"Reusing Rituals"

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this (*sigh* unfortunately).

Manipulations of the cover art/image are mine though.

It's been a few months since Dean reawakened in his new life which he quickly filled with mayhem of his own creation. After a long search, Sam has finally caught up to his demonic brother and he's just itching to put his latest "save Dean" plan into action. [Post 9x23].

Spoiler(s): everything up to ep. 9x23 ("Do You Believe in Miracles")

Time Frame: Some time has passed since Dean reawakened as a demon (similar to the 10x03 plot spoilers).

A/N: At the end to avoid additional spoilers. Not beta-ed.

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When Dean finally came to, it was to the feel of a pinprick in his neck. He tried to move away from the source yet he couldn't move away far enough. He heard footsteps move away from him before he opened his eyes and found himself chained to the ground of the run-down building. He looked down and found that he was in the middle of a devil's trap while his hands and neck where shackled with the same chains that had the anti-demon markings on them. Dean was a sitting duck. He couldn't help but laugh at the irony behind it.

When he finally looked up at his captor, he wasn't surprised to find Sam standing before him…with an empty syringe in his hand. His eyes trailed down Sam's forearm, where he noticed a few injection points in his arms.

Dean chuckled again, "What have you gotten yourself into Sammy?"

Sam frowned at his brother, "Shouldn't I be asking you that Dean?"

"You could try but you won't like it." Dean quipped as he turned his head to check out the building's interior. It didn't take him long to recognize the location as the old church they had used to complete the third trial with Crowley. "Reusing an old trick I see."

Sam shrugged as he looked to his watch before he took a seat in the corner.

Dean shook his head, "Is it so bad to have me as your brother?"

"You're not my brother," Sam grumbled before he looked back at Dean, "Not anymore."

Dean pouted, "Now that's hurtful."

"This isn't you Dean."

"So what?" Dean laughed, "You think curing me with this stupid ritual is going to change things?"

Sam looked away.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Don't be so naïve Sammy."

"It's a start," Sam countered harshly.

"And here I thought you would break the sacrificial Winchester way." Dean shook his head in mock disappointment, "Or have you forgotten that you will die when you complete this insane ritual."

The demon immediately saw the flash of fear in Sam's eyes. Dean was amused by this.

"If it were any other hunter performing the ritual, fine, you may have a chance to save me but if you do it Sammy, there is a huge chance that this will count as the third trial being completed." He hoped that planting the seed of doubt would buy him some time although he did doubt it since Sam was willing to sacrifice himself for the trials when they first tried to close the Hell Gates before.

Sam cocked his head to the side, searching for something in his brother's eyes. "Why should that concern you? I thought demon-you didn't care about anything, especially about me."

Dean scoffed at the thought. Since he was reawakened, he had been blessed to not feel those pesky emotions he was damned with throughout his whole human life.

"You're wasting your time. Curing me won't save me because I'll still have the Mark." He could feel Sam's eyes on the Mark moments after mentioning it and the demon was just itching to scratch the damn thing. "As long as I have the Mark, I'm just going to end up like this every time I die as a human." He growled as he thought of all the turmoil he'd have to go through if Sam did succeed in curing him. "It's an endless cycle for me Sammy, just give up already."

Sam shook his head, "I'm not giving up on you."

Dean scoffed at the thought, his mind immediately going back to when Sam had confessed that he would have let Dean die if the roles had been reversed between them. "Singing a new tune now, I see," the demon snarled, "Typical."

Sam leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms as he stared down at his brother, "Resist all you want Dean but in a few hours, you'll be seeing things my way."

"That's if you make it to the finish line Sammy," Dean taunted with a smirk on his face, "Give me your best shot."

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A/N #1: And there you have it! It just came to me a few days ago and I thought I'd write it up before season 10 truly began. It's a bit rusty but what did you think about this part? Did it work for you guys? Did you like it/hate it? Believable/Ridiculous? Possible plot point for season 10? Please leave a review!

Originally Published: August 7, 2014 (2 months until season 10 premiere!)