Summary: AU: Stanford Era: "Dean … Sammy's in trouble." A late night phone call sends Dean Winchester and long-time friend, Caelan Hagan in a desperate search to find Sam before the unthinkable happens; uncovering lies and secrets involving the youngest Winchester, that have been years in the making.
Warnings: Violence, swearing, physical abuse, torture, implied adult themes.
Disclaimer: I don't own the supernatural characters.
Author's Note: Just another possibility on why Sam left for Stanford. Hope you enjoy. I have no knowledge or training in medical areas. I have tried to keep everything as realistic as possible, but, as medical knowledge is not my area of expertise, just beware that there may be some mistakes in the next few chapters.
Special Note: Thanks to Souless666, Mimmi85 and Kas3y for your kind words. Here's another chapter just for all you guys who have taken the time out to read this story and to all the people who have this story on their alerts or have put it on their favourite lists. Thanks. It means a lot. Got another chapter after this one, almost written; Will hopefully be able to wrap this up soon; all the loose ends and subtle hints that I have given throughout will hopefully be making a lot of sense soon. Thanks to everyone for their patience and continued interest.
DEMON SPAWN: THE PHONE CALL
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
"Right!" Elizabeth scoffed bitterly, sarcastically. "The Winchesters haven't hurt my family? Are you serious Caelan? Dean Winchester personally pummelled my little brother's face, breaking his nose and fracturing his jaw in the process."
Elizabeth's blue eyes flashed with protective rage. "No matter what Peter did, he didn't deserve that sort of treatment from a fellow Hunter!" she snorted disdainfully. "Sorry Caelan, but I'm with Daddy on this one. Dean needs to pay for what he did to my brother."
Caelan sighed loudly, aggravated and frustrated at the same time. "That's not fair Lizzie," he reprimanded her gently, disappointment within his tone. "Dean was only trying to protect his little brother as well. Surely that's something even you can understand?"
The instant that scathing comment left Caelan's mouth, he regretted it when he caught sight of the hurt upon Elizabeth's face.
"Look Lizzie, this whole thing … it's spiralled completely out of control. Both you and Dean have done things today in order to protect your brothers. Let's just take a step back from all of this, admit that some things happened that probably shouldn't have … but before you take this final plunge into madness and deliver us to your father … and Sammy to the organisation on a silver platter … you need to decide if this is truly what you want to do.
You have all of the power here Lizzie," Caelan continued in a softer, placating tone. "You can decide to follow through with your father's plans or … you can choose to walk away now before things get even more out of control than what they are now. You can stop this Lizzie. Just walk away Little Bird … Please …"
Elizabeth bit her lip, pain visible within her eyes. "I can't," she whispered, pleading with Caelan now, her expression softening before she placed a soft kiss upon Caelan's lips. "I'm sorry Caelan, but I have to do this in order to protect my family."
She pulled back, caressing Caelan's check softly, urgently searching his expression before she smiled a sad, tired smile. "You will understand why I've had to do this Caelan; I promise. One day soon you will know why I've chosen the actions I have today and why I had to leave you ten years ago."
Elizabeth paused, discreetly pulling something out of her coat pocket and placing it in Caelan's hands, closing his fingers around it, looking into his eyes, trying to tell him something, but damned if Caelan knew what it was.
Elizabeth stretched forward to bring her lips against Caelan's ear, her whispered words making Caelan's eyes widen in alarm, worry-lines stretching across his brow. Elizabeth gave him another soft, accepting smile before masking her features once more as she pushed Caelan into the room, slamming and locking the door behind her.
Elizabeth closed her eyes, leaning up against the door, praying that Caelan would be able to forgive her for this one day, silent tears slipping down her checks as she pulled out her phone.
"It's done," she said in a wooden, emotionless voice. "Caleb, Caelan and Dean have all been successfully separated just like you ordered. What would you like me to do next?"
CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH
Sam bolted into a sitting position, gasping for air, his eyes wide with terror, frantically feeling his face and breathing a sigh of relief when he didn't feel a scar running down one side of his face, relaxing even more when he felt his long fringe flop into his eyes because Sicko had much shorter than Sam.
Thank God, he was him again! All of his normal feelings flaring within him, none of the debilitating feelings of rage and grief he had felt while within Sicko's mind.
Wait … is that what happened? Had Sam been within Sicko's mind? Or had he just had a very unusual and vivid dream?
It had felt real to Sam. Much like when he had dreamed … seen? …. his Dad in trouble and being stabbed. Maybe … maybe Sam was picking up on Sicko's feelings and images. Although why Sam would pick up on anything relating to Sicko, remained a mystery.
Still, Sam couldn't deny the connection that seemed to exist between the two of them. Because he knew, for a fact, that Sicko and his newly resurrected father were coming for them … all of them … to finish off what they had started years ago.
Sam felt a shudder run up and down the length of his body, suddenly feeling repulsed, disgusted … unclean at having been in Sicko's mind – whether dreamed or real – his first reaction was to feel safe again. And the only person who had ever made Sam feel safe was his big brother. Instinct took over Sam's muddled thoughts, automatically calling for his brother's aid.
"Dean," Sam was surprised that his voice had no volume or power behind it what-so-ever.
Where the hell was he?
Sam moistened his dry lips with his tongue, trying to keep the crippling panic from overwhelming him completely. He was sure that Dean would be here somewhere. Dean was always here when Sam needed him the most.
"Dean," Sam tired again, dismayed at the barely audible crack that emerged from him.
Damn! What the hell was this? Was Sam still stuck in his nightmare?
Sam's heart thudded loudly in his ears, straining to see something of his environment that he recognized. But all Sam could make out was the blur of scenery that was speeding past his window, only now registering the low rumble of a vehicle – definitely not the Impala – transporting him to God knows where.
A hand upon his shoulder almost made Sam jump out of his skin as he slowly turned his head toward the owner of the hand, half expecting to see Sicko or Marc Ley-Lamp grinning sadistically at him.
Instead, all Sam could see was intense, comforting, worried blue eyes … much different than the blue eyes from the abandoned warehouse. These blue eyes were deeper, darker, holding warmth and compassion instead of spite and smugness.
Without knowing exactly why, Sam felt his body sag with relief, as if it somehow knew that Sam was no longer in any danger.
As Sam's mind began to clear a little, he realized that he knew these eyes. This was the man who had helped Sam escape from the … non-humans who had abducted him from the hospital.
"Are you okay Sam Winchester?" The Familiar Stranger asked, sweeping his eyes over Sam's face, concerned at how pale and sweaty the young man was beside him.
"Dee …" Sam gasped, wanting to see his big brother now more than anything else in the world. "I need … to see Dean,"
"Don't worry Sam Winchester, you will be reunited with your brother soon enough."
Sam nodded at the comforting tone, words and voice at this almost stranger, and against his better judgement, he felt his suddenly too heavy eyes begin to close.
Sam didn't want to sleep again. He didn't want to be pulled back into that crazy dream, surrounded by the crazy bastard who had beaten, tortured and broken him for years. He wanted to stay here … even if he was sitting next to a familiar stranger and not his comforting older brother.
Against his will, Sam was unable to prevent himself from slipping down into the first stages of unconsciousness.
SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW
Dean silently followed Caleb down the hallways of the hospital, wobbling a little on his unsteady legs, his teeth gritted together, more than determined to succeed at his part of the plan – even if he didn't exactly feel one hundred percent fit – while Caleb followed the instructions Peter Stewart had given to them, which was where his Evil Sibling was supposedly taking Dean's brother, Caelan.
Dean still had a lot of reservations about trusting anything that Peter Stewart told him, and the fact that they were going into this whole thing blind, with nothing more to go on other than Stewart's intel, left Dean feeling more than a little worried. But at this stage, the two Hunters had little choice other than to take Peter Stewart at his word and hope like hell that he held up his end of the deal.
"I don't like this Caleb," Dean whispered, an urgent, horrible feeling twisting in his gut. His Hunter instincts were screaming at him that Peter Stewart couldn't be trusted and all he would do was lead them into another trap. But if it meant that Dean could reconnect with Caelan, then he was almost willing to go along with Peter's conniving ways … almost …
"Caleb, how do we even know these instructions Peter gave you will lead us to Caelan? For all we know, he could be leading us straight into another trap."
"I know," Caleb replied too calmly for Dean's liking. "Don't worry, I don't trust that guy either Dean, but if we want to get to Caelan, then we're going to have to trust him."
"Trust him?!" Dean's voice rose incredulously, a sharp look of warning from Caleb forcing Dean to lower his voice to a loud whisper once more. "I can't trust that slimy bastard Caleb. After what he did to Sammy … that guy wouldn't know honour if it came up and bit him on the ass!"
Caleb chuckled at Dean's comment before Dean continued his loud whispered argument while the two of them hurried along the corridors, following directions that traitorous Wannabe Hunter had given them.
"I would have more luck trusting a bloody snake right now instead of his pompous ass! How do we know if anything he said is true? Caelan could be … miles away from here by now!" Dean hissed in agitation.
Caleb shook his head, eyes scanning the directions before he took a sudden left. "Caelan's still here Dean," Caleb said in an eerily calm and controlled voice, stopping briefly to give the younger Hunter a reassuring, smug grin. "I've been tracking Caelan on my phone. Don't worry Winchester; I've still got a few tricks up my old Hunter's sleeve!" he winked conspiratorially before heading off once more.
A small grunt of surprise escaped Dean, slightly impressed by Caleb's foresight. At least they knew that Caelan was definitely still in the hospital.
Still … Dean couldn't help but voice more objections as he raced after Caleb. "Okay, so Caelan is here … that doesn't mean that everything else Peter told us is true. He could have been only "pretending" to help us, while still following his father's orders to take us away and turn us into freakin' mindless zombies!"
Caleb let out a long weary sigh. "I don't like this anymore than you do kid. And its fine if you don't trust Peter Stewart … hell, I don't trust him either! If there was any other way, believe me, I'd take it. But right now, we don't have any other choice."
Caleb paused once more and Dean was shocked to see the worry etched within the Hunter's light brown eyes. "Peter's plan is stupid and reckless, but at the moment, all I am concerned about is reaching Hags before something …" Caleb took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Don't trust Peter Dean, trust me."
Dean's arguments halted on his tongue at Caleb's words and the sincerity he could see within the older Hunter's eyes. Dean had hunted with Caleb a few times and knew by the look in Caleb's eyes that the other Hunter had something else planned … possibly a back-up plan or he knew something that no one else did. Whatever it was, Dean could find no fault in the man's persuasive words, because Dean's Hunter instincts told him that he could trust Caleb completely.
"Okay," Dean conceded in a huff. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it!"
"You wouldn't be you if you did like it Dean!" Caleb laughed teasingly. "Don't worry Winchester … I've got your back!" he gave Dean another wink before the two Hunters continued on their way again in silence this time, Dean preoccupied with his own thoughts.
Dean and Caleb were to make their way to where the Evil Bitch Doctor was stashing Caelan, enter the room from another door with a key that Peter had given them, and then the three of them were supposed to sneak out of the hospital while Peter and Hank created a diversion so they could all escape undetected.
Yeah, the plan was stupid and reckless. They were putting all of their eggs in one basket, banking on a man who had previously wanted to destroy them all with being able to follow through with his end of the deal.
All of it could come crashing down around them in a matter of seconds if Peter's Dad managed to sway him back onto his side once more; and then all of them would be quite literally … up shit's creek without a paddle!
"Damn, I hate this!" Dean muttered to himself furiously, hating that he didn't have a back-up plan if this plan failed, hoping like hell that all of them could get out of this unscathed so that they could all go and rescue Sammy before the youngest Winchester was lost to them forever.
DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW
There was a horrible, bad feeling gnawing at the back of Sam's mind – other than slipping into the weird dream that he'd had concerning Sicko and obviously his father, Marc Ley-Lamp – that prevented him from falling into the deep unconscious state that his body urged him into.
Something … bad … really bad … had happened; something that Sam had witnessed before he'd been taken from the hospital by the non-human brothers.
Wait … brothers … Dean …. Something to do with Dean … oh God!
Sam gasped, instantly thrown into alertness, eyes wide, full-blown panic threatening to overwhelm and consume him. Dean …Dean had been shot!
This … Familiar Stranger had told Sam that he would be reunited with Dean soon. But was Dean even still alive? Was Familiar Stranger taking Sam to see an alive Dean or was he planning on killing Sam so that the two brothers could meet in the afterlife?
Was this it? Was this how the Winchester siblings were going to end their story? Was Sam going to die before he had a chance to explain everything to his family; to tell them why he had gone to Stanford, why he hadn't contacted them in the two years since he'd been gone, to tell them he was sorry?
Sorry for causing their mother's death, sorry for attracting The Demon to their house that night and turning all of their lives upside down; sorry for being cursed, a Demon Spawn, thereby causing the bad luck and unfortunate events that hung over the Winchester family like a dark cloud.
Was Sam never going to get the chance to tell his family that despite all of the hardships and horrors they had suffered and endured because of him, that he felt blessed, fortunate and proud to call himself a Winchester and of belonging to their family; that he'd never felt unloved or unwanted, his father and brother had never looked at Sam accusingly, only with love, warmth and pride; to tell them that … despite everything – the arguments, the fights, the punishments, the lonely childhood – Sam loved them with everything he had, everything that was in him?
Sam felt the sting of tears within his eyes at the emotional thoughts that were going through his mind. Sam quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, blinking the moisture from his eyes, clamping down on his distraught feelings as the Winchester stubbornness and determination surged within him.
There was no way that this was the end. Dean would be alive. Sam would be reunited with him, with Caelan and hopefully his Dad too. Sam would have the chance to come clean about everything, explain to them that he hadn't abandoned them for a normal life; about the … punishments and how he was directly responsible for Mary Winchester and Connor Hagen's deaths.
Sam had to tell his family everything before … before the punishments killed him or he was driven insane with guilt. Sam would explain his side of the story as much as he could. And if, after Sam had confessed his sins, his family decided that they couldn't or didn't want to have anything more to do with him because of the curse he had unknowingly brought down upon his family, then as much as it would hurt … Sam would walk away from his family; his father; his surrogate brother; and even … Dean … if that's what he wanted.
Sam dug his fingernails into his upper thighs, his jaw clenching and unclenching in hurtful anguish, desperately trying to banish these morbid thoughts from his mind.
He could worry about how his family would react later. For now, he needed to regather his thoughts and emotions, his main objective was to reconnect with his older brother … it didn't matter if Dean was alive or … dead, Sam needed to see him, now!
SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW
"I can't explain everything to you right now Cael … the drugs Daddy gave me have worn off and I'm more in control of my own thoughts now … but I have to see this through to the end. I have explained everything that you need to know in the letter that I placed in your hand. I hope you don't hate me too much for this Cael and I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day. But, know this … I have never stopped loving you."
Elizabeth's whispered confession echoed within Caelan's mind, confused and disorientated as he heard the door shut behind him, a lock engaging before being plunged into a semi-dark room.
Caelan blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the low lighting of the room as quickly as possible, purposely pushing Elizabeth's confusing words to the back of his mind as he quickly swept his gaze across the room, scanning the area for any possible or potential threats, his heart beating harder, pumping blood through his body faster in preparation for an attack or a fight.
Caelan relaxed slightly after determining that he was alone in the room for now, Elizabeth's words coming back to haunt him as he looked down at his closed fist, feeling the weight of the paper pressed against his palm.
Every instinct Caelan had wanted to rip the letter open and read it now because as much as he tried to ignore and dismiss it as a product of his over active imagination, Lizzie's whispered confession had sounded too much like a … goodbye.
Caelan quickly swallowed down the lump of emotion that had formed, deliberately placing the piece of paper Elizabeth had given him into his back pocket before he squared his shoulders and marched purposely toward the door.
"Lizzie?" he called, pounding upon the door. "Lizzie, what are you doing? Why am I locked in here?"
There was nothing but silence from the side of the door.
"Lizzie … tell me what the fuck is going on!" Caelan demanded, his banging getting louder now as he uselessly jiggled the door-knob in an effort to open the door. But, just as he suspected, the door was locked and it wasn't budging an inch.
Fear and panic were starting to build up within Caelan at an alarming rate. He hadn't heard from either Caleb or Dean in a long time now and he couldn't help the horrifying thoughts that something had been done to his friends in his absence. He had to get to them!
"Lizzie! Open this door, damn it! Tell me what you've done to Dean and Caleb. Lizzie … please …"
TBC