I know it has been a while since I've posted but Real life is stressful right now. I think the next chapter will be the end. As always thank you to Trumansshell for being my beta and her encouragement!
They walked over to the bed where Sam lay sleeping. Azazel put his fingers to Sam's temples closed his eyes and white light glowed through his finger tips. Sam stayed asleep and didn't realize that anything was different. That is until the morning….
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Azazel knew just how to teach Sam his last lesson. He was an upper level demon after all. This gave him options not all demons had. He wanted Sam to realize that his life wasn't as bad as he thought it is.
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Samuel Winchell awoke to his big brother Danny shaking him awake. "Dude, dad is home from his trip, so you better get your ass up now! You have 2 minutes to get to the table before he goes ballistic." Danny yelled as he ran out the door.
Sam jumped up as fast as he could to make it to the table in time. He would be in trouble if he was late, but he had to use the bathroom. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him. He got to the table, out of breath and went to sit down.
"Samuel what time is breakfast served in this house?" His father Don questioned.
Sam instantly straightened up, stood at attention and whispered "7am sir."
"And, what time does it say on the clock Samuel?" He snarled.
"Umm, 7:03 sir." Sam reported.
"Do you think breakfast is made for the hell of it and you can show up whenever you feel like?" Sam knew these were rhetorical questions. "What happens when you are late for a meal in this house Samuel?" He knew to answer this one.
"You get punished for not appreciating the work that went into preparing that meal for you to eat." Sam said looking down at his feet.
"Your damn right you ungrateful little bastard. Be thankful that I'm in a generous mood. I will let you keep your pants on and eat on a sore ass instead of going to school hungry. Now bend your ass over the back of the chair." Dad proclaimed, taking his belt from its loops.
Sam, knowing that to delay or debate the fact that he was only 3 minutes late was suicide, bent over and grabbed the seat of the chair.
"Lucky you caught me in a really good mood son. You are only getting 10 not the 15 you deserve." Dad declared as his first lick landed on Sam's ass.
Somehow this didn't feel lucky to him. He was grateful for the jeans, even though they offered little protection from the painful bite of his dad's belt. Sam tried to get though this without crying out. It took all of Sam's will power to stay in place and not jump up and grab his throbbing ass. He bit the inside of his cheek and had the familiar taste of blood fill his mouth. The fifth lick bit down on his thighs and he let out a whimper. The sixth elicited a long hiss. Tears were running down his cheeks and soaking the cushion of the chair he was soon to sit on, if his dad allowed it to stay. Trying to block out the pain, Sam kept thinking about his dad's words. That he was indeed lucky to be only getting 10 licks and wasn't going to school without breakfast for once. But, somehow this didn't feel lucky to him. Most families aren't like this, are they? He had to believe they weren't. He was concentrating so hard on blocking out the pain that he almost didn't hear his father talking to him. But, after all these years, his ears and brain kicked in at the sound of his dad's voice. To not hear instructions could result in an extremely harsh punishment. You only had to get one of those to know you never wanted another.
"Okay Samuel, have I made my point clear? Are you going to be late for a meal again anytime soon?"
Trying to find his voice through his tears Sam cried, "Yes sir, sorry I was late and it won't happen again. Thank you for being so lenient with me. I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome son. Now get yourself some food before you're late for school." His dad admonished.
"Yes sir." That was all Sam said. He hated his chair at this moment but knew better than to ask to stand, he was lucky to even be able to eat. So, he had to try to choke down some breakfast, when all he wanted to do was crawl in bed and have a good cry.
Sam ate quickly. "Thank you again dad for allowing me to eat. I appreciate your kindness and I am sorry I was late. May I be excused to finish getting ready please?" Sam asked carefully, trying not to anger his father.
"Sure thing son, I'm sorry I had to remind you of the rules on my first morning back." Dad rattled off as if he just rebuked his son not whipped him.
Sam ran to finish getting ready. He went into the bathroom shut the door and only then did he try to rub some of the sting out of his thoroughly spanked behind. He was running so late so he washed the tear tracks off his face and went to his room to do a quick change, jeans were not going to cut it today. He grabbed his backpack and ran as fast as he dared, without getting his dad's anger back up.
"Bye dad, glad you're back." He yelled as made a break for the door. Getting far away from dad after a punishment was always advisable. He reached out and had the doorknob in his hand when he heard….
"Hey Samuel, hold on a minute."
Suddenly, bombarded with a million memories, he frantically searched them for a hint of what he might have done wrong and what punishment to expect. God he couldn't take another whipping right now. 'Shit, what did I do?' he wondered.
"Where is Danny?" His father inquired.
"I think he was in the bathroom when I came down sir." Sam said, praying that the relief he felt wasn't evident on his face.
"Okay, tell him he can drive you today. That way you don't have to try and sit comfortably on the bus. It gives you a little more time before you have to sit in the hard chairs at school" His dad conveyed.
"Yes sir and thank you once again!" Sam was wondering what was going on. His dad was never this nice. Sam was beginning to get worried. He was thankful but something was up.
"Danny" Sam yelled as he climbed the stairs.
"Yeah squirt, in here." He answered from his bedroom.
"Hey, dad said you can drive us. We need to leave soon please." Sam stated.
"What?" Danny quizzed as he looked at Sam with one eyebrow raised.
They shared a look that asked, (What is going on?), without saying it out loud for fear that dad would hear. They both shrugged their shoulders and walked towards the stairs. Just before they started their descent, Danny pulled Sam's shoulder and asked, "Are you okay Sammy?"
"Well, it wasn't the easiest whipping I have ever gotten. But, it also wasn't the hardest either. I am going to have a hell of a time sitting still today, but it could have been so much worse." Sam reflected.
"I'm glad, but I did warn you. You should have waited to piss until after you ate." Danny chuckled like something he said was funny.
This made Sam angry, but he had to keep his tongue for fear of their dad overhearing and both of them being in trouble.
"You boys better get your ass in gear and get out the door before you are late." Dad bellowed from his chair in the living room.
"Yes sir." Was immediately said unison as they bolted down the stairs and towards the door.
"Samuel, hang back a minute. Danny, go pull the car out front."
"Yes sir." They both say in unison again.
Danny gives Sam the nice to know you look as he heads out the door. Sam deeply swallows then pulls back his shoulders and turns to go towards the living room and face his domineering father.
"Yes sir?" He asks his voice barely above a whisper.
"Samuel, I expect you straight home from school all week. You owe me 45 minutes corner time. You are grounded until I decide you have learned the importance of coming to the table on time. Oh, and I better not get any phone calls from the school on your behavior. Have I made myself clear?" Don stated authoritatively.
"Yes sir." Sam stammered just loud enough for dad to hear. He hoped that the fear that turned his blood cold wasn't evident in his voice. Dad then turned back to his paper, dismissing Sam without saying a word. It was almost as if Sam wasn't even there. Sam turned and walked out the door to the car like a man walking to the gallows.
"Shit, I knew this was too good to be true." He thinks to himself. He was so lost in thought that he forgot to ease himself into the car until it was too late. He let out a howl as his very sore ass made contact with the seat.
"Hey brat, what did dad want?" Danny barked as he pulled the car onto the roadway.
"He told me I was grounded until further notice and I owed him corner time. Oh God, Danny, what do you think he has in mind? I was so hoping that he wouldn't ground me because he usually does that right after a spanking." Their dad usually came up with extra unique chores for groundings.
"I don't know kiddo but, forgive me if I stay gone as long as possible. I really don't want to see your little whiney ass doing who knows what as a punishment for getting grounded. You should have listened to me and gotten your ass to the table and none of this would be happening!"
"Whatever, you asshole! You gave me like 2 minutes. I had to piss, I couldn't help that." Sam was raging mad now. All the anger he had felt all morning, all that was boiling inside was coming out and he didn't even try to control it. "How long did you know dad was home before you decided to come and get me up? How much more time could you have given me?"
"A while," was all that Danny uttered.
"WHAT THE FUCK! WHY?" Sam cried trying to control the tears threatening to leave his eyes. His big brother allowed him to get in a position to get his ass handed to him on purpose.
"You told me you would cover for me last week." Danny stated.
"You're such an asshole." Sam stated turning towards the window to wipe away the tears that slipped down his cheeks. "Well you stupid jerk, what you didn't know, because you weren't home, is that the school called dad that day about me missing an assignment. Dad had literally blistered my ass after school, then, made me sit and write 500 lines and the missing paper. I couldn't take another whipping that day! I tried to explain it to you but you were so mad that you got a whipping that you wouldn't listen." Sam whimpered.
Neither Sam nor Danny said another word as they pulled in front of Sam's school. Sam was no longer angry. He was bewildered. He couldn't believe this. I always thought big brothers looked out for their little brothers. I guess that's just in fairy tales! Slowly he got out of the car and stiffly he walked towards the building his ass throbbing with every step. He turned his head as he heard his brother yell, "Sammy, take the bus home. I won't be picking you up."
Sam's only response was to flip his brother off and step through the school doors. 'I didn't want to see that asshole anyway.' Sam struggled to fight back the tears.
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Bobby kicked into overdrive trying to get to John before Dean did. He respected John but he knew he was quick tempered under stress. He also knew that Dean had no self preservation when it came to anything having to do with Sammy. The combination of the two left both John and Dean upset and regretting every decision they make. When he got close he called John.
"Hey Bobby," John said as he answered his phone.
"Hi John, I'm about 20 minutes out where am I headed?" Bobby questioned.
"I'm at the Top 10 motel. It's off exit 75. I'm in room number 275." John replied.
"Before you ask Singer, no I don't know where Sam is yet, Dean is about 90 minutes out, Yes, I rested and have calmed down and Yes, I'm going to try and make things right with Dean."
"Well damn Johnny, I had this whole lecture worked out in my head. Leave it to you to spoil the fun." Bobby laughed. "Do you want me to pick up some grub?"
"No, Dean will be here in about an hour and we can go out to get something then."
"Okay!"
John hung up the phone. He is hoping Dean will take the news well. But, he knows Dean and realizes that he is going to freak out. He keeps going over different ways to tell him. But there is no easy way to tell your son that the demon that killed his mom has his little brother. He is still brooding when he hears a knock on the door that startles him to reality. John goes to the door, hands Bobby over the holy water, says "Cristo" and then Bobby does the sliver knife cut to prove that he is Bobby.
"Hey Singer"
"Hi Winchester, so what's our plan? Tell me everything. Call it the dress rehearsal before Dean gets here." Bobby pestered.
John goes on to tell Bobby everything that happened. He told him everything Azazel said and did. Bobby had to hold back the tears as John explained to him how scared Sam sounded and what all they had done to him. They were both visibly upset to know that Azazel wasn't done with Sam's 'punishment' and was keeping him a few more days. They were both deep in thought sipping down their coffees when they heard the distinct sound of the Impala. John looked at the time.
"The kid is 30 minutes early; I'm going to kick his ass." John growled.
"Calm down Johnny, you know he's going crazy because Sam got lost on his watch. He knows you know something you aren't telling him and he's desperate to find out what it is. Give the kid a break, let this one slide."
"You're right. Thanks Bobby." John sighed. "I'm glad you got here first! Be prepared Dean is going to explode like a volcano."
"I know!" Bobby murmured.
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Dean is a ball of nerves. He knows his Dad is keeping things from him and wants to rush in there and demand answers. He takes a few calming breaths and knows that is not how you handle John Winchester. All that is likely to get your is blistered ears, a blistered ass, or both and right now he doesn't want either of those. All he wants it to know what John is keeping from him. 'I'm already on Dad's 'shit' list for cussing at him. I hope he doesn't remember what time I hit the road or I'm likely to get at least an ear blistering'
Dean thinks as he pulls into the Motel. He doesn't need to look for room 275 because he spots Bobby's car and Dad's truck as he drives around the back of the Top 10 building. He has mixed feelings. He knows what his Dad's keeping from him is bad or he would have already told him. So, he takes a deep breath, blows it out and walks up to the hotel door. He does the customary holy water etc etc…
"Hey Dad, Uncle Bobby." Dean remarked.
"Hey son," John says giving him a one armed hug.
"Dean." Bobby adds.
"Okay, Spill it. What didn't you tell me about Sammy and the phone call?"
Dean pretty much demands.
"Reel in the attitude right now. I didn't tell you for a reason. You just got your license and you had a long way to drive. I don't want anything to happen to either of my sons. Now can we sit down and talk without the yelling?" John firmly stated, keeping him self under control. Normally John would have grabbed Dean and swatted him for that mouth.
"I can't take this anymore Dad! It's killing me." Dean said with tears visible in his eyes.
"I'm not trying to be disagreeable or disrespectful. I just want Sammy back so I know he is okay before I beat him down."
"Well, here is what happened." John started. "This isn't going to be easy to hear and there is no easy way to say it. It started out with Sam running away, but yesterday he had company show up."
"Company? Who? Where is Sammy?" Dean panicked.
"I don't know where he is, only who he's with." John stated.
"Okay who is he with?"
"Bobby?" John wanted to make sure Bobby could help him deal with the volcano. Bobby nodded letting John know he understood what he was saying.
Dean was a little lost in the looks and begged, "Please Dad tell me who has my little brother."
There was no way to sugar coat it so John blurted it out. "The demon that killed your mom has Sammy. His name is Azazel."
"What…hold on…. Did you say the demon that killed mom has Sammy?" Dean asked rhetorically. "How…why… what does he want with him? Why is the demon doing this to us?" Dean didn't know what to do or think. The thing that KILLED his mom has his baby brother. He can't live without Sam. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. He tried to run for the door but his Dad grabbed him and held him in place. He felt faint and his knees couldn't hold him up any more. Tears were rolling down his face, his hands stared shaking, followed closely by his whole body, as he gasped for breath like a fish without water. He felt like the world was closing in on him.
"Dean it's okay. Daddy's here. Hey kiddo calm down for me, breathe Dean. Bobby get me a wet washcloth, please." John blurted falling to the ground with Dean in his arms.
"Hey DEAN, stay with me son, look at me. He's going to be okay. We'll get him back."
John was frantically rubbing reassuring circles on Dean's back all the while trying to talk him down. Bobby was rubbing a cool wet cloth on the back of Dean's neck. Dean was trying hard to breathe and calm down. It took about 5 minutes before he looked up at his dad and said, "Why?"
"I don't know all the answers to the questions son. There are no easy ways to tell you what I do know. Are you calm enough to hear the rest of the story?" John questioned.
"Yes sir, I want to know it all."
"Okay, I got a phone call last night from Sam. He called to tell me that Azazel had him.
He let me know he was in Arizona that's why we're here. Sam was spotted here on his way there. We're trying to get a feel for where in Arizona he might have gone. I'm not sure where he went from here but we know what state he ended up in. I've still got to talk to the Archers to see if they know who he was with. If we can find that out we may be able to find out where he went. You okay?"
"Yes sir I'm fine now. M'sorry I just don't understand." Dean looked up at his dad looking much younger than 16. "Why did the demon kill mom and what does it want with Sammy? He isn't going to ki.. ummm you know?"
"No he isn't going to kill Sammy too." John reassured Dean. "There is one more thing I have to tell you and it won't be easy to hear either."
"Please tell me. I want to know everything. This is Sammy we're talking about."
"Okay." John cupped the back of Dean's head and gently rubbed. "Well, I talked to yellow eyes too. Azazel says that he has plans for Sammy and before you ask, I don't know what that means. Also, he spanked Sammy for running away and his son Tom and daughter Meg gave Sammy licks from a belt as we were talking."
Dean started shaking again, tears streaming down his cheeks. John rubbed his neck a little harder and Bobby went to rewet the washcloth. Nothing was said for quite a while.
They three of them just sat there trying to calm down and figure out where to go from here. Bobby was the one to break the silence.
"Alright, I want you both to get cleaned up wash your face and get in my car." Bobby ordered making it clear that he wasn't to be ignored. "We're going to get some dinner. We'll call Jeffrey and Morgan from the diner and set up a meeting. We can make a plan after we get some food in us. We aren't doing anything tonight after that. We are going back to the room and get some sleep and start the morning fresh. John got up and helped Dean to his feet. He sent Dean in to get cleaned up first and looked to Bobby and nodded. Nothing was said but Bobby understood the significance of that nod. They loaded up in the car and headed to the diner.
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Sam, still upset, walked straight to the bathroom to wash his face and calm down. His friend Slater spotted him sneaking into the restroom and followed. He waited until Sam was finished washing his face before he spoke.
"Hey Sammy, you look like shit, rough morning?" Slate asked jokingly. "Oh wait, you look like that every day."
Sam couldn't help but smile and slug him. "My dad's home and my brother is an asshole!"
"Just opposite of me. My brother's home and my Dad's an asshole."
Sam knew that Slate was trying to lighten the mood. He was new to the school this year and already picked up on the fact that Sammy's Dad was old fashioned like his dad and believed that a warmed backside helps you remember longer, but Sam's was stricter. Slates big brother Dean often took care of Slater, and even though he wasn't as quick to tan Slate's hide, he would if he found it necessary.
"So, what happened, when did your Dad get home?" Slate questioned.
"This morning I guess. Danny gave me a 2 minute warning to get to the table." Sam responded.
"I take it you were late?" Slate asked and Sam nodded yes and Slater continued. "Why only 2 minutes? How late and what happened?"
Sam stiffly walked to get a towel to dry off and Slate tried not to look alarmed at how slowly Sam was moving.
"Because Danny felt he needed to get even with me for not covering for him last week. I was only 3 minutes late, I really had to piss." Sam made sure they were alone. Then he started telling Slate what happened. "Dad wouldn't let me stand and eat. He wasn't as tough on me as he normally would have been. By his normal standards, he went easy on me."
"What did he do Sam?" Slater asked putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently.
Sam teared up a little as he explained, "I had to lean over my chair and he gave me 10 solid licks with his belt, but he did let me eat. Normally it would have been 15 with no food."
"All that for being 3 minutes late to the table? Dean needs to kick Danny's ass that is such bullshit! Brothers don't do that shit no matter how mad they are! Are you okay?"
"I'll live but damn I'm not looking forward to sitting."
Sam noticed Slater lean again the sink and flinch. "Okay Slate spill it! Dad or Dean and what for?"
"Guess I didn't hide that well. It was Dad and it was for the party last week." He told Sammy.
"Damn, when did he get home? Oh wait, shit, shit, shit he isn't going to tell my Dad is he?" Sam cried fearfully. "Sheriff Jenkins knows there were 2 of us there. Oh Damn!" Sammy started to cry thinking about the very harsh whipping he had coming on top of the one he just got.
"NO, calm down Sammy. I wouldn't do that to you. Dean took the blame and told Dad he dragged me to the party. You weren't even mentioned." Slater said quietly trying to get Sammy to breathe again. "Dad lit his backside up. I got a lot less than Dean did but enough to fully get my attention.
"Why? I don't understand. Why would Dean take a tanning for me?" Sammy questioned with tears in his eyes.
"Because I asked him to!" Slate explained. "Dean spanked me for it already. So I got paddled twice and he got Dad's belt."
"Why? Just because you asked? That doesn't make sense" Sam was having a really hard time wrapping his head around this. "If I asked Danny he would laugh in my face and serve my ass up to Dad on a platter."
"Not a very good big brother if you ask me. If I am scared or just don't want to be turned over my Dad's knee, Dean will take the blame each and every time. I don't do it often because it would be taking advantage of him." Slater explained. "Dad knows sometimes but lets it go because he knows if I deserved to be tanned Dean will eventually take care of it himself and he won't go easy on me either."
"Thank you, tell Dean I said thanks too. I would do it myself but I have to ride the bus home. Danny won't pick me up and I'm grounded until further notice so I have to go straight home and hang out in the corner for 45 minutes."
"All for being 3 minutes late for breakfast? And I thought my Dad was an asshole. Come on wipe your eyes we don't want to be late."
"I don't even want to think about what my Dad would do to me if the school called him. Especially since that was the last warning he gave me before I left for school."
Sam wiped his eyes and the got their books and headed to first period. They both sat gently down in their chairs hoping nobody noticed. Luckily for both of them they were in their seats before the last bell rang.
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Bobby, John and Dean walked in to the diner and sat at a booth in the back corner. None of them had a real appetite but Bobby strongly insisted they eat. Especially Dean since he is a growing boy. They ordered him a cheeseburger and fries and forced him to eat at least ½ of it. The subject of Sam hung thickly in the air around them but none of them mentioned his name.
Jeffrey and Morgan met them and passed along the information they had on Sam being spotted there. They said that Sam was with an older man. This man was in his 40's with brown hair in a short style. He was about 6 foot and medium build and Sam was comfortable around him. The man even put his arm around Sam's shoulders. They were in a dark blue sedan but the make and model wasn't known. They were spotted at a rest area off of interstate 40. They thanked the Archers for the information. Bobby and John ordered a coffee after they left to talk over their options.
"Chances are they headed west on 40 towards New Mexico then Arizona." Bobby stated.
"Dad, we should pack up and head towards Arizona. Maybe stay just on the border or just inside Arizona." Dean suggested.
"At first light." Bobby barked. "We're going back to the motel and catch a few hours sleep. ANYONE wanting to argue with me will feel the sting of my wooden spoon as an incentive to SLEEP."
"Singer, did you just threaten to spank me with a wooden spoon if I don't go to sleep?"
John growled.
"Yes I did and don't growl at me! You don't scare me Jonathan Eric Winchester." Bobby explained. "We aren't going to find him tonight and if you two don't get some sleep you'll be at each other's throats like white on rice."
"I agree but not because you threatened me Bobby." John ranted. "But because we need to keep our wits about us."
They went back to the motel and Bobby got the adjoining room. After being threatened and two well placed swats with a wooden spoon later, Dean finally climbed into the bed and slept. John and Bobby stayed in Bobby's room talking until Dean passed out. They both showered and went to bed. As usual, John and Bobby woke before the sun. Bobby woke first and got the coffee going and had a cup waiting on John. They checked out a map of Arizona and decided since they know Sam was on interstate 40 leaving Amarillo, they would head to Flagstaff since it is off of 40 and it is central Arizona. They checked out and headed towards Flagstaff Arizona.