Neither of them really spoke as they got everything ready to go back to hell. They weren't sure how long they'd be down there, or what was going to happen, so they were ready to tie things up before they went.

Mostly they were worried about the impala and where to keep her that she would be safe. In the end they stashed her in an abandoned warehouse and put every spell they knew to keep her hidden and safe.

They lingered for as long as they could, sitting inside of the impala holding hands. They didn't even have the radio on, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, as the clock ticked on despite how much they wanted it to stop, they climbed out of the car and went to the trunk. Opening it Dean took out the suitcase of souls that Crowley had given them while Sam carefully took each jar of soul and put them in a box to carry.

He lifted and stared at the jar holding the souls of Bill and Ellen Harvelle, shaking it roughly a few times to make the blood and souls bounce around, smiling as the souls twirled in what seemed anger.

Still smiling he placed the jar with the others and closed the trunk, stepping back to just...look at the car. The gleaming black paint in the light, the memories that it held of him and Dean.

They left everything else in the trunk as well, all their other belongings and the few pictures of Mary they had. It was wrenching to think of never returning and Sam rubbed at his chest, feeling it tighten at the thought.

He heard Dean take a deep breath and looked at his brother, meeting his eyes and seeing the same unsettling feeling that he was experiencing.

"Together no matter what." Sam said softly, smiling when Dean smiled back at him, that knot loosening slightly.

"No matter what." Dean repeated, nodding. He held his hand out and Sam took it tightly, gripping the box as well. They savored the earth, the air, the last moment of freedom for a single second longer before Dean whispered the words necessary to open the gate of hell under their feet.

Not enough for another demon to come through but enough for them to be pulled back and taken home.

Breathing in deeply, despite the circumstances, Sam couldn't help but relax as the scent of sulfur surrounded them and filled his lungs. He took in another deep breath, letting out a pleased sigh. Looking at his brother he smiled when he saw Dean doing the same thing.

They'd never admit to it but Hell was their home, it's where they grew up and lived for countless years, and quite frankly, it's where they felt the safest. They could feel the very being of Hell, the very consciousness of the realm shifting under their feet and curling around them protectively.

Even with the meeting they were going, they knew that Hell was on their side and if nothing else, that was a little bit of confidence that they needed.

Sam shifted his grip on the box and squeezed Dean's hand, aware of the lower class demons that were staring at them as they walked towards the Pit. They could hear whispers following them and glances at the souls they carried.

Much to their surprise Meg was standing at the entrance to the Pit, smiling when she saw them.

"Father told me about summoning you two." she told them at their curious looks. Even more surprising, she came forward and hugged them, one at a time. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Sam said softly as they kept walking, feeling the rush of ice curl over their skin as they entered the Pit. The more they walked into it, the colder the temperature became, dropping a degree with each step. The both of them ignored it and kept walking until they reached the middle, right where the four Princes were. All four of them were watching them, no longer hiding their yellow eyes.

"Right on time boys." their grandfather Azazel said with a smile. "Knew I could count on you."

"Grandfather." Dean greeted him, both he and Sam bowed their heads in respect. It was an old and outdated tradition but something the Princes enjoyed seeing.

"Not gonna lie, I was hoping that they'd run. Give us an excuse to really drag them back." Dagon said, her eyes glittering in the low light.

"They're good boys, they know better." Azazel said, smiling.

"How about we get to this, the sooner we get it over with, the sooner we go our own ways." Ramiel said, clapping his hands. "The souls boys."

Sam brought the box forward and started to take the jars out, placing them carefully on the ground as Dean just set the suitcase down, opening it. Whatever spell Crowley had used to keep them in there worked, preventing them from escaping.

"Not bad, not bad at all." Azazel said, eyes going over the souls. "You got a lot more than I thought you would. Crowley gives you the case?"

Sam nodded. "He owed us so we called a debt in." he said. "He gave us the suitcase in offering."

Dagon picked up the jar containing the Harvelle's souls, staring into it. "Soulmates." she said with a snort, letting it fall back to the ground. Sam and Dean flinched but breathed out a relief when the jar didn't break.

"The point of the matter is this, you two are collected a rather big grouping of souls." Asmodeus said, shining his nails on the front of his white suit. "Now there'd be two reasons for such a thing. Maybe three, but I'm willing to bet it's not the third. The first is, you're building an army. The second is, you're preparing for a very large kind of spellwork."

"What's the third option?" Sam couldn't help but ask, a bit confused as he tried to figure it out.

"You're bored and know that souls can be used as currency." Ramiel said. "And I've been there but never actually went around to collect the souls. Now, which one is it?"

"The second one." Dean said, taking Sams hand in his once more, entwining their fingers together. "Spellwork."

"Must be a pretty big spell if you need all these souls." Asmodeus said, nodding at the collection. "And quite frankly, I think it's a bit obvious what spell you're trying to do. And let me say, I'd stop right now."

"We have to at least try." Sam told him, not looking up. Neither of them were 'allowed' to look the Princes in the eye, still with the old fashioned respect criteria. "We can't not try."

"It's not even about the spell, we don't care about it. We don't even care about the killings and the souls." Azazel told them. "It's more about whether or not you succeed, more importantly, what will happen if you do."

"We don't understand."

"It's quite simple boys." Ramiel said, rolling his shoulders back a few times. "You two are planning to break into the Empty to bring back the soul of Mary Campbell." he grinned at them, eyes shining. "And if that works, it means you found the keys to one and true immortality."

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