Chapter Text
Sam had known he was a third wheel to his siblings his entire life. Dean and Henley were so close. Always had been. Probably the twin thing. It was like they could communicate without speech. Looks, shrugs, twitches. All they needed was body language to perfectly understand each other. Sam had always wanted that, but understood it wasn’t possible. He didn’t blame them one bit. Wasn’t jealous. Not really. He just wanted to belong somewhere. Sure, he’d had his imaginary friend for a while, but that wasn’t a real person. He didn’t think they resented him, not really, but dad had basically dumped him off on them to raise. It wasn’t fair. Not to him, but especially not to them. They didn’t need him like they needed each other, and he knew unquestioningly that they loved him, but they were just kids themselves. There was a reason kids weren’t supposed to raise kids. By the time the twins were sixteen and had their GEDs, there was no reason to drag Sam around with the family as much. Dad already had his two perfect hunters, but still insisted Sam be a hunter as well. They dumped him off at Bobby’s during school semesters and picked him up to hunt on breaks. While the twins were definitely more interested in hunting as a career choice, Sam was actually the better hunter due to the amount of time he spent at Bobby’s. Dad always kept the three of them away from the more difficult monsters. While he was off hunting what killed mom (Bobby told Sam one night that it was a demon), dad would steer his kids towards a ghost or simple case. Bobby, however, felt Sam needed all the information. Not the need-to-know bullshit dad kept them on.
Some days, Sam was pretty sure that even Bobby preferred the twins. Most people did. They were much more charismatic and fun than Sam was. Dad had dumped all three of them off with their pseudo uncle more than he could count when they were children, but they never stayed long. Not until Sam became extra luggage the hunters had to drag behind them. The older Sam got, the more he fought with his dad. John had a very black and white view of hunting that he expected his children to follow along with, but Sam’s time with Bobby had shown him some shades of grey. The older hunter wasn’t above working with a psychic or white witch now and then. Then Bobby had taken Sam to meet Missouri. The gentle psychic had informed Sam that he had his own power locked inside somewhere and had offered to train him. It wasn’t much, but Sam had telekinesis, could sense auras, premonitions and… just had feelings about stuff. Intuition, she had called it. She also thought he might be an empath given how sensitive he was to emotions. One white witch had even suggested Sam may be a budding natural witch. That didn’t stop Sam from noticing the way Missouri would look at him oddly when she thought he wasn’t paying attention or make him not feel the way the witch seemed nervous around him. They all knew better than to mention it to the other Winchesters.
Henley and Dean had their own shit to deal with though, so he really couldn’t whine. Too much anyway. Dean was expected to be dad’s perfect little soldier and he did a pretty good job of it. Sam was pretty sure he’d blindly follow the man over a cliff. Henley however, had it a little more difficult. While she was named for their dad’s father in a roundabout way, she was the spitting image of their mother. Beautiful blonde hair, bright green eyes, slim powerful figure. As she got older, Sam noticed their father tearing up just looking at her. Not when she or Dean were looking of course, but Sam noticed because he’d always been somewhat invisible around his family. Hen knew that she reminded her brothers and father of what they’d lost. After a while, she started dying her hair red. Then things seemed to settle down for her.
When Sam was eighteen, he applied to colleges. Bobby encouraged him to get out of hunting and he thought that was the best choice. He could still help research, but he didn’t feel he was really cut out to be in the field. He was accepted to Stanford University, and he couldn’t have been happier. The fight with his dad had been epic. He’d been expected to just pack up and fall in line with his siblings once he graduated high school. Sam didn’t want that though, he wanted to be normal. Bobby drove him out to California and helped him move into his dorm. That was four years ago, and he hadn’t seen his family (other than Bobby) since. Until tonight.
It was Halloween. Sam hated Halloween. Hated how he could feel the veil thinning. He couldn’t understand it. Actual spooky shit happened on Halloween every year all over the world and still people celebrated it like it was a freaking kids day. He’d known he should have put up more of an argument when Jess had begged him to go out tonight. He just didn’t have it in him to deny her anything. The night had started off great. They’d all had fun. Got a little drunk and hung out at the bar. Jess had worn a cute little slutty nurse costume that had done wonders for his mood. It was nice. Then suddenly he’d felt like he was being watched. The weird tickle in the back of your neck that made sure you just knew there were eyes on you. He couldn’t place it. He’d made an excuse to take a leak and wandered to the bathroom just to give him time to look around the room. Nobody seemed out of the ordinary. He couldn’t get the feeling to go away for the rest of the night and held Jess just that much closer.
Around two a.m. he’d finally convinced Jess and Lewis to leave the bar for the night. Once outside, the sensation left, and he breathed out a sigh of relief. They meandered down the street with Sam half supporting a giggling Jess. She’d finally given up on the heels she’d insisted on wearing out and had them slung over her shoulder with a finger through the straps. Lewis wasn’t fairing much better but was managing his tipsiness much better. Sam had continued to drink beer, but stopped any liquor consumption once the weird feeling started. Beer wouldn’t do much to him anymore anyway. His friends all thought his high alcohol tolerance was the result of his massive frame. Sam knew otherwise. He’d almost convinced himself that everything was fine. That he’d just freaked himself out earlier, when two shadowy figures stepped out from an alley into their path. He knew those shadows. He felt Jess tense when he did, and Lewis stumbled to a halt beside them. His heart was pounding in his chest. What were they doing here? They shouldn’t be here. He hadn’t seen them in years. Why now?
“You should know better than to go drinking on Halloween, Sammy.” His big brother grumbled and crossed his arms like an angry dad. Henley snorted beside him.
“Like you’re not drunk half the time too, De.” She shook her head as she pushed her twin. “Hey, Sammy. Long time no see.”
“Who are these people, Sam?” Jess asked, but he was still frozen in silence next to her. His girlfriend was inching her way behind him slowly. Sam guessed his siblings did look kind of rough. Both wearing ripped jeans and leather. Henley’s jacket was the same one she’d worn for years now. A fitted leather biker’s jacket with the matching boots. Dean, of course, wore dad’s old hand-me-down.
“Don’t tell me he didn’t mention us?”
“Sam?” She asked again when he didn’t answer. He cleared his throat and shook himself from his stupor.
“Uh, Jess, Lewis, this is Dean and Henley. My- uh- my brother and sister .”
“You have siblings?” Lewis asked incredulously.
“Wow, Sammy. I knew you hated us, but I didn’t think you’d completely act like we didn’t exist.”
“I don’t hate you, Dean.” He murmured. He didn’t. Couldn’t. He loved his brother and sister. Had missed them desperately. Missed them like a missing limb, but he couldn’t live their lifestyle and they never needed him like he needed them. So, he’d learned over the years. Learned to be independent. Learned to fight his own bullies. Learned to take care of himself.
“Sure.” Dean snorted, but grunted when Henley elbowed him. “Anyway, Jess, right?” She nodded from behind him. “I need to borrow your boyfriend for a minute. ‘Kay?”
“No, Dean. Anything you gotta say, you can say in front of them.” Dean eyed him carefully, before nodding and looking to his twin.
“Sammy,” she started, but he cut her off quickly.
“It’s Sam.”
“Sam,” she smiled, and it was almost kind if it wasn’t so sharp. “Dad’s missing. We gotta go.” He shook his head immediately.
“I’m not going anywhere. He’ll stumble home eventually.” They shifted as one. Becoming defensive.
“You’re not hearing us.” Dean stated while Henley finished. “Dad’s missing.” He kind of hated when they did that. Finished each other’s sentences. Like they were one fucking brain separated into two people.
“I heard you just fine.” Dean huffed, irritated.
“Shit’s about to go down, Sam.” He stressed the name, just to rub it in a little. “We don’t know what, but it’s big. You don’t wanna be here for this. We’re going. Now.”
“Dean!” Sam and Henley chastised at the same time. It was rarer for Sam to be so in sync with either twin, but not uncommon compared to other siblings he’d met. While not as close to either twin as they were each other, Sam was still closer to them than the average sibling. They’d lived in far too close quarters most of his life after all. Sam had had several prophetic dreams so far. Not many, but they usually involved his family. If he hadn’t seen anything, it must not be that big.
“We’re just worried, Sammy.” Henley sighed and her motherly side started to emerge from the tough exterior. “Dad’s never been gone this long. We’ve heard rumors he might be gone for a while. That could be bad for all of us.” She shot an awkward look at Jess and Lewis before subtly placing her hands behind her back. To anyone else, it would just look like she was changing how she stood. To Sam though, it told her that it was possible his dad was arrested.
“And you haven’t gone looking for him?”
“Of course we have.” Dean scoffed.
“Look, I know you’re concerned, but I’ll be fine. I promise.” The twins shared another look, a few flicks and gestures, before Dean sighed. His brother shook his head and his sister glared a little. Henley turned back to him and her expression softened.
“Call us if anything happens.” She moved forward and pulled him into a tight hug. She was tall for a woman at 5’8, but she was still so small compared to him. “We’ve missed you, Sammy.” He sighed and melted into the embrace.
“I’ve missed you too, Hen.” He eventually let her go and then Dean took her place for a manly-back-slappy-hug.
“Stay safe.” She smiled before they turned as one and walked back down the road completely in step. He turned to look at his girlfriend who now looked like steam was about to burst out of her ears. He’d fucked up. He knew that, but he never expected his siblings to show up here. He’d never out right lied about it, but he’d never really mentioned it either. He’d easily side-stepped every discussion on his family since he got to Stanford.
“I-uh-I’m gonna head home.” Lewis muttered after taking one look at Jess. They both waved to their friend as he crossed the street before Jess stomped past him toward their apartment.
“Baby,” he started once he’d caught up to her at the door.
“Don’t ‘baby’ me.” She growled before pushing her way into the apartment. She slammed the door behind her and he winced, hoping they didn’t get any complaints from their neighbors in the morning. He stayed quiet, letting her start the argument he knew was coming. It was a long while before she rounded on him. “Why?” He looked up sharply. That hadn’t been what he was expecting.
“Why what?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother and sister?” Her voice was quiet. Dangerous. He’d rarely seen her get this angry before. “What else have you kept from me? Lied to me about?” So, so much. He thought and blinked rapidly. There was no way to tell her everything he’d done. Everything he’d experienced. Why there was actually so much tension in his family.
“My family…” he started, not really knowing where this was going to go. He sat down on the couch and put his face in his hands. “I haven’t seen or heard from the twins since I left for college. My dad was pissed that I didn’t want to go into the family business. Dean and Henley took to it like water, but I just… didn’t. Dad was angry when he found out and we had a huge fight. He told me if I left, not to come back.” He looked up and Jess’s face seemed to soften. “It wasn’t like I was intentionally keeping it from you.” He was, but that was beside the point. “I just didn’t think they would ever show up here.”
“But your uncle…”
“Isn’t really my uncle.” He huffed a humorless laugh. “He’s just the guy they left me with when they were too busy with work to raise me.” Now she just looked sad. “He’s more like a father than my own dad has ever been. Hell, Dean is more like a father than dad and he’s only four years older than me.” The anger seemed to deflate out of Jess as she came to terms with how horrible his life had been.
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t realize…”
“It’s fine, Jess. I promise, this wasn’t me trying to keep stuff from you.” It was. “It was just too difficult to talk about.”
“So what is the Winchester Family Business?” He looked at her for a long moment before shaking his head. He wanted to tell her. He did, but she would think he was crazy. Make him go to a psychiatrist.
“Mechanics. Dean’s specialty is classic cars and Henley’s is bikes. Dad can do just about anything.” She nodded like she understood. Sam wasn’t really into cars or anything mechanical. Had never even shown an interest in the slightest. With the argument finally squashed, Sam spent the rest of the night apologizing in the only way he was proficient in.
~~~
Three days. That’s how long he’d made it before his lies came back to bite him in the ass. He should have guessed it would. Listened more when his siblings warned him. Just one more sign he didn’t belong in their world. It was movie night. All their friends were over at the apartment. They’d started movie night when his friends realized how few movies Sam had actually seen. Brady and Lewis had decided it was their job to ‘educate’ him. After a while, Becky and Zach had joined in while Brady dropped off. It sucked, but Sam felt like he’d lost one of his best friends. The guy had gotten into hard drugs and the party scene before dropping out of school all together. He still hung around, but they didn’t see much of him anymore. They were in the middle of Forrest Gump when his phone rang. He didn’t think about checking the ID and flipped it open.
“Hello?”
“Sammy,” Henley’s voice filtered through breathlessly. “Poughkeepsie.”
“What?!” He shouted, standing and looking around the room in panic. They’d never used that codeword much, but the instinct to follow was strong. “Hen?” The line was already dead. He flipped the phone shut and darted to his room. He dragged out his go back and started pulling out random items from around his room.
“Sam?” Jess asked as she came into the room. She looked nervous, worried. Like she couldn’t decide if Sam was losing his mind or something. He guessed it did look kind of odd. He swallowed hard. He’d forgotten about her.
“Cancel movie night. We need to-uh- we need to go visit Uncle Bobby.”
“Now?”
“Yeah, now. Like we need to leave now.”
“Sam, you’re scaring me.”
“Hey guys! Someone’s at the door!” Sam froze as Becky’s voice echoed through the apartment.
“Don’t open the…” He trailed off as he rushed back into the living room to see the door already open. His heart was hammering in his chest. The guy standing in the doorway had on a bullet proof vest with bright white lettering stating ‘FBI’ across the front. Years of training had him relaxing and trying to slow his breathing.
“Samuel Winchester?” The agent asked as he pushed his way into the apartment.
“I am.” The agent immediately drew his gun as he used his radio to inform other agents and police that Sam had been located. “Hands where I can see ‘em.” The agent finally said. Sam tensed. It wasn’t a good idea to get detained, but he didn’t want to cause a scene in front of his friends. Maybe he could play this off.
“Do you have a warrant?” Zach asked, also pre-law and ready to use his skills against real life police. The agent absentmindedly handed Zach a paper while a whole freaking SWAT team stormed Sam’s apartment.
“Everyone take a seat please.” Sam moved to sit, maybe he could reach a knife, but the agent shook his head. “Not you.” Sam nodded and stayed where he was. He glanced at Zach and received a slight nod. The warrant was legitimate. So, this is what Henley was trying to warn him about. With other agents, police, and a whole-ass SWAT team in his apartment, the agent finally lowered his gun and came around behind him. He roughly yanked Sam’s arms behind his back and cuffed him securely. He winced as the metal bit into his skin. “Do you have any weapons on you?” Well shit. That was going to cost him a little, but ultimately wasn’t that bad. It was for self-defense after all. He glanced at his friends, feeling something desperate inside of him hoping that he will still have them when this is over, but they all looked completely terrified. Sam nodded again and his friends all looked like they might shit themselves.
“Knife in my boot.” They searched him thoroughly, removing his wallet and cell phone from his pockets, then yanked the knife from his boot. Sam could feel his body language and demeanor shifting back to his old ways. It was instinct, groomed into him his entire life. Relaxed posture, chin up, wide stance ready to jump into action. “Wanna tell me what this is about?” he questioned coldly. Jessica’s eyes snapped to him like they had never met before. Sam knew then that he had probably lost her. Sam was plunked on the couch roughly. Agent Lee, the typical generic looking FBI guy, sauntered in looking between him and his friends, relief on his face. Sam thought that was odd, why would he be relieved? It was unnerving to be on the opposite end of that look.
“Search the apartment.” The agent instructed the swarm of federal agents and local police flooding his apartment. He looked at Sam’s friends then. “Don’t worry, none of you are being detained. We may have you come in to answer some questions. Once we have things sorted out, you will be able to leave. I apologize for having to do this and if we have scared you, but everyone involved wanted to ensure your safety.” Safety? They wanted to make sure Sam’s friends were safe? From him? Dread started to settle in his stomach as he watched the investigators search through his apartment. He knew exactly how many weapons were hidden scattered throughout. His siblings’ words were starting to filter through his mind. “Well, Sam, I gotta say I expected a little more fight out of you.” Fight? What the hell is going on?
“What the hell is going on?” Sam was starting to get frustrated with these cops and agents fumbling around his space, scaring his friends. However, he was firmly getting back to the pre-Stanford version of himself. The version that didn’t take shit and knew how to bait the cops. Maybe if he could get the guy talking he’d be able to get some information on how bad this really was. “I haven’t done anything.” Agent Lee rolled his eyes as he put on disposable gloves. He picked up Sam’s wallet and flipped it open pulling out a few things and dropping them on the coffee table.
“You’ve got three different ID’s and two credit cards that are not in your name. Credit card fraud is a felony after all.” Well fuck. That wasn’t good. He had forgotten about the cards Bobby had given him a few months ago in case of emergency. He had never used them, never planned to, but his life had taught him it was never a bad thing to have a backup plan. He glared daggers at the agent.
“Can I make a call?” Sam asked, hoping he would be able to get in touch with Bobby and see if he could get some help getting out of this shitstorm.
“Your dad’s already in custody and the twins are in the wind.” That made things seem much more serious than just an investigation.
“Can I make a call?” Sam repeated, losing his patience with this quickly. There was no way that he wasn’t going to do prison time if they brought in a SWAT team and already knew about the fraud.
“This is insane!” Jess stated, clearly confused and upset. “Sam is a law student; he wouldn’t be involved in anything illegal.”
“Miss Moore, how much do you know about your boyfriend’s past?” Agent Lee asked, looking at her for the first time since Sam had taken the attention to himself. Good girl, keep them distracted. How he was planning to get out of here with a house full of SWAT and FBI, he didn’t know just yet. Unfortunately, this meant that he would have to go off radar and back to hunting, but he did NOT want to go to prison. Especially not because of his father. The man probably did something royally stupid and got himself caught.
“What do you mean?” Jess asked, but her attention was quickly pulled by several agents walking in with several of his hidden weapons and the bag he had been packing. Two or three knives, a small hand scythe, and his pistol. That one stung. He would really rather have that back. His friends all look rather surprised. Brady looked mildly proud, but Becky and Jess looked like they would be sick. Sam rolled his eyes. Civilians.
“Going somewhere, Sam?” He glared back. Fuck this guy. Ruining his life like this. “Which one called to give you a heads up?” He heard Jess gasp behind him and knew that his friends innocence had just given away that his sister had called. He remained silent. Stone faced.
"Where did those come from?" Jess asked the agent, still seeming to think that Sam was innocent. God, he was going to break her heart. Why couldn't he just have nice things? Like a home, normal friends, a normal family. "Sam, what is going on?!" Sam licked his lips, unsure what to say. He couldn't say anything incriminating in front of law enforcement which meant he couldn't tell the truth really. Not to mention he didn't want to bring Jess in on the family secret. Didn't want to ruin her ignorance. Better if she just thought he was a psychopath or something.
"I'll ask you again, Miss Moore. How much do you know about your boyfriends past or family?" Agent Lee asked again. He couldn't watch them do this to her. She didn't deserve this. It was instinctual to protect her over himself.
"She doesn't know anything." Sam stated coldly, drawing the attention of the agent back to himself. This was supposed to be his fresh start. His way out. "I haven't talked to dad in years. I get a text every now and then from the twins so I know they’re alive. That's it. I don't know what they've been doing." That was general enough, right? No admission of guilt or signs that he knew anything about what Dean and Henley were doing. Agent Lee barely registered his words before turning back to Jess expectantly.
"Nothing. I don't know anything about his family other than his dad is an asshole who kicked him out for not helping with the family business and his brother and sister are assholes who sided with his dad. I didn't know there were guns or anything else in the house." Agent Lee nodded like he thought she was telling the truth. Jess however was looking at the floor with confusion on her face. Like she was just now realizing how odd that was. "You guys know anything?" She asked their group of friends who all shook their heads with expressions starting to mimic Jess's.
"And what did he tell you the family business was?" The agent continued to question.
"Mechanics? A car shop. Something like that." The confusion was back on her face and Sam wanted to kick himself. He should have given a more consistent with his story. “I’ve met his uncle a few times and siblings once.” Sam was shaking his head, hoping to catch her eye. Please don’t give Uncle Bobby away. The agent narrowed his eyes at Sam before looking back to Jess.
“And what was this uncle’s name?”
“Bobby…” she trailed off like she couldn’t remember and Sam was thanking God himself that they’d never told her Bobby’s last name or where he lived. He questioned her for a few more minutes on Bobby, but she didn’t have any more information. Sam hadn't felt more like an outsider with his friends since his first semester when he showed up to orientation with threadbare clothes and one duffle of belongings. Nobody else at Stanford looked like him and he'd had to take a bus out of town to hustle for weeks to buy new clothes that didn't look like he would bust through them. Sam hung his head, knowing the agent was about to expose something. Not like he hadn't already exposed Sam's gun stash and fake cards. There was no going back now. Even if he got out of this and went back to school, Sam would never have their trust or friendship again. The agent laughed and turned back to Sam.
"That's what you went with?" He asked with an incredulous look on his face that Sam really wanted to knock off. "You're better than that, Sam."
"I just wanted to go to college."
"Right. What was the job here anyway?" The job? The fuck? Did they really think Sam's family was just into cons or something? An odd take, but it wouldn't be as farfetched as the truth.
"I just wanted to go to college. Be a lawyer. Make something of myself." Sam reiterated, trying to be careful with wording. Nothing that could be used against him.
"And how exactly did you think you would make it into law school or pass the background check for the bar exam?" That caught Sam's attention quickly.
"What?"
"Sam, kiddo. We've been watching your family since CPS from fifteen different counties in six separate states flagged your names on a federal database." Shit. Sam always had wondered what happened with that. "Once that was flagged some group for abused kids started getting involved and looking but couldn't do anything. By the time something could have been done, we knew we were looking at something much bigger than child abuse, but we knew we had to bide our time. You three snuck your dad out of so many jail cells we knew if we took you, you'd just run away." He clinched his teeth at the fed giving his friends more information on his criminal activities. Agent Lee started walking toward Sam and then bent down so they were eye level. "We had to wait for there to be more than circumstantial evidence. So, when daddy was caught standing over a body, it blew the case wide open." Sam felt his heart jackhammering. His dad was found over a body. This couldn't be happening. "We ran his prints and they were found on at least fifty different crime scenes. It does make you wonder though, how many would we find yours at?" Um… possibly a lot. They had always done their best to clean up the mess, but sometimes it just wasn't possible. Sam had argued for gloves, but their dad insisted that gloves would get in the way. "How many have you killed, Sam?" He made sure he maintained eye contact with the agent, but flinched slightly at Jess's sharp gasp.
"Sam wouldn't hurt anyone!" That wasn't exactly true, but his friends were all nodding along, except Zach. Zach who had been with them one night when a mugger made the mistake of targeting them. Zach who watched him take down the armed man with ease and walk away. They had agreed to never tell the others, afraid it would only scare them to go out at night. He caught Zach's narrowed eyes, but his friend didn't say anything.
"Miss Moore, the man you've been living with is highly trained fighter, almost paramilitary. His school records are littered with fights, but somehow he managed to stay out of juvie." Sam just continued to glare at the agent. Now he was just trying to scare Sam's friends.
"Tell them, Sam! This isn't true." Sam may be a liar, but the one person that he could never lie to was Jess. He couldn't sit here and tell her that he wasn't dangerous, that he hadn't hurt people, that he wasn't raised basically a con man, that he hadn't killed. Sam had never felt great about the blood on his hands, but he rationalized it. They were monsters and they were hurting people. They needed to be stopped. Sam looked at her sadly, wishing he had kissed her one more time. His silence seemed to be enough of an answer again for his friends and the agent. A few other agents came over grabbing his friends for questioning. Jess was still staring at him, but Sam couldn't read the look on her face. He mouthed "I love you," to her then turned his attention back to Agent Lee.
"I need to take a piss." Lee snorted, shaking his head.
"Hold it."
"Seriously, man. We've been drinking beer all fucking night. One of your little agents can come hold my dick for me, but I gotta piss." He saw Jess's face screw up in another odd look. Sam had never really talked that crudely since coming to Stanford, but if he was going back to hunting, he might as well go back into the lifestyle completely. He really needed a cigarette. He'd quit not long after he met Jess. Thought that it showed too much of his old life. He never wanted her to see that side of him. Lee eyed him carefully before nodding and calling one of the SWAT guys over. Sam felt a small flicker of hope that his plan might work after all. The SWAT guy hauled him up by his arm, escorting him toward the bathroom.
"Make sure you go in with him. They haven't searched the bathroom yet." Sam had to hide the small smile that twitched at his lips. SWAT guy shoved him in the bathroom quickly and shut the door behind them.
"This is bullshit," the man mumbled as he swung his assault rifle around his torso so it hung on his back. Sam made quick work of the handcuffs with his telekinesis, but kept his hands held behind him. SWAT guy moved forward to unbutton Sam's pants and oh so slightly turned his back to him. Sam moved quickly, wrapping one arm around the man's neck, the other over his mouth hoping to keep him silent. It didn't take long for the man to go unconscious. Sam really wasn't a killer of humans, especially innocent law enforcement. He quickly stripped the man, grateful he had been just slightly larger than Sam and then but the tactical gear on over top of what he was already wearing. The last piece was the mask and rifle. It was easy to slip back into this life.
Identity concealed, Sam slid out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He moved to the bedroom, grabbing a duffel and throwing some clothes and personal items inside. He threw it over his shoulder and moved toward the living room. "You!" The agent snapped and Sam froze, knowing they had figured him out. "Are you taking that downstairs for evidence?" Sam blinked. Oh.
"Uh, yeah. They said to put it with the rest."
"Alright, take all this with you." Holy shit. This was going better than Sam could have ever thought. He quickly packed his weapons, wallet, and cell phone into the duffel and grabbed the second one before walking toward the front door. One last glance at Jess and he walked quietly out the door and moved to the back of the building. He quickly removed the tactical gear, shoving it all into the extra duffel he had hidden inside the first. He pulled out a baseball cap and put it on. Pulling it down over his face somewhat. He shouldered the bags and quietly walked away, blending into the crowd that had gathered around the apartment.
~~~~
Jess was stressed. Confused. How could this be happening? Her sweet Sam wasn’t the man she’d known for the past three years. He was dangerous. Maybe a killer. She knew his brother and sister had made her uncomfortable, but they didn’t really seem that dangerous. The conversation Sam had had with them that night filtered through her head and seemed to make much more sense now.
“Shit’s about to go down, Sam. We don’t know what, but it’s big. You don’t wanna be here for this. We’re going. Now.”
That was the most telling thing. They had known. The twins had known then something was up and tried to come get Sam.
“Miss Moore, now that he’s not in the room, is there anything else you can remember?” The angry agent asked, his voice much softer now. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve before wrapping her arms around herself.
“I- I think they knew. Dean and Henley showed up here a few days ago. Told Sam something big was about to go down and that he needed to leave with them. He wouldn’t go though.” The agent nodded.
“I’m guessing one of them called more recently?”
“A few minutes ago.” She sniffled again. “Right before you all got here. Sam answered the phone for about five seconds and immediately started packing. I don’t – I don’t know what they said or who it was. Then he said something about us needing to leave.” The agent hummed and made a few notes on a notepad.
“Thank you, ma’am. I’m very sorry about all of this. Do you have somewhere else you can stay for the night? I’m sure the investigators will be here for a long while.” Jess nodded. Becky wouldn’t let her be alone tonight anyway so she could probably go to her place. “What the hell is taking so long.” The agent muttered as he looked back toward the hall to the bathroom. One of the SWAT guys came through and the agent directed him to take all the weapons that Sam had hidden in their apartment. The SWAT guy looked at her oddly and she scoffed. She didn’t need their pity. She already felt like an idiot for falling in love with someone she clearly didn’t know as well as she’d thought. This whole night had been a nightmare. The agent disappeared down the hallway and she heard a few loud knocks. There was a flurry of movements and then the agent was back. He looked more stressed than she thought possible. Pissed. She heard a voice crackle through the radio.
“No duffels or weapons have been placed with evidence down here.”
The agent cursed enough to make her blush. What the hell was going on?
“Miss Moore, is there anywhere he would have gone locally to hide?”
“N-no? Not that I know of.” The agent cursed again before issuing orders to the police. Something about closing streets and radiuses and bus stops. “What-what’s going on?”
“You and your friends will be kept safe. I promise you that, Miss Moore. However, I’m afraid I have to inform you that Sam has escaped.” Escaped? How the hell did someone escape from an apartment with this much police presence, the FBI, and a SWAT team? Her brain screeched to a halt. That one SWAT guy that had looked at her oddly. It wasn’t pity in his eyes, it was an apology. Regret. How did she miss that? How did she look into the eyes of the man she had been living with for the past two years and not recognize them? Of all the things that had happened tonight, that seemed to be the thing that cemented it all. That she’d never really known Sam. The man she had loved had been smart enough or well enough trained to escape from a situation that nobody should be able to get out of. He was dangerous. Impossibly dangerous. The Sam she knew couldn’t have hurt anyone. Wouldn’t have. She’d expected him to dispute their claims when the agent asked how many people Sam had killed. He hadn’t though and wasn’t his non-answer, answer enough? She felt like she was floating. Her mind had blanked out at some point. She couldn’t hear anything else that was going on around her. She didn’t notice when Becky pulled her from the apartment and steered her toward a car. She didn’t notice when their friends all poured into Becky and Zach’s apartment or when a hot mug of tea was placed in her hands. All she knew was that she’d been duped. Made a fool of. She was damn sure it would never, ever happen again.
~~~~
It seemed to take forever for police presence around Stanford University to die down. His face was everywhere along with his sibling’s. Posters and the news were circulating his image, name, possible aliases, and locations. He couldn’t catch a bus out, couldn’t hitchhike, really didn’t even feel safe walking. He was constantly worried that someone would recognize him. He called Bobby who had told him to lay low and wait for Caleb to get into town. He’d heard from Dean and Henley. They’d both escaped and were making their way to Bobby’s now. It would take Caleb several days to get to him. Several days turned into nearly a week. Sam hid out in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. He’d had a few close calls and nearly shit himself several times. On his one food excursion, he’d stopped and picked up a new burner phone. He sent the new number to Bobby before attempting to call Jess. She hadn’t picked up, but the police had. He tossed the phone and made his way back to his base quickly, new phone in hand. That night he crashed on the dusty couch in the abandoned house he was squatting in. Somehow, he’d gone from having everything he’d wanted to less than he’d had before. Worst of all, he’d hurt Jess. His sweet, beautiful, kind Jess. The woman of his dreams he knew he never truly deserved. His guilt was palpable. Immeasurable. Sure it would’ve hurt her if he’d just left with the twins and dropped off the map, but at least she wouldn’t be questioning everything between them. It still would have been better than this. He knew her. Knew she’d been plagued with distrust and anxiety from here on out. He had probably broken something in her that couldn’t be repaired.
He rested fitfully that night and once he finally drifted off to sleep, he felt like he hadn’t gone to sleep at all. He blinked around at his surroundings. Everything seemed muted, subdued from usual. He knew it was a dream, but also somehow not. He looked behind him to see his body still laying out on the couch. This was the weirdest dream he’d ever had.
“Hiya, kiddo!” An eerily chipper voice sounded from across from him and he whipped back to face front. There was a man there. Somehow, Sam knew he wasn’t simply a man. He eyed him warily. This couldn’t be good.
“Who are you?”
“Well now, Sam, I thought you might recognize your old man.”
“You’re not my dad.” He growled back defensively.
“True. Not in the human sense.” The man nodded and stood from the chair he’d been sitting in.
“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” The man snorted like Sam had just made a joke.
“What in hell exactly.” The thing, because it had to be a thing, blinked and when they opened again, they were yellow. Yellow eyes. Just like dad had always talked about when he was drunk and rambling. A yellow eyed thing that had killed mom. A demon. “Now, according to the laws of hell, you are my son. Samael, Prince of Hell, Son of Azazel. So yes, I am, in a sense, your father.” A sharp, snake like smile spread across his face.
“No.” Sam growled and tried to take a step back, but only bumped against the couch his body was laying on.
“Yes, Samael.”
“Don’t call me that! I will never be your son!”
“Ah, a shame. There’s only one other option if you refuse my offer to be family.” The being nodded like he was endlessly sad. Sam knew it wasn’t true emotion.
“And what’s that?” He asked warily. The other option probably wasn’t better, but Sam knew it had to be personally better than being family with the monster. Another sharp smile from the bastard.
“My pet.” Sam shuddered. Maybe that wasn’t better in any sense of the word.
“Why? Why me?”
“Well, kid, that’s the interesting part. See, you were supposed to be special. Have this grand destiny, the works. Unfortunately, the Big Man decided that it wasn’t quite time for those plans and threw a kink in the works.” Sam looked at the monster questioningly. What the hell was he blabbering on about? The Big Man? Sam could hear the capital letters in the way the demon said that. God? Was he referring to God? “Don’t you worry about any of that. It’s not your destiny now.”
“Why not? What kind of kink did God throw into my destiny?”
“Your sister. See Samael, you and your brother were supposed to be inseparable. Soulmates. A perfect balance. The plan was set long, long ago. Then your brother had a twin. That in itself wasn’t the problem. No, the problem was that they are soulmates. It ruined centuries of plans. The feathery bastards took it for the divine intervention it was, decided to cut their losses and try again in a few millennia. I decided to have a little fun with it anyway. Expand my family.” Sam looked away from the demon. It made sense. Dean had told them once that Mary used to call Henley her little miracle. They hadn’t know she was pregnant with twins until she’d given birth. Even in utero Dean had been protecting his sister. The fact that they were soulmates? It made even more sense. They were so in sync. Too in sync. Perfect. He knew the thing wasn’t lying. At least not about his siblings.
“You’re lying. I’m human. I’m not your son.” The demon hummed like he expected as much from him.
“Are you really though? I mean even for a psychic you’re strong.” The demon winked, fucking winked at him. Sam suddenly had a feeling that he still didn’t have all of the information.
“What did you do to me?”
“Ah, Samael…”
“Stop calling me that!” He shouted once again, but the demon continued on like he hadn’t even heard him.
“… that’s the real question. See, for you to be family, you had to have some of my DNA drizzled in there. A few drops of blood here and there, the right incantations, a powerful blood moon later and boom.” The demon grinned. “I have a new son born of earth.” Sam eyed him closely, searching for the lie. He couldn’t find one, but this was a demon after all.
“So? I’ll never go with you.”
“Hmm.” The demon mused, tapping his finger on his chin. “Even if I could make all your human family’s legal trouble disappear? Get Johnny-boy out of the slammer?” He contemplated it. Seriously considered it for only a second, but he knew he couldn’t.
“No.”
“Very well then. Just remember, Samael. I’ll always come when you call. Whenever you’re ready. Daddy will always be here for you.” Another sharklike grin and then the demon was gone.