What can I say about this chapter? How do you torture an angel? lol.

Thanks to supernaturalmydreams for beta reading!

T - Tortured
- Set: Alt. version of "Swan Song"

"Yes"
Dean sighed and leaned his forehead against the wheel of the Impala. Sam had said 'yes' despite Lucifer knowing about the horsemen's rings. He had just let his brother go to his doom. He jumped in his seat when his phone rang.

"Yeah?" Dean leaned back in his seat, holding the phone to his ear, uninterested.

"We got him," Castiel said shortly, making Dean sit up straight in the seat.

"Where?" Dean started the car.

"A farm outside the town," Castiel explained.

"That's nice and all, but there's more then one farm around here, Cas!" Dean groaned. Castiel gave him more information and Dean figured it would take about an hour to get there.

"How did you catch him?" Dean asked as the Impala roared down the empty roads out of town.

"An ancient spell. You have to hurry," and with that he hung up.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Dean said back although Castiel had hung up.

"He's in there," Bobby said, pocketing his hands as soon as Dean got out of the Impala. The farm was huge, but appeared to be abandoned. They were standing outside of it, the wind was picking up, and Castiel was actually struggling to stand straight and look serious at the same time.

"So what's the plan?" Dean wondered as he peeked through a crack in the barn door. He saw controlled fire somewhere inside and Dean knew it had to be holy fire.

"There's a good and a bad thing," Castiel warned.

"Of course there is," Dean shrugged, turning his back to the barn to look at his friends.

"We have captured him in a large ring of holy fire. We can try and get him into the cage, but we need the rings. Which Lucifer has," Bobby explained.

"That's the good part or the bad part?" Dean wasn't really sure where this was going.

"No. The good thing is that we can try and save Sam in the process," Castiel continued,

"But in order to do that you have to pry Lucifer out of your brother.
Dean frowned,

"And how are we supposed to do that?"
Castiel and Bobby looked at each other, but didn't answer.

"The bad thing?" Dean sighed loudly.

"The only suggestion I have is to torture him out of his vessel," Castiel explained.

"What? That's going to kill Sam!" Dean raised his voice.

"It might, but there's always a chance it won't, Dean. Don't you want to take that chance? It's either that or get Lucifer into the cage with Sam. If you prefer that option..." Castiel trailed off, knowing Dean wouldn't be able to live with himself if he sent Sam into hell and devil's cage if there was a possibility of saving him. Castiel wanted to try it. Sam was his friend too and he wanted the best for Dean.

"If he doesn't survive it..." Bobby swallowed a lump in his throat,

"You guys've seen what Heaven's like. You even said it wasn't too bad."

"Pamela said that, not me," Dean groaned and rubbed his forehead and temples with his hand. He didn't want to send Sam to Hell. But torture him? How could he? He just had to hope Lucifer wouldn't push him too far during the torture. "Okay," he nodded before heading straight over to the door and vanished into the barn.

"I really hope you have a good plan because I'm tired of seeing how suicidal you Winchesters are," Lucifer stood at one end of the large circle of holy fire with his arms across his chest. Dean could clearly see the self-assured smirk across his brother's face, though he really had no problem seeing that it was Lucifer in there. The devil's smile only widened when he didn't get an answer. Dean walked around the outside of the circle, closer to the side where Lucifer stood.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Lucifer mocked and turned to stand face to face with Dean.

"We got a plan," Dean said shortly, not a muscle moved on his face.

"Well then. Why don't you come into the circle with me? Try whatever you like." Lucifer backed away, just a step, and it caused Dean to flinch a bit. Lucifer frowned before smirking again, not saying anything. Dean readjusted the grip on his weapon behind his back, walking around the circle again to try and get closer to Lucifer without stepping into the circle.

"Wouldn't be a fair fight would it? You're no man," Dean mocked and Lucifer reacted the way he wanted - turning back around. Just as he was turning Sam's body, Dean brought out the crowbar in a swift movement and hit Lucifer on the side of the neck. Sam's body went down, but it would be to no use if Lucifer wasn't knocked out by it. Dean didn't wait a second to jump into the circle when he saw that Lucifer moved - still awake. Wounds that would usually kill a human, like a stab to the heart, would be superficial to an angel, but he knew it was possible to knock them out through their vessels. Dean closed his eyes as he swung the crowbar again, not wanting to see his brother's body getting hurt by his hands. The final blow to the body knocked Lucifer out, but Dean had no idea for how long.

"Bobby! Cas! Hurry!" Dean shouted, throwing the crowbar out of the circle of fire. He knelt down to Sam's body and checked for a pulse. Satisfied that Sam was still alive in there, he dragged his body over to one of the beams holding the barn roof up. Dean silently thanked his friends for leaving the one beam inside the circle of fire. Bobby and Cas came running in with different kinds of equipment that would hold Lucifer in place.

"Handcuffs, Cas? Kinky," Dean joked without even a smile on his lips.

"It's covered in enochian sigils. Lucifer won't be able to get out of it," Castiel explained while Dean brought Sam's arms around the beam and cuffed them together.

"It didn't exactly go after the plan with Alastair," Dean reminded Castiel and the old angel bowed his head as in shame.

"That won't happen again. I'll make sure of that," Castiel tried to comfort. Dean was about to make a rude comment back when there came a groan from somewhere on the floor.

"Back with us, yeah?" Dean knelt down in front of Lucifer who started pulling at the handcuffs holding him in place.

"Handcuffs? Kinky," Lucifer snorted and rolled his eyes. Dean turned to look at Castiel who looked rather amused by the repeated comment. Lucifer shook Sam's head and then looked down at his vessel's chest and shoulder,

"Ouch. You know, was it really worth bashing your brother's head in just to knock me out? It'll leave more damage on him than me," Lucifer said without looking up, watching the blood run down Sam's neck, his neck, and down his chest.

"It's the risk I had to take," Dean said and stood up. Lucifer grunted annoyed as he tried to get to his feet, not feeling like sitting with two humans and a pity excuse of an angel standing over him. He craned his neck to look at the beam, sighing loudly when he saw the enochian sigils carved into the wood as well.

"Thumbs up for creativity," Lucifer snorted and looked down to meet Dean's eyes again. Dean stepped closer and dug a hand into Sam's pocket, grabbing the four rings of the Horsemen. He never broke his eye contact with Lucifer, hoping to recognize Sam somewhere in there, but all he saw was Lucifer's smug face.

"Ah. You expect me to just jump into the cage since you caught me in holy fire?" Lucifer shook his head and laughed. Dean grabbed Sam's chin, silencing Lucifer.

"Why doesn't the Devil himself have a weapon on his own? The angels had these nice little things," Dean asked and held up one of the angel knives they had collected the last couple of days. Lucifer was no longer smiling. Every little bit of him wanted to rip Dean apart and the humiliation of being under the control of a human was a disgrace. All he could do was look down at the long blade in Dean's other hand. Dean gripped Sam's face harder again to get his focus back up.

"I don't need some little pig poker," Lucifer sneered.

"You sure could use one now though, right?" Dean mocked, letting go of Sam's face and looked over his brother's body. At least Lucifer hadn't been abusing Sam's body. His mind, on the other hand, probably wasn't as lucky.

"Let me talk to him," Dean said quietly.

"So you two can take control and drag me into Hell? I don't think so," Lucifer said quietly. Dean took a deep breath and held up the tip of the angel sword to Sam's shoulder and closed his eyes. Then he shoved it forward and into his brother's shoulder. Lucifer screamed and threw his head back, but soon enough the scream mixed with laughter. Lucifer looked down again at the blade in his vessel's shoulder then up at Dean.

"You humans... you... don't deserve this planet when... when you think torturing your brother will... will be enough to get me back in hell..." Lucifer panted, face inches from Dean's, who still held the blade in a firm hand. He hoped he had calculated right by stabbing Sam there. It was a shoulder wound and if he was able to avoid the biggest veins, it shouldn't be a deathly wound. He pulled the blade out and Lucifer wheezed in pain.

"Dean," Castiel spoke up and Dean turned around and walked over.

"What?" Dean grimaced at Sam's blood on his hands.

"I have a chant that might help Sam," Castiel explained.

"Why are you saying this now?" Dean had to strain himself from yelling.

"The chant can only be used by one angel on another, but they don't work on archangels. It might, however, help Sam getting control for a little. Let me do that while you and Bobby open the cage," Castiel turned in the direction of Lucifer, but Dean grabbed his upper arm.

"But I thought you weren't an angel anymore," Dean asked.

"I will never be just a human Dean, but you're right. We have to try though," Castiel waited for Dean's answer and when he got a nod he walked closer to Lucifer, but stayed outside the circle. Dean clutched the rings in his hand and stood in front of Lucifer again. The archangel bowed his head as Castiel ranted on in enochian, puffs of breath escaping his lips. When Lucifer looked up again he was smirking, but Sam's forehead was wrinkled in pain and slowly blood started running from his nose and ears.

"Cas..." Dean warned, but Castiel kept going. Suddenly, Lucifer cried out again and his face changed completely to a look that was all Sam; Sam in pain, but Sam nonetheless.

"Sam?" Dean stepped closer to the shuddering figure. Sam looked up to meet Deans eyes and tears ran down his cheeks.

"Open it. Now," Sam wheezed and looked at the rings in Dean's hand.

"But..." Dean rolled the rings around in his hand. He wanted to get Lucifer out of Sam, but it was already clear that they wouldn't be able to torture him out. Torturing a demon like Alastair was one thing. Dean knew loads of weaknesses in demons, but an archangel? How else would they torture an angel then with the angel blade? He didn't know what else to do.

"Okay," Dean sighed and looked away from Sam's begging eyes. He threw the rings onto the ground inside the circle of holy fire and spoke the words Death had told him. The barn floor broke apart and hay and dirt vanished into the hole that was growing.

"Dean!" Castiel shouted of the roar of wind. Dean spun around to see Castiel and Bobby pointing at Sam. Dean nodded and hurried over to unlock the handcuffs.

"You can do this, Sam," Dean whispered into Sam's ear before finally getting the cuffs off. Sam was pulling away from the beam as soon as he was loose and stepped closer to the hole in the ground. The holy fire was still intact and Dean knew Castiel had probably done something to it so it wouldn't go out so easily or spread in the barn.

"Thank you," Sam gasped and held onto the wound on his shoulder. Dean just nodded, but frowned when Sam turned around again to look at him.

"And the Oscar goes to..." Sam smirked and pointed both hands on himself. Dean's face was full of shock in seconds and by that time Lucifer was on him, holding him against the beam and punching his face.

"How well do you actually know your brother when you can't even tell him from me?" Lucifer mocked. The cage was still roaring behind them and the circle of fire was still flaming. Lucifer wasn't going anywhere just yet, and right now he only had one thing in mind: to finally finish off Dean Winchester. Dean was crying now and desperately grabbed Sam's wounded shoulder and jabbed his fingers into the wound. Lucifer grimaced, but more in disgust than pain. He was about to say something when a shot sounded. Lucifer kept his hold on Dean, but looked over Dean's shoulder at Castiel who had the Colt in his hands, standing in front of Bobby.

"No..." Dean tried to wince, realizing his nose had to be broken, but right now it was the shot wound in Sam's forehead that pained him. Lucifer's face turned sympathetic and sad as he put a hand to the shot wound. He could heal it, but his vessel was a no go...

"You know what that means," Lucifer said and looked at Dean, whose eyes were full of tears,

"It's all me now."
Dean felt something cold shoved back into his hands and knew it was the angel blade.

"I love you, little brother," he cried in a whisper before shoving the blade into Lucifer's chest and through his heart. Lucifer howled in pain again and staggered backward, reaching for the blade, but Dean was too quick for him. Dean grabbed both sides of Lucifer's neck, just to feel what was left of Sam before giving the body a push. Lucifer, being disorientated and in pain, reacted too late and lost balance as Dean let go.

"I'm so sorry, Dean," Castiel was grimacing in mental pain. He knew he had just killed Sam, but they all knew by now that they couldn't get Lucifer into the cage without Sam.

"I thought it'd be better if Sam was dead going into Hell," Castiel was close to crying himself, but Dean didn't care. He knew why his friend had done it, but it didn't hurt any less. Bobby was trying to hide an unstoppable sniffle as he put out the holy fire. The barn was still standing, but there were missing planks in the walls and ceiling and all the hay that had been there was gone. The hole was gone too, with Sam and Lucifer in the cage. Dean knelt where the hole had been, crying into his hands.

"You and your brother saved the world tonight," Bobby tried to look at the bright side of what should be a happy day. He had to keep drying away tears himself though. Sam was like a son to him and the sickening sight of the bullet finding mark in his head was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Oh god," Dean choked and leaned forward until his forehead rested against the floor. Suddenly everything turned white. When Dean opened his eyes again, he was behind the wheel of the Impala, Castiel and Bobby were nowhere to be seen.

Dean was driving seemingly in no particular direction, but he knew where he was going. He had promised Sam to go to Lisa's if they succeeded. He didn't want to. He wanted to save Sam again, but knew he couldn't. Cas dropped in just moments later, explaining that God had given Dean what he wanted, a normal world...no paradise, no hell. But it wasn't what Dean wanted most; he wanted his brother back...apparently that was the one thing he couldn't have. Castiel had gotten his wish for getting Lucifer back in his cage: all powers back and even a little more. Castiel vanished before Dean could ask what Bobby had gotten out of it all.
Dean didn't know how long he could do it...live an apple pie life and while knowing his one weakness, his little brother, was dead and in hell. He would try to honor Sam's wish, but Dean knew himself well enough to know that it wouldn't last. He couldn't act like nothing had happened -as if Sam never existed. He had raised Sam, grown up with him, been everywhere with him, and loved him. Letting his brother stay gone would be easier said than done.