Things get bloodier in more ways than one when the trials to curing Dean make an unexpected turn towards death and insanity. The five years are up and Dean starts to hear a way-too-familiar voice in the back of his mind, who guides him into doing things that are far too unforgivable… until it's Dean entirely. A child prophet with missing parents, an archangel who will be forced to face his family, an angel that can never really decide if they're actually an angel or not, a demon who's always absent, a knight of hell who just can't take the pain, and a human who isn't handling this all too well are all pushed to their limits while dealing with multiple problems with very limited solutions.


Hullo! Welcome to my most recent continuing fanficion, Broken Gift. This started out mostly with me just wanting to write something, but then I found myself planning out everything and writing more and more. It starts out right after the cliffhanger finale of Demon!Dean.
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.
c:


Crowley smiled as Dean sat up, sparkling green eyes replaced with jet black. Dean turned his head towards Crowley, but he couldn't recall Crowley looking like that. His body was still there, but it was surrounded by thick black smoke – demon smoke. It also seemed he had horns extending from his head and curling backwards. The skin on his face looked as if it had been torn apart and replaced in a jagged pattern.

"Hello, Dean," he said, red eyes gleaming. His smile was genuine, but almost looked sinister with his crossroad demon eyes shining through the smoke.

Dean groaned and rubbed his eyes, blinking a few times, and his eyes returned to normal. Something wasn't right. "Why… why do you look like that?" Dean finally asked.

Crowley looked down at what he was wearing. "You don't like my outfit?" he teased.

"No, I mean the smoke," he replied, waving a hand in Crowley's direction at his bedside, "and the face, which is uglier than usual."

Crowley laughed. "Oh, this," he said, looking down at himself again, "you're seeing my true form."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "What happened? I thought I was dead."

"Oh you were, but then you brought yourself back. It's funny, how these little miracles happen, but I don't think this is what you'd call a miracle."

Dean stared at the smoke surrounding Crowley. The Mark of Cain. Not dead. Can see demons' true forms. Dean finally got it. He woke up a demon.

"No," he whispered, "no no no no. This wasn't supposed to happen, I should be dead!"

Crowley dropped his smirk. Even though he wanted to yell, he stayed calm. "Look, if you had died, that'd be it. Dead. Nothing to save you, unless little brother Sammy here sold his soul – which he was planning to do, by the way. But the Mark saved you; it brought you back. We could still find a solution."

Dean remained silent. What would Sam think? What would Cas think? He couldn't help but imagine their devastated faces when they found out. That's what he spend his entire life doing: hunting demons and all the other monsters that followed. And now he's become one of them. Way to go.

Despite all the panic Dean felt rush through him, something kept him from freaking out. He stared down at his hands, and then realized he had the First Blade firmly grasped in his right hand. How did that get there? Alongside with the peace, he felt need. The need to keep it in his hand, to use it to kill whatever tried to interfere with him. No, he tried to say, but the other part of him wouldn't listen. Put the blade down.

"Dean," Crowley's voice interrupted his internal conflict. "You can put the blade down."

"Yeah," he responded, partially to himself. Dean's hand shook as he held the blade over the bedside table. Let it go. The blade dropped onto the table.

"Now stay here while I go tell Sam what happened. I can't wait to see his face." Crowley chuckled, and then when Dean blinked, he was gone.


"Hello, Moose." Sam turned around and saw Crowley standing by the entryway. He put down his bottle of Whiskey and turned his body towards Crowley.

"It's about time." Sam's expression was unchanged. He felt pain and sadness, yet also anger and regret, and it all neutralized into one feeling of just not caring. All he wanted was his brother back.

Sam opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted. "I know, I know. You want to sell your soul to bring your brother back from the dead," he paused and sighed. "Well I can't do that, since he's not exactly dead."

Sam jumped up from the chair, eyes widened. "What? Dean's alive?"

"The Mark of Cain brought him back. With a little bit of my help, of course."

"What did you do?"

"I put the blade in his hand, and I convinced what was left of him to come back." Crowley, no matter how much he wanted to look away, kept his eyes on Sam's confused expression.

"What was left of him?" Sam inquired. "What do you mean?"

Crowley stepped closer. "Well, you see, having him save himself like that came with some side effects." Sam creased his eyebrows together, trying to understand. Crowley sighed. "Cain was a demon," he explained, "and Dean was not. Dean was just barely strong enough to handle the Mark, but his body needed more power. So what did it do to him to make him stronger?" Sam said nothing once he realized the answer. "It made him a demon."

"A demon," Sam echoed. No, that can't be right. All of the information made sense, but it just can't be right. "But he's alive, right?"

Crowley nodded.

"Can I go see him?"

"Go right ahead." Crowley walked with Sam to the room Dean was lying on the bed dead just ten minutes ago.


When they walked in, Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed taking deep breaths. He looked up and saw Sam, and a weak smile grew across his face. "Heya, Sammy." His eyes flickered from normal to black every few times he blinked. "Man, I still can't control these very well." He muttered.

"Dean," Sam breathed as he quickly made over to Dean and wrapped him in a hug, tears slowly spilling out from his eyes. "You were dead, Dean. You were dead." He whispered, voice catching at the end.

Dean hugged him back tightly. "I don't know how much better this is, though."

They sat down on the edge of the bed and Crowley took his place in the armchair.

"You know," Sam started, "we could try the demon cure we found for the third trial. Do you think that could work?"

"Probably not," Crowley replied, "the Mark would most likely overpower it. Also, the vessel would have to be possessed by a demon, and Dean is a demon. He's practically Cain."

After a moment of silence, Dean somehow managed to laugh in the tense situation. "We were just looking for our dad," he said, his voice just slightly louder than a whisper, "how did it end up here?" he shook his head and closed his eyes. "We were just looking for our dad." Dean hung his head down and looked at the floor.

Sam put his arm around his brother's shoulders. The three of them sat there for a few minutes until Crowley said, "Why don't you call your angel for a little extra help?"

Sam sighed. "He should've been back by now. Metatron might have captured him. We can try praying to him, if he even still gets that sort of thing."

Dean looked up. He dreaded Castiel's reaction the most. He knew his brother would be happy to see him, even if he was disappointed. With Cas, Dean didn't know whether Cas would be happy, angry, both, or worse. Dean was becoming more and more aware that most of Cas's actions were for him. Cas dragged Dean from hell, rebelled for him, started a civil war in heaven for him, stayed in purgatory for him, and gave up his entire army for him. And what does Dean do in return? Become a demon. Cas dragged him out of hell, and now he is hell. Way to go, Dean Winchester.

Dean didn't want Cas to think he was dead, but he didn't exactly want to face him, either. Not yet, at least.

"I'm going to get some food or something." Dean mumbled, standing up.

"But we were just about to call Cas. Don't you want to see him?" Sam pleads.

Dean just says quietly, "Not yet," and walks out the door. He went and sat down where Sam was sitting just earlier, not even hungry.

Sam prayed to Cas silently. Cas. I don't know what's going on up there, if you're locked up, if you beat Metatron or what. But some sort of cursed miracle happened, and you probably want to know. It's Dean. He was dead, but now he's alive. Except something is wrong. I'd rather tell you in person, if you can. Please.

Though Cas had not yet taken his grace back, he still had some left and could hear Sam's prayers. He came down within a minute, but Hannah was also with him.

"Hello, Sam. Crowley." He greeted.

"Hey, Cas. Why's Hannah here?" Sam asked.

Cas turned his head to look at Hannah, who stood at his side. "I don't have my wings back, yet. She had to bring me down."

Hannah nodded. "Just call for me when you need to come back up, Castiel." Then she was gone.

"Dean's alive?" he asked urgently, once she left, "Where is he?"

"He's getting something to eat, angel. Sit down and let us tell you what happened." Crowley said.

Cas sat on the bed next to Sam and they explained how Dean was killed by Metatron and woke up as a demon.

Cas was quiet. He stared down at his hands. "So… Dean's alive, and he's a demon." The situation felt strange. He felt so much disappointment yet relief at the same time. Cas had rescued Dean from hell. Dean died. Dean is alive. Dean is a demon. Mostly, his emotion was a question: What are we going to do? Cas sighed. "Let me see him."

Sam shrugged. "I don't know if he really wants to talk right-"

"Let me see him."

Sam motioned towards the door. "He's out there." Cas walked out the door and to the main room where he saw Dean sitting in a chair, back facing him. Black smoke surrounded him in his seat, and no doubt his eyes were pitch black.

"Dean?"

Dean turned around and stood up. When he laid eyes on Castiel, however, he was silent. His mouth was open slightly and he stared at Cas and around him. Not only could he see demons, he could see Angels' true forms as well. Cas had a dimming blue-ish – white light glowing around him, and even brighter around and above his head, like a halo. His eyes glowed bright blue. Still, he had no wings. His grace was still fading. He had not taken it back yet.

"Wow," Dean breathed, completely forgetting what had happened. "You're gorgeous." Cas smiled, then Dean realized what he said. His face went pink and his eyes switched from normal to black each time he blinked. "I mean – er, well, um – sorry."

Cas smiled even more. "It's – It's fine. Thank you. My angelic form is actually about 1,000 times larger, but while I'm in my vessel it appears smaller."

Dean laughed lightly. "Show off…" After the awkwardness Dean had just suffered through, he didn't know what to say. He looked back up at Cas, and suddenly Cas had his arms wrapped around Dean in a hug. Dean smiled and hugged Cas back. This was one hundred times better than the reaction he was expecting.

"Metatron…" Cas said quietly, "he was going to kill me with the blade he killed you with. It still had your blood on it." Cas's voice was quiet, like he was trying not to cry.

"I'm alive. I'm alive." Dean repeated to him. Cas needed the reassurance, and he gripped him tight like Dean was going to disappear when he let go. Dean pulled back and said "but you're probably not thrilled with why."

Cas sighed. "No, I'm not." He started, staring into Dean's new, empty black eyes. Being an angel, he could only see the blackness of his eyes and torn up skin of his face. Never again will he see Dean's gorgeous green eyes or the freckles spreading across his nose. It was hard to look at Dean without cringing, even though he was used to the sight of demons. "I'm still upset."

Dean sat back down and Cas took the chair next to him. Dean rubbed his forehead and stared at the table. "I'm sorry Cas. I just- you… you've done so much for me. And look at how I repaid you."

"Dean, it's not your fault Metatron-"

"But I'm the one who accepted the stupid mark in the first place!" Dean interrupted. Cas looked away. Dean didn't have any other choice, but Cas didn't want to carry the argument. He wasn't very happy with Dean being a demon. Not at all. It did anger him some, considering it was what he saved him from in the first place, but Cas was tired of Dean taking the blame for everything. It was only really partially his fault, but Dean already had too much on his shoulders, and half of what haunted him wasn't even his fault. It was nothing he could have stopped at the moment, but he felt it all backtracked to him. Cas didn't want him to feel this way, but he can't control Dean's emotions. Especially since he is now a demon and is half-controlled by the First Blade.

Dean finally looked back up at Cas. He squinted his eyes as he studied Castiel's angelic form. He was large and majestic, stretching up many feet above Jimmy Novak's head. "You didn't get your grace back," Dean said aloud, mostly to himself. "You look… faded."

Cas looked back at Dean in the eyes, even if it did make him shiver to see him like that. "I didn't take it back, no," he started, "I was hoping that I could be human after… after it was all over. But I guess not. We'll need the help." He decided, sitting up in his chair. After a moment, Cas said, "should I go get Sam and Crowley?"

Dean nodded, and Cas went to retrieve the two from the bedroom.


The four of them sat down together at the table. "So," Sam said, "what do we do now?"

"Look for a cure?" Dean suggested.

"That will be difficult," Crowley said, "you have very limited options. You can transfer the Mark to someone strong enough like you – though it seems that you are the only one similar enough to Cain to withstand the Mark – or see if Cain himself will take it back. He most likely will not want it, considering he asked you to kill him once you killed Abaddon." The other three listened carefully as Crowley explained their options. "But the Mark was given to Cain by Lucifer. If Lucifer is the one to give it to him, perhaps he can be the one to take it off." They stared at him, surprised.

"How the hell would we get Lucifer to take off the Mark?" Sam inquired. "Also, he's locked in the cage. How would we get in?"

"Dean is now a Knight of Hell," Crowley explained, "he can stroll right on in. However, the cage is protected against any powers an angel or demon may have. So if you walk in, you aren't getting out."

So that option is out. They were all highly against consulting Lucifer anyhow, especially Sam.

Cas looked up. "Wait, Lucifer is an archangel and he was able to give Cain the Mark. Maybe another archangel has the power of taking it away."

"Aren't all the other archangels dead?" Crowley remarked.

"Actually," Cas said, regaining their attention, "one might still be alive."

"Who?" Dean asked.

"Gabriel."

"Wait – Gabriel died. Lucifer stabbed him." Sam said.

Cas leaned his elbows against the table. Story time. "When Metatron captured me, he put me into a hallucination. Gabriel was there and he helped me through it, even though he was still just acting as a character for Metatron. Once I had figured it out, I asked him if he was actually dead. He just gave me a look, and wiggled his eyebrows. Then he left." The others were speechless. "Maybe it's a sign that he isn't actually dead."

Dean frowned. "What if Metatron was just messing with you?"

"I don't know," Cas responded, "we've got him locked up in heaven. The angel tablet is destroyed, so now he is just a normal angel. We were planning to ask him some questions. We have not yet decided his fate."

"So your angel army is back on your side now?" asked Sam.

Cas nodded. "We can ask him about Gabriel. I'll also retrieve my grace." The three of them nodded. "When should we go up?"

"Tomorrow?" Dean suggested. Sam nodded in agreement. Dean turned back towards Cas. "So, what're you going to do until then? Go back up to Heaven, or do you want to spend a night here?"

Cas looked up towards the ceiling, as if he were looking up at Heaven. Maybe angels had a thing like that, who knows. "I suppose I'll stay down here. They'd have questions for me. Questions I don't feel like answering." He brought his eyes back down and looked at the Winchesters.

Sam stood up. "Okay, well, I'll prepare you a room. Dean, get yourself cleaned up. " Dean still had blood all over his face, arms, and clothing. Sure enough, his stab wound had sealed up. "I don't know about you guys, but it's been a long week for me. I'm going to bed soon."

Crowley, who had been silent, piped up. "Well, I guess I'll see you lot later. Good luck." With that, he was gone.

While Dean went to the bathroom to clean the blood off of him, Sam led Cas to the room Dean was in shortly before. He cleaned up the room a bit and left it to Cas.

"Thank you, Sam."

"Don't mention it," he replied, turning to walk out the door. Cas wasn't familiar with the expression, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Sam?" he asked, "Do you think Dean is going to be okay?" Sam stopped and turned around.

"Honestly, I don't know." He said. Cas looked down and back up without saying anything. "Goodnight Cas."

"Goodnight Sam."

The words that were once exclaimed throughout Heaven were now heard in Hell: Dean Winchester is saved.


Thanks for reading! I'll have the second chapter posted soon.
Some parts of my fanfiction were inspired by tumblr posts:
- Dean getting flustered and his eyes changing from normal to black when he compliments Cas: inspired by a tumblr post by fus-roh-destiel (. tumblr . com)
- Italics at the end of the chapter ("Dean Winchester is saved" bit): inspired by a tumblr post by youdtearthiscanvasskinapart (. tumblr . com)

Thank you! Please review! ily all
-Cameron