The Edge of Winter

By: Ridley C. James, September 2008

Beta: Tidia

Disclaimer: Nothing Supernatural belongs to me.

AN: Remember, the points of view in this story allow us to see what ‘CALEB’ thinks of Sam at the time and what ‘SAM’ thinks of Caleb at that moment in time. It is of course one-sided and skewed, as all of our opinions can tend to be at times. Don’t be too hard on them…or me. ;-)
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Chapter 4/9
“Injuries too well remembered cannot heal.”--Benjamin R. Barber

“Do you think Ethan and Eli will be alright with Ruby?” Sam watched as Caleb stuffed supplies into his duffel. They were heading for Alabama along with Bobby to check out the other location Ruby had offered them. Ruby and the others were off to Chicago, Sam wondered at the choice of city, considering their run in with Meg and the Devas had taken place there.

“You tell me.” Caleb glanced at him, continuing to pack. “She’s your friend.”

“She is not my friend,” Sam snapped.

“Right. You’re her bitch.”

Sam stepped forward, readying to take another shot at Caleb. “I’m nobody’s bitch.”

“Maybe you should tell her that. I get the idea she thinks otherwise.”

“That’s her problem. I’m using her for one reason and one reason only.” He hated explaining himself over and over again- to Caleb, to Dean. Ruby was willing to help, and he was fully aware she had another agenda, but if he could use her for his own gain, then so be it.

Caleb shook his head. “You think she can save Dean?”

“Yes.” They needed as many plans as possible. Caleb had his, which was riskier than trusting Ruby.

“That’s fucked up.” Caleb zipped up his stuff, lugged it on his shoulder.

“And you possessing demons isn’t?” This was more than a situation of pot calling the kettle black. This was counterintuitive. Sam was using the demon, Caleb was becoming one.

Caleb ignored Sam, walking past him. “I know what I’m doing.”

Sam shot his hand out, grabbing Caleb's arm. “But I don’t?”

“You don’t always see things the way they are.”

“I’m a psychic, too.”

“Glad you acknowledge that.” Caleb held his gaze.

Sam didn’t reply. It was a bone of contention between them. Sam wasn’t willing to access his abilities on the level Caleb thought he should. “Sorry I’m not super psychic like you. I haven’t been doing this my whole life because some people thought I was better off not knowing what I was capable of. Excuse me if I’m a slow learner.” It was also the fact that Sam theorized his abilities were not the same as Caleb’s. The older hunter had been born with them in his lineage. Sam's were gained, by the demon marking him with demon blood.

“You’ve never been slow about anything. You spoke in short sentences at nine months, walked before your first birthday, and could read by the time you were four. Don’t pretend you’re lacking in talent just because you’re afraid to take the training wheels off.”

“I’m not afraid.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Sam was terrified. “I’m being cautious.” He had been at Cold Oak and saw the abilities of the others, and of Jake. He didn't want them, would never take his abilities to those levels.

Caleb shook his head. “You’re hiding, and I hate to break it to you; it’s not going to work.” He waited in the archway of the door. “You can’t escape yourself.”

“So, you’re saying I should embrace my ‘inner demon’, like you?” Sam followed, having quickly packed his weapons earlier. “Have you forgotten what Rose said? She wants us to accept our abilities.” To what end, Sam could only imagine. He would not be flipping the switch.

Caleb frowned. “There’s nothing demonic about your abilities, damn it. How many times do I have to say that?”

Despite being pissed, Sam felt a wave of gratitude. Caleb still saw him as something better, gave him credit where he shouldn’t have any. It would be almost as hard to tell him about the Yellow-Eyed Demon as it would be to tell Dean. “That doesn’t make them any easier to accept, especially since Dean’s not exactly on the bandwagon for me to move past novice.”

“No one said it would be easy. But it could be worth it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And Deuce…he’ll understand. We’ve all got to make adjustments.”

Caleb was kidding himself. Sam knew his brother, too, knew Dean would be suspicious of abilities because they could be from something dark. Sam was always supposed to walk in the light, take the high road according to his brother who was willing to take the other path in his stead. “He will not understand you using Noah Seaver’s necklace.”

“I thought this was about you.”

Sam felt his resolve falter. He missed Dean, needed his brother. “It shouldn’t be this hard.”

Caleb’s face softened, and his posture lost its rigid disposition. “Look, Runt…” He dropped his bag, running his hands through his hair. “I know we’ve been going at it pretty good. I’m probably being an ass…and I’m sorry."

"You told me we need to be on the same page to help him get out of this mess. You're not at the top of your game, and messing with the amulet is the cause. . ." Sam hesitated when he saw Caleb flinch, then sway, shaking his head dog-like. “Caleb?”

The older psychic lifted his gaze, met Sam’s gaze. “It’s happening again.”

“What?” Sam instinctively opened himself up, felt the surge of anxiety and dread from the older hunter. “Dean?” He welcomed any connection with his brother, but could only recognize an essence of his brother, no sense of Dean being threatened came through his link with Caleb. He let go, but was then permeated with a sense of dread for his brother. "Dean's hurt."

Caleb’s breath hitched, he leaned forward bracing his hands against his knees. . “Oh God…”

“Caleb? Talk to me.”

“Fire…” Caleb muttered. “There’s a fire…He’s burning…”

Panic surged through Sam. “Bobby!”

Singer barreled into the room. “What the hell is going on now?”

Sam guided Caleb to the bed. “I think he’s connecting with Dean.” Sam turned a helpless gaze to the mechanic. “But, it's not a vision." Sam knew it was happening at the present time, his reaction, although not as tangible as Caleb's was still there. He recognized on some intuitive level that it was his first experience as future Scholar. “Something very bad is happening to Dean.”

“Sammy’s right,” Caleb snapped, shaking his head. “This isn’t a fucking warning. It’s happening now,” he ground out.

“Shit.” Bobby knelt beside them, realization dawning on his grizzled features. “Maxim used to get bad feelings. There was this one time-” Sam watched as the mechanic rested his hand on Caleb’s thigh. “I was tracking a nest of vampires with him out in Denver; Julian and Victor got tangled up with some faeries.”

“Faeries?” Sam gave the older hunter an incredulous look. “Are you kidding me?” He didn't even know they existed, however if vampires did, then he shouldn't be surprised about faeries. However, they didn't have time for a war story, they needed an answer.

“Hell no, I’m not kidding you.” Bobby kept his hand where it was as Caleb looked up at him. “Sonsofbitches have a hell of a bite. Their saliva is like acid. Julian and Victor were in a world of hurt…nearly died.” Bobby licked his lips. “He was five states away, but Maxim knew something was wrong.”

Sam looked at Caleb and knew he was thinking the same thing. “What did Maxim do?”

“He found them. You being all special probably means you boys get more than just a bad feeling."

Sam didn’t like the answer, loathed the idea of being helpless. Caleb obviously felt the same way. He squeezed his eyes shut, clenched his fists. “We need to be there now!”

Sam agreed, his dread growing monumentally. His ringing phone interrupted the urgency to act. He started to ignore it, but Bobby jutted his chin towards the dresser where the cell lay. “You better get it.”

“But…”

“Coincidences are damn rare in our line of work. Don’t you think?” He looked at Caleb. “I’ve got Junior.”

Sam hadn’t considered it could be connected. He was spurred into action after recognizing the few people who actually called him were either currently in the room with him or missing. Sam crossed the room in two long strides. His chest clenched when Dean’s name winked at him from the caller ID.

“Dean?”

“Not exactly.”

“Who is this?” He turned his gaze to Bobby and listened to the unfamiliar woman on the other line. She laughed her voice throaty but polished.

“I forget that with a new face comes all new amenities. I still sound the same in my head, but it must get confusing for you.”

Sam tightened his grip on the phone. “Meg?”

“Meg, Rose- Catherine’s the latest. But what’s in a name? It’s who’s inside that counts. I like Rose though, it suits me. A timeless beauty you know.”

“With lots of nasty thorns.”

“Now, now, Sam. Let’s not be childish.”

“Where’s my brother, bitch?”

“Don’t tell me you two have hit another bad patch. Think hard before running away again. The road is a dangerous place. No telling who you might meet out there on life’s highway.”

“Don’t play games. I know you have him.”

“You’re accusing me of taking something that doesn’t belong to me. That’s rich coming from a grave robber like you.”

“If you hurt him…”

“Come now. This is me you’re talking to. Of course I’m hurting him.”

Sam closed his eyes, took a deep breath. “I want to talk to him.”

“He’s indisposed at the moment.”

“What does that mean?”

“Insufferable agony. I am good at what I do.”

Sam’s gaze went to Caleb. As Knight he was empathetic to The Guardian, to The Scholar too, but only in what Sam assumed were life-threatening situations. He wanted his brother back to him. “What do you want?”

“I want my necklace back.”

“We don’t have it.”

“Then get it. Pastor Jim’s farm is on the way.”

“Where are you?”

“As if you didn’t know,” Rose purred. “I’m aware I’m not the only demon in your life. You do have a thing for us bad girls, don’t you?”

Sam should not have been surprised his relationship with Ruby was common knowledge. “Alabama is a big place.”

“Follow the Dark Warrior west, young man. I'm sure you and Caleb can sniff out the trail from there.”

“Follow the Dark Warrior? What the hell does that mean?”

“I have to keep some air of mystery.”

“Just leave Dean alone. You’ll get what you want.”

“I’ll get what I want and have my fun.”

“If you kill him…”

“Don’t get carried away. I won’t deprive Dean his slow descent into the bowels of Hell. It’s all about the journey you know. Watching you and Caleb comb through the proverbial haystack is right up there with American Idol. Maybe it will teach you both a new respect for where you come from.”

“Dean’s not going to Hell.”

“Oh, he’s already there, Baby. Trust me. He’s already there.”

Rose cut the connection.

“Shit.” Sam walked to the bed, threw the phone beside Caleb, who seemed more alert. “Caleb?” He reached out, but the psychic pulled away.

“Don’t.” Caleb held up a hand, wincing.

“Are you okay?”

Sam watched him draw in ragged breaths, rubbing a shaky hand across his mouth. “Just…just give me a minute.”

“Are you still connecting with Dean?” Sam didn’t feel anything, anymore, but thought it was from the distraction of speaking with Rose.

“No.” Caleb exhaled heavily. “Whatever she was doing…she’s stopped now.”

“I hate this shit,” Bobby growled. He stood, cutting his gaze to Sam. “I’m going to get something to drink.”

Sam wasn’t sure if the mechanic was planning the alcohol for Caleb or himself. Both of them looked like they needed it. “Okay.” Sam wouldn’t refuse one either, despite the early hour.

He took up Bobby’s closer position as the older hunter left them alone. “Tell me what you felt.”

“It wasn’t like a vision. I didn’t see anything. It was more like some freaky ass déjà-vu. It was real, but not actually happening to me…like a shadow.”

“Or an echo,” Sam said. He recalled Maxim’s words from the journal. “Victor compared it to twins, how they could sense when their siblings were in trouble.” He wasn't his brother's twin, but he did have psychic ability and he had sensed something, Victor had hypothesized that The Scholar, having a psychic ability, would also be able to sense mortal danger, too.

When Caleb gave him a confused look, Sam tried to explain. “I read his and Maxim’s journals. I think Bobby was on the right track. This is some kind of Triad link.”

“We’re not The Triad yet.”

“I thought about that, but things are different since Wyoming. Maybe Dean using the silver changed things, kind of like flipping a switch.” There was that metaphor again. Sam grimaced. He hoped it was to a better end than his abilities. “One more thing we really aren’t in control of.”

“ Deuce…” Caleb licked his lips. “He’s…he’s in bad shape, Sammy.”

“You said something about a fire.”

Caleb dug his palms into his eyes. “That’s what it felt like…he was…” He slammed his fists against the mattress. “If she did that to him…I will tear her limb from limb.”

Sam swallowed, finding it hard to keep his own emotions in check. “That was her on the phone. Rose.” Sam wasn’t sure how much Caleb was cognizant of.

Caleb looked up. “What did she say?”

“It’s like we thought. She wants the amulet.”

“Then we’ll give it to her.” The older hunter stood. “Where is she?”

“Caleb…”

“You don’t know what he’s going through…” Caleb’s breath hitched. “You don’t want to know.”

“Yes, I do. We’re in this together. Remember? You told Dean we made a good team that we’d save him together.” He didn't want to lie to his brother anymore. He also knew his brother was alive, in pain, but alive and being alive meant he could be saved.

Caleb shook his head. “I didn’t expect this. I thought we could protect him. I’ve screwed up…focusing on the wrong things.”

“Rose is the only one to blame.”

“No. You were right back at Jessup’s. I’m The Knight, or at least I will be. I should have known he was in danger. I let this happen.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“If I hadn’t been possessed…I would have known. God…I might have had a vision. I could have stopped this before…”

“You don’t know that.” Dean had always told him to resist the call of Monday morning quarterbacking. That advice had always served him well.

“Exactly. I don’t know, never will know for sure. But I do know Dean’s suffering and he’s alone.”

“And I know you would have done anything to stop that. We're on the same side. Dean’s.”

“About the amulet-you still trust me?” Caleb worked his way to a higher seated position.

“Of course I do.” Sam offered the other psychic a faint grin. “You’re Caleb. You draw dragons, bring pizza, and look out for Dean.”

“I thought you stopped believing that somewhere around the third grade, right after you quit writing Santa Claus and leaving your teeth for the Tooth Fairy.”

Sam frowned, humbled that Caleb remembered so much about him. “I never stopped believing that, man.”

“I’d withhold judgment until you get a look at Dean.”

He tried not to be scared by Caleb's sullenness, letting the fear bubble to surface would only result in him screaming in madness. “No matter what happens, I’m not going to hold you responsible.” The blame rested surely on Rose.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Caleb ran a hand through his hair. “Not that I blame you. I’ve not exactly kept my head in the game over the years. My track record has some major screw ups.”

“That’s not true. You’ve always been on top of things, especially where Dean and I were concerned.”

Caleb glanced up, met his gaze. “I remember a time when you didn’t have that kind of faith in me, Runt.”

Sam searched his memory, but gleaned the answer from Caleb’s thoughts. It seemed neither of them could get New Mexico off their minds, unable to let the ghosts from their past go.
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Santa Fe, New Mexico, November 2002

The flight from LA to Santa Fe had been painlessly short. They’d stayed in their mutual corners on the plane, Caleb looking over some preliminary specs for a new job for TriCorp, trying not to think about what Dean might be going through, while Sam kept his head in one of his precious books. First class afforded them the space and the silence was fine with Caleb, safer in front of so many witnesses.

Sam was the first to breach the tension-filled quiet of their rented sedan as they rolled along US-285. “So, you’ve been watching out for him?”

Caleb took his eyes off the road to glare at Sam. “That a question or an accusation?”

“I’m not pointing a finger; I just want to know how he’s been.”

“Phone calls are good for that.” Caleb gripped the steering wheel, returning his gaze to the highway. “You’d be fucking amazed what you could pick up from a weekend visit.”

“I didn’t ask for a lecture.”

“You don’t always get what you ask for. Take for instance, I asked you to call your brother, oh about twenty or so times over the last six months.”

“Caleb.” Sam gave him a withering glance.

“Sam.”

“Has he been okay?” The youngest Winchester fidgeted against the fabric interior.

“Define okay.”

“You know what I mean.”

“He’s adjusted.” It wasn’t true. Dean had barely begun to come out of the self-imposed shell he’d wrapped himself in since Sam’s departure. But Caleb wasn’t about to betray a confidence.

“Meaning?”

Caleb cut his gaze to Sam. “Meaning you can ask him yourself when we find him.”

Sam knocked the back of his hand against the passenger side window. “Why bother? I can guess things are about the same. As long as Dad’s hell bent on the hunt nothing is going to change.”

“You might be surprised.”

“So things have gotten better? Dean’s not been hurt since I left?”

Caleb almost laughed. “Hurt?” Dean had been devastated.

“That’s what I thought. Things have stayed the same, haven’t they?” Sam folded over the page he was looking at and closed the book he had been studying.

Caleb shook his head. They were on completely different pages. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Dean finally getting out from under Dad’s thumb now that I’m gone.”

Caleb was stunned. “You seriously thought your leaving would let Dean off the hook with John?” It made it a hundred times worse. Dean refused to lose one more person and was terrified to do something that might drive his father away. In his best friend’s mind, he’d done something wrong to cause Sam to leave.

“Why not? You know I was one of the ways he controlled Dean, just like Dean is the way he controls you. If you would admit that, Dad would lose his ability to lord over every aspect of Dean’s life. He could get away, just like I have and we wouldn’t be out in the middle of New Mexico searching for him.”

“Excuse me?” Caleb let his foot off the gas, turning his head to face Sam. “This is somehow my fault?”

“It’s true and you know it. I’ve seen Dad manipulate you just like I watched him twist Dean. I refused to be a part of it any longer. I won’t be the reason he’s killed.”

“So now your leaving is about keeping Dean safe and freeing him from John’s tyranny? I thought it was about you having this ‘normal’ life you’ve been talking about off and on for the last six years.”

“It’s about both. I want a normal life, but I want it for Dean too,” Sam countered. “I, for one, don’t want him to end up dead.”

“And I do?” Caleb pulled off into the emergency lane. “That’s bullshit!” He shoved the car into park but didn’t kill the engine. “You didn’t leave for Dean’s sake.”

“How the hell do you know?”

He turned to face the younger man, oblivious to the cars racing past them, using all his restraint to keep his hands off Sam. “Because you would have returned his voicemails, or answered his letters, or the fucked up post cards he sent you. Goddamnit, if you cared about him so damn much, you would have come and seen him or better yet invited him to come see you, made him a part of this precious new world of yours.”

Sam opened his mouth, closed it, trying again as some of the self-righteous indignation faded from his face. “I meant to…I did. It’s just…”

“What?” Caleb asked, really wanting to know a reason, any reason to understand.

“Dad told me not to come back.”

“And that’s not letting John control you? What the fuck?” Caleb kept one hand on the seatbelt across his chest to tether his emotions before he struck at the younger man.

“He doesn’t have any power over me anymore.”

“You might be out of his house, Runt, but if you’re willing to turn your back on your brother to prove a point to your old man, then you sure as hell are still under his thumb.”

“I didn’t turn my back on Dean!” Sam slammed his fist on the dashboard. “I walked away from hunting, from Dad. A key fact you keep disregarding.”

“I’m not the one missing the point.”

“What point? That I should have stayed right where I was just to keep Dean happy? How is that fair to me? And you have the nerve to imply I’m selfish? Pastor Jim and Mac both thought I should go, but then you’ve always played favorites when it came to Dean.”

“What?” Caleb felt like his head was about to implode. “I never said you shouldn’t have left or gone to college.” He’d wanted Dean to go to college too, to play ball. But that wasn’t in the cards. “I just have a fucking problem with the way you did it, and with the way you washed your hands of Dean. You don’t walk away from your family.”

“What gives you the right to pass judgment- to say what’s right?” Sam said, hotly. “What do you know about family? You’re not my brother; and whether you realize it or not, you’re not Dean’s.”

He should have seen it coming, kept his guard up, but then Caleb had a blind spot when it came to the Winchesters. The look on his face must have betrayed him before he could put his mask in place because he watched regret fill Sam’s dark eyes. He’d seen that look from John too many times.

“Caleb…”

“That the best you got?” The psychic shook his head. “It’s a little weak. Your Dad has a better follow through.”

“Don’t compare me to him.”

“Then stop acting like him.” Caleb turned in his seat, gripping the steering wheel and gear shift. He didn’t look at Sam as he took a deep calming breath. “Just so you know, I’ve done my best to keep him in one piece.” Caleb had been hyper vigilant.

He glanced to the teen. “But there were times when he needed something besides a few stitches and butterfly bandages. He needed his brother…and as you pointed out, I couldn’t do a damn thing about that.”

“Look, man…” Sam tried again but Caleb cut him off.

“Get the directions out of my bag.” He steered them back onto the highway. “We’ve wasted enough time without getting lost.”
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“Earth to Sam.”

Sam blinked as Caleb waved his hand in front of his face. “You with me?”

“I’ve said and done some things I’m not proud of.”

Caleb frowned, but remained silent. Sam rubbed a hand over his mouth, grounding himself in the present. His time at Stanford seemed so long ago in many respects, but could at times catch him off guard, coming back as fresh as a new wound.

In the beginning, there had been days when Sam felt like he’d been set down in the middle of nowhere with no compass or map to strategize. Without Dean or his father to tether him, he’d felt like an alien in a foreign world. Everything was brand new and frightening. Sam had felt it necessary to make a clean break, not to be influenced by his past or else he might be tempted to go crawling back to the familiar. Sure, he’d made mistakes, but that was to be expected. Most of the mishaps he didn’t regret, except for the big ones, the biggest being he had inadvertently hurt Dean.

“I’d say that goes for both of us, but maybe we should focus on the things we can change,” Caleb said.

Sam met the other psychic’s gaze. “We need to get to Dean and I know where to start.”

“Where?”

“Rose pretty much confirmed she was in Alabama; she said to follow the Dark Warrior west.”

“Dark warrior? What the hell does that mean?”

Sam shrugged. “That’s what I said.”

“It’s a river.” Bobby entered the room, silver flask and map in hand. He tossed the canteen to Caleb and spread the map on the bed. “I thought we might need this.”

“What part of Alabama?” Caleb took a long pull from the flask and handed it off to Sam. “I don’t remember any river with that name.”

“It’s called the Black Warrior River.” Bobby placed his finger on the squiggly blue line. “If you follow it west it flows right through Tuscaloosa.”

“What’s in Tuscaloosa?” Sam handed the canteen back to Caleb, who took another drink.

“Not much,” Bobby replied.

“University of Alabama is close by,” Caleb said. “Huntsville is just down the road. I’ve been to a few Iron Bowls there.” Caleb looked at Sam, offering the flask once more.

Bobby scratched his beard. “Demons rarely do something without a damn good reason.”

“What about the latest body she snatched?” Sam asked. “She mentioned the name Catherine. Maybe she has ties there. Rose could be using her house or other resources.”

“That’s not bad, Stretch.” Bobby cut his gaze to Caleb. “Call Ethan, have him pull some strings to check for missing persons in the surrounding areas.”

“Should we have him and Eli back off the other trail to Chicago?”

“Not yet.” Bobby picked up the map, folding it. “I’d rather not put all of our eggs in one basket just yet. Rosie being accommodating only spells trouble in my book.”

“She’ll be waiting for us.”

“Then we should have a surprise in store for her,” Caleb said.

Sam bit back on his groan. He knew where the other psychic was going. He watched as Bobby slid the map into his jacket before bringing his eyes to Caleb’s.

“What do you have in mind, Junior?”

“We know she’ll have other demons in the area. Look what Sam and Dean encountered when they tried a sneak attack to get Johnny back.”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll be outnumbered.”

“We have the Colt,” Sam pointed out. It had been locked in the trunk of the Impala when Dean disappeared.

“I don’t think she’s going to let us in armed, Runt.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know Ruby fixed it for us.”

“Just like Ruby didn’t know where she was.”

Bobby held up his hands to interrupt the two younger hunters. “What are you suggesting? Just spit it out.”

“I’m thinking it takes a demon to beat a demon.”

“Oh hell no!” Bobby shook his head emphatically. “Are you deaf, Junior? Read my lips. No way are you using that damn necklace.”

“Bobby, it’s our best shot and you know it. I can possess an upper level, use their abilities to get us in and surprise the hell out of Rose. It’s a perfect Trojan Horse move. It’ll work. Trust me.”

“It’s not you I don’t trust.”

“It’s worth the risk for Dean. I’m willing to do what it takes.” Caleb turned to Sam, pulling him unwillingly into the argument. “Sam will back me up. He can use his abilities to keep tabs on me. He’ll know if I lose control.”

“But…” Sam started only to have Bobby cut his protests off.

“And if that happens?” Bobby demanded.

Caleb held up the flask. “Fill one of these full of holy water, or use another one of your tricks to pull me back. I can take it.”

Bobby jerked his hat off, twisting the bill. “This isn’t just about you.”

“No. It’s about Dean. This is the one sure way we can get to him.”

“No, goddamnit!” Bobby shouted, setting his hat back on his head, pulling the rim low. “Just…no. That’s final.” The mechanic looked to Sam, not giving Caleb time to rebut. “See if you can knock some sense into him why I pack the rest of our things in the Impala.”

He was gone before either boy could respond. “Stupid…stubborn sonofabitch,” Caleb growled. “He’s being an ass about this.”

“He’s trying to protect you,” Sam said.

“From what?”

“Yourself.”

“I know what I’m doing. For once, I am completely clear on what needs to be done.”

“Dude, when it comes to Dean you’re never completely clear.”

“What the hell? Didn’t you just tell me I was always on my A-game? Make up your mind.”

“It’s not the same.” Sam tried to explain. “Your actions are always true; it’s your judgment that can get a little askew. I’m not pointing fingers; it’s no different for me or Dean.”

Caleb twisted the ring around his finger. “I have to do this. And you have to help me.”

“What if we’re giving Rose exactly what she wants?”

“If it gets Dean back in one piece, I could really give a shit.” Caleb met his gaze. “How about you?”

Sam knew his role was to be logical, to see the bigger picture. It was the job of The Scholar. But he had another job, a role that was even more important. One he couldn’t or wouldn’t shirk again. Sam wouldn’t abandon his brother, no matter the cost. “What are we going to do?”

Caleb held up Bobby’s flask, sloshed the remaining whiskey with a grin. “Alabama’s a long drive. What do you say we give our favorite mechanic a well-deserved nap?”

Sam took the canteen, understanding the plan. More deception they would have to deal with. He hated how the secrecy and plotting snowballed. It was hard to tell which side they were on, or even if there were defined sides any longer. “I draw the line at frisking him.”

Caleb snorted. “So much for teamwork.”

“And just so you know, I still don’t think this is a good idea. I’m only going along with it for one reason.”

“Dean.”

“We’re both on his side.” That was the only thing Sam was clear on.

Caleb reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “Only side that matters.”
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Dean used his thumb to spin the silver ring around his finger wishing it were a compass showing him the way out. “Do you think that’s why the demon made the deal?”

Jim looked up from unhooking his latest catch, his face displaying his confusion. “What?”

Dean studied his own line bobbing in the water before facing the pastor. “You said I was your ace in the hole.”

Jim hung his arm over the side, releasing the small blue gill back into the water. “You always were one to turn something over and over in your mind. Samuel may have talked more, but you definitely had him beat in the contemplation department.”

“I mean it all makes a sick kind of sense. I’ve racked my brain figuring out why, if this new big bad demon wanted Sammy’s head on a platter so badly, would he make a deal with me to bring Sammy back?” Dean leaned forward. “Crazy right? Sam was dead. I probably would have bought the farm sooner than later. He had us right where he wanted us…unless the demon who made the deal didn’t want Sam dead at all, but actually wanted him back in the game and me out of the way.”

“You’re theorizing that the demon who made the deal, or who was controlling it from behind the scenes wants Sam in a position of power without you there as an influence.”

Dean nodded. “And maybe Caleb, too.” He thought back to the time in Wyoming when Rose had taunted him. She’d called his brother The Boy King, Caleb, The Dark Knight, painting Dean to be the Jester. “Rose said she wouldn’t dream of taking out the Triad, because it was a first…demon driven.”

Jim held Dean’s gaze. “You do realize you’re suggesting the same thing that Griffin Porter and his constituents postulated.”

“Mackland said Griffin was wicked smart.”

Jim put his pole down, clasped his hands together. “Do you believe your brother and Caleb are demonic, capable of such atrocities?”

“No.” Dean bit his lip. “But I know that if you have a big enough weakness, you can be driven to do almost anything. I won’t be the reason they're pushed over the edge. It can’t go down like that.”

“Just like you were pushed over the edge by Sam’s death, driven to give your soul for your brother?”

“It was my choice to give my life for Sam.”

“And if you could go back?”

“I’d do the same thing again.”

Jim sighed. “Then I can see why you’re worried.”

“That’s not an answer, Jim.”

“I don’t have the answer you’re looking for, my boy. If I did I would have been much more successful in defending my choice of Triad over the years, more apt in keeping you three from harm.” He continued before Dean could reply. “But I will give you something else to ponder. What if having potentially one of the strongest Guardians in history at their disposal was also an enticement? What if their machinations extend beyond what we see on the surface?”

“Are you trying to make me feel better?”

“No.” Jim shook his head. “I’m trying to help you see past that barrier that keeps you from realizing your own worth. The most common way people lose their power is to deny that they have any. It is time you stepped past all that you’ve known. Your life may not only be about saving your brother and Caleb, but protecting The Brotherhood, and in turn saving the world.”

“Wow.” Dean leaned back. “And Mac thought Dad weighted me down with taking care of Sammy.”

“I’m not attempting to add to your burden, my boy, only point out what already is, what I saw the first time I met you.”

“So let’s say I buy into this gig of The Guardian, what good does it do me now? If I’m in Hell, then the post is pretty much empty. I don’t think I’m going to have access to much water in the pit.”

Jim tapped his head, then gestured around them. “True magic is inside us.” He dipped his hands into the lake gathering water between his cupped palms. The preacher held Dean’s gaze. “The water is a gift.” Jim opened his hands to reveal a shimmering silver dragon with spread wings. He offered it to Dean. “You only need to accept it, Athewm.”

Dean took the silver figure, turned it over in his palm. “You realize I have no idea what you’re talking about, Merlin.”

Jim laughed. “Apparently you know more than you think you do. You are here with me after all.” The former Guardian pointed a finger at him. “And you accessed the tomb of weapons. That was no small feat.”

“But this power…” Dean tightened his fingers around the dragon. “What if they twist it, use it for their own purposes?”

“I have no doubt they will try. Even good men have fallen into that trap.”

“Griffin?”

“And others like him.”

“Then maybe it’s better I don’t have it. Can’t you take it back?” Dean offered him the dragon. “Give it to someone else without a contract to serve.”

Jim smiled, sadly. “I can’t take what I didn’t give, Son.”

“Then we could all be in big trouble because I could end up being the biggest joke of all, just like Rose said.”

“Or you could be the one to save the entire Kingdom.”
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