Heart's Desire - Chapter 8
Fandom: Supernatural
Title: Heart’s Desire
Chapter: 8/24
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Author's Notes: Thanks to VegasGranny and Ncsupnatfan for pre-reading.
Summary: Jack wants to help Sam after overhearing a nightmare which results in a rift being opened. Jessica is brought from a world in which Lilith was never killed and now she and the demons reign while they work to break Sam in Hell. Unable to leave her to that life and pain, Sam and his family go to her world to save it.
Chapter Eight
Dean glanced at Sam as he pulled to a stop outside the office John had directed them to, seeing his furrowed brow and distant eyes.
“You okay, man?” he asked.
Sam flinched as if Dean had shouted and quickly nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just thinking.”
“About?”
Sam looked at him for a moment as if assessing him and then he said, “John. He’s not Dad, is he?”
“He’s really not,” Dean agreed.
Sam raked a hand over his face. “I mean, Jess is Jess. That’s who I see. I get that she’s different, but she would be different if she’d lived in our world, too. We were kids when we were together. I’ve changed, too. But John… I didn’t know what to do when he was crying like that. It was so damn hard. I wanted to help but at the same time…”
“You wanted to cut and run?” Dean suggested.
Sam nodded. “His pain was hard to bear when he realized I wasn’t who he thought. It made me feel guilty.”
Dean nudged his arm with a fist, “Sammy, you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. So you’re not him, but we’re here to get him back. You’re the one that decided that. You could have kept Jess and no one would have judged you. But you’re the one that brought her back here and you’re the one who was going to die to get her Sam back. I’m damn glad you’ve got that stupid idea out of your head, but the fact you were willing still stands. You must have been tempted as all hell to keep her.”
Sam pressed his lips into a hard line and then said, “I was for like a second, but I knew I couldn’t. It would be worse than cruel, and not just to her. There’s a Sam here, a me, that’s suffering through hell and he has been for over a decade. I was in the Cage but even I can’t imagine what he must be going through after all that time. Leaving him there would have been evil. Sure, it’s hard to be here, seeing John’s eyes when he looks at me, and I think seeing Dean is going to be even harder, but it’s worth it.”
“You don’t have to stay,” Dean said, knowing Sam would never agree to what he was suggesting but needing to say it for himself, to offer the protection. “Jack can open a rift and you can wait at home for us to get back.”
Sam frowned. “You really think I’d do that.”
“No,” Dean said. “But I kinda wish you would. It’s going to be hard on you.”
“I know, and there’s harder to come, but I’m staying.”
Dean was sure he knew what Sam meant when he was talking about what was to come. He was going to have to say goodbye to Jessica, leave her with this Sam, and it was going to be a one-sided goodbye.
Their reunion had been perfect for them, Sam had been so happy, but when it came time to leave, Jessica would already have the Sam she needed. She wouldn’t be saying goodbye really. If Dean was in Sam’s position, he would be dreading it, and Sam was never as good at pushing down feelings and getting on with it as he was.
Sam threw open his door and climbed out of the truck. Dean did the same and they met on the sidewalk. Dean checked his pocket for the weapon John had instructed them to bring-he’d chosen the demon knife-and pushed open the door of the office. The walls were lined with racks of glasses with artful lighting above to show them off, and at the end of the small room was a counter with a young man sitting behind it in a white shirt and blue tie with a badge naming him as Trent. His eyes widened as he looked up from his computer and saw them walking towards him.
“Hey,” Dean said. “We’re-”
“Hunters?” the young man asked, his voice weak.
“Uh, yeah,” Dean said. “Didn’t think it’d be that obvious.” He took out the knife and set it on the counter. “We were told you’d want to see this.”
The man glanced at it and then look up again, his eyes flickering between Sam and Dean and said. “Are the demons coming?”
“No,” Sam said quickly, and the man breathed a deep sigh. “We need glasses.”
The man frowned. “Glasses? You mean an appointment?”
“No,” Sam said. “We mean display frames with clear lenses. We need them for… a hunt.”
Dean was sure he’d stopped himself saying they needed them for a hellhound, which was a good idea as the man still looked pretty spooked.
The man nodded jerkily and said, “I’ll get the doctor,” before rushing around the counter and through a door at the side of the room.
Dean glanced at Sam. “He tagged us fast.”
Sam shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. We’re pretty good at spotting hunters, too, and his world has got to be full of them. I have no idea how it works here, but I’m guessing there are more hunters around than in our world. Think about it; most people don’t hunt unless they’ve been a victim themselves. They see the real world and join the fight for revenge or to protect others. There’s got to be a lot of people in this world that have suffered losses to the demons, and there’s some that will want to help without that. Think about it like joining the military.”
Dean hadn’t thought about it, but it made sense that there would be more hunters now. He thought there would be a lot more hunters lost, too. If they were putting themselves in the path of demons, they were going to be at risk.
The door opened again and a woman strode out followed by the young man they’d spoken to. She gave them an appraising look and then nodded. “Gentlemen, I understand you’re here for glasses.” Her lips quirked into a smile. “And you don’t need a prescription. I’m curious, what can you need glasses for?”
“There’s some things in the world that can’t be seen by the naked eye,” Sam said. “We’re hunting something like that. If we use holy fire on the glasses, we’ll be able to see it.”
“Then feel free to take whatever you need from the racks,” she said, a strange heaviness to her tone.
Sam smiled and Dean nodded. “Thanks.”
He grabbed a pair of glasses from the rack and said, “How many, Sammy?”
Sam considered for a moment and then said, “Five pairs. Castiel, both of them, will be able to see without, and since Jack is even more powerful, I’m guessing he will, too. You, me, John, Jess, and Dean will need them.”
Dean grabbed four more pairs and turned back to thank the doctor and clerk that were watching them.
Before he could speak, the doctor did, and Dean thought he’d rarely seen so much gratitude in the eyes on a victim they’d actually saved. “I wish you luck,” she said. “And my sincerest thanks for what you do.”
Dean frowned and made for the door, feeling awkward, as Sam stuttered thanks and followed him out.
Dean climbed back into the truck and dropped the glasses down in the door well. Sam got in beside him and said, “Did that feel like she was saying goodbye to you, too?”
“Yeah,” Dean said, starting the engine and sighing. “It figures, I guess. We’re obviously going into something and, in a world like this, the odds are on us getting killed.”
“How do you think they stand it?” Sam asked. “The whole world must be scared. God, I can’t even imagine. At least we know we can fight back when the shit hits the fan for us, we’ve beaten it back before. Most of these people are helpless.”
“They are now,” Dean said pointedly. “John will get these trials done and it will be over. They’ll probably make it a national holiday.”
Sam’s lips quirked into a smile. “With parades?”
“Yep. All the thank-you-for-saving-the-world parades anyone can stand. We should stick around for one.”
Sam relaxed in his seat. “Yeah, maybe. Honestly, I’d rather go home fast.”
Dean nodded, realizing what he’d said. When it was over, when the world was saved, there would be no place for them here, no place or role for Sam at all. They would leave it to the other versions of themselves to have that success and loss. John would be dead but the world would be saved.
That hadn’t been enough for Dean when Sam was in the Cage, and he wondered whether it would be for the Dean they would be leaving behind.
They were halfway back to the motel where they’d left the others when Sam leaned forward and said, “We’re in Nebraska.”
“Huh?”
Sam pointed up at the banner hung across the road at the end of the street. It was advertising the town’s bicentennial celebrations. “We’ve been here,” he said. “We took a vengeful spirit that Ellen hooked us up with way back in the day. We’re only a couple hours away from the bunker. We should relocate there. We can use the dungeon for this crossroads demon.”
“Yeah!” Dean said, then an idea occurred to him. “Will a hellhound be able to get into the bunker?”
Sam frowned. “Honestly, I don’t know. Asmodeus got in that time. I’d like to say no because the idea of one breaking in is more nightmares than I already have, but you’re right. We should probably set up somewhere else for the hound to come. We can take them there after, though, when the first trial is done. They’ll need somewhere to bring Sam when we get him back, and home is a good place.”
Dean nodded his agreement. He remembered how disappointed he’d been, how disconnected he’d felt, when he’d been settling in his room at the bunker, making it a home, and Sam had still been refusing to settle, only seeing it as the place they worked. It had taken a long time, but the fact it was home to both of them now felt good. The bunker would be a good place for them to bring their version of Sam to. He would be protected there and it would be peaceful, too. He was going to need that.
“We’ll talk to them about it,” he said.
Dean pulled them onto the street where the motel was and into the parking lot. The door to Jessica’s room was ajar which Dean was surprised by, and he was concerned enough to be out of the car and in the room before Sam’s question of what was going on was completed.
What he walked into was a shock. Jack was standing behind Castiel and Jessica, looking nervous, which wasn’t a surprise when you saw the angel standing opposite him with her blade drawn. She was dressed differently to the grey pant-suited pain in the ass Dean had met, the one that ordered Castiel to kill him, but he recognized Hannah at once.
John was standing with Hannah and he seemed to be trying to explain the situation. “He’s not from this world, Hannah, so sure, he’ll feel different, but-”
“No!” Hannah growled. “This Castiel feels different, but I recognized him. I have never felt anything like this child before. He’s powerful.”
“He is,” Dean growled. “So you might not want to piss him off by holding a blade on him.”
She spun around and her eyes widened. “Dean? Sam!”
“No,” John said emphatically. “They’re Sam and Dean from another world like Castiel. They came through a rift to help us get our Sam back, so stow the damn blade and listen.”
“We also came to help you save this world,” Dean said. “And Jack is the reason we were able to, so maybe start with a thank you and an apology for being a bitch.”
He’d never liked the angel. She had tried to make Castiel kill him once, which pissed him off, but she’d set Castiel up to be tortured by two of her mooks so she could ride in to the rescue and that was where his remaining goodwill towards her as a friend of Castiel disappeared.
You could screw with Dean, and he’d find a way to make it right for himself eventually, he’d deal with it, but if you screwed with his family, he had no limits for what he’d do. This wasn’t the Hannah that had screwed Castiel over, but she was now threatening Jack-though it was an impotent threat-and he was done.
“Do it, Hannah,” John said.
With one last long look at Jack, Hannah stowed her blade in the pocket of her long coat-Dean guessed she took fashion tips from Castiel-and raised her hands. “I’m sorry, but that kind of power is unprecedented. You cannot blame me for being on guard.”
“We can’t,” Castiel said. “Jack is powerful. He’s my son.”
Hannah gasped. “A Nephilim!”
“Yes,” Dean said. “Castiel’s son.” He wasn’t letting anyone in this world know Jack’s roots as Lucifer’s child. It had taken him time to get over his judgment of the kid, and he wasn’t going to put Jack through their reactions and that same judgment. Lucifer was just an accident of birth. Jack was a Winchester where it mattered.
“But Castiel…” she whispered. “How could you do that?”
“Okay, that’s enough,” John growled. “Jack is on our side and he’s good. That’s all any of us need to know. Thanks to him, we’re getting Sammy back and saving the damn world. Now, what are you doing here? I thought you, Dean, and Cas were on radio silence while you deal with the trouble in Colorado.”
“We were,” Hannah said. “That’s why I came. The odds are even further against us than we anticipated. We need backup. I came to ask you and Jess to help us.”
“No can do,” John said curtly. “I’ve got something else to be doing. You’re going to have to deal with it alone.”
“Dean came come,” Sam said.
Dean glared at him. “Dean can what?”
“Go,” Sam said. “I can stay here with John and help him with the trial. You can take Cas and Jack to help with the demons.”
“Or I can stay and you can go,” Dean said.
He didn’t want them to split up at all, and he definitely didn’t want Sam running into a demon hotspot with odds bad enough that they were calling in backup, but he wasn’t leaving Sam here with John before the first trial was done. He was the one that was supposed to kill the hellhound last time but Sam had been the one to do it. It had been on him and he’d failed. If John looked shaky, Dean wouldn’t put it past Sam to dive in and do the trial himself. Again.
Sam frowned. “Why do you want to stay?”
Dean decided not to go with honesty. “Because this thing in Colorado is a demon thing, and we both know you’re better with them than I am. Your Latin is faster and you can do the reverse exorcism. You’re the best person for the job and we both know it. I can stay back here and help John. Or we can wait until the trial is done and all go.”
“No!” Hannah said. “There is a town full of people needing help now.”
“I’m not waiting either,” John said. “This is my son.”
Dean nodded. “The hellhound needs to be killed so John can move on to the second and these demons need to be stopped.
“Okay,” Sam said. “But you’re keeping Cas with you, too.”
“I would be more potent as a weapon against demons than I would be observing the demise of a hellhound,” Castiel said.
“Yeah, but you can heal,” Sam said, crossing his arms over his chest. “John and Dean need you here. I’ll have Jack which is all the potency we’ll need against demons.”
Castiel glanced and Dean and nodded. “Okay. Yes. I’ll stay.”
“I’m coming with you, Sam,” Jess said.
Sam smiled slightly and then turned to Jack. “You good for this?”
“Yes,” Jack said eagerly.
“We’ll be back as soon as we can then,” Sam said. “John, you should…” He bit his lip. “Good luck. Cas, don’t delay with the healing if it’s needed.”
“I won’t,” Castiel said and then patted Jack on the arm. “Be careful.”
Jack grinned. “It’s just demons.”
John glowered. “You might be all-powerful and able to rip open doors between worlds, but in our world, there is no such thing as ‘just demons’. They’re feral and fierce and you’d better remember that when you’re facing them.” His hands fisted. “These are Lilith’s.”
Jack nodded and said, “You’ll need to lead me,” to Hannah.
“Hold up,” Sam said, catching Dean off guard as he turned him and pulled him into a hug. For a moment he clung to him and then pulled back and gripped the back of his neck. “You’re watching and supporting, Dean. This is John’s job, remember?”
“Don’t worry,” John growled. “This kill is mine.”
Dean patted Sam’s cheek and said, “I’ve got it, Sammy. And make sure you let Jack do the heavy lifting.”
“I will,” Sam said.
He stepped away from Dean and then, with a rustle of sound, he, Jess, Jack, and Hannah were gone. Dean took a breath and said, “Okay, John, are you ready?”
“Yes. Jess found me a crossroads just outside town. We’ll grab the demon and bring it back here.”
Dean raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to bring a demon back here to… talk… to it?”
John nodded. “Different world, Dean. No one’s going to bat an eyelid if they see red eyes being chained up here.”
“No,” Castiel said thoughtfully. “But do you think it’s wise to bring a hellhound into a populated place?”
John huffed a laugh. “No, I guess not. We’ll find somewhere on the road. Now, can we go? I’ve got a son in Hell that needs rescuing, and apparently, I’ve got to kill a dog first.”
Castiel looked concerned. “A hellhound isn’t a dog. It’s a vicious and murderous creature that you should-”
John held up a hand. “You’ve got no more understanding of sarcasm than the Cas we’ve got kicking around here. I know exactly what a hellhound is as it’s not going to be my first time facing one. Last time it dragged me to Hell. This time…” His lips curled back from his teeth in a harsh snarl of a smile. “This time I’m going to be the one doing the killing.”
Dean shivered and quickly covered it by stepping forward and saying, “I’ll prep the glasses. They’re in the truck.”
He hurried out of the room and drew a deep breath of fresh air. He knew this wasn’t his father, they all knew it, but seeing that expression on the face he loved was disturbing.
His father had been dangerous when he needed to be, but he’d never even touched on the kind of darkness he saw in this version of John.
Title: Heart’s Desire
Chapter: 8/24
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Author's Notes: Thanks to VegasGranny and Ncsupnatfan for pre-reading.
Summary: Jack wants to help Sam after overhearing a nightmare which results in a rift being opened. Jessica is brought from a world in which Lilith was never killed and now she and the demons reign while they work to break Sam in Hell. Unable to leave her to that life and pain, Sam and his family go to her world to save it.
Chapter Eight
Dean glanced at Sam as he pulled to a stop outside the office John had directed them to, seeing his furrowed brow and distant eyes.
“You okay, man?” he asked.
Sam flinched as if Dean had shouted and quickly nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just thinking.”
“About?”
Sam looked at him for a moment as if assessing him and then he said, “John. He’s not Dad, is he?”
“He’s really not,” Dean agreed.
Sam raked a hand over his face. “I mean, Jess is Jess. That’s who I see. I get that she’s different, but she would be different if she’d lived in our world, too. We were kids when we were together. I’ve changed, too. But John… I didn’t know what to do when he was crying like that. It was so damn hard. I wanted to help but at the same time…”
“You wanted to cut and run?” Dean suggested.
Sam nodded. “His pain was hard to bear when he realized I wasn’t who he thought. It made me feel guilty.”
Dean nudged his arm with a fist, “Sammy, you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. So you’re not him, but we’re here to get him back. You’re the one that decided that. You could have kept Jess and no one would have judged you. But you’re the one that brought her back here and you’re the one who was going to die to get her Sam back. I’m damn glad you’ve got that stupid idea out of your head, but the fact you were willing still stands. You must have been tempted as all hell to keep her.”
Sam pressed his lips into a hard line and then said, “I was for like a second, but I knew I couldn’t. It would be worse than cruel, and not just to her. There’s a Sam here, a me, that’s suffering through hell and he has been for over a decade. I was in the Cage but even I can’t imagine what he must be going through after all that time. Leaving him there would have been evil. Sure, it’s hard to be here, seeing John’s eyes when he looks at me, and I think seeing Dean is going to be even harder, but it’s worth it.”
“You don’t have to stay,” Dean said, knowing Sam would never agree to what he was suggesting but needing to say it for himself, to offer the protection. “Jack can open a rift and you can wait at home for us to get back.”
Sam frowned. “You really think I’d do that.”
“No,” Dean said. “But I kinda wish you would. It’s going to be hard on you.”
“I know, and there’s harder to come, but I’m staying.”
Dean was sure he knew what Sam meant when he was talking about what was to come. He was going to have to say goodbye to Jessica, leave her with this Sam, and it was going to be a one-sided goodbye.
Their reunion had been perfect for them, Sam had been so happy, but when it came time to leave, Jessica would already have the Sam she needed. She wouldn’t be saying goodbye really. If Dean was in Sam’s position, he would be dreading it, and Sam was never as good at pushing down feelings and getting on with it as he was.
Sam threw open his door and climbed out of the truck. Dean did the same and they met on the sidewalk. Dean checked his pocket for the weapon John had instructed them to bring-he’d chosen the demon knife-and pushed open the door of the office. The walls were lined with racks of glasses with artful lighting above to show them off, and at the end of the small room was a counter with a young man sitting behind it in a white shirt and blue tie with a badge naming him as Trent. His eyes widened as he looked up from his computer and saw them walking towards him.
“Hey,” Dean said. “We’re-”
“Hunters?” the young man asked, his voice weak.
“Uh, yeah,” Dean said. “Didn’t think it’d be that obvious.” He took out the knife and set it on the counter. “We were told you’d want to see this.”
The man glanced at it and then look up again, his eyes flickering between Sam and Dean and said. “Are the demons coming?”
“No,” Sam said quickly, and the man breathed a deep sigh. “We need glasses.”
The man frowned. “Glasses? You mean an appointment?”
“No,” Sam said. “We mean display frames with clear lenses. We need them for… a hunt.”
Dean was sure he’d stopped himself saying they needed them for a hellhound, which was a good idea as the man still looked pretty spooked.
The man nodded jerkily and said, “I’ll get the doctor,” before rushing around the counter and through a door at the side of the room.
Dean glanced at Sam. “He tagged us fast.”
Sam shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. We’re pretty good at spotting hunters, too, and his world has got to be full of them. I have no idea how it works here, but I’m guessing there are more hunters around than in our world. Think about it; most people don’t hunt unless they’ve been a victim themselves. They see the real world and join the fight for revenge or to protect others. There’s got to be a lot of people in this world that have suffered losses to the demons, and there’s some that will want to help without that. Think about it like joining the military.”
Dean hadn’t thought about it, but it made sense that there would be more hunters now. He thought there would be a lot more hunters lost, too. If they were putting themselves in the path of demons, they were going to be at risk.
The door opened again and a woman strode out followed by the young man they’d spoken to. She gave them an appraising look and then nodded. “Gentlemen, I understand you’re here for glasses.” Her lips quirked into a smile. “And you don’t need a prescription. I’m curious, what can you need glasses for?”
“There’s some things in the world that can’t be seen by the naked eye,” Sam said. “We’re hunting something like that. If we use holy fire on the glasses, we’ll be able to see it.”
“Then feel free to take whatever you need from the racks,” she said, a strange heaviness to her tone.
Sam smiled and Dean nodded. “Thanks.”
He grabbed a pair of glasses from the rack and said, “How many, Sammy?”
Sam considered for a moment and then said, “Five pairs. Castiel, both of them, will be able to see without, and since Jack is even more powerful, I’m guessing he will, too. You, me, John, Jess, and Dean will need them.”
Dean grabbed four more pairs and turned back to thank the doctor and clerk that were watching them.
Before he could speak, the doctor did, and Dean thought he’d rarely seen so much gratitude in the eyes on a victim they’d actually saved. “I wish you luck,” she said. “And my sincerest thanks for what you do.”
Dean frowned and made for the door, feeling awkward, as Sam stuttered thanks and followed him out.
Dean climbed back into the truck and dropped the glasses down in the door well. Sam got in beside him and said, “Did that feel like she was saying goodbye to you, too?”
“Yeah,” Dean said, starting the engine and sighing. “It figures, I guess. We’re obviously going into something and, in a world like this, the odds are on us getting killed.”
“How do you think they stand it?” Sam asked. “The whole world must be scared. God, I can’t even imagine. At least we know we can fight back when the shit hits the fan for us, we’ve beaten it back before. Most of these people are helpless.”
“They are now,” Dean said pointedly. “John will get these trials done and it will be over. They’ll probably make it a national holiday.”
Sam’s lips quirked into a smile. “With parades?”
“Yep. All the thank-you-for-saving-the-world parades anyone can stand. We should stick around for one.”
Sam relaxed in his seat. “Yeah, maybe. Honestly, I’d rather go home fast.”
Dean nodded, realizing what he’d said. When it was over, when the world was saved, there would be no place for them here, no place or role for Sam at all. They would leave it to the other versions of themselves to have that success and loss. John would be dead but the world would be saved.
That hadn’t been enough for Dean when Sam was in the Cage, and he wondered whether it would be for the Dean they would be leaving behind.
They were halfway back to the motel where they’d left the others when Sam leaned forward and said, “We’re in Nebraska.”
“Huh?”
Sam pointed up at the banner hung across the road at the end of the street. It was advertising the town’s bicentennial celebrations. “We’ve been here,” he said. “We took a vengeful spirit that Ellen hooked us up with way back in the day. We’re only a couple hours away from the bunker. We should relocate there. We can use the dungeon for this crossroads demon.”
“Yeah!” Dean said, then an idea occurred to him. “Will a hellhound be able to get into the bunker?”
Sam frowned. “Honestly, I don’t know. Asmodeus got in that time. I’d like to say no because the idea of one breaking in is more nightmares than I already have, but you’re right. We should probably set up somewhere else for the hound to come. We can take them there after, though, when the first trial is done. They’ll need somewhere to bring Sam when we get him back, and home is a good place.”
Dean nodded his agreement. He remembered how disappointed he’d been, how disconnected he’d felt, when he’d been settling in his room at the bunker, making it a home, and Sam had still been refusing to settle, only seeing it as the place they worked. It had taken a long time, but the fact it was home to both of them now felt good. The bunker would be a good place for them to bring their version of Sam to. He would be protected there and it would be peaceful, too. He was going to need that.
“We’ll talk to them about it,” he said.
Dean pulled them onto the street where the motel was and into the parking lot. The door to Jessica’s room was ajar which Dean was surprised by, and he was concerned enough to be out of the car and in the room before Sam’s question of what was going on was completed.
What he walked into was a shock. Jack was standing behind Castiel and Jessica, looking nervous, which wasn’t a surprise when you saw the angel standing opposite him with her blade drawn. She was dressed differently to the grey pant-suited pain in the ass Dean had met, the one that ordered Castiel to kill him, but he recognized Hannah at once.
John was standing with Hannah and he seemed to be trying to explain the situation. “He’s not from this world, Hannah, so sure, he’ll feel different, but-”
“No!” Hannah growled. “This Castiel feels different, but I recognized him. I have never felt anything like this child before. He’s powerful.”
“He is,” Dean growled. “So you might not want to piss him off by holding a blade on him.”
She spun around and her eyes widened. “Dean? Sam!”
“No,” John said emphatically. “They’re Sam and Dean from another world like Castiel. They came through a rift to help us get our Sam back, so stow the damn blade and listen.”
“We also came to help you save this world,” Dean said. “And Jack is the reason we were able to, so maybe start with a thank you and an apology for being a bitch.”
He’d never liked the angel. She had tried to make Castiel kill him once, which pissed him off, but she’d set Castiel up to be tortured by two of her mooks so she could ride in to the rescue and that was where his remaining goodwill towards her as a friend of Castiel disappeared.
You could screw with Dean, and he’d find a way to make it right for himself eventually, he’d deal with it, but if you screwed with his family, he had no limits for what he’d do. This wasn’t the Hannah that had screwed Castiel over, but she was now threatening Jack-though it was an impotent threat-and he was done.
“Do it, Hannah,” John said.
With one last long look at Jack, Hannah stowed her blade in the pocket of her long coat-Dean guessed she took fashion tips from Castiel-and raised her hands. “I’m sorry, but that kind of power is unprecedented. You cannot blame me for being on guard.”
“We can’t,” Castiel said. “Jack is powerful. He’s my son.”
Hannah gasped. “A Nephilim!”
“Yes,” Dean said. “Castiel’s son.” He wasn’t letting anyone in this world know Jack’s roots as Lucifer’s child. It had taken him time to get over his judgment of the kid, and he wasn’t going to put Jack through their reactions and that same judgment. Lucifer was just an accident of birth. Jack was a Winchester where it mattered.
“But Castiel…” she whispered. “How could you do that?”
“Okay, that’s enough,” John growled. “Jack is on our side and he’s good. That’s all any of us need to know. Thanks to him, we’re getting Sammy back and saving the damn world. Now, what are you doing here? I thought you, Dean, and Cas were on radio silence while you deal with the trouble in Colorado.”
“We were,” Hannah said. “That’s why I came. The odds are even further against us than we anticipated. We need backup. I came to ask you and Jess to help us.”
“No can do,” John said curtly. “I’ve got something else to be doing. You’re going to have to deal with it alone.”
“Dean came come,” Sam said.
Dean glared at him. “Dean can what?”
“Go,” Sam said. “I can stay here with John and help him with the trial. You can take Cas and Jack to help with the demons.”
“Or I can stay and you can go,” Dean said.
He didn’t want them to split up at all, and he definitely didn’t want Sam running into a demon hotspot with odds bad enough that they were calling in backup, but he wasn’t leaving Sam here with John before the first trial was done. He was the one that was supposed to kill the hellhound last time but Sam had been the one to do it. It had been on him and he’d failed. If John looked shaky, Dean wouldn’t put it past Sam to dive in and do the trial himself. Again.
Sam frowned. “Why do you want to stay?”
Dean decided not to go with honesty. “Because this thing in Colorado is a demon thing, and we both know you’re better with them than I am. Your Latin is faster and you can do the reverse exorcism. You’re the best person for the job and we both know it. I can stay back here and help John. Or we can wait until the trial is done and all go.”
“No!” Hannah said. “There is a town full of people needing help now.”
“I’m not waiting either,” John said. “This is my son.”
Dean nodded. “The hellhound needs to be killed so John can move on to the second and these demons need to be stopped.
“Okay,” Sam said. “But you’re keeping Cas with you, too.”
“I would be more potent as a weapon against demons than I would be observing the demise of a hellhound,” Castiel said.
“Yeah, but you can heal,” Sam said, crossing his arms over his chest. “John and Dean need you here. I’ll have Jack which is all the potency we’ll need against demons.”
Castiel glanced and Dean and nodded. “Okay. Yes. I’ll stay.”
“I’m coming with you, Sam,” Jess said.
Sam smiled slightly and then turned to Jack. “You good for this?”
“Yes,” Jack said eagerly.
“We’ll be back as soon as we can then,” Sam said. “John, you should…” He bit his lip. “Good luck. Cas, don’t delay with the healing if it’s needed.”
“I won’t,” Castiel said and then patted Jack on the arm. “Be careful.”
Jack grinned. “It’s just demons.”
John glowered. “You might be all-powerful and able to rip open doors between worlds, but in our world, there is no such thing as ‘just demons’. They’re feral and fierce and you’d better remember that when you’re facing them.” His hands fisted. “These are Lilith’s.”
Jack nodded and said, “You’ll need to lead me,” to Hannah.
“Hold up,” Sam said, catching Dean off guard as he turned him and pulled him into a hug. For a moment he clung to him and then pulled back and gripped the back of his neck. “You’re watching and supporting, Dean. This is John’s job, remember?”
“Don’t worry,” John growled. “This kill is mine.”
Dean patted Sam’s cheek and said, “I’ve got it, Sammy. And make sure you let Jack do the heavy lifting.”
“I will,” Sam said.
He stepped away from Dean and then, with a rustle of sound, he, Jess, Jack, and Hannah were gone. Dean took a breath and said, “Okay, John, are you ready?”
“Yes. Jess found me a crossroads just outside town. We’ll grab the demon and bring it back here.”
Dean raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to bring a demon back here to… talk… to it?”
John nodded. “Different world, Dean. No one’s going to bat an eyelid if they see red eyes being chained up here.”
“No,” Castiel said thoughtfully. “But do you think it’s wise to bring a hellhound into a populated place?”
John huffed a laugh. “No, I guess not. We’ll find somewhere on the road. Now, can we go? I’ve got a son in Hell that needs rescuing, and apparently, I’ve got to kill a dog first.”
Castiel looked concerned. “A hellhound isn’t a dog. It’s a vicious and murderous creature that you should-”
John held up a hand. “You’ve got no more understanding of sarcasm than the Cas we’ve got kicking around here. I know exactly what a hellhound is as it’s not going to be my first time facing one. Last time it dragged me to Hell. This time…” His lips curled back from his teeth in a harsh snarl of a smile. “This time I’m going to be the one doing the killing.”
Dean shivered and quickly covered it by stepping forward and saying, “I’ll prep the glasses. They’re in the truck.”
He hurried out of the room and drew a deep breath of fresh air. He knew this wasn’t his father, they all knew it, but seeing that expression on the face he loved was disturbing.
His father had been dangerous when he needed to be, but he’d never even touched on the kind of darkness he saw in this version of John.