Here's the continuation of chapter 10. This whole time travel idea came to me around maybe chapter 6 or 7, can't really remember but I really liked it. Also I figured that Sam doesn't get to time travel as much as Dean, so I wanted him to have a ride in a DeLorean. Let me know what you think!
"I thought that was you at the bunker. Cassie managed to ward the room before I had a chance to say hi to you, Sammy."
"It's Sam." The tone was deep, a barely contained growl as Sam watched from his spot up on the wall, anger and sorrow waging war within him. The demon using his brother's dead body lifted the paralyzed future version of himself up off the floor and into one of the kitchen chairs. So this was the Knight of Hell Cas was talking about. The demon gave a light smack to the back of Future Sam's head, getting a hazel glare in return. As soon as the demon turned away, he could see how the future Winchester fidgeted, testing the demon-kinesis. There was no give.
The demon chuckled as he got closer to Sam, smirk in place. "Come on, don't be like that Sammy. I thought I was allowed to call you by that name." His smirk grew larger, morphing into a gleeful grin. Anger won out when seeing how the demon was using Dean's body to mock him.
"Dean's allowed to call me that, not the likes of you. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave my brother's body and never look back."
The scent of sulfur grew stronger as black eyes drew near. "Oh yeah. You gonna make me leave? You'd do that, Sam? To your dear brother?"
The demon-kinesis hold was strong as Sam flinched and flexed against the wall, wanting to lash out at the imposter. "You're not my brother. You're some demon who got a hold of his body."
Hazel eyes squinted at him, head tilted a bit like Cas, before a loud laugh rang out. Although it wasn't his brother, seeing Dean's face filled with laughter felt like Sam had been punched in the gut. When was the last time Dean had laughed? Truly laughed? Too long.
The demon continued to laugh, looking at him than turning to Future Sam who glared back. This carried on for a few seconds more, causing Sam's irritation to rise.
"What the hell's so funny?"
Wiping at the corner of his eyes, the demon using Dean's body snickered as his laughter settled down. "He didn't tell you, did he?"
The demon's eyes cut to his future self, and Sam could feel suspicion building toward the older hunter. Demons lied, that was a fact, but they also told the truth, especially if the truth could do more harm.
"My guess is…," started the demon as he crouched next to Future Sam, throwing an arm around his shoulders. His future self tensed, a quiet growl coming from his chest as he tried to lean away. "…that Sammy here told you dear precious Dean was dead. Am I right?"
Both Sams were quiet, giving away the answer.
"Well, he's not completely wrong." Getting up, the demon wandered over to Sam, smile large on his face. He reached up, pulling his shirt down to display the intact anti-possession. Sam's eyebrows furrowed as he studied the tattoo, glancing over the demon's shoulder to look at his future self. "He wasn't lying when he said Dean died. He just never told you what part of him died."
Sam looked back and forth between the two in front of him, trying to figure out if the demon was lying. It couldn't be true. The demon looked up suddenly, like he heard something, before stepping back and pulling out a flask. He wandered to the large space in the middle of the cabin, kicking away the spare chair and kitchen table before popping the lid and pouring out a liquid onto the floor. Holy oil. Cas.
"Hey–!" Sam started to shout but with a flick of his brother's wrist, his throat closed.
"Since you don't believe me, let's ask Cas." It wasn't two seconds after completing the circle that Cas arrived, wide-eyed and armed.
"Sam–"
With his throat constricted, Sam couldn't shout a warning, watching as the demon punched Cas across the face and kicking him directly into the circle. A Zippo lighter appeared, falling onto the soaked barrier, flames erupting around their dark haired friend.
"Cas!" Apparently his voice was returned to him, calling to the trapped angel. Cas looked at both Sams before turning his glare to the demon in his brother's body.
"Oh Cas, I love it when you give me those smoldering glares." The demon smirked at his joke, picking up Cas' angel blade from where it had fallen. "It's always the same song and dance with us, isn't it? You show up, armed and ready to kill me but you never really try too hard. I beat you up and you take off, leaving me to live another day. Even though your precious Dean is gone, you can't bring it upon yourself to kill me. Kinda funny, isn't?" Throwing the blade to the other side of the cabin, black eyes were trained back on Sam.
"Here's your chance, Sammy. You're curious, aren't you? You wanna know if I was telling the truth? Now you can find out for yourself. Ask dear Castiel if I'm your brother."
Sam continued glaring, keeping his gaze focused on the Knight of Hell. He didn't want to see Cas or his future self's face, for fear of confirmation. He didn't want to think about his brother becoming a demon. He couldn't. But dammit he needed to know.
"Cas?" His voice was strained, hearing just a bit of wavering, and he hated the sound of it. "Cas?" The dark-haired angel was glaring at Dean, before looking quickly toward Sam.
He didn't need to say anything. Sam could see it. The regret, the apology in Cas' look that told him all he needed to know. Sam felt his stomach churn harshly, the urge to vomit strong. He felt light-headed, throat closing with emotion. No. NO!
"Ta-da!" grinned Dean, or demonized Dean, bowing as if there was an applause for the reveal. "Told ya. Oh don't look at me like that Sammy. You had to know this would happen. I mean, after all I'm like this because of you."
Sam's eyes were watery but he knew he was giving the best bitchface he could conjure. Teeth bared, Sam bit out, "There's no way I would allow my brother to become a demon."
Dean, no not Dean Sam refused to acknowledge that fact, the demon smirked, happy that its plan was working. He waltzed over to Sam, smile larger for every step he took. "Oh Sam, you have no idea, do you? Me and you? We've always had a certain love-hate relationship going on. Like I said, I'm here because of you."
Sam was shaking his head, eyes pinched shut in an attempt to block out the demon's words. "No. You can't be my brother. Human souls need hundreds of years to become demons. You can't be Dean. Cas is wrong." If he said it enough, Sam might be able to believe it.
Opening his eyes Sam flinched when seeing Dean's face a few inches away from him, black voids staring back. A smirk twisted his brother's lips, malicious chuckle rumbling from his chest. "That may be true but Dean's a bit of a glutton for punishment, wouldn't you say? Let's play story time Sammy, I'll tell you all about your brother's demon make over."
With a snap of his fingers, the second discarded chair was up and scraping across the wooden floor, stopping next to Future Sam. Demon Dean came over, smiling at the glaring hunter, "This seat taken?"
With a dramatic flourish, his brother feel into the chair, arm reaching over Future Sam's shoulder again. "You see Sammy, this whole love-hate relationship is what made me, well me. I was born the moment those sharp hooks sunk into your brother's tender flesh."
Sam's eyes pinched shut, trying to get rid of the images. Dean had told him what had happened in Hell, at least the abridged version. He didn't like it the first time around and certainly not this time either. But it didn't matter, the demon kept talking.
"You should have seen me Sammy, I was the cutest little demon ever. Now this is where the love part of our bond comes into play. Because how do you think Dean got the hooks that birthed me? Hmm Sam? Because he loved his little brother enough to damn his own soul so you can breath again. So precious. You birthed me Sam. You're like my dad, or Frankenstein."
"Now, I know what you're thinking. 'Dean was only there for four months aka forty years.' This is true. Torturing the body is good and all but the real proverbial cherry is torturing the mind. You know all about that right Sam? But Alastair didn't have to do a thing. Like I said, Dean was quite the glutton for punishment."
Sam's eyes snapped open, glaring at the demon proclaiming himself as Dean. The younger Winchester didn't care about the tear sliding down his cheek, he only gritted his teeth and continued to shoot daggers at the other man.
"You see, no one hated or tortured your brother more than himself. Repeating his mistakes over and over again, his failures and shortcomings. Dean blamed himself for you leaving, how Daddy Dearest drank more than he should. Not being fast enough or strong enough to save innocent people during hunts. How you lost Jessica to Azazel. My personal favorites were not being able to stop you from being killed by Jake and having Dad give up his life just so he could live. Such poor self-esteem, its so sad. I will say that those were fun years, best childhood ever. I must have grown twice as fast as any other demon there. Your brother's self-hate was like Miracle Grow on steroids."
"Shut up."
He ignored Sam's remark, reaching over to squish Future Sam's cheeks together. "But because of you, my growth was stunted a bit. This is the hate part. No matter what Dean endured, all he thought about was his Sammy. How Sammy was alive, how Sammy could have that apple pie life he'd always wanted. Disgusting really. I had to deal with that for thirty years. But then, but then! The day came when Dean said yes. The pure ecstasy I felt when he picked up that knife and sliced into that poor woman's soul. My growth was amazing Sammy. I swear I aged a good three hundred years in that one slice."
"Shut up!"
Black eyes looked over at Sam, filled with glee as he spotted the tears that struggled to remain unshed. "What's wrong Sam? Don't like my story? It gets better. There's some hate at this part because there were some days, after weeks of blissful torture that Dean would remember his Sammy. He'd think about what you would say if you saw him right then. There were a few times he almost gave up the knife just to jump back up on the rack. Those were depressive days. Sadly, my growth spurt ended after ten years because of Cassie over here." The demon pointed over at Cas, who remained quiet and glaring from inside his flaming circle.
"He showed up and ended the party. I was just at one thousand, fifty-two years when he yanked Dean out, me along with him. Once precious Dean-o was topside and reunited with you, that stunted my growth once again. That was the hate talking. Man, after Dean got sprung that was the worst dry spell ever. Sure torturing Alistair was quite the high but really, Dean being back with his brother kept me from become more demon. Weeks became months, and those added to a year. And then two years, then three. Now, I will say that Purgatory was a bit different. I didn't get a lot of growth in that year. Dean was occupied with finding his friend, who at that point was almost right up there with you."
Sam glanced over at Cas, who still glared but the pinched look at the corner of his eyes soften when hearing how high Dean had thought of him. He wasn't the only one. Sam saw Cas as a brother just like Dean had.
"Well, anyway, I thought that was never gonna end but low and behold, you came to the rescue, Sam. You didn't look for Dean. Oh, the anguish and hurt your brother felt was incredible. Like I said, getting tortured by someone is one thing but Dean torturing himself was the best. Gotta thank you Sam, that helped me out a lot."
He remembered. Sam remembered how Dean was upset that he hadn't looked for him. Things got shaky between them after that. Add in Benny and things were really unstable.
Seeing movement, Sam watched the demon get up, hazel eyes bright with joy as he walked his way over to the younger hunter. Squaring his jaw, Sam kept his stare cold as the smell of sulfur grew again.
"But you wanna know what really gave me my push into demon-hood? Hell, the best growth I've ever had. More than when Dean was in Hell or in Purgatory, or even the argument about Benny being a better brother." Dean's hands grabbed at his shoulders and the demon's smile was large, inky blackness slamming down over hazel pupils. "It was you Sammy. You gave me my push."
The young Winchester could feel bile rise but he beat the nausea away, his eyes watering. No. NO.
"Yes Sam!" The demon stepped back, waving his hands over himself. "You did this. It was right after Gadreel left and we had that first argument. How you were pissed at Dean for tricking you into saying yes. How Kevin dying was really Dean's fault. That right there was incredible. And then the argument when you told Dean you weren't brothers anymore? That was such a rush. The pain Dean felt at those words was beautiful."
Sam could feel it, the bile that was in his throat but he fought and he managed to banish it but the tears kept building. Glancing over his brother's shoulder Sam spied his future self, willing him to look up at Sam and deny what was just said. And he did look up but then he cast his eyes downward in shame, the gritting of his teeth a tell. No. Why?! Sam would never have said those words. Never. He noticed Cas looking between the two of them with a knowing look and Sam felt his head bow in sorrow. Of course he would say something like that. This was the future, he had already said it.
"But you wanna know what really did it? What sealed Dean's fate?" The demon drew close again, smile large and giddy. "It was after that spa case and Dean said that if the roles were reversed you would do the same thing, you would do whatever you could to save him. And you know what you said?" The demon waltzed away, a near skip in his step as he crouched next to Future Sam. The short-haired man kept his head down but the demon forced his chin up, showing the tears that trailed pathways down both cheeks. "He said no. If the roles were reversed, Sammy wouldn't have done a thing to save Dean."
Sam could feel his heart beating too fast, how his breaths were sharp and quick. He knew he was hyperventilating, his throat and eyes squeezed shut with panic, with sorrow. What had he done? What had he done!? He remembered the anger his future self threw at him when he told him about Dean asking that same question last night. The look of devastation on his brother's face when he didn't answer him, right before Abby stepped into the kitchen. He would have said it, Sam realized. If Abby hadn't showed up just then, hadn't interrupted them, he would have told Dean no. He would have just admitted that he'd let Dean die; not do a thing to try and safe him. He nearly sobbed because his timeline was different from this one. He never told Dean that they weren't brothers and they hadn't worked a spa case but the words that mattered had been spoken. Sam may have already killed his brother.
He could hear laughter from the demon, no, laughter from Dean. He didn't care about the tears that ran down his face, he just cared about Dean. This was the worst thing that could possibly happen. Dean was changed into the one thing he hated most and Sam was the one that did that.
"Oh, what are you crying for Sammy? There's no need to cry. Unless I give a reason to."
Sam only had time to see Dean's hand reaching for his temple, hearing dual shouts of protest from Future Sam and Cas, when he felt fire boiling through his blood, his teeth grinding together to keep the shout of pain in.
Images flashed by, all in Dean's perspective, coupled with a flare of knives digging and twisting into bone. Himself in a hospital bed. Hearing himself talk about what Chef Leo had told him. His voice pondering if there was something wrong with him after the encounter with Vesta. Seeing Kevin parish before Dean's eyes, watching Gadreel walk off in his body. Sam could feel what he knew was blood dripping from his hands, testimony to how deep his nails were digging into his palms, in an effort to bury the feelings of absolute torment Dean had inflicted on himself.
Sam tried to breathe away the pain, because he knew Kevin was okay. Kevin was alive and safe in the bunker, obsessing over the tablet as usual. Dean, his timeline's Dean, and Abby along with the other angels would make sure Kevin stayed safe. That was a guarantee.
The next few images attacked his mind and Sam was sure his skin was slowly peeling off his body. His own face staring back at him, standing on a pier as they talked about Gadreel leaving his body. How the pain rose when he heard his voice tell Dean to leave, that he wasn't going to stop him. Hearing himself tell Dean that they were partners but no longer brothers. Seeing his body walk away from the kitchen, after telling Dean that he'd leave him to die if the roles were reversed. This was worst than anything he had felt before, worst than the cage. Sam wondered when acid had been shoved down his throat, only to realize he'd been roaring in anguish for the past ten minutes.
Through his shouts Sam could hear laughter. Chest heaving in labored breaths Sam looked up, eyes completely drenched in salty tears, as Dean had his head thrown back in joy. Black eyes stared at him and Sam let out a shuddering breath as the images faded and more of realty started to filter back.
"What a rush, huh Sammy?" Dean crouched next to Future Sam who stared at his younger self with sympathy and pain. "Any chance I get I let this Sammy have a ride down memory lane. Figured I'd spare him this time and torment you with your own brother's emotional pain. Whoever said words don't hurt obviously never met Dean Winchester."
The laughter returned but Sam couldn't find it in himself to glare anymore. He'd just seen what his own self-centered stubbornness had done to his last remaining blood relative and he was disgusted. But more than anything, Sam wanted the safety and comfort that only Dean could provide. He just wanted his brother back. There was a growing ache that soon blossomed into a scorching pain that emitted from his chest and Sam welcomed it. He wanted to feel pain, wanted to feel this burn that seemed to punish him. Looking up Sam found Dean standing in front of him, hazel eyes trained on his face, a large bone instrument in his right hand.
Without having to ask Sam knew it was the First Blade. The bone that Cain killed his brother Abel with. Seemed like poetic justice. Sam smiled at the thought. Everyone said it was in the Winchester blood, being descendents of the two biblical brothers. It wasn't hard to see that this was how it would end. He could see it in his brother's eyes that they were about to repeat history and Sam was okay with that. If he had to go, going by his brother's hand seemed perfect. Sam's payment for the life Dean had had to give up countless times so he could live.
Feeling the burning sensation in his chest intensify Sam kept his face calm as he looked over at Cas and his future self, seeing the distress.
"I'm sorry."
"Sam!" Both of them shouted in panic as Dean drew closer, his grip on the hilt adjusting itself.
The young Winchester locked eyes with his brother, wanting Dean to be the last thing he see. "I'm sorry Dean."
The demon hissed at him, black slamming down over his human eyes, face contorted in rage and a bit of pain. The burning within Sam grew hotter but he ignored it. "I'm sorry for what I put you through. For being a selfish ass that never said thanks for all you'd done for me. Thank you for taking care of me, for raising me ever since I was six months old."
"Shut up," Dean growled but Sam continued. Once he had started he couldn't stop himself. He needed to do this. He hadn't been able to say any of this to their Dad, his feelings, but he'd damn well tell Dean.
"You taught me to read and write, math, history, everything. I was able to get into Stanford because you would push me to do my homework and help me study. I met the best woman in the world because of you, so thank you for that."
More hissing was involved and the cabin began shaking a bit but none of that stopped Sam. "Thank you for coming that night to Stanford. I never said it, but I was so glad to see you. When you sold your soul for me, I was upset but never once did I actually say thank you. But I am Dean, I'm thankful for the life you gave, for the life you gave up for me."
"I said shut up!" The two windows that looked out the front of the cabin burst, shards flying outward and the wooden walls creaking under pressure.
"I was so happy to see you with Bobby those four months after you'd gone to Hell. Being able to hug you again. To talk to you, hear you speak. And when you let me stay after trusting Ruby, for opening Lucifer's cage. Thank you. Thank you for forgiving me for that year I was soulless. Thank you for helping me when I was seeing Lucifer. I'm sorry for killing Emma. I'm sorry for the year I didn't look for you. You were right Dean, Benny was a better brother than me but I really was thankful you had somebody to watch your back, especially when I couldn't. I'm sorry you had to kill Benny to get me out of Purgatory."
By now parts of the ceiling were collapsing, the wooden floor boards splintering, as Dean remained just out of Sam's reach, face angry and eyes pitch black. The foundation of the cabin shook, wind blowing through the opened door and broken windows. Whatever was happening was making Demon Dean mad. Which meant Sam's death could very well be swift. Again, Sam was okay with that. However, he wasn't done. He needed to finish what he'd started.
"Thank you for supporting me when I went through the trials. Knowing you, it was probably upsetting to see me in pain but you continued to believe I could complete them and I wanna say thank you Dean. I'm sorry, because I was lying to myself. I wasn't ready to die. If I was, I would have still gone through with closing the gates of Hell, regardless of whatever you said to me. But I didn't. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the things I said after Gadreel left. Again, I wasn't ready to die. I could have said no, could have left with the reaper that came for me but I didn't. So I'm sorry for lashing out at you Dean. And…"
Sam could feel his throat closing up with emotion, his vision blurry but still he morphed his lips into a soft smile. "…and I'm sorry I said we weren't brothers. I was being a jackass and I was angry but I never meant it. We'll always be brothers."
At this point Sam was pretty sure his chest had somehow burst open and was bleeding all over the cabin floor from the amount of pain that was working its ways through his entire body. But Sam had one more thing to say. Just one, and he'd be happy.
"I would do it." The trembling stopped, the winds fading away and Demon Dean has his eyes locked on Sam, armed hand shaking. The young hunter wasn't sure but his brother looked like he was in pain. Tears trailed down Sam's face but he still had that smile on. "If the roles were reversed, and you were dying? I would do anything and everything to save you Dean."
Whatever Sam would have said was forgotten as his brother let out a growl of anger, the whole cabin shaking fiercely. Grabbing at his arm, Dean shoved his sleeve up revealing an odd-shaped scar on his forearm. It was bright red and Dean shouted in pain when it began glowing.
The other three were mesmerized as a bright red light burst from Dean's arm, causing them to look away. When peeking back, Sam's eyes narrowed on the unblemished skin of Dean's forearm, void of the strange scar. Looking at the other two in shock, Sam found them to be wearing surprised expressions.
With a frustrated growl, Dean stalked toward the time traveling Winchester but he didn't take more than two steps before collapsing. Back flat against the cabin floor, black eyes trained on Sam, growls spilled from Dean's throat as his body jerked upward several times, almost like something was fighting within his older brother. Quickly those growls became bellows of frustration and pain.
Sam flinched when his brother's back suddenly arched up off the floor, head thrown back mid-roar, black smoke spewing out of Dean's mouth. Sam was transfixed as, unlike other demons, the black cloud rose toward the ceiling, thinning out as it made its journey. It was then that the transparent tendrils of smoke started to become little particles of light that flickered and disappeared. Once the last of the demon smoke left Dean, his body shuddered and fell still, the shaking of the cabin stopping.
It was only then that the invisible force that had been holding Sam against the wall disappeared, just catching himself as he dropped to the floor. The other Sam had already gotten up from his chair, eyes locked on their brother's body. There was a second when everyone's breath hitched as they noticed the rise and fall of Dean's chest.
"Wait!" Cas' command stopped both Sams in their rush to reach the downed hunter. "Release me. We need to be sure."
Keeping the anticipation in check, Sam raced over and grabbed the bottles of water from the fridge, giving his double half the plastic containers as they set to work extinguishing Castiel's prison. Hissing flames dissipating, the two men waited as Cas gingerly made his way toward his friend, not wanting to wake the man. It didn't matter as the recently emptied vessel slept on, unaware as Cas placed a palm on his chest, head bowed and eyes shut in concentration.
Seconds ticked by and Cas' head jerked up, spinning to look at the other men. "There's no more demon essence. It's him. Dean. All human."
The words caused a flurry as the two little brothers fell to their knees on either side of Dean, eyes wide. Future Sam's hands hovered above his brother's body, almost afraid to touch him. Deciding to grab the elder's shoulders, Future Sam gave a slight shake.
"Dean?" Sam could hear how the word itself was said with reverence. It couldn't be that simple, could it?
"Let me Sam." Reaching forward, Cas placed two fingers on Dean's forehead. It only lasted a second before Dean jackknifed with a loud gasp, heavy coughing following. The wait was nearly unbearable as Dean's coughing finally settled down. The unknown condition of their brother was a worry. Would it really be Dean, and if so, how much of him would there be?
Rubbing at his chest, hazel green eyes looked between the copies of his little brother, eyes narrowing on Sam. He gave a groan, "Freakin' time travel man."
The other three men smiled happily, glad to hear such a response from the newly humanized Dean. Tears could be seen building in Future Sam's eyes as he watched his brother get to his feet, waiting for him to find his center of gravity before wrapping him in a bone crushing hug.
"Easy Sam. Need to breath." The words were light and all Dean, making Sam laugh, all his energy drained from the whole experience. His chuckle drew Dean's gaze to him, hazel eyes narrowed at him.
"Why are you here? What happened?"
Future Sam and Cas shared a glance before Cas spoke, "What do you remember Dean?"
Dean turned to him, brows furrowed at the question. "Nothing really. I remember…Metatron was hiding out in some warehouse?" He turned to Future Sam. "What happened Sammy?"
Sam knew he was never more happier to hear his nickname than at that moment in his entire life. It seemed Future Sam shared the opinion, according to the small smile on his face. "You fought him. You…you were hurt really bad."
Sam knew he was lying as did the older hunter. Dean knew them too well to be fooled.
"Okay, we'll pretend that's all that happened. So did Cas heal me up?"
Three pairs of eyes turned to the angel but he shook his head, instead fixing his gaze on Sam. "I didn't but I believe he did."
Now everyone's eyes were on him and Sam felt self-conscious of the attention. "I didn't do anything though."
Cas stepped forward, studying Sam. "Not intentionally but you did revive Dean."
The elder Winchester waved a hand in the air, gaining everyone's attention, "What I wanna know is where he's from, how did he get here, and why?"
Sam shrugged, unsure of an answer that would make sense, but it seemed he didn't need to come up with anything.
"It was Ruth."
Dean's eyes looked over at Cas. "Whose Ruth? An angel?"
Cas kept his eyes trained on Sam. "Yes, a high powered one just a peg under the ranking of an Archangel. Much more powerful than even Naomi. She sent Sam here for a reason."
Again Sam was left speechless. "But for what? She didn't say anything when I last talked to her."
Cas squinted his eyes at Sam, like he was trying to figure out a riddle. He turned to Dean and the confusion cleared up. He spun back to Sam.
"Gadreel had just left your body, correct?"
Sam looked over at Dean and his future self to see their reactions but both of them were calm. "Yeah. Right after that I went to bed and woke up here."
Cas was nodding. "It makes sense."
"Okay, I don't get it. Wanna clue us in?" Dean's voice held slight irritation, waving at himself and Future Sam. Before Cas could speak, Sam collapsed to his knees.
Air. He needed air. The chest pain had left when Dean became human but it was back and worse than before. Dean and Future Sam stepped forward to help but Cas made it to him first.
"Listen to me Sam, Ruth sent you here because you were at a juncture in your life. Any decisions at this point will mold the path your life and the life of others take. You changed the future but it could still come to pass."
"Sam!"
"What's happening?"
The older Winchesters' voices were worried, looking to their angel friend for answers.
"Ruth's grace embedded in the burn mark is starting to activate, getting ready to return Sam to his original timeline." Cas grabbed at his face, blue and hazel eyes locking. "You need to find Dean and stop him from taking the Mark of Cain. If you can't find him, track down Crowley, he'll lead you to Dean. Talk to your brother Sam. This future can still happen, it depends on the choices you make next. Find Dean. Keep him away from Crowley."
Eyes pinched shut, Sam tried to manage his breathing, trying to ease the pain burning through his body. He could hear Future Sam and Dean asking about him, felt their hands shake him.
"Sam?"
"Sam!"
His chest heaved, his body trembling against the pain. When would it stop?
"Sam! Wake up! Theo!"
Eyelids snapping open, Sam's hazel irises darted wildly around his room before locking onto the worried face of Abby. Her hands were gripping his shoulders much like Dean and Future Sam had, only she was kneeing next to him on his bed.
"Sam? What's wrong?"
The pain in his chest was gone, oxygen working through his lungs, and Sam bolted up right, nearly sending Abby to the floor from the unexpected move, his reflexes managing to catch her.
"Sam, look at me, what's wrong? What happened?" Smalls hands were cradling his cheeks, and Sam was vaguely aware of how close Abby was to his face, trying to get him to pay attention to her questions but Sam's crazed eyes roved about his room. His walls were clean of sigils, no Devil's trap on his ceiling.
Theo burst into the room, angel blade fisted and at the ready, Andrew in dog form close behind him. "What's wrong?"
Sam flinched at the explosive entrance, wide-eyed and frantic. He looked back at Abby. "Where's Dean?"
There was a certain expression that passed over her face, licking her lips for her response but Sam was already up and running from the room, dodging Theo and Andrew.
"Sam!"
The young hunter ignored Abby's call, long legs powering his flight as he skidded to a stop in front of Dean's door. The wood was clean of warding and still in perfect condition, all good signs to Sam.
"Dean?" Not bothering with knocking, Sam rushing into the room, his panic rising when seeing it empty.
"Sam?"
Abby and company had caught up with him but he spun on his heel and fled the room. In the throes of his manhunt, Sam managed to surprise Kevin and Jack as they ate in the kitchen, rushing out when not seeing his brother. With every empty room Sam's calls for his brother grew louder and more panicked. He couldn't stand it if he was too late. The future he came from wouldn't be his. In that timeline, he may have had a hand in making Dean into a demon but in this timeline, he would stop it. He refused to let Dean turn into the one thing his brother hated in the whole supernatural world.
"Dean?!" Nearly ramming down the door when it wouldn't open fast enough, Sam rushed into the garage, the last area to search, and almost howled in sorrow. The Impala was gone.
"Sam?"
Wait! Spinning around, Sam marched over to Theo, who had been trailing after Abby as she followed him in his endeavor. Grabbing at the larger man's shoulders, Sam gave a shake, gritting his demand, "Take me to Dean. Now."
"Sam what's wrong?"
He could tell Abby was getting a bit annoyed but he couldn't think about that. He needed to find his brother. Theo, his eyes narrowed and studying Sam, was quiet before he shook his head. "I can't. He's warded himself."
Turning away from the other two, Sam growled in frustration and pain. No. NO! After all he'd had been through, it couldn't end like this. Cas' voice came back to him, If you can't find him, track down Crowley, he'll lead you to Dean.
"What about Crowley?"
"Him as well. I can't find either of them."
Falling to his knees, Sam let a few tears escape. Why did this always happen? It was a pattern Sam seemed to follow. Feeling regret and wanting to make some type of amends only after the fact that the person in question was out of his grasp or dead. It had happened with his Dad and now Dean.
"Sam, why do you want to find Dean?"
"Theo?"
Abby was curious about Theo's question but Sam felt like there was something else hidden in the inquiry. At this point, he didn't care.
"I need to talk to him. To apologize." His voice was small, subdued, like how he felt in that moment. For all of Sam's large frame, he had never felt smaller in his life.
"I may have another way of tracking your brother."
Sam was on his feet and in front of the large angel before he'd finished his sentence. "Please?"
~~SPN~~~
Shifting angrily into park, Dean sent a glare to the demon riding shotgun. It was nearly noon and Dean was irritated from both anger and hunger. Not a good combination when you were Dean Winchester. Or a demon in the vicinity of Dean Winchester.
"What? Don't make those faces at me Squirrel, sends goose bumps tingling across my meatsuit."
"What the hell was that all about?"
Crowley gave a shrug. "Don't know. You'll have to ask them yourself."
Whatever Dean was about to retort with disappeared from his lips as his driver door was yanked open and large hands fisted his shirt, hauling him forcibly from the Impala. His arms automatically came up to defend himself, adrenaline pumping through his blood in anticipation for a fight but Dean found his arms bound against his sides as his attacker…hugged him? The long hair was a give away.
"Sammy?"
The arms tightened with that word and he felt a near shiver from his little brother. What the hell?
"Sam? What's wrong?" Pulling free from his brother Dean looked him over with a practiced eye. No visible wounds or blood stains. That was always good. It was the unshed tears that made him uneasy and full of panic. Kevin? Abby and Jack? "Sammy? What's wrong? What happened?"
His only answer was a teary-eyes smile, "Dean."
Once again, long arms tightened around him, pulling him in close. What the hell was going on? Just last night Sam was pissed as hell and now he was touchy-feeling? A few feet away was Theo and Abby, watching the reunion. He sent a questioning look to the small woman, who returned it with shrugging shoulders and hands in the air that said 'Hell if I know.' Theo on the other hand was still, eyes calm as he watched Sam hug him, but Dean could see something more in the gaze.
"Isn't this adorable?" Crowley's comment was something Dean was expecting, almost counting down the seconds before the demon opened his mouth. What he didn't expect was for Sam to freeze at the voice.
"Sammy?"
His brother began shaking as Crowley made his way around the front of the car, looking over at the other two audience members. Dean could see how the King of Hell's eyes stayed a bit too long on Abby, enough that Theo maneuvered in front of the tiny woman, glowering and angel blade slipping out his sleeve.
Hands up in a display of harmlessness, Crowley stopped just behind Sam, whose shaking had yet to stop. "Where's my hug, Moose?"
At the teasing question Sam's whole body stilled and, with speed Dean had rarely seen his brother display, he spun around, arm lashing out and missing the demon with an angel blade by mere centimeters.
"You son of a bitch!"
There was so much anger in that insult, Dean wondered what the hell had happened since he left the bunker early that morning. Apparently his brother hadn't been shaking with fear but with rage.
Sam held himself at his fullest height, using his large frame to tower over the demon, fist gripping the blade's hilt hard enough to whiten his knuckles. If Dean was anyone else, he'd be scared right now.
Crowley gave a bewildered look, "Is that the thanks I get for saving you? What is it with you Winchesters?"
Sam refused to back down, not budging an inch when Dean pulled at his shoulder, "Easy Sam, what's the matter?"
His little brother ignored him, glaring eyes trained only on Crowley. Raising the angel blade slightly in warning, Sam growled, "You stay away from my brother."
"You make him sound so tempting and desirable when you say it like that."
Sam refused to take the bait, keeping his body at the ready. Dean wondered if he would have to intervene. He had never really seen his brother this upset.
Crowley narrowed his eyes at Sam, studying him. "What's got your panties in a twist, Bullwinkle?"
Sam inched a bit closer, blade up and pointing at Crowley, "You know what. The Mark of Cain."
Dean's eyes cut to Sam and then over to Abby and Theo. How did Sam know about Cain? Abby caught his gaze and gave a slight shake of her head to his silent question. She didn't know, so how did Sam? Crowley's eyes narrowed, calculating as he stared at Sam, his brother glaring right back. If looks could kill…
"You've gone and ruined the surprise, Sammy," Crowley's eyes flickered to Dean before locking with Sam. "But no matter. Your warning won't do any good. Tootles."
Crowley's disappearing act was timed perfectly considering he just managed to vanish right before Sam ran him through with the angel blade.
"Sammy what's going on?"
His question fell on deaf ears. Instead of answering him, Sam grabbed at his right arm, shoving the sleeves up roughly. Dean knew what he was looking for.
Sam's head snapped up, "Where is it?"
"Sam…"
Again he was ignored as Sam switched arms, looking for the Mark. He pulled his arms free from Sam's searching. "Stop already."
"Dean?" Sam's eyes were wide and a bit frightened. What had Sam so spooked? What was the big deal about the Mark? It was the only way to kill Abaddon, so why the freak out? Not like that plan was going anywhere.
"I don't have the Mark."
Sam's eyes grew impossibly wider, the unmistakable shine back, his voice soft and unsure, "W–what?"
"I didn't get the mark. Cain–Oof!" He didn't get another word in as he was held in another bone crushing hug, the breath stolen from him. He wondered if he'd have bruised ribs at the end of the day. He'd ask Ezal. After their talk.
"Sammy, would you let go already? I thought you were pissed at me?"
The words, Dean had to admit, were said with some sarcasm and spite but they had the opposite effect. Anger and annoyance was what he was expecting but instead Sam froze at his words. Now what? Sam suddenly let go, face filled with sadness.
That was enough puppy eyes. Time for answers. "Okay, what the hell is going on?"
"I'm sorry Dean."
Well he definitely wasn't expecting that. Dean studied his brother, unsure if this really was Sam. Looking over at Theo, he was sure the angel would know if this was an imposter. Turning back, Sam still had that sad look on his face but also something else. Like he had seen something that really spooked him.
"Tell me Sammy. What's going on with you? You okay?"
Sam almost chuckled at his questions, shaking his head as his answer. "Nothing's wrong with me. I just…" Sam trailed off, looking over at Abby before he gave a soft smirk, "I'm just realizing how much of an ungrateful gigantic ass I've been."
Looking at Abby, she presented the picture of innocence but Dean knew there was a story when seeing the soft curling of her lips. What the hell did they talk about last night? Abby didn't mention anything this morning.
"Sammy, what are you talking about? You're the most generous person I know."
But Sam was shaking his head. "No I'm not. I protest and whine for so many things when in reality I have a good life. I have shelter, food, family, things that other people might not have. Even growing up, I had a good life. And I never said thank you for any of those things. So thank you for all you've done for me Dean. Really, thank you."
Dean was a bit light-headed. Was he in another dimension? Did he get jumped by another Djinn? "Sam…"
"Don't Dean. I mean it. For all you've done. I mean you sold your soul for me. Who do you know would do that? You saved me so many times in the past. I'm alive now because of you. Thank you. And, I don't blame you for anything. For Jess or Amelia, none of that."
God, this was such a chick-flick moment but Dean couldn't bring himself to dismiss all the things that Sam was saying. So…Djinn? Had to be.
"And I would do it Dean."
His head snapped up, seeing the honesty in Sam's hazel eyes. Was he serious? Yep, Djinn. Definitely a Djinn. He wasn't sure he'd be strong enough to leave this reality, as fake as it was. "Sammy, are you for real? This isn't some Djinn thing is it?"
Sam's face flashed with sadness before a soft smile returned. "I guess it would seem like that huh? But no, this is real. I'm real. And when I said I'd do it, that was real. You're my brother Dean. If the roles were reversed, I would do anything and everything I could to save you."
Throat closing with emotion, Dean tried to think of a witty comment to break the gooey atmosphere but nothing came to mind. He felt Sam's arms around him again but Dean didn't know what to do in his dazed state.
"I don't mean to interrupt the brotherly love going on," came Abby's voice and the Winchester men released each other, seeing Abby standing next to Theo with her arms curled around herself. "But it's windy, I'm in shorts, and I have no shoes on."
True to word, she was wearing a pair of denim shorts, a short sleeve shirt, and bare footed in the middle of the vacant parking lot Dean had parked the Impala in. Dean took the opportunity to shuffle a step away from his brother, red creeping up his neck at being caught by Abby in a vulnerable state. Sam seemed to know what he was thinking, chuckling at his flustered look.
A glare. Bitch.
A smirk in return. Jerk.
"We'll see you back at the bunker."
Dean's eyebrow raised at Sam's words. His brother waved at the duo, working his way around the hood of the Impala and opening the passenger door to fold his tall frame into the car.
Dean glanced over at Abby and Theo, confusion on his face. Abby shrugged but was smiling and Theo just nodded at him though Dean was sure one side of the man's lips was tilted up. They both disappeared.
Easing himself into his beloved car, Dean turned over the engine, feeling good to once again be driving the Impala with Sam riding shotgun. A quick swat to his brother's reaching hand made the picture complete.
"Dean…"
"House rules, Sammy, house rules."
~~~SPN~~~
As glad as he was, it had been somewhat uncomfortable during the ride back to the bunker. It was nice to be driving with his brother again, both on good terms, but considering that Sam wouldn't stop staring at him made it a little strange. Being at the bunker had been much of the same.
Dean had wasted no time in devouring the lunch that Abby made, having not eaten since he had left early that morning. Even then Sam had eaten quietly, his eyes straying over to him every few minutes. He'd asked what Sam was looking at but his brother would just smile and say nothing.
As for Sam and Abby, Dean really wanted to know what had happened last night. They smiled at each other fondly, and Dean was a bit suspicious that they had done more than talking. But both had denied it, saying that they had reached an understanding with each other. Suuure. But Dean could admit that he actually hoped something would happen between the two of them.
Abby was attractive, Dean knew this. She wasn't overly skinny, just enough meat to be curvy in all the right places, full dark brown hair and honey-colored eyes. The natural caramel skin tone did wonders for her. She also wouldn't take any crap from either of them but she knew how much of her boundaries she could push. All in all, she was kind and patient, with bounds of energy and joy but also gave them a smack in the head when they needed it. Perfect for dealing with Winchesters. And Sammy deserved to have himself a good woman without lying to her or fearing that she'd get hurt or killed by whatever they were hunting. From all that he'd seen he was sure she could probably kill it first.
His teasing and flirting aside, Dean wasn't sure if he'd be able to actually make a move on Abby, especially if Sam started having feelings for her. So he made his teasing more innocent, trying to distant himself so he could see how things progressed between the two young hunters.
So right now, he was at the store picking up groceries for Abby, who had claimed dinner duty for the night, leaving Sammy and her at the bunker.
"Hello Dean."
He nearly dropped the slender boxes of linguine when hearing that voice next to him. This was unexpected. Granted he had thought about summoning the demon but he didn't think he'd seek Dean out on his own free will.
Placing the items in the cart, he slowly turned to find the tall bearded man just two feet away, a basket hanging off one arm filled with a bundle of spinach, two jars of parmesan sauce, and a small loaf of French bread. Seemed like Abby wasn't the only one in the mood for Italian tonight.
"Cain," Dean greeted stiffly, feeling a bit flustered. He didn't think he'd see him again, especially after what happened earlier at his house.
Dean's adventure with Crowley had led him to one of his dad's storage units, to Tara, and then to the small house in Missouri. There Dean made the discovery of Cain and the blade's origins. They'd been attempting to talk Cain into giving up the blade when Ezal and Jesse showed up in the middle of the demon's living room, both angels glaring at Crowley. Things became tense when Cain had slowly stood up from his chair, causing Ezal and Jesse to turn at the movement, both parties sizing each other up. The angels walking around on Earth were mostly still weak from the fall but Jesse and Ezal, to the best of Dean's knowledge, were two fully powered angels, both at least ranking as Seraphim. It wasn't looking good at this point.
Ezal then dismissed the pair, having Jesse teleport them into the Impala in the drive way and then teleporting the entire car a few miles away from Cain's home with explicit instructions from Jesse to drive and not look back. Dean hadn't seen either angel since. Then Sammy had shown up acting a bit strange and Dean had placed the incident to the back of his mind. But with Cain standing in front of him now, smite-free, he was worried about going back to the bunker. Abby or Theo hadn't mentioned anything but he wondered if things weren't discovered yet.
The demon didn't say anything, only maneuvering around Dean to study the different bags and boxes of pasta. Looking back and forth between two types of pasta, Cain didn't glance his way as he spoke, "If you were thinking about summoning me for the Mark and blade, I sure hope you got rid of that idea. I'm not giving you the Mark or telling you the location of the blade."
Dammit. They needed the First Blade to kill Abaddon. But first things first. "The two angels that showed up at your house? What happened to them?"
Cain finally glanced over, having selected on the farfalle and stashing it into his grocery basket. "You'll find out soon enough. I'm only here to tell you, don't try summoning me. You're not getting the blade or the Mark."
Dean nearly growled. "That's the only way to kill Abaddon."
Cain's eyebrow raised. "Is that what they say?"
Dean's spine straightened. Wait…
"Goodbye Dean Winchester." Cain turned away from Dean, reaching the end of the aisle and disappearing from view.
The hunter stood silent for a few seconds, not quite sure what just happened. "What the hell?"
Dean was still in a bit of a daze from the Cain-Pasta incident as he made his way out the store but his mind sharpened when seeing the man standing next to his baby.
"Hello Dean."
Dumping the bags of groceries in the passenger seat, Dean spun on his visitor. "What the hell happened back there Ezal? I mean, I'm happy you're alright but you realize what you walked into?"
"Yes, I do. You may not have realized it then Dean but it wasn't a coincidence that Jesse and myself were there."
Dean squinted his eyes at the medic. "What do you mean? Were you following me?"
"Unless you are in immediate danger, we don't follow you around, Dean. We respect you as a man and a hunter. In truth… someone called for us."
"Someone called you?" Did Ruth have human spies like Zachariah? Dean didn't remember seeing any street corner preachers lurking about. He thought about it before changing his mind. No, that wasn't Ruth's style, she seemed the sneakier type.
Ezal bobbed his head slightly to the side, "Well, I suppose praying isn't the same as calling with a telephone but close enough."
That didn't make any sense. To the best of his knowledge, Dean's group was the only humans that were involved with Ruth and her faction. "Did you have one of the other angels follow us?"
"No, Dean," Ezal's face was stony. "You slipped up."
Dean waited for him to continue but the angel kept silent. "You can't just stop after saying something like that. What did I do?"
"You weren't paying attention and a demon followed you." Ezal's voice turned icy. "And it found Tara."
Tara? "You were watching Tara?"
"No Dean!"
Dean flinched from Ezal's yelling. Brown eyes narrowed and the angel nearly snarled. Ezal may have been smaller than him but, as he stepped into Dean's face, the human male was sure he was about to be punched.
"I found her, Dean! Only me!"
Oh Shit. Dean scrubbed at his face, feeling a headache. He glanced over at the medic. "How bad?"
Ezal walked stiffly away from him, hands clenched tight. "The demon was torturing her. Wanting information about where you had gone. Jesse and myself made it just in time."
"She okay?"
Ezal didn't answer him for a few seconds, his head tilted away from him. He finally gave a sigh. "Jesse smote the demon and I healed Tara. She is highly upset with you but I made sure she was completely healed before we left."
Dean began nodding. "Thanks."
"I'm not here to talk about that Dean. Cain visited you?
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. Cain ain't giving up the blade or Mark."
"Yes, I know. He owed a favor."
Dean's eyebrows furrowed. "Owe who? He's a Knight of Hell."
"Me."
Dean paused, looking closely at Ezal to see if he'd say more. But the angel remained quiet. "How the hell did that work out?"
"I healed his wife a long time ago. She had the flu and in those times, it was very dangerous. So he prayed to me and I showed up to heal her."
Disbelief remained on Dean's face, a bit mystified by what he heard. But there was one thing that didn't add up. "So he just prayed for an angel to heal his wife and you showed up? Just like that?"
"No he prayed for me specifically."
It got better. "Wait what? How?"
"Remember what Ephraim talked about?"
Dean paused. Of course he remembered. Ephraim was on a rampage and Ezal had teamed up with Dean to stop his angelic brother from killing people. He remembered the showdown at the Nora's place and the bad guy speech Ephraim gave…
"Cain? You healed Cain?"
Ezal bobbed his head to the side, adding a bit of a shrug. "Like I said, he was injured and as a healer, I could not ignore him."
One puzzle piece linked with another and Dean narrowed his eyes at the angel. "You told Cain not to give me the blade or the Mark?"
"Yes."
Dean threw his hands up in the air. "What the hell for, Ezal? We need that blade to kill Abaddon."
Brown met hazel in a staring war. "It wasn't worth the cost."
The serious tone was a clue. Dean took a step toward the other man. "What does that mean?"
Ezal turned dark eyes on Dean. "You need to talk to Ruth," was all he said before turning away and fluttering off.
"Dammit Ezal."
~~~SPN~~~
Sam knew he had been hovering around Dean a little too much but he couldn't really help it. He'd seen Dean as a demon and it was something he'd never forget. Also something he was hoping to avoid at all cost.
Due to Dean and Crowley's warding Theo hadn't been able to track down his brother, but he'd been able to find him the second best way. Through Dean's baby. Being an ally to angels yet being concealed from them made things difficult if Dean needed help. So Ruth had placed a very specific Enochian ward on the underside of the Impala that only allowed Ruth, Jesse, Ezal, and Theo to track down the muscle car, any other angel would be in the dark. The rest of Abby's garrison needed to report to the other four if Dean or Sam disappeared.
So Theo had grabbed a hold of Sam, Abby hitching a ride, and he'd teleported them to the Impala's current location. Sam knew he was being overly emotional but seeing Dean in the driver seat of that black car had made him happy. Happy that his brother was okay and still human, that he had managed to get to his brother just in time.
Those feelings had lasted up until Crowley spoke, the demon getting out of the passenger side and waltzing over to their side of the Impala. The rage that had coursed through him was overwhelming but also a sense of failure. He hadn't made it. Crowley had gotten a hold of his brother.
That sense of failure had burned away, making way for determination. His brother had the Mark but that wasn't gonna stop Sam from being there for Dean. It also wasn't gonna stop Sam from taking Crowley out before he could somehow manipulate Dean. Future Cas hadn't been specific on what Crowley's role had been but he'd been involved and that was a good enough excuse for Sam.
Crowley had taken off and Sam was frantic about the state of his brother. He'd remember the strange burn on Demon Dean's arm, sure it was the Mark of Cain and he'd searched for it on his own brother. Not seeing it had nearly brought Sam to his knees. Dean was fine. Dean was Mark-free. He'd made it in time.
And he had done what Cas said. He'd spoken to Dean, apologizing to him and telling him that yes, he would do anything to save him. The fact that his brother didn't think any of it was real, that it was the work of a Djinn, was painful but he did deserve it. Demon Dean had showed him a side of his brother that Dean refused to show. And Sam didn't want for his brother to feel anything remotely close to that again.
Stepping silently into the kitchen, Sam was too deep in his thoughts, his motions in auto that he almost ran into Abby.
"Holy crap Sam!"
He felt the invisible shove, pushing him away from the tiny brunette. For a man trained and built like him, the blow only pushed him a few feet but he knew if he'd been anyone else, it would have sent him sprawling to the floor. It was probably an defensive reaction for Abby.
"Sorry Sam. You scared me." Dish rag tossed aside and headphones pulled from her ears, Abby extended a hand for Sam.
"No it's okay, I wasn't paying attention." For someone being a good foot smaller and many pounds lighter Abby was able to balance herself well as she pulled Sam's larger frame up.
Once upright Sam could see the shine of the wooden table, the sink filled with sudsy water and the stove gleaming in preparation for the dinner planned. Abby was also someone he needed to talk to. With Dean gone on a grocery run, this was the perfect time.
"You want some help?"
"Sure."
Dunking his hands into the dish water, Sam started scrubbing at a plate, hearing Abby move around behind him humming lightly as she pulled a large pot from under the steel table.
Setting the cleaned plate aside, Sam took a breath in. "Listen Abby, about last night–"
"Sam, don't," Abby had left the stove, standing at Sam's left with her hands on her hips. "It wasn't my place and I shouldn't have said all that crap. You're not an ungrateful gigantic ass."
Sam's lips curled upward a bit. "Don't be sorry for calling me out Abby. Dean and I need it every once and awhile. Not to mention bothering Jack. Besides, you weren't wrong, I was being ungrateful. And an ass."
Abby smiled softly back at him, giving him a playful push against his shoulder. Looking at her, Sam found that Abby had a pretty smile, her golden eyes sparkling with an inner fire that a person involved with hunting seemed to lose. She was actually quite beautiful.
Hearing his thoughts Sam gave himself an internal shake. Last thing he needed was the other angels catching wind of his thoughts. He'd seen a streak of protectiveness from Ezal, Jesse, and Theo towards Abby. Quite the trio to have as older brother figures for any woman regardless of who the admirer was.
"Listen, I don't want you to be offended but I kinda need to talk to Ruth about something. Could you or one of the angels call her?"
Abby's smile grew bigger. "Don't worry Sam. I figured that with whatever happened this morning, you'd want to talk with her. Ruth is actually already in here," Abby tapped at her head to clarify.
"She's been possessing you this whole time?"
"Kinda but not really." Abby maneuvered around Sam to pull a drying cloth from her stack of towels from the shelf next to the sink and settling on Sam's right to grab at the plate he'd set aside earlier. "After we got back last night, I was actually really tired from the whole angel thing so Ruth hopped in but let me stay in control, a bit like Gadreel did with you."
"Wait…" Sam grabbed at Abby's wrist to get her attention. "You know who Gadreel is?"
Abby bobbed her head. "Yeah, like I said Ruth doesn't really hide anything from me. As soon as she saw the angel possessing you, she knew who he was."
Sam had some theories but not enough to bring them up. He knew that whatever rumors surrounded Gadreel, namely that he had let Lucifer into the garden, could actually be fake but he wasn't sure. Maybe he could ask Ruth.
"Gadreel is one of the things I wanna talk to her about. But thank you for what you did Abby. I heard you got really sick from what happened."
"Don't worry about it." Abby's eyes glowed for a second, placing the dried plate and towel down.
"Hello Sam."
"Future Cas said you sent me to the future for a reason, so why?"
Ruth looked at Sam, her eyes studying him. "I figured it would be obvious. You needed to stop Dean from taking the Mark of Cain."
"But why send me to the future, why not just tell me about the Mark and the blade. I could have talked Dean out of it."
"That's the problem Sam. Being as powerful as I am, I can time travel as far back and as far forward as I want and every future was more or less the same. It didn't matter what I did, Dean still took the Mark and he still became a demon. Every time I made a decision to help you and Dean, I looked ahead to see how it would pan out but it didn't matter. That's when I realized I was looking at this the wrong way. Humans have free will. It didn't matter what I did, you and Dean had the final say. I sent you to the future so you could see what the choice of not forgiving your brother was. The only one who could have changed Dean's fate was you."
Sam was a little frustrated. "But why would Dean do something like that? He's always cautious about weapons, he wouldn't just accept something like the First Blade or the Mark without talking to me especially if it could kill Abaddon. We'd do research before we'd decide anything."
"Because Sam, your brother was trying to make up for his mistake. Gadreel almost killed Kevin and Jack, threatened to destroy you from the inside out. He needed to be of use to you, seeing as you basically shunned him. If he couldn't be a brother to you, he might as well be a weapon for you to use."
Sam rubbed at his face. He had to admit, although underhanded, it did open up his eyes to how his brother felt about the whole thing. And to think he would have let it go on if Ruth hadn't sent him to the future.
"You may hate me or thank me Sam, it doesn't matter. The fact that you saved your brother a fate worse than death is important. We'll find a way to kill Abaddon without risking Dean or Abby."
"What really happened with Gadreel?"
He could see the question had thrown her, eyes wide for a second before narrowing. It was strange to see Ruth in control. In the time Sam had been around the tiny brunette woman there was one thing he was certain about. Abby smiled all the time. There was hardly a time when she was serious, not counting the time she had yelled at Sam the previous night. Looking at Ruth now, he could really see the differences.
"You know who Gadreel is?"
Sam gave a curt nod. "He's the angel that let Lucifer into the garden."
With those words Ruth's golden eyes sharpen, her mouth setting into a flat line, all signs that Sam had just pissed her off. That was something Sam knew about, you don't talk about or mess with someone's family. Dean and himself were a prime example of this rule.
"So Castiel fell for the rumor as well?"
Sam's back straightened. "So it is a rumor? What really happened?"
Ruth was quiet, staring at Sam, studying him. She finally spoke. "Not what people and angels think happened."
Before Sam could ask anymore, golden eyes glowed and Abby was back. She gave an apologetic glance up at Sam. "Sorry Sam. She's not budging on this one."
"You said she doesn't keep things from you, right?"
Abby quirked an eyebrow. "Yeahh." She drew the word out, suspicious of his question. "And yes I know what happened. And no, I'm not telling you. That answer your questions?"
Touché. Sam managed to give a semi-guilty look that Abby rolled her eyes at, but he could see the small forming of a smile.
"Seriously Abby, considering you got really hurt, thank you for helping Dean and me. Thanks for breaking me out."
This time Abby's smile was bigger. She gave a flirtatious wink. "Anytime Sexy, I know you'd do the same for me and mine."
Sam gave a light chuckle at Abby's comment, happy that she still wasn't mad at him for yelling at her last night. All jokes aside, Abby and her group were a part of their family now. And there wasn't anything a Winchester wouldn't do for family.
"Am I interrupting something?" Dean stood in the doorway, hands laden with bags of food.
"Momma! Dean brought food!" An excited Jack came running into the kitchen, a bagged loaf of French bread in his hands.
"Yes he did. Come Chef Jack, there is much to be done."
Sam finished his task of washing the dishes, smiling to himself as he listened to Jack declare Abby his Sous-Chef and instructing Dean that he would be in charge of peeling the shells off the shrimp needed for tonight's dinner. A curious Kevin and Cas were caught by the small boy and both had been ordered to cut the bread and have it buttered. Theo volunteered his services and set himself next to Dean as they set to de-shell the four bags of pre-cooked crustaceans. Andrew remained by Jack's side, supervising the child as he turned the dial on the stove to begin boiling the large pot of water for the pasta.
Seeing and hearing the activity behind him made Sam happy. The bunker hadn't been this lively, or this crowded, since Dean and Sam had arrived but the hunter was happy to have the chaos. Noise like this meant his family was growing.
Seeing Abby look over at him, he gave her a dimpled grin, getting a bright smile in return. This was his family. Dean, Cas, Kevin, now Abby, Jack, even Andrew, Ruth and her angels. In the words of Bobby Singer, family don't end in blood. And once you were considered family by a Winchester, that was it. They'd do anything for you.
Dean and him were about to prove this right, they just didn't know it yet.
~~~SPN~~~
Tumbling out of his bed, Sam caught himself before falling to his face in the middle of his room. Dean and him had just got back from Stillwater, Minnesota not two hours earlier, both of them heading straight for their rooms to sleep.
They'd come across bizarre deaths where people, who had weighed several hundred pounds, would seconds later be in the lower double digits. After a couple of days Dean had found a possible lead at a day spa called Canyon Valley and that had sent Sam into a frenzy. He'd heard future Sam and Cas talk about some spa case, making Sam worry about Dean, fluttering around him like a mother hen.
It got worse when Dean had called Sam, his voice slurred and intangible. Then the call had abruptly cut off, making Sam fly into a panic. He'd kicked down a couple of doors in his search for Dean, something he didn't apologize for. Eventually he'd found his brother splayed out face-first on the floor of the facility's pantry. Dean managed to tell him that he'd been drugged and that had caused Sam to see red. He'd found the chef and the man had the gall to tease Sam about the pudding. The worried younger brother had thrown the man against the fridge, two seconds away from shoving his gun in the man's face if he didn't get the answers he wanted.
In the end Dean hadn't been intentionally drugged, Maritza was a Pishtaco along with her brother Alonso, who had been the one killing people. Sam had found Larry, Maritza's husband, on the floor of the kitchen, blood gushing from a large wound on his neck. He hadn't meant to pray, it wasn't even remotely close to a prayer. Sam had only thought that Ezal being here would be really helpful, and the angel had shown up.
The oriental medic had taken one look at Larry and immediately set to work healing the wounded man. While Ezal tended to Larry and Maritza, Sam worked with his brother in tracking down the rogue Peruvian. Sam had drawn the short straw, being the one that found the angry man. Dean had joined in the fight, cutting off the Pishtaco's tongue before it had latched onto Sam's skin.
Even though Maritza was a monster, she'd found a balance in the human world. One that was beneficial for both parties. Sam had brought out the puppy eyes in an effort to persuade Dean into leaving Maritza alive to continue her spa, on the condition that they'd be keeping on eye on them lest she get greedy. Afterward they had driven back immediately, heading straight for their rooms after greeting and eating dinner with their ex-angel friend and the young prophet.
And now Sam was shuffling through the darkness toward his buzzing, ringing cell phone that sat charging on his desk. The word Abby flashed up at him, and Sam ripped the phone off the charger immediately.
The young mother had left the bunker two days after the dinner she'd prepared the day Sam had woken up from the future, several weeks ago. Dean and him didn't want her to go but she'd made a good point that Gadreel now knew she was different and needed to go into hiding until a solution could be done about the angel. So they'd exchanged phone numbers with the promise that they'd keep in touch to make sure Abby and her son were okay. Sam had just talked to her yesterday so he wasn't sure what she was calling about. Although Jack was known to call them at random times to talk. Sam looked forward to those talks.
Sam coughed away the sleep, pressing the green button on his phone. "Abby?"
"S-sam…"
Immediately he spun around and yanked his door open, bellowing through the dark hallway. "Dean!"
He could hear a loud crash from several rooms, no doubt his yell not only waking his brother.
"Sam!"
"Sam?
"What's wrong Sam?"
Hand gripping the phone tightly, Sam heard three doors slam open from in the hallway. For now he ignored him, full attention on the voice in his ear. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Dean's presence materialized next to him, leaning close to hear the speaker on the phone.
"Abby, please tell me what's wrong?"
A choking sob managed to come through and Sam raked his hands through hair in frustration. Abby was freaked out by something.
"S-sam…he–he's gone."
Both Winchesters looked up at each other, knowing who Abby was talking about, just hoping they were wrong.
"Abby," Sam spoke quietly, hoping that his calm voice would be reassuring. "Where's Jack?"
It was quiet in the bunker, Cas and Kevin deathly silent behind them as they waited for Sam's cue. Next to him Dean was rigid, fists clenched tightly. Jack had bonded with Dean quickly, usually seeking the man out to play whatever game the young boy had made up. The feeling was mutual for Dean.
"Abby?" Sam tried again, his request cutting through the sob that filtered through Sam's cell phone.
"Abaddon." The word was whispered but it had a slamming impact on the Winchester brothers. But Abby wasn't done. "Abaddon has Jack."
It just got real. Anyhoo, this chapter was a biggy, 23 pages! Woot! I apologize for the way I wrote Sam, he's harder for me to write than Dean. So after this chapter things will finally be revealed, at least some of them. Any guesses as to a few of the secrets that I've tried to blend into the story? Sorry it took forever to get this out. I lost some steam but I'm in Portland, Oregon for some relaxation and I was able to get this done. Really wanted to get this done so I can post before going back home. Let me know what you think and I'm curious about if someone has an inkling of what those secrets are. Drop me a line and a review please! Peace. Out. -Mez