…
No apologies, he'll never see you cry
Pretend he doesn't know that he's the reason why
you're drowning
..

Claire Speaks

The car trip was awkward; Ben quiet in the front seat with Dean driving intently while I was stuck in the back with Tatiana, her eyes never leaving my face and the tip of my dagger never moving from her.

With a little convincing from Dean, Ben agreed for us to travel in the same car. The Chevy Impala was a lot dirtier than what I remembered and it pained me to think that my father was driven away from me in this. I had to admit, for an old car it was running surprisingly well but it wasn't much of a surprise considering how enthusiastic Dean was about it. Now I could see where Bens passion came from.

Tatiana's head dropped and I tensed but as the shifter made its-self more comfortable in the back, I kept my guard up. If I was going to try and get away, I would fake sleep as well, but I wasn't as stupid as others. However, while she did sleep, I leant my back against the door, one leg up on the seat as I looked at the amulet around my neck.
On our way out, Adam seemed adamant that we took them, although he was unsure if they would actually work. The way I saw it, it was better to have it and they not work then end up dead when they could have prevented Zenos power.

The warm metal twisted into something that looked like an arrow. We all had on something different, Adam terrified that not all of them would work against Zeno, but if they weakened the effect of Jesse's powers, they should work against Zeno right? With that bit of hope, we were heading down the intersection not knowing what was in store for us.
It was going to be a trap wasn't it?
Jesse being taken, the shifter conveniently volunteering to take us there, it had to be and yet here we were, enjoying a road trip.

My fingers slipped to my other necklace; the long chain light and sitting just above my chest. The smooth silver cross sat there perfectly and I rubbed my finger along it, wondering just why on earth Ben would give me something like this. Every time I looked at it though, I felt at peace, like that turning in my stomach whenever I thought of this whole mess, of Castiel and Ben just stopped. I could only imagine the story behind this and it pained me to think why he would give it to me, today of all days. It wasn't a wedding ring or anything, but somehow it felt like a collar.

It was a few hours of painful silence before the shifter sat up, guiding Dean through the town. I tried to steady my breathing when Ben slid his hand down between the car seat and the door, myself not able to do anything other than slip my hand into his, giving it a tight squeeze.
It was right then that I wanted to tell him, tell him that I cared for him more than anything else, and tell him that I was in trouble. Yet before I could open my mouth, the car came to a stop and Dean got out of the car quickly.

'We're here ladies.' Tatiana grinned before Dean heaved her from the back seat. I got out of the car, stretching before I began to load myself up with my machete and guns, zipping up my tight leather jacket over my shirt and strapping on my machete.
'Where exactly is here?' Ben questioned as he prepared himself. The shifter released a winded sigh as Dean shoved her against the car forcefully, pulling the chain tighter around her and then around the back wheel of the car, keeping her in place.
'Don't even think about wrecking my car.' Dean growled before he opened the boot.
'So I'm supposed to just chill here…?' the shifter looked around but there wasn't all that much to see. The abandoned car park was shielded by trees and bushland, the nearest traffic ten minutes away.

We turned to see the building as Dean growled to the shifter that she was there until they came back, the paint peeling and the windows shattered in some places.
'Just once I would like to see the bad guy somewhere nice, not some back street run-down.'
I sighed and Ben just chuckled at me.
There was a sharp click behind us and Dean stepped beside his son, and I admired the sight of father and son joining together for a hunt.

'Ready?'
As one we took a step forward, ignoring the yells of Tatiana demanding that she be released, I couldn't help but think of what was in store for us. The only reason I was allowing her to live was that if this proved to be a goose chase, at least I would have something to hit.
We quickly got to an entrance, Dean heading in first.
'How long do you think we have until he knows we're here?'
I shrugged, following them into the building. My eyes widened when I saw everything clean and spotless, the furniture organised and walls clean and straight. I shared a glance with Dean and Ben, continuing in further as the sun began to set behind us.

All I could think of was the Angels and the maze they had me follow; but this seemed different, this was a hospital, like it had been closed for the night. There was absolutely no one around and I felt uncomfortable as Dean hesitated, pointing to his ear and back down a corridor.
We followed, glancing into any open doors until we reached the end, the large swing doors fully open and inviting us in.
'Good to be sharing this hunt with you Ben.' Dean smiled at Ben and winked back at me. I would have heard Bens reply if it wasn't for a strange noise.
'You guys check in there, I'll check back here.'

Ben made out to follow me but I pointed to Dean and raised my eyebrow threateningly. When he turned back, I sighed and shook my head, bracing my gun in front of me as I glanced down the dull corridor to see if I could find the noise.
Something dropped in one of the rooms and after searching for the light switch, the room blinked to life and I dreaded what I would see.

Nothing, just an empty, bear room and I sighed when I heard shuffling behind me.
'Ben, that look meant stay with Dean.'
I turned around and gasped as Tatiana smiling at me.
'And this means duck!'
With that she brought something heavy down on my head and I dropped to the floor, not able to do much more as my eyes fell shut.

Cold, that was the first thing I felt and I groaned, the filthy ground I was laying on leaving sand on my cheek as I peeled away from it. My head thumped, like I was still being hit by whatever struck me and my eyes slowly regained their focus.
Dam that shape shifter, how the hell did she get the jump on me? How did she get out of the chains?

I was hard to see anything as I leant back on the wall, my legs out in front of me as I rubbed them to rid of the tingles. The room was too dark, and small by the way noises didn't carry.
'Are you okay?'
'Why can't the first thing people say is we are not okay?'
When my eyes came to, I was staring through bars and to Ben. At least I didn't try to stand up; the cages we were locked in big enough for us to sit up in, not much else.
'We're screwed.' Dean groaned, moving beside Ben and closer to his bars.
Ben remained focused on me and I raised my eyebrow.
'My head aches, wanna hug?'
'Getting out would be the first move.' Dean mumbled and Ben shook his head, like he had been waiting for someone to mention it, missing my apologetic wince.
'There is no way out, unless you can bend iron.'

Now that he mentioned it, it was hard to see a way out when there wasn't an obvious way in. The cages had no locks, there wasn't even a door into the room.
'Maybe it's a illusion?' I tried to suggest, but Dean tapped his fingernails along the bars, confirming that they were real enough to keep us still.
'We're stuck here like animals.' Ben sighed and Dean huffed, mumbling quietly something about slaughter animals.

Before I could say another word, light flooded the room, forcing us to cringe away from the source. There was a thud close to me and I flinch when something crumpled on the floor. Once the light eased, I felt the snarl on my face become fierce as Zeno walked between the cages, Ben looking around Zenos legs to me, sharing my panic until his eyes widened on something beside me. As I followed his glance, I felt my insides twist into impossibly tight knots.
Jesse lay in the cage beside mine, as still as stone.
Irons bars morphed silently back into their straight lines and I scoffed; magic was cheating, but I was honoured that he went to such lengths to hold us still.

'What have you done to him?' Ben demanded, trying to seem as angry and unafraid as he could being in a cage lower than Zenos hip.
I tried to reach Jesse, tried to reassure him we were here or even check a pulse, but his back was a hairs width away from the tip of my finger.
Zeno chuckled, squatting down and moving his face closer to Bens, who didn't back down.
'I love to work on hunters.' He said and a chill shot down my spine, I could only imagine the sick grin on his face. 'The more angst the better.'
'So this is just a fun carnival for you?' Dean snapped, and Zeno snapped his head around to look at him.
'No, this is much more than some game.' He growled as though he was telling a school student off for answering a simple question incorrectly.
'By the end of all of this, all creatures, especially the all powerful ones that like to sit on shoulders, will be destroyed and the world will at last be at peace. That is the prize for this carnival game.' He growled; voice deep but surprisingly calm.

I shared another look with Ben, did he mean the Angels? He was going to destroy the angels, all I could think of was the angels wanting me to say yes, telling me that I was going to be what either saved heaven or destroyed it. Yet even here, sitting in a cold cage with no easy escape in sight, I was still not going to say yes. This wasn't over for us yet, we still had a chance.
'What did you do to Jesse?' Ben snarled and Zeno glanced over his shoulder, eyes meeting mine for a second before focussing on Ben.
'Your friend there is the closest relative I have; we share... most genetic traits. I'll just say that it is good to learn exactly what can hurt me and what cannot without injuring myself.'
He chuckled again, standing straighter and moving towards the wall, which melted away to reveal the adjoining white room.

Ben moved too quick for me to yell at him.
Reaching into his boot, he revealed a sharp dagger, reaching between the bars and throwing it.
'Son of a bitch!' he yelled and I looked to see where the dagger went, to see if it did anything. I knew Ben needed to let off steam, but this was not the best way to do it, not while Zeno was in control.
The dagger was buried in his calf, the dagger piecing through the fabric of his tailored pants and into his flesh, but there was no cry of pain; there wasn't even any blood as Zeno ripped it from him. He studied it and I could feel my nerves for Ben who just glared at the monster stalking towards him.
'Idjit.' Dean growled, poking Ben from between the bars. Ben didn't move though, keeping his eyes firmly on Zeno who was suddenly kneeling in front of Ben, pulling his arm out between the bars.
'What were you hoping would happen?' he asked, and Ben snarled, lip twitching as though he was ready to bite. Zeno chuckled and I crept closer to the front of the cage, holding tight to a bar as I prayed Zeno would just let it go.

Zeno didn't.
Instead, he pulled Ben into the bars, breaking his arm backwards.
Ben cried out and I jumped, watching as Bens arm sagged beside him in an unnatural twist. Panting, Ben wasn't sure how to get his arm back into the cage with him, grunting as Zeno stood up, looking down at his handy work.
Panting, Ben couldn't look up from his arm, the shock etched into his face .
'Time to play.'
Without a word the bars to Bens cage bent aside, Ben crying out as he was lifted by Zeno with such ease.

'No!' I screamed, wishing I could bend metal, wishing I wasn't here. Ben stared at me as Zeno lifted Ben in front of him, smirking sickeningly.
'Take me, take me instead!' Dean bellowed, face stricken with fear but Zeno wasn't hearing us, and I tried to look brave for Ben as he moaned.
'Don't hurt him, don't you dare!' I yelled up at him, faltering when Zeno dropped his face close to mine, enough that I could feel the warmth from his skin. I didn't move away, instead held his eyes as he stared at me.
'What can you do about it? Call you angel friend?'
Like that they were gone.

I screamed, smashing my hand against the bars but nothing happened. Dean was doing something similar, demanding Zeno return, that he leave his son alone but the wall was back up and we were shrouded in darkness again.
'Shit!'
I covered my face, not knowing what the hell to do. It felt like water was closing in around me, my breath was short; I was terrified.
If Zeno leave Jesse in that state, what could he do to Ben, why would he want to even give Ben a chance?

'What did he mean by angel friend?' Dean asked and I tried to ignore him, tried to busy myself with reaching Jesse but he hadn't moved, and to have a second opinion on a life changing decision would be handy.
'They want me to say... say the word to ride around in me.'
I could almost hear Dean stiffen and I sighed heavily; there was starting to look like there was less and less of an option, but Deans strong No was enough to pull my head above the surface of the water.
'Don't. For one, they are dicks, two; it might be exactly what Zeno wants.'
I wanted to yell at Dean to shut up, yell at Jesse to wake up but he was right, stop my eyes from watering, I couldn't say yes without knowing the endgame Zeno had planned, I wouldn't say yes because my family history with angels was not a good one.

Yet as I sat there on the hard surface, everything closing in around me; I couldn't let anything happen to Ben.
I would give anything for him to be safe.