Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 14

"Dean you'll be pissed if you crash and wreck the Impala so slow down!" Sam yelled as he watched the speedometer climb.
"Dean come on, let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about Sam. Something thinks it's funny to play with us and use Dad to do it!"

"Dean you need to calm down. We'll deal with this like we do everything. Now come on, slow down." Sam soothed and Dean took a deep breath, easing off the accelerator.
"We've got plenty of time; pull off at the next town. We'll get some lunch, take a break for a while, okay?" Sam offered and Dean rolled his eyes but took the next exit.

"Dean, look, best I can tell, Adam Milligan is real." Sam said as he got out of the car in front of the diner. Their stop had calmed Dean down...for all of half an hour. Dean opened the trunk and then the weapons area.
"Um, born September twenty-ninth, 1990 to Kate Milligan. No father listed on the birth certificate. He's an Eagle Scout." Sam kept reading, trying to ignore as Dean pulled assorted weapons out, including Ruby's knife which they still needed to give back to Bobby.
"Graduated from high school with honors and currently goes to the University of Wisconsin—biology major, pre-med." Sam kept going as Dean closed the trunk.
"Dean? You listening?"

"This is a trap." Dean stated as he walked past Sam and into the diner. Sam sighed, closed the folder and followed him. The bell rang as they entered and both scanned the diner. Seeing an empty table in the corner Dean walked towards it, removing one of the chairs and Sam rolled his eyes but sat beside him.

"Dean, I'm telling you, the kid checks out." Sam said as he put their Dad's journal on the table.

"Great, so he's an actual person on the planet Earth. Sucks he's got a demon in him." Dean spat even as a waitress approached with menus and water glasses.

"Hi. Welcome to Cousin Oliver's." She greeted them and Sam flashed her a smile.

"Thanks." Sam said.

"Can I—" She started but Dean cut her off.

"We're actually waiting on somebody." He said and she slapped the menus down in front of them in annoyance.

"Thank you—" Sam called after her. He watched as Dean took his glass and poured the water into the pot plant behind him.
"What are you—" Sam watched as Dean put the glass between his knees and pulled out a flask, unscrewing the top and pouring its contents into the glass. As soon as it opened Sam knew what it was.
"Holy water?"

"Yup. One sip of Jesus juice, this evil bitch is gonna be in a world of hurt." Dean said, putting the glass in front of the third chair.

"If...and this is a big if but if he's a demon then if he's anywhere near our level it won't actually do anything." Sam pointed out, shaking his head as Dean pulled out a felt-wrapped package and undid it.
"And what if he's not possessed?"

"Then he is a shapeshifter." Dean said, placing out the silver cutlery and taking the diners setting to hide.

"Hence the silver."

"Look, either way, this thing is gonna bleed. I mean, using Dad as bait? That's the last mistake of its short, pitiful life." Sam frowned, watching Dean.
"What?" Sam looked away.
"What?"

"Dean...listen. There's an entry in Dad's journal." Sam said, opening the journal.
"From January of 1990, saying he's headed to Minnesota to check out a case. That's, roughly, oh, about nine months before the kid was born." Sam pointed out.

"Coincidence."

"Coincidence. Next two pages of the journal—torn out." Sam showed him the remains of the pages.

"You're not actually buying this, are you?" Dean demanded, eyes flashing briefly and Sam squeezed his hand under the table.

"Look, man, I don't want to believe it either, I'm just saying it's possible." Sam closed the diary.
"I mean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time, and he wasn't exactly a monk. I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl...sometimes the girl's grateful." Sam offered and Dean's eyes widened in horror.

"Well, now I'm thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking." Dean said in revulsion.

"Maybe he slipped one past the goalie." Sam kept going and Dean shuddered.

"Dude!" Dean gasped just as the door chimed. They both looked up at the young man that entered.

"Adam?" Sam called and he looked over. Sam raised a hand and Adam approached.

"You Sam?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. Uh, this is Dean."

"Hey." Dean said. They watched as Adam set his backpack on the floor next to the empty chair and sat down.

"So, um...how did you know my dad?" Adam asked.

"Uh, we worked together." Sam said and Adam looked at them in confusion.

"How did he die?" Adam asked.

"On the job." Sam answered and Adam frowned.

"He was a mechanic, right?"

"A car fell on him." Dean snapped as Denise came back, much friendlier.

"Hey, Adam. How you doing?" the waitress asked, putting a glass of water in front Adam. Dean reached out and took it, downing it quickly.

"I am very thirsty." Dean excused it and Denise frowned at him.

"The usual, Adam?" Denise asked and Adam nodded.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Denise." Denise left after Adam thanked her and Adam picked up the glass of holy water. The brothers watched as Adam drank and nothing happened. So either Adam wasn't possessed or it was by something at least as powerful as Azazel had been.

"So, uh, when's the last time you saw John?" Sam asked.

"I don't even know. It's...a couple years." Adam answered and under the table Dean aimed his gun, loaded with silver at him.

"Why did you decide to call him now?" Sam pushed.

"I didn't know who else to call. He's the only family I got."Adam admitted and Sam blinked.
"My mom's missing."

"Really? I'm sorry. Uh, for how long?" Sam asked and Dean snorted in disgust. Sam wasn't buying it, was he?

"It's tragic, really. But if you're John's kid, how come we've never heard of you?" Dean demanded.

"'Cause John and me didn't really know each other. Not until a few years ago, anyway." Adam admitted.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked more gently than Dean had.

"My mom never talked about him. I knew some stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"My mom's a nurse, and Dad came into the ER, pretty torn up. Hunting accident or something. And I knew his name. John Winchester. That's about it. We're not exactly a nuclear family." Adam answered, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well, who is these days?" Sam asked with a comforting smile.

"So, when did you, uh, when did you finally meet him?" Dean asked, heart sinking.

"When I was twelve. My mom had one of his old numbers, and—" Dean's hand tightened on his gun.
"—and after I begged her—God, twenty-four-seven—she finally called him. God, when John heard he had a son, he raced to town. I mean, he dropped everything. He drove all night." Adam told them, smiling slightly as Denise put his food down in front of him.

"There you go." She smiled at him and Adam nodded.

"Thanks."

"Well, that's heartwarming." Dean muttered and Adam indicated his food.

"You mind?"

"Please, dig in." Dean said, watching him closely. They watched as Adam took the napkin out from under the cutlery without touching it. Dean cocked the gun.

"He would swing by once a year or so." Adam told them and then picked up the knife and fork, not reacting to the silver. Dean glanced away but put his gun away.
"You know, called when he could. But still...He taught me poker and pool and even bought me my first beer when I was fifteen. And, uh...he showed me how to drive. Dad, he had this beautiful 'sixty-seven Impala—" Adam told them, grinning slightly and Dean snarled at him, barely keeping his features from changing.

"Oh, this is crap. You know what, you're lying."

"No, I'm not." Adam argued.

"Uh, yeah, you are." Dean stated.

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you to call me a liar?" Adam demanded and Dean got in his face, despite Sam's hand on his shoulder.

"We're John Winchester's sons, that's who." Dean snapped, indicating himself and Sam.
"We are his sons." Dean pushed and Adam stared at them with wide eyes.

"I've got brothers?" Adam asked hopefully.

"No, you don't have brothers. Look, man, I don't know if you're a hunter or what kind of game you're playing here." Dean argued and Adam frowned.

"I have never been hunting in my life." He said.

"Whatever. I'm out of here. Come on, Sam." Dean got up to leave but Sam hesitated.

"I can prove it." Adam called out and they stopped. Dean and Sam exchanged looks before leading Adam out to the Impala. Dean pushed Adam into the back seat and started the engine.

"Where?" Dean demanded and Adam gave directions. They parked and Adam led them inside and then upstairs to what was obviously his room. He picked up a frame and handed it to Dean. Dean examined it, seeing John and Adam standing together. John was wearing a baseball cap.
"He took you to a baseball game?" Dean asked, feeling a pang of pain.

"Yeah, when I turned fourteen. Dad was around for a few of my birthdays." Adam told them and Sam held John's journal open.

"September twenty-ninth, two thousand four. One word. 'Minnesota.'" Sam told Dean.

"He took you to a freakin' baseball game?" Dean demanded.

"Yeah. Why? What'd Dad do with you on your birthday?" Adam asked, taking the picture back and Dean looked away.

"Adam, you said you called Dad because your mom was missing." Sam said and Adam nodded.

"Yeah."

"How long has she been gone?" Sam asked.

"Three days."

"Who was the last person to see her?" Dean asked.

"Mr. Abbinanti, our neighbor. He saw her come home Tuesday night, but she never showed up to work on Wednesday." Adam told them and Dean saw another picture, this one of John and Kate, it hurt how much Kate looked like Mary. Was that why their Dad had slept with her?

"Did you call the police?" Sam asked gently and Adam shook his head.

"Mom's supervisor at the hospital did." He told them.
"And then I drove down here as fast as I could." Adam looked away.
"I should have been here." He whispered.

"What'd the, uh, what'd the cops say?" Sam asked.

"That they, uh, they searched the house. They didn't find anything. She wouldn't leave without telling anybody. It's like she just dropped off the face of the earth, you know?" Adam said and the brothers frowned.

"Can you show us her room? Maybe we'll see something?" Sam asked and Adam frowned but led the way. The two began searching the room but then Sam got an idea and left. Dean couldn't stop looking at the photos on the dresser with John in them.

"The, uh, nightstand was knocked over. Was there anything else?" Dean asked.

"Oh, not really. The sheriff said there's no sign of a break-in." Adam told him and Dean looked around.
"What, you think the cops missed something?"

"Maybe. Yeah. They don't have my eyes." Dean admitted and Adam frowned.

"You're a mechanic."

"Yeah. That's right." Dean said and Adam hesitated.

"Dean, what else can you tell me about Dad?" Adam asked and Dean kept his back to him.

"You knew him." Dean said.

"Not as well as you." Adam argued.

"Trust me, kid, you don't want to know." Dean grumbled and then Sam was in the doorway, holding up a handful of papers.
"Give us a minute." Dean stepped into the hallway.
"You talk to the cops?"

"Yeah. Like Adam said, no leads on his mom."

"Shocker there."

"But I did find this." Sam went through the papers until he found the paper from January 9, 1990. The headline was 'Missing Bodies Found" and the subtitle "Seventeen bodies recovered from abandoned shed".
"Um...here. In nineteen ninety, there were seventeen grave robberies in Windom." Sam explained.

"You think that's why dad came through here?" Dean asked and Sam nodded.

"I'd say so. Check it out." Sam pointed at the photo and Dean took a closer look. Sure enough their Dad was half hidden in the background.

"All right, so he was hunting something. What?"

"No idea. Those were the pages he threw out of the journal. But last month, the corpse snatching started up again. Three bodies from the local cemetery."

"So whatever he was after, he didn't kill it. It's back." Dean said.

"And, what, it's stepped up its game to fresh meat? I mean, Kate's missing, and, uh—" Sam pulled out another piece of paper.
"So is a local bartender—a guy named Joe Barton." Dean took the photo and went back into the bedroom, finding Adam sitting on his Mom's bed.

"Hey, does your mom know Joe Barton?" He asked and Adam frowned.

"Uh, I don't think so. Why?" Adam asked and Dean looked back at Sam and then Adam again. And then he frowned, moving to kneel by the bed.
"What is it?"

"Watch out." Dean flipped the edge of the comforter up and looked under the bed.
"Give me a hand with the mattress." Dean said, tossing the pillows aside. With Adam's help they removed the mattress, revealing the large vent beneath. Sam looked at Dean and then the vent before raising his fist. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors and Sam was smirking while Dean grabbed a flashlight.
"Every time." He grumbled. He got down and yanked the covering off before crawling in. He let his eyes change, wanting the extra vision now that Adam couldn't see him and frowned when he saw the red stains, wrinkling his nose at the smell of old blood.
"Why didn't I pick paper?" he crawled to the T-junction, finding a lot more dried blood. He checked the left vent to find it undisturbed. He raised his pistol and went into the right section, finding lots of blood, flesh and even some bone.

Dean sat on the bed cleaning a shotgun while Sam was going over some files on the laptop. There was a knock at the door and Sam got up to open it. Adam stormed in and Sam closed the door behind him.

"Who the hell are you?" The now youngest Winchester demanded.

"Adam, hey." Sam raised his hands as Dean quickly hid the weapons.
"Take it easy."

"No, don't tell me to take it easy, okay? My house is a crime scene, my mom's probably dead, and you two—well, you tell me to call the cops, But you got to bail before they show? So, who are you really?" His question was met by silence.
"Cops didn't know where to look for my mom, Dean, but you did. And I heard you talking earlier—something about grave robberies." Of course Adam had to spot the end of the shotgun poking out from under the cloth.
"You're not mechanics. I just want to know what's going on." Still neither brother said anything.
"Please."

"We're hunters." Sam admitted and Dean turned to stare at him in shock.

"Sammy!"

"He deserves to know, Dean."

"What do you mean, 'hunters'?" Adam asked, eyeing them warily.

Sam held Dean close, burying his face in the blonde hair. He breathed in Dean's scent, loving it. Dean chuckled and rolled in Sam's arms.

"Was telling Adam the truth really the right thing?" Dean asked and Sam sighed.

"I don't know Dean...but he's family. He should know, what if something comes after him because of Dad and us?"

"What are we gonna do with him? We're all the family he has left but...Sammy how do we tell him what we are now without completely freaking the kid out? He just lost his Mom, finding out his big brothers are demons?" Dean asked and Sam kissed him.

"You know, for someone who was so against believing Adam was our brother you've really jumped on board now." Sam said and Dean shrugged.

"Those photos, Dad's journal. Plus he looks like us. What do we do?" Dean asked and Sam hugged him tighter.

"Take it a day at a time for now. Maybe take him to Bobby, get him protected before seeing what Adam wants to do. We can't just kidnap him away from his life." Sam offered and Dean nodded.

"I don't want him to be scared of us." Dean whispered and Sam nodded, holding him close. Sam kissed him and then smiled.

"Sleep Dean, we'll figure it out.

"I've decided I believe you." Was the first thing Adam said as Dean let him into the motel room.

"Really?" Dean asked and Adam nodded.

"What am I supposed to say?" he asked.

"That we're liars, that we're crazy. Nobody just says "okay."" Dean said and Adam shrugged.

"You're my brothers. You're telling me the truth, right?"

"Yeah." Dean told him, smiling slightly.

"Then I believe you. Now, what took my mom?"

"We're not sure. Something's in town stealing bodies, living and dead, but we don't know what." Sam explained as Adam took a seat.

"There's a long list of freaks that fit the bill." Dean told him, sitting on the bed beside Sam.

"You think maybe she might still be alive?" Adam asked and when neither brother would look at him he nodded, staring at the floor.
"Oh. How can I help?"

"You can't." Dean stated.

"This thing killed my mom. If you're hunting it, I want in." Adam argued and this time Sam turned him down.

"No."

"Do I get a say in this?" Adam asked.

"No!" They both said and then Sam sighed.

"Adam it's not that we don't understand but...you have no training. We take you, odds are you'd end up hurt or worse. If you want, we can take you to a family friend who can train you to hunt but you really have to think about it. Hunting isn't a nine to five job, it's a lifestyle. You just think about what you want to do and we'll deal with this. Okay?" Sam explained and Adam nodded, glaring at the floor.
"Welcome to the family." Sam said, offering him a smile and Adam managed a shaky one in return.

"Here." Dean pulled out a gun and ejected the clip.
"I'm gonna teach you a few things." Adam looked from the gun to Dean and then Sam who

"This tomb was built in 1926. Four generations of the Millsap family were interred here."

"They don't build 'em like this anymore." Dean commented and the director turned to him.

"Tell me, Agent Nugent, have you thought about where you might like to spend eternity?" He asked and Dean hid a smike.

"All the damn time." He answered, looking around the tomb.

"So, three bodies went missing. Any idea who did it?"

"Hooligans. Sick, deranged hooligans." The director offered and Dean noticed something spilled on the side of the tomb. He touched and then smelled it, recoiling.

"This isn't blood. What is this?"

"No, it's embalming fluid. Whoever committed this crime didn't just take the corpses. They opened them up." That made Dean look at him.

"Sam...how did Dad really die?" Adam asked as Sam showed him how to clean the shotgun. Something was beginning to bug Sam the more he hovered over Adam but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Demon." Sam answered tightly.

"You hunted it down? Got revenge?"

"Dean killed it."

"So it's over for you." Adam said and Sam looked at him.

"It's never over." He admitted just before the lights went out and something began to rattler.

"What the—" Adam started.

"Shh." Sam hushed him and then pulled Adam to his feet.
"Stay here." Sam loaded the shotgun and went to the door, checking outside. Then the noise came again...from their room. Looking around Sam spotted the vent near the ceiling and aimed at it.
"It's in the vents. Go!" Sam ordered, firing as Adam ducked past him. They rushed down the stairs, Sam letting his powers free as much as he could without his eyes changing colour or his fangs emerging.
"Where's your car?" Sam demanded.

"Over here." Adam said, heading for it.

"All right, keys."

"Here." Adam tossed them to Sam and then headed for the passenger side of the truck while Sam opened the driver's door. Sam felt something grab his ankle and then it yanked him to the ground. Sam grabbed the truck, fighting against the pull.
"Sam!" Adam screamed, dashing to his side. He reached out and grabbed Sam's hand and Sam felt it...his heart froze as he realised this wasn't his little brother, it wasn't Adam. Then he heard the Impala pull up.
"Dean, help!" Dean grabbed the fallen shotgun and fired under the truck. Adam yanked Sam out from under the truck. They backed Adam's truck out and found the half open sewer grate.

"I winged it. Did you see anything?" Dean asked and Sam shook his head, keeping his eyes on Adam.

"I didn't get a good look." Sam told him.

"What the hell is this thing?" Dean growled and Adam looked at him.

"Why—who—should we go after it?" Adam asked.

"No, no. In that maze? That thing's long gone."

"All right, so, we don't know what it is, But we do know who it's going after. Joe Barton, Adam's mom—" Sam pointed out.

"And Adam. It was under his truck, just waiting for him." Dean finished.

"It set a trap, and I walked right into it." Sam said.

"Doesn't matter. You're right—there's a pattern. Joe Barton was a cop. I'm pretty sure he helped out Dad. So we've got him, Dad's girl, and his son." Dean pointed out.
"All the people Dad knew in town."

"At least we know why it's back." Sam murmured.

"It wants revenge." Adam finished.

"Come on, we'll head back to the house and you can grab your stuff, then we'll get you out of town and come back for it." Dean said, ushering his younger brothers into the Impala. They got out at the house and Adam let them in.
"Grab your stuff. We'll hit the road." Dean ordered and Adam headed upstairs.

As soon as Adam was gone Sam's eyes flashed yellow, making Dean frown as he felt Sam's powers cloak them.

"Sam?" Dean asked and Sam sighed.

"That's not Adam." Sam said and Dean's eyes went wide.

"What?"

"When he grabbed me to keep me from going under...something had been bothering me but I couldn't pinpoint it. Adam is a real person, our brother...but that's not him."

"So whatever we're hunting...there's two. One pretending to be Adam and the other one attacked you."

"But what are they? Not demons or any sort of shapeshifter unless they've found a way to be immune to silver. And that wouldn't explain the bodies."

"Guess we ask it." Dean growled, his own eyes changing. Sam nodded and they waited in silence till it came down the stairs. As soon as it did Sam slammed it into the wall and it's eyes went wide.

"Sam? Dean? What's happening?" It asked, sounding scared.

"Where's Adam?" Dean growled and 'Adam's' jaw dropped when it saw Dean's demonic features.

"I'd answer if I were you. Pissing of a demon is generally a bad idea." Sam said, smirking as the creature got a look at his changed features.
"Especially the king of Hell and his Consort." Sam added and 'Adam' went pale as Dean smirked at him as well.

"So...gonna tell us where Adam is? And for your sake he better be alive." Dean snarled and 'Adam' nodded eagerly.

"The graveyard. Underground in a coffin." That had Sam squeezing.
"It's open! There's plenty of air." It yelled.

"Why did you target Adam and his family? What are you?" Sam demanded.

"Ghoul." It answered and Sam nodded.

"I should have known. It was the fresh kills that threw me. Ghouls don't usually go after the living. See, you're just filthy scavengers, feeding off the dead—taking the form of the last corpse you choke down." Sam said and it nodded.

"And their thoughts. And their memories. Like Adam, for instance." It answered and Sam squeezed again.
"He's alive, swear it! Just took a bite or two."

"Monster!"

"Says the demon. Our father was a monster? Why? Because of what he ate? He never hurt anyone, Sam. Living, anyway." 'Adam' snarled.
"No. He was no monster. But the thing that killed him was. A monster named John Winchester. Thanks to your daddy, my sister and I grew up on our own. At least we had each other. Like you and your brother. Inseparable. And for twenty years, we lived like rats. Graveyard after graveyard, all that stinking flesh. Then we thought, 'hey, why not move up to fresher game?' And we knew just where to start. Revenge—it's never over, is it, Sam? First, it was John's cop friend, and then his slut, and then his son. Then I called John, but the son of a bitch was already dead." It explained.
"Wish we'd known what you were, would have just finished Adam off and moved on."

"Sammy go find Adam, I'll deal with this thing." Dean growled.

"No! You won't touch my sister!" It snapped and that made the brothers pause for a second.

"Watch your back Sam." Sam nodded and vanished.
"You tried to kill my baby brothers." Dean snarled and its eyes went wide.

Sam reappeared in the cemetery and headed for the old crypts. It didn't take long to find the one the ghouls were using and he slipped inside. He heard the noise and raised his gun, making it look like he was going to fire, only to vanish and reappear behind the female ghoul. Then it was a simple matter to rip her head off. After that he searched until he came out into a large underground room filled with stone coffins. He gagged as he opened the first one and then closed his eyes as he realised he was looking at Kate's body. The next two had year's old corpses and then he opened the fourth, only to have to dodge a flailing arm.

"Adam? It's okay, I'm here to help." Sam said, holding his hands out and making sure Adam could see him.

"Who...who are you." Adam croaked past dry, cracked lips.

"My name's Sam, I'm your brother." Sam told him, slowly reaching into the coffin to gently lift Adam into a sitting position.

"My brother? They...they said they called Dad, that he's dead and they were going to kill you." Adam murmured as Sam pulled out a water bottle and pressed it against Adam's lips. Adam drank eagerly and then Sam pulled it away.

"Not too much at once little brother. It's okay. We got the ghouls." Sam comforted as he helped Adam from the coffin.

"My Mom?" Adam asked and Sam sighed.

"I'm sorry kiddo. Can you walk?" Sam asked and Adam tried to stand only to moan in pain.
"Easy, it's okay. Where does it hurt?" Sam asked gently.

"My back and legs. They...they..."

"It's okay Adam, I know. We'll get out of here and then patch you up. Dean's waiting back at the motel." Sam said, having felt his brother relocate.

"Can't walk." Adam murmured and Sam nodded.

"Adam I'm going to ask you to trust me. I know you have no reason to little brother but I won't let anything hurt you. This will feel weird but then we'll be with Dean." Sam told him and Adam stared at him with wide, fear filled eyes. Sam gently wrapped his arms around his little brother and then moved them to the motel room. Adam gasped and crumpled in his arms so Sam lifted him and carried him to the bed.

"Sammy?" Dean called as he left the bathroom.

"Got the med kit?"

"Here. Hey there kiddo, I'm Dean. We're gonna patch you up now and then we can talk, okay?" Dean said, smiling for his newest baby brother and the kid nodded nervously. They gently removed his clothes, hands clenching as they found where the ghouls had fed from Adam and the other wounds they'd inflicted on him. The wounds were carefully washed clean of the dirt and blood before being bandaged. Adam lay on the bed silently the whole time, the occasional whimper of pain the only noise he made. It hurt both demons to see and hear but they knew the pain they were inflicting was necessary or else the wounds would become infected.
"All done. Try to get some rest Adam." Dean said and Adam opened his mouth the argue only to yawn. Hazel eyes slid shut and he drifted off to sleep.

"You did not just knock our baby brother out." Sam stated in disbelief and Dean shrugged.

"He's exhausted and in pain Sammy. Better to try and explain in the morning. Besides, this means he'll sleep through whatever we do tonight." Dean pointed out and Sam laughed before moving closer to kiss him.

"Okay, brilliant move then." They fell back onto their bed, clothes vanishing and Adam fast asleep on the second bed.

TBC...