Posting this a little early because I'm at Orlando MegaCon this weekend and will probably forget to put it up before I leave tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who read and followed the last chapter! Glad you all seem to be enjoying this so far. Also thanks to Kathy for your review! (Thanks also for all the ones you've left on the one shots, they're always appreciated ^_^)

And now to watch Crowley and Cas jump from the frying pan into the fire...

Chapter Two

"We'll start off the bidding with the former King of Hell."

Castiel and Crowley met eyes briefly as one of the guards shoved the demon to the front of the stage and the demon in charge stepped forward and grabbed Crowley by the shoulder.

"House slave, yard slave, museum piece, whatever you want to do with him," the demon said with a grin. "I'm sure he'll be compliant when he gets off his high horse and then the lucky owner will have the honor of breaking the King of Hell." He glanced out at the audience. "Let's start the bidding at one thousand."

Crowley sputtered. "One thousand?! I'm worth ten times that!"

The guard gave him a small zap with the remote, making Crowley tense. Castiel glanced around the stage while the focus was off of him, looking for some exit. But there was a guard at his back and others on all sides of the raised platform. He might have been able to take them out normally, but with his powers dampened already and the fact that he wouldn't get two feet before they used the shocking devise on him, he didn't think he had a good chance. Panic began to set in as the bidding for Crowley started.

"Twenty thousand, do I hear twenty-five? This is the King of Hell, after all," the demon goaded, jostling Crowley who glowered at him.

The crowd laughed and the bidding continued.

"Fifty—fifty-three? Fifty-five over here to the lady! Ah, what's that, sir? Seventy-five? Going once, going twice…" The demon pointed to one of the men in the crowd. "Sold to the gentleman in green up front."

Crowley squawked as he was instantly hustled from the stage, leaving Castiel feeling suddenly very alone. He met Crowley's eyes as the demon was dragged away but there was nothing they could do. He'd welcome even Crowley's company at this point.

The demon finally turned to him and dragged him to the front of the stage.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen. Our final item of the night, the angel Castiel."

Eager shouts sounded from the crowd, and Castiel squared his shoulders, setting his jaw defiantly.

"He's strong enough for any work you want done—good looking enough to be a consort." The crowd chuckled and some wolf whistled as Castiel blanched, fists clenching in fury. "Real rebellious streak, but the new owner can have the enjoyment of breaking him out of that." The demon turned to Castiel and grabbed his chin. "Show them your wings."

Castiel jerked away, shaking his head. The guard stepped up and grabbed his arm.

"Don't embarrass yourself," the demon growled low. "They'll still buy you if you're lying here in an unconscious heap. An unbroken angel is a lot more fun so I'll still get a good price for you."

Castiel glowered but he was already being turned to face the back of the stage and his shirt yanked open again and pulled down to expose his back. Everything in him rebelled against this but again, he knew it was better to bite his pride. There was a possibility that he could find a chance to escape when he was being transferred to his 'buyer'.

Angrily, he brought his wings from the ethereal plane and the ooh's and ah's and jeers started up behind him. The demon and one of the guards each grabbed one of his wings and stretched them out, causing Castiel to bite the inside of his mouth to bleeding at the pain and the humiliation.

"Not the best example of angel wings on this one, but still impressive. Let's start the bidding at twenty thousand."

Castiel was allowed to put his wings back and he buttoned his shirt again with shaking hands, furious at the situation as the bids came in fast, up to one hundred thousand before he knew it. It was sickening.

He didn't even pay attention to who got the winning bid. After all, it didn't matter in the long run.

He was hustled off the stage into a back room where all the other captives were pressed tightly together. The guard shoved him over to one side of the room.

"You're with him," the guard grunted.

Castiel looked up and saw Crowley. He sighed, but at this point, he wasn't sure whether it was all exasperation or a little relief mixed in there as well.

"Well, together again," Crowley said sullenly.

"Shut up," Castiel grunted.

"At least you're actually worth something to these plebeians," Crowley grumbled. "Cheer up, Cas, maybe a powerful supernatural entity will want you as their consort."

"Maybe they'll want you," Castiel shot back.

The head demon came in then and one by one the winning bidders came in, paid the money, and took their 'purchases' away. Finally, a tall, thin man with long black hair tied at the nape of his neck, wearing a dark green suit walked into the room and handed a bag of cash to the demon.

"Pleasure doing business as always," he said and turned toward Castiel and Crowley. He strode over to them and began inspecting them himself. "I'm sure his majesty will be most pleased."

Castiel frowned. His majesty? Surely this man couldn't mean Lucifer…Castiel studied him more closely then, trying to figure out what he was. He was getting a strong energy signal off of him but couldn't quite place it. Not with the cuffs locking down his grace. He was just certain this man was neither demon or angel. Castiel saw Crowley frowning, obviously also trying to figure out just who their captor was, and then the demon inhaled sharply, eyes widening with recognition.

"Faeries," he hissed.

The man in green backhanded him across the face.

"That's a nasty word, which you won't use again," he snapped before turning to the guards. "I have my own men waiting by our vehicle, but if you can help me get these two out there, I would be obliged."

The guards nodded and grabbed Castiel and Crowley, hustling them from the room. Castiel glanced over at Crowley who was shaking his head.

"This is bad, Cas," he murmured. "I've spent my life purposefully trying not to get caught up in the affairs of faeries and now I bloody belong to one!"

"I didn't think faeries usually left their own realm," Castiel said. Admittedly, he didn't know much about the Fae courts, but he did know enough to know they were better left alone.

"They don't except at specific times of the year when the veils between the worlds are thin. And it's almost Midwinter, Castiel. That's when the Winter Court, the Unseelie, are most powerful. They love to show off their power, by parading around, kidnapping humans, and causing havoc for the other court who are at their least powerful. It's no wonder they bought us, we're a show of force."

Castiel closed his eyes wearily. "We don't have time for this, we have to find Lucifer."

"Then we'll have to work fast. Midwinter is in only a few days and I for one am not eager to find out what will happen then."

They were loaded into another van and transferred to the care of the faery guards who were all similar in appearance to the man who had been bidding at the auction. It wasn't long before they were on the road and Castiel and Crowley sat in sullen silence. Castiel only hoped that they would get a chance to escape wherever they were going, but he couldn't help but feel like their situation was getting more and more bleak.

He didn't feel any better about it when he caught sight of their new residence.

The van stopped at a huge set of gates that were then opened, allowing the vehicle through to drive down a long, cobbled road toward a huge mansion. Castiel's eyes widened as he took in the vast property, guards standing all around the house and along the high walls that seemed to surround the whole place.

The van drove around the mansion and finally parked in a garage before the guards got up and hauled Castiel and Crowley out of the vehicle and into the dimly lit space. It was late, after midnight by Castiel's reckoning, and the grounds seemed to be silent, empty except for the guards. Castiel noticed that all the faeries now actually looked like faeries. Pointed ears, sharper, more delicate, features. They must have been masking themselves until they got back to their own property.

The man, or faery, who had purchased them got out of the passenger seat and came around the van to speak with the guards. "Take them to Aiden, he'll see them sorted. Make sure he knows to get them fit to be presented to the king tomorrow."

The guards nodded and grabbed Castiel and Crowley, leading them inside through the garage and down several dimly lit corridors until they came to a room at the end of the hall and knocked on the door.

A tall, broad-shouldered, vaguely disgruntled faery opened the door and glowered out at them.

"Yes? Is this all Lord Calen brought back from the auction?"

One of the guards nodded. "Yes. He says he wants them ready to present to the king tomorrow first thing in the morning."

"Tell him they'll be ready," the faery grunted. "Show them to their quarters."

The guards shoved Castiel and Crowley in the back and forced them back down the hall to a large door on one side of the corridor. The faery they had met up with, presumably Aiden, stepped forward with a key and unlocked the door.

"You'll be bunking together," he said as they were pushed inside, followed by the guards. "Don't want you in the slave barracks until you're broken in in case you try anything stupid. Which you'll learn quickly not to do."

Crowley put his foot down, turning to glower at the faery. "I don't know what you little popinjays think you're up to here, but I'm the bloody King of Hell! If you think I'm going to serve some puffed up faery, think again!"

Aiden whipped something from the back of his belt and lashed out at Crowley, hitting the demon across the face. Castiel realized it was a wooden baton with runework carved into it. Whatever it was, it sent the demon reeling.

"That's a warning, demon! Backtalk gets you one count." He struck him again just as Crowley was straightening up. "Using the F-word gets you another."

Crowley squawked indignantly but Castiel stepped on his foot hard to get him to hopefully stay quiet for the moment.

"Take them to the showers to get cleaned up while I get their new uniforms." Aiden left the room and the guards ushered Castiel and Crowley out an instant later, down the hall to another room.

This one was all tile and stark white. There were bathroom stalls on one side and showers on the other. The guards shoved them toward the showers.

"Strip," one said, unable to hide a grin.

"I beg your pardon," Crowley growled, but ducked slightly when one of the guards raised a baton like the one Aiden had used.

"Do it or we'll do it for you," the guard sneered.

"Crowley, it's not worth it," Castiel murmured to the demon. Yes, it was humiliating, but it probably wasn't the worst thing that was going to happen to them while they were captive here.

Crowley snarled at him and looked like he was about to retort but the guard moved in with the baton again and he angrily started to undress.

Castiel did the same, stripping out of his clothes as quickly as possible and turning on the shower. It was cold, and didn't seem like it was going to get any warmer, but it could be worse.

He wondered when he would have to stop saying that.

He washed himself as quickly as possible, accepted the towel one of the guards threw at him and dried off, fastening the towel around his waist to give himself a little dignity. Their clothes had already been whisked away, probably never to be seen again.

Once Crowley had also dried off, they were led back to the room.

A moment later, Aiden came in with a bundle of clothes. Castiel was relived until he saw what sat on top of the bundle. It looked like two collars.

"Get dressed," Aiden told them, throwing the pile of clothes onto one of the cots. Castiel turned to the clothing and sorted through it. Black pants and loose-fitting shirt, obviously meant to be buckled around the middle in mediaeval fashion. Not terrible over all, though Crowley turned up his nose at it, probably because it wasn't designer.

As soon as he had finished dressing, the guards grabbed him by the arm and Aiden held up one of the collars. Castiel couldn't help but blanch. He pulled against the guards' grip and they only held onto him tighter.

"Don't make trouble, angel, you'll see soon enough that that will get you nowhere." Aiden stepped forward to fasten the collar around Castiel's neck, but the angel jerked back instinctively, everything in him rebelling at the thought of being collared.

The guards forced him to his knees, and one grabbed his head, holding him steady.

"No, don't," he ground out as Aiden slung the collar around his neck and fastened it.

The surge of power took Castiel's breath. It was a numbing feeling, latching onto his grace and squeezing. He had to remind himself to actually breathe, the power feeling claustrophobic. It wasn't like wearing the grace-blocking cuffs, this was like some kind of magic literally suppressing his powers.

"Not so tough now, are you angel?" Aiden said, moving on to put the other collar on Crowley. The look on the demon's face told Castiel that it was affecting him much the same. Aiden unlocked the cuffs from around their wrists but didn't give them time to even think of fighting back before he twisted his hand in a flourish and pain tore through Castiel's body, the collar around his throat burning.

He didn't realize he was screaming until he came to an undetermined time later, laying on the floor next to Crowley who was also writing in pain. They both slumped limply, panting as Aiden walked over and crouched down to look at them.

"And that is what you have to look forward to if you try anything," he said. "We run a tight ship around here. You will do as you are told and obey orders directly. You will not talk back—you will not speak at all unless directly asked a question. You will learn your place and accept that you are now slaves, only living to serve your new master. Any failure to comply…" he twisted his hand again and sent them into another bout of agony. "…will be punished instantly."

He stood, nodding to the guards and all of them left, leaving Castiel and Crowley to sit up, shaking from the agony.

"What was that?" Castiel asked.

"Faery magic," Crowley spat. "Too powerful for their own good. Especially now. I can't believe you got me into this!"

Castiel spun around toward him indignantly. "Me? For the last time, it was your contact!"

Crowley rolled his eyes and shook his head, staggering to his feet as he went to sit on one of the cots. "It doesn't matter anyway. Not anymore. It's too late now."

Castiel shook his head, also climbing to his feet and sitting on the other cot. "We'll find a way out of here."

Crowley snorted. "If we're lucky."

Castiel looked around the small room. The door itself probably wouldn't be too hard to get through with the right leverage. But getting out of the mansion and across the yard with all the guards, past the gate… it would be a feat.

"Who is the king they keep talking about?" he asked, mostly for the sake of conversation.

"I'm guessing the Unseelie King," Crowley said. "Winter Court, like I mentioned before. Bad news. Well…all faeries are bad news, but the Winter Court and it's king is notoriously bad. Possibly worse than me. Less businessman, more old-world despot."

Castiel snorted. "Of course."

"Seems like the Winchesters' penchant for worst case scenario has rubbed off on you," Crowley quipped.

Castiel sighed. Sam and Dean did have a problem with getting into the worst trouble they possibly could, but they always seemed to be able to get out of it somehow too. He could use a little of their ingenuity right about now.

Crowley lay down on the cot with a cringe. "Don't worry, feathers, maybe they'll come to our rescue. If they even realize we're missing."

Castiel bit his lip. He didn't want to feel the need to call upon the Winchesters whenever he ran into trouble, but he had to admit that they would be a welcome sight if they did show up. They didn't have time to be captured. Not with Lucifer on the loose, creating all kinds of havoc.

"What about Rowena?" Castiel mused.

"Mother?" Crowley snorted. "She'll let us rot."

Castiel pressed his lips together. That was probably true.

"Looks like we'll be finding our own way out of here then," Castiel said.

"Fantastic." The King of Hell closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Castiel crossed his legs, sat back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Nothing about this boded well for them.

He was only sure of one thing and that was that it would most likely only get worse from there.