Dean laughed, not the sort of laughter designed to remove Sam's doubt, but one seemingly filled with malice.
"Dean?"
He looked up, his eyes yellow.
"You!"
"Hi, Sammy Boy!" The ceiling demon used Dean to pin Sam up against the wall. The impact made a loud crash, summoning John's attention. he walked in, only to instantly find himself in a similar position to his youngest son.
The demon slowly removed the Colt from Dean's pocket, stroking it lovingly. "This has been a real pain in the ass...but your brother just handed it to me."
"But it was in the trunk...the Devil's Trap..."
"Like he'd ever just leave it there. He had to protect you and your father from your blood lust for me. " The ceiling demon paused, searching Dean's memories for more information, more toxic thoughts. "He liked the power of holding it. You two never let him me in control, you told him what to do..." He walked over to John, "You didn't even give him that. You were so consumed by hunting me, wanting all the glory for yourself, you did it alone, allowing Dean to watch you live, but only when it was advantageous to you."
"Lies!" John roared in reply. "Dean would never think that of me."
"Ah, but you don't deny it, do you?"
"Why should I?"
"To try and ease your troubled mind, obviously tortured by the fact Dean might think badly of you. Maybe even hard done by." The demon sneered, sarcasm oozing from his words. "But wait, I forgot. You don't give a damn about him."
"Go to hell."
"In the sam manner that your sons sent my children to hell? Oh, I bet you'd like to see that. Make your life a helluva lot easier, wouldn't it? But I'm fighting for my family, just like you're fighting for yours."
"What?" Sam spoke through his pain, wondering how this demon, the thing that had changed his life, could know what family was.
"Meg? That little exorcism you read my baby girl really broke my heart. And the guy in the alley? My only son won't breathe air again because of you Winchesters."
"What about my family?" Sam shouted back in agony. "You stole my mother. You stole my soulmate. Doesn't that count for anything?"
The ceiling demon stopped for a moment, leaning in to Sam. "Yes, I remember that. Your mother, so eager to protect her son, so willing to sacrifice herself for you, such a pleasure to slaughter..."
"Don't you talk about Mary like that!" yelled John, his voice filled with hatred, rage and a desperation for vengeance.
The ceiling demon carried on, ignoring John's outburst. "Oh, and Jess. She was a pretty girl. Just waiting for you to pop the question. And you were going to as well, before our little encounter..."
"Son of a bitch!"
"Dean's pretty pissed off that you didn't mention this to him, he is your big brother, after all. But I guess family means more to him than it does to you. He's also annoyed that you didn't hook him up with one of her hot friends."
Sam laughed despite his aching body and angered soul. However, the humour in the situation was fleeting as his attention quickly returned to the demon that had destroyed his life.
"But why? Why did you do it?"
"Because they got in the way. " The ceiling demon smiled Dean's trademark smirk. "They were going to interfere with my plans for you, and all the children like you..." He laughed menancingly in Sam's face.
"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to send your sorry ass back to hell!"
"I'd like to see you try." He grinned. "Go on, psychic boy. Make the gun float to you. that'd be a neat trick." Sam's eyes squinted as he tried to save his family, only to fail miserably. "Give up. Join us. Join all those like you. Leave this life behind. Harness your powers. Lead the successful double life you never could before. Become a killer..."
Sam stared at the demon like he was crazy. Who was he kidding? The demon was off his rocker, way past crazy. Sam could never kill, he had seen, experienced first hand what murder could do, could cause.
John's voice came from behind the demon. "Dean! Listen to me! Fight back, take the demon down. Hear what he is saying. Think of your brother, think of your mother, think of me!" The yellow eyes of the demon flickered for a moment before returning to their bright yellow. The demon walked over to John, each step filled with power, with intent.
"Didn't you hear what I said before? Dean is sick of fighting this losing battle in your name. He wants you dead more than I do. He wants you to suffer for his lost childhood. And he seems to think you feel the same way about him. See, Dean boy knows he always been second rate to Sammy." The demon looked over at Sam, who was staring at the floor in a state of shock.
"Oh, that's right. You're daddy's favourite son." Sam just kept looking down. "Yeah, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. You have personality, the fighting spirit. Dean was the doormat you both walked over. Dad showed you affection, concern. Dean was taken for granted. but not anymore!" The demon spun around to face John once again. With a mischievous glint in those yellow eyes, John began to bleed profusely, the red liquid emptying from his chest, down his arms, legs.
"So, this is the end. Twenty two years and you've won. Congratulations." John spoke, defeat throughout his words.
Sam was far less accepting of this decision. "Dean, no! You're stronger than this! You're my big brother! Take him down! Kick his ass! he's already destroyed this family twice. Are you going to let him do it again?"
The demon's eyes flickered, this time for longer, as if Dean was struggling to beat this thing. His body fell to the ground, as the yellow eyes faded and Dean returned. John and Sam were released from their stronghold to the wall, John
"Dad, I didn't mean that. Same for you Sammy." He suddenly gasped for air. "It's still in me!" He swallowed hard, trying to fight for his family, to save what meant the world to him.
John calmly picked up the colt and cocked it. "Dean, I'm sorry." He pointed it at Dean's heart. "It's for the greater good."
Fear flashed across Dean's face as Sam cried out in the background. "No, Dad! No!" John pulled the trigger, and as Dean's blood splattered on impact, silence rang through the air.
"It's been twenty two years, and now it's over."
"And look at the price we paid." Sam looked at Dean's broken body. "You were so set on killing this damn thing, you were willing to give up your eldest son. He gave everything to you, his childhood, his whole damn life. You didn't even say goodbye, give him the choice. Look at what your crusade has claimed."
John stared on, shocked, as Sam held his brother's lifeless corpse and whispered, "I'm sorry, big brother."