Author's Note: Sanna Black Slytherin: I answered your review in a PM, but in case you didn't see it, what you are looking for is in Chapter 20. Thanks!
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: It's About To Go Down
Two months flew by in an instant.
One minute they had the luxury of time, the next it had all but vanished.
24 hours. That's all they were left with and to say the least, some members of the household were all but hopeless.
Dean had been in the middle of reading some ancient old text when his eyelids demanded to droop, his forehead making contact with the worn pages as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Dean could barely hear the sound of his deep panting over the Hellhounds snapping their jaws behind him and the rustling of leaves beneath his feet as he barreled through the woods. He dodged and evaded fallen tree limbs, loose rocks and vines as he tried to put as much distance between him and the beasts lapping at his heals.
No matter how hard he ran or for how long, the dogs seemed to be moving twice as fast, catching up to him in a matter of seconds and tackling him to the ground, his face colliding with a protruding rock.
He quickly turned to where he was on his back, coming face to face with a black behemoth, snarling and drooling in his face. He pulled out the demon killing knife from his waistband, slashing the mutt in front of him. The dog fell to the ground next to him and Dean regained his footing, glancing around him only to find another five Hellhounds ready to pounce.
"Come on!" He dared, his voice gruff as he tried to keep an eye on all of them. He had barely any time to react before one beast attached itself to his arm, the other to his neck, another to his leg.
He fell to the ground in a mound of testosterone and his own blood starting to gush from the new open wounds he just acquired. He could feel the life slowly draining from him but could do nothing to stop it.
Dean sat up abruptly, rubbing at his eyes to try and erase the image from his eyelids. With a groan he quickly shut the book that had been opened to the page titled "Hellhounds" and stood up, almost running into Jo.
"Woah, easy tiger." She laughed slightly before realizing the demon's bloodshot eyes and slumped shoulders. "You okay?" She questioned, already knowing the answer.
He chuckled humorlessly and patted the hunter on the shoulder as he walked past her, needing something strong. "I'm fine Jo. Don't worry about it."
The middle Winchester grabbed a bottle of Jack from the cabinet next to the fridge and poured himself a generous amount before joining the blonde at the table where she now sat.
She worried at her lip, obviously something on her mind. Dean took a swig, enjoying the way the alcohol burned his throat on the way down. "Spit it out." He encouraged, gesturing with his glass before setting it back down on the table.
She wiped her palms on her jeans before she folded her hands on top of the table, a serious yet sympathetic look on her face. "What's it like?" She said quietly, coming to the same terms the eldest demon had about a month ago.
He shrugged and took a sip from his glass, dirt-caked fingernails wrapping around it. Dean laughed bitterly before taking another sip, trying to prepare himself. He set his drink down, wiping it idly with his thumb. "It's, well it's Hell. Even for demons." He started, avoiding eye contact with the young hunter in front of him. "I've dealt with it before, so it shouldn't be anything new but the difference this time, is Crowley's really pissed." He admitted, shaking his head. "I wanna say four years ago maybe? Meg and I had crossed Crowley, we tried to break away from him and when he found out…" He trailed off, taking another pull from his almost empty glass. He got up and refilled it, this time keeping the bottle at the table. "Let's just say the King doesn't take disloyalty lightly. It was the worst two months of my life. For some reason he had thought I had learned my lesson after that. Sammy still doesn't know that's what happened. He just thought I was with Meg." He shook his head and finally lifted his gaze to meet Jo's.
The blonde was staring at him, trying to understand just why Dean was the way he was. He had seen and been through a lot of shit but for some reason he still didn't seem all that worried about going to Hell. "Are you scared?" She asked softly, reaching a hand across the table to grab one of Dean's which had frozen around the glass.
He dropped his gaze right as Sam walked into the room. The hunter quickly pulled her hand away, glancing up to meet the youngest Winchester's curious gaze.
"John's got a plan." Sam said vaguely, looking at his brother.
Dean smirked, amused by the idea. "Really? Which is?"
The youngest demon just gestured for them to follow him down to the basement. "Come on, this is all hands on deck."
….
In desperate need for a distraction, Mary found herself outside in Bobby's Yard, admiring her beloved 67' Chevy Impala that was parked on the stone gravel. She couldn't help but feel a sense of longing to place her hands along the worn material of the steering wheel, to sit in the leather seats she once occupied.
Her small reverie was soon interrupted by the slam of the swinging door shutting, her husband emerging from the house. She smiled politely at him, crossing her arms to fight against the chill of the cold October afternoon.
He stood beside her for a moment, the two enjoying the silence between them before the hunter cleared his throat, knowing it was about time they talked. "You've been here for two months and we still haven't addressed the issue between us." John noted, although he wasn't sure he himself was ready for the conversation.
The demon nodded, knowing exactly what he was referencing. Instead, she decided to put it off for a few more minutes. "You know, I first taught Dean to drive that when he was 13." She said, a smile in her tone as she indicated the Impala with her head. "He was so scared of crashing the thing he made me take him to a deserted parking lot of a closed down K-Mart." She remembered the moment fondly, wishing she could go back to those days.
John's lips tugged at the corners, he loved hearing stories of a young Dean, one who didn't have to go to Hell in less than 24 hours. He rubbed at his beard, feeling somewhat out of place. "They sure are something. You raised them well." He complemented, the two locking gazes.
Mary just nodded curtly, the daunting conversation they were destined to have seeming more realistic. "You obviously came out to talk about something other than my amazing parenting skills." She joked, turning her body so she could face him.
He pursed his lips in thought, wanting to make sure this came out right. "I know what happened between us was my fault. And I'll forever feel guilty about that but," John hesitated, his boots becoming increasingly interesting. "I just wish you would've fought harder for what we had. And I promise Mary, I will do right by you and by those boys if it's the last thing I do."
This seemed to appease Mary, knowing that her husband was right; she should've tried harder to fix things, to make things right by her family. "I agree. And I don't doubt it John. It'll take some work, but I think we may eventually… get back to where we were." She couldn't help but turn grave at the end, thinking about her eldest son. "But Dean… I'm not sure what we can do about that. With Crowley in the way-"
The demon was cut off by John putting two hands to his forehead in sudden realization. "You're a genius." He exclaimed, rushing forward and planting an intense kiss on his wife's lips, leaving a tingling feeling behind when he pulled away. "I've got a plan."
Mary watched as her husband fled into the house, excitement evident in his quick steps. Her slender fingers reached up to touch her lips, a sense of yearning for John to come back causing her heart to ache.
….
"I'm sorry what?" Dean asked incredulously, his arms crossed as he looked at his father with wide eyes.
John braced his arms on one of the old work tables, glancing around at the people in the room. "Crowley is the one doing this, it only makes sense to attack him. Plus, we have the colt and the manpower to take him out." He persuaded, seeing Mary stiffen slightly in apprehension.
"Does it really seem like a good idea to basically hand Dean to him on a plate?" The blonde demon asked, raising a brow.
John sighed deeply. "We aren't, Dean is going to stay here with Jo while we go and take care of the problem."
"Like hell I am!" Jo piped in, suddenly angry at the thought of being left behind like some useless child.
"No fucking way!" Dean said at the same time, rage starting to bubble in his gut about the idea of being sidelined when it involved his own life.
"Jo, you're staying here no matter what. After what happened with Azazel there's no way I'm lettin' you go up against Crowley with us." Ellen stated, leaving no room to argue as she met her daughter's death glare.
"Dean, it's only smart for you to stay here." Sam began, agreeing with their father.
Bobby tried to yell over everybody, eventually delivering a loud pitched whistle to finally get the group to settle down. "John is right son, if we go up against Crowley, too many things can go wrong if you go with us."
"So you'd rather leave me here with only Jo to protect me? When Crowley could still easily send Hellhounds after me?" The eldest demon retorted, his voice rising. He ignored the offended 'hey!' that the blonde hunter let out about his comment.
"Enough!" Mary shouted, her eyes switching to black. She sighed deeply, calming herself down as her eyes faded back to blue. She turned towards her husband, being realistic. "John, there's no way Dean is staying here willingly." She clarified, knowing how stubborn her son could be.
The eldest Winchester rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, a headache starting to form. "Fine!" He relented, throwing his hands up in aggravation. "But if anything starts to go south, you get your ass out of there." He ordered, pointing at his son.
Dean put one hand up, a fake serious expression plastered to his face. "Boy Scout Honor."
…
Sam hurried up the stairs, knowing he only had a few moments before they were going to head out. They had tracked Crowley down to a mansion about an hour drive from Bobby's so all that was left was to just get there.
The youngest Winchester had excused himself, saying he had to go and do something real quick before bolting up the steps to his room, making sure to shut and lock the door behind him. After he was safe and secure in the room he and his brother shared, he focused his gaze on Ruby and the small metal flask she held in her hand.
"Took you long enough. What? You think I don't have anything else to do?" She sneered, tossing him the container casually.
He caught it with ease before unscrewing the cap and downing it in one go, enjoying the way the sweet-scented scarlet slid down his throat. He had to admit, he had missed it. "Thanks." He muttered, wiping his mouth. Sam looked at the blonde demon before him expectantly, waiting for more.
Ruby crossed her arms, eyes widened slightly. "I don't just have an endless supply you know. And it's not like you gave me much of a notice." She pointed out, pulling another container from her back pocket. "Why do you want it all of a sudden? You haven't asked for it for two weeks."
Sam shook his head, gulping down the second one. "Ruby, I already saw how this goes down. It has to come out different, I can't-" I can't watch my brother go to hell.
"So you think you can just change the inevitable? Please Sam. Your brother is going downstairs, one way or another." Ruby quickly regretted her words when the youngest Winchester shoved her up against the wall, his hands braced on her shoulders.
"Keep your opinions, to yourself." He growled, leaning in close. "Now, do you have more for me or not?"
The blonde shoved him off and retrieved her bag from off of his bed where she had set it down. She unzipped it, revealing multiple crimson filled water bottles. "It's not Azazel's but, it should do."
Sam nodded, thinking he was doing the right thing. "Thanks Ruby."
….
Jo walked with careful steps as she made her way up the long driveway, tugging at the hem of her dress. She felt way too exposed in the short material and it felt foreign to her, let alone the three inch heels she was forced in.
Thankfully for the group, Jo wasn't a well-known hunter yet so when she pressed the call button right before the gate to be asked to let in, the demons who checked the cameras didn't recognize her.
"What?" An impatient voice rang through the speakers, startling the young hunter.
She cleared her throat before speaking, trying to sound as innocent as possible. "Hello? My car broke down a few miles down the road and I was wondering if you had a phone I could use?"
A few seconds later, the tall iron gates slid open allowing Jo entrance where she was greeted by two buff demons. "What's a little lady like you doing out here by yourself?"
She laughed softly, smiling sweetly. "I was just on my way back home from a party. Can I borrow a phone?" The youngest Harvelle questioned, crossing her arms protectively across her chest after she noticed the kind of stares they were giving her.
The two men shared a glance before turning on her, eyes black. Jo barely had time to react before one was falling forward, features flashing black and orange.
The other tried to grab a hold of Dean who was still holding the engraved knife before John grabbed him from behind and held him while his son finished him off, tossing the lifeless body to the ground casually.
They all shared a nod before taking off inside.
….
"I'm not sure splitting up was the best plan." Sam said worriedly after teleporting him, Ellen, Mary, and Bobby inside the Mansion in a random room that they quickly presumed to be his bedroom.
"This way, if they get in trouble, we can burst in and save the day. It's better so we don't all get cornered." Mary squeezed his shoulder reassuringly before cracking open the door slightly to make sure it was all clear.
"So what's the plan?" Bobby asked gruffly, staring at the group expectantly.
They were all silent for a moment before Mary clapped her hands together in a moment of awe. "Jo, you, Dean, and John are gonna start a distraction at the door. Don't worry, I'll get you details on that later."
Jo shrugged, seeming indifferent while Ellen shot the other mother in the room a glare. Mary turned to face her, her hands up in a calming gesture. "You, Bobby, Sam and I are gonna teleport in and try to locate Crowley. We'll have the colt, Dean will have the demon-killing knife." She smiled at her eldest son who had his arms crossed, fists clenched.
"Come on." Mary encouraged, motioning with her hand for the three to follow her. They creeped out into the hallway, glancing both ways to double check before making their way silently down the hallway in hopes of tracking down the King.
…
Crowley was sitting comfortably in a leather chair watching old documentaries of Hitler when he heard the faint sound of something crashing to the ground coming from the hallway. With a glass of scotch in his hand, he rolled his eyes and stood up to go check on what could possibly be bothering him on such an important night.
As he made his way out to the hallway, he couldn't help but notice a disheveled looking rug, one he knew for a fact had never been there before. With a bored expression on his face, the King of Hell used his free hand to lift up the edge of the carpet to see what he had assumed, a freshly painted devil's trap.
"Don't con a con artist, Darlings. Never works out for you." Crowley quipped, taking a sip from his glass. He waited patiently, not surprised when Sam, Bobby and Ellen emerged from different alcoves. What he wasn't expecting to see was Mary come out after her son. "Well, look at that. Mary Winchester, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." He grinned smugly, cocking an eyebrow before taking in the group around him who stared at him in silent defiance. "Well come on, get on with it. You're here for a reason might as well get it over with."
Mary stepped forward to where she was in between Sam and Crowley. "I want you to release my son." She demanded, eyes fading to a solid black.
The King chuckled, looking amused as he took another swig. "Why would I do that? You may not know, I've been waiting over a year for this, I'm not about to change my mind now."
The blonde Winchester's features hardened. "He didn't even make a damn deal, you can't-"
She was cut off by a hand gesture from the King who was quickly losing his will to listen. "First of all, King of Hell. I can do whatever the bloody hell I want. Secondly, you're sons," He leaned to where he could see Sam and he shot him a wink before returning his attention to the mother. "Happen to have betrayed me in more ways than one. Time for him to pay the price."
"Take me instead!" Sam stepped forward, fighting his mother's grasp. "We both went against you, so why just take Dean?!" He asked, his voice gaining volume.
With a bemused grin, Crowley snapped his fingers causing four demons to appear, all of which who grabbed a hold of the four intruders. "You're brother happens to be very special to me, Moose. You'll find out why soon enough."
"You gutless son of a bitch! Can't even fight your own battles?!" Bobby barked, struggling against the demon who had a firm grasp on his upper arms.
Crowley snickered as he turned around and made his way back to his office, a devilish grin plastered to his face as the door clicked shut behind him.
He turned to face the television only to have his smile turn to a look of aggravation. "Oh, bollocks."
….
"You sure this is going to work?" Jo asked as they made their way through the eerie halls, single file.
Dean shrugged, pursing his lips slightly. "Sam and them will create a diversion while we set up our part. Don't worry, we're almost there."
John led the way, stopping occasionally to listen for any signs of life. The eldest demon only ran into him once, giving him a sheepish grin before backing up and running into Jo.
The faint sound of a movie playing caught the eldest hunter's attention. He held up a calloused hand to have the two behind him stop while he moved forward and peaked into the room. He shook his head in disgust when he saw Crowley watching a historical film on Hitler before shutting the door and turning to his party. "Alright, found him. Can you signal Sam?"
Jo nodded and pulled out her phone from her bra to send the youngest demon a quick text. After a few moments, John watched as Crowley stood up and made his way out another door.
The eldest Winchester ushered Dean and Jo ahead of him and they all rushed into the room to get to work.
In the span of a minute, they had painted a devil's trap on the ceiling and they were all posed and ready right as the door opened to reveal a very upset looking King.
"Oh, bollocks."
….
"Dammit!" Sam banged on the door they just got trapped behind before turning to face the group. "Now what?"
Ellen narrowed her brows. "Can't you just teleport outta here?" She asked, not sure.
The youngest Winchester shook his head in dismay, looking at his mom for confirmation. "It's a spell or something. Crowley's got this place rigged to where our powers won't work."
"Uh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Bobby started, turning grave. "But doesn't our whole plan kinda depend on your powers? Especially Dean's who we have no idea where he is?"
Realization hit the group, hoping that things we're going better for their counterparts.
Sam thought of the last bottle of blood he had in his jacket pocket and wondered if it'd be enough. He had to get out of this room and track down one of the King's many minions. How to do that without tipping off the group, that'd be a challenge.
….
"Really? It's a bloody clown car, you people just keep coming." Crowley noted with irriation. He glanced up at the ceiling as if he just knew what would be there and snapped his fingers, a large crack extending the length of the trap he had thankfully stopped right before stepping in. He sent a glare towards John before his eyes landed on a shocked Dean, his beady orbs hungry in every sense of the word. "Squirrel, great to see you. Decide to come peacefully?" He asked hopefully, although he already knew the answer.
The middle Winchester paused, thinking how much easier things would be if he accepted his fate. Jo must've somehow caught this train of thought because she spoke up. "We're here to tell you Dean's not going anywhere." She said defiantly, adjusting her grip on her flask of holy water.
Crowley turned his attention to the spunky blonde, lips pursed in appreciation. "You've got a mouth on you." He took a daunting step toward her, seeming unthreatened by the young hunter. "Tell me, what do you think you can do against the King of Hell?"
Jo went to splash the living hell out of him with her flask only to have the King send it flying across the room. He stepped forward, grabbing a hold of her neck before she soon felt her back colliding with the fireplace mantle.
"Jo!" Dean lunged forward, hand out and aimed at Crowley. His eyes widened in horror and confusion when he noticed nothing happening, a horrible feeling bubbling in his gut.
"They've got a spell for everything." The King quipped excitedly, proud of his brilliant thinking. The grizzly looking man watched as Dean started forward out of the corner of his eye. With a knobby finger, Crowley pointed at one of the many seats. "Take a loud off." He insisted, watching happily as the middle Winchester flung back into the chair, unable to get up.
John watched helplessly, glancing back and forth from his son and Jo, not sure what to do. So far, there plan was not going the way it was suppose to. Figuring he needed to stall before the rest of his group arrived, the eldest Winchester decided to do the one thing Crowley loved to do; hear the sound of his own voice. "Why do you want him so bad, huh? Sure, I get it, for payback. But no one goes to this much trouble for simple revenge."
The King's lips tilted into a smug grin, taking a step towards a table with a bottle of whiskey occupying it. "Have you ever heard of the Mark of Cain?" He asked vaguely, a cruel glint in his eyes as he turned to face John with a fresh drink.
The old hunter shook his head, his brows creased in puzzlement. He glanced at his son whose face had visibly paled as if he knew exactly what the King was talking about. "As in, Cain and Abel?" He finally questioned, the only connection he was able to make with the uncommon name.
The former crossroads demon nodded, impressed the dimwitted hunter knew that much. "It's a nasty piece of work. But, I'll save you the boring details. But, you might want to put it on your list of things to check out." He supplied, being no help at all.
"Are you allergic to straight answ-" Before John could finish his retort, the door on the opposite end of the room burst open, the handle banging loudly on the wall as it made impact. Sam staggered in, his mouth and clothes stained crimson as he made his way inside.
"Moose, I was wondering when you'd join us. I see you stopped for a snack." Crowley seemed as if he was enjoying this, watching everything unfold was just another past time until he could go on with his day.
Dean and John watched as the youngest Winchester held up his hand, closing his eyes and looking like he was concentrating enough to make his brain pop as he focused on the King.
But Crowley just stood there and laughed.
"Sorry, Samantha. But even powers as powerful as the ones you got from Azazel can't be accessed here. I applaud your commitment though." Crowley even went as far as doing a slow clap as Sam slowly lowered his hand in defeat.
The huge grandfather clock that occupied a corner of the room striking midnight startled everyone but the stout, cocky man. Instead, he smiled wickedly as the distinct sound of barking came from just outside.
"No…" Sam breathed, barely even hearing as Mary, Bobby, and Ellen rushed in the room right as the first hound lunged at Dean.
"Stop!" The youngest demon pleaded with broken cries, trying to make it to his brother before he was being suspended on the wall.
"Not your fight, Moose." Crowley scolded, watching with admiration as Dean screamed in pain, being dragged from the chair he was recently trapped to.
The middle Winchester watched with cold, unwavering eyes as Hounds began tearing his skin apart, dark scarlet bleeding into the white carpet, his clothes absolutely ruined. It felt like someone was taking a razor blade and slicing off his skin, piece by piece as he watched powerlessly. Dean turned on his back, trying to crawl away before a beast latched onto his neck, pinning him to the ground. The eldest demon felt teeth make contact with his rotary cuff, sinking into his throat, gnawing at his side right before everything went dark.
Sam watched as his brother's body and the hounds along with it disappeared through the floor in a mound of black smoke, one word barely audible over all the snarling.
"Sammy…"
Mary's heart wrenching sobs broke the silence before Crowley set his glass down on the table with a loud clink. "All of you get the hell out of my house." With a quick snap of fingers, he was gone.
….
Pain.
White hot anguish rolled through Dean as he slowly regained consciousness, all his senses slowly waking up.
He opened his eyes, immediately regretting it as he assessed his surroundings and the position his body was in.
He was suspended from the ceiling by hooks that protruded from his different body parts, his shoulder, torso, thigh. He took note of the fact he had been stripped down to just a plain grey t-shirt, his jeans, and his boots. He swallowed, taking in the blood splattered, dark floors and the cart full of different weapons he did not want to be on the receiving end of.
This time was going to be worse, he just knew it.
The room was dark and musty, the unmistakable smell of burning flesh accompanying the bone-chilling screams that surrounded him. The small space was lacking windows and there was only one door directly across from him. He was breathing hard, panic starting to seep in just as the door slowly creaked open.
His stomach was in his throat as Crowley and a demon he didn't recognize walked in, the pair with matching menacing grins as they approached him.
"Dean," The King started, gesturing towards the man next to him. "I'd like you to meet Alastair. You two will be spending a lot of time together."
….
TBC
Wow, that was a long chapter. I would've uploaded this chapter on Tuesday if it had been a normal week but I unfortunately contracted walking Pneumonia and just could not make myself sit down and write. I did however watch some Supernatural and Friends which is always a plus. Please leave your thoughts, I wasn't sure if I liked this chapter or not. Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it as well as all the follows, and favorites. Special thanks to Nina Ferraro (Oh, it's up. I hope you enjoyed!), Kasey123 (Here's more!), Sanna Black Slytherin (I addressed you at the beginning, but thanks for having the interest to review!), Babyreaper (The family is all back together, momentarily. Don't worry, they will all be reunited. But we have to have some drama first right?), LeeMarieJack (Unfortunately, Dean going to Hell was kinda a must for me. I apologize.), VattaKeto (Right? They just love to kill our favorite characters! Damn writers… but it's an instinct to mess with viewers hearts, I know the feeling.), Souless666 (Yeah, but I felt he really needed to do it. Just made sense.), ncsupnatfan (Nope, Mary had nothing up her sleeve. But, she's gonna try everything in her arsenal to get him back, I promise.), and angellec (I'm glad you like it!) for reviewing! You guys rock!