Previously:
Her black eyes flick to ruby, she cocks her head. "Hello ruby, I don't think we've ever had the pleasure to meet. We can redo that later" she says simply.
The hunters look uneasily at Ruby; she notices the frown on Bobby's face and the narrowing of Ellen's eyes. Damn! She's losing their trust, which she cannot afford right now. Not when Lilith has been overthrown and the plan is close – she has Sam by the balls, literally and metaphorically.
. "A gesture of good will" she says. Sam raises an eyebrow in confusion and interest. She cocks her head to the door and the hunters watch silently, wary of what's going to happen.
He had resigned himself to years without Dean, and here he was. Sam felt weak, overwhelmed with joy and happiness – but still sadness at remembering he was the reason Dean had even gone to hell. Sam had to shove his hands in his jeans, his fingers were twitching in Dean's direction.
All he wanted to do was talk to Dean, to touch Dean.
"Hey Sammy" dean laughs and steps forward.
All eyes turn to the smirking dean.
"Dean?" Sam asks, taking a step forward. John grabs his arm and stops him. "That isn't dean son, just a demon" his voice is filled with sorrow and pain as he looks and dean. He most of all, feels guilt. He never knew that Dean had made a demon deal ten years ago, because of him. Was he that much of a bad father? Evidently.
He knew he wasn't the best, but he never thought his strict rules would've condemned his son to be willing to spend an eternity in hell. He had failed as a father. He had cost his son his life and wasn't helping the only son he had left. Looking at this fake, this impostor he felt sick. Ill. His son was gone, and he wouldn't get him back. Life had screwed him over more than once, it wouldn't suddenly do him a favour by giving him his son back.
"Right and wrong" dean admits, drawing John out of his thoughts. "I am a demon, but I'm also dean" he swears, holding his right arm up and his left arm over his heart. John holds a snort, Dean never believed in religion –so to swear a religious oath meant nothing. Besides, this wasn't Dean.
"Demon?!" bobby explodes, stepping forward. Dean and Sam have always been like nephews to him, but he's always favoured Dean more. Perhaps it's because the first time he met them, he saw an adult in Dean. A man in a child's body, doing his best to protect same Perhaps it was because he had seen dean throw away everything he'd want, become nothing but a soldier to john – an invisible one at that – and receive no thanks from either Sam or John.
Dean nods, eyes flashing black. "Yes, partly. I'm human too. I didn't spend enough time in hell to become a full one. But I'm still something" Pastor Jim says a quick blessing, praying to the Lord to bless the Winchesters with some happiness, some love in their live.
"I say we kill him" pipes up a hunter, the same one from before.
"Shut up" both dean and Sam command, then look at each other and smile.
"C'mere Sammy" dean orders, holding out his arms. Sam hesitates. What should he do? His foot moves slowly in the direction of Dean, unsure. But Sam wants to go to Dean, he really does – after all these months, he needs to touch Dean. Dean was the most – is the most important person in his life. He twitches, looking from Dean to his dad. What should we do?
"Sam" he orders roughly. Sam looks deep in his eyes and steps forward, ignoring the outstretched hands of his father, bobby and Ellen. Sam embraces dean tightly and dean whispers in his ears. "Told you id be back Sammy" dean says, holding Sam even tighter.
"Dean" Sam chokes out. "Ive'" missed you, needed you, dreamt of you, wanted you, and loved you. I still do. Sam's unable to say any of this, but dean holds him tight anyway. Then he pulls back.
"What are you wearing?" he asks in shock, taking in Sams outfit. The leather jacket, black boots, flannel shirt. Sam grins sheepishly and fingers dean's amulet around his neck almost nervously.
Dean looks at his most prize possession – well second to Sammy, and takes it carefully off Sam's neck and places it around his own. "Sammy" he murmurs fondly, looking at how broken his baby brother truly is. He can barely bare to look at this version of Sam. The Sam that has now become him.
Then the moment is broken as dean winces from the burn of holy water as it cascades upon his face. 'Shit' he turns to face bobby. Bobby growls at him and advances, but Sam slides in the ever closing gap. He holds up his hand, looking pleadingly at Bobby to stop. Bobby hesitates, looking to John and Ellen for guidance.
"He's dean. I know he is" Sam promises, his voice full of hope. He looks to john for help. John steps forward to dean.
"What's your favourite thing and most important motto?"
"Looking after Sammy and my baby" dean replies instantly. John looks at Dean for a few moments in silence. He looks at Dean and sees his son; the demeanour is similar, the smile still in place. He can't see the change to demon which he would have expected.
John nods and says "ok" I'm seeming acceptance. But dean knows it's anything but. John may seem accepting, but he's going to watch dean like a hawk. Dean finds it ironic. Johns going to watch Dean like a hawk, but whose going to watch Ruby? This is the whole reason he came back, because he didn't trust anyone – not even his dad- to save Sam. It was ingrained inside him, he had always been told to protect Sam – so he did. The consequence of that was now he never trusted anyone when it came to Sam's protection, happiness and safety.
Later that evening, when all the hunters have vacated, it remains just the hunters who was originally there at the roadhouse. The tension in the room is thick, the hunters are unsure as how to act around Dean. John has been hesitant, he's not a very comforting father but he still wants dean to know that he's glad he's back. From where Sam has been seated, he continuously looks at Dean – unable to look away. Perhaps this is a lie? Maybe he's dreaming this, or maybe this isn't dean. It might just be a demon impersonating him.
The only person – or thing- that has no hesitation is Ruby. Sprawled in her chair, ruby smugly asks, "So how was hell deano?"
Dean looks at her blankly. "Toasty" is all he offers. He continues digging into his apple pie, moaning at every second causing most of the hunters to shuffle in disgust. However Sam, he was shifting in his chair for an entirely different reason.
"And how was Alistair?" she drawls, her question arousing looks of confusion and interest from the hunters. Dean looks up at Ruby, slowing sucking the apple pie filing off his finger.
"Who's Alistair?" Sam pipes up, eager to get Dean to speak and to stop sucking like he was a damn pornstar!
"He's Picasso with a razor" her statement causes everyone to look a dean in horror. Bobby's face twists in a grimace; he's heard from more than one demon how terrible hell was, that's why they were so desperate to escape it.
"So?" she asks.
Dean raises an eyebrow at her. She rolls her eyes at him.
"what methods did he use on you?"
"oh you know…" dean says nonchalantly. "he likes skinning me; or pulling out intestines and injecting them with acid; or hallucinations are pretty good" Ruby winces in pity whist nodding.
"yeahhhhhh, I hate them methods to. But you have to admit, they do work" she offers, and they both laugh at it.
"How long did you get tortured for?" Ash asks from his position at the bar, downing his fourth beer and letting out a belch.
"Let's just say it was a lot longer than ive been alive"
"What?!" Jo asks aghast. "Years? You was there for four months!"
"Nope" dean smiled bitterly. "A month is around a decade down there. So forty years, to answer your question" he says tor ruby. "And to answer the other one, it certainly wasn't a walk in the park"
"I think the most important question, is why the queen of hell spared you?" Rufus asks gruffly.
"She likes me" dean said simply. Realising his questions raised more questions than it answered, he continued.
"We were both in hell for saving our younger sibling. She respects that"
"And that means she decided to free you?" Rufus still isn't trusting of the new demon dean.
"Partly" dean hums before continuing. "One way they like to test you in hell is by making your think you've escaped" dean laughed sarcastically. "I never believed in, and in turn I goaded them into hurting me even more"
"Uh yeah" Ash's voice intercepts. "I don't want to, you know, bring up bad memories and stuff…but err, how does torture work if you're dead and your body was ripped to shreds" ash ignores the glares he's receiving, and mouths soundlessly with a shocked expression when he gets hit on the head by Ellen, who is shocked by his audacity.
"They torture your soul. You essentially have a body, but every cut, burn and tear that happens to your body basically happens to your soul"
Sams face pales. "So for all those decades, your soul was being-"he chokes off, overwhelmed with shock and guilt.
"Yes" dean simply replies.
"So what does your soul look like now?" Jo ventures hesitantly.
"I assume it's black and disfigured" dean replies honestly. After all, he spent decade being tortured, and then torturing, and then massacring in his quest to find Lilith.
"Actually" ruby says, seeming stunned. Everyone turns to look at her. "As a demon, your soul should be black. Broke. Ripped. But" her voice takes on a sound of astonishment. "But it isn't. It's pure, white, glowing it shouldn't be like that. No soul in hell should its unheard of."
She stands up and storms over to dean aggressively. "You're a demon" she accuses.
Dean barely manages to repress a snort and the question of 'what the fuck are you? A tree?'
"You're a demon" she repeat. "Why is your soul pure?"
Dean stands, causing her to take a step back.
"Do you know what makes a demon ruby?"
"Yes" she replies. "You become a demon when you are tortured"
"Yes" he says. "That's what makes a demon, but do you know what ruins a soul?" she doesn't answer. She shifts slightly, looking guilty.
"What makes a demon ruby" he begins, his voice dropping low, "is the. Pure, unadulterated hate. A demon can be a demon with a soul, but the reason they become so vicious is because they are consumed with hate. Your soul only becomes black when you feel hate. No love. No empathy. Just hate" dean finishes.
"So tell me ruby, why is your soul black? If you can love – like you claim, then it would be white. But it's black. So you must be lying about your emotions. What's real truth?" he asks viciously.
"And dont you dare try to say you feel, because I can see your soul. And it is vile and black. Pure black. There isn't one trace of white, or of any colour. So ruby, care to share with the class?" he invites, gesturing at the hunters whilst laughing loudly.
Ruby says nothing.
"Yeah, that's what I though" he murmurs and leaves.