Authors note: I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the fantastic reviews and comments. They're really inspired me to keep going. I love hearing your thoughts and feelings about each chapter - so please keep the feedback coming.

As promised - here's the next installment. Things are really starting to move now... as we enter the beginning of the end1

Chapter 48: From out of the darkness…

[Dean's POV]

For a while there was only darkness and no pain. In fact, it felt like nothingness. The only reason Dean knew that he existed was the gentle whisper from a familiar voice of words that echoed in his darkness. 'When the time comes it will be you, and ONLY YOU that will bring victory'. And moments later… 'goodnight Dean, sweet dreams'. He knew they were critical words and that they were spoken by someone of great significance, but he couldn't recall what or why they were important. All he knew was that he had to wake up and fight back, and that renewed sense of purpose did fill him with a new found strength.

The only problem was waking up. Dean knew he was drifting but it was weird. It wasn't dreamlike and he wasn't unconscious because he had a sense of being that he had never felt before. Other than that, he remained in darkness and time had no meaning to him. Well, until the pain started.

At first the pain had been little more than a tingling sensation that started in his chest and leg but it grew in intensity and began to spread throughout his body. As the pain built he began to imagine sounds. At first he thought it was his imagination but eventually he was able to make various words and then the occasional sentence, but still the darkness remained.

The return of sensation and sound was soon followed by sight, or as Dean began to realise, hallucinations. Similar to the other senses, images began to form until the hunter found himself in an all too familiar position. As darkness give way to the familiar surroundings of Viktor's bedroom, Dean found himself naked and kneeling in the centre of the room in chains. From the pain that was running through his body he knew he had been beaten but as he looked up at his Master he saw that Viktor had a whip in his right hand.

Sneering at Dean, the vampire spoke. "You just don't get it Dean. You belong to me. No one else. When you hurt yourself, you're damaging my property and that simply won't do. When are you going to understand. You are mine to do so as I please. You exist to serve me and only me. Unfortunately, due to your behaviour you are forcing me to hurt the thing I hold most precious to me." Dean curled into himself in an attempt to protect what was important.

As he awaited his punishment he realised that his body couldn't take much more and if he was going to escape he needed to do whatever it took to minimalise the damage. "I'm sorry Grand Master. I didn't get it then, but.. I… I… get ttte it now. I do. I… I.. promise I.. I'lllll be better. I'll be good. Nnnooo, no… no, I'll be better than good. I.. I'll be yours."

Unfortunately Deans pleas fell on deaf ears as Viktor began to whip him. Somewhere around the 10th or 12th lash Dean thought he heard the words 'Dammit! So the witch was right!' But that just didn't make any sense to him, especially as it didn't sound like the words had come from Viktor who was happily grunting away as he swung the whip.

Then the hallucination evolved, this time he found himself being chained and lying on the ground as his Master kicked and punched him. At this stage the pain was almost unbearable especially as his chest felt it was on fire and his leg just stopped working. He was sure his ribs were broken. In fact, it was because of the pain that he didn't feel the other sensation.

At first he thought it was his imagination as he felt fingertips running over his lips and then he felt hands caress his face before the sensation moved down into his neck and then across his shoulders. Then he felt a force push into his mind. Initially, it had started as a slight buzz, but the force built and it felt familiar, like an old friend that was trying to get his attention. Whether it was the hands or the force invading his mind, the hallucination began to change again. This time he felt hands at his face, forcing him to turn and look deep into Viktor's face. Fearing what would come next, Dean looked into a pair of eyes and spoke. "I'm yours. My body and my mind are yours now. Touch me… take me… own me…"

With those words Dean felt his body regain its freedom to move and without thinking his legs began to unfold from their protective position to a more open one; uncurling his legs and opening them as a gesture of offering himself to his Master. As he found himself beginning to moan, he realised that he still had no real control of his surroundings. Then he heard the same vaguely familiar voice again. "Oh God Dean! You're so broken you'd let me do anything to you, wouldn't you? …. And as much as I really would like to sample the delights your body has to offer, I need to focus on my mission. But believe me, when we're reunited, we. will. revisit. this. I assure you, we will finish what was started here tonight."

Despite hearing the words Dean felt he couldn't truly comprehend their meaning. In his head the image of Viktor was in front of him, running his hands over his body, but it was very confusing, because he could see Viktor and feel his hands, but the words coming out of his mouths didn't fit the situation or the creature in front of him. He tried to focus on the vampire's face as he heard, " unfortunately, as much as I like you like this, I'm going to have to start repairing what I can, as I need your more coherent and ready to move."

Then he felt his body be moved as a new and more concentrated pain rocketed up his leg. The pain seemed to shock the elder Winchester out of the current hallucination as the image faded in front of him, only to be replaced by a grey smoky background. Then he felt hands sweep over his face and into his hair. With that action Dean's vision returned and with it a renewed sense of confusion as he took in a familiar face.

"Tre.. Trevor? Wha… what are y..you doing?" Nothing made sense as he took in the face of a fellow house slave and if honest, of all the human faces he wished to see Trevor was probably way down the list, if not at the exact bottom. But as he looked he took in his fellow slave he got the feeling deep in his gut that something was off, but given his position, he couldn't determine what the problem was. In the off chance that something wasn't right, Dean began to protect himself and it was then that he realised he was naked and vulnerable.

Immediately he curled his body but his action seemed to worry the young slave as he moved to stop him. "Shsssh. It's alright Dean, Grand Master Volkov has asked me to attend to your wounds and that's what I'm going to do. There's nothing to be afraid of. I just need you to relax." With those words the young sex slave began to fuss over him. Trevor's actions unnerved Dean. He knew the slave hated him. He knew that Trevor saw him as competition. It felt strange, even wrong. Why was Trevor acting this way? Almost compassionate and caring. No, something felt off, but he hadn't the strength to try and figure out what.

Whilst Dean was debating whether to trust the young man he failed to properly take in his surroundings. Too busy in his thoughts to really comprehend what the young slave was properly doing. So when Trevor spoke again, he failed to take in what was happening to him. "I'm sorry Dean, but I'm not going to be able to put 'humpty dumpty' completely back together again… Buttttt I will patch you up just enough that you'll have enough 'gas left in the tank' to fight against the blood sucker without slowing down the escape too much."

As he heard the words he felt a warmth spread through his body and as it spread it managed to minimalise the pain. After a while the pain was nothing more than a dull ache that seemed to focus on his chest. Unfortunately the pain in his leg proved more difficult to eradicate as it remained. After a undetermined amount of time Dean fell back into darkness.

Dean awoke to shouts coming from the other side of the locked door. "Come out. Come out you piece of shit. I know you're hiding in here somewhere, but you and I have unfinished business." The sharpness of the words were only equal to the sharp pain that radiated from Dean's leg. The second swift kick to the door made the elder Winchester jump out of his unconsciousness.

"Dammit! …. You're in there, aren't you Winchester? I can smell you. … In fact, I can practically taste you."

Kate's words brought Dean back to reality as he sat upright in his poor excuse for a bed and looked toward the source of the noise. As he heard steps pace outside the door, Dean's memories returned as he stared down at the floor at a puddle of red tinted urine. It was his urine, mixed with some of his blood. Unfortunately, before the hunter to dwell further on that information, Kate's fist hit the door. "I know you're in there. I can hear you Dean. … In fact, I can hear your heart beat through the walls …. And don't get me started on that luscious blood of yours."

Kate's words starkly reminded Dean of his predicament. He was trapped in a building, with no clear sign of escape. He was alone, abandoned, confused and wounded and there was, what sounded like, a half crazed, obsessed, blood thirsty vampire trying to get to him. Whispering 'what's new!' Dean attempted to move his legs off the bed and sat completely upright. It was then that he truly realised how smashed up his leg was.

"Ssss… son of a bitch!"

"Ahh there's that lovely voice of yours Winchester. Oh how I've been waiting to meet you again. Go on little toy… or are you a pet? Either way, are you hiding in there, or has Viktor locked you down?" Kate couldn't help to double check as she yanked and rattled the door knob in an attempt to see if a fifth attempt would open the door. Fortunately for Dean the lock held fast.

"Little Deanie, you're so quiet. … So it must be true! … Viktor's fucked you into submission! Well I'll be damned, I never thought I'd see the day that Dean Winchester would run out of steam. Viktor must have some control over you." Dean wasn't sure what the scratching noise was but from the sound of Kate's voice, he imagined she was pressed up tight against the door, slowly scrapping her long nails slowly up and down the reinforced wood.

The very thought of the female vampire clingingly longingly to the door, unable to get in, give Dean a brief sense of confidence. Daring to stand and put weight on his leg, Dean managed to hobble a few steps closer to the door. Wincing as he moved, he plucked up the coverage and spoke. "Ah d..d. ..darling … you've got it sooooo wr. Wrr.. wrong. I.. I'm in here because Viktor couldn't control me. … There's still A LOT of fight left in this Winchester, so why don't you just go and fuck away back to your girlfriend. You know… before you lose another mate!"

Dean stood still. Then it hit him, why not use Kate to get the door open! Unfortunately, Dean was not considering what would happen if she actually managed to get into the room, but at that stage, the hunter was willing to do anything to escape the room and to escape a life of being controlled and raped by Viktor. Death was a better option. Perhaps the only options.

"Go on Kate. Come on in here! I thought you were all powerful and strong and could do whatever you wanted? … It's clear to see who wears the big boy pants in your relationship. Bridget must be the boss,… but then you always needed someone to look after you… being that you were so needy and pathetic." It was clear from the repeated kicks that the door that Dean's plan was actually working.

"Come on you stupid bitch. Come in here and EAT ME!"

His taunts were working, right up to the silence. Then Dean overheard another female's voice. It sounded like Kate's better half.

"Kate, what the h..! Get out of here."

Straining to hear further, Dean managed to pick up a few more words about consequences and death, before he heard furniture begin to be smashed. The sounds seemed to last for a few minutes before he heard "You always pick him over me. … That's the problem. And now! You're picking a fucking hunter over me… your beloved." Those words were followed by a door slamming and then silence.

Dean held his breath as he tried to imagine what had happened. He was jolted out of his thoughts by a quiet knock at the door followed by the calm and cold voice of Bridget. "You still alive in there Mr Winchester? … Ahh… I see you're not so outspoken now, are you? … I'm NOT Kate! And I'm not as easily taunted into doing something bordering on suicidal, now am I?"

Dean considered responding but realised Bridget wasn't interested in anything he had to say, but try as he wanted to, he couldn't move off the spot.

"I can't imagine what it is that everyone sees in you but I know that you're dangerous…. NO! You. Are. Poison Dean Winchester. And I will have as little to do with you as possible. Do you know that whilst my beloved Kate was trying to rip through this door, there are discussions going on as to who's going to own your sorry excuse for an ass."

Bridget's words interested Dean as he found himself edging a little closer to the door. Fearful that she would walk away he attempted to obtain even more information. "Well, you know me. This ass is priceless, I expect there'll be a long negotiation."

His words were met with laughter. "Oh Dean! As much as I would like to talk further with you, I need to go and try and sort this out. And thanks to you, I need to try and pacify both Kate and Viktor." The very mention of Viktor's name made Dean cower. Bridget continued. "Kate shouldn't have been in here. Her scent is all over the place and Viktor is most likely going to have her killed for her little stunt. I don't know if I will be able to save her. … And it's all because of your blood. The moment she tasted you she was doomed."

Before Dean could press for further information he heard another door open and Valentin remind Bridget that she shouldn't be in the Grand Masters' private quarters either. Seconds later the hunter thought he heard heels clack and click as they crossed the wooden floor. Convinced he was alone again, Dean returned to sit down on the makeshift bed. The pain was too much.

As he tried to find a comfortable position a voice from behind the door replied. "You'll do anything to break free, wouldn't you Winchester?" Dean recognised the voice immediately. It was Valentin. The second in command had not left the room as Dean had originally suspected.

"I don't like chaos and you bring chaos wherever you go, don't you Dean? … I'm now going to have to return to the summit and try and keep things under control. Hell knows how I'm going to ensure that Bridget doesn't get herself killed whilst protecting her slut of a lover, Kate. And Grand Master Viktor is most likely going to wipe out everyone that even suggests looking at you, never name touching you. ….."

"Oh how I wish we had never heard of the name of Winchester!"

Dean was preparing to answer when he heard footsteps move away from the door and then the faint echo of the outer door slamming. Then he knew he was definitely alone.

Exhausted from all the activity, Dean laid flat on the bed and dozed in and out of sleep. Unfortunately he was haunted by visions and dreams of abuse and blood. After the third rough jolt out of a nightmare, Dean considered it was time to get up.

The silence of his prison cell allowed the hunter time to reflect on what had happened. As Valentin has been the last person who had spoken to him, the hunter's first thoughts focused on the second in command. Unable to have viewed the vampire, Dean imagined that Valentin had sounded tired and deflated. Snorting to himself as he compared his situation to that of the vampire, Dean swiftly moved his thoughts to Bridget.

Bridget was the cool, calm and level headed vampire. She was also the only one who had not drank from him. For a brief second he was saddened and a little insulted that she was able to resist. Shaking his head he recalled her words to both Kate and himself. She had nothing but contempt for him, which he suspected was mainly due to what had happened between himself and Kate, but something niggled at him that her hatred ran deeper. Could Bridget be angry or even jealous at his connection through the blood and the bond to Viktor, her Grand Master. Her Father?

Then he thought on Kate. How had Kate managed to get into the securest room in the building? No! Scrap that. Why had Kate tried to get into his room? Surely she would have been miles away from him by now? Had Viktor not threatened to excommunicate her or something? Whatever the answer was, Dean was sure she becoming as obsessed about him … or more importantly, his blood, as Viktor and everyone else was. Whispering to no one in particular, he said, "what's so important about my blood? … What's so important about me?"

His words seemed to nudge at something within his mind. Something that was important, but he hadn't access to immediately, but he would have. He felt strange but wasn't sure why. Then his thoughts turned to Viktor and he physically shivered.

Images of being attacked and having his leg broken flashed in front of his eyes. Viktor had left him lying in a pool of blood and vomit. Viktor had been angry at him, but how had he ended up lying in his cot and feeling a thousand times better than he had any reason to? Then the memory of Trevor hit him. It had been the slave who had found him and had nursed him back,…. Somehow, against all odds, Trevor had nursed him back to health. Which in Dean's mind was virtually impossible. There was no way he should feel half as good as he does now.

Something was very off about the sex slave as Dean recalled how the young man had groped and interacted with him. Trevor had behaved more as a close friend or even… lover. Not a competitor or enemy. At the very least, Trevor should have managed to get additional kicks in. Instead, the slave had acted very strange, but in some ways, he was familiar.

Dean shook his head as he tried to come to terms with everything he knew, but he felt that there was a huge piece of the puzzle that he was missing. Unfortunately Dean had not noticed the time and whilst he tried to work out what he didn't know, he failed to hear the door open and Trevor enter the room.

"Oh Dean… that's great. You're up and feeling a lot better?"

Dean wasn't sure whether Trevor was actually asking a question or just making idle conversation. Either way the elder Winchester decided he would remain silent and keep his head down. Unfortunately Trevor wasn't having any of it.

"Come on Dean, it's time we got you up and at it!"

Dean was confused. Viktor had been very clear. He was to stay in his cell and think about what he had done. There was no 'up and at it' in that plan. "What do you mean? Grand Master said…" Before Dean could finish his sentence Trevor's hand had moved to cover his mouth.

"Shuushh.. Dean. I know what Master Viktor said. But since you passed out, Viktor has had some time to think about things and he feels that you need to move about a bit. You know… Get out of the apartment and get some real exercise." Dean couldn't help but looked shocked and stand stock still as he tried to work out what the hell was actually going on.

"Ar…are you su..sure? I mean, he broke my god damn leg Trevor. I don't think he was thinking about me getting out and about when he did that!" In fact, as Dean uttered those words he realised that something was really off about the slave and what he was saying. Whether Trevor had sensed it, or not, the Head Sex Slave replied. "Your leg is precisely the reason why he's changed his mind. I know it's all very confusing, but welcome to my world. Viktor is always changing his mind. That's what comes from being the supreme leader of everything. You're allowed to change your mind on a whim and that's what he's done."

Sighing, Trevor moved closer and sat down on the bed. Reaching out and taking Dean's hand, he continued. "Look, I know you took quite a beating and Viktor mentioned that he hit you a few times around the head, so there's bound to be some confusion. But I promise you, he feels terrible. Once he broke your leg he realised that you wouldn't be able to escape and that seemed to make him feel more confident about things. So much so, he's suggested that I take you outside and get some air for you. I think some air will do you good."

Dean's eyes widened. "Really?! I'm allowed to go outside?"

"Of course you are, but don't think too much about it or get too excited. I'm to stick closely to you and you'll be under close supervision so there's no need to get your hopes up at all. In fact, you're not to really think about it at ALL. Do you understand? …. Put it completely out of your mind. In fact, think of it as just going to the toilet or something. That way Viktor won't get too distracted."

Trevor's words confused Dean. "I'm not too sure what you mean?"

"Oh forgive me Dean. In my excitement to take you out… side, I forgot to mention that we need to behave and not get too excited. You see, you're bonded and connected to him. So, if you're excited about getting out into the fresh air and practically think about it too strongly, there's a chance it will register directly into Viktor's mind, via the bond. And you don't want to be distracting Viktor during such important negotiations. Now do we?"

Trevor's explanation seemed to make good sense. But try as he did, Dean couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. Something about Trevor and his sudden ability to leave the room. No! He wasn't just leaving the room, he was gaining access to outside. 'That couldn't be right, could it?'

The more Dean tried to fathom what was going on the more confused he got. So much so, he didn't notice how Trevor watched him. The slave seemed to be staring at him. Dean wasn't sure how he felt at the new found attention coming from his one time enemy. Then the thought hit him, 'what if Trevor was trying to fake his escape and set him up? What if Trevor was trying to get Viktor so mad that the Grand Master would strike out and seriously injure or kill Dean?'

Such thoughts made Dean move away from Trevor. Whether the slave sensed what he was thinking, Trevor reached out and grabbed Dean's elbow. "Dean. I know you're afraid, but I promise you, my intentions are pure. Even honourable. I am here to do Viktor's bidding. In fact, I suspected that you would be weary about this… As did Viktor, so he's instructed me to talk to you, but here, have some water first and then we'll chat."

Dean watched as Trevor brought out a hip flask and hand it over. "Go on! Drink up!"

Looking from the flask to Trevor's face and then back down again, Dean really felt anxious. He sensed that it wasn't a good idea but he knew that resistance was futile. Trevor seemed so much stronger and most likely could force him to drink. Weighing up his options, Dean reached out and took the flask from Trevor's hands and took a few sips. It tasted like stale water, but water it was. Realising just how thirsty he actually was, Dean began to gulp it down.

"Thatta boy. You keep drinking that refreshing water and everything will be just nice and fine and … nice and relaxed. There you go." Dean had no sooner finished drinking than he felt Trevor manoeuvre him into a new position. "Now my Dean, we need to get you dressed better for outside, don't we?"

Dean was about to answer but as he opened his mouth his tongue felt as if it weighed a tonne. Try as he did, he managed to get a few words out, but they sounded slurred. 'What the hell is going on?' As he tried to move, he realised his limbs were light but he didn't seem to have complete control of them.

As realisation hit the hunter that he had been drugged in some way, he looked up and into Trevor's eyes and he knew that he was looking at someone else. He couldn't put a name to those eyes, but he knew they were familiar. "Wh..wha..what yyy you d.d. ?"

"It's alright Dean, I'm going to take great care of you. I've just given you something to make you a little more relaxed. After all, I don't want Viktor to feel you. I mean, I don't want Viktor to have to worry about you, whilst he's in the middle of his big negotiations. Just relax. I'm not going to do anything. Only get you dressed and we'll start to get ready to go outside."

Dean wasn't sure what happened next, but he knew he was moving towards the main doors to Grand Master Viktor's quarters. Part of him felt relaxed and another part of him felt fear. What if the vampires guarding the doors stop him? What if they don't? It was only after his internal debate the he realised that the guards were not outside the door. In fact, as he was moved down the long corridor there was little security. In an attempt to raise his head to look at the ceiling cameras, he thought he heard Trevor talk to someone, "yeah, I'm moving out now. Guards are out of commission and I assume you've taken care of all surveillance?"

Dean heard the words, but whatever Trevor had given him to drink was really screwing up his mind. He could easily move when guided but he couldn't order his body to go in the direction of his choosing. He was basically a puppet. Trevor's puppet.

"Come on Deano. We'll have you out in the fresh air in no time. Just try and be nice and quiet as everyone's had a long night and are resting. So let's not wake them up with any loud noises now."

Dean continued to be led down a few long corridors and then towards one of the back stairwells that were normally used by servants and slaves. As he went, he barely noticed there were no guards anywhere. In fact, as he moved he realised he had missed something really important about Trevor. In all the time that Trevor had been speaking to him, he had not once referred to Viktor as HIS Grand Master. It had always been Viktor. Trevor would never have been that disrespectful.

With that realisation, Dean turned his head towards Trevor. " yyyou? Yyyou're not. not hhim?"

Whatever Dean suspected, it was not what happened next. Instead of Trevor arguing with him or pushing him forward, the slave stopped and looked around, before he suddenly pushed Dean against the wall.

"Shusssh Dean. Look at me. I mean, really look at me."

Despite the drugs, Dean managed to focus and do what he was told, lifting his eyes to look directly into Trevor's eyes. As he did, he saw a faint blue hue and he tilted his head slightly. Still in a daze and drugged, Dean tried to grasp the situation. "You can't be … you can't be him?"

It was then that Dean thought he saw Michael looking out from Trevor's eyes. But it wasn't until the eyes glowed a brighter blue that he realised it was the archangel.

"M..Michael!?"

"Shusshhhhhh. Oh how I wish I could just jump bodies and take back what is mine. But we'll have to wait just a bit longer for the sword to be connected to the warrior once again."

Dean didn't know whether to cry tears of relief, joy or fear. Was it really better to be rescued by Michael? Was he swapping one form of servitude for another? The phrase 'jumping out of the frying pan into the fire' sprung to mind. But before he could form a witty retort, the archangel grabbed him by the jaw and leaned in and kissed him.

Immediately Dean felt the familiar pull of Michael's grace as it fought to gain access but both knew it couldn't happen due to the singular connexion. Instead Michael stopped trying, and continued to kiss the elder Winchester. Whether it was the drug or the shock of the archangel kissing him, Dean failed to do anything. Instead he stood pressed up against the side of the wall and let another powerful creature take from him something he did not freely want to give.

Whether Michael had sensed Dean's unease or whether he had overheard the heavy footsteps coming towards them, the archangel moved back. Within seconds he had raised two fingers to Dean's head and lightly tapped them against Dean's head. Immediately the hunter felt his world spiral downwards as he fell into darkness once again.

As he fell to the floor he heard the familiar English accent of one Mr Arthur Ketch as he summed up the situation so well, " ah bloody hell!"