Notes:Alan is a name that is being used for the Yellow eyed demon. I found this easier than writing the yellow eyed demon or YED.
Notes:A death happens in this chapter so don't read if that bothers you.
Alexander had been fed diaper changed and had a new set of clothes put on him.
The clothes his son was now wearing consisted of a blue pair of trousers, socks and the smallest Led Zeppelin t-shirt he had ever seen. He knew that it was possible to get the Led Zeppelin Logo and almost anything but even he had to admit that a baby sized Led Zeppelin T-shirt was new for him. It also looked adorable on his young son.
The t-shirt was just a small sign of just how much Alexander was going to be like Dean.
With a gentleness that his college friends and Jessica would not associate with him, he placed his son into the buggy. A buggy that was not one of those cheap ass ones that fell apart after just two weeks. This buggy was the equivalent of a Rolls Royce. It was a buggy that could be used for longer than six months. Once he was complete satisfied that Alexander was secure and comfortable he began to search for a piece of paper.
After ten minutes searching and having a son that was beginning to protest at being kept, still his search for paper was still ongoing. Noticing the groceries bag, that still had to be unpacked on the kitchen counter he tore of a piece of the grocery bag. It wasn't one of the best things to write on but it would have to do. With a pen that had seen better days and was running low on ink he wrote a quick note telling Dean he had gone out with there son. Once he had finished writing the note, he placed it on the floor next to Dean's face. He knew that leaving the apartment with Alexander would worry Dean but the furniture situation needed to be sorted out. Taking a firm hold of the buggy, he walked out of the apartment. It didn't even occur to him that he should have some sort of supernatural protection charm for Alexander.
When Bobby called him, he had been just three hours travelling distance from New York. That was of course three hours travelling distance sticking to the speed limit and driving in a nice calm manner. He made it to New York in just 90 minutes by breaking the speed limit and being a mean bastard to anyone who looked at home wrong. For once, in his life, he hadn't been a careful driver and it was only be sheer dumb luck that he wasn't arrested.
Now he was standing outside the Redd apartment block. The truck he had driven like a bat out of hell to get to New York was currently being looked after by a couple of local kids. He wasn't stupid or naïve to believe that the kids wouldn't attempt to steal the truck. He had taken the necessary precaution to prevent that action by describing in detail what would happen if there were so much as a scratch on the truck. He had taken a great deal of satisfaction in how pale and frightened the kids had looked when he had left them guarding his truck.
With a determination that he didn't really feel he walked into the apartment building and instead of taking the elevator, he took the stairs. While walking up the stairs he began to think of what he could say to his sons. How could he put into words just how sorry he was for putting his sons though so much pain and misery? He couldn't even begin of how he could re-connect with his sons. What he had done to his sons was unforgivable and he would be lucky if he made it out of the apartment alive. Opening the door that led onto the sixth floor, he tried to appear confident. He wanted to look like he could deal with whatever was about to happen. Walking down the hallway, he began to look at each door as he passed. When he found Dean's apartment he came to a complete stop. For several minutes, he just stood outside the apartment. After those minutes were over, he knocked on the front door of the apartment.
After a couple of minutes of knocking on the door, he stooped knocking and listened to any sounds coming from within the apartment. There was complete silence. The type of silence that just wasn't normal with a young baby. It was perfectly possible that no one was in but for a reason he couldn't pinpoint he knew that someone was in the apartment. He briefly thought about knocking on the door again but that would just be a waste of time. With a silent apology to whoever was in the apartment, he picked the lock and opened the door. Steeping into the apartment, he immediately noticed Dean lying on the floor. He knew from long held experience that Dean was asleep. He had to admit that it was slightly unnerving to see his usually so active son so damn still. Closing the door behind him so that he could have some privacy with his son, he took another step forward.
With Dean let out what could only be described as a painful moan he moved with startling quickness. Sitting down next to Dean so he could put Dean's head in his lap he noticed a small hand written note. Absent-mindedly he ran his hand though Dean's hair and memories of the past flooded though him. He could remember being in the same position with Dean when Dean had a bad case of the flu aged seven. It had been a rough three days. He was drawn out his memories when Dean's moans became words.
"Sammy." Dean mumbled not trusting himself to open his eyes. He just wanted to relax for a while. He could trust Sam with there son so what was the harm if he just enjoyed a few minutes of relaxation.
It did occur to him that he could just be quiet but that thought was quickly dismissed. He knew that no matter what he said it wouldn't be welcome. "Sam isn't here."
"Dad," Dean asked even though it was pretty damn obvious who had just spoken "What are you doing here. Where are Sam and Alexander?"
"According to the note Sam has taken Alexander out to sort out a furniture problem." John said as he let go of the hold he had on Dean so that Dean could sit up.
"You didn't answer my question." Dean said
"Bobby phoned me two hours ago telling me where I could find you and Alexander. He also told me not to fuck things up." John said
He wanted to angry with his dad for turning up at the apartment without a single word of warning. He had spent the last few weeks with Alexander running from his dad. He had even settled in New York believing that it was the one place his dad wouldn't follow him to. He knew that he couldn't keep running or hiding from his dad. He had to think how he wanted his life with Alexander and Sam to be like. He had to put aside all of his lingering doubts and objections to his dad being in Alexander's life. Despite knowing, that it didn't mean that he was going to go easy on his dad. "Did he tell you what happened?"
"I asked Bobby why he was calling but he just told me it was complicated." John admitted. He knew that Sam was now in contact with Dean, from the note that he had found on the floor. It meant that the spell had been broken. A spell that Bobby had insisted was unbreakable.
"Sam..., the spell took Sam from my bedside. One minute he was there supporting me and in the next he wasn't. Bobby visited me at the clinic a few days later. He told me that the spell had a get out clause." Dean said
"Bobby told me that the spell couldn't be broken, but obviously he was lying. What was this get out clause?" John asked. He wanted to know how Bobby had been able to work in a get out clause into such a complicated spell.
"I had to die." Dean said. He could his dad a long complicated explanation about the get out clause and just how the spell had been broken. There were just some things he wasn't ready to share.
"How did you die?" John asked
"It's not something you need to know. Sam has his memories back. He has all of these plans on how we are going to be a family." Dean said. It felt good to be talking to his dad again. Despite feeling relaxed around his dad, he wasn't going to let his guard down completley. He wasn't going to leave his dad alone with Alexander.
"Isn't it a good thing?" John asked. There were so many questions that he had for Dean but he wasn't going to ask them. He wanted a relationship with Dean again and he was willing to do almost anything to achieve that.
"Sam has these illusions that being a family will be easy. He hasn't even given any serious thought to the Yellow Eyed Demon." Dean said.
"Son being a family is never an easy thing to do. Given how I raised you both, I'm sure Sam knows that. Sam wants to be a family and he will use that as a reason to stop hunting." John said immediately regretting the way his words came out. If he had the chance to live his life, again he would have given his son's a childhood. A childhood that was normal.
He knew that he could use his dad's words to start an argument but he couldn't afford to act like a scared child. As much as it pained him to admit, a reaction to his dad's words would have been one of anger and hatred. There was still a big part of him that couldn't forgive his dad for the spell or the piss poor attitude. Then there was the sensible part of him that couldn't afford to shut his dad out of his life. He knew that if he did that he would come to regret it in later years. With a grim smile, he said. "I made all these plans that didn't include Sam or the hunt. Do you remember how I told you I wanted Alexander to have a normal childhood?"
"Yes." John said the memories of just how badly he had treated his eldest son coming to the forefront of his mind.
"I spent two weeks writing protection spells, words and symbols onto to every surface of this apartment. I demon proofed this apartment but that's not going to be enough is it." Dean asked hoping that just once his dad would lie to him.
"Dean you and Sam are going to face some hard trails as parents, but you will succeed. Alexander will be safe. The Yellow Eyed demon isn't going to be a problem." John said
Dean assessed all of what his dad had just said with one simple word. "Lair."
"Dean the life you have with Sam and Alexander doesn't have to include the hunt." John said. They were not words he would have spoken just a few short weeks ago but things had changed. He couldn't expect his sons to carry on with was essentially his hunt. His sons and grandson deserved to have a normal family life.
With a crocked smile, Dean asked. "Who are you and what have you done to with my dad."
Laughing despite the seriousness of the situation John replied. "I have just accepted what I should have done months ago."
"The demon will come after us. All of the plans I had for a new life with Alexander are never going to get a chance to succeed. It was just wishful thinking. I can't keep Alexander safe." Dean said. For his entire pregnancy and the first few weeks of his son's life, he had been so full of plans for the future. He had dreams of a normal life with his son. Despite all that, he had done and achieved with his son he knew the dreams he had for the future were never going to happen.
"Son you are more than capable of keeping Alexander safe. The worries you have are normal. There isn't a single parent alive who doesn't have doubts about there abilities as a parent." John said attempting to reassure his son.
"I don't doubt my abilities as a parent. I have spent the last few weeks taking care of my son. I can keep Alexander safe from normal everyday things but the supernatural is a different matter. What do you think will happen when other hunters find out about Alexander's existence? It's not just other hunters. Supernatural shit is going to be drawn to Alexander."
"Other hunters will accept Alexander." John said
"Bullshit it took you months to accept Alexander and he is your grandson." Dean said.
"Dean other hunters just look on Alexander as your son by a woman. They won't have to know you carried him for 30 weeks. They don't have to know." John said.
Getting up from the floor a lot slower than he would have liked he began to pace back and forth. He wanted to have the easy answers to his life. Looking at his dad who was now standing as well, he said. "I can't keep Alexander's birth a secret. You of all people should know that hunters will always know the details about other hunters." Pausing for breath to try to calm himself, he tried not to sound so upset and frustrated. "I can't put Alexander in that situation."
"If you want a family life that is exactly what you will have to do. The normal life is never going to be easy." John said
"I… I know. I want a normal life, but I can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen." Dean said.
It had been a frustrating two hours. He had every intention of remaining calm when speaking to the manager of the store Dean had bought the furniture from. That intention had lasted all of ten minutes when the manager began to get snotty. The manager began to treat him as if he was low on the intelligence scale. That had just reminded him of his dad. In a calm voice, he had quoted several little known laws and the stores own policy on customer satisfaction to get what he wanted. It had been satisfying to see the manager give into his demands. The furniture that Dean had been told would take two weeks to deliver would now be delivered the next day.
To compensate all the trouble he had gone though he was given an extra set of expensive bed linen. He would have preferred the money but he knew the manager of the store would only bend so far. With all that he had achieved with the furniture situation, he was happy. To celebrate that achievement he had found a small coffee shop that was just a ten-minute walk away from the apartment. After ordering a coffee, he found a table at the shop and finally relaxed.
"Cute kid." Alan said. It really was just a good day fro him today. First, he had been able to kill Dean Winchester painfully and slowly. Now Sam the baby Winchester was sitting in front of him. It would be so easy to just take the kid and kill Sam but he wanted to have fun.
"Who are you?" Sam immediately asked. He knew that he was being rude to the man but with what had happened in the last few weeks needed to be careful.
"Alan Davies my cousin owns the coffee shop." Alan said as he took a seat opposite Sam and sat down on it. If he could, he would be smiling at the opportunity that had just been presented to him. He really messes with Samuel's mind.
"How long has your cousin owned the shop?" Sam asked as he moved his son closer to him.
"Three years she told my aunt that New York was the place to sell good coffee. She said New Yorkers were the only ones who could appreciate good coffee. I personally think that New York has far too many coffee shops. So what is the baby's name?" Alan asked
"Alexander." Sam replied. There was something about Alan that put him on edge.
"Defender of man." Alan said. He was confident that if he could just get hold of the baby Samuel wouldn't be able to stop him from leaving. Taking the bay would drive a wedge between the two Winchesters brothers.
With a weary smile, Sam said, "Not many people know that."
"People don't notice a lot of things in this city. They don't notice the man in the street who claims to be the Devil. People walk past the man on the street who speaks about the end of days just put the man's words down to the ravings of mad man." Alan said.
"All talk of Devils and end of the world stuff is the work of writers." Sam said feigning complete ignorance of the supernatural. Alan wasn't who he appeared to be and in his world that meant trouble.
Leaning forward slightly Alan said. "You would think that it was just some writer's imagination. Truth is all of those horror movies are based on a small amount of fact."
"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked silently cursing himself for not having some sort of protection against the supernatural. He was weapon less and unable to protect his son. Those few short months at college had dulled his natural instincts against the supernatural. It was stupid and it had put his son in danger.
"At this point in the conversation I could lie but what would be the point. Samuel you should never have left college. Those memories of yours should have remained locked up in that little mind. It would have been so easy to break Dean Winchester but you just had to remember everything. Well I can't have that." Alan said
Sam made a move to get up out of his seat and take his son back to the apartment but he found himself unable to move. He desperately tried to move an arm so he could least reach out and touch his son, but found even that small simple action was beyond him. With a look that if he had the power it would have been able to kill he said. "Leave me and my son alone."
"You are in no position to demand anything," Alan said. Acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he removed Alexander from the buggy.
"Put my son back in his buggy." Sam demanded the worry he felt giving over to full-blown panic.
Holding Alexander as if he was a doting Uncle Alan replied. "Dean would have made sure that Alexander had a protective charm that wouldn't let me touch him. Dean knows how much this baby means to me but you don't have the faintest idea."
"Why don't you give me and idea?" Sam asked. He desperately tried to move any part of his body but having no success. He wanted to reach across the table and take back his son.
"A baby born of the two Winchester sons is just too good an opportunity to pass up. This baby could be used to lead my army when the time comes but that would take time. Dean knew that if I got hold of Alexander I would raise him as my own or kill him. Being evil, I don't really raise kids. Killing is more of my kind of thing." Alan said as he gently ran a thumb over Alexander's smooth head.
"You will not harm a single hair on my sons head." Sam said
"Samuel what you want is of no importance." Dropping his voice to a whisper, he added, "Killing Alexander will be one of the more entertaining things I have done."
Tears of grief pain and utter frustration running feely down his face Sam said. "You can't kill my son."
"Your son. The entire time we have been talking, it has been nothing but my son. You never once said our son. Anyone would think that Dean played no part in Alexander creation. Are you that ashamed of Dean?" Alan asked. Now that he had determined that killing, Alexander was the only option he had left messing with Samuel was just an added bonus.
"Dean is everything to me. I would do anything for him." Sam said
""Bullshit you are one of those people who do nothing but take. I bet you have even turned this whole situation around so that you are the wronged victim. Ending Alexander's life will be a gift." Alan said
"Gift how in gods name can you call killing my son fucking gift." Sam spat out.
"You get that nice normal life. Alexander's life before he has the chance to live. The added bonus to all of this is that Dean will never forgive you. The death of a child always drives a wedge between the parents." Alan said as he got up from his seat still holding the baby.
"I want my son back." Sam said
"If that was true why haven't you screamed out for help? Why haven't you uttered an exorcism spell? Why is that you have just sat there talking to me. You know what I am going to do to Alexander but other than a few words, you have done nothing. Killing Alexander will be a gift because it's more than obvious you are not equipped to be a parent." Alan said.
"Please don't do this." Sam begged. He wasn't above begging or pleading for his son's safety. It was also shaming to admit that what the demon had said was true. The exorcism spells he once knew were strangely absence from his mind. He knew that screaming for help wouldn't be a wise thing to do. Most of the people in the coffee shop would automatically dismiss him as a crazy man.
"Please is one of those words people like to use but never mean." Alan coolly replied. There were so many ways he could kill Alexander and most of them were violent. For just this one time and because he was in a good mood he would make Alexander's death a quick one.
"I'll do anything just put my son back in his buggy and walk away." Sam pleaded.
"As tempting as that sounds, no." Alan said even though he really didn't have to reply to Samuel pathetic reply. With a rare show of gentleness, he kissed the top of Alexander's head. As soon as his lips touched Alexander's head he took what kept the baby alive. He took Alexander's soul, life and left nothing but an empty shell behind. Carefully he placed Alexander's still body back in the buggy, taking extra care when doing up the straps. Focusing all of his attention back onto Sam he said. "You get to tell what happened here. If I was you I would lie about how I just there and let Alexander be killed."