Malleaphar had left them once again. Dean was starting to doubt he had escaped the cuffs by his own power. Despite the effort it had taken, Malleaphar had allowed him to escape. Perhaps the demon had wanted him to believe there was some hope, before taking it all away.
Lisa was tucked close to his chest. Her sobs had quieted and he thought she might be sleeping. She had to be beyond exhausted. He tightened his grip on her, every instinct within him screamed to protect her from this. How could he protect her from the loss of her son? How could he protect her from the white-eyed son of a bitch that was surely going to kill her in front of him.
He knew this was personal, the demon had been clear on that point. What he didn't understand was why. Maybe it really didn't matter, no one was coming to save them and they would likely both die here, but he couldn't help his mind from trying desperately to work out the why. He had only met two white-eyed demons in his life that he knew of, Alastair and Lilith. Sam had killed both. What could the bastard possibly want from him?
He didn't realize how tight his grip on Lisa had become until she was suddenly struggling to free herself. He loosened his tight hug and shushed her. "It's ok, it's me. It's Dean."
She fought him for a moment more before their eyes met and she calmed. Tears formed in his eyes as he saw her bloodied face once again. "Dean?" She hugged him. "I'm so scared." She whispered, voice muffled further as she buried her face in his chest.
"I know," he hugged her tightly, "me too." He stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry Lisa. This is all my fault. You and Ben were supposed to be safe from me." A tear slipped down his cheek. "I thought you were safe."
"He came in the middle of the night. I heard Ben screaming and ran to his room." A choked sob tore from her throat. "I've never heard anyone scream like that." She looked up at Dean again. "There was so much blood. He was so still." Tears cascaded down her face, into the wounds on her cheeks. She didn't flinch, didn't acknowledge them. "Something grabbed me from behind and I blacked out. I woke up in the darkness, bound and gagged. When I stumbled and saw you I didn't know you Dean. What did you do? Why didn't I know you? Where were you when he killed my son?"
Dean squeezed his eyes shut, he couldn't bare the accusation in her eyes. It was his fault; it was always his fault. Why hadn't he been there for her and Ben? Why had he really asked Cas to change their memories? He had told himself he was acting in their best interest, protecting them, doing his job. Was he really? Or was he just protecting himself? He shook his head. "I'm so sorry." He repeated. "I asked a friend to erase your memories of me. I did it to protect you both. After that demon possessed you, stabbed you…I couldn't risk you getting hurt again because of me…" he trailed off, opening his eyes and looking into hers. "I swear to you Lisa, I thought I was keeping you safe by staying away." He watched her, pleading with his eyes for her to understand, to forgive the unforgivable.
"I remember." Her eyes gentled, her words no longer filled with accusation. "I remember that thing inside me. I remember you saving us."
She put a hand on his cheek and he closed his own over it, turning to gently kiss her fingers. "I love you Lisa. I'm so sorry."
Lisa pulled her hand away slowly. "I'm sorry Dean, I don't know if I can say the same anymore. I remember loving you, once, but it's like those memories are separate from me. Like they belong to a different person."
Dean nodded, feeling his heart clench. "I understand." She didn't pull away from him, and he contented himself with holding her, stroking her hair. She cried more, though from the pain of losing Ben or the pain of her wounds Dean couldn't tell. He offered what little comfort he could.
The click of shoes on stone caused Dean's head to snap up. He found himself facing Malleaphar once again. The demon smiled a vicious sort of smile, one without mirth. He made a small gesture with his hand and a screech filled the chamber. A metal table was dragging itself out of the darkness and into the pool of light. When it was dead center of the torchlight, right next to Dean and Lisa, it stopped. The demon nodded in a satisfied way and moved to where they sat huddled together on the ground.
"I'm growing tired, Dean." He rubbed his eyes dramatically. "I'm growing tired of our little game and would like to move things along a bit. Would that be alright with you?" His tone bore exaggerated politeness.
"Bite me." Dean snarled, locking his arms around Lisa in a vain attempt to keep her from being snatched away from him.
Malleaphar clicked his tongue in a reproving tone. "Now now, Dean. No need to get nasty." With another gesture of the demon's hand Dean found himself and Lisa pulled apart. He let out an angry shout as she left his arms that was echoed by a scream from her. He was propelled up into the air, the shackles from before snaking up to reconnect him to the ceiling. Suspended by his arms and shackled at his feet, he could do nothing but scream obscenities as Lisa was lifted by the same force and secured to the table.
"Leave her out of this! Hurt me! Leave her alone you bastard!" He jerked at his bonds, desperately trying to free himself again.
The demon stepped over and placed a hand on his cheek, mirroring Lisa's gesture from before. Dean jerked his head away. "Oh but Dean, I am hurting you." The demon smiled again, the same venomous smile.
"Please." Dean begged, unashamed.
Malleaphar clicked his tongue again. "No amount of begging will stop this Dean Winchester." His eyes flashed white. "Nothing you can do will stop you from getting what you deserve. No force in heaven or hell will stop me from giving it to you, exactly as you deserve." His words were full of hate, of anger.
He turned to Lisa and moved around the table until he was opposite Dean with her between them. With a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach Dean watched as a small table full of torture instruments wheeled in under its own power and stopped next to the demon. He recognized many of them, knives and pinchers, needles and heated rods, vials of vicious looking substances. Lisa's terrified gaze locked onto his and he tried desperately not to show the fear he felt.
Malleaphar looked over his instruments, picking out a metallic needle from the pile. "Watch now Dean, watch how your beloved suffers." With great care he took Lisa's hand and began to push the needle under the nail of her pinkie finger. Lisa screamed out in pain, Dean shouted for him to stop, and the demon laughed.
When he was finished with her pinkie, Malleaphar picked up a second needle and moved to her ring finger. He continued in this way until Lisa's screams grew ragged and Dean's shouts became wordless screams of anger. He only stopped for a moment to move to the other hand, repeating the procedure once again. Methodically moving from one finger to the next.
Dean felt something break inside himself as he watched Lisa suffer. He couldn't look away, didn't dare. Inside his mind, he screamed in fear and pain, emotions he would not allow on his face or in his voice. Words, a prayer, formed unbidden in his mind. "Help us Castiel! Please God someone help us!" Never in his life had Dean Winchester felt so helpless, or so alone.
Sam's laughter cut off as he felt the healing warmth of Castiel's grace flow through him. He was refreshed and the pain was gone. The angel's fury however was not abated. He grabbed Sam by his jacket and pulled him from the ground. He slammed him up against the side of the Impala and held him there with one hand while the other dug roughly into Sam's pockets.
Sam glanced at Crowley, who was now several steps away with his hands shoved into his coat. The demon met his gaze and shrugged, pointedly taking another step away from Sam and the furious Castiel.
The angel finally found what he was looking for and held Sam's phone in front of his face, lighting the screen. Confused, Sam took a moment to read the screen, then looked into the shining blue eyes before him. He had 40 missed calls, all from Cas, and his phone was muted.
"Cas-" Sam began, but Castiel cut him off.
His voice shook with fury. "Three days Sam!" He snapped. "I've been chasing you for three days!"
Sam stared at him. "You heard my prayers?"
"Of course I heard your prayers!" Cas exploded. He shoved Sam and spiked the phone on the ground, shattering the screen and blowing the battery out the back. He took a few stumbling steps away and turned his face. His voice was lower when he spoke again, but still filled with fury. "I drove to that hotel as fast as my car could take me. When I got there, you were gone. I saw the room, the sulfur, Dean's-" his voice broke, "Dean's blood." He stopped and shuddered, then rounded on Sam again. "How dare you! How could you pray a prayer like that and then not answer your phone? I didn't even know if you were alive until you prayed again! I rushed to the bunker as soon as I heard you and again you were gone! You left nothing to tell me where you were going or what was happening! I've called and called…" He trailed off and Sam watched as the anger ebbed away leaving only fear behind. "Sam?" Cas paused and took a deep shuddering breath. "Where is your brother? Where is Dean?"
Crowley stepped forward, not close enough for Castiel to reach out and grab him, but close enough to be considered a part of the conversation. "Did you get my messages?" He asked simply, staring at the angel.
"Yes, thank you Crowley. I appreciated the heads up." He glared pointedly at Sam. "Is it really Malleaphar? I thought he was buried in the deepest parts of Hell, right next to the cage."
Crowley nodded. "I went and checked personally. His prison was open. Don't ask me how, there's been a lot going on in my kingdom lately and I haven't been thinking about the deeper cells other than the cage. He's not in Hell anymore."
"Why Dean?" Sam interjected. "I know none of the demons really like us, but why would this guy break out of Hell and go straight for Dean?"
Crowley shrugged then looked back at Castiel. "Do you know his history?"
Castiel shook his head. "I know he was at Lucifer's right hand during the fall."
Sam thought hard, piecing the information together rapidly. "Wait. Are you saying this guy's an angel? Like Lucifer?"
Crowley and Castiel both shook their heads together. "He's a demon." Crowley replied. Sam sighed in relief, but his blood ran cold with Crowley's next words. "He used to be an angel."
Castiel made a startled sound and Sam realized the information was a shock to him as well. "What do you mean he used to be an angel?" He growled.
Crowley's eyes widened. "You really didn't know?"
"Explain this Crowley!" Castiel snapped, eyes flashing.
"The white-eyes, they're former angels. Except for Lilith of course. Lucifer turned them right after her. He learned with her, but he perfected his technique with the angels closest to him. Malleaphar, Sandreel, Mickhal, and" he paused for a moment, looking at Sam, "Alastair."
"Alastair was an angel?" Sam couldn't help it, the shock forced the words from his mouth.
"Are you stupid Moose?" Crowley snapped. "Alastair was a demon, they're all demons. Just because they used to be angels doesn't make them that now. Am I a man just because I used to be one? No! I'm a demon! The King of Hell!" His eyes flashed completely red, just for a moment showing a bit of his true self.
It was true, sometimes Sam didn't think of Castiel and Crowley as the powerful beings they really were. The four of them, including Dean, had been through so much together. Even Crowley had become a member of the family, though Sam wasn't quite sure how or when that had happened. Yet, here he was rushing to Dean's rescue alongside them.
Crowley calmed himself and his eyes went back to normal. "Lucifer tortured their grace until he turned them. Malleaphar was second after Lilith. Rumor has it he maintains some of his angelic powers, though I have no way of confirming that. He's been locked away as long as Lucifer himself. Before you ask, I checked the other cages, all secure."
"How did Alastair get free?" Sam wanted to know. How did such a powerful demon remain locked away when another just like him had been freely torturing souls for close to forever.
"Alastair was never locked up." Crowley sighed. "Don't ask me for all the specifics Moose. Hell's always been in turmoil and it's even worse since you two started messing around in its business. All I know for certain is that this is Malleaphar we're dealing with and he can end all of us without breaking a sweat."
"It doesn't matter." Castiel interjected. "What matters is getting Dean back. How are we going to rescue him from the most powerful demon ever created?"
Crowley smirked. "Very carefully."
Castiel opened his mouth as if to respond, but then his eyes went wide and his pupils blew out until only the faintest hint of blue was visible. Sam surged forward and just caught him as he crumpled to the ground. "Cas?!" Sam screamed, shaking him. Even Crowley was on the ground beside them, looking as concerned as Sam had ever seen him.
Castiel blinked, his pupils constricting back to normal, and took a few ragged breaths. "We have to hurry." He closed his eyes and Sam saw a tear slide out of the corner of them and down his face. "Dean is suffering."
