Warnings: Torture, angst, death.

Chapter 21

The moment Loki left the room behind Bobby, Sam knew he would have to deal with an irritated brother. Sighing, he turned to Dean who was glaring at him, Dean's green eyes narrowed and the beginnings of a rant on the tip of his tongue. Deciding it would be best if he started what he knew was going to be an interesting conversation Sam ran a hand though his hair before he spoke.

"I want him to tell me, I know that you know what he is… or at least have a pretty good idea, and I get it, I do… but I want it to be on Loki's terms. There's a reason he's hiding what he is, and I don't want him to be outed when he's not ready."

"You don't even know… he could be something dangerous Sammy! If we're right on this he is something dangerous, something we don't even know how to fight. Bobby and I started pulling double time once the idea was in our heads, and we still can't figure out how to gank him if it comes down to it."

"It wont."

While Sam understood where Dean was coming from, there was conviction in his voice. There was no way Loki would do anything that would force them to even consider killing him. Whatever he was, one thing Sam knew was Loki was old and if he hadn't needed to be killed by now than there was no reason for them to think they had the right. Sure, Sam knew Loki had killed people before, had probably even accepted human sacrifices in his prime of being a god, but he wasn't evil. Loki had never hidden anything Sam wanted to know besides his species, had spoke about his family and his tricks through the ages. He spoke of how he had created his human form, meaning he was something without form beforehand, something older than even the Old Norse gods.

"You can't know that, he could turn Dark-side… everything has its breaking point Sammy, you know that."

Yeah, he knew everything broke, everything could be turned against the world if the wrong circumstances happened. Loki wouldn't turn though, he couldn't, not after all this time on Earth. Shaking his head, Sam locked eyes with Dean, making sure his older brother understood he wasn't budging on this.

"I may not know what he is Dean, but he's made it no secret how old he is. If he had a breaking point, I think he already overcame it. From what he's told me I would guess he turned into the Norse version of the Devil for a reason, that was his Dark-side and he's moved past that. Sure, he still plays tricks, but he's always trying to teach a lesson… from what I can gather of before, he just wanted to cause pain. I may not know what he is, but I know who he is."

Instead of an answer, Dean sighed loudly. If Loki didn't tell him soon, Sam guessed Dean would, but at least Sam could buy Loki some time. While it didn't matter to Sam what Loki was, it seemed to matter to the god. It was the one secret he had tried to keep, had successfully kept for centuries.

"Well if you're not going to let me tell you, we should get a list ready for your boyfriend."

Grinning, Sam stood up and took a notebook from one of the tables along with a pen. Sitting back down he tried to write down the questions that he had, of the many things that the demon could tell them, but nothing came to mind. The only thing he could think of was a question Sam wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to. Placing the pen to paper he started with a few things he knew Dean wanted to know. Why them? Why their mother? What game was Azazel playing? Why six months for the kids? As Sam started writing he filled about half a page before he passed the pen and paper over to Dean who wrote down a couple more things before passing it back.

Still Sam couldn't write down the one question he wanted. He knew the answer logically, but he also knew the answer the demon would give him regardless on if it was the truth. There was only one being who couldn't lie to him, and Loki wouldn't know the answer. Neither Sam nor Dean were much for talking as they got the weapons ready, instead they worked in silence with well-practiced movements. This was it, finally they would have the answers they had waited their whole lives for, and in a short while yellow-eyes would be dead, not just banished but dead.

Once the bag was packed, Dean flung it over his shoulder and with a look they both made their way out the door. Sam clutched slightly at the pad of paper in his hand while they made their way to where Bobby would have taken Loki. Seeing Loki, no matter the circumstance, made something in Sam rejoice. A part of it was the piece of Loki that was inside him, but most of the joy was from his own heart and soul. Sam could feel the love he held for the being in front of him with every part of his being. Smiling at the god, his steps quickened a bit to come closer.

Loki seemed to have the same idea as he took a couple steps closer before they met. While he wanted nothing more than to hold Loki tight and never let go Sam knew it wasn't logical. Loki, it seemed didn't get the memo, as soon as Sam was close enough there was a hand on the back of his neck and his head was being pulled down. Sam couldn't help the smile as he pressed his lips against Loki's, wrapping his arms around the god and pressing them together. Even though he had to bend to and almost awkward angle to kiss him Sam wouldn't give it up for the world. Eventually he needed to pull back, even though Loki was wrapped around him so comfortably.

"Did you get everything set up? Dean and I brought a few things to play defense and finished our list of questions if you want to give them a look over."

"All business with you, I swear you have no idea how to have fun."

The wink Loki sent him was playful despite the seriousness of the situation. Still Sam ignored the fact his brother and father-figure were watching him and reached behind Loki to grope his ass, getting a squeak from the god. Leaning down Sam placed his mouth beside Loki's ear and whispered to him, a smirk on his face.

"We can have all the fun you want once this is done, business then pleasure Loki."

"I'll hold you to it Samsquatch."

With that Loki let go, taking the notebook from Sam's lax hand while turning to the ritual site. Sam watched as he glanced down at the questions, his eyes darting past the page before nodding his head. With a snap of fingers, the notebook vanished. Moving to Dean, Sam took out a shotgun and started to gear up along with the two hunters.

"So which one of you bozos is the best at drawing runes?"

Slightly startled at the question, Sam wondered what Loki needed. As he turned to look at the god Sam felt his mouth go dry. Loki was shirtless, his feet bare and his jeans having been changed to a loose pair of what seemed to be satin paints. While he had seen Loki naked many times, the god seemed to hate clothing, the way the pants sat on his hips tied together with silk ties off to the side, made Loki look the god Sam knew him to be.

"Might want to wipe your mouth Samantha I think there's some drool there."

Sam knew Dean was just teasing him, but Sam couldn't help but check with the back of his hand to make sure he wasn't drooling at his lover. Loki caught the motion and smirked which damnit made him even more attractive. Now was not the time to get hard.

"I'll do it, scared if Sam goes anywhere near ya we might not see you until the next moon. Would like to get this done today if you don't mind."

Shaking his head at Bobby's voice, Sam felt a little dejected he wasn't going to be the one doing whatever it was that Loki wanted. With another snap Bobby soon had a drawing in his hands and Loki was in front of him holding a jar of what looked like blood with the handle of a paintbrush sticking out the top.

"I need you to paint the first three on my back and the other two on my chest, try not to let it drip all over the place if you can help it, yeah?"

And then just like that Loki turned and Bobby began drawing sigils on Loki's back. They weren't complicated in the strictest sense, but Sam knew even the slightest mistake could cause them to be completely useless. Loki didn't offer any explanation on what they were, and Sam wasn't sure he really wanted to know. Once Bobby was done of his back Loki turned around and let the older hunter paint his chest in a bit more complicated a pattern. It should have been a wake-up call, should haven gotten Sam in a hunter mindset, but the sight of the pagan god being prepared for a ritual made something hot sing in Sam's blood.

As Bobby finished up, Sam and Dean were ready for the fight. They had only seen Bobby hunt a handful of times, but his eyes were closing off much the same way they knew their own had. There was something about getting ready for a hunt, the way part of their minds would shut off and their more primal brain would take over. It was normally those moments Sam hated, when he had to shut himself down so to speak. Now though his more primal brain was aided by a bright light he knew was the piece of Loki. That light was warm and protective, a piece of ancient power that he knew would protect him much the same way the pagan himself would.

"Okay, so once the ritual starts I need you all to remember that walking into the circle is more of less a deathtrap. Do NOT enter no matter what you see or hear, you guys keep the nasties away, if you can throw them in and I'll take care of them along with Azazel. Some of the things you want to know, I actually know the answer to, we can have a Q and A after."

Without another word, Loki walked to the middle of the circle, unlike usual he didn't snap his fingers to make the magic work. Instead Loki closed his eyes and Sam could see a slight glow from the blood which was marking his skin. Just like in the movies the wind seemed to pick up around the being, his hair which was loose blew in the wind along with the pants he was wearing. As Loki lifted his hands, Sam could feel the electricity in the air, Bobby and Dean were watching the scene out of the corner of their eyes, but Sam couldn't look away.

Loki was beautiful. It was something Sam had thought about more than once as they lay in bed together, but here like this with the power flowing through him he could see it more clearly. It was getting dark, the sun having only an hour or so left in the sky, but Sam could see a slight glow come from the being. His head titled back, face to the sky, Loki flicked his wrist and a small ball of fire came from his hand and quickly traveled along the edge of the circle and lit the candles sitting there. In the wind, Sam could distantly hear a chanting. Loki's lips weren't moving, his eyes closed while his head remained tilted to the sky, but Sam could hear Loki as he chanted almost in prayer.

The moment the chanting stopped Loki's head snapped to the ground. His whole body darted forward, his hand placed on the ground. For a moment, Sam feared that the god was harmed by the ritual, maybe Bobby got one of the runes wrong? Instead there was a warm red glow from where Loki had his hand and slowly as the god pulled back there was something attached to his hand. Sam didn't know what to expect, but slowly Loki pulled a staff from the ground until it was out completely and came up to Loki's shoulders. It didn't seem to be made of anything Sam had seen before, instead of wood or even gold it was a shimmering blue and didn't look quite metal.

Loki's staff. While Thor was known for his hammer, Loki was known for a spear, but it seemed the tales were a bit off. While the tip looked pointed at the curved end Sam would never call it a spear by any sense of the imagination. Once the weapon was in his grasp Loki opened his mouth and started to speak, his words not in any language Sam knew. The power which had paused as Loki drew his staff seemed to crash upon the area before there was another body before Loki. The man wasn't much to look at, dark blond hair probably in his mid to late forties and nothing making him stand out. Nothing but his glowing yellow eyes.

"Well well well, I must say I wasn't expecting a pagan when I came a runnin'. Your kind isn't known for playing bitch to a couple of hunters."

Before Loki could say anything, yellow-eyes was turning and looking at Sam almost like he was looking through him. Whatever it was he saw made Azazel hesitate slightly, it also caused Sam to realize his head wasn't in the game. Glancing around it didn't look like anything was out of place, Dean and Bobby were still looking for anything that might have tagged along but weren't firing shots.

"Sammy, I thought you knew better… if you wanted to chat you could have just asked."

The growl that tore through Loki's throat was pure animal. It was loud and possessive in a way Loki had yet to truly show. Absently, Sam noticed Loki had moved from in the middle of the circle to right in front of the demon. His face was displaying pure fury, his eyes glowing the same way that they did sometimes while they were alone, in a way that let Sam know this wasn't just a god he shared his bed with, but one of the more powerful ones.

"It is I who summoned you here Azazel, and it will be I who destroys you. You will leave Samuel Winchester, he belongs to me."

Sam didn't know what he was expecting but the laugh yellow-eyes gave wasn't it. It was mocking in a way Sam didn't like.

"Yours? You think that he's yours? That boy has belonged to someone else since the day he was born, solidified by my blood given the night his mommy went up in flames. Do you really think you have a claim on him? Listen pagan you have no power here, soon you'll be nothing more than decomposing organs."

They moved then, almost too fast for Sam to catch with his human eyes. Loki was so graceful when he moved, like water flowing, not once did he stop. Yellow-eyes wasn't something to laugh at though, even though the man he was possessing didn't seem the fighting type the demon inside him was. They traded blows for what felt like eternity but could have only been a few minutes before Loki gained the upper hand. Flipping the demon, Loki had him on the ground his staff pressed against the others neck, and Sam could catch a flash of silver at the pointed top before it was pressing against the demon's throat.

"Now the boys have a few questions, we'll see how well you answer and then we can talk about how quickly you want to die. We'll start with something simple, shall we? How did you get inside the house of Mary Campbell the night of her death?"

The demon didn't want to answer for a moment and the second he tried to one of the runes on Loki's chest glowed slightly before he pressed the tip of the staff a bit more against his throat. A small trickle of blood started to form from the puncture, but Loki paid it no mind as they waited for the answer.

"Same way the hellhounds do. She made a deal. Life of the man she loved, and I get one free pass at her home to cash in whenever I want. Thought I wanted her, but the moment she had little Sammy we knew, and I claimed my end of the deal."

"And John?"

"We have no more use for him, not now that the boys are all grown and trained up. He's strung up, personal favourite down in the pit."

"Jessica?"

"Couldn't let Sammy get a taste of the sweet life, bad for business you know?"

On and on the questions went, Sam listened but he couldn't feel anything. It was like his entire system was shut down as question after question came out and was answered. Keeping a close eye on the rune which had glowed before, Sam noticed it wasn't set off again. Based on that, Sam could guess what yellow-eyes was saying was truth, he wasn't lying as he explained practically their whole lives. Learning they had been babysat by demons of all things from time to time made Sam's skin crawl but he couldn't move. Still Sam noticed while he asked most of what was on the list, not once did Loki ask the one question which was burning the back of his mind.

"Why me? What makes me so special?"

Yellow-eyes smiled then, blood was still flowing down his neck from where the tip of the staff was digging in. He was at the mercy of a pagan god who had already told him he was dying tonight, and he was smiling. Before Azazel could answer though the staff glowed a soft blue light and instead of words coming out of his mouth it was a scream.

"You are here to answer my questions, and my questions alone."

Sam didn't know how to feel about that, he was about to get a response, and while he knew he wouldn't like the answer it would have been an answer none the less. Instead Loki was stopping him, was preventing him from knowing the answer to the question which had pledged Sam most of his life.

"You know." Stated Azazel.

It was only a whisper, but it was said with such force Sam couldn't doubt it. The way that the demon was looking at Loki like he was seeing him for the first time. In that moment Sam wondered if Azazel knew what Loki was, if he understood what kind of power he was dealing with.

"I've always known, but it will be me who tells him. Now I have only one more question for you, I want a name. Who has been spoon feeding you the script? I want to know who upstairs thought it was a good idea to set this in motion."

"You really think that we couldn't-"

Another scream cut off Azazel's sentence, another flash of light and the demon was screaming. Only this time it didn't stop right away, no it looked like he was fighting against his own body. Sam could see the skin begin to bubble, and it came with a startling realization Loki was boiling his blood. The very thought made Sam feel sick, no matter what monster Loki was doing this too, it was horrifying to watch.

"Wow, remind me never to piss your boyfriend off."

Startled for a moment at the sound of Dean's voice, Sam turned to look at Dean and glaring slightly before turning back to Loki. Bobby was still on guard, and Dean was right there, he could afford to watch this.

"Give me the name Azazel!"

Another scream before a name was shouted alongside it. Zachariah. The scream seemed to trigger something as Loki cursed before jabbing his staff into Azazel's neck completely, a bright flash of light before the body was still. Sam had no doubt the demon was gone now, killed in a way they had always hoped for but never really expected to happen. Not a second after there was a new player on the field, and Sam remembered why they were there, backup. Raising his gun, Sam watched as the man walked right past Dean and inside the circle with Loki.

Loki didn't seem startled at the other man, almost like he was expecting him. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but Sam noticed Loki never let go of his staff and held the weapon tightly, ready for battle. There was a strange sound before another man was at the edge of the circle, this one looking right at Dean. For a moment nobody said anything, the newest man who was wearing a trench-coat of all things, merely tilted his head and then looked to the other two, dismissing them. Sam felt like he should have felt insulted, but oddly he didn't feel like this being meant them harm. The one in the circle though did not seem friendly at all, and he was in the circle with his mate.

"Zachariah." Loki spoke, his voice soft as if testing a word he hadn't heard before.

"Do you know what you have done pagan? You're lucky that we held no more use for the demon or else you would be nothing more than a stain on the ground. Nowleave and do not interfere with the Winchesters again, they are part of a far greater plan. I will not warn you again."

"Samuel Winchester belongs to me."

It was something Loki had said more than once, something he seemed to say to anyone who asks or threatened his claim. Never had Loki had the same force behind his words, like he was trying to share some hidden meaning with the one before him. Loki knew this man, he knew Zachariah although the man, being, whatever he was, didn't recognize Loki. Zachariah laughed then, the same laugh as yellow-eyes, like he couldn't believe the one before him was so stupid, almost in pity. But the one standing just to the side of Dean seemed to snap to attention. Sam could only think of a soldier addressing his superior as he stood, although it was hard to tell what caused the reaction.

"The Winchesters are players in a game far more—"

"Samuel Winchester belongs to me, I have claimed him, and I have begun to bond with him. His soul, mind and body belong to me. I have no desire to fight you, but know if you push you will lose, Samuel Winchester is mine and I will kill any who threaten him. You are becoming a threat Zachariah, but you did not know this, continue this path now that you do, and you will force my hand. Please Zachariah do not force me to act on this, don't make me kill you."

Zachariah moved then, a blade in his hand which seemed to be made of a mix of silver and white gold. It was enough to have Loki move, his stance changing to accommodate the threat. This time Sam couldn't keep up as the two moved, only catching the brief flashes of staff against blade when a deep voice pulled his attention away.

"You are his bonded?"

Looking over to the man, Sam was held in place by the blue eyes staring at him, a hint of something, power, shimmering inside him. Instead of answering, Sam nodded his head.

"I find it strange he would choose a human, let alone the boy with the demon blood… but I suppose he never was one to conform to any rules besides that of our father. As you can not breed it is an acceptable choice."

"Wait… you know Loki?"

A flash of blue light before Sam's attention was once again on the man who was standing right in Dean's personal space but seeming to not realize.

"Yes, there are no words in your language to explain our bond. I believe the closest would be brother, although I do not know him as the pagan Loki. He has been lost to us for many centuries, we mourned his death, unnecessarily it seems."

The words stuck something in Sam, this was another being just as old or close enough, to Loki. Sam had always known there was something more to Loki, and the god had told him time and time again that he was something more. But here, right now Sam had something to compare Loki to, something on the same playing field.

"And who exactly are you?"

The harsh question was from Dean who had stepped back slightly, putting himself between Sam and the being he was talking to. Bobby was right behind Sam, his hand still on his gun, his eyes darting around the area and the two fighting inside the circle.

"My name is Castiel, an Angel of the Lord."

An angel.

Castiel was an angel.

There was no denying it, no hint of a lie as Castiel spoke, nothing to give him away. There was nothing to gain pretending to be an angel, nothing. Castiel was an angel, Sam was talking to an angel. Loki's brother… no not Loki. His name wasn't Loki, it was something else, something much more powerful. Dean was saying something, maybe Bobby as well, but Sam couldn't hear them. Instead he was looking at Castiel in pure shock. Suddenly everything seemed to fit together, Loki had told him in not so many words what he was, even before Sam really knew the other being.

"I have three older brothers…"

"Ralph and I are close to the same age…"

"Mike is the oldest…"

"Luci was the second eldest…"

"Right now, he's locked away, Mike was the one who locked him up…"

"Sorry, I know it's weird, but my shoulder blades are really sensitive."

"There isn't much out there more powerful than me, Sammy… like I can count on one hand kind of not much."

"It's the name I made for myself, but not the one that was given to me by Father."

"Even amongst my own kind I'm extremely powerful, enough so that there are only three others at the same power-level as me."

"...of the first four, I'm the only one here down on Earth, the eldest rules back home with the third-born. The second-born though? He's locked up in a cage right now…"

"…trust that my brother getting out is a really terrible thing."

"Faith in any form is a beautiful thing to have…. if you ever want to pray or give thanks or anything you're free to do so without any judgement from me."

Judgement. The first four. Youngest brother. He never mentioned a mother, only his father… The Father. Ralph, Mike, Luci… Raphael, Michael and Lucifer. It wasn't 'essence' that bound them together, it was grace the grace of one of the most powerful beings of all Creation. Loki wasn't an angel, he was an archangel.

Turning away from Castiel, Sam turned to see his lover make another move, only this time Sam could make out the move as Loki once again had a body pinned. In less than a second there was a switch and Loki was holding a blade instead of the staff which seemed to have vanished. In that instant Zachariah must have discovered what Sam did only moments before. He didn't have time to absorb the knowledge before there was a flash of light as Loki stabbed down. When Sam opened his eyes again Zachariah wasn't moving, and there were two large designs of ashes on the ground, wings.

Loki stood up from his hunched position, his body having small cuts but nothing threatening. Still Sam couldn't stop looking at him, knowing now what kind of power the being before him held. Castiel hadn't moved either, although Loki didn't seem to mind his presence, didn't see him as a threat. Instead Sam's' eyes locked with the golden ones of his lover, of his mate, of his angel.

"Gabriel."

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler or Twitter as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, same name as always.