Chapter Text
“You boys really screwed up this time.” Meg’s voice crooned over the phone.
Dean looked at Sam, grip tightening on Olivia. “Where is he?”
“You’re never going to see your father again.”
Dean hung up, walking over to hand Olivia to Sam. “They’ve got Dad.”
“Meg?” Dean nodded, going over to his bag. “What’d she say?”
“I just told you, Sammy.” Dean’s voice wavered. “Okay. Okay.” He mumbled, taking the Colt and tucking it into the back of his jeans.
“What are you doing, D?” Olivia asked him.
Dean picked up his duffle bag. “We got to go, Princess.”
“Why?” Sam asked him.
Dean threw his jacket on. “Because the Demon knows we’re in Salvation, all right. It knows we got the Colt. It’s got Dad – it’s probably coming for us next.”
“Good. We’ve still got three bullets left, let it come.” Sam tensed.
“Listen tough guy, we’re not ready, okay? We don’t know how many of them are out there. Now, we’re no good to anybody dead. We’re leaving. Now!” Dean grabbed Olivia’s bag, getting the siblings out faster and on the road quick.
Olivia fell asleep pretty quickly after they left the motel, exhausted from the long day before. She slept through any and all arguments Sam and Dean had, only awaking when the car was stopped and Dean woke her up and carried her into Bobby Singer’s house. He sat her on the cluttered sofa in his living room, nudging a Pediasure her way as Bobby picked up two silver flasks, crosses on the fronts. He handed one to Dean, Sam flipping through a very large book.
“Here you go.” Bobby said as Dean took one of the flasks.
“What is this – holy water?” Dean asked him.
“That one is. This is whiskey.” Bobby gestured to the other flask, taking a swig before handing that one to Dean as well, who also took a drink.
“Bobby, thanks. For everything. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure we should come.” Dean sighed.
“Nonsense, your daddy needs help.”
“Well yeah, but last time we saw you, I mean, you did threaten to blast him full of buckshot.”
“Cocked the shotgun and everything.” Olivia chimed in, Bobby thumbing her hair into place with a grin.
“Yeah, well, what can I say? John just has that effect on people.” Bobby shrugged.
“Yeah, I guess he does.” Dean sighed.
“None of that matters now. All that matters is that you get him back.”
“Bobby, this book…I’ve never seen anything like it.” Sam cut in, still staring through the book.
Bobby walked over, perching on the corner of the desk. “The Key of Solomon? It’s a real deal, alright.”
“And these, uh, these protective circles. They really work?”
“Hell yeah. You get a demon in, they’re trapped. Powerless. It’s like a Satanic roach motel.” Bobby joked, getting laughs from Sam and Olivia.
Dean crossed the room to join them. “Man knows his stuff.”
“I’ll tell you something else, too. This is some serious crap you three stepped in.” Bobby looked at the siblings.
“Oh yeah? How’s that?” Sam turned to him.
“Normal year, I hear of, say, three demonic possessions? Maybe four, tops.”
“Yeah?” Dean encouraged.
“This year, I hear of 27 so far. You get what I’m saying? More and more demons are walking among us – a lot more.”
“D’you know why?” Olivia asked, tilting her head.
“No idea, but I know it’s something big. The storm’s coming, and you kids, and your Daddy – you are smack in the middle of it.”
Bobby’s dog started barking outside, cutting off the conversation.
“Rumsfield?” Bobby muttered, moving over to the window behind Olivia, looking out as Rumsfield stopped barking with a whine. “What is it?”
Olivia turned around, looking through the window with him; the chain Rumsfield had been attached to was hanging broken, dog nowhere in sight.
“Something’s wrong.” Bobby turned around, right as the door in the kitchen blew open.
Meg sauntered inside, Dean slipping the holy water flask out of his pocket.
“No more crap, okay?” Meg wrinkled her nose.
Dean moved toward her, unscrewing the flask, but Meg sent him flying into a stack of books. He didn’t move, knocked out.
Sam moved in front of Bobby, Olivia scurrying over to Dean.
“I want the Colt, Sam. The real Colt, right now.” She sneered.
Sam and Bobby started slowly moving around the room, Meg following while Olivia shook Dean awake quietly.
“We don’t have it on us. We buried it.” Sam told her.
“Didn’t I say ‘no more crap’? I swear, after everything I heard about you Winchesters, I got to tell you, I’m a little underwhelmed. First, Johnny tries to pawn off a fake gun, and then he leaves the real gun with you chuckleheads. Lackluster, man. I mean, did you really think I wouldn’t find you?” She teased.
Dean, awake again, stood behind her. “Actually, we were counting on it.”
Meg turned to look at him. Dean smiled at her, looking up at the ceiling as he gently pushed Olivia a bit behind him. Meg followed his gaze, a large protective symbol painted on the ceiling.
“Gotcha.” Dean beamed.
While Bobby and Sam got Meg ready for their “talk”, Dean took Olivia into Bobby’s kitchen. Setting her up with her back turned to the living room, he pulled out her workbook and a Walkman, headphones in his hands. “Okay, we gotta talk to Meg, and it’s probably not gonna be pretty. So, you, are gonna sit here, do your little…book, thing, and listen to some music, alright Princess?”
“D, are you sure this is okay?” Olivia asked as Dean set the headphones to fit on her head.
“It’ll be just fine, Babygirl. Just…go through your book. Remember what Sam said, if you get too stuck on something, leave it alone for now, alright?”
Olivia nodded, gripping her pencil tight as Dean turned on the music. He ruffled her hair under the band, sighing as he walked back into the living room.
Olivia kept her gaze firmly on the pages, chewing the inside of her cheek as she worked through the problems. Ignoring the few yells and cries that cut through the music in her ears, Olivia startled when Bobby finally passed by her. Three times in total, before the headphones were taken off her ears.
“Hey, kiddo, it’s over. We, uh…we found out where Dad is, we think.” Sam told her, taking her into his arms at her silent ask.
A blanket covered figure on the floor caught her eye, focus stuck on it.
“You two better hurry up and beat it. Before the paramedics get here.” Bobby looked at Sam and Dean.
“What are you gonna tell them?” Dean asked him.
“You think you guys invented lying to the cops? I’ll figure something out.” Bobby handed the Key of Solomon to Sam, who took it in a spare hand. “Here, take this. You might need it.”
“Thanks, Bobby.” Sam nodded, setting Olivia down.
“Thanks…for everything. Be careful, alright?” Dean looked between Olivia and Bobby.
“You two just go find your Dad. And when you do, you bring him around, would you? I won’t even try to shoot him this time.” Bobby nodded to the brothers.
Olivia looked between the three men, Sam and Dean moving to leave the house. Bobby put a hand on her shoulder to stop her moving. “D?”
The brothers stopped. Dean sighed, turning around to take a knee in front of her. “Kiddo, we gotta go get Dad, and it’s not safe for you.”
“I don’t care! I’m coming!” She huffed, pulling away from Bobby’s hand.
“Olivia-”
“Dad said we’d do this together! You said we weren’t spitting up again!” Olivia hit his shoulder.
Dean looked down, turning back to look between Sam and Bobby. His gaze moved back to Olivia, pointing at her chest. “Okay. You come with us, you gotta do exactly as we say, got it little lady?”
Olivia nodded, sharp and swift, before latching onto Dean’s neck as he stood up.
“You boys sure about this?” Bobby asked as Sam picked up Olivia’s bag.
“You know us Winchesters, she’d just find a way to follow us if we did leave her behind.” Dean shrugged, the three siblings leaving quickly.
The next day, the siblings ended up in Jefferson City, Missouri. Dean had parked the Impala near some train tracks before moving to the back of the car to plan. Sam leaned on the side of the car, looking through the book Bobby gave them. Olivia had her door open, swinging her legs as she looked around the landscape surrounding them.
“You’ve been quiet.” Sam suddenly piped up, looking at Dean.
“Just getting ready.”
“He’s gonna be fine, Dean.”
Dean didn’t answer, and Olivia hopped up to skip over to take a hold of his jacket while he loaded guns. Sam went back to the book, flipping pages for a minute before picking the book up and joining the others by the open trunk. He rubbed some dirt off with his sleeve, drawing on the lid with a marker he had in his pocket.
“Dude, what are you drawing on my car!?” Dean freaked, looking over.
“It’s called a Devil’s Trap. Demons can’t get through it or inside it.” Sam explained, double checking his work.
“So?”
Sam moved to the other corner of the trunk lid. “It basically turns the trunk into a lockbox.”
“So?” Dean reiterated.
“So, we have a place to hide the Colt while we go get Dad.”
“What are you talking about? We’re bringing the Colt with us.”
“We can’t, Dean. We’ve only got three bullets left. We can’t just use them on any demon, we’ve got to use them on the demon.”
“No, we have to save Dad, Sam, okay? We’re gonna need all the help we can get.” Dean huffed.
“Dean, you know how pissed Dad would be if we used all the bullets? Dean, he wouldn’t want us to bring the gun.”
“I don’t care, Sam. I don’t care what Dad wants, okay? And since when do you care what Dad wants?”
“We want to kill this demon. You used to want that, too. Hell, I mean, you’re the one who came and got me at school!” Sam huffed as Dean scoffed. “You’re the one who dragged me back into this, Dean. I’m just trying to finish it!” Olivia shifted, uncomfortable with the arguing and yelling.
“Well, you and Dad are a lot more alike than I thought, you know that? You both can’t wait to sacrifice yourself for this thing. But you know what? I’m gonna be the one to bury you. You’re selfish, you know that? You don’t care about anything but revenge.” Dean ranted.
“That’s not true, Dean.” Sam shot back. Dean scoffed. “I want Dad back. But they are expecting us to bring this gun. They get the gun, they will kill us all. That Colt is our only leverage and you know it, Dean. We cannot bring that gun. We can’t.”
“Fine.” Dean huffed.
“I’m serious, Dean.”
“I said fine, Sam.” Dean took the Colt out of his jacket, holding it up for both of his siblings to see before setting it in the trunk.
With few true leads, the siblings walked along a riverbed, looking around the area of town they could see. They stopped alongside some trees and Olivia tugged on their hands.
“Hey.” She pulled her hand out of Dean’s grip, pointing to a large building. “Didn’t Meg say something about Sunrise?”
The brothers looked, seeing the apartment building Olivia was pointing at. The sign out front read ‘Sunrise Apartments’.
“Son of a bitch, since when can you read, bug?” Dean teased, Sam hiking her up to his hip. “That’s pretty smart, though. I mean, if these demons can possess people, they can possess almost anybody inside.”
“Yeah and make anybody attack us.” Sam added on.
“So, we can’t kill them – a building full of human shields.”
“They probably know exactly what we look like, too. And they could look like anybody.”
“Yeah, this sucks out loud.”
“Tell me about it. Alright, so, how the hell are we going to get in?” Sam asked.
Dean looked over the building, the three quiet for a minute.
“Pull the fire alarm, get out all the civilians.” Dean offered.
“Okay, but then the city responds in, what, seven minutes?” Sam tried to recall.
“Seven minutes exactly.” Dean smirked.
Plan in place, the three hurried back to the car and drove closer to the building. Dean grabbed what they’d need, Sam drawing a few extra sigils around the doors of the car.
“Okay, you know the rules.”
“Don’t talk to anyone, except to say I’m fine if they ask. Don’t let anyone in without the safe word or secret knock. Hide if I see black eyes.” Olivia nodded as she listed them all.
“You got it, short stack.” Dean gave her a grin as they geared up. “Alright, lock all the doors, but we’re gonna need you to unlock them for us when we get back.”
“Got it.” Olivia puffed her cheeks, nodding sharply again.
“You sure do.” Dean ruffled her hair one last time, closing her door before the two jogged away.
Olivia did as told, locking all doors to the car and perching on the floor in the back of the car. She sang quietly to herself, trying to time how long they were gone in her own childish way.
It felt like forever before they came back, yelling ‘motherfucker’ as they carried John between them for Olivia to unlock the car. She got the doors closer to them first, working on the driver door as they got John into the backseat with her. As soon as they were all in the car, and doors shut, Dean roared the engine to life and tore down the street.
No one seemed too badly injured and Olivia let her shoulders drop as Dean sped away from the city.
It was getting dark when Dean finally stopped, a hunter’s cabin in the woods their intended refuge for the night. Once inside, Sam and Dean got John into one of the bedrooms. While Dean got him situated, Sam set to work with Olivia lining all of the windowsill’s and exterior doors with salt. Dean, eventually, found them in a room.
“How is he?” Olivia asked; John hadn’t been too coherent in the car.
“He just needs a little rest, sweets, that’s all. How are you?” He asked Sam.
“I’ll survive.” Sam shrugged it off. “Hey, you don’t think we were followed here, do you?”
“I don’t know, I don’t think so. I mean, we couldn’t have found a more out-of-the-way place to hole up.” Dean looked around at the seemingly abandoned place.
“Yeah…hey, uh…Dean, you, um…you saved my life back there.” Sam scratched the back of his neck.
“So, I guess you’re glad I brought the gun, huh?” Dean smirked.
“Man, I’m trying to thank you here.” Sam chuckled quietly.
“You’re welcome.” Dean nodded, his smile falling quickly. “Hey, Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“You know that guy I shot? There was a person in there.”
“You had to, D.” Olivia mumbled.
“Yeah, I know Munchkin, that’s not what bothers me.” Dean ruffled her hair with a small smile.
“Then what does?” Sam asked him.
“Killing that guy, killing Meg. I didn’t hesitate, I didn’t even flinch. For you two, or Dad, the things I’m willing to do or kill, it’s just, uh…it scares me sometimes.” Dean admitted.
Sam and Olivia were lost for words, merely staring at their brother. Olivia reached up and pat his hand with her much smaller one.
“It shouldn’t. You did good.” John reassured, walking into the room. The siblings all turned to him.
“You’re not mad?” Dean asked, incredulous.
“For what?” John gave him a small, confused smile.
“Using a bullet.”
“Mad? I’m proud of you. You know, Sam and I, we can get pretty obsessed. But you – you watch out for this family, Dean. You always have.”
“…thanks.”
Outside, the wind picked up and the lights began to flicker. The men moved to the window.
“It found us. It’s here.” John scanned the outside.
“The demon?” Sam asked.
“Sam, lines of salt in front of every window, every door.”
“We already did, Daddy.” Olivia told him.
“Well, go check it, okay?” John looked between her and Sam.
“Okay, c’mon Liv.”
Sam and Olivia hurried out of the room, making sure their salt lines were all still intact and in place. When they returned, moments later, they could hear John and Dean’s voices drifting through the doorway.
“What the hell’s gotten into you?” John asked.
“I could ask you the same thing. Stay back.” Dean ordered.
As Sam and Olivia reentered the room, they froze at the sight of Dean pointing the Colt at John.
“Dean? What the hell’s going on?” Sam asked, eyes darting between the two as he kept Olivia behind him with a gentle hand.
“Your brothers lost his mind.” John looked at the two in the doorway.
“He’s not Dad.” Dean refuted.
“What?” Olivia asked, looking John over as if she could tell.
“I think he’d possessed. I think he’s been possessed since we rescued him.” Dean explained, his voice getting thick.
“Don’t listen to him, Sammy.” John tried to order.
“Dean, how do you know?”
“He’s…” Dean’s voice got wet. “He’s different.”
“You know we don’t have time for this. Sam, you wanna kill this demon, you’ve gotta trust me.” John looked at the two siblings, eyes dropping to Olivia. “Babygirl, c’mon.”
Olivia grabbed Sam’s hand, looking up at him as he glanced between their father and brother. Dean looked at them, for only a split second, but said nothing more to try to convince them.
“Sam? Liv?” John tried one last time.
Sam looked between them one more time.
“No. No.” He shook his head, pulling Olivia toward Dean’s side.
John looked between his three kids. “Fine. You’re all so sure, go ahead. Kill me.” He taunted, looking down to await his fate. Dean’s hand shook, but his finger never pulled the trigger. “I thought so.” John looked back up with a smirk, his eyes glowing gold.
Sam, dropping Olivia’s hand, lunged, but all three siblings were thrown against the wall, pinned. Dean, in the movement, dropped the Colt.
‘John’ picked it up. “What a pain in the ass this thing’s been.”
“It’s you, isn’t it? We’ve been looking for you for a long time.” Sam asked, straining against their invisible bonds.
“Well, you found me.”
“But the holy water?”
“You think something like that works on something like me?” ‘John’ raised a brow.
Sam fought against the force pinning them, failing. “I’m gonna kill you!” He roared.
“Oh, that’d be a neat trick. In fact, here.” ‘John’ put the Colt down on a table. “Make the gun float to you there, psychic boy.” He teased, stepping back a step.
Sam stared at the gun, glaring as nothing happened.
“Well, this is fun.” ‘John’ sighed, walking over to Dean. “I could’ve killed you a hundred times today, but this…this is worth the wait.” He sighed as Dean struggled harder. ‘John’ looked him over. “Your Dad – he’s in here with me. Trapped inside his own meat suit. He says “hi”, by the way. He’s gonna tear you three apart. He’s gonna taste the iron in your blood.” ‘John’ craned his neck to grin manically at Olivia. “I’m gonna savor yours, little one.” Olivia felt tears fall as she writhed uselessly on the wall.
“Let him go, or I swear to God –”
‘John’ spun back around to face Dean. “What? What are you and God gonna do? You see, as far as I’m concerned, this is justice.” He moved closer to Dean. “You know that little exorcism of yours? That was my daughter.”
“Who, Meg?”
“The one in the alley? That was my boy. You understand.” He tilted his head in faux sympathy.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Dean thunked his head against the wall.
“What? You’re the only one that can have a family? You destroyed my children. How would you feel if I killed your family?” His grin returned. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot, I did. Still, two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“You son of a bitch.” Dean grit through his teeth.
“I wanna know why. Why’d you do it?” Sam cut in, ‘John’ turning to him.
“You mean, why did I kill Mommy and pretty, little Jess?”
“Yeah.”
‘John’ looked back to Dean. “You know, I never told you this, but Sammy was going to ask her to marry him.” He began backing up toward Sam. “Been shopping for rings and everything.” ‘John’ spun to face Sam. “You want to know why? Because they got in the way.”
“In the way of what?”
“My plans for you, Sammy. You…and all the children like you.”
“Listen, you mind just getting this over with, huh? Couse I really can’t stand the monologuing.” Dean called out suddenly.
‘John’ spun back around to go back to Dean. “Funny, but that’s all part of your M.O., isn’t it? Masks all that nasty pain, masks the truth.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” Dean sneered.
“You know, you fight and you fight for this family, but the truth is they don’t need you. Not like you need them. Sam – he’s clearly John’s favorite. Even when they fight, it’s more concern than he’s ever shown you.” ‘John’ only looked more manic as he spoke. “And Olivia? She’s basically self-sufficient at this point.”
“I bet you’re real proud of your kids, too, huh? Oh wait, I forgot, I wasted ‘em.” Dean grinned.
‘John’ stepped back, putting his head down. When he looked back up, Dean suddenly yelled in pain.
“D!”
“Dean! No!” Olivia and Sam cried out in sync.
Dean began heavily bleeding from his chest. Sam and Olivia struggled harder against the wall.
“Dad! Dad, don’t you let it kill me!” Dean begged. ‘John’ merely smiled as Dean began earnestly screaming in agony.
“Dean!! No!!” Sam yelled again, Olivia merely sobbing in place.
Blood flowed out of Dean as they fought their bonds. It began to run out of Dean’s mouth.
“Dad, please.” Dean managed to mumble, passing out.
“Dean!”
“Daddy, please!” Olivia screamed.
John shook his head, whispering something as Sam and Olivia dropped from the wall. Sam dove, grabbing the gun off of the table as Olivia lunged for Dean, still stuck on the wall, eyes closed.
“You kill me, you kill Daddy.” ‘John’ reminded Sam as he aimed the Colt.
“I know.” Sam fired, shooting his leg. John dropped, as did Dean. Sam scrabbled for his siblings, Olivia barely managing to not get crushed under Dean as he fell. The two shoved his shoulder enough to get his eyes to flutter open slowly.
“Dean? Dean, hey? Oh God, you’ve lost a lot of blood.” Sam looked him over, hands already covered in it.
“Wh-where’s Dad?” Dean rasped.
“He’s right here. He’s right here, Dean.” Sam reassured.
“Go check on him.” Dean nodded his head, waving his hand in the general direction.
“D?”
“Sammy, go.” Dean took Olivia’s hand in his, breathing oddly.
Sam stood, walking over to the motionless John in the floor. Olivia watched with wide eyes, her face still soaked with tears (and probably snot).
“Dad? Dad!” Sam asked, stepping carefully.
John raised his head. “Sammy! It’s still alive. It’s inside me, I can feel it. You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son!” Sam took aim. “Do it now!”
“Sam don’t do it. Don’t you do it.” Dean shook his head, carefully pushing himself up onto his side. Olivia braced him from behind.
“You’ve gotta hurry! I can’t hold onto it much longer! You shoot me, son! Shoot me!” John’s eyes teared up. “Son, I’m begging you! We can end this here and now! Sammy!”
“Sammy, no!” Olivia cried out.
“You do this! Sammy!! Sam-”
The demon erupted out of John’s mouth, the black cloud disappearing through the floor. John glared at Sam, furious.
Before he could start yelling, Dean grunted in pain, drawing attention where it was needed.
“Okay, okay, uh…” Sam forced his brain to change direction to make a plan. “Liv, sweetie, go get the car keys and unlock the doors closer to the house. I’m gonna get them in the car, you get the things. Got it?” He told her.
Olivia nodded, as serious as a near-seven-year-old could be. She did as told, fighting with the car doors to unlock them as Sam slid Dean into the backseat, then John into the front as Olivia threw the bags onto the floor of the backseat.
She got in her car seat, Sam getting in the driver’s side. He turned the engine over and floored it, barely letting Olivia get tucked in before tearing through the trees.
As they left the forest, John gasped in pain at the car jostling. Olivia, self-tasked with keeping Dean awake, pat his cheek gently as he slumped on the bench seat.
“Look, just hold on, alright. The hospital’s only ten minutes away.” Sam reassured the family.
“I’m surprised at you, Sammy. Why didn’t you kill it? I thought we saw eye-to-eye on this. Killing this demon comes first – before me, before everything.” John reprimanded him.
Sam looked in the rear-view mirror, locking eyes with Dean. “No, sir. Not before everything. Look, we’ve still got the Colt. We still have one bullet left. We just have to start over, alright? I mean, we already found the demon –”
Olivia screamed, eyes catching something out of the right window, right before the eighteen-wheeler slammed into the passenger side of the car at full speed. It ran them off of the road, but none of the Winchesters were conscious to notice, all unconscious as the black-eyed truck driver got out to inspect his work, nodding proudly at the blood covering all of the occupants.