I am sorry that it took me so long again for this update.

Slowly I am losing my ideas for this fic.

And I would appreciate feedback very much, thank you.

Chapter 19

Gently he was placed into the cushion of a huge bed.

But he barely felt it thanks to the persistent pain that seemed to roll over him like a tidal wave. His wounds were burning like pure fire and he writhed and whimpered heartbreaking, but Lucifer just stood over him and gave him a hard and icy look.

The cries of pain of his little brother didn't seem to worry him, as well as the fact that the pain seemed to get stronger in his body. Castiel could writhe and whine as he wanted, Lucifer's heart, or what was left of it, wouldn't soften.

He had to learn a lesson and until he had not learned it and had admitted his mistake, the fallen angel wouldn't take the pain from him. Because said pain would be the one who would teach him to listen to the words of his big brother.

He had quietly slipped away and had fought against the Winchester brothers, and even against the demon Crowley.

Lucifer clenched his hands into fists as he thought of the crossroad demon and how he had dared to mess with his little brother. He had seen how he has commanded his hell hounds to kill the completely exhausted angel. And he had also heard the words with which he had tried to pull Castiel on his side. He had also seen Castiel had fought with Gabriel and how he had tortured Dean.

He had observed it silently from a safe distance, without even one soul had noticed something of it. He had seen Castiel had used his heavenly fire in the battle against his brother and the humans and even the demon, as he was injured and had fallen to the ground. But not once did Lucifer want to interfere.

Castiel thought he possesses enough power to fight against such opponents?

Then he should do it and he now had to deal with the consequences for his foolish behavior.

Now he lay there like a little heap of misery, whined and complained about the pain that gave him his wounds. Tears ran down his flushed cheeks and he squirmed under the pain that seemed to be getting worse.

He looked at Lucifer, begging him silently to help him, but he shouldn't get help.

At least not yet.

He had to learn a lesson!

"L-Lucifer...brother...please...help me!"

The fallen angel still ignored his whining and looked at him with an iron silence and a hard look.

Castiel slowly let his head fall back against the pillow, clung to the already bloody sheets and squeezed his eyes shut tightly as a new wave of pain shot through his body and already let him see stars.

He didn't know what was worse: the slowly spreading, stabbing pain that slowly wandered up his leg or the fiery pain that caused the throbbing wounds on his wings.

If Lucifer wouldn't do something about it, he would go crazy!

As if reading his thoughts, his brother moved slowly toward him and sat down at the foot of the bed. He grabbed the leg on which the long wound Gabriel had inflicted on him was and put it on his lap. Painfully slowly he pulled his thin boot from his foot, always kept doing eye contact with the whimpering angel who squirmed around in his bed and whined like a little baby!

When Castiel didn't return his gaze Lucifer turned his attention to the trembling leg, which now lay on his thighs. Blood stained his pants red but he didn't care for that. He eyed the wound from all sides and held the leg with one hand, so that the Seraphim couldn't pull his leg away from him. The wound was deep and was still bleeding heavily. If Castiel wouldn't be an angel but an ordinary human, he would have died long ago by the heavy loss of blood.

When he was finished with the examination of the wound, he let the leg go again and stood up, just to get a bowl of water and a rag. Castiel watched him out of one eye and managed to furrow his brows.

He didn't know what Lucifer was doing, why he wouldn't just heal him with his grace.

He probably did it just to humiliate him and show him his fault, by treating him like a human, cleaning his wounds like a human would do and let it heal by itself. Otherwise the Seraph couldn't explain this and he didn't care for that any longer, as the pain rushed through his body like a shock wave and made him howl.

"Stop acting like a baby! It's your own fault! I have told you to stay back and that you're not ready yet. But you didn't listen to my words. Now look what it has brought you: nothing but pain and nasty wounds I have to take care of!"

The words hit Castiel exactly where Lucifer had wanted it: In his heart.

In this moment he didn't feel like one of the most powerful angels of God.

No. At that moment he felt like a small, worthless, stupid young angel who couldn't do anything good. And deep inside he knew that Lucifer was right. It was his fault that he was now here and writhed in pain and crying like a little baby.

"I'm sorry...brother...so...sorry..." he whimpered softly, almost in a whisper, but his brother had understood the words.

Silently, the fallen angel sat down at the foot of the bed again, put the injured leg on his own and led the wet rag painfully slow over the deep wound. Castiel moaned loudly in pure pain and clawed into the bed sheets and squirmed against the pain.

"Feel the pain your brothers and sisters have given to you Castiel. Feel the betrayal and the lies that come along with this pain. They are just the beginning. There is still much, much worse to come."

Worse?

It couldn't get worse by now.

He was injured, weakened and his heavenly powers were almost completely consumed, as he had used his angel fire. How could there be any worse?

But he was careful not to say these words out loud.

Instead, he watched how Lucifer continued to clean his wound.

Gently the fallen angel put his hand on top of the wound and only moments later a warm light began to glow under his palm and Castiel could feel how the deep wound closed slowly under his touch. Gradually, the pain disappeared in his leg and his brother took away his hand again and when he wiped the rest of the blood from his leg, he could see that there was nothing left of the wound.

Then the older angel came to his side and sat next to him.

Silently Lucifer looked at the injured wing of his little brother.

The dagger had cut cleanly through two of them and had left ugly wounds.

Although the bleeding had subsided, but he could see how much Castiel still suffered from the pain of these wounds.

"Crowley will pay for this…"

It was only a whisper which left the lips of the king of hell and the words were addressed more to himself than addressed to Castiel, but the young Seraph had heard them anyways.

"What kind of weapon...he had used...to hurt me?"

The words came Castiel with another painful moan about the lips, as Lucifer had stretched out his hand and gently stroked his fingers over the wounds. The wings twitched under his touch, away from his hand and Castiel began to squirm again when the pain became stronger.

"It is an ancient weapon. I don't know where he got it, but we need to beware. We don't know what else of weapons this wretched demon has."

"He told me this dagger would be able to kill even Michael. Is that true?"

Lucifer nodded silently, which made Castiel shiver.

A demon of so much power that could even kill the strongest of all angels was a great danger for all of them.

"What should we do about it?"

Lucifer didn't answer immediately.

He also took care of the wounds on the night-black wings, put his hand on them and healed them slowly with his heavenly powers. These wounds were difficult to heal and it took a lot of concentration to do this. When he was finished, he looked at his work. The wounds were gone, only here and there some dried blood stuck on the black feathers. And the pain seemed to be gone as well.

"We will not do anything now. First of all you have to get back your strength and by that time you'll stay here. Do you understand me Castiel?"

The Seraph twitched under this unusually harsh tone of his brother and nodded his head in silence, not daring to look at the morning star.

"Good. I see: You understand..."

Carefully, Lucifer pulled the blanket from the body of the other angel.

He had him again stripped of his clothes and put him, naked as his father had created him, into his bed and covered him with a blanket. He knew that Castiel felt uncomfortable that he could see him like that and he didn't want to embarrass him even more. So he pulled the covers down only to his belly button and looked at his upper body, which was covered by small wounds and scratches. Here and there to some minor wounds already began to heal and half of the bruises he had suffered were also healed again.

"These wounds I will not heal. Their pain should remind you of your error Castiel."

The fallen angel leaned forward, clasped the face of the Seraphim with his hands and looked deep into his eyes.

"Do you understand why I'm doing this? What I want to teach you with that?"

A shy nod followed his words and Castiel was tempted again to turn away his head, but Lucifer gave him no chance, as he continued to hold his face.

"Say it!"

"Obedience. That is what you are teaching me brother. And I will never disobey you ever again..."

A small, dark smile crept onto the face of the older angel.

A smile that Castiel didn't see anymore, because he had shut his eyes closed.

He winced slightly as he felt soft lips on his forehead and he dared to open his eyes again.

"I don't want anything evil little brother. I want to protect you from the dangers out there. You are not ready yet and I think you have seen this."

Again a silent nod followed was Castiel's only answer.

"Good. Before I go and let you rest, I would like to ask you one question."

"What question?"

"What did Crowley want from you?"

The young Seraph hesitated for a moment, thought about whether he should tell his brother of Crowley's offer or not. But Lucifer would notice it for sure if he was lying. It was better just to tell him the truth instead of lying to him. That would only stir up his anger, and the whole thing would not end without further punishment for him.

"He...he offered to me to turn to his side and work with him. He tried to incite me against you. And he told me things..."

Lucifer's eyes had narrowed to slits as his brother's words had reached his mind.

And now he had the confirmation that he had not misheard the demon's words.

What was this small, miserable cross road demon thinking?!

"What things he had told you about?"

Again the light bringer leaned down very close to Castiel and looked deep into his eyes, which made the Seraphim shiver. He wanted to hear it from his mouth!

"He told me things about our brothers and sisters. He said that an angel named Naomi was responsible for my memory loss and because of her I don't know who I was. She should have done all of this to me. Do you know her?"

Silence and Castiel could see how the feathers of Lucifer's snow-white wings set up and a sinister glint appeared in his eyes.

"No...I don't know her."

A clear lie, but before Castiel could ask another question, the older angel stood up and put the blanket over his body again.

The Seraphim didn't understand why the name of this angel had caused such a strong reaction. He could see and almost feel the anger that seemed to burn in Lucifer, but he chose rather to keep his mouth shut and not go further into it.

At least not yet...

He had angered his big brother already enough...

"All right. You stay here and rest Castiel. Meanwhile, I'll take care of some unfinished business. Once you feel better again, I'll teach you how you can use your heavenly fire, without losing energy that quickly. We don't want that such as a disaster happens again, right?"

"No, brother..."

"Good. I see you later Castiel. And now: rest..."

And thus the fallen angel left the small room, leaving Castiel alone.

When Lucifer had closed the door behind him his feet brought him unerringly to the outside. He had been hiding in a place that lay hidden deep in a forest.

No angel and no demon would find this place, unless Lucifer himself showed them the way. He didn't trust many demons, and didn't like it to work with them. But times like this forced him to such things.

He had been in contact with one of his demons and ordered him to this place.

And now he stood before said demon who was shaking with fear when his father was standing before him.

The dark aura that surrounded him Agares noticed immediately, but he tried to stay calm. Lucifer might be his father, but he had heard a lot about the ruler of hell and of what he could do to demons.

"Agares, how nice that you could set it up."

Lucifer's voice dripped of ridicule and scorn and involuntarily Agares made a step backwards.

"You have called me father?"

"Yes, I did. I have a job for you."

Agares eyes turned black and he felt how the feeling of fear turned into pride.

His father had a job? And he needed his help?

A greater honor the demon could not imagine.

He bowed his head, thus showed how much respect he had before the fallen angel.

"What can I do for you, father?"

Lucifer looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes which couldn't mean anything good and he waited until Agares raised his head and looked at him again.

"I want you to keep an eye on Crowley for me. And when you have found him, let me know what his plans are. I want to know what he's up to."

Once again the demon lowered his head.

"Yes father, I understand."

Shortly afterwards, he was gone.

Lucifer paused briefly in the darkness that gave him the forest.

He thought about Crowley and about what he had told his brother Castiel.

He had not heard of Naomi for a very long time. Naturally, he was trapped in a cage. But all this came to an end now. He would bring Crowley to silence and then he would take care of Naomi. She probably had information about heaven Lucifer could use very well and he also wanted to squeeze the truth out of her and show Castiel how his brothers and sisters had betrayed him all these long years.

Oh yeah. This world would get to feel his wrath.

This war had just begun and this war would end bloody...