Crossroads: Act 2
 Facing the Demon
                  It was cold, so very cold. Which was actually pretty funny considering where he was going.
                 The irony of it all was not lost on Dean, even as he clenched his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering. Sam was lying in the bed next to him, oblivious to the world. And though he was no more than a couple of feet away, Dean made no move to wake him.
                Why bother? Dean thought in resignation. So he can watch me die?  Another stab of pain tore through his chest, and Dean winced as he felt his heart stutter like a dying engine. It won’t be much longer... Dean realized with the first real stirrings of panic. His heart shakily regained its rhythm and his breathing slowed, preparing for the next assault.
                       Honestly, he had expected to go like all the other fools who had sold their souls to the demon of the Crossroads. At least he could have gone down swinging then, fighting against the ravenous Hell Hounds.
                “Damn demons....” he managed to say in a raspy mutter. “Can’t even let me die with dignity.”
                    “Oh? And I thought we were doing the merciful thing. Dying peacefully your bed is such a rarity for hunters, no?”
                “Dean managed to get to a half-sitting position before the pain forced him back down. The speaker was a beautiful, luxurious, woman. She stood by the open hotel window and the moon, which shown brilliantly in a cloudless sky, lit her pale complexion with an almost angelic glow.
                       But Dean knew that she was no angel.
                “What are you doing here, demon? Come to collect a little early?” Dean managed to say, glaring at her with an expression of utmost disgust.
               “Why Dean, I’m impressed that you still remember me,” replied the Crossroads Demon, sitting down gracefully on the side of Dean’s bed.
              “You know me; never forget a pretty face,” Dean replied dryly. “Especially when I handed ‘em my soul on a silver platter.”
             “Oh Dean, witty and sarcastic to the very end,” she chuckled, languidly raising her hand towards Dean’s chest. Suddenly the pain, which had receded to a dull throb returned with violent ferocity.
             “Y-you’re doing this!” Dean hissed through a clenched jaw. It wasn’t a question.
             “Well, we decided that you were too dangerous to go with our normal methods. So we decided to attack inwardly, rather that externally. So the Hell Hounds will have to wait for the next victim.”
             “Hmph, didn’t know I was so important...” Dean whispered, hating the weakness in his voice. The demon smiled knowingly, as though she had read Dean’s mind.
             “Y’know, you should give yourself more credit,” she crooned, caressing his cheek as she spoke. “Most humans wouldn’t even be able to utter a single word by this point.”
             “Hmmm.... bite me.”
             “Oh, such fire!” Said the demon, amused. “It won’t be easy to convert you... but it’ll be worth the effort to have you on our side.”
             “You think I’m gonna fall in line like a good little demon?” Dean challenged, managing to prop himself up slightly.
             “Sooner or later, everyone does,” she replied with a casual shrug. Dean glared at her, his hate etched into every inch of his expression.
             “I won’t go along with whatever sick plan you demons are concocting,” he replied heatedly.
             The demon laughed out loud, actually clapping her hands in delight. Dean heard Sam shift in his bed, but otherwise he didn’t stir. The demon glanced fondly at Sam’s sleeping form before fixing her eyes on Dean’s defiant expression.
             “Oh, Dean, you silly boy, you fell into my plan the moment you sold your soul. You’ve already sealed your fate with that one decision. Even better, you’ve sealed Sam’s as well.”
            “Don’t give me that predestination crap.”
            “You don’t get it,” she said with a subtle iciness in her tone. “Nothing’s predestined of course... But humans are often just so predictable. All that’s happened...it’s so very typical of you Winchesters. Sorry Dean, but you set off a chain of events that has only one inevitable outcome.”
            “Which is?”
            “Sam will assume command over the demonic army here on earth.”
            Dean’s wan face paled even further as he glanced at the sleeping form of his younger brother, and the demon could actually feel his anguish increase.
             A demented grin spread across her face like a plague.                “Didn’t you know? You two need each other. Just as Sam is what keeps the passion in your eyes... you are what keeps him human.”
             “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
             “Think about it, and don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. Sam’s changed... How many times have you been the one arguing to preserve human life? Remember that girl Casey, and the demon inside her? Remember how he put her down, like you would a rabid animal? Remember the absolute lack of remorse in his eyes?”
            “Bitch” Dean hissed. The demon’s smile faded slightly and she flicked her wrist carelessly, causing another wave of pain to crash down on him.
            “Now, now, no need for name-calling,” the demon chided mockingly over the sound of his groans. “I’m only telling you the truth. With you gone, it’s only a matter of time until Sam comes to us, desperate for a way to save you.”
            “You’re lying!” Dean managed through gritted teeth
            “Am I?” The demon tilted her head in what was meant to be a coy manner. “Y’see, I’m the one who planted the idea in his mind. Desperation’s a funny thing. It’ll make you do things, things you never would have considered before... You know that. And Sam, well, Sam knows it too... He’s had a taste of that loneliness already, and he’ll do anything to avoid feeling it again.”
           Dean clenched his eyes shut and pressed his head further into the pillow, trying in vain to drown out the demon’s voice. But she sidled closer and traced a finger lightly around the outside of his ear.
            “Try and fight it all you want. Deep down, you know I’m telling you the truth.” She whispered seductively and Dean felt her soft lips brush against his cheek. “I look forward to seeing you again soon, Dean.”
           Suddenly an intense heat exploded in his chest and radiated outwards, racing through his veins and arteries like poison. Dean felt his last finger-hold of consciousness give way and he fell head-first into the dark chasm that opened wide to welcome him...
            ....Like an old friend....
~~~~~~~~~~~
             “Dean.... Dean!” Sam’s anxious voice rose in intensity, and Dean felt himself being shook roughly.
             “Sam?” Suddenly, Dean’s grogginess dispelled and he bolted upright, narrowly missing his younger brother. He looked around the room, searching for any signs of the demon. “Where is she? Did you see her?” He demanded, making to get out of bed.
            “Whoa, hang on,” Sam said, forcing him to sit back down, “Are you okay? I woke up to your groaning. God, I almost thought you were dying.”
            “You weren’t the only one,” Dean muttered, looking away from Sam’s worried face. “Are you saying you didn’t see her?”
            Sam’s eyebrows raised incredulously, “see who?”
            “The Crossroads Demon.”
            “No, of course not,” Sam paused. “Wait, why do you ask?”
            “Look it’s nothing, I just saw her-”
            “That’s impossible!” Sam interrupted curtly, his face paling. Dean gave him a strange look.
            “Why is it impossible?” Dean demanded, an ugly suspicion forming in his thoughts. Sam shifted uncomfortably.
            “Because.... well, at least I think I.... Look, Dean, I killed her,” Sam said, carefully avoiding Dean’s eyes.
            “What?”
            “Only a couple weeks after the Devil’s Gate incident.” Sam’s voice hardened and he stared pointedly into the darkness.
            Dean could only stare, flabbergasted, at his brother. And in that moment, the person he knew better than anyone became a stranger to his eyes.