Hearts are wild creatures, that's why our ribs are cages.

The last time Dean watched Alastair from the cold metal of his rack, he was completely depleted. Exhausted, his head in turmoil. He was becoming delusional, deranged, could barely tell one day from the next, everything was a blur. His was mind was slipping from his grasp and he was losing the fight to keep hold of it.

"I get no kick from champaign~"

Alastair's familiar nasally voice echoes through the blackness, the sound of his creaking trolley accompanying it like cold to darkness. Dean heaved in a sigh, the release of breath nearing a moan of pleasure. The intone was almost like music to his ears. It was so much easier to cling to his humanity when Alastair was around. Like a distraction from the abyss he was left to whenever he was alone. Although he wouldn't admit that Alastair's last words still rung in his head. The comment he'd left with the last time he'd carved into Deans tender skin. 'Susceptible. You're becoming more and move susceptible to me each day.'

"Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me why should it be true~"

Dean lay, unmoving, unblinking as the blazing light lit up above him, illuminating only the the immediate space around the rack he was stretched on. The squeak of the trolley pulled to halt and Alastair's smiling face leaned over the table, into clear sight.

"that I get a kick out of you~?"

His cold hand reached out and petted the side of Dean face, lingering a little to long for Deans liking. Not that he had much of a say. "Good morning Sunshine." He boomed, much louder than his singing voice, pressing for a reaction but Dean remained motionless, staring up, looking through the Demon although his eyes fixed on nothing.

"Not talking today? You know I miss your witty comments and caustic come-backs." His smile shrank to a simple grin as he moved his fingers up and Deans rough, stubbly chin. Still, Dean gave of nothing. "Very well, lets get started."

Alastair stepped away, humming today's song beneath his breath. He whipped the dusty cover from his trolley, sending a cold, dust filled waft over Deans hot skin. His chest flinched slightly from the unexpected feeling. The reaction instantly deciding where Alastair would start of today.

Alastair pulled the rack up, forcing Dean into an upright position, baring easy access to his bare chest.

"I get a kick every time I see

you standing there before me~"

The chilled, rusted metal of Alastair's favourite scalpel dug straight though Deans skin until it hit his manubrium and began to scrape downwards. Dean didn't even flinch. He'd felt the pain before and slower. What worried him was how the demon was moving somewhat quicker then usual. Normally he liked to prolong his work but today seemed to be about getting down and dirty.

"What kind of creature are you Dean Winchester?" Alastair's toothy smile returned as he pulled the skin and muscle aside, reaching directly to he bone until both hands meet either side of his playthings rib cage. He dusted his fingers across the bloody cartilage before he reached for the first set of ribs, wrapping his hands around them and pressing until the gave way with a loud crack. Dean pushed his shoulders back from instinct making his torturer chuckle before he dropped his hands down to the next set of ribs, forcing them to shatter like the ones before them. He continued, again and again until each piece of bone broken or missing.

Now he had full access to the organs that lay behind Deans ribcage, but he was only really interested in his heart. Unwaveringly he took hold of the pumping organ, pulling it out, everything connecting it to the rest of Deans body slowly began to snap, one by one.

Dean watched in panic. He felt his chest hollowing as watched his centre casually being pulled from him.

"Ah, not a creature at all then." Alastair continued to croon as they both watched the beating of Deans heart slow. More and more coppery blood spilling out and dripping down Alastair's arm, staining his sleeve.

"Merely a cage housing terrible potential." His voice dropped all sense of rhythm as he spoke now. Giving one last tug he disconnected the boys heart and Dean felt pain again.

A heavy pang filled his chest, and it burned. He pulled on his bindings as he watched Alastair toss the weighty organ from hand to hand before finally chucking it to the side, into the darkness with no hope of being found. It was gone. His heart and everything in it was gone. Sammy, gone. His father, gone. His mother, gone.

He felt a hot sting hit his lungs and he realised Alastair was pushing him back together now, reshaping him, pushing and folding him to a state in which he could be sown back together.

The broken bone and cartilage seemed to move and slosh around below his skin as he fidgeted against the grating metal. His untouched bones clicked as he moved them, shaking his legs and arms now that they were finally free of their ties. His clacked his jaw bone as he sat up, coming face to face with the only 'man' he'd seen for the past thirty years.

"Come out of your cage Dean Winchester and maybe we can find you a heart."