A/U: Thank you to everyone who stuck around and kept reading. This is the final chapter, but the sequel is coming soon. As in a few days. Maybe just one day. Anyway, thank you again, and I hope you enjoyed!

Chapter XI

Many hours have passed, and Sam was feeling worse and worse, to the point where staying still for more than ten minutes proved nearly impossible.

"Screw this," he growled, glaring into the darkness. Dean had injected him with his own blood around four or five times after he left, Sam wasn't sure, as his mind had trouble keeping up with everything that was going on around him the more his withdrawal stretched out. The shots still hurt, although not as much as first, Sam getting used to the pain each time the needle entered his skin.

So his brother curing him wasn't a problem, but when it came to his withdrawal, things weren't that simple anymore.

And the demon wanted to scream, to shout, to rip these chains that held him apart and go crazy. He thought, or at least hoped, that with time it would get better, that the seizures and panic attacks would stop, but they only just got worse. At this point, he wasn't even sure how he managed to stay sane, the dull ache at his fingertips reminding him of the worst times, when he couldn't help but howl in rage, dragging and digging his nails into the arms of the chair and breaking each and every one of them in the process. The smell of his own blood was beginning to drive him mad, as it dripped to the floor from his abused fingers, and Sam found himself absentmindedly chewing on his lips, ripping out tiny pieces of it.

He ran his tongue over his chapped lips, a sick grin crossing his face. From nervous lip biting, he went to chewing and, now, desperately needing some demon blood, Sam couldn't take it anymore and bit down on his bottom lip, as hard as he could.

Pain shot through his lower lip and he groaned, but didn't stop. The demon was too far gone, unable to make one sane decision at this point, and he clenched his fists as he bit out a smaller piece of his flesh from his lip. He chewed, then swallowed the flesh, before shuddering at the sweet taste of his own blood, though that couldn't amount to the taste of another demon's blood. It just wasn't the same.

But the crimson that flowed through his veins having to be enough for the time being, Sam didn't hesitate to suck as much blood from the wound he created on his lip as possible. He was mutilating his own body, and this wasn't Hell, the parts he ripped off wouldn't grow back. But Sam was past caring.

His lip hurt as he sunk his bloodied teeth in it, ripping and tearing at his own soft flesh, blood running down his chin. The demon swallowed his blood greedily and eagerly, not wanting to miss a single drop, which he realized would be impossible with the large, gaping wounds he kept creating. After a few moments, blood was flowing uncontrollably from his mouth and Sam tried to squeeze his lips together to trap the blood in, but that just meant he'd choke first. Desperate and in a sort of frenzy, the demon felt like throwing a fit, helplessly swallowing his own blood and squeezing his eyes shut, so he didn't notice the doors opened, only when he heard the shocked yell of his brother, and then felt strong hands grabbing his chin, forcing his mouth open.

He was gagging and choking, sputtering blood as he gazed up at his brother, who watched him with wide, perplexed eyes, using his sleeve to wipe some blood off his chin.

"Fuck, Sam, you idiot!" Dean sniffed, making the demon wonder if his brother, the strong man who could keep his cool in most situations, would break down in tears in front of him. He kept on cursing under his breath as he looked Sam over, then when Kevin ran into the room and let out a surprised gasp, Dean shouted, "Kevin, get me a towel, now! Hurry!"

The prophet nodded and immediately left the room, returning after a while with a small kitchen towel. He gave it to Dean, who forced the snarling demon's mouth open, then stuffed the cloth between his lower lip and teeth.

"Now listen to me, Sam," the hunter growled, clasping his bloody hand over Sam's mouth. "You're gonna stay still and wait for the bleeding to stop. You're gonna do that, because if you won't, I swear to everything that you'll regret it. And you know that I'm not a man of empty threats," he said, staring deep into the demon's black eyes, and Sam knew then that he chose well. Deciding not to kill Dean and to just watch him suffer, fail at everything he tried was truly amusing, maybe even better than seeing those souls weep painfully in Hell.

Unable to speak with a freaking cloth in his mouth, the demon settled for glaring at his brother, and let out a small growl, just for the fun of it. Dean sighed, scratching the back of his head, then finally pulled his hand away from Sam's mouth and wiped the blood on his pants, watching his brother with sadness in his eyes.

"C'mon Sam," he pleaded, sounding like his heart shattered into a million little pieces by just having to look at the sorry state the demon was in. "There's only one shot left. You just have to make it through that one shot, and then you'll be golden, you'll see. But please, don't break just now… Not when we're so close," he said, taking Sam's face in his hands and looking into his eyes, as if searching for something remotely human, until instead of black, Dean was staring into big, hazel eyes. That took him by surprise and he frowned, but couldn't stop the tiny smile on his face, and that moment of happiness nearly made the wicked demon laugh.

Damn, playing with Dean was fun.

The hunter lowered his gaze and let out a small sigh after a moment, letting go of the demon altogether, then took a step back. "Five more minutes, Sam. Then I'll go get the syringe and we'll wrap this up, okay?" He tried to sound reassuring, comforting, but all Sam heard was hurt in the man's voice, and the desperation to keep his true feelings at bay. Dean wouldn't want all that sorrow and ugly surfacing, after all.

"Dean?" Kevin's voice came from the end of the room, the prophet standing in the doorway. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Sure." The hunter glanced at Sam, before walking over to the kid.

Thankfully, the demon managed to calm down for a bit, drinking his own blood satisfying his hunger for the moment. He knew it wouldn't last long, but for now, he'd settle for this. It was still better than nothing.

"—won't get any!" Dean shouted, quickly looking at Sam, then grabbed the prophet by his arm and dragged him out of the room. It looked like his brother was losing his cool, which just meant more fun for the demon. It was like watching a real life sit-com, only with more drama and sick plot twists. In other words, perfect for the sadistic demon.

Sam didn't have to wait for too long before Dean was back in the room, along with the syringe he promised. He set it down on a table at the corner of the dungeon, then walked to the bound demon and took the cloth out of his mouth. Sam coughed, wetting his numb and dry lips, then glared up at the hunter.

"Aw come on, don't give me that look. I had to muzzle you for your own good, and to stop the bleeding as well," Dean said, tossing the dirty cloth on the table before picking up the syringe.

"Have you ever considered that, maybe, I wanted to bleed out? Demons can do that, you know. Would have been pretty fun, watching you desperately trying to save a demon." Sam chuckled, hissing in discomfort as his lips twisted into a smirk. "Or what about this amazing cure? Still convinced that with that last shot, I'm going to just turn back into a human, like that? I really don't think you should take everything you find in here for granted, Dean."

"Oh please, the cure's the real deal." The man rolled his eyes as he pushed up his sleeve. "And after I inject you with this, you'll be back to normal in no time. So, try and enjoy your last minutes as a demon, because no matter how much you would love to believe it won't work, how much you want me to fail, I'm going to cure you. And we both know that I'm in the right here, Sammy."

"Sure you are, Dean." Sam nodded, ignoring the pain as he grinned and tilted his head, exposing his neck for the hunter. "Go ahead, poke me, jab me with your needle. Save your little brother from the darkness that engulfed his fragile little soul, oh great Dean Winchester," he mocked, taunting his brother as his eyes turned black.

Glaring, the hunter extracted as much blood as filling the barrel of the syringe would take, and stepped over to the grinning demon. "Whatever you say, Cujo," Dean mumbled, before sliding the thin needle in his brother's neck, and injected him with the last dose of his blood, the cure that could cure any demon.

Any and every demon, but Sam.

He felt the pain that followed every injection, but nothing was different in particular.

Well, at least until he began throwing up black ooze.

"Shit, Sam?!" Dean panicked, holding the demon's head as he lulled in and out of consciousness, while sudden spasm shook his body. He was just as confused as Dean was, as he watched the black blood leaving his body, and it felt like he was throwing up his very soul, the pain making him cry out. Sam was starting to have enough of all of this pain and suffering already, but that was just a passing thought, his mind getting overrun by thoughts like how much it fucking hurt, and how he just wanted everything to end already, please, just stop it!

When he finally stopped hurling like a drunkard at three in the morning, Sam gasped and cleared his throat, blinking dazedly, then pulled a face upon noticing the state his shirt and pants were in. Great. "Dean, you—" he began, thinking that it was over, that the agony had passed, but he had to realize that no, it was just the beginning.

The cure must have been fighting with whatever Crowley did to his soul, and Sam could feel it. Literally feel it, as something deep inside him was clawing at his soul, as if someone was trying to rip him apart from the inside. And it hit him in the middle of his sentence, making him emit such a deafening scream that it hurt even his ears. He snapped, at last, and struggled in the chair like a rabid animal, growling and roaring in pain, his voice sounding like something straight out of a nightmare. He definitely didn't sound like Hades before, however now, his voice was at least three pitches deeper than normal.

And from the looks of it, or at least what the demon saw when he wasn't in the middle of freaking out, Dean was hurting just as much as Sam, simply from having to listen to those agonizing howls. He couldn't take it for much longer, and before the demon realized it, he was suddenly on his feet and out of the chair, but he only managed to take two steps before collapsing onto the floor, heaving on his hands and knees like a sick dog.

All Dean could do at this point was kneel next to the demon and hold his shoulders, since no matter what, Sam refused to budge. Every fiber of his body was hurting, and just when he thought the pain would never end, he sucked in a surprised breath as it all just…stopped. Without any warning, just like that, the pain was gone, leaving the demon panting and wide-eyed.

Taking a few deep breaths, he sat down on the floor and looked down at himself, then at Dean, who watched him with curious eyes. A little out of it, the demon needed a moment to remember what his plan was, now that his brother was done with the cure, which obviously didn't work. Sam had two choices; he could either laugh in Dean's face and tell him that he was a failure, crushing his everything, his hopes and beliefs, his determination in one second, or he could decide to lead him on just a little bit longer, and see what would happen.

Sam blinked, turning his eyes hazel as a small smile crossed his face. "Dean…" he whispered, his eyes watering as he lowered his head.

"Sam? Are you…you, again?" Dean asked cautiously, frowning as he watched his brother closely. Sam hid behind his mask of perfectly faked sadness and misery as he looked up at Dean and used his famous puppy eyes, looking as pitiful and desolate as possible.

"Why? Why did you help me?" he asked, his voice breaking from sorrow that wasn't actually there.

"You joking? There's no way I'd leave you like that, as a freaking demon," he answered, shaking his head as he pulled Sam into a hug, however after a few moments, he froze. The demon frowned, trying to pull away from his brother, but Dean's hold around him was too strong. "Sam?" he asked, his voice suspicious.

"Yeah?" Sam cleared his throat, looking at his brother with big eyes when Dean finally pulled away.

"You smell like sulfur," Dean stated, furrowing his brow. And that look on his face, how he seemed suspicious but in denial at the same time, that sweet mix of stubborn refusal and anguish, with just a hint of worry, was what caused Sam to finally lose it. He emitted a big hearty laugh as he threw his head back, Disney villain style.

"You should see your face!" The demon laughed, pointing at Dean, and had to close his eyes from the force of his laughter. "I can't believe you actually thought you could cure me! I mean, seriously Dean? A blood cure? Please tell me, what were you expecting from injecting your blood in me, huh? That blood is stronger than all, family comes first, or what? What delusions were you desperately holding on to, what kind of deranged fantasy? Because you couldn't have possibly thought that it would really work on me, right?" Sam scoffed as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair, and grinned at the wide eyed man. "Though you've gotta hand it to me, I'm awesome! Great actor, if I must say. I mean, I fooled you twice already! Twice! Damn, I'm better than Ruby ever was."

"Shut up…" Dean muttered, swallowing visibly and staring at the floor with a clenched jaw. "Just shut up!" he repeated, this time much louder, and raised his head, glaring at his brother. His glare was weak, however, filled with all his disappointment and crushed hopes, the wretched man obviously trying to cling, to hold on to whatever willpower he had left.

"What, can't handle the ugly truth, Dean?" Sam taunted, raising an eyebrow as his eyes flashed black, making the demon look as wicked and evil as ever. He licked his lips like a predator eyeing its prey, so close but just out of reach, then flashed Dean a depraved grin. "Hey, what do you say we play house a little longer? I enjoyed it quite a lot, how you tried so loyally, so—"

Whatever Sam wanted to say after that was cut off by his own groan as he got pushed, or more like tackled to the ground, Dean immediately appearing above him and wrapping his hands around the demon's throat.

"I said shut up! Is this all just a sick joke to you? Is it?!" he shouted, his hands shaking in rage, those built up emotions finally emerging, breaking through the dam in the hunter's heart and mind. Dean finally snapped, his eyes watering in anger and sorrow as he strangled the snickering demon. Unable to utter a word with the pressure on his throat, all Sam could do was let out a choked laugh, his wide grin never faltering even as Dean dug his fingers in his neck. They even kept eye contact, to see which one of them would break first. There was no need for words as both hunter and monster understood each other with one look, how this was a struggle for power, and none of them were ready to give up just yet.

Still, it was Dean who let it all go first, whose grip on Sam's throat loosened, but only after Kevin tugged on his shoulders, screaming and begging for him to stop, that he would only hurt Sam more than necessary, to just stop, Dean, enough.

"Come on, Dean, you shouldn't be with Sam right now…" Kevin said, dragging the hunter to his feet, but they only managed to take a few steps before Dean pulled away from the prophet and turned back to the demon kneeling on the floor.

"Why didn't it work?" he asked sternly, earnestly, making the demon raise his eyebrows.

"Why? Well…I guess I could tell you the truth, for once." Sam shrugged, before standing up straight, and walked as far as the devil's trap would let him. "Congratulations, your cure was, indeed, legit."

"What?" Kevin frowned, looking the demon over. "But you're still a demon."

"I am. But it's not your fault, or the cure's. It would have worked, if I wouldn't have taken some precautions."

"What precautions?" Dean asked, then narrowed his eyes, glaring at Sam. "Don't tell me…Crowley?"

"Exactly." He smirked, winking at his brother. "When you tried to be all chivalrous and broke down the door, well, before that, I had a little chat with Crowley. And the result of that chat was this, your fancy little cure not working."

"What did he do, Sam?" the hunter demanded, taking a step towards the demon, who simply laughed in his face.

"Please, you can't honestly think that I'd tell you? No, sorry, but that'll stay a secret between me and the great King Asshole himself. See, Dean? You tried so hard, so desperately but, end of the day, you still failed. There are just things you cannot change, no matter how much you try."

"Screw that!" Dean yelled suddenly, taking both Kevin and Sam by surprise. He stepped forward and grabbed the demon by his shirt, then glared right into his eyes. "Now listen to me Sam, both of you, demon and human. I've seriously had enough of this bullshit. I haven't tried to save your ass for almost a year so that everything could go to shit in the end! You say the cure works? That it was all Crowley's fault that I failed? Well, fine. That means that you can be cured, and I just have to find a way to undo what that demon bastard did to you! And I will be damned if I couldn't, if I wouldn't do what I can to get to the bottom of this, because I didn't suffer for nothing. None of us did. So I swear to you, my promise still holds. I will fucking save you, drag you out of your little rebel teenager phase, even if it kills me. And you're gonna be a good little demon and sit it out, behave like you should until I find a way to make this right."

A short silence followed the hunter's speech, before Sam cocked his head and smiled. "Is that a challenge, Dean?"

"Take it as whatever you want, but you're staying here," he stated, his grip on the demon tightening.

"Really now? I'm not in chains anymore. I'm going to stay in the human world and keep on hunting, mainly for…snacks. And I won't let you stop me, not this time," Sam countered, his smile widening as he saw Dean's resolve growing by the second.

"No, you're staying with me, Sam."

"Dean, I really don't think that's up for debate. I'm not going to rot in the bunker until you magically find a way to cure me again. No way." The demon shook his head, and with a violent shove, pushed Dean away. "Since I have no interest in going back to Hell for now, I will keep on hunting. With, or without you."

Dean frowned, hesitating as he thought, then looked at Sam. "Then with me, because I won't let you out of my sight. That, I know for sure."

"So…we have a deal, then?" Sam asked, grinning as he watched his brother. This was becoming more fun, way better than what the demon had in mind. It was like killing two birds with one stone, if he could keep on hunting, while having the satisfaction of watching Dean trying and failing at finding another way of curing him, of lifting whatever was done to him, was put on Sam by Crowley.

The hunter stayed silent for a while, glancing at Kevin who didn't look too convinced by the battle plan, but there weren't many other options as good as this one. Dean let out a long sigh, then after another moment of hesitation, he reluctantly nodded and glared at Sam. "Fine, it's a deal. But I ain't kissing you. And if I see you killing, or even hurting, one innocent, I'm gonna drag you right back to the dungeon."

"No need to worry, Dean, there'll be no tongue action. This isn't an actual demon deal." Sam chuckled. "And I accept your terms and conditions, as long as you okay mines. You may be able to stop me from harming innocents, but not demons. If you understand what I'm getting at."

Scowling, Dean pulled a face as he shook his head. "No way. I can't let you—"

"I don't care what you can't or mustn't, or won't. You will have to let me do it, or else I might accidentally go crazy on you…and I'm sure you wouldn't want a demon gone mad as your partner. Who knows what atrocities could happen?" Sam threatened, already knowing that his brother wouldn't be able to say no, not like this, not when the demon knew just the right things to say to make sure that Dean caved in.

"And just how are you going to get demons like that, huh? I'm pretty sure that they ain't gonna come over for dinner with the snap of your fingers, especially if they knew that they're the main course," he said skeptically, carefully watching the demon in front of him.

"Easy. Crossroads and such, and I can always hop in Hell to bleed out a few of them, and even pack lunch. All I need to do is get enough for a week or more, and then I wouldn't have to go off and around looking for demons every two or three days. Instead, maybe just once a week, which I'd personally call an improvement," he suggested, flashing a smile at his brother.

Both of them knew how this would end, and apparently Dean didn't see why they should drag the conversation out, so he scrubbed a hand over his face before making sure to glare at the demon. "Fine. We're back, then. Hunting with my supervision, and no funny business, got it?"

"Yep. We're golden," Sam nodded. "I've gotta say, I'm excited. Really looking forward to working together…like this. I can already feel it's gonna be fun."

"Fun, yeah, sure," Dean sighed, reluctantly crouching down and erasing a part of the devil's trap on the floor, the demon immediately stepping out of it as if it was a bear trap, which could spring to life and sink its sharp metal claws in him, never letting him go. He kept on smiling as he walked around freely, turning around to face the two boys in front of him.

"What?" he asked upon noticing the looks Dean and Kevin were giving him. When he looked down, he knew exactly what was wrong. "Oh, right… Your cure messed me up quite a bit."

"Puking black blood isn't something that usually happens to people, yeah." Dean nodded, walking over to the demon, then pulled a face. "What the hell did Crowley do to you…?"

"Who knows?" Sam shrugged, knowing perfectly well what the demon did to him, but wouldn't say a word of course. "I'm gonna change but please, don't follow me in my room, okay? I said I won't run, and I meant it."

"Good. And while you're making yourself presentable, I'm gonna make a few calls," Dean said, taking out his phone from his pocket, then frowned at the screen as he scrolled down his contact list.

"What is it?" Sam asked, to what his brother raised his head and his eyebrows.

"Nothing," he mumbled, then just like that, walked past the demon and out of the room, without a word or an explanation.

"Huh," was all Sam said, shrugging as he suddenly found himself in his room, teleporting or zapping, or whatever his demon powers enabled him to do, there.

He looked around the room for something to wear, and it didn't take him too long before he was all clean and neat again, not counting his wounds. His bottom lip was still a mess and his nails…well, also a mess, with most of them either broken or simply missing. Still, now that the handcuffs were off and he was out of the trap, these wounds would heal in no time, and Sam would be completely back to normal. At least, demon normal.

Everything seemed too good to be true. Dean failed to cure him, even though there were some unplanned painful events following that event, and he managed to get rid of his withdrawal problem for now. He knew that drinking his own blood was just a desperate measure to stop himself from completely breaking down, and that it wouldn't keep him at bay for more than a few hours at most, but it was more than nothing. And the best thing of them all was the fact that he could keep on hunting, with Dean by his side.

Yes, it will probably be a pain in the ass most of the times, but Sam could handle it, if only for the fun of it. Because Dean would try everything to get rid of whatever Crowley had done to him, and Sam was more than sure that he would fail, once again. And again, and again, and he would keep on failing right after getting his hopes up, which would just make the disappointment so much sweeter. Sam couldn't wait to see the look on his big brother's face when it would all sink in, that no matter how much he tries and sacrifices, how far he goes, failure would be inevitable, just like how both of them were doomed from the very beginning, to live a lonely and miserable life.

Smiling to himself, the demon fixed his hair before walking out to the library, where the chairs were still scattered all around the place. A lamp was laying on the floor, broken, the light bulb shattered to pieces just like the bond that once used to connect the monster and hunter together, but what was now a mere memory, an echo of the past, far away and out of reach. He stepped on the shards, crushing them as he walked through the wreckage they caused many hours ago, wondering why Dean hadn't cleaned up yet.

"Damn it!" He heard his brother's voice before he saw him. Dean carelessly tossed his phone on the table before he slammed his hands on the wood, and slumped forward a bit, his head hanging in what looked like exhaustion.

"No answer? Again?" Kevin asked incredulously, but he didn't need an answer, the hunter's annoyed sigh a clear one.

"Why the sulking, Dean?" Sam joined the conversation as he walked over to his brother and the prophet, immediately gaining their attention. Damn, he felt like a superstar.

"I was trying to call someone for the third time now, but he's still not answering. That idiot, he better not be lost again or something," Dean grumbled, giving a nasty look at his phone as he picked it up, then put it back in his pocket.

"Judging by the way you're talking… Cas?" Sam asked as he raised an eyebrow, and his brother nodded reluctantly, leaning against the table. "He might be gone in the wind, for all we know. It's the brainless angel we're talking about, after all."

"Not brainless, more like careless and negligent. And last time I saw him, he was running from Naomi's winged goons… I really hope he didn't get himself in trouble again."

"Aw, don't worry about your man-crush, he'll be just fine," Sam teased, then couldn't help but grin when he realized that nobody found his joke funny. "Come on, brighten up guys! What do you say we go on a hunt? Our very first one as a demon-human pair of hunters," he suggested, not even waiting for an answer as he marched over to his laptop that was on the table which, fortunately, was left untouched in the fight. Though finding his laptop where he left it all those months ago was a bit odd, maybe even unsettling, he was still glad that he didn't have to make the extra trip to his room and back.

"A hunt so soon after…all of this? No way," Dean refused, watching the demon with narrowed eyes. "Don't even start looking, because we're not going, Sam, I'm telling you."

"Oh, are you now?" Sam raised an eyebrow, sitting down in front of his laptop. "I think you misunderstood something here, Dean. This, our relationship right now, isn't a dictatorship. It's a damn partnership, your rules and mine. So don't you dare expect me to jump when you say so, because that ain't gonna happen. What will happen, though, is that we agree on a decision, then execute it, like a good team. I can't believe that I'm the most diplomatic here. Come one, you're bringing shame to the human race."

"Fine. Awesome." The hunter walked over to Sam and looked over his shoulder at the screen of the laptop. "But since this is our first case like this, we've gotta chose something small. A salt and burn hunt, nothing big or complicated, got it?" he stated, obviously not wanting to deal with a larger hunt while having to babysit his little demon brother.

However, that was exactly what Sam wanted.

"Sure thing," he lied, scrolling down the news page, "whatever you say, Dean."

And Sam knew, in his bones and soul, in his very being, he knew that the next few days, weeks, months…were going to be wonderful.

And so did Dean, except for wonderful, he was quite sure that the upcoming days would be a living Hell, his life worse than when he had to work together with a soulless Sam. And it would last until the angel would finally pick up his phone, and from the looks of it, that wouldn't be anytime soon.

But he was already living the worst case scenario, so really, what else could possibly go wrong…?