Notes:

Want more information of the Goddess mentioned? pathfinder. wikia wiki/Lamashtu is where I got most if not all of my information.

A heavy trail, left in the wake of a woman pulling a much larger object, swirled dust into the cool night air. Arms dragged limply across a beaten path as the object was dragged away from the clear night sky. "Wake up," cooed an antediluvian voice, "Wake up and see where I have brought you," at the sound of the voice the entity opened its pure blue abysses just a crack before they stretched in surprise.

He'd imagined a cesspool of dead, expected rotting bodies or mutilated, still half alive people. He instead received a beautiful underground home. Centered in the room a cascading fountain softly gurgled down smooth rock into a pool of water so clear it seemed to glow with a pure inner intention. Natural light bled through manmade holes. No shadows existed under the pale yellow light.

"Gorgeous..." Castiel whispered; eyes scanning over every little detail, every little carving. The angel's battered mind seemed to forget he was not the only one present in the tranquil oasis. His brain appeared to have neglected to hold onto his knowledge, forgetting that he was here as a captive and not a free visitor.

He took in all of the dreamlike features. His eyes ate up the scene and seared it into his mind like a claim on his grace; afraid the magnificence would be swiped away, never to return. That the ugliness of the world outside, the blemish of society would be dumped back into his lap and he would be forced to watch what he was told to love wither and die once more.

"Yes, it is," a voice that seemed so suggestive and passionate earlier had turned to a malevolent hiss that shook Cas to the very bone. The voice that came out of that barely visible mouth was anything but pleasurable. It replaced anything Castiel had ever known to be as horrific and multiplied it in quantities he could not even calculate. It brought him back to his reality just as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on his head. Forget what he had ever said about the human race being ugly, this thing that he was listening to was the epitome of vile.

Gulping down the lump that decided to show up in his throat, Castiel began to speak with feigned confidence, "Who are you?" He was glad to hear that his voice was not shaking.

The creature's 'mouth' moved up at the corners to be what must have been a sardonic smirk. This movement showed horrific yellowed canines - the tips crusted with what must have been centuries of dried blood. A gray tongue snaked out to run over black, molding gums before it opened its mouth to a wide hole, a terrible, obnoxious cackle slipping out through thin, cracked lips, "Who am I? Oh Little One they do not teach you enough..."

With the grace of a large panther, the warped human circled Castiel, "I go by many names, Mother of Beasts, Mistress of Insanity, Grandmother Nightmare; Lamashtu. I am merely but a servant today." Cas's weary eyes followed Lamashtu around as she made a full circle. He knew this God, this creature, by name. His knees began to quake with fear and trepidation. He did his best to still his heart and breathing which were becoming erratic very quickly.

"Then why take on this form? To look like something you detest is absurd."

"Detest? Oh no, you misunderstand," Lamashtu chimed, "I love humans. Their flaws and weaknesses there for me to extort." for a while, the Mother seemed to be happy with her answer. However, the contemplating look upon her face brought Castiel to believe otherwise.

"Love, yes, I love all the vile. But maybe you are fishing for the true Lamashtu?" the question cut through the silence like a sharp piece of thin glass, allowing the tension to slip tenaciously through. Both sat staring one another square in the eye - blue covered by a false boredom and mock interest, attempting to hide the fear and curiosity hidden within. Much to the angel's disappointment, Lamashtu saw right through his act.

"It is all right, Little One. Just a glimpse? I won't burn your eyes out like you mean ol' angels."

Without Castiel's immediate consent, the malformations began to morph and change into something much larger than the humanoid structure they held now. Great pointed ears began to putrid from the now browning, furry skin that was elongating into a snout. The stretchy skin moved away from the ears - now a glimmering ebony - and the scalp down to form an opening around a third amber eye. The triad seemed to glow in pure joy before closing and allowed the sickly fur to wash over the lids.

Skin gave way arms to towering wings, black and feathered, akin to a raven. A heavily pregnant belly emerged from abnormal skin along her side. Long, green tinted claws scratched and tore at long furred legs. They scrapped and skittered at everything within range of their angry movements. One caught Castiel across the face, drawing slowly oozing blood. As if to jab a knife in an already open wound, a long, thick, snake's tail appeared from the last whims of skin. The tail moved back and forth in an agitated cat like movement swishing grey swirls all around the atrocious appendage.

Castiel gawked at what the Mistress had become. The cut on his face long forgotten and the terror buried behind awe. He began to hyperventilate again. A tongue, grey as an elephant and long as a boa constrictor, snaked out of her snout and trailed the blood up the dazed angel's face. Mortification and utter disgust were made evident in the angel's body language.

"Stop it!" the angel stuttered, slinking away from this thing that presented itself to him. His stomach had begun to twist and turn, attempting to crawl up and out of his throat and lay in revulsion on the cavern floor. Castiel held his belly urging it to keep still and take it.

The tales told of a myth worshipped by harpies and gnolls; not a creature to be gazed upon, "I am a demon, much like any of the others, Castiel. You're used to seeing their faces aren't you? Only my worshippers are allowed to see this form, consider yourself special."

Castiel shook his head vigorously; he had never seen a demon such as this. Lamashtu commanded attention. Made those who gazed upon her want to stare straight at her in wonder no matter how badly they wanted to turn tail, scream, or run, or all three. Cas's shallow, quick breathing finally caught up in his head. In a wave of vertigo, Cas fell to the ground.

"Like what you see, Little One?" Lamashtu cackled as she slowly moved toward the immobile man. Cas attempted to stand to run away. He wanted safety and reassurance. The moment he chose to stand, he found that his legs were completely and utterly useless. They buckled under him sending him crashing back to the hard floor below, bruising his body thoroughly.

I'm going to die here. With my unborn child… With… Dean's….

Castiel squeezed his eyes shut as he covered his lower belly – praying for everything to be alright.

"How about dinner? I have a young, beautiful angel as my partner may as well utilize my time," Lamashtu slowly morphed into a mostly human form, a few of the features a little off and more than disturbing. Then, with a saunter that would kill even the most patient of people the half woman made her way over to the shell shocked messenger of God.

"I have nothing against you Little One, but you make one wrong move and I will kill that oh-so-precious child of yours right here and now…" The demon hissed lowly in Castiel's ear before she suggestively licked the shell. This impure act almost made Castiel bolt right then and there. But for the sake of his – their – child, he refrained from moving even an inch.

"That's perfect, Little One. So how about it, will you dine with me?"


"Stop! Please stop it!" Castiel screeched. There was so much pain coursing through his body. Indescribable agony that coursed through every vein in his body that made him scream with every movement of his muscles. The demons around him chuckled darkly, waiting their turn for the angel patiently. Cooing soft, sweet nothing at him and drawling cat calls – an orgy of intense hurt.

"Why? Plea-ease s-top," his broken pleas fell on deaf ears as dark claws raked down his back. There were so many of them there, tormenting him.

A claw made its way to his throat and…

Cas woke with a start, sweat pouring down his face and tears in his eyes. He was chained to a wall hand cuffs, a new addition he noted, lightly digging into his skin from being too tight. They were settled comfortably by his side so he figured he had nothing to complain about. They were a warning to him, 'escape is futile and you're trapped'. He gazed up at the cuffs, contemplating their strength and his speed.

As far as he could tell he'd been left to himself, settled on a hard cot with a thin blanket covering his lower body. A chill settled deep in his bones and made him ache throughout his entire body. The seraph figured he could use a warm shot of whiskey to at least light a small flame within him, but that was never going to happen.

Over to the angel's left was what he supposed was his meal for the day. Bread, crackers, cheese, and a pitcher of water that smelled like raw meat and sewage. It was always the same, but he supposed it was better than nothing. "Eat Little One," the blood boiling voice of Lamashtu quietly commanded. He was so tired of that voice that he almost wished the demon would get a new one just for a day.

"No," the angel said with a sure headed cockiness. He had no need for sustenance.

"No?" the demon questioned right back in a low growl. Castiel's stomach cried out in pain when he looked submissively down at the food. It was for the baby, not him. It would never be for him anymore, he realized. With deliberately slow movements, Cas reached out for a cracker, nibbling softly at it as his wrists screamed at him with a steady beat of pain.

"Have some water," Lamashtu requested softly. The angel knew better then to refuse this time. He took the water graciously and tried to swallow it without breathing in the pugnacity odor. That's when he noticed a young boy behind the Mistress.

"His name is Jesse. He will take care of your wounds."

Castiel almost breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the room, but he could not let his guard down yet.

"She told me not to talk to you, but I remember you," the boy smirked rebelliously. his drawl was soft and sweet, not menacing at all, still. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion he remembered Jesse as well and not fondly, "I'm not a here because I wanna be if that's what you are wondering," Castiel sighed in resignation. He seemed to be telling the truth. If he could make even one ally here, this boy may as well be it. It's all just for strategy, his mind consoled, not weakness.

Jesse grabbed a rag from a basket of supplies and began dabbing at the wounds that had already dried, leaving the fresh ones alone. Castiel got a good look at him as he sat between his legs, scrubbing off the crusted blood. His time with Lamashtu had not been kind it seemed.

"You're not as strong as you used to be, are you?" he questioned out of the blue. Jesse had begun to clean the still opened wounds and was innocently attempting to steal the angel's attention away from him doing so. It was a very sweet gesture, he did not want him to feel pain and Castiel was grateful for that.

"I am still angel of the lord," Cas replied stoically. He did not feel like speaking much to this Halfling, especially if Lamashtu had advised him otherwise. He was going to keep a strictly business relationship and hope the blame was not settled completely on him, if they were caught talking. It wasn't that he hated the boy. He didn't like the thought of the child being hurt, but Cas would rather protect the child inside himself.

He thought a moment, a serious look etched into his soft features, "Huh, you could work some sort of miracle and get us out of here?" he said, unsure of what he was really implying. After he'd said goodbye to his parents, this was the only life he'd known.

Castiel stared at Jesse long and hard. He wondered if he would understand or ask him to elaborate. He decided to take his chances, "I am… Broken."

"Broken? Broken like how?" Castiel sighed; he knew the cambion would be a little too sheltered to understand. He should have just not answered, kept to himself, it would have been better for the boy that way.

"Broken like we are not getting out of here broken."

Jesse narrowed his eyes at the angel. He wanted to kick and scream at the answer, angels do not just break; they were heavenly beings for God's sake. Maybe all of the stories he'd heard were wrong.

Jesse exhaled and pulled a few pieces of venison jerky out offering them up to the angel and deciding he could just steal some of his crackers, "Here, it will be better than bread and crackers."

Cas took the jerky with gratitude. He decided that Jesse was a good ally. They needed to work together to get out of here alive and he was prepared to share all the jerky in the world with him when they were out.

"I will repay you in pounds of jerky when we escape. If we escape," he didn't know why he was sharing his thought, but he did not mind. It made him smile in that innocent way children smile and warmed Castiel's heart… he had not realized how much he missed companionship. Now that it had his attention he felt much more starved for than for the physical food he had been forced to eat.

"I've been here since those hunters left. You'd probably like to know only a few of you come through a year –"

"Angels come through here?"

"Well, not angels, but not human things. Lamashtu loves things that are impure so it's usually a werewolf here, a vampire there. It's a weird thing I guess, but I see it all the time so I guess I don't mind.

I used to believe people like you were too sacred to capture which is why I never saw angels. You must be pretty corrupt," Jesse smiled up at Castiel as he finished wrapping his wounds. The angel frowned deeply, people seemed to think that a lot.

"I am not-"

Jesse interrupted before Cas could argue, "I don't think I got your name!"

"Casti-" God dammit people and their inter-

"Angel, Jesse…"

God dammit!

"I believe I told you not to interact with our guest. What are you doing?"

Jesse froze. He was prepared to take the full blame, prepared to die for his old enemy new friend. But he would have to find a way to prolong his death to get information to the angel. Ways to get out.

"M-mistress," Jesse bowed his head, "it was my fault, he is innocent," Castiel stared wide eyed at the child. It'll be okay, Cas; he could hear his thoughts loud and clear in his mind.

"I see, Jesse, come with me," Lamashtu, who had once again taken the vessel of a decrepit old woman while away, sighed.

May my father stay with you child. I hope you know what you are doing.

Notes:

As I was writing I really thought, "How in the hell am I going to work a goddess and of course a resolution into this?" and that is when my Beta and myself decided to give closure to poor Jesse. And here we are.

Follows and Favorites earn you my respect; comments earn you a new chapter. And please if you have any suggestions for upcoming events, the baby, or how to make a souffle; I love hearing from every one of you.