Chapter 3

"What is wrong with him?"

Lucifer reached out to prevent Michael from delivering a kick to Sam's prone and unconscious body. He could understand Michael's frustration but then again he didn't quite understand a few things as far as a mutual acquaintance of theirs. He smiled, "Nothing's wrong. Just something unexpected."

Michael looked down at the body on the ground. He nudged Sam's limp arm with a hint of disdain. There was no reaction and it frustrated him especially since Sam gave out way too soon. Other times he lasted much longer before he passed out. He looked at Lucifer and demanded, "Then what is this?"

Lucifer kneeled to look at the unconscious Winchester. He wasn't concerned that Sam was going to try something. It wasn't like he could do anything anyway. He patted Sam's cheek and chuckled as he replied, "Well it seems like Sam is in La-La Land. Trying to get in touch with her are you?"

It wasn't too far a stretch to think that. After all Lucifer had tried to tempt Sam in his dreams only to be thwarted by her, his lovely. It wouldn't be hard for Sam to figure out how to use his dreams to find her. She would have taught him at some point since her reaction was that of a seasoned expert. That meant that she had training and there was only one being he knew of that would be able to instruct her to that level.

"What is going on?"

Lucifer sighed and looked at his older brother. He was always impatient when it came to learning about the intricacies of what their father had created in this world. That was where they different. Michael believed in taking action. Lucifer was more deliberate. And the two always clashed. It was no wonder things ended up the way they did with the whole Apocalypse thing that was now a train wreck.

Knowing that Michael would work himself up into a temper if he let him, Lucifer explained but he couldn't help the patronizing tone, "You know that I was making her feel what Sam was feeling by doing this." He pressed on the mark on Sam's neck. "Seems that with both of us going at him and me being particularly hard… it wore him out and he shut down."

"So he's dead."

"No, not dead." Lucifer poked at Sam and pointed out the signs of life. "More like a trance or… a coma. And with the feedback, it would have affected her."

Michael listened and came to the conclusion, "Meaning that she is in the same state as Sam."

"Exactly." Lucifer grinned and couldn't help but say, "See what happens when you don't always resort to violence? Sometimes brains work better than brawn."

Michael scowled at Lucifer. He never liked it when Lucifer griped at his methods. He was the good son and did what he was told. Now that hardly seemed relevant and it frustrated him that his father wasn't stepping in to fix things so they would play out as they should. "And look what happened when you decided to disobey. You were cast out."

"And you were supposed to defend me. You're my brother."

"I am a good son."

Lucifer stared hard at Michael. It would be no use to fight now. As much as he would like to really let Michael have it, he wasn't going to get into a fight especially since he could beat it out of Sam. The Winchester that was supposed to be his vessel had proven to be a pain in the ass and he knew it was because of her. He couldn't get how she would choose Sam over anyone else. Actually he had an idea but this was just…

Changing the tune, Lucifer went back to explaining what happened, "So what we did should have been enough to kill Sam and in effect kill her. Or at least put her in such pain that she becomes an enraged beast and… you get the picture. But it seems that didn't happen here."

"That is obvious," Michael replied through gritted teeth. He was still pissed at the argument they had been in. Lucifer always knew how to goad him. And what was salt in the wound was that she knew how to do it too and she did that at Stull Cemetery. She couldn't leave well enough alone and now they were in a mess and the whole rule book was tossed out the window. "What exactly is this?"

"Seems like what the human mind does when it suffers a traumatic event. It shuts down or creates a wall of sorts to protect itself."

"Are you saying he did this?" Michael looked at his brother with an incredulous look. There was no way that Sam Winchester could have done this. "Her I would get since she has proven more than once that she is resourceful. But him? He pointed at the unconscious body.

Lucifer could understand his brother's reaction. In truth, the whole thing vexed him. Angela would have been able to feel it but she really wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. She wouldn't have made the connection. Unless it was pure instinct. That was more likely but it was equally unlikely. However, Sam Winchester had proven to be surprising in most respects. He did manage to get back control and oust him once they were in the cage. He acquiesced, "It's possible."

"Not possible."

Lucifer looked up at him, "Oh it is. The Winchesters have always proven… well you know. You're here. But I do admit it is surprising." He peered at the body. "I wonder…" He gave a hard kick and watch the body convulse slightly. "Interesting."

"What is?"

Lucifer grinned as an idea came to mind. He looked at Michael, "I believe we have an opportunity here."

Michael looked at his brother and recognized the look that he had something that was the equivalent of sinister. He knew that Lucifer had something that would probably be distasteful but he really couldn't resist taking his frustration out on a human who thought he could upheave everything. But he also didn't like that it implied that Lucifer might do things that were definitely immoral to the body and that seemed ten times worse than what he did when the body was conscious. He resisted swallowing and asked, "What opportunity?"

"Brother, they had sex. They are connected. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Michael looked at Sam with a look of disdain. He really hated hearing that. As far as he was concerned Sam had tainted her. She had been pure and now she was pure no longer. He had tainted what she was to be to the world… not that it matted since she was here in hell now. He gritted his teeth and replied, "I understand. You want to use this to punish them both in their minds."

"Exactly." Lucifer grinned in glee. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of what was to come. "I am guessing that they are somewhere in the realm of dreams. That means…"

"You aim to torture them through that."

"Dreams are potent, Brother. And the nightmares can be pretty lifelike." Lucifer grinned up at Michael. This was going to be good.

"But if they die in the dream realm and they are that connected… you can kill them you know." Michael pointed out. He kind of liked the idea since being in the dream realm made them both trapped and susceptible to their whims.

"True but it would be fun. Plus, she has to remember." Lucifer gave Michael a pointed look.

Michael's eyes widened slightly. "You can't do that. There is a reason for the way things are."

"And don't you want her to be what she is?"

Michael was silent for a moment. It was true that he wanted her to be what his father intended her to be. She was so much more than what she perceived. She only had a glimpse of the bigger picture. He wanted her to see exactly what she was a part of. But he knew there was a reason for the way things were. "I do… but not this way. You could hurt her."

"She earned it."

"You know that it's not her fault."

"You and I see things differently. She refused me and then dares to tease me with an offer of being my vessel?" Lucifer narrowed his eyes at his brother. He looked down at Sam and shook his head slightly. "No. She will be punished and she will remember one way or another. And if she does manage to get out along with Sam here, they will have trouble discerning reality. Not that it makes that much difference already."

"You intend to use everything I their minds."

"Everything." Lucifer grinned as he said that and he meant it. He knew that he was pushing limits on this one but he was going to get what he wanted. He had time and he knew that Michael wanted to do this too. The bonus was corrupting his brother a little bit. "That is the fun with nightmares."

Michael looked down at the unconscious body. Until now he had done nothing but physical torture. Lucifer used emotional and mental coupled with a bit of physical that was… it was disturbing and he had seen the end results. Now Lucifer was pulling out the stops and it looked like he was past the point of caring of the results that could happen especially with her. He didn't forget the last time the veil had been torn and then with Gabriel… Slowly he said, "You do realize that if you go too far… you could end up with more than you bargained for."

"Oh I do." Lucifer studied Michael. He saw the angel had some qualms about it and made haste to reassure him a little. "Look. It's the realm of dreams and if you want to know a secret, she knows how to navigate. If anything, she will fight. Don't forget, she chose this. She jumped in after us and willingly. By doing that, she accepted the very real possibility that she was going to be targeted."

"Don't remind me," Michael replied in a petulant tone. He looked away and added, "I still don't' understand the why."

"The why is obvious," Lucifer replied as he gestured towards Sam. "She would do anything for her precious humans especially the ones she assumed protection over."

"And what about Adam. He seems convinced that she was there for him too."

"Oh he had some doubt and it still is there," Lucifer replied in an offhand manner. "But knowing her, she has his loyalty. You know that always amazes me how that is possible with her." He paused to think about it before shaking his head to change the subject. "I can keep those awake busy with a few things. After all she managed to create countermoves against what I have done so far."

That was appealing to Michael. He was curious how she managed to create the companions that she had that she knew weren't real. Since this was Lucifer's area, he managed to dog her and toy with her and her hell hound but still she countered him and she even seemed to suspect her own actions. It was strange since she was able to do things like that. Then again there was a reason to question sanity in this place. He nodded, "That is reasonable. It will keep Adam and the hell hound busy but won't it be reasonable to grab them since they are vulnerable."

"And miss this opportunity?" Lucifer looked at Michael like he was crazy. "You always miss the bigger picture, Michael. Imagine, all the fun here in wherever they are." He gestured absently at Sam's prone body. "And more than likely it will be a quest in there since they more than likely will be separated. Makes it all the more fun." He looked at Michael and saw the look of uncertainty. He added, "Come on. We'll take turns with each one and time lengths vary."

Michael had to admit that it was a good proposition. He still was uncertain since this had the potential to make one or both into drooling vegetables. And archangel riding a vessel could do that since their power was considerably greater than that of a normal angel. He didn't even want to go into what a demon could do. Looking at Lucifer, he knew that his brother was going to do this regardless what he said. Even though he was pissed, he really couldn't do that…

"Come on, Michael," Lucifer wheedled. He knew that Michael's big brother, protector instincts were going to drive. "You know that you'll be able to get inside her head. It's the great mystery everyone wants to know about."

Making his decision, Michael nodded, "Alright. Do what you want with her. But no killing." He pointed a warning finger.

Lucifer grinned at that. "Oh I promise. The nightmares will be real. And it's going to be so much fun."

Adam opened his eyes and found the sun shining through the entrance to the cave. It wasn't raining anymore and he started to panic since it was a perfect time to launch an attack. He shifted and ended up rolling into a huge furry lump. The lump raised its head and looked at him with a look that said that he was the idiot for waking him.

Adam calmed down a little when he realized that the lump was Cerebus. He reached out and rubbed the dog's head. "And the thing that scared me is a huge pansy of a dog."

Cerebus let out a low moan that was pathetic. Adam chuckled at the dog. He was grateful that the hell hound was on their side. At first he had been skeptical since he knew that the hell hound was a pet of hell and they usually listened to the demons. Of course Cerebus wasn't an ordinary hell hound. He was the hell hound that was Hades' pet and guarded the gates of Tartarus. He was still sketchy on how Angela managed to get the mutt loyal to her and on top of that start a new line of what she called Wilder dogs… it was crazy.

Adam was soothed by petting the hell hound and took the opportunity to look around. He saw Tsura was asleep and cuddled next to Angela. Adam shifted to look at the woman who had been unconscious for nearly a day. She looked like she was sleeping but she was too still for his liking since he was used to seeing that woman constantly on the move. She was always fighting or doing what she could to help people. He didn't want her to die. What he wanted was to know what was happening her so they could get her out of whatever trouble she was in.

Looking at Angela, Adam watched her chest move slightly. It was the only indication that she was alive and for now that was a relief but he had to admit that he was nervous about this. He was anxious for her to wake up and make everything okay. He knew that he was a sitting duck even if he had Cerebus there as back up. He knew that he was not combat ready for this; he was a med student before all this. He didn't know much about the world that Angela was from. Sure he learned a few things but he was way out of his element and he wasn't sure if he could pull it off with two people that foe, at the moment might be well placed tools of Lucifer's even though they were helping them.

Adam looked at Angela and said, "Angie, if you're in there…" He swallowed slightly before continuing, "If you're in there… please find your way back." He looked around and saw that Mac was still guarding the entrance and then back at her. "I… can't do this by myself."

There was no response and Adam didn't expect one. He had no idea where she was at that moment but it made him feel better about the whole thing. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "Whatever it is… fight it. I believe in you."

Sighing, Adam slowly got to his feet and stretched. They did need to make a plan since anything went now and they had to figure out if there was anything Lucifer was going to try. So far it was nothing but memories but as Adam had seen the past few days, or was it month, they still had power especially if they were tied to unfinished business or festering emotions. He saw that with Angela's memories, the last being that she had been manipulated into killing an entire clan of werewolves that were peaceful living.

Giving Cerebus a pat, he signaled the hell hound to stay and walked over towards the entrance and joined Mac. He gave a gentle sort of punch to the man's shoulder and teased, "You still awake?"

Mac chuckled and looked at Adam as he adjusted the M4 that he had been carrying since he first arrived on the scene. "Hey, I'm not real here so I don't need to sleep."

Adam swallowed slightly at that and shifted uneasily on his feet. There was no mincing the fact that it was blatantly stated that Mac and Tsura weren't real. Mac though took it in good humor and was still willing to help them out. "Look uh…"

"Hey, I know I'm not real but I'm sure as hell not working for the blighter that makes my friend cry." Mac gave a pointed look at Adam. He moved to stand up and stretch a little. He may not be real but he felt real human feelings like cramps. "And I don't take it well that someone made her cry and from what I know, I know that the bloke Sam doesn't like it either."

"How do you… even know that and I know she didn't tell you," Adam asked since he still wasn't sure about all of this.

Mac shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Now I know that this place is like the whole dream realm…" He turned and saw the question on Adam's tongue and replied, "Don't ask. Anyway if it operates like that, that means a person skilled enough could create things like me."

"But according to Angie, Lucifer can see inside heads and he had seen inside of Sam's so…" Adam shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a little in the dark."

"Which," Mac replied as he started to field strip and reassemble his weapon to make sure that it was in good working order, "Is a good thing for you. While the other feathered dick possessed you, I doubt that he actually paid attention to you and what's in your head. So there is an advantage. Lucifer is another matter."

"Yeah and so far he has screwed with Angie."

"Which should tell you that this is personal," Mac countered as he finished. He put the clip in and locked and loaded. The click of the round sliding into the chamber was a sweet sound to his ears. "And ever since I first met her, everything was personal with the blokes that we came across. Lucky for me I had a good unit that didn't question much."

"Wait so you are military?"

"22nd SAS, Bravo," Mac replied with some pride. He chuckled as he adjusted his weapon and added, "And before you ask, yes, I am a hunter. Me whole family has some dealings or other in the world that Angie lives in."

"So you were raised in this?" Adam knew that this Mac wasn't real but it was better than nothing and if he was a compilation of Angela's own doing, then he might as well get to know her through them.

"Yep. And I still manage to get to mass on Sundays at least," Mac grinned like it was a huge joke. To him it was a normal thing. He grew up with a witch for a best friend and then when he joined the military he saw more of the world that was normal to him. It just made him busier making sure that it was a safe place and that was a bit of an ordeal of sorts. "I guess you could say I had a pretty normal life growing up though my best mate growing up was a witch."

"A witch was your best friend?"

"Aye and Angie is half vampire."

Adam was starting to like Mac even if he wasn't real. He could start to see why Angela trusted him and was friends with him. He chuckled with Mac a little and acquiesced, "You made your point. I guess…"

"Hey I don't blame ya. I would question everything if I were real and you two were not," Mac offered with a slight shoulder shrug. "Anyway, what I was getting at was that I thin me and the lass over there are Angie's doing. She doesn't show it much but she is pretty powerful."

"Well she did forcibly remove an angel… from me." Adam shrugged his shoulders as he leaned against the cave wall opposite of Mac. "I guess that means something."

Mac chuckled. He liked Adam but he hadn't seen anything as far as Angela went. He sighed and turned to look at Angela and asked, "Still not awake?"

Adam turned to look in the direction Mac was looking in. His gaze lighted on Angela. She hadn't moved since they had put her there. Even though he said a few encouraging words into her ear, he wasn't sure she even heard him. Yeah he knew that sometimes talking to someone when they were in a coma like state heled them to wake up but he knew this wasn't like those cases. This was something totally different. Sighing he replied, "No. I wish I knew what to do."

Mac looked at Angela and then at Adam as he replied, "Well there is not much that we can do." When Adam shifted to look at him, he continued, "I mean whatever is going on in her head, she has to take care of. The best we can do is to make sure she had a body to come back to."

"So you're saying that she is not in her body?"

"More like a trance," Tsura said as she joined them. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stretched. When she had their attention she repeated, "It's a trance."

"Meaning that we must be extra diligent," Mac replied in a serious tone. When he got the nod, his expression became firm. "Bloody hell." He moved to take a quick look outside to make sure that nothing was coming.

"What does that mean?" Adam looked at Tsura and then at Mac. He knew something was up but the talk about trances was not making much sense except that it sounded bad. "Mac," he added to get the older man's attention. "What does that mean?"

Tsura explained, "It means that Angie is more vulnerable than we thought."

"Well that sounds bad," Adam replied as he looked at Tsura. He watched as Mac moved to make sure the perimeter was secure and that all his weapons were locked and loaded, including the explosives that Angela had teased him about earlier.

"It is," Mac said as he finished what he was doing. He checked to make sure his pistol and his rifle were ready. "When a person assumes a trance like astral projection, the physical body is vulnerable meaning that they are defenseless. Most experts don't touch this unless they know they are secure like a protective circle."

"So we're here and we can protect Angie."

"I know. I'll make sure the entrance is secure." Mac pulled out what looked like a can of paint. He shook it to get it going. "We're covered here. The real test is well… Angie's facing it and alone."

Adam looked at Angela and then his companions. It then occurred to him, "She could die in her head."

It was a somber outlook and Adam grasped the situation. He knew it was bad when she fell unconscious. Now it was going to be a tough ride because they were essentially fighting a war on two fronts and one of their team was on one of those fronts alone. He looked at Mac since the man knew a thing or two and he didn't have time to be squeamish. He asked, "What do we need to do?"

A/N: Seems like Sam is in the same boat as Angie and Lucifer has some ideas and Adam is on board to protect Angie. Stay tuned for more Over the the Edge...