Chapter Six

'thoughts'

Humming quietly as he read the local newspaper, Dean munched on his burger and tired to ignore the rising concern he felt over Sam's silence. He glanced at his phone again to see if there was an incoming call, but was disappointed for the tenth time. He'd left six messages already within the last hour for Sam, but he wasn't going to worry just yet. He figured, for now, that Sam was either sleeping, which would be a definite reason for an asshole ripping since they *always* kept their phones on in case of emergency, or he was in the middle of researching, which would earn another asshole ripping for the same reason. It wasn't like it was an emergency or anything, but they liked to check in with each other to see if the other had had any success in research or for other work related reasons.

And it just wasn't like Sam to shut off his phone for no reason.

Sighing before taking a gulp of his soda, Dean went back to his perusal of the paper. But then he tossed it down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was another thing he was distracted with and it had nothing to do with his brother.

It had everything to do with a certain farm boy though.

Thinking back to their talk, Dean leaned back in his chair and sighed softly before closing his eyes. Sure, he'd had the occasional fling with guys in the past, more in experimentation than anything else. He still liked a good pair of boobs to a big cock, but there was something in Clark that stopped him in his tracks. Clark had the air of someone who still wanted to believe in the goodness of people but had seen so much evil that he knew it wasn't what it was cracked up to be. In a way, Clark reminded him of Sam, but the warmth and security that emanated from Clark was a million times stronger and different from Sam.

Sam was his equal in a lot of things. They made a great team, even though they'd lost some of their bond over the last year. Some of it was Dean's fault and some of it was Sam's fault, but a lot of it was the fault of fate's hand that had been dealt to them. Yea, Dean had *chosen* to make the deal to bring Sam back, but their destiny had seemed almost sealed from the beginning when their mom had been killed by Azazel so many years ago. Dad taking them on the hunt and dying, finding out that Sam's not totally Sam...it had all led up to that fateful decision. Dean tries not to regret the decision, but he knows that he's just kidding himself.

He never wanted to die. Yea, he's tired and sick of being chased for stupid things that can never be explained or *believed* by 'normal people', but he'd wanted to someday settle down. Maybe have kids and someone to love outside of his brother. He'd wanted to see Sam settle down too, but now...well now.

Sighing, Dean almost gave in to the despair that welled up amidst the terror that was now almost a part of him constantly. He never let it show much, but he was terrified of going to Hell. Anyone who wasn't a fool would be. But he was doing it willingly or...at least mostly without a fight. He was definitely letting those guys in the pit know what he thought of their accommodations by putting as many of them back there. If he was going down, he was taking them with him.

But he didn't want to leave Sam alone. Yea, his brother would be *alive*, but all of his family would be dead. Who would take care of his brother? Sarah maybe, if Sam thought of going back to her. Maybe he should mention it. 'Yea, that'd go over well. ‘Hey Sam, ya know, after I die, how about you hook up with that Sarah chick and move on right away?’' Dean snorted at his thoughts, but it did make him smile. He could already imagine the look on his brother's face at that suggestion which would then probably be followed by a swift smack to the head. Ah well...it'd be worth the pain if it got his brother thinking to the future instead of the past.

A knock on his door surprised him out of his thoughts and he sat up a bit before standing slowly. A swift succession of three knocks resounded from the door and Dean stared at it, stunned. He strode over to the door and opened it before glaring at his grinning brother. "Sam! What the hell are you doing here?!" he demanded, but then stopped as he saw the bald young man behind Sam. "Holy shit! What...Sam..."

"Um, yea...can we come in, Dean?" Sam asked with a grin as he rubbed the back of his neck before glancing at Lex shyly. "We need to talk about the case."

Eyes narrowing, Dean muttered a 'Christo', which just got him a snort of laughter from Sam and a dimpled grin. Sighing, he nodded and stepped aside to let them in, eyeing the bald man suspiciously when he brushed past. "Have a seat," he growled before shutting the door behind him. They sat down on the bed facing him and he grabbed the chair and straddled it while watching them. "All right...talk. Sam, what the hell have you been doing and why haven't you answered your phone?" he snapped out all businesslike and took a perverse pleasure in watching as Sam frowned and pulled out his phone.

"Oops, I had it off," Sam murmured and grinned guiltily at his brother before putting it away quickly as Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sorry man, I was exhausted. You know I don't think well in fatigue."

"You don't think well period. Now what did you find out and why the hell is Lex Luthor here with you?" Dean shot back hotly as he glared darkly at Lex, who looked surprised and a bit pleased at being recognized. He pointed at the bald man warningly. “And don’t think that you can get away with anything. I have a feeling you’re responsible for this shit hitting the fan,” he added threateningly.

“You’d be right, if what Sam’s figured out is correct,” Lex replied soothingly as he smirked over at Sam. Dean’s eyes narrowed at the look that passed between them. Just what *was* the connection between Sam and Lex now?

“So talk. What’d ya find, Sammy?” Dean asked instead as he focused on his brother and put aside his own contemplations on the ‘thing’ going on between his brother and one of the richest and most ruthless business men in the world.

“Well, with what Lex told me, there was a lot of recent experimentation on meteor infected people and something set them off. I’m not sure what exactly, but they are gunning for Lex and Clark Kent mainly because they were the ones that had been responsible for a lot of those spirits’ suffering. However, according to Lex, most if not all of the bodies of those that ‘didn’t make it’ were burned and tossed away. Covering their asses, so to speak,” Sam explained and rolled his eyes as Dean snorted in disgust.

“Great, so we have to clean up this mess before more people get hurt or killed. Wonderful. Ya know, I hope you’re not doing anymore of that experimentation cuz if you are, maybe we’ll just pack it up and let them have their way with you,” Dean growled out angrily as he glared at Lex, who stiffened defensively while a look of guilt flashed over his face.

“Dean, stop. He’s trying to help,” Sam protested quietly as he looked imploringly at his brother.

“Well good for him, but if it wasn’t for him, *we* wouldn’t have to be dealing with this, now would we?” Dean snarled back as he stood up and paced a bit before leaning over Lex and glowering at him. “Next time you want to experiment on people who didn’t ask to be different, call me and I’ll shoot your ass full of rock salt to remind you *why* it’s a dumb idea!” he snapped snidely as he stared Lex coldly in the eye.

Lex frowned, but he didn’t say anything. It was a hard thing to swallow, but Dean was right to yell at him. Because of his experimentation and cruel treatment of people that hadn’t chosen to be infected, innocent people were getting hurt or killed. He didn’t break Dean’s gaze and saw a hint of approval there briefly before Dean straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. For some reason, Lex felt like he’d passed some kind of test and, oddly enough, that made him feel rather proud and as if a large weight had been lifted from his chest. It was strange to feel like he had to prove something to both of these men who were strangers in his life, but that’s how it felt. It came with a sense that was different from when he’d dealt with his father or even with Clark and his family. It wasn’t competitive or desperate. It was just...there. They’d seen more than he’d ever known in life and had every right to make him prove himself. He was grateful for that.

“Are you done now?” Sam’s inquiry interrupted Lex’s thoughts and he smirked a little when he caught the glare that went between the brothers. “Anyways, I’m hoping to be able to search in Lex’s database and find out the center points to where all of the bodies might have been burned and we can exorcise them.” He glanced over at Lex with a small hopeful smile. “If that’s ok with you,” he added politely and Lex found himself smiling back.

“Not a problem at all. I want us to get this taken care of before more people are hurt,” Lex answered with a nod before glancing at Dean. “We can go to my home here to access it, so if you want to check out, you guys are welcome to stay at my place until this thing’s taken care of,” he offered before standing up.

Dean’s eyes narrowed at Lex. He would always be wary of free offers of room and board, no matter how much they were appreciated. But he noted the pleading look on Sam’s face and relented a bit. His brother really had something for this guy and, while he’d *never* thought his brother might swing that way, he wasn’t one to stand in the way of Sam finding some sort of happiness. “Fine. We’ll only be a week at most. We...” he trailed off and shrugged as he started to pack his things and clean up.

Lex blinked at the sudden dropping of the topic before looking over at Sam and noting the pained look on Sam’s face. He wondered then just what was wrong. Dean had been rather firm in their timeline, though he wasn't sure that they'd be able to get it done that fast. But, since the brothers were the 'professionals', he would trust their opinion. He watched while Dean packed up his stuff as an uncomfortable silence fell over them. He couldn't help glancing over at Sam as well and noted the tightness around Sam's eyes and wondered just what was causing them so much tension. Obviously it was something that was producing trouble for them and he suddenly hoped that Sam would confide in him later. Maybe he could help.

When Dean had finished, Lex went outside after Sam looked at him in a silent plea. Sam turned to Dean solemnly. "Look, I know that what happened is not exactly the best thing in the world-"

"You got that right, Sherlock," Dean interrupted him as he sneered.

Taking a deep breath, Sam gripped his hair with both of his hands before holding them up pleadingly. "Just...give him a chance, ok? He's trying and he seems really sorry and eager to help," he requested tensely.

Dean moved in so that he was toe to toe with his brother. "Sorry? Sorry isn't going to bring those dead people back, Sam. I don't know what the hell he's got going with your head, but you better the *hell* bring your head back into the game. Because, like it or not, his being sorry ain't going to save your ass if some spirit thinks you'd be a great target to get back at Lex," he hissed out furiously and the stillness that fell over them was thick with tension.

"What do you mean?" Sam finally asked tightly as he trembled with anger.

"It's what I learned from Clark. All of those people closest to Lex and Clark are being targeted. Clark's girl, Lex's people, their friends...all of them are targets. I'm warning you right now...stay away from Lex if you know what's good for you," Dean stated coldly as he pointed towards the door. "We get our job done and we go. No connections and no strings."

Swallowing hard as he struggled to keep back the sudden tears that pricked at his eyes, Sam nodded as his jaw clenched. "You decided where you want to go after this?" he inquired softly as he jerked his chin at his brother.

Relaxing a bit, Dean stepped back and glanced away as he started to fiddle with his duffel bag's straps. "Yea...was thinking of going to Lawrence. That way...ya know...ya won't have far to g-"

"Don't...say it. I'm still not giving up hope just yet," Sam stopped him as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He met Dean's undemanding gaze with earnestness. "I'll never give up...on anyone. Especially you," he added firmly. Dean watched him for a couple of seconds, but then sighed sadly before nodding once, which Sam mirrored. "So, let's go. We don't have much time anymore."

"We never did," Dean retorted with a smirk and Sam couldn't help the dim smile that answered. They went out and Dean locked up and handed Sam his bags before heading to the front office to check out while Sam went to where Lex was waiting for them next to his car. Sam smiled at Lex in greeting as he went to the Impala and opened the trunk to shove Dean's bags in before he slammed it shut.

"This the Impala?" Lex asked as he looked over the black muscle car and Sam felt a twinge of pride in it when he saw the appreciation in Lex's eyes.

"Yea, was my dad's. Dean got it then and it's been his baby ever since. Swear he loves it more than..." Sam stopped and swallowed hard as he looked away and took a deep breath to cover his distress. He hadn't quite put his feelings on Dean's suggestion away, so everything was setting him off.

"Your brother's pretty tough, but he sure loves you," Lex remarked as he came over and leaned against the trunk next to Sam. He looked up at the taller man and smiled wistfully. "I kinda envy you."

Snorting as he laughed a bit, Sam rested against the trunk next to Lex as he looked up at the sky. "We're all we've had for a long time. He'd do anything for me and I'd do the same for him. I just...wish I didn't feel like I was always failing him," he admitted dejectedly as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He looked over at Lex when his shoulder was suddenly bumped.

Lex smirked up at him. "I don't think he thinks you're failing him. In fact, I don't think you ever could fail him. You're his most important person in the world that much I can tell. He might ride you hard, but he cares. You're really lucky. I wish I had someone in my life that cared about me like that," he said and smiled slightly. He glanced over before Sam could respond as Dean sauntered over casually. "Nice car. You ready?" he asked Dean, who nodded shortly while shooting Sam 'a look'.

Sighing, Sam rolled his eyes. "We'll follow you," he muttered before straightening up and going to the passenger side of the Impala. Lex and Dean eyed each other for a bit before going to the drivers' sides of their cars and getting in with simultaneous door slams.

Lex led the way to his mansion on the outskirts of Smallville and parked in the large underground garage with Dean not far behind. He got out and grinned at the other two men and knew that they'd been impressed with the house. "They'll gas up your car and make any checks on it-"

"Hey man...no one touches my car. They can gas her up, but that's it," Dean declared shortly as he rubbed a light hand along the Impala's side.

"Dean...he's just trying to be nice," Sam argued with Dean quietly and cocked an eyebrow when Dean glared at him defensively.

Laughing lightly, Lex just shook his head. "It's quite all right. If I had a beauty of a car like that, I wouldn't want just anyone touching it so freely," he stated and Dean seemed to relax at the comment. Gesturing towards the nearby door, Lex nodded. "Let's head in and I can get you guys into some guest rooms before we eat and do that research," he suggested politely and waited as they got their bags before heading in.

"I think we'd both just like to eat while researching, if you don't mind, Lex," Sam offered as he walked next to his brother. He smiled when Lex glanced at him over his shoulder and Lex smiled back.

"We can do that. I'll have the cooks make up some sandwiches and have it brought to the library, which is also my office," Lex agreed and grinned as Sam's face lit up at the mention of the library. He wondered just how scholarly Sam really was. Would it be another connection between them? He hoped so.

"Dude, this place is freakin' huge!" Dean hissed to Sam, who shushed him and smiled in embarrassment when Lex glanced at them again before stopping before a set of doors.

"Dean, I think you'll like these rooms. Sam, yours are across the hall and down a bit," Lex said as he opened the doors to what had been designated as 'Dean's rooms'. They went inside and even Sam had to hold in his amazement at their rather opulent surroundings.

The room was as large as at least three of their recent hotel rooms combined with a four poster California king sized bed to the left. There were several wall-to-vaulted ceiling windows that looked out over the yard into the nearby forest between the crimson curtains that hung low over the clear glass. The walls were all stone and some paintings of various battles from history hung in opposition to the windows and were framed by pieces of weaponry from different periods of time. A large mahogany desk stood opposite the bed with a computer already hooked up and a large office chair behind it. To the right of the desk was an impressive stereo and entertainment system and to the left was a leather sofa with a couple of pillows on it. In several of the corners were various plants that brought a bit of color contrast to the crimson carpeting and curtains as well as the grey stone walls. To the left of the bed was a large oak wardrobe and next to that was a doorway that led into a bathroom that was perhaps half the size of the bedroom and equally as lavish.

Dean gaped as he looked around and suddenly felt like a country bumpkin like you wouldn't believe. "Oh...dude! Check out this room, Sammy!" he cried with a laugh as he turned around in a circle before facing his amused brother and their host. "I'm going to *so* get lost in that bed...dude it's huge!" he declared before going into the bathroom, where he proceeded to exclaim even more over the huge shower.

Sam looked at Lex with a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry...we don't get to do this like...ever," he explained quietly and Lex just chuckled.

"It's quite all right," Lex replied warmly before glancing over at the bathroom as Dean emerged. "I'm going to show Sam his room and then you both can clean up. Someone will be along to lead you to the office," he told Dean and smiled when he got a nod before leading Sam across the hall and down a bit to where the other man was staying. He pushed open the doors and led Sam in before turning to smile at Sam. "I...hope you like them," he offered hopefully as Sam looked around in awe.

The room was almost the same as Dean's save that the colors were a soft royal blue and cream. The windows looked out over the gardens and the plants were more flowering bushes than just normal plants. Sam walked slowly around the room before stopping next to Lex. "I...don't know what to say, Lex," he finally whispered before looking at Lex and smiling. "I almost feel like I might dirty stuff here," he confessed shyly as he shifted on his feet a bit.

Reaching over, Lex placed his hand on Sam's arm and squeezed. "You would be the last person that should ever feel dirty," he said softly and sincerely and smiled when Sam did. He squeezed the warm limb again before letting go and heading for the door. "I'll see you in a bit. Take your time, ok? My home is your home," he instructed before turning and flashing a grin at Sam.

"Ok," Sam replied with a quiet smile before looking around again as Lex shut the doors behind him. For some reason, he felt a mixture of uneasiness and comfort in the room. The uneasiness grew after Lex had left though and he wondered if Lex's presence was the reason for the comfort. Shrugging it off, he went to the bathroom after tossing his bags to the side of the bed to be unpacked. Stripping down, he stepped into the shower and grinned when he saw several rather expensive shower gels, shampoos, and conditioners arrayed on a rather gaudy stand in the corner of the huge shower. He turned on the shower and groaned aloud when the cold water hit him before warming up into a steaming hot spray that relaxed his muscles quickly. He cleaned up leisurely, taking advantage of the high pressure water stream as well as the cleansing gels.

Once he was done, he stepped out and grabbed one of the large bath towels and dried off before wrapping the thick fluffy towel around his waist and going into the bedroom. He went to his bags and plopped one of them on his bed before he started digging through it for some clean clothes. He pulled out a sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, and some boxers before pulling them all on after dropping the towel. He then hung the towel back up in the bathroom and brushed his teeth and hair before grabbing his dirty clothes and putting them in his other bag. Satisfied, he grabbed some socks and pulled them on before slipping into his sneakers and going for the door. Just as he was about to open it, a soft knock sounded and he grinned as he opened it to the young looking woman standing there.

"Mr. Winchester? I'm to lead you and your brother to Mr. Luthor's office," the young lady said as she smiled back at him.

Nodding, Sam stepped out of the room and shut it behind him before gesturing for her to go. They stopped at Dean's room and Sam winked at her before pounding on the door. "Come on, Dean! Quit mooning over the shower and get out here!" he shouted and the servant giggled softly as Dean shouted back an obscenity.

The door opened with a glaring Dean behind it, but he immediately schooled it into something less threatening when he saw the young lady. Sam muffled a laugh as Dean poured on the charm with her before she led them downstairs to the office. Dean became silent as they were once more stunned by the rich environment of the office.

Three of the four walls held a balcony that gave easy access to hundreds of books while the wall directly behind Lex's desk held several mid-wall-to-vaulted ceiling windows. The middle two windows were colored with some stained glass pieces that cast multicolored images on the mahogany desk under them. A fireplace stood to the side surrounded by some more bookshelves that held various pieces of art and weapons alongside books that looked to be rather special with their placing. A wet bar stood to the left of the desk while a couple of leather couches and a leather chair stood in front of the fireplace. A baby grand piano was to the left of the doors as they entered and looked to be well cared for.

Dean watched as Sam's fingers visibly twitched while his little brother looked around eagerly at the shelves of books that he knew were just calling his brother. He smiled sadly and wondered if maybe his brother would come back to this place after everything was done. In a way, he kind of hoped so. At least then he knew that Sam would be taken care of and in a place that would benefit him. He looked over as he heard some shifting and noticed how Lex was watching Sam with a pleased smile. He didn't trust Lex, but his brother seemed to. He'd give it some time to see how things would go, but he knew that, billionaire or no, if Lex hurt his baby brother, he'd crawl out of hell to make sure the man paid for it.

"Well it looks like you got here safe enough. Shall we get started then on research?" Lex offered with a grin as he waved a hand towards the desk.

Sam and Dean glanced at each other and smirked as one. Time to see just how good Lex's computer security held up to the Winchester wiles. Sam went over to the desk and slid into the plush office chair before he started typing almost immediately for his search. Lex sat on the desk next to him and watched in surprise at how adept and quick Sam was in his search. He glanced over to see Dean examining a couple of the weapons that were part of his collection on the shelves next to the fireplace. He watched as Dean expertly tested the weight and sharpness of one of the blades before putting it back in its place and looking around. When Dean started wandering up the stairs to the library shelves along the balcony, Lex refocused on Sam.

They worked in silence for about ten minutes before Sam smirked. "Gotcha," he murmured and shifted closer to the desk as he narrowed down on his search.

"What'd ya find, baby brother?" Dean called from his spot on the balcony as he flipped through a book he'd picked up.

"There were three sites that were the cremation centers. One here in Smallville and two in Metropolis, one near the dam. The dam site was destroyed though in that flood that had happened a year ago, so I think that if we just bless the water, it'll put them to rest. But the two other sites are a bit more difficult since they are near military facilities," Sam explained as he looked over his findings.

"Figures. Lex, you were working with the government to make some secret weapons, weren't you?" Dean called out casually and looked over to lock eyes with the silent Luthor. Dean smirked and shook his head before putting away his book and searching the bindings for another one to pass the time. "What else?"

"Well it looks like there was a break-in at the one near the Kent farm the night of the first set of accidents. Coincidence?" Sam answered and chuckled as Dean snorted.

"So someone broke in and maybe cast some kind of spell to get them riled up?" Lex asked in curiosity as he looked over what Sam had found.

"Something like that. We won't know for sure until we go there and investigate ourselves," Sam murmured as he clicked on a couple more links. He blinked in surprise. "Oh."

"Oh what, Sammy?" Dean responded as he looked over.

"Well...there was some video surveillance for that night," Sam replied as he opened up the file. He watched with Lex as a young woman and a young man strolled into the center of one of the old labs and began drawing a circle and several symbols. "Oh shit..."

"Oh shit? Don't do that, Sammy...what is it?" Dean demanded as he put the book down and came down to find out what he was looking at. He stopped next to his brother and felt himself pale. "Oh shit."

"Yea I know...this complicates things a bit," Sam muttered as they watched. The video feed suddenly stopped and the file ended, so Sam closed it and leaned back as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"So, what does this mean?" Lex asked uncertainly as he watched the two grim brothers.

"It means that, not only do we have to do an exorcism for those spirits, but we have to find the ones who summoned them and waste them," Dean explained grimly before looking at Lex. "The symbols that were used were symbols for a summoning ritual. And, if what I saw is correct, at least the guy is demon possessed."

"Oh shit," Lex whispered as his eyes widened. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated indeed.

"Well...doesn't matter. We take care of those two and the spirits as well. We just have to find them," Sam stated matter-of-factly as he closed down all of the files he'd found.

"How do we do that?" Lex inquired as he looked between them both before focusing on Sam.

"Simple. How do you feel about being bait, baldy?" Dean asked and grinned widely when Lex looked up at him in shock.

Sam sighed as he rubbed his eyes again. This was going to be fun.

TBC

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