Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/10753875.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Supernatural
  Relationship:
      Dean_Winchester/Sam_Winchester, Castiel/Dean_Winchester/Sam_Winchester,
      Dean_Winchester/Original_Male_Character(s)
  Character:
      Dean_Winchester, Sam_Winchester, Castiel, Original_Characters
  Series:
      Part 2 of The_Same_But_Different
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-04-28 Chapters: 3/3 Words: 21508
****** The Same But Different - original ending ******
by geenajay
Summary
     DO not even BOTHER to read this if you haven't read The Same But
     Different.
     This is the original ending that I posted:
     Some readers loved it.
     Some readers really HATED it.
     AND they let me KNOW they hated it!
     So I have re-written the ending, but thought I would put this on,
     as... I liked it, anyway!
***** Chapter 19 *****
Sam stood in the doorway of his bedroom and felt tears trickle down his cheeks.
His emotions had been torn every which way over the last few days, and
especially that afternoon when he had been so torn between the desperate desire
of finally getting himself and his family home safely, or staying to face the
reporters and build on the incredible chance of changing society’s attitudes
towards omegas that Dean had somehow managed to start.
In the end, logic had won out. But he had been unprepared for the actual amount
of real interest in the topic! The moment he had finished with the reporters
his cell had started ringing non-stop. First was his boss, who could see the
advantages of being involved with what might well be a legal goldmine. Then
reporters asking for private interviews and photo shoots for their respective
outlets, and chat show producers asking for public interviews: all to include
Dean of course. And support groups for omegas… and political organisations, all
keen to be seen to be getting involved in something so high-profiled and with
such a definitely strong public opinion behind it.
Night had fallen by the time he was finally able to get home, and he had felt a
moment’s blind panic when he had drawn his car up outside his darkened house.
Why were there no lights on? But he was reassured slightly by the policeman
still guarding the exterior who nodded at him: “They ordered pizzas, and your
young man brought me out a couple of slices. And a mug of coffee.”
He had entered his house… his house… and stopped in shock. The police had
played him the recording that Dean had been clever enough to do: he had heard
the threats and the noise of numerous grunts and landed blows. He had heard the
terrified screams of his children, but now…
Sam followed the trail of violence through his house in disbelief as it all
suddenly became real.
The two exterior doors had been patched up enough to be locked securely against
the night, but still showed the extreme violence that had been used to break
them down, and the stench of abandoned and now rotting food filled the kitchen
and filtered through to the rest of the house.
And there was the stink of Alphas all through the house. Alphas who just should
not have been there.
And just about everything in the living room was destroyed or smashed:
furniture and possessions.
And there were outlines on the floor where the bodies had fallen.
And dried blood everywhere. So much blood.
Too much blood.
And the house was so quiet.
He had raced up the stairs feeling his heart pounding inside him: where were
they all? Where were his children?
Where was his mate?
And now he was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, just letting the tears
finally trickle down his cheeks. For they were all in here: all of them.
They had obviously simply ignored the state of the downstairs and had taken
refuge upstairs with the pizza.
And here they all were, all cuddled together in the bed: all squashed in a
tangled lump of bodies and limbs beneath the covers. Dean, the children,
Samuel. All sound asleep in each other’s arms… and safe.
Sam stood, watched his family… and cried as his emotions finally overcame him.
He had come so close to losing them all. If it hadn’t been for Dean…
He finally managed to get himself under control: they all looked so peaceful
beneath the covers of his bedding. He should just let them sleep…
But… the need to hold his mate in his arms, to know he was safe, won through.
Gently he eased Johnny out from amongst the others, picked him up in his arms,
and carried him to his own bed before returning for Mary-Anne. In moving her,
he disturbed Samuel and the young man woke enough to blink sleepily at him from
his position alongside Dean on the bed. “Dad?”
“Shush: you’ll wake him. Did he take his antibiotics alright? It’s important we
don’t let him pick up any infection at all.”
“Yeah, he took them right on schedule. Dad?”
“Yeah, Samuel?” Sam paused with his daughter in his arms.
“We do miss mom: all of us do. We want him back home with us. But… this Dean’s
family as well, dad. He’s ours and we love him… I love him, dad.”
“I know you do, son.” He took the little girl through into her room and
returned to find the young man had got out from the bed, and was carefully
tucking the covers around the sleeping human. Sam watched him momentarily and
frowned: “Where’s his shirt? Why isn’t he wearing one?”
He wondered at the glance his son gave him, then Samuel just as carefully un-
tucked Dean from the bedding to reveal his bare left arm. Sam stepped closer
incredulously: “What is that? It looks like a hand-print! Branded into his
arm!”
“We saw it when the paramedics cut his clothes off to get to the knife.
Everyone saw it. And he’s covered in scars: covered in them! Claw marks,
previous knife wounds, bullet holes: you name it. Probably everyone else thinks
that you’ve done it to him, dad!
Anyway, we’ve all been desperate to ask him about it. Well… M-A asked him. She
kept on a bit…well, a lot! He finally gave up and took his shirt off to show
us, but he wouldn’t tell us much about how he’s got so marked up.” He paused
for a moment: “He did really good today, dad. We’ve been watching him on all
the news. And you. And it’s all over the internet: the whole world knows!
Things are going to change, dad!”
Sam nodded, his mind still on the mark on Dean’s arm: how had he never noticed
it before? But then, he couldn’t remember Dean ever taking his shirt off
before. In fact, he had been grimly determined since he had arrived, to keep as
many clothes on as possible around Sam! He tried to shake off his thoughts:
“We’ve got to make sure they do change, Samuel. While we’ve got the chance to!
Time for bed now, though: fresh start tomorrow. There’s a lot of clearing up to
do downstairs for a start. Good night: sleep safe.”
“Night dad.”
It was a relief for Sam to finally be able to undress and slide into the bed
beside his mate… the near-as-damn-it copy of his mate. Carefully he slipped his
arms around Dean, making sure not to pull against his bandaged wounds, and
shifted his own body as close as he could get behind him, spooning the human’s
smaller body into the curve of his own as he held him close.
Closing his eyes, he breathed in the man’s perfect scent and finally, for the
first time in a couple of days, felt himself relax. Dean was safe: he had been
so brave in protecting the children, and had nearly paid for it with his life,
but now… he was safe and where he belonged. In Sam’s arms.
And his scent was so strong now. Or Sam had just gotten so used to it. But it
filled his nostrils and his mind, filling him with peace as he breathed it in.
Sam wriggled even closer to the sleeping man until he could bury his face
against Dean’s neck, drawing him in with every breath, and feeling his taste
against his lips. He lay like that for a long while, just savouring the
emotions of having the human beside him again.
Then he couldn’t help but wonder about that strange mark on Dean’s once again
exposed left arm as he shifted against Sam’s embrace. It looked like it must
have been so painful: what by Our Lady could have caused something like that?
And Samuel had said something about other marks? Sam roused himself enough to
be able to draw back the covers so he could examine Dean’s naked torso, without
any need at all to turn on the main light as his eyesight was just as good in
the dark as it was in the daylight: that was one of the advantages of being an
Alpha! He stared at all the scars that littered the man’s body: what sort of
life did Dean lead? What sort of life was it anyway, that involved him getting
as hurt as he obviously did?
If he stayed here with Sam and the children, he could be safe. If there was
just some way that he could…
Sam gently turned the human onto his back, and lightly used his fingers to
trace the marks of the wounds, following where one ran into another, mapping
the still stunningly beautiful body in his mind. But soon just touching wasn’t
enough: he wanted to soothe his injured mate and to help ease any still painful
injuries. It seemed natural to Sam for him to lower his mouth to Dean’s body
and start to kiss and lick at the scars, starting from the black leather strap
still around his neck and working down, running his tongue along the lines
where blades, claws, and worse, had cut into the skin and left their marks.
Each individual rib received his full attention as he worked his way down his
mate’s body, as did each of the man’s rapidly hardening nipples. Moving lower,
Sam rimmed at Dean’s belly button as it winked at him from beneath the edge of
the tight bandages, eventually digging his tongue right into the inviting hole
that lay amidst the warm, firm abdominal skin.
What lay at the lower edge of the bandages?
Sam couldn’t help himself: Dean was still wearing the loose-fitting, cord-tied
pants that he had come back from the hospital in. Carefully the Alpha raised
the man’s hips slightly to ease them down enough until he could pull them free
completely and drop them over the side of the mattress, to be followed almost
immediately by Dean’s boxers as well.
Sam had to look, and look twice!
Dean had testicles!
He suddenly understood why the nurses in Dean’s room had made shy comments
about ‘never having met such an attractive hermaphrodite before’, how ‘really
unusual it was’ and how it didn’t detract from his masculinity ‘at all’! Of
course the hospital staff would have noticed, but they must have just thought
that Dean was slightly abnormal. They obviously hadn’t realised just how
unusual his mate was! And lucky they hadn’t!
Sam by this time, and without even realising what he was doing, was feeling the
weight of Dean’s balls in his hands. And then in his mouth: sucking them in one
at a time and rolling them around on his tongue, moaning a little at the
completely new taste sensation. Then he moved on to the man’s cock as he felt
and heard Dean also begin to moan and thrust his hips in involuntary
invitation. And his hands settled into Sam’s long hair as the human woke from
his slightly drugged sleep even as he came in the Alpha’s mouth. “Ugch… Sam?”
Sam wanted to make him feel good.
Sam wanted to feel good.
Quickly removing the rest of his own clothes, he crawled back up the bed to
cover Dean’s body with his own, mindful not to put any weight on the bandaged
area in any way. The man by this time was coming fully awake: “Sam! Wait! What
are you doing?”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Dean. I’ll be gentle, I will. Just… I need to feel you.
Need to have your heart beating with mine: need to feel you around me… to be
part of me! I’ll make it feel so good, I won’t knot! I promise.” And he was
trying to knock Dean’s legs apart so he could lie between them, his own
extremely large erect cock bumping against the bandages as the man beneath him
desperately resisted.
“No! No, Sam! I don’t want this: not with you! Please don’t do this to me!” And
he was trying to push the Alpha off him, but the medication was still in his
system to dull the pain… and dull his reflexes… and he was so tired. But he
wasstill going to try his damnedest to resist!
“It’s okay, Dean. Just let me: I’ll look after you! Please!"And Sam was
catching at Dean’s arms, careful not to hurt or twist the plastered one at all,
but using his greater weight to hold them down to the bed.
“Sam! Get off me!” Dean was getting desperate: wriggling, struggling. Arching
his body high in an attempt to throw him off.
Exposing his neck to the Alpha above him.
Sam’s full attention went to it: the wide, black collar… his mate’s collar...
was still around the human’s neck. Not that his Dean ever wore it… or even
wanted to wear it. But some omegas did, as it was another obvious physical
symbol to the world that they had already been claimed and therefore were to
be, hopefully, left alone. No one but the omega’s Alpha could remove their
collar by law, and Sam had instantly recognised why and applauded Samuel for
putting it on the human before he was taken to the hospital, thereby covering
the lack of a mark on his neck. Hiding the fact that he wasn’t claimed… and
therefore vulnerable to any Alpha who happened to realise that.
Sam realised that.
Shifting his hands to be able to hold both of Dean’s down in just one of his
own, he used his free one to undo the leather strap and pull the whole thing
away, leaving him to take in the expanse of mark-free, unblemished, un-claimed
skin that lay beneath. Sam wanted to mark it. This look-
alike…doppelganger…copy… duplicate… perfect double of his beautiful mate was
unclaimed, beneath him… and his.
The Alpha inside of him growled its approval: it had missed its mate so much.
Surely Our Lady had meant this to happen? Why should she have sent the human to
this world else?
Dean’s body stiffened with surprise and terror as his brother’s features
changed suddenly above him. Sam’s jaws suddenly distorted and extended slightly
as his four canine teeth seemed to elongate to stand out from his mouth a good
two inches longer they each had just been. Shit: this must be what he had meant
when he had spoken of the mating bite!
He tried to force himself to remain calm, to try and get through to the
logical, if somewhat self-righteous, man that he had spent the last few weeks
getting to know. “Sam? Please don’t do this. I’m not your mate. Not your Dean.
He’s going to come back… and I have to go. Just… think… please.”
Dean tensed as Sam’s head dipped towards his neck: he could feel the tips of
the fangs pricking sharply either side against his skin. All his brother had to
do was bite down.
He closed his eyes to try and brace against the pain that would surely be
ripping into his throat at any minute…
But then Sam was blinking as if coming out of a daze.
Dean watched with a slight fascination, and a tremendous amount of relief as
the canines receded to their normal length and his brother’s features returned
to their usual handsome state. Then the younger man was pulling away from him
with such haste that he all but tumbled from the bed, landing on his knees
beside the mattress. “Oh… oh, Our Lady: have I hurt you? I’m so sorry! So
sorry… Dean… I…”
Sam was shaking, physically trembling as he knelt beside the bed. And Dean
could feel his own heart pounding inside his chest hard enough to make him
shake with every beat. This place, he thought: it’s this fucking place! He lay
on his back and tried to calm his breathing, although he now realised that he
was panting and gasping for air as if he had not been able to take a breath for
hours!
“Dean?” And Sam was reaching for him…starting to reach to touch him as he lay
on the bed, but not actually making contact, because he was hesitating instead,
the Alpha for once unsure of himself. And there were tears gathering in his
eyes, with a couple already escaping to slide down his back-to-normal face.
“Dean? I… I’m so, so sorry. I never even thought that I could ever claim
another again: I’ve always counted myself as fortunate that I was given the
chance to once! But to do that..? I… are you alright? Have I hurt you again?
Dean?” And he was crying openly.
Dean looked at him: Sam’s expression was miserable. He had seen his real
brother look like that so many times: every time he had let Dean down, and
sworn faithfully he would never do it again, and Dean had forgiven him and
hoped with all his heart that there would never be another Ruby, or Amy… and
then Sam would just go and break it for him all over again…
“I’m good, Sam. It’s okay. We’re okay. But…”
“But what, Dean?” He was already looking hopeful, his puppy-dog-eyes widening
as he finally began to get up off the floor.
“Would you mind sleeping somewhere else tonight please?I’m so tired: I just
need some sleep.”
The look on Sam’s face now reminded him of a puppy that had just been kicked
instead, but he closed his eyes and tried to ignore it. “Sure, Dean. Of course,
of course. I’ll… if you need anything, just call. I’ll be….” And the younger
man was snatching up his clothes and hastily pulling them on even as he crossed
to the door. Where he paused and looked back momentarily: “I’m so sorry, Dean.
Really.”
“S’okay, Sam. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Dean breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the door open and close again; the
strong scent of his brother receding gradually as he went. He rested on his
back and stared at the ceiling, feeling his heart still beating far too fast.
This world!
Not for the first time since he had arrived, he closed his eyes and prayed to
any God, didn’t matter which, that happened to be listening, to let him finally
be able to go home.
On the other side of the door, Sam rested his head against the wood. What had
he just done? The man in there had nearly been killed saving his children, and,
by way of thanks, he had nearly done that? 
He backed carefully away from the door and started with surprise as he suddenly
sensed the presence of someone behind him in the hallway. “Samuel?”
“I thought I heard Dean cry out: is he alright? Is he in pain: shall I get his
medication? What’s happened?”
“He’s fine: I just… I thought I’d sleep downstairs: give him some space. He
must still be so tired. Goodnight, son.”
“Night, dad.”
Sam all but stumbled down the stairs, looked blankly at the wrecked living
room, and headed for his study. The chair wasn’t going to be comfortable for
sleeping, but then… how was he going to be able to sleep? Not after what he had
just nearly done.
His mate, his real mate, would be so ashamed of him and how he had behaved so
far towards this other Dean. It should have been him protecting the smaller man
and keeping him safe in this world: instead it had been him who had been the
greatest danger to the human! He was as bad as any ‘knothead’ Alpha! Worse:
because he knew he should be able to behave better, to act intellectually
rather than instinctively.
How was he going to explain this to his Dean when he finally came home. And…
please Our Lady, let him be home soon…
Because… to hell with logic: instinct was disagreeing with him. In his head,
through his body, every single part of him that was Alpha, was still growling
its demand that he go straight back up those stairs into that bedroom, and
claim what was his!”
 
         *                    *                      *                        
*                  *
 
“Do you want a cheese and tomato omelette, or just scrambled eggs for lunch?”
Sam sighed at his brother’s shout from the small kitchen: actually he would
have preferred bacon with his eggs! Or even better; a burger. Two burgers! Or a
great big juicy steak. His mouth began to water at the thought.
He had been so thrilled at this healthy-eating, almost vegetarian version of
Dean… at first. But fish or chicken and lots of greens had quickly gotten not
quite enough, even despite this Dean being such a really good cook. He wanted
red meat. For the first time, he understood how irritated his real brother used
to get when they went to a burger joint and all Sam wanted was a salad… and he
wondered if he used to look at Dean’s food with as much hunger as he felt when
he thought about eating it now?
Besides, he had a good excuse to need to eat meat now! Or at least, something
to give him energy, because… this Dean was waking him up more and more during
the night wanting sex. Even after the evenings before… He was insatiable! And
Sam, frankly, was exhausted. And sore, in places that he had never been sore in
before, not even during the first couple of months with Jess! And they hadn’t
even got to this thing that Dean was worried about: what was it… a heat? yet…
He was disturbed from his thoughts by the heavy steel door at the top of the
stairs opening and Castiel appearing through it. “Hey, Cas!”
The other looked around at the greeting and smiled as he hurried down the steps
to join Sam where he was sitting at the table working with his laptop. “Hello,
Sam. You look tired.”
“And welcome to you as well, Cas. What brings you here? As if I don’t know.”
And he was giving the angel a knowing smirk, which deepened as the other
flushed a little in response.
“I was wondering how it was going: are you any closer to finding how to swap
the Dean’s back again? Or even where ours might be?”
Sam sighed as he leant back in his chair enough to tip the front legs off the
floor. “No, nothing! I’ve read every book in the bunker twice. Hell, Dean’s
read every book here twice! But there’s nothing! Nothing to give any clue at
all.
And I’ve called every Hunter I can think of, but no one has ever heard of
anything like this. And I get the impression they’re all thinking I belong back
in the asylum for just mentioning the existence of another dimension! Although…
none of them believe in time travel either… and we know that’s possible.
Hell, our Dean’s probably the expert on that subject, as it always seems to be
him who’s taken through it!” He laughed at the irony. “We could do with him
here, to ask about how we go about getting him back!”
“He’ll be working on it there, Sam, he’ll be wanting to come home. He’ll find a
way.”
They both fell silent for a moment: “You really think you felt something…a
presence? From the moon?”
“I’m certain, Sam. There was… something there: I distinctly felt it watching
me. And we both saw that spirit animal: something caused that. Either Dean
himself without realising, or… this ‘Lady’ that he assures us is watching over
him.”
“So… a Goddess, then? A moon goddess?” Sam thumped the legs back down and
pulled his laptop forward again to make the screen light up on the site he had
been currently studying. “I’ve researched plenty of those as well!And gods! And
from many different societies and religions: Greek and Roman as usual, Hindu
obviously, but also Aztec, Incan, Chinese, Native American Indian, Philippine,
Egyptian; you name it! Some are even still worshipped today. And most seem to
be connected with fertility and motherhood…which is somewhat apt for this Dean,
but not ours!
But again, nothing documented as more than beliefs, nothing actually real. Or
at least: nothing that has ever been chronicled in any of the ledgers in here!
And…if it is a Goddess…? And I’m not saying that I believe it… but if it is…
then how the hell are we going to communicate with it…her? To convince her to
swap them back? How?”
Their conversation was interrupted by Dean’s light footsteps approaching them
from the direction of the small set of stairs: “Your omelette’s ready, Sam. I
made one for you as well, Cas. I know you don’t eat… but it seemed rude not
to.”
“How did you know I was here…?” The angel began, but caught back his own words
as he reflected that Dean would have scented him the moment he entered the
door. But then the question was forgotten anyway as he stared at the omega, his
eyes crinkling with worry. “You are not well. What’s wrong?”
Sam turned in surprise and also stared at his brother. Castiel was right:
Dean’s face was definitely looking unnaturally flushed. He swore at himself: he
should have noticed that!
“I’ve been cooking, that’s all. It’s nothing.” But Dean had turned away from
them both, his head down, and was already beginning to return down the steps
without even moving to greet the angel with his accustomed passionate embrace.
“Dean?” Sam’s was on his feet, his long legs taking him across the room in just
a few strides, followed closely by Castiel, to catch at the other’s elbow and
stop him in his tracks. “What is it?”
He was surprised when, for the first time since he had arrived, Dean tried to
step away from him and his outstretched arms. And he was refusing to look up at
Sam. The younger man gently caught his chin in his large fingers and made him
tip his head back enough to see his face. “Dean, what is it?”
Again his brother tried to look away, but failed. “It’s the start of the heat.”
The others could hardly hear the embarrassed whisper. “That’s why I’ve been
riding you so hard, no pun intended, hoping desperately to keep it at bay. But
I can feel it building inside me, and it’s going to be bad, Sam. I haven’t had
one for seven years! It’s going to bebad.”
His voice trailed off. Sam could see the tears glistening beneath the long
lashes. He glanced over at Cas, who was looking as upset as he knew he probably
did. Gently he pulled Dean back up the top two steps and stepped away from them
enough that both he and the angel could put their arms around him: entangling
him securely between their firm bodies, Sam to his front and Castiel pressed
against his back.
“Can we do anything to help?”
There was a shake of soft hair against his chin. “I’m sorry to you both in
advance for what I’ll be like: I’m probably going to be… overly demanding when
it hits full force.”
Sam pressed his hand to Dean’s forehead: his brother’s skin was definitely
clammy. “Is that why it’s called a heat? Because you’re genuinely going to get
hot as well?”
“It’s the sign of its approach: yes, my temperature will go up a lot to just
about feverish levels. I’ll start to get nauseous; chills; feel generally
bleagh… then… the madness descends, and I’ll just want… demand… “
“Demand what?”
There was a snort. “A knot. An omega wants a knot… needs a knot! Needs to be
satisfied: needs to be bred. That’s what the heat is. And for that I need an
Alpha. And possibly you two betas could help me through a normal, ‘regular’
heat if I hadn’t been using suppressants for years, but this… It’s not going to
be a normal one. Not at all. I need to go home: I need my Sam.”
“Dean? Look at me.” He felt his brother physically sigh, but waited until the
green eyes were looking up at him, brimming with anxious moisture. “We’ll get
you through this. Cas and I will do whatever we have to, to get you through it.
How long do you think we’ve got?”
“I’m not at the feverish stage yet. Perhaps tomorrow? Definitely by the day
after.”
“Is there no way of stalling it?” The angel’s gravelly voice spoke up. “You
said you were trying to keep it at bay?”
Dean’s eyes flashed in his direction: “Well, only by… But you’re going to
struggle trying to satisfy me once the heat hits, believe me: it will be crazy
to exhaust you both before it starts!”
“But,” Castiel couldn’t help his smirk as he physically turned Dean, who was
still wrapped between the two of theirs arms, enough to be able to get his
mouth pressed against the omega’s full pink lips, his tongue already probing to
try and get between them. “If there is just the chance that it gives us an
extra day to find a way to get you home… then we must be prepared to make
sacrifices.”
He now had Dean fully facing him and was starting to loosen his clothing even
as the other opened his mouth to allow him access. “I don’t know about Sam, but
I, for one, am ready to give everything I have to for the good of the cause!”
 
 
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              *                     *                     *
 
Dean stirred from an uneasy sleep. He couldn’t settle: his abdomen where he had
been stabbed hurt like shit; he was still un-nerved by that far too close
encounter with Sam, and… He didn’t know what else, but there was something…
something that he needed… something that would let him settle… something that…
he wasn’t sure what it was but he wanted it. He wanted whatever it was.
More than that. He needed whatever it was: he needed it to help him sleep.
Whatever the hell it was.
Rolling onto his back with a slight groan of pain, Dean stared out through the
slightly parted drapes at the night sky beyond. There was a circular-shaped
glow behind the clouds: the moon must be up and bright. He’d lost track of the
lunar cycle over the stressful last few days, but, he thought, from the shape
formed, it looked close to being full.
And, as if they had been listening to his thoughts, the clouds suddenly parted
and the moon revealed herself. A bright, shining orb in the sky that
momentarily dazzled him before, in the very next blink, his eyes had adjusted
perfectly.
Dean gazed out at the sight with awe: in whichever world it was beautiful. The
first night of the full moon, and it was just…absolutely stunning. And bigger
than he had ever seen it before, although, when he came to think about it, it
had looked large that early morning in Kansas City as well. The morning he had
somehow arrived here.
Jesus: had that really been a month ago? Had he really been here that long?
He lay back and stared up at the ceiling, intending to concentrate on just
relaxing and take deep calming breaths in to aid him in his bid for more sleep.
But after just one, there was no more need. Because he had now become aware of
the aroma in the room, the scent that he liked so much, the smell of the pure
forest, and spring, and musk. He didn’t even need the light of the moon to tell
him where the source of the wonderful smell was: Dean was raising himself on
one elbow to look before he had even wondered about how it was he knew.
“Samuel?”
The young man was sitting on the chair in the corner of the bedroom, the one
that Dean had retreated to that very first night: shirtless and bare-footed,
dressed only in his sleeping sweatpants, leant forward on the seat with his
long legs opened wide, elbows on his knees, clasped together hands supporting
his chin, his eyes staring anxiously at the human as if terrified to look away.
But at the mention of his name, he was across the room and kneeling beside the
bed in an instant.
“Are you alright? I smelt your stress. I was coming to stop dad. I would have
done, Dean! I wouldn’t have let him hurt you! He shouldn’t have done that!”
“It’s alright, Sammy. No harm done.”
“It’snot alright, Dean. He shouldn’t have touched you! You’re not his to
touch!”
He tutted at Dean, who despite himself had had no choice but to chuckle at his
righteous indignation. Then Samuel was carefully edging onto the bed next to
him, sliding beneath the covers, wrapping his left arm around the man’s
shoulders and allowing Dean to use his chest as a makeshift pillow. “Is this
okay? Am I hurting your wound in any way?”
“It’s fine. Better than fine. Thanks, Sammy.” And indeed, the warm strong body
of the young man did feel comfortable. Not to mention that the scent of his
cologne was wafting over Dean like a comfort blanket, he really did like it so
much: he could feel himself relaxing, his aches seeming to ease, sleep seeming
finally within reach as his eye lids suddenly felt really heavy…
“Whatis that you wear, Samuel? Your aftershave, or anti-perspirant, or whatever
it is… I keep meaning to ask you…”
He was almost fully asleep: he almost didn’t process the sound of the snort, or
Samuel’s next words: “I’m not wearing anything, Dean. That’s me: that’s my
scent. It’s calling to you. Just like yours has been calling to mine ever since
you arrived. Because you’re mine, and I’m yours. No matter how much you try and
deny it.”
“Sammy, that’s stupid…” Dean didn’t bother to try and open his eyes. “I’m not
an omega…”
“Perhaps you weren’t. Not when you first arrived: your scent was so faint. But…
since then… it’s got so much stronger! Really strong: more than mom’s even!
It’s been driving me crazy! Driving all the Alphas crazy!
And… didn’t you wonder how the hospital never noticed that you weren’t? They
took scans, Dean. They operated on you, for Our Lady’s sake. Why didn’t they
notice that you weren’t an omega, unless of course… you are?”
“Samuel, I…” Dean was coming more alert. What was he saying? That was crazy
talk: he was human! Of course he was! He couldn’t be anything else… could he?
But the young man was still talking: “And you’ve changed in other ways, haven’t
you, Dean? Your sense of smell? You know where we all are in the house, don’t
you? You may not realise it but your nose twitches with every breath you take
now. And your hearing, definitely. Much better than mine, and mine’s really
good! And when you jumped down the stairs: is that something you could have
done before? What about your eyesight? Has that changed?”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Dean was indignant, and rightly so. Samuel was
beingridiculous. He sat up to tell the young man so, and stopped.
For the moon had disappeared behind the clouds once more: the room was in
complete darkness. Yet Dean suddenly was realising that he could see everything
easily. Really easily. But it was… almost monochrome. He could see everything
around him so clearly, but all in black and white, and grey. And possibly a
drab beige. But no other colour at all. He stared incredulously at Samuel, who
was also leaning up on his elbow and… reaching out to him.
He felt the touch of the boy’s hand on his cheek, and… it felt good. It
shouldn’t feel good! Not from this boy. “What else, Dean? What else is
different? And why do you like my smell so much? Because if you want me to
prove it, I can go and have a shower, use nothing but water, and I’ll come out
with exactly the same scent because it’s me, Dean. Just me. You can come into
the shower with me and see, if you’d like.”
He was now leaning forward, aiming to close his mouth on the hum… Dean wasn’t
quite sure about that anymore. He pulled away, trying to maintain some control
over himself and what was happening. “This… I… I’m nearly twenty years older
than you, Sammy! Don’t even go there! This can’t… this shouldn’t…”
“Age difference doesn’t matter here, Dean. Gender doesn’t matter even. It’s all
about the scents: how they complement each other. And ours want to mix, want to
merge together. We’re soulmates. I know it: you know it. You need mine to feel
complete: were you having trouble sleeping without it?
If I wrap you in my arms and hold you now, how quickly will you fall asleep? I
bet you would. I may not be presented yet, but our scents know that we were
created for each other. Come down here.
Come here, Dean.”
And he was laying back down on the bed again, pulling Dean to lie with him. And
despite himself, the older man was obeying the order and following, until they
had returned to their position of just a few minutes before, with him resting
against the young man’s chest, Samuel’s left arm protectively around him,
holding him close, the aroma of his… natural scent… filling Dean’s nostrils.
Despite himself, he inhaled deeply… and felt himself relax.
Then, as he felt Samuel’s lips begin to nuzzle into his hair, Dean’s fear grew
again. He shouldn’t be here. Not like this. Not with this good-looking young
man. Why had he just thought about how good-looking he was?
He had noticed, naturally. Because Samuel was very good-looking! As well as
already having a really good body, and being an absolute sweetheart, really
good company and already somebody that Dean loved very, very much. But not
because they were soulmates! That was ridiculous!
His dad would be so ashamed of him.
He would tell Dean he was letting him down.
Although… if Dean were honest with himself… he always let his dad down… in
everything. He was never fast enough; strong enough; ready enough; smart
enough; good enough. Not at anything. Sam had always told him that he was
stupid for trying to please the man. Because he never could… and he never did.
And… if Dean were really honest with himself… his relationship with Sam was
going the same way. It seemed as if nothing he ever did now was good enough for
his brother, either! He always somehow made Dean feel small mentally as well as
physically, as if he was only tolerating him until he could leave again. And he
didn’t even bother to look for Dean when he got trapped in Purgatory: what did
that say about what his brother thought of him? Really, what would Sam say if
he saw Dean lying on a bed with a man? And a much younger man, at that? He
would tell Dean he was letting him down as well.
And he probably was.
He always seemed to, somehow.
“Whatever you’re thinking about, stop it.”
Dean started as Samuel suddenly broke the silence. “I… what?”
“Your scent has turned so sad, Dean.” He wriggled down the bed, turning himself
onto his side so he could face the man eye to eye as they lay there. “I don’t
like it when you’re sad: I’m going to make it my purpose in life that you never
are again.”
“Sammee…” Despite himself, he was smiling at the young man’s earnestness. And
it did feel good when Samuel wrapped his right arm around him as well and
pulled their bodies even closer, even though it shouldn’t. “You’re just a kid:
really you are, compared to me… I’m far too old for you. You’ve just got a bit
of a crush, that’s all. Especially after recent events.”
“Dean? Get this through your head, will you? It’s not about our ages: it’s
about us! And just for the record… you’re absolutely perfect!” And his mouth
was once again awkwardly trying to find Dean’s, pushing against the man hard
enough to make the other slightly turn away and onto his back without
realising, with Samuel immediately taking the chance to follow, carefully
laying his body half over the other’s while making sure he didn’t put any
pressure on any of his wounds. “And it’s not just me that thinks that: you’ve
seen the attention you get from all the Alphas!”
“You’re making me sound like a hot chick!” Dean was amused and disgruntled all
at the same time.
“You are a hot chick! You’re an incredibly hot chick!” Samuel chuckled, but
then abruptly turned serious. “You’re a beautiful omega, Dean. Really! You are,
seriously, absolutely stunning. And… I’m asking you to consider accepting me as
a mate. Seriously, age doesn’t matter here but if it does so much to you… do
you think you can get over me being younger than you? Do you think you could?”
Dean stared up at him incredulously: there were tears gathering in the young
man’s eyes at the thought that he might be being rejected. It was instinctive
for him to put his hands up to wipe them away even as they started to trickle
down Samuel’s cheeks. And somehow touching the young man’s face, holding him so
intimately… felt nice. Even though the tears were still coming, and now running
down Dean’s wrists. “Hey! You’re going to get my plaster cast all wet!”
“Sorry.” And the other was trying to wipe away his tears himself. Dean did so
love this gorgeous young man: he did really love him. And looking up into the
green eyes that were almost a match for his own… he wanted to make those
dimples appear again. He really hated it when his mate was sad as well…
Why the hell had he just thought of him as his mate?
Dean stared up at Samuel, who stared back, still sniffling: his young face
showing his nervousness, and embarrassment, and hesitation, and yearning. And
shyness. He had never seen Samuel so uncertain, but he was: he was biting his
lips with anxiety because he had taken the chance to declare his feelings out
loud and was literally shaking with nerves as he waited for the response.
Dean’s attention focused on those lips, and wondered what it would be like to
kiss them.
And then, he wanted to do just that.
And suddenly…what his dad might have thought? And what the real Sam would
think? Suddenly neither of them mattered. Because Dean… wanted this.
Whatever this was. Whatever he now was! He wanted this.
He smiled shyly. So did Samuel. And then the young man was leaning right over
Dean and lowering his upper body enough that their mouths were meeting once
more. And this time, Dean was responding.
Dean had kissed numerous ladies over the years: he had even tried kissing men
once or twice when he was younger. Not to mention this last month when he had
been forced to kiss this world's version of Sam a few times.
But Samuel…?
He tasted every bit as good as his scent smelt. And although obviously a novice
at kissing, he seemed intent on learning fast. And… it felt really good: more
than that, it felt right.
They felt right.
They were both panting a little when they finally broke for air, and stared at
each other as they recovered their breath. And, as he looked up at Samuel, Dean
realised for the first time that, somehow, he was now lying beneath the other
on the bed.
And that he was still completely naked apart from his bandages.
And that Samuel was extremely aroused in his sweatpants. And god, he was more
than rivalling his father when it came to that department.
And he was hard as well.
But Samuel was speaking again. Dean tried to ignore what was rubbing against
his lower half to focus on what the young man was saying: “You know, Dean. I’ve
been waiting for years, desperate to present. Wondering why I haven’t, but I
finally realise why. You weren’t here.”
“I… What?”
“Our Lady brought you here, Dean. To save our family. To save our world. And…”
Dean couldn’t help but smile at his intensity. “And?”
“And she brought you to me, Dean. You were created for me, and I was created
for you. That’s why we feel so right together. I know it: you know it. There
would have been no point in me presenting earlier because you weren’t here!
But you are now.”
And as if on cue, the full bright intensity of the moon was suddenly streaming
through the drapes. Dean would have momentarily winced in the brief instant
before his eyes un-humanly adjusted almost instantaneously, but… he didn’t even
notice.
Because his whole attention was suddenly focused on Samuel.
The boy felt the entire majestic power of Our Lady sweep through him as he
finally presented. He felt every single molecule in his body disintegrate and
rebuild simultaneously before he even had the chance to scream. His eyesight,
already good, became absolutely perfect: twenty-twenty, even at night. He
didn’t realise it but they glowed with an eerie interior light momentarily as
he absorbed every single miniscule particle from the moon’s rays.
Every muscle he had was torn apart and reformed, rippling with innate strength
and masculinity. His hearing sharpened enough to catch the slightest rustle of
breeze through a cobweb.
His animal ancestry flowed through him momentarily as the nails in his fingers
and toes momentarily turned back into claws that erupted from his appendages
before receding once again. His balls formed, with the strangest and most
uncomfortable prickling sensation as they grew as if from the interior of the
rest of his flesh and immediately filled with seed ready to be spread. His knot
also came into being: erupting from and expanding his already erect cock until
he was all but crying with the sensation, then, just as abruptly the
uncomfortable swollen feeling was gone, leaving him with just the desperate
desire to use it. To bury himself deeply into his chosen mate and howl at Our
Lady with pleasure.
His sense of smell also impossibly sharpened: Samuel wouldn’t have believed it
possible, not that he was getting much of a chance to think about any of it
anyway, but he had always thought of his ability to scent as being good. It had
been nowhere near it. Now he could suddenly smell everything in the room, in
the house, in the street. But nothing else was anywhere near as important as
the one thing that every one of his new senses instantly and sharply focused
on.
One perfect scent. The scent that had been affecting him ever since he had
smelt it a month before. The scent of his mate. His soulmate. The one destined
to be his and sent by Our Lady herself.
He was here.
Right now.
And he was so beautiful. So perfect.
And Samuel would have him.
And even as that certainty flashed through Samuel’s mind, he felt his jaw begin
to distort and his canines extending, sharpening to deadly points ready to
deliver the claiming bite: forcing him to hold his mouth open uncomfortably
until the strike was made.
He was an Alpha.
And the only thing that mattered to him… would ever matter to him… was his
omega.
His mate. His Dean.
His.
Samuel caught his breath and stared down in triumph at the wide-eyes of the
incredulous man beneath him.
Dean couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. Samuel had transformed from
an, all-be-it already strong and fit, good-looking youth, into a really
incredibly handsome Alpha in front of his very eyes.
His Alpha.
And the eyes of his Alpha were focused on him. And only on him.
“Samuel?”
He had been told of what would happen next: that a newly presented Alpha would
be driven by sheer lustful instinct to mate immediately above all else… and,
trapped as he was by the obviously powerful body above his, he was conscious
that even if he hadn’t just previously accepted that he was the target of such
desire, the way the presenting had just happened meant that he would have had
little choice in the matter anyway.
But at least he did want this: he did want Samuel, and actually… he did very,
very much. But Dean now realised that he was afraid of what was about to
happen: would he even survive it? Or would the knot of his young mate simply
turn him apart internally?
And…there was something else that they hadn’t even discussed yet.
But Samuel was taking many deep breaths above him, and panting, and… the fangs
were withdrawing back to their normal appearance. “Dean?” he was gasping with
the effort of containing his newly conscious instincts. “I would never force
you! If you don’t want this: if you don’t want me, then… I’ll let you go. I’d
never hurt you. I would never hurt you. And I’ll wait for you ‘til the day I
die, because I know you’re the only one I’ll ever want.”
His limbs were shaking from trying to hold the Alpha now inside him back. Sweat
was dripping from his forehead and running down his back just from keeping the
most basic of animalistic impulses under control now they had awakened within
him: “But you have to want me as well! You have to! I want a mate! I want a
partner! I want an equal! I never want to have to worry that I claimed you
against your will: I want you to claim me! I…”
He was losing the battle with whatever was now inside him. And it was something
inside him: Samuel had never understood the smutty talk on all the TV shows
about having to obey the ‘inner Alpha’ before, but… now he had presented, there
was definitely something in him that hadn’t been there before: a being formed
from pure instinct inside his mind and body that was threatening to override
all his ideals and moralities.
But then suddenly it didn’t matter because Dean was putting his arms around
Samuel’s newly broadened shoulders and pulling himself up enough to be able to
crash his lips against his young mate’s. “I do claim you, Sammy. I do want you!
But… are you sure? I have to go home: not because I want to, because I don’t,
but because your little brother and sister need their mom. What happens then…?”
Samuel moaned with relief and chased the other’s mouth back down to the
mattress. “Either you’re staying here or I’m coming with you! Or I’ll find you,
somehow! I swear I will! Our Lady hasn’t brought us together just to tear us
apart again, Dean: we’re soulmates!”
“Speaking of tearing apart, Sammy…. I’m really…quite…”
He felt the young… no, he felt the man, the newly presented Alpha, laugh
against his mouth. “You’re scared, Dean? I’m freaking terrified!”
And with that, all tension between them had gone. Dean relaxed and simply
inhaled the spring-forest sweet scent of his mate, feeling it wash through him
like a physical wave, flowing into every particle of his body and soul,
whispering that it would be okay: everything had been planned by something far
beyond their understanding. All he had to concentrate on was enjoying what was
going to happen, and accept the claim from his mate.
The kissing turned more passionate: Dean had a mouthful of Samuel and he loved
it. Loved the taste of him; loved the feel of him; loved being touched by him.
And when his Alpha reached to gather his hips into his surprisingly large
hands, and tilted his pelvis forward ready to take him for the first time, Dean
only felt a momentary flash of anxiety. Relax: he just had to relax.
“Am I hurting your wound?” The worry in the whispered voice caused Dean to
smile: he really did love his caring Alpha!
“No. just…do it, Sammy. Give it to me.”
“Okay… my omega.”
And with that he was finally pushing inside Dean, his inner Alpha howling with
triumph. He himself was moaning with pleasure: Samuel had often wondered what
it felt like, to have sex with an omega, it had been the source of many
discussions with his friends, some of them even being done whilst sober!, but
this… oh, Our Lady: his mate felt so good. So perfect. And all his!
And Dean in turn was blinking in surprise. Because it didn’t hurt at all as
Samuel entered him, although it felt a little strange. But a good strange. And…
it was easier than he had expected… a lot easier. And he was suddenly realising
that there was something that was making it easier. A thick liquid of some
sort: he could feel it beneath him already soaking the bed covers, and it had
an almost overwhelmingly strong scent…of himself!
It was coming from him!
What the hell?
“Sam! Sammy! What’s the… what is that?” And he was reaching down with his hand,
feeling the dampness on his fingers. Then his Alpha was snatching at them
gently and sucking them into his own mouth, exclaiming momentarily at his first
taste of heaven. Oh, Our Lady, his mate was so perfect: everything about him
was perfect! He would be quite happy never to eat anything else ever again!
“You’re slicking, Dean!” And he was scooping some more of the thick substance
up and offering his hand for Dean to lap at himself. “Your body has prepared
itself for mine! What more proof do you need that we’re meant for each other?”
“I…“ But Dean’s response was cut off as Samuel instinctively adjusted the
position of his next thrust, and perfectly struck… something… inside his mate
that made the other see stars! “What the?”
“Am I making it good enough for you?”
“Hell, yeah. Keep doing that!” And he was arching his back, and just allowing
Samuel to take the lead, because, somehow, the younger man knew exactly what he
was doing! And then Dean could feel the strangest feeling inside him as
Samuel’s knot began to expand for the very first time inside him, stretching
him to his very limits.
But it didn’t hurt. Not in the slightest. In fact, as the new pressure was
applied to where nothing of any kind had ever been, Dean could feel… something
give, deep inside him. No, not give, there was no force as such, but… it was as
if something was being pushed apart… open. Something that must always have been
there, inside his body, was finally beingopened by the expanding knot of his
mate. And it felt better than good. In fact… as it dilated even more, almost
too good. Dean couldn’t take any more, he was going to…
And then he was hit by the most tremendous climax that he had ever had. Ever.
And as he all but writhed beneath the strong body of his young mate, he felt
some instinctive inclination to throw his head back and expose his neck. For
some reason he didn’t fully understand, he wanted Samuel to see his neck. And
then, even as he heard the younger man also start to moan and gasp from his
first ever presented orgasm, suddenly the canines were slicing into his neck,
meeting inches deep within his skin as if about to tear a huge chunk of flesh
away.
But it didn’t hurt. Dean had expected it to hurt. But instead it burnt! With a
fire that passed from his mate into himself, carrying with it incredible
desire, and offered possession from Samuel to himself, and a hope that Dean
would want to be possessed also, and protection, and dedication, and want. And
love. So much love that Dean felt it flame throughout every last atom of his
body, igniting and disintegrating any doubts and fears that he had ever had
into mere memories of ashes as Samuel claimed him as his: claiming him from the
inside out and the outside in, until the end of time itself. And probably far
beyond that.
He held his Alpha tightly to him as they both recovered their breath. Then
Samuel was pushing at Dean’s left leg to make him undo it from where it had
been wrapped around the younger man’s waist during their mating, and carefully
lifted Dean’s hips physically so he could gently turn them both to lie face to
face on the bed, worried about pulling in any way at the stitches still in his
beautiful mate’s abdomen. “Was that okay? Did I hurt you?”
“No. That was… incredible. I…” But Dean couldn’t speak again for another couple
of moments as his mate’s knot continued to pulse against every molecule inside
him, creating such a continual build-up of pleasurable pressure that he could
only moan through, tighten his still wrapped-round right leg, and try to ride
out.
In fact, the last thing Dean was aware of before he fell soundly asleep in
Samuel’s arms, fully sated and his body still twitching from the effects of the
knot that would join them together as one being for at least another half an
hour, was the gentle licking of his Alpha’s tongue at his throat, soothing and
healing the mating bite, and the whispers of just how much he loved him.
He didn’t even hear Sam suddenly burst frantically into the room, having been
awoken from an uncomfortable and troubled sleep downstairs in his chair by the,
to him, disgusting smell of another Alpha in the house. He had come racing up
the stairs in a panic, desperate to stop the rape of the human, but paused
immediately on entering his bedroom at the realisation that he was already far
too late.
Sensibly Sam backed away from the deep disapproving growl of the newly
presented and already very strong young Alpha, who wouldn’t hesitate to defend
his mate to the death if he thought there was a definite threat. But he was
shaking as he did: Samuel had presented. And claimed their guest! What must
Dean be thinking about them as a family?
But even as he went to close the door behind him, Sam paused. And listened. Not
that he needed to strain his ears at all to hear the sound in the room, for it
was very loud in the silence of the night. A new sound.
A pleasurable sound.
A deeply arousing sound.
The purr of a sexually contented omega.
Sam stood in the corridor outside his bedroom in disbelief, but there was no
doubt as to what he had heard. But how could it have happened?
Somehow the human… had turned?
***** Chapter 20 *****
“Sam! Sam!”
The shout from somewhere in the bunker was an excited one. Sam blinked and
sleepily tried to open his eyes, wincing at the bright light of the morning. It
took him a few moments to try again, and then it seemed no better. And he hurt.
His whole body felt wrecked.
“Sam!” Dean’s shouts were getting louder as he was approaching the bedroom: he
sounded very excited about something. Sam supposed that he should really try
and get up, but… just a few minutes more.
There was a rustling in the bed beside him, and Castiel’s head was coming into
view from beneath the rumpled bedding: the angel’s hair tousled and stuck down
with sweat. And he was groaning as well as he tried to turn over onto his back.
Despite himself, Sam chuckled at the sight of him: “Rough night?”
“Extremely.” Castiel’s voice sounded even more gravelly than usual. “But I
would not have missed it, Sam. Not for anything. Where’s…?” He was looking
around the room, realising that there were only the two of them in there now
when during the night there had been three!
“He’s up and about somewhere.”
“Where does he get the energy from, Sam? Even with my grace, this physical body
is exhausted. And…” he was remembering… certain events of the previous half day
and all night. “Did Dean manhandle me to the bed last night? I seem to recall
him picking me up and throwing me on to it because I wasn’t getting back to it
as fast as he seemed to think I should be… “
“Yeah, Cas. Yeah he did. And you loved it, you dirty dog, you…!“
“I don’t think he was irritated at me because of my lack of cleanliness, Sam.
More my lack of speed.”
“Yeah, Cas. Yeah, I meant…”
But the door to the room was being flung open so violently that it hit the wall
behind it, and the omega was suddenly in the room, waving something that he was
holding in Sam’s direction. “It’s glowing, I can go home!”
“What?”
Then Dean, rather than walking around the bottom corner of the bed, was leaping
straight over it in his excitement to end up standing beside Sam who had
finally managed to struggle to sit up, where he knelt on the mattress and held
out the stone to him reverently. “It’s glowing, Sam! The other Dean must have
found a way to get us back! Come on, get up! We need to get back to the
warehouse!”
“But…are you sure, Dean? I can’t see anything.”
“It is indeed glowing, Sam.” The angel was agreeing, but he didn’t sound happy
about it. “A faint blue, but definitely there. But why do you think you must go
back to the warehouse, Dean?”
“Of course I have to! It’s where all this happened! It’s where it will all end!
Now, hurry up! Can I drive? One last time? Or…” his eyes lit up as he realised:
“I can drive it there, and your Dean can drive it back! You two can both stay
here if you want!”
“You don’t want us there to say goodbye?” “But… you’d be in the city on your
own, Dean. Won’t you be scared?” Sam wasn’t sure which of the two of them
sounded most upset at the thought of this Dean going home.
“Well, yes. But I can lock myself securely in Baby, and as long as I can park
in that alley… If you two would prefer to sleep longer.” He bit his lip a
little and tried to look apologetic but failed: “I’m sorry if I pushed you both
too much last night, but it’s worked: at least for today. I’m not quite as
unbearably hot as I was yesterday! I might make it home in time to get to Sam
after all! But it’s a long way back to Kansas City, so, if you’re coming… come
on!”
And he was jumping back over the corner of the bed and running out the door.
And from the direction he took, heading straight to Sam’s old room, returning
almost immediately with some clean clothes for the younger man to put on.
“Have I got time for a shower, Dean? And some coffee?”
But he could see from the other’s suddenly downturned smile just how
disappointed he was at any delay. With a sigh, he got naked out of the bed and
reached to pull Dean into his arms and hold him close: “This is going to be the
last time, isn’t it? And I’m glad… for you. And for finally getting my Dean
home… but I will miss you so much. I just want to tell you that in case I don’t
get the chance later.”
He felt the other’s green eyes on him, but suddenly couldn’t face them: not
wanting to spoil the other’s excitement and relief by showing how upset he was
about the coming actuality of losing this Dean. Instead he looked over at
Castiel who was coming around to them from the other side of the bed, also in
an undressed state, to join in the mutual embrace. And on his face, he could
see every bit as much upset as he felt in himself.
And every bit as much worry.
Because, God willing: they were going to be getting the real Dean back as well
that day.
But… just how was he going to react when he realised what had been going on in
his absence?
 
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“Samuel? Why are you in bed with Dean? Where’s dad? And why has your scent
changed? It’s gotten really strong: I can smell it all over the house! And why
is it all over Dean? What have you been doing to him?”
Dean blinked and sleepily tried to open his eyes: he didn’t want to as he was
extremely comfortable lying in the warm embrace of his mate’s arms as Samuel
spooned him, but…the little girl was standing beside his side of the bed, her
hands on her hips. As an afterthought, he checked to see that he had the covers
safely over himself, especially his still naked lower half! “Um, Mary-Anne?
Give us a few minutes, will you?”
“Can I get in as well?” And she was starting to try and lift the blankets. “Why
has Samuel got no shirt on as well? Was he showing you his scars? He fell off
his pushbike years ago and got all scratched up from the gravel.”
“Um, hold on, M-A!” And he was gripping the covers tighter around him in a
panic.
“Mary-Anne!” His mate… Dean’s mate!... had had enough. “Get out and give us
some privacy, will you!”
Even Dean had to turn to stare at him: he hadn’t noticed during the previous
night whilst otherwise… occupied… but it hadn’t only been Samuel’s body that
had matured when he had presented.
“Your voice has changed as well, Sammy! Why has your voice changed? And your
scent… No!” And she was staring at her brother in shock. “You’ve presented!
You’re an Alpha! And you’ve claimed Dean! How could you!? You know I wanted
him! How could you!” And she was stamping her foot, and looking ready to burst
into tears.
“What?”
“Mary-Anne!” And Samuel’s voice really was sounding much deeper, and
commanding: and it was having quite an effect on Dean that he hadn’t noticed
until then, because it sounded… incredible… and really quite a turn-on! The
little girl was still here in the room though: quickly, Dean, think unsexy
thoughts, think unsexy thoughts!
But Samuel was still talking at his sister: “We’ve talked about this! You’re
seven! You’re not going to present for years! And Dean’s my soulmate! I’ve
known it since the moment he arrived!”
“But I might have presented! I wanted to present! It’s not fair! It’s only
because you’re the eldest! If I was the eldest then it would have been me! I
should have been the eldest! Then I could have had him! It’s not fair!” And she
was leaving the room in a massive whirlwind of a tantrum, slamming the door
behind her and leaving both men relieved as well as speechless for a moment.
Samuel broke the silence. “One more thing to thank Our Lady for: the thought of
Mary-Anne being my big sister is… terrifying. Absolutely terrifying!”
He lifted himself up on his elbow and looked down at Dean with a lustful smirk,
that just as quickly turned into an anxious look: “How’s your stomach? Do you
need your meds? Have I hurt you at all: I’m sorry if I rushed you too much…”
His words were cut off as Dean also raised himself enough to stop him from
talking with a kiss. “I’m fine. Better than fine.” Then they were both settling
back on the bed, facing each other: Samuel’s arms protectively around his mate.
How he loved him: he had done right from that very first moment that his dad
had walked in through the door and angrily slammed Dean against the wall by way
of an introduction. How much had happened since then! But Samuel had known,
even with Dean’s then much weaker scent, just who he was and what he was meant
to be.
But this world had been so dangerous: both for his mom, and for his intended
mate. And Samuel had felt so helpless. He wished he could have protected them
both, especially his beautiful Dean, but all he had been able to do was keep
praying to Our Lady to look after him… and that day, when the Alphas had burst
in and threatened Dean as well as his little brother and sister… Samuel had
never felt so useless and scared.
Or so incredulous as to how amazingly his mate had fought.
Or so proud.
But now he had presented… he was going to look after Dean every minute of every
day for the rest of their lives. Or as long as Our Lady would let them have
together, because he knew that M-A and Johnny had to have their mom back…
And that he would probably lose Dean in the process.
But he was ready to follow his mate whenever and wherever he had to go. Or Our
Lady had better have a very good reason why he couldn’t!
“Penny for them?”
Dean was smiling at him: those vivid green eyes staring into his own. Brighter
than his own: more perfect than his mom’s even. His mate’s. Samuel belonged to
this man: heart and soul.
And his lips.
And every single inch of the rest of him.
“I was just thinking…”
The other’s eyebrows rose.
“About my baby Alpha!”
Samuel had to laugh at Dean’s immediate put-out expression. “I told you last
night: you call me that, and we’re over!”
The new young Alpha had lain and watched Dean as he had slept the night before
in his arms, still incredulous and thankful at being accepted as a mate, as
well as just how amazing knotting felt. And then… he had suddenly become aware
that the scent of his father wasn’t just in the covers of the bed, it was all
over his mate.
And there was just no way his inner Alpha was tolerating that!
Without even realising it, he had followed Sam’s trail of exploration over
Dean’s body, intent on removing any trace of the previous Alpha and replacing
it with his own scent and touch. On every inch of beautiful flesh that could be
accessed by his fingers, lips and tongue, including the testicles that had
earnt his new mate the already hated nickname! And he had really enjoyed
sexually teasing and tormenting Dean until the man beneath him had been gasping
with arousal and desperate to be satisfied. Which, of course, Samuel had been
more than ready to oblige.
And now, as they lay together in the bed and stared into each other’s eyes, he
was hopeful of pleasuring Dean a third time!
But then there was a slight knock at the bedroom door, followed by a hesitant,
tearful sounding voice calling through: “Dean? Mary-Anne says Sammy’s presented
and claimed you. He hasn’t hurt you, has he Dean?”
And Dean was giving Samuel a quick kiss and getting carefully out of the bed,
still favouring his sore side, snatching up his pants from the floor and
crossing ready to reassure the boy, and the girl who was also waiting outside
with a perfected pout on her face, that he was fine. Samuel sighed and quickly
snatched up his own sweatpants to cover himself as the room was immediately
invaded by his siblings. He was just going to have to accept that his soulmate
came with baggage, but he hadn’t quite expected it to be his own little brother
and sister!
And then they were all getting properly dressed and insisting that Dean take
his medication, and finally facing going downstairs to try and sort out the
massive mess in the kitchen enough to cook some pancakes for breakfast, though
the two adults hurried the children past the smashed living room in case they
got upset at the sight of it. “Sammy, can you keep them occupied in there while
I start in here? Get it a bit more presentable…”
“You’re supposed to be resting!” His young mate had tried to reprimand him, but
the both of them, and a sheepish Sam who had by this time joined them, knew
that the sooner the room at least looked back to normal, the better.
“Yes, mom!”
In the end, Sam had taken Mary-Anne and Johnny out of the way while Samuel
carefully helped Dean to right some of the furniture. Then the young man was
sighing as he looked around at all the broken pieces of the smashed possessions
and reached to hold Dean’s hand for comfort. “You okay, Sammy?”
“They took the picture: the one of you…mom… and Gramps. They took it for
evidence: what was left of it anyway.”
Dean nodded and held him even tighter. “At least, you’ve still that one of all
of you over the mantle.”
It was one that had been done professionally of the whole family posed in a
studio: Sam standing proudly with his arms tightly around his Dean and the
three youngsters smiling in front of them, obviously a few years before as
Johnny only looked about six and had had both front teeth missing at the time,
while Mary-Anne was all chubby cheeks and bright shining eyes. Dean looked
across at it: “What were you: ten? And those long gorky limbs? When did you
start to fill out and get those ripped muscles that I saw last night, eh?”
“I was fourteen, Dean.” He tried to sound irritated, but he hadn’t learnt
enough wiles to hide the amusement in his eyes… yet. Even while he was trying
to get his mate’s attention back on the mentioned real body standing next to
him. “I was trying to look cool.”
“Mmm.” But he accepted the kiss. “Now give me a hand with the dresser.”
“Dean! Watch your stitches!” But he sighed as he was ignored: Dean obviously
hadn’t changed enough to have acquired all the expected instincts of an omega.
He certainly wasn’t just going to blindly follow the orders of his Alpha no
matter what: his might have been a physical change but it certainly wasn’t a
mental one. And Samuel wouldn’t have had it any other way!
He moved to start to collect the rest of the smashed and shattered photo
frames, not noticing that Dean had been distracted by something. The large
photo on the wall suddenly looked different to him: he had never noticed
before, not even just then, that the family were standing in front of a large
cut-out of the moon.
Not in front of it: as Dean let go of Samuel, and started to cross to take
another look, he realised that… the moon was now in front of the photo. In
fact, it appeared to be on the glass above that was protecting it: seeming
almost like a reflection…
But there was no moon to reflect.
And certainly not one that was as large as this: it was filling the whole of
the flat surface of the picture. As he approached it, he could clearly see his
own reflection inside the perfect circular shape. It was large enough that it
easily encompassed his head and shoulders inside its lines, now completely
obscuring the photo of the family beneath, and it certainly hadn’t been there
just a few minutes before, so what was it….?
And then there was a pale blue glow: only slight, only a wisp of a hint
flashing across the surface of the mirage of the moon…
Despite himself, Dean found himself whispering to it. “It’s you, isn’t it,
Milady? I have to go home, don’t I? But…” He wanted to shout at her, he wanted
to scream: he didn’t want to go. “I… Samuel… We’ve… I don’t want to hurt him,
Milady. He doesn’t deserve that. Will I get the chance to see him again…?
Or…can you…undo what we’ve done…somehow?”
But the glow of blue was stronger, lasted longer this time. “You’re not going
to tell me, are you? Why have you done this…?”
Nothing.
“Please. Please, Milady. Please… Just… Can I come back? I just need to know… Do
I find my way back? Please?”
And then his breath was momentarily failing him, as the wide, pure circle of
the moon’s surface on the image, or reflection, or whatever it was, opened and
looked at him…and he realised that he was staring into an eye: the ‘moon’ being
just the eye lid, and the iris was of the most intense and brilliant pale blue
to match her power, and the pupil being the universe itself, full of stars and
darkness for as far as Dean could see into it…for eternity.
And he stared right into her soul, and she stared into his.
And then… she winked!
The eye winked at him, and he… felt… her smile. Felt the warmth of it inside
him. Felt it spread throughout his body.
And then she was gone, and it was just the picture of the family once more.
“Dean? Are you really going to just ignore me? I was asking you about…” but
Samuel stopped talking as his mate turned to him with a dazed expression, and a
sudden, intense sadness in his scent.
“Sammy? I think I have to go home.”
 
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“Slow down, Dean: you’re going to get us pulled over!”
“Sorry.” And the omega was checking his speed and slowing the Impala a little…
but not much. He was almost bouncing in his seat with excitement that he might
be finally going home, and Sam tried to make himself be glad for him.
“Why do you think it’s suddenly glowing?” Dean abruptly asked out loud. “Do you
think your Dean’s managed to do…whatever Our Lady took him to do? Do you think
that’s it? That I was just… collateral while he was doing whatever it was she
wanted?”
“I don’t know, Dean. I really don’t. But does it matter? The stone’s glowing,
and hopefully that means you’re going home. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Yes, but…”
“But?”
The other sighed: “But… I… I thought… well, wondered… that it might be me. That
I was special somehow… and that’s why this has happened. Instead,… really… I’ve
just been… waiting for your Dean to do… whatever.”
“You are special, Dean.” Castiel was speaking up from the rear seat. “That
spirit animal appeared for you, to watch over you. And you saved us, for which
I will always be grateful to you and Your Lady for. And I will always be
grateful for getting to know you.”
Dean smiled at him through the rear view mirror. “And I am glad I got to know
you, both of you. I do love the two of you: I always will. And thankyou: you
have kept me alive here. And safe! I have felt safe with you both, thank you!”
“It’s our pleasure, Dean.” And Sam was reaching to hold his brother’s hand,
while the angel leant forward slightly to reach over and gently touch Dean’s
shoulder.
While they still could.
 
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                           *
 
The interior of the car was completely silent as Sam pulled it into the alley
that led to the warehouse. But tears were in all the adult’s eyes, and ran
freely down both the children’s faces.
Samuel had given way… somewhat ungraciously… to let his siblings sit either
side of Dean in the rear of the car with him in the front seat beside his dad,
but then… at least he had had his mate to himself just after Dean had had his
vision…or whatever it had been… of Our Lady. The man had led him to the sofa,
knelt before him as he sat, and told him exactly what he had just seen,
although all Samuel could remember hearing, even now, were the words about
having to go home.
And he had tried so hard not to cry: this wasn’t fair. How could Our Lady allow
him such happiness one day to just snatch it away the next? And he could see
tears in his mate’s eyes as well. And felt the intensity in the promise that he
would find a way back: Dean would never give up trying, because he wanted to
come back.
Back to Samuel.
Back to who were now his family.
Back to where he wanted to belong.
But Samuel couldn’t help but feel resentful towards the deity.
And then of course, they had had to tell the children… well, Dean had told Sam
and the children, while Samuel had tried his hardest to behave like a mature
Alpha, and not just scream his frustration at the world like he so desperately
wanted to.
And Mary-Anne had just clutched at the man and sobbed, while Johnny had gone
completely quiet. And… so had Sam.
And then, Dean had cooked them all bacon and pancakes with maple syrup, and
told Samuel that he was still to go to College as he had been hoping to,
because when Dean returned, and he was damn well going to, then he expected to
be rich, or else! And Samuel, despite himself, had laughed and asked if he
thought he was going to be a kept omega?
And Johnny had suddenly interrupted them by breaking his silence and telling
them all about his plans for training to be a chef that Dean had already been
encouraging him about for the last couple of weeks, and about his eventual
dream to one day perhaps open a bakery-café of his own, and his hope… for Dean
to stay there with them and for the two of them to open one together, with the
man making his delicious cakes, and him doing the pastries, so Dean wouldn’t
need Samuel’s money, he would be an independent omega thank you very much!
And Sam had smiled, and said that he could just see Johnny doing that and
making a real go of it. And he would be very proud of him if he did.
And they wereall going to get Dean back somehow. Because, even though his
departure hopefully meant the return of Sam’s mate and the children’s mom, the
senior Alpha was very aware, and very upset on Samuel’s behalf, that it meant
instead the new Alpha would now be losing his mate immediately after finding
him. And Sam would have given anything to be able to make that right for his
son.
Make it right for them all… because, as his children had said… this Dean was
theirs. He was part of them: somehow he had made their family complete.
And there was already a hole in all their hearts that would never be filled
until he was back with them again.
So it was a silent carload that pulled up into the alley outside the warehouse.
Samuel carried his sister and held Dean’s left hand tightly, while Johnny
gripped the man’s fingers on his right hand so that he almost feared they would
be broken so as to match his wrist, and without a word they all followed Sam
down into the cellar area where it had all begun.
Nothing seemed to have changed… but Dean’s eyes went straight to something on
the ground. Something that was glowing a pale blue.
Carefully he released himself from the others’ determined grips and went to
warily pick whatever it was up: at least it wasn’t very bright yet. Not as
bright as he remembered anyway.
“Dean?”
“Stay there… just in case. And it was really rough last time: I was knocked
right out. Just be careful of the children: I don’t want them getting hurt
because of me.”
“I’m coming with you, if I can. I mean that.”
And Sam was glancing sharply at his son but nodding with understanding,
although he bit his lip at the thought that he might never see him again.
But he couldn’t help but breathe a little sigh of relief as Dean immediately
quashed his mate’s hopes: “It’s stopped glowing. The moment you said that.
She’s not going to let you come with me, Sammy. But I’m telling you this: she
ain’t going to stop me from getting back to you! Somehow. I’m coming back! You
concentrate on getting your education, and I’m gonna concentrate on getting
home to you.”
And now he was finally reaching to pick the object up. And frowning. Because it
looked like a stone.
Just a stone!
A largish, palm-sized, pebbly-smooth stone, perfect for skimming if it had been
whole, but it wasn’t. In fact it looked like it had been… melted in two! One
edge was glassed and polished as if it had been in an intense heat, and the
shape of the thing was like a half-moon.
Was that really all it had been? A fucking stone?
And then it began to glow again, the blue shining right through his fingers to
give almost an x-ray effect. And it was getting stronger.
“Wait! Wait!” and Dean was putting the stone down hastily and hurrying back to
say his last goodbyes. He was dressed for the first time in over a month in his
own clothes: his old, hard-wearing jacket and his denims and boots, and Sam had
handed him back his gun and knife with a reluctant frown. But not even the feel
of them in his hands again could make him feel anything but sadness at having
to go back.
With one great big hug, his arms were around both children, careful not to
catch either of them with the hard plaster cast. “You’re going to see your mom
again! That’s good! Don’t be sad!”
“But we are!” He could hardly catch the whispers beneath their tears. “Hurry
back, please! We already miss you!”
“I’m already missing you as well! Love you both. So much!” And with one last
kiss for each of them, he was straightening up and turning to Sam. “Samuel,
look away!”
“What…?!” And the new Alpha was trying, and failing, to control his angry growl
as Dean embraced Sam one last time, and was hugged back just as tightly.
“I’m so sorry for how I’ve behaved. And… thank you so much. For everything! If
you hadn’t been here…”
“You just look after these three. And say ‘hey’ to your Dean for me: I hope I
get to meet him one day.”
“Make it soon, Dean. I mean that. It’s not only Samuel who’ll be looking to get
you home. And when you do come back, we’ll have this world right! My Dean: he’s
going to know all about what you did, and…he’s going to have to pretend to be
you! For the reporters, anyway.”
And now Dean was finally turning towards his mate, who was holding something in
his hand. “I nearly forgot. Here.” And he was slipping whatever it was into
Dean’s inner jacket pocket. “I keep my promises. You better keep yours and get
back here quick! Or I’ll come looking for you instead, and then you’ll see what
an angry Alpha I can be!”
“Sammee… You’re just a pussy cat, and you know it!”
Then he was being surprised as the younger man gripped his face tightly and
pulled him in for one last passionate kiss, causing Dean to have to desperately
fight his body’s urge to slick. “I’m your Alpha, Dean. Always will be. And I’m
telling you… you get back here to me.”
And the older man was biting his lip and nodding, for once unable to trust
himself to speak.
Then the stone was glowing far more intensely than it had, as if deliberately
trying to attract his attention.
With a sigh, Dean moved to go over to it once more. “Just keep the children
back in case, Sam.” And his brother nodded at him and all but dragged the two
of them further away, where he knelt with his arms around the little boy and
girl, all their eyes glued in Dean’s direction.
But Samuel stayed where he was: standing erect in more ways than one, trying to
fight the urge to simply physically force his mate out of there and to hell
with getting his mother back. “This isn’t goodbye!” he told Dean, even as the
other finally picked the now brightly glowing blue stone up.
Dean turned to make sure that his Alpha was the last thing he saw from that
world, and winked at him: “You’re damn right!”
 
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Dean parked the Impala easily in the alley and immediately handed the keys to
Sam. “Better not go home with these!”
Sam nodded, momentarily unable to speak. He glanced back at Castiel, who’s
unhappy expression probably mirrored his own, and then they were both following
Dean out of the car and into the building.
The half of the stone in Dean’s hand was now glowing so brightly that even Sam
could see it, and it cast an eerie, unworldly glow around the darkness of the
old warehouse. The others expected the omega to run straight down to the
cellar, but instead he suddenly paused and turned to stare at them.
“I… thank you! And… I really will miss you! Both of you! I… It’s been so
wonderful to feel normal! I almost don’t want to go back… I don’t want to be
treated as...an object again. But I don’t suppose it will ever change… what the
hell could change it? It would take a miracle!
And my children are there. Someone’s got to keep them safe, especially my
little Johnny! If I thought I could bring him here, to this world…for him to be
able to have a life… well… I would! I really would!
But… that’s just a dream. Anyway, in case I don’t get the chance in a minute…
Thank you.
And I love you both so much.”
And he was pulling Sam down to him for one last long kiss. And then the same
with Castiel. And then he was smiling, a shy smile, so unusual on Dean’s face
that they both would always remember it, and headed off down the steps to the
cellar.
They hurried to follow, reaching the base of the steps just as Dean all but ran
across the cellar floor, following the light of the stone to its source as the
brightness reached eye-watering intensity… and then there was a momentarily
tremendous flash of pure energy that seemed to fill the cellar with the bright
light of pure power.
And then it was gone.
 
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   *
 
Sam recovered and slowly struggled to his knees. The force of whatever it was
had been just as great that time, but at least he had been expecting it. Well,
sort of: he had once again been knocked off his feet, and possibly knocked-out
as well, but… he just wished his sight would clear from all the black blobs
that covered it for what seemed like a long time.
Finally able to look around, he could see Castiel also getting to his feet: the
angel having also been thrown across the room, even he having been unable to
withstand the power of whatever had caused this all to happen. And he seemed to
be looking at the wall on the other side from Sam. Not the wall: the floor in
front of it…
Sam hastily followed with his own eyes where the other was staring.
There was a body on the ground.
It was dressed in the old Dean’s, his Dean’s, clothes at least: the thick
jacket, denims, boots. And as Sam approached on slightly shaky legs, he could
see the pearl handle of his brother’s gun tucked against his back through the
gap created by the jacket having fallen up the body a little as it landed.
But… oh God, was he breathing?
By this time, Sam’s knees were hitting the concreted ground beside his brother
and he was desperately pulling at Dean’s shoulder. “Dean? Dean!” He felt a
moment of pure panic even as Castiel had also managed to get to his side, then…
Dean groaned. And tried to move.
The wave of relief that washed over both Sam and the angel was almost physical.
“Dean, it’s okay. You’re home. Just sit up slow… take it steady.”
“Hey, Sam. You…you? Or…” And he was starting to try and get his knees beneath
him: his left hand with something in it going instantly to his left side at the
front of his body. Where blood was beginning to spread on his shirt in a large
stain. “Shit, Milady: you could have made that a bit more gentle for me. You’ve
ripped all the stitches…”
“Oh, Christ! What’s happened? You’re bleeding! And your arm? What’s happened:
who’s hurt you?” Sam was now all over him, frantic at the sight of the
increasing red stain, and the pink cast, and the numerous bruises and cuts that
he could now see covering his brother’s face and… well, everywhere he could
see! Carefully he helped Dean to sit up where he was so he could tear away his
shirt and see… tight bandages. And an increasing amount of blood oozing through
them.
“I got stabbed.”
“Wha…? What? Who stabbed you? Are you alright? What happened!?”
“Long story. But I need stitching up again: did you bring a medical bag in?”
“Yes, but… even better...”
Sam was now recovering from the shock…and his intense anger at the state that
his brother had returned from wherever it was in. Nobody hurt his Dean.
Nobody.
“Cas is here. He can heal you. Cas?”
“What?” And Dean was finally looking up, and breathing in. And realising that
he could scent his brother, and… the angel really clearly. And Castiel actually
smelt really good, but nowhere near as good as his Samuel did… and… What was
that behind him? Two somethings, that were almost moving with the angel as he
smiled in welcome and leant forward to touch Dean. Two featheredsomethings that
shone as if polished, and glistened with every single colour that he could
imagine, and seemed to be a physical part of his friend…
“What the fuck?” And Dean was scrabbling backwards, backing into the wall as he
was trying to process what he was seeing.
“Dean? What the hell’s wrong?” and Sam was scrambling to his feet and hurrying
to reassure him.
“That? Those…? What…?” But he couldn’t speak momentarily, couldn’t bring
himself to say the word even. How could he be seeing the angel’s wings?
But now his brother was taking charge. “First thing first, you need healing.
Cas?”
“I’m fine.” He didn’t want the angel close to him for a moment. Not while he
tried to sort out what was wrong with him…
“You’re being ridiculous, Dean. And you’re still bleeding. A lot. Here!” And to
Dean’s surprise and complete horror, he was suddenly being swept right up in
his brother’s arms and carried over to an old workbench to be dumped down
unceremoniously, Sam’s arms remaining tight around him. “Just sit there as Cas
heals you. And then we can get you home. Those monsters will never hurt you
again: I promise you that, Dean! I’ll kill any Alpha that tries to get through
from that dimension! They’re not welcome here!”
And Dean looked up at him, as his younger brother stood with his arms still
protectively around him…
and his dreams suddenly came crashing down.
What had he been thinking, letting Samuel mate with him? He wasn’t even
properly of the young man’s species: hell, Dean didn’t even know what he was
now, but he knew he definitely wasn’t human anymore because… how the hell could
he suddenly see an angel’s wings?... but now he was here, and Samuel was…
wherever the hell that world was.
And that was that.
God, Sam was going to be so angry at him, for getting emotionally involved
with…what were more or less monsters, and for… letting himself actually love
one of them… well, all the children, but especially and really, really to love
Samuel, and for wanting to stay with them. And he did want to stay with them:
yes, he had wanted them to be able to have had their mom back… that was vital…
and for him to be able to stay with them… somehow.
Like that had been likely to happen!
And now, he had all but abandoned that wonderful young man, his mate, to a
lifetime of unrequited love.
Not to mention himself as well.
And that’s if he even survived his brother, because once Sam realised that Dean
was no longer human, but… something else…
Sam would probably kill him.
More than likely. He had been eager enough to kill Benny, after all. He had
killed Emma! Oh god, what had Dean done? He should have known that he was being
stupid for hoping that he could actually be happy.
Why was he always getting everything so wrong?
And what the hell did he do now?
“Dean? Dean! You’re hyperventilating! Calm down! For Christ’s sake, calm down!
Just breathe. It’s okay: you’re home! You’re safe, Dean!” And Sam’s arms had
tightened even more around him, holding him tightly in a massive and heartfelt
hug, one large hand rubbing at Dean’s back in an attempt to soothe him from his
obvious and sudden panic. “Just one breath at a time, okay? You’re home.
Shit!”
And he was ripping his brother’s shirt away to see clearer the vicious bite
mark that he had just noticed on his neck: “That’s a claim mark! Oh god, Dean:
did you get claimed?” Sam’s face went white as he realised: “Oh god, have you
been raped? No wonder you’re so upset! Oh, Dean! It’s okay: it’s okay. You’re
home: you’re safe!”
And Sam was wrapping his arms tighter than ever around the older man, trying to
force down his own rage at the thought that someone in that fucking world had
dared to hurt him: and how afraid Dean must have been, trapped on his own in a
place of such fear and violence. He glanced over at Castiel, and saw the same
response in the angry tenseness of the angel’s body: nobody hurt their Dean.
Nobody.
But then Dean was trying to pull away from him, out of his arms. “I can’t
breathe: I need air!” And indeed he was still gasping in breaths, still
struggling to control his frantically racing heart as the reality of his real
life, his old life, once again set in. His vision was blurring: he was
seriously feeling light-headed. He needed to get out of there!
There was a door. Dean could remember a door from the last time he had been
there: he had been up on the platform and he had opened a door that led to
fresh air. Physically pushing Sam away from him, he all but fell off the
counter and began to head in that direction, not even aware that he was
stumbling slightly… and still holding his clenched left hand to the rapidly
increasing stain of fresh blood on the bandages around his stomach.
“Dean, what are you doing? Slow down!” But the younger man was ignored as Dean
had managed to find the steps and was heading up them, desperate to get to the
door and get some clear, fresh air in his lungs. And to perhaps to just keep
going to… anywhere… whilst he was at it.
But then he was running into something: something warm, and firm, and solid.
Something that also had arms, and they were coming around his own to stop him
where he stood, holding his upper limbs firmly into his body. “Dean. You must
calm down. You are still bleeding heavily.”
Shit, it was Castiel! He must have flown up into Dean’s path on those… fucking
shining, glossy wings that Dean just should not have been able to see!
And now there were running footsteps approaching from behind, and Sam’s arms
were also coming around him once more, as well as jamming his pointy knees into
the backs of both of Dean’s legs. Together, Cas and Sam took the older man to
the ground, trapped between them in the cage formed from their upper limbs
around his torso and Sam’s knees across the back of his brother’s.
“Dean, it’s okay. You’re home and safe now. No one can hurt you anymore. Cas,
can you heal that wound please? He’s losing so much blood!”
“I’m fine! I just need to get out of here!” And he was struggling ineffectually
to get away from their combined strength.
“Dean, just calm down, will you? Cas, please! Heal him!”
“No, it’s fine. Don’t touch me!” He didn’t know why he was so insistent that
the angel not do anything to him, but he was. But his demands were getting
ignored as Castiel gently reached to touch his chest, his fingers already
glowing with grace… but then he paused.
And instead moved to rest his hand against Dean’s abdomen momentarily.
And then he was staring straight at Dean with a mixture of incredulity and
concern on his face: “Dean! There is a life inside you!”
“What are you talking about, Cas?” Sam was responding to the announcement with
a slight derision. “What do you mean: a life? Like he’s possessed or something?
Or… what else could it be…?”
But then he became aware of his brother’s reaction. Or rather: a lack of
reaction. A lack of anything. It was as if Dean had been frozen where he was.
He was just staring back at the angel, as if in shock: his face dead white, his
eyes wide with horror.
And then his breath was starting to come in even shallower pants, and his heart
beat was beginning to race right through his back against Sam’s chest. And the
younger man could feel him trembling, almost to the point of visibly shaking,
which Sam was extremely alarmed about. Because his big brother did not tremble.
Ever.
“Dean? Shit, come on, man. Calm down. Shit, you’re getting into a full-on panic
attack! Come on, you’ve got to calm down and just concentrate on your
breathing! What’s wrong with him, Cas?”
“He’s changed, Sam. Can’t you smell how strong his scent is now? He’s been
changed! He’s an omega! And he’s having a child!”
“Don’t be so stupid!” But then Sam was also momentarily struggling for breath
as he realised the terrible truth but only momentarily as his deep love for his
brother immediately overrode everything else. Dean had been turned, raped and
escaped… but only after somehow being seriously stabbed in the process: the
blood was far too much for only a little wound, and it was still spreading! And
he was carrying a child?
Sam’s hatred for this strange and terrible world that the other Dean had been
so terrified of grew exponentially.
He should have been able to get the real one back sooner somehow, although he
didn’t know how. And he should never had let the other one return to somewhere
that was obviously so violent and controlling. Somehow, he should have found a
way to keep that one here and safe, and still get his brother back.
But it was too late for him to worry about the other Dean. Right now, the only
thing he could do was look after his real brother and keep him safe. No matter
what. He was and would always be Sam’s only concern. And right at the minute,
he was descending into a massive anxiety attack!
“Come on, Dean, you’ve got to calm down!” The other was definitely struggling
for breath now: his lungs unable to get enough oxygen momentarily, which was
only raising his level of panic. “Cas, can’t you do something? Calm him down
somehow?”
“I can try, Sam.” And the angel was catching at Dean’s face in his hands and
making him look straight at him. “Dean.” He deliberately kept his voice calm
and low in tone; the natural gravel of it authorative and soothing. “Whatever
has happened, you are safe now. And we are here. Both of us. We will always be
here. Just… breathe… in. Out…. In…. Out…. Just listen to me, Dean. That’s it."
He was getting through. Dean was managing to slow the desperate snatches for
air and inhale more steadily, although his heartbeat was still going far too
fast for Sam’s liking. He now had one large hand around his brother’s chest,
covering where the muscle was pounding frantically against the back of Dean’s
ribs as if a living being was inside him trying to escape, and the other hand
pressed over the now squelching bandaged area where the blood seemed to be
seeping from, feeling his fingers getting coated with more and more of the warm
moisture with every passing second, and a growing amount of panic in himself.
But Castiel was still talking to Dean, slowly and carefully. “That’s it, Dean.
In… and out. Concentrate on that: nothing else. We’re here. You’re home. Where
you belong.”
He forgot himself, closed his eyes, and leant forward to touch his lips to the
full, pink ones of the other, licking along them with his tongue, asking for
access. The sudden, complete silence in the vast warehouse made Castiel look up
again. With sudden realisation that the kiss was not being reciprocated.
For Dean was staring at him. And the look of… horror… on his face was something
that Castiel would never forget.
“Oh shit.” Sam was trying to keep himself, and his brother, calm. “We can
explain, Dean.”
“He kissed me, Sam!” Dean was finally finding his voice, though it sounded
dazed and unsteady, even to him. “Why did he kiss me?”
And he was turning to look at Sam, his eyes wide, his face drained completely
of all colour during the last traumatic few moments. And then Dean was inhaling
because he desperately needed to, and he realised that the scent of his brother
was full of guilt, and actually… so was his face. Why would Sam be so guilty
about something? He wasn’t even able to look up at Dean momentarily….
And why had he said ‘we can explain’…?
“No.” The word was all but croaked.
“What?” and Sam was looking up again, to find himself looking straight into
very troubled and anguished green eyes and somehow the look in those eyes made
him feel more guilty than ever.
“No. You didn’t…? You wouldn’t…?” But now neither of the others would meet his
eyes. “No, no, no. You did, didn’t you? B… both of you? You slept with the
other… Me? You slept with…! How…? Wha…? How could you? Sam? He looked like me,
didn’t he: I saw his pictures… I'm sure he did...? I’m your brother for God’s
sake! How…?” He was starting to hyperventilate again, and the stain on his
stomach was now saturated enough for drops of blood to start dripping down onto
the ground. “And you, Cas…?” he rounded on the angel. “What the hell were you
thinking?”
“I was thinking about you.”
He sighed as Dean blankly stared at him. “Do you really not know how I feel
about you, Dean? How I have always felt about you? The other Dean was there,
and he was very tactile, and very sweet, and continually touching, and happy to
let me…, and I have always wanted you, so I apologise but I was not able to
resist… “
He stopped speaking as Dean was trying to get up from where they both still had
him trapped in their arms. And he was desperate to make them let go. “Let me
up! I’ve got to…I need to get out of here. Need to think. Just get off me!”
“For god’s sake, you’re still bleeding, Dean! Let Cas heal you and come back to
the bunker, then we can talk…”
“No, no! Just let me go!” And he was really fighting them to try and get up:
punching with his plastered hand and striking out with his still clenched
tightly left hand, and head butting anything he thought he might hit within
range. If Sam hadn’t been kneeling on the backs of his legs, they would both
have lost their grip on him, such was the sudden violence used in the attack.
“Dean, calm down! You’re lost far too much blood already, and you’re
overwrought. And you’ve got to look after yourself now! You’ve got to think
about the…”
“The what, Sam? The baby? I’ve got to think about the baby? I’ve turned into
something that’s not even human anymore. I’ve been claimed! By a kid half my
age for fuck’s sake! And now I’m having a fucking baby? And you’re telling me
to calm down! I’ve got to get out of here! Now, let go of me!” And if it were
possible, he was redoubling his efforts to escape.
Sam looked across at Castiel: his face and puppy-eyes almost desperate with
anxiety as he tried to ask the angel to do something without words, his eyes
pleading for the other to understand.
Castiel understood. Although he hated having to do it. With just one touch from
him to the man’s forehead, Dean was suddenly out cold, lying limp and
unconscious across their arms.
They both caught their breath and stared at each other. “How could this have
happened, Cas? What did they do to him?”
“I don’t know, Sam. But… I would suggest we get him home before he awakes. That
really did not go as well as I’d hoped: perhaps he will be calmer back at the
bunker?”
“Yeah, yes, I guess.” The younger man fumbled in his pocket for the keys to the
Impala and handed them across to the other. “Can you get everything else and
unlock the car? I’ll bring Dean.”
“I can carry him, Sam, if you’d prefer.”
But Sam was already struggling to his feet, cradling his big brother safely in
his arms. Dean had definitely lost weight over this last month and that was
another thing that worried him. Carefully he began to make his way to the
stairs to get Dean safely home. “That’s okay, Cas. I don’t intend to be letting
go of him any time soon.
We’ll get him back and we’ll sort this whole mess out… somehow.
And just for once, he’s going to have to get used to me taking care of him!
Because I think he needs taking care of now.” The younger man shook his head in
disbelief at what had happened.
“And I’m telling you this, Cas. I‘m never letting him out of my sight from now
on. He is… never… going anywhere without me ever again!”
***** Chapter 21 *****
Somewhere, a heavy steel door clanged shut with a bang.
Dean came to with a violent start. For a moment he couldn’t take in where he
was, but then he realised.
He was in his own room at the bunker.
Shit, he must have been unconscious for a long while as it was a good few
hour’s drive back there from Kansas City. That fucking angel!
But… at least he was still alive. Sam obviously didn’t intend to just kill him
for being a monster… yet.
Groggily he went to try and sit up, but then he was almost physically hit by
all the scents in that confined space. The combinations made his head spin, he
felt dizzy and slightly sick: giving up momentarily, he lay down on his back
and just concentrated on breathing. He had never thought much about this most
basic of senses until his journey to the other... world... dimension...
whatever it had been, but now...? It was overpowering: every aroma in the room
was assaulting him!
More than that. He could tell without having to think about it, just who had
been in that room. And how recently. Just from that one inhale!
There was a strong sense of his brother...almost exactly identical to the Sam
of the other world. Dean would have been hard pressed to tell the difference...
except that this one’s, his real brother’s, was weaker, much weaker. It was
only a slight scent, nowhere near as overpowering as the other Sam’s had been,
even in the beginning. But still it filled the room, as if his brother had been
in here a lot during his disappearance: sweating, and...
Dean paused, slightly stunned, as he registered what that other aroma from his
brother was.
Trying to put that thought out of his head, he concentrated again on the pure
scent of the angel. He had noticed it immediately on his arrival back in the
warehouse: Castiel had a really amazing, ethereal aroma all of his own, albeit
a weak one. Not as attractive as his Samuel’s, but still… And… it wasn’t a
human scent: Dean wasn’t sure how he knew it wasn’t human, but there was
something about it that...just wasn’t.
With a sigh, Dean breathed in again, instinctively identifying...everything.
Why was there such a strong scent of Castiel in here anyway? Dean could smell
his scent clearly: on the bed, right amongst the bedclothes, and...
They had used his bed.
They had all used his bed!
They had used his memory foam mattress!
Bastards!
And now he was finally identifying the other scent in the room. It was himself!
He had never even registered his own scent before...but now, in his old
bedroom... he could smell himself. More than that: two distinct versions. One
was a very weak, old aroma that had...been him before he had turned into
whatever he had turned into. He couldn’t believe the difference, or
rather...howintense his new scent now was. No wonder all those fucking Alphas
had kept noticing it!
And there was something...some one else who had been in his room. The scent was
almost identical to his, but… not the same. It must have been the other Dean,
from the other world, but there was a definite difference between them. Samuel
had told him there was. His scent was that bit sweeter: more meadow-flower;
more spring forest in bloom. But again, the other Dean’s aroma filled the room,
with sweat, and slick, and pleasure.
Dean sighed with slight relief: at least the other hadn’t been raped. Not that
he would ever have thought of his brother in such a way, or Castiel come to
that, but there was definitely no stress or fear from the other Dean that he
could scent. Whatever had happened in his bed, it had been consensual.
But… they had slept with him. Both of them!
And that very much left Dean unsure as to what Sam and Castiel’s thoughts as to
him might be now. If they had… done that with his look-alike… since he had been
away: what might they be expecting from him now he had returned? Especially as
now he was also an omega. Or… as Dean now suspected… he had always been an
omega, but just never known it.
Now he couldn’t help but be worried: Castiel had already kissed him within
minutes of his arrival home! And the way Sam had just picked him straight up in
his arms…?
Disconcerted by these thoughts, Dean hurried to try and get out of his bed once
again as at least the dizziness seemed to have passed. But as he put his weight
on his left hand, he felt that there was something in it, something that he had
instinctively been holding on tightly to, even through the pain and trauma of
the return and everything that had happened. Even forced unconsciousness hadn’t
caused his fingers to relax their grip: the knuckles were white with the
tension of hours of gripping it tightly.
Dean felt a great relief wash over him as he convinced his sore fingers to
open, and he saw he had still been holding the stone. At least he hadn’t
managed to lose it this time. Hopefully the other Dean would have managed to
keep the other half as well, and with it, somehow…
He could find his way back to that world.
He just had to keep looking.
And…
He was going to have a baby?
Shit.
For a moment, Dean’s thoughts faltered as he tried to register what that
actually meant: he was going to have achild! He had not only turned into
something else, but he was going to have a baby! And although he thought that
Sam, once he had recovered from the shock of his brother not being human
anymore, and probably Cas as well, perhaps might well try and help him, he
didn’t want them to.
It shouldn’t be on them to help him: it wasn’t fair to expect them to. It
wouldn’t even be fair to ask.
No, he had to leave.
He needed to get dressed and get out of there, before his brother came in and
tried to convince him to stay. Or do something else…
Dean hurried to the chest of drawers to find himself some clean clothes, but
even as he was crossing the room he realised… He had been healed!
Dean quickly unwound the still bloody bandages from around his torso: there was
no sign of the stab wound, nor the resulting surgery. Nor were there any signs
of the rest of his multitude of bruises and wounds from that day. And his arm
felt whole and strong again. Noticing his gun and knife on top of the drawers,
he reached to grab the sharp blade and used it to slit the cast off, nicking
his skin a few times in the process but mindless of the pain. His arm was
definitely as good as new, as was the rest of him, but…
Without even realising that he was doing it, Dean had both hands pressed to his
stomach, desperate to feel… something that would confirm that the small life
was still there and safe. That Castiel hadn’t hurt her, however
unintentionally, during the process of healing him. He let out a breath that he
hadn’t even registered that he had been holding in: there she was.
He didn’t know how he knew, there must be some new omega sense he had that he
couldn’t even put a name to, but he was sure. She was safe.
And she had to be the only thing that mattered to him now.
He had to get out of there.
Hurriedly Dean pulled his boots on, and noticed his jacket where it had been
carelessly slung over the chair in the corner. Snatching it up, he went to put
the stone safely in the inside pocket… and paused as he felt other items
already in there. Pulling out his dad’s journal, he carefully placed it on top
of the drawers: he had no further need of it.
But his brother would.
As an afterthought, he put all the fake identities in his wallet beside the
journal. And his cell phone: Sam would only try and track it if he took it with
him.
The only thing he had left in his pocket now was the small folding soft double-
photo frame that Samuel had slipped into there that morning…at least he thought
it had still been that morning. Inside it were the copies of two pictures that
the young man had made for him: one was the one of him… his counter-part… and
their dad that he had liked so much, and the other was of Samuel, Mary-Anne and
Johnny, all smiling at him through the lens.
Despite himself, Dean smiled back. How he already missed them! All of them!
Especially his mate. And somehow his scent felt lonely, as if it were missing a
part of itself. It wanted Samuel’s comforting scent to make Dean feel better…
to make him feel complete. Or was that just Dean himself, missing the young man
already?
He had to find his way back.
Carefully he slipped out of the bedroom and as quietly as he could, began to
work his way up towards the main door. He paused as he got to the kitchen area,
where he could voices. Gingerly he peeked around to see where the two other men
were and, upon seeing both their backs, and trying not to freak at the sight
of, once again, the wings, carefully crept past the door, pausing momentarily
to listen.
“What did you get him?”
“Bacon cheeseburgers and fries, his favourite.” Dean felt instantly nauseous
just at the thought of burgers and rested his head momentarily against the cool
of the tiled wall, trying to control his stomach. “And a six pack. And lots of
groceries: I have the feeling that we’re going to have to have this place on
lockdown for a while! How much longer do you think he’ll be out?”
“I am not sure, Sam. I did not expect it to be this long even: I am getting a
little concerned. Though he must have been exhausted: it looked like he had
been through a great deal. Have… have you thought about when he awakes? He will
not be happy about… he was not happy about…. the things that have happened. He
was quite repulsed at the thought.”
“Yes well: it’s happened, Cas! You and I have crossed the line, waaay beyond
it, and I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t change a fucking moment of it!
So… the situation is as it is, and he’s just going to have to get used to it.
More than that: he’s going to need us! So, he either accepts what’s happened,
or I pull all those chains up from the dungeon and he finds himself either tied
down in his room, or on a collar and fucking leash until he comes to his
senses!”
Dean didn’t wait around to hear any more: he was turning and heading for the
steps that led to the outside world as quickly and quietly as he could.
Behind him, in the kitchen, Castiel was turning to Sam in surprise at the young
man’s sudden snap of anger: “You wouldn’t really do that? He’d hate it, Sam.
And… really… he has every right to be upset.”
“No...” Sam put down the packets he was holding to rest both hands on the
counter, his head drooping a little and his hair falling in front of his eyes.
“No, of course I wouldn’t, Cas. And…yeah, yes I know he has. This whole
situation is a mess. But... you won’t like this, but he might well have to be
tied down for a while: his emotions must be all over the place. Not to mention
his hormones! God knows what’s happened, but ...he’s changed! Physically! And
he’s obviously traumatised. And, well, he’s having a baby for God’s sake!
And… he’ll want to try and keep it, Cas. Dean loves kids: he really does! Even
if it kills him to have it, he’ll want to try!
This is all completely new territory, Cas, and there’s absolutely nobody we can
ask for help or advice on this one! He’ll be feeling embarrassed, and helpless,
and... you know what he’s like for accepting help! He’d rather feel that that
he’s on his own than admit that he might need it! Believe me, he’s going to
take some convincing that he’s not.”
The angel nodded thoughtfully: “He definitely is not, Sam. I’ll be there, no
matter what.”
“We both will, Cas. We’ll going to be there every step of the way! But...
whether he’ll believe that we’re there because we want to be, rather than we
have to? This is Dean we’re talking about, remember? The most stubborn person
I’ve ever met, and who thinks asking for help is a weakness. Shit: he sees
asking for anything as a weakness!”
“And…us, Sam…? Us and Dean, that is?”
Sam looked at the angel: he could see the same regret in the other’s face that
he felt in his own heart. “There is no more us and Dean, Cas. There was us and
the other Dean…and he’s gone. But this Dean… our Dean… he really needs our
help. Nothing else. And he’s going tohate that he does.
We’re gonna have our work cut out the next few months, Cas! The actual baby
will probably be the easy part!”
The angel nodded thoughtfully. And sighed with genuine sadness. “I’ll go and
check on him again: he was still sound asleep when I heard you return, but he
must be awakening soon.”
“Let me put this last bag of groceries away and we both will. It’ll only take a
minute.”
At the top of the steps to the bunker, Dean was now pulling the heavy steel
door closed behind him as carefully as he could, still worried about making the
slightest sound, and turning to face the outside world.
He was surprised to find it was night time: just how long had he been asleep?
But he paused momentarily and took a breath of what had been his world, but
which now seemed completely different. The trees opposite and behind the bunker
door rustled with life: he could hear, see and smell the small creatures and
insects amongst them going about their routine existence. Even the leaves
seemed to squeak as they moved with the gentle night breeze. He could sense it
all so clearly: it was as if he had more than just the five usual abilities
that humans assumed there to be. His whole body felt part of the natural world.
He wondered which way to go: he was worried about taking the road as he was far
too likely to be caught by his brother and Cas once they’d discovered he had
gone. He really should move, but… instead he dithered at the entrance for a
moment, trying to decide which way to go, waiting for…
Waiting for something. But he didn’t know what.
Then the clouds above magically parted as if blown away by an intentional puff
of blown air to reveal the full moon. She shone through the dark, the light
immediately lighting the area around him and dazzling his eyes before they
instantaneously adjusted. In fact, it caught all his senses: he felt... he
knew... that without a doubt, it was her who had caused all this.
And he wasn’t afraid, or worried, or even angry at this incredible sentient
being looking down at him. In fact he felt himself physically basking in her
glow, remembering her face…or as close to her face as he was ever likely to
get. More than that: Dean found himself breathing in deeply; relaxing,
settling, absorbing her peace, accepting…
Accepting what he now was.
And then it came. Appearing almost as if from the light of the moon itself.
First there was nothing there… then there was a pair of eyes in the woods,
staring out at him from the darkness. As green as his own, as brilliant as his
own, but with a cat-like luminosity behind them that he still hadn’t connected
that his own had. She stood at his chest height, the most magnificent spiritual
being that he could ever have imagined, approaching him on all fours and
purring at him in welcome. He could make out the dappled markings, the spots
and splotches that made up her fur… oh Milady, she was so beautiful.
And Dean knew with relief that he wasn’t going to be alone. She had sent help:
whatever this was, whatever Our Lady was, she had sent it. This stunning spirit
animal was here for him: to watch over him, to protect him, to take him where
he needed to go.
He just had to trust.
And with that thought, Dean was heading across the road and down through the
trees, instinctively avoiding low branches, roots and sharp thorns as easily as
if he had been born doing it: every one of his old senses working effortlessly
with every one of his new ones to allow him to hasten away from the bunker and
his old life, following and being guided by the spiritual being that his Lady
Moon had sent to lead him on.
He didn’t know where they were going but it didn’t matter.
He was a new Dean facing a new dawn, and it was all going to be alright.
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