Duality

Chapter 2

A/N: Back with chapter 2! I had to post this one a bit early since I'll be gone this weekend and won't have the time. Thank you so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews! Seriously. I didn't think anyone would read this, let alone actually like it. Thank you so much!

Also, season 13 premieres tonight! Unfortunately I won't get the chance to watch it for a bit, so no spoilers. Super excited and also a little scared.

Dean held the flashlight with a tense grip, Enochian brass knuckles caressing the knuckles of his other hand. The older hunter scanned the darkened woods for any sign of his friend.

The sound of crunching leaves filtered up from behind him, a sure sign that his younger brother was still just steps behind him.

Dean cursed under his breath. How did this happen? How had there been two khan worms? It couldn't have been the same one possessing the victim; Dean had crushed that one himself. So, what, there were two khan worms in the same guy?

Obviously neither Winchester had never seen a second worm exit the man, but he supposed that it was possible that a second could've made its grand escape while the three were focused on the first one. But it didn't make sense. Khan worms were pretty rare, but two in one victim was completely unheard of.

Besides, how had neither brother noticed anything wrong with Cas? Yeah, he had been pretty quiet on the drive back, but Dean had thought that he was just anxious to return home. Heck, Dean was too.

But somehow, for some reason, the khan worm had played along for just long enough to sneak away from Sam and Dean.

However, the brothers had been trained since they were children how to hunt. And how to track.

The angel, or khan worm, was not especially sneaky in its get away. It didn't take long for the Winchesters to discover disturbed leaves and trampled undergrowth. Not to mention the footprints clearly molded into the mud by dress shoes.

Dean was glad for the first time since Cas had lost his wings that the angel wasn't capable of flying. He couldn't imagine what havoc the khan worm could wreak if it were capable of virtually teleporting anywhere on Earth at any time. And beyond.

Of course, Dean was still upset that Cas didn't have his wings. He knew how much they meant to his best friend, but in this case, he was glad that the angel couldn't run too far away.

The problem was, as an angel, Cas was still much stronger than the average human. He could easily take Sam and Dean with both hands tied behind his back. He also had much more endurance than either brother and could keep going for much longer.

They also had no idea where the khan worm was heading. Probably the nearest town over where it could begin its killing spree. But they couldn't be sure which it was heading to, so they chose to pursue the angel on foot rather than try to cut him off.

Plus, it was better to try not to cause a spectacle in the next town over. They had to somehow subdue the angel and take care of the problem in a secluded area, before taking the angel back to the bunker.

If only they could find him.

The night was tense and the crickets' never-ending cadence in the background was ominous. The flashlight roved through the partially bare trees, their beautiful auburn crowns having begun tumbling to the ground.

For the first time, Dean heard a rustle sound from their left; both brothers, attentive as ever, snapped their flashlights up, Dean's brass knuckles at the ready. The older hunter's eyes were wondering through the brush, searching for the slightest evidence of the beige trenchcoat of their angel.

Neither brother wanted to harm their best friend. It broke their hearts to even consider using violence against him. But the angel had gone renegade thanks to the khan worm, and they knew he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The khan worm would use Cas to hurt innocent people and they didn't have time to come up with a better solution. They didn't have anything besides the brass knuckles they had kindly pilfered from the British Men of Letters and their angel blades, sitting in the trunk of Baby.

That wasn't an option. An angel's blade was arguably the only weapon that could easily kill an angel. Neither Sam or Dean would even consider using one against their brother.

Instead, Dean hoped that the brass knuckles, inscribed with Enochian, would be enough to subdue the angel until they could drive the khan worm out of him.

A rustle sounded from the brothers' right. In unison, the two whipped their flashlights around, desperately trying to find the danger.

A weight slammed into Dean's back as his feet left the ground. The flashlight spilled from the hunter's limp hand, rolling in front of him and illuminating the tree immediately front of him. Dean was able to turn his head over his shoulder just in time to see Cas, weight still pressing him to the ground, holding his angel blade poised to pierce through Dean's back.

From the corner of his eye, Sam came charging at the angel, trying to disarm him. Tackling Cas, the younger Winchester managed to unbalance him long enough for Dean to recover and climb to his feet.

Sam wrestled with Cas for the angel blade, finally managing to knock it away a few feet.

The khan worm possessing their friend thrust a hand out, sending Dean's little brother sailing through the air to crash into a tree a few feet away with the angel's powers.

Before the angel could notice Dean approaching and send him away with a psychic blast as well or recover his blade, Dean rushed over, slamming his knuckles into his chin.

His friend was knocked backwards onto the ground. Dean grabbed the lapels of the angel's trenchcoat and dragged him up enough to hit him once more.

He cringed every time he was forced to drive his fist, laced with brass knuckles capable of doing significant damage to angels, into his best friend's face. It brought back rather unpleasant memories of when he had the Mark of Cain. The memory of slamming his best friend repeatedly into the bunker's library table and almost stabbing him in the head with an angel blade. He remembered leaving the blad protruding from one of the books left strewn about the room, laying right next to Cas's head.

It was something he still had nightmares about. That as well as the time he chased his little brother around the bunker with a hammer with the intent to kill.

This time though, there was no other choice. He had to do this. With one last hit, Cas was out. His face had split open and blood trailed down the side of his face. Looking closely, he could even see the faint glow of grace seeping out from the wound.

Some of the lighter wounds were bruises, dotting Cas's face and tracing the outline of his jaw. Dean shook out his hand and sat back, heaving out harsh breaths.

Sam stumbled back to Dean, holding his shoulder. He could see easily that his brother had dislocated his shoulder.

"You alright?" Sam panted, checking over his older brother.

"Yeah. I guess the real fun starts now, huh?" Dean asked sarcastically.

After quickly popping Sam's shoulder back into place and riding out the pain, Sam gripped the stun gun tight and pointed it down at their best friend.

"Ready?" Sam asked softly.

Dean sighed, glancing at his younger brother. "Yeah. Let's get this over with."