Summary: AU: Stanford Era: "Dean … Sammy's in trouble." A late night phone call sends Dean Winchester and long-time friend, Caelan Hagan in a desperate search to find Sam before the unthinkable happens; uncovering lies and secrets involving the youngest Winchester, that have been years in the making.
Warnings: Violence, swearing, physical abuse, torture, implied adult themes.
Disclaimer: I don't own the supernatural characters.
Author's Note: Just another possibility on why Sam left for Stanford. Hope you enjoy. I have no knowledge or training in medical areas. I have tried to keep everything as realistic as possible, but, as medical knowledge is not my area of expertise, just beware that there may be some mistakes in the next few chapters.
Special Note: Thanks to kandilyn for your kind words. Happy New Year, here's hoping that this year is better than last year. Here's another chapter just for all you guys who have taken the time out to read this story and to all the people who have this story on their alerts or have put it on their favourite lists. Thanks. It means a lot.
DEMON SPAWN: THE PHONE CALL
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
At first, when Bobby Singer had received the text message from John Winchester, he'd thought it had been some kind of prank. After all, it had been five years since the last time he had heard from the stubborn elder Winchester.
That man couldn't stand to be proven wrong, and he didn't like to be told the truth. Not at all. John Winchester was the king of holding grudges; but now … now Bobby had received a message from the man himself.
Bobby had been convinced it was a trap until he saw the special code word the two of them had devised a few years back for a way to alert the other of any trouble they might have been in without alerting the enemy that they had managed to let someone be aware of the danger they were in.
The code word that John had used in the text message caused Bobby to jump to his feet and get on the road as fast as he could to the coordinates that John had sent him because that particular code word John had used meant that the boys were in danger. And regardless of the disagreement and animosity between the two older men, Bobby would drop everything to help the Winchesters if they were in trouble … he'd even help that stubborn bastard John Winchester!
Now, here Bobby was, sitting at the beside of the hard-assed, frustratingly stubborn older Winchester, anxiously waiting for John to wake up after the surgery to repair the stab wound. Thankfully the surgery had been relatively straight forward and the doctors had high hopes that John would make a full recovery.
John had been very disorientated and groggy by the time the ambulance had reached him and transported him to the hospital. John had tried to explain to Bobby what was going on, but his words came out garbled and Bobby had trouble understanding what the man was trying to tell him. And honestly, some of the things that John was telling him seemed so far-fetched and unbelievable; Bobby had to wonder if John had gotten reality confused with something he had dreamed up.
But this was John Winchester. And if there was one thing John wasn't inclined to do, it was to embellish the truth; if anything, he tended to down play situations. If John was saying this had happened, then Bobby believed the man … even if it seemed totally inconceivable and a borderline, second-class, cheesy plot of a disastrous sci-fi movie.
The one thing John had managed to get across loud and clear was that his boys were in danger. He'd managed to tell Bobby that some inconsiderate, suicidal idjit, had kidnapped Sam, but Sam was now in the protective custody of his older brother Dean and best friend Caelan. And even though that should have soothed John and made him feel better, John Winchester became more agitated, insisting that Bobby make contact with his boys and warn them of the danger they were in.
What exactly Bobby was supposed to warn them about … Bobby had no idea, but he had promised John that he would touch base with his boys and warn them of the danger before John had been wheeled off into surgery.
Because of John's paranoia, Bobby couldn't help the stirrings of panic and worry filling him. If John was this freaked out about his boys, then Bobby couldn't help but be concerned as well; and it wasn't until Bobby heard Dean's voice that the older Hunter began to relax as he warned Dean to be careful and to touch base with him frequently, updating him about Sam's condition while Bobby reciprocated by keeping Dean in the loop of his Daddy's progress.
The older Hunter sighed as he ran a hand over his beard, relieved that all of the Winchesters seemed safe for now, but impatient as he waited for John to wake up and tell him exactly what the hell was going on.
These damn Winchesters were going to cause him to go grey before his time! Damn fool Winchesters, always getting in way over their heads! And … as usual … it was up to Bobby to help get their asses out of the frying pan once again!
Bobby huffed, grunting loudly, not nearly as pissed off as he appeared to be. He just hoped that whatever trouble John Winchester had landed himself in this time, that Bobby would be able to provide a way to get them out of it.
JW SW JW SW JW SW JW SW JW SW JW SW JW
Now Sam knew that was a mistake he may not live to regret as he lay tied to the table, blindfolded, shivering in cold, trembling in fear, confused about why these people wanted him and why they kept asking him these questions that he had no clue about, let alone what the answers were supposed to be.
For the last – God, Sam didn't even know how long he had been here, but it felt like forever! – few hours, he had been asked questions about The Demon and his mother's death, and if Sam refused to answer or they didn't like the answers that Sam gave them, they would flip the table over and dunk his head into a tub of water, causing Sam to choke and splutter, petrified that this time they would leave him the tub for too long and he ended up drowning.
"Puh-please … let me g-go." Sam pleaded. "I … I don't know wh-what you want. M-mum died when I was just a b-baby. I don't know how she di-died."
"But she died in your nursery Demon Spawn," the modulated voice replied calmly, unmoved by the boys' desperate plea or his violently trembling lower lip.
It was time to start the reconditioning now that the drugs had a chance to spread through his system, making the suggestions they were about to say to the … Demon Spawn … all the more believable. Drugs and torture … it was the only effective way to make sure the reconditioning and the suggestions stayed within this … thing's mind.
"Well … yeah, but –"
"Since she died in your nursery, it stands to reason that it is your fault … correct?"
"M-my fault?" Sam stammered, feeling scared, confused and vulnerable, wishing that his big brother would burst through the door and rescue him; save him from these people whose agenda Sam had no clue about; save him from being hurt anymore; save him from these psychopaths that held him captive.
"Yes. Your fault Demon Spawn." The voice replied in an almost gentle manner. "I understand how confusing this must be. But believe it or not … I'm here to help you young Demon Spawn."
Sam flinched at the feel of hands caressing his face. "Ugh! Get … get off … Don't t-touch me! My big brother … Dean will kick your ass!" Sam tried to threaten them, even though his voice shook tremendously, tears slipping out from beneath the blindfold.
The hand stopped in mid stroke against Sam's check and Sam breathed a sigh of relief before he felt a sharp, stinging sensation to his check, causing his head to whip violently to one side, a startled, sharp cry escaping him.
"You don't get to talk to me unless I tell you too," the voice responded harshly by gripping Sam's hair and ruthlessly pulling his head back. "Do you understand Demon Spawn?" the voice spat against Sam's ear, sounding almost disgusted as Sam squeaked in terror, his acknowledgement, a fresh wave of tears falling down his checks.
"Good." The voice said, releasing the hold upon Sam's hair, patting Sam's check approvingly. "Good boy. Right. Now, I'm going to tell you the truth little Demon Spawn. The Demon … he was there for you that night. Your mother died trying to protect you. She died because of you … because you were born."
"Nah … no!" Sam denied, viciously shaking his head from side to side. "That's not true! The D-Demon did-didn't want me. W-Why –"
Sam's question was cut off abruptly as the table turned over and Sam was dunked into the tub of water once more, almost to the point of unconsciousness this time.
"That was for talking back to me." The voice reprimanded him. "No talking unless I order you to … Do you understand?"
"Y-y-yes," Sam stuttered, shivering and trembling, feeling extremely tired because of the near drowning he had just received.
"Good. Now, where was I? Uh … yes … The Demon was there for you that night. It's your fault your mother died, your fault that Dean no longer has a mother and has to take care of you. It's your fault that your Dad obsessively runs into danger in order to find The Demon that killed his wife."
Sam couldn't help but whimper at this man's accusations, knowing that what he said wasn't the truth but … at the same time; it almost made a horrible kind of sense.
"You are tainted little Demon Spawn; cursed by The Demon that visited you that night." The voice whispered almost seductively in his ear. "If you had never been born … your mother would still be alive. Do you want to be the cause of your father's or your brother's deaths?"
Sam choked back on a sob, horrified by those words, more than scared because, even though he knew that his Dad and brother had never blamed him for Mary Winchester's death, Sam could feel the words this man spoke sink into the depths of his unconsciousness.
Icy seeds of doubt began to sprout within his young mind. And slowly, after hours and hours of these same words being whispered into his ear, followed by the drugs that they continuously pumped through him, Sam couldn't help but start to believe the words this stranger spoke.
He didn't want his father or brother to die because of him. He didn't want to kill them like he had his own mother.
"You know the truth now, don't you little Demon Spawn? It would have been better for your family if you had never been born!"
No! No! No! No! Not real … just a dream! Just a memory!
Sam felt as if his heart had been pulled from his chest and squeezed so hard that it hurt because the simple truth of those words remained obvious and had a sick kind of simplicity behind them.
If he had never been born … his family would be safe. Mum wouldn't have died, Dad wouldn't be charging into dangerous hunts, Dean wouldn't have the added responsibility of having to look after him – his pain in the ass little brother – and could be a kid again, doing whatever he wanted, when he wanted. If he had never existed, his family would be intact, whole and happy.
This stranger was right. He was tainted … cursed … a burden to both his father and brother; a distraction; an easy target for their enemies.
Yes, no matter which way Sam looked at it … Dad and Dean would have been better off without him …
SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW
Dean's heart pounded loudly in his ears, his eyes wide with disbelief, irritated with himself when he realised that this … fuck-head … had just been a diversion and Dean had been so completely absorbed and centred on this man's mere threatening presence within the hospital room that Dean had failed to take into consideration other threats that may be in this very room, sneaking up on a weakened and vulnerable Sam as we speak …
Fuck!
A muffled whimper from the direction of Sam's bed caused Dean's head to whip toward his brother's position, the moron in front of him all but forgotten in the face of Sam being in some kind of trouble.
"Sonuvabitch!" Dean hissed, his breath catching in his throat when he saw a strange figure standing over Sam, Sam's eyes wide open, panicked as he weakly tried to hold off this figure's attack; a large hand clamped over Sam's mouth, his other hand slowly injecting something into Sam's IV line …
No!
"Get away from my brother, you son of a bitch!" Dean growled, his voice low, threatening and dangerous, his green eyes narrowing in undisguised fury and rage at this … fucker … who dared to touch his brother!
Dean shoved the … muscle into the wall hard enough to leave him crumbled in a heap on the ground as Dean quickly drew his gun, intending to shoot this fucker dead, before he suddenly registered movement out of the corner of his eye to the side of him.
Before Dean had time to blink or defend himself, he found himself upon the ground, gasping for breath, pain spreading throughout the entire length of his body, looking into his baby brother's frantic, horror-filled hazel eyes, the darkness invading the edges of his vision as he felt himself slipping into the void.
"Sammy," Dean wasn't sure if he spoke his brother's name or merely mouthed it, his eyes becoming heavier. "Run,"
"DEAN!" Sam's terrified scream penetrated Dean's mind before he succumbed to the darkness and fell into the void of oblivion.
DW CH DW CH DW CH DW CH DW CH DW CH DW
Caelan Hagen glared at his phone, willing it to connect with the person he was desperately trying to contact, but it just kept ringing and ringing until the voice mail clicked in, telling Caelan to leave a message after the beep.
"Dean!" Caelan sighed in exasperation, irritated because his friend wasn't picking up. That could mean that either Dean was too busy with Sam to answer or those fucktard's from the organisation were already at the hospital and the boys were in trouble.
"Fucking call me back dude, this is serious!" Caelan practically yelled before he slammed his phone shut, his jaw clicking in nervous apprehension as he glanced over at Caleb who was navigating through the streets in desperate urgency to get to the hospital as fast as he could.
"Still no answer," Caleb guessed, shooting a side-long glance toward Caelan before concentrating on the road once more, but not before he saw the irritated, scathing look Caelan sent him, confirming Caleb's guess. "Look Hags, there could be lots of reasons why Dean isn't answering his phone. Let's not panic until we know what's going on, okay?"
Caelan growled low in his throat, disliking his friend's logical assumptions at the moment. Caelan didn't have the luxury of thinking calmly and logically. This was his family! And as far as Caelan knew, they could be in danger right now! And he was stuck in fucking traffic, with a calm Caleb who was trying to give him advice, while they were stuck behind the slowest driver ever!
"Can't you make this piece of crap go any faster?" Caelan demanded, unconsciously taking his frustrations out on his friend. "Come on Hawkes! Just drive over these clowns!"
Caleb closed his eyes, mentally counting to ten to try to calm himself before he reopened his eyes, placing a neutral expression upon his face, not wanting to make his already unreasonable and panicked friend any worse by adding his own conflicting emotions into the mix. "I'm going as fast as I can Caelan. And if you call my car a piece of crap again, I'll make you get out and walk."
Caelan blinked at Caleb's words, startled for a few seconds before he sighed, running a worried hand through his black hair. "Sorry Caleb," Caelan said sincerely. "I'm just worried. Didn't mean to take it out on you."
Caleb nodded, accepting his friend's apology. "You wanna try Dean again?" he asked his agitated friend.
Caelan looked at the offending phone, scowling at it, instinctively knowing that if Dean had gotten his message, he would have called him back by now as another person who he could contact came to mind.
Caelan could have slapped himself for his stupidity in not realising it sooner, but he'd been too distracted by his own frustrations to think clearly. "Nah. No point. But I've just realised who else I can call." Caelan replied as he punched in the new number on his cell phone.
"Who?" Caleb raised his eyebrows, both surprised and curious.
Caelan turned to grin at him. "Doctor Elizabeth Cox; oldest child of one Roger Stewart, ex-Hunter, older sister to fuck-head number one, Peter Stewart, and who I liked to affectionately call Lizzie." Caelan answered almost flippantly.
Caleb gaped at Caelan in shock. Elizabeth Stewart who had come from one of the oldest and wealthiest Hunter families in the hunting community was a freaking doctor! And not just that … Caleb also knew about the complicated history that Caelan shared with this particular woman.
If Caleb remembered correctly; Caelan had once told him during one of their many drunkenly benders that this woman was the best damn woman that Caelan had ever met and was the love of his life.
CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH
Sam opened wide, panicked eyes, his breath caught in his throat, confused and disorientated for a few seconds until he heard the low rumble of his big brother's pissed off voice and saw a strange figure standing over him, about to inject some foreign drug into his IV line.
Everything snapped back to him in an instant with clarity and precision, instinctively trying to fight the figure who was trying to drug him … poison him; but Sam was still weak, his left – previously dislocated – shoulder, screaming at him at the violent use of his still disabled limb.
Sam tried to call out for his big brother's – his guardian, his saviour – help but a well-placed hand over his mouth from this mysterious figure, left Sam's words muffled and indistinct.
Somehow through the muffled sounds, Dean was able to detect the panic within Sam's voice, and almost at the same time, the two brothers' eyes met, silent communication filling the void between them as Dean purposely made his way toward Sam, who was slowly losing the battle to hold off this strange figure who towered above him.
Sam almost sighed in relief when he saw the dark, deadly look within Dean's green eyes, focused solely on one thing; get to Sam and stop that son of a bitch from hurting his little brother.
Sam's eyes widened a moment later when he saw a figure come out of the shadows, a gun aimed at his older brother, equipped with a silencer and Sam felt the panic surging within him.
Oh God, he had to warn Dean! Dean, turn around! He's got a gun! He'll kill you! Dean!
Dean must have sensed the unknown figure beside him, but it was too late as Sam watched the masked figure beside his brother fire his weapon, the gun making a soft, almost inaudible noise.
Horror filled Sam as he saw Dean collapse upon the ground, urging Sam to run before Dean's eyes closed, his body enveloped by the crimson red of his blood.
No! Dean!
"DEAN!" Sam screamed, his brother's name ripping out of him, his voice filled with horror, pain and rage. "Dean! Get up! Please … get up!" Sam begged, his body suddenly feeling sluggish and heavy.
Oh God … the drug … the IV line … shit!
Sam had to give these fuckers credit by being able to distract Sam long enough to be able to administer the drug into his system.
"Sorry Demon Spawn … but you are coming with us."
Sam gazed at this strange figure out of bleary, unfocused eyes, not really seeing or caring about anything else around him. His big brother lay in the middle of the room in a pool of his own blood, bleeding to death and Sam … Sam had gotten distracted.
"Sorry Dee," Sam murmured, no longer able to fight with his heavy eyelids, closing his eyes and was immediately swallowed up by the oblivion of unconsciousness.
TBC
