Chapter 25: Blood Brothers part two

In a quiet booth of a bar, Dean checked the rap sheets of the Death Row inmate Mullaney and the rapist that was killed in the alley. There seemed to be nothing to connect the two of them in any way besides the fact that they were both pieces of crap. He was at a loss for what was going on. He called for a bartender's attention and asked for another beer.

"Oh and a shot of scotch for me," said a new person that was now sitting across from him.

Dean narrowed his eyes at the smug looking Crowley that had appeared to sit with him. "What the hell do you want?"

"What, you don't think the King of Hell can't take time for a drink every now and then with an old friend."

"We ain't friends you dick," he mumbled.

"What? Even after I went and braved through the bowels of your brother to push out an archangel? One would think that makes us practically family."

"Then they're nuts and so are you."

"Yeah, you might be on to something there.. Friends don't keep friends locked up for months in a deep, dank hole while their fortunes and investments get plunged through the crapper."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Aw, Abaddon giving you trouble? Forgive me if I couldn't care less."

"No wonder you don't have many friends." He then took a look around. "It seems that you're without family too. Moose prance off again?"

Oh, he did not want to get into the subject of Sam right now, especially with Crowley.

"Why the hell are you here?" he growled.

"Touchy," he smirked before getting serious. "I'm in the process of trying to reclaim some sense of…stability now that I'm back on the game."

"Oh, how interesting," Dean mumbled sarcastically as the bartender came with their drinks.

Crowley went and raised his glass of scotch close to his lips and continued. "Naturally that means getting rid of wild cards." He then made a gesture to the collection of files and photos in front of Dean. "I see you're pursuing one of those now." He then took a drink.

Dean straightened in his seat. "You mean Cain?"

"Yes…a powerful demon warrior like that with no clear allegiance. You could understand why the King can't have a champion like that riding through the kingdom with a knight leading a coup."

"So, what do you want?"

"Some reliable sources of mine tell me that he is heading off in the desert by Des Moines about three hundred miles from here. Stalking his next victim."

"What victim?"

"Beats me. When it comes to Cain, none of us bother to ask anymore. He kills and maims what he kills and maims. What's it matter? You're after, are you not? I'm after him, so let's deal with him." He then took out a paper with coordinates written on them and slid it to Dean.

"Wait," he said looking up to see that Crowley was gone. "Ass," he mumbled before he made to leave.

It might be a goose chase but its not like he has any better way to track the guy down.

Sam was sitting on his bed as he contemplated everything that Castiel told him today. He was sterile. Samael stole his fertility to help heal his castration. His time without Dean and with Amelia helped to make him realize that he wanted to go off and start a family of his own. He didn't know if he would make a good husband or a better father than he had known but he wanted to go out there and find out after the Trials were completed. Now, with what he knew about the cost of the Trials it seemed that he was never meant to. Whether from completing them or failing them, the chance to reach out for that was now gone. No, not gone, taken. Taken from him by Samael and by Dean.

Sam felt a buzz suddenly run through him and he needed to let this new energy out. He moved his hand and swiftly knocked the things off his dresser. One of them cracked and broke but he found that did very little. He reached for a nearby vase and threw it across the room to shatter at the opposite wall. He then went and then smashed a lamp. He then started kicking at his bed and banging his fists against his door. He then started screaming, roaring and soon, crying.

His actions were heard by Castiel who just looked back in the direction of Sam's room solemnly. His heart went out to the younger Winchester. He noticed that one of man's most simple and primal delights was the thought of helping bring new life into this world and nurture it to be great and strong and that pleasure has been ripped away from Sam. It was a heavy loss to bear. Made worse as there was nothing he could do to fix it. The energy taken from Sam wasn't damaged or broken so he couldn't heal it. Castiel blamed himself for this. If he hadn't allowed Metatron to trick him then Samael wouldn't have been around to steal that gift from Sam. The blame he felt and the feeling that he must do something, anything, about all of this compelled him to leave the Bunker again. He had to find Samael, Metatron and the Powers and get to the bottom of all of this.

Dean was driving through the dirt road out in the desert. It was dark out here now but Dean could still see that there wasn't much here in the dim moonlight. What would Cain even be doing out here? Dean was starting to think that Crowley was pulling his leg about this. His annoyance and anger at Crowley was so heavily on him that he barely swerved to avoid the man who ran out in front of his car.

"Whoa!" Dean yelled as he slammed his feet on the break.

The car skitted as it kicked up dirt to stop before it could hit the guy who had his arms out in front of him.

"Hey, you gotta help me!" the guy loudly pleaded.

Dean forced his door open and loudly barked at the man. "What the hell are you doing running out in front of me like that?"

"Just, please, let's just get out of here!"

Dean backed off and took a second look at the man. He seemed a bit older than him and his hair and clothes were ragged. The guy was breathing hard and was caked with dust and sweat like he had been running through these parts for a while.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Who are you?"

"Joel, now take me with you and let's just go," the guy demanded. "Before he catches up."

"Too late," a manly voice said in a sing-song tone.

The man went to stand behind Dean as he faced the new arrival. "Leave me alone," the guy cried.

Dean took a good look at this guy. He seemed to be dressed as he was in the footage from the prison. Black leather jacket with a blue plaid shirt underneath. A black shirt collar could be seen from the top. He was dressed in deep navy blue jeans and there was a belt wrapped around his hip with a gun holster attached, except what was being carried in it was no gun.

"Cain," Dean said softly.

He smiled. "Dean Winchester I presume."

Dean didn't really know what to expect. Castiel told him that Abel didn't use a meatsuit so he assumed that Cain didn't either so what he was looking at was the man in the flesh. He guessed that Cain had to look…different, but he seemed like any other regular joe if he lost the holster.

"You caught my prey for me. Thanks." Cain then pulled out the First Blade, it top still carrying most of the old donkey teeth on it.

Dean pulled out the knife and turned it on Cain. "Leave him alone," he ordered.

"Really Dean? You're going to protect him?"

"Damn right."

The man saw the knife in Dean's hand and then pulled away and made a break for it. He only made it a few feet before Cain appeared right in front of him and grabbed him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said as he took hold of him.

"Let him go," said Dean as he ran to them.

Cain took the guy and threw him at Dean to make the two of them fall to the ground. Cain went over and took the guy by the throat and picked him up by it. Cain flashed his black eyes at him and the man started to shake his head and whimpered.

"No. Please, no."

"Sorry…time to go," he said before he rammed the First Blade into the man's lung.

"No," Dean said getting to his feet as the man fell to the ground and started to bleed out.

Cain went over and kicked him back down. "Always trying to play the part of the gallant hero, aren't you Dean? Tell me, don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Screw you," he said moving to recover himself.

Cain looked over to where his victim was still softly choking on his own blood. "Don't tell me that you're angry about this?" he said pointing to his prey. "You want to save him from me Dean?"

"Damn right."

"Even though he more than had it coming?"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Joel here is far from a helpless victim. He had just finished burying his second wife out here. Killed her by bashing her head in when she angered him. Killed his first wife too. He buried her too, in cement all because she criticized him when he got laid off." Cain then stood away. "If you want to help the guy, be my guest."

Dean looked down on the guy who was still choking as he reached up for him. He was looking at him with teary eyes but Dean was finding himself not caring in the slightest. For some reason, he knew that Cain was telling him the cold hard truth about this man. He didn't deserve his help. The important thing is that he finally found Cain.

"What's your deal?"

Cain smiled at him. "Dean Winchester, I hear that you've tangoed with some of my old colleagues and other faces I used to know. You hoping to give me a whirl?"

"For a guy who went and killed his own younger brother because he was God's favorite…you bet."

Cain's smile fell away. "Yeah, I killed Abel…but it wasn't because he was God's favorite. God had nothing to do with it at all."

Dean was officially curious. "What do you mean?"

"It wasn't God that Abel had been talking to…it was Lucifer."

"Lucifer? What would Lucifer want with your brother?"

"To make him his. Corrupt him into his one of his personal minions. Abel was a smart and friendly guy, always going out of his way to try and make anyone feel better and wanted for very little. I couldn't help but admire him for that. He was greater in ways I would never have been."

Cain eyes softened a bit as he spoke of his brother. Dean couldn't help but think that Abel was sounding a little too much like Sam. Sam was always the smart one with the bleeding heart that always seemed to want the simple things like a good and normal life. Yet, Dean began to get angry again. Lucifer wanted Sam just like he seemed to have wanted Abel but he didn't go and kill him for it.

"Why did you kill your brother then?" he growled. "You should've protected him."

"My whole life was about protecting him," Cain growled back. "My father, if he was indeed my father, Adam kept telling me to protect him. Putting it on me and I took it in stride. I did…until I caught my brother talking with Lucifer. He was whispering things in his ear, terrible things that would all but guarantee that Abel got dragged down to Hell. I approached Lucifer and demanded that he leave Abel alone. He wouldn't so I made him an offer…to take the place of my brother. He agreed…but only if I was the one to send my brother to Heaven."

"So you killed Abel to save him and went to Hell in his place?"

"It was my little brother Dean. You have your own little brother, dear Sammy, a good and caring guy himself. Tell me, if it was you two and that was your only way to keep your brother out of Hell, wouldn't you have done it as well?"

Dean was silent for a moment before he shook it off. "Yeah, but you seem to have adjusted well to all of this. You're a strong and powerful demon and all you had to do was butcher your own brother."

"Don't take that tone with me Dean." He then took the First Blade from his holster. "I'm reminded of what I've done to Abel every time I draw this. It was taken and fashioned into a weapon that far trumps your precious all-killing Colt pistol. Lucifer's way of never letting me forget it." He then lifted his right sleeve. On his arm was a grand scar. "I'm sure you can guess what this is."

Dean's bible knowledge never was great but he had an idea. "That's your mark, isn't it?"

Cain nodded. "A gift from Lucifer. Gives me the power to use the First Blade. Without it, the blade has no power."

"Fascinating, but that still doesn't explain what you've been doing around here?"

Cain put his blade back in his holster. "So, you've been following my work. Don't worry, those others were about as upstanding as Joel here. I don't think people will be missing them."

"I know…why? Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly complaining about losing these people but why would you kill these kind of people?"

"My mark not only gives me the power to use the blade but it cries out for blood. It's hungry for lives to end. When I received it, it brought a heavy burden on me. Over time, I admit I grew to love it. The ability to take the life of others and end it once and for all. Yet, if I have to end lives then why not these. Besides, they are much more appealing to take than the lives of good people. Good people have Heaven to look forward to, these people…they knew that when I killed them they weren't going to be so lucky and it actually brought me much more satisfaction. I'm sure you know exactly what I mean Dean, after all, we are virtually of the same mind. You find satisfaction in the same way. You certainly love sending demons and all other matter of creatures to their doom."

Now Dean was pissed. "I'm nothing like you. I don't kill just to kill. I save people, good people."

Cain then looked off to the side before he smirked as he looked back to Dean. "Let's see about that then."

Dean then turned in time to see three more people heading for them. Two men and a woman were walking calmly up to them and stopped when they were close enough.

One of them put his hands on his hips at the sight of them. "Well, if it isn't the infamous Father of Murder, and with Dean Winchester no less."

Their eyes flashed black in the light of the moon and Impala's lights. They were demons.

"Our boss wants to talk to you," another one pointed to Cain.

"My calendar's full," said Cain.

"I'm afraid he insisted," he growled.

"Tell you what," Cain said smirking. "I'll go…if you three tear this Winchester's eyes out."

The three of them looked over at Dean with hunger coming

"Fine by me," one of them said before rushing for Dean.

Dean punched him away before the others ran at him. Cain went off to lean on the side of the Impala as he lazily watched them go at it. Dean had the knife ready and stabbed the woman in her stomach and killed her. Dean was grabbed from behind as arms went to lock his arms in place at his side. Dean felt himself being lifted slightly before he slammed his head back to slam the demon in the face and then kicked him away. The demon he had pushed to the ground earlier got up and punched him. Dean was starting to fall and the demon went for him but he grabbed onto him and the demon fell on top of him but not before he had jammed the knife into the guy's back killing him. Dean pushed him off quick and went to pull the knife out and ran for the last demon who was on his knees trying to recover from the hit Dean gave him to the face. Dean went off and slit the demon's neck from behind.

When it was done Dean turned when he heard clapping. Cain was lightly clapping for him. "Well done. Excellent work Dean. My…it was like looking at a mirror. You are indeed more like me than you even realize."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You killed those people without skipping a beat."

"They were demons, not people."

"The things inside them were demons, the ones they were in were just normal people. Good people that were possessed for no more than two days." He pointed to the one that Dean slit the throat of. "He is a married man who has a good woman that has just gave him a second daughter only two months ago." He then pointed to the woman. "She's a secretary that is trying to find Mr. Right and him," he said pointing to the last guy. "You just made his seven year old son an orphan."

Dean swallowed harshly. "You're full of crap."

Cain smirked as he shook his head. "No…I could see it. One of the perks of being someone like me. I'm sure you've seen Abaddon employ similar talents. You didn't stop to think on it Dean. You saw the opportunity to kill and you jumped right into it. You didn't show any hesitation or consideration at all."

Now Dean was starting to feel sick as he looked at the bodies of the demons he just killed. "I was just trying to protect myself."

"Amazing. It's amazing to see how people still try to strongly justify it when they kill. 'I had no choice' or 'It was for the greater good'. Now that is crap." He narrowed his eyes on Dean. "You think so too Dean. You have ever since you went to Purgatory. There was no crap, excuses, or delusions of what is right or wrong. There was just kill or be killed…and deep down, you loved it. Simple…and clean. It's all you want Dean. It's all you ever truly wanted. You're not in hunts to save people, that's just the excuse you need to go for what truly makes it worth it, the thrill of the kill."

Dean was done hearing this. "What the hell do you want with me?!"

"I hear you want to kill Samael. And Abaddon is high on your friends list either."

"Yeah…so?"

"I can give you what you would need for that."

Dean froze and looked suspiciously at him. "What?"

"You already tried to go up against Abaddon once before, am I right? You may know her vulnerability but she won't just let you take her heart. She will have herself covered on that. Not to mention that she is an accomplished warrior. I would know, I trained the Knights myself. I have something that can give you the ability to destroy her much easier."

"What?" Dean asked. Cain looked down at the holster to his blade. "The First Blade? I thought you said that was useless without you?"

"Without the mark on me," he corrected. "However, I can grant you the ability to use it as well. My mark…it can be transferred to someone worthy of it."

"Worthy?"

"A killer Dean, and you are worthy. The blade will work with you against her and against an archangel like Samael as well. You've never defeated an archangel before."

"Come again, three archangels might disagree with you there."

"They don't count Dean. Lucifer let his pride make him slip for half a minute against your brother and Michael had been consumed with his duty and allowed himself to slip. Raphael had to be killed by a supercharged angel. You didn't kill any of them and Samael will not be repeating their mistakes. Face it, you need the power."

Dean felt that Cain had a point. Abaddon and Samael were too strong and with Abaddon creating an army and Samael getting his full powers back they would be tough to deal with, even for him. If he was able to use a weapon like the First Blade then he just might have a chance to stop both of them for good…and who knows how many others. But, this smelled fishy.

"Why would you do that for me? You just said that you trained Abaddon and isn't it possible for Samael to be your father?"

"After Abel, I'm done with any kind of familial ties besides this isn't about my connections to them. I have something I want done and you could help me."

"So, you want to make a deal with me." Demon deals he had experience with all too well.

"Of sorts. If I give you my mark then I want you to take care of another mark for me."

"You want me to kill someone? Why can't you do it? You have no problems with killing, right?"

"Personal feelings aren't the issue, it's capability. The one I'm talking about is too well protected and trained for demons to eradicate. A human though, that is a different story."

"And who is it?"

"The Powers have a certain someone on their side that is too well protected and trained against demons. He's a Heavenly Saint and I want you to see to getting rid of him for me."

"A Heavenly Saint?"

"A glorified holy servant," he explained. "But a dangerous one. He can tip the scales for the angels on his side, including my brother Abel. Before, we were always about even but with the aid of the saint he could finally succeed in killing me. I've also heard some whispers that they believe that he could aid in returning the angels to Heaven. Without him, Abel and I will be on about equal foot again, maybe less considering his wings have been plucked off."

Dean froze. This was sounding too familiar. A person on the Powers' side that could restore the angels to Heaven and undo what Metatron did and even make Cain uneasy. It just might be possible for this 'saint' or whatever to be the one that Death told him about. The one under his protection.

"And yes," Cain continued. "He is the one that Death warned you about." Dean was surprised and wondered if he had said all that out loud without meaning to. "No," Cain said shaking his head. "I'm totally reading your mind Dean. One of the perks of being as powerful as me."

"Well if you did read my mind then you would know that if I killed this guy-"

"Then your dear brother Sam falls into Lucifer's Cage, never to be heard from again, yes I do know that. However, there is an obvious solution to that. Convince your brother to kill him for you."

"Sam wouldn't do that. He wouldn't kill another person."

"Oh, c'mon Dean. It's not like it would be his first time. Besides, something tells me that if the saint isn't stopped then it would mean trouble for you and your brother anyway."

"So, Sam kills this guy and…what? Death sends me to Purgatory?"

"Yes, just make sure that you get rid of Abaddon and Samael before then." Cain snorted. "Oh, c'mon Dean. I think its what you want. Where would you go when your time comes anyway? Heaven? I can see that you found your time there not very satisfying in the least and the thought of spending eternity there isn't too appealing. Neither is spending it in Hell. Face it, the only time you truly felt home and at peace was in Purgatory. Yet, you can't go there because you're human. Now, you have yourself your way back."

"You're nuts," Dean mumbled.

"Am I? Purgatory is your Heaven Dean…and it sounds like it could be mine as well. To fight and kill for all eternity. I would've preferred that then being locked in that no good abyss portion of Hell I was in. So, what do you say? We have a bargain?"

Dean wanted to say no, but he was finding himself starting to consider it. As it was, even if he did find Samael, he had no real way to kill the son of a bitch. He was too powerful and no knife, colt, or run of the mill angel blade would do this sucker in. He was the second angel ever created. And then there was Abaddon. She was twisting souls right now to be her soldiers and she had taken out a good number of hunters already. But still, this saint, if Death was bending over backwards for this guy then what he was doing must be big.

"Give it to me."

Cain grasped Dean's arm and he looked to see his mark glow red and veins seemed to spread from it up Cain's arm to his hand and leak onto his own arm until he had a matching mark right there in the same spot like Cain.

"When you are close to Abaddon or Samael. Call for me. My mark will enable your summoning spells to call me forth and I'll present you the blade."

Dean was grasping his arm where the mark was still feeling slightly hot against his skin. "Wait, you never told me this saint's name."

"I only know his first name. It's Daniel."

Before Dean knew it, Cain was gone and he was alone in the desert with his car and the four corpses on the ground nearby.

Abel was kneeling over the bodies of the lifeless demon vessels on the ground. On ahead was the corpse of a normal human that was stabbed to death by his brother's cursed weapon. The lingering essence of his brother was permeating through the air of this place.

"Cain was definitely here," he said getting back to his feet. "Couldn't have been here more than two or three hours ago."

"So, we're closing in on him?" asked Stephen. "That doesn't sound like your brother to be so sloppy in his trail."

"No…it's not. He wanted to be found, though its safe to say that it wasn't us that he wanted to be on his trail."

"Who then sir?"

"I'm not sure Nathaniel. All I know is that the only demonic traces that are here outside Cain's are the three dead demons here."

"Could Cain have destroyed them? Perhaps they might've been sent by Crowley or Abaddon to destroy your brother as they could see him to be too much of a wild card to be around."

Abel held a hand over the corpses. Then he shook his head. "No…Cain didn't lay a finger on these demons. They were killed by someone else."

Stephen came over and approached them. "I ran a check around the surrounding area. I didn't find any other demonic traces or any other angelic traces besides us."

Nathaniel nodded before looking back to the corpses. "Then…it was a human that killed them. A hunter most likely."

"A hunter on the hunt for my brother. But, it seems as if he wasn't felled by him." Abel got off his knees and back to his feet as he looked off. "That worries me."

"Why sir?" asked Stephen. "Your brother didn't claim more victims here."

"Just a…feeling," he said meekly.

Deep down, Abel felt that something had happened here. Whatever did was something that would bring more chaos and the last thing they needed was more chaos to be added to the calamity they were already facing. He would have to find and ask Cain about all of this, before he finally ended him once and for all.

Cain was stalking another target outside a church when the sound of flapping wings came to his ears. Cain didn't even bother reacting. Samael just leaned on the fence next to him and made himself comfortable.

"Nice to see you too," he smirked. Cain still wasn't taking any real notice of him. "You could at least look at me boy."

That got Cain to finally react. "Don't call me that," he roughly barked as he finally looked at the archangel. "You have a new vessel."

"Yes, sadly it was time for me trade up my last one. I do have to say that this one has much better hair."

Cain shrugged. "I won't argue with that. And I see that you have full use of your wings."

Samael shook. "Not full use but enough. I'm slowly breaking these in to build strength to them. It will still be a while before I'm free to move completely."

"What brings you here?" he asked with his eyes back on the church doors. "Did you just want to find someone to show off your pretty new feathers?"

"No." Samael ran a hand behind his back as if he could actually stroke his all but invisible wings. "Even if they are coming out nice. But I did come here to get an update on our little side project. So…how did it fare?"

"Dean Winchester, you were right about him. He definitely has the makings just as you said."

"Then…he has the mark."

Cain nodded. "He does. It took to him quite well."

"And he was eager for it?"

The demon nodded again. "He was…though it was only for the power to kill his enemies, especially you."

Samael chuckled. "Don't worry, I can handle myself. Even with the mark Dean Winchester is no match for me."

"Oh, I would be so relieved, if I cared," Cain said mockingly before going serious. "I'm still at a loss for why you pulled this ruse. Those demons…you had Crowley send them, didn't you?"

Samael nodded. "Yes, a little favor I asked of him before I left Sam Winchester. Led him to you as well, just as planned."

"Well, dear old Joel's time was up and he had to pay up from that deal he made to walk away from the murder of his first wife ten years ago. I was happy to make his last night on earth something to remember."

"I'm sure you made it more memorable than others had being chewtoys for those hell poochies. Did you also tell Dean of Daniel?"

"Heaven's golden boy? I did," he nodded. "Even gave him a tip for dealing with him that appealed to him."

Samael breathed in deeply. "Good. All the pieces are now in place."

"But…why? Why any of it?"

Samael smiled mischievously at him. "You want me to tell you why…and spoil the fun. Just sit back and watch, it promises to be quite a show." He then looked back at the church. "Who are stalking anyway?"

"A guy who killed the high school punching bag with his buddies. They managed to get away with it but he still feels bad about it. Thinks coming here will help him get passed it. Boy, is he in for a surprise."

"Okay, have fun," he said before walking off.

"On foot?" asked Cain.

"My wings need a break."

The Impala was parked off the road facing a river. Sitting in the front seat looking at the water was Dean as he was trying to lose himself in the view. He was absentmindedly running his fore and middle finger of his left hand over the mark. It was slightly irritating and itchy as well but he didn't seem to be feeling anything. From how Cain talked about it he thought that he would be having flashes of ripping people apart and having his hands wet with blood but he wasn't feeling anything different.

His mind went to what Cain had told him, about how they were alike. How his mind was when he was killing. About his feelings about Purgatory and about his idea to have Sam kill the guy, Daniel, that Death was protecting from them so as to send him back to Purgatory. It was crazy…but Dean was finding himself unable to dismiss the idea. If Death was bending over backwards for this guy then what this Daniel could do must be big and from what he remembered from the last time they met the guy, he wasn't a big fan of theirs. Who knew what he had in mind for all of them? But Sam might not see it that way.

After a few more moments he started the car and made to head back on the road. He had a Knight of Hell and a Fallen Archangel to find and kill. Death's new golden boy could wait.

End of Chapter 25

A/N: When you think about it, all these little things about Dean were the things that led him to receiving the Mark of Cain. Cain said that the mark would go to someone who is worthy of it: a killer. Dean always seems to lose himself, or rather finds himself, when he is taking out his enemies. I was also a little disturbed the way he told Sam that he found Purgatory to be 'pure.' A world where it was kill or be killed 24/7. I've also posted a new poster of Cain and Abel on my profile so feel free to give it a good look.

The next episode will have the reunion of Sam and Dean as they stumble on the same lead that leads them to Garth, who has finally been found. I love episodes with him.