Chapter One

Dean leaned forward, elbows on his knees. Sam sat beside him on the fancy couch, saying nothing. Dean wanted to do the talking so he'd let him.

"Look, we don't want any trouble," the elder Winchester told Cuthbert Sinclair.

The ex-Man of Letters snorted derisively, "And killing my vampires isn't looking for trouble?"

Dean frowned, "Hey, man! They attacked us! What were we supposed to do?"

Cuthbert held up a hand, "Say no more. I understand."

Dean nodded, looking satisfied, "We need that Blade to kill a Knight of Hell. We're trying to protect a whole lot of people."

"As you've said," the ex-Man of Letters replied, "But I still don't see how that affects me."

Dean scowled, "If Abaddon wins, no one will be safe. Not even you, Mr. Sinclair."

The man did not look convinced, he sat back in his chair and glanced around the room smugly, "I've survived this long."

Dean sighed irritably. Sam glanced at him; "We can return the Blade to you, after we're done, if that's what you want."

Cuthbert shook his head, "That's not what I'm concerned with, boys. You can keep the First Blade for all I care when you're through. What I want, though, is compensation."

Both brothers frowned.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"The demons had it right: you can't get something for nothing," the man joked, "I am willing to trade you for the Blade. How does that sound? Once you have the Blade you can do with it what you like. You can turn it into a tacky trophy for all I care. But I want something in return."

"What do you mean, a trade?" Sam asked suspiciously.

Besides a few angel blades and the Colt and Ruby's knife, the Winchesters really didn't have anything special someone like Cuthbert Sinclair would want.

"Look around!" the man exclaimed, extending his arms dramatically, "I'm a collector! I surround myself with rare and unique objects… antiquities… and creatures."

Dean smirked, "I wouldn't call vampires rare or unique. But hey, whatever floats your boat."

Cuthbert glared at the older Winchester for a moment before his expression once again turned arrogant.

"What do you want?" Sam asked before Dean could say anything else that was likely to get them kicked out without the First Blade.

The ex-Man of Letters turned his gaze on Sam and smiled, "You."

Sam opened his mouth in shock.

"Excuse me?" he asked brusquely.

"I want you to stay here," Cuthbert said, "With me. And your brother can have the Blade."

"NO!" Sam exclaimed and stood up.

Dean grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to the couch, "Sam, calm down."

Sam glared at his brother, "Did you even hear what he just said?!"

Dean nodded, "I did. But we need the First Blade."

Sam gaped at Dean in shock, "You… you can't be considering this, can you? He's insane!"

Dean's hazel eyes darkened, "But we need the Blade."

"I… I can't believe you, Dean!" Sam cried and stood, stepped around to the back of the couch and ran his hands through his hair.

He looked over at Cuthbert.

"Why? Why me? We have weapons that we could give you," he told the man.

"You are unique, Sam Winchester. There is no one else like you in the world. Demon blood runs through your veins and yet you have been the vessel the brightest angel. No one else can boast that."

Sam frowned, "No. No way. We'll give you anything else."

Cuthbert shook his head and sighed, "It is not only that you are so one-of-a-kind that intrigues me, Sam. It is very lonely here, surrounded by inanimate objects and monsters. I wish for a companion that is as articulate and well-read as I and you are that as well."

Dean looked up at Sam, "See, he likes you."

Sam glared daggers at him, "Shut the fuck up."

Dean's eyes widened and he smirked. Why was he smirking? This was anything but funny.

Dean turned around to face the ex-Man of Letters. He sighed and rubbed his hands together for a moment, thinking.

"Okay," the older brother said, "We'll do it."

"What?! No! What are you doing?" Sam exclaimed and Dean stood, turning to face him.

"Sam, I'm thinking about all those people out there who are going to die if we don't stop Abaddon. I'm thinking about the greater good."

Sam shook his head, "You can't, Dean. I refuse. I'm coming with you."

Dean reached out and gripped Sam's shoulders, looking him in the eye; whispering so that Cuthbert wouldn't hear.

"I'm going to come back for you, Sammy. I promise."

Sam pulled away from his brother and looked from Dean to Cuthbert and back again.

"I am not staying here."

"Yes, you are Sam," Dean said, "It's the only way."

"You can't make this kind of decision!" Sam cried.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't think he could feel more betrayed. Even finding out about Gadreel paled to this. He was being sold. Sold! By his own brother!

Dean and Cuthbert walked over to where the First Blade was sitting on display, ignoring Sam's turmoil.

The ex-Man of Letters lifted the jawbone down from its stand and handed it to Dean without a second glance.

"Dean," Sam said and his brother looked up at him as he tucked the Blade into his jacket, "Don't do this."

Dean looked away from him and he and Cuthbert began walking toward the wall where the door had been.

Sam followed close behind the two because there was no fucking way he was going to be that man's pet for even ten minutes. He was leaving with Dean.

The ex-Man of Letters stopped Dean with a hand on his shoulder.

Sam waited warily; ready to fight his way out if need be and-

Dean suddenly vanished in a puff of purple smoke, vanishing from the room.

SPN

Crowley looked up as Dean appeared out of thin air in the middle of the clearing.

Alone.

"Where's Moose?" he asked, smirking. He slid off the hood of the Impala where he'd been lounging, waiting.

"Let's go," Dean replied bluntly

Crowley raised an eyebrow, "I'd have thought he'd be right behind you, Squirrel. You two are practically joined at the hip."

"I said let's go," Dean snapped and unlocked the driver's side door of the Impala.

"You left him!" Crowley crowed.

Dean stared at the King of Hell over the top of the classic Chevy.

"We didn't have a choice," he explained, "Sinclair wouldn't have given us the Blade otherwise."

Crowley was impressed. He was certain Dean would never let Sam out of his sight.

"He's safe though," Dean continued, sounding as though he was speaking more to himself, trying to justify his actions, "I don't think Sinclair is going to hurt him."

Crowley couldn't help but keep prodding at Dean.

"And was this a mutual agreement?" he asked, "Or did you make that decision all by yourself?"

"I'm coming back for him!" Dean snapped and climbed into the driver's seat, slamming the door.

Crowley opened the passenger's door and sat.

"Once we kill this bitch we are coming back and getting Sam," Dean said and put the key in the engine.

"I'm coming back for him," he muttered to himself, thinking Crowley couldn't hear him.

The demon said nothing else. He was sure that if Sam wasn't pissed enough at his brother now, he'd be even more so when Dean showed up after he killed Abbadon.

SPN

"DEAN!" Sam shouted and slammed his fists against the wall.

He glanced over his shoulder at Cuthbert who stood watching him.

"Let me out! Let me out of here! You can't keep me in here!"

The ex-Man of Letters nodded, "Of course, Sam. You're not a prisoner."

He waved a hand lazily and the door reappeared before Sam.

The young man threw open the door and stepped out into the hallway.

"Let me go," he growled, "I want out."

"Your brother made a trade," Cuthbert replied calmly, "You are mine now. You can't leave unless I allow it."

Sam's hands clenched into fists. He stalked up to Cuthbert and glared at him, "Let me out. Now."

"I am not one of the monsters you hunt, Sam," the man said, "I simply want a human companion. Someone to talk to. Is that so wrong?"

"It is when I didn't agree to this!" Sam shouted.

Cuthbert didn't seem at all troubled by the young man's anger. Instead he turned away from Sam, walked back into the parlour and poured himself a glass of whisky from a cut glass decanter sitting on a cherry wood sideboard.

"Drink?" Cuthbert asked, holding the decanter up so that Sam could see the amber liquid inside.

"Fuck you," Sam replied and left the room.

If he was trapped in this fun house until Dean returned- if he could- he was not going to be spending all his time with Sinclair.

Despite the ex-Man of Letter's assurances that there was no escape, Sam couldn't help but look for a way out.

The hunter walked slowly down the hallway, opening up every door he came to in the hope that it would lead outside.

There wasn't one.

Sam found a restaurant-sized kitchen, a room filled with a myriad of paintings, and a corridor with over a dozen different styles of swords and daggers hanging on the walls.

Sam pulled open yet another door and a gust of warm air swept over him. There was a staircase descending down from the doorway and there was a distinct barnyard smell in the air.

This must be where Sinclair keeps his pets.

Sam walked down the stairs slowly. He could hear the creatures Sinclair kept down here, growls and squeals and hisses filled the warm air.

Once the hunter stepped off the lowest stair and looked around, he gaped.

Row upon row of cages greeted him- some made of metal bars while others were glass- all likely fortified with some sort of spell to prevent the monsters from escaping.

Sam walked to the closest cage. It was glass and taller than him. It looked like a terrarium for a snake or some other reptile with a dirt floor, a large log and child-sized swimming pool filled with water. The creature inside looked to Sam like a large pile of snot. It had no discernable shape and was an unpleasant greyish-green colour. Sam glanced up and saw a small silver plaque near the top of the cage read simply 'Blob'. He stared at the creature for a moment longer but when it didn't react to his presence in anyway, he moved on.

Sam couldn't help but be amazed at Sinclair's collection. Some of the creatures were familiar but others were ones Sam had only read about. Cuthbert's zoo contained a harpy, a manticore, a drake, a nymph, and many others Sam had never actually seen in real life.

The creature in the last cage made the young man's eyes widen in shock. This was definitely something he'd never thought existed outside of legend.

The creature had a narrow, deer-like head, a tangled mane, a lion's tail and the cloven hooves of a goat. Sam glanced at the plaque to make sure he was correct. Yes, this was a unicorn.

The creature was bright white, its hooves the same pink as the inside of a seashell and it had large, dark, soulful eyes. It was more than just a horse with a horn. Sam had read The Last Unicorn when he was younger- despite Dean's teasing that it was a 'girl's book'- and thought that the author had gotten the description of the creature almost spot on. The only thing missing was its horn.

Sam recalled that the horn of a unicorn- or alicorn- was believed to have magical or medicinal properties.

The young man stepped right up to the bars of the cage and slipped his hand through. The unicorn approached him slowly, its head bowed.

Sam laid his hand palm-down on the creature's brow and almost gasped. He had never felt anything so soft- nor did he think he ever would again- as the fur of the unicorn. A sense of calm, of serenity washed through Sam and all his anger and fear and frustration seemed to melt away.

He carefully brushed the unicorn's forelock away and revealed the stump that was all that was left of the creature's horn. Sam wondered if Sinclair had the alicorn among his collection.

"I see you've found my unicorn," Cuthbert's voice said from behind Sam and the younger man turned in surprise, drawing his hand from the cage.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" the man asked and walked up to the creature, his gaze admiring.

"Am I going to end up in one of these cages too? Just another member of your menagerie?" Sam asked suspiciously.

Cuthbert looked insulted, "Goodness no! What kind of host would I be if I forced my guest to languish in a place like this?"

Sam didn't reply.

"I was just thinking," Sinclair continued, "I have the most wonderful library, if you'd like to see it, Sam."

The hunter shook his head, "I'll pass."

"Are you sure?" Cuthbert wheedled, "You look like a man who enjoys reading."

"You are not going to make me like you," Sam told him, "We are never going to be friends."

The ex-Man of Letters shrugged, "I understand that right now you are upset, but in time you'll come around. I am sure of it."

Sam scowled, "Never."

"I am willing to wait," Cuthbert insisted, "It may take years but you will eventually see me as your friend. Besides, other than you, and myself there are no other people here. I'd imagine you will become very lonely before long if you continue to distance yourself from me."

"See just how long I'll make you wait," Sam challenged, "Hell will freeze over before I become your 'companion'.

With that, Sam turned away from the man and began walking back the way he had come.

The man was a lunatic. Why would he think Sam would like him? He wasn't here by choice. The man was practically holding him prisoner and no amount of bribing would change that.

This comes from an idea I had after watching 'Blade Runners'.

I think this will be a short fic, only two or three chapters (maybe four) but it won't be long.

Please leave a review.