CHAPTER 5

"Okay," Lily gasped, and stopped running, bent over with her hands on her knees. "Okay, you're gonna need to slow down a bit."

Sam nodded, and took the opportunity to catch his own breath. He waited a minute, just long enough for Lily's breathing to almost get back to normal, then said, "Come on, we're almost there."

Sam had lost track of how long they'd been running, or how far they'd gone. Neither of them had their watches, and though Lily's phone had been in her pocket when she'd first appeared here, it had gotten smashed to pieces about five minutes after she'd woken up. She'd said that it hadn't been doing her much good, anyway, since she wasn't getting any service. Still it meant that they had no way of knowing what time it was. Sam thought that it had to have been at least two, maybe three hours since they'd left Cold Oak, though. By now, it was already growing dark, and he thought that they had to at least be getting close to the railroad tracks.

"You really think this is going to do any good?" Lily asked, as soon as she'd caught her breath enough to respond. "Azazel got us once, didn't he? What makes you think that he's not going to just pull us right back?"

That was a good question, honestly – one that Sam didn't actually have an answer to. He didn't want to say that, though, so he just shrugged. She scowled, clearly not finding that at all reassuring, and he quickly added, "We've got to do something, though. It's better than waiting around for him to come find us. At least we can try." That did nothing to lessen his scowl, so he added, "And Dean-"

"I know, I know," Lily snapped, cutting him off. "You're brother and his magical boyfriend are going to come rescue us from the demons and save the day. I heard you the first time. You got any thoughts on what we do if they don't make it here on time?"

"They will," Sam said, for no reason other than he didn't want to tell her the truth – that even if Dean drove in his normal, reckless way, it'd still be hours before they could get here.

That wasn't so long, right? All they had to do was get themselves over the railroad, where Azazel wouldn't be able to reach them, and then hold out there until they got backup. As soon as Dean and Cas were here, then they'd finally be able to switch over to the offensive, to actually work out a way to kill Azazel instead of just running scared.

Maybe Azazel would just use the spell to haul them back again, and maybe this was pointless, but they still had to try something. And he'd meant it when he'd said that they couldn't just sit around twiddling their thumbs until Azazel finally caught them.

"You ready?" Sam asked, and the way that Lily rubbed her side made him think that no, she wasn't.

If she was hurting, though, she didn't say anything. Instead, she just nodded once, looking determined. "Let's go," she said.

They kept running.

It was another half an hour before the railroad came into view.

They were both exhausted. They'd had to slow to a walk by then, and though Sam wanted to urge Lily to at least jog some of the time, he held his tongue. It wasn't going to do them any good if they were both too tired to defend themselves if – when – the demons caught up to them.

Despite everything, though, he couldn't help but grin when he first saw the metal gleaming slightly in the moonlight. "We're almost there," he said, turning toward Lily, his grin pulling even wider.

She shook her head. "Won't do any good," she said. But she did speed up her steps, just a little.

They were about fifteen feet away when Sam heard something in the forest rustle behind them, like twigs crunching as they were crushed underfoot. He stopped walking, instantly spinning and raising his gun to point toward the noise. Maybe it was nothing, but he wasn't going to risk it, not when they were this close.

"That's not going to do any good, you know," Azazel said, and stepped out of the trees, walking towards them with a lazy smile on his face. "And I wouldn't try to move, either. You're not going to make it that far."

Azazel was right. Salt rounds weren't going to do much, not against a demon as strong as him. Still, though, Sam couldn't make himself lower it.

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," Azazel said slowly, shaking his head as he came closer and closer. "I always knew that you'd end up here. You were the one I've been betting on, ever since you were a baby. Now, Lily, I'll admit that you're more of a surprise. I'd hoped that a power like yours would make you a contender, but you just didn't have that killing edge. I pegged you as being one of the first to die – congratulations on proving me wrong."

Sam saw the way that she shuddered, the terror that flashed across her face, but when she spoke, it didn't show in her voice. Somehow, she managed to keep her voice calm. "What do you even want from us?"

The smile slid from Azazel's face, and he stopped walking, standing only a few feet away from them. "Nothing," he said.

"That doesn't make any sense," Sam said.

Azazel tilted his head. "Oh, but it does," he said calmly. "It's simple. I have plans in place, but not for the two of you." He held up one hand, then slowly curled down his fingers, until only one remained. He used it to point to Lily, then Sam, then said, "I only need one."

"You're not getting either of us," Sam snapped.

Azazel raised his eyebrows. "I find that hard to believe," he said. "One of you is going to give in and kill the other to save yourself. I've bent all of my other children to my will – all of them that looked strong enough to bother trying to control, that is. And they've all given into me, Sam, every single one that I decided to sink my teeth into. Some of them didn't make it a day before doing what I said. You won't be any different."

"And what if we don't?" Lily said. This time, she didn't sound quite as determined, and Sam could hear just the slightest quiver in her voice, betraying how terrified she was. Still, though, she continued to put on a good show of it, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes in the semblance of a glare.

Azazel was quiet then. He didn't move, just watched them, and the silence stretched on for several seconds. Not that long of a time, not really, but just long enough that Sam almost wondered if Azazel didn't have an answer. Then, Azazel smiled.

That's when Sam heard the growls.

"Two options," Azazel said. "You could save yourself right now, or I could let my boys release their hounds, and we'll see which one of you makes it out. And believe me, you're gonna want to go with option number one." He paused, like he was waiting for them to ask. When neither of them said a word, Azazel frowned and spread his hands. "Don't you want to know why?"

"Why?" Sam asked, practically spitting out the word.

"Because if you don't, then I'm not going to be happy with whoever the winner is," he said. "You might have to be punished for making me go through so much trouble." Lily opened her mouth, but Azazel held up one hand, silencing her. "And no," he said, "I can't harm either of you – can't risk something happening to my champion, now can I? But you both have families, you know. I don't think you want to know what I could do to them."

The growls were coming closer. They were coming from all around, the sounds echoing from the left, the right, in front of them – everywhere but behind them, where the railroad lay. Right now, they were advancing slowly. Sam guessed that they were still ten, maybe fifteen feet away, and it would take them at least a few minutes to close that distance, at this rate. All of that would change once Azazel told them to strike.

Sam looked at Lily, trying to mentally tell her what he wanted her to do. But her eyes were locked on Azazel's face like she couldn't rip herself away, and she didn't even seem to notice that Sam was trying to convey a message.

"Maybe I should punish both of your families, anyway," Azazel continued, his voice almost thoughtful. "After all, why does it matter who wins and who loses? You're both being unreasonable. So then, one of you can go to the grave knowing what I'm about to do to your loved ones, and the other one can live to hear their screams. Does that sound good?"

Lily was shaken by the threat, that much was obvious. Sam didn't know what she was thinking, or how she was going to react, and there wasn't time to figure it out.

Sam spun around and grabbed her arm, yanking it sharply. "Run," he said, and took off, pulling her behind him and desperately hoping that she would listen.

She stumbled, throwing out her arms to try to steady herself, but Sam couldn't afford to slow down at all. Already he could hear the hellhounds charging after them, ready to do exactly what Azazel had said that they would.

Lily regained her balance, and the two of them kept racing towards the railroads. She seemed to have figured out exactly what he was trying to do.

It couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, if even that long. Sam could feel the hellhounds getting closer, could see the railroad only a few feet in front of him. He and Lily launched themselves forward-

And then he was hitting the ground on the other side of the railroad, stumbling to try to keep his balance, he and Lily tightening their grips on each other's arms to keep each other upright.

Sam breathed hard for a minute, catching his breath, then slowly turned around to look at Azazel. He could still hear the hounds growling from the other side of the railroads, only a few feet away, but they couldn't cross the iron lines. Couldn't come any closer.

If he was expecting Azazel to look upset, or even bothered at all, then he was wrong. Azazel was watching them, but his face was completely blank, unperturbed.

"You can stay away from me if you want," he said. "I'll be honest, I'm even a little impressed that you outran my hounds and managed to make it over. I was expecting them to take a bite out of your backsides. But you realize that you two are the only ones that have crossed those lines. Think of all of the people who are still on my side of the tracks."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

Azazel didn't look at her, though. Instead, his eyes remained locked on Sam. "Think about your family, Sammy," he said. "I already killed your mother, didn't I? What do you say? Think that Daddy should be victim number two? Or, he'd be three, I guess, since your girlfriend was already number two. But what about your special friend – Castiel, his name is." Sam's surprise must have shown on his face, because Azazel smiled and nodded. "Oh, yes, I know all about him. I've got to keep track of my children, don't I? Check up on them, make sure that they're doing okay, figure out their weaknesses... I know who Castiel is, too. Haven't heard much from him recently, but if what he did to Naomi is any indication, he must've messed himself up pretty badly. What do you say, Sam? Think that I could take him?"

Sam's hand tightened around his gun, but he didn't raise it this time, didn't want to risk making it clear that Azazel was getting to him. "Cas would beat you," he said, trying to make his voice dismissive, and not quite succeeding.

Azazel shrugged. "Debatable," he said. "But could he take all of my hellhounds? And keep your brother safe in the process? Because I'm pretty sure that you don't want my hounds getting their teeth into your brother."

Sam narrowed his eyes, and his hand clenched and unclenched on the gun again, though he didn't let any of this show on his face, or in his voice. "Are you offering me a trade?" he demanded, voice passive, as calm as he could make it. Inside, though, his head was whirling. He couldn't help the images that flashed through his mind. Dean, in Hell for all of eternity, tortured to no end because he had decided to save Sam's life. Or Dean, surviving, getting to grow old-

Then Azazel laughed.

"Oh, Sammy, you greatly underestimate how important your brother is to me," he said, and chuckled again, shaking his head. "Oh, don't look so sad," he added, stepping forward. By now, he was almost to the iron bars, as close as he could possible get to the two of them. Lily shuddered and stepped back a step. Sam held his ground. "You're important, too, you know. Not trying to imply that you're not. It's just that your brother has a more... immediate purpose. Your main part comes later."

Sam narrowed his eyes. "I know why you want Dean," he said. "You need him to break your seals for you. Release Lucifer from Hell. But what are you doing with me?"

For the first time, Azazel looks surprised, though he covered it quickly. "Your angel friend's told you more than I thought," he said, completely ignoring Sam's question, then nodded. "So you know what comes next."

"Dean in Hell. Torturing him until he gives in and breaks your first seal for you," Sam said flatly. "Yeah. Got the memo."

This time, Azazel looked almost proud. "If you know all of that," he said, slowly, dragging out the words, "then you must know that you're not going to be needed until after the seals have been broken. Sure, I had hoped that you'd be the one breaking them for me, but..."

His voice trailed off, and then he turned to Lily, a sickly smile on his face.

"You've done so well, you know," he said, lifting one hand like he was going to reach out to her. He wouldn't be able to – no part of him could cross the iron, not even his hand. But still, she took another step back. Azazel's smile widened. "You've been living with your parents for over a year, and you haven't touched either of them in all this time. Moving away from their hands, locking your door at night to make sure neither of them came in to check on you- It must've been hard for you."

"You've been watching me," Lily said, horror and disgust mingling in her voice.

He didn't even bother to answer the question, just tilted his head and said, "After all that work, I bet you'd hate it if something happened to them, wouldn't you?"

"Don't you dare-" Lily began, starting forward. Sam grabbed her shoulder, and she froze, her voice cutting off without finishing.

Azazel didn't react, just kept watching her. "There are a few different things I could do," he said, conversationally. "How would you like it if I skinned them alive and sewed their flesh onto each other's bodies. That's one that I've always wanted to try."

A small noise escaped Lily's mouth, but other than that, she managed to keep herself from reacting – noticably, at least. If Sam had looked at her, he would've said that she was completely steady, but his hand was still on her shoulder, and he could feel her trembling.

"It doesn't have to be that one," Azazel assured her. "After all, my hounds need to be fed, too. I'm sure we could work something else out. The only problem with using the hounds is that they have no sense of control – It's over far too quickly. We can't risk that, can we? I want to make sure that it goes on long enough for us to really enjoy it."

Lily was shaking hard now, her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes wide like she couldn't tear them away from Azazel's face.

"Lily," Sam whispered, tightening his hand on her shoulder, fingers digging into her skin. "Don't listen to him. We can protect your family, okay? We-"

"Can you, Sam?" Azazel asked. "Can you really? And how do you think you'll actually do that? You have a plan worked out?" A pause, then he gestured to Sam. "No, I mean it. Go on, don't be shy. We want to hear all the details."

Sam ran through the calculations. Dean and Cas had to already be on their way. Even if Sam prayed to them now, they wouldn't be able to turn back in time to arrive before Azazel's demons could – and Sam knew Dean well enough to know that there was no way that he would even consider going back, not even to save someone else's' life. Not if he knew that Sam was in danger. And Dad was long gone. Sam couldn't imagine him sticking around anywhere close to Lily's town, not when there was no proof that Azazel would be there any time soon. He could be halfway across the country by now. Bobby-

Nothing that Sam could think of would work. He couldn't tell her that, though.

"Don't listen to him," he insisted. "Demons lie, Lily."

"Why, Sam," Azazel gasped, "you offend me!"

"Don't do anything he wants you to do," Sam said, turning Lily to force her to look at him. "It's not worth it. What they're planning-"

Lily jerked away from him, stumbling back a few steps before turning toward Azazel. "What do I have to do?"

"Nothing too complicated," Azazel said. He gestured her forward, and Lily hesitated, but stepped forward, across the railroad tracks.

"Lily, don't," Sam said, and tried to rush forward to grab her. A growl from the other side of the tracks stopped him cold. He couldn't see the hellhounds, obviously – he hadn't been the one to sell his soul – but he could sense them, only a couple feet away. It was impossible to say how many of them there were, but he knew that it was definitely enough that he wouldn't be able to get them all with his gun. They'd sneak up behind him and tear him apart while he was shooting at one in front of him.

Lily was tense, letting out a small squeak when a growl rose out of the seemingly-empty air beside her. But she didn't back down, or flinch away. And she didn't turn to look back at Sam.

Azazel reached into his jacket, then pulled out the Colt. He held it out to her, and Lily's hands were shaking, but then she closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath, and when her hands closed around the Colt, she had gotten them steady.

"There's a cemetery in the exact center of the railroads," Azazel said, closing his own hands around Lily's, holding both her and the Colt. "And in the exact center of the cemetery is a crypt. The Colt is the key to opening the door. All you need to do is unlock it, and the things inside will do the rest."

Lily flinched at the mention of things inside the crypt, and for a single second, Sam thought that she was going to back down. Then she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded. "I understand," she said.

"Lily-" Sam said.

She turned to look at him. She was biting her lower lip, and guilt was written all over her face, but she just shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry," she said, mouthing the words instead of actually speaking out loud.

Azazel stepped forward, wrapping one arm around her. She tensed, but didn't pull away. "Nothing to be sorry for," he said, giving her shoulder a pat. "You're doing the right thing, you know. I'm sure your parents are going to be very grateful." He looked toward Sam. "There's still time to change your mind, you know. We could turn this into a real duel to the death, and I bet you'd take her. I meant it when I said that you've been one of my favorites, Sam."

"Go to hell," Sam snapped, not really thinking about it, or the different meaning that that would have for a demon.

Azazel just sighed. "Oh, well," he said, turning back to Lily and giving her another pat on the shoulder. "You were never the strongest, but you'll do. It's you blood that I really need, in any case. That, and your obedience, of course." He glanced at Sam again as he added, "Really, I could've gotten any one of my children to do the job. Of course, I was hoping that this little contest would narrow it down to the best fighter, but what can you do?"

His hand suddenly tightened on Lily's shoulder, hard enough to make her flinch, a whimper escaping her lips like she couldn't hold it back. Sam couldn't tell if it was from pain or fear, or probably both. Either way, Azazel didn't pay it any notice.

"You'll do just fine," he assured her, fingers gripping even tighter. "We'll work with you, toughen you up. Turn you into the leader I need you to be. Trust me, we've got all the time in the world to whip you into shape. For now, we just need to get a move on." He let go of her shoulder and moved his hand to her lower back, nudging her forward. "Opening the crypt is step number one. We can worry about everything else later."

She stumbled, then nodded, slowly creeping toward the railroad like each step was as long as a mile.

"And one more thing," Azazel said. His tone was casual, but it turned darker as he moved forward to give her another nudge. "I suggest you run."

She did. Maybe it was just that fear was a strong motivator, but Sam swore than she was running faster than he'd ever seen her go before, even during the long hours of trying to reach the railroad.

He spun around, ready to chase after her. Then from behind him, he heard, "Sam!"

He stopped, turned around. Azazel was once again right up against the railroad, as close as he could possibly come. He leaned forward now, until he was forced to stop, his face pressed against the invisible barrier that the iron created. He narrowed his eyes, and smiled.

"You can try to avoid me now," Azazel said slowly. "You can refuse to be my chosen one, or to do what I say right now, but you are going to pay your part in your destiny. You're not going to be able to escape me forever."

Sam didn't even bother to respond to that. He just turned around and took off after Lily without another word.

She was fast. That much was clear, and Sam thought that most people wouldn't be able to catch her. His legs were longer, though, making it easier to outpace her. And he was just as scared as she was. Any boost that the adrenaline gave her, he was sure that it was thrumming through his veins, too. It was barely a minute before he was grabbing her by the arm, yanking her to a stop.

"Let go," she snapped, spinning around to face him and yanking her arm roughly from his grasp – or trying to, anyway. He tightened his grip, and didn't let go.

"You're scared, I know," Sam said, the words coming out as a shout now, fear and desperation and everything else mixing together until he couldn't keep his voice calm. "Trust me, I know. If Azazel gets his hands on my brother, he's going to do worse to him than he could ever do to your parents, and that's not an exaggeration. I don't even want to think about what he's got planned for Dean." That wasn't a lie, either. In face, Sam had devoted quite a lot of time over the past week toward actively trying not to imagine what Azazel had in mind once Dean was in Hell, and failing horribly. "I want to protect people, too. But not like this."

She shook her head frantically, tugging harder to pull herself free, and still not managing it. "You don't understand," she said, her voice hitching in the middle, getting louder and more desperate the longer she spoke. "Your brother can protect himself. My parents-"

"I know," Sam said. "Believe me, I know. But doing this isn't going to save them. Azazel is going to hold their lives over your head for as long as you live, use them to make you do whatever he wants. That's why you have to let me help you kill him."

He made a grab for the gun. She twisted, and managed to hold it out of his reach.

"I don't care," she said. "He can do whatever the hell he wants with me, as long as he doesn't hurt my family."

"Even if innocent people die instead?" Sam demanded. "Even if they die just as horribly as anything that Azazel would put your family through?"

Something flashed on her face, guilt or fear or anger or all three, but it was gone before he managed to see what it was. "I'll do whatever I have to," she said, then swallowed hard, her voice wavering as she said, "They're my family, Sam. I have to do this."

But she wasn't trying to pull herself free from his grip anymore. She was just standing there, trembling and staring up at him, her eyes too wide, blinking hard like she was trying to keep herself from crying. Sam could see it in ever inch of her face that she was barely holding it together. One little push, and he was pretty sure that she would fall apart completely.

He looked her in the eyes, not breaking his gaze as he let go of her arm. He waited a moment, giving her the chance to take off if she wanted to. She didn't move.

"Give me the gun," he said softly.

She shook her head. "I can't," she whispered.

Sam slowly stretched his arm out, then closed his hand around the barrel of the gun. She turned her head and watched him, but didn't make a move to stop him, or to pull away.

He started to tug the Colt from her grasp, and only now did she react. She shook her head sharply, jerking back. The Colt fell from both of their hands, tumbling into the dirt.

"I'm going to pick it up," Sam said firmly, not giving her room to argue. He half expected her to attack him then, to do what Azazel had told her to. That's why he gradually began to bend down to reach for the Colt, not daring to take his eyes off of her for a second. Her eyes were closed, though, her arms crossed and her fingers digging into her skin, mouth moving even though he couldn't hear the words she whispered.

He had almost reached the Colt when the rumbling started. He froze, then scooped the Colt up, hurrying to straighten and turn to see what it was.

The ground was shaking. Where they stood, it was still completely steady, not even a whisper of a tremor underfoot. But two hundred feet away, back where the railroad lay, the ground began to buck and twist, the ground beneath the railroad rising higher and higher until the railroad itself finally broke free. The iron bars rose into the air – twenty feet, thirty feet, forty. In the back of his mind, a voice whispered to Sam that he should be running, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Instead, he watched, transfixed, as the railroad bars suddenly crashed to the ground in a heap.

Running wouldn't have done much good, anyway. The moment that he turned around, Azazel was standing right in front of him, hands closing around the Colt. Sam was shocked enough that Azazel managed to rip the Colt from him before he had even fully realized what was happening.

"Angels," Azazel said, in way of explanation, giving Sam this smug grin. "They wanted to keep a low profile, make sure that nobody knew what we were doing. But why bother with the secrecy when your pal Castiel has already let the cat out of the bag? If we're going to do something, might as well go all the way."

Lily stumbled away, arms wrapped tighter around herself as if that would do anything to protect her. Sam didn't see Azazel move, but suddenly he was behind her, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other clutching her throat.

"I'd love to stay around and chat with you some more, Sam, but Lily and I've got a gate to open," he said, hauling her back, forcing her to stumble after him. "Don't worry," he added. "I'm sure we'll get the chance to see each other again. After all, you'd be amazed by how much the angels can do. And that includes bringing people back from the dead."

There were growls echoing all around him. Hellhounds. And they were getting closer.

"It'll be okay, Sammy boy," Azazel said. "You're not the one who sold your soul, remember? You'll end up in Heaven, no problem. And I'm sure that the angels will take good care of you once you're up there."

Then he was gone, him and Lily both vanishing in the blink of an eye, disappearing before Sam could even think of trying to do something to stop him.

Then the hellhounds attacked.

Cas was praying to Hester now.

He had been for a while now, adding in a brief call to her alongside all of the random stories he was telling to try to keep Dean sane. But the longer they drove, the stiffer Cas seemed to grow, until he was staring out the window with his hands balled into fists in his lap, not moving, his voice dropping to a monotone. "We really do need your help," he was saying now. "If you can use these prayers to find our location and come to us, I would be grateful. Or you could travel to Samuel Colt's devil's trap – I trust that you know where it is – and aid Sam. Either would be fine with me. Please, we just need help."

"Why are you doing that?" Dean had asked the question a couple dozen miles ago, back when Cas had first started up the never-ending prayer. Cas had just frowned, and said, "Cars are slow."

Dean hadn't asked any more questions after that. He knew exactly what Cas was trying to say. After all, it wasn't like Cas was the only one who felt like no matter how fast they sped down the highway, they still weren't going to be there in time to do anything about it.

That's why Dean didn't say anything else about the prayers, even as the minutes stretched on and it became more and more obvious that they weren't doing any good. Hell, maybe they were even doing some harm – Dean swore there were moments when Cas' words started grating in his ears, reminding him that they were on their own with this one, with no help from upstairs coming their way. Then the world would start to warp and twist in front of him, but he'd hold the car steady and breathe deep until it went away.

Still, though, if this was helping Cas to deal, then Dean wasn't about to tell him to stop. Still, though, it wasn't like he expected it to work.

Which explained why he freaked out so much when a voice from the backseat said, "Castiel."

"Shit," Dean said, the word ripping itself from his mouth without him even meaning to say it, and his hands jerked on the wheel, nearly sending them careening into the next lane. Another car laid on the horn, and Dean tried to steer back into his lane as fast as he could, but the car beside him wasn't going to get out of the way in time, and the Impala wasn't changing course fast enough, and they were-

-on the side of the road, not moving. Dean's foot wasn't even on the gas pedal anymore. Beside them, cars continued to drive past, but they were far enough on the shoulder that they didn't have to worry about being hit.

Dean spun around. Hester was sitting in the backseat, her hands folded in her lap, regarding him calmly.

"What the hell was that?" Dean demanded.

She frowned at him. "I had thought that you wouldn't enjoy it if you got into another car accident," she said, "especially considering what happened the last time that your car was hit."

Dean scowled, and Cas said, "You likely just terrified everyone who had been driving around us."

"Yes," Hester agreed. "Nevertheless, I still thought that it would be worth it to save your lives."

Okay, enough with the transportation crap. To be honest, Dean didn't give a rat's ass about what she'd just done. Instead, he cut straight to what he'd wanted to know. "Is Sammy okay?" he demanded, at the same moment that Cas asked, "Will you help us?"

Hester ignored Dean completely, turning her body to face Cas instead. "Yes, I will," she said, then leaned forward. "But I am here because I need you to help me."

"How?" Cas asked.

"What the fuck is happening with my brother?" Dean demanded again, louder this time.

Her eyes flickered to Dean. "Your brother is alive," she said, "though not for much longer if we do not intervene."

"Then intervene," Dean snapped. "Right now."

Hester shook her head impatiently. "This is bigger than one human," she said.

Cas' eyes narrowed. "Not to me," he said.

Hester scooted forward in her seat, moving so that she was even closer to Cas, reaching out to place her hands on his shoulders. "Brother," she said, voice imploring. "This is our chance. Maybe our only chance. And I cannot do this without you."

Dean didn't have a clue what this girl was going on about, or what chance she wanted them to take, and he doubted that Cas did, either. But that didn't seem to matter, because Cas immediately reached up, brushing her hands off his shoulders. "I need to ensure that Sam is safe," he said firmly. "That is the most important thing now."

"Right now, Azazel is preparing to take one of his children to the Gate," Hester said. "He intends to force her into opening the Gate to Hell and releasing Lilith so that the seals can begin to break."

"Wait, what?" Dean demanded, voice rising, and he could see the same shock cross Cas' face.

They'd never actually figured out what the devil's trap was meant to protect. Of course it would be something as fucking huge as this.

Cas recovered quicker than Dean did, pulling his thoughts together and organizing them into a question while Dean's mind was still going What the hell? "Then Dean and I will stop him," Cas said. "With Sam."

For a single second, Hester looked frustrated, almost angry. Her face quickly shifted to something more thoughtful, though, and then she nodded. "Alright," she said. "I will ensure the Winchesters' safety if you agree to come with me."

"What do I have to do?" Cas asked.

She tilted her head, regarding him carefully. "Do you agree?"

"No," Dean snapped. No way was Cas going to take part in some angel's plan, not even an angel who claimed to be on their side and had healed Cas in the past. Especially when she wasn't even going to tell them what this plan was. Too risky, and Dean wasn't about to let a deal go down to save Sam if it meant losing Cas, too. That was his job, nobody else's. If anyone was going to give themselves up so that Sammy would be okay, it would be him.

Cas, though, didn't even hesitate. "I do," he said, only a second after Dean had spoken.

Hester smiled, then reached forward and pressed her fingertips against Cas' forehead.

Cas vanished.

Instantly the angel blade was in Dean's hand, almost before he'd realized that he'd drawn it. "What the fuck did you do with him?" he demanded, spinning and aiming the blade toward Hester's chest. And if she didn't give them answers, he swore he wouldn't be shy about using it. No one fucked with his family and escaped in one piece, that was a promise.

She narrowed her eyes, looking largely unimpressed. "He is nowhere where he will be harmed, I can assure you of that," she said. "And I don't have time to explain anything more to you. I give it less than a minute before Azazel has reached the Gate, and by then, your brother will most definitely be dead."

Dean's throat was dry, and he swallowed. "Take me to him," he demanded, and his voice was steady, at least. "Send me to wherever he is right this minute, you got that, or else-"

He didn't the chance to finish that threat before Hester was pressing her hand against the side of Dean's forehead. He heard Hester's voice, coming at him from somewhere far away – even farther than the messed-up hallucinations were making everything sound. "Escape as fast as you can, and you will not be harmed. Castiel will join you later."

Her words faded away, though he swore he could almost feel them like something physical, bouncing around inside his brain.

Then everything went to black.

Even in his humanlike form, Cas immediately recognized that he was in Heaven.

It was a version of Heaven that he knew well. The Tuesday afternoon of a man who chose to spend his eternity flying his kite in what was one of the most beautiful meadows Cas had even seen in all of his travels through Heaven and Earth. There had been decades where he hadn't been needed, and would lie in the grasses, watching the man and his kite and feeling deeply content. Naomi had taken advantage of this Heaven more than once, leaving him here after his mind was rewritten, so that he would feel peaceful when he woke, and be less likely to fight against the reprogramming.

Now, though, it did nothing to reassure him. "Why have you brought me here?" he demanded, turning to Hester, hands balled into fists. "You said that you would take me to rescue Sam."

Hester shook her head. "I sent Dean Winchester to his brother's aid," she said. "I guarantee to you that they have the means to escape unharmed. They will not be involved with the upcoming battle."

Cas frowned, but slowly nodded. He supposed that that was fair, even if would prefer to be with them, to see with his own eyes that they were truly safe. He had made a deal, though, and he wasn't going to refuse to hold up his own end. Which meant that now, he had to fulfill whatever task Hester had set for him.

Even so, as he gazed around at the perfect green grass and the deep blue sky above them, he still couldn't help but point out, "That still doesn't explain why you chose to bring me here, of all places. Or why you have taken me to Heaven in general." And when he thought of what had happened the last time that he had been in Heaven, he couldn't help but be wary. His hands twitched, longing to draw his blade, even though he had given it to Dean.

He was powerless, unarmed, and in the angels' domain. If they wished to kill him – or rewrite his mind – then now would be an easy time to do so.

He didn't think that Hester meant his harm, though.

"By now, the other angels know that you are here," she said, tilting her head to the side in the strangely-human gesture that he had seen from her a few times already. In all the times that they had been on Earth together, she had always struggled with copying the human's mannerisms in order to avoid suspicion, perhaps even more than Cas himself did. Now, though, she seemed to have picked up on them relatively quickly since her decision to turn against Naomi.

"How do you know?" Cas asked. "That the angels can sense me, I mean."

Her eyes widened, making her look vaguely surprised as she said, "They speak of you."

Cas nodded. Whatever was preventing him from hearing the angels, it was still in effect. He tried to reach out toward the wavelengths, but was met with only silence. Still, though, he trusted that Hester was telling the truth.

"They will be arriving any moment," Hester added.

Cas stiffened at that, but made himself nod again, forcibly reminding himself that Hester had promised that he would not come to harm. "How does this relate to me?" he asked.

Hester turned to look him in the eye, her expression deadly serious as she said, "Castiel." She paused after speaking his name, as if for emphasis, or perhaps she was simply trying to collect her words. Either way, it was several seconds before she continued, "I need you to make them think."

Cas frowned. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Naomi has shown herself," Hester said, and though her voice still mostly remained calm, there was an excitement leaking into it now. If Cas had not been listening so closely, he might have missed the fact that she was showing any emotion at all. But it was definitely there. "She has lifted the iron bars surrounding the cemetery to allow the demons entrance."

Cas' hands clenched, but otherwise, he didn't allow himself to react. Instead, he focused on processing the information as calmly as possible, to determine what exactly this meant for him, and for Sam and Dean. "I still don't see your point."

"The angels want to know why she would do so," Hester said, and yes, the excitement was definitely much more pronounced now. "I believe that Naomi plans on offering an explanation soon, and rewriting the minds of those who do not believe her. From what I can tell, that appears to be her usual means of dealing with these matters. Which is why we must act now, before she gets the chance to take action."

Finally, Cas understood. "You want me to speak to the angels now, before she has the chance to brainwash them again," he said. "Bring them to our side now, while they are confused and willing to listen."

"Exactly," Hester said.

Cas shook his head. "I still don't see why you needed me to aid you with speaking to them."

"Because Azazel will be preparing to open the Gate any moment," Hester said. "I must return to Earth soon, to ensure that this does not happen."

Cas nodded, accepting that as enough of an explanation. But apparently Hester was not done.

"And because I have never seen an angel rebel against the leaders of Heaven and return to talk about it," she said. "Lucifer was punished for his actions, and Gabriel and Anna simply disappeared, never to be heard of again. Presumably they are alive, but if they are, there is no way to prove it."

Cas knew that, of course. He still remembered the exact moments when he had learned that his brother and his sister had rebelled, the shock and betrayal and pain that had followed the revelation. And the other angels must have felt something similar when he had disappeared, perhaps even tinged with grief, considering that they undoubtedly thought him to be dead. Somehow, the thought had never occurred to him before this moment.

"But you," she said, reaching forward and clasping his shoulders. "All of Heaven knows that you rebelled to save the Righteous Man. Naomi has been spreading lies about you, saying that you have been killed for your sins, preventing any of the angels from following your lead. Right now, they all follow her ruling, but that is only because they see no other choice."

Cas frowned. "And you believe that I could cause them to do otherwise?"

"Yes," Hester said, her eyes practically shining with the strength of her intensity. Since he had carved the sigils with his own blood, Cas had had difficulty with seeing the angels' true form. But hers were visible now, her wings stretching up behind her and beating hard, sending a gust of wind that ruffled the grasses. "You stood against Naomi and survived – not completely unscathed, but alive nonetheless. And you are proof that she is wrong, and that he way is not the only way that we have to live."

Already, Cas was shaking his head. "I am no leader," he said. "I am not one who could bring my brethren to take arms." He had been the head of garrison, that much was true, but that was the extent of his ability to lead. What Hester spoke of now, it was on a far different level than anything that he had undertaken before, and it was definitely a far greater task than what he was capable of.

"Yes, you are," she insisted. He would have argued, but she tightened her hands on his shoulders, stopping him. "There is no choice, Castiel. You have to be." She looked ready to say more, then paused and tilted her head once more, frowning. "Azazel has neared the Gate," she said. "I will go to fight him now, but I will not be able to last long, particularly if Naomi chooses to bring her followers into the battle."

He understood what she was asking with those words, and the consequences if he failed her, though she did not speak it aloud. One angel would not be able to win against an entire legion of demons, even without interference from Naomi. If Cas did not sway the angels toward their side, then Hester would die.

He swallowed hard. "I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to do," he admitted softly.

He expected that admission to worry Hester, or to even make her think twice about placing her faith in someone as unworthy as him. But her expression did not waver. Instead, she looked him straight in the eye, clasping his shoulders even tighter. And she smiled.

"Inspire them, Castiel," she said. "As you inspired me."

Then, with a small puff of air and a soft whoosh of her feathers, she was gone.