08: At the Crossroads

Fandom: Supernatural

Category/Rated: R for violence

Year/Length: 2008/~3040 words

Pairing: Sam and Dean

Disclaimer: No profit was made off this. The characters belong the originators of Supernatural. Was all in pure fun.

Warning: Wincest

Summary: "The only reason you are standing here now is because of what he did. You've been his reason all along, and he's given up everything for you. And now you're being the selfish one and making what he's done mean nothing. All you want to do is save him for yourself; you're not even thinking about him. This road trip you've been on - do you really think it's because of the cases? He's tired; He's ready to go. Let him go. Think of him for once."

Series: Supernatural Virtual Slash Season 3

Beta: ailurophile6 who is a star. She never lets us down, even when we make her read het for us, and we are in awe of her speed and graciousness. It is her life's work to 'de-dude' us!

The Impala raced down the road. For whatever reason this time, Sam had somewhere he wanted to go, and it just happened to be a place Dean was keen to see as well - the Grand Canyon.

Since Christmas, Sam had a renewed need to get Dean out of his deal. He was not about to give up his brother after the present he received from him, because it was a present he'd wanted nearly all his life, and now at last he knew his brother felt the same.

Sam was looking at a map when he felt the Impala rock, heard Dean curse and saw the car roll off the road to the side. They seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Sam looked up, then to his brother who was sighing heavily. Dean pushed open the car door and walked around to the back to look at the passenger's side rear tire. "FUCK!" He groaned then unlocked the trunk, searching for the spare tire and the jack.

"Got a flat." He shouted to Sam, who was just getting ready to climb out.

"Goddammit!" Sam felt irritable. He was so close to adding another piece to his quest to save his brother - his lover, he thought to himself, shivering with remembered bliss. He emerged from the car and went to stand beside Dean, scratching his head. "What do you need me to do?" he asked, knowing that he would be as much use to Dean in matters of the car as a spare prick at a wedding. "Don't tell me - just fuck off and let you fix it, right?" He grinned and ruffled Dean's hair, bending to give him a quick, sweet kiss. "We'll get there. I have faith in you, dude."

Dean made a face at the desecration of his carefully coiffed hair but gave the quick kiss back with interest. "Just ... go over there somewhere." He motioned as he worked the jack under the car. "But don't go too far, it won't take me long." Or so Dean hoped. He glanced at Sam who was walking away, idly kicking at a rock. God, he loved his brother and would do anything for him. He had already given Sam almost everything he was.

Sam wandered away from the car, idly kicking his rock in front of him. He was so close he could taste it. He was prepared to face the shaman and beg, cajole, threaten or bribe the whereabouts of the mysterious crystal from him. He knew with a bone deep certainty that he would save Dean, because any other outcome would be completely insupportable. "If I have to, I'll fight fucking Satan himself for you, Dean," he growled. "There's no way in heaven that God would abandon you. You're a fucking warrior of the light."

His walk down the road had brought him to a crossroads, and he paused, turning to look behind himself at his brother.

He found his view blocked by woman dressed in black as dark as her hair. "Now Sam, what makes you think God was with him? Or with you for that matter? If God actually cared about you, none of this would have happened, and you wouldn't be going through this."

Sam stiffened, outraged. He couldn't help it. "He's got everything to live for, now; don't think you're going to win this one." Moving in close so that he towered over her, he fondled the Colt at his hip. "I suggest you let him go before you have to, so that you can maybe get a couple of brownie points with the side of righteousness. You're never going to take my brother, no matter what you think."

"The only reason you are standing here now is because of what he did. You've been his reason all along, and he's given up everything for you. And now you're being the selfish one and making what he's done mean nothing. All you want to do is save him for yourself; you're not even thinking about him. This road trip you've been on - do you really think it's because of the cases? He's tired; He's ready to go. Let him go. Think of him for once."

"And let you take him for an eternity of torment?" Sam laughed, scorn oozing from him as he surveyed her, contempt in his eyes. "You know, I'd give my life for him, if I thought he'd take it, but he won't, so don't think you're gonna get my soul, even though you'd probably love it. Bobby told me that the words you say are a binding contract, and Dean told me that you said if he tries to find a loophole I'm toast. You've got to know that he's fighting me tooth and nail, and it's me that's trying to find the loophole. Dean's honoring your contract, bitch, and I'm proud of him. When I get him free - and I will get him free, he'll have adhered to your rules completely."

She walked around him as he stood there, refusing to pay her the compliment of turning with her. "Sam, Sam, Sam, I'm just the go between. I'm the broker. Someone else holds that contract, so it's not up to me. And no, we don't want your soul. Can't take what you already have." She tipped her head toward him.

"You don't have my soul," murmured Sam, still smiling, the winter sunlight glittering off his teeth, lending him a fierce, shark-like aspect. "And you'll never get it, no matter what you think." He paused for a moment, walking around her. "Dean Winchester belongs to me, body and soul, and there's no way you're ever going to claim him, no matter what you think."

"You can keep saying it, but that doesn't make it so." She was looking at her nails, seeming very bored with him. "And I never said I have your soul, Sam. Don't need it. I mean, he did tell you already about what's inside you. Your destiny?"

"You don't say that," snarled Sam. "My destiny is what I make it." He slapped her hands down so that she had to look up at him. "And you're just a lying piece of shit. I know about demons."

"Well good for you," she looked up to him. "But you can't change what's inside you, any more than you can get Dean out of his deal. It's time for the little boy to grow up and become what he was meant to be."

"I already did." Sam sneered openly at her. "I became a demon killer, and that's what I was meant to be; get used to it." He looked her up and down and then turned to walk away. He'd only gone a couple of steps before he turned around again. "You say you don't have Dean's soul? Who does? You'd better tell me, or you're going to die, right here, today."

"You keep deluding yourself about that, but you know deep down inside what you were truly meant for. Even Dean knows it. He's scared of that, and he's scared that what he's brought back isn't 100 percent truly you. Are you even sure of that, Sam? As for your brother's soul, the one who has it wanted it really badly, and he's not about to give it up. Sorry." She gave him her usual smirk.

"Dean loves me, and I love him. Together we're going to send the pack of you back to hell where you belong, and if by some faint chance Dean goes with you then so will I. We belong together, Dean and I, and there's no fucking way that you're going to separate us with your lies and half truths." Sam reached to grip her shoulders, hands ungentle as he shook her. "Dean is mine first. There's nothing left for you or your master, and you might as well go back to hell, because you're on a fool's errand."

The Demon reached up and smacked Sam's hands off her. "You sound like a pathetic little child," she said as she backed away from him. "And really, Sam. You don't love Dean. Only yourself and your father. That's the way you two always wanted it. See, this is why I like Dean so much better. He might be broken thanks to you two, but he is a realist."

The words stirred something dark and angry in Sam's heart. He swore, reached out a hand to twine in her hair and backhanded her, knocking her down to sprawl on the dusty ground. "Don't you talk about Dean that way. Dean loves me, and I love him, and you don't get to dirty that up with your filth!" He reached to the small of his back and put his hand on the Colt, his hand shaking. "Tell me who it is that wants Dean's soul."

She fell over but was laughing as she landed. Looking back at him over her shoulder, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, her dark eyes showed no fear, only amusement. "I'm just the sales lady, Sam. You don't like it because it's true. It's all true."

"Listen, bitch I'm not kidding." Sam pointed the Colt, cocked it and assumed a two handed stance, hands braced as he aimed the gun. "Either tell me who it is that wants my brother, or I'll end you now. You're never going to get a better deal, I assure you."

"Then do it; prove your brother right." She looked at him, defiantly.

"How is ridding the world of a demon proving my brother right?" snarled Sam. "So are you going to tell me, or am I going to finish you once and for all?"

"What do you think, Sam?" She pushed up on one elbow and lounged.

"I think you want to tell me. I think you're going to fuck with me 'til the going gets rough, and then tell me, because you want to live, and you know I mean what I say." Sam twirled the gun and then settled back with it trained on her forehead. "So you might as well tell me, don't you think?"

"You think wrong, Sam. So go ahead, kill me. I'm sure Dean will be very proud of what you're about to do." She eased back.

"Okay, you got it, bitch." Sam fired, watched as the dark spot bloomed on her forehead, a night-growing rose of blood, and then turned to walk away, not looking back to see the demon fire glow, and fade and die.

Returning to the car to check on Dean's progress, Sam was silent, wondering if the killing of that particular demon was important. “How's it going?" he asked at last. "Ready to go?"

Dean had heard the gun go off, and he stood up and turned to look at Sam, "What happened? You shoot at a rabbit?"

"You could say that," growled Sam, not offering any more explanation. "Wasn't edible, so I didn't bring it back with me. We ready to go?"

Dean looked at Sam, then down the road and back to him again. He held out his hand. "Let me see the Colt."

"Why?" asked Sam, frowning, although he drew it and passed it to Dean, butt first. "What's your problem?"

Dean checked the chamber and saw that a bullet was missing. Dean looked at Sam. "Who did you shoot?"

"Wasn't a who, dude. Was a 'what.'" Sam frowned. "Bitch demon won't be taking any more souls."

"What?" Dean looked at him. "What did you do? You killed her? Damn it, Sam. We jack with this in any way, you die, and I'm not gonna let that happen. What did she say?" It was clear Dean was pissed.

"Said that you think I came back wrong, and that you're going to hell." Sam sneered, handsome face twisting in anger. "Said she wasn't the one that holds the lien on your soul, but she wouldn't tell me who the sonofabitch is. Dean, Bobby said that what a demon pledges to is binding. The bitch said that if you try to weasel out of it, I die. She didn't say that I couldn't try and weasel you out of it."

"Damn it, Sam!" Dean snarled again. He turned away and started packing up the car now the tire had been changed. "So if she doesn't have the contract and someone else does, and clearly you aren't dead yet, then they are just toying with us or something." He paused. "Get in the car."

"No kidding." The frustration was plain on Sam's face. He shook his head as he paced rapidly up and down. "And of course that's what they like to do, isn't it? They want to mess with us. It's not just enough to kill; they have to torture first." Sam stopped, face to face with his brother and reached to grip Dean's forearms. "Dean, I'm thinking that it might have been you they wanted all along, not me. I'm a diversion, and they're using me to distract your attention from the fact that it's you that they want to lead the demon army."

"Me?" Dean shook his head, "No, it was you the Demon came after. It was you who he got back into hunting. He played both me and Dad 'til the right time. He wanted you back out there, so he could get you training again. Honing your skills again. I'm just like Dad, a stepping stone in his plans. Why do you think they agreed to this deal? She just took pity on me. She wouldn't give me any more time. She said she would get in trouble for what she did, Sam, because it's not me they want. Even the Demon said he kept me around for a reason, and when I brought you back, that was why. You were always the one he wanted. If you hadn't died, I'm sure he would have killed me. Hell, he was about to 'til I shot him, thanks to Dad."

"I don't know." Sam was frowning again. "Frankly, I think that was all smoke and mirrors. Why do they want you so badly? And why have they left me alone since? Because it's you they want, not me. All of this - killing mom, dragging me back into hunting, all of it is a ploy to get you to stop caring and start hating." Sam shivered and pulled Dean into his arms. "Say what you like, I think they want you, and they aren't gonna get you, 'cause you're mine."

"Sam," Dean hugged his brother but then pushed him back, "They want me out of the way is all. I'm a threat to them; that's all. That's why they want me. I did what they wanted me to do. Got you back in the game. Now they want me out of the way because of that. Because of the hate. Because they can't manipulate me like they can you. Hell Sam, I'm sure a whole whack of those demons out there are just ready to follow you without question."

"Well, they can follow me, and then they can defend you against the other demons, because that's what I'm gonna do." Sam frowned. "Do you really think that they can manipulate me? Fuck that! You don't know me if you believe that. When it comes down to it, I'm not for sale; not at any price."

"I used to think I knew you, Sammy, but now I don't know. All I know is that I love you. And until the time comes, I'm gonna protect you every way that I can." He leaned in and gave Sam a quick kiss. "Now, the tire's changed, and I think you should get me a beer, since I did all the work." He smiled.

"That I can do," nodded Sam, smiling, as much in response to the kiss from his brother as the words he said. "You know I love you too, don't you, man?" he asked Dean, reaching into the trunk to find the cans of beer he had stowed there for emergencies such as this. "You know that I'd do anything to keep you safe, don't you?"

Dean was cleaning his hands, "Yeah, I know. Proved it by getting me a beer. But, Sammy," he sipped his beer. "We need to be more careful. Whoever holds my cards is gonna play them, and they're gonna do what they can to distract you from calling them. They want you. They want you alive. Not me." He took another drink. "We just have to be careful. And don't do that again. Next time, just walk away if you can."

"Yeah, well, unless they have a troupe of those bitches, I don't suppose that there'll be another time, but you can be sure that I'll do my best to resist temptation." The knowledge that he was so close to the next stage in his rescue operation made Sam anxious to begone from here, with its slain demoness, and heading for the Grand Canyon, but there was no way he could tell his brother that, so he leaned back against the car and watched Dean, trying to gauge whether or not he had any suspicions about their destination and hoping they could get underway soon.

Dean looked over at Sam. "Yea, and monkeys are gonna fly out my ass." Dean shook his head, grinning, and chugged his beer. "Okay, we finish these beers, and we hit the road. I wanna hit the Grand Canyon by tomorrow. That cool with you?"

"Very cool." Sam smiled, because he was nearly there, and it didn't matter what the shaman wanted for helping him, he'd beg, borrow or steal it for him, because this was Dean, and his lover, and his whole life was at risk. "Look out Thelma and Louise, here we come. Hey, dude, which one are you? Thelma, or Louise?"

Dean looked at Sam, "Dude, I am so not a girl. I'm more like Mad Max; you can be Thelma." He smiled, handing Sam his empty can and heading around to get back on the road again.

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