A/N: Caution, here there be warnings. This chapter is dark. I think Hallucifer gave us enough hints to know that Sam was absolutely brutalized in the Cage. Having said that, this fic will not explicitly show everything that might or might not have happened. In fact, part of my goal was to make this as horrifically creepy as possible without even writing the actual torture (for the most part)! But, Lucifer IS evil and he takes great pleasure in terrorizing his victims here, so I'm warning you in advance that while he's trying to scare Cas, this IS NOT a Samifer or Cassifer fic, nor will it be at any point. This is a story about sacrifice and friendship, not gratuitous torture.
However, if threats of possible off-screen non-con slashiness are not okay for you right now, please skip the first two sections and pick up with Dean's scene instead :)
Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, followed, or favorited so far! ^_^
Chapter 2 - Through Torture, Pain, and Agony
Castiel struggled with all his might, trying to propel himself away from his fallen brother, but the bonds that kept him pinioned were unbearably strong. The angel hung in the air, unable to even kick out at Lucifer with his feet ensnared as they were. Lucifer was smiling, seeming to find his attempts to escape amusing.
"Lucifer," Castiel gasped out, halting his squirming as he realized it was doing no good at all. He raised his chin, demanding, "You will release Sam Winchester immediately."
He'd been going for a strong, bold tone, but that was difficult to accomplish when his voice was shaking like this. The idea of making demands when he was overpowered and bound was ludicrous. Castiel could see the flash of hilarity in Lucifer's eyes, before the archangel let out a dramatic gasp and clasped his hands together.
"Alright, you win," Lucifer mocked him, pretending to be frightened. "Please, don't hurt me…"
The archangel laughed, beckoning; the strange shadows that wrapped Castiel like tentacles dragged him closer down, tipping him towards Lucifer. The angel couldn't help but try to recoil, tilting his face away from Lucifer's with an expression of fear that he couldn't hide.
"What did you expect was going to happen?" Lucifer asked, voice smooth and cold as snakeskin. His hand reached out and caught Castiel's chin, too strong for the angel to resist. Lucifer pulled Castiel's gaze back towards him so that they were inches apart, the same icy smile still on his face. "You thought you'd waltz in here and try to take what was mine? You thought… what, I'd just give him to you? Oh, Castiel…"
"Sam- Sam doesn't belong here-" Castiel tried, tears pricking at his eyes as Lucifer's thumb grazed up and down his cheek. The Devil's smile widened, but in the strobe light of the domed sky, Castiel could see it was filled with ravenous insanity and rage behind a facade of calm and control.
"Sam belongs to me," he whispered with a sibilant purr. "He gave me permission. He's my vessel, mine to keep as I please. And it pleases me to keep him here."
"Cas…"
Both Castiel and Lucifer looked back to where Sam lay on the ground. His fingers were starting to curl in, muscles on his arms straining a bit now to fight the bonds that connected him to the dark ground. The archangel laughed, letting go of Castiel's face so that he could step over to Sam instead, gazing down at him with interest.
"I must say, I'm glad you're here, Castiel," he said. "It looks like Sam is showing some signs of life again. And just when I thought I was going to have to leave him alone for a year or so until he decided to be more fun."
Castiel didn't say anything, though he furtively resumed his struggles to free himself from the shadowy tentacles. This was not going according to plan. This was much worse than being trapped by Lucifer in the holy oil at Carthage. Back then, Lucifer still had a bigger goal, a mission that he could try to persuade Castiel to join.
Now, the masks had come off, and there was nothing Lucifer could gain from him, and that was bad.
"Lucifer-"
"But you know, I have to ask, Castiel," the Devil went on with an air of pleasantness. His eyes turned back to the captive angel, who had to hold back a gulp of fear at the expression on Lucifer's face. "Why are you here? Not just here in the Cage… why are you alive? I killed you myself."
The angel glared at his older brother, trying to regain even the smallest bit of control, and his mouth tightened. He didn't have to answer that. Lucifer only raised an eyebrow, then gazed down at Sam once again, twirling a finger. Castiel's eyes shot to his trapped friend, then he gasped as he saw a tendril of darkness rise from the ground and flop over Sam's throat, coiling and constricting. A ragged gasp tore from the young hunter, a helpless spluttering as he tried to thrash against his bonds, his airway cut off by Lucifer's evil.
"Stop!" Castiel demanded with another useless squirm. "Lucifer, stop it! I was revived. I don't know how, but I- I think it was God. I was sent back right after Sam jumped into-"
"Yes, thank you, I remember that part." Lucifer's expression had turned black, and Castiel swallowed. "So. I rebel and get thrown into a Cage for eternity. You rebel and are rewarded. And… promoted, if I'm not mistaken." His eyes pierced the imprisoned angel, apparently sensing his increased stores of grace—still not a match for the archangel's.
Castiel didn't reply to that; there was nothing he could say that would alleviate his brother's mad fury, but Sam gasped and coughed, heaving in air once again as his head lolled to the side. Lucifer waved his hand carelessly and Castiel felt his arms flailing as he was dropped to the ground on his knees, the solid shadows coiling to loop around his wrists and ankles instead.
"No!" Castiel growled, trying to fight, without much success. They were dragging him backwards, flinging him against an enormous boulder that stood on the edge of the clearing. The angel winced against the harsh rock at his back, breathing hard as the shadows stretched his limbs, holding him down.
It wasn't quite tall enough for him to stand up straight. Instead, Castiel found himself pinned in a slight, uncomfortable backbend with hands outspread, offering his unprotected chest to Lucifer to run him through if he chose. The exposure made Castiel fight all the more furiously to free himself, but the tendrils' grip on him was unshakeable.
"I'm glad you're here," Lucifer repeated with a smile, stalking over to the boulder and standing over the helpless angel. "Another pupil for today's class."
There was no mistaking the evil intent radiating from the Devil, and Castiel fell still as his brother's hand caressed his face.
"Lucifer, you don't have to do this-"
"Shh…" Lucifer's thumb pressed delicately against the angel's lips, silencing him even as the Devil's malevolent smile intensified. The juxtaposition of gentleness and cruelty was somehow so much more terrible than violence alone would have been, and Castiel had to hold back a dry sob. He felt something toying with the hem of his coat sleeve, then jerked with surprise as something cold slithered up his arm under his shirt.
His blade… Castiel shook his head, eyes pleading, but Lucifer ignored this as the wisp of darkness curled around the weapon stowed in Castiel's sleeve and began to draw it forth. It wasn't that Castiel feared death; but if this escape attempt failed, there would be no one left who would brave the Cage to free Sam.
"Today's lecture," Lucifer whispered, leaning over Castiel, eyes burning with wrath, "is about what happens to those who get in my way."
This was it. Castiel was about to die. His eyes tilted to the right, watching as his angel blade was pulled free of his sleeve, the strange black snake of shadow curling through the air to deposit the sword into Lucifer's waiting hand.
And yet, the strike didn't come. Lucifer wasn't even wielding the blade, only holding it loosely. "And," the Devil spoke up now, Cheshire smile turning towards his other prisoner sprawled on the ground, "since Sam here has already received this lecture, perhaps he'd like to be the guest instructor today."
"Wh-what?" a weak voice spoke. Sam's head tilted up; a flash of lightning from the sky illuminated his face to reveal a look of horror so devastating that Castiel felt his heart breaking. Surely Lucifer would not be this cruel.
That hope was short-lived, though, as Sam was dragged up like a marionette, shadow ropes attached to his limbs and forcing his feet to walk towards them, extending his hand as the hunter began to panic.
"No!" Sam cried out, coming to life as he tried to twist away. "Lucifer, no, please!"
"Enjoy," Lucifer replied with a shrug, placing the angel blade in Sam's hand. "I know I will."
More shadows surged up from the ground, wrapping Sam's hand in darkness, curling his fist around the weapon's hilt. Castiel watched with mounting terror and sadness as his young friend was moved closer towards him, controlled by the tendrils that held him prisoner. "Sam," he whispered, shaking his head as his useless struggles ceased. "I'm sorry."
"Please! Lucifer, don't, don't do this! I- I can't-"
It's alright, Sam, Castiel thought, meeting the hunter's tear-streaked eyes. He sagged against the boulder he was bound to, as Sam's arm was forced into the air, blade held over the angel's exposed form.
"Cas…" Sam whispered, voice breaking. Then he struck, and Castiel felt himself explode in death.
SPN SPN SPN
Castiel awoke to the sound of muffled sobs and crooning whispers, and the sensation of being cold. He opened his eyes in confusion, disoriented at first by the darkness all around. A flash of lightning from high above brought his attention to the sky, and the weakened angel struggled to lift his head. The lightning… the ceiling of the Cage… he was still in the Cage? But- but he'd been killed.
Everything hurt, and it certainly felt like he'd died. By now, he should certainly know. Looking around, the angel's questioning gaze landed on Sam and Lucifer, and he froze with horror.
Sam was bound between two trees just inside the clearing of the dark garden, still held by those same chains of solidified darkness that wrapped all the way down his arms and around his chest. He was sagging with his head bowed, held up only by his bonds as he seemed unable to support his own weight, and Castiel could see the young man's body trembling. Sam was standing in pools of blood; the angel realized with dismay that it probably all belonged to the hunter, though there was far too much for Sam to have lost it all at once. Unless Lucifer had been healing him as he went, just to make it last longer…
"There, there," a soothing voice whispered. The Devil was circling Sam, fingers dancing over his prisoner in a healing touch, a horrifying air of familiarity in his movements. "Next time, perhaps you won't fight me, and there will be no need for this punishment."
Castiel shuddered at the word, hoping against hope that the punishment wasn't because of him. But, though Sam had resisted, he had struck the killing blow, the angel was sure of it.
"Castiel," Lucifer called over his shoulder, making the angel freeze. "You're back with us again."
The black surface of the floor began to shift under Castiel as tentacles of shadow twisted up into the air. His heart sank as they flew down to wrap around his shoulders and torso once again, binding him tight. There was no point in resisting as the shadows pulled him up to a slumped kneeling position, arms trapped behind him. A hand caught his chin, once again pulling his gaze up to the gleaming eyes of Lucifer.
"I… I don't understand…" the angel murmured. His brother laughed and shook his head.
"Oh, Castiel… did you think escape from the Cage could be so easily achieved, just by dying? Death doesn't work here. Would you care to guess how many times Sam has died so far?"
From between the two trees, Sam let out a soft whimper. Castiel could see the reaction it brought from Lucifer, could see that the Devil was pleased. For that, he felt actual hatred for his brother.
"Oh yes," Lucifer said easily, tilting his head back towards the human. Snakes of darkness began to slither up the inside of Sam's calves, up his thighs as the hunter groaned in revulsion. Tears dripped down Sam's cheeks and Castiel felt a chill. Lucifer smiled wider. "Bunk buddy and I have been having all kinds of fun."
"And Michael?" Castiel demanded, partly to draw Lucifer's attention away from Sam, partly because he was starting to get nervous over the eldest archangel's conspicuous absence thus far. "Where's he been, while you've been having fun?"
Did he have John's other son, Adam, trapped somewhere else in the Cage? Had they agreed to take their aggression out on the humans instead of each other? Or could he and Sam be expecting a visit from him before long?
"Michael," Lucifer spat out. The shadows released Sam, dropping him to the ground and dragging him out of the way. The hunter lay still and silent on his back, hands pinned to the floor just over his head again, and black restraints across his ankles, but hopefully no longer a target at the moment.
"He's here, isn't he?" Castiel asked, tensing as the Devil grabbed him by the nape of his trench coat and jerked him upright, shoving him towards the two trees that Sam had just been tied between. The angel winced as his feet splashed into the pool of Sam's blood. Lucifer snapped his fingers, and the shadows unwound themselves from Castiel swiftly, sliding down his arms instead to grab his wrists and pull his limbs apart, suspended between the two blackened trees as Sam had been held.
Lucifer shrugged. "In a manner of speaking. He'll be back before too long." A nasty smile crossed his face, as he added, "But it takes a bit longer to put an archangel back together. I kill him whenever he's reassembled. Honestly, he doesn't even put up a fight."
At least there wouldn't be two archangels wreaking their vengeance on them, but Castiel still felt a shudder deep within him to imagine Michael being repeatedly killed, over and over. He wanted to know more, perhaps keep Lucifer talking, but the Devil had walked behind him now. Castiel swallowed.
"Sam's very happy you're here," a voice whispered into his ear, making the angel jump. He felt a hand at his throat, gently starting to work the knot of his tie free. "He's glad that I have you instead of him for a while. He's grateful that he gets a break while you take his punishment."
"No," Sam groaned from the ground, still sounding on the verge of unconsciousness. "No… don't. Don't hurt him…"
"Sam, I need you to be quiet now. It's Castiel's turn, you'll just have to wait."
"Why don't you just let Sam go?" Castiel asked without much hope, inhaling sharply as he felt something on the back of his neck, heated breath that gave him goosebumps of dread.
"Mmm… no."
"Please, please just leave him alone," Sam whispered; Castiel could hear how broken he was, and his heart clenched with sorrow for having taken so long to get there. He should have flown after them right away, and spared his young friend from all of this.
Behind him, Lucifer sighed. "I asked you nicely, Sam. Now I'm going to have to shut you up myself."
"No! No-" Sam's voice was broken off, and Castiel watched in helpless dismay as the shadows crept up Sam's body, the solid tendril slipping past his lips to stuff into his mouth. At first, Castiel was afraid the human would choke on them, watching Sam's eyes widen and glisten with tears. He was still trying to cry out, muffled now as the insidious shadows kept crawling up and in, then wrapped once around his head to secure the gag in place.
"Much better," Lucifer said, before turning his attention back to Castiel. "Where were we…"
Again, Castiel felt Lucifer's face far too close to him, nuzzling against his neck, and the angel tried to shrug free. "What are you doing?" he asked gruffly. It didn't hurt, but it confused him, and the proximity was uncomfortable and alarming.
"Enjoying what's mine."
"I'm not yours!"
"Oh, you're not?" There was a chuckle of amusement from behind him, then Lucifer's hand shot up to Castiel's face, grabbing his chin and wrenching his head to the side. "You see this?" the Devil asked, forcing the angel to take in a wide, panoramic view. "This Cage was built for me, you see? My kingdom, as it were. This, and everything in it, is mine. You waltzed right in, bold as brass," he said, tipping Castiel's face back so that the angel was gazing over his shoulder at his brother. Lucifer's eyes were cold, as his thumb began caressing Castiel's cheek once again, lightly grazing his lips. The insane smile flashed in the lightning of the Cage sky. "So yes, Castiel… you belong to me."
"Stop that," the lesser angel growled, feeling his breaths start to quicken in panic. He doubted these gentle touches were an act of kindness. "I don't like it."
With a low rumble of laughter, Lucifer leaned in closer to Castiel's ear. The angel shuddered as his brother whispered,
"I don't care."
There was a light shink of metal, and Castiel's angel blade appeared in front of his face, Lucifer delicately tracing it around Castiel's left eye as he walked back around the trapped angel. Now Castiel could feel himself hyperventilating, breaths ragged and terrified as he heard Sam's muffled pleas from the ground.
"I'm going to kill you again," Lucifer hissed, cruelty icy in his voice as he slid the sharp blade down to Castiel's stomach, popping off the buttons of his shirt one at a time. Each one made the angel flinch with fear, the metal frigid on his bare skin. Lucifer pushed the shirt and coat aside, Castiel's naked torso a blank canvas to carve into. "But slowly. We're going to give Sam a good, long break, Castiel."
The angel swallowed, wishing he could hide his fear, the dark pit in his stomach deeper than all of Hell. His body trembled, giving him away, and his voice was shaking. "Lucifer…"
"Shhh," Lucifer crooned as before, their faces inches apart as he pressed the flat of the blade against Castiel's mouth. The Devil's free hand gently raked through the angel's hair, and once again the conjunction of tenderness and depravity chilled Castiel's soul and flooded his eyes with helpless tears. "Don't talk, my dear, dear little brother… Class is still in session. Let me tell you all the ways you're going to die."
SPN SPN SPN
Dean paced Bobby's living room, wearing the exact same line back and forth from one dusty bookshelf to the grimy window and back. His brow was furrowed, eyes latched onto the cleared space in the center of the room where Cas had disappeared from. Any second now, the angel would flap back in with Sam in tow.
Any second now.
"Dean, would ya please sit down?" Bobby demanded yet again, but the younger hunter only turned a sharp about-face and stalked back towards the window.
"What's taking so long?" he grumbled. "Cas said he'd be back right away. Where the hell are they?"
"It's only been-"
"Six hours and almost twenty minutes!" Dean shouted, slamming a hand into the wall beside the window, before tracking right back for the book case with fire in his steps. "Damn it, Bobby, that's over a month down there! A friggin' month, he should have been back by now!"
Dean swore, glaring at the crackling radio so ferociously that it was a miracle the thing didn't explode. Bobby was still insisting on keeping an ear to the ground to make sure there were no demons leaping out of the woodworks, but Dean was about ready to chuck the thing out the window. A month, trapped with Lucifer—and that wasn't counting the six that Sam would have spent on his own.
"What if Lucifer caught him?" the anxious hunter snapped, turning to Bobby in the hopes of getting some kind of reassurance. "Maybe…"
He trailed off, because he couldn't say the words. Maybe Cas shouldn't have gone in after Sam. But how could he even think it? How could Dean even think that it would be better to leave his brother in the Pit? And yet, how could he have sent his best friend in after him, just to be caught and tortured right along with Sam? If Dean had known that the Devil would capture Cas, he wouldn't have allowed the warrior angel to even try. But… he was glad Cas had suggested it.
Shit, what kind of person was he?
"I need a drink," Dean grumbled, heading towards the kitchen, only to have Bobby jump to his feet and block the doorway with a warning glare.
"You're cut off, remember?" the grizzled hunter said. "Forget it."
"Bobby… I'm about two seconds from ripping a hole in the wall. Give me a drink!"
Bobby only shook his head. "Nope."
"Why not!?"
Instead of caving into his rage—as though Bobby Singer had ever caved to anything in his life—the older hunter gave him a look of exasperation and snapped back, "Because you were at the bar flirting with a coat rack, Dean."
Growling in frustration, Dean spun back around, as Bobby finished, "Cas and I had to pull your drunk ass out. Now look, Sam's gonna need you when he gets back, so's Cas. They're gonna need you sober, so you ain't getting within ten feet of a bottle until then, got it?"
Okay, so he'd lost control a little, that first night without Sam. But damn it, if he didn't do something, Dean was going to lose a hell of a lot more than that. The hunter shook his head. "Something's gone wrong. I know it. I should have gone, too."
"Oh, great plan, that way Lucifer could have had all three of you idjits. You heard Cas, he said he couldn't have carried both of you out, or you know I woulda been jumping right in with ya."
Yeah, and why couldn't the angel carry more than one person out of Hell? Wasn't he supposed to be stronger now, restored grace and all? Something was just wrong with all of this, and Dean had had enough. His baby brother and his best friend needed him, and he couldn't keep sitting on his thumb, waiting around.
"I'll be back," he snapped, grabbing his keys and storming out the door before Bobby could stop him.
If something had happened to Cas, it was his fault for not stopping the angel. If something happened to Sammy, it was still his fault, for not letting the angel go sooner, for agreeing to Sam's stupid plan in the first place. Sure, the world had been saved, but now it was a world without Sammy or the one decent angel in the whole damn bunch… and what the hell kind of world was that?
Jumping into the Impala, Dean started his baby up and sent her tearing down the road in search of the first crossroads he could find. His eyes narrowed with cold determination.
He was getting Sam and Cas back… one way or another.