A/N: We find out who is going to be helping Dean in this chapter. I think you can guess who. Thanks for taking the journey with me. Reviews do make my day. NC

Note: I did make a correction in the pervious chapter with Alastair's eyes. Thanks, vrskaandrea for the catch. Missouri M will be in the next story. Her name is only mentioned in this one. My mistake.

Chapter 3

Sometime after his death and before he revived again, Dean had been washed down of most of the blood coating his body. When he woke, Dean felt a slight chill, but was never really cold or hot anymore. It was like his body had learned to adapt and adjust to this atmosphere. He tugged on his bindings again to see they were still secure and not giving any. He lay on the cold rack and waited for the latest demon that would torture him to make an appearance.

Time meant nothing to him any longer as he just moved from life to death repeatedly. It got to the point dying did not mean anything to him, like it was a normal routine now. Dean wondered now and then what Sam was doing up above and if he was still alive. Ten years was a long time and if he continued to hunt alone, his life might have been cut short. He did not think Sam would end up down here with him if he died, at least he hoped not. That would be too much for him to handle. If he had to say yes to protect his brother, he would. Even in the situation he was in, his brother's safety was top priority.

He had no way of knowing that the passing of time was different in Hell than on Earth. What was ten years for him was only a month for Sam who was fighting his own demons and trying to come to terms with the loss of his brother. Things were not going well for Sam and the path he was going down was a dark and dangerous one.

He mulled over the white eyed demon and tried to figure out why it was so important to him for Dean to say yes to his only question. What would he gain if he started torturing souls here in Hell? Did everyone get this offer or was it only reserved for special souls? He twitched his nose as an itch started that he could not scratch and that was about as bad as the torture.

Alastair kept returning after each resurrection and would ask one simple question. If Dean wanted the torturing to stop, all he needed to do was agree to start torturing souls. Dean would refuse every time but as the years passed and his body died and came back so many times, he lost count as it took a toil on him. His soul was cracking, and his mind was starting to break down. Twenty years passed with Alastair celebrating by regaling Dean with stories of all the things he had done to his father as he carved his body up day after day.

spn

Thirty years had passed, and Alastair praised him on his endurance. He told Dean about his father being on the same rack and being given the same choice. Alastair droned on about the suffering and pain he had endured and then got angry and hostile when he told of John's escape from Hell without breaking. That was a bad day for Dean since Alastair took all his anger out on him and left him in pieces on the floor around the rack. Coming back from that death took twice as long as any of the others and seemed to weigh heavily on him. Dean did not know how much longer he was going to be able to hold on before going completely insane. The cracks were getting larger and with no hope for rescue, the spark of humanity dimmed more and more.

"So, Dean, have you changed your mind yet?" Alastair asked stepping into the room and looking at the young hunter strapped to the rack.

"Go jump in a pool of holy water asshole," Dean spat out as he watched the demon circle him. "Or better yet, wash in holy oil and let me light a match. I'm sure you'll go up in flames."

"I went topside a few days ago. It's the first time since, what…Poland 1943. To be honest I loathe that world. It's impure. There's no stinking of blood or smell of burnt flesh. Oh, to hear the wet flapping of flayed skin is so relaxing. I really don't know how you stand it up there. But there was something I needed to do, or I should say someone I needed to find," the demon spouted as he snapped his fingers and two demons dragging a body between them stepped into the room and stopped behind Dean.

Dean heard the noises behind him and tried to crane his neck to see. He cried out in shock as a body was thrown to his knees nearby. His breath left him when the young man looked up at him through the strands of dirty hair that hung in his beaten and bloody face. It was Sam, his little brother. This could not be, Sammy would never let himself be captured, Dean thought.

"Dean…" Sam rasped out as he tried to reach a hand toward him, but it was knocked away by a demon causing him to fall to the floor. "D…" Sam sobbed out as he curled in on himself to try and protect his body from the kicking.

"Sammy?" Dean whispered in disbelief. He began to pull and strain on the bindings, trying to break free. "Leave him alone you bastards! Sammy!" Dean screamed as he bloodied his wrists trying to break free. He was panting hard and trying to get his muddled brain to work as he watched the demons beat his brother.

The demons grabbed Sam's arms and jerked him up so Alastair could slash out with a knife, ripping into his shirt and leaving a bloody trail down his chest.

"Dean, please help me!" Sam begged as Alastair lashed out again ripping into his chest. Blood colored his white T-shirt red as Sam cried out, his voice getting hoarse and raw.

"So, will you say yes to save your brother's life?" Alastair asked.

"Stop it!" Dean cried out as tears blinded him as he watched Sam being tortured. His soul seemed to dim even more and a darkness took its place as he closed his eyes for a moment trying not to feel so helpless and depressed.

"Please Dean, do what they want. Save me…" Sam sobbed in desperation. "Say yes."

Dean stopped when he heard the last words and looked closely at Sam. He knew Sam, better than he knew himself, and Sam knew him. He would never ask Dean to give in no matter what. They would die for each other, but they would never ask the other to do something like that. His face hardened because he knew that was not Sam. He was not sure what or who it was, but that was not his little brother.

"That's not my brother!" Dean snarled at him. "You're trying to trick me, and it won't work. Sam would never ask me to do that. He would die first."

"Fine, it was worth a try," Alastair shrugged before slicing the fake Sam's throat and letting him fall to the floor beside Dean.

Dean cried out as tears ran down his face. Even though he knew that was not his Sam, it still hurt just as much as if it was. He watched the blood pool around Sam's lifeless body as he stared with glazed eyes up at him. The demons left the body lying there for Dean to see as they turned to leave the torture room. What Dean was seeing, the lifeless body of the fake Sam, was enough torture to about break him.

spn

The King of the Crossroads demons strolled down the halls of Hell pretending to be minding his own business and trying to spy on anyone he could. He was deceitful and looked out for number one, himself. Crowley had found some less used hallways and decided to find out if there were any items in any of the unused rooms that might help advance his place in Hell. He was walking around a corner when two female demons came out of a room. Crowley ducked into an alcove to hide and watch.

"Are you sure my plan is playing out?" the older of the female demons asked.

"Yes, no one is the wiser and I've got the younger Winchester brother right where I want him. He's totally addicted and will do whatever I ask him for another hit," the younger demon insisted. "It didn't take much to reel him in," she laughed.

"That is good. When you have him juiced up enough, then train him to use his powers, you will bring him to me Ruby."

"Yes Lilith, I understand. And he will be able to raise Lucifer from the Cage?"

"He will. And you will be richly rewarded for your loyalty and service to him," Lilith assured her. "As for the others down here, Lucifer may have created them, but that doesn't mean he will keep them around. Alastair will get the older Winchester to break and he will not even know what he will be setting into motion. He will be the first casualty of the war that is coming. Lucifer will be ruler of Hell and will began his reign to take over the Earth too."

"I will come back when I can. I have to be careful of the others. They think I betrayed them and are helping the humans. They want my head."

"Just follow through with the plan. My father will be freed from the Cage. It is my sacrifice for him. Now hurry and return before the oath misses you."

"Yes Lilith," Ruby nodded bowing to her before scurrying off down the hall.

Lilith watched her leave with a smirk and satisfied look on her face that her plan was playing out like she wanted it to. She turned and headed off in the opposite direction, never knowing that she had been overheard by Crowley.

spn

Crowley stepped from the shadows and looked both ways watching Lilith and Ruby disappearing from sight. His mind started spinning as he let what the two demons said sink in. If Lucifer was to be freed from the Cage, his life expectancy was going to be noticeably short. The wheels turned in his head as a plan started to form and the first task was to free the older Winchester before he said yes.

He hurried off to do some scouting and to start the ball rolling. He knew there was no one he could trust with this tidbit of knowledge, especially Alastair, who thought of him as a mindless, low level demon of no importance. If Alastair could be taken out, maybe he could take his place and be the King of Hell. Might as well shoot for the crown, he thought to himself.

He was not going to let Lilith's plan happen if there was any way to avoid it. He was not the King of the Crossroads for nothing and it did not hurt that his mother was a high level witch who had taught him a few tricks of the trade. He made his way toward his office that was located in the far pits of Hell like a castoff. It irked him to be seen this way, when he knew he was destined for greater things.

Juliet, his pet hellhound, was lounging at the door, guarding it. She jumped up, growling and chuffing as Crowley scratched her ears and mumbled soft words to her. He opened the door and stepped inside allowing Juliet to move in with him. Crowley knew she would alert him of anyone coming his way and got to work. He pulled an old wooden box from its hiding place and sat it on his desk. He pulled a chain from around his neck and took the key to unlock it.

The book Crowley pulled from the box had been his mother's spell book. It held dark spells that she had perfected over the years. He began to flip through the book looking for a specific one that he would need to give to Dean once he got him out of Hell. When he found the spell, Crowley copied it and folded the paper to put in his pocket.

His next step was to find a body for Dean to use so he could get out of Hell without being seen. He knew Dean would need a little training before he left so he could smoke in and out of bodies at least. The rest he could learn on his own. He did not want to give him too much knowledge, thinking it might come back and bite him in the ass.

If things fell into place, he hoped to have the older Winchester out of Hell within the next couple of weeks. He just hoped he could hold out that long. He had heard demons talking about it being nearly forty years now that the older Winchester had been down here and thought he was finally going to break.

Crowley was going to try and get a message to him so he would not give up hope yet. If his plan worked, the future was going to go down a different path. And it was going to be in his favor, he was going to see to that.