"So what do we do now?" Sam asked. It was hard to focus when Gabriel was an utter mess in his mind.
How could he do it? No angel could be so evil! The pain he must have felt! To kill his Soul-bound! And on and on and on. Lucifer's actions derailed him, but what worried Sam was the profound debilitating guilt Gabe felt for abandoning his family in heaven. He regrets not trying harder to help convince Lucifer to stay. Sam worried the feeling might be strong enough to allow Gabriel to take possession of his body again. He could do without that little slip happening once more.
"Well," Crowley said in his husky voice. He scratched at his beard and let out a sigh. "It would seem that we want the same thing. Maybe for different reasons but...I am willing to come to an agreement."
"Of course you are," Dean said with a dry chuckle.
We can't let her win. Can't let Lucifer out. Father, what he'd do to me if he knew I was alive. I have failed him. Failed all of them!
"Stop it!" Sam hissed, and pushed Gabriel back into his cage. He didn't like what was happening. He didn't know what to do or how to console his friend. He felt helpless and could only take solace in knowing he was doing everything he could to avoid Lucifer's return. For both their sakes. They might not be able to drive all the angels back to heaven, but they can at least keep that angel locked away in hell.
"Sam!" Dean shouted and Sam jerked back to reality. Both men were staring at him.
"Sorry...I'm...uh, I'm okay now." He hoped he sounded more convincing than he felt.
"Are their bats in your belfry, Moose?" Crowley rasped, "I can't have one of my prize fighters not up to snuff."
"He's fine," Dean snapped, "aren't you, Sammy?" Sam could only nod numbly.
"Well," Crowley went on, "in any case here are my terms. Being that Serrath is plucking up demons, I will issue a temporary reprieve to my masses. I will have them all return to hell; wiping the earth clean, until that witch can be thrown back in her cage again."
"And what do you want in return?" Sam asked, blinking his eyes back into focus.
"It's rather simple, really," Crowley said with a smirk and added a dramatic pause. Leaning forward, he lowered his voice for emphasis. "I want each and every amulet you recover from your efforts to take her down."
"What, you mean like this?" Dean asked and held up the sheep's head trinket he had recovered from Serrath's shadow. Crowley hissed, reaching for it, but Dean snatched his hand away. "And what's so special about this, huh?"
"It's mine!" Crowley growled and his voice sounded like thunder. He paused a moment, closing his eyes, and took a steadying breath. "She is using demons to make those amulets. I want those demons returned to me." Sam shot a worried glance at Dean and knew from his expression that he was thinking the same thing: if she was using demons to make these amulets, what else was she making? Another scepter maybe?" Sam couldn't decide if this was good or bad. Could he exploit this somehow or was it far too risky? He suspected the later. Gabriel was far too distraught to help him with any sort of angelic wisdom so Sam decided to not decide. For now.
"Alright," Dean said with a shrug, "fair enough. You can get your demons back."
"I am willing to withdrawal my people for two weeks. That should be plenty of time for you to eradicate this bitch of a witch for me. That is...as long as you don't dally." Sam rolled his eyes at Crowley. Funny how all of a sudden he presumes they are working for him. And are they not?
"And what about over there?" Dean said, motioning towards the house, "Are there any demons in that house?"
"Oh yes," Crowley said and his face darkened. "There are almost a hundred demons in there." Sam could feel a cold chill start at his neck, and run deep down his spine.
"You better spread the word that we're on their side for once," Dean whispered.
"Consider it already done," Crowley said with a smile. "I would never like my prize fighters get harmed. Well, at least not by demon kind. Serrath however..."
"Leave that witch to us," Dean said reaching for his door, "Sammy here has a secret weapon."
Castiel looked down at the vessel and then over to his brother. Was this the right decision? So many times he followed others blindly, trusting in their good intentions, only to be deceived in the end. But Eros was different, wasn't he? Castiel tried to chalk it up as his own self-doubt that put him so on edge.
"Attach the dynamap to the vessel so we can monitor heart rate. It's time to begin," Eros said as he walked over carrying his shallow bowl of fallen Grace. The essence looked milky and dull but still swirled and glowed like the angelic host. Castiel could feel his stomach lurch looking at it. Doing as instructed, he affixed the blood pressure cuff and then stood back waiting further instruction.
"Brother, I'm afraid this is where things get messy," Eros said. He rounded the table and stood next to his brother, looking at the work in front of him. "Magic is involved and there is always an element of chance in magic. I used to think such things never had a place in science, but when it comes to manipulating Grace and soul, no energy source could be channeled through something less powerful than magic."
"What are you going to do?" Castiel asked with a slight tremor in his voice. Eros turned to study him.
"I'm going to create a vacuum. I am going to use this vacuum to suck the Soul-bound right out of Samuel's head and link it to this Soul-bound vessel. With luck, everyone will survive the night."
"Is Sam at risk?" Castiel asked, alarmed.
"It's is unlikely he will be harmed physically. Mentally however, the experience may be...painful."
"No Eros," Castiel said, his eyes wide with the sinking dread he was feeling, "we can not do this. There has to be another way."
"Castiel," Eros said sadly. "In such a short time, I have grown to love you more than anything. More than toys or maple syrup or adventure... But I discovered today that there is just one thing I love more than even you. Do you know what that is?" Castiel bit his bottom lip and shook his head. Tension and apprehension roiled in his mind, mixing with grief and pity. Eros took a step towards the older angel, closing all distance between them, and resting his hands on Cas' s chest for balance, he got on his tip toes to brush a kiss against Castiel's cheek. Then he turned and placed those lips against Castiel's ear and Cas bent forward to meet him.
"The thing I love most in this world, Castiel...is discovery." Ice sliced through Castiel as Eros's weave of Grace caught him off guard. Suddenly he was plunging; drifting, ever faster going into a deep abysmal sleep. Castiel was out before his body hit the floor.
"Something is wrong," Dean said, and he paused in the hallway of the house. They had already eradicated two more shadow witches and Crowley casually trailed behind them with three sheep head amulets decorating his neck. They were making their way to the basement when a wave of emotions overtook Dean. It was Cas. Fear...grief...sadness? Why would he be feeling these things? An instant later, the emotions were gone and replaced with peaceful tranquility. Dean strained to sense more but his angel was just too damn far away.
"What is it?" Sam whispered and Dean shook his head.
"Nothing...uh...Cas. It's gone now." He dare not say any more with Crowley breathing down their necks, and Sam got the gist of it anyway. He nodded and they moved on.
Reaching the basement, the three men angled themselves to the side of the opening and Dean reached for the door. The door flung open before Dean could even turn the knob, and two more shadow witches skidded into the hall. They looked identical to each other, grey smoky women in long dresses, which made sense in the theory that they both manifested from the same person. Sam made quick work of the two but a third slipped out and charged right at Dean. Making quick decision between demon blade and colt, Dean chose the blade that he had picked up outside, and snaked towards the shadow as a counter strike. Caught off guard by his advances, she hesitated enough for Dean to get in close, and he slashed into her neck. The cord severed that held the sheep amulet to her chest and the shadow instantly winked out of existence.
"Found another way to kill them," Dean said, pleased with himself, and a breathless Sam nodded appreciatively. Crowley quietly collected the amulets discarded on the floor.
They cautiously crept down the wide staircase that lead into a stone-worked basement. Everything in the house screamed money. The basement stretched in either end of the staircase and curved into sights unknown.
"Crowley, do you sense any demons down here?" Sam asked and the king of hell nodded.
"This way," he said softly and then pushed past them to go down the hall to the left. They passed two doors and arrive at the third door on the right when Crowley announces that a small demon army was nestled inside. Hard to believe so many could fit into such a small room. Noting the door was locked, Dean nods to Sam who produces lock picks from up his sleeve. He makes quick work of the lock, and moments later the door creaks open on a squeaky hinge to reveal a darkened room inside.
"Crowley, can you give us some light, here?" Dean asked.
"I'm not a bloody angel," Crowley scowls, and then he leaned into the room to flip a light switch on the wall. The room in front of them illuminates on a series of stringed lights. Against every wall there was a table and on each take had a variety of different items. Swords, staffs, baubles, boxes. It looked to Dean like some renaissance faire flea market and sadly reminded him of Charlie. Crowley whistled through his teeth.
"They're demons," he whispered in a gravelly tone, "every last one of them."
"What are they for? What do they do?" Asked Sam, a little on edge.
"Some of them...nothing. Failed experiments," said Crowley as he strode further into the room. He reached a table and picked up a foot long black rod about an inch in width. "While others...this one shatters bone on impact." Dropping it back to the table, he picked up a small velvety red box. "This one can trap a soul for all eternity." Crowley turn then and studied a table of long rods that almost resembled rebar.
"Now that's interesting," he huffed.
"What? What do you see?" Dean absolutely loathed not knowing what was going on and having to rely on Crowley for answers. He wished Cas was with them. If he knew what was going on Cas wouldn't feel so relaxed and drowsy in Dean's mind.
"All off these do the same thing," Crowley said as he lifted one of the bars for closer inspection. "In a variety of different strengths and distances, but they all act as a wormhole. Or maybe...a vacuum?"
"A wormhole long enough to reach hell and Lucifer?" Dean asked and Crowley threw his head back in a brief cynical laugh.
"All of these combined could not bore to Lucifer. But if it was long enough...it might work." Dean swallowed hard.
"Ok let's get some bags, gather all these things up, and get out of here before Serrath realizes some of her puppets went missing and decides to-"
Sam threw his head back and screamed. The sound of it made Dean feel as though his blood was curdling and he crouched down looking for the source of an assault. His scream seemed to never end, and when it came apparent no foe had entered the room, Dean looked to his brother in horror.
"Sammy?" Sam collapsed to the cement floor, smacking his head in the process, and writhed where he laid as his screams dwindled to a desperate keening through clenched teeth.
"Get your Moose under control, Squirrel!" Crowley shouted over Sam's ruckus. His eyes were wide and looking all around. "Something's coming! In fact, many somethings are coming!"
"Sam!" Dean shouted, and shook his brother violently, but Sam wouldn't respond. Turning on his side, he curled into a ball and shook from whatever unseen force influenced him. "Crowley, we have to get out of here."
"I know," Crowley growled through his teeth. He still looked around the room, eyes wide and close to panic.
"Do something, Crowley! Zap us out of here!"
"How many times do I have to tell you," Crowley said as he reached for a curved bull horn resting amongst the scattering of tableware. "I'm not a bloody angel!" He turned and pointed the horn at Sam and Dean while he blew into the other end. Suddenly Dean felt himself being whisked off his feet and he crashed through a basement window to be ejected onto the sidewalk outside.
Dean rolled onto his back, groaning and wincing in pain, and noted a long bloody gash running up his leg. It was bleeding pretty bad. Fuck but he missed Castiel. Why wasn't the angel zapping over to him? Couldn't he tell from Dean's emotions that he's in a world of hurt? He didn't even want to think of the possible answers to those questions. Like maybe his angel found this to be the perfect chance to skip town and exited stage left? No. Not Cas. Not anymore.
"Sam!" Dean croaked and reached for his brother.
"N...N-" the syllables pushed through the clench of his teeth. His whole body was retching and writhing as he thrashed on the sidewalk.
"Gotta get up, Sam! Got to get out of here!" Crowley was nowhere in sight and Dean suspected he stayed behind. To stall for the hunter's sake or to protect his new items, Dean didn't know.
"N...n...n..."
Dean removed his belt and cinched it over his leg to slow the bleeding. They had no time left of the brief head start they were given. Leaning over, he pulled at Sam with all his might to bring the younger hunter to his feet. Sam was doubled over, retching in the back of his throat, but he was able to sprint towards the car in a lopsided jaunt.
"Come on, Sam! Almost there!" Dean rounded the car and opened the passenger door for his brother. Just as Sam rounded the car behind him, he lost his footing in the freshly dewed grass along the sidewalk and slipped sideways to land hard on his ribs. The impact knocked the wind out of Sam, and his mouth gave way to one word.
"N- No!" Sam screamed and retched and writhed as a plume of Grace expelled from his body and vanished into night sky. "No! No! No!"
He wouldn't stop screaming, and Dean was seriously starting to freak out. Was that Gabriel that just left Sam's body? But Eros said it might take days. Then Dean's mind put emphasis on the word might. Panic gripped him. If Eros deceived them about this, what else was he capable of?
"Castiel!"