Hey! This story's definitely nearing the end, unfortunately… However, we're not done yet, so you can look forward to a few more chapters or so! We hope you enjoy the chapter!

Warnings for this chapter: Ah… Language, obviously. Maybe a tiny amount of blood, but nothing serious.

Disclaimer: The show does not belong to us.

"Back in Black" - AC/DC

The guard shoved Dean roughly forward. "Move," it growled, as if daring the hunter to disobey. Dean glared daggers but, at a warning look from Crowley, ducked his head, taking deep breaths to calm himself. They needed this plan to work. And if that meant swallowing his pride and allowing himself to be a prisoner for the time being, then dammit, he could do this.

He managed to keep his footing as he was pulled through corridor after corridor, concentrating on making a mental map of the building. After all, they needed to be able to get out again after they had found Cas. Down a long hall, sharp right, down a flight of stairs, then another… A left this time, through a set of double doors…

They finally stopped at a solid-looking steel door, and the demon pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked it, opening it and pushing Dean inside. To make the whole scene more believable, Dean tried to jerk his wrist away and managed a single punch before his arms were wrenched behind his back again with a brutal twist. He bit back a stream of curses. Damn, he'd forgotten how strong demons were.

After all the acting he'd had to put up throughout this whole ordeal on top of everything else- from pretending to be Jensen to pretending to be a captive- Dean figured he deserved some sort of award for it all once he was out of the dream. Like an Emmy. Or at least one of the hot chicks that handed them out. Yeah, with the sequined dresses, and...

Shit- that hurt. "Hey!" Dean complained loudly as the demon shoved him into the wall. "Watch it!" He struggled for effect as heavy manacles snapped shut around his wrists, and his captor laughed. "Good luck getting outta those, pretty boy."

Ruse or not, Dean hated being chained up. Yeah, it was sometimes part of the job, but he would never get used to feeling so freaking helpless. The hunter tugged on the chains angrily, jaw set tight as he glared at the 'doctor' in front of him.

"I'll be back in a few hours," the demon said casually as it started toward the door, Crowley close behind, "to clean up whatever Lucifer leaves behind when he's through with you." He paused at the door to throw a cruel smirk back at the trapped hunter. "Don't expect it'll be too much." The heavy door slammed shut with a resounding bang, and a heavy lock fell.

Pushing any anxiety he had about the plan aside (and that was damn hard to do in his position), Dean scanned the room, looking up at the beeping red dot on the security camera placed in the corner. Crowley had said he would take care of 'everything,' and Dean assumed - hoped - that 'everything' included cameras.

Next the hunter set to work on the cuffs around his wrist. The demon had been right, they were tough. Not impossible… but tough. Dean could get them off, given enough time. Problem was, time wasn't exactly on his side at the moment. For the first time, it really hit him how utterly dependent he was on this plan working. If something, anything went even the slightest bit wrong... He wouldn't think about that.

Nothing was going to go wrong.

Yeah, right. He was a Winchester. It wasn't a question of 'would anything go wrong,' it was really more ' would anything go right?'

It all depended on Jared. The last time Dean had seen the guy, he'd been having a migraine. He could only hope the guy had managed to pull it together, otherwise they were all screwed. But honestly, Dean had a feeling that Jared could and would do whatever was needed at this point. He was a man who had lost his wife, son, his whole damn world, and he knew his own neck was next on the chopping block. Jared was, in every sense of the word, a man with nothing left to lose - and that fact was all Dean's fault.

Dean waited impatiently, sending the occasional glare at the blinking light of the security camera, before the blinking stopped, the camera seemingly shut off. After a few moments, he could hear a shout from down the hall and the distinctive wail of an alarm from the distance

He grinned. It was go time.

Crowley smirked to himself, brushing off his blazer and starting to walk down the hall. Yes, everything was fitting into place quite nicely. Now, if the Winchesters could just keep from making any mistakes…

Dean would do his part, he was certain. Sam, however? Crowley was less than confident in the amnesiac's abilities, despite Dean's reassurances. He'd been forced to work with 'Jared,' and he knew very well that the man was much too normal to be of any use here.

He wasn't even sure if saving Castiel was all that worth it. It was a huge risk, really, and they couldn't know for sure whether or not the angel would help at all. This whole prison break-in was just overflowing with unwanted sentiment on Dean's part.

Still, he needed to keep Dean on his side if he had any hope of overthrowing Lucifer. If he had to suffer one more century under that blasted archangel's thumb… He wasn't even a demon, for Hell's sake! Sure, he might have created them, but he wasn't one of them, and that's what mattered. The time had come long ago for a new leader. The age of the angels was ending - the demonic era was about to rise.

It was altogether too easy to slip past security. Crowley hadn't expected this sort of incompetence from Lucifer, of all people, but then again… Lucifer was at Deerwater. Alastair was the one who'd been in charge of this dump.

Crowley nodded at the bored guard and was waved past into the second wing of cells. He'd done his part, so really, he was free to go. However, he needed to make sure that the Winchesters got out unharmed. Last thing he wanted was for 'Jared' to be caught and dragged to Deerwater. From the lower cell block, it was child's play to slip into the control room and enter the system, giving him full access to all the alarms.

He glanced over the building layout, choosing the wing farthest from the Winchester boys, and flipped the switch. In the distance, a klaxon started to blare. Easily wiping the system memory that he had ever been there, Crowley left the cell block with a determined stride. His role was done. If the boys wanted their angel back, it was on them now.

Or so he had thought.

"Crowley," an all-too-familiar voice greeted him from behind, making him stop short. The tone was friendly enough, of course, but Crowley was no fool. "Where ever are you going?"

Jared looked up as the alarm split the stillness of the night. Even from outside the building, it was loud, and he winced as the noise made his head pound. But he didn't have time to sit and nurse his headache like a child. That'd been the signal, and he couldn't afford to waste time.

The man double (okay, maybe triple) checked that the area was clear before he stuck his head up over the roof of the car. No one was paying him any attention, just like Dean had promised. Guards were rushing to one side of the building, none even sparing a second glance for the lone figure that slunk around the facility in the shadows.

The side door was left open, just as Dean had promised it would be. Jared guessed that as shady as Crowley was, the guy could still keep his word - when it benefited him. He entered cautiously, all senses tingling on high alert as adrenaline flooded his veins.

He stepped softly into a deserted corridor. The guard post was empty, the security camera wasn't blinking red. Crowley had effectively created a dead zone for him. And if he stuck to the map, it would last him all the way to Dean's cell.

Walking quickly, Jared went through the halls, glancing at the paper in his hand every so often. Truthfully, he was pretty sure he wasn't cut out for this. This wasn't some spy movie, and he was definitely not the charming hero who could break into any safe in ten seconds or less. Unfortunately, he was all they really had. Dean needed him, and so he'd get his job done.

He found the hallway that was supposed to lead up to Dean's cell, relieved that, as promised, it was deserted, too. He fished the bolt-cutters out of his jean pocket and brought them up to the padlock on the door. Gritting his teeth with effort, he squeezed until the metal snapped under the blades and fell free with a satisfying clank.

Alright, so that wasn't so difficult. He pushed the door open to find Dean standing only six feet away from him, chained to the wall, a restless expression on his face. "Took you long enough," the man muttered irritably as Jared hurried to cut him free. "Where were you?"

"I thought I did pretty well," Jared defended himself as they headed down the hall towards the other cell where Dean's friend - Castiel? - was supposedly being kept. "For my first break-in."

Dean nodded, acknowledging the point."Sorry- I just really hate being bait."

They turned into another hallway and made their way down all the way to the last door. Dean checked the map. "This is it," he mumbled, taking the bolt-cutters from Jared and easily cutting through the lock. Dean glanced at Jared briefly, looking almost nervous and swallowing hard, before turning away and pushing the door open.

The smell of blood hit them like a solid force. Jared's eyes went wide and he took a step back, but Dean's face just hardened. He pushed the door all the way open and slowly entered the small cell.

It took a moment for Jared to get a grip and actually follow him.

By the time he made his way into the cell, Dean had already cut the prisoner free. The man was dressed in all-too familiar hospital scrubs… but they were soaked with blood, torn and sticking to the man's skin. His dark hair was matted to his head and his face was torn and bruised, but when he turned his icy blue eyes to Jared, he was frozen under the intensity of the other man's stare.

"Sam," the strange man said simply.

Crowley turned around immediately to face the voice, clasping his hands together and sending a grin in the devil's direction. "Well, I'd managed to capture that pesky Winchester, and after making sure everything was in do order, I thought I'd just show myself out. Things seem to be heating up here, and since my job seems to be done, I thought I'd leave your boys to fix whatever mess has been made now."

"Without even saying hello?" Lucifer clucked his tongue in disapproval, shaking his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't like me anymore, Crowley."

How was he supposed to greet the bloody archangel when he wasn't even expecting to see him there? Lucifer was supposed to be at Deerwater, not here of all places. Out of all the things that could have gone wrong, this was the worst - and it was all the Winchesters' fault.

Crowley resisted the urge to grit his teeth. "How fortunate that you know better then, hm?"

Lucifer smiled broadly. "But you did bring me my second favorite Winchester. A truly… inspired gift, I must say. I'm sure he knows where his brother is. With just the right amount of pressure, I'm sure we'll be able to, ah, break him." He clapped an arm around Crowley's shoulders. "And you get to help." The archangel gave the demon's shoulder a tight squeeze and started to steer Crowley towards Dean's cell- exactly where he was supposed to be heading away from. Damn it all.

"There is the small matter of the class one security breach in the east wing," Crowley said, trying for an unaffected air as he walked and resisting a frown when his attempt to shrug off Lucifer's hand failed miserably. "It'd be a bit more prudent to secure that first, don't you think? We can leave the squirrel to stew a while."

Lucifer snorted at Crowley's nickname for Dean, but shook his head. "I'll leave it for someone else to deal with. As for 'Squirrel,' his cell isn't where we're headed. I wanted to check in on Castiel while I was here. After all, he's my little brother."

Crowley started to reply, but Lucifer continued. "I had to suppress his grace to keep him under complete control, which meant he doesn't remember everything. I'll admit, that does take away from some of the fun." Lucifer let out a dramatic sigh. "Ah, well." Lucifer grinned at him, a dark look gleaming in his eyes. "Let's go pay Cas a visit, shall we?"

If Lucifer's tight grip on his shoulder was anything to go by, Crowley figured he might as well have waved a sign around that read 'Working with Winchesters' at this point. While it wasn't confirmed, there was a mutual understanding that Lucifer had caught on - perhaps he'd known the entire time. The devil was everything but a fool, and it was common knowledge that trying to trick him typically didn't end well.

Damn the bloody Winchesters.

"Sam," Cas croaked, eyes wide. But before he could keep talking, Dean shifted so he was blocking the view between the two. Jared was a civilian and really didn't need to see this, and Cas needed to focus on Dean for a moment.

"Hey- hey, Cas, later, okay?" Dean hissed, quietly but with intensity. "We're gonna get you outta here and then figure that out. Okay?" When the angel nodded, still not taking his eyes off Sam, Dean nodded along with him. "Good. Okay. Let's get you vertical, then."

He looped an arm under Cas's, keenly aware of how much every small movement was hurting his friend. The guilt brewing in Dean's chest - 'cause he couldn't forget that this was all his fault in the first place - just grew. There wasn't time to be overly gentle though. Crowley's diversion wasn't going to last forever.

"Come on, c'mon, here we go…" Dean grunted empty encouragements as he helped Cas take the first shaky step towards freedom, struggling under what was mostly dead weight. Hot blood dripped down his back and he flinched internally. "I gotcha, I gotcha… Jared, get the door-"

But Jared didn't have to.

Lucifer was already there, leaning on the doorframe with a smirk. "Hey, kids!" He waved a little at the three of them. "Having fun?"

Well, things definitely just got more dramatic. We'd love to hear what you thought of the chapter, so feel free to leave a review if you want. Thanks! -Mimzy and Pixie