Knight of Hell
Chapter 2 – In my time of dying
Last Time
In the Impala
Sam was driving with John sitting in the passenger seat. Dean was in the back seat. John gasps in pain, Dean is just slumped in the back seat. Naruto was driving behind them.
"Look, just hold on, alright. The hospital's only ten minutes away." Sam said.
John was on the phone with Naruto, "I'm surprised at you, son. Why didn't you kill it? I thought we always saw eye-to-eye on this? Killing this demon comes first – before me, before everything."
Sam looks in the rear view mirror at Dean.
"Yeah, well I didn't want to kill my father. Be pissed at me all you want but do it after Dean's not in critical condition." Naruto said.
"Look, not all hope is lost," Sam said, playing the mediator, "we've still got the Colt. We still have two bullets left. We just have to start over, alright? I mean, we already found the demon—"
An eighteen wheeler suddenly slams into the passenger side of the Impala at full speed, driving it sideways in front of it.
The driver of the semi is sitting behind the wheel. His eyes are black.
Dean, Sam, and John are all unconscious in the car – blood all over them. The demon possessing the truck driver got out and ripped the driver door of the hinges, only to see Sam pointing the Colt at the demon.
"Back. Or I'll kill you, I swear to god." Sam vowed.
"You won't. You're saving that bullet for someone else." The demon cockily said.
Before they could do anything, Naruto was behind the demon, gripping him by the throat and holding him up in the air. "Nobody hurts my brothers and lives," Naruto growled as he smited the demon, the demon's eyes and mouth emitting red light as Naruto killed it, before snapping the host bodies neck and throwing to the ground.
He pulled out his phone and called 911 to get an ambulance out to their location. He would not lose any more family!
Now
It didn't take long for the ambulance to get to their location. A rescue helicopter descended to the site, and Sam, John, and Dean were being loaded onto stretchers. John and Dean were still unconscious, Sam though, was awake.
"Significant passenger side intrusion. Unresponsive. BP is 180 over 60, heartrate 95, 95." One of the paramedics said.
"Tell me if they're okay!" Sam frantically asked from his stretcher.
"You have to stay still!" One of the paramedics urged him.
"Are they even alive?" Sam frantically asked.
"Sam, just take it easy! I'm sure Dad and Dean will be fine!" Naruto shouted at him to try to assure his bro they would be alright.
Next Day
In a hosiptal room, Dean sat up, worked his jaw, getting out of bed. He was wearing hospital clothes, and nothing else. He walked into the hallway.
"Sam? Nate? Dad? Anybody?" Dean asked aloud, though he got no response.
Dean went down the stairs to the front of the hospital and found a nurse's station, with a nurse currently posted there, so he approached the desk.. "Excuse me. Hi. I, uh, I think I was in a car accident, my dad and my brother, I just need to find them." He asks but the nurse was unresponsive, busy with whatever she was working on.
He snapped his fingers in an attempt to get her attention but to no avail. Dean headed back upstairs in a panic, and when he returned to the room he walked out of, he was greeted with the sight of his own body on the bed, all tubed up and dying.
Still reeling from the shock of seeing his unconscious body, Dean turned, relieved as Sam and Naruto entered the room. Both stopped at the door and stare at Dean's body.
"Sammy! Nate! You two look good. Considering..." Dean trails off when he realizes they can't hear him.
Sam is still staring at him as he mutters an "Oh, no", while Naruto was angry with himself, powerless to help Dean as he doesn't have the power to heal others.
"Guys, come on! Tell me you can hear me!" Dean yells at them, but they couldn't hear him. "How's dad? Is he okay? Come on, Sammy, you're the psychic. Give me some ghost whispering or something!"
"Your father's awake," The doctor said in the doorway, causing both living brothers to turn to him, "You two can go see him if you like."
While Dean is thanking God, Sam questioned the doctor, "Doc, what about our brother?"
"Well, he sustained serious injury: blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney. But it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There's early signs of cerebral edema." The doc explained.
"What can be done to help him?" Naruto questioned with his arms crossed.
"Well, we won't know his full condition until he wakes up. If he wakes up." The Doctor said, the use of the word 'if' shattering the temporary relief Sam felt.
"If?" Sam demands and Naruto looks at the doctor.
"I have to be honest," The doctor explained while Dean's spirit cussed at him, "Most people with this degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long. He's fighting very hard. But you boys need to have realistic expectations."
In John's Room
John was lying in a hospital bed, his arm in a sling. Awkwardly one-handed, he pulled a card out of his wallet.
"Here. Give them my insurance." John told Sam.
Sam took the card John gives him, smiling as he reads it.
"Elroy McGillicutty?" Sam read, Naruto leaning in and chuckling when he read it.
"And his three loving sons. So, what else did the doctor say about Dean?" John asked,
"Nothing good." Naruto said as he leaned up against a wall. "Look. The doctors probably can't help him, so we'll have to. I got a few hoodoo priest's that owe me some favors. I'll have them come and lay some mojo on him. But it'll be at least a day before they get here."
John lies back as he thinks about something before asking, "Where's the Colt?"
Sam was incredulous as he demands of his father, "Your son is dying, and you're worried about the Colt?"
"We're hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us too. That gun may be our only card." John said, Naruto not saying anything, since he was not sure he could really tell them about the First Blade, because that would open up the can about Cain, Knight's of Hell, and Mark of Cain thing that he wasn't sure he could trust them with the secret yet.
"It's in the trunk. They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83." Sam said.
"All right. You've gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside." John said without missing a beat.
Sam sighed and said, "I already called Bobby. He's like an hour out, he's gonna tow the Impala back to his place."
"All right. You two go meet up with Bobby, you get that Colt, and you bring it back to me. And you watch out for hospital security." John requested/commanded his sons.
"I think I've got it covered." Sam reassured him as he could easily sneak it past security.
John gave Naruto a piece of paper before they leave. "Hey. Here. I made a list of things I need, have Bobby pick them up for me."
Naruto reads it aloud, "Acacia? Oil of Abramelin? What do you need this for?"
"Protection." John said Naruto raising his eyebrow in disbelief as he knew some of these ingredients were for summoning demons.
Before they leave, Sam asked his dad, "Hey, Dad? You know, the demon, he said he had plans for me and children like me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that?"
"No, I don't." John said, although he did know, and he wasn't telling Sam.
Sam and Naruto leave, shutting the door to reveal Dean, who has been leaning behind it, glaring at his dad as he knew John was hiding something.
Junkyard
Sam and Naruto look down at the mangled car. Bobby was there as well.
"Oh man, Dean is gonna be pissed." Sam notes.
"No kidding. This used to be dad's before he passed it on to Dean. I remember Dean was still very attached to this car went I left for a year." Naruto noted.
"Look, boys. This... this just ain't worth a tow. I say we empty the trunk, sell the rest for scrap." Bobby said.
"No. Dean would kill me if we did that. When he gets better he's gonna want to fix this." Sam insisted as he pulled out his mangled computer.
"There's nothing to fix. The frame's a pretzel, and the engine's ruined. There's barely any parts worth salvaging." Bobby argued back as Naruto took a closer look at the window frame that was caved in. He reached in and put his palm on the underside of the bent in window frame.
"Listen to me, Bobby. If there's only one working part, that's enough. We're not just going to give up on..." Sam said only to trail off before he mentioned anything about giving up on Dean.
"Okay. You got it." Bobby said quietly. They then heard Naruto pop the window frame back in with pure strength.
"Holy shit!" Bobby said in surprise as he was not expecting that.
"It's not completely unsalvageable. It'll need a new…well, everything up front, but the frame won't be too much of an issue. I'll cover the cost," Naruto said.
"Nate, how did you do that? And what was that thing you did with the demon last night?" Sam asked, as first he sees his older brother killing a demon and now this.
"Your not the only one who's special, Sammy." Naruto said with a wink. Sam felt dumb for a moment, because after thinking about it, he did remember the demon sort of mentioning that.
"Nate-" Sam pressed, but Nate did not want to have this conversation right now.
"Look bro, lets save that conversation for when Dean and Dad are all better, okay? I prefer only explaining this sort of thing once." Naruto said with smile as he placed his hand Sam's shoulder in a comforting way. He knew he needed to come clean about some of the things he knew and what he had been up to, but that wasn't something he wanted to repeat more than once.
"Hey Bobby, before I forget, Dad asked for you to get this stuff for him." Naruto handed over the list. Bobby looked at it, frowning.
"What's John want with this?" He asked
"Protection from the demon?" Bobby gives Sam a look when he tells him that there's something wrong.
"What?" Sam asks.
"Oh, nothing, it's just, uh –" Bobby said.
"What? That some of those ingredients are used for summoning demons?" Naruto quipped, but with the look Bobby was giving him, Naruto knew he was on the money.
"Bobby? What's going on?" Sam asks.
"Everything on this list is for summoning a demon." Bobby explained.
John's Room
Afternoon
Sam stalked into the room with a duffel bag, Naruto following close behind, checking his phone to see that the hoodoo priest was on his way but wouldn't get here until tomorrow morning. Dean was there at the door and tried to talk with one of them.
"Sammy! Nate! Tell me one of you can friggin' hear me. There's something in the hospital. Now, you've got to bring me back and we've got to hunt this thing. Guys!" Dean said but neither of them could hear him for obvious reasons.
"You're quiet." John observed, wondering what was wrong. Sam turned fuming, and hurls the bag onto the bed with a crash.
"Did you think we wouldn't figure it out?" Sam asked in frustration.
"What are you talking about?" John said.
"That stuff from Bobby. You don't use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one." Naruto pointed out, eyeing his dad, wondering what the hell he was up to.
"You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you? Having some stupid macho showdown?!" Sam accused him.
"I have a plan, Sam." John argued.
"That's exactly my point! Dean is dying, and you have a plan! You know what, you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!" Sam accused.
"No, no, no, guys, don't do this!" Dean said to himself as he really didn't want them doing this right now.
"Do not tell me how I feel! I am doing this for Dean!" John argued back.
"How? How is revenge going to help him? You're not thinking about anybody but yourself. It's the same selfish obsession!" Sam argued back.
"Come on guys, don't do this!" Dean yelled but he couldn't get their attention.
"You know, it's funny, I thought it was your obsession too! This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You begged me to be part of this hunt! Now if Nate had killed that damn thing when he had the chance, none of this would have happened." John argued.
"Don't try to guilt me. It was possessing you, Dad/ I would have killed you along with it. I'm not interested in losing anymore family." Nate said unapologetically, starting to get annoyed with this damn arguing when there was something more important to focus on.
"Yeah, and your brother would be awake right now." John said.
"Shut up, all of you!" Dean said as he too was getting tired of this.
"Go to hell, Dad." Sam said to John, furious because he still believed his dad was only focused killing Azazel. Naruto turned his back to them.
"I should have never taken you along in the first place. I knew it was a mistake, I knew I was wrong —" John said but Naruto finally had enough.
"SHUT UP!" He shouted in a rage as he grabbed a glass of nearby water and threw it to the ground, crashing to the floor. Sam and John look at each other, the momentary shock causing them to stop arguing. Dean is stunned as well.
"You both should be ashamed of yourselves. Our brother is barely holding onto his life and you both have the nerve to have your little pissing match right now, when you should be more concerned about how we are going to save him. Now, I have a hoodoo priest that's on the way here but he won't get here til tomorrow morning. We just need to hold out." Naruto said though grit teeth.
At that moment, Dean crumples in pain, his whole form flickering. Nurses and doctors were heard running by in the hallway.
"Something's going on out there." John realized. Naruto and Sam leave the room to go see what's wrong.
Dean's Room
Monitors are beeping, a doctor and some nurses are surrounding Dean, attempting to resuscitate him.
"All clear. " One says as they prepare to use the shock him.
"No." Sam muttered by doorway tears in his eyes. Naruto sees through the door way and grits his teeth and clenches his hand in frustration, as he's currently useless.
Dean came up slowly behind them. He saw a ghostly figure floating over the body lying in the bed.
"You get the hell away from me." Dean warned as he moved toward the bed.
"I said get back!" Dean shouts. Sam blinks, looking confused, as if he's heard something. Naruto also heard it as well. Dean grabbed for the spirit; he latched on momentarily before it hurls him back and then soared out of the room. The beeping of the monitors slow down, the room began to quiet.
"We have a pulse. We're back into sinus rhythm." The nurse said.
Dean ran into the hallway, looking for the spirit but it had vanished. Both Sam and Naruto sigh in relief and back up into the hallway, watching from there. Dean came back, standing by him.
Boiler Room
Nightime
John pushed the door open and entered, carrying the duffel bag with the Colt and the stuff to summon demons. He walked through a dark and dripping hallway to a clear space, placing the bag down. He pulled out a box of white chalk and started drawing a large symbol on the floor.
Dean's Room
Sam returned to Dean's room carrying the journal. He sat on the edge of Dean's bed.
"Hey. So Dad wasn't in his room. Nate's gone to go track him down." Sam said.
"Where is he?" Dean asked, but Sam didn't hear his question because he wasn't using the board to talk with spirits.
"But I got Dad's journal, so who knows? Maybe there's something here." Sam said as he flipped open the journal and looked through it, glancing up at Dean's unconscious form occasionally. Dean came to stand behind him.
"Thanks for not giving up on me, Sammy." Dean said in gratitude.
Sam turned to a page that details Reapers. Dean leaned over and read something about them. His eyes go wide when he finished.
"Son of a bitch." He muttered, before turning around and stalking down the hallway until he sees Tessa sitting on the edge of the bed in her room. She's dressed differently more business like.
"Hi, Dean." She greeted him, no longer keeping up the act of a recently deceased patient in order to get close to him.
"You know, you read the most interesting things. For example, did you know that reapers can alter human perception?" He asked her, "I sure didn't. Basically they can make themselves appear however they want. Like, say, uh, a pretty girl. You are much prettier than the last reaper I met."
"I was wondering when you would figure it out." Tessa said.
"I should have known. That whole "accepting fate" rap of yours is far too laid back for a dead chick." Dean said to her, "But the mother, and the body, I'm still trying to figure that one out."
"It's my sandbox. I can make you see whatever I want." She told him.
"What, is this like a turn-on for you? What, toying with me?" HE asked, because she made it sound like that.
"You didn't give me much choice. You saw my true form and you flipped out. Kinda hurts a girl's feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me." She said, actually sounding kinda hurt, but not that bad.
"Okay, fine. We're talking. What the hell do you want to talk about?" Dean demanded of her.
"How death is nothing to fear." Tessa said as she stood up and touched his cheek. "It's your time to go, Dean. And you're living on borrowed time already."
Boiler Room
John had finished the chalk symbol, with several candles and a black bowl placed around it. He was incanting the spell to summon Azazel in Latin. He slid a knife across his palm, drawing blood and dripping it on the bowl. He then lit a match and dropped it in; the sand in the bowl flares and goes out quickly. John stood up, looking around. A hand grabbed his shoulder, turning him around.
"What the hell are you doing down here, buddy?" The guy said.
"I can explain." John said.
"Yeah? You're going to explain to security. Come on. You follow me." The man said and turned around.
"Hey," John said, pulling the Colt and cocking it, the dude turning around, "How stupid do you think I am?
"You really want an honest answer to that?" Azazel asked smugly, eyes glowing yellow, dropping the pretense. Two possessed men in lab coats stalk by and take positions behind John. "You conjuring me, John. I'm surprised. I took you for a lot of things. But suicidally reckless wasn't one of them."
"I could always shoot you." John pointed out.
"You could always miss," Azazel laughs as he continues, "And you've only got a couple more tries, don't'cha? Did you really think you could trap me?"
"Oh, I don't want to trap you." John said as he lowered the gun, "I want to make a deal." Azazel looks on, intrigued by this development. Meanwhile Naruto was hiding behind a pillar, shock on his face as he finally understood what his dad was planning.
Empty Room
Dean was staring out a dark window.
"Look, I'm sure you've heard this before, but... you've gotta make an exception, you've gotta cut me a break." Dean pleaded.
"Stage three: bargaining." Tessa said, as she was used to this. Dean turned to her.
"I'm serious. My family's in danger. See, we're kind of in the middle of this, um, war, and they need me." Dean said.
"The fight's over." Tessa said comfortingly to him.
"No, it isn't." He denied.
"It is for you. Dean. You're not the first soldier I've plucked from the field. They all feel the same. They can't leave. Victory hangs in the balance. But they're wrong. The battle goes on without them." She explained.
"My brother. He could die without me." Dean said.
"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Nothing you can do about it. It's an honorable death. A warrior's death." Tessa said.
"I think I'll pass on the seventy-two virgins, thanks. I'm not that into prude chicks anyway." Dean said.
"That's funny. You're very cute." She said to him.
"There's no such thing as an honorable death. My corpse is going to rot in the ground and my family is going to die! No. I'm not going with you, I don't care what you do." Dean argued with her.
"Well, like you said. There's always a choice. I can't make you come with me. But you're not getting back in your body. And that's just facts. So yes, you can stay. You'll stay here for years. Disembodied, scared, and over the decades it'll probably drive you mad. Maybe you'll even get violent." She explained to him.
"What are you saying?" Dean asked with dread.
"Dean. How do you think angry spirits are born?" She asked him, "They can't let go and they can't move on. And you're about to become one. The same thing you hunt."
Back in the boiler room
"It's very unseemly, making deals with devils. How do I know this isn't just another trick?" Azazel mentioned.
"It's no trick. I will give you the Colt and the bullet's, but you've got to help Dean. You've got to bring him back." John said. This caused Azazel to smile.
"Why, John, you're a sentimentalist. If only your boys knew how much their daddy loved them." Azazel said in a mocking way. Naruto behind the corner had his head down with shadows covering his eyes, emotions boiling within him. He knew his dad cared about them, even though he had a much harder time showing it after mom died.
"It's a good trade. You care a hell of a lot more about this gun than you do Dean." John pointed out.
"Don't be so sure. He killed some people very special to me." Azazel said in 'anger', but quickly went back to his calm demeanor. "But still, you're right, he isn't much of a threat. And neither is little Sammy. Though I can't say the same about good 'ol Nate."
John lowered his head, raising his eyes. Azazel continued, "You know the truth, right? About Sammy, Nate, and the other children?"
"Yeah. I've known for a few years now." John said. Naruto raised his head at that with widened. His dad had known about it the whole time. And here Naruto was thinking couldn't go to him. But really, he couldn't. Even if John knew and was okay with it, Naruto couldn't have gone to him because John would not have been able to help him. No, Naruto didn't regret going to Cain for help, but he did regret not letting John know he was alright.
"But Sam doesn't, does he? You've been playing dumb." Azazel told him and John could not deny it.
"Can you bring Dean back? Yes or no?" John ground out.
"No. But I know someone who can. It's not a problem." Azazel said, as he could just possess the Reaper talking to Dean right now.
"Good." John said before he added something. "Before I give you the gun, I'm going to want to make sure that Dean's okay. With my own eyes."
"Oh, John, I'm offended. Don't you trust me?" Azazel said with mock hurt, John shakes his head slowly, "Fine."
"So we have a deal?" John pressed.
"No, John, not yet. You still need to sweeten the pot." Azazel said.
"With what?" John asked.
"There's something else I want, as much as that gun. Maybe more." Azazel said as he walked closer. Since he was here, he might as well try to jump start the Apocalypse by breaking the first seal.
"What is it?" John pressed.
"The soul of a righteous man. Your soul, John." Azazel said and Naruto froze for a moment, his mind flashing back to one of Cain's lessons.
Flashback
It was nightime out at Cain's house a few weeks before Naruto graduated from Knight bootcamp. The two of them were sitting out on Cain's porch, enjoying the beautiful evening after almost 12 hours of brutal training. Naruto was pleased with himself, as during the first month of training, Cain would beat his ass so hard that he would have to carry Naruto inside after he was done with training for the day and heal him. Now, Naruto and him were almost evenly matched in skill.
"I'm curious about something." Naruto said as he took a moment from his meal.
"What is it?" Cain asked.
"What was Azazel's plan with the special kids?" Naruto asked, "I just keep wondering what he was up to, and it doesn't make any sense."
"Because you don't have the whole picture." Cain said as he out his tea down. "I don't know the whole story myself, but I know this. When Lucifer made the Knight's of hell, Lilith and the Princes, God locked him in a cage deep within hell. That cage has kept Lucifer imprisoned for thousands of years, but he seeks to break out of that cage and start the Apocalypse."
"How would he escape? And wouldn't he have done it already? He's had...what, almost 10,000 years?" asked Naruto.
"If only it were that easy," Cain pointed out, "Any of the 66 of 600 seals need to be broken for Lucifer to be released. But there are two that must come to pass, the first and last seal. 'And it is written, that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.' The final seal is 'And it is written, that the first demon shall be the last seal.' Aside from those two seals, any other 64 of the remaining seals will suffice."
"So, Lilith would have to somehow get topside and die at the end, but you mentioned she's also stuck in hell. But what about the first one? How come some crossroads demon hasn't nabbed one of these righteous souls already?" Naruto asked. You'd think in all this time, one of those crafty bastards would have gotten lucky.
"Because somehow in all these years, not one soul that ever made a deal with a crossroads demon has been a righteous man." Cain explained. "But there are ways of getting a righteous soul into hell. The demon in question would have to jump through a lot of hoops, but it can be done." Cain said and Naruto sat and thought about it.
Flashback end
That was what Azazel wanted more than the gun. He wanted to get an earlier start on the Apocalypse! 'No way in hell!', Naruto shouted mentally as he pulled out one of his pistols. He popped out from behind his corner drawing everyone's attention as he popped two bullets in Azazel, before putting one in each of the demons with him. Azazel noticed that there was a devil trap carved into the bullets Naruto had fired.
Naruto dropped the gun before pulling out the First Blade, causing Azazel's eyes to widen in legit fear, as he had not wanted to see that or anything about the Father of Murder ever again. Naruto leapt and pounced on one of the demons that were bound by the devil trap bullets, plunging the blade into it's back, killing it.
"I accept the deal!" John shouted to Azazel, causing Azazel to smile as he would still get what he wanted. John, for his part, did not want to lose the chance to restore Dean to life. Azazel left his hosts body as Naruto slit the throat of the 2nd demon with the First Blade. By the time Naruto plunged the blade into Azazel's host, he had left the host body.
Growling, Naruto turned on his father, holding the bloody blade of sharpened, indestructible bone in his hand. "What were you thinking?" Naruto demanded of him.
"I'm trying to save my son. Losing the Colt is a small price to pay to restore Dean to life." John said. John knew that between the loss of his wife and the stress of dealing with monsters on a regular basis as well as his desire to avenge Mary at all costs, he often ended up neglecting his kids. He had to try to make things right. This seemed like the only way to save Dean. John knew about the Reapers and knew he didn't have long before Dean either chose to pass on, or stay and become one of the spirits that they hunted.
"I don't give a crap about losing the Colt. I have the First Blade, I can kill Azazel whenever I want." Naruto pointed out, before he wiped the blood of the blade using the clothes on one of the hosts. "Look Dad, I love Dean too. We both would do anything for him. But, there are better ways of resurrecting him that don't involve selling your soul to a Prince of Hell!"
"'And it is written, that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.'", John muttered, causing Naruto to turn to him in shock.
"I shouldn't be surprised you know about that. But Dad, your soul must fit the bill. Azazel wants you in hell, so he can torment you and break you, and in doing so, jump start the Apocalypse. And you just sold your soul to the demon that wants above all else to make it happen." Naruto said as he pocketed the blade. He really shouldn't be surprised that John knew about Azazel's plans and Lucifer's cage. John devoted his life to killing Azazel after the demon killed Mary. It didn't shock him that much that John had devoured encyclopedia's worth of knowledge in his hunt for demon, or that he came across information about the Apocalypse or Lucifer.
"Give me some credit, son. I knew that going into this. But old Yellow Eyes ain't gonna get what he wants out of me. I won't break." John chastised and reassured Naruto.
"I just…I lost mom before I had a chance to know her. I don't want to lose you too Dad." Naruto said in a rare show of vulnerability.
"Come 'ere," John said as he opened his one good arm and father and son hugged each other. "I'm so proud of the man you've become, champ. Even though I was hard on you, made you and the boys grow up too fast, and wasn't exactly Father of the Year, you didn't let it make you into bad person. You didn't become me. I know hwy you couldn't come to me when your demon powers started appearing and why you had to find help elsewhere. You don't to feel guilty about it. You don't need me to take care of you anymore. I love you, son."
"I love you too, Dad," Naruto choked out as he hugged his dad for what will be the final time, "I don't want you go. Those stubborn idiot brothers of mine still need you."
"I know, and that's why you gotta keep them safe when I'm gone." John said as he patted his middle son on the back, "Parents aren't supposed to outlive their children, Nate. It's okay."
Empty Room
Dean was sitting on the bed in deep thought, Tessa behind him. She stroked his hair tenderly.
"It's time to put the pain behind you." She said serenely.
"And go where?" He asked, to which she smiled.
"Sorry. I can't give away the big punchline." She told him, "Moment of truth. No changing your mind later. So what's it going to be?"
As he turned to look at her, the lights begin to flicker and a familiar buzzing sound is heard.
"What are you doing that for?" Dean asked.
"I'm not doing it." Tessa explained. They both turned to a vent in the floor and see black demon smoke pour out of it.
"You can't do this! Get away!" Tessa shouted at the demon smoke.
"What's happening?!" Dean asks.
Tessa screamed as the demon possessed her. She turned back to Dean, eyes glowing yellow.
"Today's your lucky day, kid." Azazel said while possessing her. He placed his hand on Dean's forehead and Dean blacks out.
Dean's Room
Sam was still sitting on the bed as Dean gasped, waking suddenly and choking on the tube in his throat.
"Dean?" Sam asked, happy that Dean was alive, but then realized her needed the doctors in hear. He stuck his head out into the hallway, "Help! I need help!"
Daytime
"I can't explain it. The edema's vanished. The internal contusions are healed. Your vitals are good. You have some kind of angel watching over you." The doctor said, completely stumped.
"Thanks, doc," Dean said. The doctor left and Dean turned to Sam, "So you said a Reaper was after me?"
"Yeah." Sam said.
Dean was still confused and asked, "How'd I ditch it?"
"You got me. Dean, you really don't remember anything?" Sam asked.
"No. Except this pit in my stomach. Sam, something's wrong." Dean said warningly.
There was s knock at the door. Both turn to see John and Naruto in the doorway.
"How you feeling, dude?" John asked as Naruto moved to sit in the chair next to Dean's bed.
"Fine, I guess. I'm alive." Dean said.
"That's good to hear," Naruto said as he placed a hand on Dean's shoulder. John concurred with that, as that was all that mattered.
Sam was still angry from last time he spoke with John and demanded. "Where were you two last night?"
"Me and Nate had some things some affairs to set in order." John said.
"Well, that's specific." Sam said sarcastically.
"Come on, Sam." Dean pleaded with his brother not to fight, but Sam wasn't hearing it.
"Did you go after the demon?" Sam asked.
"He didn't," Naruto answered for John.
"You know, why don't I believe that?" Sam asked sarcastically.
"Damn it, Sam!" Naruto raised his voice, getting their attention, before his tone changed to a more depressed and defeated one, "Please, for once in your life, can you just… not pick a fight with dad?"
"He's right, you know. Half the time we're fighting, I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just butting heads." John said. "Sammy, I, I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, okay?"
Sam was getting concerned. Between his dad's pleading tone and Nate's defeated and almost depressed look, he knew something was wrong. "Dad, are you all right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired. Hey, son, would you, uh, would you mind getting me a cup of caffeine?" John asked. He didn't want Sam to watch him die.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Sam said, deciding not to argue and walked out, still frowning. John looked after him sadly.
"What is it?" Dean asked. Nate got up and walked out of the room so John and Dean could have their moment.
"You know, when you were a kid, I'd come home from a hunt, and after what I'd seen, I'd be, I'd be wrecked. And you, you'd come up to me and you, you'd put your hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd... You'd say "It's okay, Dad"" John pauses for a moment before he continues, "Dean, I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to say that to me, I should have been saying that to you. I put, I put too much on your shoulders, I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy and Nate, you took care of me. You did that, and you didn't complain, not once. I just want you to know that I am so proud of you."
Dean asked, "This really you talking?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it's really me." John said, his voice cracking.
Dean was suspicious and scared why his dad was saying this, "Why are you saying this stuff?"
John came closer and put a hand on Dean's shoulder.
"I want you to watch out for Sammy, okay?" John said.
"Yeah, dad, you know I will. You're scaring me." Dean said.
"Don't be scared, Dean." John assured him. John leaned over and whispered something into Dean's ear. Dean pulled back in shock, processing. John left, and Dean stared after him.
John entered an empty room and placed the Colt on a small bed table.
"Okay." John said to Azazel, who was in the room and had a smug look on his face before he approached John.
A few minutes later, Sam walked back to Dean's room, carrying a cup of coffee. He happened to glance into a room and saw John on the floor.
Dropping the cup, Sam ran to John's side, kneeling over him and screaming for help.
Chapter End
I'm cutting it off right here because we all know what happens next.
I'll be honest, I was a bit intimidated about doing this story any further than the first chapter, because there is a LOT of material I would have to cover. But, I did just binge through season 5-10 in the last 2 weeks because of this Corona shit, so I decided to give it a whirl.