Leveled

By Carol M.

Summary: The demon ray gun may not work on Sam, but it definitely works on Dean. It's up to Sam, Bobby and Castiel to try and put him back together again before it's too late.

Disclaimer: Don't own them, only love them

Spoilers: up to My Bloody Valentine

Note: The demon ray gun I'm referring to is the ray of light Lilith tried to use on Sam in No Rest for the Wicked and the same beam of light that Samhain tried to use on him in The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester. I was actually rewatching that episode the other night when this bunny hopped on me. The evil ray of light might've been used in a few other episodes too, but I don't recall. Anyway, this takes place in the later part of season 5 sometime after My Bloody Valentine but before all the heavy mythology stuff I'm assuming comes in to play towards season end. Hope you enjoy!

The wicked glow of the demon's cool violet eyes pierced straight into Dean's soul, turning him to ice on the inside. He was literally backed into the corner of the basement of an abandoned hospital in Tampa that had become a hotbed of demon activity. Sam was in the basement somewhere as well, but there wasn't much his younger brother could do for him at the moment. He was outgunned and he knew it. This demon, who was wearing the meat suit of hot young housewife and who was obviously very high up in the evil food chain, was going to kill him.

He shivered in fear and swallowed hard as he coaxed his mouth into an uneasy grin aimed at the demon. "Spot me the first punch?"

The demon's lips curled into an awful smile that sent daggers of nausea into Dean's belly. "Sorry honey, no can do. I've got my orders." She lifted her hand to the heavens and an orb of white light appeared in her hand. Using her palm like it was a ray gun, she directly the light right at Dean.

As soon as the beam enveloped him, he was in agony. It was like his insides were being forced apart, like a tornado blowing apart a barn beam by beam and nail by nail. Everything hurt. His blood burned like it was made of acid, his muscles twitched like he had run four consecutive marathons and his bones creaked like they would break apart at any moment. The sensation was similar to the time he'd been electrocuted when waves of pain had coursed throughout his entire body. These waves, however, were much more specific and much more intense. It was like the demon was trying to disintegrate his body from the inside out. He wanted to scream, but his body wouldn't let him. Instead, hot tears of pain poured down his face in a steady stream, dripping into the collar of his shirt. He waited impatiently for death to take him, selfishly wanting it to happen sooner rather than later so he wouldn't have to endure this torturous pain any longer.

"Dean!"

Sam suddenly appeared and stepped in front of him, effectively cutting off the beam the demon had aimed at him. The pain shut off like a switch and then he was standing behind Sam on legs made of jelly.

The demon looked at his brotherly curiously as the ray gun muted harmlessly in Sam's presence.

"I'm guessing at your pay grade, you know who I am," said Sam, taking a defensive stance in front of the demon.

It was getting harder to stand. He was feeling lightheaded. And that pain that had initially disappeared with the removal of the light was creeping back into him.

"I've heard rumors," said the demon.

His legs were getting shakier and shakier. He felt like he was going to puke.

"Then you know Lucifer wouldn't want you messing with his vessel," said Sam.

The demon seemed to weigh its options for a moment before exiting the housewife in a burst of black smoke. The woman fell limply to the ground.

Dean followed moments later.

"Whoa, whoa, Dean!" Sam clamored for his arm, catching him before he hit the ground. He lowered him carefully the rest of the way down. "You okay?"

His body was trembling as if from extreme over usage. "Sammy," he mumbled.

Sam gently pushed him until he was in a prone position on floor. "Easy, just take it easy, man." His brother put one hand on his chest and rubbed the other one up and down his arm in a comforting motion. "Try and relax, okay."

Dean shut his eyes for a moment, trying to fight the wave of nausea building from his stomach and pooling at the base of his throat. He swallowed thickly and took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. But the breaths seemed to ignite a firestorm in his chest. It felt like he'd just taken ten punches to the ribs from Lucifer himself. The pain in his chest only intensified the nausea. He opened his eyes and looked at his brother in a panic as he breathed sharply through his nose. He was going to be sick.

Sam caught his drift. "Oh crap." His brother grabbed his arm and quickly rolled him over, holding him off the floor as vomit exploded out of him. It came so hard and so fast he was sure he'd ripped vital pieces of his insides apart. It felt like fire coming out of his throat. He puked and puked and puked and then he puked some more. Just when he thought he was done, his stomach would heave and he'd puke even more. By the time he was finished, he was incapable of moving. Not to mention the fact that the pain inside his body seemed to have multiplied ten-fold in the time it had taken to vomit out his stomach contents from the last year.

"Aw dude, that's rank," said Sam as he gripped him gently around the waist and pulled him up and away from the spew. His brother pulled him into a sitting position against him so the back of Dean's head was resting against Sam's chest. Sam kept his arm wrapped protectively around him, which as much as he hated to admit it, relaxed him a little bit. He let his eyes drift shut and concentrated on the simple act of breathing. Even that seemed to cause him pain.

He felt Sam fidgeting and then heard the sound of a cell phone popping open. "Just hang on, okay." Sam gripped him tighter as he heard his brother dialing the phone. "Bobby, it's Sam. We got a little problem here."

TBC