The Impala was parked outside a cabin in the woods. Inside, Sam poured salt along the window sill as Angel eyed her neck in the mirror. It was a swollen bruised mess with big handprints over her windpipe. They both turned once Dean came into the room.
"How is he?"
Dean looked at them, "He just needed a little rest, that's all." He surveyed Angel, "How are you?"
"A1, little brother." She dismissed, "Not the first time a demon tried to choke me out."
"Hey…" Sam sighed, "You guys don't think we were followed here, do you?"
"I dont know." Dean shook his head, "I don't think so. I mean, we couldn't have found a more out-of-the-way place to hole up."
"That's true. We're in the middle of nowhere in an abandoned cabin."
Sam nodded, "Yeah."
"Hey, uh…" Dean cleared his throat looking away from them, "Can i tell you guys somethin'?"
"Yeah?"
"Sure."
"You know that guy I shot? There was a person in there…"
"You didn't have a choice, Dean." Sam mended, "He was going to kill Angel."
"You saved my life."
"Yeah, I know, that's not what bothers me."
Angel cocked her head to her little brother, "Then what does?"
"Killing that guy, killing Meg… I didn't hesitate, I didn't even flinch. For you two or Dad, the things I'm willing to do or kill, it's just, uh… it scares me sometimes."
The three of them silenced as they stared at each other knowingly because if they were being honest, they were all in that boat.
"It shouldn't." John said as he quietly walked into the room, "You did good."
Dean's head went up, "You're not mad?"
"For what?"
"Using a bullet."
"Mad?" He scoffed, "I'm proud of you. You know… Sam, and I, even Angel sometimes, we can get pretty obsessed. But you- you watch out for this family. You always have."
Dean stared at him for a few seconds before nodding at his fathers word, "Thanks."
The wind suddenly picked up outside just before the lights started to flicker. They all went over to the window as John studied outside.
"It found us. It's here."
Sam looked to him, "The demon?"
"Sam, lines of salt in front of every window, every door." He instructed quickly, "Angel help him."
Sam frowned, "I already did it."
"Well, check it, okay?"
Sam stiffened, "Okay."
After he and Angel left the room John turned to Dean, "Dean, you got the gun?"
"Yeah."
He motioned, "Give it to me."
"Dad…" Dean took the colt out of his jeans, "Sam tried to shoot the demon in Salvation. It disappeared."
"This is me. I won't miss. Now, the gun, hurry." Dean hesitated, sending a look down at the gun, "Son, please." As something flooded over him, Dean started to backup a few steps, "Give me the gun. What are you doing, Dean?"
"...He'd be furious."
"What?"
"That I wasted a bullet. He wouldn't be proud of me, he'd tear me a new one." John looked at him like he lost his mind as Dean raised the gun to him and cocked it, "You're not my Dad."
John scoffed, "Dean, it's me."
"I know my Dad better than anyone." Dean shook his head as tears formed in his eyes, "And you ain't him."
"What the hell's gotten into you?"
"I could ask you the same thing. Stay back."
When Sam and Angel came back into the room they were both equally shocked to see Dean pointing the gun at John.
Angel stopped Sam from walking further, "Dean, what the hell are you doing?"
Sam looked between them, "What the hell's going on?"
John motioned, "Your brother's lost his mind."
"He's not Dad."
"What?"
"Dean what do you mean he's not dad?"
"I think he's possessed." The more he talks the more upset he gets, "I think he's been possessed since we rescued him."
"Don't listen to him." John shook his head pleading with his other two kids, "He's paranoid."
Sam's eyes met his brothers, "Dean, how do you know?"
He fought back tears, "He's… he's different."
"You're not making any sense Dean… We checked him, remember?" Angel held out her hands as she slowly shuffled toward her brother, "Just give me the gun."
"We don't have time for this." John shook his head, "Sam, Angel, you two wanna kill this demon, you've gotta trust me."
They both looked back and forth between their father and brother. Dean glanced at them, but didn't say anything else to convince them.
"Sammy? Ang, lil bit… Come on, you know it's me."
Angel glared at the childhood nickname that left her fathers mouth. One she hasnt heard since before her mother passed. He hasn't called her that since she was six years old.
She backed up towards Dean, "How is that…"
Sam looked back and forth, noting the devastation in both of his siblings eyes, "No. No."
Once he moved back to stand beside Dean as well, John looked between them, "Fine. You're all so sure, go ahead. Kill me." He looked down and waited as Dean held the gun on him, but couldn't pull the trigger, "I thought so."
When he looked back up, his eyes were yellow. Sam lunged for him, but was thrown against the wall and pinned there. Dean was next, the impact causing him to drop the Colt. Then Angel who grimaced at the impact of hitting the wall.
The Demon picked the Colt up with a smirk, "What a pain in the ass this thing's been."
"It's you, isn't it?" Sam groaned out, "We've been looking for you for a long time."
"Well, you found me."
Angel grimaced, "But the holy water?"
"You think something like that works on something like me?"
Sam tried to fight the force that has him pinned to the wall, but failed, "I'm gonna kill you!"
"Oh, that'd be a neat trick. In fact…" He put the gun down on a table, "Here. Make the gun float to you there, psychic boy." Sam looked at the gun, struggling, but nothing happened, "Well, this is fun." He walked over to the wall beside Angel and stared her down, "I could've killed you three a hundred times today, but this…" He sighed, "This is worth the wait." Angel struggled as she glared at him hatefully, "Your Dad- he's in here with me. Trapped inside his own meat suit. He says hi, by the way." He grinned wider as he leaned closer to her face, "He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood. Oh, I can't wait until he sees his precious baby girl in pieces on the floor. That'll just be delicious."
Angel glared hatefully, "Let him go, or I swear to God-"
"What? What are you and God gonna do? You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice." He walked over to Dean, "You know that little exorcism of yours? That was my daughter."
"Who?" Dean frowned as his brows shot up, "Meg?"
"The one in the alley? That was my boy." He shrugged, "You understand."
Dean scoffed, "You've got to be kidding me."
"What? You're the only one that can have a family? You destroyed my children. How would you feel if I killed your family?" He smiled at Dean, "Oh, that's right. I forgot. I did. Still, two wrongs don't make a right."
Dean glared, "You son of a bitch."
"I wanna know why." Sam grunted, "Why'd you do it?"
He turned, "You mean why did I kill Mommy and pretty little Jess?"
"Yeah."
He turned back to Dean, "You know, I never told you two this, but Sam was going to ask her to marry her." He backed up toward Sam, "Been shopping for rings and everything." He turns to stare at Sam, "You want to know why? Because they got in the way."
"In the way of what?"
"My plans for you, Sammy. You… and all the children like you."
"Jesus can you get on with the killing already?" Angel scoffed, "I'm falling asleep here."
"Right." Dean laughed, "I hate monologuing."
"Funny." The Demon walked back over to Dean, "But that's all part of yours and your sister M.O., isn't it? Helps you two mask all that nasty pain, masks the truth."
"Oh, yeah? What's that?"
"You know, you fight and you fight for this family, but the truth is they don't need you. Not like you need them. Sam- he's clearly John's favorite. Even when they fight, it's more concern than he's ever shown you. And Angel? One of a kind in the Winchester household. The first born, only girl and she's the spitting image of your mother. Not only that, it's obvious daddy thinks she's the superior hunter."
Pain crossed Dean's face at the demon's words but he kept his head up, "I bet you're real proud of your kids, too, huh? Oh wait, I forgot. I wasted 'em."
Dean smirked as the Demons face went blank. He stepped back and put his head down, as if concentrating on something. When his eyes snapped back up, Dean suddenly yelled in pain.
"Dean!"
"No!" Angel struggled, "Stop it!"
Dean started to bleed heavily from new gashes forming in his chest as Sam and Angel struggled against the force pinning them.
"Dad!" Dean gurgled out painfully, "Dad, don't you let it kill me!"
The demon smiled at that just before Dean started screaming louder.
"Stop!" Angel wailed, "Stop! You're killing him!"
"Dean!" Sam yelled, "No!"
The blood flowed out of Dean as the two continued to struggle to no avail.
Blood ran from Dean's mouth, "Dad, please…"
Panic filled Sam and Angel when Dean's eyes closed and his body went slack with unconsciousness.
"Dean!"
"No! Wake up!"
Suddenly a whisper escaped John's lips, "Stop." When his eyes returned to normal, the three of them were suddenly let go, "Stop it."
Sam dived and grabbed the gun off the table as Angel made a beeline for Dean.
John, eyes yellow once again, turned to Sam just as he aimed the gun at him, "You kill me, you kill Daddy."
"I know."
Sam fired the gun, shooting John in the leg and sending him to the ground.
Sam got up and ran over to Angel and Dean, "Is he alive? Dean? Oh God, you've lost a lot of blood."
"He's okay…" Angel cried as she took off her jacket and put it over the new wounds in her little brother's chest, making him flinch, "We just- we just gotta apply pressure."
Dean ground out, "Where's Dad?"
"He's right here." Sam patted him, "He's right here, Dean."
"Go check on him."
"Dean."
"Go check on him."
Sam looked at Angel who nodded, "Go. I've got him. Everything will be fine, Sammy."
"Dad?" Sam got up and hurried over to check on John who was lying motionless on the floor, "Dad?"
John suddenly woke up, groaning loudly, "Sammy! It's still alive. It's inside me, I can feel it. You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son!" Sam shakily aimed the gun at John's chest, "Do it now!"
"Sam, don't you do it!" Dean struggled up but Angel stopped him, "Don't you do it."
"You've gotta hurry!" John yelled, "I can't hold onto it much longer! You shoot me, son! Shoot me! Son, I'm begging you! We can end this here and now! Sammy!"
"Sam." Angel cried, watching them, "No."
"You do this! Sammy! Sam…"
The demon suddenly left John's body in a black cloud from his mouth. It disappeared through the floor as John sent an accusing disappointed look to Sam.
