A HUGE thank you to my wonderful beta, Kayla! Girl, as always you do a great job!

Chapter 52

"We fucked up." Patrick looked up from the monitor and addressed his two friends. They were all seated in the control room. Caleb was going through everything they recovered from the barn while Joshua was reading up one or other exorcism.

"What do you mean?" Caleb looked over to the young hunter seated across from him.

"I went through the disks again. We missed something major." Patrick indicated for the two hunters to join him to look at the images on the screen. "There are two snippets of the disks that I want to show to you. The first one is where Sam yelled out, but there is no one there. Well I looked at it again. This is what we missed." Patrick hit play and showed the two hunters what he found.

Caleb and Joshua once again heard Sam scream. He was asking for help, pleading to be released.

"I played around with this technology and I managed to change the heat patterns on this disk, because remember everything that was recorded is on this disk. So after playing, this is what I found." Patrick showed them the images for the second time.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Joshua screamed out, he can't believe what his eyes are seeing.

"Is there another entity with Sam in that room?" Caleb asked. He needed to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him.

"Yes, in fact it looks like one, but if you look carefully you can actually see that there are two of them." Patrick paused the images, tracing with his finger the two images now clearly visible on the screen. "I just don't know what they are."

"Those my friend, are the shadows or whatever you want to call them of demons. The freaking Rachfords' tortured Sam by using demons on him." Caleb sounded disgusted.

"We need to let Dean know, if there are demons involved then Sam is in greater danger than we thought." Joshua picked up his cell, already dialing Dean's number.

"I need you to watch the second insert as well, otherwise I've got the feeling you will be calling Dean twice." Patrick indicated to the screen again.

"You must be kidding me, what else?" Caleb rubbed his face with his hands, before turning his attention back to the screen again.

"This is also part of the infrared images, but it's in the beginning when Sam is hosed down. I zoomed out and manage to catch this little bit. I then enlarged it and this is what I need you guys to see."

The image showed Sam's infrared body being assaulted by the ice cold blue stream of water. Patrick changed the centre of the images and zoomed in on the side of the picture. A man is visible, but it is not just his infrared outline that they can see. Patrick enlarges the image and brings up the picture for all of them to see clearly.

"John Doe 014."

"He was part of the kidnapping?" Joshua asked looking confused at the photo of the man before them.

"It seems that way. But, there is something else I need to tell you." Patrick stood up and started to pace up and down before addressing his friends again. "I compared this image to the image of the person responsible for torturing Sam later on. I took into consideration the different camera angles, weight and height of the person before I ran it through the computer. This man, he is the one who tortured Sam. He laced him up, touched him, and I have this feeling in my gut that he is also the one who beat Sam up with the belt." Patrick placed his face in his hands, not looking at his friends. He felt so guilty.

"This is fucking unbelievable. Patrick, thank you. You did a great job." Joshua slapped his friend on the shoulder before turning to look at the image of John Doe 014 again. "Let's get to the hospital. We need to be there, Sam is in great danger. I will phone John on the way, he and Bobby need to come home now." Joshua grabbed his Glock, tucking it into his pants before heading out of the control room's door.

00-O-00

Dean was getting desperate. Sam still didn't wake up. In fact, it was as if his condition deteriorated. In the beginning when he tried to move away from Sam, Sam would increase his hold on Dean's shirt and would whimper. Now, now there is nothing. Dean was seated next to Sam's bed. Sam didn't complain when Dean got up, in fact he didn't react in any way. He was laying there with his eyes closed as if he was no longer alive. Dean knew that David and Shane were also concerned over this.

"Sammy, come on baby brother, open up those puppy eyes. I'm getting bored here on my own and you can't just leave me hanging." Dean pleaded with his brother, dragging his fingers through Sam's hair.

Dean wanted to talk again when the door to Sam's room burst open. He was on his feet in an instant, drawing out his Colt, pointing it towards the unknown threat.

Seeing Dean on his feet in a flash pointing his weapon Joshua came to an abrupt halt, showing his empty hands to Dean. "Wow, easy. It's just me."

"What the hell Joshua, have you not heard about knocking? I could have blown your brains out man." Dean released the grip on his pistol, shoving it back into his jeans.

"Sorry Dean, we just needed to talk to you and the twins urgently. Can you come out?" Joshua indicated towards the living room.

"What about?" Dean didn't want to leave Sam alone.

"We've got problems. Please, I don't want Sam to overhear us." Joshua indicated again to the living room.

Dean looked over at Sam before nodding his head and leaving the room with Josh. He didn't close it but leant against the wall next to the door on the inside of the living room.

"Where are the others?" Dean looked for Caleb and Patrick not seeing them in the living room.

"They're checking out the sigils and protection symbols and also making sure that all of the salt lines are intact." Joshua explained taking a seat on one of the chairs.

"What is going on Josh?" Dean could feel the hair rising in his neck when Joshua told him what the others were doing.

"Patrick checked out the disks again and found some things that we missed previously." Joshua took a calming breath before continuing. "You know the image of where Sam was having a conversation with someone but he is alone? Well, Patrick changed some stuff on the computer and Sam is in the room with at least two demons."

"What the hell are you talking about?" David was the one to ask.

Dean already darted back into Sam's room, checking on the protective symbols underneath Sam's bed as well as making sure that the one on the ceiling was intact.

David, Shane and Joshua moved into Sam's room. All three of them realize that Dean will not come out of the room again.

"There are clearly two images in front of Sam. The fact that they didn't appear on the normal spectrum made us suspect that they are demons. But that is not all." Joshua knew he needed to get out everything so that when Dean erupts he at least knows he told them everything.

"What else?" Dean's face was set in stone. His eyes were flickering in cold silence.

"John Doe was part of the kidnapping. Patrick established that he was the one responsible for torturing Sam with the water and with the wires. He also thinks that he was the one who beat Sam up with the belt."

Dean turned away from Josh and walked over to Sam's bed. "I'm just going out for a while okay. I want you to stay here and not to go anywhere. In fact, baby brother I don't want you to wake up. Not now, not before I return." He kissed Sam on the forehead before turning around and indicating with his head for the others to clear the room.

"Let me get this straight. The body of John Doe is still missing. In fact did you and Caleb not say that he didn't pose a threat to Sam?" Dean didn't even realize that he was shouting at the hunter standing before him as they gathered in the sitting room of the medical suite.

"Dean calm down. This is not Joshua's fault. You can't go and rip out his throat for this man. We now know of this and we can protect Sam." Shane was holding Dean away from Joshua making sure that his younger brother could not get to the other hunter.

"Can we protect him, was that not our job before all of this shit happened? Fine job we did in protecting him then." Dean lowered his head in defeat.

"Dean, don't talk like that. Please, you know we will protect Sam. Don't give up hope. Please." David pleaded with his brother; he saw the look in Dean's eyes. He was giving up.

"I need time to think, to clear my head. Twins, please just leave for a while. I need to be alone with Sammy." Dean said as he started to walk towards the connecting door.

Dean lifted his head as the door opened again and John Winchester's walked in. He heard what Joshua told his boys. He knew that all of them, especially Josh feels guilty to what happened. He knew he himself was the one to be blamed.

Seeing his dad standing in the door gave Dean some hope.

John stared at Dean, before he addresses the other men in the room. "Let's talk here, I'll explain everything to Dean later."

Nodding their heads the three hunters leave the room in silence.

"Dean, don't give up hope, not on your brother." John said before turning on his heels leaving his two youngest sons alone in the room. He had a mess to sort out and a long story to tell his family later on.

00-O-00

John made sure that he got all the information from Caleb and Joshua about their John Doe. He asked Patrick to get a copy of the unidentified man's fingerprints. Although it was already checked on the system, John had a few contacts that could access some other sites which could turn out to be helpful. They needed all the help they could get to figure out who the John Doe was.

Bobby could kick himself after hearing the story from Joshua. They all thought the John Doe was just an innocent bystander, they, no he, should have made sure about that fact.

"I'll head over to the abandoned farm again; there must be something that we missed the previous times. If this John Doe was indeed part of the kidnapping then we can assume that either one of the brothers knew him or he was working for Milton. I'm leaning towards the second theory and that maybe Brad got fed up with his father's stories and wanted to take matters into his own hands." Bobby got up heading towards the door.

"Bobby, the farm can wait. I need you here when I tell the boys what we found out." John openly pleaded with his friend.

Hearing John's voice and seeing the expression on his friend's face, Bobby nodded his head and sat down again.

"Dad, do you want me to call Dean?" David asked as he walked towards the connecting door.

"No David, I'll tell him later." John said before taking a seat on one of the couches.

"I think you need to tell Dean know as well, John. Let's get all of this in the open now. If Dean realizes that you kept something from him again, he will go ballistic, never mind if you had a valid reason or not." Bobby looked towards John, knowing that this was a difficult decision for him.

John lowered his head in his hands before nodding towards David. He knew Bobby was right, he needed to tell Dean what was going on. He just didn't know how Dean was going to react to this news.

00-O-00

'They left. I can't feel them anymore. Can I get my hopes up; did they realize that I'm not worth their attention?' Sam's thoughts ran through his mind. He was beginning to feel a spark of hope but still in despair because he could not get out. He retreated back into himself, to where he was safe. If he know can only remember how to get out. Sam knew that if he could hear Dean's voice he would be able to find his way back. He just wished that Dean would talk to him soon.

Sam must have gone deeper within himself because he lost touch with his surroundings. He however started crawling towards the surface of his mind when he heard the voice that was his salvation. Dean sounded upset, angry and scared. That scared Sam. He needed to talk to Dean, he needed to see Dean. Sam tried with all his might to burst to the surface of the dark surrounding him. Dean was getting more upset. 'I must talk to him, I must find out why he is so upset. Did I do something wrong? Dean, Dean?'

"DEAN!" Sam shouted out, eyes flashing open and he himself sitting up in a second, ignoring the pain streaking through his body.

00-O-00

"You must be freaking kidding me, dad! Do you expect me for one moment to hand over my responsibility of taking care of Sam to another person, to this so called guardian because of one or other prophecy without knowing that person? NO, DAD, NEVER!" Dean screamed at his father. He could not comprehend what his father just told them.

What made matters worse was when his father and Bobby told them that a so called guardian would be responsible for keeping Sam safe. He would not allow that, he was responsible for Sam's safety and no one else.

"Dean calm down, this shouting is not helping. We are still trying to work everything out. Sam will always stay our - your responsibility. Please my boy, you need to understand I'm only doing what is in the best interest of my baby boy." John pleaded, he could see how upset and even confused Dean was.

"In the best interest of Sam? Dad, since when have you ever done something that was in Sam's best interest!" Dean was shouting again. He knew he was hurting his father, but it was a safety mechanism built in to protect him and to protect Sammy.

"Just what the hell do you mean by that boy!" John Winchester stormed towards Dean, grabbing him by his jacket and pushing him hard against the wall.

"Yes dad, show your true colors. This is the way you act towards Sam all the time isn't it? He can never do anything right in your eyes. Hell, just think of how many times a week you would yell at the kid. You see him as a disappointment." Dean shouted, grabbing his father by the collar, turning sharply with his legs and pinning his father to the wall.

"Cut it out Dean, this is not the time for this." David took hold of Dean trying to get him off their father. Bobby and Joshua had taken hold of John trying to do the same with the oldest Winchester.

"John calm down. You and Dean are both over emotional at this stage; please do not say something that you would later regret." Bobby pleaded with his friend.

"No Bobby, Dean and I need to sort this out now it can't wait." John shrugged Bobby's hand of his arm and looked towards Dean that was held back by the twins.

"I don't know where you get that idea from Dean, but that is not true. I love Sam just as I love the three of you. I do not see him as a disappointment." John knew he had to talk some sense into Dean's head. They needed to stick together – as a family.

"You can't fool me old man. You just have it in for Sam, always." He doesn't know where all the angry in him suddenly came from. He wanted to confront his father with this so many times before but he never did.

"Dean, no. Please just listen to me for a few seconds." John tried to calm Dean down. "I know that Sam and I don't see eye to eye, but he is so much different from you and the twins. He just has this ability to question everything I do, while the three of you would do anything I ask in a heartbeat. I just wish that Sam was the same as you three boys."

"Well dad he's not. He's unique and that makes him Sammy and it's time that you start to realize that dad and accept him like he is." Dean was tired. He really didn't want to fight with his dad.

"I realize that Dean and I'm willing to work harder with Sam. I know that I need to start getting to know my own son and I want to do that." John pleaded again.

Dean rested his head on his chest for a few minutes before he looked up and answered his father. "Okay dad, I'll give you that point. I'll give you the opportunity to make amends with Sam, but the moment I see you attacking him again then the deal if off. Even if it means leaving the house dad then I will and I WILL be taking Sam with me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly clear Dean. I love your brother; please I would never do something intentionally in hurting him." John walked to Dean embracing him in a hug.

Dean was still tugged in his father's hug when the stillness that surrounded them after this outburst between the two men was shattered with Sam's screams.

"DEAN!"

AN: Same time, same place, next week? Hope to see you then! Have a lovely week.