Legalities: Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke and the CW Network. I am not making any money from this. I am simply playing in the amazing sandbox that is the Supernatural Universe.
Warnings: This is my take on what would have been bad enough to send Sam into a confessional as a child. Taken from a comment made by Sam in the season 8 finale "Sacrifice".
It's unabashed hurt Winchester. Dean suffers because of a choice that Sam makes in a moment of selfish anger. Will he get the chance to make things right before Dean is destroyed forever? Can their father put aside his own obsessive anger and his need to hunt long enough to track down both Sam and Dean? Or will his obsession destroy his sons.
If you do not like the violence, then DO NOT read this story. It revolves around the brothers and their relationship and this idea wouldn't leave me alone. So here is my take on the one and only time Sam confessed his greatest sins.
Rating: T with possible upgrade to MA at a later point if it takes a really dark turn.
NO SLASH/ BROTHERLY LOVE AND FAMILY ANGST ONLY
Please Review if you want to see this one continue.
Chapter Eleven
Damn Demon
John had never felt as helpless as he did at this exact moment and it was an unwelcome realization. He was trapped watching as the unnatural things they hunt manipulated his sons. He knew that Bobby was out there in the dark…somewhere, but he hoped that his friend would wait until there was a better moment to break this up. Because those men were too close to Sam and Dean…and Dean was too unstable to save either himself of his little brother. That was a difficult pill to swallow…the idea that his eldest son was damaged at the moment. John needed to get his eldest son's attention and then keep it.
It actually brought back memories of Dean right after Mary was killed. He wouldn't speak; the four year old had stayed silent for months. John still wasn't sure what exactly had hauled the boy out of the self-inflicted silence. His gaze shifted to Sam and a sudden thought gave him some comfort…Dean started again about the time that Sam started talking. God I hope that he pull his brother back again. The thought was silent but heartfelt.
John pulled at the invisible bonds that held him pinned to the wall…and yet he was unable to move more than his fingers. The demon was watching what was happening in the cage with a twinkle in its obsidian black eyes and a gloating expression spread across the very human face. Suddenly something hit John in the hands and he moved his gaze down…there by his fingers was the flask of holy water. Bobby… He wrapped his fingers around cool metal and managed to at least get a good grip on it. Not that he could do anything about it at the moment, but at least he had something that would distract that son of a bitch long enough for him to try anything to save his boys. He just needed to distract it long enough to divert the attention to himself and away from Sam and Dean.
"Wanna see the mess I've made of your oldest son, John?" The demon said with a smirk. "Watch this." He raised his hand and the three men attacked Dean.
A cry of warning lodged in John's throat as the first one hit Dean from behind. The kid lurched forward and landed on his injured side. His white teeth showed as his lips pulled back in pain.
Even injured Dean cam surging back to his feet and was able to subdue one of them before they managed to slam him into the floor a second time. "Argh!" Dean cried out. The sound of his son's hoarse voice echoing through the basement in pain was enough to made John close his eyes for a moment.
Dean kicked out and hit the huge black man in the gut…he 'Oomphed' and then growled at the teen before lashing out his with booted heel. There was no sanity in his dark eyes and the sound of Sam's cry had John's eyelids blasting open in concern. He pulled against the demon-hold so hard that the veins were popping out against his normally smooth skin.
Sam's eyes were glued to his brother; fear washing over the boy as John watched on…he could see it as plain as day. And it sent ice flowing through his veins, chilling his heart to the core.
"Dean!" Sam yelled.
A smile pulled at the corners of the demon's lips and he stepped forward. His fingers flicking to the left and the man that Dean had sent to the ground came lurching to his feet…his eyes wide and angry. His meaty fist flew out and caught the unprepared young Winchester under the jaw. Dean staggered backwards, his face on fire and his vision blurry. The smaller man with the scar looked over at Sam and then prepared to charge the youngest Winchester.
Sam tried to slide along the floor to the edge of the caged ring. But the razor sharp wires around the edges of the ring kept him from getting as close as he'd like. And all that John could do was watch. Blue-green eyes lifted to meet his and he felt his heart clench in a fear that was bone deep. Neither of them had chosen this life…he'd chosen it for them.
"Dad…" Sam breathed out before shifting his gaze to Dean's confused jade colored eyes.
"He's a demon, Dean. We possessed him…the Sam you knew doesn't exist anymore. It's toying with you." The demon taunted from the side of the ring. His black gaze shifting between the smaller man that was now shifting his weigh back and forth between his feet as he prepared to attack. It was the same thing a cat does right before it pounces.
"Dean!" John called desperately. He heard Bobby's shuffling boots and he prayed that the other hunter had come up with an ingenious plan to save their asses. "He's not possessed! That is Sam!" John's voice broke on the name of his youngest son and he blinked slowly as he watched Dean's head turn toward him and then back toward the demon…and finally to Sam.
XXXX
The sound of the desperation in his father's voice caught Dean's attention in a way that nothing else could have. He'd only ever heard the tone once before and it was something that he'd never forget…not ever. The night that he'd been handed his six-month-old brother and told to 'run and don't look back'. He'd heard that same voice…that same fear and anxiety. His weight tipped forward and he found himself face to face with one of the men thrown into the cage with them…and he'd somehow come between the man and Sam.
Dean shook his head and then instantly regretted the action when his eyes blurred and his face lit up in pain. Sweat was rolling off his temples, his blonde hair was plastered to his head, and his arms were weak. The shoulder with the wound was nearly impossible to move. But the moment he heard that voice it triggered something inside him…a protective vein that had been buried beneath the drugs and the pain. He spun and threw himself at the smaller man. An arm caught Dean in the chest and he wheezed and his bit his teeth together as pain rocketed through him, but he'd already managed to lock a chokehold on the guy. The other two men were trying to circle him and get to Sam, but he pressed into the throat so hard that he felt the 'pop' when he smashed the man's windpipe.
The sound was nasty. Like a piece of celery when its broken into small pieces. Dean ignored the man's gasps for air as his fingers clawed at his destroyed trachea in a last desperate last bid for air. Instead the young hunter turned and set after the other two.
"I knew he'd fight." The demon said with glee as he watched Dean kill the older hunter. Pity it wasn't for money…but he'd done what he'd set out to do…destroy John Winchester's sons. Because how could the young man live with himself when he realized that he'd killed a human…and not just any human, but another hunter.
XXXX
Sam could do nothing more than watch. He wanted to help, but he couldn't put any weight on his leg. But he was able to feel the grief and guilt that accompanied the death of another hunter. A man that wouldn't have died at Dean's hands without his interference. His brother still hadn't looked at him with recognition; he'd only kept the hunter from killing him. The sight made Sam grind his teeth together and lean forward. The fire running through his leg was terrible, but he couldn't let his brother take these guys on alone. He managed to get to his knee…his arms shaking as he stretched the injured leg out in front of him.
Dean's gaze shifted to him and he blinked several times before one of the men pulled his focus again. Sam clenched his eyelids shut and hauled himself upright, balancing on his good leg.
One of the men saw this and a feral snarl ripped from his throat. He side stepped Dean and plowed toward Sam. The boy's eyes widened and he waited for the man to get close enough before shifting his balance and using the man's momentum to send him into the wired edge of the ring.
The man's scream rippled through the basement and Dean was distracted when he looked over at Sam. The man he'd sent to the floor moments before surged up and slammed his palm into Dean's chin.
XXXX
John watched as both his son's fought for their lives. He was struggling against the demon-hold when he felt it relax all the sudden. The crack of a double barrel shotgun rang through the air. He dropped to the ground, his knees nearly buckling in surprise.
He threw his gaze around and it landed on Bobby in the corner with not only the shotgun, but also a huge bag of salt. He was trying to get it over the top of the ring, but the welded ceiling on top was keeping him from getting to the boys. Dean had fallen to the floor, his body lax in unconsciousness. Sam was struggling to get to his brother as the man that had taken out Dean stood above the middle Winchester with a machete.
"SAM!" John yelled. His youngest spun toward his father and threw his body over Dean's as Bobby shot the man with salt rounds.
The demon was just struggling back to his feet. When John sprinted toward the thing, his fingers undoing the holy water at the same time.
"You bastard!" It yelled when the water was flying into its face, the smoke rising off it as though John had doused a bed of fire.
Bobby was already reciting the exorcism as John grabbed the bag of salt and started throwing handfuls of it at the thing. The demon stopped as his voice caught in his throat, he flashed his gaze at the boys in the ring one last time. With a sudden shift of his eyes, he tossed Sam away from Dean. The boy landed in a heap of pain…
"Bobby!" John cried out. The older hunter said the last of the exorcism and the teacher dropped to his knees. Black smoke pouring from his open mouth until the body slumped bonelessly to the floor. John moved toward the ring, neither of his sons were moving now. His gaze flickered to Bobby before he looked at the cage and shook his head. Both Sam and Dean's chests were rising and falling with only a few shifts in rhythm.
"Got a torch in that rust rod of yours?" All he wanted was to wrap his warms around his sons…but he needed to get through these bars first. And as he looked around the basement he couldn't see how the damn thing was built. It was like it had been built around the boys.
A gasp of air and a wheeze pulled John's gaze back to the ring and his heart dropped into his stomach when he saw Dean's body start to seize. "Oh God…"
TBC…
Author's Note: Sorry about not posting yesterday and the slightly shorter than normal chapter, but I managed to pick up a cold and spent most of the day very sad about it. I will get the post up for tomorrow, though…and yes, there is more to come. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed this story…I suppose the question now is…why was this particular demon so interested in hurting John Winchester? The answer is coming, promise…although; it might be in the sequel.
Thank you to: 1hotpepper, babyreaper, HpDork FreakaZoid, sbcarri, kandilyn, BranchSuper, Guest (several of you guys), Taraneh, kracken96, Idreamofivan, reannablue, mb64, angellec, sylvie-winchester, dandy44, Beakers47, and of course Nina Ferraro. Thanks everyone!
PLEASE REVIEW: I know I missed a day, but please let me know what you thought?