falling like the stars, sam winchester [ 3 ]

004. vampire brother

The vamp they were hunting got blood into Dean and they're now in the motel room. The kids are asleep and Miranda is sitting near them, staying close in case Dean's new vampire tendencies get out of control.

"Oh, my God, what is that sound?" Dean asks.

"What sound, Dean?" Sam asks. Dean knocks over a lamp, it crashing to the floor. Carly jumps awake, whining.

"It's okay, baby. It-- it was just your uncle losing it." Miranda says.

"Hey, c'mon, keep it down, damn it!" Dean pounds on the wall. "Please, please shut that off. Geez." He winces at the light. Sam turns the light off.

"Dean... you should sit down." Sam says.

"You sit down." Dean retorts, sitting on the edge of the empty bed. "Of all the ways to die, I never thought I'd be going out like this."

"Dean, nobody is "going out."" Sam argues.

"It's that--"

"What?"

Dean rips the clock cord out of the wall, sparks shooting out of it.

+++

Dean escaped through the bathroom while only Sam was there. Miranda had taken her two kids out since Dean kept throwing things. She got back a while ago just when Sam and Samuel were leaving.

Miranda doesn't ever sense Dean hiding in the dark corner as he fights every urge to kill them.

"Can't keep track of your brother now?" Samuel asks as he and Sam walk in.

"Well, I didn't think he'd just--" Sam says.

"He's not himself, Sam. He's a monster and he's hungry. You gotta be prepared to do the right thing." Samuel says.

"I told you he'd kill me when he showed up." Dean says. They turn to see Dean walk out of the shadows. Sam and Samuel get their machetes out while Miranda moves closer to the kids.

"Did you feed?" Samuel asks.

"How long were you there?" Miranda questions.

"I went to say goodbye to Lisa. Which, for the record, was a lousy idea." Dean says.

"Dean, answer the question." Samuel orders.

"You can relax. I didn't drink anyone."

"Thank God." Samuel sighs.

"But I came close. All right." Dean takes his jacket off. "Do it." Dean says.

"Okay... if you insist... or I can just turn you back." Samuel says.

"What?" Dean asks.

"What?" Sam asks, it seeming a little forced making Miranda frown in confusion. She glances at Samuel who is giving Sam a weird look.

"I didn't drive all this way to kill you, Dean. I'm here to save you." Samuel says.

~ ~ ~

"That's my grandfather's journal. Cure's an old Campbell recipe, kind of like the soup. No one's tried it since God knows. What I hear... this stuff is a bad trip." Samuel says as the four sit around the table.

"Awesome." Dean mutters.

"Hey, the cure is good. But a lot of this is on you. You drink, you're done. It won't work. I'm talking one drop of human blood--"

"I got it."

"Do you? Because you will feed. It's a matter of time."

"What else do we need?" Dean asks.

"Some stuff we got, some we gotta get. Trickiest thing on the list -- blood of the fang that turned ya." Samuel says.

"That guy was huge." Sam says.

"There's nothing in the recipe about easy." Samuel says.

"I can get it." Dean says, getting up.

"You're gonna walk right into the nest?" Samuel asks.

"Well, I'm one of them, aren't I? So all I gotta do is get in there, get the guy alone, and... shoot him with so much dead man's blood that he'll think he's rushing a fraternity." Dean says.

"I should come with you." Sam says.

"No. Dude, you reek. You're like a walking hamburger. I gotta do this solo." Dean says.

"Yeah, except, we haven't been able to find him yet." Sam says.

"No problem. I can smell him. Two miles east of town. You guys get the other shit and meet me there." Dean says.

"Dean." Samuel holds out a large syringe. "It's dead man's blood. Now, there's enough there to drop a linebacker, and then some." Dean takes the syringe. "Good luck, son." Dean leaves. Miranda goes into the bathroom, shutting the door.

"What's wrong with you, Sam?" She hears Samuel ask.

"What do you mean?" Sam asks.

"You knew about the cure." Samuel says.

"What? No, I didn't." Sam argues.

"But we talked about it months ago."

"Not me. Must've been Christian or something."

"Huh. That's strange. Cause if you had known, it'd be almost like you let him get turned. Get a man on the inside? Help us find that alpha vamp we've been looking for?"

"Are you serious? You think I'd do something like that, risk my own brother? What's wrong with you? Look, I'm just relieved we can fix him."

+++

The guys are back at the motel after dealing with the vampires, Dean having got the blood of the one that bit him.

"If this works, you know it's not gonna be kiddie ride. You know that?" Samuel says.

"That's great. Light her up." Dean says.

"So, what'd you see in there?" Sam asks.

"What?" Dean asks.

"In the nest -- what'd you see?" Sam asks.

"Are you serious right now?" Miranda questions.

"Sam, I can't hear you. Your blood is so fucking loud, okay? Just-- just back off." Dean says. "All right, give me the damn cure." Samuel hands Dean a mug. Dean sniffs it, recoiling. "L'chaim." Dean chugs the cure, struggling to keep it down.

"I don't think it--" Dean retches, vomiting into the trash can.

After a little bit, Dean's eyes open and he blinks a few times. He attempts to sit up, getting help from the other three. Sam puts him on the chest, but Dean just gives him a strange look.

+++

It's the next morning and they're all getting ready to leave. Miranda gives the bottle of milk to her son while Carly is eating a granola bar.

"Hey." Sam says, noticing Dean step out of the bathroom. "So, what'd you see?"

"What?" Dean asks.

"In the nest. What'd you see?" Sam asks.

"Um... well, I'm still trying to work through it, but, uh... I'm pretty sure they're not figuring anything out on their own. They're getting their orders from the top... where to go next, everything." Dean says.

"Top, as in...?" Sam asks.

"Their alpha. At least, that's what I think it is. They've got some sort of psychic thing happening. He sends 'em, uh... I don't know, messages." Dean says.

"Saying what?" Sam asks.

"Honestly? Recruitment drive." Dean says. "Their alpha's building an army."

"Well, that's comforting." Samuel quips.

"That's not the worst." Dean says.

"Then what is?" Sam asks.

"We don't scare them anymore." Dean says.