Oh, yeah, everything is unbeta'd. All my mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: Kripke owns all Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them.
Overall Warnings: Rated T for swearing and some gore.
No pairings at this time.
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Additional warning advisory: Implied forced sexual abuse references
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Chapter 9 - Azazel
A week and a half later, Dean quietly snuck into the dilapidated abandoned shack after parking the Impala down the road so that he would not be heard. Voices in the other room carried to him as he crept forward to listen. He smelled the faint hint of sulfur in the air so he knew there already was a demon present.
Of course, he had already known that thanks to a psychic named Missouri who had enlisted his ragtag band's help. She had had a premonition of things to come including her own death. Somehow, she also foresaw a way to contact Dean and, once Dean had saved her life, she let him know what the plan was for the rest of his family.
The lights started flickering as the wind outside picked up, gusting eerily. He heard his dad order Sam to recheck the salt lines at the windows and the doors. Dean melted into the darkness of the wall by the door leading into the main room so Sam didn't see him when he walked passed to follow his father's order. Then he heard his father ask for the Colt and Adam's hesitation.
Dean could sense Adam's wariness and knew where the demon was. Inside his own father. Dean glanced quickly into the next room to see their positions when Sam left the area. He couldn't get a clear window to the Colt.
When Adam had hesitated too long, he heard John say, "Please." He knew what Adam would do then. John never said please to his sons, ever. It was only orders.
So Adam held the Colt on his father while his father told him to go ahead and shot. In the silence that followed, Dean knew that Adam would never be able to pull the trigger. Then he heard the ominous voice state menacingly, ""I thought so."
Dean knew that time had ran out then and moved to help his brothers when all Hell broke loose. Bodies flew everywhere. The knowledge that he hadn't been quick enough slammed into mind when his back crashed into the wall. He was actually shocked that he hadn't flown through it, considering how rotted the wood appeared to be.
He scanned the room quickly and found Adam unconscious against the other side of the window beside him. Sam, on the other hand, was pressed against the wall closest to the door. His possessed father calmly picked up the Colt from where it had fallen on the floor, commenting dryly, "What a pain in the ass this thing's been."
"It's you, isn't it?" Sam observed with hate in his voice. "Been looking for you a long time."
"Well, you've found me," Azazel taunted humorously.
"But the Holy water," Sam stuttered.
"You think something like that works on something like me."
"I'm gonna kill you," Sam promised hotly.
"Oh, that'd be a neat trick. In fact, here. Make the gun there float to you, psychic boy," Azazel mocked laughingly. He waited to make sure that Sam couldn't pull that off before he moved away, observing dryly, "Yeah, this is fun. I could have killed you a hundred times today but this . . . this is worth the wait. . ."
Azazel stopped to look out the window beside Dean, "Plus, I get you in the bargain now as well." He paused thoughtfully then continued tauntingly, "Your dad. He's in here with me. Trapped inside his own meat suit. He says, 'Hi,' by the way. He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood."
"Let him go. Or I swear to God," Dean threatened hoarsely.
"What? What are you and God gonna do? You see as far as I'm concerned this is justice. You know that little exorcism of yours that you taught Wonder Boy there? That was my daughter," Azazel informed him bitingly.
"Who? Meg?"
"The one in the alley that he shot? That was my boy. Understand?"
"You gotta be kidding me," Dean gritted out with slight incredulity, trying not to grimace or show any other emotion. He knew Azazel too well. If the demon wanted to take all this out on Dean, nothing would stop it. "I wasn't even there."
"You trained him and he destroyed my family!" Azazel argued with stubborn passion while Dean sneered at him with contempt. "What? You're the only one that can have a family? Your family destroyed my children. How would you feel if I killed part of your family?" Azazel paused dramatically then his eyes lit up with undisguised glee. "Oh, that's right. I forgot. I did. Still two wrongs don't make it right."
"You son of a bitch."
Sam cut in then, "I wanna know why. Why'd you do it?" He wanted to distract the demon away from his brother but he also wanted answers. He needed answers. He needed all of this to make some kind of sense. He needed the truth.
"You mean why'd I kill Mommy and pretty little Jess," Azazel corrected pointedly.
"Yeah."
"You know, Deano, I never told you this while you were with us, in the Pit, but Sam was going to ask her to marry him. Been shopping for rings and everything. You wanna know why, Sam? Because they got in the way," Azazel pointed out logically.
"In the way of what?" Sam gritted out through clenched teeth, hating that this thing was placing the blame for their deaths at his feet.
"My plans for you, Sammy. You and all the children like you," it explained with barely disguised fanaticism.
Dean could tell that this was all getting to Sam so he interrupted abruptly with his usual cocky snark, "Listen, you mind just getting this over with because I really can't stand the monologuing."
"Funny," Azazel snapped irritably then continued tauntingly, "But that's all part of your MO. Mask all that nasty pain. Mask the truth."
"Oh, yeah. What's that?" Dean questioned smugly, knowing that this was going to hurt way more than any physical pain it could inflect. But he couldn't let this creature get the upper hand on him and he couldn't let it go after his brothers. He knew from several very painful past experiences just how far Azazel would go.
"You know, you fight . . . and you fight for this family but the truth is . . . they don't need you." Azazel paused significantly, watching the words impact the man before him like daggers through his heart. "Not like you need them. Sam. He's clearly John's favorite. Even when they fight, it's more concern than he's ever shown you," he commented maliciously then mocked. "Watch out for your brother, Dean. Dean, take care of Sammy. Dean, protect your brother.' When did he ever watch out for you, take care of you, protect you? Did he care about you when the rent was due and the 'bad men' were waiting for payment? For money you didn't have because he didn't leave you enough?"
Dean did his best to ignore what Azazel had said but couldn't stop the truth of the words from penetrating his weary soul. He had always known deep down that hard-learned fact, that Sammy had always been more important than him. For the most part, he was okay with it. However, to hear it said aloud and in front of his brothers, well, that brought a whole new level of pain to the forefront. He quickly hid the truth from his eyes but they both knew Azazel had reopened a deep oozing wound in Dean's psyche.
Azazel smirked with amusement and glanced to the left at the now conscious but also pinned Adam. "Even your baby brother held more of Johnny's attention. He took the boy to baseball games and everything. Ever been to a baseball game with Daddy, Deano? John even sent a card to him on every birthday, especially the ones when he couldn't visit in person. How many of your birthdays did John miss, Dean? How many cards did you get? Cake? Anything? Did he even know it?"
"Leave him alone, you bastard," Adam snarled out, irate over being used as a weapon against his older brother.
Azazel fixed his eyes on the youngest boy as he turned to taunt the newly awakened Winchester, "Oh, I'm just getting started, boy. Tell me, did he swear you to secrecy or are you just keeping his secret out of some misplaced loyalty? I know you haven't told Sammy yet? Or John about it but don't quite know why?"
Sam's head swung around to stare at Adam while he desperately tried to figure out what else was going on. He thought he knew his family but the serious hurt that had appeared in Dean's eyes earlier had shocked him to his core. Where the hell did everyone get that he was John's favorite? And what secret was Adam keeping for Dean? Why did Adam know and not him?
Azazel leaned in close and play whispered but made sure that everyone could still hear him, "Is it because you and Deano are closer than normal? After all, you did spend a lot of time alone together and I know he trained you, oh, so well." Adam and Sam both blanched at the incestuous implication.
"You're sick," Adam growled out, inwardly disgusted at the extremely obvious incestuous implication. "Dean would never –"
"Oh, you'd be very surprised what Deano would do," Azazel mocked mercilessly before turning back toward Dean. "Isn't that right, Dean? God and everything knows, I've even had him quite a few times myself. Hell, if there is anybody who hasn't had Dean here, the list is very short. He loves to whore and slut around. You both already know that. He doesn't really care who, or what, with. John knew. Knew from the time that Dean was, what, eight? Yeah, John knew very well all about his little pretty boy whore. In fact, chances are that Big Daddy Winchester knew from personal experience. Right, Deano? Whips, bondage, any kink, any time, any place. Doesn't matter."
Azazel worked himself back over to standing right in front of Dean. It ignored the stone cold glare Dean gave him because his flushed rosy cheeks were enough to give Dean away. Embarrassment and anger warred deep within Dean. Azazel smirked knowingly at Dean then upped the torture, "In fact, I think your brothers need a demonstration of what a willing little slut you are, Deanie baby. After all, not everyone can suck –"
"Know what?" Dean interrupted abruptly, intent on pushing the demon's control, "Meg had quite a mouth on her, too. Not much of a gag reflex, either. And that boy of yours . . . yeah, I bet you're real proud of your kids, too, huh? Why don't we have a competition to see . . .? Oh, wait. I forgot. We wasted them. Guess I win that, too," Dean taunted back mockingly, more than willing to accept any physical pain over what Azazel was about to do in front of his brothers.
Azazel stared coldly into Dean steely glare then slowly lowered his eyes, only to bring them back up and slam Dean with the most intense physical pain imaginable. He was literally tearing Dean apart from the inside out, one slow piece at a time. He applied more and more pressure, wanting to torture the man in front of him to death so that Alistair could pick up where he left off down in the Pit.
Dean screamed in pain, unable to hold it all in this time. He knew it was going to be bad but this was beyond what he remembered. He called out desperately between pained pants, "Dad. Dad. Don't you let it kill me."
Only the pain increased and he felt his blood running out of his body faster than he could heal, even at his advanced rate. The only way he was making it out of this in one piece was if his father could somehow overpower Azazel. Dean didn't hold out much hope for that but he had to try. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't really have any kind of death wish.
"Dad. Please," Dean begged with what felt like his last breath while mentally he called out to his last friend. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. Dean's head fell forward and his body relaxed against the wall as he lost consciousness. The only thing holding him to the wall now was Azazel.
Both of his brothers desperately cried out his name in unison then there was silence as they waited for an answer that would never come.
After a moment, they both heard their father plead sorrowfully with his own voice, "Stop. Please stop."
It wasn't much time but it was enough to allow Sam to break free and grab the Colt. Sam shot John in the leg as Azazel took him back over which released Dean and Adam from their positions against the wall. But Sam just couldn't pull the trigger, knowing that it would kill their father.
Azazel smoked out of John's body as fast as it could and fled. Sam and Adam gathered up John and Dean to rush them to a hospital in the Impala. Dean was barely conscious but he still managed to let Adam know where his baby was. Dean tried to stay conscious as he heard his father chew Sam out for not taking the shot and Sam arguing his case that they could all live to fight another day. Dean really appreciated that sentiment. He couldn't stand to lose any of his family after all that had happened to him.
Unfortunately, their Winchester luck held. They didn't make to the hospital in the Impala.
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think, constructively.