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.

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, kandilyn and Pie Love Luci 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-FOUR

Dean's heart beat pounded in his ears, blocking out all other sounds at his younger brother's soft, reluctant confession.

Sam shifted from one foot to the other, chewing on his bottom lip, anxiously gazing up at his brother who just stood there, a blank, unreadable expression upon his face, his skin having lost its entire colour, turning a sickly shade of white, while he blinked repeatedly as if he was having a hard time processing Sam's words.

"Dean?" Sam whispered, wanting to touch his brother to make sure he was okay, but terrified of the reaction that would cause. What if he lashed out like Caelan had? And, as much as he was trying to convince Dean to accept Mr. Stewart's offer, what if Dean did accept it and left Sam here to rot within The Organisation's hands, a cold, dark and distant look in green eyes that had shown Sam nothing but love and understand? It had been hard enough to see the look enter Caelan's eyes; Sam knew that if his brother got that same look … it would completely destroy him.

Sam swallowed hard, hesitantly reaching out a hand to lightly grab hold of the cuff of his brother's jacket. "Dean, please, say something," Sam pleaded worriedly.

"Something," Dean replied automatically, seeing the brief flash of relief enter Sam's eyes before it was gone as Dean struggled to comprehend what his younger brother had just told him.

It was no secret that Sam had blamed himself, suspecting he'd been the cause of their mother's death since she had died in his nursery, pinned to the ceiling and on fire, but both Dean and Dad had assured Sam that he was not to blame – how could he have been, he'd just been a baby for crying out loud? – and Dean had thought that had been enough to set his brother's fears to rest, at ease.

But now, looking up into his little brother's hopeful, desperate, guilt-ridden stare, Dean realized that Sam had still held onto that misplaced guilt, both he and his Dad having convinced the youngest Winchester of nothing or allaying his fears.

Damn, that was just another thing he had missed! Had Dean even protected his brother from anything as a kid? Did he even know Sam at all?

Dean opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, not to help ease his brother's troubled mind or combat his fears. Dean cleared his throat and tried again, not exactly sure how he felt or even what he wanted to say to something that massive.

It was ludicrous enough that Sam thought he would leave him here, take off with Caelan and Caleb, living as long of a life as being a Hunter would allow, while taking Caelan on as his brother.

Did Sam honestly think that Dean could ever replace Sam with Caelan? Yeah, sure, Dean and Caelan had a strong connection and Dean had always considered Caelan family but no one could replace his geeky little brother. Didn't Sam know that?

Looking into expectant hazel eyes, Dean realized that Sam didn't know that. The kid honestly thought that Dean could go on with his life without him.

Dean scoffed loudly at that thought, knowing that the first thing he'd do once they got out of this mess was to set his stupid kid brother straight on a few things; the first one being how important Sam was to Dean and how Dean could never function in this life without him.

"Sam –"

"Do you hate me now too, Dean?" Sam asked in a lost tone, his wide eyes brimming with tears. "I mean, I understand if you do hate me. I mean, I hate me. And now you can just leave me here with no guilt or remorse, right?"

Dean was stunned into silence. What the fuck was this kid on about now? Hate him? Did he really think that Dean could ever hate him?

His brother was babbling; and not in a good way. Sam only babbled like this when he was extremely nervous or upset.

Dean raised a hand to run through his hair, trying to gather his thoughts together, noticing how his brother cringed away from Dean's reflective action. And it was with stunned horror that Dean realized that Sam thought Dean was going to hit him!

The kid was standing there, shaking, literally terrified of his older brother and Dean felt his heart sink at that knowledge. Dean had never realized what a low opinion Sam had of himself … or of him.

"Sammy – " Dean started forward, not sure if he wanted to embrace Sam to take away his doubts and fears or smack him upside the head for ever considering such ridiculous notions.

But, before he could put either plan into action, a ruckus from behind him, reached his ears; gasps of shock and excitement, a few loud laughs and even a few shrill wolf whistles.

Dean didn't care what was going on behind him, all he cared about was making his little brother understand that Dean would never leave him, not matter what and no matter what he was told or what he thought, he was in no way responsible for their mother's death; but a gasp from Sam with a horror-stricken murmur of his name had Dean turning around to see what all of the fuss was about.

"Sonuvabitch!" Dean exclaimed, seeing the two older Hunters – Caelan and Caleb – slugging it out, punch for punch. What the hell were those two thinking getting into a fight at a time like this?

The two Hunters had already drawn blood, their moves getting more dangerous, lethal and extreme. If they weren't stopped soon, Dean feared that one of them could get seriously injured … or worse.

But …

Dean glanced back at Sam, who stood there, eyes wide open, mouth hanging slack with a look of horror, disbelief and … holy crap … was that guilt?

Yeah, sure, why not? That was so typical of Sammy to lump this on his already guilty conscience as well. As if he had any control over either Caelan or Caleb and could have prevented this fight from happening. But, sure, why not feel guilty about this as well? God, his brother could make himself feel guilty and responsible for anything!

"Sammy –" Dean tried again, hating to see the raw terror and panic he could see within his brother's hazel eyes.

"Oh God, I did this," Sam whispered, sickened by what his revelations tonight had unleashed. "This is my fault that – Dean, you have to stop them." Sam's soulful eyes penetrated Dean, pleading, begging for his brother to intercede before someone got hurt. "Please Dean,"

Dean was about to refuse to go and help out the two Hunters who should know better than to get into a fight while surrounded by armed men; but when his little brother begged him to help them, fear and helplessness within his eyes, Dean couldn't help but relent to the kid's heart felt plea.

"Okay … I'll got and stop those two jack-asses from killing each other." Dean answered in an exaggerated huff of annoyance. "But you, little brother, need to stay put." Dean eyed Sam pointedly. "Understand?"

It wasn't until Sam acknowledged Dean's order with a nod that Dean moved off in the direction of the two fighting Hunters, determined to set them straight once and for all.

DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW SW DW

Sam watched as his older brother strode toward the two fighting Hunters – his friends, his family – his broad shoulders set into his determined purpose mode, a sick, nauseous feeling curling within the pit of Sam's stomach at the knowledge that he was to blame and responsible for the catastrophic mess that they all now found themselves in.

Sam knew by Dean's rapid walk and the subtle way his shoulders bunched and tensed that Dean was pissed and someone – most likely Caelan and Caleb – were about to get a stern talking to, suffering from the infamous Dean Winchester's wrath.

Sam bit on his bottom lip hard enough to cause his facial features to twist into a grimace of pain, having a horrible notion that he was to blame for his older brother's irritated and volatile mood.

After what Sam had revealed to Dean, he couldn't blame his brother for being angry. Even though Dean hadn't reacted as violently or instantaneously as Caelan, Sam could still detect the disappointed look within his big brother's eyes. The "pity" look, as Dean liked to call it, had made an appearance and Sam wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried by that.

Normally when Dean gave you the "pity" look, that meant he was done with you. He was done having your back, done going on hunts with you, done hanging out with you and having a couple of quiet beers, done sticking up for you and defending your actions, done being a loyal friend and hunting partner and done with having you in his life in any sort of manner.

But surely Sam had misunderstood. Surely Dean hadn't meant to give him that "pity" look where he completely cut his ties with you forever. It had to have been another look that he'd given Sam because Sam couldn't handle it if his big brother wanted nothing to with him ever again.

Dean's anger, as much as it caused tension and made things awkward and uncomfortable between them for however long it took Dean to work through his anger – could be days, weeks or months, depending on how angry he was! – was a hell of a lot better than Dean's "pity" look. Because if Dean was angry, that meant he cared enough to become hurt or angry and there was a possibility of being able to work out their differences. But the "pity" look was final. There was no coming back from that … ever. Because that meant that Dean had given up on you.

Sam took in a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly, willing himself not to fall to pieces. He had made a promise that he wouldn't fall apart until he was alone, and he was going to stick to it, damn it!

Sam gritted his teeth together, determined that this was one promise he would keep. Not only did he not want to fall apart in front of the enemy, but he also didn't want Dean to know or see how much his dismissiveness … the "pity" look had affected him.

Maybe that was his pride talking, but Sam would not allow Dean to see how much he was hurting because of Dean's actions.

Holy crap … that was exactly how he treated Dad. Dad would say something snarky, an off-hand comment which meant nothing to John, but cut deep and hurt Sam to the core of his being, causing Sam to instantly shut down to save himself the embarrassment and shame of breaking down, sobbing and weeping like some emotional teenage girl.

Or, if John kept pushing the issue, demanding an explanation from Sam or just kept going on and on about the mistake Sam had made, like a bloody broken record, pushing at Sam, backing him into a corner with no way out, Sam would become defensive and he lashed out in anger just wanting to get his Dad off of his back before he became an emotional wreck.

Dean had always understood Sam's moods; he'd always known what Sam needed in order to calm down or to get his mind off of things before Sam burst into tears or anger. But now …

Sam closed his eyes, his body trembling with deep sadness and regret, because Sam knew that even though Dean hadn't actually come out and said that he blamed Sam for their Mum's death, Sam could tell that his older brother did blame him. Probably hated him now too, which was why Sam had received the "pity" look.

Oh God, this was bad! If Sam didn't get out of here soon, he was going to completely lose control!

Sam once again took a couple of deep breaths to steady himself, to strengthen his resolve – because he would deal with his emotional issues later. Now was not the time for sadness, regret, despair or guilt – before he opened his eyes and gasped in surprise as Dean and Caelan were nose to nose now, looking as if they were about to come to blows.

No, no, no, no, no ….

This was not what Sam wanted to happen. He did not want his brother and his brother's best friend to get into a fight because of him – because Sam just knew that even if Dean had wiped his hands of Sam, it would take a long time for years of ingrained big brother instincts and protectiveness to disappear completely overnight and Dean was no doubt still defending Sam against Caelan – and no matter what it took, Sam had to stop this before it could begin.

Sam's panicked gaze fell upon the wide smirk of amusement upon Mr. Stewart's expression, looking at Sam in a calm manner, basically asking Sam what his decision was. Was he going to take the deal or not?

Sam shot a glance toward his friends and brother once more before he returned his eyes to Roger Stewart and inclined his head ever so slightly, indicating that he would take the deal as long as Mr. Stewart kept up his end of the bargain and let the other three Hunters walk out of here alive.

Mr. Stewart looked offended by Sam's silent accusation before he nodded, agreeing with Sam's conditions.

Sam closed his eyes as four armed men came forward to retrieve him, motioning him forward with their guns. Sam lowered his head in defeat, allowing two of the men to grab his arms and lead him forward, trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing by allowing Mr. Stewart to hand him back over to The Organisation once more for the longest and most intense round of … reconditioning that he'd ever faced to date.

He managed to calm his panicked thoughts by reassuring himself that he was doing this in order to save the three Hunters from certain death, but he couldn't help the violent shudder that ran through him, instantly knowing that he would be spending a lot more time in that damn dreaded box, so that they could break him and bend him to their will before they rebuilt him for their own personal needs, becoming just another compliant member of this secret organisation, willing and ready to obey their every command.

Sam vowed not to let himself become like some of the other mindless people he had seen coming out of the reconditioning facility, just as he was entering for his yearly dose of punishments. If it came down to it … Sam would have no problem in ending his miserable excuse of a life.

But first … first he had to make sure that Dean, Caelan and Caleb got to walk out of this hospital with their lives, unharmed if he had anything to say about it. And then he would go from there.

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

Dean was getting more frustrated and irritated the closer he got toward the two Hunters who were behaving like children and not the professionals that they were.

Because he had to break up the fight between the two men, that meant more time away from his brother than he liked. Sam was in a bad head space and Dean feared leaving his little brother alone when his head was this messed up.

Dean glanced back to make sure that Sam had listened to him and was staying put, plus to make sure that none of these armed bastards approached his injured and deeply hurting sibling.

Satisfied that everything was in order – Sam was staying put and no one seemed to be anywhere near interested in approaching his brother – Dean stepped up to the fighting Hunters and barged in between them, elbowing Caleb hard in the chest; causing Caleb to stop in his tracks, doubling over, trying to catch his breath because he'd had the wind knocked out of him.

At the same time that Dean elbowed Caleb, he landed a solid punch to Caelan's jaw, which made Caelan stagger back a couple of steps.

"That's enough!" Dean told them, the furious look upon Dean's face, warning both Hunters that he was deadly serious. "Have you two completely lost your fucking minds? What the hell are you doing fighting at a time like this?

In case you haven't noticed … we are surrounded by the Armed Goon Patrol, and this is how you want to deal with that issue? By fighting with each other?!" Dean demanded incredulously. "Really, I expected more professional and mature behaviour from the two of you. You fucking know better than this!"

Dean turned to give a hard look in Caleb's direction. "You told me that you would calm him down … does this look like he's calm to you?"

Caleb turned his head to the side to spit out a glob of spit and blood before standing up, a look of shame and embarrassment upon his face at Dean's reprimanding tone. "You're right," he admitted sheepishly. "I'm good now; and I apologize."

Dean nodded, satisfied that Caleb's senses had returned to normal and he was confident that Caleb wouldn't be returning to such childish and reckless behaviour any time in a hurry.

"And you …" Dean pivoted on his heels to face Caelan who was looking at him in a calm, defiant manner.

"I've done nothing wrong." Caelan said, his dark brown eyes challenging Dean to tell him differently.

"You've done nothing wrong?" Dean repeated, shocked at his friend's cavalier manner. He was the one who'd started this whole fucking mess! He was the one who'd slammed his already injured little brother up against the glass door, causing him more injuries, deepening the guilt, shock and remorse within his baby brother's eyes.

"Nothing wrong, huh?" Dean's voice lowered, his eyes squinting together as a sudden rush of anger surged through him.

"Caleb was the one who decided to bring my father into this. He was the one who threw the first punch." Caelan countered.

Dean closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye, grabbing Caelan's shirt with both of his hands, his expression contorted in anger, pulling Caelan even closer toward him. "I don't care what Caleb said or didn't say. I don't care what Caleb did or didn't do. What I do care about is the fucking bruises you put on my baby brother's back, causing some of his words to reopen because you thought it was a good fucking idea to slam him up against a glass door several times!"

Caelan blinked, shocked and surprised by Dean's ferocious protectiveness over someone who was responsible for his Dad's death, someone who was … little Sammy Winchester. The same kid that he had helped Dean raise; the same kid who could cause his heart to melt and give into his demands when Sam gave him the dreaded "puppy-eyes"; the same kid who's heart was so big, that sometimes he felt sorry for the monsters they hunted; the same kid who had called him for help this morning, drugged, confused, scared, alone and hurt …

Holy crap, what the hell was he doing?

Where did this sudden burst of unrestricted, unbridled, almost animalistic rage come from? Caleb was right. This wasn't him. Caelan didn't lose his shit like this, he didn't lose control of his emotions or give into the anger he knew resided inside of him.

Especially since he knew there was no way that the kid was responsible for his Dad's death. It hadn't been his fault, Caelan knew that. But the feelings surging within him and the vicious, horrible words that expelled from him were not his own actions or words, Caelan suddenly realized. Something was horribly, terribly wrong with him …

"Dean …" Caelan tried to warn his friend, make him understand that something was causing Caelan to act in this manner, but Dean interrupted him, not wanting to hear his excuses at the moment.

"What in the hell is wrong with you Caelan?" Dean demanded in a low hiss. "You beat up on my brother for something that happened years ago?" Dean held up a hand to stop his friend's protests. "Yeah, I know, I heard what Sam said, but dude … did you happen to hear what Sam said?"

Caelan frowned, cocking his head to the side, perplexed as the other feelings, thoughts and emotions swarmed over him once more, clouding his internal scream of frustration that this wasn't him and something was very wrong before the other him took over once more.

Yes, he'd heard what Sam had said. Why would Dean ask him that in such an anguished, haunted tone?

"Dude, I really don't want to fight with you and cause these guys to have more entertainment and gain more enjoyment out of this than they already have. So, I'm going to take a step back and talk to you rationally and calmly about this, without either one of us throwing a punch … okay?"

With a control Dean didn't know he possessed, because every fibre of his being was crying out for Caelan's blood for what he did to Sam, Dean let go of Caelan's shirt and took half a step back, watching Caelan's reaction carefully, on guard in case Caelan decided to throw a punch in his direction.

When that didn't happen, Dean let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and rolled his shoulders to ease some of his tension.

"Okay, this is good." Dean offered Caelan a crooked smile before getting down to the crux of the disagreement between them. "Okay, I get that you're pissed at Sam right now but if you recall what he said, Sam started off by telling us that he couldn't remember what happened that night, so someone has obviously told him this … right?"

Dean began, keeping his tone as even and neutral as possible while discussing this delicate matter that Caelan had reacted to so violently, obviously the wound still raw and unresolved since his father's death.

Caelan clicked his jaw back, even the not him conceding that Dean had a valid point, his grief-stricken rage beginning to simmer as more of the real Caelan started to take back control.

"Now, I know what it feels like to want revenge and to avenge someone you love, someone you've lost … believe me, I know," Dean continued, his tone calming and more pleading instead of protective and lethal, seeing dawning realization enter his friend's eyes. "But don't let your need for vengeance blind you brother. Sammy may be a lot of things – a pain in my ass most of the time – but he is not and never will be a stone cold killer."

Dean relaxed slightly when he saw Caelan's irrational anger morphing into careful consideration. He placed a hand upon Caelan's tense shoulder, forcing a smile onto his lips. "If Sammy had known or remembered what happened to your Dad Caelan, he would have told us. Of that, I am one hundred percent certain.

He loved your Dad as much as I did and I know right now that it's hard to see past your grief … but Caelan, brother, please … this is Sammy; our baby brother and you want to give him grief over something he had no control over? Do you really think a scrawny ten-year old Sammy would have stopped that from happening?"

Dean took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If you're looking for someone to blame brother, then blame my Dad, blame me. We were the ones who left Sammy; we were the ones who asked your Dad to look in on him. We are to blame Caelan, not Sammy."

Dean's heart felt plea on his brother's behalf caused Caelan's control to strengthen. He didn't want to blame his brothers for this. He didn't want to hurt them, but the unknown element within him was clinging to Caelan with a tenacious will that surprised Caelan.

But still, Caelan fought it … with everything he had because he had to make Dean see … he had to make Dean understand that it hadn't been him who had hurt Sammy or fought with Caleb.

These actions were not something Caelan would give in to or do – even if they weren't surrounded by armed men who were now completely focused on the task of keeping the Hunters from leaving the building.

"Deeannn …" Caelan forced through his numb lips as he desperately fought for control. "Some … t'hng not … right … help me!"

TBC