Too Late

Summary: Sam follows Dean to finally face what was going on between them after his return from Purgatory but misses the clues too late to realize the danger he places himself in until it's too late. He must try to fight & survive the brutality he endures at Dean's hands & hopes his brother can fight his own way free or it'll be too late for them both. *Hurt/limp/battered/emotional!Sam & Evil/possessed/guilty/then protective/caring!Dean.* Wincest piece. (Dean/Sam)

Warnings: I won't beat around the bush on this one. This story (mostly chapter 2) will contain non-con and rape triggers so be aware of that. It will also have explicit content since it will be Wincest and there will be violence. I'll also toss out warning for language, kink, bondage. As always each chapter will contain a warning of its own as needed so please read them carefully.

Pairing: Dean/Sam

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the twisted imagination that thinks up this stuff.

A/N: First, thanks go to Jenjoremy for the prompt idea and for wanting to see evil/possessed Dean in anyway I could think of. Next, yes…this will be a dark piece to start with but this is me so you guys should now I always heal the boys after hurting them.

Come visit me on Facebook under morganaDW for story updates or to chat.

Chapter One

Present, Whitefish, Montana:

Dark thoughts, bitter guilt, hate at himself, at others, at what he'd allowed to happen all because he hadn't paid close enough attention to something that had been on his body for five years.

His eyes were narrowed as he stared into the backseat of the black 1967 Chevy Impala to still see what the vivid memories let him while avoiding the front seat where he still had to try to get the blood, sweat and other stuff off the leather seat but couldn't begin to bring himself to do that yet.

Unaware of when his breath began to hitch or how his stomach was rolling until he felt it in time to turn away from the car, dropping to his knees and throwing up for what he figured had to be the seventh time since coming back to his own thoughts and realizing what in the hell he'd allowed to happen…what he'd done.

He had scrubbed himself nearly raw with hot water but that hadn't come close to removing the feelings he could still feel inside him and he knew the cleaning he'd given his brother before trying to clean and care for the multitude of wounds wouldn't make a difference either because no amount of water, soap or scrubbing would ever take back the past seventy-two hours.

A sound had his head jerking up and his fingers curling around the Colt shoved into the back of his jeans, body taunt now since it had been hard before to not be on constant alert since Purgatory but now it would be impossible for him to relax until he got the damn tattoo fixed.

"Stay…away," his voice was low and more guttural than even his deep pissed off tone tended to be but it didn't bother the person who stepped around the Impala's front end to merely hold his hands up in a classic move to mean he meant no harm.

"You comin' inside anytime soon?" the smooth whiskey coated voice tinged with a Cajun accent asked curiously, not bothering to take another step since he knew only too well how lethal this young man could be when in this state of mind…and that worried him.

"He…he waking up?" he asked warily, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of a faded flannel shirt while he pushed to his feet to lean on the trunk to let his gaze move to the now quiet cabin and wondering if he'd ever fully be able to feel at ease inside it again…or if his brother would.

"Not yet, but he's startin' to move more so I reckon he'll be wakin' up soon and since I ain't his favorite person I don't figure I'd be the best one for him to see first thing after opening his eyes," running a hand over his slight beard, Benny took a better look at his friend and didn't miss the tension running through him or the grim set of green eyes when he finally turned to look at him.

"I'm not the best one for him to see when he first opens his eyes, Benny," Dean Winchester replied dryly, not a trace of amusement in his low voice but a lot of unspoken and buried emotion. "Hell, I'm probably the worst damn person for Sam to see first until he wakes up fully and…I hope he remembers some of what I said before he passed out the last time."

The vampire had seen the hunter in varying states of emotion. Hell, he'd seen him fight to stay alive in Purgatory so he knew with a look that no matter how much time had passed since they both escaped that place that a piece of Dean had been fighting to regain the parts of him that he felt he'd lost down there.

The body language, the voice, the strain he'd seen in Dean every time they met up or even talked told Benny that his friend was still adjusting to being topside, to being safe and not having to fight every second of the day and night.

The last time they'd seen one another, before this incident happened, he'd thought Dean was starting to relax even if there was a clear and present strain between him and his little brother. Though Benny figured he was a huge part of that strain since he'd picked up on Sam's dislike the second they met and it had gotten more severe the longer it went.

Of course Benny knew there was more between the Winchester brothers' stress and strain than just him and he hadn't pushed Dean to talk about it even though he could still feel the human's buried concern and feelings for the brother he'd been treating like a pariah since his return.

Now he wasn't certain what side of Dean he was seeing or dealing with but the rage was there bubbling dangerously at the surface of a man who had just been forced to watch his own body hurt the brother he still loved despite all the issues.

"You didn't do that to him, brother," he remarked, careful with this because while he knew what he'd walked in on he didn't know fully what had happened in the day in between and he suspected that was what was really bothering his friend. "You know that. You know that you're as much a victim as…Dean, you might want to take a step back there now or I might have to remind you that I didn't much appreciate nearly havin' my skull caved in or my head almost cut off if Sam hadn't chosen that moment to walk in."

Benny's hand had curled around the wrist of the hand that was fisting his jacket as if in warning because he'd managed all of this with only giving Dean a few of the bruises that he could've or the younger man thought he deserved.

"Did you see him? Did you see his back?" Dean demanded, voice raw but his eyes kept shooting toward the cabin as if listening for something. "Did you see his…do you know what I did to him?"

"I'm the one who cut the boy loose so yeah, I've seen him but Dean…you're beatin' yourself up over somethin' that you couldn't stop and he let you close to him to clean him up so maybe before you go hatin' yourself you get your ass inside and be with your brother cause I don't think you'll forgive yourself if you let him wake up alone and scared," Benny told him, not reacting when the clenched fist struck his jaw. "Fine, you take it out on me then so you'll be calm for him."

"Calm?" Dean repeated as if he couldn't believe that word even existed anymore. "How in the goddamn hell do you expect me to be calm?" he demanded, the buried emotions and guilt that had been stewing since he realized with horror what he'd done beginning to bubble out and the hunter no longer cared if the vampire could snap his neck or tear his throat out when all he could see was Sam's battered and bleeding body and the fear in wide shock filled eyes before his younger brother passed out. "I raped him!"

Seventy-Two Hours Earlier, Shelby Montana:

"Enough is enough. He wants to hate me, not trust me, fine. But he's going to make a damn choice and say it to my face."

It had been a few months of stress, strain, bitterness and more often than not outright fights between them over his friendship with Benny, a vampire that he met and brought out of Purgatory with him and the reason Sam dropped out of hunting for a year without looking for him.

Sam had mostly taken all the bitter jabs, the little hurtful barbs or glares without saying much since he accepted his excuse for leaving hunting and not looking seemed bad…but he wasn't about to address the real reason he stopped looking for his brother.

The other week though when Dean had thrown it in his face that Benny had been a better brother to him and hadn't let him down in the way Sam certainly had it had hurt to the point where Sam had nearly lost it and told his rougher, more intense brother everything that he'd been keeping inside but he hadn't.

The younger man had continued to take Dean's bitterness, his doubts and jabs and the simple fact that a loss of Dean's trust hadn't been the only thing that changed since his brother's return from Purgatory.

Dean's disappointment, his anger and hurt at being left for dead also meant he only showed the most basic older brother concern and even that Sam felt was strained as he'd seen how hard it was at times for Dean to even reach out to take something from him for a hunt and that hurt Sam nearly as much as knowing his brother would rather be with a vampire than him.

Sam admitted that since everything happened with him losing his soul, getting it back to handling images of Lucifer and the rest that Dean's attitude toward him and the side of their lives that very few people knew they had seemed to have changed.

At first, Sam had shrugged the change off on Dean not wanting to push things so soon but the longer it had went and now especially he had to wonder if maybe his brother had only given in because he'd learned that it was something Sam had wanted.

Actually telling his brother shortly before Dean's deal had come due that he'd had feelings for Dean that didn't quite hit the pure and vanilla ones siblings had for one another had upset his older brother and Sam knew then that his brother had given in to the feelings and want Sam had been showing probably because he knew he was going to Hell soon.

When he'd returned, in between fighting over Ruby, the Angels, Lucifer, etc their times together had often been brief and rough; more like trying to just find release rather than love.

For Sam he didn't care one way or another so long as he had Dean in whatever way he could manage it and he still felt that way…but finally accepted that he needed his brother to tell him what way that was going to be because he was tired of getting hard every time he listened to Dean's voice drop into the low husky one it could go to or when he'd pretend to be asleep just to see his brother come out of the shower in only a towel.

If Dean didn't want to pretend to have feelings for him other than being brothers then he wanted to hear that and more importantly, he needed to hear if his brother wanted him gone…if he'd rather have Benny with him and a piece of Sam silently prayed his brother only wanted the vampire as a friend, a fellow survivor of Hell's backyard and not anything else.

Waking up that morning in Rufus's old cabin where they'd still been staying since Dean's return unless they were hunting, Sam found a quickly scrawled note from Dean to say where he was going but not why and finally he'd had enough.

Dean might've taken the Impala but that didn't mean Sam was incapable of hotwiring the old car that was parked behind the cabin since a quick look at his GPS told him that Shelby wasn't that far from Whitefish and he wasn't stupid not to know why Dean would take off without waking him up.

He'd done the same often enough years ago when he'd sneak off with Ruby and now Sam understood some of his brother's hurt and betrayal at those lies because every time he knew Dean was talking with Benny or going to see him it hurt him.

Sam honestly wasn't sure what he'd say to Dean once he caught up to him. He accepted his brother would be pissed that he'd followed him and that with Dean's temper and moods these days that was a dangerous thing to make his brother but Sam couldn't take it anymore and wanted to know the truth or as much of that as he could pull from Dean.

Purgatory had done things to his older brother that it seemed not even Hell could because while Dean had been raw and tense after four months or forty Hell years locked in the Pit, a year in Purgatory had caused a shift in Dean that often worried Sam.

He wouldn't speak of it except to say it had been pure and Sam hadn't missed the nightmares or the way his brother didn't sleep all the way through the night and when he did sleep his hand was always under his pillow which told Sam that if he'd gone to touch his brother in his sleep he'd probably end up with a knife in his gut.

Sam loved his brother in so many ways that it could often confuse him. He still looked up to and adored Dean like his older brother could do no wrong and Sam accepted that was wrong since they'd both made mistakes but it never changed his feelings.

He just hoped if Dean said anything other than being brothers was off the table that Sam could go back to burying those feelings like he'd down most of his life…if Dean even still wanted to be brothers and that was another fear Sam had that he was refusing to think about right then.

Shelby, Montana was a small town of less than four thousand people so Sam used the training he'd been given, as well as an innate knowledge of his brother's mind to figure out what type of place he'd gone to meet the vampire.

The motel was just on the other side of town, over some battered railroad tracks that had seen better days and really close to looking like something out of an old horror movie but he easily located both the Impala and the battered and rusted out pickup truck that he knew belonged to Benny.

"Fine. I can do this," he pulled on the other side of the Impala to get out and running a finger alongside the shiny black roof with a strained smile.

For Sam, the Impala had been home, transportation and shelter since he'd been six months old and he'd miss it if Dean made the choice he suspected he would but the car was Dean's…even if he wasn't anymore.

Pushing back the sudden urge to go back, to leave this alone and try to pretend that maybe it would fix itself, Sam gritted his teeth in sudden determination and walked away from the Impala, missing a thin line of something on the ground outside by the driver's door.

Sam took a deep breath, starting to knock when a noise inside the room drew his attention and he was pulling his weapon even as his fingers were turning the knob to go on instincts both his Dad and brother taught him years earlier.

"Dean?" he called quietly, pushing the door open with his boot while peering around it to be sure no one was behind it when a sudden noise across the room caught his attention…as did the disarray of the room itself.

The battered and worn room looked out of date as it were but now it also looked like some kind of fight had occurred because the table was shattered, the bed was off the boxspring and seemed to be leaning, glass covered the floor but as the hunter looked closer and located the noise he felt something icy begin to crawl along his veins.

"Shit," he whispered, shoving his gun back into his jeans to take a step forward. "Dean? What…what the hell happened in here? What're…what're you doing?"

The question came from the fact that Benny was laying on the floor not moving, clearly bleeding from the face but from this angle Sam couldn't tell if the vampire had attacked his brother and Dean defended himself or if this was another reaction of Dean's post Purgatory side coming out.

"Dean, are you hurt?" he asked, taking a step that crunched glass and the sound made Dean's whole body go rigid as his head seemed to drop to his chest, fingers curling tighter around the handle of the machete he had close to Benny's neck. "You need to talk to me? Did something happen here or…"

"Get…get out, Sam."

Dean's voice sounded weird and considering some of the tones he'd heard from his brother over the years that should've alarmed Sam more than it did and while it didn't alarm the younger man it did add another level to his hurt.

"I…I can't do that, Dean. We need to talk," Sam took another step only to have Dean's hand shoot out as if to stop him from coming any closer and he immediately noticed the way his fingers shook. "We can't keep going on like this. I can't keep going on like this."

"Sam, get out…now," Dean gritted, sounding like he was fighting with something even though as far as Sam could see Benny was unconscious…which did alarm Sam a little. "This is…so not a good time. I…" he blew out a breath, head shaking violently. "I don't want you here."

Those few words nearly dropped Sam to his knees because while Dean was good at little zingers or hurtful jabs he wasn't usually intentionally cruel and while he'd come close to saying those words before Sam never thought his brother would.

"I know you don't," he murmured, feeling the tears that had blurred his vision fall onto his cheek and really not caring since if this was it then he'd at least say what he wanted to…or at least some of it. "I get what you've saying since you came back. I heard only too well what you think of me now and I get it.

"I get that I've screwed up big this time by letting you think I didn't look for you for a year, that I left hunting right after you vanished and found happy and normal with Amelia. I let you think that and I'll keep taking the heat rather than ever tell you the truth…because I know by this point you won't give a damn about the real reason I left hunting…left you," Sam bit his lip, wanting to reach out but held back as his eyes took in the tremors going across his brother's shoulder and suddenly realizing Dean was just in a button down shirt rather than a t-shirt and button down like normal.

"Sam," Dean's voice was slowly turning into a growl, his temper clearly on the surface.

Sam took a shaky breath while reaching into his pocket for something he'd pulled from a carefully concealed spot in his duffel to hold it out so the small bronze horned amulet dangled from his fist. "No, I'll leave if that's what you want. I won't ask you to burden yourself with your pain in the ass little brother anymore, I won't ask you to hunt with me, trust me or…love me like I still do you.

"I won't ask you to do any of that if you can look at me in the face, meet my eyes and tell me that you'd rather hunt with Benny. That you want him riding beside you in the Impala…that you want him…okay, so maybe I'm not ready to hear you say that one," Sam couldn't handle hearing he'd been replaced in his brother's life in all ways even though he knew it in his heart.

"The amulet is still yours. I took it from that trashcan three years ago and always hoped you'd miss it enough to mention it once but you never did so I guess since you've made it pretty clear where we sit, that I'm not good enough to be your brother anymore much less your lover then you can take this and toss it again…because I won't need it where I'll end up," slowly Sam dropped the amulet next to his brother and then waited for Dean to speak again.

Dean's whole body seemed to be shaking, his fingers shifting on the machete handle while his free hand looked to be trying to curl around the amulet but unable to for some reason. "Sam…my," he gritted between clenched teeth, hearing the sound from beside him and wanting to scream. "I…I…sorry."

"No, don't be sorry," Sam forced a smile even as his heart felt like it was breaking. "I guess I knew it would come when I lied to you about not looking. I did look, Dean…I looked for you for four months but you don't need to know the rest now. It's over. I'll…I'll be gone when you get back to the cabin and…I promise no matter what I won't call you or text you and I'll make sure no one else does if…when anything happens.

"I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you gave up for me and I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother or at least one you could trust and be proud of," slowly Sam let his hand fall on his brother's shoulder, feeling the ripples under it and then it stilled completely but he'd allowed his emotions to run free and didn't feel the change as he closed his eyes for just a second against the blinding wall of tears. "Dad was right. You should've just killed me."

"Not too late to change that mistake."

The sudden change to Dean's voice, it was less harsh or strained, and the way his body seemed to be uncurling as it had been caused Sam's hunter senses to scream at him but just as his eyes were snapping open and he went to move when Sam was given a hard reminder of just how damn fast and agile his older brother was.

Dean's hand suddenly flashed away from where it hovered over the amulet to grab one of Sam's ankles to pull him off his feet and before the younger man could blink, get his breath back after it had gone out of him as he hit the floor hard or think to fight back, Sam found himself pinned with Dean's weight on his chest.

"Dean! What the hell?" Sam was gasping, twisting hard to try to pitch his brother off of him but found that he couldn't and then froze at the feel of the machete blade just touching his throat. "Please…I know you're mad at me but…"

"Oh, after that little speech you have no idea what Dean is, Sammy-boy but you should've listened to him when he tried to get you out of here…not that it would've helped since I was planning on paying you a visit right after I cut the head off of Dean's vamp buddy," the voice was Dean but the words…the pitch in tone…wasn't.

Sam's eyes shot up as he was forced to keep still to avoid having his own throat cut but when both of his wrists were grabbed and yanked over his head with a strength that his brother did not have, he froze and began to curse himself silently. "Dean?"

"Oh, big brother's not home right now but I promise you and I are gonna have a lot of fun…or at least I will," Dean's smile was cruel as he blinked once to allow green eyes to flash full on black. "Time to take a nap, kiddo and when you wake up you'll remember who owns your ass."

Seeing the eyes, Sam couldn't' believe it. They both still had the anti-possession…shit! As he now fought fully to free himself from the demon possessing his brother Sam saw what had allowed this to happen and again cursed his own stupidity for not looking before now.

Dean's tattoo was marred, probably from a fight in Purgatory and that break in two lines allowed some black eyes demon to grab his brother but before he could begin to say the ritual to banish it a hand clamped over his mouth and a fist slammed into his head three times until Sam felt his vision fading.

"I'm going to take real good care of you, Sam and in ways your brother never would have…and you're going to let me or you both may pay the price," the demon's voice sounded like it was in a muffled tube as Sam lost consciousness but not before he felt the pinprick a needle in his neck.

Sam still tried to fight but between the beating to his head, the hand over his mouth and nose cutting off his oxygen and the fast acting drug that was leaving him limp under the chuckling demon, he screamed silently as he felt fingers pulling at his belt and knew what was going to happen and that his brother wouldn't be able to stop it…if he even would want to.

Thoughts and feeling slipping into the abyss, Sam's last thought was an apology to once again failing Dean because he hadn't seen the danger until it was too late.

TBC

A/NII: Of course I left it there. I'll update soon. Thanks for reading.