Chapter 8

Sam stared at Crowley. Castiel wore an unemotional mask. But Sam couldn't help but be an open book.

Meg? Crowley's second in command? She wouldn't have chosen that willingly. Hatred like what they have between each other doesn't die easily. If anything, it probably grew over the last few years. So why would she be his second in command?

Crowley stood. "Now, boys," he snapped his fingers and the gags returned. Two demons entered and pulled Castiel to his feet. "We'll make the transfer. Sam, sit tight."

Crowley left and the guards dragged Castiel out of the room.

Sam felt cold, had a mistake been made in following Crowley's demands?

#

"I don't like this," Dean said.

"Join the club," Meg stated, setting down the grocery bags. "This everything?"

"Save for the blood of a demon," Dean said. Meg grabbed her knife and slit her palm. Dean handed her a vial and she squeezed the blood into it. Once corked, she handed it back to him.

"Don't waste it," she snapped.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Dean unpacked the supplies while Meg sat on the couch.

"Do you have the demon-killing knife?"

"It was destroyed a long time ago. And as for the colt, it's lost again and even if it was, we don't have any bullets. Why do you want to die anyway?"

Meg didn't answer right away. Dean looked at her.

"What? You regain your humanity?"

"No," Meg said. "Not that. I've…I've been humiliated down there. Torture, that's easy. Having to pledge allegiance to someone you hate for a cause you disagree with just to end it. It's…well, it's beyond anything you can imagine. It's a complete betrayal of everything you believe in and stand for. For instance, it's like you giving up hunting and letting a horrible monster, like the leviathan for example, do whatever they please, and you don't do a thing knowing you can stop it but chose not to."

"Then why did you roll over?"

"How long did it take for you to crack? It took me a day the first time around. The second time, I lasted longer, but…still. What's worse? Getting tortured physically or betraying your stance? But hey, at least I wasn't in pain anymore."

"Coward."

"We're all cowards on a level, Dean. You're going to tell me you're not scared of anything? There is nothing that mortifies you so deeply that it can sway you to change the way you approach things to the point where you are contradicting yourself?"

Dean didn't answer.

He had a fear that strong once.

It was losing everyone in his life to Death. He was scared of Death, and Death had already taken his parents. Almost took Lisa. For a long time, he thought Castiel was taken from him. All he cared for was holding onto Sam. He was afraid of being alone with no one to keep him sane.

It still ate at him, but not as strongly as it used to. Too many people were lost already for him to be effected as strongly as before.

"Let's find another cemetery," he said.

"Like the one you had? It's dead center in a cemetery out-layed like a devil's trap. There aren't many of them."

"There has to at least be one more."

"Look, I know a spell that might be able to help us find one. You have a map?"

Dean looked at Meg scrupulously. He went to the Impala and opened the glove compartment, returning with one of his road maps of America. He handed it to her.

Meg worked her spell over the map and it light on fire. When it went out, Illinois was all that was left.

"Shall we go?"

"Where's Sam?" Dean muttered, ignoring her. "He should have been back with Claire by now."

"Yeah," Meg agreed. "At this point, I'd say Crowley's holding them all hostage. Just wait. He'll come listing more demands. And if we don't go now, we will never be able to lock them away again."

"I'm not leaving them."

"You don't have a choice!" Meg shouted. "Get the stuff and let's get in the car. I'll perform another spell in a bit. Illinois's still a lot of ground. We need to narrow it down further. Now are you going to mope and worry or are you going to be a man and come with me?"

Dean glowered at Meg. No one questioned his manhood without consequence. Especially not demons. Especially not Meg.

"Fine, let's go," Dean muttered. He packed a back pack full of ingredients and slung the bag over his shoulders. "But when this is over, I will not kill you."

"Oh," Meg said, grinning, "you'll kill me. I'll make sure of it."

"No I won't. You questioned my manhood. You're going back to Hell."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"We can keep this up all day, Dean. Stop being such a child."

#

Sam, unshackled, was led to a dining room. Castiel and Claire were already seated. He sat down beside Claire.

"What's going on?"

"You and Castiel are now hostages too."

"Shit," Sam hissed. "Okay, how do we get out?"

"We don't," Claire said. "This place is locked tighter than Fort Knox, no thanks to Castiel's previous break out."

"And we're here because…"

"Beats me," Claire said, leaning back in her chair. "Castiel, any thoughts?"

"No. This is new to me too."

The door opened and several demons entered, setting trays of food on the table. Crowley entered.

"What is this?" Claire demanded.

"Manners, Claire," Crowley reminded her, as though admonishing a child. "Now there are humans who need to eat, unlike Castiel and I. This is for your benefits," he said looking directly at Claire and Sam.

"You can't keep us all locked up in here."

"Oh, I can and I will," Crowley said. "I'll be speaking with your brother in the morning. You know, let him stew a bit—Say one word, Moose, and I'll cut out your tongue. And then I'll cut out theirs. And I'll cut off his hands. Keep the smiting minimal."

Sam closed his mouth, fighting the urge to say an exorcism, fuming.

"Good boy."

"You're a monster."

"Demon, Sweetheart. We're worse than monsters."

"True. Monsters have integrity, and there's a sort of purity to them, despite the evil inside them. They weren't evil to begin with. Demons, on the other hand, were evil even when they were human. You all deserve Hell for all the evil you caused in life and death."

Sam and Castiel stared at Claire. Crowley arched an eyebrow, smirking at her.

"I did my research."

"I'm impressed. Smart girl like yourself, why are you a hunter? Let me guess: Daddy issues. I think the Winchesters knew a girl like you before. She died, following her father's footsteps. Couldn't handle the life as well as she thought she could. Went out in a bang with Mommy."

"Don't you dare talk about Jo and Ellen," Sam hissed.

"I'm just stating the facts. You're the ones who botched the mission that got them killed." He looked at Claire again. "Don't worry, sweetie, you've lasted this long. You've lasted much longer than her. There's hope for you yet."

Sam shook with rage. Claire and Castiel remained the paragons of calm.

"Go ahead and eat."

"I'm not hungry," Claire said, crossing her arms.

Crowley smirked. "I like you."

"Bite me."

"Claire, shut up," Castiel suggested.

#

"It should be this way," Meg said. "How much time do we have?"

Dean looked at the sky. "Midnight tonight. It's too late—or early. Whichever you prefer."

"So we can set this up?"

"No, not yet. It has to be…uh…'on the cusp of high night.'"

"Leave it to God to be cryptic."

"Yep, I know what you mean. At least we're allowed to interpret," Dean said. "We can't stay here, but at least we know where it is. Let's find a motel. Stay there for the night."

"Fine," Meg said, hoisting the bag back on her shoulders. "I saw one nearby. Let's go."

#

Claire didn't sleep.

She stared out the window, contemplating the possibility of escape. It wouldn't be wise, especially without a defensive motive, which she didn't have.

The clock on the bedside table read seven-thirty when the door opened and a woman entered, setting clothes down on the bed.

"There's a shower over there," she said, pointing at an adjoining door. "Take care of it quickly. The king requests you join him for breakfast."

"He doesn't eat."

"But you do."

The demon left. Claire picked up the clothes she had been given and wrinkled her nose at the dress. She decided to wear her current clothes instead.