CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: Proud Of Your Boy
"No, no no!" Mary exclaimed, running frantic hands through her hair when she realized exactly where she was. "This can't be happening…" She trailed off, hopeless eyes landing on her youngest son.
"Mom?" He asked, not sure how he should be reacting. On one hand, his mom was standing in front of him, but on the other, his mom was standing in front of him after recently escaping from Azazel's grasp. She looked different than he remembered, a green jacket covering a dark v-neck, jeans and black combat boots completing her look. Her features were more defined, her eyes lacking the love that used to be there.
"I can't be here. He can find me here!" She glanced down at the painted lines beneath her, cursing them internally. "If I'm here we're all in danger!" Mary said desperately, begging them with her eyes to release her.
"Mom, calm down! Dean's got it, plus we have hex begs to ward us." Sam tried to reassure, not positive the best way to handle his panicked mother. He was relieved Ellen was off on a hunt in Minnesota, he couldn't imagine having to deal with this and the brunette's questions.
She stopped and blinked, digesting the information. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to understand. "What do you mean, Dean's got it?" She demanded, noticing her eldest son wasn't present.
The demon looked awkward, as if he really didn't want to deal with his mother's tirade when he told her he was going to use one of Azazel's men as bait. He rubbed the back of his neck before sighing. "He had already tracked down Yellow Eyes second in command when I called him to let him know we were summoning you. Instead of coming here, he decided to still go after him." Mary's eyes widened, obvious rage about to explode. "Don't worry," He quickly tried to soothe, holding his hands out. "He's with Jo, they'll be fine."
The blonde demon looked genuinely confused. Why was Dean hunting down a demon with a hunter?, She thought, the idea seeming absurd and downright laughable. She shook her head, trying to focus. "You have to listen to me. You need to let me go. I have to find the colt so I can kill that yellow eyed bastard." She said, her tone and features hard as she met her husband's unwavering gaze. "Please."
"Mary," He started, saying her name different than he use to, more business than personal. "I have the colt. If you've been looking for it, you've been wasting your time."
The mother looked irritated, thinking she better call Garth and let him know to not be losing sleep over the damn thing. "Give it to me so I can end this." She insisted, hoping to get through to them.
John glanced at Bobby before stepping forward and scraping away some paint of the trap. "We are hunting down Azazel. If you want to help, you are more than welcome. But, I'm not going to give it to you just so you can leave again." He stated, his tone defiant, leaving no room to argue.
Mary nodded regrettably since she saw no other option. John gave her a thin lipped smile, not sure how to act around his wife before he turned to walk up the stairs to go retrieve the weapon.
Sam met his mother's blue gaze, seeing a small trace of happiness at being reunited with her family in her eyes. Without so much as a word, Mary approached her son and hugged him, stroking his back with slow, calming gestures as he let all his bottled up emotions out he hadn't realized he had been holding in.
Sam couldn't believe she was there and he planned on never letting her go.
….
"Let her go!" Dean barked, taking an intimidating step forward as his eyes turned black.
"Uh, stay back there Dean-o. It'll take me two seconds to snap blondies neck." Azazel threatened while Jo dug her fingernails into the demon's wrist, desperate to find some way out of his iron grasp as she felt her oxygen supply getting cut off. She felt as if someone was squeezing her lungs, trying to see how small they could get.
"Just," The middle Winchester looked lost for words, his eyes returning to their brilliant green color as he took a step back with his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "This is between us; she has nothing to do with it. Your beef is with me. I mean come on," He forced a laugh, flashing a cocky grin. "I'm the one who took Sam from you and made him kick demon blood." He tried to direct the attention to himself, wishing to hell he'd just let Jo go.
Azazel smiled cruelly, obviously not falling for what the demon in front of him was saying. "You see Dean, I've noticed a common trend with you and you know what it is?" He questioned and paused as if he was waiting for an answer. After just receiving a puzzled yet angry look from Dean, he rolled his eyes and continued. "The best way to hurt you, is to hurt someone you care about." He glanced down mercilessly at the young hunter before returning his yellow eyes to the distraught Winchester before him. "I think watching her die will be punishment enough."
Dean glanced back and forth from the two, a range of emotions crossing his face as he thought of a course of action. It only took a few seconds to realize what the heavy object in his jacket pocket was. He was formulating a strategy and all he needed was to get Jo away from him…
"The thing about that is," Jo started, her voice strained as she spoke with the little air she was allowed. "I'm not going to die." With as much force as she could muster, Jo knocked her head back, a loud thud heard as the hunter's head collided with Azazel's jaw, causing him to loosen his grip enough for her to wiggle her way free.
"Stupid girl." Yellow eyes hissed right before he sent Jo flying into the wall, her head smashing against the cement before she collapsed with a thump to the cold floor.
The eldest demon's concerned gaze landed on the unconscious hunter. Just as he went to go and check on her, Azazel held out his hand and flung Dean up against an old desk, the painful pop of his right shoulder coming out of place ringing in his ears.
The middle Winchester's lip twitched in ferocity as he watched yellow eyes approach him, his lips twisting darkly at the corners. He knelt down, enjoying every second he was making Dean suffer. The shorthaired demon's shoulder throbbed with pain, his features forming a grimace. "You know, I was going to let you live, Dean. I really was, but now?" He snickered and shook his head in mock sorrow. "I have no other choice. You understand don't you?" He gripped Dean's shoulder and pushed, leaning in to where his face was mere inches from his while the middle Winchester groaned in pain. "I'll be sure to tell your family you died begging for me to spare them."
Jo groaned almost imperceptibly as she pushed herself into a sitting position, eyes widening as she caught sight of the scene in front of her. She scanned the room, hoping for something she could use. Quietly standing up, she grabbed one of Dean's multiple knives from off the table out of yellow eyes sight, picking it up and making her way stealthily towards the pair.
The middle Winchester's eyes found Jo's, warning her not to do it. The hunter shook her head and winked right before she drove the blade through Azazel's back.
The Yellow eyed demon shoved Dean's shoulder away harshly, whirling around with utter rage in his eyes to face Jo as the eldest demon grunted. "You just really have a death wish don't you?" He paused as a soft clicking sounded from behind him, slowly turning towards the eldest demon to see him holding the colt pointed directly at his head.
Dean squeezed the trigger and watched as the round went through Azazel's skull, bright orange and yellow light flashing from the man's orifices as he died, his body crumbling to the floor in a lifeless pile.
Jo rushed over to Dean, helping him up. He shoved her off and went to stand over Azazel's body, not quite done while he gripped his own shoulder.
"That was for my mom, you son of a bitch."
….
"On the count of three. One," the sound of Dean's shoulder popping back in to place was accompanied by his groaning as he stood up from the musty motel room bed and walked over to the sink, grabbing the half drank bottle of Jack.
"What happened to three?" He snapped, shooting Jo a glare as she sat on the bed, cleaning a cut on her forehead.
She rolled her eyes and stood up to throw away the wipe she had been using. "Don't be such a baby." She teased, snatching the bottle away from him to take a pull herself.
Dean shook his head and chuckled softly, a small smile playing at his lips. "Can't believe it."
The hunter snorted, plopping down on one of the wooden rickety chairs. "Yeah, well. Might want to call Sam and let him know."
The demon nodded, he also wanted to call his brother and ask how summoning his mom had gone. He shoved his hand in his pocket to retrieve his cell phone, flipping it open and scrolling down to Sam's name before pressing the send button.
He waited what seemed forever, the longer it took for him to answer the higher his anxiety levels climbed. Finally getting his voicemail, he hung up and pressed the metal device to his chin.
"No answer?" Jo questioned, her brows creased with worry. Dean shook his head in response. "Maybe they're just busy talking stuff out. It's a lot to take in." The hunter tried to reassure the distressed demon.
Dean nodded distractedly before he stood up and tossed his phone haphazardly on the bed. "Yeah, I'm sure they're just busy."
….
Sam and Mary joined John and Bobby outside to find the eldest Winchester stifling through his truck, his hands frantically searching for the legendary gun.
"It was just here a few days ago." He breathed, running through the past few days in his head to see if he might've put it somewhere else.
The blonde demon backed up, feeling played. "You don't really have it do you?" She demanded, her voice getting louder with fright.
John spun around to face her, his hands out in a soothing gesture. "I swear I had it, let me check inside."
Mary watched as her husband made his way inside followed by Bobby, feeling a pit form in her stomach.
Sam didn't feel the insistent buzzing of his phone in his pocket since he was too focused on trying to make sure his mom didn't take off.
"So," Mary started awkwardly, glancing at her son. "This is a bit of an odd group. How did this happen exactly?" She asked, sounding curious as a small smile tugged at her lips.
The youngest demon smirked before shrugging, trying to play off just how he and his brother had totally fucked the system. "For starters, Dean and I went freelance." Mary raised her brows, a hint of satisfaction in her features. "We got tired of Crowley's shit so we started making deals across the country and using the soul's power for ourselves." He shrugged again, the life he was describing seeming like an eternity ago. "But uh, John and Bobby tracked us down about 10 months ago?" He tried to think, remembering Dean had been given his year about a month after being with them. He shook his head, knowing that it wasn't important. "But uh, they brought us back here, not willingly on our part, and then Ellen and Jo showed up and it just kinda happened. I was curious about our father." Sam glanced at the house, a distant look in his eyes.
Mary nodded, wishing she could've raised her sons in a different life. "Does he ever say anything? About what happened between us?" She asked abruptly, crossing her arms.
Sam frowned, thinking for a moment. "He just talked about how you kicked him out. Other than that, he only said positive things about you to Dean."
She seemed content although she worried at her lip before it was her son's turn to ask questions. "Do you wanna talk about how you got away from Azazel?"
Mary froze, her eyes widening slightly in horror before she regained her composure with a mask of indifference plastered to her face as she recounted what had happened.
Mary felt like she was suffocating.
It had been days since she had seen Azazel, let alone any source of light. About a week ago, he had locked her in this small room, no bigger than a motel bathroom. The cramped space lacked windows or any furniture, the demon resorting to crouching on the ground in the corner of the room. She had her wrists bound to the floor by an iron hook that attached to handcuffs with different engravings which rendered her powerless. She had dried blood running down her face and from her nose, her blonde hair a matted mess. Her wrists were worn to almost the bone from the cuffs, Her blue tank top was torn in more places than one and her jeans had holes sporadically spaced throughout the denim material.
She could feel herself wishing he would just kill her already; it had been over 10 years since he first laid his cruel hands on her, when would he just get on with it? She had only been in this specific room for about a week, but if felt like centuries. She had been on Earth a select few times since her capture and most of them were to torment her kids.
But she couldn't think of them here. She had to distance herself from her old life.
Time passed differently in Hell. Four months felt like 40 years, leaving Mary feeling exhausted as the days wore on, nothing to signify the passing of time.
She could hear the faint bone chilling screams that were a constant noise in Hell echoing against the walls, causing her to cringe whenever she heard one.
Her head quickly snapped to the steel door as it slowly creaked open, the slim figure leaving it open just a crack so she could see.
The newcomer rushed over to her and didn't seem bothered by the way Mary cowered away from her and squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering while the person grabbed her wrists, inserting what must've been a key into the handcuffs lock.
The blonde demon opened her eyes when she heard the loud clank of the metal bindings falling to the floor, her gaze meeting a short brunette.
"Come on, we don't have much time, he could be back anytime." The person urged, helping Mary stand. The mother could slowly feel her power returning to her, her demonic strength coming back.
Mary tried to keep up as the stranger dragged her down the dark hallway, the yells much louder out here. She knew her bare feet were getting cut up from the rock covered floor, but at the moment she couldn't make herself care.
She was free. Almost.
"Who are you?" Mary breathed, wanting to thank her savior who was taking her down a small alcove to what seemed like some sort of portal.
The brunette flashed her black eyes and a cocky grin. "Just go find yours kid, they need you more than they need me."
Before Mary knew it, she was being shoved forward and then she was landing face first on pavement. She looked up, the home of Garth Fitzgerald the IV in full view.
"That was about a month ago." Mary concluded, her eyes in a far off place.
Sam was speechless, not knowing what exactly his mother had gone through the past decade. All of a sudden he wasn't angry at her anymore for not finding them herself, instead he had wished they hadn't brought her here. He knew that together, they weren't safe. "Mom…" He started, his tone full of sorrow as he looked at Mary with no words coming to mind.
The mother shook her head with a thin-lipped smile. "It doesn't matter. I got away." She didn't want to talk about it anymore, what she wanted was to kill the bastard who had caused her family such turmoil.
John and Bobby came back outside, their hands empty. "I have no idea where it is. Sam, call your brother and see if it's in Bobby's trunk." He ordered, purposely avoiding eye contact with his wife.
The youngest demon nodded, digging out his cell phone and seeing two missed calls from Dean. He quickly dialed, hoping that nothing bad had happened.
….
The eldest demon quickly glanced at the empty space between him and Jo at his ringing cell phone, taking his eyes off the road for a second to pick it up, answering with relief when he looked at the caller ID.
"Sammy, I was starting to think you were ignoring my calls." He answered, a sly grin evident in his tone. The blonde hunter stirred in her sleep, wiping at her face involuntarily beside him.
The youngest demon scoffed on the other end, rolling his eyes. "Yeah well, we've been a little busy."
Dean cleared his throat. "How'd that go? Is mom there?" He asked, trying to hide the hopefulness in his tone.
Sam smiled softly, glancing at his mother out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, everything's good. But uh, can you check Bobby's trunk for the colt? We can't find it." He said, biting his lip.
The eldest demon smacked his forehead, remembering he forgot to tell his father that he was borrowing it. "Uh, yeah Sammy it's here. But, it's missing a bullet." He said vaguely, feeling smug.
The youngest Winchester crinkled his brow, not sure what his brother could mean. "Um, why? Did you use it?" He asked, earning strange glances from the group around him.
Dean glanced at one of the road signs and observed he was only about 30 minutes from Bobby's. "I'm about a half hour away. I'll explain everything when I get there."
Without much more, he hung up.
….
Bobby, John, Mary, and Sam were all waiting for them when they pulled up, each and every one of them with their arms crossed.
Dean pulled to a stop and got out, pulling the coat from his jacket pocket and tossing it to his father as Jo jumped out from the opposite side.
"You wanna tell me why we're missing a bullet?" John asked, thinking it was for something less than important.
The eldest demon shoved his hands in his front pockets, making eye contact with his mom. He had to admit, he wasn't especially excited about reuniting with his mother, he didn't want to have to explain all the ways he had let her down. "I killed Azazel." He said, hoping to start making up for his mistakes with this one thing.
Mary dropped her hands to her sides, her mouth open in disbelief. "You… what?" She said softly, glancing between her son and Jo.
Jo smiled and nodded. "Azazel showed up and attacked me and Dean killed him."
Everyone was silent as they digested the information. Mary was the first to break the stillness as she took a few steps forward and embraced her son, tears falling freely from her eyes as she tried to express all her gratitude in this one gesture of affection. Dean held her close, resting his head on her shoulder as he rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.
John came up next to him and clapped his son on the back, grinning proudly. When Mary finally pulled away, she swatted him lightly on the arm. "Don't you ever do something as stupid as that again or I'll kick your ass myself." She threatened although she was smiling.
"Now our biggest problem is Crowley." Sam said, dampening the mood. The group's faces dropped all expect Mary's.
"Why is Crowley a problem?" She asked as her eldest son shot Sam the biggest bitch face he could muster. Sensing she didn't know something she turned toward Dean and crossed her arms. "Why is Crowley a problem?" She repeated, using her motherly authoritative voice.
Dean rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. How the fuck was he supposed to tell his mom he only had two months left on Earth?
….
TBC
Please continue to read and review! It really does motivate me to write. Next chapter we will have a bit of a time skip and Dean's year will finally be up. So stay tuned! Thanks to all those who read, favorite, and follow. You all rock!