"You will pay for this," Castiel growled as Sam manhandled him out of the Impala.
"Shut up," Dean snapped, stepping out of the car.
Sam took Castiel's right side as Dean took his left, and they marched him into the building. Dean was feeling jittery for some reason, not his usual indifferent self when it came to delivering angels. Castiel wasn't looking at either of them now, keeping his cold gaze ahead of him and his head held up high. Sam was giving Dean weird looks, knowing there was something up.
They walked down to the basement, before Sam gave his brother one more glance and knocked on the door.
"Yes," Crowley's infuriating voice sounded from within.
Dean and Sam gritted their teeth before kicking the door open.
"Boys," the demon smirked at them. He was now wearing a crisp black suit, the apron nowhere to be seen.
It was dark in the basement, with only a wooden table and a couple of chairs in the room. Dean and Sam had often wondered where the fuck Crowley was keeping all the angels. It looked like they might be finding out today.
"Oh, he's a pretty one, isn't he?" Crowley said, amused, as he looked over Castiel.
The latter bristled, and Dean clenched his jaw in annoyance of the other demon. "Just get on with it."
"Hmm, touchy touchy, eh?"
"Crowley," Sam warned.
"All right. Follow me, boys, and make sure to keep that angel in your sight."
Crowley started walking towards the very back of the basement, before crouching down. He lifted up the carpet, pulling it away. Dean squinted as the other demon felt around on the floor, before he grabbed hold of something and pulled. He seemed to be lifting up part of the floor – no, it was a trapdoor, Dean realised.
Crowley then turned to them with a smirk. "After you."
Sam and Dean glanced at each other doubtfully. Dean then shoved Castiel towards Sam, heading down into the darkness. He was walking down some very steep steps, and he had to lean on the wall for support. The entire way was completely black, the only thing reassuring him that he wasn't alone were the footsteps and quiet breathing behind him.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, he stumbled into a round room. Sam and Castiel came in after him, until at last Crowley entered.
"A basement under the basement?" Dean muttered, until Sam hushed him.
Crowley stood before them, just a dark shape, but they could hear the smirk in his voice. "You are about to witness something that no other living creature knows about – except the ones I am using."
Dean swallowed, suddenly nervous. Sam fidgeted next to him, and Castiel was just standing still, completely rigid. They saw Crowley reach out, and a light flickered on.
Dean squinted, blinking a few times to adjust to the sudden brightness.
What they saw was rather disappointing.
The room was very white, reminding Dean of Naomi's office except there were bloodstains splattered all over the place. There was what seemed to be an operation table standing in the middle of the room, with leather straps attached to it. To Dean's and Sam's trained eyes it was clear that there were Enochian spells carved into the leather and the table itself.
"Hand me the angel," Crowley said suddenly, and Sam blinked before pushing Castiel over to Crowley.
The angel looked up, briefly meeting Dean's eyes. Dean looked away, concentrating on the small scalpel that was lying in a tray next to the table. Crowley shoved Castiel to the table, not uncuffing him until he was safely strapped up in all the leather bindings. Even Sam could see Cas become visibly paler as soon as the spells touched his skin.
"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked, glancing at Dean.
"You'll see, Moose," Crowley muttered, pulling on a pair of latex gloves from his pocket.
Sam only looked briefly offended at the nickname before he became curious again. The brothers both neared the table, and Crowley leaned it upwards. Castiel glared at them both tenaciously, despite his skin now looking rather grey.
"Oh, silly me. How could I forget," Crowley said, pushing Castiel's head down and finally fastening a strap across his forehead.
The angel's eyes almost rolled back and he moaned softly. Sam whistled.
"What kind of spells are those, Crowley? They look pretty fucking powerful," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, well, when you're as old as I am you learn a trick or two," the demon said smugly.
"You pretty much knocked him out," Dean said, his eyes narrowing at the angel.
"Well, not completely. He can still hear us perfectly well, can't you dear?" Crowley tapped the side of Castiel's head harshly, and the angel growled weakly.
"Open your eyes," Crowley then snapped, and he tapped the side of his head again. Castiel did open his eyes, blinking a few times before apparently adjusting slightly to the situation. He started glaring again, this time at Crowley.
"Oh, do keep those looks for the bedroom, sweetheart," the demon then smirked, causing the angel to glare even more. "Anyway, back to business.."
He picked up the small scalpel from the tray, and leaned over Castiel. The latter seemed like he was trying to lean away, pressing himself backwards into the table. The brothers held their breath as the scalpel touched Castiel's neck. Crowley glanced back at them, winking, before making a small cut in the angel's throat.
There was some blood, but the most prominent thing was the white light that came pouring out.
"Grace," Sam said quietly.
"Right you are," Crowley muttered, digging into his pocket again.
Dean looked at Castiel, and for the first time since they'd met, he saw pure fear in his eyes. He was looking at Crowley with wild eyes, going impossibly wider once he saw that Crowley was holding a small vial.
"No," he croaked, trying in vain to move away. "No, you can't!"
"I can, and I will," the demon sneered, holding the vial to the cut in Castiel's throat.
The angel looked at the demon with horror, his mouth gaping. Suddenly his eyes flashed to Dean's, and the pure desperation and pain he saw in them made him take a step back. Their eyes all followed the little trail of what looked like silver, light-giving smoke slither into the vial. Castiel stared as Crowley popped the lid back on, tears running down his cheeks.
The demon gave the vial a little shake, and Castiel flinched.
"You.. you took his Grace," Dean said softly. For some reason he couldn't look away from the little vial of white light.
"Why?" Sam asked, frowning.
"This is where it gets sexy," Crowley said, snapping his fingers.
Another demon appeared before them, looking a bit dazed. She looked at Sam and Dean, then Castiel, before her gaze finally landed on Crowley.
"Sir," the demon said, jumping to attention.
"Sit down," Crowley said, waving his hand and making a chair appear before them.
Sam and Dean glanced at each other. They'd known Crowley was powerful, but now they were starting to wonder how much they had underestimated his powers.
"Pay attention, boys," he then said.
He grabbed a syringe from the tray, screwing in the Grace filled vial. He then tilted the demon's head backwards, sticking the needle into her neck.
Castiel was the first one to realise what he was doing. "NO!" he yelled, struggling fruitlessly against the straps.
"Crowley, what.." Sam started.
Dean just stared, his eyes bulging as Crowley injected the Grace into the demon's bloodstream. The demon screamed, her eyes flashing black, then slowly turning pure white. Then it slumped down, breathing heavily.
Everyone stared in complete silence.
Suddenly the demon twitched and opened its eyes.
"Stand," Crowley ordered it, and it did. "Now, Moose and Squirrel. This is what I have been working on for the past months. It's a demon with angelic powers. The ultimate weapon."
"Weapon against what?" Sam asked, eyes wide.
"Against the angels, obviously," Crowley said, rolling his eyes. He turned to face them more directly. "Aren't you two sick of being treated like filth by those winged ponces? Having to stand up for them in the bus, having separate areas in cafe's and restaurants. Not being allowed in the same bars. Not being allowed to marry each other, although why you'd want to marry one of them is beyond me. The children aren't even allowed to go to the same schools, and the education the demon kids receive is many times worse. Even the children, boys! Think of the children!"
"Yeah, what's your point?" Dean asked, glancing at Castiel.
"I am going to fight it," Crowley then smirked. "I've got hundreds of these demon-angel hybrids just waiting for the snap of my finger before they go on a killing spree. Eventually I'll have enough to overpower the haloed pricks."
"You mean.. you're going to make others fight it," Dean corrected, frowning.
"You're creating a demon-angel hybrid.. army," Sam said before Crowley could retort. "That's.. fucked up. This is what we've been helping you with all these months?"
"Are you dull? This is going to be the best thing to have ever happened to demons. There's finally going to be some rebellion."
"Y'know Crowley, the idea ain't even half bad, I'll admit. But still, stealing their Grace? You gotta know that's gonna have some consequences," Dean then said, crossing his arms.
"Is there even a way to return the Grace to the previous owner?" Sam then asked curiously.
"Why would you want to know that?" Crowley asked, his eyes narrowed.
Sam shrugged. "Curious."
Crowley glanced at Castiel, who was now completely rigid, obviously listening intently. "Ah, well. This one's about to die, anyway. If the angel – well, whatever they become when their Grace is taken away – kills the demon with their Grace, they get it back."
"Except you've been killing all the angels you've been using, haven't you," Sam said, catching on.
"Obviously. I'm not stupid," Crowley scoffed.
"What do angels even become when they don't have their Grace?" Dean wondered, looking at Castiel.
"There isn't even a word for such a thing. Completely powerless husks of what they used to be. They might as well be dead. I'm doing them a favour."
"So, let me get this straight. This demon can now do anything angels can?" Sam said.
"Except she's more powerful," Crowley nodded.
"So, that means.."
"Show them," the older demon ordered. He snapped his fingers and yet another confused looking demon popped up.
The other demon nodded, clumsily touching her fingers to the demon's forehead. He sank down to the ground, immediately unconscious. The demon then snapped her fingers and he woke up again, blinking up at them. She moved her hand and he flew to the other side of the room. She then waved her hand again, making various knives and scalpels float around before directing them at herself. They all plunged into her and she didn't even wince, just snapped her fingers and they all fell out. There wasn't even any bleeding.
She then made the male demon fly towards her again, and he was starting to shake with fear as she gently put him back on the ground. She then put her hand on his forehead and his eyes burst into white flames. He screamed as his brain seemed to melt inside his head.
"Smiting," Sam murmured. "All right, we believe you. What about flying?"
Crowley looked miffed. "Well, unfortunately the bloody angels use their wings to do that and I haven't quite yet figured out how to make it possible for demons."
"Not that this hasn't been.. enlightening, but what exactly was the point of telling us all this?" Dean said, feeling uncomfortable.
"Well, I want you to help me, of course! You're already doing a brilliant job of collecting the angels, obviously, but I was thinking that if we all worked together it would be a whole lot more efficient."
"You want us to inject Grace into other demons," Sam said, eyebrows raised.
"That's right. So, what do you say? I'll double the pay."
Sam went wide-eyed and looked at Dean, but the latter couldn't tear his gaze away from Castiel. He was now completely slumped down, presumably finally passed out. Dean just didn't feel.. right about any of this. And he was becoming increasingly angry at himself for feeling bad for the angel. He shouldn't care. Sam narrowed his eyes. He then turned back to Crowley.
"Can we sleep on it?"
"Sure. How about this: I'll give you a week to make up your mind. If you decide you don't want to help me, consider yourselves fired, obviously."
Sam glared at him. "That's practical. Who the hell are gonna help you get angels then? There's no one better than us, and you know it."
"Well, I admittedly don't know a lot of demons who have been kidnapping angels for as long as you have, but it'll work out. Don't you worry your pretty little antlered head about it."
"For fuck's sake Crowley, where the fuck did that nickname even come from -"
"What about this one?" Dean asked, gesturing at Castiel.
"Oh, right. Silly me." Crowley pulled an angel blade from somewhere in his suit, walking casually towards the angel.
"Wait!" Dean called. Crowley paused, looking back at him with a raised eyebrow. It was silent for a few moments as the three demons stared at Dean. The latter blinked, snarling at the hybrid.
"What the fuck are you still doing here. Scram!"
She glanced at Crowley, who gave a dismissive nod, before disappearing. Crowley looked at Dean impatiently. "Well?"
"Uh.. I want to do it," he then said hastily.
Sam frowned at him, giving him a 'what the fuck are you doing' face without Crowley seeing.
"I wanna do it. He captured me in the first place, I want some payback," Dean then said more confidently.
Crowley rolled his eyes but nodded. "Understandable, I suppose. Bloody Winchesters."
He tossed the blade towards Dean, who only just managed to catch it.
"I'll be seeing you two in exactly a week, right on this spot. Don't show up and I'll expect the answer was a no. Cheers." With that the self-righteous dick vanished.
"What I wouldn't do to stab that son of a bitch," Sam muttered. He turned to Dean with a frown. "Dude, what the hell is going on?"
Dean didn't reply, instead glaring at the still unconscious Castiel. He then growled, stomping over to the angel. He pulled his angel blade from his boot, pressing it against Castiel's ribs. Sam was completely silent as he watched him.
Dean then gripped the knife tightly, and moved it upwards. He cut through the straps swiftly, careful not to nick the angel's forehead as he cut through the strap around his head. He caught Castiel as the latter slid off the table, before Dean grimaced at himself and let the angel drop to the ground anyway.
"Dude."
Dean looked up with wide eyes, as if he had forgotten Sam was there. His younger brother was staring at him with a look of complete and utter confusion. Dean sighed.
"Look, man. You can't tell me you agree with what Crowley's doing."
"Well.. I don't know. I mean, he's right. We should stand up for ourselves for once."
"Sam, you know just as well as I do that Crowley isn't doing any of this for the greater good. This is gonna benefit him in some huge way we don't know about. He doesn't give a crap about how we or any other demon is treated, because he's living the good life."
Sam ran a hand through his hair. "All right, here isn't exactly the best place to talk about this. And what does any of that have to do with.. this?" He gestured at the angel slumped on the ground.
"Oh, that?" Dean laughed uncomfortably. "Well, what's better than having our own powerless angel? I mean, we're angel hunters, dude. Think of all the info we could get out of this guy. We can make him tell us all their weaknesses and shit. I'm just thinking ahead."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "But we're not gonna be hunting angels for the time being, are we?"
"Well.. no, but it's always convenient to know all the tricks. Sammy, what other demon can say they've trapped an angel, and lived to tell the tale?"
"Dean, this angel doesn't have his Grace so it's not exactly like he's dangerous -"
"Sam, just listen to your big brother for once," Dean snapped.
It was silent for a moment.
"So.. we're gonna milk him for info, and then we'll kill him?" Sam then said, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah. Totally," Dean agreed, rubbing his face.
They both turned to look at the crumpled heap of angel on the floor.
"Not so powerful anymore, is he," Sam murmured.
Dean didn't reply.
Thank you for reading, please leave reviews!