"Now come my precious, you must drink. You'll waste away to nothing," Drusilla stated, glee twisted with concern in her voice. In her hands was a cup filled with blood. It was spicy, a far sight worse than pig's blood for a man with bad withdrawals.
And Sam Winchester was not what one might call a fool. Okay, he could think of a couple of people that might call him a fool. And he wouldn't argue, especially considering his current state. "I'm good, thanks."
Drusilla cocked her head as though he were speaking a foreign language. "But you'll shrivel up and die if you don't. And it would be a pity to waste such a pretty boy as you."
Sam's face twitched, turning away from her cold, sharp nails as she ran them along his forehead, admiring his veins all the way to his covered waist. "Your concern is touching."
Drusilla flew into a rage. "You are so difficult, aren't you! Miss Doolittle can see it all around you, the darkness-the lovely darkness. Daddy says that you could be useful. That I could make you useful."
"Lady, you and your friend are both insane. Now let me go!"
She purred with anger at Sam's insinuation. "You will not speak ill of daddy! Bad precious."
The wounds and scrapes still hadn't healed around his manacles and the fresh ones from the knife that was later mailed to Dean, and probably wouldn't arrive before he rescued Sam, were still tender. Sam would not forget the feeling of being a human shish kebab any time soon. Nor would he forget what he felt soon enough.
"It's almost ashame that you wouldn't accept the treat I offered you precious, but you didn't believe me when I said that you would regret it."
It was almost unbearable, the unhinging sting of the hydrogen peroxide in his flesh wounds. His skin seemed to burn raw as the bubbling white pus of liquid greeted the stinging sheen of sweat covered his half-naked torso. He turned from it, closing his eyes and gasping for breath. It was enough to make him want to pray...though to who, he wasn't exactly sure since the big guy in the sky wasn't exactly the person he would term "friend".
Sam was alone when he opened his eyes, the room still filled with shadows and garish motel room light. At least, he was pretty sure it was an abandoned motel. He had a boarded up window to guess about, but nothing else incredibly substantial in the room except for a bed where Drusilla slept like an unhinged twelve year old with the award for the creepiest doll collection ever.
He didn't speak for the longest time, but he felt his muscles tense and slack as he tried to twist and pull out of his manacles. His shoulders had no give or pop left, little bits of time wearing away at their strength and thread. It was all up to Dean and Castiel, Sam was out of strength and smart juice.
Then she ran in, ridiculously gorgeous and once again on the verge of saving him.
"Seriously, you're going to try this again?"
She darted about the room until she found the key. "Sam, I'm here to rescue you."
"But...you're...what kind of idiot do you take me for?"
Ruby stood up, arching her back in an athletic pose, linking her eyes with his and taking the spell deeper than she normally went. "You recognize me, don't you?"
Sam squirmed away as she bent down with an ancient key to release him. "No."
"This is not the time, Sam. We've gotta get you somewhere to heal. Where's Dean and his weapon?"
Sam had nowhere left to scoot to. He had to accept her help. "You think I'm gonna tell you where the Colt is? Hell, he thinks I threw away your knife. I mean...no, you're not Ruby!"
Ruby's eyes grew wide as she crouched down to untangle flesh and iron. There was one more hit with with spell from her eyes, stronger yet. "My knife? You still have that old thing?"
"Of course I do. But its safe until I need it against a demon."
"Like this vampire that's been tailing you around the country?"
Sam let her take the bulk of his shoulder since he knew she could handle it. He groaned as he tried to stand and his knees tried to rebel. "Something like that. But less talking now, more escaping."
Ruby nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Sam's senses were trying to override his brain. So much of this made sense and yet he was so glad to see her, so glad for a chance to get back to Dean. If only his knees had cooperated...
She had something in her bag. It was cold and looked like Gatorade. But he knew as he grabbed for it that it definitely wasn't Gatorade.
"Ruby?"
"You need your strength, Sam."
Sam shook it away, tossing the bottle and icy blood in it to spray across the room. "No...I can't. I have to be stronger."
Ruby turned. "Winchester, you always were an idiot. Luckily, I brought a spare. Don't think of it as falling off the wagon. You need your strength against this guy."
Sam resisted grabbing for the bottle. "Not if you're here to help."
Ruby shook her head. "This is a one time deal. Sam, you've gotta let me know if you've got anything else to fight this guy with or maybe what the honey pot you stirred up that he's looking for."
"Dean's going after a night gem, Amara's sister, but that won't help him. Its only for..."
There was a pound at the door as Sam let his guard down. The second bottle seemed more like Gatorade than the first. Ruby wasn't stupid enough to play that trick twice, was she?
"He's coming! Sam, you've got to drink."
Sam didn't have any other answer. It tasted awful, whatever the hell it was, cold demon blood, Gatorade, or something in between. All he knew was that it would be worth the lecture from Dean when Dean was...done rescuing him?
"Sam!"
Sam struggled to his feet, feeling ten times stronger than before but forgetting the icy cold blood that was warming up and dripping down his chin like a macabre goatee.
"Dean, they sent..."
All went black from there for both brothers. Dean dropped atop Sam's body from the force of the two by four against the back of his head after Sam fell into a coma from the spiked demon's blood. Angelus had been lying in wait.
"So much for the family reunion," he quipped as Drusilla clapped with glee.
Angelus fell into a celebratory mood soon enough. He had a rusty chainsaw, an old dentist chair and tool kit, and a variety of razors and burning chemicals to choose from. If Dean Winchester would just hurry up and have the good decency to wake up, then he might have the chance to enjoy them.
Dean awoke with a groan. He was pretty sure he had been aware that he had walked into a trap, but he figured this was really the only way to get Angelus off his tail...fall into the trap and then think of something ingenious. It seemed to be one of his better talents.
"Good, you're awake."
"God damn, you're cheerful for a coward."
That earned Dean a resounding slap across the face that vibrated down to the bottom of his toes. "Couldn't let me have just one moment, Winchester? That eager to get down to business? Thats fine. I'm in such a good mood, I might just let you pick your poison first before I give you the good news."
The rope was thick and frayed, buried into his skin in a variety of unholy angles that left him bare and spread eagle on the bed that smelled distinctly of urine and of a bleach disinfectant that was causing him to break out into hives in uncomfortable places.
"Where's Sam?"
Angelus' eyes fell from joyful to spiteful in a nanosecond. "You just won't let me have my moment, will you? Very well then. I'm going to sell your brother to Lucifer, ass that he is. But only after Drusilla turns him and I've ridden both your corpses bareback. I'm gonna make him scream your name and then mine. Unless you think he's worth keeping around as a pity fuck? What would you say?"
Dean struggled and then calmed. "You pompous bastard, you think you've got it all fucking wrapped up, don't you? Think you're just gonna waltz away with a gem that I've already destroyed? Well, fuck you and your mythic gem. It never existed in the first place. Second, you've still got the angel to deal with. Remember him, popped some lights and poofed out with me leaving your dick in your hands, you twisted son of a bitch?"
Angelus shook his head. "Let him come, if he thinks it'll do any good." Angelus leaned over Dean's body, leather sliding over rebellious cock until Dean was hard. "I'll have you begging to be fucked by then just so the pain'll stop."
"In your dreams. We're gonna dust you."
Angelus gave a half grin as he lifted off of the bed and glided over to his tools of torture. "You know Dean," he stated calmly as his fingers tip-toed among the various bottles and shiny, sharp object, "you make this such a rewarding experience for me. Its a joyful difficulty deciding whether or not I want to cut your tongue out or just dissolve it. Its the little decisions, these little moments," he quipped as he pulled out a gleaming blade, "that you just have to..."
The barreling roar of the Impala came through the door, buckling it down until only a part of the wall and the door frame stood. Castiel was out of the car in seconds, running towards a trapped Dean with all the last of his power raining down and splotches of blood dripping from his nose to his shoes. He had only desired to give his life this much once before.
"Angelus, you will..."
Angelus merely blinked as the threat held in Castiel's tongue. He found himself staggering for breath as Angelus moved slowly, almost making a sweeping circle around Castiel's body. "You people must take me for a fool. Didn't anyone tell you how smart I am?"
Castiel fell to his knees, turning red as though he were choking. He was shivering with rage and tears of blood were moving down his cheeks as well as chin. Angelus merely continued moving around the invisible circle. "Oh please just stop. You're embarrassing yourself in front of your human."
Castiel looked between the man and the vampire, feeling fear strike into his adrenaline. "I've actually had some time to learn something about warding spells since the last time we met and guess what? There's a lot of ways to kill a former angel. Yeah, seems that you're not really welcome in either circle and I would say that the asphyxiation ward is just about one of the more creative."
Angelus patted Castiel on the shoulder as he used his free hand to caress the bulge in his pants. "The beauty of it, angel, is that you won't really pass out before you get to watch me cut out his tongue and then fuck him to death. And I hope you enjoy every last minute of it."
He moved back toward a shaking Dean, leaving Castiel to quiver and to put all of his strength and heart into getting to a place where he could be useful. He wouldn't give up, couldn't let Dean or Sam die-most of all Dean.
"Dean!" He managed to croak out before he felt the last of his power slip out of the sieve. He felt breath coming back to him as the ward that recognized him as an angelic being fell. He collapsed inward with the rush of air.
Angelus turned as Castiel staggered to his feet. "Great, so now what are you gonna do? Attack me as a puny human? Want to set yourself on the spit to roast while you're at it?"
"Won't have to," the gruff voice made his reply as he ran toward Angelus. Angelus bared his fangs and moved supremely toward the former angel, ready to strike hard with his weapon when he felt it. The stake that Castiel had put up his sleeve under direct orders from Willow in a dream he had kept to himself.
It stunned Angelus, to say the least. He felt his body begin to fall away from reality, watched as it shook into dust. He tried to look around, tried to call for some dark god to help him. But, wouldn't you know it? They all seemed to be out to lunch just then.
Castiel stumbled through the puddle of ashes, scattering them to the corners of the room and under the soles of his feet.
"Thank you," Dean gasped, "for having that trick up your sleeve. I was really starting to think we were screwed."
"Don't mention it, Dean. I'd give up a lot more for you if I had to."
Fingers brushed against rope and skin. "These knots, Dean, I'm sorry. Its gonna take a couple of minutes."
"Hell, its fine. You could go leave me to try and fine Sam, though."
Castiel shook his head. "Not gonna happen. Not with Drusilla on the loose. Want to make sure you're safe first. You're my first priority."
"Cas, man..."
They heard the scream then, causing Dean to send Castiel away to find Sam before "something happened". And it was really lucky that Castiel stopped Sam when he did. The reaction to the sedative in the blood had had quite an effect on him and he was found throttling Drusilla with his mind when Castiel hit him over the head with a two by four and then proceeded to chase Drusilla away with a stake. He underestimated her just in enough time to throw one holy water grenade and hear it splash in the grass past the window she escaped from.
Sam fell wearily against Castiel's side once he recognized the former angel as friendly. It wasn't something any of them ever wished to go through again though and Sam was quite happy to find that Dean had acquired pants by the time he had been helped into the back of the Impala. Castiel was too polite to say anything regarding Dean with or without pants.
