Lily heard the sliding sound of the metal latch on the door, then the creak of the hinges. Slow, casual foot steps echoed through the room until Crowley stood in front of her. She was once again bound in the chair, as she had been every day for the past two months. Only this time, she was gagged as well. A cloth shoved in her mouth, with tape across her face to hold it in, kept her from speaking. Crowley picked up a scalpel from a small table nearby, then turned to face Lily.
"Shall we try this again?"
Lily waved her fingers and mumbled against the cloth and tape. Her eyes were soft, almost pleading. A stark contrast to the defiance that had been in them the day before, when she spouted off an exorcism, trying to send Crowley back to Hell. Crowley hit her repeatedly, and she never made it past the first few lines. It hadn't been her first time trying it, and Crowley finally got annoyed with her. He gagged her and left her in the chair all night.
When he caught sight of her fingers wiggling, Crowley looked at her. They made eye contact. Lily looked down at her fingers, then back to Crowley. She repeated it until she knew he understood that she wanted him to pay attention. His eyes went to her fingers and she did her best to spell out 'water.'
A look of confusion crossed his face. "I'm really not in the mood for charades."
She flicked her eyes back to her fingers, and Crowley rolled his before following. She once again spelled 'water,' and Crowley scoffed.
"Right," he said, "because that would mean I have to remove your gag and you can try your little exorcism again."
Lily shook her head with what little strength she had. She knew she couldn't even get out of the chair, let alone fight her way out. Not in her condition.
Crowley sighed and sliced her arm with the scalpel. She cried out, but it was muffled by the cloth in her mouth.
"Fine," he said. "No fun torturing you if I can't hear you screaming, anyway."
He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a bottled water. He ripped the tape from her face and pulled the cloth from her mouth. Her jaw ached, and her mouth was drier than she ever thought possible. She watched as Crowley slowly unscrewed the cap, then tilted her head back as he held it up and poured it into her mouth. She swallowed and opened her mouth for more. He hesitated, but filled her mouth again before returning the cap to the bottle. He placed it far out of reach, but still in sight. It's own form of torture as she thirsted for more.
Lily closed her eyes and Crowley reached out and stroked her bruised cheek. It was so gentle that Lily actually welcomed it, leaning into it. She imagined it was Dean's hand until Crowley spoke, breaking the illusion.
"You see, darling. I told you before. I don't want you dead... just nearly dead."
He pressed the tip of the blade into the flesh on her forearm and slowly dragged it up, leaving a long, open cut, not so deep as to need stitches, but deep enough to bleed and need time heal. She cried out in pain, her voice hoarse and weak.
"Please, just tell me what you want."
"There you go again. Doesn't it say something to you that I've ignored that plea all this time?"
"Other than the fact that you're an ass?" He sent the blade flying across her thigh, and she cried out again. "Just tell me why!"
"Why? Why am I doing this to you?"
"Yes!"
Crowley laughed. "I'm a demon, love. Do you really think I need a reason?" He sliced through her thigh again, and leaned in close. "The only reason... is that I like it." He stood and began walking around the room. "Taking you has three-fold perks. One: the obvious one is that it tortures you. Literally. Two: taking you left Sam completely and utterly alone. That tortures him. Three: Dean." At the mention of his name, Lily's eyes shot up. Crowley smiled. "Wherever Dean is, if there's any chance of him finding out what's happened to you... it'll torture him. Trust me, I'd much rather it were him in my chair. I loathe the little bastard. But I'll take the girl he loves. I'm okay with consolation prizes."
"What makes you think he..."
She let out a cry as he sliced across her arm.
"Oh please," he said. "Dean wasn't very subtle, the way he threatened me not to even think about touching a hair on your head." Crowley ran his fingers through Lily's hair, and she tried to pull away. He grabbed a fist full and yanked her head back. "Well, I thought about it." He slid the blunt side of the scalpel blade lightly down the side of her face. "And I enjoyed those thoughts so much... that you're here now."
Crowley jammed the blade into Lily's thigh, causing her to scream in pain. He pulled it out and threw it back onto the table. He walked out of the room and another demon soon came in. Lily had seen him every day. He cleaned her wounds after Crowley was done with her. After all, he didn't want her dead.
This demon was wary of her now. She had taken advantage of the situation early on and tried to escape when he removed the metals bonds to clean her wounds. She never made it out of the room. Two guards had stood at the door, as they did now. Though, now, she didn't have the strength to fight.
The demon ordered her to stand, but she couldn't. Her whole body ached, and she was weak with thirst and hunger. The demon motioned for the two guards to come over.
"Take her to her cell," he said. "I'll send for food. Crowley will be furious if she dies on us."
One of the guards picked her up and carried her down the hall, with the other guard close behind. He practically dropped her onto her bed, which was nothing more than a mat on the concrete floor. She welcomed the ability to lie down after sitting in that chair for more than twenty-four hours.
The food eventually came. Bread, oatmeal, and water. She ate and drank and then lay down on the mat. She cried, but no tears came. The tears had stopped days ago as her body fought to stay hydrated. She was exhausted, and she welcomed sleep. She thought of Dean, just as she had every night. He came in, guns blazing, and rescued her, just as he had every night. Her last conscious thought was of Dean's lips on hers.