"No," Sam shuddered in a pained whisper. "You son of a bitch."

"This isn't how I wanted to do things, but it works quite well," Arioch laughed in her voice. "I kind of love the position this puts you in, Sam Winchester."

Dean and Castiel watched with Sam as Arioch stalked around in Rachel's slender body. "Douchebag," Dean growled. "Can't even face a fair fight-has to rely on a real dick move."

Arioch laughed. "I won't be riled up by your measuring contest," he assured. "So, time to think of another strategy." He paused. "Oh wait, there is none." He blasted both Dean and Castiel back into the far walls, Dean rammed into a utility shelf, and Castiel a stack of wood.

Arioch grinned as they both remained down. He turned his attention back to Sam, whose hand trembled as he gripped his angel blade. Arioch stroked his bloodied arm. "Mmm. She's so soft. And she tastes so good." He paused, his grin spreading. "All of her. I love the little sounds she makes when she's close to the edge."

Bile raced up Sam's throat at the thought of Arioch violating her. "I'm going to kill you."

"Really? Idle threats?" Arioch scoffed. "Like there's anything you can do to me without hurting her." Arioch blasted Sam backwards into the wall, and he groaned as his back smacked against the concrete, his body falling to the floor. "See, that's the beauty of it, Sam," Arioch said, slowly approaching him, "if you want to kill me, then you'll have to kill your little lovebug. Poetic justice, really. If I can't have her, then neither can you."

Castiel and Dean slowly stood, Castiel focusing his power toward Arioch, who laughed and deflected it back onto him and Dean, knocking them over. "As I was saying," Arioch said in Rachel's voice, "if you want to take me down, then you will have to kill her."

"Not if we exorcise your ass," Dean snarled, getting back to his feet. "Cas, get a suspension sigil made." Before Arioch could do anything, Castiel disappeared, leaving the two brothers with Arioch.

Arioch laughed. "Good luck. I don't believe you know an incantation strong enough for that, boys." He stepped closer to Sam, whose nostrils flared as he stood. "I can hear her pretty little thoughts right now, Sammy. Want to know what she's thinking about?" Sam remained silent, though every inch of him was screaming in rage. He felt his eyes tear, biting the inside of his cheek to hold it back. Arioch tilted his head. "She's begging you to put a blade into her to end me." He smirked. "She sounds so delicious when she begs for things."

"You're dead, you son of a bitch," Sam growled.

"Tell me, how does it feel to know that you either have to kill your lover, or let her be fucked by another man?"

Sam charged toward Arioch with a snarl, only to be blasted backward into the wall again. Arioch cackled, enjoying the game. "I would recommend that you make your choice now," he continued. "Even if Big Bro and pitiful Castiel make their little floor scribbles, I'll be released after a few moments. So you might want to decide if you're going to kill your girl, or you're going to let me feed on her from the inside."

Castiel blinked back into the room with the blood for the sigil, and the incantation. He quickly drew the symbols. "The sigil is done," he shouted, waiting on their cue to enact it.

"'Please, Sam,'" Arioch mocked Rachel's thoughts in her own voice, "'please kill him. Don't worry about me. Do it for Hailey. '" Arioch smiled. "Mmm. Hailey was quite delicious, but not nearly as good as Rachel is."

"Dean. Sam," Castiel said, panic in his voice as the brothers didn't move.

Sam's eyes clouded with tears, knuckles white around the hilt of the angel blade. "Do it," he said quietly to Castiel, keeping his focus on Arioch in Rachel's body.

"Sam—" Dean began.

"Do it!" Sam shouted, gritting his teeth together as he held back the gag from the thought.

Castiel enacted the sigil, freezing Arioch in place. Dean began to chant the exorcism text. It didn't work; the brothers exchanged a tiny scared look before returning their focus onto Arioch. There was only one option left.

Sam slowly approached Rachel's possessed body, his heart twisted and torn as he looked into her eyes. Dean stepped forward, taking his arm. "Sam, what are you doing?" he asked.

"What I have to," Sam whispered, stroking her cheek.

Dean's eyes rounded. "Sam, think about what you're saying. She can't recover from this. She will die."

Tears ran down Sam's face. "I promised her justice, Dean." He carefully took her into his arms as she vacantly stared at him. "I love you," he said to her softly, running his hand over her marred skin and through her dark, tangled waves. Despite the knots, it was midnight silk. He pressed his lips to her cheek, his mouth lingering near her skin.

"Sam," Dean said, trying to remain calm, "you can't—"

Dean and Castiel both were shocked as Sam lodged the angel blade into Rachel's stomach, holding her in his arm. His face was wet with tears as he watched her body light up from inside, a burst of red through the white signaling Arioch's death.

Sam ripped the blade from Rachel's stomach as she collapsed against him, dropping it and taking her into his arms as he sank onto the floor. He cried as he pushed his palm into her wound, trying to stop the blood.

Castiel rushed over, pressing against her head and concentrating his power, slowly binding the wound. When he was finished as far as he could go, he backed away as Sam felt for a pulse. "She's not breathing," Sam shouted, laying her down on the ground, immediately performing CPR. Through several attempts, she remained unresponsive, her body limp as he feverishly tried to urge it back to life. "Come on, baby girl," he begged. "Please. Please don't leave me."

Several painful minutes later, Dean knelt in front of him, pained as he watched. "Sammy," he whispered, stopping his brother with a hand on his shoulder. "She's gone."

Sam trembled, his hands covered in blood as he stripped his jacket off and wrapped her in it. He lifted Rachel's limp body into his arms, sobbing and burying his face into her shoulder and hair as he pressed her to himself. Dean clenched his jaw, Castiel squeezing his eyes shut as they stood next to him, helpless to ease Sam's devastation.

A shuddered gasp shocked all of them, Rachel's coughs violent against Sam's chest. He pulled her away, swiping the hair from her face, his lips parted as he watched her suck in air in deep pants. His fingers left trails of blood over her cheeks, his tears trickling down onto his coat around her. Dean's jaw dropped, he and Castiel in shock as they watched.

"Rachel," Sam breathed, shocked as she caught her breath. Sam's eyes widened as Rachel shoved away from him, backing away from him on the ground. "Baby girl, please. It's me. It's Sam."

"You're not him. I won't fall for it again. I'll die before I let you touch me, you bastard," she warned, obviously weak but trying to be strong as she backed away.

Sam stood, lifting his hands up, his face soaked from his tears. "Rachel, it's me. I know he tricked you, but it's me, I promise." She set her jaw, inching away from him. "It's over. He's gone. He won't hurt you anymore." He neared her, taking her into his arms as she screamed in protest. "Shh," he murmured, trapping her against his chest as she pounded against him, "you're safe. I'm not leaving you. I'm right here." He stroked her hair as she punched him. "I'm right here, sweetheart. You're not alone anymore."

Rachel stopped fighting, trembling as she stayed in Sam's secure embrace. "S-Sam," she managed, weakened and paled.

"It's okay, baby girl," he whispered, pressing kisses on her cheek and forehead. He stood, lifting her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. There was nothing-no one-that could take her from him in that moment. "I got you."

Rachel cried against his chest, burying her face into the material of Sam's jacket. She trembled, still worried Sam wasn't really him, still fearful she would realize that Arioch had, once again, tricked her. Arioch had come to her as Sam a total of four times, each one not ending well. She was fairly certain he had violated her at least once, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was in her head or an actual occurrence. Regardless, it was frightening to repeatedly experience the man you cared about hurting you, beating you, groping you, and trying to violate you, then to have him swear up and down he wouldn't. Still, she had to believe it was Sam. It was all she had to hold on to. She saw the tears in his eyes, the pain in his voice. Arioch had never once sounded or looked like that. It had to be her Sam.

Sam brought her up the stairs and out of the farmhouse to the Impala, carefully wrapping her in a blanket Dean gave him from the trunk. Sam managed to climb into the backseat with her in his arms, unwilling to let her go even for a moment. He guided Rachel to lay her head against his chest, her body between his thighs as he pressed his back to the side of the Imapala.

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered.

Sam put his thumb over her lips, his arm tightening around her. "You don't have a damn thing to be sorry for," he whispered. "But I do." He shuddered. "I failed you."

Rachel shook her head, turning enough to look into his eyes. "No, Sam. You didn't."

"I couldn't protect you. I stabbed you. I killed you."

"You killed Arioch. Just like you promised."

Tears rolled down his cheeks. "I thought I lost you." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

Rachel's own tears fell. "He used you against me."

"I know," Sam murmured, kissing her forehead. "If I could keep killing him, I would."

After Sam got into the backseat, Dean shut the car door, brow creased as he looked at Rachel's condition from outside the window. She was obviously beaten, and heavily emotionally scarred. He prayed she hadn't been raped, that Arioch was merely taunting Sam, but there was no way to tell until she was taken to a hospital. He saw the initial tension she carried as Sam held her. Arioch had likely done a number on her, using her affection for Sam against her. He didn't know what it meant, other than they were in for a long road ahead.

"Dean," Castiel said softly, gaining his attention, "what about Vance?"

"We've got to get her medical care," Dean replied. "We have no idea what he did to her." Castiel nodded. Dean cleared his throat. "If Arioch … you know … could it be … aborted?"

Castiel drew in a deep breath. "Not without killing her. Not that I know of."

"The grace extractor?"

"It nearly killed Sam before. Maybe there is something in the archives, if it comes to that."

Dean swallowed. "Maybe."

"It would be more powerful than Arioch," Castiel noted solemnly.

"Would it automatically be evil?"

"Not necessarily. Look at Jack."

Dean's brow creased as he thought of the possibility. "Sam will be devastated if she's been …" He shut his eyes, drawing in a deep breath, ignoring the rest of his thought as he crossed in front of the Impala and slid into the driver's seat. He jammed his key into the ignition with a shaky hand and a sick stomach, spinning the Impala's wheels as he tore off as fast as he could from the farmhouse.