Disclaimer: I used to own supernatural, the boys, the Impala and everything else on the show. But then, the men in white gave me my meds and I had to take them.
Summary: That man was his father, his hero, the one person he looked up to the most in his life. And with him coming back, so did everything that had made him weak and vulnerable.
A/N: The reason I brought John Winchester back was because I always thought that Dean was never able to get proper closure with his father. There were just too many issues left unresolved from the secrets to lies to the second family.
Chapter 4. Taste Of India
Balthazar had screwed up, Dean thought, he had screwed up so bad and he didn't even know it. He should have never traded in the ring for something so trivial as the location of the Purgatory, especially when it would do him no good. But then, he hadn't known the true extent of the ring's power. Dean himself was figuring most of it out, looking up ancient obscure texts and drawing interpretations from them that sounded far-fetched even to him. He had taken up testing his hypothesis on angels, not those on Castiel's side, he'd made fairly certain of that and so far he hadn't been wrong. This might be the moment of truth. Balthazar had been right about one thing though, the bargain had been a rip-off. He just had no idea who was ripping whom off.
"You arrogant snake." The voice made Dean aware of the fact that he was no longer alone on the cabin. "You dare command me to come to you?"
Raphael stood to the full height of his vessel, exuding power as thunder rolled outside. Dean had told Castiel that he would repay him, that he would help Castiel win his war, but now, standing before the Arch-Angel, Dean was suddenly not so sure that he would be able to see this through.
"Having second thoughts about facing me?" Raphael smirked. "You should not have come here alone. Though none of your human or demon friends would have done you any good, but now, they won't even know that you are dead. Well, it's too late now. The sigils you made as backup are all gone."
"You angels really like to talk, don't you?" Dean said stiffly. "I know that the last few I killed sure did."
"Oh, I know all about your little shenanigans, Dean." Raphael replied. "Your little trick of trapping angels in a ring of holy fire, momentarily suppressing their grace with that thing that Balthazar stole from us and then killing them with their own blade. The only reason I haven't ended you where you stand is because I thought it would be funny to see you try the same thing on me."
"Really?" Dean asked. "And here I thought it was because you wanted the ring yourself. And you know that it can only be given, not taken. Either way, you shouldn't have come here alone."
"But I didn't." Raphael replied, as the room filled with ten others, all wearing identical suits. "I know you humans very well now. You are like snakes. Deceitful, treacherous, bite-you-when-you're-not-looking snakes. So even if you somehow manage to subdue my grace and call Castiel for assistance, I have backup."
"So many of you just to kill one of me?" Dean said, backing up and gripping his Angel-blade tighter. "Bit of an overkill, don't you think?"
"Is that what you were going to use to kill me? Cute." Raphael said, pointing towards the blade. Dean's fist closed in on itself as the blade disappeared from his hands and into Raphael's. "It's not an archangel's blade, so it's useless. Really Dean, you should have prepared better."
Apparently in panic, Dean pulled out his gun and let off a shot on Raphael's direction. The bullet didn't even touch the angel, disappearing mid-air.
"A bit desperate, don't you think. I'm bored now." Raphael said. Raising his hand towards Dean, he snapped his fingers.
Dean flinched, fully expecting for a moment to be disintegrated, but nothing happened. Both of them looked around in surprise to find the other angels lying unconscious on the ground.
"It worked." Dean said his voice full of wonder. "I didn't think it would be able to knock out a room full of angels. I guess putting out an archangel was too much even for this thing, but atleast you can't use your mojo anymore."
"You have suppressed my Grace." Raphael said, shocked, looking down at his hands. "You won't get away with this, Dean Winchester. Even the Seal of Solomon can't suppress my grace for more than a few minutes and you may riddle me with bullets during that time but my grace will come back and bring me back to life and then, then I'll turn you to dust."
Dean looked at Raphael's empty hands. The angel had made the blade disappear before Dean had activated the ring. Smart. He clearly taken steps to counter every move he knew of Dean, to make sure that he didn't fall into the traps that other angels did. But he had, nevertheless, from the moment he had decided to appear before him rather than smiting from a distance.
"Yeah, I guess you will." Dean said, taking out Death's scythe from his jacket. He knew it had been a good idea to keep that thing as a last resort. "But I don't think you'll be coming back from this."
Raphael's eyes widened in fear as Dean advanced on him. Without his grace, physically, he was no match against Dean Winchester, he knew that.
"You are already too late." Those were Raphael's last words to Dean.
The screams of the Rugaru filled the shed as Dean Winchester carved out half of his liver for the third time. The thing wouldn't die, not unless it was burned to death and it always healed, albeit painfully and slowly and Dean never let it heal completely. Somewhere, between the screams, John thought he heard incoherent pleas mixed in.
"Dean, stop." John commanded, and noted to some satisfaction that his son still followed his orders in a flash. "So, you think you are ready to talk now?"
"Yes, please, just stop this." The Rugaru begged. "I'll tell you everything I know, just make him stop."
"Good." John said. "So, you can start by telling me all about your Alpha. Where can I find him?"
"I don't know."
"Dean - ."
"No, please, I swear I don't know." The Rugaru pleaded. "I swear. We just had our orders to go on the recruitment drive. You people are hunting Alphas now. He knows that it's important to stay hidden. None of us know where he is."
"He's telling the truth, Dad." Dean said from behind John. "Let's just hand him over to Crowley and get it over with."
"Wait. I still have some more questions." John replied. "What can you tell me about this recruitment drive? Why the hell are all of you freaks suddenly building an army?"
"That's not something Crowley cares about." Dean spoke up.
"Well, I care about it." John shouted back. "And that means you care too. These things are starting something up and if you are a decent hunter, you should care about that. So, buddy, keep talking."
"We are preparing for the war." The Rugaru replied.
"A war with whom?"
"We don't know. Hunters, I guess." It said. "All I know that our father has given a chosen few of us his blood and commanded us to create as many of us as possible."
"His blood?" Dean asked. "I thought you guys multiplied the old-fashioned way."
"We do." It replied. "But before we do it, we are supposed to drink our father's blood. It makes us more potent."
"Potent?" Dean asked, trying to conjure up the most innocent meaning of the word. "You mean powerful?"
"No, we – we become carriers of our father's blood itself. Any progeny we might have would be at par with the first of our generation."
"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked.
"You humans don't understand. It's all about the blood. For each one of our kind, every shifter or skinwalker you meet." The Rugaru explained. "Our strength comes from our father's blood. The closer we are to him, the lesser the generational gap, the stronger we are. Our father needs stronger soldiers now. That is why he is bleeding himself, to create an army."
"He might be telling the truth there." Dean said to John. "The Djinns me and Sam hunted last week, they were carrying vials of blood too. I think those might have been from the Alpha as well."
"And you are just telling this to me now?" John shouted.
"Sorry, I – I didn't think it was important." Dean looked away and John turned his attention back to the creature.
"So, this war – who are you going to fight?" John asked.
"I already told you, I don't know." It screamed.
"You see my son there, he is just itching to get started on you once again." John said, pointing towards Dean. "So unless you want to lose your liver for the fourth time, I suggest you start talking." When the creature said nothing, John turned towards his son. "Dean."
"A prophecy, okay, there is a prophecy. About the coming war." The Rugaru screamed.
"A prophecy? By whom?"
"Our psychic."
"You guys have a psychic?" Dean mocked. "What she looks into her crystal ball and tell you what to have for dinner?"
"She is one of us." It replied. "It has been a practice among creatures of all sorts to keep a psychic among us, preferably one who can see the future. And there isn't just one, there are quite a few of them. Some creatures turn those with psychic powers, others create them with mating with the bloodlines. When the apocalypse came, all of them told us to lay low, because that was our best chance of survival. I'm guessing the same thing happened for all other of your so called monsters. Their psychics told the same thing."
"And now?" John asked. "What are they saying now?"
"The end. They are talking about the end and we are preparing to fight it."
"And you just happen to know about it?" Dean asked, disbelievingly.
"I was one of her guards when it happened, okay. I know that sometime in the early eighties, they first told of the possible destruction of our species. Then when the apocalypse was over, they told us that the danger was past, that this was the safest time for father to resurface and to reveal all of our true potential. Then, out of nowhere, five months ago to the date, they told us that the end was coming."
"You said you heard her." John said. "Tell me exactly what she said."
"She – uh – she said something like "He has awoken. The goddess has awoken him. The end has begun". "
"And afterwards?" Dean asked. "What did she say afterwards?"
"She didn't. They can't explain anything more afterwards. They don't even remember saying those words." The Rugaru replied. "But as far as I know, every psychic we have, every psychic every monster has, said the same thing."
"So you are creating an army against one man?" Dean asked. "Bit of an overkill, don't you think."
"One man? One man would never be able to kill all of us." It said. "Not even one God or one angel or demon could do it. Believe me, I've heard stories about them trying. Whoever this guy is, he'd need to throw everything humanity has at us to get us all and believe me, we'll be ready for that."
Dean thought that the Campbells should have looked more cheerful at the new. The monsters had been getting much stronger lately, bolder. To find out that all that had been a mask for their fears should have been a joyful revelation, but they took it with their usual worried glances.
"A destroyer to end their species." Samuel mused. "You thinking what I'm thinking, John? That they are talking about Sam?"
"What?" Sam exclaimed surprised.
"Well, you were born in early eighties." Samuel explained. "They said that the danger was past as soon as you fell into hell."
"But I came back almost right after." Sam countered. "Wouldn't that make their latest prophecy a bit late?"
"We don't know anything for sure Sam." John interrupted. "What were you doing about five months ago?"
"We were hunting the Goddess Psyche." Sam said, after spending a few moments jogging his memory. "But it was a clean hunt. No one got awoken or anything."
"Like I said, we don't know anything for sure." John said. "I know that it couldn't be me, I just came back two weeks ago and it couldn't be Samuel, he wasn't even alive in the eighties. Besides, right about the time he came back, they predicted that the danger was over. So I guess that was counter-productive. Who else was on the hunt with you son?"
"Well, Christian and Dean." Not Dean and Christian, Dean noted.
"Christian, when were you born?" John asked.
"1978." Came the reply.
"A bit early, but it could fit the timeline." John noted. "Anything happen to you on the hunt, son?"
"Guys, don't you think we are being a little egotistical here." Dean said testily. "The world doesn't revolve around us. It could be some random hunter on the opposite end of the world who died in the Apocalypse and was raised five months ago by some Goddess. Hell, it doesn't even have to be a hunter, it could be anything, an angel or one of their own who got turned and is out for revenge."
"Dean is right." Samuel conceded. "There is no telling who this guy is or where he is."
"Yeah, we need to find out more about this thing." John agreed.
"Why?" Dean asked. "What would be the point of that? Look, if this guy starts making big waves and sends out a call to other hunters, we'll answer it, but why go looking for him? God forbid that these creatures latch on to us and we clue them into his identity before he can actually do anything. There is no reason for us to hunt him down. Besides, we have our own jobs to do right now."
It took a moment for Dean's arguments to sink in but eventually everyone nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, it's back to the day jobs." John said.
"So what?" Sam asked. "Should we just go around finding Alphas?"
"Try collecting their blood." John replied. "The Rugaru told us that their Alpha had givrn them his blood to make better soldiers. Find out if other creatures are doing the same."
"What good would that do?" Dean asked.
"Well, Crowley said that there might be a spell that might help him track down the Alphas using their blood." John explained. "He hasn't got his hands on it yet, but he said he was close to it."
"A spell?" Dean said, feeling a bit nervous. "What kind of spell? Who's giving it to him?"
"No idea."
"Well, we might have some already." Sam piped in. "Remember the Djinns we hunted last week, they were carrying some of their Alpha's blood."
"I thought Dean destroyed all of it." Samuel said.
"He did." Sam replied. "But I kept one with me just in case. It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Good job, son." John smiled proudly. "I like it, thinking outside the box. You could take a leaf out of his page, Dean. Okay then, we'll hand it to Crowley when he gets here. And guys, would you make sure that when Crowley sends his lackeys here the Rugaru is not falling all over the place, Dean carved him up pretty well." The other three nodded. "Good, see to it now. Dean, stay back. I need to talk to you."
Exchanging curious looks, Sam, Samuel and Christian walked out. The door had barely closed behind them when John turned on Dean.
"What the hell was that back there, Dean?" John asked, barely able to keep from shouting.
"What?" Dean was nonplussed. "I really think we don't have any reason to go after - ."
"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it." John cut him off. "I'm talking about the things you did to that thing in there, torturing that thing. Where the hell did you even learn some of those things?"
Dean averted his eyes. He knew that this conversation was coming sooner or later. The story of one of his greatest failures, his breaking in hell. A thing which his new family never let him forget, even if he could.
"Jesus, Dean." It was surprising how John could put so much disappointment in just two words. "You were the one. You were the righteous man who started the apocalypse. How long did you last on the rack?"
"Dad - "
"How long Dean?"
"Thirty years." Dean replied.
"I spent the a hundred years getting tortured and you couldn't half of that?" John said angrily, but contained himself the very next moment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. I guess that was more than I expected of you."
"I'm sorry, Dad."
"Don't be. Your mother was right. I should never have put you guys through this life."
"Mom? You met her?"
"Yeah, in heaven." John replied. "She was just like I remembered. I couldn't stay with her for long, though. She said, she could never forgive me for raising he children as hunters. And she didn't want to be with me anymore."
"Sorry to hear that." Dean said. "So did you see anyone else up there?"
"I met your brother Adam." John answered. "Michael sent him back after he got hold of his vessel. That's how I knew about the Apocalypse."
"Thank God for small mercies, huh?"
"Yeah." John replied. "You know, of all my sons, I would never have expected you to have made it intact for so long."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, I protected you guys the best I could." John explained. "But I always protected Sam and Adam over you. I didn't realize that you were the one who needed protecting the most."
Even when the bastard was seemingly saying nice things, he could still cut you to bits.
"You always lacked the focus, the drive, that's required for the hunt." John continued. "You never had the strength to make the right choice, or atleast stick with the one you made. You always looked to me or Sam to make those hard choices for you. Even Adam did any job he went for with full dedication."
"Is there a point to all this?"
"Yes, Dean. You need to hear the truth." John said forcefully. "You are old enough now and I can't watch your back forever and neither can Sam. You need to be stronger or you are not going to survive in this world much longer."
"Stronger? You know, Sam wanted to be stronger." Dean replied. "That was why he was sucking on that demon."
"I'm not talking about that kind of strength." John said. "I'm talking about the strength of spirit, of your very soul. Something that lets you make the hard choices in life. The kind of strength that lets you survive hundred years of torture in hell. The kind of strength that lets you overcome a demon possessing you or even Lucifer himself. That's the strength I'm talking about."
"And you think I don't have that in me."
"You didn't kill Sam when you were supposed to." John sighed. "You should have stopped him from releasing Lucifer and hundreds died because of that."
"You are saying I should have killed Sam when I saw what he could do?" Dean said, shocked. "Or that I should have let him stay dead?"
"Both of them would have been the harder choice to make and you chose to go with the easier option." John replied.
"It was the right choice." Dean countered. "We saved the world."
"Sam saved the world." John replied. "But really Dean, does the world look saved to you?"
"I'm trying to be stronger." Dean said. "After hell, I promised myself that I wouldn't torture again, but I'm doing it now, just so we can get some answers."
"Yeah, real brave, son." John said sarcastically. "Carving the truth out of a tied-up and helpless guy. Dean, letting yourself cross the line won't matter if you have nothing to show for it."
"Am I interrupting something?" Samuel said, leaning in at the door. He could sense the tension between the men in the room.
"No, we were finished here." John replied ."Dean, go see what your brother's up to."
Trying to appear as composed in front of his Grandfather, Dean walked out of the room and as he closed the door behind him, he heard Samuel say, "Everything alright?"
Against his better judgment, Dean hung outside the door, trying to overhear the discussion that he was obviously not considered fit enough to participate in.
"Everything's fine." He heard John reply. "Just having a heart-to-heart with my son."
"You worried about Sam?" Samuel asked. "About the whole Alpha destroyer thing?"
"Nah. Dean is right." John answered. "There is no way that that person is one of us."
"Dean, huh? He's a lot like Mary. She wasn't cut out for this life either."
"We'll get her back, Samuel." John assured. "We'll get her back and then we can actually hunt as a family. And Dean will help us through this. He wants nothing more than to see his mother again. You'll see, he is already falling in line."
"I've had a real tough time keeping him in line, let me tell you."
"You don't have to worry about him." John said. "If nothing else, Dean knows how to follow orders."
"But - "
Dad must have had a skeptical look on his face, Dean deduced.
"But I'm not sure that is enough anymore." John replied ."This is war, not just a hunt and wars are not really won by soldiers in the field, they are won by people behind them. Hunters shouldn't just follow orders anymore, they have to be more, they have to assert themselves. And it sounds like every time Dean does that, he ends up screwing things."
"You don't think Dean has what it takes to be a hunter in this world?" Samuel asked.
"I think there are three things necessary to be a good hunter – focus on the job, thinking outside the box and ability to make hard choices." John replied. "Dean, he gets too worried about collateral damage and people's lives to make those choices. He gets too distracted by women or food or just having fun to really focus on what's important. And since he has never shown any interest in research or strategizing part of things, opting to charge blindly instead, that I don't know how outside the box he can go. You know, I left him behind when I was hunting for yellow0eyes because of that. I realized these things then and I knew that he would end up getting killed or worse, taken hostage if I took him. I guess it's my fault for raising him like I did, but it's too late to change anything now."
"Well, atleast Sam turned out like you wanted." Samuel said.
"Yeah. I know that Dean wants Sam's soul back, but I'm not sure anymore." John replied. "Everyone keeps telling me how it will destroy him and I don't want to put my sin through that."
"Can I ask you something?" Samuel asked. "You seem like a practical guy, one who'll put the hunt first. If you weren't sure that Dean could do the job, why'd you save him? Why not just let him pass when it was his time?"
"He's my son." John replied. "Ofcourse I'd do anything to save him."
"C'mon. Be honest."
"I am being honest. You think I wouldn't do everything to save Dean if I could." Samuel must have still been skeptical because moments later John sighed and continued. "Look, I love Dean as much as you love Mary. I'd give up my life to save him any day. But, there was another consideration. When yellow-eyes possessed me, I could hear some of his thoughts. I heard some about Sam turning evil, but I never got the whole picture. But one thing just kept repeating over and over. HE was looking at Dean and kept thinking 'This is the guy who will kill me? This is the human who will end my life and bring all my plans to nothing?'. I kind of knew that he was afraid of Dean and that made Dean the best weapon we had against him."
Dean didn't wait to hear what Samuel's reply to that was. He left the hallway as fast as he could. He'd thought, he'd really believed that his life would change once his father was back. While he was in there, listening to his father's disappointment, he'd wanted so badly to spill his guts, to tell him all about his plans, just to get one look of approval from the man. But he was glad that he hadn't. He knew now that his father wouldn't approve, wouldn't be proud of him, no matter what he did. What his father preached, he would never survive seeing it in practice. Well, it didn't matter to him anymore.
"Hey, you okay?" Sam asked him as he entered the room they were sharing while at Campbells.
"Yeah, fine." Dean answered. Then, in a moment of emotional weakness he asked, "Sam, you would pick me, right? I mean, if it was me or the world, hell, if it was me or Dad, you'd pick me over everything else?"
"Dean, you know that I don't have a soul, so I really can't care about these things." Sam replied. "But I do trust you over everybody else."
"You do?"
"Ofcourse, man. You have always had my back."
The answer didn't reassure Dean like he had expected it to.
"You going somewhere?" Dean asked, seeing Sam put on his jacket.
"Yeah, Christian, Gwen and some of the other guys are heading off to a bar in the next town over." Sam replied. "Thought we could hustle some pool, pick up a few chicks. Just relax, you know."
"Uh, I was hoping we could stay in tonight."
"Yeah, I got a better offer." Sam said. "Look, I'd have asked you to come, but you don't exactly get along with those guys. Besides, you are still pining over Lisa."
"Yeah, you are right." Dean replied. "Go. Have fun. You have earned it."
Giving him a nod of goodbye, Sam walked out of the door and didn't see Dean smile to himself. It was like the clouds of doubt had cleared away from his mind. There was nothing holding him back anymore, Dean decided, and with the next step, he'd be too far gone to ever turn back, if he hadn't already.
Dean looked up at the dark and murky sky caring neither for the rain pelting his face nor for the thunder rolling all around him. It was near midday the next day, but with the storm brewing, it could be mistaken for an evening. It was a fitting place for a meeting, he thought, some distance away from the camp as much as it was a fitting atmosphere. Dean allowed himself to just be for a moment, not turning around when he felt another presence behind him.
"Its almost cathartic, this rain." He said to his companion. "It's like its washing away all of my past. Making me a new person you know."
Getting no response, Dean continued.
"It was raining the last time we met as well. Remember that, the big old storm. We were indoors at that time, but still, this seems to be your thing."
"You want to talk about weather?" Came a sardonic reply.
"Just thought you would appreciate the mood." Dean replied, turning around.
"What do you want from me?"
"I was gonna ask you if you can have that drink with me after all. After you so brutally turned me down last time." Dean said. "After all, having a date with the hottest Indian Goddess I've ever seen will be big for my reputation."
"Careful Dean." Kali said, warningly. "My gratitude towards you will only take you so far. I'm willing to hear you out but anything more would be impudent."
"Why did you answer my call anyway?"
"Like your angels, I hear all of my devotees' prayers." Kali replied. "It's up to me which ones to answer."
"I almost gave up on calling you, you know?" Dean said. "I was gonna call you weeks ago, but my Dad came back and I thought that all this didn't matter anymore."
"So what changed?"
"Nothing changed. That's the problem." Dean replied. "I'm still the weak, worthless Dean to all of them. I've changed so much over the last few months, done so much and none of them even notice. I know I must sound like a bratty kid to you, like Lucifer in a way, but really, all of them have just been using me towards their own ends. They all just keep taking from me and throw me away when they are done. Not just my family, but everyone, angels, demons, people, all of them. I'm done being their whipping-boy. I'm done just bending over and taking it. From now on, I'll decide what happens in my life."
"Seriously?" Kali asked. "You have called me all the way out here to listen to you pathetic drivel?"
"I thought that you of all people would understand."
"I understand alright." Kali replied. "But that doesn't mean I sympathize. Trust me boy, I know wrath and – what is that?"
Following Kali's gaze, Dean saw that his amulet had made its way over his shirt and he hurriedly tucked it back.
"That amulet, it should be unbearably hot in my presence. But it's not." Kali kept her scrutiny over Dean's chest, as if gazing right through his t-shirt. "It has got a soul bound to it. Your brother's soul. How did you get that back?"
"Parting gift from Death." Dean replied, his mind flashing back to his deal. Death, not being satisfied with remaining in debt to a human, had offered to get Sam's soul back, instead of upholding his promise to appear at Dean's time of need. He had tried to get Death to recant, said he didn't need Sam's soul, but that was all Death was willing to offer. That and his scythe.
"Why isn't it in him then?"
"Just waiting for the right time to give it back." Dean replied.
"This was what I was talking about Dean." Kali said. "I know wrath like no one else and I know that in the fire of your rage, you could end up destroying everything precious to you. Even though you might not believe that there is anything left for you in this world. Besides, all this rage is masking the true power of your soul."
"The true power of my soul?" Dean asked, confused.
"Your soul is unique, Dean. It's special. Not even the angels can see it, because they do not have the power to create souls. Only Gods can notice it." Kali explained. "It's not a supernatural power, it's something you see in great leaders and heroes."
"Wow." Dean said. "That's not cryptic at all."
"Your soul gives strength to other souls, Dean." Kali smiled. "I do not know whether your God designed it that way or it just happened, but people close to you always end up stronger for it. IT gives them the strength to overcome adversity." Dean looked skeptical. "Think about it. You were able to move the will of a roomful of Gods with your words. Your father and your friend, both of them found the strength to overcome possession while they were beside you. Your brother was able to overcome Lucifer. You were the source of that strength Dean and that source is being dimmed by all the rage and hatred."
"That's real special." Dean laughed. "It's fitting. Turns out, I was cosmically designed to be a doormat. Well, if that's the power of my soul or whatever, I'm better off without it. This thing hasn't done me any favors in all my life."
"Very well then." Kali said, bringing them back on the subject. "So what do you want from me?"
"I need a favor from you. A really big one."
"And why would I grant you that favor?" Kali asked. "Your role in the Apocalypse isn't good enough a reason."
"I figured. So, in exchange, I'm gonna give you this." Dean said, pointing towards the Seal of Solomon on his finger. "It's a ring that can control the grace of angels. It can summon them forcefully and completely suppress their grace, making them easier to kill."
"And why would I want something like that? Only the Arch-angels were a match for me, two of whom are dead and the other two are locked in a cage. None of the others even qualify as a threat."
"You should know better than everyone else that nothing stays buried forever." Dean said. "Lucifer and Michael, they will find a way out and this whole shebang will start again. It might be thousand years from now, it might be ten thousand, but whenever it happens, I'm guessing you will be around. And I guess you could use a little advantage over them."
"And what hoops do you plan to have me jump through for this?" Kali asked, considering the proposal.
"I want you to kill every other monster out there for me." Dean replied. "I want you to destroy every shapeshifter, every vampire, every werewolf and every other thing starting from their fathers."
"Oh?" Kali raised an eyebrow. "So you have heard of the prophecy that their psychics have been spouting. You believe yourself to be the destroyer? That's arrogant of you."
"No." Dean replied. "I came up with this plan long before I heard of the prophecy. And you are the only destroyer I know who is capable of such a thing."
"Flattery will get you nowhere."
"I read up on you, you know, after we got away from that motel hell." Dean said. "About some sort of demon you fought ages ago. The way it went, for every drop of his blood spilled on the ground, a clone would rise in the battlefield. You defeated them all by drinking all his blood and not letting a drop spill."
"How disgusting." Kali replied. "That tale has been flanderized way beyond proportion."
"But it had something to do with the blood?"
"Yes." Kali agreed. "As long as I have the blood that runs through their veins, I can kill them all. But you ask too much of me. I'm not going to wander around the earth, looking for these animals, just as a security against something that might not happen."
"You don't have to." Dean replied. "I have collected the blood of all the Alphas I could find. I just need to get a few more. I just needed to make sure that you could do it. You can, right?"
"Yes, if I have the blood of the father of a species, I can eliminate them all. That much is within my power."
"So do we have a deal?"
"It appears so." Kali answered. "But tell me Dean, does your arrogance know no bounds? Is it that after I've done this for you, you plan to come after Gods?"
"If I do, trust me, my own God would be the first one on my agenda." Dean replied. "But if I survive the fallout, which is highly unlikely, I've others on my list."
"And you expect me to take your word for it?"
"No." Dean sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. I need you because you are the only one powerful enough to do such a thing, whom I could actually convince to do it. If you feel like you can't trust me, here - " Dean rolled up his sleeve. "Take my blood. With that in your possession, I'd be bound to you. You could kill me anytime you wanted. I can offer no greater security than that."
Kali considered the proffered arm for a moment and then, giving Dean a slight smile, disappeared from the view, leaving him puzzled. He had offered the Goddess the only thing he could that would help her control him and she had refused. But she had accepted his deal. Her actions made no sense. Could it be that she still had his blood from their previous encounter? Or maybe there was some humanity left in Gods after all?
Dammit, it hadn't worked, Sam thought despairingly, their whole plan had been a bust. Two pairs of strong arms gripped him, leading him inside the cabin. Eyes watched him cautiously as three more came into the room, all of the creatures eager to watch the demise of the hunter who had dared to wander in their territory. Among those he found the ones belonging to the skinwalker that had escaped them, eyeing him with unadulterated hatred.
"Pretty stupid, walking in here." One of them, obviously the leader, walked up to him and held him by the jaw. "Though I should thank you for making it easier on us."
Sam glared defiantly. It wasn't often that he had to look up to someone, but this man stood almost a head taller than him.
"Though I have to wonder." It said. "Why would you sprinkle yourself with some of the most delicious smelling spices before coming here? Were you seasoning yourself up for us?"
Dean had sold him out, Sam realized. That bastard had said that the spices would cover his scent, that their smells were congruent with the woods, so the walkers won't notice his presence. This whole hunt had been a setup.
Sam cursed himself for choosing to side with Dean on the hunt. Well, to be fair, he hadn't exactly sided with Dean. Dean had come up with evidence that the skinwalker who had escaped might be hiding out in these woods and since three of the Alpha's top crew had escaped with him, there was a good chance of the Alpha being there. His arguments had been weak, a hunch at best, but he had stuck to them. Samuel had also come up with a location for the Alpha skinwalker and his research had been pretty solid. But Dean, that stubborn ass, had refused to back down. Sam had no doubt that the lead Samuel was following would lead him and the others here eventually, but by then it would be too late for him. Dean had served him up to them on a silver platter. With seasoning, no less.
"I'm here to offer you a deal." Sam said, thinking on his feet.
"Is that so?"
"I'm here alone, aren't I?" Sam bluffed. "Which means that if I wanted, I could have brought down a horde of hunters with me. But that would have ended in needless deaths on both sides. So instead, I'm making you an offer."
"Really?" The Alpha said. "And what exactly do you have to offer me?"
"Well, for starters, I can tell you that that guy over there knows the location of the purgatory." Sam said, jerking his head towards the escapee. "He knows something that has been the cherished secret for all you Alphas for centuries."
"What? No." The skinwalker shouted. "I don't know anything. How would I know anything like that?"
"He was killed and then brought back to life." Sam continued. "My boss really wants to get his hands on him. Well, maybe he does know, maybe he doesn't. Can you really trust him on that?"
"No, he's lying. He - " The walker was cut off as one of his comrades stabbed him with a silver knife. Clearly, the Alpha could communicate with his children without using words.
"Well, that's that." The Alpha turned back to Sam. "But I'm afraid that's not good enough. What else do you have for me?"
"Look, four of your of your men escaped from our prison. Do you really think they could have done it without help?"
The Alpha looked questioningly at the skinwalkers.
"The night we escaped, our bonds were surprisingly loose." One of them answered.
Sam felt a bit proud of himself for not looking surprised. He had been bluffing there, but someone had helped them escape that night. Most likely Dean. Because for all his competence, he had been very much a failure at capturing the Alphas.
"See?" Sam said. "Look, I know that your kind is being hunted by a demon for information. I know that because that Demon is my boss and he has got a lot more like me working for him. But I don't want to work for him anymore, so I want your help. Help me take him down and we both win here."
It was a desperate ploy and Sam knew that. His only hope was that somehow they would believe him long enough for Samuel or his father to come rescue him. He couldn't exactly depend on Dean right now. Even though his betrayal made no sense, Sam knew beyond a doubt that Dean had sold him out. His only fear was that Dean hadn't made any deals with these things beforehand, like when he had helped them escape. In that case all his words would count for little more than amusement material.
The cabin door opened and shut behind him, introducing two more skinwalkers. There were more than fifteen of them in the room right now and Sam felt his chances of survival getting slimmer and slimmer.
"Good, I was hoping you wouldn't kill him before we got back." One of them, a girl said.
"You are supposed to be on the watch." The Alpha growled.
"I made sure that there is no one around for miles, okay." The walker replied. Sam's heart sank. Dean hadn't even stuck around. "Unless they bring jets, they are not getting near in the next five minutes. Just one bite, okay and then I'll go right back out."
The Alpha's response was cut off when something crashed through the window, and the room started filling with smoke. The hands holding him still loosened and Sam turned to find the two skinwalkers on the floor, passed out. The same thing was happening to others as well, Sam realized, looking around the room. It was a tear-gas grenade, Sam recognized the pale-yellow smog when his own eyes started to tear up. Coughing and struggling to keep his air in his lungs, Sam stumbled out of the cabin.
Dean was smart, he'd have to give him that. He had used Sam as bait to make sure that all the skin-walkers would be inside. And as soon as the stragglers were in, he'd shot tear-gas inside. And for skin-walkers, with their enhanced sense of smell, tear-gas had been the best weapon. It had overpowered their noses and knocked them out, kind of like concentrated ammonia did to people, before Sam had even smelled anything. Well, atleast knocked most of them out.
The Alpha appeared beside him out of nowhere and knocked him to the ground.
"Well, that was a first for my kind, I'll give you that." He said, picking Sam up by the collar and punching him again. "Smart plan. Good thing that as the father, I'm stronger than that."
They both heard the sound of someone running through the woods and the Alpha turned towards it, holding Sam in front of him as a human shield. Dean appeared, running full-pelt towards them, holding his gun out.
"You are good." The walker complimented as Dean pulled his gun on him. "Even I can't smell you. Even at this distance. Tell me, what did you use to cover it up?"
"No point in that." Dean answered. "Sam, stay still, I'll get you out of this."
"Does human shield mean nothing to you people?" The shifter said, holding Sam almost upright before him. "What are those anyway, silver bullets? You'll have to do better than that. They can't kill me."
"No, but they will slow you down."
Dean fired his gun and Sam felt pain flare up in his chest. Abruptly, the Alpha let him go and fall bonelessly to the ground. He heard the skinwalker do the same behind him. Dean had shot him. His brother had shot the skinwalker through him. Sam tried to fight the approaching darkness as he heard his brother step over him towards the Alpha.
"What are you doing?" He heard the Alpha say. Sam tried to turn to see what the Alpha was talking about, but was too weak to do so.
"You can shoot me full of bullets but you can't kill me with those." It panted
"I know." Dean replied and a second after that, Sam's world sunk into darkness.
"This is unacceptable, Dean" John shouted. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"
"The Alpha needed to be killed, Dad." Dean replied, standing strong. "He was about to kill Sam."
"Screw the Alpha. I'm talking about Sam."
"The bullet went through his shoulder." Dean argued. "It was a clean shot."
The rest of the room watched silently as the father and son argued. Samuel and his troops had returned with the location for the Alpha only to find Sam and Dean had just been to that very place. Sam fidgeted uncomfortably, trying to get his sling in a more comfortable position.
"An inch lower and you would have pierced his lung." John said. "Another inch and it would have been his heart. Do you even care about that?"
"I'm a better shot than that and you know it."
"That is no excuse for risking your brother's life." John shouted. "You screwed up the hunt Dean. You used your brother as bait in the sloppiest manner I've ever seen and you didn't tell him about it. And then you didn't even bag the Alpha."
"Things would have been different if I had some of the others with me." Dean shouted back. "Then, I wouldn't have had to shoot the damn thing. But no, you were so convinced that I was wrong, that this was a wild-goose chase that you refused to let anyone else come with me. Hell, you refused to let Sam come with me. You'd rather that you all went to follow Samuel's lead than ever have any faith in me. This is your screw-up Dad, not mine."
"Am I interrupting something?"
None of them had noticed exactly when Castiel had appeared in the room or how long he had been there.
"No Cas." Dean said, breaking the glare-off with his father. "What do you want?"
"I come bearing grave news." Castiel said in his usual staid manner.
"As usual then." Dean replied. "What happened, things not good up there?"
"No, they are very good in fact." Castiel replied. "The civil was in heaven is over. We are trying to restore order now."
"You are kidding. What happened?" Sam said sitting up. "Last I heard, you were getting creamed by Raphael."
"I had help. Someone killed Raphael and some of his most powerful followers."
"What? Who?"
"I have no idea." Castiel said. "Whoever this being is, it is extremely powerful. Not just anyone could take out an archangel and his finest."
"Well, that's good news then." Dean said. "Free shots all around."
Castiel took a deep breath.
"Before Raphael's death, he set up a spell." Castiel said. "Something that channe;s the power of heaven into breaking Lucifer's cage. The cage was never meant to hold two arch-angels and I'm afraid that if this is successful, both Michael and Lucifer will roam free."
"You mean they will try to restart the apocalypse?" Samuel asked.
"No, it is much worse." Castiel replied. "Even though he is in hell, we all can still feel Michael's grace. We felt it when he fell."
"Fell?"
"As in he is a fallen angel now, like Lucifer." Castiel explained. "I believe that Lucifer convinced him to change sides when they were locked in together, perhaps his perceived betrayal by God helped. If they make it back up here, Michael and Lucifer would stand together and there is no force in universe that could stand before them."
"You are saying they would destroy earth completely?" Dean said, horrified. "Cas, we have to stop that spell from working."
"That is what I'm here about." Castiel replied. "The only way to stop the spell is by sealing off heaven itself."
"Great, let's do that."
"We are." Castiel replied. "Nothing unites the whole garrison better than the fear of the wrath of two arch-angels. But once we seal it off, it will be over Dean. Nothing gets in or out of heaven. I would never be able to come back to earth."
"What about the souls up there?" Samuel asked, thinking about Mary.
"Human souls can enter heaven as usual, but none can ever leave. Same goes for everything else up there." Castiel explained. "Once the doors are shut, angels won't be able to walk on earth for another millennia at the very least."
"So you are saying, this is good-bye." Sam said.
"Yes, I thought you both deserved atleast that much." Castiel replied. "That will be all then. Dean may I speak to you privately for a moment?"
"Sure." Dean shrugged and started walking out with the angel.
"Wait a second." John Winchester, who had been considering Castiel calmly until now, spoke up. "You are that angel right? The one who pulled Dean out of hell and has been watching over him ever since?"
"Yes."
"Thanks." John said. "Thanks for taking such good care of my boy."
Without replying, Castiel and Dean disappeared from the room. The others sat silently fro a few moments, staring at the empty spot where the two had been.
"So, Sam, did you find anything?" John asked, breaking the silence.
"Dean didn't have to kill the Alpha." Sam replied. "He had it down and could have bagged it, but he killed it instead. And Dean had helped the ones we caught escape. I think he tracked down the Alpha through them."
"Dammit." John cursed. "What the hell is he thinking? If Crowley finds out, He's gonna have Dean crucified."
"Dean's not afraid of Crowley. He – uh – hinted that he has something over Crowley."
"Hinted?"
"He said that Crowley wouldn't dare to threaten him." Sam explained. "I think he has gotten hold of Crowley's bones."
"That doesn't make any sense." Christian said. "If Dean has Crowley's bones, why hasn't he used them to get out of this? What the hell is he planning?"
"He isn't planning anything." John said confidently. "My son isn't one for grand schemes. He's jus bucking under authority. He's trying to screw Crowley over as much as he can without getting killed."
"I tried talking to him, Dad." Sam said. "He just lied to my face about everything."
"We can't worry about Dean right now." John replied. "If the angels are shutting heaven down, we need to get Mary out of there before they do it. We need to get the location of the purgatory for Crowley soon."
"How?" Samuel said. "We have been trying to do that for almost two years and we haven't gotten any close."
"Maybe there is another way." Sam suggested. "Dean won't tell us where, but if we can find the location of Crowley's bones, we can trade for it."
"Yeah, we should do that." John nodded. "Sam, go through Dean's computer when you get a chance and try to find out where he is hiding those bones. And keep an eye on your brother. Tell me if he does anything stupid."
"Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" Dean ranted. "Take care of me? You taking care of me? Like I'm some idiot who can't take care of himself."
"Dean - "
"He didn't say taking care of my sons." Dean continued. "Son, not sons. No, because Sam can take care of himself. I'm the one who is weak."
"Dean!" Castiel shouted.
"Oh, yeah." Dean turned towards the angel. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"How did you do it, Dean?" Castiel asked. "How did you kill Raphael?"
"I didn't." Dean answered. "What the hell made you say that?"
"Do not lie to me Dean." Castiel said. "Raphael was an Arch-angel, the highest authority in heaven. He might have been my enemy at the time but no angel would stand for him being killed by a human. If you killed Raphael, you will be barred from heaven forever."
"What makes you think I wanna go to that place?" Dean replied. "Anyway, I didn't do it. You said it yourself, something that could kill Raphael and his legion of doom would have to be unbelievably powerful."
"You might have found some other way. You are kind of good at that." Castiel said. "And I felt your presence at that place, some sign that you had been there. So tell me the truth, I need to know."
"Why?" Dean asked. "Raphael's dead. Can't you just leave it at that?"
But Castiel wasn't looking at Dean. His eyes were fixed on Dean's right hand.
"What is that?" Castiel asked, grabbing Dean's hand. "Is that the Ring of Solomon? Dean, is this you used to kill Raphael?"
"Guess there is no point in lying now." Dean said. "I did you a favor Cas. Raphael was kicking your ass all over heaven. I took him out for you."
"He wasn't your enemy to take out. Dean, give the ring to me."
"What? No."
"It is a weapon of heaven, Dean." Castiel said. "It belongs there. Once the doors shut there will be no way to get it back in."
"Sorry, Cas." Dean replied. "But it's already promised to someone else. I can't tell you any details, but I need this thing right now."
Castiel was standing very close to Dean now. Dean recognized that stance as the one Castiel used to intimidate humans. He had seen that look on his face a few times now, first time when Castiel had told him about the coming Apocalypse and last time when he had been about to say yes to Michael.
"This is not a negotiation. Give it to me right now."
"No." Dean replied matching the look with one of his own. "And you can't take it. It has to be given. Otherwise it loses its power."
"I would rather the ring be powerless that fall into wrong hands." Castiel said. "Do not oppose me Dean, it didn't end well for you last time."
"Yeah, how could I forget that?" Dean snarled. "You beat the crap out of me for being weak."
"Your weakness would have ended the world."
"But it wasn't just my weakness, was it?" Dean asked. "Sam's weakness started it all. You were weak when you gave into heaven's demand and freed Sam from the panic room. Why the hell was I the only one who ever gets punished for his weakness? I don't remember either of you getting the crap beat out of them."
"I couldn't have you failing me."
"Why not?" Dean countered. "You failed me first. Both of you. That was my one moment of weakness and instead of helping me through it, you beat me up and threw me in the basement."
"This isn't about that." Castiel growled. "Give me the ring, right now."
"If you want it, you are gonna have to take it from me."
Castiel swung his fist towards Dean, but it was caught mid-air. He looked shocked at it as Dean returned the blow with one of his own, throwing Castiel to the ground. Dean wasn't stronger, he realized, he had gotten weaker.
"This is how I got Raphael." Dean said, lifting Castiel up by his shirt and punching him again. "I suppressed his grace and then I finished him off." Another punch. "You know, I promised myself, I wouldn't be weak again. I wouldn't just bend over for anyone and everyone to screw me." Another punch. "Because everytime I let myself be weak, be vulnerable, someone in my life punishes me for it." Another punch. "First Dad, for a long, long time. Then Sam, Then Bobby. Then you. All of you are just waiting for me to screw up so you can take your frustrations out on me." Another punch. "Well, guess what? I'm stronger than all of you now. And none of you is ever going to hurt me again."
Their situations were reversed, Castiel thought, looking up at Dean with defiant eyes from the ground where he had been thrown. This time around he was the one lying on the ground, beaten and bleeding, while Dean looked on with wrath comparable to any angels. Castiel flinched as Dean took his blade and held it against his neck.
"We are even Cas." Dean said. "You helped me save my home and I helped you save yours. If I find any more of your weapons, I'll find some way to get them back up there. But the ring stays with me. Now go away. I never want to see you again."
Dean threw down the blade beside the fallen angel and turned to leave. He didn't look behind to see the final look of goodbye or to feel the final rush of wings when Castiel left. He had gone too far now and there was no turning back now.
Okay, fourth chapter over. Some comments on the latest episode. First of all, yay, Sam got his soul back. Finally. I know that many people are saying that soulless Sam made for good storytelling, but I really hated that Sam.
The show kind of surprised me a bit at quite some points. When I first heard the synopsis, I thought that when Dean became death, his final reap was going to be Bobby, who would just be about to be killed by Sam. And Dean would take off the ring and lose the wager, thus making Sam soulless for atleast a few more episodes. But I guess Dean wouldn't have learned his lesson in that case. Glad I was wrong on both counts.
About this story, I had come up with a few more ideas that I had wanted to implement. One was Michael and Lucifer actually getting out and working together. Second was Mary coming back herself, but brought back by Dean as a zombie to do his bidding and act as a spy. Third was Bobby finally catching the demon that possessed his wife, but Dean letting it go because it was one of Meg's camps and Dean thought Meg might help him bring Crowley down. But I'm pretty happy with where this is now. Almost all of his family and friends are either against Dean or they don't care and Dean is the same way towards them.
Well, like I said in the first chapter, I had no idea where the story would go and new ideas just kept popping in my head. I noticed that I left a pretty big plothole. In the last chapter I had Death promise to help Dean once and now I made it that Death gave Dean Sam's soul. Initially I wanted Crowley to return Sam's soul as a final act of desperation to save himself from Dean, but I thought it would be better this way. Sorry for the mess-up though.
Another reason I abandoned a lot of ideas is because a new story idea came to me. You know how it is, once a new idea comes up, it's hard to keep working on old ones. Still, I'm determined to see this one through before going for the new one. As usual, reviews will keep me writing.