#and the face he makes when he shoots that vampire w/ the colt that says dad loves to kill it gives him pleasure

[markiafc]

trying to put into words what i think about dad, possessed. and i am brought back to the first time i read summer sons ch 23 where eddie was revealed to have assaulted andrew. but "eddie wasn't himself" & it was because something nasty and dirty and truly evil got into eddie and made him do it. something external. and andrew understands its not eddie who hurt him, but he can't get away from the experience of eddie's body and eddie's face and eddie's voice; in action and/or in his memory, it was just eddie hurting him.

not one-to-one with what happens in s1e22 devil's trap. but it's close. dad but not dad. something that's forcing dad to do this and he does not want to do it; but it's unclear if the demon is bringing out an ugly side of dad or if this is the demon's will. dean, how do you know? he's different. he's just different somehow. he's gonna tear you apart. he's gonna taste the iron in your blood. dad, don't let the dark temptation inside you kill me. dad, please. etc. it's him, he's just not himself right now. his eyes are different but it's just dad we see.

and, above all, both situations make prominent the love. without the love, they're just cruel and sadistic tormentors who love to punish & hurt. but the same actions and words can become bearable if it was framed in the context of love and if the badness comes from a place of enormous love. when the "real" person overcomes dark passenger to regain control and re-emerge loving, everything is forgiven. now it is all okay because he's back, thank god he loves me again.

[foreverwayward]

“Wayward Hearts” Season 1 Chapter 11: Salvation

Summary: As Sam and Dean begin the search for their father, a chance encounter with another hunter will change the roads ahead. Riley Munroe is a hunter, raised by her father after her mother tragically died when she was only six months old. Brought together by loss, grief, and the family business, Sam, Dean, and Riley join forces. They’ll find that their stories are intertwined and lean on each other as they search for answers and to avenge those they’ve lost. They’ll face evil, darkness, and hell itself…as a family.

Masterlist

Word Count: 9,350

Content Warning: language and violence

DISCLAIMER: any words or phrases in bold in the story are not my own and are credited to the writers of Supernatural.

**GIFS ARE NOT MY OWN**

Sam, Riley, and Dean sat in a small café in Omaha, Nebraska. A recent hunt had brought them into town, but there were no leads for other possible cases. The three were itching to get back on the road. Not knowing where John or the demon were, had them on edge. If they weren’t working, they were left alone with their thoughts and they all desperately wanted to avoid that.

Dean worked through newspaper articles and Sam searched the web for anything that might catch his eye.

As Riley came back to the table she huffed as she sat. “I’m so bored,” she whined. “We’ve been sitting in this town with nothing to do for a week. Someone give me something to shoot already.”

“I know,” Dean agreed. He sighed in frustration as he folded up his newspaper. “I couldn’t find one decent lead in Nebraska. Sam, please tell me you found something before we all lose our minds.”

“Uh--” Sam started as he scrolled through articles. “Well, a man named Daniel Elkins was found mauled in his home over in Colorado.”

Dean��s brow furrowed. “Elkins. How do I know that name?”

“Doesn’t ring a bell for me.” Sam exhaled deeply. “Anyway, looks like the cops don’t know what to make of it. At first, they said it was some sort of bear attack, but now they say they’ve found signs of robbery.”

The oldest Winchester reached into his bag to pull out John’s hunting journal. He flipped through the pages as Riley waited to see what he’d find. Dean turned the notebook in their direction and pointed to a name. ‘D. Elkins”.

Riley looked over the page and saw a phone number beside the name. “That’s a Colorado area code. Wait, are you thinking it’s the same Elkins?”

“Only one way to find out.”

------

After a long day’s drive, the hunters found themselves on a snowy Colorado mountain. 

A small cabin sat alone among the trees. The light from the moon illuminated the blanket of white. Nothing but silence filled the mountain as more snow softly fell to the ground.

Dean picked the lock and the three stood in the doorway with flashlights. They split up and looked for anything to give them more information on the man who had died there only days before. 

The home had been trashed. Furniture was overturned, items laid broken on the floor, and papers had been scattered and thrown about.

Sam and Dean walked ahead as Finn sniffed near the door. 

Riley bent down to see what he had found and picked up white flecks into her hand. “Salt. It’s all right in front of the door.”

“Are we talking ‘protection-against-demons’ salt or ‘oops I spilled the popcorn’ salt?” The cabin was small, so even in the next room, Dean could engage in the conversation as he rifled through Elkins’ desk.

“Well, it’s definitely a ring.” With Riley at his side, Finn began to sniff more through the house. He had been trained to know when something smelled off or strange. It had helped on hunts when it was just the two of them.

“You guys think Elkins was a player?” Sam asked.

“Definitely. Hey, guys…” Dean called. “Come check this out.”

The others found their way to him. Dean had a notebook opened in front of him. The pages were filled with random notes, newspaper clippings, phone numbers, information on supernatural creatures, and more.

Sam scanned over the pages. “Looks a hell of a lot like Dad’s.”

“Yeah, except this dates back all the way to the ‘60s.”

Finn’s whining could be heard in another part of the cabin and the three followed the sounds. When they found him, he was in the doorway of an office space. 

That one room had seen the worst of the fray. The floors were cluttered with debris, glass, books, and other odds and ends. With almost nowhere clear to walk, the hunters trudged their way through it. 

The dog continued to whimper at all the smells he picked up on. Blood stains covered the wooden walls and had found their way to the floor. Sam, Dean, and Riley had found where Elkins spent his last moments in terror.

Glass crunched under their boots and Riley looked up. The sunroofs had been shattered through. “Well, whatever came for this guy--there was definitely more than one.” She shined her light across the room. “This dude put up a hell of a fight from the looks of it.”

As they continued to search the room, Dean found what looked like an old wooden gun case among the chaos. It was empty and the shells it once held were missing as well. 

He moved his light to the other side of him and stumbled on what looked like scratches on the floor. Using a piece of paper and pencil, Dean rubbed the led over it to reveal a message.

“Sam, Rye…” Dean turned to give them the paper as they both studied it. “Three letters and six digits. It’s the location and combination for a post office box. ...that’s exactly how Dad does it.”

------

The team got back into the Impala after finding the right post office. Inside they had found an envelope addressed to ‘J. W.’ Riley sat in the back with Finn as the boys got in the front. 

They all debated whether or not to open it, wondering if it had been left for John.

A knock came from the driver’s side window and the hunters jumped at the sound. Smiling back at them, was John Winchester.

Seeing that he was coming for the backseat, Riley scooted over and made room as Finn laid in her lap. 

John got in the car and closed the door behind him. The three were shocked to see him.

“Dad! What are you doing here? Are you alright?” Sam had quickly shifted in his seat to look at his father.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I read the news about Daniel. I got here as fast as I could.” John looked over at the blue-eyed hunter beside him. “Saw you guys up at his place. I had to make sure you weren’t followed by anyone or anything.”

The youngest Winchester grew was almost jealous. “Wait. You came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?”

“He taught me a lot about hunting. We had a falling out years ago, but he was a good man.” Putting his hand out for the letter John said, “I should look at that.” When he was handed the letter, he opened it and began to read. “If you’re reading this, I’m already dead…” John paused as he read on. “That son of a bitch. He had it the whole time. When you three searched the place, did you see an antique gun? A Colt revolver?”

“No, sir,” Dean replied. “There was an old gun case, but it was empty.”

“The things that killed Elkins, they have it. We gotta pick up their trail.” John hadn’t even finished his statement before he was already getting out of the car.

“Wait, you want us to come with you?” Sam was stunned.

“The gun--if Elkins was telling the truth, we gotta go get it.”

“What? Why?”

“Because it’s important that’s why,” John spoke more firmly. He never had the patience for when his children questioned him. After a deep breath, he looked back at them. “We’re gonna be going after a nest of vampires. That’s what Elkins hunted--it was his specialty.” 

Hurrying back to his truck, John got in and started it up knowing the young hunters would be behind him.

Dean looked quickly back at the others and started up the car.

------

Later into the night, John sat listening to the police scanner in the subpar lodge they had all shared for the night. Sam had fallen asleep and so had Dean and Riley on their own bed as the cuddled up together. A tired Finn laid on the floor at the foot of their bed.

A call came through and John ordered everyone up. Groggy and disoriented, they all struggled to wake themselves.

“What’s going on?” Sam asked.

“Heard a call on the scanner. It’s the vamps.” John grabbed his jacket as he hurried for the door.

“What? How do you know?”

John turned to his son, slightly irritated. “Just follow me, okay?”

Still trying to fully wake up, the three grabbed their things to head out the door as Riley patted her leg for Finn to follow.

------

Riley was never a morning person and the lack of sleep started to hit her as they waited near the scene. She yawned. “Fuck, it’s early. Doesn’t your dad ever sleep?”

Sam leaned against the car, irritated that John had left them behind to talk to the cops. He didn’t feel like a partner, but like a child. 

John and his youngest son always butt heads, mostly because Sam didn’t believe in being his father’s soldier.

John walked back to the car and told them they were on the right trail and that the vampires had come through and taken a couple. “They’re headed west. We’re gonna have to double back to get past the roadblock”

“How can you be so sure?” Sam asked in defiance.

Dean mumbled under his breath. “Here we go again.”

“I found a vampire tooth at the scene.” Handing it to Dean, John looked at Sam. “So, yeah. I’m sure.” With that final comment, he headed back for his truck. “Oh, and Dean. You might wanna give the car a touch up so you don’t get rust. You even got a fucking dog in it for Christ’s sake. I wouldn’t have given you the damn thing if I thought you were gonna ruin it.”

Even little comments like that made Dean feel as if he was failing his dad.

Riley felt it too. It got under her skin how much control and power John had over the man she loved. 

Dean could face any monster head on and never doubt himself. But his greatest fear was not being enough for his father.

------

The two vehicles had been driving down the highway. Sam’s irritation with his father continued to seep from him. His hands squeezed around the wheel as he drove.

How pent up he was had been giving Riley anxiety as she felt it all. Negative energies and emotions were always harder to block out.

Trying to get her mind off of it, she offered her thoughts. “Odds are, those vamps drug that missing couple back to their nest.”

“That’s probably what Dad’s thinking,” Sam agreed. “Bu,t I wouldn’t know. The man won’t ever tell us what he’s thinking.”

“Alright, Sam. We spent the last entire year looking for Dad. Now, we’ve barely been with him for more than a couple hours and you guys already have shit between you?” Dean knew that was just how things were between his brother and father. He also knew that meant he would always get put in the middle.

Sighing, Sam replied, “No. It’s not like that. I’m glad he’s alright. I’m even happy that we’re all working together.” He couldn’t bite his tongue another minute as his tone changed. “He just treats us like children, Dean. Dad just barks orders at us and expects us to jump to his every command.” Sam’s anger grew and he began to vent. “He keeps us on some fucking stupid ‘need-to-know’ basis. This may have been alright when we were kids, but not now--not after everything we’ve been through. I mean even you, Riley. Are you guys just fine with him running the show?”

Riley just sat quietly knowing it wasn’t her place to speak on Dean’s behalf, no matter how much she wanted to.

“If that’s what it takes, Sam.” Dean was willing to humble himself to John. His phone rang and after he was given his order, he replied, “yes, sir. Got it,” before hanging up. “Take the next exit. Dad said he got the vampires trail.”

“How?” Sam asked with bite.

“He didn’t say.”

That was all it took for Sam to have had enough. Laying into the pedal, he sped up the car and passed his father’s truck. Whipping the Chevy around to a stop, John’s car barely missed the Impala. 

A furious John got out of his car and marched towards them as Sam did the same.

“Oh, shit. Here we go.” Dean was familiar with the fights they would have and hated every moment. He got out to be the buffer while Riley sat in the backseat trying to breathe through the storm of rage and anger that surrounded the car.

“What the fuck was that?” John barked.

Seething with anger, Sam addressed John. “We’re gonna talk. Right now.”

“About what?”

“Everything! Where are we going, Dad? What the hell is the deal with the gun? Huh? First, you say it’s too dangerous for us to all be together and then suddenly you need our help?”

Desperate to defuse the tension, Dean stepped up to them. “Come on, Sammy. Let’s deal with the vamps and we can do the Q&A later.”

“Your brother’s right, Sam. We don’t have time for this.” John stood stoically like the Marine he always was.

“Obviously, something big is going on, Dad and we want to know what!” The anger Sam had been keeping inside finally bubbled over as he yelled in his father’s face.

John took an almost threatening step closer to his youngest son and commanded for him to get back in the car.

“Look, you guys. We’re all tired. We can talk about this later.” Grabbing his brother’s jacket, Dean shoved his Sam towards the car. “Sammy, I mean it. Come on.”

“This is why I left in the first place,” Sam scoffed under his breath.

“Yeah! You left!” John had tolerated enough of his son’s disobedience. “Your brother and me--we needed you! You walked away, Sam. You walked away!”

“You’re the one that told me not to come back, Dad! You’re the one that closed that door, not me!” Sam began to shout as his rage consumed him. “You were just pissed off that you couldn’t fucking control me anymore!”

John reached out to grab Sam’s coat in frustration as the two were ready to fight. 

As Dean went to push himself between John and Sam, Riley stepped out of the car. Their rage had become her own.

“That’s enough!” she yelled forcefully as she slammed the door. “Sam! Get in the car. Now.” She turned to look at John and wasn’t afraid of him the way Dean was. Riley was firm as her brow furrowed. “Get back...in your car, John.”

As the Winchesters tried to calm themselves, clouds formed from their lips as their breaths hit the air. The tension was palpable.

“She’s right.” Dean looked at them both in frustration as he pushed them apart. “This is over.” John and Sam both got into their cars and Dean was left there with Riley as they tried to steady their breathing. 

“Fan-freaking-tastic,” he added sarcastically as he threw his arms up in annoyance.

------

The truck and Impala found their way onto a dirt road behind a row of trees. Ahead of them, was an old barn with beat up cars out front. The wind blew through the overcast morning and the leaves rustled as the trunks of the two vehicles opened revealing their arsenals. 

It was time to gear up. The nest was in that barn and John wasn’t leaving without that gun.

Luckily, tensions had died down to an extent since the stop on the highway. 

Everyone was readying themselves with machetes. They knew that the fastest way to get this job done was to be as stealthy as possible while the vampires slept. But if they were found out, beheading the creatures was going to be the only way out.

Finn would have to wait in the car, though Riley wasn’t concerned in the least. He was trained to stay quiet and would wait patiently for them to return.

She turned towards Sam as she strapped her gun holster to her waist. “Look, I’m sorry if I was out of line earlier.”

Sam scoffed with a smile. “Nah. I’m cool with you letting me know when I’m being a jackass.”

“Oh, so it’s okay when she does it?” Dean snarked. The others let out a small laugh.

As John prepared his weapons, he looked over at the young hunters. “You kids really wanna know about this Colt?”

“Yes, sir,” the boys replied.

“It’s just a legend. Well, I thought it was. I never really believed it until I read Daniel’s letter.” He turned to face them. “Back in 1835, when Halley’s Comet was overhead, the same night those men died at the Alamo, they say Samuel Colt made a gun--a special gun. He made it for a hunter. A man like us--only on horseback.” With a sigh, John continued, “the story goes, he made 13 bullets. This hunter used the gun a half a dozen times before he disappeared, the gun along with him. They say--this gun can kill anything.”

Riley’s face changed as the stress from earlier began to melt. Nothing else mattered at that moment. She looked at John as her heart practically jumped into her throat.  “...like the demon.”

“Yeah--the demon. Ever since I picked up its trail, I’ve been looking for a way to destroy that son of a bitch. Find the gun...and we may have it.”

The three young hunters stood frozen in time as they realized the Colt might be the key to the end of their lifelong nightmare. 

------

John, Riley, and the boys found a large barn window to the rafters that would give them a way in. One by one, they climbed in to softly land on stored hay. 

A foul smell of death wafted through the air as it mixed with that of the hay and dirt. The light that peeked through the panels of the barn would have to be enough to guide them.

The four spread out without a command. They worked like a well-oiled machine. Armed and ready, they meticulously moved through the barn through rows of hammocks. The vampires were fast asleep to avoid the hours of painful sunlight. 

On the opposite end sat a makeshift cage. Rusted fencing metal was used to keep in the nest’s prey. Six weak and fading people sat wasting away as they were slowly being drained of blood over time. 

Riley signaled towards Dean, motioning for them to head towards the prisoners. Dean went to work to break the hinges of the door as quietly as possible. 

Putting a finger to her lips, Riley told the captives to remain unheard.

The amount of fear and suffering she could feel as she stood there was about to make her sick. She had to fight to keep all the pleas for help that rang through her mind under control. Riley was overwhelmed hearing more thoughts than one at a time as the terrified victims feared for their lives.

While John found the back of the aged farm building to find the leader of the nest, Sam saw a young woman tied to a post. She seemed unconscious and wore a blood-stained white blouse. The girl had obviously been bitten. 

Sam pulled out a knife from its sheath and crouched down as he began to cut her free. When he looked up, her eyes began to open.

He whispered, “hey. I’m gonna get you out of here, okay?” 

The woman’s jaw dropped open as she released a horrifying and inhuman scream. She had been turned.

All of the hunters jolted at the sound of the noise, realizing their cover was blown. 

As if the girl had set off an alarm, the sleeping creatures woke ready to attack. 

John yelled as he came from the back, “run! Go! Go!”

Doing as he said, the three found themselves in a full sprint towards the entrance of the barn. They hurried into the embrace of the sun as they ran in the direction of the cars.

Sam, Dean, and Riley tried to catch their breaths as John came from the trees behind them. “They won’t follow--they’ll wait ‘til tonight. Once a vampire gets your scent, it’s for life. They’ll come for us.”

“Alright,” Riley said through her deep breaths, “so, what do we do?”

------

The motel room had every shade drawn as they prepared for nightfall. Sam and John sat alone in awkward silence while Riley and Dean had run an errand.

With Finn at his side, Sam sat on the bed stroking his fur as his father went through his research. The feeling of bad blood from the night before still hung in the air. Neither knew how to cross the bridge they had seemed to burn.

“I never told you this,” John’s voice broke through the quiet in the room as he played with a pen in his hand. “But I had college funds started for you boys. I wanted you to go and make something of yourselves someday.” He turned to look at his son. “This was never the life I wanted for you.

“Then why’d you get so mad when I left?”

“When your mother died, all I could see was evil. All that mattered to me was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you both ready. Except, somewhere along the line I stopped being your father and became your drill sergeant.” Sam went over to the desk his dad sat at, ready to hear what he had to say. “When you told me you wanted to go to school--Sammy, I was just so damn scared. You would be alone and vulnerable. I guess it just never really occurred to me to think about what you wanted. Maybe it was just because of how different we are.”

The silence returned, but with a different feel. The Winchester men breathed a sigh of relief as the air around them felt less thick. It was the first time that Sam had ever felt like he could begin to understand John. He never knew that the way his father reacted to him leaving wasn’t about control; Ii was about the crippling fear of losing his little boy.

“Dad,” Sam started. “We’re more alike than you think.”

“How so?”

“With what happened to Mom, and then to Jessica? I think we have a lot more in common than just about anyone.”

John mourned the fact that Sam knew the pain he had gone through in losing his wife. No one should have to endure that kind of suffering, let alone his child. Though as his tears formed in his eyes, there was a glimmer of hope--hope that their relationship could mend itself. 

A smile formed at the corner of John’s mouth. “I guess you’re right.”

The door opened as Riley and Dean came in. Dean held a brown paper bag in his hand as he held the door for her. After greeting Finn, Riley walked over to the desk to join Sam and John.

“We just stole blood...from a funeral home. How did this become our lives?” she asked with sass.

Dean chuckled as he removed a bottle from the bag. Thick blood filled the glass container that he sat on the desk. “That was a lot of security to protect a bunch of dead guys.”

Looking up at the others John gave his command with a single nod. “You know what to do.”

------

On the side of the road, late in the night, Dean leaned over the Impala’s open hood. The headlights were off as he felt around the metal engine.

“Car trouble?” the voice of a woman spoke out from behind him. 

Dean spun around to see a long-haired brunette. She was in washed out jeans with a matching vest that wrapped over her black long sleeved shirt. 

“Let me give you a lift. I’ll take you back to my place.” Her tone was seductive as she got close to the hunter.

“Pass. I mean, I’m into some kinky shit, but I draw the line at necrophilia,” he replied sarcastically.

The woman gave a chuckle before striking him with the back of her hand. Her strength sent Dean straight to the ground. 

As another vampire approached, the female creature grabbed Dean by the face and lifted him up in the air leaving his feet to dangle.

“You’re a forward one aren’t ya?” Dean grunted as he grabbed at her wrists. “I don’t usually get this friendly 'til the second date.”

“You know, we could have some fun. I always like to make new friends.” She lowered him down, still holding his face, and forced him into a kiss. When she was finished, she held him out in front of her.

“You know, I wish I could, but I’m not exactly on the market right now.” An arrow was heard whisking through the air before it thudded into the other vampire’s chest and another into her back. “Sorry. Looks like you may have pissed off my girlfriend.”

The vampire turned around as Riley walked out from the shadows with a crossbow in hand. 

John came from the opposite side with one as well while Sam held a machete. 

Looking at the other hunters, the vampire snickered, “barely even stings.” She released Dean ready to fight the others.

“Give it time, sweetheart,” John replied in a cocky tone. “That arrow’s soaked in dead man’s blood.” The creature gave a look of shock before falling to the ground nearly unconscious. Pointing to her body John ordered to the others, “load her up in the truck.” The remaining vampire was still alert, but on his knees. John glared at him, taking Sam’s machete. “I’ll take care of this one.”

------

A small bonfire had been set ablaze as Sam patrolled the area. 

John walked over from his truck with a sack of items that he handed to Dean. “Toss this on the fire--saffron, skunk's cabbage and trillium. It'll block our scent and hers until we're ready.”

“Ugh. This friggin’ stuff stinks.”

“That's the idea. Dust your clothes with the ashes and you stand a chance of not being detected.”

Riley turned to look at her boyfriend. “First you make out with a dead chick and now you smell like actual shit. How did I get so lucky?” she asked in sarcasm. 

Dean chuckled as he playfully went to kiss her. She cringed and pushed him away.

“They’ll come for the girl. Vampires mate for life, so she means more to the leader than the gun. The blood sickness will wear off soon though, so we don’t have a lot of time.” John closed up the trunk. “Thirty minutes or so and then you all get out of the area as fast as you can. I’ll have the Colt so I’ll handle the rest of them.”

“Okay,” Sam started hesitantly. “But afterward we’re gonna meet up and use the Colt together? Right?” There was a long pause as John refused to answer. “You’re gonna leave again and go after the demon alone, aren’t you?” He scoffed. “You know, I don’t get you. You can’t keep treating us like children, Dad.”

“You are my children,” John barked. “I’m trying to keep you safe!”

Dean couldn’t stand staying quiet any longer. “Dad, all due respect but, uh--that's a crock of shit.”

Riley’s eyes grew watching him challenge his father’s words. She wasn’t sure she would ever see a day where Dean stepped out of rank.

“Excuse me?” John was thrown by his son’s words.

“You know what Sammy, Riley, and I have been hunting. Hell, you sent us on a few hunting trips yourself. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe.”

“It’s not the same thing, Dean.”

Crossing her arms, Riley stepped closer to be a part of the conversation. “So, what is it then, John? Why don’t you want us to be a part of this? This fight means just as much to us as it does to you.” Her words showed her lack of patience with the man.

He turned to face her. John always knew that Riley was a fiery woman but was still surprised she spoke out against him. “This demon? It's a bad son of a bitch. I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you all alive.”

“You mean you can’t be as reckless,” Dean bit back.

“Look...I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece. Your mother's death--it almost killed me. I can't watch my children die too. I won't.”

Riley braced herself as the emotions from the Winchesters began to engulf her. She was learning to always be ready for them whenever the family would have to talk.

“What happens if you die?” Dean stepped up to his father. “Dad, what happens if you die and we could have done something about it? You know I’ve been thinking. I think maybe Sammy's right about this one. We should do this together.” 

Sam nodded in agreeance.

“John,” Riley’s voice was softer and more pleading. “We’re stronger together. You know we are.” There was a moment of silence and Riley tried to read his thoughts. She could only catch pieces. It was almost as if his thoughts were too scattered to make sense.

Finally, John turned towards his sons. “We're running out of time. You do your job and you get out of the area. That's an order,” he said as he headed back for his truck.

The three stood there unsure of what to do. They knew there was no arguing with John, but there was no way in hell they were going to wait on the sidelines for the most important fight of their lives.

------

John was going to find the leader and make a trade for the Colt on his own. At that time, Sam, Dean, and Riley had gone back to free the prisoners in the barn.

Cars had been following John for quite a long stretch of road. He had been watching from his rear-view mirror, keeping an eye on their distance. With one more glance, he saw that the cars had gone. John turned his head to get a better look, only to see the fog rolling behind him. 

As he turned back to face the road ahead of him, John had to slam on the brakes as he saw the nest of vampires waiting in the road. The headlights created a glare in their eyes that gave them a strange, supernatural glow.

“Get out,” the leader ordered. He was tall with long shaggy hair and wore a black leather jacket. As John got out of the car the vampire continued. “I’m Luther. Who the fuck are you?”

“Name’s Winchester.” Reaching into the truck, John drug out the weak vampire. She was bound in rope and still groggy. “She’ll be fine.” He paused to look at their leader in the eyes, “...dead man’s blood.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“A trade. I want the Colt--the gun you took from Elkins.”

Luther started to laugh. “That’s what this is about? You think you can just shoot us?”

“Oh, I don’t need it for you. I’m saving it for something else.” The hunter gave a cocky smirk. “So, put the gun down or she goes first.”

Obeying the demands, the vampire placed the Colt onto the road. He stepped back to give a safe distance for the hunter to retrieve it. 

As John went to reach down for the gun, the drugged vampire had regained her strength and pulled from her restraints. She swung around and struck John with force, causing him to fall to the ground.

A snickering Luther walked over to John as he stood back up. The monster hit him hard enough to fly back into his door’s window. The glass shattered around John’s weak frame as he met the pavement once again as he was knocked out cold. 

Arrows shot through the air and impaled two of the nest members. 

Sam, Riley, and Dean had finished their mission, but weren’t about to leave John on his own. Orders be damned.

They charged at full speed into the road ready to fight. Dean swung hard, taking off one of the creature’s heads off as Sam fired another arrow.

Riley came out from behind a tree with her crossbow ready and Luther tackled her to the ground. She groaned out in pain as her back hit the floor and the wind had been knocked out of her chest. 

As he looked down at Riley, she could hear a strange hissing come from the monster. It wasn’t audible, though she could almost feel it in her bones. 

Luther’s cold hand grabbed her up off the ground and he wrapped his arm around her throat.

Dean immediately reacted to her being taken and turned towards Luther with the machete. His eyes were filled with hate and his blood boiled watching the monster hold onto her. “Let her go, freak!”

“Don’t,” Luther hissed. “Put it down or I snap her neck.”

Being too caught in the moment, Riley had no thoughts to attempt to send Dean’s way. She gasped for air as her throat began to feel squeezed. T

he moment she had to fight for air, Dean put his hand up in surrender. There was no way he would risk her life. His blade clanked on the ground as he conceded to the demands.

“You people.” Anger poured from Luther as he held tightly onto the hunter’s throat. “Why can't you leave us alone? We have as much right to live as you do.”

“I don’t think so,” a deep voice spoke out from behind him.

Luther turned to the voice, still holding Riley. He was met with the barrel of the Colt pointed in his direction as John held it firmly in his hand. 

Before Luther could respond, the hunter pulled the trigger. A loud bang exploded through the empty highway as a bullet found its target in Luther’s forehead. A large, almost rotted-looking circle immediately appeared at the entrance wound. Luther stumbled and released Riley. 

She gasped for air as Dean grabbed her to hold her close and Sam hurried to their sides. 

Blood seeped from the vampire’s skull and ran down his face as a mystical glow came from the bullet’s entry. A rush of wind blew in as Luther’s face quickly flashed an almost skeletal appearance. Black veins stretched out across his pale skin and he fell to his knees. He groaned out in pain as a light shot through his skull, finally snuffing out any life in him. The then still corpse landed on the ground.

Luther’s mate screamed in fury and pain. Her wrath and monstrous-like screams echoed in Riley’s mind. 

Another nest member took the woman by the arm and drug her away back to her vehicle. Once inside, the driver laid on the pedal and sped them away in a desperate escape.

John stood still in his spot as a satisfied grin curled at his lips. 

It was true. The Colt was real.

------

Riley filled up Finn’s bowl of water and sat it in the corner as she tidied up. Sam and Dean worked to clean off their gear after an eventful night.

“You boys ignored a direct order back there,” John stated as he walked in the door.

“Yes, sir,” Sam replied.

Dean looked at his father with no fear. “But we saved your ass.”

Sam’s face was shocked as he looked at his brave brother. 

Riley was bursting with pride for Dean. So much so, that she somehow found him even more attractive.

“You’re right,” John admitted.

“I am?” Dean was in no way prepared for that response.

Nodding his head, John looked at his children. “It scares the hell out of me. But you two are all I’ve got.” He turned to Riley and Finn. “Well, the four of you, I guess.” Riley smirked as she pet the faithful dog at her side. “You were right, Riley.” John looked at the three young hunters in front of him as he surrendered to their only chance of ending it all. “We go after this damn thing...as a family. Together.”

------

The next day, John had set up a station at the desk. Papers, pictures, news clippings, weather reports, and more were pinned to the wall behind him. Books were stacked on the desk and years of endless research was spread out.

Sam sat near John as they worked through his findings. Dean had been pacing when Riley came in from a walk with Finn.

“Good, you’re back.” Looking up at her, John motioned for her to come to him.

Dean gave her a kiss hello and they walked over as his hand found her waist.

“Look, our whole lives we been searching for this demon right? There hasn’t been a damn trace of it, until about a year ago. For the first time, I picked up a trail.”

“That’s when you took off.” Dean finally understood and John nodded. “Alright, so what's this trail you found?”

“It starts in Arizona, then New Jersey, and then California. Houses burned down to the ground. It's going after families, just like it went after us.”

“Families with babies,” Riley added.

“Yeah. On the night of the kid’s six-month birthday.” Sam and Riley turned to each other. “You both were exactly six months old the nights the demon came.”

“So, basically, this demon is going after these kids for some reason.” Sam began to walk away into a pace. “The same way it came for me? So, Mom's death--Jessica? It's all because of me?”

Riley’s head snapped in his direction. “So, what? Does that mean I’m to blame for what happened to my mom and to Deb? Is that what you think?”

“I don’t know, Rye. I mean, as much as it sucks, that’s kind of what it looks like.”

“For the last time,” Dean’s voice was filled with frustration. “What happened to everyone was neither of your faults.”

Sam scoffed. “Fine, so it’s not my fault, but it’s my problem.”

“No! It’s not your problem. It’s our problem.” Dean had listened to his brother blame himself for too long and he wasn’t about to let his self-hatred feed into Riley’s.

John stood and his chair squeaked on the wooden floors. “Okay, that’s enough.” Everyone took a moment to take a breath and calm themselves. “I don’t even know what the evil bastard wants with these kids. I wish I had more answers, I do. I've always been one step behind it. I've never even gotten there in time to save…” John couldn’t even find the words to finish that sentence as he hung his head in shame. “I failed them all. Just like I failed Mary,” he thought as he ran a hand down his face.

Riley could feel the conflict in him and in his thoughts. “Okay, so how do we find it before it strikes again?”

“There are signs. It took me a while to see the pattern, but it's there in the days before these fires signs crop up in an area.” John handed different papers with information to the three hunters. “Cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. And then I went back and checked...they all happened in Lawrence, a week before your mom died and in Palo Alto before Jessica. Riley, the same things were going on before what happened to your mom and to Debbie too. And these signs,” he paused. “...they're starting again.”

“Where?” Sam’s tone was filled with a sense of urgency.

“...Salvation, Iowa.”

A lump formed in Riley’s throat as she came to a realization. She walked over to her canine companion and crouched in front of him. Finn licked her face knowing that she needed the comfort. A tear ran down her face and she sniffled. 

Riley cleared her throat. “Guys,” she started. Sam and Dean turned in her direction as she struggled to compose herself. “We gotta take Finn to Missouri’s. It’s too dangerous and we’re going through Kansas on our way to Iowa.” She wiped her face and rubbed the dog’s ears. “I can’t risk it.”

Dean moved over to her and she stood to meet his embrace. His hand rubbed up and down her opposite arm in comfort. “I know it’ll be hard, sweetheart. We’ll go get him when it’s safe. I promise.”

“I’ll give Missouri a call.” Sam grabbed his phone and made his way outside.

Riley squat down to the ground, looking Finn in the eyes and lovingly petting him. “I gotta keep you safe, buddy. But I swear, I’ll come back for you.”

------

In the Impala, Dean sat fixated on the road as he followed his father’s truck. 

Riley sat in the back. She strummed at the strings on her guitar in an attempt to take her mind off her aching heart.

Riley knew Missouri would take care of Finn--that he would be safe. Still, leaving him behind felt wrong. She knew how much she would miss him and she tried to ignore the tears that urged themselves from her eyes. 

Saying goodbye to Finn earlier that day was like a knife to her gut.

John’s truck pulled to the side of the road and Dean followed. The two cars parked as John got out and began to curse through his growing emotions. 

“Goddammit!” His hands ran through his hair before he struck the car in anger. “Son of a bitch!”

“Dad, what’s going on?” Dean asked as the three of them hurried his way.

“I just got a call from Caleb,” he paused as his head fell. “Jim Murphy’s dead.”

Riley struggled to keep herself in check as John’s inability to control his pain began to soak into her core. When she was vulnerable, the feelings she picked up on seemed to magnify to an unbearable level. 

She knew Pastor Jim. He helped take care of her and her father several times when they needed him most. Jim was a good man and a respected hunter.

“How?” she asked as her voice broke.

“His throat was slashed--he bled out. Caleb said they found traces of sulfur at Jim's place.”

“A demon?” Dean paused. “The demon?”

John shrugged as his hands found his jacket pockets. “I don't know. Could be he just got careless and he slipped up. Maybe the demon knows we're getting close.”

Sam’s jaw clenched. “So what do we do?”

“Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health center in this county. We split up, cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's going to be six months old in the next week.”

“John that could be an impossible number of kids,” Riley said in worry.

“So, we check ‘em all.” John began to shake as his anger rose thinking of his friend’s death. “This ends, now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes.” John turned towards his car and got in before slamming the door.

Sam, Riley, and Dean shot each other a look before hurrying back to Baby.

------

The Winchesters and Riley had reached Salvation. Their only hope of finding the families that were in danger was to search hospital records. Dean and Riley worked through the files of one hospital while Sam and John searched two others.

As Sam walked out of the Salvation Medical Center front doors, he flipped through his notebook of information he’d gathered. A familiar pain rushed through his skull as he clutched his forehead. It was another vision.

Flashes of a nursery in the middle of the night took over. A brown-haired woman walked into her daughter’s room as the sound of a train whistle blew from outside. Sam breathed heavily through the pain as he saw the shadow of the demon next to the cooing child. The next flash was the room set ablaze as the woman was pinned to the ceiling, screaming.

When it had finally passed, Sam’s head shot up. “A train.” 

He pulled a map from a pocket in his backpack looking for tracks nearby. Spotting where he thought he should go, Sam took off. He was going to find the house he had seen in his vision. Sam had to know if what he saw was real.

------

The hunters had all made their way back to the motel they had checked into. John sat with his hands clasped as he leaned against them. Riley and Dean sat side by side in silence as Sam told them all about his vision.

“A vision?” John’s tone went flat. “And you think this will actually happen to the woman you went and found because…”

“Because things happen the way I see them.” Sam rubbed his head still recovering from the lingering pain.

Dean looked towards his father. “They started out as nightmares. Then they started happening when he was awake,” he said as he got up to go pour a cup of coffee.

“It seems like the closer I get to anything involving the demon,” Sam winced, “the stronger the visions get.”

John stood in a huff. “When the fuck did you all plan on telling me this? Jesus, Dean, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone and you call me.”

“Call you?” Dean asked in sarcasm. “Are you kidding me? I called you from Lawrence when we went back to the house. I called you when Riley’s aunt died.” 

“John, I called you when Dean was dying.” Riley had bitten her tongue long enough. “We got a better chance of winning the lottery than getting you on the phone.” She felt John’s energy shift. 

He knew they were right. Silence fell in the room as no one knew what to say.

“You’re right,” John admitted. “Although I’m not too fond of this new tone of yours, Dean, you’re right. I’m sorry.” He looked over at Riley. “You both are right.”

Sighing, Riley closed her eyes as she worked up the courage to ‘rip off the band-aid’ and tell John the rest. “It’s not just Sam.”

John’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to--” Dean started before Riley interrupted him.

“It’s okay, Dean,” she said putting a hand sweetly on his arm. “John, Sam isn’t the only one dealing with this stuff.” Riley took another deep breath. “I’ve been developing empathic abilities. I feel people’s emotions. And…”

John sighed, “there’s more?”

“I still don’t know how to control it...but, I can hear thoughts sometimes.”

“...telepathy.”

Riley nodded. “It all started around the same time Sam’s nightmares started.”

Again, the silence had returned. John rubbed his temples as he tried to absorb the overwhelming information. “What would Jackson think if he were here?” he thought.

“He wouldn’t judge me, John. He would tell me not to be afraid.”

John’s head shot back up to look back at her. His eyes were wide and he knew it was all true.

“Look, psychic abilities or not, we know the demon is coming tonight.” Sam knew they were wasting time. “And another family is gonna go through what both of ours did.”

“No, they’re not,” John replied in certainty. “No one is, ever again.”

Just as John finished speaking, Sam’s phone rang. Flipping it open, he answered. “Hello?”

“Well, hi, Sam. Long time no talk.”

The familiar and sinister feminine voice sent a chill down his spine. “Meg.” The others turn to Sam in a slight panic. “Last time we talked, you fell out of a window.”

“Yeah, that really hurt my feelings,” Meg teased. “Let me speak to your dad.”

“I don’t know where he is, Meg.”

“It’s time for the grown-ups to talk, Sam. Let me speak to him...now.”

Sam hesitated before he gave his father the phone. John brought it to his ear. “This is John.”

“Howdy, John. I'm Meg. I'm a friend of your boys. I'm also the one who watched Jim Murphy choke on his own blood.” There was a pause as John’s jaw clenched with rage. “...still there John-boy?”

“...I’m here.”

“Well, that was yesterday. Today I'm in Lincoln--visiting another old friend of yours. You and Caleb go way back, don’t you, John?”

“You listen to me. Caleb’s got nothing to do with anything. You let him go.”

Sam, Riley, and Dean jumped at the name they knew all too well. John’s heart sank in his chest.

“We know you have the Colt.”

Trying to compose himself, John lied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, okay, John. Well, why don’t you give this a listen?” Immediately, the sound of Caleb gasping and gurgling came through the phone. Meg had slit his throat. “You hear that? That's the sound of your friend dying,” she snickered. “Now let's try this again. We know you have the gun John, word travels fast. So, as far as we're concerned you just declared war. And this is what war looks like. It has casualties.”

“I’m gonna kill you. You know that?”

“Oh, John please, mind your blood pressure,” Meg taunted. “So, this is the thing. We're going to keep doing what we're doing. And your friends, anyone who has ever helped you, gave you shelter, anyone you ever loved--they'll all die unless you give us that gun.”

John swallowed hard as he realized he had no other option. “...okay. I’ll bring you the Colt.”

“There's a warehouse in Lincoln, on the corner of Wabash and Lake. You're gonna meet me there. Midnight, tonight.” Her voice was calm but stern. Meg knew she John him right where she wanted him.

“That's impossible. It's gonna take me about a day’s drive to get there. I can't get there in time and I can't just carry a gun on the plane.”

“Oh. Well, I guess your friends die, don't they? Such a shame. But if you do decide to make it, come alone.” The line disconnected.

John closed the phone as he looked up at his boys and Riley.

Sam shook his head. “Do you think Meg is a demon?”

“Either that or she’s possessed by one,” John answered.

Riley looked distressed as her mind went a mile a minute. “Oh, my god.”

“What is it?” Sam asked reaching for her shoulder.

“She’s possessed. It all makes sense now.” She scoffed as she began to pace. “When we were in the warehouse, I felt something. Well, actually...I didn’t feel anything. It was like she was a shell of a person--like there was nothing but darkness and emptiness inside of her.” Riley stopped and looked up at the Winchester men as another realization came over her. “I heard her.”

Dean could see the almost panic-like state she was in. “Heard who?”

“The girl Meg is possessing.” Riley sat on the bed in almost a moment of defeat. “I--I heard a faint, distant scream coming from her--like someone was crying for help. I didn’t know what it was at the time. But...I was hearing the woman trapped inside.” As she looked up, tears formed in Riley’s eyes. She felt she should have known that trapped woman needed her. What was worse was that the girl been left in there with the demon the whole time. 

Crouching in front of her, Dean took her hands. “Look at me.” His green eyes found her crying blues. “There was nothing you could have done. You did nothing wrong.” He wiped a tear that fell down her cheek. “I think you might be more powerful than we thought, Riley.”

“He’s right,” John agreed. “I’ve never even heard of anyone being able to do that.”

Sam bit his lip before speaking. “It’s so strange, mine haven’t evolved like that. It’s almost like Riley’s abilities are tied to souls--emotions, thoughts, presence...it’s their essence.”

“Well, whatever it is,” Dean stood to sit beside Riley. “We’ll figure it out.”

John turned to grab his things and start collecting his research. “I’m going to Lincoln.”

“What?” Dean couldn’t believe his father would cave in to their demands.

“It doesn't look like we have a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people die--our friends die.”

“Dad, the demon is coming tonight,” Sam pleaded, “for that woman and her family. That gun is all we got. You can't just hand it over.”

“Who said anything about handing it over?” John put on his coat as he readied to leave. “Look, besides us and a couple of vampires, no ones really seen the gun, no one knows what it looks like. We’ll go to an antique store--find another old revolver.”

“Wait a minute,” Riley said giving John a confused look. “You’re just gonna try and pass a fake and hope she doesn’t notice?

“I just need to get one that resembles the Colt. As long as it’s close, she won’t notice. I just need to buy a few extra hours.”

Sam understood where his father’s plan was headed. “You mean for us and Riley.” He paused and dread filled him. “You want us to stay here...and kill this demon by ourselves.”

“No, Sam. I want to stop losing people we love. I want you to go to school, I want Dean and Riley to build a home together if they want to…” John began to weep and his voice broke with every word. “I want Mary alive...I just want this to be over.”

------

Somewhere down a muddy road, the four hunters met under an old wooden train bridge. The rain softly fell and rippled in the pools of water at their feet as a whistle blew in the distance.

Dean pulled a brown paper bag out from inside his jacket and handed it to John. “You know this is a trap don’t you?” 

As he pulled back the bag, John could see an antique revolver. The barrel was long and silver and it had a brown wooden handle. It looked like a distant relative of the Colt. 

“That’s why Meg wants you to come alone.”

“I can handle her,” John smiled. “I got a whole arsenal loaded--holy water, Mandaic, amulets…”

Dean interrupted. “Dad, promise me something.” Riley hooked into his arm as his hands sat in his pockets and leaned into him to comfort him. “This thing goes south just--get the hell out. Don't get yourself killed alright? You're no good to us dead.”

“Same goes for you.” There was a long, drawn out pause between them. “Alright, listen to me. They made the bullets special for this Colt. There's only four of them left. Without them this gun is useless. You make every shot count.”

“Yes, sir,” both sons acknowledged.

“Been waiting a long time for this fight. Now it's here...I'm not gonna be in it. It's up to you three now. It's your fight. You finish this. You finish what I started. Understand?” John handed the Colt to Dean as he hesitantly took it.

“We’ll see you soon, Dad.” Sam tried to control the sadness and worry that swam through him.

The emotions between them all under that bridge were intense. Riley had stayed quiet trying to be their rock while she tried to steady herself.

“I’ll see you later.” John patted Sam’s shoulder with a smile before turning to leave. With one last look at his children, John got into his truck and the door slammed shut. 

As he drove away down the muddy road, the three stood where he had left them as they watched him disappear into the distance.

Riley reached out her hand for Sam’s and clasped it in hers. She pulled him closer to her side. Holding onto her brother and linked with the man she loved, they stood silently in the rain. 

They had never been closer to the end of it all. And as afraid as they were for themselves and for John--Sam, Dean, and Riley knew that they would fight to the end. ...as a family.

------

Chapter 12: Devil’s Trap Part 1

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