Sweeping mists rose from the swamp, swallowing the three of them.

Instinctively, they held onto each other. Madison was freezing. It was colder now and they were drenched. It wasn't good to be in the water much longer.

There was the slightest shiver of water as something slid towards them. It was silent except for the betraying ripples that lapped at their thighs.

Madison tugged at Deans collar and Dean pulled Cas' sleeve closer to him. This had to be it.

A boat slid into view, it was further out than the ripples had suggested. It was old and rotting, it looked like a wreck that should be at the bottom of the sea.

Madison pulled Dean towards it and they clamboured their way inside. It was empty. Devoid of a captain or passengers.

"How does this work, then?" Dean gestured at the featureless shell.

"I have no idea. I figured there would be a guy." Madison shrugged, patting the side. The boat juddered, then began picking up speed. All around was fog, they couldn't see anything. They could have been racing to the worlds end and wouldn't have known it.

"Strange. This boat, it seems to have its own driving force." Cas frowned at the boat, he leaned down, stroking the dead wood.

He whispered enochian and the boat slowed, turning direction, speeding up again. Still barely making a splash.

"You gotta be kidding. Is this some sort of monster-boat?" Dean threw up his hands melodramatically.

Suddenly the boat shuddered, causing water to splash over Dean.

"I think you hurt its feelings." Madison smirked.

Dean glowered, "sorry, 'mister boat'".

"Not much of a ghost ship I will admit, though." Madison inspected.

"It was a lifeboat. It appeared to those lost of sea, and took them to land." Cas said, his ear to the side.

"Are you talking to it?" Dean asked, incredulously.

"I'm listening." Cas replied, staunchly.

"This place…." Dean muttered under his breath.

"Dean?" Dean tilted his head to look at Madison, she was sitting opposite him. Her fingers tracing where oars might once have sat, if ghost ships had them.

"Yeah?"

"Did you ever find… a cure for-?" She looked down, ashamed. Her hair looped down, covering her as if every part of her wished to be unseen.

"Why the sudden care?" Dean lifted her head.

Her eyes flicked between him and Cas.

"Seeing you have the opportunity of going home… you know, I do miss it."

Dean looked at Cas, thought of the things he'd already planned to do when he got home. Hug his brother so damn hard, appreciate the blue sky, bake pie, show Cas some classic movies. And he'd only been here… for however long.

"What do you miss the most?"

Madison smiled fondly, "It's pretty silly but my bed, I miss the safety and comfort of it. Of just lying there without a care in the world, and not worrying about surviving all the time. Just snuggling up with a hot chocolate and a good book. I can't remember the last book I read."

Dean nodded, "if you did want to come back…" but he didn't finish. This wasn't Benny. She couldn't survive off donor hearts. They weren't exactly a pound a penny.

"It's alright, Dean. I know that's over for me. I was just daydreaming." Madison smiled softly but her eyes were hard as she dispelled the fantasy. Dean respected that, she wasn't going to let her dreams rule her. She was living for the now, for what she had.

"We're close."

Dean looked up; the fog was tinted with blue light like they had seen above the City.

"Hopefully it's taking us to the backdoor." Dean peered through the mists as if he would be able to make something out by narrowing his eyes.

And very slowly, he could. From the mists emerged what looked like a forest of frozen lightning. It looked like it went on for miles. Vibrant, shocks of brightness chained to the floor. He noticed the constant buzz in his ears grow in volume, much more of that and he might go mad.

The boat shuddered to a stop.

Dean instantly turned to Cas, understanding. Cas' eyes were glued ahead. His cheeks were lined, the moisture shining in their light. His hand was gripping the side of the boat so tightly, his knuckles were white.

"Make it stop." His voice was brittle, a quiet child from the awesome deity Dean knew.

"I'm sorry, Cas." Dean turned him away, holding him against his chest tightly. He kept him there, trying to protect him but unable to. "I'm so sorry."

"Dean." He glanced up at Madison who was looking back to shore. He followed her gaze and saw an older man. His hair was a shocking white, and he wore a black hoody and trousers. He didn't seem like a threat, more like he was just curious.

Still.

"What do you want?" Dean shouted, reluctantly standing up from Cas.

"Just wondering if you were about to disembark 'cause if you are you better do it quick. That boat won't hang round!" Just as he said it, the boat started drifting backwards.

"Shit!" Dean grabbed Cas and dragged him to shore. Madison was close behind. They jumped off the boat, turning to see it speed back into the mist.

"Hey!" Dean stayed close to Cas as Madison ran after the white-haired guy who had already started walking off. "Where are we, exactly?"

The guy stopped, his shoulders tensed and Dean shifted so he was in front of Cas. There was something off about this man. Dean noticed Madison take her left foot back, crouching ever so slightly.

Very slowly, the guy turned around. He was grinning in a sick manner, his arms splayed out and he roared, "Welcome to Hell, ladies and gentlemen, for these are your damned angels!" He pronounced damned in two syllables, and spat the word 'angels'. Dean could feel Cas' anger behind him.

Madison took another step back, coming to the same conclusion as Dean. This one had lost his marbles a long time ago.

The guy locked on to her movement and rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

Madison visibly bristled, her retreat stopped. "How do we get to the City, old man?"

He barked a laugh then smiled slyly. "With a fee."

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"He hasn't killed John." Sherlock locked eyes with Sam.

"How do you know that?"

"... There's a live feed."

"What?"

Sherlock shows Sam the email with just a hyperlink in it. They click on it to reveal a web page where John is sitting blindfolded, shackled to a brick wall. There are cobwebs all over the wall, dust lines the floor around him. He's still but his chest moves with his breath, his head is hanging.

He didn't look hurt, just tired and uncomfortable. Sam wondered if he knew he was being filmed.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"He sent it this morning."

"I could track this surely better than an email. It feels a bit... "

"Easy." Sherlock nodded, his voice grave.

After a lot of searching, Sam found it. It was a farm.

"It's huge." Sam whistled, "that's a lot of barns for one farm."

"But we found them." Sherlock glanced at the array of knives he had been throwing at the wall. "Now, how do we get him?"

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"What kind of fee?" Dean shouted from in front of Cas, stalking closer. The guy leered at him, but his leer quickly turned surprised, his head tilted and his eyes closed. He took a long drag of air through his nose, his eyes snapping open as he pointed at Dean.

"Human. You smell human." He drawled, stretching his arms behind his back. Dean stiffened, glancing back at Cas who was aiming his best death stare at this dickhead.

"What's that to you?" Madison stood her ground, balling her fists.

The guy glanced between the three of them amusedly, then held up his hands in mock surrender. "Nothing, nothing at all. In fact your fee just became a lot cheaper. All I want is information, and I think your companions are just the ones to supply it. We'll start with the angel in human skin."

Before Dean could stop him, Cas was storming ahead, the dude didn't even back off. They ended up nose to nose, and Dean had to awkwardly clear his throat before anyone spoke.

"Why are they screaming?" Cas growled in his husky tone. The guy slowly smiled, it was almost like he wanted to be killed.

"So you are an angel."

"Answer me!" Cas shoved him backwards, and Dean thought of that alleyway so long ago. This guy didn't want to rile Cas any more than he already had.

As if he'd heard Dean's thought, the guy started laughing hysterically, his head flung backwards. Cas stopped, turning his glare on Dean who just shrugged and did the 'he's crazy' gesture at his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't answer your question." He coughed, picking himself up from balancing his hands on his knees. "My head is already too full to take in your angels screams but using logic, I'd say whoever locked them down here didn't want them to live comfortably."

Cas glowered at him for a second longer before he hung his head. Yes. They betrayed Heaven, their punishment wouldn't be enviable.

The guy seemed more content after his fit of laughter and he shrugged, "I look after them as much as they can be looked after. I keep the monsters from hurting them, and I try to talk to them, but most of them are beyond anything I can offer."

Cas stared harder at him after that, trying to understand this strange man who knew about angels and called the purgatory people monsters despite supposedly being one himself, and had declared himself carer of his fallen kind.

"What's your name, mister?" Madison now stood next to Cas, her arms crossed, but seeming more comfortable.

"Dr. John Smith," He seemed pleased.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Original."

"I'll take my fee as we walk, it's not too far but I'd stay close. Even monsters seek the light in dark places."

"And how do you protect yourself from these monsters?" Madison was obviously peeved at his continued use of the word.

"Easily," and Dean thought he glowed somewhat.

"This is gonna be fun." Dean started trudging after him; but he turned back when he sensed Cas not following. "Cas?"

"It must be the screams." Madison breathed. Dean nodded, trying to imagine what it would be like. To enter a strange land, and to find your people chained and screaming and not being able to do anything. It was a hopeless sensation.

Dean walked back, tried waving his hand in front of Cas' eyes when he didn't acknowledge his presence, but he was completely transfixed.

"Cas, come on, man." He grasped his shoulder.

And Cas turned, and for one infinite second Dean was filled with terror. Cas' eyes were empty, his face full of anger and pain, and Dean froze. And even before it happened, he knew it would. He didn't let go. Cas punched him, hard, much harder than he'd expected. Dean went down, but he still held onto Cas' arm.

"It's okay, Cas." His voice was muffled and he spat out a globule of blood, and maybe a tooth. He sucked in a breath, igniting a fresh wave of pain. He lifted his throbbing head, and Cas was standing in shock. His eyes alive with guilt and something Dean wouldn't identify.

"Dean, I-" Cas glanced at his hand then locked onto Dean's grip on his arm.

"No. It's fine." Dean grunted, looking down, hiding his face. "Let's just go."

"No, it's not." Cas knelt, lifting Dean's face. "I never want to hurt you again. I don't know what just happened, but it's no excuse." He pressed two fingers to Deans forehead and Dean tried his best not to flinch, he didn't want Cas to back off.

For a second, Cas faltered. "It's not working. I forgot-" Panic bubbled through his system, and then Dean felt the pain subside, his mouth felt calm again and he sagged in relief.

"Guess your angels are helping." Dean coughed sappily.

Cas nodded, picking Dean up under the arm without his permission. "Thank you."

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