Title: Evil Lurks
Author: Bj Jones
Rating: FRAO
Summary: Sam reflects on where he is
Series: Brake Lights in the Distance, The Bodyguard, Evil Lurks, November 2nd, Family Business
***
It had been six months, and he hadn’t heard back from Dean.
He had tried to call back the next day, but the phone wasn’t available; a week later it was still unavailable. Sam had cursed his brother’s name up to the heavens.
It had taken weeks for him to get an actual usable number for Tony Stark, and that was the Receptionist at Stark Industries. She kindly informed him that she would give the message to Mr. Stark’s office and hung up on him. The fifth time he had tried to call she threatened to have his phone traced and the cops at his door. Sam hadn’t called back; he had a feeling Stark could probably trace the call directly to his front door.
Another few weeks and he had found through extremely illegal means, Tony’s office line. He didn’t get Mr. Stark; instead he got his assistant Ms. Pepper Pots. And fuck, that woman scared the shit out of him. He had asked for Dean’s number, and she had refused. When he asked just to talk to him, she politely told him that ‘Mr. Dean Winchester wants nothing to do with selfish whiny college geeks who need to learn that life isn’t fair and they don’t always get what they wanted’.
Yeah she scared the shit out of him.
More weeks, more frustration and fights with Jess, he finally got a hold of Tony’s personal line. And that didn’t go well at all.
‘You keep harassing me, Mr. Samuel Winchester, I’ll have your ass thrown in jail,’ Tony growled into the phone. ‘Maybe you haven’t figured it out; Dean isn’t available to hear your whining. You threw him out; he’s mine now.’
“You can’t keep me from my brother!” Sam yelled into the phone.
‘I’m not.’ He could hear the humor in the older man’s voice. It was the tone that had a way of pissing Sam off. ‘He doesn’t want to see you. He’s the one that tossed his phone down a cliff. He’s the one that told Pepper to get rid of you, and he’s the one that told me to tell you to back off.’
“I want to hear it from his mouth…” He heard a small scuffle and low tones when a new voice came over the line.
‘Stop calling, Sam.’
“Dean?” Sam sighed in relief. “God, Dean, come on man we just need to talk…”
‘You have your life I have mine,’ Dean said simply. ‘Look, stop wasting your time trying to find me; you got classes and a beautiful girl. You have everything you wanted…’
“I’m sorry, okay.” Sam sat down on the bed in exhaustion. “I want my brother.” Dean was silent on the other end. “Dean?”
‘You only want me because I’m with Tony.’ Dean’s voice held no emotion. ‘If you hadn’t seen me as his bodyguard you wouldn’t have thought twice about me. You would have gone on your merry way in your normal life, not giving a thought about your family. But now that I’ve done something for me suddenly you want me. Fuck you, Sam. I’m not a toy you can throw away then take back. You always were a selfish little prick, not liking anyone touching your stuff.’
“It’s not like that, Dean…” He tried to reason. “I… okay, so I was being stupid when I asked you to leave… It’s hard when you were there, like a reminder of…”
‘Of what you abandoned?’ Dean snapped. ‘Of your family. Ashamed of Dad and I… not cool enough or smart enough for your college crowd. Have you even told that pretty girl of yours who I am?’
No, he hadn’t.
‘That’s what I figured. Goodbye, Sam.’
“No! Dean!” He stared at the phone then dialed back. “Dean, please…”
‘Mr. Winchester, if you proceeded to call at any point to any Stark Industries number, I’ll have the cops on your ass, before you can blink,’ Ms. Pott’s voice answered coldly.
Sam cursed and threw his phone down onto the bed. That had been six months ago. He read everything he could about Tony Stark, trying to get a glimpse of Dean. Either Stark was keeping him out of the limelight, or Dean wasn’t working for him anymore. He doubted Dean was out of Tony’s life; the older man had made it clear that Dean was his.
He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. All he knew was that this whole nightmare had slammed home how much he wanted, needed, and missed Dean. He still wasn’t sure how to explain everything to Jess. She was irritated with him, because she knew he was keeping secrets. Sam just didn’t know how to bring it up: by the way ‘Yeah my brother… the one you were hot for… he’s pissed at me and is fucking Tony Stark and I’m jealous as hell.’
Sam tossed his books down onto the desk and slumped into the chair. He was truly fucked.
“I thought I trained you better than this?”
He jumped out of the seat, his hand grabbing the nearest weapon, and turned and faced the intruder. “Dad?”
“You’re a sitting duck here, Sammy.” John Winchester looked around the place. “Put the stapler down, son; it’s not going to help you much.”
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“Have you talked to your brother?” John asked straight forward. “His phone is disconnected.”
“You just now noticed that?” Sam snapped at him. “His phone’s been disconnected for six months, Dad, and you just now realized it?”
“Dean is an adult,” the eldest Winchester pointed out. “He knows what his job is and does it. I trust him to do that job.”
“Let me guess; you found out he wasn’t jumping when you said jump.” Sam smirked. Well if any good came out of this situation, it was the fact Dean’d also cut out their father.
“I sent him coordinates; it was a haunting that needed taken care of immediately. Found out he never showed up,” John snapped angrily. “I went to the last place I knew he was, and no one had seen him in months. He’s off the map, all the hunts I sent to him he never did. Though found evidence he’s been working a few on his own.”
“As far as I know, he’s fine.” Sam shrugged, sitting back down at the desk. “I haven’t spoken to him in six months.”
“Where the fuck is he?” John demanded.
Sam wasn’t sure if he should tell him or not. John Winchester wasn’t going to take it well that his golden boy son, was not only not doing what John wanted him to do, he was shacking up with Tony Stark. Though a part of him wanted to see Tony take on John.
“Sam, if you know you need to tell me.” He stepped closer to his youngest son. “Things are going down, and going down bad. Both of you need to be protected.”
“I’m out of the business,” Sam growled. “Stopped hunting when I left.”
“Just because you walk away doesn’t mean its suddenly not there, Sam!” John’s voice rose. “You’ve let your guard down, have no protection on you or in this lovely little house you have with your sweet girlfriend. What is going to stop anything to waltz in here and kill her or you?”
“We’re perfectly safe,” he argued back. “There’s no reason…”
John stared at his son in shock. “You honestly think that nothing bad will happen. That all is sunshine and roses in your life. Evil wouldn’t dare come down on Sammy’s perfect little life. Fuck, Sam. Do you know how many things we’ve pissed off? How many demons would love to take a piece of me by hurting you or your brother? I can’t believe you’ve been this fucking careless.”
“I refuse to live my life, like that!” He stood up and crowed up against his dad. “I will not bring that into my home with Jess.”
“You won’t have to.” John pushed him back. “Evil will come on its own. Tell Dean to call me.”
Sam fumed as he heard his father walk past him and out of his life again. He grabbed his phone and didn’t really care if Tony Stark sic’ed the police on him. He sent a text message to the last number he had talked to Dean out.
‘Dad looking for u.’
He dropped the phone on his desk and tried to calm down; he startled when the phone beeped back at him.
‘Dad can fuck himself.’
Sam laughed and typed back. ‘Well, he’s pissed you’re not following his every instruction… I know you don’t want to talk to me, but I’m glad you got out.’
The apartment was quiet; he could hear the clock ticking in the corner. He stared at his phone waiting, hoping…
‘I can’t do this, Sammy.’
Sam thanked every deity there was; he knew there was hope now. In all of this, it was the first time he called him Sammy.
‘Dean… when you can – find me please.’
There was no answer and he didn’t expect there to be one. He set the phone down on the table and looked over his books and notes. He had the LSATs to prepare for.