Chapter 25

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a wide expanse of perfect blue, not a cloud in sight to mar it. It was warm with just a slight breeze that required one to wear a light jacket when they went out. Dean and Castiel could see people out working in their yards or going for walks, everyone looking happy about the beautiful weather they were having.

Only the two occupants of the 1967 Impala knew the irony of the seemingly "perfect" day.

They had left early that morning once Dean had made sure Castiel had sufficiently recovered from their activities the night before yesterday. He had been kind enough to spare Castiel the embarrassment of talking about what had gone on that night by not bringing it up again, an act Castiel was incredibly grateful for. They had kept up a friendly banter as they traveled into the afternoon, but as they got closer to their destination the conversation had dwindled. Each man was lost in his own thoughts about what was waiting for them once they reached their destination.

"Welcome to Lone Oak, Georgia," Dean said with a sigh as they passed the small sign posted at the side of the road. "Population: 96."

Castiel nodded slowly. "He wouldn't want to start out in a large city. Starting in a smaller town allows him to take control slowly and build his momentum. Once his army was stronger he would then take on the larger cities."

They drove through the town, although it could hardly be called a town as there were hardly any buildings. Dean remembered that the news report had said the location was just south of the town. Once they drove a little further outside of the town, however, there could be no mistaking where Lucifer had set up shop.

There was a vast field that was lined by trees, but it was now full of cars and people. The cars were all parked in what appeared to be a makeshift parking lot. The people were in a roped off area in what looked like to the casual observer would be the equivalent to a rock concert set up. And the size of the crowd also gave credence to that. On the news there had appeared to be maybe fifty people in the crowd. Now, there easily had to have been hundreds.

Dean parked in the parking lot and stared at the crowds silently. Castiel sat next to him, his face clearly showing his anxiety.

"Holy crap," Dean muttered. "There's a lot of fucking people."

Castiel slowly nodded. "There is."

Dean ran his hand over his face and sighed.

"Damn."

"Should we turn back?" Castiel asked hesitantly.

Dean nervously moistened his lips before shaking his head.

"Too late now. We're here. And we need to figure out what the hell he's up to. We can't figure it out if we leave."

He took a deep breath before opening the door and getting out of the car. Castiel quickly followed and they began walking slowly towards the crowd and the stage they could see off in the distance.

"Dean," Castiel finally said in a low voice as they walked, "There's… something I should tell you."

"Please tell me it's that you got your powers back and you can smite all the demons here," Dean replied back quietly.

Castiel swallowed nervously. "No, I'm afraid not."

"Alright, so what is it?"

"I… I've been having… dreams lately… the last few nights…"

Dean immediately stopped walking and looked at Castiel.

"What kind of dreams exactly?" Dean asked his expression hard.

Castiel averted his gaze, uncomfortable under Dean's scrutinizing gaze.

"Lucifer… he… he's been… speaking to me…"

"What?" Dean's voice raised an octave.

Castiel cringed slightly. "He's… been calling to me…"

"And you're finally telling me this now?!"

"I… I thought the dreams would stop," Castiel replied lamely.

Dean closed his eyes for a moment and Castiel could see he was slowly counting under his breath. Finally, he let out a deep breath and looked back up at Castiel.

"Great. Remind me if we manage to make it out of here to have a good long talk with you about what constitutes information that needs to get shared with me!"

Castiel could only nod, not knowing what else to say. Dean sighed seeing Castiel kicked-puppy expression.

"Just… stay close, OK?" Dean said. Castiel nodded and they continued their walk.

At first, everything appeared normal. People were lounging on blankets, eating, visiting with each other. The people were average, everyday looking individuals. Once in a while they noticed someone in a wheelchair, or another person who was obviously very ill. But the mood of the crowd was quite elated, as if they were celebrating.

And then they began noticing the demons. Many demons.

As Dean and Castiel carefully picked their way through the crowd certain individuals would turn and watch them, their eyes turning black as they passed. Dean moved closer to Castiel and he silently prayed Castiel had been right about the demons not attacking in such a public place. Amazingly, none did. But he could feel dozens of black eyes watching their every move as they walked towards the stage.

They finally found a spot a mere twenty feet from the front of the stage. On the stage was the man known as Jasper who was watching a young man who was kneeling on the floor in front of him. The man's arms were outstretched and he was looking adoringly at the man in front of him. Lucifer.

Dean hadn't known quite what to expect when he would first see Lucifer, but the feeling he was getting now wasn't at all expected. He felt… calm. And, if he were honest with himself, almost a sense of awe. Even from where he stood he could feel the energy radiating from Lucifer, an aura of calm…

Lucifer leaned forward and whispered something in the man's ear. Even though Dean knew what was happening, he could only watch as the man gave up his soul and Lucifer healed him of whatever it was that ailed him. He watched as the crowd erupted into cheers.

Then Lucifer's eyes swept the crowd.

His gaze froze on Dean and Castiel.

Dean felt his stomach drop as Lucifer motioned for Jasper. When Jasper approached he could see Lucifer whisper something to him, his gaze never leaving them. Jasper quickly looked and saw them as well. With a nod Lucifer quickly turned and left the stage amid disappointed groans from the crowd.

"Friends, God would like you to take the rest of the afternoon to reflect on all that you have seen him do. Celebrate his glory and the miracles you have seen! And know, my friends, he will return to you soon and demonstrate even more of his power and might!"

The crowd cheered around them and Dean looked over at Castiel nervously. He immediately saw that whatever effect Lucifer had had on him, it was even more so for the fallen angel. Castiel was watching where Lucifer had left the stage with a look of desperate longing, as if it pained him to see him leave. Dean grabbed his arm, trying to get his attention.

"Cas! We need to leave! Now!"

Suddenly two men came up behind them and grabbed each of them by the arm. Dean instantly moved to try to fight them off, but their grip tightened.

"Take it easy, Winchester," one of the men hissed under his breath. "Master wants to see both of you now and he doesn't want you to do anything to bring attention to yourself. If you don't listen, well, let's just say a nice little tornado could take care of this crowd pretty damn quick."

Shit, Dean thought to himself. He knew he was outnumbered and he wasn't about to risk these people, even though he knew they were all condemned anyways. No sense in sending them to Hell any earlier than they'd have to go. And he could see that Castiel was clearly overwhelmed with everything that was happening. Dean took a deep breath and slowly nodded.

"Good man. Now, you behave yourself and no one has to get hurt. Master doesn't want us getting rough with either of you."

Dean allowed himself to be led by the man away from the crowd. He did his best to make sure he stayed as close to Castiel, however, not wanting to get separated and lose him. The men brought them to a tent that was set up behind the stage. Jasper was waiting in front of the tent, his face looking obviously pissed off as Dean and Castiel approached.

"Master wants to see you now," Jasper hissed furiously at them.

"Great," Dean quipped back. "Been looking forward to meeting him!"

Dean felt a small sense of smug satisfaction at seeing Jasper looking even more pissed off at Dean's response. It was obvious now that every demon and human in the know wanted to kick the living crap out of him, but apparently Lucifer had given strict orders not to touch either of them. And he knew how much that order had to piss all of them right off.

They entered the tent and the sight that greeted them was not what Dean had expected. The ground was covered with an ornate oriental rug and sides of the tent were draped with flowing red fabric. There was a table in the center of the tent and its surface was buried under the mountain of food covering it. Off to the side towards the back of the tent was a large round bed covered with blankets and pillows of various colors and shapes. On one side of the bed was a stereo system. And standing in front of it was Lucifer who was seemed focused on selecting a song to play off the CD case he was holding. He finally pushed a button on the stereo and the gentle sound of music being played on the piano drifted through the air. Lucifer gave a small, satisfied smile and set down the CD case.

"Moonlight Sonata," He said quietly as he turned around to face the two men. "By Beethoven. A genius piece of work. Well, for a human anyway."

He walked forward and stopped a few feet away from Dean. He studied him carefully, the small smile never leaving his face.

"Dean Winchester," Lucifer said quietly. "We finally meet."

"So it seems," Dean replied, trying to keep his voice steady. He couldn't help but feel completely confused by everything he was seeing and hearing.

"I should be thanking you. After all, you are the reason I am here today."

"Yeah, well, wasn't on purpose."

Lucifer chuckled. "That is true. And my apologies for the… events that transpired while you were in my home. You must understand that they were necessary in order to obtain your assistance."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "Gee, thanks. Feel much better now," He snapped back sarcastically.

Lucifer's smile broadened. "Now, see, that's what I like about you, Dean Winchester. You just say what's on your mind. I like that. Respect that. And you're not like all these all pitiful little humans running around here. You've seen what my home, and yet you still come here and face me directly. Not many humans could do that, you know."

Dean stood up straighter and looked at him defiantly.

"Great. So enough with the buttering up then and get to the point. You wanted to talk to me so tell me what you wanted. I don't have all day."

Lucifer laughed again as he turned and walked over to the bed and sat down on it.

"Direct and to the point as always. Very well, Dean. I am well aware of who you are and what the angels have planned for you. I know that because you are the one who broke the first seal that freed me you are the one who can kill me."

Dean felt his stomach drop to his feet, but he struggled to maintain his composure.

"Well, if you know all that then why are we having this conversation?"

"Because, Dean, I know you don't actually want to kill me."

Dean stared at Lucifer incredulously for a minute before laughing.

"Look, you might want to recheck your sources cuz I would have to disagree with you there!"

"Really?" Lucifer replied calmly, arching an eyebrow at him.

"After everything that me and my family have been through? You think I don't want to kill you?"

"Oh, I know how badly you want revenge for your family. And I understand and respect that, Dean. I really do. However," Lucifer leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "Do you really want to work with angels to defeat me? The beings that sent your brother to what could have been his certain death? The beings that lied to you at every turn?"

His eyes darted to look at Castiel who was standing silently near Dean.

"Do you really want to help the beings who tortured and nearly murdered Castiel?"

Dean felt his heart almost stop as Lucifer's words sunk in. He dropped his gaze and was actually speechless. He didn't know how to respond. Lucifer nodded knowingly.

"I would like you to think on that, Dean Winchester. Once you have come to a decision I will be expecting to hear from you."

He then turned to focus his attention on Castiel.

"Now, if you don't mind waiting outside, I would like to speak to my young brother here."

Dean immediately tensed and looked over at Castiel. Castiel's eyes were focused on the floor, his face a mixture of fear and grief. Dean shook his head.

"No. No, I'm not letting you take him!"

"Now, Dean, I promise to return him. I assure you I will not harm him."

Dean shook his head, but them he felt Castiel gently touch his arm.

"Go, Dean," Castiel said quietly. "Please… don't try to fight him."

Dean swallowed hard, trying to fight down the terror he was feeling.

"Cas… but you said…"

"I know. But you can't stop him. Please… I don't want you to get hurt. Wait outside."

He didn't want to go. He wanted to keep Castiel safe from whatever Lucifer was planning. He also knew that there was nothing he could do against him. He finally nodded slowly and allowed himself to be led outside the tent.

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Yes, I'm afraid I have to leave this as a cliffy for you guys! It's getting late and I have a really busy day coming up! My vacation starts Saturday so I'll be able to update then!

Thanks for reading! : )