John opened his eyes to find himself in a motel, and judging by the giant poster on the wall, they were somewhere in Delaware. Standing by him were Gabriel, Dean and Bobby, the latter of which was looking at the newspaper on the table. The date was that of thirteen years ago.
Suddenly the bathroom door opened to reveal a twelve year old Sam. Dean couldn't help but gasp at the sight of his baby brother, his long hair swinging in front of his face as he made his way over to small table upon which his homework lay.
"Sammy?" asked Dean, his green eyes open and hopeful in a way that made John's heart clench even more when the kid didn't respond.
"This is his memory. You cannot interact with the people in it nor change its course." said Gabriel, his face filled with sadness as he gazed at the youngest Winchester.
Suddenly the door to the motel opened to reveal the very three men that were now watching, but of course they were twelve years younger.
"Why the hell am we there?" gasped Bobby, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"I don't know Bobby." came John's reply. His mouth was dry with dread as they watched Sam greet the older men, barely looking up off his papers.
"Sam, come here for a second." said the memory's version of John. Sam reluctantly got up and began walking over to his father. When he was standing in front of the towering man, a heavy fist collided with his face, sending him reeling to the floor.
"Dad?" came his shaky question, filled with doubt at his father's actions. "Dad why did you…"
"You know you're so disgusting that it makes me sick."
John felt his stomach twist at the sound of his own voice saying those words. "I'd…I'd never say that to Sam." he whispered.
"Dad?"
"He's right Sam." Memory Bobby said, his voice filled with hate. "You're down right repulsive. You think you can trick us into caring about a horrid creature like you?"
Tears were beginning to form in Sam's eyes. "Why are you saying that? What's wrong with…"
"There's nothing wrong with us Sammy. It's you that's wrong." Memory Dean's eyes were hard and filled with anger. "And to think I even considered you as my brother."
"I am your brother!" screamed the boy on the floor. "Dean, why… why?"
"We're going to show you what a monster you are Sam." Memory John took a step closer before kicking Sam's gut. "And you'll deserve every last bit of it because you know," he looked into Sam's fear-filled eyes "that you're the reason your mother died. You're the reason my Mary died and why Dean doesn't have a home. It's all because of you, you monster."
Memory Dean grabbed Sam by the wrist before dropping him again to the floor with a hiss. His fingers were burnt.
"The silver!" cried real Dean. "He burnt his hand on Sam's silver ring. He's a shifter!"
But nothing changed, and with pure hatred in his voice, the shifter spat that he didn't deserve to wear the ring which had been Dean's present that Christmas.
And with that, the two men and a sixteen year-old boy proceeded to hurt Sam in any way possible. They broke his ribs, his right hand's fingers, dislocated his shoulder. By the end his face was more a pound of raw and bloodied flesh than an actual face. His nose was broken and his cheekbones fractured along with his left arm and wrist which now lay limply at his side, useless in attempting to shield his vital organs from the blows.
But what hurt the most was the words. The memories kept on spouting hurtful words at the young boy, bruising his soul and breaking his heart. And all the while he cried out for them to stop, he asked them what was wrong with them. To John's utter pride he even started to recite an exorcism. But these weren't demons and they continued to hurt him. At one point Sam even cried out for his mother to save him. John was now on his knees sobbing as his baby boy called out for a mother he never even knew.
After what seemed like an eternity, the three shifters left, leaving a broken boy on the floor, in a pool of his own blood.
"But that wasn't there when we returned." whispered Bobby.
They watched on a Gabriel sped forward time to the next hour where Sam had finally woken in pain. The boy gasped out as he tried to move but was unable to move his broken limbs. His chest rose and fell in a stuttering rhythm that made Bobby shake. God how was Sam even still alive?
Dean was now weeping openly, his legs barely supporting him. No wander his little brother had wanted to leave.
And then they heard him pray. "If there is an angel out there listening… please help my dad and Uncle Bobby. I don't think they're okay right now."
Bobby's eyes filled with tears at the young boy's words. Sam swallowed painfully before continuing. "And help Dean… I don't think he understood what he was doing. They're all good people…" Sam began crying, his eyes red and puffy apart from the swelling of the blows. "Please help me. Please take me away from here. I want to go away."
And there appeared Gabriel, his face filled with mostly well-hidden anger.
"Sam, I'm going to heal you okay? I know you're in a lot of pain but I will take it away." He knelt down and waited for the boy's approval before placed his hand on Sam's forehead from were a bright light shone, glowing around Sam ethereally. After a few seconds, the light faded and Sam lay there, his body as whole as it had been merely two hours ago.
"Would you like to come with me Sam?"
Sam looked into the man's eyes. He didn't know why but he trusted this strange man with golden hair. And with a nod, the man scooped his weary body into his arms and disappeared, leaving no trace.
It was only as the memory faded that Dean realised that the puddle o
