Ignoring Ruby's muted shrieks to free her, Dean closed in on the motel room.

Now that the moment he'd been anticipating since he'd escaped from Hell, had arrived, he felt oddly apprehensive.

How would his brother react? Would Sam believe he was really Dean, or would he suspect it was some supernatural hoax?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

:

There was silence in the room, then footsteps, as Sam came towards the threshold.

:

And there he was, Dean's baby brother, the one person he loved above all others. The little bubble which contained his memories of Sam continued to grow and spread, pushing the demonic part of his soul to the perimeter, allowing his humanity to grab better hold.

'Hey, Sammy.'

A ticker tape of emotions alternated themselves on Sam's face, ranging from shock to horror.

'I know. I'm awesome. That's gotta leave you without words,' Dean added with a fond smile.

:

But words weren't the first item on Sam's agenda. Holy water and the demon killing knife were, and like a fury he turned to grab both from the table.

But Dean hadn't escaped from Hell just to get sent back by his baby brother.

'Sorry, Sammy,' he whispered into Sam's ear, having pulled him into a steely embrace.

'I get it. It's hard for you to believe, but it's really me,' Dean declared. 'I'm not an imposter, not a ghoul, ghost or shapeshifter.'

'No,' Sam yelled, struggling to free himself. 'Dean's dead. I buried his body myself.'

Dean knew there was no way Sam would listen to mere words, so he held on tight to his sibling, visualized the grave site in his mind, took a deep breath and hoped his demonic transportation ability kicked in.

:

A second later they were both standing on the verge of the grave where Dean had buried Luis Delgado in place of his own body.

Never loosening his hold on his brother, he grunted. 'Look, Sam. Where are we? Huh! This is the place you buried me, isn't it? If I release you, will you listen to what I have to say? Give me a chance to explain.'

:

Sam's eyes were two saucers as he studied the grave. It had been freshly dug over.

'I'll listen. Let me go, but if you're a fucker who's taken on Dean's semblances, I'll never stop until you're dead.'

Dean gave a wry huff as he carefully disengaged from his brother. 'Being ripped to shreds by a hellhound is an experience I don't want to repeat, so if you do end up killing me, make it quick!'

:

Sam turned to study him then, and Dean let him look his fill. The fury in Sam's eyes softened. Even if this creature didn't turn out to be his big brother, just seeing him whole and alive was manna from heaven.

'Sorry, I didn't think to bring a spade, dude,' Dean said, 'but my hands were kind of occupied holding on to your sasquatch self. However, I can assure you my body's no longer in that grave. There's someone else there now.'

'There's no way my brother's body could look like that,' Sam declared, pointing a finger at Dean. 'He's been under the ground for four months.'

'I fixed myself up,' Dean said with a quirky grin.

He was tired now, not in a physical way, but emotionally. He hadn't expected Sam to welcome him with open arms without checking him out with the tools of the trade, but it didn't seem his baby brother was ever going to believe him, and all Dean wanted at that moment was to hug his sibling and tell him how much he'd missed him.

'Are you really, Dean?' Sam asked in a small voice, causing the elder to catch his brother's eyes in a long transparent gaze.

'It's really me, Sammy. I got out of Hell through a Devil's Gate just like dad did.'

:

That must've done it for Sam, because Dean found his arms full of baby brother, his head burrowed into Dean's neck, snot and wet tears goose-pimpling his skin.

'Dean, it's really you. I tried everything to get you out, Even went to the crossroads to sell my soul, but the demon just laughed in my face. Told me they already had the Winchester they needed.'

Dean rubbed his brother's back, flat circles of comfort across the broad shoulders, letting Sam get it all out.

It felt good to be able to look after Sammy again. This time though, he could do it much better. He might be a demon, but he couldn't fault the powers which went with his new status.

Unfortunately, Sam would probably not see his demonhood as a positive!

:

When Sam pulled away, he was an emotional wreck, his eyes red with crying, his checks pallid and tear-stained.

'Wait a minute,' he said, frowning, as if the realization had just come to him. 'How…did we get here? Did…. you transport us?'

'I was going to tell you in another moment, but it seems I've already played my hand. The time in Hell is different to Earth, dude. Here four months have passed, but down below it's been forty years. And well, souls get turned into demons, Sammy.'

If Sam's face had been pale before, it became cadaveric at his brother's words. 'Forty years! Dean….No! You're a demon?'

'Fraid so, kid. But it's not all bad. How do you think I repaired my body?'

Dean sighed as Sam's eyes moistened again. 'No please, Sam. Stop. It's still me. Just a little different.'

;

So saying, he held onto Sam once more, conjured up the image of the Impala and in the wink of an eye they were back beside her.

:

'I didn't do enough,' Sam groaned, still internalizing the idea of Dean having suffered torture for forty years.

Dean shook him then. 'I know you did all you could, Sammy. There no use recriminating. What's done is done.'

:

Ruby must have heard their voices, as she began hammering on the metal cover of the trunk. 'Let me out of here, you bastard,' she shouted.

'What's going on?' Sam asked, staring at the car.

'Nothing,' Dean shrugged. 'I ran into Ruby. Thought I'd lock her safely away until we talked.'

'You can let her out, Dean. She's helping me. She's on our side.'

:

Dean tilted his head to gaze at his brother. He was wondering if Sam would mention exactly how Ruby was helping him, but it wasn't forthcoming. Well, he'd deal with the bitch himself.

After all, he'd just found his brother again, he certainly wasn't going to argue with him over Ruby. Not yet anyway!

:

'Come on, dude. We've got lots to talk about. I'm sure Ruby wouldn't want to interrupt our get together.'

He clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder and turned him towards the motel room. His brother took one hasty look back at the trunk, then let himself be led.

tbc