Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/9537254. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Supernatural Relationship: Dean_Winchester/Sam_Winchester Character: Sam_Winchester, Dean_Winchester, Castiel, Bobby_Singer, Jody_Mills, au: sam Additional Tags: Wincest_-_Freeform, Weecest, season_6_AU, Established_Relationship, past relationship, Eventual_Smut, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, 17+_sam, Deaged_Sam, long_fic, Series, Multi_Chapter Series: Part 1 of Coalesce Stats: Published: 2017-02-01 Chapters: 1/? Words: 3172 ****** Coalesce ****** by blackrapture1990 Summary Dean figured if “impulsive” ever became a sport he would win the gold medal. It was how at fourteen he got arrested for stealing, had gotten a few rashes from one nightstands, and how he ended up selling his soul at a crossroad. Yeah, impulse control was not his strong point. Persistence though. Dean excelled at that. He had meant it when he told Cas all he wanted was his brother. Alive. Sam was different now, would be for a long time. But he was still Sammy. He still smiled and looked at Dean with love and trust just like he always had before. It was still Sam and Dean against the world. Notes authors note: This is a season 6 AU and will touch on past weecest. Also apologies for the formatting! Present: On the third floor of a motel room outside Milwaukie, Wisconsin, Dean Winchester jolted awake from a dead sleep to the sound of his brother crying. Dean gasped, shoving himself up out of bed, instinctively grabbing for the large knife he kept under his pillow, his fingers curling around the handle. “Sam?” Dean called looking at the bed next to him, his eyes scanning the room. “You okay?” Dean flipped the light on and relaxed. “Hey, hey…Sammy shh, it’s okay.” He quickly put the knife down and pulled Sam to him. “It’s okay, Sammy, I’m right here. Just a nightmare. Youre safe.” Dean felt Sam’s fists curl into the fabric of his shirt as he rocked him. “That’s right Sammy.” Dean said, keeping his voice low and soothing. “Dean’s right here. I’m going to keep you safe okay? He rubbed circles on his little brother’s back, rocking gently and cleared his throat; “You want me to sing Sammy?” Dean asked, “You always liked that. Remember we used to put soft rock on for you to go to sleep to.” Dean hummed their mother’s song, keeping Sam close and after twenty minutes Sam was asleep again. Dean carefully laid Sam back down in his bed and pulled the blankets up around him, kissing his head and ruffling his hair a bit. Sams mouth curled into a small smile as he dreamed. That one wasn’t as bad as the last four had been. Sam waking up in the middle of the night, screaming, crying, had become something Dean knew to expect given everything he had been through, was still going through. “It’ll be okay.” Dean thought as he pulled his clothes, tossing them with the growing pile in corner and made a mental note to at least wash Sam’s stuff in the laundry room downstairs. Dean grabbed a fresh towel off the sink and went into the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack so he could hear Sam if he woke up again. He doubted he would. The nightmares left Sam exhausted, but Dean didn’t want to risk it. Dean turned he hot water on full blast and climbed into the shower, letting the spray hit his back and relax his muscles. “It’ll be okay.” He said again, this time out loud, letting himself hear the words. “He’ll be okay.” Dean didn’t know how much of that he really believed. He knew what Hell and torture does to people; can’t even begin to imagine the kind Sam has been through. But Dean didn’t figure it really mattered, because he’s here. Dean meant it when he told Cas all he wanted was his brother. Alive. Sam was different now, would be for a long time. But he was still Sammy. He still smiled and looked at Dean with love and trust just like he always had before. It was still Sam and Dean against the world. Dean closed his eyes drifting against the tiles until the water turned cold. He groaned and stood, water dripping off him. He quickly dried off and pulled on boxers before settling down in his own bed. It was almost four in the morning, Sam would be awake bright eyed and bushy tailed by seven. Dean yawned and pulled up his own blankets. He could go on a couple hours easily. “Night Sammy.” Dean whispered as he carefully pushed his hand through the bars of the crib, resting his index finger on top of Sam’s small hand, smiling as the baby’s fingers curled reflexively around it. ****************************************************************************** Three weeks earlier: Dean figured if “impulsive” ever became a sport he would win the gold medal. It was how at fourteen he got arrested for stealing, had gotten a few rashes from one nightstands, and how he ended up selling his soul at a crossroad. Yeah, impulse control was not his strong point. Persistence though. Dean excelled at that. “I’m getting really tired of asking.” Dean growled as he circled the Devils Trap, his eyes locked on a chubby preteen girl with thick glasses and a sinister look, sitting in a chair in the middle of the circle. “How many cats have you killed?” she asked, hooking her leg over her knee and folding her arms. “Poor things are going to be on the endangered species list before the month is out.” “You think I care about a few cats or cutting into a teenager?” The demon chuckled. “vinegar and honey, Dean.” She turned her head following Dean. “Besides, what you’re asking. None of us could do even if we wanted to. You really think any of us got the juice to pull baby brother out of Lucifer’s Cage?” Dean stepped forward and grabbed a handful of hair jerking the girls head back; “Bullshit.” He pressed the jagged blade of Ruby’s knife against her throat. “I don’t believe you.” “Go ahead then;” She challenged, tilting her head back looking up at him “Keep summoning demons, again and again. We’ll tell you the same thing.” Dean pressed harder and moved his hand making a small scratch. “Last chance bitch…” He warned. “Do you know how insanity is defined Dean?” She blinked, eyes black; “It’s repeating the same task over and over and expecting a different result.” “I prefer persistence pays.” Dean raised the blade, stepped away and smirked. “Time to go back downstairs.” “I’ll tell baby brother you said ‘hi’” Dean really, really considered stabbing her, the girl she was wearing be damned. But instead he picked up the flask of holy water and dumped the entire thing on her, and through her threats and protests, chanted the exorcism. The girl opened her mouth, expelling the demon from her body and slumping forward against her binds. Dean swallowed and pressed two fingers to her neck feeling for a pulse. “Cmon kid…” he muttered; exhaling in relief when he felt a slow but steady rhythm. “Okay, okay…” Dean cut the ropes around her waist; “Listen, hey…” Dean shook her. “Hey!” Her head snapped up, eyes wide and confused. “I’m leaving, theres a house a quarter of a mile down the road.” Dean pointed to the left; “Go there for help.” The girl whimpered, clearly terrified but nodded. Dean grabbed what he could and ran for the car, speeding down the gravel road. He drove for nearly an hour passing a few towns before pulling over into an empty parking lot at a closed down grocery store, the building decrypted and falling apart, lost to the passage of time. Dean shut the impala off and sighed, his fingers tightening on the wheel. That was the tenth demon he’d questioned and finally after weeks he had been given an answer. No demon had the juice to pull Sam out of the cage. Dean swore and shoved the door open. “Forty seven fucking days!” He yelled, “Motherfuckers been patting me around while Sam’s in a fucking hole!” Dean grabbed the gun out his waistband and took the safety off. ‘I’ll tell baby brother you said ‘hi’’ Dean cocked the gun and aimed at the building unloading the chamber in a couple of seconds. In the distance a dog barked. Dean panted and sat back down in the car, placing the gun on the dash. Dean pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes and took a shaky breath. If he had the energy for it he’d call Bobby, find a quick hunt, anything to burn off steam. Instead he moved the car to a street light, grabbed a large bottle of what he could only assume was whiskey from the back that had been there since God knows when, opened his Dads journal and began to read. Dad’s journal was the closest thing to a Bible Dean ever believed in. The leather bound book was full of information, how to make holy water, how to kill vampires. It also had his and Sam’s past. Dean took a drink and smiled reading one of the earlier entries; “Sam took his first steps today. He walked to Dean.” Dean chuckled; “And he never quit following me.” God he missed Sam. He missed Sam’s stupid face, and his hair, and the way he rolled his eyes every time Dean made a bad joke. He missed Sam’s touch, the tenderness between them, how he and Sam just fit together. But most of all he just missed Sammy. Dean had finished about half of the bottle and a quarter of the journal when the street light began to flicker. “Oh give me a fucking break..” Dean muttered grabbing the gun to reload it, his eyes looking around quickly. “Hello, Dean. Please do not fire your weapon at me.” Dean sighed and turned slowly; “Hey, Cas.” Dean hadn’t spoken to Cas since the big showdown. Not that Dean hadn’t tried to get ahold of the angel, had prayed everyday, several times a day as a matter of fact, and he had gotten radio silence. Dean honestly didn’t know if he wanted to hug his friend or shoot him in the foot. He decided to yell. “Where the fuck have you been!?” He asked grabbing Cas by his coat. “You just now turn on your fucking ears or what?!” “I was preoccupied with other matters.” Dean shoved Castiel backwards as hard as he could, he considered punching him but figured it wasnt worth a sprained hand. Dean sighed; “With what?” “Locked away in Heaven there are angel weapons. The staff of Moses, the Lot’s Salt…all of these items have immense powers.” Castiel explained. Dean nodded taking another drink; “So basically it’s a bunch of nukes” “Yes.” Cas continued; “It took several of our efforts to even find their location. But I was able to obtain one.” “Good for you.” Dean scoffed. “So you’re the big cheese upstairs then?” Dean could feel Cas rolling his eyes; “I am not the ‘big cheese’ but this weapon is very, very powerful. And most important, if we do this correctly and carefully, I believe I can save Sam.” Dean felt his mouth open in shock and the bottle slide from his hand, shattering against the pavement. “What is it, what do we need to do?” He asked, stepping forward, boots crunching the glass. Dean pushed past his friend and opened the trunk, grabbing the angel blade. “You name it, I’ll do it.” Castiel held out his hand. “Give me that first of all. You are too intoxicated to hold that.” Dean looked down at the weapon and handed it over. “Talk.” “You must understand Dean, this weapon is very powerful, and will not be strong enough on its own…” Dean’s face fell. Always a catch… “Let me finish.” Cas continued. “On its own it will not be powerful enough, but with a certain power up, I have faith it will do what we need. The weapon is the Shield of Michael, said to protect against any weapon or enemy.” Dean nodded, “So, we get the power up, grab the shield and prison break Sam?” Cas nodded; “Essentially yes.” “I’m getting a real strong feeling there’s a ‘but’” Always a catch. Cas looked down sliding his hands into his pockets; “Sam is being tortured by Lucifer and Michael, I should be able to grab parts of his soul which should for the most part go unnoticed.” “Like throwing away a kids old toys while they’re distracted.” Cas nodded again. “It will be a long process, most likely a year, and..” Dean raised his hand stopping him; “I don’t care about the rest Cas. I just want my brother back and alive. Tell me what I need to do.” “I need to make a deal with you to power the shield. It is the Shield of Michael, you are the Michael Sword.” Cas explained; “It is not like a demon deal, you will not die in ten years, I will not posses you or anything like that. I will simply borrow your soul when I need to and will retrieve Sam as I said before.” “Alright…” Dean agreed, not really sure if he completely understood. “But what would happen if you just skipped the soul part, I mean…can you live without your soul?” “Believe me Dean, you would not like Sam without a soul. Everything that makes a human themselves, is in the soul, otherwise it is a body with a mind and no sense of right or wrong.” “What about Sam’s mind and body? I mean…theres no way those survived right?” The thought made Dean shudder and Dean winced when Cas nodded, giving Dean a sad look. “I am afraid that most likely Sam’s body was burnt through almost immediately.” He put a hand on Dean’s shoulder, trying to be comforting. “There is a spell we can try.” Dean glanced up; “Let me guess, a virgin sacrifice and a baby skull?” “Not quite.” Cas admitted; “But close.” He nodded to the seat of the car; “You may want to sit down for this Dean…it’s…not pleasant.” Dean took a deep breath and sat down, stealing himself for whatever Cas was going to tell him. Dean knew he’d never sacrifice anyone to save himself, but to save Sam there wasn’t a whole lot he wouldn’t do. “The spell calls for something to represent the body, the mind, the soul, and the life of the person that we are trying to revive. For the life we need blood. Yours will be most effective as you are brothers, and Sams soul needless to say, will be its own.” “No complaints here. What else.” “Earth of the location the person last was.” Cas bit his lip, “That one will be the easiest, it uhm…channels the persons consciousness. Attracts the soul to the body. Which for that we would need…” Dean sighed wishing he hadn’t dropped the bottle of whiskey. “Just spit it out Cas.” “Bones of his roots.” Dean blinked, giving Cas a confused head tilt; “The hell does that mean?” “It means we would need some of John and Mary Winchesters bones to form Sam’s physical body.” Maybe there was a beer hidden in the cooler, of course, given what Castiel had just said and even the thought of digging up his parents graves made Dean momentarily consider just sucking up the spilled whiskey off the ground with a straw from one of the McDonalds cups that had been rolling around in the parking lot. Dean took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out. “How soon can we do this?” On the way over to a motel they had decided the best course of action was to pull Sam’s soul out first. “I can do my best to treat the damage that has been done.” Cas promised. “It will take me a few days but in that time you can get the other items for the spell. Dean nodded. “I’ll head out to Kansas tomorrow.” An hour later Dean opened the door to a room in a no star motel, flipped on the light, and sat down on the bed. “Alright…so uh…this deal thing…” He stammered, pulling his coat off. “What do I have to do?” Castiel shut the door as he made his way in, ignoring Dean’s questions and walked to the sink, picking up a glass and filling it with water. Dean bit his lip, trying to get his nerves under control. He felt scared, didn’t know if this whole rescue mission would work, what it would do to Sam, and that part alone, Sam back with him safe and sound, had his already queasy stomach doing flips “I mean, do I sign a contract, kiss you, what is it?” Castiel shoved the glass into Dean’s hand; “Drink this and calm yourself.” Dean looked at the glass, the water was cloudy and smelled kind of like sulfur. ‘Oh, well, not like I haven’t had worse things in my mouth’ He thought and downed the water in one gulp. “What do I need to do? “ He repeated. Cas sighed; “A contract with an angel is different than it is with a demon. I only need your consent to bind it. “Okay, uh..yeah..you have my consent.” Dean moved closer to the foot of the bed. “Now what?” He didn’t feel like anything had changed between them, no light flicker, ominous wind, some random harp playing. “Open your mouth.” Cas ordered stepping in front of Dean and pulling at his belt. Dean blinked. “whoa!” He pushed Castiel back a bit. “Jesus, Cas, warn a guy first for fu~” Dean’s words were cut off by the taste of fake leather being shoved into his mouth. “My apologies. Now, bite down and hold on. This will hurt.” Before Dean even had a chance to completely register what was happening he felt a stabbing pain in his stomach, like his skin was bubbling and splitting apart as the angel pushed his hand inside of his body. Dean bit down as hard as he could on the belt feeling his jaw lock, He wanted to scream, to yank away from the pain, but Cas’s hand was moving inside of him using whatever angelic powers he had to keep Dean still. “Almost done Dean…” Cas told him, “Just a bit more…” There was a pulse of bright light between their bodies and for a moment Dean saw his friends eyes shine bright and finally, finally, the excruciating pain was over. Dean felt himself fall back onto the bed, his vision swimming before darkness crept up and overtook him. The next morning Dean woke up to sunlight pouring brightly in through the blinds. He groaned turning away from the light. His head was pounding painfully. Dean rubbed his temples and sat up eyes falling on the glass laying on the floor. Dean’s eyes widened and he jolted up. “Cas?!” Dean called searching the motel room, turning on the light in the bathroom and stopped catching his reflection in the mirror. He looked like shit. Dean hadnt shaven or cut his hair since Sam had taken his trip downstairs. He’d only eaten here or there when the pain got to be too much, otherwise Dean’s diet had mostly consisted of alcohol and caffeine pills. “No way Sammy’s going to let you off with that shit.” Dean told himself. “Dean, damnit, it’s not going to kill you to eat a salad.” He mimicked and grinned. “This thing works I’ll become a vegetarian….” Dean paused and picked up the cheap plastic razor off the sink; “Okay, maybe not.” Turning the water on warm Dean got to work. Showering and shaving before heading out, making sure to book the room for at least a week. Dean climbed into the car and looked over at the passengers side, could imagine his little brother sitting there, nodding, giving silent support. “Bitch..” ‘Jerk.’ Dean pushed in a cassette tape, turned the volume on full blast and headed towards Kansas Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!