Work Text:
Sam should have been back hours ago. Dean stared out of the cabin window at the dark woods and felt none of the warmth from the fire burning next to him. Sweat was beaded on his skin but, caught up by the snow-swirled night outside, he could do nothing but shiver.
“Cover more ground if we split up my ass,” he muttered, and speed-dialed his brother again.
Somewhere out there, Sam’s phone rang once and then clicked over to voice mail. Which meant that, somewhere along the line, his phone had gone either dead or out of service. The last twenty times he’d called, it had been easy to tell himself that Sam was busy talking to someone else—an important lead, maybe—because cell phones didn’t have busy signals. But he couldn’t delude himself any longer.
“Goddamn it, Sam. Can’t let you out of my sight for a minute.”
Dean flipped his phone shut and dropped it on the windowsill. Then he rose in one smooth motion and crossed to the cabin’s front door. Grasping the latch, he paused and let his eyes fall shut.
Hey, furball, he thought.
The wolf grumbled sleepily and was silent. Figured the damned thing would pick now to rest up.
Dean reached for it again, fighting against the amulet’s dampening pull, and this time he was rewarded by a grumpy, What want?
Sam’s missing. Can you find him through the storm?
The wolf perked up, coming more awake as it realized what was going on. Not missing, it said slyly. Left. Left you alone. Doesn’t want you.
Dean grit his teeth together in frustration. Listen up, asshole: my little brother’s out there somewhere and you’re going to help me find him.
Why should I? it asked.
The seconds were shooting past like bullets, each one aimed at his brother's heart, and Dean didn’t have time to bargain. He had to offer the wolf something that it would jump at the opportunity to have, and if he wasn’t willing to ditch the amulet (fat fucking chance), then there was only one card left to play.
“Help me find him and I’ll let you into my dreams again, you son of a bitch,” he growled.
Find easy. Leave now. Dean could practically hear the bastard’s tail wagging in his head. Could feel its energy bubbling up in anticipation of having him to itself again, if only for a few hours a night.
Shoving aside his own unease at the thought of what this new bargain would mean for him, he embraced the wolf as fully as he could with the amulet’s interference. Then, his vision blurred with confusing scents, he ducked out into the frozen night.
Hold on, Sammy. I’m coming.