Dreams and Nightmares - Chapter Seven
Jun. 24th, 2015 03:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yonkyuChapter Seven
Dean’s POV
Dean wakes up and sits on the edge of the bed, eyes wide open as he stares at the empty bed next to him. Where did Sam go? Did he leave again? Or did he go see Dad?
He has no idea what is going on with Sam, but his gut feeling is that it has to do with this case. Getting to his feet Dean heads towards the bathroom. He washes up, but the usual relaxing ritual is marred by thoughts of Sam.
When Dean sees Sam hasn’t returned, his heart starts beating erratically. It’s stupid and he can’t help it: so much of his identity is dedicated to the safety and protection of Sam. Dean knows deep within his heart that he could never protect Sam completely, but he will still die trying to protect him from the creatures that plague the earth in the darkness.
Knowing he can’t do anything about Sam, Dean takes a chance and heads towards the police station wanting to speak with the Captain. If he’s there, Dean can hopefully gain more insight into this creature, more specifically this piece of skin found by the victims.
Thinking about what Sam and Dad have said, Dean, feels in his bones that there is more to this creature that either of them is telling him. He might not be the greatest when it comes to research, but he is capable of looking for valuable information for a hunt. Dean’s best features are in his interviewing skills. He works the charm while staying calm and collected when trying to gain information on a case. He’d never say, but he’s proud of that skill.
Dean walks the eight blocks down the street to the police station. The sun is up and bright. The heat beats down on his back makes the sweat pour down his back, pooling beneath the leather of his jacket.
He wishes he felt cooler as he enters the police station. But he gives himself a moment before heading towards the intercom.
“Good morning, this is Agent Bates. I’m here to see Captain Johnson.” Dean states through the intercom.
“Agent Bates - Come on in, the Captain is waiting for you.”
Dean hears the click of the door and pulls it open. An officer greets him and takes him straight to the Captain’s office. Dean nods his thanks, before turning to the door. Taking a deep breath, he steadies himself before knocking. And then he waits.
“Come on in.” A voice says.
Dean opens the door and walks into the office and walks up towards the Captain, ready to ask his questions.
“Hello. I’m Agent Bates. I’m here to find out more about that bat creature case.” Dean walks towards Johnson with his hand out waiting to be received and shaken.
Captain Johnson reaches out and shakes Dean’s hand in greeting and nods.
“Nice to meet you, Agent Bates.” The Captain is obviously a busy man. He wastes no time getting down to business. “The skin from the creature is bat-like: tough and smooth. Our experts guess it comes from its wing, although the skin is very similar to human skin. And, of course, the pigments of the skin are black and red.”
“Human skin: black and red human skin, sir?” Dean asks.
Captain Johnson shrugs, not willing to give a definite answer. “A piece of the skin that was found at each site next to the victim was analyzed. In all cases, the results were closely related to human skin.”
“A human: that can possibly change shape.” Dean tries to make it a question, but really there is no doubt. “Is there anything else you can tell me about the case?” He asks curiously. Already it’s been worth the trip. He wasn’t expecting to find out this skin is human.
“Yeah, there was one more thing. One of the relatives from our latest victim said that they saw this man in their dreams and when the man left, it looked like a bat, like Dracula.” The Captain’s voice conveys his skepticism.
“Like Dracula, thank you for the information Captain.” Dean tells the Captain and walks out to go to the library.
It is still fairly early in the morning, not yet 9 o’clock. The library won’t be open so Dean takes his time ambling down the street. He pauses and pulls his cell phone from his pocket and check to see if he has any messages: nothing. Dean shakes his head and mutters under his breath. Neither Dad nor Sam is anywhere to be found and Dean has to do more research. Great! At this point all he knows is the creature is human and can turn into a bat – wing liked creature. It has to be a God or Spirit of some sort but mostly related to dreams and nightmares. It would still be nice to share the information with his family.
Dean heads towards the library and finds the computers quickly. He sits at a station and opens google. Typing in his search for Gods and Spirts for dreams and nightmares, the results blow his mind away.
Dean’s deep into his reading when his cell phone starts vibrating in his pocket. Pulling it out he sees Sam’s name written on the screen.
“Hey! What’s up? Where did you go this morning?” He can’t help his concern.
“Hi. Sorry about that. I had to talk with Dad about something.” Sam says matter of flatly.
“Is everything okay?” Dean can’t help asking even though he knows Sam isn’t going to tell him. “Cause I think I found something or someone.”
“Everything is fine, Dean. It was about the hunt. You found the creature?” Sam squeals out in delight.
“Yeah – I think so. I’m at the library. I’ll just print the information out. Breakfast, dude?”
“Yeah – meet us at the diner.” Sam tells Dean.
Dean prints out the pages about the Spirits of Morpheus and Epiales. They were the spirits of dreams and nightmares, and they’re brothers. Knowing which spirit it is doesn’t help if they don’t know what person it inhabits. Dean can only hope that they will discover who it is since none of them have touched the piece of skin. The skin is the key, and they need to find out who the next victim is, stopping these murderous spirits in their tracks.
~*~*~
Entering the diner, Dean looks around and notices that Dad and Sam are in a booth towards the back. Dean walks over to them and slides in next to Sammy, bumping into his shoulder in the process.
“Jerk.” Sam says with a grin on his face.
“Bitch.”
“Dean, Sam said you found some information about the creature?” John asks but avoids eye contact, which is unusual for his father.
“Yeah – Dad. I found out that there is a Spirit of Dreams called Morpheus and a Spirit of Nightmares called Epiales. They are brothers. It seems they can change into a dark-winged creature once they implant their dream or nightmare into the persons mind.” Dean can’t help but state his findings proudly.
“A spirit of dreams and nightmares. Okay, so how does this implant thing work?” Sam asks while looking at their father.
A light switch turns on in his head, but Dean doesn’t say anything. He just watches more closely.
“When a person is dreaming, the spirit implants a message through touch to be released to the subconscious. This then plays back the dream or nightmare while you are sleeping. And most victims don’t realize the creature is part of the dream or nightmare to start with because the victim is so focused on the horrible nightmare.” Dean says.
“What?” John yells across the table.
“The creature reveals themselves before the person wakes up in human form and leaves in the dark-winged form.” Dean states confidently. Everything he read said this.
“Is there any more information about these creatures?” Sam asks hesitantly.
Dean can sense something is wrong with his father and brother. It sounds like one of them has touched the skin. Who? Most likely Dad since he had a piece of skin from the Captain. He doesn’t want to let on that he figured it out, but he’s curious all the same.
“Yeah – Epiales is the creature of nightmares. His skin is black and red, his eyes are red. The Captain said a relative of one of the victims saw the man in his dreams and said he is tall and muscular with dark-brown eyes, black – shoulder length hair, high cheek bones with thick red lips. The man is very witty and charismatic.” Dean shares with them.
“Okay. That’s great, Dean. A good description of the man. It should help us to find and kill him.” John says looking at his hands and not at Dean.
“How do we kill it, Dean?” Sam asks and John looks up with wide eyes and barely there nod towards Sam.
“Fire. Like a flare gun. It’s very similar to a Wendigo.” Dean says and grins. He loves using fire to kill his prey.
But that is as much information as Dean has. Now that he does know, his attitude changes.
“How will we find it Sam? Dad?” Dean asks lowering his gaze to his hands.
“Umm…through a dream or nightmare. Maybe we should touch the piece of skin?” Sam says and stares at their father, obviously willing him, to go along with a plan that he has no idea about.
They are both acting unusual and neither of them will meet his gaze. It makes Dean’s insides twist and turn until he is nauseous. Something is wrong and they won’t trust him.
“I think that’s a great plan, Sam. I still have the piece of skin and I can touch it and look for the creature in my dreams.” John states calmly, glances up at Dean rather than his hands, the table, or at Sam.
“I think that’s a plan. But, Dad, you sure this is the best we’ve got?” Sam says, biting his bottom lip.
“Yeah – Sam. I think it is. We have all the information we need. All because of Dean.” John says looking at Dean.
“Okay. We’ve got a plan. Be aware of your dreams tonight. Be on the lookout.” Dean says, lowering his lashes as he takes in the appearance of his father and brother. Both are breathing fast and nervous about what is to come.
“It’s going to be okay. Everything will be fine. All I dream about is beer, burgers, and girls.” Dean says with a laugh to lighten the mood.
“And pie!” Sam adds.
They laugh together and the tension floating in the air dissipates. They are able to relax and enjoy their lunch. Dean smiles to himself, happy at being the peacemaker and relaxing his family members before the secret is out. Dean knows that John and Sam has already experienced their first dream and are completely freaked out about what they saw in those dreams. Well, they’re not dreams are they? They’re nightmares, to be honest.
~*~*~
Dean takes a shot and asks Sam to go see a movie, since their hunt doesn’t begin until the sun fades and the stars sparkle bright in the night sky.
Surprisingly, Sam accepts the invitation to the movies. It’s a small town, so there isn’t much choice. They bicker until they decide on Lethal Weapon. It’s a classic that they have seen multiple times in their motel room on the crappy televisions, but never on the big screen.
Dean encourages Sam to head into the theater to find them some seats. He hopes Sam picks somewhere towards the back. He hates the front and enjoys watching others while he is able to sit back and relax and enjoy some quality time with his pain in the ass little brother that is not so little anymore.
Dean grabs them a large tub of popcorn and drizzles a good amount of salt and butter on the fluffy white kernels. Two large blue raspberry slushy’s, a bag of peanut M&M’s and licorice for Sam make up his snack haul.
He enters the theater and finds Sam in the back. Thank God! Relief washes over him and he sees Sam’s face light up with a mirrored smile. The small flutter of butterfly wings can be felt in his stomach. Dean is nervous, and the thought stops him in his tracks. Why is he nervous?
Rather than think about it, Dean covers his unease and stares unashamed at Sam. His brother is taller than him now and he hides his annoyance of being the shortest with a smirk, all the while eyeing his brother. Sam’s brown hair reaches his shoulders and is tucked neatly behind his ears. The glint in his hazel eyes is warm, and they crinkle when he grins from ear to ear. Dean’s heart flutters in his chest. Shit! It’s the same feelings he has when he looks for a girl. Fuck! Dean’s nervous because he likes Sam.
Sam waits for him, concern etched on his face. He can clearly read what Sam is thinking even without him voicing it. Always the big brother, Dean, nods towards Sam in reassurance, smiling when his brother relaxes. He takes the steps up towards the back of the stadium theater and plops down next to Sam. Popcorn flies out from the bag and lands in Sam’s waiting lap. Sam chuckles beside him and leans over to whisper in his ear, “Eager much, Dean.” Sam brushes the kernels onto the floor.
The lights fade and they watch the movie in comfortable silence. Legs splay and thighs press together, even their feet touch. It feels natural – an everyday thing between them. Dean’s heart races and sweat pools on the back of his neck. Why is this making him nervous?
He takes a few deep breaths, feeling the simple ease and closeness between them. This has him moving his hand towards Sam’s. He wants to entwine their fingers together like a puzzle and never let go.
Dean jumps when Sam joins their fingers and squeezes gently. As if reassuring him not to freak out, which is unlike Sam to say the least.
They watch the rest of the movie hand in hand, just enjoying the simple pleasure of being with one another. Dean looks over at Sam when the credits roll and his eye lids are at half-mast. It’s time to take him home.
“Let’s get out of here Sammy.” He smiles and pulls his brother up. They walk back to the car, holding hands along the way. It’s been a long time since they clasped hands in this fashion. Sammy was a small boy, looking for his brother for comfort. Dean releases the hold and stands there not sure what to do.
Sam bumps his shoulder and looks at him with a questioning look.
“Dean?” He asks.
“I’m fine Sammy. Let’s get out of here.” Dean tells Sam.
~*~*~
Back at the motel, they each take a shower and head to bed.
Sam goes to the bed closest to the bathroom. He pulls the golden-yellow comforter down and crawls in. Laying down, he pulls the blankets under his chin before tucking his hands under his head. It’s not long before his eyes droop shut.
Dean sits on the edge of the bed watching his brother ever so closely. His gaze follows every move he makes while entering his bed. Dean waits for the easy breaths of his brother to snatch Sam’s laptop up from the floor and start it up.
There’s one piece of information he keeps locked away. Hoping it will be of use in the future.
Even though he’d kept his attention on the Captain, a photograph on the Captain’s desk had caught his eye. A picture of the Captain and what looks like his brother, a paramedic. What caught Dean’s attention was the bright blue eyes on the Captain’s brother, and the slight redness of the Captain’s eyes.
Both men were tall and had high cheek bones. One brother had black, shoulder length hair, while the other had blonde, short spiky hair. Captain Johnson had brown eyes with a touch of red to them, where his brother had piercing blue eyes. They were both muscular and their uniforms fit them like a second skin.
Dean had to admit, these men were attractive. Only to himself. He would never be able to express that thought out loud to his family. He had too much fear of being judged and no longer a true man. If his father ever saw him as a man.
With Sam asleep, Dean continues his research on Morpheus and Epiales. The spirits of dreams and nightmares. Brothers. Dean has to admit that these men do their job well, like his family does well with hunting.
Since they’ve come here, Dean’s dreams have been filled with pleasures of his wants and desires. It’s…confronting, as Dean realized he most likely would never take the time to go after what he truly wants out of life. These dreams have given him a new outlook of having his wants and desires at his fingertips. Achieving them… he finds even the thought difficult.
He looks at his brother in awe, sleeping peacefully and having dreams that may be a gateway to solving this case. Dean shivers at the thought of what is going on in his brother’s mind. Was it Morpheus or Epiales?
Morpheus enters a person’s subconscious radiating a bright blue light by giving the person a dream of their wants and desires. He would speak slowly and charmingly with the person he was about to give a dream too. Morpheus’s voice would ease and comfort the person, and they would accept the dream and sleep in peace before waking up content and satisfied.
Epiales, on the other hand, enters the victim’s subconscious, blinding the victim with a red light. He used his charm and wit to gain the trust of his victims allowing him to turn their dreams into nightmares. His victims would wake up in a cold sweat and unnerved to the core of their being.
Dean sighs at the thought of what Sam and his Dad could be going through with these dreams and nightmares. He scrubs his hand over his face and heads to the sink. Dean splashes cold water over his tired face and fills the glass cup with water, downing it in one gulp.
He creeps to his bed near the door and pulls back the comforter. Lowering himself onto the mattress, Dean whispers to his brother, “Good night, Sammy. Sweet dreams.”
Rolling over to his stomach, his right hand grasps the blade hidden beneath the pillow. Feeling more secure, Dean falls asleep to the content, rhythmic breathing from his brother.
Chapter Eight
Dean’s POV
Dean wakes up and sits on the edge of the bed, eyes wide open as he stares at the empty bed next to him. Where did Sam go? Did he leave again? Or did he go see Dad?
He has no idea what is going on with Sam, but his gut feeling is that it has to do with this case. Getting to his feet Dean heads towards the bathroom. He washes up, but the usual relaxing ritual is marred by thoughts of Sam.
When Dean sees Sam hasn’t returned, his heart starts beating erratically. It’s stupid and he can’t help it: so much of his identity is dedicated to the safety and protection of Sam. Dean knows deep within his heart that he could never protect Sam completely, but he will still die trying to protect him from the creatures that plague the earth in the darkness.
Knowing he can’t do anything about Sam, Dean takes a chance and heads towards the police station wanting to speak with the Captain. If he’s there, Dean can hopefully gain more insight into this creature, more specifically this piece of skin found by the victims.
Thinking about what Sam and Dad have said, Dean, feels in his bones that there is more to this creature that either of them is telling him. He might not be the greatest when it comes to research, but he is capable of looking for valuable information for a hunt. Dean’s best features are in his interviewing skills. He works the charm while staying calm and collected when trying to gain information on a case. He’d never say, but he’s proud of that skill.
Dean walks the eight blocks down the street to the police station. The sun is up and bright. The heat beats down on his back makes the sweat pour down his back, pooling beneath the leather of his jacket.
He wishes he felt cooler as he enters the police station. But he gives himself a moment before heading towards the intercom.
“Good morning, this is Agent Bates. I’m here to see Captain Johnson.” Dean states through the intercom.
“Agent Bates - Come on in, the Captain is waiting for you.”
Dean hears the click of the door and pulls it open. An officer greets him and takes him straight to the Captain’s office. Dean nods his thanks, before turning to the door. Taking a deep breath, he steadies himself before knocking. And then he waits.
“Come on in.” A voice says.
Dean opens the door and walks into the office and walks up towards the Captain, ready to ask his questions.
“Hello. I’m Agent Bates. I’m here to find out more about that bat creature case.” Dean walks towards Johnson with his hand out waiting to be received and shaken.
Captain Johnson reaches out and shakes Dean’s hand in greeting and nods.
“Nice to meet you, Agent Bates.” The Captain is obviously a busy man. He wastes no time getting down to business. “The skin from the creature is bat-like: tough and smooth. Our experts guess it comes from its wing, although the skin is very similar to human skin. And, of course, the pigments of the skin are black and red.”
“Human skin: black and red human skin, sir?” Dean asks.
Captain Johnson shrugs, not willing to give a definite answer. “A piece of the skin that was found at each site next to the victim was analyzed. In all cases, the results were closely related to human skin.”
“A human: that can possibly change shape.” Dean tries to make it a question, but really there is no doubt. “Is there anything else you can tell me about the case?” He asks curiously. Already it’s been worth the trip. He wasn’t expecting to find out this skin is human.
“Yeah, there was one more thing. One of the relatives from our latest victim said that they saw this man in their dreams and when the man left, it looked like a bat, like Dracula.” The Captain’s voice conveys his skepticism.
“Like Dracula, thank you for the information Captain.” Dean tells the Captain and walks out to go to the library.
It is still fairly early in the morning, not yet 9 o’clock. The library won’t be open so Dean takes his time ambling down the street. He pauses and pulls his cell phone from his pocket and check to see if he has any messages: nothing. Dean shakes his head and mutters under his breath. Neither Dad nor Sam is anywhere to be found and Dean has to do more research. Great! At this point all he knows is the creature is human and can turn into a bat – wing liked creature. It has to be a God or Spirit of some sort but mostly related to dreams and nightmares. It would still be nice to share the information with his family.
Dean heads towards the library and finds the computers quickly. He sits at a station and opens google. Typing in his search for Gods and Spirts for dreams and nightmares, the results blow his mind away.
Dean’s deep into his reading when his cell phone starts vibrating in his pocket. Pulling it out he sees Sam’s name written on the screen.
“Hey! What’s up? Where did you go this morning?” He can’t help his concern.
“Hi. Sorry about that. I had to talk with Dad about something.” Sam says matter of flatly.
“Is everything okay?” Dean can’t help asking even though he knows Sam isn’t going to tell him. “Cause I think I found something or someone.”
“Everything is fine, Dean. It was about the hunt. You found the creature?” Sam squeals out in delight.
“Yeah – I think so. I’m at the library. I’ll just print the information out. Breakfast, dude?”
“Yeah – meet us at the diner.” Sam tells Dean.
Dean prints out the pages about the Spirits of Morpheus and Epiales. They were the spirits of dreams and nightmares, and they’re brothers. Knowing which spirit it is doesn’t help if they don’t know what person it inhabits. Dean can only hope that they will discover who it is since none of them have touched the piece of skin. The skin is the key, and they need to find out who the next victim is, stopping these murderous spirits in their tracks.
~*~*~
Entering the diner, Dean looks around and notices that Dad and Sam are in a booth towards the back. Dean walks over to them and slides in next to Sammy, bumping into his shoulder in the process.
“Jerk.” Sam says with a grin on his face.
“Bitch.”
“Dean, Sam said you found some information about the creature?” John asks but avoids eye contact, which is unusual for his father.
“Yeah – Dad. I found out that there is a Spirit of Dreams called Morpheus and a Spirit of Nightmares called Epiales. They are brothers. It seems they can change into a dark-winged creature once they implant their dream or nightmare into the persons mind.” Dean can’t help but state his findings proudly.
“A spirit of dreams and nightmares. Okay, so how does this implant thing work?” Sam asks while looking at their father.
A light switch turns on in his head, but Dean doesn’t say anything. He just watches more closely.
“When a person is dreaming, the spirit implants a message through touch to be released to the subconscious. This then plays back the dream or nightmare while you are sleeping. And most victims don’t realize the creature is part of the dream or nightmare to start with because the victim is so focused on the horrible nightmare.” Dean says.
“What?” John yells across the table.
“The creature reveals themselves before the person wakes up in human form and leaves in the dark-winged form.” Dean states confidently. Everything he read said this.
“Is there any more information about these creatures?” Sam asks hesitantly.
Dean can sense something is wrong with his father and brother. It sounds like one of them has touched the skin. Who? Most likely Dad since he had a piece of skin from the Captain. He doesn’t want to let on that he figured it out, but he’s curious all the same.
“Yeah – Epiales is the creature of nightmares. His skin is black and red, his eyes are red. The Captain said a relative of one of the victims saw the man in his dreams and said he is tall and muscular with dark-brown eyes, black – shoulder length hair, high cheek bones with thick red lips. The man is very witty and charismatic.” Dean shares with them.
“Okay. That’s great, Dean. A good description of the man. It should help us to find and kill him.” John says looking at his hands and not at Dean.
“How do we kill it, Dean?” Sam asks and John looks up with wide eyes and barely there nod towards Sam.
“Fire. Like a flare gun. It’s very similar to a Wendigo.” Dean says and grins. He loves using fire to kill his prey.
But that is as much information as Dean has. Now that he does know, his attitude changes.
“How will we find it Sam? Dad?” Dean asks lowering his gaze to his hands.
“Umm…through a dream or nightmare. Maybe we should touch the piece of skin?” Sam says and stares at their father, obviously willing him, to go along with a plan that he has no idea about.
They are both acting unusual and neither of them will meet his gaze. It makes Dean’s insides twist and turn until he is nauseous. Something is wrong and they won’t trust him.
“I think that’s a great plan, Sam. I still have the piece of skin and I can touch it and look for the creature in my dreams.” John states calmly, glances up at Dean rather than his hands, the table, or at Sam.
“I think that’s a plan. But, Dad, you sure this is the best we’ve got?” Sam says, biting his bottom lip.
“Yeah – Sam. I think it is. We have all the information we need. All because of Dean.” John says looking at Dean.
“Okay. We’ve got a plan. Be aware of your dreams tonight. Be on the lookout.” Dean says, lowering his lashes as he takes in the appearance of his father and brother. Both are breathing fast and nervous about what is to come.
“It’s going to be okay. Everything will be fine. All I dream about is beer, burgers, and girls.” Dean says with a laugh to lighten the mood.
“And pie!” Sam adds.
They laugh together and the tension floating in the air dissipates. They are able to relax and enjoy their lunch. Dean smiles to himself, happy at being the peacemaker and relaxing his family members before the secret is out. Dean knows that John and Sam has already experienced their first dream and are completely freaked out about what they saw in those dreams. Well, they’re not dreams are they? They’re nightmares, to be honest.
~*~*~
Dean takes a shot and asks Sam to go see a movie, since their hunt doesn’t begin until the sun fades and the stars sparkle bright in the night sky.
Surprisingly, Sam accepts the invitation to the movies. It’s a small town, so there isn’t much choice. They bicker until they decide on Lethal Weapon. It’s a classic that they have seen multiple times in their motel room on the crappy televisions, but never on the big screen.
Dean encourages Sam to head into the theater to find them some seats. He hopes Sam picks somewhere towards the back. He hates the front and enjoys watching others while he is able to sit back and relax and enjoy some quality time with his pain in the ass little brother that is not so little anymore.
Dean grabs them a large tub of popcorn and drizzles a good amount of salt and butter on the fluffy white kernels. Two large blue raspberry slushy’s, a bag of peanut M&M’s and licorice for Sam make up his snack haul.
He enters the theater and finds Sam in the back. Thank God! Relief washes over him and he sees Sam’s face light up with a mirrored smile. The small flutter of butterfly wings can be felt in his stomach. Dean is nervous, and the thought stops him in his tracks. Why is he nervous?
Rather than think about it, Dean covers his unease and stares unashamed at Sam. His brother is taller than him now and he hides his annoyance of being the shortest with a smirk, all the while eyeing his brother. Sam’s brown hair reaches his shoulders and is tucked neatly behind his ears. The glint in his hazel eyes is warm, and they crinkle when he grins from ear to ear. Dean’s heart flutters in his chest. Shit! It’s the same feelings he has when he looks for a girl. Fuck! Dean’s nervous because he likes Sam.
Sam waits for him, concern etched on his face. He can clearly read what Sam is thinking even without him voicing it. Always the big brother, Dean, nods towards Sam in reassurance, smiling when his brother relaxes. He takes the steps up towards the back of the stadium theater and plops down next to Sam. Popcorn flies out from the bag and lands in Sam’s waiting lap. Sam chuckles beside him and leans over to whisper in his ear, “Eager much, Dean.” Sam brushes the kernels onto the floor.
The lights fade and they watch the movie in comfortable silence. Legs splay and thighs press together, even their feet touch. It feels natural – an everyday thing between them. Dean’s heart races and sweat pools on the back of his neck. Why is this making him nervous?
He takes a few deep breaths, feeling the simple ease and closeness between them. This has him moving his hand towards Sam’s. He wants to entwine their fingers together like a puzzle and never let go.
Dean jumps when Sam joins their fingers and squeezes gently. As if reassuring him not to freak out, which is unlike Sam to say the least.
They watch the rest of the movie hand in hand, just enjoying the simple pleasure of being with one another. Dean looks over at Sam when the credits roll and his eye lids are at half-mast. It’s time to take him home.
“Let’s get out of here Sammy.” He smiles and pulls his brother up. They walk back to the car, holding hands along the way. It’s been a long time since they clasped hands in this fashion. Sammy was a small boy, looking for his brother for comfort. Dean releases the hold and stands there not sure what to do.
Sam bumps his shoulder and looks at him with a questioning look.
“Dean?” He asks.
“I’m fine Sammy. Let’s get out of here.” Dean tells Sam.
~*~*~
Back at the motel, they each take a shower and head to bed.
Sam goes to the bed closest to the bathroom. He pulls the golden-yellow comforter down and crawls in. Laying down, he pulls the blankets under his chin before tucking his hands under his head. It’s not long before his eyes droop shut.
Dean sits on the edge of the bed watching his brother ever so closely. His gaze follows every move he makes while entering his bed. Dean waits for the easy breaths of his brother to snatch Sam’s laptop up from the floor and start it up.
There’s one piece of information he keeps locked away. Hoping it will be of use in the future.
Even though he’d kept his attention on the Captain, a photograph on the Captain’s desk had caught his eye. A picture of the Captain and what looks like his brother, a paramedic. What caught Dean’s attention was the bright blue eyes on the Captain’s brother, and the slight redness of the Captain’s eyes.
Both men were tall and had high cheek bones. One brother had black, shoulder length hair, while the other had blonde, short spiky hair. Captain Johnson had brown eyes with a touch of red to them, where his brother had piercing blue eyes. They were both muscular and their uniforms fit them like a second skin.
Dean had to admit, these men were attractive. Only to himself. He would never be able to express that thought out loud to his family. He had too much fear of being judged and no longer a true man. If his father ever saw him as a man.
With Sam asleep, Dean continues his research on Morpheus and Epiales. The spirits of dreams and nightmares. Brothers. Dean has to admit that these men do their job well, like his family does well with hunting.
Since they’ve come here, Dean’s dreams have been filled with pleasures of his wants and desires. It’s…confronting, as Dean realized he most likely would never take the time to go after what he truly wants out of life. These dreams have given him a new outlook of having his wants and desires at his fingertips. Achieving them… he finds even the thought difficult.
He looks at his brother in awe, sleeping peacefully and having dreams that may be a gateway to solving this case. Dean shivers at the thought of what is going on in his brother’s mind. Was it Morpheus or Epiales?
Morpheus enters a person’s subconscious radiating a bright blue light by giving the person a dream of their wants and desires. He would speak slowly and charmingly with the person he was about to give a dream too. Morpheus’s voice would ease and comfort the person, and they would accept the dream and sleep in peace before waking up content and satisfied.
Epiales, on the other hand, enters the victim’s subconscious, blinding the victim with a red light. He used his charm and wit to gain the trust of his victims allowing him to turn their dreams into nightmares. His victims would wake up in a cold sweat and unnerved to the core of their being.
Dean sighs at the thought of what Sam and his Dad could be going through with these dreams and nightmares. He scrubs his hand over his face and heads to the sink. Dean splashes cold water over his tired face and fills the glass cup with water, downing it in one gulp.
He creeps to his bed near the door and pulls back the comforter. Lowering himself onto the mattress, Dean whispers to his brother, “Good night, Sammy. Sweet dreams.”
Rolling over to his stomach, his right hand grasps the blade hidden beneath the pillow. Feeling more secure, Dean falls asleep to the content, rhythmic breathing from his brother.
Chapter Eight