A/N: First off, let me just say WOOOOOOOOOOOO! Over 100 reviews! Holy crappola! I'm so terribly flattered! You guys are amazing and have made writing this story just so much fun. I find myself looking forward to your reactions to each chapter and it just makes me want to make a better story for you. I have had so much fun with this so far and it warms my heart that you have all stuck with it this far. Thank you soooo much!
Without further ado, enjoy the next chapter. Please bear in mind that much of this will feel a little disjointed and that was done on purpose to try and keep you guys with what Sam is seeing and feeling. I hope you all enjoy it and there's a surprise, as usual, at the end. ;)
The pain around him didn't seem to have an end. It echoed on forever, caught up in the screams of the damned, and bounced around in his head in an infinite loop like the very soundtrack to Hell itself. By the time Sam opened his eyes again, he could barely make out the world around him through the blur of tears. His body wracked with shudders that scraped his cheek against the rough brick wall he was still chained to. His shoulders ached with renewed ferocity thanks to the fact that he had apparently been hanging from them and thrashing for who knew how long. His legs felt like jello and as Sam tried to put weight on them, the muscles shivered and gave way. He slumped back against the wall and blinked rapidly as he tried to clear his vision. He needed to focus, needed to have something tangible and solid he could cleave to that would keep him anchored to reality for as long as possible. He'd already slipped in and out of his torment several times since Legion had first touched him and each time it was getting harder to peel back the layers of deception the demon had woven around his thoughts. His brief moments of clarity had become precious islands that offered shelter from the sea of misery he was drowning in, however depressing a thought that was. He was still at the mercy of a demon, trapped in a dank room with frigid musty air biting at his lungs, and his muscles were trembling under the brutal task of holding all his weight from just his wrists.
None the less, he considered it a step up from the virtual hell that was playing out in living color inside his own head. He wasn't sure what Legion had done to him exactly but he wished and prayed to everything possible for it to stop. His mind had become a labyrinth of memories, intensified and twisted into something even more nightmarish by the power of the demon. Sam hadn't thought it possible for Hell to be worse than what he'd already experienced but somehow Legion found all new levels to push it to. Sam had been tortured in Hell, had been subjected to torments no human should know at the hands of both demon and angel alike, but at least his torment had been his own. Now his memories twisted and curled in on themselves, mutated at the hands of his captor, until it wasn't Michael flaying the skin from his bones but Dean. He watched in horror over and over as the one person he looked to most, the one person he loved more than life, berated him as a monster while he eviscerated Sam's bowels. He was pretty sure he could live with the physical pain no matter how intense but it was the purely venomous words, wrenched from the darkest parts of his own self loathing, that cut the deepest as they poured forth from Dean's mouth.
Demon. Half-breed. Waste. Junkie. The names were too many to count. Dean called him everything Sam had ever fought against being and more. He had accused Sam of ending the world, of abandoning him, of failing to save him from Hell, and Sam wished he could argue with any of it. Perhaps the worst of it was the all too realistic pain, the utter betrayal, he heard in his brother's voice when Dean confessed that he hated Sam for all that he'd given up so his baby brother could at least try to have a normal life and even in that, he had failed. He knew it wasn't real, knew Dean would never say that, but it wounded him none the less because it echoed all the guilt he'd ever felt in his life. Now as Sam lay panting against the wall, he tried to separate what were real memories from the fake, bracing himself for what he was sure would be his eventual descent back into the darkness of his own mind. He had to keep his thoughts as clear as possible until Dean could come for him. Even that had played itself out in his nightmarish visions to horrible ends. Sometimes Dean would come bursting through the door only to be cut down before his eyes by the demon. Sometimes he would simply stand at the threshold, staring at Sam with utter disappointment written on his face and the unspoken accusation that Dean was always having to rescue him.
Sam coughed harshly and groaned as his raw throat protested. He was sure he had to have been screaming for quite some time and he was pretty sure his voice was all but gone by then. His suspicions were confirmed when he tried to say his brother's name and it came out as little more than a strangled whisper. Still Sam said it. He forced himself to say it over and over as he stared at the brick pressed against the side of his nose. He had to focus on something, had to force himself to remember all the good memories he had of Dean before the demon stripped them all away. He couldn't let Legion slowly drive him to do the unthinkable but the demon had crafted his trap carefully and its lure was hard to resist.
In the realm of his nightmares, Sam could defend himself, he could stop the pain but only if he was willing to lash out against his tormentors and that meant killing his own brother in the dream. He wasn't sure which had felt worse, the pain at Dean's hands or the sudden well of relief when he'd stood over his brother's mangled body, but he knew the danger that lay down that path. It was horrid enough to kill Dean in his own head but he knew eventually he wouldn't be able to tell the difference enough to know when he was doing it for real. It was that terrifying thought that helped him cling to reality as much as possible. He'd immediately resisted the siren call to end his pain through those means but that left him wallowing in agony until he could claw his way back from the nightmares on his own. Each time he managed to do so the respites had become shorter though and he knew he couldn't keep it up forever. It was getting harder and harder to turn away from the tempting idea that it was only killing a thought to kill Dean in his head and killing that thought would stop the pain.
Sam could feel the tug of darkness as it began once more to creep up around the corners of his mind, threatening to pull him under, and he sucked down air like a drowning man as he tried to will it away. Unlike every time before though, this time the darkness obliged and he hung in limp shock at how easy it had been as the world came back into clear focus before his eyes. His unasked question was quickly answered as the door to his cell slid open and Legion oozed into the room. While he was grateful for the chance to catch his breath and bolster his waning strength, Sam wasn't so sure the demon's return was a blessing. He doubted the monster had granted him the reprieve for any good reason. He eyed the demon warily as the creature slowly made its way across the floor toward him, its body turned as it cradled something out of sight against its side, and as it came close, Sam turned his face away from the wall of smell that traveled with it.
"I brought you a present," Legion purred at him, the small voice of a little girl pulling more strongly among the chorus this time, "the key to your freedom and the end to your suffering."
Sam immediately stiffened and turned to look at the demon. There, pinned tightly to the emaciated chest beneath one arm was the tiny form of Castiel. Legion was gently dragging the broken nails of its free hand through the infant's hair in a mockery of affection that repulsed the hunter to the core. Sam raged at the sight, wanting nothing more than to tear the monster limb from limb but he managed little more than jerking uselessly at his chains before slumping back against the wall. He shot Castiel the most apologetic look he could and hoped the angel would understand how much he wanted to do more. Cas merely stared back at him in mute terror. Sam's heart dropped and he tore his gaze from the angel up to the face leering over him.
"Do you want it?" the creature taunted. It peeled the frightened child from its body and held him out as an offering to Sam though the hunter couldn't reach to take him. Castiel struggled in the grip holding him as he reached desperately for the safety of Sam's arms and the young man let out a hollow anguished sound when he found himself unable to reach back.
"Why are you doing this?" Sam rasped hoarsely, trying to ignore the plaintive whimpers the infant was making in his attempt to close the gap between them. He could see no point to the demon taunting him this way, not when it would be so much easier to simply leave him to the pain of his dreams. The act seemed far too childish for a demon of Legion's standing.
"The death of Dean Winchester gains me nothing," Legion rumbled, "it gains you nothing. Take the angel, spill its blood, and you will know freedom and peace. Either way Castiel will perish. Will you subject yourself to further torment?" The creature dangled the angel temptingly close and Cas went limp as he hung from the gnarled hands, his wide eyes locked onto Sam in a silent plea as shivers of fear rolled across his little body. "I will make this offer only once. Next time I return, it will be with your brother and I promise his death at your hands will not be swift."
Sam's mind raced. If he refused, if he let the demon take Cas out of the room, he may never see him again and he would run the very likely risk of killing Dean in the madness he knew would follow Legion's departure. If he said yes, then perhaps he could at least buy himself and his brother some time, maybe even find a way to escape and at least he could remove Castiel from the demon's grip. His decision made, Sam nodded mutely. The demon gurgled its pleasure and wrenched Cas back, shoving him roughly under one arm as he reached for the hunter's chains with the other. Sam tried not to lunge forward as he watched the angel fold back into a tight ball of unhappiness. The chains binding him suddenly gave way though and it was all he could do just to keep from falling over much less attack the demon in front of him.
Sam's arms fell limply to his sides, his shoulders screaming, and he sank to the floor in relief. He huffed a few stabilizing breaths before trying to stand again and this time he managed to stay vertical despite his body's protests to the contrary. Fear, pain, and dehydration were taking their toll on him and he had no idea how long he had been chained to the wall but his head swam with vertigo as he righted himself. He drew up as much as he could, squaring off against the demon but Legion didn't move to hand Cas over the way Sam had hoped. Instead the monster turned and loped from the room, turning to look over its shoulder at the doorway in an indication for him to follow. The hunter let out a frustrated sigh and shuffled after the creature. The thought crossed his mind to try and take Cas back by force but he feared the demon would harm him in the struggle, not to mention he wasn't sure he could even put up much of a fight against Legion in his current condition. He simply had to keep Cas in sight until he could get the monster to part with him, perhaps then he could make a break for it and try to find Dean.
Exhaustion pulled at him but Sam locked his eyes onto what little he could see of Castiel's wings and he used the soothing warmth of their glow to keep him going forward as he followed Legion through the maze of tunnels. He knew most of his fatigue was mental, not physical, but that thought didn't offer much comfort. His mind turned back to Dean and he wished he knew if his brother was ok or not. For all he knew, Dean could already have been killed and Legion was simply playing with him. Sam wasn't willing to take that chance though, Legion didn't seem like the type to bluff, and he knew that his best chance of helping Dean was to play along for now. Soon enough they arrived at a dark passage terminating at a thick metal door. Sigils were inscribed along the walls and Sam's more intellectual nature took over. He squinted against the dim light and tried to make out the individual markings in an attempt to decipher their meaning but the jumbled mix and strange way the designs were swirled together made his head hurt.
Legion led the way down the path and as soon as Sam entered the space, the feeling of pure evil swept over him causing his stomach to churn violently. He stumbled a few steps and finally, after all he'd been through, his body rebelled at this last insult. Sam heaved the meager remnants of his breakfast across the floor and gagged as his body continued to try to empty itself long after there was nothing left to get rid of. Legion barely spared him a backward glance before continuing into the room beyond. Sam contemplated just turning around and trying to escape but a soft cry from Cas had him scurrying into the room to catch up instead. He could not, and would not, abandon his friend. He staggered to a halt at the side of the makeshift altar and looked up into the glowing eyes of the demon.
A shift of cloth and the scrape of shoes on the floor behind him made the hunter turn and it was then that he noticed the small gaggle of lower demons gathered against the back wall. They eyed him with a mixture of interest and anger but none dared approach him, even knowing he was unarmed. He smiled bitterly at the thought that maybe they had heard about his actions in the warehouse, or perhaps his reputation as simply being a Winchester was enough to keep them at bay, either way he was grateful. One portly young man skittered forward and closed the door behind them, sealing them all into the cramped space before rushing back to the side of his comrades. It took Sam a minute to realize that it wasn't him they were scared of. Their eyes were all flicking nervously to the creature standing across the altar from him and he had to wonder what it was about Legion that scared even other demons so much.
Sam turned back at the startled squeak Castiel let out when the monster dropped him harshly onto the stone plinth. The angel didn't dare move from the crumpled half seated position he'd fallen into as if freezing in place would draw less attention to himself but he did turn pleading eyes up at his protector instead. Sam's heart constricted painfully at the sight and he reached out a hand to brush reassuringly over his friend's head before a low growl from Legion stopped him in his tracks. He rolled his eyes up to meet the flat gaze boring into him but a small rebellious part of him refused to withdraw his hand away. Castiel dared to bump his head up farther into Sam's palm as he sought refuge from the thing standing behind him but the hunter knew he probably wasn't going to be allowed to pick the infant up the way he wanted and he settled for just offering what comfort he could through the brush of his thumb over the angel's cheek.
The staredown seemed to last forever with Sam tensing as he waited for Legion to make the next move. Finally the monster dipped below the line of the altar and brought forth a few random objects and a long dark box made of some heavily stained wood that looked ancient even by demon standards. He dropped the assortment onto the altar next to Cas and began sorting them out. There was an empty vial, a small opaque jar that was giving off a pungent aroma, and a few dried herbs that Sam recognized as being part of a summoning ritual. Legion popped the jar open and the scent intensified as he reached in, stirring the contents with two fingers. A thin oily green substance that reminded Sam of antifreeze was coating the demon's hand when he finally withdrew it and he turned to the back wall, painting more indecipherable sigils across it as demonic words rolled up from his mouth.
Sam took the opportunity to check Cas for injuries while Legion's back was turned, quickly scanning over the infant though he didn't dare to pick him up yet. He glanced over at the door but the presence of the demons behind him meant he wouldn't get very far if he tried to bolt from the room. His attention was drawn back to his friend when the angel wrapped his tiny hands around one of Sam's and pressed his face against the weathered palm as if that would be enough to protect him. The hunter smoothed down a few wayward tufts of hair and looked up in time to see Legion making his way back over. The demon set the vial down and scooped up another dollop of it, his eyes locked meaningfully on Sam as if daring the hunter to protest as he started drawing more sigils across the angel's skin, his touch causing Cas to tremble violently and cling all the harder to the hand in his grip.
Sam kept his temper in check as much as possible while his mind reeled for alternatives. He had to find a way out and quickly. Time was running out for both he and Cas and soon Legion was going to call his bluff, forcing him to choose between his friend and his brother. His hand twitched as he watched Legion mar the infant's skin with gooey trails of slime but at least the angel wasn't being actively injured yet. Suddenly Legion did the unexpected and a hand shot out across the altar, tangling in Sam's hair and yanking him forward brutally. He wasn't prepared for the onslaught of fresh nightmares that slammed against his mental defenses and he fought back the twisted memories that flickered before his eyes. His knees buckled, cracking painfully against the side of the altar and Legion's voices echoed against the shell of his ear. "End your suffering," the demon crooned.
In a flash the room melted away and it wasn't Legion before him but Dean. His brother's hand tangled into his hair, yanking painfully as he struggled to draw Sam in closer, a rictous grin on his face. "You failed to save me, Sam," the vision growled, "I'm already dead and you're just standing there. You let this bastard kill me and now I'm gonna drag your sorry ass back to Hell with me." The floor below them cracked and split, wrenching open as fires licked up through the crevices. Sam could hear the familiar screams of the pit below them, the growls of the hellhounds, the laughter of the demons, and he tried to tear away. He slammed a hand against Dean's chest, tried to pull away and found himself pinning his own brother down against the stone altar with one hand. A flash of metal caught in the light and he managed to stop his brother's hand as Dean pulled the demon killing knife out and tried to stab him with it. The pair wrestled a moment before Sam finally wrenched the blade free. He pressed Dean down into the altar harder with his free hand as he raised the knife above him with the other but a soft whimper jerked him back to reality like a slap to the face.
He blinked and the nightmare flickered long enough for him to realize he wasn't looking down at Dean but into a pair of frightened blue eyes. Sam snatched his hand away as he realized he had been pressing Castiel down onto the altar and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the vision to dissipate. Sweat tickled down his spine and he shuddered. When he opened his eyes again, he could make out a real knife in his grip while the illusion of the demon blade flickered like a hologram over it. He dared to look up at Cas, expecting to see the angel trying to crawl away from him, but instead the infant was reaching for him again with a devotion that wouldn't be swayed. Even despite the rough treatment he'd just endured, Castiel still believed Sam would save him. The thought damn near broke the hunter's heart right there. It also reinforced his determination that he would NOT be the one to hurt his young friend. Sam staggered back to the side of the altar, the world around him snapping back and forth between a Hell where Dean waited, taunting him with promises of more pain, and a cold dark room where Castiel reached for him imploringly.
He stretched out his hand, ignoring the searing pain as the imaginary Dean grabbed hold of it and casually peeled the skin off. Still he groped forward blindly to where he knew Cas was until his fingers connected at last with soft skin. In his head, his brother leered at him but Sam could just make out a set of small fingers curling around his own that helped steady him against the image before him. Dean snarled and leaned in, pressing his own hand against his brother's. "What are you looking for?" he said mockingly, drawing Sam's fingers against the flesh of his ribs, "You tryin' to kill me or fuck me, Sam?"
Sam fought the urge to rip his hand away. It wasn't real. None of it was real, he told himself. Suddenly a loud crack caught his attention and he snapped his head around to look at the door. His mind went blank as he watched yet another Dean walk into the room and a little part of his mind snickered in bitter amusement that apparently one Dean to torment him wasn't enough. This newcomer didn't mock him though, instead he did something worse. He stared in mute shock. Sam wondered what it must look like to his brother, seeing Sam standing at the altar, one hand against the side of his duplicate while his other bore a knife surely intended to kill him. He waited for revulsion to shift over his brother's features so it was a complete surprise when Dean simply barreled forward and tackled him to the ground. Sam fought brutally, kicking and clawing, knowing full well that Castiel wasn't large enough to be doing this so he was safe in guessing that it was most likely a demon or his own imagination. He tried to stab the blade home but this illusion was stronger than the rest and wasn't dying as easily as the others had.
"SAM!"
Sam instantly stilled and stared up into the concerned face of his brother. Dean was doing his best to pin him to the floor but there was no hate, mockery, or anger in the green eyes staring down at him, only genuine fear and worry. Sam panted as he tried to catch his breath and slowly the fires and howls of the damned faded away, leaving only his brother hovering over him. Beside them Gabriel was holding his own against the demons but he shot them a less than amused look. "If you're done having your 'moment' over there, could one of your two get your asses over here and help?" he shouted in irritation before a new demon lunged at him.
Dean glanced back but was reluctant to leave his little brother's side until Sam forcibly shoved him in that direction. "I'm fine!" Sam gasped out, "Go! I'm fine!" Dean spared him one last uncertain look before jumping up to help Gabriel. Sam turned in the opposite direction to find Hezrial backing slowly for the door, Castiel bundled in his arms as Legion bore down on them. He fought his way up and stumbled toward the trio, knife still in hand, and as swiftly as he could, he placed himself between the demon and the angels. "Go," he said unsteadily to Hezrial, not bothering to look back at him, all his concentration locked solely on the monster ahead.
"He will destroy you," Hezrial said matter-of-factly but Sam waved him off.
"GO!" He knew the angel was probably right but it would give Hezrial a chance to get Cas to safety and perhaps he could hold the creature off long enough for Dean and Gabriel to join the fight. He felt the man behind him hesitate only a moment before the patter of footfalls indicated the angel's retreat down the hall and Sam sighed in relief. He might not have been able to do much, but at least he could buy them some time. Legion growled dangerously at him and drew itself up, its mouth dropping open into an enraged screech that set the hairs on his neck standing on end.
As the demon descended on him though, a low drawl rose up from behind Sam. "You people invite me to the most wonderful parties," Crowley said sarcastically as he stepped out of the darkness and casually tossed a cup of viscous red fluid at their attacker. "Catch."
A/N: What? You thought I forgot about him? XD Hehehehe