Summary: Spoilers for 7x06 previews. Sam and Dean are arrested.

Author's Notes: Just a snippet of a speculation for the next episode that I wanted to get out before Friday. Inspired by the preview where Sam and Dean are arrested and Sam's later seen with a false Dean. Dean's presence is pretty much all that's keeping Sam grounded, so I can't imagine this will end well. Don't know if it's a hallucination or Leviathan!Dean though. What do you guys think?

False Imprisonment

"I want them separated at all times. We can't underestimate them and I want them on lock down until the Feds get here."

Cuffed and helpless, Dean looks over to his brother only to see his eyes darting about, far off.

"Sam." He whispers harshly. "Sam!"

"Hey, shut up! No talking!"

Dean gives the officer all the respect he deserves, pointedly ignoring him. He doesn't matter. Sam's looking at him without turning his head, eyes wide and uncertain. He's fracturing badly and Dean curses. It couldn't have happened at a worse time.

"Sammy, you listen to me. You gotta keep it together till-" Dean wants to say 'till we get out of here' because it's not an if, but a when, but the officers are too close. "Till later. Or…it's gonna be worse."

'They'll take you away from me.'

Dean shudders, envisioning Sam's one-sided conversations with the Devil and all the locked doors and white walls they'll hide Sam behind. He disregards another warning from the guards.

"Don't say anything to anyone, you understand me?"

Dean's cuffs are yanked by the officer next to him. He's being dragged away from Sam, but he sees his brother nod haltingly, mouthing words. 'I'm okay.'

It's meant as a reassurance, but Dean can see Sam's forced smile, his eyes, telling him the truth.

'I'm okay. I can hold out…but not for long. Fix this, Dean. Get me out of here before I can't take it anymore.'

Dean knows it's an awful situation and he has to find a way out of this before Sam lost it completely or they got eaten. But Dean can't help the brief moment of happiness, of pride and right that came with Sam trusting big brother to fix everything like a younger Sammy with the same doe-eyes once had.