Institute Revisited with Extreme Prejudice

Sequel to The Institute if you haven't read that one first, it might be better if you do and catch up before hand.

Disclaimer: I only like playing with the boys, and owe the wonderful Mister Kripke a huge thanks for creating the best show on TV.

Author's Note: Yep more whumpage, lots of booboos and sigh hurt Sam and Dean... as they find a way to reverse the damage caused by the Institute.

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CHAPTER ONE ... Memories bitter and sweet?

Flinching Dean watched as Sam endured the punishment without uttering a sound. How can he ... how is he doing it without making any sound - without screaming?

His breath caught in his throat as he lifted his arm to inflict another blow across Sam's stomach. After six strokes, Sam's head lifted and his body tensed as though he could sense when the next blow was coming.

Pulling his arm back to deliver the final blow, he found himself hesitating as he glanced over his shoulder, hardened his resolve, and his aim was true the whip slicing through Sam's skin splitting it open to expose muscle, tendon and bone.

Sam's body shook but he remained silent, passive, waiting for the next order or for any sign of contact, communication.

Panting heavily, Dean sat up staring around his surroundings with wild-eyes. Stillness encased the room, the only sounds came from the window where tree branches hit the glass. Tap, scratch, tap, scratch.

He took a deep breath and stared over at the empty bed next to his; scrubbing at his face with the heels of his hands, he frowned and tried to peer into the semi-darkness. 'Sam?' He called out his voice, gravely and heavy with sleep, 'Sam?'

A mumbled voice came from the bathroom. Sighing heavily, Dean went to slide back into his still warm sheets when he noticed that there was no light on in the bathroom, no sound of water any sign of life. 'Sammy? You okay?' He threw back his sheets and climbed out of the bed, stumbled and swore under his breath as he connected his toe with a chair leg, yawning he hopped to the door and wrenched it open, 'What do you think you are doing Sammy?'

Sam stood at attention in front of the mirror staring at his reflection; with diamond shaped tears falling down his cheeks. The oppressive silence save for the tap, scratch, tap, scratch at the windows of their motel room got to Dean and shivers ran down his spine.

Sam raised a hand slowly to his hair, fingering the new growth and dropped it again.

'Dude,' Dean inched forward to his brother's side, 'talk to me Sammy.'

'Subject twenty-two … I am subject twenty-two.'

'Jesus Sam … it's over, it's all over.' Dean put his hands on Sam's shoulders and forced eye contact.

'Who … Dean,' Sam blinked and stared down at him confusion written across his face, 'what's happening?'

'Sammy, you okay dude?'

'I – I don't know,' Sam said pushing past Dean he headed into the main room.

Sinking down on the end of his bed Sam buried his head in his hands. 'I don't understand.'

'Don't understand what Sam?' Dean winced at the harshness of his own voice.

'What did I do to them? Why did … why me?'

'Ah Sammy…'

'You were there weren't you?' Sam slumped forward staring at a stain on the carpet, his voice emotionless, 'in that room … the doctor and – and you.'

'Sammy please …'

'No, no I'm sorry Dean I am so sorry.'

'What the fuck you got to be sorry about Sam you were the victim.'

'How?'

'They took … no damn it Sam we're not going to get into this.'

'Into what Dean?' Sam looked up and met Dean's gaze for a second before dropping it back to the stain. Dean opened his mouth to reply but no words came out instead he strode to the bathroom and slammed the door; the hinges groaning in protest breaking the tense silence. 'A guilt-fest Sammy,' the words whispered so soft but hung in the air and reverberated through his mind.

Tap, scratch, tap, scratch, filled the empty silence, Sam slid to the floor and pulled his long legs up to his chest and started rocking, unbidden and unwarranted images assailed him again. Snatches of memories, fragmented and jumbled missing pieces of a jigsaw that only Sam could see. He kept seeing her face, hovering over him and he could hear his own voice begging her to stop healing him, to let him die. 'I wanted to die, why didn't they let me die?'

His hands on either side of his head squeezed and clutched trying to rid himself of the nightmarish details flashing in gory detail. The darkness descended and he tried to keep it at bay, he wanted so much to be strong but, he was weak and undisciplined.

'Sam, Sam look at me.' Dean's voice mingled with the other voices, ordering him, telling him when to eat, when to sleep, to suck it up, stop being weak and to do as ordered. Amongst the deafening cacophony, he could hear Dean's voice, strong, warm and comforting. 'Sammy come on look at me.'

'No, no trick, it's a trick.' Sam started to rock again banging the sides of his head with his fists as he fought to come through the illusion to find his reality. 'So dumb, so weak.'

'Sam.' Dean gripped Sam's wrists and pulled them away from his head, holding them firmly he moved closer and called his brother's name again.

'Stupid Dean so stupid.'

'What is?'

'Me, that's why they wanted me, I'm a psychic I'm not worth anything, I'm a freak.' Sam's luminous green eyes shone with tears as he locked eye contact with Dean, he had to make his older brother understand. 'They were right Dean.'

'Bout what Sammy? You've lost me what are they right about?'

'I should be locked away, controlled, maybe they are all right, I need to be controlled before I go darkside.'

'Sammy no listen to me.'

'No, no Dean listen to me, I'm a freak I understand that now, they were right all along.'

'Sam what ... what happened to bring this up?'

'I – I had a vision.' Sam's voice shook and cracked as he finally crumpled into a heap burying his head against Dean's chest and clutched at his brother's shirt, 'I am so tired Dean, I don't want to fight anymore.'

'Dude listen to me ... listen to me, you are not a freak, you are not stupid, you don't need to be controlled and you are not turning darkside.'

'No Dean ... listen to me, I'm a freak a demon created freak.'

'No, you are my annoying, too tall baby brother and you are not something created by a freaking demon.' Dean clung to his brother and tried to press his words home, desperately trying to pull Sam back from the brink. 'What did you see in your vision?'

'Grace.' Sam's voice was barely audible, slowly he pulled away from Dean and scrubbed at his face gathering his thoughts before continuing, 'I – I saw Grace and Sandy, they were in the Institute rebuilding it.'

'But ...'

'No Dean they were doing research and trying to help the ones ... .like me.' Sam continued unable to stop now, 'they were helping them and then it changed and I saw ... an explosion but nothing got damaged. There was lots of smoke and when it cleared I saw Sloane.'

'But Sloane's dead.'

'I know.' Sam blinked at Dean, 'he wants me back Dean. I can hear him calling me.'

'No Sam, he's not going to get you, and if he has returned well we'll just send him back to hell again.'

'Dean ... I saw the girls standing at their father's side after the explosion but it wasn't the girls.'

'I'm lost.'

'They were like them but ... like they were replicas of the girls.'

'Shit Sam.'

'I know Dean.' Sam shook his head and tried to stand, 'they want me back it's never gonna end is it, if it's not the demons wanting me, or hunters trying to kill me it's the freaks at the institute who want to control me.' Sam smiled sadly at his brother, 'since when did I get so popular?'

'It's in the genes,' Dean cupped his hand around the nape of Sam's neck and gave him a rueful grin, 'so no more guilt trips?'

'Dean ...'

'Nope not an answer Sammy.'

'Okay.'

'Okay what?'

'Okay no more guilt trips.'

'And?'

'And what?'

'And Dean is the most awesome big brother ever.'

'Jerk.'

'Bitch.'

'So what are we gonna do Dean?' Sam pulled himself up and went to make their coffees. 'Where do we go from here?'

'Do you really want to investigate the Institute again? I mean we could get Bobby or Cal to look into it.'

'I think I have to Dean.'

'Whatcha mean by that Sammy? You don't have to do anything you don't want.'

'I think I need to for me, I need to get this over with for good.' Sam stood staring at the coffee pot in his hands as his thoughts wondered back to the time he spent in that place and to Grace. 'I have to find Grace Dean and make sure that she's alright.'

'Sam...'

'Please Dean?'

'Better make it a nice strong coffee then, we'll be driving a while.'

'Thanks.' Sam smiled slightly and finished making their coffees while Dean started to pack for them.

Dean pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to look at Sam, the closer they got to the Institute the quieter Sam became and it started to unnerve Dean. 'Sammy you still with me?'

'Yeah I'm here.'

'Well we gonna just sit here or?'

'Or what?' Sam asked already half way out the car door, 'you coming Dean?'

'Wouldn't think that you would be so keen to go in there again.' Dean muttered under his breath as he hurried to catch up with Sam's extra long stride.

They walked past the guard's station and kept going up to the employee's entrance, an eerie silence seemed to descend around them, even the birds and local wildlife barely made a sound. It was as though even nature feared the evil that once lurked inside the building.

Sam's breathing hitched as he entered through the main doorway, noticing a security camera tracking their movements he kept moving in a deliberate fashion, his focus solely on his objective. He didn't look back to see if Dean was with him, he just knew that he was.

'Dean? Sam?' A familiar female voice came from one of the many corridors, turning slowly they recognised the nurse as she hurried towards them. 'Oh my ... my boys are back.'

'Rose? Rose is that you?' Dean blinked in disbelief, 'hell I didn't expect to see you still working here.'

'Well someone had to help the girls get things back on an even keel here.' Rose said smiling up at Dean she patted his cheek affectionately before turning to Sam, 'hey Sam.'

'Hey Rose.' The young brother smiled at her timidly before turning his attention back to his destination and kept working.

'Dean? What is it?'

'Not too sure Rose wanna tag along we might need your help.' Dean said swallowing deeply, he hated to ask for help from anyone but Sam's strange behaviour, 'Sammy what is it?'

'I can feel ... I feel so strange Dean.' Sam struggled to breath as the smell of the place invaded his senses, taking him back in his mind to places he tried to bury. The cell where they humiliated him, stripped him, where they raped Grace, but they didn't rape her it was a set up or was it? His knees buckled as the assault on his psyche took over, hyperventilating he let out a strangled cry before crashing to the floor in a dead faint.

'Oh God Sammy,' Dean rushed to his side coming to a skidding stop on his knees and gently rolled his brother over. 'I knew that this was a bad idea.'

'Dean what is it?'

'Sam's starting to get all of his memories from this hellhole, it's starting to take a toll on him.'

'Oh the poor boy it isn't as though he has been through enough.' Rose said as she checked Sam, 'he's going to be alright Dean, you both are.'

'Thanks Rose.' Dean rubbed his hand over his stubble and tried to muster a grin but deep down he knew it was a mistake bringing Sam back here no matter how much he pleaded.

'Dean?' Sam blinked and stared up at his brother with glassy and slightly unfocused eyes, 'what happened?'

'You fainted you girl.' Dean tried to sound less worried but it didn't come out that way, 'can you get up?'

'Huh yeah, oh hi Rose.'

'Hello Sam, nice way to greet a girl, fainting on her.' Rose chided him gently as she helped Dean prop Sam up enough for him to move to standing. Swaying slightly Sam looked around with a confused look on his face.

'Where are we Dean?'

'In the remains of the Institute ... what's going on with you Sammy?'

'The Institute?' Sam's frown deepened, 'Grace and Sandy?'

'Yeah that's right we're heading to see them now.' Dean's anxiety stepped up another notch, 'Sam I'm really worried bout you.'

'I'm fine, honestly Dean I'm fine.'

'Sam.'

'No Dean I have to see ... hey Grace.' Sam said as he saw his friend with a wide smile on her face.

'I – I thought I felt you come in.' Grace called out rushing towards them launching herself at Sam she hugged him tightly before extricating herself from Sam's long arms to give Dean a hug and then she turned back to Sam. 'Sam what is it? I can feel you radiating your pain and confusion.'

'Where's Sandy?' Dean asked stepping between the healer and his brother an uneasy feeling washed over him.

'She, she ah I don't know where she is Dean.' Grace said her eyes narrowing slightly, 'what's going on?'

'I thought that the two of you were trying to rehabilitate the other subjects.' Dean pressed his point, he could feel Sam shuffling slightly and tensed immediately.

'We were but she, she disappeared a week ago.' Grace said staring up at Dean, 'I can't feel her or contact her.'

'Okay we need to find somewhere to talk that's not threatening to Sam.' Dean said still keeping his brother behind him.

'Come with me.' Grace turned and hurried down a short corridor not waiting to see if the others followed her or not. Chewing her lip she started to think of reasons to give the brothers. They were too early, she wasn't expecting them for another few days, they had thrown her plans out of whack.

'Grace where are we going?' Rose asked, matching her stride with Dean's as they kept Sam between them. 'I haven't been in this area before.'

'Somewhere safe.' Grace tossed over her shoulder, she could feel the tension radiating from Sam and all she wanted was to get rid of Rose and Dean, to spend time alone with Sam.

'Grace?' Sam stopped suddenly his mouth dropping open slightly as he stared at the young woman standing apart from them. 'What have you done?'

'I-I don't know what you mean Sam.' Grace blushed and tried to pull her gaze away from his memorising green eyes. 'Sam?'

'Oh Grace, no not you.' Sam sighed, squeezing his eyes shut he pinched his nose and let a low groan slip from his throat. Dropping to his knees, he clutched as his head as the vision hit him harder than ever before.

Knowing he could only support his brother while he endured the pain and the images Dean glanced up at Grace from his position at his brother's side. The dispassionate look on her face and the coldness of her eyes made him shiver and he turned his attention back to Sam. 'Come on Sammy come back to me dude.'

'What's wrong Dean?' Rose asked fretfully, her attention fixed on Sam's sweat slick face.

'He's having another vision.' Dean said his glittering eyes focused on Grace, 'what do you know about all of this Grace?'

TBC