Sam paced the hotel room, waiting for Chief Denning. Dean was confident he'd show, and also confident that Vance would be pissed they interrogated him behind his back. Still, Sam didn't want Vance anywhere near it all. He explicitly told Dean he didn't trust him, so Dean managed to keep it secret, covering their time alone with further "research" as an excuse.

All Sam could think about was whatever torture Rachel was going through. It was enough to make him sick. He fled to the bathroom, easily vomiting what little he ate for breakfast. A chill ran down his spine as he rinsed his mouth out, Dean's concerned voice coming from the other side of the door. "Sam?"

"I'm fine," he managed, straightening. There would be more of that to come when he found Rachel's body, he was sure of it. He had spent the entire night before coming to grips with never seeing her alive again. Though he was the brother who usually kept hope for both of them, he had none now. It only made sense that someone as incredible as Rachel would die. They all died, or he had to kill them. It was a fate he couldn't escape, one he brought on her by being weak for her. Had he kept his distance, she would likely be alive. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he thought about the taste of her lips, the feel of her body, her beautiful eyes, her musical laugh. She was so young. She had so much life left. He had desperately wanted to share that life with her, to protect her from the evil that now held her. And he failed.

A knock on the room door grabbed his attention. He immediately left the bathroom, trying to downplay his eagerness as Dean answered the door. Chief Denning stepped in, seeming to be completely unaware of the trap he walked into, glancing to the brothers. "You said you have reason to believe this kidnapper has inside contact?" Denning asked, eyeing Dean as he shut the door.

"We do," Dean replied, keeping Denning's gaze. Sam slowly approached from behind as Dean ushered Denning to sit in the desk chair they put out for him, Dean standing in front of the bed across from him.

With a solid, quick grab, Sam held Denning's hands behind his back and slapped cuffs on him, linking his arms through the spindles of the chair. "What the hell!" Denning shouted, silencing when he saw Dean training a gun on him.

"Where is she?" Sam asked, venom dripping from his words.

"What are you talking about?" Denning asked back, a shake to his voice.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Sam grabbed Denning's graying hair, yanking his head back and resting a hunting knife blade against his throat. "Where is she?"

"P-Please!" Denning stuttered, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Rachel Lentz." Sam tightened his grip. "Where is she?" Denning was silent, so Sam dragged the knife against his throat, making the tiniest of knicks into his skin, a small stream of blood rolling down his neck. "Last chance before I start slicing," he warned.

"I swear to you, I don't know who Rachel Lentz is!" Denning shook, sweat breaking out on his brow.

"The woman who said she was Agent Markson," Sam snapped. "Where is she?"

"Okay!" Denning shivered as Sam kept the blade pressed to his throat. "She's … She's with him."

"Arioch," Dean concluded.

"Y-Yes."

"So you're working with him?"

"Yes ... but-"

"Where is he keeping her?"

"I'm not sure." Sam kept his hand in Denning's hair, making a small, clean slice on the side of his neck. "Shit!" Denning screamed.

"You're lying!"

"No, I'm not! Please!"

"Tell me where she is." Sam pressed the blade closer to Denning's throat, his jaw ticking as he gritted his teeth.

"I don't know," Denning whispered, eyes glassy. "Please. I don't know."

"You vetted women for Arioch," Dean spat to Denning, trying to get Sam to back off for a minute so they could get info. "Why?"

Denning swallowed, his body quivering. "He … He took my sister. My brother in law let him. I had him committed, which pissed Arioch off, because James worked for him. Arioch said he'd take my daughter if I didn't do as he wanted. It's the only reason he hasn't."

"So you buried the cases of missing women for him," Sam concluded behind him, still gripping the knife. "You helped him find his victims, and then made them go away."

"Please," Denning shivered, "I … I didn't have a choice."

"Where is he keeping her?" Sam asked again, nostrils flared.

"I have no clue! I just made the call when she got into town. I knew he'd like her." Sam lowered the knife, pausing for a moment before he decked Denning in the face. "Shit!" Sam landed another punch, satisfied when he saw the blood trickle down Denning's face from his nose.

"Where is she?" Sam growled.

"You compromised the nursery," Denning replied, sniffing back the blood. "So … He might be …"

"Where?!"

"At the farmhouse. It's rather isolated."

"Give me an address. Now."

Sam and Dean made sure they had Castiel with them when they went to the location. Neither were fond of Vance being there, but it would be a stronger fight of four against one. Sam didn't wait for anyone, though-he set the pace, charging for the farmhouse with an angel blade readied, quietly opening the door after listening for a moment. Dean followed him, angel blade in hand, while Castiel and Vance took up the rear, Vance carrying his gun.

They split off, Vance and Castiel taking the upper level while Sam and Dean took the first floor. The brothers wandered through the entire lower level of the house, each room desolate, empty. As he neared the outer edge of the study, Sam's stomach dropped when he heard a pained whimper. It was muffled, but most definitely present. He scanned the room quickly for where the sound came from, his eyes resting on an antique vent in the floorboards. He held up his hand to Dean as he approached it, stopping him as he focused on the sound.

It was a woman's voice, a quivered plea that barely rose above a whisper.

Sam turned to Dean, eyes wild. "Basement," he mouthed; Dean nodded, and they moved softly through the house until they came across the cellar entrance in the kitchen. Sam didn't hesitate—he immediately went for the basement, leaving Dean to round up the others.

Dean intercepted Castiel and Vance at the staircase, signalling them down to follow him into the basement. Only, neither Castiel nor Dean expected the blows they received to the head by Vance, who smirked as he left their unconscious forms on the floor, going into the basement and locking the door behind himself.

Sam swallowed as he examined the dank space. He tightened his grip on his angel blade, carefully moving into the part of the room where he heard the sound coming from. His stomach bottomed out when he saw Rachel tied to a support column, battered and bruised, half naked, and streaked with dirt. He rushed over to her, dropping the blade as he lifted her head to look into her eyes. They were shut. "Rachel," he breathed, finding a strong, steady pulse.

Her eyes flashed open and she screamed, drawing away from him. "Baby girl," Sam whispered, pained from the fear he saw in her eyes. "It's me. It's Sam."

She shook her head. "I know you're not him," she spat, gritting her teeth.

Sam drew in a sharp breath. Arioch must have tricked her before using him. "Look at my eyes, Rachel," he urged. "Look at me. I know you see me. I'm not a trick. It's me." Rachel didn't move. "Baby, please. I need to get you out of here. Please don't be afraid of me. I just want to bring you home and keep you safe."

She shook her head violently, denying his promises with a scream as he untied her. "Help me!" she screeched, her voice broken and sore from screaming so much.

Rachel froze when Sam drew her into his arms, holding her. "It's me. I swear it to you. You're safe now. I'm real." Sam squeezed his eyes shut when she screamed and pulled against him. "Rachel—"

The bullet that struck his shoulder was molten hot, the metal tearing into his flesh. Sam groaned, dropping to the ground and releasing Rachel. She looked up, seeing Vance smirking over Sam's injured body. "Vance," she shuddered, shocked at what he did.

"You should've listened to your boyfriend," Vance smirked. "Nephilim sex trafficking pays really well. More than hunting." Vance stepped closer. "Arioch paid me a pretty penny to keep tabs on you after Dean finished off Hailey. Why do you think I all of a sudden called? Because I cared about you?" He laughed. "When Arioch told me his poison for the season, I knew you and Hailey would make nice meals."

Rachel's eyes rounded. "You son of a bitch." She backed away from Vance, watching as he kept his gun trained on Sam as Sam stood.

"So, time to make my bank. You come with me, or he dies," Vance ordered with a smirk.

"Rachel, run!" Sam urged desperately.

Vance shook his head. "Uh-uh. If you want your boyfriend to live, then you'll listen to me."

Rachel swallowed, looking at Sam. She wasn't even sure it was really him, but if it was, she couldn't let him die. "Okay," she whispered.

"Good girl," Vance smiled. "Come over here."

"Rachel, no! Let him shoot me! Run!" Sam growled, watching Rachel slowly move toward Vance. She didn't stop until she was in arm's length of Vance, who grabbed her wrist, keeping his gun on Sam. "I'll kill you, you bastard," Sam snarled.

"I'd like to see you try," Vance said, lifting his gun a little higher, ready to pull the trigger.

At the same time, the basement door rattled, Dean's angry growl muffled by the weathered wood. "Son of a bitch!" Finally, Dean kicked down the door, scurrying toward Vance. Before Vance could pull the trigger, Dean lodged his angel blade in his stomach through his back. Vance let go of Rachel and dropped his gun, blood pouring from the gaping wound as he fell over.

Rachel trembled as she watched Dean panting over Vance's body, a sizeable gouge on his head. Her eyes flicked up to see Castiel heal Sam, who shut his eyes in relief from the bullet wound. Sam immediately approached her, trying to be as gentle as he could through his urgency. "Trust me," he pleaded as she stepped back. "I'm not him."

She swallowed, her heart racing in her chest as she looked up at him. "Sam?"

Sam nodded, wetting his lips. "Yes, baby girl. It's me." He took her hand with a light, tender touch. "I'm going to take you home."

"Uh-uh, you're wrong, Winchester," a male voice boomed behind them. "The little whore is staying with me." Arioch strolled over to them in the same vessel from the church, giving Sam a wink. Rachel was ripped backward by Arioch, who held her firmly with a grin.

"Let her go," Sam warned, quickly picking up his angel blade.

"Go ahead, Sam," Arioch taunted. "Try and catch me."

As Sam went to lunge after Arioch, he was thrown back into the cold floor, skidding into a utility shelf. Arioch laughed as Dean tried, tossing him aside as well. Castiel used every ounce of power he had, but was still defeated by Arioch, who grabbed Vance's gun with his invisible power, aiming it at Sam. "Time to say goodbye, Rachel."

Rachel frantically looked around, spotting a threshing tool on the rack next to her. With every bit of strength she had, he kicked Arioch's vessel in the groin, freeing herself enough to grab the rusted blade off its hook and throw it into the vessel's stomach. The brief moment of pain was all Dean needed-he rushed over, closest to Arioch of the three, and shoved his angel blade into the vessel. Just before the blade sunk into the body, a burst of white lit the dark basement, swirling overhead. The body fell to the ground. Arioch had exorcised himself.

"Shit!" Sam growled, watching the swirl moving toward Rachel. "No!" He darted to her and tried to pull her away from the light, but it was too late. Arioch entered her body, taking hold of her vessel, her brown eyes flashing orange as she smirked at Sam.

"Hi, Sammy," she whispered with a smile.