"Idjits!" Bobby declared throwing the TV remote down onto the table. His eyes moved from one Winchester to the other and then the other. A news flash was scrolling across the screen and it was the same on every single channel. A woman reporter was standing in front of a burning hospital, the flames licked towards the sky while a black plume of smoke reached up to block out the sun. There was a gathering crowd around the woman and in the background the army had cornered off the block diverting all traffic. The rolling tagline at the bottom of the report repeated the same sentence over and over. Angel saves the day?

"I'm Stephanie Hunter and I am currently standing at the sight that used to be Sacramento's leading Psychiatric hospital where it has been confirmed that it has been a target of a terrorist attack," the camera panned to the burning building. "Earlier today an explosion rocked this building, although there has been no confirmed casualties due to a quick evacuation process. Eye witnesses have been claiming that their lives were saved by nothing less than an angel…" the screen changed to blurry phone captured footage. The hospital loomed in the background and two silhouettes were apparent standing on the roof, the person holding the phone started to shake as the building roared. All of a sudden one of the figures from the roof started to fall with people screaming in the background. Soldiers ran towards the figure while others tried to keep the crowd under control. Shortly afterwards a booming sound echoed throughout the atmosphere and fire roared out through the centre of the hospital, the phone panned towards it before moving back to the roof. Three figures suddenly appeared and the silhouette of wings could be seen as the people jumped from the roof and glided down towards the tree line behind the car park.

"Holy shit," the guy holding the camera exclaimed. "An angel?"

The shaking camera footage ended and the reporter came back into view. She had a bright smile on her face and her eyes were shining as she spoke into the mic. "That was footage captured earlier today, what we saw is unknown but people are saying that an angel saved the day. The terrorist responsible for this attack has been identified…" Alastair's image flashed up on the screen and that was the moment that the elder hunter muted the report. His eyes flickered around his companions faces once more.

…

"Idjits!" he repeated shaking his head and pulling his hat off to wipe at his balding head before putting it back in place. His eyes focused on Dean who was currently sitting on the dining room chair backwards so that his back was visible. His wings were stretched out behind him with the right one covered in various twigs and tree debris while his left hung limply behind him. The feathers were torn and their spines were bent from where he had apparently made a crash landing into the trees. His face scrunched up in pain every so often as the youngest Winchester sat behind him with a pair of tweezers pulling out the broken feathers and twigs. Sam himself only had a few minor cuts and bruises, apparently Dean had thrown him to the floor before he had collided into some trees along with John. Speaking of…John was sitting in front of the TV, his right arm was strapped tightly to his chest where he had dislocated his shoulder. He was nursing a beer with his eyes locked onto the screen the whole time, he didn't once turn around, and he didn't once acknowledge Bobby or his sons. For all intents and purposes he had shut himself off. He done what he does best, he ignores and pretends that nothing ever happens to him, a coping mechanism that Dean himself used. "Poisoning your blood is not the answer John," he scolded his attention focused entirely on the Patriarch.

"What would you know," John sighed taking another swig from the bottle, draining it fully of its contents before slamming the glass onto the table. "Get me another one Singer," he growled picking up the remote and starting to flick through the limited channels.

"Get it ya self," Bobby retorted crossing his arms to his chest and raising his eyebrows at the younger Winchesters who were busy trying to free Dean from the pieces of tree. "I ain't no maid."

"Fine," John huffed turning off the TV and jumping to his feet. He winced as he jarred his shoulder, he grabbed hold of his jacket he had thrown over the back of the chair and shooting his boys a strange look he turned on his heels and stormed out of the front door, allowing it to slam.

"That went well," Sam sighed placing the tweezers on the table and pressing a kiss to Dean's bare shoulder. "I guess nothing changes."

"Sammy…" Dean warned.

"We have been searching for him for months and what thanks do we get? He hasn't said one word to us Dean, he can barely look at you…"

"Alastair has had him for god knows how long," Dean interrupted attempting to disguise his sadness at his lover's words. He was aware that since he had saved them from the hospital his father had yet to say a word or even look at him, probably afraid he would see too much of the supernatural creature he really was and less of the hunter he was supposed to be. "We don't know what he done to Dad…We don't know what he went through."

Silence fell over the trio as that thought process began to sink in. Neither of the boys had seen their father in over six years and to them it was like looking at a stranger, especially with the new direction their relationship had taken. They had no idea how he would react or if he would accept them. There were too many uncertainty's hanging in the air for their liking and for the first time in a while it felt like there were many secrets threatening to tear them apart if they weren't careful. The amount of times their family had almost been destroyed because of secrets.

…

"I'll go speak to him," Bobby pitched in grabbing his own jacket. "Patch yourself up…Idjits!" he shouted out the door as he stepped into the incoming dusk. He pulled the collar of his coat up to fight back against the biting wind, ok so the Impala was still parked outside that was a plus…though he didn't think John would take the car seeing as he had given it to Dean when he had turned eighteen. He walked round the side to his garage where he kept his current projects and the few cars that actually worked, they were all still there. Frowning he peered around the salvage yard and in the distance he could make out a form perched on top of a SUV he had been rebuilding for another hunter.

Nodding his head the elder hunter thrust his hands deep into his pockets and strode towards the oldest Winchester. He came to a stop in front of the man and watched as he pretended to ignore that he was even there. He had a bottle of whiskey clutched in his hands and it appeared to already be half full. He might be content to drink his sorrows away but Bobby would be damned if John left his two boys hurting and confused in there. Too long he had sat back and watched the other man treat his children like soldiers, like they didn't need him and he refused to sit back anymore. After all these years those two boys had become like his own children.

"So that's your plan to get shit faced?" Bobby scolded raising his eyebrows as John took a swig of the whiskey his eyes still refusing to meet his. "Your boys are in there and all you want to do is get drunk?"

"They're not boys," John grumbled taking another sip.

"They're your sons," Bobby interrupted taking a step closer so that he was now directly in front of John.

"Sons," John scoffed his thumb picking at the label on the bottle. "I think you're forgetting Old Man that they both walked out on me…"

"I think you are forgetting they both risked their lives to save you."

John laughed without humour as his eyes lifted to meet Bobby's gaze. His dark brown eyes were glassy and there was evidence of tears. His left eye was swollen shut while his right had a dark circle underneath it, wherever this was from lack of sleep or a punch wasn't clear. His arm was still tucked tightly in his chest and from the pained expression on his face the alcohol wasn't helping to numb the physical pain. His body was tilted to the left as he seemed to favour this side giving an indication of either broken or fractured ribs. All in all he looked like he had been to hell and back. "They shouldn't have."

"John…"

"I mean it Singer," John started to stand, he snarled at the bottle in his hand and threw it harshly to the ground watching the contents spilling everywhere. "You've seen them, they don't need me…they should have just left me there…I tried to tell them to stay away…"

"They are Winchesters," Bobby interrupted. "When do any of ya listen to what anyone else has to say?" He scrubbed a hand against his face and watched John's shoulders deflate, he could see that the elder man was fighting back his emotions and the tears, to him it was a sign of weakness. "What happened to ya…?"

"I don't want to talk about it," John warned his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Drinking yerself to death isn't going to help."

"It's making me feel a hell of a lot better."

"For now but it's not the answer. Are you not going to talk to your sons? They are sitting in their worried about yer stubborn ass."

"They have each other." He replied again his eyes straying towards the house.

"Just because they found each other doesn't mean they don't need their father." Bobby replied without thinking.

John drew in a deep shaky breath and slowly nodded the fight seeming to drain out of him instantly. Bobby smiled slightly and gave himself a mental pat on the back, he had no idea what he would have done if he didn't get through to the older Winchester. Many years of dealing with Dean had given him practice. He pressed a hand to John's shoulder blade and forcefully moved him back to the house. They passed the living room window and could clearly see the boys inside.

John came to a sudden holt, his eyes peering through the glass. His expression narrowed dangerously and a red hue flushed through his cheeks. His hands curled into fists and before Bobby could stop him he sprinted towards the door, his anger controlling him.

"Fuck," Bobby shouted taking run after the other man. Knowing that an alcohol induced rage is not what they needed right now to build bridges. "IDJITS!" he shouted again, the last thing he had wanted John to witness was his boys kissing...

…

"WHAT THE FUCK!" John's sudden exclamation caused Sam to jump off of Dean's lap instantly. He brushed a hand through his long hair and his wild eyes locked onto the furious one of their father's. Behind him he could hear Dean draw in a deep breath and he didn't need to look to know that the same expression was plastered across the angel's face that was on his own. They didn't expect their father to be back so quickly, normally when he went off on a binge they don't see him until the next morning. God Sam just needed a moment with his lover, a moment to feel that they were still alive and that Dean was still in one piece. Seeing him crash into those trees had almost caused the youngest Winchester's heart stop, for them to have made it out of that hospital with minimal damage felt like a gift from heaven. He just needed a moment to be close to Dean, to be themselves. " . FUCK!" John shouted again.

Bobby ran into the room and attempted to pull John back however he received a punch to the face in response.

"Dad…" Sam started to say but was cut off by John's angry glare.

"What have you done to my sons?" John asked reaching into his pocket to pull out a flask of holy water, he managed to flick the lid with his left hand and he held it out in front of him like a lifeline. "Where are my boys?!"

"Dad it's us," Sam said anger flooding through his veins, his teenage defiance starting to kick in once more. Now he remembered why he had left in the first place, it was so typical of their father something that he couldn't explain or accept had to be something supernatural. For him it was black and white with no shades of grey. "Listen…"

"What did you do to my son?" John's furious glare turned towards Dean effectively cutting Sam out of the equation.

"Dad no…It's…" Sam started to say but was interrupted when John charged towards him. He grabbed hold of his shoulder with his left hand and poured half the contents of the water onto him. When there was no reaction he practically shoved the youngest Winchester to the side and disregarded him. His full attention then fell onto Dean who was slowly standing to his full height with his broken wing hanging limply off of his back. "NO!" Sam shouted trying to get between the pair but his father elbowed him in the stomach causing him to double over in pain.

He blinked past the tears and watched as John doused Dean with the rest of the holy water. Dean just stood there and took it, his gaze was unwavering and an unreadable expression was on his face. He looked like he had just shut down, like he would accept anything that was about to happen.

"What have you done to my son? Some kind of spell?" John accused stepping closer to the angel so that he was practically covering the man with his spit. "Another one of your freaky powers?" he added throwing the flask into Dean's chest. "ANSWER ME!"

"I didn't do anything," Dean replied coldly his eyes narrowing towards John and again Sam tried to step between them but his father's frame blocked his every move.

"There is no way my son would fall for something like you," John spat the alcohol clearly controlling him right now. "THIS IS WRONG…YOU ARE MEANT TO BE BROTHERS…BUT YOU'RE NOT ARE YOU DEAN!" with those words John pulled his left hand back and sent a flying fist into Dean's face, who staggered back with the impact.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Sam screamed tugging at John's dislocated shoulder trying to get him away from the angel.

"STAY OUT OF THIS SAMUEL!" John shouted throwing Sam into the nearest bookcase and causing it to fall on top of him pining him underneath the various supernatural tomes Bobby kept for research. He attempted to move the books and watched as Bobby left the room.

"YOU ARE JUST A FREAK!" John continued to shout turning back towards Dean who was holding a hand to his nose which was now bleeding. "YOU COULDN'T FIT IN SO YOU CORRUPT MY SON!" he clenched his hand back into a fist. "I BET YOU AND YOUR FATHER PLANNED THIS WHOLE THING TOGETHER!" this time his fist connected with Dean's chest and a sickening crunch filtered through the atmosphere.

…

Dean groaned and doubled over as another blow landed on the top of his head, he was sent sprawling to the floor. His broken wing knocked the side of the table causing a wave of pain to flow through him. He could taste blood and vile at the back of his throat and he was sure he now had a broken rib on top of everything else but he wouldn't fight back. He couldn't. He knew that this day had to come and he would take the beatings, he would take the nasty words. "It wasn't like that," Dean protested spitting out the blood on the floor.

Slowly he pushed his aching body to his feet, his ribs protested at the movement but there was no way he was going to have this conversation with him on the floor. "You're drunk," he added stepping back to avoid another flying fist. He could see the pain and the fear in his father's eyes and he knew that this was his breaking point. Whatever the demon had done to him was taking its toll and he had finally blown his fuse. Hell this happened to Dean when he had destroyed all his hard work on the Impala.

"APPARANTLY NOT ENOUGH!" John screamed his fingers fumbling in his waist band. He pulled out his gun and trained it on Dean's chest. "YOU PLANNED ALL THIS TO GET TO US…I WON'T LET YOU USE MY FAMILY…HE IS MY SON…MINE…!" he screamed his whole body shaking.

"DAD NO!" Sam shouted from the floor.

"Dad," Dean said calmly although his heart was pounding fiercely in his chest.

"HE IS MINE, YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!" John continued to shout and from somewhere behind him the sound of a shot gun cocking echoed throughout the atmosphere.

"Put the gun down John," Bobby commanded with his gun trained on John's back.

"NO HE IS MY SON NOT YOURS. I RAISED HIM. HE IS MINE. YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM. YOUR KIND CAN'T HAVE HIM. HE WILL NEVER BE YOURS!" John's eyes darted around in his head and it was clear that he wasn't with them anymore. He seemed to be trapped in some sort of memory. "NO!" John shouted as Dean attempted to take a step closer. "FREAK! NEVER FIT IN. NEVER MEANT TO BE ONE OF US…CORRUPTED MY SON…" his finger closed around the trigger with the gun pointing straight towards Dean's heart.

"Dad," Dean said again.

"YOU WERE WORKING WITH HIM THE WHOLE TIME, THAT'S WHY YOU LEFT. MY DEAN WOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT ME WITH NO WARNING, NO NOTE. HE WOULDN'T HAVE WALKED OUT ON ME…YOU PLANNED THIS WITH HIM…YOU WANTED ME GONE…YOU TURNED SAM AGAINST ME…IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW…IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT YOU ISN'T IT DEAN…"

The sound of a gunshot rang out.

Dean peered down at the blossoming patch of blood that was forming on his shirt. He let out a gasp as his legs gave out beneath him. He could feel his powers flowing towards the bullet stopping it from penetrating through to his heart. His hearing became muffled and dark spots danced in front of his vision. He shook his head and tried to clear it. His veins glowed white and he knew that his eyes would be pure green. Slowly the bullet began to push out of his chest falling to floor by his knees. However the blood continued to trickle out of the wound.

He could hear Sam's voice cry out for him but it was John who caught his attention. The tears streaming out of his father's face as he fell to his knees in front of him. His gun was now laying behind him and Bobby was approaching, his shot gun trained on John and his eyes were wide. Slowly Dean nodded at the older hunter and reached a hand out towards John.

John sobbed as he reached forward and pulled Dean into his arms. His shirt becoming soaked in Dean's blood but he didn't seem to care. His left hand pressed against Dean's head as he buried his own in the angel's shoulder. His shoulders shook as the thin dam that was holding him together shattered…

TBC (Hope you liked! Only a couple more chapters left to go in this story just so you know. I plan to finish around the 40 chapter mark, see how it goes. As usual thanks for reading and special thanks to those who review. See you all in Part thirty seven!)