growled and Sam slammed him into the wall, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to really make Dean focus on him. “It was not your fault! You were a kid Dean; you should never have been left as my sole caretaker. I don’t blame you; no one with any sense could blame you. You can’t dwell on the ‘what if’s’, you know that. No this thing is here and we will stop it, okay?” Sam snapped and Dean stared at him with wide eyes before nodding slowly. “Good. Now let’s get to work.” ```````````````````````````````````````` “We should have thought of this before. A doctor’s a perfect disguise. You’re trusted; you can control the whole thing.” Sam moaned, unable to believe they’d missed something so obvious. “Huh. That son of a bitch. Thought something about him smelt off.” “I’m surprised you didn’t draw on him right there.” Sam teased and Dean glared at him. “Yeah, well, first of all, I’m not gonna open fire in a freakin’ pediatrics ward.” “Good call.” Sam stated proudly and Dean rolled his eyes. “Second, it wouldn’t have done any good because the bastard’s bulletproof unless he’s chowin’ down on somethin’. And third, I wasn’t packin’, which is probably a really good thing ‘cause I probably would’ve just burned a clip in him off of principle alone.” Dean finished and Sam smiled proudly. “Gettin’ wise in your old age, Dean.” “Damn right. So now I know how we’re gonna get it.” “What do you mean?” Sam asked, worried by the look on Dean’s face. “This shtriga—it works through siblings, right?” “Right.” Sam answered warily. “Well, last night….” “It went after Asher.” Sam finished for him, eyes going wide in shock. “So I’m thinkin’ tonight, it’s probably gonna come after Michael.” “Then, we gotta get him outta here.” Sam argued but Dean shook his head. “No. No, that’d blow the whole deal.” “What?” Sam demanded, ignoring the objects that started to rattle as he got mad at his brother for even thinking what he was thinking. “Yeah.” Dean ignored the moving objects too, Sam wouldn’t lash out at him even subconsciously with his powers just like Dean would never hurt Sam even as the wolf. “Then you wanna use the kid as bait? Are you nuts? No! Forget it, that’s out of the question.” “It’s not out of the question, Sam, it’s the only way. If this thing disappears, it could be years before we get another chance.” “Michael’s a kid. And I’m not gonna dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook.” Sam snarled. “How about one of us hides under the cover, you know, we’ll be the bait?” “No, that won’t work. It’s gotta get close enough to feed. It’ll see us. Believe me, I don’t like it. But it’s gotta be the kid.” `````````````````````````````````````` “What time is it?” Dean asked and Sam checked his watch. “Three. You sure these iron rounds are gonna work?” “Consecrated iron rounds. And, yeah, it’s what John used last time.” “Hey, Dean, I’m sorry.” “For what?” Dean asked in confusion and Sam sighed. “For pushing you on this. I shouldn’t have and I’m sorry. You talk when you need to and I know that. I was just worried about you.” “Oh, God, kill me now.” Dean grumbled and Sam smiled. “Wait, look.” They watched the screen, seeing the shtriga unlocking the window and entering the bedroom. They quietly picked up their guns. “Now?” “Not yet.” Dean answered. The shtriga moved closer to the bed and bent down over Michael, beginning to suck out his life force. They jumped up and ran for the bedroom, bursting in. “Hey!” Dean yelled and the creature turned to him. “Michael, down!” Michael rolled off the bed as the brothers opened fire. “Mike, you all right?” “Yeah.” The kid answered quietly. “Sit tight.” Dean ordered as they approached the unmoving pile of robes. Sam lowered his gun and it moved, throwing Dean across the room before slamming Sam into the ground “Dean!” Sam called as he thrashed, losing his gun. He choked as gaunt hands wrapped around his throat, the shtriga lowering its head over Sam’s. Sam gasped as it began to feed, face beginning to pale. He struggled weakly but his powers didn’t respond. His hand clawed at the ground weakly, still trying to get his gun. Sam’s eyes rolled as he tried to see Dean, needing his big brother to save him since his powers had deserted him. “Hey!” the familiar voice called and the creature turned it’s head, Dean shooting it between the eyes. It shrieked but fell back, disappearing into nothing even as Dean scrambled ot Sam’s side. “Sammy?” Dean called, kneeling over him as Sam coughed feebly. “Easy kiddo, I’ve got you, you’re okay.” Dean whispered as he pulled Sam into his arms. He was relieved to see Sam’s colour improving. “You okay, little brother?” he asked and Sam flashed him a thumbs up. “It’s okay, Michael, you can come on out.” Dean called and the kid crawled out from under the bed. ````````````````````````````````````````` “Hey, Joanna. How’s Asher doin’?” Dean asked as he put his bag in the car. She looked over at him and smiled. “Have you seen Michael?” “Mom, Mom!” Michael yelled as he ran over. “Hey!” Joanna hugged him. “How’s Ash?” Michael demanded. “I’ve got some good news. Your brother’s gonna be fine.” “Really?” “Yeah, really. No one can explain it. It’s a miracle. They’re gonna keep him in overnight for observation, but after that, he’s comin’ home.” Joanna answered and Dean smiled. “That’s great. How are all the other kids doin’?” “Good. Real good. A bunch of them should be checkin’ out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward’s gonna be like a ghost town. Is your friend okay?” She asked, spotting Sam walking towards them, his throat livid with bruises. “Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?” Sam croaked out. “Oh, he wasn’t in today—must’ve been sick or something. Are you alright? What happened?” “Bar fight, alright.” Sam answered, coughing so Dean handed him a bottle of water. “Mm.” She stared at him but then looked at her son. “So, did anything happen while I was gone?” “No. Same old stuff.” “Okay. You can go see Ash.” “Now?”Michael asked and she smiled. “Only if you want to. I better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself.” Joanna said and Dean nodded, Sam waving goodbye. “It’s too bad.” Sam whispered and Dean looked at him, guilt in his eyes for Sam’s condition. “Oh, they’ll be fine.” Dean assured him but Sam shook his head. “Michael. He’ll always know…..out there in the dark. Never be the same. Sometimes I wish that….” Sam trailed off, rubbing at his abused throat. “What?” Dean asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, offering comfort and Sam looked at him sadly. “Wish I could have that kind of innocence.” Sam whispered and Dean turned to watch Joanna drive away. “If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could, too.” Dean whispered before getting in the car. Sam stared in surprise before smiling and getting in too. TBC… Previous Next You must login (register) to review.

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