The Men We Became
When Caleb woke up, the first thing he felt was pain and the second thing he felt was panic. This was supposed to be a simple hunt, and now he was pretty sure he was locked up in a basement. It was damp, and he was sure it was dark but he was having trouble getting his eyes to stay open. He heard a cough from beside him and he turned his head towards the sound.
"Deuce? Sam?" He heard a groan and forced his eyes to open, and waited for them to adjust to the dim lighting being produced by a single light bulb at the far side of the room.
"I'm right here." Dean whispered, shifting up against the dirt wall. Dean and Caleb both had their hands handcuffed to a pipe above them, and their hands were tingling because of the lack of blood flow. "Sammy? Are you here?"
"Yeah over here." Sam said. "I'm gonna go ahead and assume this is probably about me."
"Why?" Caleb asked. He turned to face where Sam's voice had come from and swore under his breath. Sam was in the center of the room, and he tied to a rickety chair.
"Soooo what are we thinking here demons or angels?" Dean asked. He was attempting to find some way to get free of the cuffs, but he knew it was pretty much pointless.
"Uhhhh… I'm gonna go with demons." Sam was looking at the entryway. Dean and Caleb followed Sam's gaze to where a tall slender man was standing, his black hair was slicked back, and he was wearing an old cracked leather jacket, and was smiling wildly.
"You got that right Sammy boy." The demon said flashing his eyes to that blackness that all the men were so very familiar with. He made his way over to Sam and crouched down in front of him. "My how the mighty have fallen… I am not sure Azazel would be proud of what you have become, you were his favourite… and here you are squandering the gifts he gave you."
"Go to hell…" Dean smirked at his brother's attitude.
"Done my fair share of time there, I'm not exactly itching to go back, but when you get there, be sure to let me know how you like it."
"Sorry Fonzie." Dean said. "Hell has already gotten enough Winchester blood, Sam ain't going anywhere. You can tell you're pal Lucifer the exact same thing." The demon turned toward Dean and laughed darkly.
"I am not working for Lucifer Dean… on the contrary I find his plan stupid and reckless, and I am not going to wait around for humanity to be destroyed, just so he can move on to slaughtering demons when he gets bored with this useless planet."
"So what do you want?" Caleb asked.
"Nothing much, I just want to see how the Boy King ticks." Sam flinched at the name. "My sect of hell still believe it is better to have Sam Winchester on our side, then Lucifer's, you could still take over the post you were originally destined for Sammy."
"Why would I want to do that? I have no interest in helping you bastards live."
"Now be nice Sam, after all are we so different? I mean the only human being in this room did a forty year tour in hell, the rest of us have the same stuff in our veins."
"We're nothing like you." Caleb said.
"Well at least you maintained you're humanity Caleb, you're human won out to your demon side, but little brother here, he knows what it feels like to have black eyes and to have that power running through him, and he misses it, don't you Sammy?"
"Stop calling me Sammy…" The demon laughed.
"Well that isn't a denial… doesn't matter though, it is my job to convince you, and when I do, we will pump you full of blood, and you will come with me, and we will all fight together, and we will leave the humans out of it."
"And if I say no?"
"Then you will die." Sam gulped, and looked towards his brother and Caleb, both had wide eyes, but Sam wasn't afraid, he didn't care what was done to him, he would never help the demons.
"Take your best shot, but I won't help you." The demon laughed and flashed his black eyes again.
"We'll see about that." The demon smirked, and pulled a knife out from beneath his jacket.
"Leave him alone you son of a bitch!" Dean screamed.
"Calm down Dean, I just want to see what his blood looks like, I'm intrigued."
"Well then look at mine!" Caleb yelled. "I'm Azazel's direct descendent I have to be more interesting."
"Tempting… but no thanks." Sam bit back a scream as the knife went through his hand. Caleb and Dean continued to pull on the cuffs, making their wrists slick with blood. The knife was removed and the demon watched as blood ran from the wound.
"Our blood isn't so different Sam, I can smell the slight whiff of demon in there, but I can make you strong again, it'll take a few gallons of blood, more then you have ever drunk, but I can give it to you, you just have to let me." Sam laughed and lifted his head to stare at the demon.
"Why even ask? Why do you need my permission all of the sudden, it wouldn't be the first time someone has forced demon blood down my throat." Dean looked to Caleb, who shook his head; neither of them knew what that meant.
"Well, I could force you to drink it, but I couldn't make you use your powers, so why give it to you? Why waste it?" Sam smiled.
"Well in that case, go fuck yourself. I don't want it." The demon nodded.
"You know Sam, lots of people can torture, but the key to being a good torturer, is to know how to miss all the vital organs, so you can keep your victim as long a possible, minimal blood loss, maximum pain. Ask Dean about it sometime, he knows a thing or two about it, don't you Dean?"
"Dunno man, blood loss was never an issue where I came from, now let him go, he doesn't want it." Dean said.
"Oh but he does… one of the great thing about being a demon is the ability to read minds." The demon turned back to Sam and ran the blade roughly along his collarbone, letting the blood drip down.
"I can see it in your head Sam… you still want that power, you crave it everyday, yet you won't take it all because of them." He nodded his head back towards Dean and Caleb. "You made a promise to them, that you wouldn't let them down, that is the only reason you are taking this instead of giving in."
"Shut up." Sam snarled.
"I'm right aren't I? But here's the thing Sam, they've already given up on you." Sam lifted his eyes to meet the demon. "They are just waiting for you to give in to Lucifer, they have no faith in you." Sam's mask slipped for a second as he met Dean's eyes, but then he put it back into place. The demon placed the knife against Sam's navel; hard enough to draw blood but not hard enough to cause any significant damage.
"Sammy don't listen to him, that isn't true. " Dean begged. The demon ignored him, and continued to talk to Sam.
"So tell me kid, why are you working so hard to save two people, who already think you are useless, who already believe you are weak? Why are you trying so hard to prove yourself to people who don't give a damn if you survive this war?" Sam swallowed, and met the demons eyes, glaring defiantly.
"Stop talking, and do what you got to do, but the answers still no." Sam screamed as the blade went through his chest.
"Please, stop…." Caleb said, his voice cracking. He could feel the pain Sam was in, and he couldn't do anything about it.
"Are you really willing to die for these two?" Sam lifted his head, trying to control is breathing.
"Yes…" Sam answered. The demon narrowed his eyes at the youngest Winchester.
"They will never see you as anything else besides a failure, why are you still so willing to die for them?" Sam looked at Caleb and Dean across the room, and smiled.
"Because they're my brothers, and that's what family does…" Sam spit at the demons feet.
"So be it Sam..." The demon cut Sam's arm from wrist to elbow, as Sam screamed.
"NO!" Dean yelled.
"I'll give it twenty, maybe thirty minutes before you bleed out, yell if you change your mind." The demon was gone, leaving the three men alone. Sammy coughed, and blood splattered from his mouth.
"Sammy, you stay awake okay?"
"He obviously isn't a very good torturer, I think he punctured my lung." Sam said, struggling to take deep breaths.
"Jesus Christ…" Caleb said. They had to find a way out of here before Sam bled out. "Can you get lose Deuce?" Dean continued to struggle and then slumped back against the wall.
"No… I can't reach anything to get the cuffs undone." Sam was shifting in the chair sluggishly.
"Sammy stay still… you are losing too much blood." Caleb said.
"Probably, but I am not going to let you two die down here with me…" Sam coughed again, more frothy blood staining his lips. He slid his good arm into his boot and pulled out a small blade from the lining. He brought his arm back up and put it against his chest, fraying the ropes that were holding him in place. His energy was waning, but he eventually got the ropes undone, and he fell forward onto the dirt floor, holding himself up shakily with his good arm.
"Sammy? Do not pass out on me." Dean said.
"I won't… not yet…" Sam whispered he knew his brother couldn't hear him, but he said it anyway. He crawled over to Dean and used to the thin tip of the blade, to undo one of Dean's cuffs, before sitting back against the wall. "You do the rest big brother…" Sam whispered. Dean quickly undid one of Caleb's cuff so he could get his arms down from the pole, but they both still had the cuffs hanging from their left wrists, not caring at the moment as they went to tend to their youngest. Sam's eyes had slipped closed and Dean lightly slapped his face.
"C'mon baby brother, wake up." Sam groaned and opened his eyes staring at Dean. "That's it kiddo. We gotta slow this bleeding." Caleb took off his over shirt and ripped it into stripped, tying pieces around Sam's arm.
"D'nn?" Sam slurred.
"Yeah Sam?"
"m not w'k right?" Dean swallowed back the tears in his eyes as he pushed his shirt over the wound in Sam's chest.
"No Sammy, you're not weak. You're one of the strongest men I've ever known…" Sam smiled tiredly.
"I learned from the best…" Sam whispered. "I'm sorry I let you both down…"
"You've redeemed yourself kid, and all will be forgiven as long as you don't give up now…" Caleb said placing his fingers on Sam's neck, his pulse was sluggish.
"M'kay, I'm trying… I'm with you." Sam said.
"Stop talking Sammy, save your energy, just use the force and talk to me in my head… that way I know you are still with us." Sam nodded.
"Now how the hell are we gonna get out of here Caleb?" Dean asked. Just as Dean said that Caleb felt a familiar pulse in his head.
"Don't worry Deuce, the Calvary has arrived." Dean heard loud noises above them.
"Bobby?" Caleb nodded.
"And Josh."
"Thank God… you still with us Sammy?" Sam said nothing, but Caleb placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He's in there Deuce, just conserving his energy." The door opened, and Bobby came through with Josh in tow.
"Everyone okay?" Bobby asked.
"No, Sam's bleeding pretty bad…"
"We'll get him back to the motel, Mac's there he can stitch him up."
"He has to go to a hospital… bastard stabbed him, I think he punctured his lung, he is coughing up blood and he isn't breathing to well." Joshua bent down between Dean and Caleb so he could get a look at the wound.
"Shit, this is really bad Bobby we gotta get him outta here quick, no stops. We'll go straight to the hospital from here, call Mac tell him to meet us there. You guys need any help with him?" Joshua was genuinely concerned for the youngest Winchester, things has shifted for the four of them over the past year, and he was glad to call the three men before him friends.
"No, we got him, just watch our back just in case anymore come through, is my car here?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, its out front, Bobby drove just in case we needed an extra vehicle."
"Well… thanks… I guess I will ignore the fact that Bobby drove my car." Dean said. Caleb and Dean lifted Sam up, leaning most of his weight on Caleb while Dean kept the makeshift bandage tight to Sam's chest with one hand.
They made their way outside as quickly as possible and lay Sam down in the back seat; Caleb crawled in beside him so he could play doctor on the way to the hospital. It was a tight fit with two men both over six feet tall, but Caleb ignored the closeness and worked on keeping Sam alive.
"I'm tired Caleb." Sam said to Caleb through their psychic connection.
"We almost there kiddo, just hang on a little bit longer." Caleb thought back. Sam shifted slightly against Caleb's side.
"And if I can't?"
"You can… remember? You are the strongest man I've ever known."
"Dean said that, not you."
"Yeah well…I think the same thing… just a little bit longer.
"Okay…"
"And Sam? I've always thought of you as a brother too… and I am not ready to bury either of my little brothers okay?" Sam huffed softly.
"Chick flick moment."
"Shut up kid."
They pulled up to the emergency bay, and pulled Sam out of the car, a doctor rushed up to help place him on the gurney. They listed off his injuries, and Sam was wheeled away, and Dean prayed to whoever still cared that his brother would live through this.
It had been four hours since they had wheeled Sam away and according to Mackland, Sam was in surgery to repair the tear in his lung. Dean was pacing the waiting room, while Bobby, Caleb and Joshua were sitting quietly each in their own thoughts.
"Deuce sit down before you fall down, you look like shit." Caleb said. Dean glared at his friend.
"Thanks Damien, I needed that ego boost right now." Caleb sighed and pulled Dean into the chair beside him.
"Get the fuck off me man." Caleb ignored the anger in Dean's voice, he knew it was only masking his fears.
"Dean this isn't your fault you didn't do this."
"I didn't stop it either…"
"We tried, but we couldn't get lose, but that kid in there saved us while he was bleeding out with a hole in his lung, he is going to be fine, and then you can go in there and get the 'Dean this wasn't your fault' speech from him, alright?" Dean smirked, he knew that was exactly what was going to happen.
"You suck you know that?" Dean said. Caleb laughed.
"Yeah, you too." The doctor came through the doors and walked towards the group of rag tag hunters.
"Family of… Alex Connor?"
"That's us." Dean said. The doctor quirked an eyebrow at the men, clearly not believing they were all related to his patient.
"All of you?"
"Yeah all of us, what's the word doc?" Caleb asked.
"Well, we went in and repaired the lung, and put in a tube until it heals, he is gonna be on bed rest for the next week at least. We stitched up the worst of the wounds, and he is getting a blood transfusion now, all in all he is very lucky and should be fine." Dean released the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Can we see him?"
"Sure, room 212, he is still sleeping, but he should be awake soon."
"Thanks doc." Dean turned towards the rest of the men in the waiting room. "You guys heading out?"
"Bobby and me are gonna go clean up the mess we left in that house, but we will be back in the morning, how long is Sam gonna stay?" Joshua asked.
"As long as I can keep him here." Dean said.
"I'm covering the bill so it shouldn't be a problem, then we will take him back to the farm to recuperate, we can't screw around with his lungs." Caleb said.
"Alright, we will check on you guys tomorrow, and we will head out to the farm after that and get everything set up." Bobby said.
"Thanks guys, we appreciate the rescue." Caleb said.
"Anytime boys." Bobby and Josh turned and walked out of the hospital.
"C'mon Deuce, lets go see baby brother."
Sam looked so young lying in that hospital bed. Dean could see the teenager who had left for Stanford behind the younger mans tired eyes. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and in many ways it was. Dean and Caleb sat protectively on either side of Sam's bed, waiting for him to wake up.
"He doesn't sleep much any more." Dean said suddenly, causing Caleb to look up from the magazine he was reading.
"No?" Dean shook his head.
"Lucifer can't find him, but he can talk to him in his dreams."
"That must suck."
"Yeah…" Caleb leaned forward.
"What are you thinking about Deuce?" Dean met his friends eyes, and Caleb couldn't ignore how watery Dean's gaze was.
"I don't think he is weak, and I haven't given up on him, I never will… you and Sammy are the only people I have faith in any more…"
"I know all that…"
"But does he?" Dean asked motioning to his sleeping brother. "I saw him back there, that look on his face, he believed what that demon was saying to him, he thinks I have given up on him, that I don't care about him, what kind of brother does that make me."
"A human one…" Caleb answered. "We have all made mistakes Deuce, we have all given in to our anger, our hate, and our fear, and there has been repercussions for all those mistakes we have made."
"So what do I do?"
"Be his brother. Make sure he knows you haven't given up on him, he fought today, even when he didn't believe we had his back he still had ours. He is still the same kid he has always been, and he just wants his big brother to forgive him."
"I already have…"
"I know…so have I. Look Deuce, us, Josh Bobby and Mac that is all we got left… and I still believe that is worth fighting for. If we can keep our family together, saving the world will come easy after that." Dean laughed.
"Man, we sure got left a hell of a mess…" Caleb smiled.
"Yeah but you know what comes out of this mess?"
"What's that?"
"One of hell of a legacy." Dean chuckled softly.
"Damn straight."
Two hours later Sam started to wake up, and Caleb walked out of the room so Dean could have a few minutes with Sam, he knew they were about to have a conversation. Sam lifted his eyelids, and stared at Dean.
"Hey Dean."
"Hey Sleeping Beauty… how you feeling?"
"Like I've got a car parked on my chest…"
"Yeah… apparently puncturing your lung makes it hard to breathe…" Sam laughed softly.
"Jack ass… when can I get outta here?"
"When the doc gives you the all clear." Sam huffed.
"I'm fine." Dean rolled his eyes as the famous Winchester stubbornness began to flair.
"Dude, you got a chest tube and that red shit that is being pumped into your veins is kinda necessary."
"Fine how long?"
"A week minimum." Sam glared.
"I am not staying here a week."
"Oh yes you are, or at least until your lung stops trying to collapse, then you are recouping at the farm until you are all better." Sam sighed.
"Where's Caleb?"
"He went to grab some coffee."
"Oh… is he okay?"
"He's fine Sammy, you are the one we are worried about right now." Sam looked away from Dean.
"I'm sorry for worrying you…"
"Don't apologize, just get better…"
"Okay…" The room was quiet for a few minutes, as Dean tried to work out what to say to his brother.
"Hey Sammy?"
"Yeah?"
"You know I forgive you right?" Sam had a look of confusion on his face.
"What?"
"I forgive you… for everything that happened last year… and I haven't given up on you, and I… I trust Sammy… I'm not saying I'm not pissed about what happened, but… its in the past and if we are gonna have a shot at fighting this thing we have to work together. Back there, you proved to me that you still had that drive in you to be a good man, and I'm sorry I ever doubted that, I am proud of the man that you grew up to be, and I'm sorry you stopped believing that. " Sam swallowed and blinked back the tears in his eyes.
"Thanks Dean…"
"Your welcome Sam… Can I ask you one thing?"
"Anything…"
"You told that demon that it wasn't the first time someone had tried to force demon blood down your throat… what did that mean?" Sam sighed.
"When we separated, there was a case, and Bobby called in some hunters to come handle it, guess when they were exorcising him, the demon told him that I had started the apocalypse and how I did it… So they tried to force me to drink demon blood, so I could help them kill the demons… but I spit it out… I swear."
"I believe you Sammy… thanks for telling me… now get some rest so you can get better we got a hell of a war to fight."
It was true, they had a hell of a fight ahead of them, but Sam and Dean both had their reason to fight back, even if they wanted to give up on the world, they were never going to give up on their family, and that alone was worth fighting for.