but not before the Demon possessed and killed Mary's father and mother and killed her then boyfriend John Winchester. Shockingly, Azazel makes a deal with Mary to bring back John in exchange for certain debts owed 10 years later. When Mary protests over the cost being her soul, Azazel says that he doesn't need her soul- just a favor years later. Dean is shocked that Mary's deal resulted in he and his brother's permanent lives as hunters. It is revealed that in the months without Dean, Sam – depressed, drinking heavily, and carrying a death wish – tries to bargain with various Crossroads Demons in order to exchange his soul for Dean's. None of them accept the offer. Realizing he can't save Dean, Sam plans to kill Lilith in revenge. He makes contact with Ruby – now in a different host – who teaches him how to use his powers to exorcise demons. In time, he and Ruby become lovers and he appears to be moving on from Dean's death – to an extent, at least. When Dean finds out about Sam's powers and all the secrets Sam has been keeping from him, Sam responds by saying that he does this because Dean looks and treats him like a freak. Sam then promises Dean that he won't use his powers anymore but breaks the promise when it becomes apparent that his powers may be needed to prevent the Apocalypse. During Jump the Shark, Sam and Dean learn of the existence of their half-brother Adam Milligan with Sam using the teachings of his father on Adam after he is attacked by monsters. They also learn that their father had an affair with Adam's mother resulting in him being born on September 24, 1990 and kept it secret so Adam could have a normal life, unlike the boys. At the end, it is revealed that it was a ghoul (that wanted revenge on John for a previous hunt) and impersonating Adam who was killed but Dean saved Sam and the brothers burned Adam's body. Sam's powers become an important part of the fourth season as they are shown to fluctuate – at times so weak that he can barely exorcise a demon, whereas at other times they are strong enough to kill a demon. It is revealed that drinking demon blood makes Sam's powers grow stronger while at the same time making