Hi guys, I'm back! So recap,

-Sam's torture has begun (physical and emotional)

-Dean has just arrived, with Crowley, at the Cage

Thank you so so much for the reviews!

cammiemorris7- Ahhhh! Thank you! More is coming right up!

ktdog1- Thank you so much! That review really meant a lot to me, and motivated me to finish this tonight!

Okay, then. Here we go!

Once, when Sam was ten, he'd gotten kidnapped by a shapeshifter. The thing only had him for a day, but it was long enough for Sam to get several fairly deep cuts on his arms, for the shifter to turn into the kid, and for Sam to get traumatized. Whether the cuts were torture or simply the damn thing being an asshole, Dean hadn't ever figured out. Anyway, finding his baby brother there, tied to a chair in a storm cellar at an abandoned house, bleeding and sobbing, blindfolded and almost blue with cold, had been almost the worst day of his life. Sam had been just a kid. He wasn't even researching hunts that weren't ghosts yet. After that night, the youngest in their small family had grown up fast. He'd learned how to be a Winchester quickly, mostly from John's "tough love" strategies. Dean hadn't thought about that day often, mostly because he felt guilty as hell anytime he did. Now, however, the guilt was worming its way to the back of his mind. Because Lucifer had apparently decided to reenact the event, with a few exaggerations, because Dean sure as hell didn't remember Sam missing any body parts then.

"Oh my God." Dean only whispered it, but Lucifer turned to him from his place beside the little Sam, and put a finger to his smiling lips. His eyes were a deep red glow, and his forked tongue showed when he smiled or mouthed the words being said to Dean's brother. Sam wasn't blindfolded, but when Dean tentatively walked up until he was only a few feet from the Cage, there was still no reaction from his little brother. Of course, he was a little distracted with his own ten year old self standing there with a knife in its hand. Sam was tied to a chair, exactly the same way as that day, and, worryingly, was staring straight into the small Sam's eyes blankly. It wasn't only worrying because of the absolute shit the mini Sam was spewing from his mouth, but also because Sam was missing fingers. The old slashes were in the same places as last time, and Dean wondered if the shifter said all this, or even some of it, to Sam the first time, too. Crowley caught up and sauntered to Dean's side, looking at the reenactment of Sam's memory in front of them.

"Now, I have to say-" Before Crowley could finish his half-hearted, witty remark, Dean had a blade against the demon's neck and was seething. His chest rose and fell harshly, rose and fell, rose and fell, rose and fell, rose and fell, rose and fell, before he calmed himself to a point at which he could focus on something other than his breathing without hyperventilating. The urge to kill something, to kill anything really, was so strong and overwhelming that he glanced involuntarily at his forearm to check for the Mark that had gotten them into this whole mess. It was like taking a step back in time to when the Mark had given him this exact feeling 24/7. Was it back? No, but killing Crowley would certainly feel damn good. What use did he have, anyway? Rowena was the one who knew something, who'd drawn the sigils. She would know what went wrong. So why not take out every emotion going through himself, and take it out on Crowley? Why not slit his throat and let him die? Why not-

"You could kill him, Dean, and leave Sam to rot in that Cage for eternity," The familiar voice drew Dean to turn to the passage the pair had just come through to see the owner the mouth that had spoken. "or you could let the demon go, and turn to me. If you chose that, I would let Sam out, let you both continue on your way, and contain Lucifer in the process." Crowley, too, had turned toward the woman standing before them.

"How did you-" Dean began, but was cut off by her.

"Survive being smote by thousands of angels at once? Dean, I told you, I'm God's sister. You think his winged cherubs could kill me? No." For once, the king of Hell was surprisingly silent, until Dean realized he had fled, zapping himself away. Glancing at the Cage, and realizing he hadn't heard a single sound from inside since Amara's arrival, he opened his mouth to mention the fact when he was, again, interrupted.

"They don't know I'm here, and to them, you vanished. We're invisible to them, and I blocked the sounds of your brother's torture from you. I thought you'd be able to focus more easily. I can see your question already, and I'm prepared to answer. When I said I wanted you to turn to me, all I mean is that I wish for you to listen fully to what I have to say once the time comes for me to tell you. I want you to listen to me, and what I have to say. I will not harm you, nor your brother, nor your angel, if you do what I ask." Everything around them turned black, obscuring his brother from view. All that was visible occasionally were Lucifer's eyes, and a glimmer of yellow irises every now and again. There was silence for a long minute, until Dean spoke.

"And how do I know that's the truth?"

"Because you released me, and we are bonded. I am doing this for you, not for any unforeseen benefits on my end, Dean." A shuddering breath was drawn into his lungs and released. His chest rose and fell, rose and fell, rose and fell. Amara saw the ease of which she could hasten his answer, and opened the bubble around them, one soft word from Sam's lips reaching Dean's ear.

"D-Dean,"

"Okay. I'll do it."