Dean stepped outside his brother's room to make a call. Sam had since been sedated and had fallen asleep, although he was still whimpering and shifting in his sleep as much as the restraints could allow. His expression was reasonably calm, occasionally turning pinched and afraid as he dreamed. The older Winchester couldn't do this alone. He needed help.

"Dean? Is it him?" Bobby's gruff voice sounded a little eager.

"It's Sam, Bobby. But he's not," Dean couldn't find the words, "He's not Sammy. He's just not."

"What d'ya mean? He possessed?" Bobby frowned.

"He's like a little kid, Bobby. Can't seem to do anythin' for himself, he can't even talk!" the eldest Winchester shook his head, "He's terrified, he doesn't seem to understand where he is. The way he looked at me, Bobby, it was like he was looking at Lucifer or something."

Bobby sighed, "Hell would do that to ya. God knows what the kid went through down there."

"He started freaking out, real bad. Like he was being tortured," Dean dragged a hand down his face, "Ended up having a fit. The lights blew."

"Doesn't sound right," the older hunter's brow furrowed, "I'll be there as soon as I can, son. You watch out for him."

"Of course," Dean rolled his eyes slightly, "I'll see if Cas can help."

Castiel appeared behind the hunter the moment he started to pray. Dean startled, close to punching the angel in the face with the shock.

"Fucks sake, Cas," he shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"Sorry," Castiel muttered, looking through the window into Sam's room. The youngest Winchester was still sleeping, restlessly tossing and turning while letting out panicked whimpers. The angel's ice blue eyes softened sadly at the sight of him.

"Can you help him?" Dean asked urgently, "Heal him, get rid of whatever's screwin' him up?"

"No, Dean," Castiel sighed, "It's not like a wound, it can't be healed that way."

"Then what the hell do we do with him, Cas? Leave him like this, locked and bound to his bed so he can't hurt himself or anyone? Let him be tormented by whatever's going on in his head?" Dean was close to yelling, "What the fuck do we do?"

"We can only see how he recovers. If he recovers," Castiel looked solemn and watched Sam as he let out a cry and woke with a start, panting and staring ahead of him in terror. Dean watched with him, tears filling his eyes as his little brother looked like a child cowering from whatever was surrounding him in his mind, "I'm sorry, Dean."

"How'd he get out?" The protective big brother looked away as Sam began to cry, bottom lip trembling as tears spilled over, "An angel? You?"

"I didn't raise him from perdition, Dean. No one did," Castiel shook his head, "The only explanation, and this is unlikely, is that Sam climbed out."

"Climbed? You're saying my kid brother climbed all the way from downstairs?" Dean gave the angel a pointed look, "Of course, that doesn't sound impossible."

"It's possible, just not easy," Castiel looked back at Dean, "Somehow, Sam must have escaped the cage, which is a feat in itself. Then climbed as long as he could, kept going until he found his way out."

"Is that even possible?" Dean looked from Sam to Cas.

"Your father did it, don't you remember? Although there was a Hell Gate open then," Castiel watched Sam for a moment, "If anyone is determined enough to do it, its Sam."

"My god, Sammy. You really wanted out," the older Winchester rubbed at his eyes. Sam had since stopped crying, staring ahead of him with a vacant but confused expression.

"May I?" the angel gestured toward the door, "I want to see the damage for myself."

"Uh, sure. Just be careful, don't touch him or he'll freak," Dean was desperately trying to keep himself composed but things weren't looking good for Sam. What kind of life was being stuck in this room until he finally croaked? It wasn't fair, Sammy deserved so much better.

The youngest Winchester startled as the door open, his attention rapidly turning to the door with wide eyes.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean said softly, in the hopes that Sam wouldn't be scared by his mere presence again.

"Stop, stop," Sam mumbled cowering away with tears on his eyes, "Dean. Stop. Dean."

Castiel frowned as he looked at the brothers, stepping in front of Dean. Sam appeared to visibly relax, his eyes going from panic to relief, his tense muscles relaxing. Dean was sure he could see a hint of a smile on his little brother's lips.

"Hello, Sam," the angel approached the bed slowly and spoke in a soft voice, "It's good to see you again."

Sam stared at Castiel, the calmest Dean had seen him since he got here, and stayed completely silent. Castiel frowned, leaning closer to him as if studying him. The patient shifted as best he could, frightened by the proximity.

"Stop," he whimpered, closing his eyes tight and turning his head away, "Stop, stop."

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sam. It's me, Castiel," the angel spoke softly but moved away regardless, he could sense how distressed Sam was becoming. He looked back at Dean, "I can sense angel grace."

"So what, Sam's an angel?" Dean snapped, causing Sam to flinch, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Apologies for this, Sam," Castiel placed a hand on Sam's forehead, who cried out and tried to move his head away.

"Stop!" he begged, "Dean! Dean!"

"I'm right here, Sammy. S'alright. Cas won't hurt you," Dean stood a little closer but didn't want to scare his brother further, "You're alright, buddy."

Castiel moved his hand away and straightened up, "Sam has grace within him. Lucifer's grace."

"Is he…is Lucifer still in there?" the hunter looked at Sam with narrow eyes. Had the archangel been in Sam the whole time, not speaking, just tormenting him from the inside?

"No. He must have left Sam's body once they got into the cage and left some behind. All angels leave a trace. But he left enough to be noticeable, enough for Sam to gain power from it," Castiel spoke solemnly.

"Is that how he blew the lights? Threw that cop?" Dean asked, relieved to see Sam beginning to calm down again. The last thing they needed was another seizure.

"I think so," Castiel nodded once.

"Can you get it out, Cas?" Dean paced the room nervously, "Sam's already hurt people with it, he could hurt more, hell, he could kill people!"

"I can't remove it, not myself. But you are right. Raphael won't be happy to find out Sam is out, he'll hunt him down and the grace only makes him easily trackable. He's not safe with it, Dean," Castiel gave Sam a concerned look, "We'll find a way."

Sam began to smile, a vacant, oblivious smile, at the angel, struggling against his restraint as he tried to reach for Castiel's hand. Dean watched in disbelief at his little brother's sudden change. He'd been spooked by Castiel touching him just a minute before, but now he was reaching for him? Sam was so relaxed for Cas, why was he so afraid of his own brother? Dean had to stop himself from leaving the room in frustration. He knew it wasn't Sam's fault, and he couldn't be hard on him.

"It's alright, Sam," Castiel gently released the youngest Winchester's hand from the restraint, "You're safe. Lucifer can't hurt you anymore. I'll watch over you."

Sam reached his hand and pawed at the angel's, as if unable to grasp it for himself. Castiel smiled softly and took his hand, watching as Sam stayed completely calm and relaxed. The younger Winchester stayed silent, just staring at Castiel. His eyes were focused, as if he were trying to talk, but instead he let out a small whimper.

"Sam? What are you trying to say?" Dean took a step closer to his brother.

"He can't talk, Dean, not properly," Castiel said quietly, "It's like he doesn't know how."

"What, he forgot how to talk?" Dean looked at Cas in confusion, "All he's said is my name, and stop."

"Whatever happened to him in hell, his mind has regressed somewhat," the angel kept his eyes on Sam, "He may improve with time, I am not certain."

Sam let out another whimper, looking toward Dean with a fearful expression before looking back at Castiel, "Dean. Want Dean."

"I'm here, Sammy," the oldest Winchester sat beside Sam's bed, but he cowered away with wide, fearful eyes.

"He's really Dean, Sam," Castiel spoke quietly as Sam gripped onto his hand tightly, "I do not know what you're seeing, but that's your brother."

The younger brother stared at Dean, wide eyed and nervous-looking, but said nothing. He stayed silent, eventually turning back to look at Cas with a docile smile.

A knock at the door startled both brothers, Sam letting out a soft cry and turning his head away. A nurse, brunette with gentle green eyes, entered the room with a tray.

"Hello, Sam," she said in a singsong voice, "Are you going to eat for us today?"

Her attention immediately moved to Sam's hand in Cas'.

"Who said you could take his restraint off?" the nurse's voice turned accusing, until she realised, "He's…calm."

"Seems to trust Cas here," Dean muttered a little bitterly, "Just everyone else that freaks him out."

"Yes, well. I'll have to tell his doctor, it's a good sign," the nurse placed the tray on the bedside table, "Try and get him to eat. He hasn't let any of us near him to try. He must be starving."

"He hasn't eaten the entire time?" Dean frowned.

"That's why we had him hooked up with an iv line," she gestured to Sam's still-restrained hand, "We needed to get him nutrients somehow."

"We'll do our best," Castiel nodded politely to the nurse.

"Enjoy your meal, Sam," the nurse smiled to her patient, who hadn't met her eyes the entire time, before leaving the room.

"Alright then, Sammy," Dean inspected the tray, "Lets see what you've got today. Looks like soup and bread, sure smells good."

The soup smelled more like puke than appetising but Sam was seemingly oblivious anyway. He was staring in the opposite direction, eyes fixed on a particular point in the room.

"Am I gonna have to do the airplane?" the older brother chuckled nervously, fearing he was trying to hard for nothing. He was desperate by this point, even to just have his little brother look at him without fear in his eyes.

Sam finally turned to look at the soup when the spoon began looming towards his face. He turned his head away, letting out a small whimper and looking at Cas with a tearful expression.

"c'mon, Sammy," Dean sighed, "You gotta eat."

"Stop," Sam mumbled, "Stop."

"Don't pressure him, Dean," Castiel was still holding Sam's hand, "You cannot force him."

"You try then," Dean snapped, startling Sam, "Sorry, Sammy."

Castiel took the bowl and spoon, "Now, Sam. You need to eat," he took a spoonful of soup as Sam watched intently.

"Stop," he whispered, eyeing the spoon as if it would attack him.

"Just one spoonful," Castiel, to Dean's disbelief, was trying to reason with him, "One spoonful."

After hesitation, Sam allowed Castiel to feed him a couple spoonfuls of soup and drank a little water before turning his head away and rejecting the rest.

"Well, it's a start," Dean sighed, "Good job, Sammy."

Sam didn't respond, he was staring ahead of him, wide eyed and mumbling "stop" repeatedly.

"Sam?" Castiel followed Sam's eyes, "Whatever you're seeing, it's not real."

"Mr Winchester?" the nurse returned, "We have a Mr Singer here to see Sam."

"Let him in," Dean looked at her briefly, "We managed to get him to eat, by the way."

"That's great," the nurse smiled and went to take the tray, leaving the cup of water on the table, "It's a good start. I'll bring Mr Singer in, but visiting hours are almost over."

"Cas and Bobby will leave when time's up," Dean looked at Sam, who was fidgeting nervously and still mumbling to himself, "I'm not leaving my brother here on his own."

"I'm sorry, sir, hospital policy-"

"Screw the policy! He's my brother!" Dean was close to yelling, causing Sam to yelp and cower away, clutching at Cas' hand and looking close to tears.

"Yelling like that won't help him at all," the nurse shook her head, "Look, I'll see what I can do. But you need to control your temper if you want to stay longer with your brother."

She left the room swiftly, returning not long after with Bobby in tow, "Sam, you have another visitor."

The youngest Winchester wasn't listening, still transfixed by a hallucination in the corner. He'd tugged his hand away from Cas', clenching his fists and beginning to get a little agitated.

Bobby approached the bed, watching his surrogate son with concern, "Sam?"

Sam's eyes shot to Bobby and back to the corner of the room. His voice got louder, "Stop, stop, stop."

He was pleading, begging, tears streaming from his eyes, "Stop, stop."

"Sam, its okay," Castiel murmured, "You know Bobby."

Sam's eyes moved slowly from the corner, still begging, until they rested just behind Bobby. He jolted, suddenly becoming hysterical as he stared at Bobby's chest. Cas took his hand again as he sobbed.

"Nothing's there, Sam. Its just Bobby," the angel murmured, squeezing Sam's hand and trying to distract him. The youngest Winchester looked to Castiel, sobs morphing into whimpers, as Bobby took a step closer towards Dean. Once Sam looked back at Bobby, he appeared confused, staring at the older hunter with a frown.

"You should get some rest, Sam," Castiel reached and touched the patient's head, sending him into what he and Dean hoped would be a peaceful sleep.

"Looked happy to see me," Bobby grunted.

"Join the club," Dean muttered, "Only one he doesn't freak out over is Cas."

"It's not his fault, Dean. Everyone knows you're Dean's weakness, of course Lucifer used your face as part of Sam's torture in the cage," Castiel glanced at Sam briefly, placing his hand on the bed, "He can't be sure you are really you."

"And what about Bobby? He was crying, he wasn't afraid of him," the older Winchester got to his feet.

Castiel placed a hand on Sam's forehead, thankfully with no reaction from him, "He saw, or more like he thought he saw…" the angel frowned, "Lucifer stabbing Bobby in the back."

"That'd do it," Bobby shook his head, "Kid's been through hell, literally."

"Enough to keep him locked in here," Dean ran a hand through his hair, "I need some air."

"I'll stay here, watch over Sam," Castiel didn't move his gaze from Sam, who so far was sleeping peacefully. Without another word, the two hunters walked out the room, leaving the youngest man in the hands of the angel.

Thanks for reading! As I said in the previous chapter, sorry if anything to do with Sam's condition/being in hospital is medically inaccurate!

Please leave a review! :)