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Hunting Humanity IX	By : greenwizard11 Category: Supernatural > Slash - Male/Male Views: 1362 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural universe. No monetary gain is coming from this story.

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Dean and Liam were snuggled on the bed watching a movie. Dean couldn’t help but start playing with Liam’s hair. “You know, ten years ago I never thought I’d be married, let alone this happy. When it comes to you I have no regrets. Well, almost no regrets.”

Liam turned to look at his husband with a raised eyebrow. “You have some regrets?”

“Yeah, I regret intending to cheat on you. I regret the bad stuff, babe. The stuff that had us apart for a little while.”

“Oh,” Liam rested his head on Dean’s chest. “I’m happy too, but please tell me you’re not thinking about...” He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

“I can’t help it. I don’t even know how to describe how I feel about it. Moments like this, they help, they really do. Having you close like this, it means a lot.”

“Good. I just...”

“You just what?”

Liam moved so that he was looking at Dean again, his gaze pained. “I’m a pretty strong person, but I don’t think I can go through it again.”

“What are you saying?” Dean was a little panicked.

“I’m not leaving you, so relax on that. I’m just saying that it might destroy me this time.”

Dean hugged the blond tight. “It’ll destroy us both, and that’s the last thing I want. Had I known...”

“Yeah, but then we’d still have a Knight of Hell running around. I guess sometimes there are just no good choices.”

Dean kissed his husband’s cheek. “Sometimes. But hey, right now I’m feeling good. I have been for a while. I’m sorry I brought it all up, let’s just enjoy what time we’ve got.”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Sam came in a moment later. “Hey, you guys got a minute?”

“Depends,” Dean answered.

“Well, you wanted to work cases, and I think I found one.”

“Speak.”

“Down in Texas a guy on death row disappeared. I mean, there were no signs of any escape attempt. He was there one minute and gone the next.”

Dean gave a little nod. “Might be worth checking out. We’ll leave in the morning. For now we’re gonna finish the movie and get some shut eye.”

Later the next afternoon they were pulling up to a prison gate. “Hello, gentlemen. State the nature of your visit,” a voice came over the intercom.

“From the office of the Inspector General,” Dean held out a badge. “Got an appointment with the warden.”

“Thank you. Parking is to the left. Look for visitor parking only.” The gate opened.

Dean drove through and started looking for a place to park. “Alright, so what are the stats on this, uh, vanishing act here?”

“Tommy Tolliver was convicted of six murders back in '09, but those are just the ones that stuck,” Sam gave his brother what information he’d found.

“So what are we thinking? Some sort of a mass murdering magician?”

“Yeah, Or a teleporting demon or a who knows what that can walk through Supermax walls.”

They went inside and were led to a cell where the warden was kneeling down, looking at a drop of blood on the floor. “Ah, inspectors,” he greeted them. “Welcome to death row. Have a look. But good luck finding anything out of TDJC compliance.”

The warden stepped out of the cell, and Dean motioned for Sam to go with him and distract so the EMF detector could be brought out. “So, why don't you tell me what happened?” Sam asked. The detector didn’t pick anything up.

“The night Tolliver disappeared, our little ship was running as tight as ever, and I got documentation to prove it.”

“Do you stand by what the press is saying? Locked cell, no security breach, no guard misconduct?”

“Which press? Mainstream media is calling for my head, said I was grossly incompetent. But the tabloids, they're saying...”

“They're saying it's magic. That Tommy pulled off some dark miracle to escape. You saying you believe that?”

“I'm saying there was some kind of magician on the block last night, but it wasn't Tommy.” He took them to the surveillance room to show them the footage. “That's right before Tolliver vanished,” he pointed to the images on the screens.

All of the cameras went dark for a minute, then came back. “Was that a brownout?” Sam asked.

“That was my thought, but then...” He pointed to a dark figure of a man walking down the hall.

“Is it one of the guards?”

“Nope. I don't know who he is, how he got in, or how he and Tolliver got out.”

“Can you zoom in on that?” Dean asked, looking slightly freaked out.

“Can and have. Too dark to make out much of anything.”

“Just do it,” Dean insisted. The guy at the computer did as asked, and Dean looked closely at the figure and grabbed his arm. Liam’s eyes widened when he saw the same thing Dean did. The dark figure looked an awful lot like Cain.

“Well, that was a little weird, but probably a waste of our time,” Liam said as they left, trying very hard to sound convincing and not scared out of his wits.

Dean turned to him when they reached the car. “No,” he said firmly. “You and I both know that was Cain. You suck at lying to me, so don’t even try. You two wanted to find him to get answers. Well, we found him, so we need to call Cas. I thought you’d be more excited.”

“It’s a mixed feeling really,” Liam confessed. “You said yourself, if there were a way to be rid of it he’d have done it himself when he went straight. And if we run into him again, then...”

“You’re worried about the outcome,” Dean finished the thought. “Look, I don’t blame you, things have been good. But you were the one who pretty much ordered me to keep trying on some level. You can’t have it both ways.” He pulled out his phone to call Castiel. “No answer,” he grumbled as he got back into the car.

“I just want everything to keep being okay,” Liam mumbled as he got into the back.

Sam got on his laptop to start digging. They stopped at a food truck for a bite to eat, but Liam didn’t want anything. “Do I have to shove something down your throat?” Dean threatened.

“It would be nice if you’d quit pestering me and give me like a day.”

“Your history suggests it’ll be more than a day,” Dean grumbled as he pulled out his phone again. “Cas is still not answering.”

“Great. Well, I have been looking into Tommy Tolliver, seeing if I can figure out why Cain went to the trouble of springing him,” Sam spoke up.

“And?” Dean looked to his brother.

“Still pretty unclear. I did find this blotter out of Orlando about his dad, Leon Tolliver. Uh, like father, like son. Convicted felon, fresh warrant for an assault charge, but he's gone missing, hasn't been seen in a week.”

“You think the two are connected?”

“I mean, the police just assumed he fled the warrant, but if Cain took Tommy, it might not be a coincidence.”

“So, what, Cain's got a vendetta against the entire family?” Dean’s phone started to ring and he pulled it out again. “It’s Cas.” He answered and put it on speaker phone. “Hey, where you at?”

“Illinois,” Castiel answered.

“Hey, Cas, we got a lead. Cain abducted a Texas death row inmate named Tommy Tolliver.”

“He’s dead,” Castiel said with certainty.

“What? How do you know?”

“Call it an educated guess. Cain has been very busy.”

“Okay, where are you? We'll come to you.”

“I'll call you back.” Castiel hung up.

“I guess we just head back to the bunker then?” Sam suggested. “And when Cas calls back we can compare notes.”

“Yeah,” Dean agreed. He looked to the backseat to see Liam curled up. “Hey, don’t worry until you have to, okay?”

“Easier said than done,” Liam replied.

Castiel did find them at the bunker, but the news he had wasn’t at all good. The angel had seen Cain in person at a body dumping ground. Cain had gotten a taste for killing again, and had gotten it into his head to cull his descendants, or at least a chunk of them. “I'm sorry I couldn't bring better news, Dean,” Castiel frowned as he stood with them in the library.

“It's not your fault, Cas.” Dean was trying to pretend like the news didn’t bother him as much as it actually did.

Sam got off the phone. “Alright, the sheriff gave me a few more names, some preliminary IDs on the bodies. It seems to fit Cas' story. I mean, there's no way to tell the relation to Cain, obviously, but he's wiping out entire families, one after another.”

Dean let out a deep sigh. “So who's next? Is he done with the Tollivers?”

“Uh, I think so,” Sam started doing a little more digging on his laptop. “I mean, Leon didn't have any siblings or any other children I can see, and Tommy was never married, so I...” He paused a moment. “Oh, come on. Damn it.”

“What?” Castiel asked.

“Tommy did have a son, estranged, who lives with his mother in Ohio. Austin Reynolds, twelve years old.”

“Is the kid still alive?” Dean asked, hoping the answer was yes.

Sam pulled up a Facebook page. “As of an hour ago, yeah. He updated his status. But, I mean, come on. It's a kid. You don't really think Cain would...”

“Yes, he would,” Castiel responded.

“There were old men in those graves, Sam, women,” Dean pointed out. “I mean, you heard Cas. It's a fire sale. Everyone must go.”

“Where are you going?” Sam asked when Dean turned to leave.

Dean turned back. “We know where Cain's gonna be. The kid's in danger.”

“Okay, so what, we track him down to Ohio, and then what?”

“Then I'll do what I have to do. I’ll kill Cain.”

“Whoa, wait a minute,” Liam stood from the table. “You’re not serious? I’m guessing the only weapon that can kill him is….”

“You’d be guessing right.”

“But you can’t!” the blond argued. “A stipulation of me staying with you is that thing never comes near you again.”

Dean gave a little shrug. “I don’t want you to leave, but I understand, so do what you gotta do. When he gave me the mark, Cain said that this day would come, that after I killed Adrian, I would have to come and put him down.”

“Great. So you're taking orders from a madman,” Sam joined the argument.

“No, he wasn't mad then,” Dean argued back. “Cain resisted the mark for a long time, then I came kicking up trouble about the blade. I sent him down this path. This is on me.”

“Not everything is on you,” Liam was getting irritated. “If I recall correctly, the whole damn thing was Crowley’s idea.”

“What he said,” Sam agreed. “It doesn't mean you have to be the one to go after him.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Dean, wielding the blade against Cain himself… win or lose, you may never come back from that fight,” Sam said what everyone was thinking.

“I know,” Dean said with a deep breath. “But I’m not seeing another option here. Conversation over. Crowley does have the blade, so, time to call him.”

Dean pulled out his phone to call the King of Hell. “Well, well, well, if it isn't...” Crowley answered.

“Cain's back. He's gone dark, and I need the blade,” Dean came right out with it.

“Why would I do that for you?”

“Because you have as much reason to want Cain off the board as anyone. Cain has a kill list, and you're on it. What do you say, Crowley? You in?”

“Yes,” Crowley answered after a moment.

“Good. I'll text you the location.” Dean hung up.

“Wait, Cain is going after his descendants, not demons,” Liam was a little confused.

“I know, but I need him to cooperate,” Dean answered. “You can always trust that Crowley will want to save his own ass. I’m going, so are you coming?”

The blond let out a little sigh. “For now. I need to at least see this through.”

They tracked the kid down and got to his location as fast as they could. “Kid here?” Dean asked Castiel while they were standing near a barn.

The angel nodded. “He's nearby. Upstairs in the barn. He's playing with a basketball.”

Dean took a steadying breath. “Cain will strike soon. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, but soon. And when he does...”

“Yeah, I got it. You charge in with the blade solo,” Sam wasn’t at all happy about the plan. “And the kid? What, we just watch and wait until Cain attacks? I thought this was a rescue mission.”

“We save the kid after Cain shows.”

“We know what Cain's after,” Castiel explained. “That's our only advantage. We want to trap Cain, we use it.”

Sam shook his head. “A twelve year old as bait. I can’t believe what I'm hearing.”

“Neither can I,” Crowley appeared.

“What's the matter, Crowley? You suddenly grow a conscience? Too good to put a minor in danger?” Dean was a little amused by that thought.

“Don't give a damn about the kid. I'm talking about the risk to us.”

“There is no us. You're here for one reason. That's to hand me the blade.”

“Yeah, about that. Seeing as this is shaping up to be one of those, uh, two step capture then kill kind of deals, I think your buddies would agree it's better to keep the blade out of your hands until we've got Cain sewn up, just to be safe.”

“Never thought I’d agree with a demon,” Liam mumbled.

“Now, back to this plan of yours. I’ve got an idea.”

A little while later they were standing by while Austin played basketball inside the barn. Sam turned to his brother. “So… If this works and we capture Cain, then what?”

“We'll cross that bridge when we… If we come to it. You know last week, when I said that I would go down swinging when the time came? I meant that I was at peace with that. I just didn't realize the time would come so soon, you know, like right now. I’m scared.”

“Think about how the rest of us feel,” Liam grumbled.

“I am,” Dean shot back. “I’m just saying I don’t like it anymore than you do. I’m really glad you’re here with me, believe that. I’m gonna try, really I am. I’m gonna think about you. I just… I love you, Liam. I wanna say that now.”

“I love you too. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

A little while later Austin came out of the barn and started toward his house. He heard something that made him stop and look around. “Someone there?”

Cain appeared behind him. “Hello, Austin.”

The boy whirled around. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm here to kill you,” Cain stated as he pulled a knife from his coat.

“No, you won’t,” Castiel suddenly appeared. “Run!” he shouted at the boy.

Austin took off back inside the barn. “You can't stop me,” Cain growled.

Castiel’s eyes glowed blue and he raised his hand. Nothing happened until Cain made the angel blade in his other hand fly to the ground several feet away. Then Cain threw him into the barn wall and kept going after Austin. Sam was in the barn trying to hold the door closed, but Cain just appeared in front of Austin. “Don’t. Please don’t,” Austin begged, seeming terrified.

Cain stabbed Austin in the gut, and then the boy disappeared. “Illusion spell,” Cain didn’t know whether to be impressed or angry.

“Oh, yeah. The real Austin is long gone,” Sam confirmed.

“Eighteenth century magic. If I had to hazard a guess, Rune of Amaranth.”

Crowley entered the barn. “Good eye. Something I picked up from my mother.”

“Well, I know you fear me. I can only assume...” Cain used his boot to clear away some of the hay on the floor to reveal a devil’s trap. “Oh. Clever. Won't hold me for long, you know.”

“Longer than you think,” Sam looked a little smug. “It’ll hold you long enough.” Both Sam and Crowley left, sliding the door closed behind them. “Cas, hey, you okay?” Sam checked on their angel friend.

“I’m fine,” the angel assured him. “It worked?”

“Yeah.”

“My turn,” Dean took a moment to prepare himself.

“Dean, look, we want to help,” Sam was still trying to talk him out of it.

“No, with you in the ring, it'd just be a liability. I'd be too worried about what he could do to you, or what I could. Plus, I need you three out here to take out whatever comes out of there. And I'm serious. I mean whatever comes out.”

“You know he won’t stay out of the ring,” Sam motioned toward the car.

“He wouldn’t be him if he did,” Dean actually seemed a tiny bit proud of that. “But I can be pretty stubborn too.”

Dean held out his hand toward Crowley and the demon grabbed the blade out of his jacket. “What guarantee do I have that you'll give it back when you're done?”

“If I survive and I come out of there and I don't give it back, you'll all have a much bigger problem on your hands.”

Crowley handed the blade over and Dean inhaled sharply. “Dean?” Sam was concerned.

“I’m good,” Dean tried to assure his brother before he headed into the barn and closed the door behind him. He faced Cain, and prepared himself.

“Hello, Dean. At a loss for words, my son? Allow me. This is the part where you tell me it's not too late and I can lay down arms, abandon my mission. We don't have to fight.”

Dean took a step forward. “I'll spare us the formalities. You're past talking down. Cain, you're fully mental.”

“Oh, I prefer to think I've finally gotten clear.”

“I agree with Dean, you make me look stable,” Astiratu appeared in the corner.

Cain chuckled. “Taking the easy way out, then?”

“No,” Dean shook his head. “I told him to stay away.” He turned to the half angel. “And I’m going to tell you again, go. I don’t need to worry about you straining yourself.”

Astiratu rolled his eyes. “I have a serious stake in this, you moron. Besides, I’ve been doing lots of resting. I haven’t come out to play in… I can’t remember how long.”

“Lover’s quarrel, how sweet,” Cain was amused.

With a wave of his hand Astiratu slammed Cain down on the ground. “And I think it’s sweet how you hide your fear. When you first gave me the blade to do your dirty work for you, I could smell it. Maybe I should’ve taken you out too, but I didn’t think you were a threat at the time.”

“When I made my bargain with Lucifer, killed Abel, I released a stain upon the earth, a stain deeper and far more lasting than mere precedence. Not all killers are my descendants, and not all my descendants are killers, but enough are, enough for me to know that extinguishing them is the least I owe this world. Can you honestly tell me that humanity's not better off with fewer Tommys and fewer Leons.”

“And what about the kid?” Dean asked.

“He could go either way. I prefer to be thorough.”

“You prefer to be stupid,” Astiratu raised a hand and Cain started convulsing in pain. “Some of your descendants are mine as well… technically speaking...”

“I was going to leave them alone,” Cain said when he could take a breath.

“Oh, so you’ve got it all worked out then.” The half angel zapped him again, but that time he faltered a little.

“Enough!” Dean shouted. “This is what I was talking about! Your concern means a lot, but this is not worth risking yourself.”

“I’ll decide that, thank you,” Astiratu argued. “Can’t you at least let me injure the mouse for you first?”

“No. You can stay, and you can watch. And then when it’s over, you do what you need to.”

Astiratu hit Cain again with a bright wave of energy. “You know I don’t take orders from humans, right?”

Dean was becoming very frustrated. “Then don’t think of it as an order. Think of it as a very important request from your partner.”

The half angel let out a very deep sigh. “Very well. He’s a little bit injured now anyway. But if things start going sideways I reserve the right to intervene.”

“How's it feel, Dean, to be holding the blade again?” Cain asked when Dean took a step closer.

“It feels like a means to an end,” Dean answered without hesitation. He lunged at Cain and made several attempts at stabbing him, but Cain threw him to the ground every time.

“That seems a bit weaker than I would expect from you with the blade,” Cain chuckled. “I think you can do better. Unless… you’re holding back. What is it, Dean? Do you think if you hold back just enough, you won't succumb, that you'll leave this fight the same as you entered?” Dean punched Cain in the face but was thrown to the ground again. “Look to my example, boy! There is no resisting the mark or the blade. There is only remission and relapse!”

Cain screamed in pain again for several moments. It only stopped when Astiratu’s shoulders dropped and he looked a little winded. “I told you to stop!” Dean was very worried. “I don’t need this.”

“I said I reserved the right to intervene.”

“Just...” Dean took a deep breath and turned back to Cain. “You told me that this day would come. You told me that I would have to kill you.”

“Is that so?” Cain looked a little winded himself. “I'm afraid you've misunderstood my intentions here, Dean. When your pet angel found my burial site, I thought about ending him and swatting him like a fly. But then I thought about you. Your biggest weakness, the thing I noticed the moment I met you, your courage, your reckless bravado. I let him go, knowing that he would report back to you, knowing you would bring into battle the one thing that can kill me, the one thing I truly want.” Cain held out his hand and the blade flew from Dean’s hand to the floor inside the devil’s trap and he picked it up. “Oh, it's been too long. That old feeling makes me wonder how I ever had the strength to resist.” He winced and whimpered then, nearly dropping the blade. “You’re going to burn yourself out if you keep that up,” he looked to the half angel.

“Maybe I don’t care anymore,” Astiratu spoke what he was truly thinking at last.

That seemed to inspire something in Dean, and he attacked again, only to get grabbed by the throat and slammed to the ground. Cain moved so his face was inches from Dean’s. “This may be hard to believe, in light of what I'm about to do to you, but I care about you, Dean. I truly do. But I know I'm doing you a favor. I'm saving you.”

“Saving me from what?”

“From your fate. Has it never occurred to you? Have you never mused upon the fact that you're living my life in reverse? My story began when I killed my brother, and that's where your story inevitably will end.”

“Never,” Dean growled.

“It's called the Mark of Cain for a reason! First you'd kill Crowley. There'd be some strange mixed feelings on that one, but you'd have your reason. You'd get it done, no remorse. And then you'd kill the angel, Castiel. Now, that one that I suspect would hurt something awful. I’d say after that would come your lover, but judging from the lack of response from the peanut gallery over there… And then… Then would come the murder you'd never survive, the one that would finally turn you into as much of a savage as it did me. Your brother, Sam. The only thing standing between you and that destiny is this blade. You're welcome, my son.” Cain jerked again, and blood dripped from his mouth as he dropped the blade. Dean quickly grabbed it and Cain got to his knees. “What’s the matter?” he asked when Dean didn’t finish him right away.

“Tell me I don't have to do this. Tell me that you'll stop. Tell me that you can stop!”

“I will never stop.”

Dean plunged the blade to Cain’s back, killing him. Astiratu disappeared, and Dean headed outside. “Dean?” Sam was worried.

“The blade,” Crowley held out his hand and hoped Dean would give it back. Dean instead handed it to Castiel. “You lied to me.”

“It's not the first time today. Cain's list, you weren't on it.” He didn’t wait for a response, but rather half ran to the car and opened the door to check on the blond lying in the backseat. “Sam!” he cried out in a panic. Sam ran over to see what was the matter. “He’s not breathing!” The two of them got Liam out of the car and onto the ground where Sam started doing CPR. “I told him not to… The stubborn little… He said he didn’t care anymore!”

After a few minutes Sam was able to feel a weak pulse and shallow breaths. “He’s tired,” Sam spoke for his friend. “But look, you did it,” Sam allowed himself to smile a little. “You killed Cain, and then you gave the blade to Cas, and your first priority was to check on Liam. You did it.”

“Yeah,” Dean didn’t look as happy. “Let’s just get him home and into a bed. He better be all right.”

A little while later Sam and Dean sat at the library table in the bunker. “Dean, um, you know, what you did back there, it was incredible,” Sam was trying to be supportive and positive. “You know, if you can do that without losing yourself, that's cause for hope, even without a cure.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Dean mumbled while staring down at the table. He looked up when Castiel entered the room. “So, where's the blade?”

“Somewhere safe,” Castiel answered.

“Good. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check on my idiot and then pass out.”

“How is he?” Castiel asked Sam when Dean was out of hearing range.

Sam took a steadying breath, trying to keep himself together. “Dean’s in trouble.”

"And my first real friend?"

"He knew attacking Cain would probably kill his human self. He did it anyway. What does that tell you?"

Castiel frowned. "Nothing good."
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Hunting Humanity IX