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 Souless666 and Kas3y for your kind words. 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. Thanks to everyone for their patience and continued interest.
DEMON SPAWN: THE PHONE CALL
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Caelan wasn't ashamed to admit that he was practically begging now. He needed to know if Dean and Caleb were all right. He needed to know that they were safe; that he hadn't led them all into this trap that Caelan was eighty percent positive was set up specifically for him.
Lizzie's old man, Roger Peter Stewart the third, had never approved of Caelan Hagen. Not only would Caelan never be good enough for his daughter – Caelan didn't have the correct pedigree associated with his name like the Stewart family did; although, technically, Caelan was a second generation Hunter, which basically had earned him the title of being called an old-school Hunter … technically – but Caelan highly suspected that his old man and good old Roger Stewart had butted heads a long time ago, which had caused a lot of resentment and bitterness between the two families.
Caelan honestly didn't give a shit if Roger Peter Stewart the third, approved of him or not … he wasn't in love with Lizzie to suck up to his withered old ass or to gain his fortune! But he knew how important it was to Lizzie that the two men in her life got along. And so, Caelan had played the stupid old man's game for a while, having to prove himself repeatedly that he was worthy of Roger Stewart's only daughter's love and affection.
It soon became blindingly obvious to Caelan that no matter what he did and how much he tried to prove himself to the distinguished head of the Stewart family that he would never accept Caelan of being worthy to officially date his daughter, much less ask for her hand in marriage. The old codger made it perfectly clear that Caelan could never be accepted as a member of their family.
He kept trying of course, for Lizzie's sake, but she must have reached the same conclusions as Caelan because she suddenly stopped pushing Caelan to spend time with her family, the two of them more than content to enjoy their own company. Roger must have feared that he was losing his daughter because it wasn't too long after, that the old fart gave Elizabeth the ultimatum and Lizzie disappeared from both of their lives forever.
But now, with Lizzie's goodbye confession ringing in his ears and the all-consuming fear that he felt for his friends' well-being and safety, it caused Caelan to become almost frantic, not being able to do a damn thing for either Lizzie, Caleb or Dean while locked within this room as he hammered upon the door now.
"Lizzie!" he cried out, surprised by the amount of raw pain and anguish that he could hear in his own voice. He hardly even recognized it as his own. "Please, talk to me … let me help you …"
"Cal!"
The familiar, happy exclamation tore through Caelan's shattered mind as he spun around, surprised and relieved to see Dean Winchester walking toward him.
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Sam turned to run his eyes up and down the Familiar Stranger both critically and appraisingly, hoping that something within this man's presence or subtle body language would give Sam a clue as to what this guy's true intentions were.
"Is there something you wish to ask me Sam Winchester?" The Familiar Stranger asked, a small smile of amusement on his lips, not in the least perturbed by Sam's intense study of him.
Sam was a little embarrassed at having been caught staring intently at the man beside him before he brushed it off, his expression settling into one of determination. "Where are you taking me?" Sam asked, dismayed by the slight crack within his voice. Sam cleared his throat and tried again. "Dean … I need you to take me to Dean, now!"
The man blinked in surprise at the amount of hostility he detected in Sam's tone, turning to give him a calculating glance before he smiled softly, gently. "You have nothing to fear Sam Winchester. Like I told you before, we are currently heading toward your brother's location now."
Yeah, but, was Dean alive or …?
Sam swallowed hard, clamping down on that thought so violently that an audible gasp escaped him that sounded suspiciously like a sob. Sam covered it up by coughing loudly, not wanting to show any sort of weakness in front of the Familiar Stranger.
A puzzled frown appeared on the man's brow as he glanced at Sam curiously. "You appear to be anxious Sam Winchester. What can I do to ease your mind?"
Sam couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. "Yeah, well, with people wanting to abduct me left, right and centre today, not to mention that the last image I can recall of my brother was him lying in a pool of his own blood after being shot; I'm sure that you will understand if I'm a tad paranoid at the moment. I have no idea who the hell you are. For all I know, you could be leading me to my death or you could be taking me back to … them."
A large lump of irrational fear got stuck in Sam's throat, causing his words to dry up suddenly.
The man's expression morphed into one of concern. "I am not going to kill you Sam Winchester," he replied in a soothing, calming voice. "Nor will I betray you by handing you over to The Organisation."
Sam blinked at the shadow that had fallen over the man's face, the amount of fierce anger within his tone shocking Sam out of his fear instantly, gapping at Familiar Stranger, unsure at what to do or say next.
"Forgive me," the man sighed loudly, running a hand over his face before smiling at Sam comfortingly. "I did not mean to frighten you. I know that it's hard for you to believe anything anyone says at the moment – especially someone like me, whom you didn't know very well – but I am not your enemy Sam Winchester. My only objective is to reunite you with your family. And yes," his lips quirked into a half-smile of amusement. "Your brother, Dean, is still very much alive."
Strangely, Sam was instantly by the man's words. He didn't know why, but Sam instinctively knew that this man was telling him the truth. Dean was alive. And now he was fairly confident that he wasn't being led to his death like cattle to their slaughter.
"Thank God," Sam breathed, his suspicion and doubt about Familiar Stranger vanishing at the extreme and utter relief of hearing that his big brother was alive – living, breathing, alive – and waiting for him.
It wasn't until now that Sam noticed the dull ache of a headache building up behind his eyes, making him feel slightly nauseous and dizzy. Oh shit, Sam desperately hoped that it wouldn't build into one of his rare migraines. Those things tended to stay with him for days, leaving the younger Winchester feeling weak and vulnerable.
That was honestly the last thing that Sam needed right now … to be weak and vulnerable in front of a man he hardly knew at all!
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As soon as Caelan saw him, Dean noticed the despair and anguish disappear from Caelan's face, a brilliant smile upon his features as he immediately bridged the gap between them and engulfed Dean in a giant brotherly hug, squeezing hard as if he thought Dean was only a figment of his imagination.
"Thank God," Caelan murmured in relief, releasing Dean, his smile morphing into a giant grin. "Man, am I glad to see you! I thought for sure that you were a goner when I heard you'd been shot!" Caelan squeezed Dean's shoulder affectionately.
"Nah," Dean returned Caelan's grin, also pleased to see that Caelan appeared to be relatively unharmed, waving away Caelan's concern with an exaggerated sweep of his hand. "Sorry, but you can't get rid of me that easily dude!"
Caelan's stance immediately relaxed at Dean's teasing before he was running a critically eye over Dean, obviously searching for signs of injury or distress. It didn't take too long before Caelan's brown eyes came to rest upon Dean's abdomen, noticing the way that Dean was cradling his side protectively. "Dean, are you okay?" Caelan asked anxiously.
"Yeah Cal, of course," Dean replied, hoping to set Caelan at ease with his light hearted response. Instead, Caelan's features seemed to tighten more into worried concern and guilt.
"Lizzie … shit Dean, I'm so sorry man. I didn't know that … " Caelan swallowed hard, the amount of hurt and guilt Dean could see within Caelan's eyes caused Dean's euphoric feeling to vanish in an instant.
"You didn't know dude," Dean said softly, absolving Caelan immediately of the irrational guilt that he felt over the Evil Doctor betraying them.
Caelan shook his head angrily, not wanting to accept Dean's forgiveness so easily. "Still, I shouldn't have …" Caelan took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "It's my fuck up bro; and I promise to find a way to fix this, okay? I just … Lizzie … she didn't … hurt you, did she?"
Dean blinked at Caelan, confused by his erratic shift in conversation before he offered a reassuring smile to his obviously distraught friend. "No Caelan, that Evil Bitch of a doctor didn't hurt me. She did try to knock me out for the night, but thanks to Wannabe Hunter number one … who managed to switch the vials on her … I was only knocked out for a few minutes instead of hours."
"Oh." Caelan breathed, the guilty expression leaving his expression momentarily to be replaced by confusion as he fully registered what Dean had said. "Huh? What Wannabe Hunter? You're not talking about Caleb, are you?"
Dean couldn't help but burst out laughing at Caelan's words. "Caleb is a lot of things Caelan, but a Wannabe Hunter is not one of them. No, I was referring to the Evil Doc's younger sibling, Peter Stewart."
Caelan's jaw dropped open at Dean's words. "Stewart helped you?" he gasped, shocked now. "But …"
"C'mon dude, I'll explain everything once we get out of here." Dean promised as he gently took Caelan's elbow and escorted him across the semi-lit room. "Let's just say that Junior Stewart wasn't very impressed with Senior Stewart over-stepping the line by "reconditioning" his own daughter to restore his good name within the Hunter's community and uphold his position within this secret organisation."
Caelan opened his mouth to bombard Dean with more questions before he closed his mouth and nodded instead. Dean was right; there would be plenty of time for explanations later. For now, the two of them needed to escape from here and reconnect with both Caleb and Sammy.
"Caleb," Caelan couldn't help but utter as Dean turned back to look at him questioningly. "Have you heard or seen from him?"
"Relax," Dean smiled. "Caleb's the one who helped to get me in here in order to get you out. Caleb's fine man, nothing to worry about. In fact, he's waiting for us just beyond this door."
"Okay," Caelan exhaled in relief before he slipped his serious "game-face" on. "Then let's get the hell out of here Dean."
Dean nodded in agreement, a smile of approval on his face when he noticed Caelan's Hunter look slide onto his features. At last, Caelan's head was finally back on mission, free from any other distraction, determined to escape this hospital and the clutches of the organisation.
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Sam lightly massaged his temple, hoping to stave off the migraine that he could feel building, concentrating instead on the sign that Sam had seen out of the corner of his eyes. The hospital where Sam had been and where Dean was currently waiting for him wasn't more than half an hour away.
Sam couldn't contain his bright, enthusiastic smile. Finally, after what felt like a life time, Sam would be returned to his older brother again; and hopefully, Sam would never see the inside of this hospital ever again, putting this whole nightmare of a day behind him and never speak of it again.
"Are you in pain Sam Winchester?"
"Huh?" Sam muttered, his thoughts returning to the present once more.
"You are rubbing your forehead," the man elaborated, gesturing toward Sam's hand which was still massaging his temple gently. "Are you in pain?"
Feeling the burn of a blush heat his checks, Sam removed his hand from his forehead, feeling self-conscious at the unconscious action he had been performing. "Ah … it's just a headache. It's nothing to worry about." Sam insisted, more concerned with reaching his brother than a stupid damn headache.
Even though a light smile remained on his face, Sam could detect the worry within his blue eyes as he reached out a hesitant hand toward Sam. "Let me," he offered gently. "I'm sure I can help you."
Instant suspicion flooded Sam, making him tense before he saw the honesty and sincerity shinning within the depths of Familiar Stranger's eyes and Sam relaxed his tense posture, shrugging indifferently.
There was no harm in it, Sam supposed. If the man thought he could help, Sam felt obligated to let him try, considering he had saved Sam from the non-human brothers, although Sam didn't have too much confidence in the man's ability to help him.
He placed two fingers in the middle of Sam's forehead. Sam had only barely registered the slight touch before the dull, throbbing ache behind his eyes disappeared.
"Wow." Sam gasped, grinning broadly. "Thanks. That feels heaps better."
The man's smile wobbled upon his lips, a more pronounced look of worry upon his brow now. "You are welcome Sam Winchester," he replied distractedly.
"Are you okay?" Sam blurted out, watching the man's blue eyes narrow, his hands gripping the steering-wheel tightly, his body tensed, looking extremely agitated. Maybe it was a side effect of taking Sam's pain away. Although, how he managed to do that, Sam didn't know.
"Something's not right," he muttered, glancing over at Sam perplexed.
"Wha-what do you mean?" Sam asked, starting to become a bit disconcerted at Familiar Stranger's penetrating stare. It felt as if the guy was peering right through him, straight into his very being, into his mind, being able to see every little dirty thought or secret he'd ever had.
Sam was like a deer caught in car headlights; stunned, frozen, Familiar Stranger's gaze holding him in place, bound and secured by the sheer intensity of the man's eyes.
Familiar Stranger tilted his head to the side, confused. "You haven't had any contact with The Demon … have you Sam Winchester?"
"What demon?" Sam managed to get out of his slightly paralysed throat, his sluggish mind slowly coming back on line, realizing that he could be in a bit of trouble here if he couldn't break free from this guy's stare.
"You know which Demon I am referring to Sam Winchester," he admonished, his tone still soft, soothing and comforting, even as his eyes kept Sam pinned in place.
For the first time since Sam awoke to Familiar Stranger's presence; with the heaviness of Familiar Stranger's eyes holding him in place, Sam begun to feel the first inklings of fear. This was the first time Sam could recall the familiar ache of dread and apprehension, his instincts telling him that the guy beside him was now a valid threat.
Sam shifted uncomfortably, urging himself to look away, to break the eye contact between them. But, no matter what he did, Sam couldn't seem to pull away. "Do you mean … The Demon?" Sam queried, finally able to process what Familiar Stranger had asked.
"Yes Sam Winchester, that Demon." He nodded in confirmation, an edge of impatience to his voice now. "Have you and The Demon … conversed recently?"
"Huh? Con … no!" Sam denied vehemently, eyes snapping wide open, face flushing with indignation at the accusing tone in his voice and what he was actually asking Sam. "Why the hell would I bother talking to that son of a bitch, when I have spent my entire life hunting that bastard down in order to kill it?!"
Familiar Stranger peered deeper into Sam for a few more awkward seconds before his expression softened, his deeply paralysing gaze shifted in its intensity and Sam was finally able to breathe easier, his body snapping out of its semi-trance, all of his capabilities firing on all cylinders again.
What the hell was that?!
Sam's breaths evened out into a more regular rhythm, trying to figure out just what the hell had happened to him. Sam sneaked fugitive glances at Familiar Stranger and couldn't help but be amazed – and a bit terrified – by the seeming less ease with which he had held Sam in place with only a look.
He'd almost forgotten that Familiar Stranger wasn't exactly, entirely human. If the non-human brothers had been scared of him, of incurring his wrath, then Sam could logically deduce that Familiar Stranger was no mere mortal human man. Whatever he was … Sam had just witnessed a little of the abilities he seemed to possess. And Sam wasn't ashamed to admit that he was more than a tad frightened now. He had to remember not to piss this guy off!
"I did not mean to alarm you Sam Winchester," Familiar Stranger spoke up softly, almost as if he could read Sam's thoughts. "But I had to be sure that The Demon was not involved in hastening your evolution."
It was on the tip of Sam's tongue to casually wave Familiar Stranger's half-assed apology away before he realized that Familiar Stranger was referring to Sam and The Demon in the present tense.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked cautiously.
Familiar Stranger's small smile was tight, strained. "I'm sorry; I don't quite know how this has happened … and I dare say that it will be painful because you have progressed much more quickly than anticipated, even though it is too early for you to have acquired access to it." He said, almost as if he was talking to himself.
"To have gained access to what?" Sam demanded through gritted teeth.
"Why, your abilities of course, Sam Winchester," Familiar Stranger replied, surprise and concern in his tone now. "Has your father not explained any of this to you?"
"What?!" Sam hissed, shocked by the man's words. "What the hell are you talking about? I don't have any abilities! And all my Dad has said in relation to The Demon was that he's the one responsible for my mother's death." Sam fought to swallow down his rising alarm, staring at Familiar Stranger, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "How the hell do you know anything about any of this? You don't know shit about me, or my family!"
Familiar Stranger lowered his eyes regretfully. "I apologize Sam Winchester; I assumed that your father had explained everything to you, including the abilities you will gain because of the Demon Blood …"
Demon Blood?!
TBC