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. I apologize for the sexual content in the beginning of this chapter, which might not be to everyone's liking. Nothing too graphic, more implied.

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.

If there is anything I have left out or you are still unsure about, please feel free to message me. You never know, I may have left it unintentionally unresolved for a reason (possibly a sequel).

Special Note: Thanks to Kas3y and kandilyn 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. Thanks to everyone for their patience and continued interest.

DEMON SPAWN: THE PHONE CALL

CHAPTER FORTY

Sam was standing outside the hospital doors, his headache raging behind his eyes, threatening to rip his skull in two, angrily debating with Familiar Stranger, determined, despite his aches and pains to get in there to see his brother.

"I don't care if it's a trap!" Sam growled. "You promised to take me to my brother … so, take me to him, now!" Sam ordered, through with playing these stupid mind games with these people. "Or, are you saying that you lied to me?" Sam's eyes narrowed, his voice filled with accusations and distrust now.

"No, of course not Sam Winchester," Familiar Stranger said, shocked and bewildered by Sam's hostile tone.

"Good. Then you will let me go into that hospital and see my brother right now … right?"

The man paused before he reluctantly shook his head. "I do not think that is a good idea Sam Winchester. I can retrieve your friends and brother more quickly and easily if you would remain outside and wait for me."

Sam scoffed loudly, beyond frustrated now. "That is not happening." He warned. "I am not waiting out here while you go and get my brother. I am coming with you."

Sam noticed Familiar Stranger giving him a dubious look as he took in Sam's injuries. "What? You think just cause my shoulder might be dislocated again that I can't help you? You think I'll slow you down, don't you?"

"That's not what I was going to say," the man mumbled, not able to meet Sam's forthright gaze, looking extremely guilt-ridden and embarrassed now.

Sam instantly felt bad for making his saviour feel uncomfortable around him. The last thing he wanted to do was to insult the guy who had rescued him from the non-humans. But, couldn't he see that Sam couldn't be left out here, left behind because he'd be some kind of liability, like he was some damsel in distress that needed saving? Sam was a Winchester. And Winchesters sucked it up until the hunt was completed … no matter how badly you were injured.

Sam hadn't been able to make a lot of decisions for himself today and he knew that his various injuries could hamper him and compromise the rescue mission, getting one or all of them hurt, captured or … killed, but Sam couldn't just sit this one out. He wouldn't sit this one out, not when people who had come to his aid earlier and helped him, could be the ones in danger now; not when both of his brothers could be in trouble right now because of him, because he had been the one to call Caelan and ask for help, he was the one who had brought this down on all of their heads.

He had to be a part of this rescue mission, he had to help his friends … his brothers survive the craziness that he had unintentionally brought their way. He had to do this, no matter if he flaked out for two weeks afterwards. He couldn't abandon them, not when they hadn't abandoned him. He had to make this right. And if Familiar Stranger couldn't see that, then Sam was just going to have to convince him otherwise.

"Look, I'm sorry," Sam began, lowering his voice and pushing his pent-up frustrations to the back burner – he could use that frustration and anger later when or if he was confronted with anyone who would stand in his way to rescue his friends and brother – forcing his hands to unclench, and his jaw to relax slightly.

"I didn't mean to get so mad at you, accuse you of all of that but … I need to help you rescue Dean. I can't explain it, but I need to be there with you when you find my brother. I promise I won't get in your way, but I need to do this with you … please," Sam implored, his hazel eyes widening into his infamous puppy-eyed, earnest expression which had won him a few arguments with both Dean and Caelan over the years. And if Sam was having a really fortunate day then, sometimes he could even sway the great John Winchester with that look. But, considering Sam had just up and abandoned his family for two years, Sam wasn't too confident that he could convince his Dad of anything right now.

Sam could see the dilemma Familiar Stranger was in, not wanting Sam to go with him in case he obtained more injuries and not being able to resist the power of Sam's kicked-puppy-look. Sam knew he should feel a little bad for implementing one of his strongest weapons in his personal arsenal on this poor unsuspecting sap, but he couldn't find it in himself to feel bad so long as it guaranteed Sam to go with Familiar Stranger on this rescue mission.

Just was it looked as if Familiar Stranger was about to give into Sam's request, Sam caught movement out of the corner of his eye half a second before he heard a heart-wrenching scream of his dreaded childhood nick-name that he would only allow three people in this world to call him.

Dean!

Sam's eyes riveted upon his older brother's anxious green eyes and he couldn't help the gut wrenching relief that rushed over him – Dean was alive! Thank God his brother was okay! – before Sam realised that the movement he had detected a second before belonged to three people who were moving upon Sam's position, now had their attention focused upon Dean.

Sam followed his brother's gaze to see two other people emerging from the opposite direction, their eyes suddenly trained upon Dean as well before Dean returned his gaze back to Sam, mouthing the word 'run' at him as the two teams of five men now descended upon his helpless and vulnerable older brother.

No! Dean!

Sam gasped, eyes widening with horror and dread instantly knowing that his – stupidly stubborn pig-headed – older brother had deliberately shown himself in order to protect Sam once more.

Nope. Not this time. Sam was not going to run away like a coward. He was not going to abandon his brother and leave him at the mercy of these people because of something that was Sam's fault!

Sam's jaw set in stubborn determination, his right hand clenched in reflective Hunter's instinct and before Familiar Stranger could stop him, Sam pulled open the doors and dashed inside.

"It's me you want, not him. Leave my brother alone and come and get me you sons of bitches!"

SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW

Caelan didn't notice the two sets of teams moving in on Sam's position – he was in the middle of making sure Caleb was in with the plan to run like hell toward the doors – but he did notice the way his friend's whole body stiffened.

Before Caelan could ask what was wrong, Dean darted out into the open, screaming Sammy's name in panic and Caelan was ashamed to admit that it wasn't until everyone's attention was focused upon Dean that he finally saw the two sets of teams – five men in total – moving toward Dean now, drawing their guns as they moved in to surround Dean.

Caelan was just getting over the surprise of his rookie inattention to his immediate area – man, that was basic crap! Always be aware of your surroundings! But he had stupidly and foolishly let his guard down while they were still in enemy territory – and was about to go to Dean's aid – because two people against five were a lot better odds than one against five – when the hospital doors opened to reveal a fully pissed off Sam Winchester, diverting attention away from Dean and onto himself.

Caelan stood there, mouth opened in shock and surprise as he looked from Dean to Sam and back again in bewildered disbelief.

What the hell was wrong with these two? Both of them were willing to sacrifice each other for the other … and while that was an admirable trait, and something Caelan would no doubt do himself if the tables were turned, being in a hostile environment and provoking the enemy like this was not something John Winchester condoned. Especially if you had other people's lives on the line, depending on your survival to help get them out of the dangerous situation.

These boys knew better than this! They knew not to offer yourself up as a bargaining tool if you could avoid it because nine times out of ten, the big bad supernatural thing would use that to its advantage and you would end up getting hurt in the process before being rescued by your partner … or they would tear you limb from limb and kill you dead before help arrived, too late to save your ass. Caelan knew, he'd seen it before.

Caelan shook his head, clearing his mind of those unwanted images as he took in the scene around him. Now was not the time to be angry at both boys for their reckless mistake of offering themselves up on a platter. Later, he would have great pleasure in chewing both of their asses out for this stupid stunt.

But, for now, Caelan had to come up with a plan to get all of them out of here before more of the organisation's personal arrived and they became completely overwhelmed … swarmed by the enemy defences being denied their freedom when it was just beyond those doors.

"Damn Winchesters," Caleb muttered gruffly beside Caelan. "Always willing to die for the cause, just like their stupid father!"

Although the situation was grim and Caelan agreed with Caleb's assessment of the Winchester family, he couldn't help but turn to Caleb, grinning with mischief as he quipped. "That may be true Hawkes, but I wouldn't let Johnny hear you call him stupid!"

Caleb paled visibly at that thought. "Shit no!" Caleb agreed. "I don't want to be stuck doing boot came extra training sessions for the next … fifty years! So, let's keep this between us, okay Hags? After all of the times I've covered your ass … you owe me!"

"Fair enough." Caelan conceded with a chuckle. "Consider it between us. What do you think Hawkes? There are only five of them. Think we should even the odds by revealing ourselves or should we hang back and wait to see what happens?"

"Do you honestly think you could stand by and watch the Winchesters get taken without doing anything about it?" Caleb asked skeptically.

No.

Caelan wouldn't stand by and watch while his family was being taken away by this secret organisation. Maybe John could stand by and watch it happen – he'd been known to use his sons as bait on hunts in the past – but Caelan couldn't do it. Not if there was something he could do to prevent it.

"Okay, so what's Plan B then?" Caelan asked, refusing to meet his friend's eyes, a feeling of shame descending upon him because his family had been and always would be, his weakness.

"Don't worry, I couldn't do it either Caelan," Caleb told Caelan gently. "So, I suggest we go to opposite sides of these bastards, block them in and give our barely standing friends some help in whipping their asses before we all high-tail it out of here."

Caelan nodded, grateful for his friend's support and understanding. "I like it." He agreed to Caleb's tactical plan, his expression and body instantly in Hunter's mode, awaiting Caleb's signal in order to implement their plan into action.

CH DW SW CH DW SW CH DW SW CH DW SW CH

"Sammy, no!" Dean groaned under his breath when his younger brother barged into the building, baiting these goons to go after him and leave Dean alone.

What the hell was that kid thinking? Dean had provided a perfect chance for Sam to escape, but instead his infinitely stubborn little brother had decided to put himself in danger in order to protect Dean.

Dean gave Sam a hard, irritated, frustrated glare and Sam didn't even have the decency to look ashamed or embarrassed, continuing to look at Dean with determination and satisfaction.

Didn't this kid know that it was his job to protect Sam, not for Sam to protect him? And now, because of his stupidly, idiotic stunt, both Winchesters were at the mercy of this organisation's hands now.

When John found out about this, both he and Sam will be running drills for months! Not to mention the disappointment and disapproval within his dark eyes because he had taught his sons' better than this. Just another damn rookie move the two of them had committed which could get them both killed.

And why the hell had that Nirkish guy let his brother make such a dumb move? Dean's eyes moved past Sam to where Nirkish had been, only to discover that there was no one there.

Huh. Well, wasn't that just flipping fantastic! The guy that was supposed to save them had deliberately run out on them, leaving them to face the enemy's wrath by themselves. Dean could only hope that Caelan and Caleb could come up with a plan to get both brothers out of this, otherwise the two of them were toast!

Well, not exactly toast. Because it wasn't as if neither of them hadn't faced impossible odds before and not come out winners. As much as Dean would appreciate the back-up of his friends at the moment, he knew that if it came down to it, Dean would find a way to save … at least his kid brother.

A stifled cry from Sam had Dean whipping his head in Sam's direction to see that two of the goons were on either side of his brother and pulling him toward the centre of the lobby; the one on Sam's left side yanking on his obviously injured shoulder or arm.

The sight of his brother in pain, caused Dean to surge forward without giving it any conscious thought. "Hey!" Dean growled, his protective fury centred on the man that was causing his little brother pain. "Leave him alone, asshole!"

The man smirked in satisfaction when Dean's forward motion was halted by the other team of goons; two of them pulling Dean to a stop while the third one stood in front of Dean, cutting off his line of sight to Sam.

"Sam!" Dean called; fighting to get out of the hold the two goons had him in. Dean had managed to flip one of his arms out of one guy's hold, knowing that he could easily slip out of the other man's hold now that he had an arm free, until the third goon in front of him pulled out a gun, aiming it at Dean's head which immediately stilled the older Winchester sibling's movements. He'd be no good to Sam if he was dead!

"Sammy!"

"I'm here Dean," Sam replied. "I'm okay." He lied, the little hitch within Sam's tone indicating to Dean that Sam was in pain, although desperately trying to hide that fact from the enemy.

"Look, you have me. You can take me away and do whatever you want and I give you my word that I won't fight you, but you have to leave my brother alone." Dean tried to bargain with the goon that held the gun to his head; his tone low, calm and even, even as his heart pounded with trepidation, panic and fear for his injured sibling. As long as Sam was safe, Dean knew that he could live with whatever these assholes had in store for him … even if that included his imminent death.

"Dean, no!" Sam objected, not appreciating or liking his older brother's suggestion one bit; the guy in front of Dean cackling gleefully.

"Sorry Winchester, no deal. My boss wants to take the Demon Spawn alive. You, on the other hand, have no value to him what-so-ever. In fact, you might even say that you're … dead weight." He laughed loudly at his own dry sense of humour.

"Don't call my brother that!" Dean warned, his green eyes narrowing in barely suppressed rage. "He is not a Demon Spawn!"

"Yeah, whatever Winchester," the guy said in an off-hand, sarcastic manner, a delighted gleam in his eyes. "It won't matter what you think Winchester, because after I pull this trigger, you will be dead!"

"No! Dean!" Sam screamed, frantically struggling within his captives' hold, desperate to get to his brother's side before the man pulled the trigger and ended his brother's life for good.

DW SW JW DW SW JW DW SW JW DW SW JW DW

"John, how far away are you?"

John glanced over at Bobby and the speedometer, calculating the speed and distance they still had to travel before they reached their destination before turning his attention back toward the phone. "Roughly fifteen minutes." He answered, his tone clipped and precise. "Why? What's wrong? You don't have the boys yet?" John questioned, not being able to hide the worry that seeped into his tone now.

Nirkish wasn't supposed to check-in with John until he had secured the boys, informing John of where they should all meet. John had received word from Nirkish when he had arrived at the hospital with Sam and that he would be attempting a rescue mission of the other three Hunters five minutes ago. John had assumed that Nirkish had everything under control, that he could handle a rescue mission of this calibre, no problems. Obviously, John had assumed wrong.

"We have a … slight problem." Nirkish replied almost hesitantly.

"What? What problem?" John demanded, panic making his tone harsher than he had intended, noticing Bobby looking at him in concern out of the corner of his eye.

"It appears as if The Organisation has all of them surrounded with no chance of escape. I would have been able to get them out undetected if I had the element of surprise. Now, it will be a lot harder for me to reacquire them from The Organisation's grasp without revealing my identity to them."

Nirkish paused a moment, letting the information he had told John sink in before continuing. "You know why my identity must remain a secret and that they do not guess what my true intentions are. If I reveal myself now … everything I have worked so hard for, for all of these years will be ruined. I can not afford to lose the trust and faith that they have in me or your son … I will no longer be able to protect him."

"Yeah, bang up job you've done so far with that." John muttered bitterly under his breath, but Nirkish was able to detect John's bitter words easily.

"What do you mean by that John?"

"I have recently learned from the now dead Hunter Marc Ley-Lamp, that he had been torturing and brainwashing Sammy for years." John stated in a scathing, accusing tone. "And that he had permission from your organisation to carry out his experimentation upon my youngest son. The very same organisation that you want me to work with. Where the hell were you when my son was being drugged and tortured? You told me that you could protect him."

A loud, irritated sigh sounded from the other end of the phone. "It is not my Organisation John. This whole situation is … complicated. I protected Sam Winchester as much as I could … as much as they would willingly allow me without them becoming suspicious of me. Even though I am considered one of the elite leaders of The Organisation, you know how my brethren feel about me."

"Right," John nodded, frustrated by Nirkish's lame excuses at why he had failed his baby boy. "I remember now, they see you as an abomination." He said in a bored, dismissive tone.

"Yes, they do." Nirkish replied after a long pause. "Much like your son is considered an abomination in their eyes as well. Sam Winchester and I have much in common in that regard John."

John clicked his jaw back in an effort to control the fury that was rising within him at that comment. His boy was not an abomination!

"I apologize John. That comment was cruel and uncalled for." Nirkish admitted, his voice subdued and remorseful. "I let my emotions get the better of me. We can pick up this discussion later … once we have secured your friends and kin from The Organisation's grasp."

"Agreed." John reluctantly conceded, only barely managing to bottle up his anger for the time being. Now was not the time to give into that, he had to focus on the present problem at hand and not let himself get side-tracked so easily.

"You bet your ass we'll be talking about this later." John promised, his voice hard before he shoved that to the back of his mind, his attention refocusing to the dilemma at hand. "You said the boys are surrounded …" John paused as another thought occurred to him. "Please tell me that Sammy is still with you."

TBC