Dean being compared to his mom isn’t a compliment anymore. Sam, John, and Mary need to be locked away in the underworld.

I really like this, great job!

This is an excellent story! Very well written and the plot is absolute brilliant! Thumbs up for that. It's really an original idea, and very thrilling in it's going. And you're head on with the characters. So thanks for this wonderful read! It's really really good!

Loved this fic; I can say with certanty that I loved ever bit of it, and have nothing to crit. :)

"'Dad?' Dean stood shakily, pulling Sam up with him and reaffirming his grip on the younger boy’s hand – a reflex he had tried to overcome as Sam got older, but seemed an automatic necessity at this precise moment in time." Aw...liked this little glimpse into the relationship between Dean and Sam growing up. I also liked that John called Dean's teacher to check and see how he'd gotten the bruise on his cheek.

Again, nice little snippet that shows how Dean takes care of his little brother: “We thought you were possessed,” Sam said, trying to smile reassuringly, like Dean always did whenever Sam was scared or upset. “We knew you wouldn’t hurt us really.”

Really glad that John made it clear to Dean that he wasn't choosing him to be killed, just stalling for time.

Hmm...binding a demon into a bottle, eh? They should find a way to do that to Ruby. Then throw the bottle into a volcano. *evil laugh*

Loved that you ended it with the boys seeming to have regained their trust in John, and him teasing that they owed him 20 bucks and a Hershey bar. LOL Though I agreed with them-they should get the day off school!

And I'm glad you went through and told us (and the boys) which things were real and which were the demon altering their perception. Too bad those false memories didn't fade away when the demon got bound, I'd hate for the boys to have nightmares about John hitting Dean or anything.

Nicely done! Very well-written and suspenseful. Good job!

Oh man, I just typed a super long review for this chapter that ffnet ate. I'm just too tired to retype it all. Sorry.

Interesting look at the relationship John has with his boys through the eyes of the demon (especially John and Dean, and the trust Dean has for his dad). Diabolical plan the demon had, to make the boys fear John, then make him choose between them. No parent should ever have to choose, or kid to know what choice they would make. That's a terrible burden. Glad Bobby or whoever stopped things before the final pronouncement, and of course Dean would want John to save Sammy, but still, how terrible to wonder if he was choosing you for life or death. Glad demons can't really alter perception of reality-that'd be hard to fight against. Interesting idea, half human/half demon child.

Love a protective Dean: "No one looked at Sammy that way and lived to tell the tale." Liked that he got away from creepy van guy and showed him that he could protect himself and his brother. Though Lia showing up did help with that. I liked that Dean didn't trust her enough to let Sammy sit by her though.

Man, that Sammy's got a BIG mouth. I know Lia looks all sweet and innocent, but I really wanted Dean to just kick him or something when she was clearly fishing for info and he was giving it right to her. I knew there was something suspicious about her, but you did a good job of masking it-especially since we were privy to her thoughts, which seemed innocent enough. Very misleading of you, evil writer woman.

And now it seems as though John is there, talking to her? I don't know. I don't think I buy that they'd be working together. Unless it's evil-shifter-John, or whatever it is that's doing this. That I'd believe.

Such a sweet, but sad, image: "sitting as close to his big brother as he could get without actually climbing onto his lap."

And then this was so sweet: "He suddenly became aware of Sammy’s head against his shoulder, trying to comfort, trying to reassure."

Loved your depiction of their relationship here, and how telling their responses are: "Dean took a breath, slowly regaining some kind of equilibrium, eyes finally managing to focus on his brother, as if all he’d been waiting for was Sam’s approval: like a foot soldier suddenly without a C.O., questioning his own ability to lead. 'We need help,' he said decisively, voice regaining some of its strength as he regained some semblance of self-confidence just from seeing the look of absolute trust in Sam’s eyes." Great analogy too, to compare Dean to a foot soldier without a CO. Because in essence, that's just what he is.

My heart just broke for the boys (again) in this chapter, and also for John. It's clear to me that it's not him that hit Dean, whether he was influenced or it was someone else entirely that just looked like him. The John that came in to say goodbye to the boys was the real one.

Actually, I don't normally read stories where the kids get abused, cuz it really, really bothers me. But I think you have something up your sleeve here, so I'm hanging with it a little longer. Hope I'm right.

And that story about their old super-way creepy. I'd be interested to know how John reacted to that offer (I'm imagining bodily harm done to the super, or at least threatened). And this blue van guy-ick. I hope the boys know better than to go with him.

Ugh, that was just heartbreaking. I know something supernatural's up, but poor Dean! He completely idolizes his dad. How scary for him, and to feel so betrayed.

This was very telling: "Of course, Sam knew exactly how scared Dean was. Well, maybe not exactly. After all, Sam had an advantage Dean didn’t: Sam had Dean."

And to have all this extra stuff on top of what's already a lot for a kid to handle, to now have his dad acting wrong. That's gotta be incredibly hard for Dean. He's got no one to turn to.

Great job. I think it fit perfectly. Catch ya on the flip side.

It's good and very well written. Loved little Sammy and Dean!

Hey, I loved the Genie reference and we know that urn with the demon is in John's storage container, right? Kinda prophetic about the curse boxes, heh? And I love how you used the themes of the show to show an earlier version of some events, tieing it all together.

Perfect that Bobby came to the rescue. Always love me some Bobby. Bet you love him even more after meeting Jim, right?

I loved the way John admitted that he didn't know what he would do for his sons. Poor Dean worrying that Dad would pick Sam over him. I loved John explaining he was only buying time, reassuring his boys like we know he did on occasion.

Great job, as usual. Take care, B.J.

You really hit upon all their worst fears. Dean trying to be brave and protect Sammy while so fearful of his dad for the first time in his life. And poor John, what could be worse than being told to choose between your sons?

We all know Dean would always pick Sammy to live, but for him to hear his dad speak his name... that doubt and fear that Dad would actually pick him to die. Man, that poor kid.

You really left it on a cliffhanger... good thing I had the zine! LOL Later, B.J.

This is a brilliant fic. I love the pace you use and how it's the writing style that makes it good. Fics with the boys as kids are my favourites. And I like how you showed the softer side to John with him worrying when he saw Dean's bruise and he thought someone had hurt him. Also

“Rather than a psycho child molester, you mean?” Sam returned, pursing his lips.

Dean tried to grin, but didn’t quite make it there. “Like you even know what that means, squirt.”

Sam frowned. “Mr. Avery,” he replied, quick as a flash. “Remember him?”

Dean shuddered involuntarily.

“He kept saying how pretty you were –”

“Shut up, runt,” Dean managed, gritting his teeth. “You know Mr. Avery’s off limits.”

“Offered Dad a deal on the rent and everything –” Sam continued as if his brother hadn’t even spoken, grinning mischievously.

Who's Mr. Avery? I'm all curious now and why is Dean so uncomfortable talking bout him? With seeing how protective you have John in these fics i would love to see his reaction to Mr. Avery's offer of a deal with the rent.

Any way great fic and i hope to see more of your brilliant stories soon. Hopefully really soon.

Great story, I really enjoyed it and it was such a well thought out plot. Look forward to reading more of your stuff.

I had a quick look at your profile and it's always cool to see another SN fan from the North of England. I'm from South Yorkshire...and I work for the Police too. I'm a Superintendent's Secretary, nothing very interesting. I currently work at a local police station although I used to work in the Traffic Section.

Anywho I'm rambling. Thanks for sharing the great story. Liz x