A/N: OMG, I'm so sorry this took so freakin' long. Some chapters are easy to write, some just WON'T come out. Lemme tell ya, this one was pulling teeth. It just wouldn't get onto the paper right. That, and, well, I went to the Salute to Supernatural convention in Chicago this past weekend so I've spent the whole rest of the week being tired but stupidly happy and haven't been able to focus on sitting down and writing. I shall try my best not to let the next chapter take so long. As always, thank you to each and every one of you who has commented, reviewed, and stuck with this monster of a story for this long. You guys make writing this a joy.
As soon as the substance splattered across Legion's skin, its many voices rose up and howled in pain, sending it staggering back. The creature's skin smoked as if acid had been spilled over it and the demon pawed futilely at the liquid as it tried to remove it. "What the hell was that?" Sam gasped, turning bloodshot eyes to his impromptu savior.
"Blood of the innocent," Crowley said offhandedly, "To us, no big deal, to him, hurts like hell if you'll excuse the pun."
Sam stared at him in shock. "Blood of the innocent?" he choked out. Any further protests he might have had were cut off however as Crowley shunted aside his concern with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Oh don't get all high and mighty on me now. It was no one you knew and it's the only thing that will distract Legion until we can follow through with the rest of your ridiculous suicide plan. It won't last long though so let's not waste any more time crying over someone whose name you don't even know." Crowley pushed past Sam without another word and headed over to where Gabriel and Dean had just finished off the last of the lesser demons.
Dean froze and blinked at him in confusion but Gabriel rolled his eyes dramatically and threw up his hands. "Oh great. It's YOU. Just when I didn't think this day could get any more peachy. Let me guess, they ran out of puppies in Hell for you to kick so you figured you'd come up here and make my life more difficult?"
Crowley offered the angel an overly saccharine smile. "It's a pleasure as always, Gabriel. Do try not to sprain anything in your gratitude for my timely arrival to save your asses. Unless, that is, you had some miracle plan for defeating Legion that I wasn't aware of." He looked around expectantly at the group and then to Dean who sheepishly waved the jar of dirt at him. "Right, I'll take that as a 'no'."
Dean scowled. "Hey, no one asked you to help…"
"No, you DIDN'T, which was idiotic considering how much more I know about Hell than you do, and if I hadn't shown up when I did then you'd be taking your gargantuan brother home in a doggie bag," Crowley snapped. Dean and Gabriel both opened their mouths to argue simultaneously but their efforts were cut off by the enraged shriek of the demon still across the room from them. Every head turned in unison to watch as Legion shuffled forward a few steps, steam rising in thick plumes from the sizzling skin where the blood had spattered. He growled low and angry, an entirely hate filled sound that forced a heavy swallow from Dean.
"You mentioned something about a plan?" The hunter said quietly, his eyes never leaving the monster in front of him.
Crowley smiled knowingly. "What if I told you I know how to kill him?"
Dean perked up at the question and risked glancing over at his unexpected ally. "I'd say if you're screwing with me, I'm going to kill you instead."
"Uh guys?" Gabriel interrupted, "Hate to break this little chat session up but can we skip to the killing of the bad guy part? Cause my mojo is still under wraps till I get outside so I'm kinda limited here."
Crowley smiled from ear to ear. "Never thought I'd see the day that Gabriel, the almighty archangel, would admit to not being able to get it up. Don't worry sweetheart," he patted the angel's shoulder in mock sympathy, "it happens to the best of us."
"Oh bite me," Gabe snarled.
"PLAN? NOW?" Sam snapped incredulously. If he was going to die, he certainly didn't want it to be because of some demon versus angel quip-fest and as he watched Legion stagger around the stone plinth, closing in on them with slow and obviously pained steps, he knew they were running out of time.
Crowley shoved a thermos into Sam's hands. "Hold this," he called as he rushed forward toward the altar. He snagged up the vial Legion had been using to mark both Castiel and the wall and then hurried over to smear a few hasty sigils on top of what the more powerful demon had already done. Sam scuffled back quickly as he wrenched the top off the thermos but his heart sank when he noticed the thick red fluid inside. More blood. He tried hard not to think about what innocent person had died to make this possible as he clutched the thermos to his chest. Legion halted his forward movement suddenly, his eyes going to the container in Sam's grip which he eyed warily, and Dean took the opportunity to bolt around the altar to circle in on his other side. The demon looked between the two hunters but didn't seem overly concerned about them. A swift jerk of his hand sent Dean's body flying backward of its own accord and the hunter slammed into the wall behind him with a pained grunt. An invisible force pinned him there, pressing into his chest with such strength that Dean was sure his ribs were going to be crushed. The pressure lessened to a degree as Sam lunged forward, distracting Legion the best he could.
Again and again Sam sliced through the air in front of him with the sacrificial knife he'd plucked back up from the ground but Legion moved surprisingly fast and always seemed to be just out of reach. The demon was wary of the thermos still in Sam's hands which kept him from openly attacking but the younger Winchester couldn't risk throwing the blood at him without the same element of surprise that Crowley had enjoyed lest he rid himself of the only thing keeping the creature at bay. Sam looked around for Gabriel, hoping the angel could aid them some, but he was kneeling down beside Crowley and whispering in heated tones with his back to the room. The momentary distraction cost the hunter as Legion snapped a hand and sent him skittering across the floor like a leaf caught in the wind. It was all Sam could do to keep the blood from spilling entirely out of the thermos and he ignored the thick warmth that slid over the back of his hand where some of it had escaped. It struck him that Legion could toss them around like nothing but hadn't tried to simply wrench the blood, knife, or dirt from their hands. Apparently there was something about them that the demon couldn't affect, a fact which offered some hope that they might be able to use them as weapons.
Sam stumbled back to his feet and turned on Legion again as Dean wheezed painfully from his position hanging a few feet above the ground. "Little help here," the older Winchester gasped in Gabriel's direction but his plea was ignored for the moment as the angel gestured wildly, his voice raising enough for Dean to make out the words 'are you insane?'. It did little to comfort him about Crowley's supposed plan. He thumped his head back against the wall and tried not to lose his grip on the jar in his hand while he helplessly watched his brother fight the demon below. Sam continued his valiant attempt to keep Legion's attention off Dean but after the third time he was smacked face first into the cold brick walls he decided he was tired of being the designated punching bag. He'd already lost a third of the blood he was holding and knew that was precisely what Legion was aiming for. Since the demon couldn't affect the blood directly, he was forcing Sam to spill it at every opportunity and there was little the hunter could do about it. He'd just about lost his temper with their other two supposed allies who had huddled on the opposite side of the room when Gabriel popped up to his feet and jogged over to Dean.
As soon as the angel's hand closed around his ankle, Legion's hold over Dean was broken, sending the hunter flopping to the ground with an utter lack of dignity where he lay sprawled on the hard floor trying to catch his breath. "About freakin' time," he growled around a cough before pushing himself back to his feet. Gabriel smiled at him as if nothing were wrong and they weren't in a room with a crazed demon fighting for their lives. The look said clearly he'd let Dean fall that hard on purpose and the hunter scowled at him.
"You're welcome," Gabe said chipperly, "Now get your butt over to Crowley so he can fill you in while I go save Sammy from being a wall ornament." Dean hesitated only a moment before the angel forcibly pushed him toward where Crowley was hunkered down and looking decidedly bored by the whole ordeal. Once satisfied that the hunter wasn't going to put up more of an argument, Gabriel turned back to the matter of helping Sam. He winced as he watched the young man get slammed once again into a wall where he wobbled dangerously on his feet. "Hey, asshat. Stop playing with that. It's mine." Legion halted his torment of Sam long enough to peer over his shoulder at the celestial. The demon growled and jerked it's hand to send the hunter flying again but a similar gesture from Gabriel had Sam snapping to a halt after only a few feet. He gasped painfully and his eyes flew wide as he found his body caught in a literal tug of war between a demon and an archangel. It was then that Sam decided being chucked around by Legion hadn't been so bad.
"G-Gabe," Sam rasped, "Not…helping…"
Gabriel didn't even seem to hear him though as he stared down the demon before him. Legion met his glare evenly and a battle of wills began with each being vying for control of the human in their grip. The angel knew he wouldn't last long though with all the sigils draining his power and after only a few minutes his strength began to wane. It had been enough to keep Sam from spilling anymore of the blood though and as his power gave out at last, Gabriel fell to his knees with a smile. Legion turned fully toward him, unable to resist the allure of having the angel seemingly helpless and entirely at his mercy which afforded Sam a chance to dart around and make his way over to where Dean was gesturing for him. He looked back with open concern at where Gabe was still kneeling but Dean whispered quickly in his ear and Sam's face lit up with hope. He hurried over to where his brother had directed him and waited for the next move. He didn't have to wait long.
As soon as Legion closed the gap between himself and Gabriel, the angel rolled back and snapped to his feet. He rushed for the back wall where Crowley was waiting patiently and Legion predictably followed. The demon pulled to a stop as he noted the new sigils etched over his previous work and his eyes grew wide with understanding. Before he could move however, Dean stooped and set the open jar onto the ground. A swirl of Crowley's wrist sent it spiraling into a perfect circle around the other demon, leaving in its wake a thin line of soil that trapped the creature inside. Legion screeched and looked about frantically for an escape before suddenly stilling, throwing the room into eerie silence with the absence of his cries. Slowly he raised his eyes to look directly at Gabriel. "Do you think this will save you?" the demon hissed at him, "How long do you think it will take before I find my way out? We have forever, you and I, and I will never stop hunting you."
Gabriel shrugged like he hadn't a care in the world though Dean could clearly make out the signs of fatigue in his friend. The angel's skin was paler than normal and his shoulders slumped heavily but Gabe was putting on a good façade none the less as he grinned at the monster taunting him. "Maybe, but I don't think you're going to be a problem for too much longer."
Crowley sauntered over to Sam and withdrew a carefully wrapped package from within his coat. "Do you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass it was to get my hands on this?" He said unhappily to Legion, "But I consider it an investment." He shot a meaningful look in Gabriel's direction and the angel rolled his eyes in irritation before waving Crowley on. It was obvious that the two had made some sort of deal which remained unspoken but Sam didn't have time to ask before a simple stone blade was thrust into his free hand. He held it up and looked at it in confusion.
"A rock?" Dean asked with disbelief. "You said we had the ultimate weapon against this guy and you bring us a freakin' ROCK?"
"That's not any rock," Crowley said indignantly, "It's the very blade, forged from the earth by the hand of Cain himself, that slew his brother Abel and it was a right bloody nightmare to GET, thank you very much." Sam raised his eyebrows appreciatively. The sharpened stone in his hands didn't look like much but the sudden note of fear he could make out in Legion's eyes said Crowley had a point. "Now dip it in the blood and do what comes naturally," Crowley finished with an irritated gesture.
Sam carefully coated the blade in the last of the blood he'd managed to save but as he looked up, he focused for a long moment on Dean's face. His brother was staring holes into the back of Legion's skull with righteous anger and as he thought about what Crowley had said earlier, about Cain and Abel, and how much Legion had affected him, he decided it was all the more fitting for Dean to do the job. Worry gnawed at him over whether Legion would simply be able to mess with his head again the minute he got close and so he handed the knife over and smiled tiredly at his brother. "Kill the sunnuva bitch for me," he said softly.
Dean met his brother's gaze for a minute and he could read the fatigue written there. His rage at all that Legion had put them through, his torment of Sam and Cas, boiled up a notch and he took the knife with a curt nod. "Will do, Sammy." When he turned back to the demon, there was a slight smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I told you I was gonna kill you," he said in a flat cold voice and Legion took an uncertain step back. Dean strode purposefully into the ring and barely dodged the sweeping claws aimed in his direction. He dipped low and came up under the demon's arm with an upward strike. With no room to maneuver, Legion couldn't escape the blade as it snapped up into his chest, sliding easily up under his ribcage and sinking in until Dean could feel the cold moist flesh slap against his hand. He didn't let go though and continued to shove the blade as far in as he could, his eyes locked on the demon's face as Legion's many voices rose up in agony. One by one they shrieked and then died, each accompanied by a bright flare of sickly green beneath his skin until at last the final soft voice of a young man gasped out in a barely audible plea.
"I'm so sorry, brother," Legion whimpered. One last spark of green danced under the demon's skin before his legs gave way and a thin but entirely human corpse fell to the ground.
Dean stood over it a little longer, panting heavily and trying to digest all the crap he'd been through that day. Sam's hand on his shoulder startled him back to the present and he offered his brother a silent nod that he was ok. Crowley coughed to get their attention and Gabe turned to shoot him an unhappy look. "Yeah, yeah," the angel said with irritation. He slapped a hand against the wall covered in sigils which flared brightly for a moment and then faded away to nothing.
"Someone wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?" Dean asked.
"A simple exchange," Crowley said, sounding far too pleased with himself. "You see, I brought you a way to kill Legion. In exchange, I get heaven's assistance in making sure Belial stays locked a little further into his cage and out of my way. I told you that the only way the big guy could get out of his cage was with the help of a powerful angel, right? Well, the opposite is true too. A powerful angel can lock the cage a little tighter. I drew up the sigils that would do the deed, I just needed an archangel to sign off on it."
Gabriel wiped his hands together as if feeling sullied by the whole deal and turned his back on Crowley. "Yeah, well, it's done now. Thanks for bringing the knife. Might wanna be gone before I'm feeling better. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my brother." With that the angel strode out of the room without a second glance leaving a rather peeved looking Crowley in his wake.
"Ah yes, I'd almost forgotten how ungrateful you people are," the demon sulked.
"Yeah, and you didn't get anything you wanted outta this, right?" Dean said knowingly, "This was ALL from the goodness of your heart."
Crowley shot him a smug grin and shrugged but didn't bother to defend his actions. As the Winchesters slowly made their way out of the room behind Gabriel, they could hear the demon whistling happily to himself in their wake.
The trio limped their way through the dank maze of tunnels with Gabriel leading the pack. Dean wanted to take the opportunity to shut his brain off for a little while but something kept nagging at him about the events of the day. Something felt entirely unfinished though he couldn't figure out what at first. It wasn't until Gabriel opened the exit and they all stumbled out into the cold night air that Dean realized what he'd been forgetting about. Gabriel stiffened visibly in front of him and Sam let out a choked noise as they all stared at the sight before them. Hezrial lay in a crumpled heap, face down in the grass, and towering over him was the dark form of Raphael. Castiel was cradled with surprising gentleness in one arm and the infant turned his head to look as they exited the building. He reached out with one tiny hand toward Dean, opening and closing it once in his request to hold onto his caretaker, but he seemed totally relaxed and unaware of the danger he was in. Raphael casually held his sword in his other hand and he looked meaningfully at the trio as Dean took a worried step closer.
"Clever and resourceful as always, Gabriel, but there is no escaping your punishment this time."