CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: Heaven and Hell

When Sam woke up, he could immediately tell he was screwed.

After finally being able to pry his eyes open, he glanced down to see what the blinding pain in his palms and feet were.

Deeply embedded were four bullets, each with devil's traps carved into them, in both of his hands and feet, keeping him firmly seated to the metal chair that was in the middle of the dark dungeon he seemed to be in. When he took a deep breath in, the familiar scents of rotting flesh and sulfur filled him with a sense of nostalgia for the place he used to call home. He felt the uncomfortable heat against his skin, beginning to feel the sweat dripping down his forehead and his back.

He took in the room he was being held in, his eyes widening in panic when he saw a familiar blond chained to the wall with her arms above her head, her hair a disheveled mess. She had blue and purple bruising around her neck from the demon choking her earlier and he can already see the bindings where digging into her wrists.

"Jo?" He whispered urgently, hoping to get her attention. When she didn't respond, he felt full-blown concern surge through him. "Jo!" He tried again, a little louder.

She shifted slightly as a groan slipped from her lips before her eyes fluttered open. "Sam?" She croaked, her green gaze glassy-eyed as it rested on the demon. It took Jo a moment to realize their predicament, but once she did, she was immediately alert. "What the hell?" She breathed, her thoughts seeming fuzzy and clouded as she tried to recall what had happened. "I don't feel so good."

Sam took that as a bad sign. "Jo, hey, look at me." He waited for her to make eye contact and to seem somewhat cognitively aware. "I think they drugged you. I need you to try to focus for me okay?" He asked slowly, hoping she could comprehend. Damn, they brought out all the stops. This is definitely not good.

The young hunter nodded a few moments after, her mind starting to catch up to what was going on at a snail's pace. "What, what are we gonna do?" She questioned, figuring out that they were in a situation.

"Do you have anything on you that can be used to pick that lock?" The demon prompted, nodding at the chains around her wrists.

Jo looked up as if she was noticing them for the first time before glancing back towards her outfit; a black tank top and pink athletic shorts. "No, I had just gotten out of the shower." She said regrettably, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room to where she could see what was keeping Sam in his seat. "Holy crap…"

The younger Winchester sighed, feeling hopeless as he ran out of ideas. There was no way he could get himself out of the chair and Jo was in no frame of mind to come up with any useful ideas.

So, for now, Sam had to sit and wait, praying to whatever God was listening that things would turn out all right.

…

"Raphael, I didn't think you would show." Castiel stated evenly, seeming unbothered by the Archangel that just appeared in the middle of their cabin.

The newcomer scanned over Cas quickly before his prying gaze landed on the demon, an almost feral look in the angel's eyes. "Dean, it's been way too long. I've missed you." He quipped as a malicious smirk crept across his face.

The middle Winchester's lip twitched in anger but he managed to keep his tone calm. "The feeling isn't mutual." He retorted, clenching his fists at his sides.

"I'm curious, what made you two do the completely suicidal act of practically dangling yourselves in front of me?" Raphael asked, seeming genuinely curious as he crossed his arms, his amused gaze never leaving the demon's.

Castiel stepped forward, a thin silver blade falling from his trench coat sleeve threateningly. "You need to step down Raphael. You are not fit to run Heaven."

Dean couldn't quite place it, but Cas' voice had a booming quality to it, a sense of power that the middle Winchester had never heard before.

The archangel's pitying laughter reverberated off the walls, cracks of lightening sounding loudly outside as the onslaught of rain continued to pound on the roof. "Step down? Why, Castiel, I plan to do the exact opposite. After I bring Dean Winchester to Heaven with me there will be no supporters left on your side."

"He's not going with you, Raphael. I will not let you bring on the Apocalypse." The trench-coated angel shot back, determination oozing from him.

Raphael raised a daring brow before he eyed the confusion clearly written on the demon's face. "In case you have missed it, the Apocalypse has already started. I plan on ending it." He paused, his eyes roaming over Dean appreciatively. "Once I deliver him to Michael, there will be no going back. This must end and it must end in our favor." He stated, talking as if Dean wasn't standing right there.

The middle Winchester's brows scrunched together as the angel's spoke, not following the conversation at all at this point. "What the hell are you talking about?" He barked at the Archangel, earning a bemused look from the African-American vessel.

"Why Castiel, you haven't told him?" Raphael questioned, enjoying the way Cas clenched his sword tighter and his jaw tightened. "My my, I would've thought that should've been mentioned before this little meeting."

"Enough. Either you back down or I will have no choice but to make you." Castiel quickly spat, trying to steer the conversation away from Dean's destiny.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Raphael challenged, clearly waiting to see what Cas could've come up with.

"Hurricane, meet butterfly net." Before anyone could react, Dean swiftly pulled his lighter from his jean pocket before lighting it and tossing it at the Archangel's feet.

Immediately, a ring of fire enveloped around Raphael, the barricade of flames causing the older angel to turn a steely glare towards Castiel. "Where on earth did you find Holy Oil?" He demanded as the shadows of the flames danced on the walls.

Instead of an answer, the angel offered nothing but a shrug before getting back to business. "Surrender, there is no need for any more death's over this Civil War." He tried to reason with an almost pleading tone as the storm outside picked up.

Dean could tell that Castiel really hated the idea of having to kill Raphael. Even though the douchebag deserved it, the Archangel was still his brother.

"Castiel, your plan was a good one. Really it was. But you seemed to have not factored in the possibility that I brought back up." As if on cue, six more angel's appeared in the room with a flourish, groups of three quickly restraining the defiant pair.

Cas tried to struggle against their grips, but instantly stopped when an angel sword was brought to his neck, the act full of promise.

Dean watched wide-eyed, this turn of events not foreseen by the demon. He realized he had gotten involved in a much bigger mess then he originally thought. He growled at the angel's that latched on to his arms and shoulders, yanking one arm painfully behind his back at an odd angle.

"I believe this is where one would say," He paused, chuckling slightly before grinning wickedly. "Checkmate."

…

"Why did you guys stop?" John questioned a bit harshly after getting out of the car and approaching Bobby who was consoling a frantic Ellen. The two Winchester's had to turn their car around and come to where they had stopped because of the lack of warning.

The brunette shot him an icy glare before holding up her cell phone for emphasis. "I was just talking to your son on the phone when he all of a sudden hung up on me. I've called him back six times since then and nothing. Radio silence from Jo too." She stated earnestly, hoping they would see the potential danger.

Mary's face softened with worry at the thought of her youngest son in trouble. "John, maybe we should go check it out."

The older Winchester ran an aggravated hand down his face. They were so close to where they found out Famine had been hiding and to turn back now for a big 'what if'? "Are you positive that something happened?" He asked slowly, trying to keep his impatience under wraps. When Ellen simply nodded, he sighed. "How about this, there's a diner about four miles up the road. We'll go there, I'll bring up my laptop, and we can check the GPS I put in Sam's phone. Then we can make a plan from there."

Mary nodded in agreement, the plan seeming logical in her eyes.

Bobby looked at Ellen who was chewing at her lip. "Come on, that way we have an exact location to shoot for." He tried to persuade her, knowing she would rather just start driving. With a small nod, she got back in the older hunter's truck.

…

For the most part it seemed that Jo was back to normal, but that didn't help the major knot in Sam's stomach.

There had to be a reason that the demons were so thorough with everything and in his mind, that reason had to be nothing but horrible.

So they each just sat there, wallowing in their own personal worries, when the door opened.

"Sammy Winchester. What an honor."

The shaggy-haired demon tensed as the newcomer walked in, making sure to shut the door behind him. "Who are you?" Sam asked tentatively, not sure what exactly he was dealing with.

The stranger had straight black hair with bangs that swept across his forehead. He had a plain blue t-shirt on and jeans, but it was the scattered blood stains on the clothing that sent warning signals through Sam. "You can call me Matt. Let's just say I'm Lucifer's right hand man." The demon flashed black eyes at the trapped Winchester in front of him before his blood-thirsty gaze slid to Jo. "I bet you're wondering why she's here, especially since I'm sure you've figured out what this is about."

The other demon was right, Sam had figured out what this was about. Although, he had been hoping that he was wrong.

So, Lucifer was ready for him to pay up on his end of the deal. So why all the theatrics? He didn't have much time to think about it before he noticed where the stranger was headed.

The blonde straightened and tried to move away as Matt leaned down, running a hand through her wavy hair. "I wonder what it would be like to get inside this body. Personally, the one I have now is a bit… dull." He said slowly, eyes roaming Jo's body hungrily as she scowled in disgust.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Sam spat, his brotherly instincts kicking in at the thought of this douchebag possessing Jo.

Matt's lips twitched in amusement before he stood up and approached the younger demon with crossed arms. "Alright, you want to get right down to business?" He asked, pursing his lips as if thinking to himself. "Alright, might as well get started. I don't want to keep Lucifer waiting longer than he already has to." The demon walked over to a table in the corner of the room that Sam hadn't noticed before and picked up a slim black case, opening it up and pulling out a scarlet filled syringe.

"What the hell is that?" Sam said nervously as Matt turned towards him, a cruel curl to his lips. "What are you doing?" The younger Winchester tried to fight against the bullets in his skin, but it was no use. There was no way to prevent Lucifer's right hand man from inserting the needle into his neck and pressing down on the plunger.

…

Castiel felt a sense of familiarity as he woke up, not surprised in the slightest to see he was sitting in Heaven's Prison. He stood up, the cement walls seeming like they were closing in on him as he approached the steel bars that separated him from freedom.

"Dean!" He yelled with concern, knowing he had been with his friend before being taken. When there was no answer, the angel's stomach began to clench as dread and doubt firmly placed itself inside him. "Dean!" He tried again, silently praying for an answer.

"Castiel would you quiet down? He's not going to believe you're dead if you don't keep your mouth shut."

Sharp blue eyes pierced Uriel as he walked toward him, his nostrils flaring in anger when the bald angel chuckled.

Uriel sighed appreciatively as he glanced around, finally stopping on Cas and his current predicament with a smug grin. "See where helping Dean Winchester got you?" When there was nothing but a defiant glare for an answer, the bald man rolled his eyes. "You knew this was going to happen, why act so aggravatingly pissy about it?"

"He's my friend." Was all that Castiel responded with before turning around and sitting on the cold stone bench in the back of his cell.

…

Dean was surprised he woke up sitting on a brown leather couch, the only thing prohibiting his movements were the familiar weight of the warded cuffs on his wrists. How friggin' original. If I had a dollar…

It didn't make sense. Why would the angels go through all this to capture him and do nothing to make sure he stayed put?

It was just as that thought went through his mind that he realized there was no need to tie him down, there wasn't a single door or window in the room he was in. Speaking of…

The room was large, easily the size of a typical ball room. It was only filled with the couch he had just stood up from, a small coffee table, and a single arm chair a little off to the side. It was overall dark and depressing, with simple wooden flooring and a brown paint on the walls and ceiling.

He tried to figure out why he was here. Thinking back to the conversation between Castiel and Raphael was confusing and didn't give him much to go on besides the fact it had something to do with Michael.

"Cas?" He suddenly called out, noticing the angel wasn't in his company. Something didn't feel right about his absence and the demon feared the worst.

"I'm truly sorry."

Dean quickly spun around and was greeted by Raphael's solemn face. But, the middle Winchester knew it was an act, whatever he was supposedly apologizing for, he didn't really mean it. "For what?" He finally asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

The Archangel sighed regrettably, as if the news he was about to break was sincerely troubling to him. "Unfortunately, because of the lack of cooperation from Castiel, he had to be executed."

Just like that, it was as if he was just ripping off a band-aid, like the sentence he had uttered hadn't caused Dean's chest to tighten.

"You're lying." He denied as he tried to ignore the suffocating feeling he was experiencing.

Raphael just shrugged. "I don't know how else to tell you. It was a shame, he was a great warrior until…" His kidnapper paused and with a malicious twist of his lips, finished his sentence. "You."

Part of the demon knew he was right, it was his fault his friend was dead. Cas had been totally in line with the God Squad before he had been put in charge to save Dean's ass from Hell. But, part of him knew it had been Castiel's choice to stay with him and his family and that the angel had been happier.

With a curt shake of his head, Dean backed up, putting some distance between him and his best friend's killer. "You'll pay for that. I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I will kill you. Keeping that in mind, you should know something about me." Suddenly gaining his confidence back and fueled by Castiel's death, the demon took three taunting steps forward to where he was nose to nose with Raphael. "I'm a man of my word."

The Archangel was unsure how to proceed as a brief flash of fear shined in his eyes. It wasn't long, but it was long enough to let Dean know he had scared him.

"Whatever helps you get through the day Dean Winchester." Raphael stated, calming himself. "I hope you're ready, because you've got a big storm coming."

The middle Winchester tried to hide the hint of panic he was feeling as Raphael disappeared, leaving Dean alone in the ginormous room to grieve for his lost friend.

…

Jo let out a small scream in surprise as Matt ripped the needle from Sam's neck, the youngest Winchester growling angrily.

"Well, one down, seven to go." Matt quipped before winking at the youngest Winchester and leaving the room with the slam of the door.

"Sam, what is he doing?" The blond asked, worry etched into her features.

The demon met her questioning gaze and tried to keep his voice from shaking. "He's curing me."

Sam took a second to let that sink in. He had known the moment he saw that syringe had come out what was going on because he remembered when Tim tried to do it to Dean. He never imagined that other demons would try to cure him…

Just the mere idea of becoming human frightened Sam. He had a lot of things to feel guilty for but the demonic side of him kept most of those feelings at bay. He was positive that now he wouldn't even have a chance of taking back control over Lucifer once he was human.

He had come up with a plan. He was going to let Satan ride him for a little and then, when the timing was right, he was going to take back control and stop him. How he planned on stopping him, he hadn't gotten there yet. But without his demonic strength to fuel him, it was almost hopeless.

"Cure you? But, why?" Jo questioned, not understanding Lucifer's train of thought.

The younger demon swallowed, silently coming to terms with his words before speaking them out loud. "He wants to make me weaker so it's easier to have total control when I say yes."

The hunter's face visibly paled as she finally understood. She felt physically sick the more she thought about it, but she couldn't help as different scenarios played through her head.

Sensing this, Sam tried to get her mind off of it. "Hey, don't worry, okay? I'm sure everyone will realize we're missing and rescue us before Matt can finish what he started." He tried to soothe, hoping the idea of a happy ending would put Jo's mind at ease.

"You're right." She relented, trying to convince herself as she spoke. "I'm sure they'll find us."

…..

"I can't find him."

They had just gotten to the diner and had only been seated for ten minutes after ordering some drinks before John finally whispered in disbelief what they had all been dreading.

"What do you mean, you can't find him?" Ellen demanded, earning glances from the other patrons at the diner who looked toward the noisy booth.

"I mean," The older Winchester began in a low voice. "Is that Sam's GPS says he's nowhere in the continental U.S."

Ellen's face dropped but before she could say something, Bobby chimed in. "So where is he?" He wondered, already starting to feel worry settle into his gut.

Mary and John shared a knowing, sorrowful glance before the blond shook her head. "I pray I'm wrong, but if it says he's no longer in the U.S. and you say he all of a sudden hung up," She began nodding towards Ellen. "I'm afraid he could be in two places."

"Heaven or Hell." Bobby and Ellen stated together with regret and fear.

"Well, what's the plan?" The baseball-capped hunter asked, not wanting to waste any more time.

Mary folded her hands on the table top, already having something in mind. "I think we should call Castiel. He would be able to check for us." She said reasonably, earning nods from around the table.

"Alright, I say we start heading towards the motel the kids where at and then enlist the angel for help." The oldest Winchester stated, throwing a few bills down on the table before getting up, the others following right after.

…

The group of four made it to the motel in good time and after following Jo's credit card trail along with knowing her common alias's, the hunters found themselves knocking on the exact room's door.

When they received no answer, John promptly picked the lock, letting themselves in to find what they had been suspecting.

There was takeout dumped on the floor and duffle bags left out, one in particular half open on the bed along with a white towel. Ellen walked over and recognized it as Jo's, along with her daughter's favorite gun and lock picking kit. She held them up towards her friends, showing them what she had found.

It was only seconds later that Mary found Sam's stuff. Everything in the room led to one clear answer:

Something had happened.

By the overwhelming smell of sulfur in the room that Sam had never caused before, it was becoming more and more obvious that this had to deal with Hell.

"Call Castiel." Bobby stated, snapping everyone out of their thoughts so they could start figuring out how to get the kids back safely.

Mary nodded and swallowed the lump that was in her throat before concentrating on the friendly angel and closing her eyes. "Castiel, I know you're probably extremely busy, but Sam and Jo are in danger…" She paused, not sure how much information she should give over this thin line of communication. "We think it might've been some demons. But, maybe you could come down and help?" She cracked one eye open, half expecting to see the angel there but saw nothing but the other three hunters who had looks of worry etched into their features.

Just as the blonde demon was thinking everything was lost, there was a faint voice in the back of her head.

"Dean… need help… Heaven… locked away…"

The words had been faint and she could tell the connection wasn't strong enough to get his full message. But, there were two things Mary did know for sure.

One, Castiel had sent her a message.

Two, both her boys were in trouble.

…

TBC

Guys, look how much better I'm doing. Two updates in one month, I hope I didn't shock any of you guys too much. I hope you all had a great week. If you liked the chapter, please leave your thoughts. They honestly make my day and lately I've been needing some reassurance. Let me know what you guys are thinking, if you like how the story is developing or yell at me to update sooner, any or all three would make me seriously happy as well as push me to update sooner. Thanks for reading, I honestly do appreciate each and every one of you. Have a great weekend.